Bye Barcelona

George Payne happy hour

I spent my last week in Barcelona doing as many Barcelona-things as possible. First I had to take my finals, which were the greatest/easiest finals ever. Next semester is going to be a big wakeup call…But Anna, Mara, and I celebrated our last day of classes at George Payne for a 1pm happy hour. All of the food items were buy-one-get-one free, so we went a little crazy. We ordered a pulled pork sandwich, [amazing] nachos, garlic fries, and chicken wings. We were so happy, until we came to realization that we are now seniors and then I wanted to cry.

That night we also had our program farewell dinner. We expected this dinner to be sad and sentimental…but we were very wrong. They took us on a bus to a restaurant on the beach just outside of the city. We had a traditional Spanish meal with tapas and paella, and TONS of wine. Instead of this being an emotional dinner, it was straight-up ratchet. Everyone was wasted, and loud, and as soon as dinner was over everyone went to the lounge and started taking tequila shots (typical).

Who is surprised??

We took the bus back into the city and said our goodbyes to Helena and Ryan, which was very sad. Then we all went to Hot Bar for more drinks, and went to Sutton. This was our last time clubbing in Barcelona all together, and it was my last time at Sutton (aka my favorite club in Barcelona).

My St. Jordis rose

Even though we were exhausted the next morning, we had to get up and go to Las Ramblas because it was April 23^rd, which is St. Jordis day!! I had been looking forward to this day since I learned about it back in January. The entire city was filled with street vendors selling roses and books, and I had never seen so many people out and about in Barcelona. There was even a giant blow up dragon, hehe. Anna and I had fun just shopping and walking around the Gothic quarter. We also got Wok to Wok for the last time, which was pretty sad, but still delicious.

Friday was great because I spent the day at the beach. Finally, it was hot enough to really lay out on the beach, so Angad, Alec, Alex, and I just chilled there for a couple of hours. It was also depressing because all we talked about was how badly we wanted to stay in Barcelona. And then two of them paid to get massages on the beach…and it was weird.

Sardana outside of the cathedral

Saturday I met back up with Angad, Alec, and Alex at McCarthy’s, which is an Irish bar we had never been to. The cocktails were only 3.50, so we spent a loooong time there just drinking and slowly/quickly getting pretty drunk. Then we walked around and saw a big group of people dancing the Sardana right outside of the Barcelona cathedral. It was such a cool moment because the Sardana is a traditional Catalan dance, and I had never actually seen people dance the Sardana before. It was even cooler because it was right outside of the cathedral. ~Such a Barcelona moment~

After, the four of us went to Rosa Negra, where we had great food and continued to drink more mojitos. We did some shopping at Zara and it was time for me to leave and pick up Mandy and her friend Kayla at the bus stop. They both stayed with me for a few nights while visiting Barcelona.

Sunday morning we walked to Parc Guell and I finally got to climb the three crosses! Then we went to Bo De B (WAH LAST AMAZING SANIDWICH) and ate our sandwiches on the beach. I took a little nap on the beach, which was lovely, and then we walked around El Born. We had hot chocolate and churros, walked around the Gotchic quarter, and then headed back home. For dinner we went to Sol Soler in Gracia, and then went to George Payne for karaoke night. Mandy and I sang, “We are Family” and really screwed up because we only knew the chorus…woops. Angad, Anna, and I (+5 other strangers) finished the night with the Backstreet Boys “I Want it That Way”.

Monday we all woke up and went to Brunch and Cake. I wanted to cry as I ate my last eggs benedict on turkey and waffle. That dish will always have a special place in my heart. Then we all split up, and Anna and I did some final shopping in El Born and the Gothic Quarter. It was such a nice day for walking around in two of my favorite areas in Barcelona. Then I met back up with Mandy and Kayla and we went to 100 Montaditos. This was my first time going there, which was such a shame. On Mondays they serve all of the food items for 50 cents. FIFTY CENTS. We each got 2 montaditos and then these amazing little desserts. My dessert had chocolate sauce on chocolate bread with Oreos. Mmmmmm.. I also got my first Desperado, which is a tequila-flavored beer. All of these great treats were 4.50 euro, which was fantastic.

