The Freemans take Barcelona (and my last week)

Last weekend, Crosby, my brother, came to Barca for a few days to visit. Thursday night, we hit Plaza Real for a swanky dinner at Quintz Nitz then went to bed. The following day we got up relatively early because stupid Crosby had a 10-mile run, so I hopped on one of the city share bikes (Bicing) and we did a ride along the water. After a little breakfast and shower, we headed downtown to wander through Old Town and hit Bo d B (the best sandwiches in the world). After lunch, we headed over to Montjuic, the mountain in the city where the Olympic Venues are. We mostly just walked up the mountain and sweated our faces off. After realizing that it was still relatively early, we hopped in the metro and went over to the Ciutadella Park, a beautiful park by the water. After a cool afternoon beverage, we decided to return back to the apartment and take a little siesta before heading out to a tapas dinner in El Born.
The following day, Crosby had another run (this time 16 miles...what.) so I hopped on the Bicing and we headed up Montjuic and then along the water. The day's sightseeing included the Sagrada Familia, a little exploring of Gracia, Parc Guell (Gaudi's park up in the hills), and more sweating profusely. That night, Brett and Niki, friends from SF met us at the apartment for some vino and Nene's famous croquetas before we headed downtown for some dinner.
It was SO great to finally have Cros make it out to Barcelona. Though it was a short visit (only 2 days), we had a great time.
Throughout my last week in Barcelona, I was in denial that I was leaving. Some highlights included my last beach day, last minute errands, going to the Picasso museum, and eating way way way too much Bo d B. One of the hardest parts of the week, though, was saying goodbye to Nene, my homestay mom. I truly loved Spain, but if my living situation hadn't been so fantastic, I think I would have had a very different experience. I truly grew to love Nene and Juan Antonio and I'm certain that I'll see them again in the future.
It didn't really become entirely real that my time in Barcelona was over until I was finally at the airport this morning. The Spaniard was nice enough to get up eaaaarly to take me to the airport for my flight, only to have to experience my "I'm leaving Spain" meltdown. (Here comes some whining) My flight was miserable. In addition to having terrible food and uncomfortable conditions (standard for economy flying), the movies were terrible (this was just ONE of the three terrible selections http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152398/). However, I did sit next to a fabulous gay Spanish guy named Oscar who told me he was certain that I would return to Spain (and then gave me the best hug ever. We're best friends). I guess not all bad. Now I'm killing time on my 5 and a half hour lay over in Toronto. Thank god for free airport Wifi.
My plan is to marinade the next few days and then post one last "Reflections" blog. Stay turned, I suppose.

Hasta.

Current obsessions: planning my life so it results in me moving to Barcelona. And that's IT.

Catching up

Look at that. Another month (plus some) has gone by and I haven’t written a post. I know I know. Hear me out, though. I’ve been busy.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve started working a second job with an investing group. My boss, Marta, has been SO great and has brought me to a handful of their events including an investors meeting where entrepreneurs present their projects and a Business Expo where I was able to, again, hear new businesses present their ideas to the group. In addition, I’ve been helping them research and organize information about companies from the expo. An added bonus is that I do the majority of the work from my personal computer at home. How many of you get to sit on a terrace in the sun with a vino tinto while working? Yep.

As most of my study abroad friends can attest, my biggest concern about staying here for the summer was that I would be lonely without my built-in friend group from CIEE. After meeting the Brazilian girls in Mallorca and spending a little bit of time with some scattered Spanish friends, I was less concerned. Additionally, another American girl started working at the Agency with me. She’s here on an “internship abroad” program, so there’s a large group of American students she hangs out with a lot that she’s introduced me to. They’re a LOT of fun, so I’ve been going out at night with them a fair amount.

Shortly after my last post, I met a Spanish guy here. It’s been great to have a Barcelona native show me parts of the city and culture I wouldn’t have otherwise seen. On June 23, Barcelona had a major holiday called the Verbena de San Juan that celebrates the summer solstice. Wait. The summer solstice is on June 21. Oh heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Spanish Time. Anyway. The Spaniard invited me to his family’s Verbena party. The closest comparison I can make is that it was essentially like many American 4^th of July block parties. In the plazas in the residential neighborhoods they set up rows and rows of picnic tables, a stage where a band played live music, and a fenced off area where kids of all ages (aka mostly kids and dads) set off firecrackers ALL NIGHT. We ate, drank, danced (in my case, badly), and laughed until very very late. It was a treat to meet and experience a Spanish family tradition and I’m so grateful the Spaniard’s family welcomed an outsider into their family tradition.

