Catching Up

Ok, so lately I haven't been the best about keeping up with my blog. This week I was lazy more than anything else. And sick. The combination of the two is what did me in. Anywhooo...

Friday was the first day where I woke up and felt well enough to stay out of bed for more than 3 consecutive hours. Hooray! So that afternoon I met up with some girls in my program and we went down to Barceloneta to find a place to eat, then to test out a new bar/ bistro. The meal was nothing to blog about because 1) I had already eaten and 2) it was nothing special. 

With hardly any difficulty, we found Milk Bar.  Milk is definitely a place to talk about because of it's cozy, yet chic atmosphere and fun-named cocktails. We shuffled into a table with a booth -now that I think about it, all the tables had booth seating - and reached for the cocktail menu. You can try anything from a simple Cosmopolitan to something called a Boozy Rouge Beri. Or, perhaps you are craving a Cucaracha or, Bling Bling.  Choices, choices. Well, I started off with a Boozy Rouge Beri, which lived up to it's name. 

After our cocktails were all sipped down, we started off to see the Magic Fountain. I had just heard of this so called Magic Fountain earlier that day so my expectations weren't too high, yet I was curious so see why this fountain was so magical. Around 8:30, we got to the boulevard leading up to the fountain. That's when I started getting really excited. I could see this magnificent gush of water in the distance lit up by different colors. This light show happens once it starts to get warmer in Barcelona and goes for about 15 minutes every 30 minutes. It was like something out of Disney's Fantasia. Who knew water and lights could be so entertaining? Oh yeah, and how could I forget about the music playing!  It sounded like it was from an Italian opera, or maybe it was just a recording of a really fat Italian man singing, but I loved it. The music was the perfect touch for an amazing light show. 

    

      

Saturday was another day in Barcelona spent walking around a lot. I met up with Colleen and two friends of hers from CIEE. We went to lunch at Cervesaria Catalana, which is one of my favorite tapas places in Barcelona. Anjali and I went there about two weeks ago and loved our meal. Going back there yesterday was such a treat for me and I enjoyed my meal just as much! Colleen and her friends became Cervesaria Catalana fans as well, all coming to the consensus that this was a place to bring the parents when they visited. After our late lunch, we headed to Casa Amatller, which is one of three famous houses referred to as the "Mazana de la Discordia"(Block of Discord). Antoni Amatller was a chocolatier who had this house built for his family. Its modernist facade is captivating and draws a large tourist crowd, while standing next to Gaudi's Casa Batlló. I have yet to inside Casa Batlló because of the ridiculously high price of entry (16.50 €). My urban studies teacher gave us a great hint though, if you visit the home store behind Casa Batlló, you can get a great view of the back of the house without paying a dime. Thanks, Isabel! 

So, now you know most of what I've been up to. Today is going to be filled with lots of homework unfortunately. For some reason IES thinks that we're students and should be doing projects, studying for tests, and completely homework assignments. Weird. I guess I'll make do...as long as I find a place nearby that's open and selling croissants!

¡Hasta luego!

The Land of Waffles

Friday morning, my alarm started buzzing at 5:00. After a few different modes of transportation, Deniz, Anjali, and I arrived in Brussels, Belgium. We strode out of Charleroi Airport all smiles until we hit a crowd of people waiting for the shuttle into the center of the city. We wanted on that bus. This task was not so simple thanks to confusing ticket machines and a feisty crowd of travelers. After some shoving, we made the second shuttle into the center and to our hostel. And then our trip really began...


