Saturday, Sunday, and Everything Between Now and Then

I have been kind of busy. But with just enough free time so sometimes I'm bored, but don't quite know what to do with myself. So I'll start where I left off.

Saturday I woke up at 12:45P. It was blissful. I went and looked at an apartment in the Gothic neighborhood, hated it, and walked around Las Ramblas before heading back to the dorms for dinner and more rest. Nothing really exciting about Saturday.

Sunday was even less exciting, I pretty much did homework all day. I did eat 2 lunches, one of them a really fantastic cous cous salad that was tasty but not really heavy and another a couple hours later of a sandwich with roast beef. I did homework all night and woke up the next morning early for class. The weekend wasn't really a proper start to living in Spain. But shit, I was so exhausted that it was exactly what I needed.

Monday consisted of class, and then a tapas lunch. Finally something interesting. A few of us went to a restaurant not too far from the University. It was decent, and I got to try something I had never had before: escargot. I was really impressed. I thought it would be kind of rubbery, but those little snails were so tasty. We also had bacalao (salt cod), eggplant and mozzarella salad that was delicious, marinated mushrooms, a bruscetta with blood sausage, onions, and cheese, and potatoes stuffed with prawns and hollandaise. I also had crema catalana for dessert, more on that later. Eating tapas with Americans who have never had them before is always interesting. In America you order what you want in a portion for just you, for the most part not sharing with people, except in family style situations. Tapas is little plates that everyone shares. But, being the Americans we are (they haven't beaten it out of us quite yet), we hoarded the plates that we ordered and just tried a taste of other people's, it was not the full on sharing session that tapas requires. After lunch I did more homework for the rest of the night. Homework during ILP will be the end of me.

Tuesday, I was tired again. I had managed to stay up late and negate all the good sleep I had gotten on the weekend. After class, I just wanted a sandwich and a nap. I got the sandwich, tuna with lettuce and tomato and mayo, and some french fries, but ended up getting back to the dorms at like 5P because we sat around talking, so no nap. But the conversation was good, so I'm not unhappy. More homework, but tonight I was feeling restless. I wanted to do something besides homework. So after dinner, Nick and I headed to the gas station for some more of my good friend, Don Simon vino tinto (1.38euro wine). Nick and I played cards and finished our tetra packs and then I sat out in the park talking to Tom until almost 3A. I definitely woke up with a little bit of the wine flu, not to be confused with the swine flu, because wine flu goes away eventually with the aid of food and hydration.

Wednesday was pretty dull, classes, sat around the dorm afterwards, pretty much the usual. Except for lunch. Eunice and I went to Flauta, which is a restaurant close to the University that is super popular and very tasty; it's the same restaurant we had our welcome dinner at last summer, and I have some really delicious memories of that so I decided that trying it for lunch would not hurt me. First of all, the place was packed, we actually had to wait for a table and it was a decent sized place, for Spain. I asked the man in front of me if he was waiting for a table and we started talking, he's been going there for years and suggested some things to look for. He was such a regular the manager came over and shook his hand, which is kind of a big deal in a place like Flauta that sees thousands of tourists and businessmen every week. Eunice and I decided on the Menu del Dia, a personal favorite, and I had the ensalad verdura for my first plate and conejo as my second. And crema catalana, something I've been craving for months, as dessert.

My salad came out and I knew from looking at it that it was going to be good. It was pretty, and was loaded with lettuces and ham and a sliced up fresh fig. Now, I had never eaten fresh figs, dried yes but never fresh. I have not been living properly without fresh figs, they are amazing. I could go on for hours about them, but I will tell you that I had one and have been searching for some ever since. Damn. The salad was perfect. Fig, lettuce, pine nuts, a cracker with goat cheese and dried figs mixed in, it was one of the best salads I've had in awhile. My second course was something else I've never eaten: conejo or rabbit in English. It came stewed with artichokes and carrots, and even though there were lots of little bones, it was tender and juice and definitely something I'll try again. Crema catalana is a lot like creme brulee, but a little bit creamier. I could eat it at every meal. In fact, I'm attempting a tour de crema catalana of Barcelona's restaurants. So far, Flauta has been my favorite.

Another highlight of the day, that evening my roommate's friend arrived from Nice. He's been traveling around Europe and is spending his last 8 days here. They were hanging out so late that he managed to miss the metro back to his hostel and ended up spending the night here. But for the first time in awhile I managed to go to bed before 2A.

