i woke up in my dorm room on the morning of Saturday, the 31 and knew it would be the last time i would sleep on this somewhat uncomfortable, hard mattress. despite knowing i would not miss the mattress, feelings of sadness still came over me.
i got up, got ready and packed up the rest of my stuff to leave this room, this dorm, and this city that had served as a home for me. i wasn't very happy.
monica and i said bye to everything. to the wonderful bathroom that kept us clean especially after the days where our feet were black with dirt, to the kitchen where we kept our sacred water cold, to our balcony where we spent several nights looking up at the spanish stars and to our over sized room which we were VERY grateful for.
we walked out of the building, suitcases in hand and said goodbye to a place that would forever hold a special place in our hearts.
we caught a cab to the granada airport together so that monica could catch her flight to boston in order to visit her brother and for me to catch my flight to barcelona to start yet, a new adventure.
as we left the city, we passed by the city center, which was the host of many exciting moments for both of us, including: high fiving strangers during the world cup, that tree over there falling on aileen, the policemen chasing the robber, the meeting place for all the nights we went out and the events we met up for and the burger king that gave me a little piece of home a few late nights. we were leaving a place that was full of nothing but memories, and we were both silent as we said goodbye.
we got to the airport and knew we had to go our separate ways. we embraced each other with a long hug and thanked eached other for being such wonderful roommates. it was a sad yet happy moment at the same time. bittersweet.
monica caught her flight which would eventually take her back to the states and i caught mine which would take me to another city, full of adventure and fun.
i got on the flight to barcelona with 2 other girls whom i met through a friend back in the dorm. their names were Sarah and Tracy. both girls who also did not know each other before the trip, yet both from California. Sarah goes to the University of San Deigo and Tracy proudly represents the student body of UCLA. (yes, i did ask her if she had seen any "important people" before, and she said that yes, in fact her freshman year she had a class with James Franco! WHAT?!!?!? very cool. if i were her, i would have learned nothing in that class, on account of studying the facial curves of James Franco more than the class itself) ;)
so here i was getting on this flight with 2 girls i didnt know very well, about to take on a whole new city in this country. but this time, we were dealing with a city that was a little bit bigger than granada.... ;)
we landed in Barcelona and got off the plane to an awesome airport. supposedly they finished renovating the Barcelona airport in 2009, and boy was it amazing. seriously, makes the U.S. airports look like old, beat up wharehouses.
we made our way out of the airport, but not before we had to ask about 3 different "information" kiosks which bus out of the 20 different buses we took to bring us into the city to our hotel. finally, figured out which bus to take and then hopped on, suitcases and all.
we drove about 20 minutes and sat in silence as we looked out the windows at this massively overwhelming city. everywhere we looked, there was something to see, and i knew right then that it was a good move to stay in spain a little longer to see what was so awesome about this city called barcelona.
we got off at one of the main squares in barcelona and whipped out the map to figure out where the heck our hotel was. tracy figured it out and lead sarah and i. tracy ended up being "the mom" of the trip as she would figure out the maps and walk ahead as sarah and i would trail behind ;)
we hauled our suitcases (yes, plural, all 3 of us had 2-3 suitcases) about 12 blocks until we got to our hotel. my, did that seem like a marathon with all that extra weight. it was so far that the wheel on one of my bags broke off! (sorry, mom!)
we got settled into our hotel, changed, and went right back outside to explore and get our bearings on this city.
we walked back out to the square that the bus dropped us off at and saw all these real colorful signs around. "european athletic championships, Barcelona 2010" they all read. "what does that mean??? did this already happen?? is it going to happen? have you heard of this??" we all kept asking each other. hm, whatever! we all thought.
we walked around and saw the beginnings of what would be a magnificent city.
we tried to look for somewhere to find dinner and boy did that seem to take a while. tracy and sarah were really into finding the CHEAPEST places possible to eat, so sometimes this would result with us walking around for hours just looking at prices on menus until we found the best one. i just went with it as i didnt want to complain ;)
we found a place that was selling yummy slices of pizza for just 2 euro. pretty sure we wouldnt find a cheaper place, so we settled for it and ate there.
we spent a good part of that evening walking around, taking pictures and exploring. one time, i tried taking a picture of tracy and sarah, and in the 15 seconds or so it took to take the picture, 3 DIFFERENT spanish men yelled out, "smile!" or, "oh, guapas!" ("oh, pretty!!") or something along those lines. we just laughed and decided that we would try and make our future pictures more sublte as the spanish men in barcelona are sure aggressive!