We wandered off in search for lunch and ended up shuffling into a corner table at a cozy restaurant where we ordered our first waffles. Deniz and I decided to add on a quiche loraine to share, which ended up being a wise choice. The waffles were tasty, however they did not compare to the ones we later tried from the street vendors. The best part was the friendly waiter who tended to us. He was one of our first Belgian interactions and made us feel completely welcome in the country. My heart melted a little when he took two trays with soup out into the cold and handed them to two street vendors. After finishing off our meal, we continued our self-guided, walking tour of the city. The highlight of this exploration was finding Manneqen Pis (Peeing Boy Statue).  I have to admit, I don't know the significance of this statue, but it holds a great importance to the people of Brussels. Plus, it's a great spot for some silly pictures! Day turned into evening, which meant one thing: more food and beer. Deniz and I went to a bar close to the hostel as we waited for Anjali and her friend, Hazel to get ready. We each chose a fruit-flavored beer: mine was raspberry and hers was peach. I had never had anything liked it and savored every sip! While walking back to our hostel, I heard a man yell "Madame!" so I turned and he slowed down from jogging and reached his hand out with my gloves. I had left them sitting on the booth in the bar and this man was king enough to jump out of his seat and run after me. I love Belgians! After this heart-warming interaction, we met the other girls and found a spot for dinner. Blah blah blah, now let's get to the good stuff...we set out for this well-known bar called Delirium. And we found it! It just happened to be right around the corner from the restaurant we ate at...convenient, eh? Delirium is a three-floor establishment with no ban on smoking (like the rest of restaurants and bars in Belgium) and a diverse crowd. Deniz and I decided quite quickly that we wanted a heavy, Belgian beer and that's just what we ordered. After sitting around at a table, the four of us girls ventured downstairs to mingle. Deniz and I just happened to meet two guys from Spain to practice our spanish with. It was refreshing to talk to practical strangers, in a different language, at a bar in Belgium. 


Saturday started off with a brutally cold shower. It was really comforting hearing Deniz shriek in the shower as I sat on my bed waiting for my turn. After a brief breakfast at the hostel, we were off to Bruges. Deniz and I aimed to make the 10:17 train and made it onto the platform one minute before the train pulled into the station. Talk about good timing. One hour and we were in Bruges...one of the most charming towns I have ever seen. I could go on and on about how quaint, romantic, sweet, and whimsical this place is. Climbing the "belfry" (bell tower) had been recommended to us and I was so happy we did it! For me, the best part wasn't getting to the very top, instead it was the climb up. This spiral staircase went on and on and on. It was also the most narrow stairway I had ever been on so when people were passing, we had to push our bodies up against the wall and hold onto a banister. I wasn't scared at all... The rest of the day was spent walking around with an umbrella because yes, it was drizzling, However, the rain did not put a damper on our visit. I absolutely loved my time in Bruges and was slightly saddened when boarding the train back to Brussels. That night, we picked up some food from an organic store and a couple cans of Stella to sip on from the grocery market. Voila! There was our fancy dinner. After munching away, we ventured out into the drizzly night to find Celtica Bar. This place was bumpin with people on two floors. We started off on the bottom floor where there was live music, but eventually made our way upstairs to where dance music boomed. The best part was that Celtica's happy hour goes until midnight. Our game plan was to stay at Celtica until happy hour ended then, return back to Delirium. All in all, it was a really fun night at both establishments. Observing and talking to people is what made that night interesting...we were even approached by an old man with an uncanny resemblance to Matilda's father (Danny DeVito), fedora and all. 


Sunday was our last day in Brussels. We had time to walk around more and enjoy our very last waffles. Thank god we did because these savory treats were the best yet! The mixture of nutella and strawberries was to die for! I'm drooling just thinking about it. We may have also stopped by a french fry place because of how delicious Anjali's order of them had looked. Not piggy at all...we were pretty much obligated to try every type of food Belgium had to offer. However, only Anjali tested their mussels because, like they say: "Mussels in Brussels!"

I didn't sleep a wink on the plane ride back, but the second my head hit the pillow Sunday night, i was out like a light. It was nice to return home to Barcelona after a weekend away. This past weekended in Belgium got me excited to travel and see more of Europe. I'm a lucky girl, I am, I am.

Música

Top 10 Songs I Listen to on the Ferrocaril:

1. For the First Time - The Script

2. Edge of Desire - John Mayer

3. Mean - Taylor Swift

4. Fidelity - Regina Spektor

5. Escape - Enrique Iglesias

6. The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script

7. The Way We Get By - Spoon

8. I Run to You - Lady Antebellum

9. Sweet and Low (Acoustic) - Augustana

10. Moth's Wings - Passion Pit

Since I take the L7 train at least twice a day, having my itouch with me is crucial. Not only do I tap my toes along to my music, but I've become addicted to playing solitaire. No shame in admitting my affinity for this old persons' card game. It's seriously addicting and passes the time during my commute to and from school. 

