Barcelona Baby!

Day 6: First day in Barcelona, Spain

Today is our first day in Barcelona. The night train was so much fun and a once in a lifetime experience. Even though it was really small, I loved it. I think I even like the fact that it was kind of crowded. My "roommates" Dennis and Sandy were talking about the size and decided that it felt as if we were camping. :)

We got off the train (some well rested and others not so much) and got the day started off right. We began with a guided tour. Our first adventure was riding in the bus to the top of this hill in order to get a view of the city. The road was small and curved in all sorts of directions in order to get up to the top. We were given about 20 minutes or so to take pictures and just soak up the view. It was definitely a change going from rain and clouds to having the sun almost blind you. A good change I must add! After getting a few pictures of the beautiful view and the Mediterranean (another first for me), we boarded back on the bus and headed back into the main part of the city.

We drove past a couple Gaudi houses, the shopping area and a few other main sites on our way to a place that Gaudi designed. It consisted of a couple houses and fountains in the midst of some beautiful landscaping. At the top of this set of stairs, there were all sorts of vendors (from Pakistan?) that were selling jewlrey and other "crafty stuff". I had just enough money to buy 5 bracelets for 5 Euros. I was expecting to go back and spend more time shopping there, but didn't make it back.

After that, our tour guide brought us to the Gaudi Cathedral. Our plan was to go inside because they were offering free admission, which never happens, but the lines were so crazy long that we would have been there all day. The amount of people waiting to get in was overwhelming. The lines went up and down the streets and wrapped around the Cathedral I don't even know how many times. It was CRAZY! Instead of going inside, our guide brought us along the outside and explained a lot of the architecture. I'm not going to lie, I found this to be the worst part of our entire trip. Her explanation about put me to sleep. I got to the point where I just stopped listening and would stand facing the other direction to watch the people. After a long time of what I thought was pointless information, we finally got back on the bus and were taken to our hotel.

We were given a very short amount of time (I think about 15 minutes or so) to get ourselves ready for the day. Mollie and I did the unthinkable. We allowed ourselves to take a 4 minute shower. I went first and probably went over that 4 minutes by a minute or two. Mollie hopped in next and we hurried to get ready in order to meet the group on time. I'm pretty sure Alyssa thought we were crazy. Most of the people in the group gave us funny looks when we came down with partial wet hair.

My first order of buisness was to get to an ATM. Luckily there was one on the next street over and was right next to the Metro. My main goal for the day was to get some shopping done. Surprise, surprise! Lauren, Olivia, Mollie, a few others and I grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant on the main street. This was really the first time we struggled with any sort of language barrier/not being able to figure out who ordered what and who owes what for their food. In Spain and Paris, if you ordered a meal with people, it was all put on one ticket. They wouldn't seperate it, so it made it difficult for those of us who only had larger bills to get our change. Anyway, we had a somewhat frustrating time at lunch and then went our seperate ways.

Lauren, Olivia and I did some shopping (mostly at Zara) and were able to find a few good deals. We spent a couple hours on the main street before heading back to the hotel. We met the rest of the group in the lobby and headed out to dinner.

Our first group meal in Barcelona was super fancy! We went to a seafood restaurant down by the ports and the Mediterranean. We were served salmon. Even though I hate fish with a passion and had a terrible experience with the tuna in Paris, I was willing to give it a try. I just told myself it was chicken and got down as much as I could. Eventually my mind game stopped working and I could start to taste the "fishyness" in it. I gave the rest of mine to Lauren and was rather proud of how much I was able to eat.

After our fine dining meal, most of us went out. We went down to the beach and this was the first time I have ever touched any major body of water. Being able to say I have actually been to the Mediterranean and touched it is something I never though would happen. What might not mean that much to someone else, means a lot to me. We snapped a few pictures and proceeded to find a club or place to dance and hang out. We ended up at this place called Australia (which I loved because I will actually be going to Australia to study abroad next fall) and stayed there for most of the night.

I think it was about 1:30 or 2 before I got back to the hotel. We took the Metro and made sure to have Gordon along for our protection. :) It was an amazing first day/night in Barcelona and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Barcelona=my new best friend!

Epic Fail...

Day 7: Second day in Barcelona

We woke up semi-early this morning to meet the group for breakfast. Olivia, Lauren and myself had plans to shop all day, so we were in a super big hurry to get going in the morning. After we ate with the group, I went back to my room to take a nap/go back to bed for a bit. We literally had all day to ourselves, so we weren't rushed in any way.