as we were walking around that night, i couldnt help but notice all the dogs i kept seeing! i sware i saw every kind of dog there is! those people in barcelona sure mean business with their dogs, too. they were neatly groomed and well behaved, almost being treated as if they were children. it was funny though, because many people had only dogs and no kids. i even saw dogs pop out purses while sitting in nice restaurants! i guess its a way of life over there :)
it made me think of this statistic i heard one time. in this study done about 8 years ago or so in seattle, there were more dogs in the city of seattle than children! WHAT?! crazy. im thinkin that barcelona may have seattle beat in that statistic!
it was getting dark and we were tired so we made our way back to the hotel for the night. tracy went with sarah to go get money out of the ATM and i waited in their room. they came back and sarah seemed upset and flustered.
"what happened?!" i asked.
"ugh the machine ate my debit card!!! and it didnt give me my money!!" she responded frantically.
she got out her international cell phone and called her mom back in california and told her what happened and asked if her mom could cancel the card and make sure there was no charge to her account. her mom said everything would be ok and that she would take care of it.
she hung up and was still real upset about it all as she wasnt sure if she had enough money to last her the rest of the trip.
tracy and i were letting her cool down and were talking to each other about something until we heard sarah go, "OH MY GOSH!!!!!!"
"what!?" tracy and i asked, somewhat frightened.
sarah walked around the corner with a debit card in her hand.
"we're confused..." tracy and i said.
"you guys..... i have had my card all along!! i must have been so upset that the machine didnt give me money, so while i was upset about it, i must have taken the card out and not even realized i did! i'm SO STUPID!!!" sarah yelled, halfway joking.
tracy and i couldnt help but laugh at her.
knowing that her mom was already in the process of canceling the card, sarah decided not to call her back, because she knew her mom would just think she was going crazy- and no mom should be thinking that of her daughter while she is abroad on her own. ;) so sarah marched downstairs to ask the front desk guy for scissors so that she could cut her debit card up, just to be safe.
i guess the guy gave her scissors followed by a real confused look when he saw her cutting up a debit card.
"what are you doing?????" he asked in a quizical way.
she then went on and tried to explain what happened in spanish. but apparently she wasnt making much sense because he was still confused as to why she was cutting up a perfectly good card. she gave up and just ran back upstairs, totally embarrassed. ;)
"i cant believe i did that!" she kept yelling. "sarah wins the dumb award for the day!" she jokingly said.
that was definately the most entertaining part of my day ;)
the next morning we woke up bright and early to go out and conquer the city. we bought tickets for the [extremely touristy] "hop on, hop off" bus tour that would bring us to all the best sights in barcelona. that bus ended up being a lifesaver. our feet were definately thankful. turns out barcelona is WAY bigger than we thought it would be. and not only that, all the big sights to see are spread out all over the city. they arent really in one area. "dear somewhat embarrassing and obnoxious hop on, hop off bus- you saved our feet from falling off. thank you, love- katie, sarah and tracy."
that first full day we went all around and saw the stadium/area of where barcelona hosted the 1992 summer olympics. VERY cool. we also went to the waterfront and walked around and ate lunch near the beautiful harbor full of sailboats. we then hopped back on the bus and it took us to this really neat park with the strangest shaped sculptures i have seen in a long time. we took pictures and sat in these oddly shaped chairs that are definately more for show than they are for comfort. lastly we walked to the Picasso Museum. any of you ever heard of Picasso? ;) yes, his museum is in barcelona and we did see it but we did not go inside because: 1. it was very expensive to go in and 2. the line to get in was around the building and we didnt really feel up for standing in a line in mid day in 95 degree heat. pass. but still, very cool that we got to see it. Picasso, a man whose work will stand the test of time!
the bus brought us back near our hotel, and tracy, being the big mcdonald's fan she is (though it you would NEVER guess she has eaten anything unhealthy in her life when looking at her!) insisted we go to mcdonald's for dinner and see what their dollar menu is like. hahaha.
we went and she got some stuff off the dollar menu while sarah and i were fascinated with the way they spell some things, such as the word "chocolate."
let me explain a little something to you.