Now an important message for an important person: Emily Boyes. 

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY!!

The fateful birthday has arrived and I could not be more bummed I'm not there to celebrate with you! I hope you live it up and put on something tacky like a tiara or shot necklace or, or maybe some roll-on glitter (!!)...yesss. On the other hand, maybe skip the roll-on glitter; that stuff goes on and stays on for weeks if I remember correctly 

(oh, Ltd Too). 

The point is - you should feel special on your birthday. 

Make a Wish!

San Valentin

Mejor solo que mal acompañado.

 This spanish proverb essentially means: Better alone than in bad company.

Castelles

 A castell is known as a human tower built during festivals found all over Catalunya.

This is what I experienced today during the festival in memory of Santa Eulalia. Santa Eulalia is the martyr of Barcelona and died as a young girl by being put in a barrel with glass and pushed down a hill. Not so pleasant, right? Earlier this week, when my urban studies class took a field trip through Barrio Gótico, our teacher pointed out the small street, down which Santa Eulalia had been tossed. Nowadays, the people of Barcelona remember Sta. Eulalia in this festival, which takes place in Plaça Jaume I. 

I've got to admit, I felt pretty cultured today while standing in a massive crowd, cheering on the castells. The best part was watching the little children who climb to the very top and their radiant smiles once they reached it. If it had been me up there, at that age, I would have peed myself and consequently the rest of the tower. There were multiple groups of castells, each representing a certain area, or neighborhood, of Barcelona. It was impressive to watch these people climb on one another. You could tell how important each move they made was. There was a certain spot to dig their foot into while climbing one's back and a specific way to curve their arms and slide down the remaining tower when it was over. 

After the festival, Anjali, Colleen and I grabbed some pizza for a late lunch. Then, we returned back home to attend to schoolwork...blech! However, an evening of homework turned into time spent with an old friend. Colleen and I sat in the living room until the sun went down, chatting about everything...high school, prom, Barcelona, our plans for spring break, and the much feared graduation.  Once Mercedes returned home, we sat around with her and watched the Goyas. The Goyas are the equivalent of our Oscars. It was fun to see the spanish actresses all dolled up in their fanciest gowns!

I'll leave you with the progression of how the castells are built...

Y pues, nada...necesito dormir, entonces...buenas noches!

Sabados en el aire libre

There is a pattern of how I spend my saturdays in Spain - all of them are spent exploring the outdoors.  This ranges from hiking to walking through one of the many parks to roaming the streets for a cafe. The spanish people tend to spend way more time outside than us, Americans do. Because of this, their public areas are very important to the community. 

Let me backtrack quickly to last night. It turned out to be a low-key Friday spent with old and new friends at La Luna bar in El Born. As I chatted with the people there, a new friend, Michael, asked me what my favorite thing about Barcelona was. I looked at him and opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. My mind rushed through what I had done this past month like a secretary flipping through her Roladex. There was just too much! So, I told Michael that my answer was everything. Maybe that's why I have enjoyed my time here so much, because Barcelona has so much to offer that I could never possibly be bored. How does this conversation correlate to today? Well, today I finally realized what my favorite part was. The parks. And the food, but that's a given. So that makes two favorite things about Barcelona. But first, are the parks. The gorgeous, already-green-in-the-wintertime-parks that seem to be the perfect mixture of open, benched areas and private, shaded spots.  

After sleeping in this morning, Anjali and I left 406 Balmes and headed toward Montjuic. Montjuic is a mountain that juts out into the Mediterranean filled with beautifully landscaped gardens. It is also home of the 1992 Olympic Games and multiple museums, plus a cable car with amazing views. Unfortunately, we did not do the cable car today, but I will surely be returning to Montjuic with that on my agenda. I wish I could accurately put into words how remarkable this park is. The parks in America just don't compare. I think it's part of the romantic in me, but spending a day just walking through a park, looking and listening to everything around you...there's nothing like it. I wish this part of European culture would transfer to America. 