The Spaniard, like me, loves the beach, so on the weekends we’ve been taking day trips to the beaches just south of the city to get away from the tourists. It’s been great to be able to be in the local scene a little more than I would have been otherwise. Another added bonus is that he doesn’t really speak English, so my Spanish is getting really really good.

Brett Baker and Niki Finelli, friends from SF, arrived in Barça yesterday, so I met up with them for lunch and a little stroll through Old Town. Crosby, my brother, arrives in Barça TODAY for 2 days/3 nights before he heads to London for work. Get ready, Barcelona.

I leave Barcelona a week from Saturday, which I’m still largely in denial about. I’m considering intentionally missing my flight. I hope you’ll come visit me.

Hasta.

Current obsessions: the beaches outside Barcelona, French Bulldogs, Alejandro Sanz’s music, the Copa America, the Spaniard’s mom (actually just older Spanish women in general.)

Ey! Cabrón! Saluda al Campeón!

So as we’ve all seen, I’m now the world’s biggest FC Barcelona fan. Call me what you want: an athletic enthusiast or simply a bandwagoner. Regardless, FC’s big win this weekend was easily one of the standout nights of my time in Barcelona. In case you weren’t aware, Barça had the Champions League final game this past Saturday night against Manchester United. Futbol (soccer) and FC Barça is not only an athletic event here, but a cultural phenomenon/OBSESSION. On Easter Sunday, people went to church, but for a traditionally catholic country, it was a fairly underwhelming spectacle. As far as I’m concerned, FC Barcelona has replaced organized religion in Cataluña. On Saturday night, I set out downtown to meet some of the girls I had met in Mallorca to watch the game. We settled in a bar near Las Ramblas that had set up a huge screen and rows of folding chairs to watch the match. Everyone was decked out in blue and red and anxiously awaiting the kickoff. At 27 minutes in, FC´s Pedro tapped the first goal in. The people in the bar went nuts: high fives, hugs, and the FC anthems broke out. Things settled back down for a few minutes until ManU’s Rooney weaved past Barça’s defense and tied the score. One very brave ManU fan celebrated but was promptly silenced by the local fans. After a tense 20 minutes AND halftime break, Barça’s Messi put another goal in to secure Barça’s lead. More celebration including singing and hugging continued. After a few close calls on both sides, at 69 minutes, David Villa secured Barça’s final goal. The room’s reaction made it clear that the rest of the night was going to be CRAZY. After the game ended, we headed out into the streets to join the celebrations. We headed toward Las Ramblas, where there were more people than you could possibly imagine. Everyone was singing FC Barça’s anthems (“Ole le! Ola la! Ser de Barça es el millor que hi ha!” Ole! Ola! Being a Barça fan is the best there is!), cheering, setting off fireworks, and dancing. Even the police officers, who were enjoying “adult sodas” in the street, were celebrating as well. However, as the night went on, it was clear that the celebrating was getting to be a little more than I could handle so I decided to head home.

The following day, I wanted to avoid the crowds in the city that would be celebrating the big win, so I decided to take the train to Sitges, the beach town outside of Barcelona CIEE took us to visit. It was a wonderful, relaxing day on the beach. Sitges is a popular destination for gay vacationers, so the beaches were full of painfully attractive men wearing the skimpiest bathing suits you could find. Rough. A Spanish couple from Alicante asked if they could use my SPF 50 (ha good joke. Baby oil. Duhhhhh.) and then chatted me up for a bit. They asked where I was from (San Francisco), where I learned Spanish (partly in school, partly at my family’s vacation home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico’s gay capital), and where I studied in the US (a women’s college). Javi, one of the guys then responded to me, “Wow. You love ‘nosotros gays’”. Yes, Javi. Yes I do.

A common theme throughout my semester abroad has been the prevalence of protests. While I was in Morocco, revolts broke out. All of Spain has been full of political protests the past few weeks, including in Plaza Cataluña in downtown Barça. This past weekend, there was a incident of what people are calling police brutality, where protestors refused to leave the Plaza when the city needed to clean it, and the police forcefully removed them (using their batons). People were OUTRAGED. Last night at around 9pm, people throughout my neighborhood went out onto their balconies and began banging on pots and pans. There was no shouting, just banging. I asked Juan what was going on and he explained it was a typical Spanish way of expressing displeasure with political events. It went on for about 30 minutes, but eventually people went back into their houses. It was surprisingly powerful.

