Un abrazo

You ever feel like you want to hug something so tight the moment you step off the plane? That's how I feel when I come to Barcelona. I am so happy to be here.

BARCELONA ~ Click & drag the map to see some of the places I've been and places I want to go!

[click here to see my map in full size!]

Backlash

This morning when I was packing/in the taxi/in the airport, the only thought that kept running thru my mind was: "WHY am I leaving??? I want to stay here!" My mind was truly incapable of grasping the concept of leaving. I couldn't handle that I was getting on a plane to take me away from Spain for a very long time.

As much as I can't wait to see everyone this week, and as much as I can't wait to eat Mexican food and use our electric dryer, I already miss Barcelona dearly, and I wish very much right now, that I was stumbling into A1 apartments after yet another a fantastic evening on the town, rather than laying on my bed, jetlagged, debating whether I should watch a movie or a tv show...

I have been trying to brace myself for this reverse culture shock. Having to drive several minutes just to grab a bite to eat (rather than popping downstairs and grabbing a bocadillo at the bar next door), people pushing checks at me immediately after my meal (I've grown highly accustomed to the Spanish pace of life), and just not speaking or reading Spanish seems strange. And when I return to the city, I'll have to wait more than 2 minutes for a metro?! preposterous. Even the fact that it's always a mystery whether the train is coming in 10 seconds or 10 minutes. Not to mention, the NYC subway is filthy in comparison to any other city's metro that I've experienced. And the buildings in NYC can't compare to Paris or Barcelona. I always thought fire escapes were so romantically 'New York,' now they strike me as somewhat ugly. I now prefer my quaint cobblestone European streets with beautifully railed balconies to my neon lights and paved sidewalks. Even not having a beach within a 20-minute train ride is highly annoying to me...

It was easy for me to keep an open mind when venturing forward into a new culture, yet I'm struggling with opening my mind for the return to the world I always have known...

Adéu, Barcelona. Ya te extraño mucho...

Abrazos and besos,
Angela

Same Difference...

Ciutat Comtal

Rambla Catalunya, 18

&
Cervercería Catalana

C/ Mallorca, 236

During my time in Barcelona, both of these tapas restaurants came highly recommended to me. I finally got around to trying them, and it was only a few moments after I sat down at Cervecería Catalana to realize that the two restaurants are exactly the same. The cuisine is completely identical! I was highly intrigued. In the US, we're crazy about branding. So, it's such an interesting choice, to do the exact reverse: to create a masked chain, multiple restaurants which are the same caliber of service, same menu, but disguise each individual property as an independent. Really, in a place like Europe, it's totally brilliant, isn't it? Anyway, enough dorky talk about branding...let's talk food.

An avocado salad (ensalada de aguacates) and also patatas bravas.

This mini hamburger sliders are AMAZING. They sort of melt in your mouth a little. Cheese & onions inside.

Salmon w/ onions & peppers. Also a pineapple-pine nut cream cheese tapa.

Hugs and pan,

Angela

Magic Fountain

Tonight we went to the Magic fountain in Montjuïc, it was quite beautiful.

Click to see the whole album on Facebook

Hugs and colorful splashes,
Angela <3

OMG: Oh My Gaudí

This man is a complete genius. He gets full credit for inspiring me to travel to Barcelona in the first place, and I couldn't be more thankful.

Casa Milá

This was the original Gaudí work which I studied and immediately caught my interest. Ever since I learned about it, I've wanted to go to Barcelona to see it in real life. Dream=fulfilled.

Casa Batlló

This turned out to be my favorite Gaudí piece. The symbolism and forward-thinking, thorough design just completely blew me away, inside and out.

Sagrada Familia

When will they ever complete it? 2030? 2050? I've heard a multitude of projections...This building makes me quite sad for Gaudí. He was hit by a tram while this work was in construction and was mistaken for a hobo. Three days later..."Oh shit, that's Gaudí." Highly intricate, wish I'd seen the inside!

Parc Güell

Like living on another planet. This was originally a housing project intended for the upper classes of Barcelona. Fell through financially, and eventually was donated to the city to be a park. There's a museum in the guard house.

Hugs and modernism,

Angela

Dow Jones & Elephant

Last night we went to this really cool bar called Dow Jones! It's exactly what it sounds like, the prices for the drinks fluctuate. When more people start to buy a drink, the price starts shooting up, and the drinks that aren't selling gradually get cheaper. Every once in a while, the market would 'crash' and all the drink prices would drop. It was really fun, and the shots were DELICIOUS.