I may have gone a little camera crazy when I saw some flowers starting to bloom in one of the gardens. They reminded me that spring is just around the corner!

True to form, I must comment on the delicious tapas I ate today. Anjali and I had heard about this place, Cerveceria Catalana, from one of Mercedes' friends. She  suggested the "escalavida" (photo on bottom), which ended up being my favorite part of the meal.  It was a blend of grilled peppers and eggplant, topped with goat cheese.   We each ordered a "flauta" which is basically a super thin  sandwich.  Plus, an order of patatas bravas, which were not my favorite  but nothing to complain about. And lastly, we shared a pitcher of sangria con cava. Although it was busy with people, the restaurant remained quiet enough for us to chat without having to raise our voices. We both sat there in complete contentment, savoring our food.

Will you be my...bagel?

Never did I think I would travel across the ocean and crave a bagel, but then again never say never. The one obstacle: bagels are hard to come by over here in España. Sure, sure there are all kinds of breads here, but not the round kind with a whole in the center. After some research by my fellow Miamian and foodaholic, Maddie Teren, we found the place to go for a good bagel. B My Bagel. Cute, right? The atmosphere of this bagel shop was sweet and friendly, I just had to snap some photos. 

Pesto bagel con tomate, queso, callampas y pesto

After finishing off my pesto bagel, I went back into B My Bagel and got a chocolate chip cookie for the road. YUMMERS. It was the perfect combination of chocolate and butter!  

I got one of the cookies on the far right mmmm

Flea Markets & Houseguests

Even before I arrived in Barcelona, I imagined what field trips I would be going on. Where would my art history class go? What about my language, culture & communications class? Well, today my spanish class ventured over to a flea market near the famous, Sagrada Familia. First stand: underwear ...por un euro! What a deal! I moseyed past the bright yellow bras and poker boxers towards a mass of vendors and shoppers. There were stands with all kinds of fabrics, knick-knacks, jewelry, clothing, mirrors, paintings, old vases, chinaware, pencils, books, bookends, bookshelves, and more. While trying to take in the innumerable amounts of "treasures" I was shoved. Not once, not twice, but one thousand times...ok, thats an exaggeration, but you get the idea. These people were on the move, trying to find the cheapest of the cheap to take home with them. As the pushing and shoving continued, my desire to get the hell outta there increased. As I bee-lined for the exit path, a flattering vendor yelled out "Una chaqueta! Oh my god, you love. For Barbie!" For about a millisecond I thought, he thinks I look like Barbie! Until I heard him say the exact same thing to the next girl that walked by. You may wonder, did she buy anything? Yes, yes I did. BUT it was not for me, rather for a classmate of mine. As part of our assignment we were each given a name of a classmate to buy a 2 euro gift for. I'm pretty confident my classmate will enjoy her fabulous smelling bar of soap. 

My day continued with a lunch break, then another class. At 5:15pm I was hitting a wall. Either I could go home, curl up and watch some TV on my computer...or I could go home, change, and go for a run in La Barceloneta. I opted for the run with Anjali and Maria. It's amazing how easily I lose track of time when running around here. There is just so much to look at! And checking out the other runners on the boardwalk ain't so bad either. I give credit to the men who sport the short-shorts and don't mind if I do check out their muscular calves. That's besides the point. After the jog, Anjali and I returned home to be greeted by sweet, smiley Mercedes and her (male) friend from Italia. I cannot remember his name for the life of me, but that's not important for the story. About an hour later we all sat down for dinner. A Spanish, an Italian, and two Americans. Between mouthfuls of salad and meatballs with rice, we had a lovely conversation. It was mostly in Spanish with a few words in English just because Mercedes is a student like us, trying to learn un poco de inglés.  She even has an English class she attends once a week! Our houseguest was friendly yet timid and I'm pretty sure he ate a full plate less than me. Anywho, the point of the story is that I couldn't be happier with my Wednesday.

Happy Hump Day to all & to all a good night!