Nothing terribly exciting coming up. I’m starting the second job this week, which is great, so I’ll have a little bit less free time. I suppose that’s all for now.

Hasta!

Current obsessions: FC Barcelona (2011 winners of the Champions League), guarding my bag from getting pick pocketed, getting annoyed at tourists (I’m going to elaborate on this. First of all, I’m flattered you think I’m Spanish, but if YOU don’t speak Spanish, don’t try. “AYUDA AHORA. PEDIDOS.” Shut up. At least throw a “por favor” in there. And then when I respond to you in English don’t say “Oh thank GOD you speak English. There are so many people who speak Spanish here!!!” Seriously? You’re in Spain. Keep up.), no lines at Bo d B!!!!!, tortilla española everrrrrrrrry day.

I'm tanner than you are

This weekend, I went to Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend (which I clearly need because my 9a-2p, T-F work schedule is very stressful). I wish I could say I saw lots of beautiful sights, explored the island extensively, and came back a changed woman. In reality, I spent almost all my time on the beach and got a killer tan. However, there were a few highlights. The second day I was there, I decided to rent a bike and explore the island. Two Brazilian girls from my hostel, Ana and Tatiana, were also renting bikes and they invited me to join them on their adventure.

Before we go any further, I’d like to say one thing. People who steal stuff are awful. Especially people who target young tourists. We’re already young and strapped for cash. Please don’t take our credit cards and cameras.

Moving on. The Brazilians had heard about nice beaches north of where we were staying, so we decided to bike there. We spotted a potential spot, so Tatiana first went to check it out, then Ana and I went while Tatiana watched the bikes and bags. When we came back, Ana noticed her purse was no longer in her bike’s basket. While we were gone, a guy approached Tatiana and started talking to her about really random stuff. Because of how he was situated, she was forced to turn her back to Ana’s bike and presumably his partner snuck behind Tatiana and snatched the purse. What a jerk. The most terrible part, though, was that Ana had been robbed on the beach just two days before.

Ana called the bank and then we hit the beach and got a little lunch later. All in all, it was a really fun afternoon despite the robbery.

That night, the Brazilians invited me to join them and a few of their friends who also happened to be in Mallorca for the weekend to a club. All in all there were seven girls from literally all over the world (Canada/Argentina, Morocco, Brazil, US) and all but one are studying abroad in Barcelona. So this is great news…new friends! (Don’t worry CIEE girls, no one can replace you all).

Despite mostly lazying around all weekend, my trip to Mallorca was fantastic. I love spending time with other people my age, but it was also such a treat to have a little alone time. I did a lot of reading, writing in my journal, and thinking about my next steps. I’ve already proposed this to Crosby, my brother, but I’m thinking that we move to Mallorca and open a sibling business. It’ll happen.

So I’ve been back in Barcelona for a few days and there are only a few things to report. I FINALLY finished my 40-page document translation for the Agency this week. That took foreverrrrrr. Also, there have been various elections going on in Spain (I wish I could say I’ve been following the details, but that would be untrue), and as a result, there have been lots of protests in Plaza Catalunya and in various neighborhoods throughout the city. When I asked Juan Antonio what the people were protesting about, he explained that it was mostly discontent regarding the political system in general rather than the results of the election. I’m going to do a little more research on this and try to figure this out.

Well…¡hasta!

Current obsessions: my checkout lady, Susana, at Mercadona (my supermarket) who calls me “guapa” every other word, being tanner than YOU MAYA KOHLI, my new Brazilian friends, and the book "Barcelona" by Robert Hughes

Prague, Brussels, and work

Is this real life?