spanish is the main language in spain. but, there are also 3 other "dialects" in spain that have parts of spanish to them, but are also very very different in style (they pretty much look like different languages). spanish is also called "castellano" (the "dialect" word for spanish). and then there are the 3 other dialects. in southern spain, where i was in granada, they spoke castellano (spanish). but in northeastern spain, like in barcelona, they speak a DIFFERENT dialect. that being, catalan. so, in catalan, they spell the word chocolate, "xocolata" which is somewhat similar to the castellano spelling- "chocolate," but not really at the same time.
sheesh, as if it could get any harder to communicate with people....now we were dealing with a whole different dialect!
the next day we got up early again to see more of the city. i was most excited for this day as i knew we would be seeing some of the famous work of the architect: Antonio Gaudi. i learned about him and his work in my art history class in granada!
we got back on the hop on, hop off bus and made our way to his different masterieces. and yes, they were masterpieces.
he is famous for: casa battlo (a house he built for a rich family with the last name battlo), la pedrera (another building i never did learn the purpose for) and then la sagrada famillia (a cathedral which is open for the public to use).
we decided to pay the expensive entrance fee for casa batllo and boy was it worth it.
gaudi's style is described as having a "modern" style. and all of barcelona is known as being a city with "modern" art. let me tell you, i have been all over europe and i have seen some neat art, buildings and sculptures. but what is so neat and different about barcelona is that the art is different than all the other art in europe. it is not deeply rooted in ancient history with its perfectly handcrafted gold carvings (which dont get me wrong, are AWESOME!), but it is much different. it is colorful and inventive and different than anything i have ever seen. and thats what made me fall in love with it.
gaudi is a genius. i say that with confidence. his unusual style in casa batllo blew me away. he was a man obsessed with nature (no joke). he especially had a fascination with the sea. he built this house with the sea in mind. the walls, windows and ceilings were all built so that it looked like the sea had curved them into being. each window and wall allowed light to circulate through in just a way so that the temperature and lighting of each room was built to his taste. such time and thought was put into his work. he was a man with a love for the sea, and no matter how odd it may have seemed in his time, he will forever be known as the revolutionary figure of modern art.
i'd say him and i have a shared love for the sea. and if i could choose someone to bring back to life to have dinner with, he would be one man i would love to meet.
but little did i know what antonio guadi could really do.
we got back on the bus and drove about 15 minutes out to a remote part of the city. we turned a corner and once again, as europe always seems to do- BOOM. there was yet another, huge, amazing, tall, grand masterpiece standing right in front of us. i literally had to tilt my head as far back as it would go as this building in front of me was massive.
la sagrada familia is what guadi coined it.
we got out and i stood in awe of this structure in front of me. i tried taking pictures but i literally could not fit the entire building into the frame of my camera. i kept backing up, further and further, trying to get as much of it as i could and i backed up into a fence and could no longer go anywhere else in order to take the picture. this thing towered over EVERYTHING. it was enormous.
we went inside and boy i have never seen architecture like that before. i cant even describe it. for those of you on facebook, take a look at my pictures and you will get a glimpse of what it was like. i can honestly say that it was the most awe inspiring building i have ever been in.
it was mid day, so we ventured over to starbucks. i was excited because i had a starbucks card and i could get a nice blended drink with it! come to find, "oh, we don't accept american starbucks cards in spain, sorry!" so much for starbucks being an international corporation.
next stop was park guell. i had never heard of it, but supposedly it is one of the neatest, most unique and prettiest parks in the world. it was indeed. it had several trails that lead different places, park benches and columns and small figures that were all made of this awesome ceramic-like glass. everywhere we looked, there was a different color or shape. there were no similarities.
last stop for the day (and boy were we ready for it!) was the barcelona football (aka soccer) stadium. this place was huge! it was so neat seeing this place because several of the players on spains world cup team play for the barcelona team. i was right there where those players have spent a lot of their time! we learned that it seats over 100,000 people and that it is the largest stadium in europe. very cool.
that night we went back to the hotel, relaxed after an 11 hour day of touring and went to bed early. curling up in the blankets with the air conditioning blowing on my face never felt better.