The girls and I ended up leaving the hotel around 1 or so to head downtown. We still had 8 hours to shop, which was PLENTY of time. After taking the Metro, my worst nightmare came true. We went to the first store and saw that it was closed. We went to the next and saw it was closed. This continued for over two blocks. I just had a feeling that the day wasn't going to go as planned. It turns out that on Sundays, all stores are CLOSED. I have never been so pissed in my entire life. I had saved all of my important shopping for today. For example, I was going to go to the Gucci or Chanel store and make a splurge. The one thing I wanted to get on this trip for myself was a really nice purse. Not the kind you get in the mall. The kind you only dream about buying because they are so expensive. Yes, I was planning on wasting a bunch of money on one measly purse. Don't judge! Haha.

After such a disappointing discovery, we really didn't have any motivation to do anything. We went down to this area where a few small gift shops were and watched some street performers do some dancing/gymnastic type stuff. Even though this was entertaining, my spirits were running low. I literally could not get over this tramatic shopping experience or lack there of.

We decided to get gilato and head back to the hotel for another nap. I forgot to mention, I woke up with a sore throat this morning and was starting to not feel the greatest. Maybe it is the weather change? Anyway, I got some amazing raspberry gilato and got back on the Metro.

Back at the hotel, I set my alarm and gave myself a few hours to rest up and hopefully get rid of this sore throat. After waking up, I realized the next worst thing was about to happen. I could feel myself getting sick. In fact, I thought I might be starting to get a fever. Why a fever? Well, after my nap I realized that the window in our room had been open since we arrived the day before. Lucky me got to sleep right next to it on the cot and probably got sick from that. I really didn't notice it being open, which makes me feel like a total idiot!!

A large part of the group went to the futbol (soccer) game. I decided not to go because I knew it would be outside and would risk getting even more sick. A few of us grabbed a bite to eat down in the hotel restaurant. This is when I really knew I was getting sick. I ordered chicken nuggets and fries (about as American as you can get) and couldn't even eat them. I took one bite and that was about one bite too much.

I ended going back up to the room and going to be early in hopes of waking up in mint condition. Before going back to bed, we made a stop at the roof to take a few pictures and to see the city from 12 (or maybe it was 10) stories high. It was spectacular!

Off to bed...not the greatest day, but still wonderful just because it was spent in Barcelona.

Journey to Bilbao

Day 8: Bus ride to Bilbao

I woke up this morning definitely sick. Not just a little sick, really sick. I somehow managed to develop a fever that was unbearable. Once again, my room overslept the wake up call, so we literally had 15 minutes to get ready and pack up our stuff. We were scheduled to take a bus from our hotel in Barcelona to Bilbao. I must admit, I am rather glad my body decided to give out on me during a day that we really didn't have much planned.

I was able to get the whole back row of the bus to myself and it allowed me to get plenty of sleep. We drove for a few hours and then stopped for a lunch/tour break of Pamplona. Here in Pamplona, they do the running of the bulls every July. Even though I felt like crap, I was excited to be able to see where the bull running takes place. We were given the name of the street, and Lauren, Olivia and I were able to locate it. We walked along the street and stopped in a cute souvenir shop. Surprisingly, I didn't get one thing! We then walked to the arena where bull fights still take place. Many people in Spain are upset that they continue to do bull fights (I agree!) but it was still interesting to see where it all takes place.

From there, we made a stop in Zara. I think we made a trip to Zara in about every town we were in....some more than once! I was able to find a couple things there. Next, we went to a small cafe to get lunch. I got about the smallest sandwhich available and ordered a coke.

Before I knew it, our time was up and we were scheduled to meet the group in the square. We loaded up the bus and continued on our way to Bilbao. I think most people slept on the bus, because I didn't hear too many conversations going on. I was glad to have a day to get caught up on sleep before finishing out the rest of our European adventure.

We finally arrived at our hotel in Bilbao. This time, I was given a room to myself....so I wouldn't infect anyone else I'm sure! I took a shower and got ready to have dinner in the hotel with the rest of the group. This was our second to last meal as a group! I still had a fever at this point and was not comfortable at all. I managed to eat some bread and pork before heading back to the room. Overall, this day was pretty uneventful compared to others.

I purchased internet and was finally able to email people back home for the first time since Paris. I cranked up the heat and hit the hay!