After my dad left, I headed out for my solo adventure to Prague and Brussels. As I sat in the airport waiting for my delayed flight, I spotted a familiar head of red hair...ALLISON MADIGAN (girl from my study abroad program). Turned out she was on the same flight as me to Prague, so my solo adventure turned into an adventure with a friend.
When we touched down in Prague at around 2am we were greeted by freezing weather (32 degrees F...awesome). My flip flops and light leather jacket clearly weren't going to cut it. I headed to my hostel (The Czech Inn...haha) and got a little sleep before meeting Allison the following day at Prague Castle for some sightseeing. Though it was freezing, Prague is truly a beautiful city and I really enjoyed it. We saw the Lenin Wall, most of the old town including Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, and Wenceslas Square. After we'd had enough walking, we got a little lunch then in the Spanish style, took a siesta before meeting up for the evening.
The following day, we did more wandering, picture taking, and eating (obviously...). Allison made friends at her hostel whom we met up with later in the day and then went to a bar with in the evening. A fun, but relatively uneventful day.
On Day 3, we decided that rather than aimless wandering, we should really SEE Prague, so we found a tour that left from Old Town Square and took us around for about three hours seeing the sights and hearing the history and "legends" of Prague. Highlights: the theater where Mozart performed, various beautiful churches, and the Jewish Quarter. That night, again after our siesta, Allison and I went out with our new friends (two Danes, a Swiss, and an Aussie). We went to a bar in the Jewish Quarter called Chapeau Rouge, a smoky, very cool spot with delicious Czech beer and a very international crowd.
On our final day in Prague, Allison and I went to a music festival in one of Prague's parks to enjoy some live music and BEAUTIFUL weather. After I headed back to my hostel, I chatted with two American Air Force guys stationed in Germany who were staying in my hostel. They were running Prague the marathon (the next day), so we hung out mostly in the bar of the where they said they were doing some carbo-loading (ouch.). We chatted about running and their experience living in Germany. I had an early flight the following morning and they were a few carb dense beverages deep, so I decided to call it a night fairly early.
I caught my plane to Brussels the following morning and enjoyed my first day in the city wandering around, taking pictures, and enjoying live music I stumbled upon. I went back to my hostel to freshen up and chatted with a few of the girls staying in my room. One American girl and I had an exchange that went like this:
Me: Where are you from?
Yael: San Francisco. You?
Me: Oh me too! The East Bay. Oakland area...
Yael: I'm from Layfaette.
Me: I'm from Piedmont.
Yael: Oh my god. Do you know Lia Korn?

Lia Korn has been one of my close friends for years. We sang in Piedmont Choirs together and both attended PHS. Yael knows Lia through her Jewish youth group. I love Lia. She loves Lia. So we decided to be friends.
Yael and I grabbed dinner, hit a bar, but then decided to call it an early night. The following day, we wandered around the city together and checked off all the major sights. A little after noon, we settled down in one of Brussels's famous bar/cafe's, Delirium. We made friends w/ the bartender, a young girl named Tamara who chatted with us for a bit. Unfortunately, Yael had an afternoon flight to catch, so we headed back to the hostel and I sent her off. I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in a cafe, writing in my journal and people watching.
I headed back to Barcelona the next day and slept for (no joke) 12 hours, which was much needed before I started work the following day. I only work 4 days a week from 9am until 2pm, which is great because my office is right on the beach, so I get plenty of sun time. On Friday, rather than hitting the beach, I decided to take a long walk after work. I took my book up to Gracia, a neighborhood up in the hills, and did some window shopping and reading in Plaza del Sol.

The past two weeks at work have been relatively uneventful. I’m finishing up the project I started during the semester and will start on some new stuff next week. I’m starting to get to know my coworkers a little bit better, which has been great. It’s a very international group (Spaniards, Italians, Latin Americans, and me), but speaking with everyone is a great way to keep my Spanish up.

As I mentioned, I only work 4 days a week from 9am to 2pm with Barcelona Ecologia, so I was feeling a little idle. I came across an opportunity to work with an American angel-investing group called Keiretsu Forum, which is a great opportunity for me. I met with their head of communications yesterday, and was hired on the spot, so that’s cool. I’m still kind of unsure as to what I’ll exactly be doing for them, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting!

Since all my study abroad friends left (*sob*), I’ve had a lot of time to myself. I’ve been exploring the city more and more and am falling deeper and deeper in love with it. I’ve discovered beautiful plazas, gardens, and public art tucked into neighborhoods over the city. I can’t believe I ONLY have two more months here. And don't worry, concerned family members (mom), I'm making friends here.

Well, I think that's about it. I'm heading to Mallorca this weekend for a relaxing beach weekend. I'm sure I'll come back with a killer tan and some great stories.

Hasta!

Current obsessions: Discovering el Raval's gardens and jazz clubs, my new black purse, trying to seem as Spanish as possible, collecting friends from every country possible so I have people to visit ("Oh you're from Brazil? Sorry. I already have a Brazilian friend. Thanks anyway...").