it was our last day in barcelona and we wanted to do the few things we still had on our agendas. we walked around more (of course), got some souvenirs for friends/family and then went to the beach. yes, the beach was beautiful and the sand was comfortably warm on my little feet while i walked on it. but, there were a few strange/difficult things about this beach... 1. it was CROWDED. i have never been to such a busy/bustling beach. people were everywhere and we barely found a spot to sit. i'm not a huge fan of crowds/people invading my personal bubble. oh well, i have to get over it because in life, that pretty much is bound to happen probably about every day. ;) 2. i had no idea that going to the beach in barcelona also meant going shopping. how is this so, you may ask? well, while we were sitting there, trying to have a relaxing afternoon after 2 and a half days of exhausting touring, probably about every 20 seconds, we were approached by some sort of vendor trying to sell us one of the following things: a massage (yes, its true. they would flash their little license's at us and say, "MASSAGE?!"), a henna tattoo, mohito's, overpriced soda, dresses (sarah almost gave in), burittos (yes, burittos on the beach, true story. they were HUGE!) and all sorts of other things that i can't even remember. boy these people were persistent too! they would stand in front of us and say over and over, "mohito? mohito? mohito? mohito? quieres? mohito? mohito?" ok.... "dear vendors in spain, what do you NOT understand about the word NO?!!?!?!?!?!? love, katie."
boy oh boy sometimes i can be mean when i get annoyed.
the beach was a bit overwhelming but definately relaxing. for any of you who plan to go to a beach in spain, though, make sure to watch your stuff closely! 3 DIFFERENT people approached us and told us our bags were in easy spots to steal and that if we kept them there, "they would be gone in 5 minutes." being back in the states now, i keep clinging my purse to my side, and then i relax a bit knowing that the U.S. is not quite as bad in regards to pick pocketing. thats pretty nice i guess ;)
i then went on a speed boat tour through the bay. the girls didnt want to pay the 10 euro (dont really know why, because c'mon! its a speed boat! in spain!). it was really fun/neat seeing the city from the perspective of the mediterranean sea :)
on the boat, i saw a helicopter fly by and it had a sign on it that read "helicopter ride over barcelona, 45 euro." eeeeeg. a little steep. but boy, that would be cool to do some day :)
the last day in barelona was perfect. beautiful weather, interesting beach experience, great food, great city. i did not want to leave. not at all.
we went back to the hotel and i had a question to ask the guy who worked at the front desk. i asked him about the taxi service to the airport and wake up calls and such. when i was about to walk off, he said in english, "i like you shirt."
"um, what?" i responded.
"i like you shirt." he repeated, again in english.
i looked down at my shirt and realized that it really was nothing special at all.... "why is he saying this?" i thought to myself.
"thank you......." i said, as my voice somewhat trailed off.
i walked away (with a quickness to my step) and wondered what it means in spanish culture to tell someone that you like their shirt...? it could mean several things, and i kind of dont want to think about it anymore.... either way, sorry buddy, but i highly suggest you use a different line on the next american girl who comes by..... ;)
the girls and i went up to their room, exchanged some pictures then i said good bye to them, as i had a flight at an ungodly hour the next morning.
it was sad saying goodbye, because who knows if i will ever meet up with them again? i just shared this awesome experience with them, then i have to leave it all right there, right then. such a strange and unsettling thing to do.
i packed up my stuff and layed down for the night. i slept restlessly, knowing that i would be SCREWED if my alarm somehow didnt go off in the morning.
luckily it did and i got ready, grabbed my stuff and got in the cab waiting for me outside the hotel. i prepared myself for what would be, a. long. day.
(it ended up being a 24 hour travel day (yes, true story) consisting of: 3 separate flights with ridiculously close connection times, checking my 49 pound (eeeeeg!) bag 3 separate times, going through security 3 separate times, customs, 2 skytrams and an annoying man behind me on my 10 hour flight from madrid to texas who kept laughing OUT LOUD during the movie "date night." ok, "dear people of this world, i as well enjoy getting a good laugh in movies when i am bored sitting on a plane for 10 hours, but for the sanity of those around you, could you refrain from allowing everyone from rows 25-42 from hearing your obnoxious laugh? thank you :) love, katie").
as i got into that cab in barcelona, it was still dark outside (5:40 a.m.) and i sat in the back by myself and looked out the window as we passed the sights i had spent the previous 3 and a half days admiring. as we took the main road out of the city and onto the freeway, i shed a tear as i turned around for the last time and said goodbye to a city, and a country that had been oh so good to me.
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