In the Land of Gaudi...

Well....where to begin. I spent last weekend in Barcelona, and it didn't exactly live up to its reputation. It was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but the culture was entirely different from that of the rest of Spain. It was very touristy--nobody spoke Spanish. The official language in Barcelona is Catalán, which has a French influence and is not recognizable by Spanish-speakers. And they are not willing to go out of their way to speak to you in Spanish even if you speak to them in Spanish--they are far too proud of their own little culture-bubble. So even though we wanted to practice our Spanish skills, we were better off speaking in English everywhere we went.

It just wasn't the same compared to my hometown, Madrid.

However, there were several fabulous things to see in Barcelona. First of all, it is the home of the famous modernist Gaudi. Many very interesting, awesome buildings, parks, and monuments designed by Gaudi captured our interest. Curvy, colorful structures and lots of intricate details. Very interesting to say the least. We went inside the Casa Mila (Pedrera), visited Park Güell, and saw Sagrada Familia and Casa Batlló from the outside. We also spent a while at the beach, although very chilly once the sun hid behind the clouds! But I still loved being there to see it. If only it had been warm enough to swim!

The best part of Barcelona was the Mercat Boquería--a market that sells flowers,

animals (ducks, gerbils, birds, turtles, bunnies...the works), and lots of fresh fish, fruit, pastries, and smoothies! Basically a dream come true. It was the most colorful and beautiful market ever!! We bought these yummy smoothies for only 1 Euro! We also visited the Picasso Museum which was pretty neat...although I'm not an art fanatic I can still appreciate the variety of work that Picasso did. I never knew that he dabbled in so many areas-painting, drawing, ceramics and more. Very strange...

Overall, we walked around a lot, until my feet were sore and blistered (yum?) and ate. A lot. Especially gelatto. I would be lying if I said I ate gelatto less than 3 times that weekend. And now I only look forward to more real Italian gelatto starting tomorrow in Venice, Italy!! My companions (Sonya and Alex) and I are sleeping at the airport tonight-to catch our early flight-so that we can save more euros for food while in Italy and France. Typical us.

Oh, one more thing! I failed to mention the all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. Unlimited sushi, fried foods, and desserts came around past our table on a conveyer belt. It was lots of fun and I've never done anything like it before! But I also felt ill every time I thought about it afterwards...

And as you can see, no matter how chubby I feel I still try to fit into small spaces and act silly! Just livin' it up in Spain! Now off to Venice and Paris for a week...and my MOM will be waiting for me in Madrid upon my return!

Tapas--¡Gratis!

Last weekend I traveled via bus to GRANADA, SPAIN with my friends Alex, Breanne, and Sonya. Even though we arrived late on Friday night, we decided to venture out into the streets to find somewhere to get some drinks and tapas. In case you haven't heard--Granada is known for servings FREE tapas (tasty appetizers of sorts) with the purchase of every drink! This is a wonderful change from anywhere you find in Madrid, because it makes it so much cheaper! Plus everything in Granada already costs much less than it does in Madrid. Upon arriving, I noted that Granada was a very cute and nice city, but I also immediately became very grateful to be studying in Madrid. Even though I had yet to explore the depths of Granada, I had a feeling that Madrid is the right place for me because the city is so much bigger and more lively...and there are many more opportunities for exploration! This feeling of appreciation made the experience even better because I knew I would be happy to return "home".

We woke up extra early on Saturday morning to make the trek to La Alhambra, the ancient Moorish palaces that draw so many people to Granada. We waited in line to make sure that we could get tickets, since they only sell a certain amount per day. That afternoon we were lucky enough to have 80-degree weather and sun--the perfect day for exploring and enjoying such beautiful sites, such as El Palacio Nazaries, Alcazaba, Charles V's Palace, and the Generalife Gardens. I truly wish everyone could have the opportunity to see all that La Alhambra has to offer. The architecture and detail is stunning, and the views of the city equally breathtaking. It definitely lives up to the expectations that I had before arriving in Granada! We spent 4 hours walking around, taking in the "8th Wonder of the World".

In addition to La Alhambra, we were able to see many other historical sites. We visited the incredibly detailed cathedral, which was such an impressive thing to see. The amount of time, effort, and artistic ability it takes to design and create such a monumental building is hard to imagine. But it makes sense that it is so extravagent since Spain has such a strong history of Catholicism. Another really incredible experience that we had was visiting El Capillo Real--where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel, two crucially important people in the history of uniting Spain--are buried. The mausoleum was amazing, and we were actually able to down stairs and see the actual caskets of these legendary heroes of Spain. It was so fascinating to be so close to these real pieces of history. Knowing that at one point, these people who were buried just feet away from us, were alive and changing history was quite the experience!

In addition to visiting these many sites, we had plenty of time for eating. Tapas, pastries, churros con chocolate, frozen yogurt, candy, buffet-style lunch...all quite enjoyable, but we also were in dire need of cleansing our systems upon returning to Madrid. We also browsed the many colorful, chaotic shops that lined the streets. I ended up purchasing lots of jewelery--not the highest quality, but still appreciable. I love rings, and ended up buying 4. Along with earrings and a bracelet. And an adorable keychain. Oh, and a school bag which I have come to love and use every day as a large, hippie-like purse.

A few more things about Granada: Gypsies approach you in the street and offer you a sprig of rosemary, which is a "gift"...but then they take your hand and try to read it and then charge you money. Very sneaky, but luckily I avoided this by telling them no before it was too late! Unfortunately, my friend Alex got tricked into getting her boots shined by a random man, who had seemed friendly and helpful. People have a way of making you think you're getting something for free, but really think they can charge you--and it is harder than you think to get out of the situation! So it was a tragic event, because this man wanted to shine Alex's boots "for the boys in town"...and then ended up asking for 9 euro. For a boot shine. Sorry Alex! But you know it was also kind of funny...Another one of the highlights of Granada is that there are orange trees everywhere. They are just like, you know, regular trees in this city! For some reason I thought that was so fascinating, but I guess there are lots of places that have citrus fruit growing on every street. I thought it was beautiful and superb--and I would now love to have my own orange tree at home.

Anyways, I must conclude this post by saying that our weekend in Granada was a huge success, but it feels great to be back home in Madrid! Especially after receiving news that my mother's trip to Madrid has been finalized! So exciting!! See you soon Mom!