The past month or so...(sorry)

First of all, let's start this blog out right and get one thing out in the open. Long live Lionel Messi. Also, Ronaldo. Spend more time on the field and less time in the tanning salons and maybe you too would hit 50 goals this season. Va Barca, va.

So I know I've been terrible about updating. A combination of nice weather, a little traveling, and studying (unexpected plot twist!) got in the way of sitting down a plugging through an increasingly long blog post. So here's what I've been up to:
1. Day trip to Valencia to see Las Fallas, the strangest holiday I've ever seen where the city builds enormous statues then burns them down in the streets of downtown.
2. A visit to a cava winery and Sitges, a charming little beach town outside of Barca
3. Finals
4. Traveling with my godparents in País Vasco
5. DP's (my dad) visit to Barcelona and our trips to Sevilla and the Costa Brava
6. Reflections and looking forward

Valencia
In mid-March (yes a month and a half ago, I know...), a group of my friends and I took a day trip to Valencia to participate in the city's annual celebration called Las Fallas. From my understanding, Las Fallas started out as a carpenters' holiday where at the end of the year, they would use their scrap materials and create satirical/comical statues poking fun at an event that had occurred that year. Once they had their laughs, the carpenters would burn their statues, which came to have the name of "fallas", to create room in their workshops. This tradition evolved over time to what it is today. Each neighborhood in Valencia creates a Falla, poking fun at a political or social event that had occurred that year. The Fallas are ENORMOUS (30-50ft tall) and are beautifully constructed and painted. A committee votes on the best Falla, which is preserved in a museum along with the other winners. The rest are burned to the ground under fireworks and amidst buildings in downtown Valencia.
Our experience in Valencia was incredible. I'm still not entirely sure what to think of Las Fallas. It was certainly fun, but the crowds along with people throwing firecrackers into them was a little more than I was ready for. It was unlike anything I had ever seen (it would NEVER fly in a US city), so I'm glad I experienced it.

Cava and Sitges
CIEE, our study abroad program, arranged a tour of a cava (Spanish champagne) vineyard outside of Barcelona for us. I don't remember all the details now, but it is one of the oldest (maybe the oldest?) cava wineries in Catalunia. The tour was interesting and informative, and the two glasses of cava at the end were a nice treat! After the tour, we all went to Sitges, a beach town where we spent the day enjoying the sand and sun.

Finals
Who am I kidding? No one wants to read about this. My finals were fine. Study abroad is incredible.

País Vasco with ChaCha and Josh
I met my godparents (who from hereon out will be referred to as "the ChaCha's) in Bilbao the day after I finished finals for a little traveling around the north of Spain for a few days. Each time I get together with the ChaCha's, they never fail to spoil me much more than I deserve. I arrived in Bilbao and we immediately set out to go to the Guggenheim museum. I'm not normally a fan of modern art, but there were a handful of exhibits that really intrigued me. If you're ever traveling in Spain, I'd definitely recommend a stop in Bilbao to hit the Guggenheim. The rest of our time in Bilbao was characterized by shopping and eating, which are arguably two of my favorite things, so needless to say it was an enjoyable day and a half.
Next we moved on to Hondarribia, a small town near San Sebastian, where we stayed in a Parador, which from what I understand are historic buildings that have been transformed into incredible hotels throughout Spain and Portugal. Our Parador was a former monastery that is now a beautiful stone hotel overlooking the water. Again, more shopping and phenomenal food. One afternoon while in Hondarribia, Auntie ChaCha suggested that we get massages (I know, friends. Try not to hate me.). When the masseuse showed up, I was surprised to find out that I was not going to be getting a massage from the 20, 30, or 40-something woman I had been expecting, but rather a 20-something male Basque. Score. Don't worry concerned parents and friends of parents, but friends, you should hate me. The ChaChas and I laughed about the awkward encounter for the rest of the trip.
Finally, we ended in San Sebastian, which is probably one of the most beautiful Spanish cities I've spent time in. The city itself is adorable, full of beautiful plazas, old buildings, gorgeous beaches. Again, more shopping and eating INCREDIBLE food (including hands down the best dinner of my life at Akelarre), but a highlight of the time in San Sebastian was just wandering around the city and relaxing with a book.
My trip to País Vasco couldn't have been a better start to summer. The ChaCha's are the best. Be jealous they're not your godparents.

