Rollercoaster

This past week has been a series of highs and lows. It started out amazing with all the girls here from Redlands, I got to see Holly for the first time in we think 10 months and Abbie and Julia who I hadn't seen since May and of course Lauren and LJ. We got to spend a lot of time together but it was still sucha whirlwind I wish they could have stayed longer. We had a great weekend together with going out to Catwalk (a big club here) and watching them go crazy. They're all worried that when I come to Salzburg I'm going to be disappointed with the night life but I'm sure I'm going to be just fine. We went out to eat at this amazing Mexican restaurant called Catina Machita which was delicious. We also walked around the beach, showed them Las Ramblas and shared some pitchers of Sangria. Saturday night we went to our favorite bar, La Oveja Negra, and then went out to a lounge type club thing called Elephant. It was a definitely a good weekend, but on Sunday I quickly came back to reality when I had to tackle midterms.

I had one on Tuesday, my History of Contemporary Europe test which went pretty well I think. I had to answer 4 essay questions on a whole bunch of different stuff. On Thursday I had my Introduction to the European Union test which I am not so confident about. We had to write 2 essays and they were super complicated questions that our teacher hadn't even prepared us for, he's also not that great at English (he's Turkish) which didn't help me understand the questions any better. Anyways, I struggled through them and I think I made it out ok. Next week I have a Spanish quiz and then a midterm in my Democracy in Western Europe class which he gave us all the questions to so I should be fine there as long as I prepare. I'm very excited for them to be over. Especially because of all these distractions that have happend at home..I need to not be taking tests.

Anyways next weekend I'm headed off to Prague with Gina, Jill, Meghan, Kim and Hayley. Were staying at the Czech Inn (cute huh?). Its a hostel that seems pretty nice. I'm extremely excited to get out of Barcelona for a little bit. I just need a little change of scenery and need to stem this homesickness somehow. It so weird how some weeks I'll be soo happy and will be having such a great time and then other weeks I'm tempted to hop on a plane and go cuddle with my pugs. I feel like this is one of those experiences I'm only going to truly appreciate after it's over. I try not to get to wrapped up in going home, and seeing people from Redlands really helps but its getting harder and harder, especially with the holiday season coming up!

But this weekend is Halloween weekend and we have Mookie, Kevin, Grant and Jo all visiting us from Redlands for a few days. Last night we went to this little bar and attempted to get into Opium (a big club on the beach) but everyone in the world wanted to go there and so we didn't get in. Tonight were doing Shoko and Catwalk again, I'm pretty sleepy so we will see how it goes, I'm thinking I might stay in and rest up for tomorrow! Anyways I've gotten everyone up to date now so I'm going to rest for awhile. Missing Jackie! Good luck with the rest of your soccer season...so proud of you!

Parieee con mis amores

So I just got back on Sunday from an amazing weekend in Paris. The city was everything I was told it would, beautiful, charming and absolutely freezing. Nickie and I got there at around 10ish and checked in our hostel in the cutest little area called Monmarte. We were about a 5 minute walk away from Sacre Couer. Of course when we walked into our room everyone was sleeping, including the three guys we were sharing the room with ( a little awkward). So we had to fumble around the room to get into bed and I got the top bunk of the squeakiest bed ever. If i moved an inch it made the loudest nails-on-a-chalkboard sound that I'm pretty sure kept everyone awake all night. Anyway, the next morning we got up early and headed into the main part of town to go to the LOUVRE! On our way there we got a call from Lauren and LJ to meet them there. After about 45 minutes of trying to find them we met right outside the huge triangle in front of the Louvre, it was like out of a movie. I was sooo happy to see them. I was so distracted with seeing them we were having a hard to focusing on the Louvre so we went to grab some lunch to chat it up. We walked down the Champ d Elysses and found this packed little cafe where absolutely no one spoke English and as we quickly found out we really don't know an ounce of French. So after the struggle of a life time and some much needed Starbuckswe headed back to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, the Sphinx, the Venus de Milo and all the good stuff.

Afterward we took what we thought was going to be a pretty short quick walk to the Eiffel Tower ended up being a good hour. But were really excited to see it. It was waaay bigger than I ever imagined. We took a few pics and went back to our hostel to rest up. Later we met up for dinner with Aidan (who Lauren's friend who they were staying with) and the girls. We had the classic French dinner with some wine. After stuffing ourselves we headed back to the Eiffeltower to see it at night, with yet some more wine. It was soo beautiful at night, way better than in the day and at midnight it sparkled! I'll put a picture of it at the bottom. We spent a good hour there and then decided to grab a crepe and call it a night....I already miss the crepes...a lot. Nickie and I headed back to the hostel and fell asleep the second our heads hit the pillow. We walked sooo much.

