mi amor

so my pictures are updated... so you can check those out!

so..... mi amor.

im in love with barcelona.

from the minute i laid eyes on its beautiful beaches, city skyline, and mountains silhouetted in the sunset..... l o v e

we arrived and went to our hotel- which was in a wonderful location- right off of Las Ramblas- one of the main street areas.
we met up with Jens dad and brother and had a great dinner of Sangria and Tapas. we sat around until it was after 1am and then headed off to our hotel.
our hotel was actually quite nice- it was a triple room- so we were unable to unpack and we had our own bathroom.

saturday morning we woke up and headed down to the olympia beach and sat on the beach all day. by sat i mean i napped. in the sun. listening to the waves crash on the sand. it was bliss.

we went for a wonderful lunch - i had roasted vegetable pizza with artichoke hearts, eggplant, zucchini and mediterranean spices. it was like i was tasting all of the culture i was experiencing.
finished it off with bitter chocolate mousse with hazelnut cream and pineapple.

then we continued to lounge around on the beach- not a care in the world.... it was wonderful.

after a lazy day we went back and got ready for dinner. jen went out with her fam- so Megan and I went to this place called Rey de los Gambes.... we ordered a seafood platter. there was prawns- mussles, cuttle fish, hake and monkfish. it was HUGE.
megan and i had so much fun with our sangria and our amazing waiters. and for dessert i had some type of creme brulee-- but it was frozen? like ice cream with a thick caramel like topping-- its difficult to describe. but it was absolutely amazing.

after watching the sunset over the marina -- megan and i wandered around and went and met up with some other girls from our london program. they ate dinner on this boat on the water and we met up with zima, christy and caroline. meredith was also there with her... boyfriend? meredith also goes to mizzou- she was in barcelona for the weekend as well as other MU kids who are studying in alicante.

we ended up getting some dodgy directions on the way to meet the rest of the alicante group- and split ways. so i went off with meredith to go meet up with the other MU kids. always nice to see fresh faces. we went to some super local bar then wandered around a bit before i headed home around 4am. crazy.

sunday megan was going sightseeing and i decided to join her. (aka didnt want to be left alone in barcelona...) i wasnt against the idea--- i just had wanted to sit on the beach all day.
but megan surprised me and we had a great time!

we started by heading off to the Sagrada Familia--- or as megan said... " a cathedral on shrooms". it was under construction of couse- which is part of its allure- being under construction for like 100 years or so. but all of the cranes really made my pictures much uglier- so i didnt like that. the details in the church are incredible amazing. i dont know how gaudi could NOT have been on drugs. i mean the stone was made to look like it was melting at some points- there were faceless people and there are random animals and fruits and shapes and such everywhere.

we waited forever to take the lift to the top--- but it was so worth it. we were walking outside on the top of la sagrada familia and were able to see the city in its entirety. we saw the mountains, the high rise buildings, the beaches and other little towns. the day was clear so it was absolutely breathtaking.

then we started our fateful decent down the spiral staircase/maze. there was no direct way down. you could turn and go anyway you wanted to. i got a bit claustrophobic and freaked out for a bit.... but then it was over. eventually.
we went across the street to eat lunch- which was a wonderful pizza place with a great view of the cathedral. (from the ground- which was nice because i was still catching my balance)

after that we went down to port vell and went on a catamaran for an hour and a half out on the Mediterranean sea.
i napped there too--- just lying on the netting- with water occasionally splashing up and the salty wind blowing in my hair.
again.... in love. absolutely perfect.

after that wonderful experience megan and i headed out to see Parc Guell... another one of gaudis creations.
we had to take the metro- to a bus then walk like a mile up hill. it was a bit rough.
but again--- so worth it.

i felt like i was in the entrance to an amusement park- or some part of disney land. the colors and shapes were imaginative and fun to look at. there were mosaics everywhere- and there were again beautiful views of the city.
also one part of it was where americas next top model season finale was filmed with melrose and caridee wore those bridal gowns... so megan and i strutted our stuff for a while it was quite fun.
after that we simply headed back home to shower and get ready.

then we went off to some old building- which is now a museum and saw a brilliant fountain show. which was set to music and with different lights and such. the area was PACKED. it was so mesmerizing-- watching this beautiful show with many different elements while the sun was setting behind the city in the background. truly magical.

after that we headed off to jaume I area and went to Taller Tapas for dinner. we had spanish wine and a bunch of different tapas.
finished off with catalan creme brulee and port wine. it was another altogether lovely night that didnt end until 2 am or so.

sunday we were lazy and slept in a bit--- then jen and i went and met megan at bogatell beach.
another lazy day of reading, napping and swimming. megan and i even went topless for a while. i mean figured it was just part of the culture!

jen and i had some GREAT seafood paella for lunch which was so great eating and overlooking the crowded beach.
after a long day of doing absolutely nothing i went back and shopped around the markets at las ramblas a bit.

then got ready and jen and i went back to the jaume I area and had a great meal and people watched and listened to some live music.
after that we just went back and passed out.

monday we woke up a bit late and walked around the corner to a fresh food market. i got fresh mango, kiwi and cherries and it was delicious. we saw fresh veggies, seafood, meat--- all of it was there. it was quite cool to see. then we wandered around Las Ramblas a bit more before heading back and sadly packing up.

of course we made it home on time--- although i was seriously debating accidentally missing my plane and staying in barcelona.
it was just a perfect weekend.... an amazing beach- beautiful city that was filled with culture.
wonderful rich culture, history and tradition

needless to say- im in love with it and plan on going back.

look at my pictures and maybe you can understand.