My Secret Garden

Second post in one day. So kill me. I just had to share my excitement about this park I went to today! 

Parc del Laberint

The 22 acre labyrinth has the most beautiful, lavish, green areas I've ever seen. This secret-garden-esque park immediately made me feel like I had gone back in time and was walking through an Italian garden in the 18th century. Funny thing is, the park actually was cultivated in the 18th century and then went through reparations 200 years later. The park was filled with people and yet it was easy for me to find a quiet spot that felt like I was in my own private garden. I didn't take too many pictures today because the sun was going down as I walked around. However, I'm not too concerned because I plan on going back to Parc del Laberint many more times in the near future. I was happy that I got to share my first experience of it with Anjali, Maria,  Deniz, and Mo. One of the great things about this park is that I'd be happy sharing it with more friends or, just going back by myself.  And next time I'm definitely going through the maze! 

Montserrat

Yesterday I embarked on a popular day trip to Montserrat, about 45 minutes outside of Barcelona. Montserrat, known as the "serrated mountain" got its name from it's unique rock formation. Warning to those who hate heights: this trip may not be for you. As our tour bus wound around the mountain, going up and up, the views only got better. From the small town in the middle of the mountain, we took the Sant Joan Funicular (train) up to a point where hiking paths branched out from. Our group spent hours hiking up, down, and around Montserrat.  As I looked out, upon what seemed to be all of Barcelona, I could see the Pyrenees, which is the mountain range that divides Spain and France. Our tour guide pointed out that if there wasn't so much fog in the distance we would have also been able to see the Mediterranean Sea. It was one of those experiences that is so amazing, you have to share it with people. And after you experience it, all you can do is encourage others to see it for themselves.

After hiking at inclines that made your butt burn and managing to survive the most treacherous stairs carved out of rock, we went into the museum and monastery.  


The museum held artwork by Il Caravaggio, El Greco, Casas, Pisarro, Monet, and Picasso.  After seeing some remarkable pieces of art, we got to see the famous monastery of Montserrat. The beauty of it is hard to explain, but everything about this place was stunning. Plus, it holds the precious "Black Virgin," a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary and Jesus that is now placed behind a glass case.  


Montserrat has so much to offer to those who take full advantage of its natural and historical beauty. I've got to say that this IES trip was worth every penny (and you can't always say that). So, thanks IES for providing me with a Saturday I hope to never forget. 

Martes con Maddie

Happy 1st of February! 
As was pointed out by Deniz today, I haven't posted since my trip to Valencia. ¡DIOS MIOS!  However, not much has been going on these past few days. I wish I could say my life is completely glamorous, but this week has started off on a very normal note. Today, I went back to the oh-so-delicious Bó de B for lunch with Anjali. We enjoyed our tasty bocadillos while sitting on a bench looking out toward the marina.  I was as content as could be with a sandwich in hand and the sun warming my shoulders. Afterwards, I headed back home and got into one of my moods. Now, anybody who really knows me, knows my moods. My organizing moods that is. I arrived home, turned on some Avril Lavigne (no joke, her song 'Mobile' was the first one on my iTunes shuffle), and started the process. I won't bore you with the details, but I enjoyed myself. I was feeling so great I contemplated taking photos. Once again, I'm not joking. However, not everything is in its spot yet, so I thought I'd wait. Who knows, maybe I'll have another blog post about organizing...! 


Now, for the good stuff: la comida. Mercedes keeps outdoing herself and I am luh-ving it! Tonight, we started off with some fresh pumpkin soup and sesame bread on the side.  Then, I dug into the lettuce and tomato salad with balsamic vinaigrette, spinach tortellini, sesame-crusted chicken pieces, and something else that had cheese and ham in it. As my stomach expanded by the second, Mercedes announced that she had made "un postre especial." Out from the kitchen comes a warm banana and pear crumble. I drizzled some cream on top of my crumble and devoured it. I'm pretty sure what's leftover will disappear by tomorrow afternoon, if ya catch my drift.

{Y por las personas que no saben: "Martes con Maddie" es como el libro "Tuesday with Morrie"}