Beach Day

Hola!

No complaints about today as I spent most of it at the beach!  Bridget, Lainie, Alyssa and I woke up to the nicest weather we've had since we've been here.  We immediately ate breakfast, threw on bathing suits and shorts and made our way to the beach! Its a quick metro ride away (again, having to switch metros but what else is new)  to Barceloneta.  It was in the mid-60s today and we all wore shorts and flip flops to the beach.  When we were on the metro, we got so many stares! The locals still think this weather is pretty chilly and we got so excited because we thought it was so warm (it was!).  It's really funny to see the difference in what we wear compared to what the locals wear.  We always think the weather is so much nicer than they do.  

When we got down to the beach, everyone was out and about! It really was the first real sunny, beach day of the season and it showed.  Right along the Barceloneta strip, there are outdoor restaurants and bars and everyone was hanging out outside.  People were roller blading and walking or going for runs along the sidewalk.  We came across a big group of people sitting on some steps so we decided to go check it out.  It ended up being a band playing drums and other instruments singing "No Woman No Cry."  Everyone was singing along and dancing and just gave off a great feeling.

After listening for one song, we continued to walk down to the beach.  There were so many tents set up on the strip selling meats, cheeses, falafel (which I was very tempted to get) and other touristy things.  I have been down this area before and today was the first time I had seen anything like this out there.  It made me so happy because this was definitely a way I could tell it was getting to be spring and summer time!

No one ever has to ask me twice to go to the beach and the Barcelona beaches are amazing.  The sand is more rocky than the beaches back home but the ocean is so blue and so green - it looks unreal. Another thing about Barcelona beaches: many people go nude! We saw a few today but I think it was too cold for most people to take it all off.  I can only imagine what the beach looks like during the summer when it is really hot! Probably naked central.

In the ocean, there were so many sailboats and ships going by.  A few people were brave enough to go swimming in the water but I only put my feet in and touched the water with my hands.  The water was freezing cold; I don't know how other people did it.

As we were laying on the beach, people kept coming up to us asking if we wanted mojitos, beers, massages or if we wanted to buy tapestries.  It was kind of annoying because we just wanted to relax and enjoy the sun and get some color! We ignored them every time they walked by but there was always someone asking if we wanted something.  At the small, little beaches I go to at home there is nothing like this.  It is much more peaceful, but then again, I shouldn't complain because I was at a beach in a bathing suit in Barcelona in March!  

School is getting harder and harder to go to now that it is so nice out.  I wish I could just relax all the time and enjoy the time I have here without worrying about school.  

This weekend has been amazing and we have big things coming up for the upcoming weekends! This weekend we are headed to Madrid and then the next weekend Paris! I can't wait for all the adventures I have ahead of me.

Besos!

The First Week

Hola from Barcelona!

So I decided to give this whole blogging thing a try since I can't manage to find a notebook anywhere in Spain...so here it goes!

My first week in Barcelona has been amazing and I think I'm finally figuring out this whole city living thing.  I got here on Wednesday, January 8 after flying through Dublin (which was the scariest flight I've ever been on, by the way) and have loved every minute of it.  The first few days were all about navigating the new city, figuring out how to communicate with the locals, who speak Catalan and not Spanish (super confusing!) and meeting new people.  My random roommates, who could not have been better, are awesome and I can't wait to spend the next 4 months exploring Europe with them!

The first night here was all about finding food to eat and toilet paper.  Not kidding.  We all had pizza for dinner and beer (because we're all legal!) and walked around our area for a little bit.  The next day, we had orientation at our program where we were 45 minutes late because we got lost! But it was okay since we weren't the last people there.  We then walked around a cute local market that has fish, meat, vegetables and fruits that is right by our house.  Later that night after a siesta (which could be my favorite part of the day), we met up with some friends and went to one of Barcelona's famous night clubs called Opium.  So fun, but exhausting since we didn't get back until 5:30 am! Talk about a huge adjustment compared to the US.

The next day, we walked around Barceloneta, another part of Barcelona near the ocean.  We went to a restaurant called Restaurant Port-Vell and had lots of sangria and my first paella! Muy delicioso! In true Spanish tradition, we stayed at the restaurant for hours enjoying the drinks and the food.  Later that night, we went to another local bar called George Payne.  It's an Irish bar that many abroad students go to and is filled with Americans.  We met a lot of students from the US and watched the football game!

On Sunday, we walked around the Parc de la Ciutadella, which is the park right near the Arc de Triomf.  It was such a nice day and there were so many people outside.  We came across such a beautiful fountain and posed with a giant elephant/mammoth (mamut) structure.  Lots of fun but a lot of walking!

Thats all for now, will post again soon!

Besos from Barca!