The next morning we got up early again and met up with LJ, Lauren and Aidan and he toured us all around the good stuff. We went to Notre Dame which was of course gorgeous and we got to go inside for free which was cool. The stained glass was incredible...but after seeing so many cathedrals so far in Europe it wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it would be. We walked around and went to a holocaust memorial which was really touching, shopped a bit and then grabbed some lunch at the coziest, cutest little creperia. I had a ham, cheese, and lettuce crepe which was absolutely delicious. Then for the 3rd time we made the hike back to the Eiffel Tower so that we could climb to the top. After waiting in like for a good half hour we made the 668 stair climb to the second floor to take the lift to the top floor. Since I've discovered this fear of heights being on top of the Eiffel Tower was semi-frightening, but it was definitely worth it to see a 360 view of Paris. It is seriously the most beautiful city I have ever seen. We were freezing being all the way up there so we grabbed another crepe and headed back to the hostel for a shower. Later we met up again for dinner in this cute little restaurant district where we grabbed some italian food. I had mushroom ravioli and it was A-mazing. Apparently the French really know how to do Italian. After some tiramisu and a chocolate souffle we went to see the Arc Di Triumph which was yet again...gorgeous. I'm really running out of adjectives to describe Europe. But it is such a strange feeling to be in a place and see something you have read or heard about your whole life. It's so weird that now I can say I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower or that I walked through the same Arch that Hitler did 50 years ago. Its just so surreal and there is nothing like it.

Anyway, after taking a few touristy pics at Moulin Rouge and grabbing a quick glass of wine inMonmarte we said our good-byes and called it night. Nickie and I wandered back through the streets home and got to see the Sacre Cour which is by far the coolest church I have seen yet, and got to soak up the cozy little neighborhood that is Monmarte. If i could bring my family and friends I would live in Paris in a heart beat. The city has such a cool vibe and the people were way nicer than they are made out to be...maybe its because were American girls...but they were all so accommodating and friendly. The buildings were incredible, however the cold would get to you. Coming from 70 and sunny to 45 and cloudy was quite a shock. But it was soo great to see LJ and Lauren, but I am spoiled and get to see them again this weekend! I even get to see Abbie and Holly. Can not WAIT to show them Barcelona, their going to love it! I will definitely update after the crazy weekend I am about to spend with them ...8 Deltas in Barca..going to be crazy.

I forgot to say that I went to a FC Barcelona game last night and it was waaay fun, except for the fact that we lost. We played this russian team that I can't remember the name of and we were definitely favored to win, but oh well. It was still such a fun experience, especially for my firstfutbol game, except I have to say that the fans weren't nearly as rowdy as their made out to be. Maybe its because it wasn't an important game, but I was kind of disappointed. Anyways I had a great time with Gracie, Gillian, Lizzie and Nickie and would love to do it again!!! Aaand more big news, my Mom is officially coming to see me in December, yay Mom!!!!

Blogger isnt letting me upload pics to I'll try again soon!

Good news!!!

After a good weekend, with some much needed rest so I could finally get over my cold I got some amazing news today. This weekend Nickie and I are headed to Paris. It was supposed to be four of us...but it ended up only being her and I which was totally fine..however, I found out today that LJ and Lauren are both going to be there too! What a crazy coincidence! So the four of us will be spending the weekend in Paris. I thought I would have to wait 2 more weeks before I could see them but, nope its this weekend!!

Anyways its definitely been a good week. I'm feeling a lot more at home here, like I just live here now. School has been kind of a pain but thats ok. I'm getting things accomplished for my major so I can't really complain. A few of us hiked Tibidabo this weekend (the only mountain in Barcelona) and that was was pretty! Its been kind of a quiet week since I got sick. I went out on Friday night and met up with my friend Nicole from high school and some of the Spaniards that came to stay at Bellarmine for a few weeks when I was a senior. It was weird to be with all of them. Took me back to the old days. We had an amazing night, we went to a club called Shoko and then to a dance club called Catwalk. It was very typical Barcelona, tons of people and staying out till 5 am. I don't know how they survive. This week is a short week since today was Columbus Day we didn't have school and we don't school this Friday so Nickie and I are skipping a few classes Thursday and ditching out early for Paris to be reunited with LJ and Lauren on Friday morning...I am sooo excited! And then I get to see them again the following weekend and more Redlands people the weekend after! I don't know how I'm going to get any school work done!

Missing everyone like usual and I will definitely update after Paris!!! Get ready to see pics of me at the Eiffel Tower.

Firenze y Pisa!

