March 17, 2013-
Today was the big day, the day I have been waiting for all semester long. Today was the day I got to go to my first BARCA (futbol) game!!!!
Let me give you a little background.
The people here in Spain are VERY proud of their team and the players that play for them. Everytime there is a Barca game and I am not out watching it, I know when they score because I hear all the yelling from the people in the bars. They have fireworks that go off around the city when they score too. It's great because I don't even have to be watching the game to know how many goals Barca has scored. I can also tell when the refs make a bad call...I'm telling you, these people live and breathe Barca.
Because of their spirit and all the hype around Barcelona I was even more excited to finally have the opportunity to go to a game! ISA has a bunch of mini activities which they put on: they pay for half and you pay for the other half. They have a list of 5 activities and you get to choose which one/ones you want to go to. For example, some of the activities included: horseback riding, a cooking class, eating tapas at various restaurants around Barcelona, etc. My choice was the Barca game.
Our meeting time was 7:45 p.m. I got on the metro at 7:05 (and thank God I did) because as soon as I got on we were shoulder to shoulder packed in the metro all the way until the stop for the stadium (Camp Nou). For a minute there I couldn't breathe because there was so many people! Everyone was wearing their Barca gear and so excited for the game.
Getting off the metro I found the group and my friends and we walked to the stadium. Everyone was walking in the middle of the street, not caring that cars still needed to get through.
After arriving at the stadium we got our tickets and made our way to get seated.
On the tickets we seemed to have great seats, and then when we were informed that it didn't matter what seat you sat in, just as long as it's the right section, we immediately ran to the very first row and that's where we sat for the entire game. Good thing we got there early!
Second section up, first row. I couldn't have asked for better seats!
The game was one of the best sporting events I have ever been to, the energy in the stadium was unbelievable. The people were so passionate about every single goal their scored.
Barca has sort of a "national anthem" which they all sing in Catalan. Of course, I didn't know the words, but there was one part that we all picked up on and that was "Barca, Barca, Baaaarrcccaaaa"!!
After Messi, their #1 player, scored they all bowed down to him, it was really funny. Or, a player on the other team would trip one of their players and the fans would all give them the finger. It was quite comical!
The Catalans have this saying, something along the lines of "God is Argentina, God is the heavens." Their favorite player, Lionel Messi, is Argentinean and that is who they are referring to. I wasn't kidding when I said they love Messi, they really do!
Barca won 3-1 which made the energy of the game that much better. After the game people were running around in the streets with the Spanish or Argentinean flag on their backs and going crazy. It was truly a night to remember.
March 16, 2013-
Happy Saint Patrick's Day weekend!!
All of my friends went to Dublin, Ireland for the weekend to celebrate the festivities, however, since I have already been to Ireland I decided to have a weekend to myself.
Today was our last excursion presented by ISA. A cava tour?! I HAD to go!
But what is this "Cava" you talk about?
Well, cava is the Spanish word for champagne. The Spanish don't need a special occasion to break out the cava, apparently it is common in Spain to have a bottle of cava in the refrigerator and break it open anytime someone comes over: Morning, evening, night, anytime!
Meeting time was 9 a.m.
First, we took the bus about 45 minutes to the beautiful vineyard of Codorniu. After taking massive amounts of pictures of the vineyards and the grounds around, we finally headed through the golden gates of Codorniu and on to our tour.
We watched a 20 minute movie about it being a family run business and how wine and cava is made and then they took us outside and in to the factory. The factory was located on the top of a hill with a beautiful view of the mountains and towns surrounding it. Inside the factory, we learned how wine and cava is made and the lengthy process it takes. Then we went down to the fourth floor underground and walked around all the stored bottles that would be filled with the wine or cava. The ground to the ceiling was covered in bottles that were waiting to be filled. Then, down another floor, we took a little train ride around the many bottles, it was like a maze in there, I don't know how the driver knew where she was going! The "streets" had little signs that had a city name and then Cava after it. For example, on "street" was "Cava Barcelona Codorniu" or "Cava Valencia Codorniu." Maybe that's how she navigated through there!
After our short train ride we headed back up to the main level and got to taste two kinds of cava made from the factory itself: semi seco rose and brute. Both of them had two very different tastes, but my favorite was the brute.
By the time we were done with our cava tour it was time to continue on our journey to the beautiful town of Sitges. Ahh yes, back to the town where Carneval was.
Except, Carneval was over, so now it was an opportunity for me to see the town without the huge crazy party and really experience what Sitges is. When we arrived to Sitges we had free time until 5:30 (about 5 hours) where we could do whatever we wanted. My friend and I decided to sit inside a cafe for a few hours and talk and then wander around the city and eventually end up at the beach. It was overcast, but the beach was absolutely beautiful. Along the beach was a quilt festival in tents so we wandered inside only to see a bunch of little old short Spanish women wandering around buying things like crazy.
After wandering around the city, in and out of streets, a few times, it was time to head back to the bus and go back to Barcelona.
I couldn't help but think: Perhaps becoming a wine/cava connoisseur would be the next thing on my list of things to accomplish, after learning Italian and French, of course.