Don Pedro takes Espana by storm
For those of you who don't know, my dad adopted the name "Don Pedro" during a trip to Mexico a few years ago, and he continues to use it among our family. He'll sign emails "DP" and sometimes introduce himself that way. For the non-Spanish speakers, "Don" translates to something like "Lord". So...yeah.
DP arrived in Barca, but like a true champ, hit the ground running and kicked the jet lag immediately. We started out our trip exploring Barca: wandering through Barrio Gottico, enjoying Plaza Real, Bo d B (obviously), and trudging through the rain. The following days we hit a few museums, hung out with my BFF Antoni Gaudi at the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, explored Montjuic, and had dinner at Quitz Nits with Katie, Grace, and Maya.
Next up was our trip to Sevilla. I love Barcelona, but Sevilla rivals it for my favorite Spanish city. It's much smaller than Barca (we walked EVERYWHERE), but it's beautiful and feels much more "Spanish" to me (the lack of Catalan helps). We spent our first day visiting the Cathedral, siesta-ing, and exploring. The next few days were filled with trips to the Alcazar, the old Palace of Spanish rulers that is full of extensive gardens and architecture straight out of Morocco, shopping for FABULOUS new shoes for the Don, visiting Sevilla's Plaza Espana, the sight of the World Fair in 1929 (mas o menos?), and exploring Sevilla's old town. It was a GREAT trip.
The morning after we returned to Barca, DP and I rented a car and headed up to the Costa Brava. We stopped in Girona for a rainy walk through the city and glance at the cathedral and city walls before continuing on to L'Escala and Roses, two darling beach towns where we wandered, chatted, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We moved on to Figueres where we were spending the night, had dinner near their "Rambla" (not even remotely the same), then went to bed. We got up the following morning and went to the Dalí museum. As I mentioned earlier, modern art isn't usually my cup of tea, but Dalí's art is FASCINATING. It may have been one of my favorite museums I've been to since I've been in Spain.
We moved on to Cadaques, another little beach town, where we sat, enjoyed a picnic lunch, took pictures, wandered through the cobble stoned streets, and admired the beautiful town and landscape. In my dream life, I would live in Cadaques, own a scooter, and relax on my boat all day. Anyone looking for fund that lifestyle for me?
Our last day in Barcelona was spent wandering around going place to place finding them all to be closed (May 1 is a Spanish holiday...who knew?). We walked along the beach, did a little shopping for YOU Crosby, Brooke, and Soozles, went back to Montijuic to one of my favorite parks, then got dinner in El Born.
It was a treat to see my dad, and I can't quite tell if I'm more or less homesick than I was before (he just left this morning). It was great to get to introduce him to some of my friends and the family I live with, do some traveling, and show him what my life is like here. He kept saying how much he loved Barca and that he understands why I love it here so much. So. Come visit me, friends, family, etc. It's awesome here.

Reflections and looking forward.
Study abroad is incredible. I've made friends I know I will have forever and have had experiences that have and will shape who I am as a woman. To my younger friends- go abroad. You'll LOVE it and it's so important to your growth as a person. To my friends here- you're fantastic. Os quiero mucho. Reunion next summer? No brainer.
Today is the beginning of the second part of my experience here. All my friends have left and I have no more anticipated visitors, but I'm truly excited about this opportunity. I have a job doing interesting work, I'm living with a family that takes phenomenal care of me, and I'm in one of the most incredible cities in the world. Summer 2011...best summer ever.

I'm sure no one has read all of this (I'm not even going to proof read it; it's too long), except you Rachel Hervatin because I know how much you love my blog and how much you missed it.

That's all for now. Hasta!

Current obsessions: Lionel Messi, making Spanish friends, my shorts from Mango (THANK YOU AUNTIE CHACHA!!), trying to think about what I want to be when I grow up, missing my friiiiends, my new running route, and the Cuban bar.

Bologna..."love it"

This past weekend, I went to Italy to visit Mari, my roommate from Wellesley. I left Barcelona early Friday morning and after a bus, plane, bus, train, another train, and one more bus, I met Mari in Siena. Mari’s class was on a field trip in Siena, so I tagged along on their tours of various museums and cultural sites in Siena. Mari is in an Italian program, so my understanding of the tour itself was virtually nonexistent, however, many of the students would translate a bit for me.

