II. A. Parc Guël

A Resumé of Winter Break, Part II

I. Be Reunited with the lovely Goose at the McDonald's in Barcelona Sants

A. Imagine worst scenario possible : Goose is in the middle of nowhere and we'll never see each other again

B. See her, jump up too quickly

C. Get massive bruise

II. Explore Barcelona

A. Parc Guël

III. Paris for New's Years

A. Champs-Elysées Mayhem : Fancy Outfits

B. Drinking coffee and tea for 20

i. La Durée macarons

C. Philosophic talks in La Madeleine

D. So much walking...

IV. Grenoble

A. Climb to the top of the Bastille A.Q.A.P.

B. Mountains!

C. um, THE ALPS

V. Jump on the wrong train; detour in Avignon

A. The dirtiest of hostels

B. A nice park by the Palais des Papes

VI. A day late, arrive once again in Montpellier

A. Let more adventures commence!
B. Family dinner
C. Check off the checklist 2012
D. Bike to the beach

Photos coming soon!

Grathiath

la Sagrada Familia para Gaudí

A charming apartment and park

 A lot of our adventures in the gorgeously temperate Barcelona were stumbled upon on our long walks through the almost confusing streets. By the middle of the first day, we might've been champs ... reading maps like the best of them.

We came across a pretty cathedral, as to the right

Here we have some of the Gaudí buildings, a strange architect that might just be a man after my own heart with his flamboyant glasswork and silly shapes. 

 No photo and travel trip to Barcelona is complete without some Spanish men arguing on the street.

Las Ramblas is the large street filled with tourist traps and men with weird bird calling whistles. It's lined with tempting shopping and bad food and leads to the sea. Walking it is a must, although I can't say it was the most enjoyable part of the trip. But hey! we did it.

I might've food my food heaven: Mercat La Boqueria. A tunnel of the freshest seafood (that lobster below is still alive), hanging meat, veggies and fruits. Artisanal chocolate, samples and chaos. I wish I could spent all day and all my money there. Instead I settled for breaded mussels and free Catalan treats.

Flamenco

This is a short clip of the flamenco I witnessed at Mercé 2011, Barcelona

À tí

 She gave me the chickenpox when I was younger. Our younger siblings destroyed my Barbie play house when I was about three. Once we both moved to the States, we saw each other once in a blue moon. And now, Cassie and I were walking the streets of Barcelona at their biggest fiesta of the year. Mercé 2011 celebrates the patron saint of the Catalan city on the Mediterranean and amounts to all night concerts, bustling lively streets and sangria.

My 5 hour bus ride started pleasant as I talked to a widely traveled Canadian. However, as we sat a younger man behind us began to drink. About two hours later and a bottle of something he joined the conversation. At first he was pleasant. Then we hit a lull in conversation and I sat back to get in a little nap before getting to Barcelona. Next thing I knew, he was stroking the back of my arm through the gap between seats. He popped his head in and bluntly I said to him “I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be stroking my arm”. He stopped and I was pretty proud of myself, a little strong-independent-woman moment.

I got to Barcelona at 9 and Cassie, her friend Katie and I found each other pretty quickly, dropped off my bag and hit the streets. There was mood lighting, music and grinning people everywhere. There’s another Arc de Triomphe. A lovely park with one of the most extravagantly lit fountains I have ever witnessed and a quaint charm that seems misplaced in a major metropolis. We found a flamenco concert and watched the dancers stomp their feet like angry tap dancers to the emotional music. Tapas were had with some seafood I had never encountered. I wish I knew what it was because I would like some more.

Saturday we woke to rain. A sprinkle and a pour, we roamed the streets briefly saw the Sagrada Familia before grabbing some empanadas and heading to the beach. It was calm and overcast but ready for tourists, which is very different from the relaxed coast of Montpellier. After about six straight hours of walking we treated ourselves to some of the richest gelato and went back for a repose. After some much needed sitting and the making of homemade sangria (recipe to follow), we hit the town once again. Saturday night we returned for tapas, saw a live jazz band, an indie band and we finished the night dancing for an hour to I don’t even know what; some sort of folk, local pop rock. Barcelona surely knows how to party and I must say my American butt can’t quite keep up.

On Sunday, Cassie and I took it easy and made plans for her to come run the marathon in Montpellier October 16th. I’m very excited for her and glad that, after not seeing each other for about three years, it’s like I saw her yesterday. Barcelona was a magnificent, gaudy and almost kitchy maze of plazas and streets but never felt uncomfortably like a ‘big city’. The food was amazing. I returned to Montpellier tired, stinky and one jar of dulce de leche richer. And now, it is time for my Applied Sociology class.

SCIENTIFIC SANGRIA

1 bottle cheap red wine

1 sliced orange and its juice

7 splashes of Sprite

some 9 slices melon

exactly 1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon

12 ice cubes
A giant bowl

1 beat up plastic water bottle (easier to take on the streets). First mix all ingredients in a giant bowl. You're supposed to let everything "simmer" for up to 24 hours, but one does the trick. Makes sure to squeeze the orange good and then slice. 

Waiting out the rain

Might be a poor college student's best friend