March 10, 2013-
It's not time to take off the sandals and prepare for the rain just yet!
Today we woke up to another day of sunny sky's and warm weather. As I opened my window I heard carnival type music playing. Ahhh, such a beautiful spring day. It seems that when the weather becomes nice in Barca there's always live music playing around in the plazas and people are out and about walking around.
I could get used to this.
Today's plans were to go hike around Monjuiic and look at the Olympic stadiums. My friends, however, didn't feel like going out until around 4 because they were waiting for their senoras to make them lunch.
I just couldn't lose a beautiful day like this to sitting inside the apartment until four, so I gathered my things, packed a lunch and headed to the beach for the day.
On my way walking to the beach I discovered that the street I live on takes me all the way there in only 20 minutes! Hm.. Sundays at the beach could be a regular occurrence!
I laid on the beach for the whole afternoon watching the waves, playing in the sand, and watching the crazy tourists. I actually got a tan! It was absolutely a beautiful day laying in the sand with the sun beating down on my translucent skin, ahh, a little melatonin, I've missed it.
Around 5 o'clock I headed home to make dinner and get ready for the week ahead. I've missed the beach, sand, and the waves.
Esto es la vida: This is the life
March 9,2013-
After a long night/morning, we woke up to another beautiful day of blue sky's and the sun shining in Barcelona. I could get used to this.
However, with the sun and nice weather, also brings all of the crazy tourists. Already, we were beginning to notice the streets becoming more crowded and the sidewalks being hard to bob and weave through.
We decided to visit Labyrinth park: the park with the hedges that formed a maze located in the very north of Barcelona by Mount Tribudabo. I had never been to this part of town before so I was excited to see a whole new side to Barcelona.
A whole new side was exactly what it was, the Mondat neighborhood and area was absolutely beautiful. It was high enough on the mountain where you could look out and see all the buildings in the city and beyond that the beautiful sea. Making our way to the park we stopped for a few minutes and watched a local futbol game: it made me miss playing soccer. I liked this part of town much better, it was much calmer and quieter: this was the local Barcelona.
Of course we got lost, but managed to ask people and find our way up to the park. The park was pure bliss. It was surrounded with all types of trees and vegetation with only a dirt pathway that wove in and out of the beautiful scenery. The sun was out and the the birds were chirping, it was a warm beautiful day.
After successfully completely the hedged maze, we sat down on a bench and had a picnic for lunch. The park wasn't busy so it was nice to get out of the big city and just relax for the day. In the future, I could see myself taking the metro up there and studying on a beautiful afternoon. I loved it.
After the park we came back down in to the city and did a little shopping. On my way walking home, there was a reggae concert in the plaza by our grocery market. What a random place to have a concert, but I stopped by and watched for a little before continuing on my way.
Finally, I made my way home, excited for another eventful day tomorrow with hopefully more great weather!
March 8, 2013-
This was the first weekend we got to spend the whole weekend in Barca. HOORAY! The weather was supposed to be gorgeous too, so we figured we'd play tourists for the weekend.
However, my first adventure was to the doctor to figure out what was wrong with my left foot. Last week a sharp pain developed in my heel to the point where it was difficult for me to walk (proving my point even more that I love it here, but my body hates it!). Of course I thought it was just because I was walking more than my body was used to so I waited a week to see if it would go away, and let's be honest, I didn't want to have to go to the doctor without my mommy there. After a week though, the pain only worsened so I figured it was time to take an adventure to the doctor. And boy, what an adventure it was. I took the metro, which was pretty complicated, to the street where the office was and of course, I got lost and walked back and forth, up and down the street a few times before finally finding it. I filled out paperwork and talked to the receptionist and then the nurse came out to get me........ my jaw dropped.... Not only did he speak English and have a cute accent, but he was the hottest nurse I had ever seen! Maybe going to the doctor without my mom wasn't so bad after all. ....Anyway, back to seeing the doctor, the nurse stayed with me the whole time and translated what the doctor said whenever I didn't understand. My tendon was only inflamed, which is common, and he gave me some natural remedies and a cream to heel it within a few days. Phew!
After the doctors office it was time to meet up with my friends and find a place to eat for lunch. After wandering around heading toward the beach, we found a place called Kula's. The menu looked like good food, but the thing that caught our eye were the strawberry daiquiris. The sun was shining and the beach was beautiful, so why not sit on the patio and drink a few daiquiris! While we were sitting, chatting, a man with a tee shirt on and a bow tie pulled up a chair and joined our conversation. After asking him a million questions we found out that he was from England and getting married and this was his bachelor party. Apparently his 20 guy friends, who were sitting at the table next to us, told him to show up to the airport with all his bags packed. He had no idea where he was going until he got on the plane. How cool is that! He brought us a rose and bought us a bottle of cava: him and his friends were a crack up!
After eating a Spanish burrito, having a few daiquiris, and spending the whole afternoon at Kula's it was time to go home and get ready to go out for the night. Yes, we were there sitting in the sun until it set. The owner even gave us VIP cards because he liked us so much, and best of all, he was Australian!
What a beautiful day in paradise!
March 3, 2013-
Unfortunately, today we had to leave the beautiful city of Valencia. Although I wish we could have stayed another night, we had much to see before we headed back to Barcelona.
