Viva la Vida

Hello Everyone! Sorry I have been so out of touch the past two weeks. I have been so busy living the life I neglected to update my blog. Things have certainly been fantastic. The weekend before last, Uncle R.D. came and visited me. I enjoyed playing tour guide; plus it's always good for met to see more of the city too. We enjoyed walking around the Gothic Quarter, the ancient part of the city,

looking at lots of ham (and eating some too),

going out for tapas, seeing Paleau Guell (another work by Gaudi), and the Paleau de la Musica, all of which I had yet to see so that was great. It was good to see a friendly face as well, and be fed :). We went to a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the old part of town, and I'm sure it had been there for over 500 years. We ordered an assortment of hams, tapas, and cheeses. The waiter told me "you sure eat a lot."

The following week, Nikki and Whitney (friends from TU who are studying in Vienna) came to visit Barcelona and me. I got to once again play tour guide (someone should really hire me) and I was estatic to see my dear friends. Next month I plan on returning the visit and go to Vienna! In just two and a half days, we lived the Barcelona life to the fullest and saw nearly all the major sites. We went to Parc Guell,

climbed a mountain,

walked all the way to the sea,

and had the energy to hit the clubs until the wee hours after enjoying some paella, tapas and wine (which we bought from the store for 94 cents).

Before we knew it, it was time to go to the airport to head to MADRID! There, the wonderful Emily (who is studying in Salamanca) would receive us from the hostel with open arms and lots of squealing. It was my first time staying in a hostel and it was so great! There were fellow study abroaders, trouble makers, and venturers from all over the world. Sketchy showers and "why is there a guy in sleeping in the next bunk?" beside, it was fun to eat and hang out with people from Australia to France. We cooked for ourselves most of the time (I hope you are catching on by now that this is all really just about eating), and were proper tourists, such as seeing the Royal Spanish Palace, lots of beautiful parks and fountains, El Prado art museum, and eating churros. My favorite part was seeing El Retiro Park, where we spent all day Sunday before begrudgingly heading back to the airport. At El Retiro, there was every form of street performers imaginable, from a puppet show, to a brass band, to a crazy guy juggling. Enamored couples rowed on boats you could rent to go across the lake.

This weekend I am traveling to London! I am looking forward to seeing my uncles, aunt, and cousins. Last time I went I was 16, so I'm excited for a fresh perspective. Although I travel on most weekends, week days have been pretty quiet. I have been keeping up with classes (which are a bit more demanding than I would prefer) and taking it all in day by day. I have been missing things and people, but I am so happy here and absolutely in love with the city. I updated my picassa photos, so click on the photos link on the right side of my blog to view them!

Happy Valentines Day!