Tomorrow awaits.....

The Guggenheim....

Day 9: Last full day in Bilbao, in Spain and in Europe

I woke up this morning expecting to feel better. Boy was I wrong! Even though I wish it wouldn't end, it is probably a good thing that our journey is winding down. I managed to get some breakfast and get ready for the day. I decided to join the group rather than staying in the hotel alone.

The biggest part of the day was going to the Guggenheim Museum. What a place! I was disappointed that we were not allowed to take any photos inside the museum. I'm not exactly sure for this reasoning. The Guggenheim is one of the most "interesting" places I have ever been. It was nothing like I expected. I expected it to be similar to the Louvre. Compared to the Louvre, the Guggenheim is exactly the opposite. Everything there was far from anything I had seen before.

We were able to get through the museum in about 2 hours or so. It was only three floor and not very big. In the two hours, I was able to see everything and still have time to spare.

The rest of our day in Bilbao was a free day. I did a lot of sitting while others did some shopping. Eventually we made it back to the hotel for our final meal in Spain. Before eating, I took a nap, wrote some emails and got ready. Now comes the good news.....

My fever finally broke!!! Somewhere, somehow, sometime during my nap....I finally started getting rid of this fever. After a few days of it, I was thrilled! I was able to enjoy the last meal with the group and eat plenty of food. After eating, almost everyone went back to their rooms to start packing once again. I was able to pack both of my suitcases and get to bed at a decent time. Tomorrow begins early and will be super long and full of flights.

4:30 AM is quickly approaching.....

It all comes to an end....

Day 10: back to the United States

Today began super early. We were up before 5 and left our hotel around 6. The airport in Bilbao was our first stop of the day. Once we all got checked in and went through security, we had about an hour or maybe more to wait for our flight. Our flight was to Madrid, Spain and only lasted a little over an hour.

The Madrid airport was HUGE! We had troubles getting our boarding passes and finding where we needed to be. Eventually we got it all figured out and made it to our gate. This flight would be our longest flight of the day and essentially take up the entire day.

We boarded our plane and it became official. We were now leaving Spain and Europe. There was no turning back now....even though I would have liked to. The flight to Dallas was between 10 and 11 hours. Due to the plane not being filled, I was able to get a middle row and have all three seats to myself. I loved this! I could literally lay flat acrossed all the seats. This made the flight go by rather quick. Unlike the flight over to Europe, I slept about 80% of it. They played a couple movies and some shows from NBC. The movies didn't interest me, so I listened to the music station. This time, they had American music and played songs I rather enjoy. Before leaving Madrid, I loaded up on water, Fanta and chips to help get me through the long day. We were also served pizza by the flight attendants.

I was a little nervous about flying over the ocean again, but was so exhausted from the trip that I didn't really focus on it too much. I started getting excited about going home and getting to see my Maggie!! We finally made it to Dallas and had one flight to go!!

As soon as we landed, I turned on my phone. This was the first time I was able to use it since Chicago ten days ago. I made a phone call home and texted a few friends. We were finally back in the United States and just had a few more steps before heading back to Sioux Falls.

On the flight you have to claim the things you bought overseas. Then, you have to go through customs and they ask you tons of questions. I was asked where I had been, who I was with, where I was going, why I was going there and a few others. Customs was really the last stop before our gate. We had a short time to wait in Dallas, and then boarded our flight to Sioux Falls.

We had a very entertaining flight attendant. He was originally from Texas and had a strong accent. He made it enjoyable by adding humor and telling us about himself. I was freezing on this plane. I could barely sleep due to being so cold. I curled up in my seat and managed to get some shut eye before landing.

Once we arrived in Sioux Falls, I was ready to get home. I was one of the first people off the plane and I headed straight for the baggage. My mom and dad met me at the airport and helped with my luggage. I didn't take time to talk with anyone, I just grabbed my stuff and bolted out the door. Mom and dad brought Maggie along, and she was waiting for me in the truck.

On our way home, we made a stop at McDonalds (real American of me) and I got some food. It was about 10 or so when we got home, and I basically went  straight to bed. Even though I was excited to be home, I was sad to know that Europe was now over. I had such an amazing time and would do it all again in a hearbeat. It was really a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget! I made a few good friends and experienced things I thought I would never get the chance to. It was a blast!

So long Paris, Barcelona and all the other great places I got to be.....