I woke up on Thursday feeling great. Amanda, Nick and I made plans to meet up after class for paella, and I was once again feeling the itch to do something besides homework at night. After classes, Amanda and I took the metro and met up with Nick and sat down at a cute little restaurant with lots of people and had first courses of melon and jam for me and Amanda and shrimp in a garlicky tomato sauce for Nick. They then brought us the massive pan of paella mariscos (shrimp, crawfish, scallops, mussels, and clams), but we couldn't finish it there was way too much. We had dessert (crema catalana for me of course) and made our way back to the dorms. I stopped at El Corte Ingles to buy a beach towel and ended up purchasing the Sims 3 as well. I haven't really played it yet, but I will soon.

Thursday night I wanted to go out, meet people, drink too much, something I haven't really done since I've been here. So Nick and I went, to La Oveja Negra, a bar I frequented last summer. They have damn good sangria and we got a pitcher and we found a table where some guys were playing a game. Turns out, they were Spanish, they were really nice and fun, and they were playing a rendition of quarters. I spent most of the evening talking to Elias, who spoke English, and he spoke English while I spoke Spanish and we corrected each other, it was awesome. Elias and I exchanged numbers and hopefully will hang out soon. He'll be really good for my Spanish and I might be good for his English. I drank entirely way too much sangria and Nick and I took a cab back to the dorm where I passed out, finally in clean sheets. However, one small problem. I had managed to lose my metro pass and my room key card at the bar. I know they were in my pocket and must have fallen out when I went to the bathroom. Being inebriated, I was naturally pissed, but now I'm over it because I'm never going to find them and they were replaceable, it just sucks. Class all day today, but today was good because Mireia (easily my favorite) gave us a list of colloquialisms, so now I know how to say all kinds of things to tell people to fuck off or whatnot. I did miss the first 2 hours because I was exhausted and straight up not in the mood, but I got it together for the last 2. The language program is intense in a way that I appreciate because it will help me a lot later on, but monotonous and I feel like a second grader. After class we found some cheap sandwiches and then I headed back to the dorms for a nap. At 6:30P I trekked over to an apartment that I thought would be okay. It was tiny, and I'm not talking tiny American standards, I'm talking tiny Spanish standards. Veto.

Tonight I didn't go out, since I'm still kind of recovering from last night, and tomorrow I'm seeing two apartments. Hopefully I find one I like soon, searching and the mere thought of having to settle somewhere else again really makes me stabby. Until next time, try something new everyday, you never know what will change your life.

Thursday and Friday.

So the second half of the week was a tad more exciting and exhausting than the first half, not that the first half was boring, but I didn't really do anything but sleep and go to class. I finally got out and enjoyed some of the city, and its food of course.

So Thursday was our last day of class for the week, and also the day when paella typically shows up on the menú del día. So I recruited Eunice, Adam, and Matt to go searching for it because it was absolutely criminal that I had been in Barcelona for 5 days without paella or sangria. The only problem is that it is August, and everything is closed so people can go on vacations. What is this vacation shit? So we walked to a place near the university that I had been last summer, and lo and behold, it was closed for vacacciones. I was at a loss. Besides the shot bar up the street (which was also closed since it was 2 in the afternoon), I didn't really know anything in the area. So we walked around and came across a café with both a menú and paella, but no paella on the menú.

I decided that I was in the mood for a classic Spanish meal of ensalada de rus, croquetas, y patatas fritas. I also ordered sangria, I was done with class for the week, why the hell not? The waiter brought out a liter of sangria, and I was parched and may or may not have polished off the entire thing before my meal came, the only witnesses have been sworn to silence. When in Rome, drink like an American? The croquetas came out first. They are fried balls of bechamel mixed with chicken or ham, these were chicken. Typically Americans think they're fried cheese. They are very Spanish and molt delciosa. The ensalada de rus was another story entirely. I like to order things that I have no idea what they are so I can try lots of different things, which is what I did in this instance. When the ensalada de rus came out, I pretty much started drooling because it looked like straight up, Southern style potato salad. I love a good potato salad. Guess what. Surprise tuna. Now, don't get me wrong, I like tuna, canned or fresh; however, I do not like surprise tuna invading things that would be just fine without it. I really just need to stop expecting things to be other things that I am familiar with and expect them to be seafood. I finished my croquets and patats frits, which were delicious, but after three bites of ensalada de rus, I pushed that to the side.

After lunch, I was quite buzzed, and we headed back to the Collegi for an orientation meeting which I don't really remember all of. I think I signed something, which may have resulted in me signing my life away, but I seem to still have my freedom and everyone else was doing it. I was also not allowed to nap, since sleeping was taking up too much time. So I went back to my room after the meeting (which was a serious buzz kill) and looked online for an apartment. I decided at 6:30P that is was high time for me to have a mobile phone, so I set off to get one. I went to FNAC and the guy was helpful but they didn't have the phone I wanted. It was also an eye opening example of how much Spanish I understand but cannot speak. Well, maybe it was the sangria that was keeping me from forming sentences? The guy at the counter told me I spoke well, but I think él quiere ir de cañas conmigo. ¿Quién sabe?

