Love at 13th sight.

I fell in love with Barcelona yesterday. When I first arrived last Monday, I was too nervous and frazzled to admire the beauty of the city. We took a bus tour and my friends and I walked around some. However, I still didn't LOVE the city. I loved being here, but I didn't see as much as I would have liked. Yesterday, we were supposed to go on a field trip with CEA, but it was cancelled because the wind was ridiculous. The wind was so bad that motorcycles were scattered on the streets and roofs were falling. Anywho, a few friends and I decided that instead of going back to sleep (like we wanted!) we would walk the city. My friend Mary took me to the Gothic Quarter. There, we walked around for over four hours, and I fell in love with Barcelona. With cobblestone streets and buildings more beautiful than anything I've ever seen, the Gothic Quarter took my breath away.

One of my first thoughts was that I could not wait for Jayme to visit, because I KNOW she will love it here.

We also found the famous La Bouqeria (Featured on Rachael Ray AND Bizarre Foods)

This is market where I saw the most amazing candy and ice cream I've ever seen!

I didn't get any though, because I was saving my stomach for the bagel I was promised.

Yes, it's true. Barcelona has bagels and cream cheese. It's called The Bagel Shop, and I will become a regular.

I also found a shop that carried English books!

I was SO excited that I didn't even care that I spent 25e on just two books.

This is the port where we ended up sitting and basking in the sun. Isn't it beautiful?

After getting our Vitamin D, we watched some street dancers perform.

This guy spun on his head for a solid minute. Legit.

Who knew we were so close to La Segrada Familia? After so many years, the cathedral is still under construction. Hop on that, Barcelona!

These are only some of the reasons I have fallen so hard for the city. I have never been one for pretty scenery. I'm the type of person that is like "Ok, that's pretty. Now what?" But here, I could just stare for so long...I love it.

I've made some really good friends. My roommates and I get along so well, and we are all on the same page about taking classes seriously, not going out every single night, appreciating our time here, etc. I also have found a really good friend in a girl named Mary. We met on the first day, on the bus on our way to our hotels.  I can already tell she's someone I can trust and become close to. We are all leaving for London on Thursday, and are so pumped for it! There is a big group of us going, probably 8 of us, and I am so excited! London is one of the places I've been wanting to go, and it's coming up so fast!

Classes are great. It's really interesting to learn about Spain's history because our entire lives we've just been learning about American history. It will be hard to learn all this brand new material, but I am really enjoying it. Three of my professors are from Spain, and one is from England. It's fun learning from professors that are from here. Also, I cannot believe how rude some of my classmates are. It floors me how entitled some of these girls (and guys) think they are. On the first day of class, they were interrupting the professors, texting, sleeping, being loud, etc. I couldn't believe the rudeness. Anywho, I am just glad I'm in my apartment and only have to be with some of these people in class. Unfortunately, even an hour and a half of class is too much time to spend with them. Oh well, at least I don't live with them! :)

Well, today has been a lazy Sunday, and I've loved every minute. We all slept in, and have just been laying around all day. I am putting off my readings for class and watching an old Hugh Grant movie instead. My roomies and I went out last night. Before our departure, we had a few drinks and a spontaneous dance party. I have to say, I would rather dance in the comfort of my own living room than pay to get into a club here. We ended up at a bar where everyone spoke English. I talked to an older man named Roberto for a good hour, but it's not what you think. I was legitimately getting a Spanish & grammar lesson. Thanks for that, Roberto. Unfortunately,  I don't remember any of it.

At approximately 3am, we decided burritos would be the best idea.

 

Better than Chipotle, and just 4 euro!

It seems like all my experiences revolve around food, that's okay. I'm in Spain, I'll diet later. :)