Baila, baila Morena...

Okay let's talk about how I've been MIA for like, weeks. My bad. These last couple weeks have been mostly going to school and hanging around our favorite Barcelona haunts (H&M--as Alana says, "At least 4 times a week!", and our favorite cafe, Caracas--with my favorite barista Jaime).

A couple weeks ago, Macie and Amanda went to Ireland for the weekend, leaving Alana and I to "be BRAVE" for the weekend. We started by going to Parque de la Ciudadela with Kristina and Sonia. What a FUN afternoon!

Alana and I in front of the fountain.

So that was a Thursday. On that Friday, we went out for a yummy Chinese dinner. I MISS ASIAN FOOD SO MUCH. The creepy randos on the Rambla that yell at me in Hindi are not sufficing to fill my weekly Asia quota. So Alana, Sonia and I went out for a lovely dinner.

Saturday Alana and I navigated our way to and climbed/funicular-ed our way up Tibidabo. I've been looking up at it from all parts of the city, but we finally got to go to the top! And guess what--there really is an amusement park up there!

So this is the church that is up there...

...and this is me, with the city and the amusement park in the background. Yes, I am a little chilly, thanks for asking.

Saturday night was the epic showdown between Pria and Alana...and Barcelona night life. We ended up going to a little bar right by both our pisos..."Infussion". Now it wasn't that simple. First we had to figure out where we were going (shout out, Mom, thanks for the Barcelona on a Budget Student Guidebook). Then we had to figure out how to get there. Then we had to figure out what to wear. (Alana, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing how overly dramatic we are). Then, after all this absurd behavior...we walk up to the place, and Miss Alana Vega INSISTS that we walk past it, and take a little meander around the block in order to muster up the courage it was going to take us to open the door and find a seat. We finally made it in, you'll be glad to know. And a margarita (rocks with salt, thanks dad) and an espresso later, we were feelin' pretty proud of ourselves. :]

Okay, so the BIG event happened this weekend. Last night/this morning to be exact. It's CARNAVAL! So the girls and I caught the train to Sitges. Sitges is a small town on the coast about 30 minutes south of Barcelona. So Carnaval is all about dressing crazy and wearing masks and having fun! So after figuring out (FINALLY) what we were all going to wear, we made plans to head to Sitges Saturday night. So after listening to Roberto laugh at me for half an hour while I attempted to put on a pair of over exaggerated false lashes, I was ready to go!

note the lashes on us both, and the feather boa. what's up, carnaval.

Okay, picture the French Quarter in New Orleans at Mardi Gras...mixed with Halloween at DePauw. Now for those of you reading that don't go to DePauw and that have not experienced the sheer debauchery (or DePauchery) of the holiday, let me fill you in. It is a MESS of crazy costumes and copious amounts of public intoxication.
The girls and I had such a fun night dancing and enjoying the nuts-o atmosphere and late-night fries at the BK Lounge (is that Amurr-can or what?).
Turns out though, I'm an old woman, because I was tired at 11:30PM. Pretty lame, now I can see why my host mom makes fun of me for getting home from a bar in Barcelona at an early 12:15AM. Last night, though, I broke all kinds of personal records and got back to my piso at 4:50AM. Win.

thanks for the good time, sitges. see you next week.

Tomorrow the girls and I are going to enjoy a day off school :]
Getting excited to see some of my favorite people! <3

**EDIT**
Macie added some pictures to her Facebook tonight that I thought might supplement the blog, too...

Macie=Paparazzi

Rock your mask...it's CARNAVAL!

We learned that if you go to the Boquería later in the day...you get really great deals on juice. 3 for 2Euro!

Annnnnnd just incase anyone had any doubt about how much fun I'm having in Spain...

:]

Waka Waka: this time for Barca

Let me just start with...

I LOVE SPAIN.
But seriously. Obsessed.

Yesterday, this is what I ate for lunch...

NOT REAL LIFE

My host mom, Mercedes, shelled my shrimp for me...I think she realized that having to rip off their heads and legs freaked me out. Yikes!

Tonight was SO GREAT. We went to an FC Barcelona game! The energy was great, and we got so into it! Mace and I got to sit together, so it was just like the AEK game in Athens all over again :]

We had really great seats...check out the view...

gorgeous camp nou

So I already have found my love in the world of athletics in España (RAFA) but after all this FCB madness...I have found Piqué. And once I found him on the field, I creeped just a bit...too bad he's dating Shakira. Jealous.

dear camera, thanks for the zoom.

We had so much fun learning the various chants and songs! And screaming every time Messi got close to scoring a goal (and especially loud when he finally did!)--what a fun game to go see.

PEACE.LOVE.FCB.

That's Piqué's jersey I'm wearing!

I'm just glad that ROBERTO and I FINALLY have a team in common. :] :] :]


GO BARCA !

Rome=Pacman

Hola!

Okay, so, since my last blog post, the ladies and I have been doing nothing but school. More school. Exploring. School. Exploring. Shopping.
We love Barcelona. :]

So Alana and I were wandering around Les Corts...just explorin' (We were actually looking for the train station so we can figure out how to get to Sitges for carnival, and to the airport!!) and we found Parque Industrial. SO COOL. There was a group of people doing this coordinated dance--Alana and I were so into it. So there's this huge canal-like fountain thing that leads over to this HUGE statue of a dinosaur. Alana and I walked up to it, and realized there was a set of stairs going up the dinosaur's mouth...leading to the super fun slide down the dino's back. We're 20.