Bongiorno! I have no idea if thats how you spell that. Anyways, it's Monday night, well I guess Tuesday morning at 2 am. I cant sleep and I'm thinking its because I took a two hour nap today but I'm still sooo exhausted so I'm not exactly sure what the deal is, even though I haven't been sleeping very much for the past few weeks now...annoying. Buuut I just got back from Florence yesterday and it was seriously incredible! We (meaning me, Nickie and Gracie) left on Friday at around 4..took the train to Girona bus station then a bus to the Girona airport, from there we got on the plane and flew to Pisa, Italy where we took a bus into Florence and finally a taxi to our hostel. All in all it took us around 6 hours just to get there. The hostel was pretty funny. It felt just like summer camp, we checked in and the guy at the front handed us our sheets and our towel for the weekend as well as our room keys. When we walked in the room there were already 4 people asleep so we had to stumble around the room and make our beds before we finally got to sleep! In the morning we got up early and walked aimlessly to find some breakfast. After a cappuccino and a croissant we headed into town toward the Duomo. Florence is tiny so we walked around every where. On our way to the duomo we ran into tons of cute little market places and plazas so I took a ton of pictures on the way. When we got there it was 8 euro to go to the top but we wanted to do it. So we paid 8 euro to literally scale (not climb) 436 stairs. It was intense. But totally worth it once we got to the top. We immeadiately took in a 360 degree view of Florence that was absolutely breath taking. We stood up there for a good 25 minutes and I took about a 1000 pictures. The climb down was a lot scarier than the way up, some of the flights of stairs were really steep like you were climbing a ladder. We stopped inside the dome to look at the ceiling that was painted by Michealangalo himself. It depicted the limbo between heaven and hell. I didn't stay for long because we were pretty high up and I was a little freaked.

At the top of the Duomo we spotted this huge market street so naturally we went to find it. After about 30 minutes we found this huuuge stretch of little tent covered shops. I could have spent days there and about a billion dollars. I bought a little purse, a cheap scarf and some sunglasses that were all for a pretty good price. Afterward we met up with one of Nickie's friends from high school, Christiana, for lunch. She took us to this cute little cafe and then showed us around the city. But the best part was when she took us to this 1 euro gelato place that was seriously amazing. I got cookies and cream and I dont think I've ever had anything better. Since we'd gotten in so late the night before the 3 of us made the trek back to the hostel took a 2 hour nap and got ready for dinner. We found a little cafe down the street and Gracie and I both got pizza. It was delicious. Way different than the pizza in the States a lot less filling but seriously amazing. I ate the entire thing and it was pretty big. We also split a bottle of wine which was also delicious.

After dinner we headed into town to meet up with some of Gracie's friends at a little bar. It was weird in Florence because EVERYONE spoke english, which I thought was so weird being that Florence is way smaller and less cosmopolitan then Barcelona and no one speaks english here. But it was really nice that we didn't have to struggle with Italian anywhere we went. Although, we did struggle with the Italian men..they are another story. I'm sure Dad is thanking his lucky stars I'm not in Italy. Anyways we didnt stay out late cause we had to get up early the next morning to check out. We decided that we were going to head back into Pisa early for our flight to check out the leaning tower and explore a little bit. But of course when we got there the weather started to turn. We made it to the tower which was really cool! I didn't expect it to be leaning so much. There were tons of tourist and of course we took the classic pic next to the tower like were trying to hold it up. We had lots of time to kill because as we learned there isn't much in Pisa besides the tower. So we went to get lunch, Gracie and I both had pizza again and we both finished the entire things, again. As we were eating it started to torrentially downpour so we sat and watched it rain for a good hour and when it stopped we made a break for it to the bus and back to the airport when it really started to pour, and that was the end of our trip to Italy! It was a quick one but weirdly I was ready to be back in Barcelona and get a good nights sleep (which I have yet to get) in my own bed. Alrighty I'm going to attempt to go to sleep now, I have a long week of school ahead of me...lots of reading and a stupid spanish test on Wednesday. Congratulations to all the new Deltas!!!! Can't wait too meet you all!!

me holding up the leaning tower (sideways..I couldn't figure out how to rotate it)
The river (can't remember the name of it though)
The view from the duomo
Gracie, Nickie and I
The painting inside the duomo.

Florence bound!

Alrighty I'm going to make this kinda short because I have had a long week and am exhausted! These past two weeks have been crazy. We had a long weekend..4 days this past week because of Merce and so it was four nights of going out on the town. It was really fun just very exhausting and am definitely ready to get out of Barcelona for a couple days. Tomorrow we leave at around 6 to take the train to Girona and then fly from there to Pisa where we take a bus to Florence. We end up getting into Florence around 11. I've been googling it like crazy and I can not wait! I'm mostly excited for the food though! Not that I don't love spanish food I'm just ready for something different. Here all the restaurants basically sell the same type of food...tapas and sandwiches with cheese and ham or paella. There isn't much variety. Anyways I am ready for some pizza and wine (yep thats for you mom). Its going to be me and Nickie and then our friend Gracie thats from Colorado College. It'll be fun. Next weekend were going to Valencia I think. We haven't booked the train yet but were going to. I've heard its beautiful. Then the following weekend were going to Paris and the weekend after that the Salzburg group comes then its Halloween and then I think were off to London. With all this traveling time is going to start flying by! Which is going to be a good thing because these past few weeks have felt very long...I love Barcelona but you can only do so much here! I'm ready to get out into Europe! Anyways I have been neglecting writing a very long e-mail to Jamie so I am gonna get on that and I will write after Florence and definitely put up so pics!