Our own tapas

Later for dinner, Anna, Kayla, Mandy and I made our own little tapas-spread. We bought Iberian ham, a variety of cheeses, and a baguette that we cut up and toasted. We also made sangria and were so happy with our little tapas platter (just like at Elisabets!). We then continued to drink and went to Opium for the last time. It was so strange because study abroad was over, which meant that half of the club was closed off. The venue was much smaller, but the lounge area outside on the beach was open because it was warmer out. It was odd because it felt like a totally different club, but we still had a fun time.

Saying goodbye to Brunch & Cake

The next morning we went back to Brunch & Cake (lol I couldn’t say goodbye the day before). This time I got something new (GASP) and enjoyed the oatmeal and slice of the kinder cake. We ACTUALLY said goodbye to Brunch & Cake this time, which was very sad. But, it was a beautiful day outside and we laid on the beach for a couple of hours. Then I walked around El Born for the last time (everything was a “last time”).

That night we splurged and went to Cera 23 for dinner and to celebrate Anna’s last night in Barcelona. I had the black volcano rice with seafood and the blackberry mojito. The meal was delicious, and the perfect last dinner out. The rest of the night we were just sad as we watched Anna pack her things and we had to say our goodbyes.

On Wednesday only Mara and I were left in the apartment and spent the day cleaning, throwing out food, and packing our suitcases. It was all pretty depressing. We went down to Las Ramblas to walk around and enjoy our last day here. I nearly cried as I heard “Proximo estacio: Muntaner” for the last time on the metro ride home. After a long day of exploring, or after class, or after a weekend of traveling, hearing that phrase was always so magical (even better if the metro didn’t stop at Sant Gervasi).

Weird final meal

Mara and I also had our final plate of patatas bravas at Fandango on Santalo. We paid in all 5/10 cent coins (had to get ride of them some how!).  A little later we met up with friends and drank wine in Parc Toro. I got to say goodbye to my favorite park while also listening to Gavin DeGraw and chatting with friends. Afterwards, we had the ULTIMATE feast with all of our left over food. The menu included: 2 pizzas, ravioli, rice, spaghetti, feta/tomato salad, chips, hot dogs, quesadillas, empanadas, croquets, chocolate, and LOTS of wine. It was weird, but perfect. After drinking/eating the night away it was finally time to go to sleep and face that facts—it was time to leave.

Time for a little reflection:

Studying abroad was by far the greatest experience of my young life. These four months went by so incredibly fast, but were filled with such rich memories. I now understand why everyone who studies abroad [especially in Barcelona] loves it so much. Living abroad, you learn so much about adapting to new situations, being patient, and maintaining a sense of humor. I really encourage anyone who can to study abroad. Even if it is scary in the beginning, it is so rewarding (*throwback to freaking out in the grocery store my first night, Anna getting lost/crying on the first day of classes, me losing my black tank top and Sandra not understanding me, etc.*). But really, immerse yourself in a new culture and be open to learning about it. Living somewhere new for four months (especially in a foreign country) and being able to call it your home is so invaluable. 

I cannot stress enough how much I loved Barcelona. I strongly believe I chose the best place in the world to study abroad. This city is so unique and filled with life and character. I promise you, there is no where else like it. I never thought I could become so attached to a place and be so sad to leave. I can honestly say it is the greatest city I have ever been to, and I have been privileged to live here. I was able to travel to so many different cities and countries while abroad, but after every trip I was still excited to come back to Barcelona. There were times I missed Barcelona while traveling, even if I was only gone for 3 days. Instead of listing all of the reasons why I love Barcelona, I urge you to go and experience it for yourself.

Now it’s time to drink the last drops of my 2 euro bottle of wine (man, I’m going to miss the prices of wine here) and say bye to Barcelona. Thanks for a lifetime of memories, and I cannot wait to return.

Proximo estacio: Columbia, MD. 