After the tour, we piled into a bus and returned to Bologna where Mari is studying. We got dressed then went to dinner at a restaurant where Mari’s friend is the head chef (score.). We ate 5 courses (no joke) of some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had then headed out to meet up with some of Mari’s friends at a nearby bar. Bologna is an incredibly authentic city; it’s beautiful and old, but doesn’t feel artificial or touristy like many of the other Italian cities I’ve visited. What was the biggest shock for me was that of the many Italians I met, only a handful spoke English. I was able to use Spanish and have Mari translate for me, so I wasn’t completely lost. After a night of exploring Bologna and meeting Mari’s friends, we headed home.

Between the early wake up and the late night, I had been awake for over 24 hours on Friday, so Mari and I decided to sleep in. We made breakfast then headed out to explore Bologna a bit. There’s a really cool market in Bologna on Fridays and Saturdays, so we decided to check that out. After a bit of shopping, we wandered around a little more, saw the sights, then met up with Mari’s friend, Clare, for dinner at Mari’s apartment. The girls took a cooking class as a part of their program so we (I use “we” loosely. More like “they”) made an ensalata mista and pasta with HOMEMADE tomato sauce for dinner. Yum.

After dinner, we decided to head into downtown to get our night started. Mari has two bikes and Clare has her own, so we all rode bikes into town. It only took me a few minutes to realize why Mari had to purchase a second bike. The one I rode had two flat tires, only one of the brakes worked (sometimes), and the handlebars were slanted, so when the front wheel was straight, your right hand was further forward than your left, making left turns very hard(“I’m not an ambi-turner”). After an evening of dancing, talking to the most international group of people you could imagine, and a late night kebab, we headed home to go to sleep.

We decided that Sunday was going to be our “cultural” day, so we woke up, made breakfast, then set out to see Bologna. As we were walking to the main plaza, we came across a parade and celebration. Good work guys. We had totally forgotten that is was Carnival. We bought some confetti and silly string and joined the festivities. I don’t really know a ton about the traditions of Carnivale, but all the little kids who were there were dressed in Halloween costumes and everyone was throwing confetti in the air and at each other. It was quite the time to be in Italy!

We continued to wander around Bologna, seeing the churches, plazas, government buildings, sculptures, and beautiful old buildings. After a gelato and a little more wandering, we decided to head home. Mari and I changed for dinner then had aperitivos, where you buy a drink and then get to go to town on the Italian buffet. Best 6€ ever. After dinner, we went to a bar where some of Mari’s friends work and we chatted with them for a bit while we waited for Clare. After she joined us, we headed to the Irish pub and hung out with some of Mari’s Italian and study abroad friends. One of the girls had studied abroad in Morocco the previous semester, so she and I talked about the recent political events there and I got to brag about how I was able to see it all first hand. Shortly after, we called it a night because I had an early flight to catch the following morning.

After the most frustrating day of travel (delayed trains, missed flights, crying baby next to me on the plane), I finally made it back to Barcelona. I LOVED Bologna and think that Mari chose an incredible place to study abroad, however I was so glad to be “home”. After a weekend of not understanding most of the conversations, not being able to ask for directions, and constantly being turned around, it was so nice to be back in Barca.

Nene and Juan Antonio are out of town for a few days, so I had the house to myself all afternoon. I made some lunch (I’m teaching myself to make Tortilla Espanola), did some work, Skyped with Sooz and Yiayia, then relaxed in my room for a bit. The doorbell rang at around 8:30 and two teenage girls were standing outside. They explained that they were Nene’s nieces and I was going to have dinner at their aunt’s house. On our walk over to the other house, the girls asked me where I was from. When I replied, “California” the girls gasped and started asking me if I knew any movie stars, if I knew how to surf, and kept exclaiming “¡Qué chulo!” (“How cool!”). I had dinner with three girls (two cousins and a friend) and their Aunt, which turned into a two and a half hour affair talking about everything from the role of Catalán in the area to all the American music artists the teenage girls listen to.

Mari’s coming to Barcelona this week for a few days. I had such a wonderful time in Bologna, so I want to make sure her visit to Barcelona is equally fun (it will be…).

Pues…that’s all for now. ¡Hasta!

New obsessions: talking about the political situation in Morocco (there was a surprisingly large number of Moroccans in Bologna who I spoke with about the current political atmosphere), aperitivos, my adorable shoes I bought at the Bologna market (for 3€!!!), Harp, and Bologna (I’ll say it. I loveddd that city!)