After that failed attempt at getting a cell phone, I took the directions of the nice man at FNAC and went over to El Corte Inglés. I will talk about that place another time. I managed to find something that satisfied my needs and finally made it back at 9P. When I got to the Collegi, I went straight to the menjador for dinner, once again picked at my food, and gave Adam 2euros to buy me wine for later.

I returned to my room after dinner for a shower and a 1.38euro tetra pack of wine. It is safe to say that I was drunk not once, but twice in one day. I didn't even finish the whole tetra pack, although someone did. Adam, Eunice, and I headed to Kitty O'Shea's Irish Pub where I had a Heineken and we played Gin Rummy. Eunice, a noob at Gin, kicked our asses. She also did not consume 1.38euro wine straight from the carton, which may have had something to do with her winning streak. We returned since someone wasn't feeling well and I apparently spent some time chatting on the internet before sleeping.

Friday arrived and I got to wake up 2 hours later than usual. I was hungover as hell and wanted nothing to do with people or the outdoors, which was pretty much the exact plan for the day. I managed to get myself dressed sensibly and make it to the dining room to wolf down a croissant and some juice before getting on the bus for an excursion, also known as: the day where they tried to show us everything in Barcelona at once.

We started off at La Pedrera, Gaudí's famous building in the heart of the city. The building itself is amazing. Gaudí was the father of ergonomic and sensible architecture, or at least it seems like it (don't get offended, I don't know that much architectural history). The terrace of La Pedrera is the best part, and the fact that you don't have to workout that day after climbing all those stairs to the top. The view is amazing, as well as the giant protrusions shaped like skulls and some covered in mosaics. Beautiful. We had like 45 minutes to explore, but I plopped down in a shady spot and drank it all in: the breeze, the view, the fact that I'm in Barcelona. After that, I walked down the stairs and down the street to get a cold soda and we got back on the bus and headed over to La Sagrada Familia.

If you see one thing in Barcelona, it might be La Sagrada Familia. This piece of architectural art has been a work in progress for like 130 years and won't be done until at least 2030. But damn. It is incredible. The ornate detail and unique structure is breathtaking. The spires seem to break the clouds. For 3euro (ish), you can go halfway up one on an elevator. I did it last summer and it was the best view of Barcelona possible, I'm certain. Gaudí dedicated most of his life to its construction, and the façade is dedicated to the Holy Family and the back is a modernistic tribute to the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. It is so different, from one side to the other, and you could probably spend half a day studying it. We took half an hour. But I got some sweet pictures before getting back on the bus and passing out for a bit. It's not going anywhere, so I'll definitely check back later.

By now my hangover was a distant memory and once a few minutes to admire the church had passed, we headed to Park Güell, which I was the most excited about since I never went last summer. It was breathtaking. Rolling hills covered in stone passageways and a terrace that looks out over Barcelona, all the way to the sea. And everything mosaics cover much of the surfaces. We only had an hour and a half to explore, and I could easily have spent a day there, and plan to once it cools down and the damn tourists go home. It's a beautiful place, people playing music, fresh air. The Spanish are all about the best places to get fresh air. And the terrace at Park Güell is definitely one of the best. They provided us with lunch, so I had tuna (see I do like tuna, when it is not a surprise) with tomatoes and olive oil on baguette and a bottle of water while I listened to Spanish guitar and let the fresh breeze blow over me. It was so picturesque it was almost disgusting. After lunch, I walked around the park some, taking pictures and really just taking it in, and eventually headed back to the bus since we still had 2 stops left on our tour.

The next stop was Montjuic, which is a mountain kind of at the southwestern part of the city. This is where the MNAC and the Olympic Stadium are located. We stopped off at the Olympic Stadium for some photo ops and to check it out, and then headed to the Miró Foundation for some intake of modern art. I'd seem some of Miró's work before, and it's interesting. Lots of bright colors and lines and shapes. The tour guide was an art history major and she added a lot of interesting details about the paintings that I otherwise wouldn't have known, like what Miró's female figure looked like and that to him femininity was all about maternity. It was interesting but after a long day we were all starting to fade.

We got back to the dorm around 5:30 and I started to watch Top Chef on my computer but passed out and woke up drooling on myself. I decided this nap was okay after the day's adventures, and it was only like an hour or so. After dinner, I promptly changed into my comfortable clothes and spent the rest of the evening catching up on TV and reading. It was ridiculously wonderful to relax and go to sleep without setting an alarm. For now, I'm going to go work on graduate school application stuff, but I'll recap the weekend and today soon. Hasta pronto.