Muntaner forever

The Mams do Portugal

Thursday was Mara’s 21st birthday so the mams (Anna and Mara) and I went to Elizabet's for yummy tapas and celebrated with delicious, and very potent, home-made sangria, champagne, and cake. We went to Le Cyrano with the St. Jordi crew, but Anna and I had to leave before going to the club with everyone because we had a 7:30am flight to Portugal the next morning. So after less than 4 hours of sleep Anna and I went to the airport. We were pretty exhausted/ hungover sitting in the Barcelona airport and resorted to eating egg mcmuffins and splitting the magical muffin. It's okay, we survived. 

Lisbon from the castle overlook

We arrived in Lisbon pretty early in the day, had some coffee, and made our way to our hostel. After dropping off our things we started our day by walking to the Sao Jorge Castle. On our walk to the castle I noticed that Lisbon is covered in tiles. If you are not aware, I LOVE tiles. I loved all of the cute tile stores and buildings covered in different tiles. I was in tile-heaven. Then we got to the castle and had the loveliest time walking around the grounds and enjoying the views of Lisbon. We also walked along the edges of the castle and went to the archeological site. Then as we left the castle we had the most traumatizing experience…

AHHHHHHH

When Anna and I entered the castled we noticed a bunch of peacocks and peahens (female version of a peacock) sitting in a tree. It was so odd, but also really cool. We took some pictures and moved on with our lives. Then as we were leaving we saw a peacock with all of this feathers raised. Again, we thought this was really cool so we ran over to see the peacock and take some pictures. Then it dawned on us: peacocks raise their feathers as part of their mating ritual. Next, we saw a lone peahen in front of the the peacock. The peacock was standing on its toes, twitching its feathers, and rumbling it's butt. The peacock had the peahen in site. Then the peacock pounced, mounted the peahen, and bit the peahen's neck. Anna and I literally SHRIEKED and ran behind a tree--we were genuinely scared (and scarred). Meanwhile, tons of peple rush over to watch this horrifying experience and take videos. We had to run away as the peacock continued its terrifying ritual. I will honestly never think of peacocks the same way. 

**if you want to be scarred, just youtube "peacock mating ritual"...beware. 

After this life-ruining experience, we went to lunch. We left the touristy part of town and found a nice restaurant with outdoor seating. We had some buffalo mozzarella and I had a cannelloni with wine (kind of pretending I was back in Italy). Then we walked around and and shopped until I found the plate of my dreams. It is this giant sunflower plate and it warms my heart (I love glassware). 

Bolos & cappuccino

After a short nap Anna and I ventured to Belem, for the famous Pasteis de Belem bolos. Bolos are these amazing Portuguese pastries, and this shop is famous for making them. On our bus ride to Belem we encounter a grumpy old geezer. I was sitting next to an old man with my legs crossed and he hit my leg with his umbrella (as a signal for me to uncross my legs). I was not a fan. Then he proceeded to sprawl out and invade all of my leg room. Such a grumpy geezer. It was okay because we had such a positive experiences at Pasteis de Belem. We had cappuccinos with our bolos and were so happy. Our waiter was also really friendly and put brown sugar and powdered sugar on some of the bolos for us. We just had to buy the cute little teacups after our meal because we were so pleased (and they were really cheap). 

Anna and I walked around Belem for the rest of the evening, saw the monastary, the torre (lol), and we really enjoyed this giant fountain that changed colors. We also liked making weird sound effects to the colorful fountain as it exploded. We went back to the center of town, but were oddly not hungry for dinner. Instead we found a restaurant and had a bottle of wine, bread, olives, and a dessert for dinner. 'Twas a good decision. 

Fountain and monastery in Belem

The next morning we got our free breakfast at Yes Hostel and we left for LAGOS! We had to take a 4-hour bus from Lisbon, but the time passed quickly and was so worth it. We got to the place we were staying and realized it was literally a 4 minute walk from Praia Dona Ana beach, which just happens to be the most beautiful beach in Lagos. We were also shocked because our hotel/hostel/villa (?) was so cute! It had these pretty gardens all around the pool (it had a heated pool...) and a cute little coy pond. We also had a private room with our own bathroom. And the best part was that we only paid 12 euro a night!!!