Our hotel had a complementary breakfast so waking up a little earlier for free breakfast was a must. And let me tell you, it was worth every second of it. For breakfast I had fresh peaches and pineapple, eggs and fried ham cut like bacon strips, and best of all TOAST. I had been craving butter and toast since I've been here since we don't have a toaster or oven at our apartment. Never in my life had I thought I'd crave toast: it's the basic things you miss most when you no longer have them. I have to say, it's the best breakfast I'd had in Spain thus far.
When we were finished with our heavenly breakfast, it was time to get back on the bus and head to the Valencia Aquarium: the largest in Europe. Due to the festivities of the night before, a couple of my friends didn't quite make it on the bus in time and they were left behind. Good thing the taxi driver found the aquarium so that they could meet up with us and finish the rest of the trip!
At the aquarium we walked around and visited the man different exhibits and then went to the Dolphin show. It was probably the greatest show I've seen, I couldn't believe my eyes!
After the Dolphin show, we headed to the beach for lunch. Although it was cloudy, the beaches of Spain are always beautiful. We were still in Valencia, so, even though the trip was short, we still got to see the beach. Lately I've been wanting to go to the beach just to watch the waves and relax, whether it was sunny or not, so this was the perfect afternoon for me: so relaxing.
Well, like they say "all good things come to an end," now it was time for the 5 hour bus ride back to Barca; and man, it was a long 5 hours.
It was nice to be back in the city I have come to love. I am excited for next weekend to relax and explore the city more. Barca bucketlist here I come!
March 2, 2013-
I can't believe it's already March! Time flies when you're having fun.
Today our destination: Valencia, Spain.
We were to be at the bus at approx. 8 a.m. to leave to Valencia. Again, we were rushing because the rumor was that they were going to actually leave at 8 because we had to catch a boat at our first stop. But once again, we didn't leave until 8:30. I don't know if we will ever learn.
We took a bus ride south for two and a half hours to the beautiful Ebro Delta. When we got there we got on a boat and took a cruise around the river. It was a little cold, since it is the winter, and the water was a little murky, but it was still beautiful nonetheless. When the boat cruise was over we all went to a restaurant called Casi Nuri to eat Valencian paella. Valencian paella not in Valencia, weird!
Valencia is known for their paella and is said to be the place in Spain where it originated. As the tour guide said later in the afternoon "everywhere else that has paella, it's fake, Valencia is the only place with the real stuff." Paella (for all you Americans) is a rice type dish typically with fresh seafood. Sometimes it comes with chicken or there is vegetarian paella with vegetables.
When we got our huge plate full of paella all I could stare at was the huge orange shrimp laying on top of the rice. It was staring right back at me too. Typically in Spain they don't "de-shell" their seafood, for what reason I'm not sure, but I was a little grossed out and shrimp is usually the only kind of seafood I will eat! Along with the shrimps were some other types of seafood which I could identify: clams, octopus and squid, and then some things I couldn't identify so well: apparently snail and rabbit. Needless to say, I picked everything out and only ate the rice, which was really good, but I at least tried the clam.
After we were done eating paella, or for some of us, conducting our science dissection, there were two cute little open air street shops with tourist items such as shells, bracelets, hats, etc. that we browsed through.
Then, it was time to get back on the bus and head to Valencia.
Upon arriving in Valencia we had just enough time to put our things down in the hotel before catching a city bus and walking tour. ISA has a branch in Valencia so one of their instructors gave us the tour. She was halarious!
We took the bus around the city looking at the beautiful buildings and then we get off and walked around the center of Valencia. What a beautiful city! Valencia is the 3rd largest city in Spain after Barcelona and Madrid. I don't know how it's the third, because it wasn't very big, but the people of Valencia are very proud of that fact.
We walked around the city with the tour guide explaining what the interesting buildings were, and, of course, me and two friends ended up getting separated from the group because we went in to a candy store that we couldn't resist!
We wandered around for about a half hour before we finally found the group and rejoined the tour again.
During the tour we stopped at a churro stand and I got the best churro I've ever had: a churro covered in chocolate, another typical food of Valencia.
When the tour was over we had free time for the rest of the night. Because it was late, we were really hungry. We ended up going to a little Italian restaurant that appeared to be very fancy, but had cheap prices. A few of my friends and I had gnocci with a four cheese sauce and the others had spaghetti. The gnocci was delicious and the spaghetii looked good too. Stuffed until we couldn't eat any more, we walked around and found things to do for the night.
After that, it was time for some shut eye before tomorrows wake up call at 10 a.m.
Chao!
Our meeting time was 7:45 p.m. I got on the metro at 7:05 (and thank God I did) because as soon as I got on we were shoulder to shoulder packed in the metro all the way until the stop for the stadium (Camp Nou). For a minute there I couldn't breathe because there was so many people! Everyone was wearing their Barca gear and so excited for the game. 
On the tickets we seemed to have great seats, and then when we were informed that it didn't matter what seat you sat in, just as long as it's the right section, we immediately ran to the very first row and that's where we sat for the entire game. Good thing we got there early!