After the bar, we went to a club called Elephant. It was a sort of loungey place, the ambiance is really nice. Lots of colored lights and nice nooks of couches and canopied areas. And since it's relatively far out of the tourist bubble it's not too crowded.

Hugs and rice cakes,
Angela <3

An Asian-American, a Canadian Muslim, a Swiss girl, a Scottish-Australian, and a black sheep

Just got home from an incredibly fun night! A few solo travelers from the hostel and I went out together tonight. First we went to La Oveja Negra, a rustic-looking bar on a tiny street, and just talked and talked (and drank) for hours. We were sort of a motley crew, all four of us having grown up in completely different areas of the world. Then we headed down to the beach and got into Sotavento! (I love when I get to cut in line, it makes me feel important haha) We were too late for free sushi, but we still had a good time dancing (and sweating). Also, the inside of the bathroom was like a house of mirrors, which looked really cool, but probably isn't so great for drunk people. Afterward we went down to the beach to go skinny-dipping...a night to remember, as always.

Things I learned today:

1. Switzerland is NOT in the EU. I feel stupid for not knowing that, but I honestly didn't.
   
2. Switzerland just passed some sort of new petition which prohibits the construction of minarets on mosques.
3. University is MUCH more expensive in the states than in Europe.
   
4. College dorms are not prevalent in Switzerland, most students rent apartments/flats.
5. EVERYONE uses the metric system. Except the US.
6. The UK uses pounds as a unit of measuring weight, but their pounds are different than ours. 1 US pound is about .45 kilograms, but 1 UK pound is about .5 kilograms.
   
7. Driving age in Switzerland is 18.
8. In Switzerland, wine & beer drinking age is 16, hard liquor is 18.
9. In Switzerland, the cuisine is mostly breads, potatoes, cheeses, simple stuff.
   
10. People drive on the left side of the road in Scotland and Australia.
11. Montreal is about 7 hours from New York

Hugs and black sheep,
Angela <3

Historia de Uno

I bought this book today at a children's book store, and I LOVE it. I bought it in Castellano, but I think it was originally published in Catalán. Such a great addition to my children's book collection! :)

Hugs and librerias,
Angela <3

YO SOY ESPAÑOL ESPAÑOL ESPAÑOL! OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ!

WE WON THE WORLD CUP!!! NOSOTROS GANAMOS EL MUNDIAL!!!

Watched the game in Plaza Espanya, one of the most incredible experiences EVER it was completely wild!

I would say I've never seen so many people gathered in one place all wearing the same thing, but I just went to Pamplona last week haha. But the energy there was INSANE. The whole game was so nerve-wrecking, 0-0 the whole time, so many close moments. And finally in overtime when Iniesta scored that goal, I instantly started screaming and jumping, I really thought I was going to DIE of excitement. Everyone around me was just about the same. Moments later, thanks to Nic, it rained champagne and Kindall, Jenna, and I were soaked. But that was no matter, because as soon as the game officially ended we jumped into the fountains. Screaming the chants and the tops of our lungs: ESPAÑA [CLAP CLAP CLAP], CAMPEONES! SI SI SI, LA COPA ESTÁ AQUÍ! OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ! YO SOY ESPAÑOL ESPAÑOL ESPAÑOL! It was by far one of the most exciting moments of my life and I will remember it forever. It took me several moments to wrap my mind around what had happened and to realize how lucky I am to have lived this night in the country that won the World Cup. A truly once in a lifetime experience.

The Aftermath: We stuck around in Plaza Espanya for a bit after the game. The police had barricaded the monument and were standing with big glass shields. People [Nic & Miguel included] were jumping on the bus shelters. There were explosives going off everywhere. I learned that there's a thin line between party and riot. Us girls skipped out on the scene a bit early, but we later found out that after we left people had actually pushed through the barricades and jumped onto the monument. Then the police took our their air guns and started clearing people out. Insane. Anyway, when we decided to leave the chaos, which was around 12:20am the metro had just closed and there were NO TAXIS. By some stroke of mad luck, after wandering around miserably, we ran into the boys again. By the time we had wandered back to Plaza Espanya at 1:45am, the entire plaza was completely blocked off (which inconveniently blocked our path to home). Moral of the story: we walked ALL the way home (and did not see a single empty taxi the whole way back). On route we saw lots of stuff on fire...people running through traffic and screaming...cars honking to the beat of the chants...flags hanging out car windows...most certainly a night to remember all my life.


FOTOS:FOTOS:FOTOS:FOTOS:FOTOS:

Everyone gathered in Plaza Espanya, pumped for the game!