Mmmm seafood

Our first stop in Lagos was Prato Cheio, which was a highly rated Portuguese restaurant. We became best friends with our waiter and talked to him for about an hour about Portugal and Spain, and he was so sweet. We also had the best seafood ever. I had squid (with tentacles) and shell fish. I've never had better tasting seafood in my life. UHG SO GOOD. 

Next, we went straight to the beach. We were simply blown away. The pictures of this place really don't lie, it truly was the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. We laid there until the sun went behind the cliffs and it got a little chilly. But don't worry, we got to lay by our pool and had direct sunlight. The happiest of times. 

For dinner we went into town and walked around all of the little streets before settling on a pizza place. We are only slightly ashamed of our choice to eat pizza in Portugal...but it was really good! We both had Hawaiian pizzas and I had a White Russian with my pizza. I'm laughing out loud as I recount how weird/hilarious this meal choice was (but no regrets). We decided to be adventurous and try an Alexander brandy after our meal. We had to make stank-faces as we choked down these nasty dranks, but it's okay. 

The groom-to-be Chris

After dinner decided to stay in town and do some bar-hopping. We went to this one low key bar with live music, which was really great. Next, we went to MJs Bar, because it was highly rated on trip advisor. When we arrived we notice the bar is completely filled with 40-50 year old men, one of which is wearing a dress. I have no idea why I didn't think this was this was weird at the time, but Anna and I waltzed right in. We soon realized we were crashing a gay british man's bachelor party. We became the hit of the part because we were the only girls there and were the only people under the age of 40. We met the groom to be, Chris, who was wearing the white dress and boxers. We took some tequila shots with him and danced the night away to songs like "We are Family" and "Celebration". Wow such a great night. 

Wine at Camilo Beach

The next day we had a full day in Lagos and planned to spend the entire day at the beach. I'm going to start off by saying this was the most magical day ever. We woke up and went into town for breakfast at Oedon Cafe. It was only 3.50 for a giant pancake, 4 pieces of bacon, and 2 eggs on toast. Yesssss, Then we went to Praia Dona Ana and laid. It was pure bliss. I even leaned against a rock and read on the beach. Man, we were SO happy. We then bought a bottle of wine and explored the next beach, Camilo Beach. This beach was much smaller than Praia Dona Ana, but there was this cool little cave that connected to another beach where's we laid, drank some wine, and chatted. We could not get over how beautiful our surroundings were, or how beautiful this day was. We did however have one small mishap when a big wave came and almost washed all of our belongings away. Anna went into fight or flight mode and saved her camera, and her phone went for a little swim in the ocean (but it still works!!).

Ponta da Piedade

After regrouping, and laughing about how much worse that could have bee, we walked back to our villa and laid by the pool. More bliss. Next, we went to a little snack-restaurant that overlooked the Praia Ana Dona beach. We got a pitcher of sangria and had hamburgers/hot dogs as we got to look at this incredible beach. Once again, we were SO happy! This was followed by more laying by the pool, until we mustered up some energy to jog to Ponta da Piedade. Our cab driver told us to visit this place, and it wasn't too far from our villa. We had to go down a bunch of stairs, but the stairs led to these incredible grottos. I really wanted to visit Capri while abroad, but Ponta da Piedade filled my Capri-fix (at least for now). We then walked to the edge of Portugal and watched as the sun began to set. Also, there were these fields of little cacti/flowers surrounding us, which was beyond cool. We agreed that we HAD to come back here the next morning with our cameras. So we finally left this beautiful area, jogged back to the villa, and got ready for dinner. 

We walked into town with a restaurant in mind, and then we passed a restaurant called "Nah Nah Bah". We saw that there were a ton of people inside. and decided to just go there instead. Here we had the most delicious fish tacos. Just picture this: corona battered fish with avocado, cotija cheese, spicy salsa and pineapple sauce in a corn tortilla with lime chips and a piña colada. The mams were SO pleased. 