I wanted to talk about food. (what else is new)
So the food in Barca is really good-now, I think I've had a different experience than most people...since I only eat seafood. But my host mom cooks yummy seafood and vegetarian food ALL THE TIME. I'm learning to really love mussels, something I never really had much of at home. I've eaten them all kinds of ways...and they're so yummy. My favorite thing here BY FAR is the Spanish Tortilla...which is essentially an omlette made with potatoes and onions. My host mom puts in a little bit of green peppers, too. YUM. Favorite for sure.
I had Arroz Cubano for lunch today--rice, tomato sauce, fried platano (banana) and a fried egg on top. Delish. Alana Vega, I approve.

Paella...YUM.

TODAY Macie and I went to the beach! We're such beach girls...and the Mediterranean is just lovely. It was FREEZING and super windy...but so so beautiful. We got some delish gelato (poor life decisions?) and walked up and down the boardwalk.

Barceloneta <3

This city's beauty never ceases to amaze me. <3 <3 <3

Harbor and the W. Hotel in the background

HEY AMINS 27 DAYS TILL YOU'RE IN BARCA! :] 

HEY ROBERTO 32 DAYS TILL YOU'RE IN BARCA :] 

Typical Skype Sesh. Bizawk.

PS. Way to go, Sea Shepherds...whaling suspended by Japanese! Suck it, Japan :]

Yo listen up, here's the story...

Today was a blue day. Really. Everyone wore blue.

da-ba-dee-da-ba-die

 

 

 

 

Hey Robert Michael Dvorscak Jr. (haha), nice V-neck.

So this evening, the girls (Alana, Sonia, Amanda, Mace) and I went to Montjuïc to see the famed Magic Fountain. I had heard that it was a pretty popular tourist spot in Barca, but I was definitely not prepared for how awesome it really was. Sonia said it best when she mentioned that she "should have brought a box of kleenex"...
Get ready for the show of your lives, AMINS/LANGFORDS (32 days) and ROBERTO (37 days).

I wish this picture did it justice. Not even close.

So the fountain is located on Montjuïc...where the MNAC is. Tonight the MNAC was all lit up--making it the perfect place for a late night stroll and gelato. :]

I am in love with this city--get ready, AMINS/LANGFORDS&ROBERTO

Clases y más...

I haven't written in forever! I have LOTS to blog about.

Monday was the first day of classes. I'm taking Morfosintaxis II, Conceptos Fundamentales, and Union Europea. This is after the pre-semester course on Spanish language, grammar, and art history. Phew.
I had all three classes on Monday, starting with Morfo in the morning. The prof is the same one I had for Spanish grammar...Tony Torres. What a hoot. The man is a good teacher and laughs at all his own jokes.
Then Conceptos...which is essentially a history of European Civilization course. The professor is hilarious. He went around the room on Monday, and while taking attendance, guessed everyone's heritage based on their last names. Macie's was particularly amusing..."I'm from America..." nice "I'm from Dallas" moment, Mace. :]
My prof for Euro Union's name is Rafa (10 pts), was wearing a pink tie (10 pts), carried a bright orange shoulder bag with neon green interior (10 pts) and has the fairest grading system I have ever seen (10pts). Winner, in my book.
Besides classes, life has been good. I've come to realize just how much I love this city--or cities in general I think. I was telling my mom on skype (add me! priaamin) the other day that I love the bustle of the city--the pedestrians, the honking, the public transportation (seriously, I love the metro), the fast-paced atmosphere. Love it. I'm such a city girl. This is a much needed break from the rural-ness of good 'ole DPU.
Last night I took the metro down to Placa Catalunya for gelato and a stroll down the beautiful Ramblas with Macie-Pie. It was lovely, and the gelato was delicious. Though neither of us were in the mood for the forwardness of European men (or in my case the Middle Eastern ones that sell knick knacks on the Ramblas). This is a public "GRACIAS" to my personal bodyguard, Macie Mull, whose "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT" and "EYES OFF THE GOODS, CREEP" comments made for a night of female empowerment. Suck it, Ramblas guys.

"Call Gustavo, I bet he has the hook-up..."

So first day back in Barca, and of course we're museum-ing right off the bat. Today, Amanda, Alana, Macie and I walked all the way to Placa Espanya and climbed up Montjuïc to the MNAC, or the Museu Nacional D'Art De Catalunya. On the way up, we had these amazing views of the city :]

with a view of the magic fountain

la sagrada from a distance

So the museum is free the first Sunday of the month, which means we saved 8.50 euros. Win.
So according to Rick Steves, the museum has a fantastic collection of Romanesque art, which of course was closed. Alana's solution: Call Gustavo. He can probably get us in.

Well we were able to see the Gothic and Baroque art. I have to say, while it's interesting to see the progression in the art...I am kind of over religious art. So when we got to the Modern section of the museum, I was way more in my element. I saw my very first Picasso piece in person, which I loved, as well as some Gaudí and Dalí. I can't wait to visit the rest of the museums in this city.

love this group <3

Livin' it up at the Hotel California

Alright, so I'm back in Barca after my lovely week in Andalucia. I LOVED IT.

Cordoba :]

Since my last blog post, we visited the quiet little city of Cordoba. It was quaint and adorable, arguably my favorite out of the 3 cities we visited. The views were lovely, and it was a perfect mix of Spanish, Arabic, and Jewish influences. The girls and I had so much fun taking pictures all over the city. We visited the mosque, and the synagogue while we were here. And we spent the rest of the time sampling Tapas and a special wine native to Cordoba that we got free after one of our meals. (clearly we're charming).
This week brings the beginning of classes here in Barca, but before then, the girls and I are going to the Catalan Art Museum tomorrow morning. Thank you Rick Steves, for providing us with free admission times :] Gotta find a bar on las Ramblas to watch the superbowl at too...