Poppin' our first champagne after the start of the game


Montjuic is beautiful...


We win!!!!!


Jumped in the fountain! After already being drenched in champagne...


EPIC.


Jumping on the bus shelters...not safe!


Explosives...people were being crazy, someone threw one into the grate we were standing on top of, literally 6 feet behind us, completely scared the begeezies out of me.


Running in the streets, stopping traffic


Hugs and WORLDCUPCHAMPIONS!!!!!
Angela <3

rebaixes!!!

Yo fui de compras hoy! By far the most successful shopping trip I've had in a while...
Off to Madrid in a couple hours...yipee

Hugs and euros,
Angela <3

L'eixample

After work on Friday I spent an hour wandering around L'eixample, the neighborhood around Somnio. The architecture in this neighborhood is just positively breathtaking, I immediately fell in love. I hope you believe me when I say the pictures don't do it justice, it's truly beautiful.




Also, there's this great place called La Reserva Ibérica, which is a ham shop with several varieties of ham, and they just have the legs of ham sitting out in a row to be carved fresh. The woman at the counter let me sample a piece and it was positively delicious!

After wandering about, I met my bosses, Lee & Lauren, co-worker, Paulina, and two ex-employees, Alfonso & Ariel, for dinner at Omeia. (side note- there is an absurd amount of Lebanese/Greek/Syrian food here. I think I've eaten more falafels here than in my whole life combined...not even exaggerating). The food was really great. I especially enjoyed the babbaganoosh (which I derived to be roughly a mint-peppers-cous cous salsa) and my Kebbeh was also quite good (chick pea & hummus croquettes).


Hugs and hummus,
Angela <3

Fiesta de Sant Joan: Happy Summer Solstice!

Unlike Texas, the rest of the world has REAL seasons...I was so surprised to find that the next few days after Sant Joan, it actually started getting hotter! What a bizarre concept...

So in honor of the shortest night and the longest day, in Barcelona we celebrate Sant Joan! (aka. San Juan or St. John the baptist). In a nutshell: bonfires, revelling in the streets, concerts, fireworks at the beach, dancing in the plazas, hellooo summer! :)



Petardos en la playa!


Look at all the people, all the way along the beach, all night long!


Our little cluster on the beach...


Inside Shoko...


Then we went home around 6 and ate pasta before we went to bed...

Hugs and SUMMERTIME,
Angela <3

12345...

I've spent exactly 123.45 euros on food since arriving here.

Hugs and consecutive numbers,
Angela <3

Cielito Lindo

Mexico won the world cup match against France today! In celebration...we EAT. Ay ay ay ay! Canta y no llores! Porque cantando se alegra cielito lindo los corazones!

There's a real ice bar in barcelona (very clearly and unoriginally named icebarcelona)! And it's on the beach! We watched the game in the outside bar/terrace. I had an amaretto sour. It was delicious and depressingly overpriced at 9 euros :/




Then we celebrated the win at La Coronela with: Delicious nachos (frijolessss!). Delicious guacamole. Delicious mangos & cucumbers covered in shredded carrots and chili powder (forgot what it's called).


Hugs, chills, and chiles,
Angela

TAPASSSSS

A couple days ago we went to the best tapas restaurant that I've eaten at so far--Bilbao Berria. It was delish! It was basically a la carte/buffet style. They had platters of all different sorts of tapas so you just took which ever ones you wanted. There's a skewer in each one and you keep your skewers and then they count the number of skewers you had and then charge you 1.5 euros for each one. There were 5 of us and our total bill came out to be 51 euros, including the pitcher of sangria that we ordered, aka. 10 euros each, not bad at all!

Starting on the left going counter clockwise: shrimp on mashed potatoes, tuna salad with a few strips of raw tuna, salmon topped with some sort of delicious cream sauce and cheese


In the back is a slice of some sort of sausage topped with cheese, asparagus, and a runny quail egg. In the front is an oyster shell filled with a cheesy/oystery blend and possibly baked with bread crumbs on top.


A couple days later we hit up another tapas restaurant of the same concept...

It tasted amazing, but I couldn't identify half the ingredients...but, to the best of my ability, starting left and moving clockwise: Some sort of cheese/terrine topped with a sweet sauce and pine nuts, crab salad in a croissant with carmelized orange peels on top, & a sort of sweet and savory rice-and-or-meat patty topped with a peach slice and ham. I think I actually enjoyed these more, but the place was so crowded it was hard to have a really nice time...



Yummmmm.

Hugs and tapas,
Angela <3