The next morning we were depressed because we knew we didn't have much time left in Lagos. We went back to Ponta da Piedade to take our pictures and then we then went back to the restaurant that over looked the Praia Dona Ana beach for breakfast (lol hamburgers for breakfast). We held back tears as we said goodbye to our beautiful beach and took the bus back to Lisbon.

Stunning Praia Dona Ana Beach

Once we arrived in Lisbon we were on a mission to quickly find bolos and find the Aerobus. It was magical that we found both simultaneously. We grabbed our bolos, got on the bus, and headed to the airport. This time we tried almond bolos, which were so0o0o good. We chilled at the airport for a pretty long time while studying for our finals, and then we drank some Porto on the plane (because we failed to drink it in Portugal and were curious as to what it was). 

All I can say is that this was the most fabulous last trip while being abroad. Anna and I had the most pleasant time possible. All of our food and beach dreams came true and now I know that I NEED to return to Portugal. 

Mommy in Barca!

Mommy and I at Parc Guell

Luckily on Monday we had a day off to recover from spring break. I was not nearly as exhausted as I expected to be (thanks to my relaxing last 2 days in Sorrento) and it was nice to finally go on a run after eating endless pizza and pasta for 10 days. All of the trees in the park were blooming and it was the loveliest day to be outside. The park was filled with kids, balloons, and dogs, and it put me in the happiest mood. I'm already getting sad that I'll be gone soon and I'll miss Turo park :( 

Later that night Anna and I suddenly had the need to plan a trip to Portugal. I really wanted to visit Portugal, but didn't think I would have time on this trip. We planned everything out, got super excited, and we were ready to book our flight. We decided to skip class the following Monday to extend our weekend in Lagos. Literally seconds after Anna purchases her flight she says, "I hope I don't have anything due in Spanish class that Monday..." It turns out her Spanish oral-final is that Monday. Cue the freak out. All we could do is wait/pray her professor would let her reschedule. 

Tuesday felt long because I was waiting to finally see my mom!! She arrived in Barcelona with her friend Moira that afternoon, and right after class I rushed over to her hotel and we were finally reunited! We went to Cuidad Comtal for dinner and for her first tapas experience. We spent a long time there just eating, chatting, and drinking wine. I made sure she went to sleep early that night so she wouldn’t be too exhausted for our very busy week.

Also later that day we learned that Anna’s professor is a saint and is letting her take her final early—so we are going to Portugal!!

Barca Game!

The next morning my mom, Moira, and I went to Parc Guell. This park gets more fabulous each time I go. This time, the ugly construction was finished (WOOHOO) and all of the flowers were in bloom. We had a lovely day just strolling through the park. Later that night I was super excited to finally go to a FC Barcelona game. Mara and I met up with my mom and Moira for the game and we had amazing seats. We were 10 rows away from the field and it was awesome. Barcelona played Almeria, and beat them 4-0. I can’t lie, seeing Messi score a goal in Barcelona was a pretty cool moment. We finished the night off with pastries and went to sleep.

Thursday after class I met up with my mom and Moira for dinner. We went to Casa Alfonso, which had fantastic tapas and wine. I especially loved the crispy eggplant with honey and goat cheese mmmmm. Afterwards, we went to a madrigal performance at Palau de Musica. This venue is stunning, and I was happy to go back and actually get to hear the acoustics in use.

Friday I took my mom and Moira on a tour of Barrio Gotico and El Born. They loved the Barcelona Cathedral, and this time I was able to go to the top of the cathedral. We spent a while on top of the cathedral admiring the bell towers and the city views. Afterwards we walked around El Born and grabbed some lunch, while also sharing a pitcher of sangria. We went to the Picasso museum pretty tipsy after finishing our sangria…(there was a lot of laughing about “Las Meninas”). We also bought tickets for the Dali exhibit, which was inside of the Picasso Museum. The exhibit was awesome and compared a lot of their works, which I thought was really cool.

