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...

Flamenco y Sangria...Olé!

I haven't blogged in FOREVER. Fail.

So we left Granada after checking out the Cartujo (monastery) and the Catedral, and headed for Sevilla. The first night in Sevilla was uneventful, we got a cheap dinner and went to bed. But the next morning, we left early to go see the ancient Roman ruins at Italica and another palace similar to the one I wrote about in a previous post. I, of course, forgot my camera...but have really great girlfriends that took tons of pictures for me. (I blame the lack of camera that day...on the lack of Alana Vega in my life) After the palace, Mace, Shannon, Amanda, and myself found our way to the Harley Davidson store to pick up the traditional Harley tees for Macie's padres. One café con leche later, we were in our rooms getting ready for our night on the town--to celebrate the lovely Shannon Brown's 21ST BIRTHDAY :] !! 
So we're in Sevilla, right? So OBVIOUSLY we need to go see some Flamenco! So a group of us girls, all snazzed up, hit the cobblestone streets of Sevilla looking for this particular bar that wasn't too far from the hotel that supposedly had nightly Flamenco performances. We found the bar (I'm becoming quite the navigator) and proceeded to order drinks and find some seats to watch the Flamenco (first row). :] Thank you, nameless bar in Sevilla for having non-alcoholic Piña Coladas--yum.
Flamenco. Is. Amazing.
It started with a stage...and three chairs. 

And then, when the performers got there, they sat down together...two men and a woman.

The guitarist started to play, and the man in the middle began to sing. His voice was outstanding. I had never heard Flamenco music before this, but apparently you need a really specific singing voice to be able to pull it off because this man was incredible. And as he sang, he kept time along with the woman next to him with a combination of tapping/stomping his feet and clapping his hands.

Eventually the woman got up, as if the man singing had asked her to dance, and she danced with so much power and passion. You can really see the concentration in her face.

 

Anyway, we all loved it, and had a ball :]

Today we saw the Catedral de Sevilla, which is a beautiful church in the Gothic style. Now we're in Córdoba, with 2 days left of vacation.

<3 <3 <3

37 days till AMINS&LANGFORDS in Barca!
44 days till ROBERTO in Barca!