With giant meringues

Before heading home, my mom and I felt the need to buy these giant meringues. I had seen these meringues outside of the Jaume I metro stop all semester, and I had always wanted to try it. This was a big mistake. These meringues were HUGE and we made a huge mess. I expected the meringues to be hard like American meringues, but these were the equivalent of giant marshmallows. There was so much sugar on them and I thought my teeth were going to fall out. Sadly we had to throw away more than half of the meringues, but we had a good laugh.

Saturday my mom and Moira went to Montserrat, while I had to stay home and write a final paper L Sad times. But that night I rewarded myself by revisiting OTTO ZUTZ! Otto Zutz is the first club we went to in Barcelona, and we always refer to it as “our club”, even though Mara, Anna, and I haven’t been back there since the very first night (throw back to getting stuck in the elevator). We started off the night at Le Cyrano, which is always a good time. We then got in a cab with a really rude cab driver who was shit-talking Americans in Spanish, and we had him pull over and got out of the car (good times). But all ended happily at Otto Zutz. My personal favorite moment was us singing/screaming the lyrics to She Will Be Loved (why was this playing at a club? Idk, but I’m not complaining). The whole night was a mess, but the best kind of mess.

Wine Tour

That night I went to sleep around 3:30am, and had to wake up at 6:45am for a wine tour with my mom and Moira. I honestly have no idea how I survived. Even being hung-over and exhausted, the wine tour was awesome. We started at Jean Leon’s vineyard, and learned how he went from being a taxi driver, to meeting Frank Sinatra, to becoming a successful wine producer. I have mad respect for Jean Leon. Next, we went to the Bodegas Torres Winery. We started with the wine tasting and cheese pairing (mmmm I love cheese). I was a big fan of the wines we tasted here. At this point, we had drunk 5 glasses of wine before 11am. After this tasting our group got on a little tram for a tour of the vineyard and everyone was drunk. It was pretty hilarious to watch all of these 40-60 year old women drunk at 11am and putting their hands up on a tramcar pretending it was a roller coaster. Our last stop was at Freixenet Winery which is a Cava vineyard. This tour was a little more informational and the guide told us more about the process of making Cava. The factory was HUGE and they had us in these very old/dark cellars with their aging Cava. After the tour we had our final tasting, and had lots of yummy tapas.

Karaoke

After getting about 3 hours of sleep the night before and drinking wine all day, I needed a nap. After my nap I went to dinner with my mom and Moira, and then I had a glass of wine with my mom at the hotel bar (MORE wine). It was nice to just hang out with her—I had missed her a lot! From there, I met up with my friends at George Payne for karaoke night, where St. Jordi killed the game by performing Down, Fergalicious . Beautiful Girls, No One, and Wonder Wall. It was tons of fun, but I was exhausted from running around all day.

Donut man!!

Monday was my mom’s last day in Barcelona, so I skipped classes to spend the day with her. We went to Brunch and Cake in the morning (always a good start to the day) and I got to some shopping with my mom YAY! After some shopping I also FINALLY got my “donut man”. Let me explain: there is this donut that is shaped like a little man and I have seen him all around Barcelona. Many times I have even said “I KNOW HIM” (similar to Buddy the Elf and Santa). The day finally came where I bought and ate donut man. I also learned that he has a whole little donut family, and his official name is “Bouldaman”. I was way too excited about this donut.

Parc Cuitadella

We then spent the day by the ocean and at Parc Cuitadella. It was a beautiful day to be outside, so we just sat on the benches at the park for a long time. Then we had a (fake) traditional Barcelona night. We had seafood paella and then went to a flamenco show. The show was good, but I still think the one I saw in Sevilla was much better. We had some gelato before going back to my mom’s hotel where I had to say goodbye L I’m sad she left, but I’ll be back home so soon! Which by the way is terrifying and I am not ready to leave Barcelona!!

In other news: this week the roomies and I ("the Mams") dyed fun minion eggs hehe and today is Mara’s birthday, so let the celebrations begin!

Also Anna and I leave for Portugal tomorrow, which will be my last trip while abroad—GASP!