As we write this, we are spending our last night together in our apartment in Barcelona. We are so sad that this adventure has come to an end, but we're so excited to get back and tell you all about it!
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were our last days of school, which consisted of Spanish presentations and finals. We have returned to some of our favorite places and soaked up every last minute that we had left in Barcelona. As we look around the apartment, there are 6 suitcases stuffed with our lives and not all of them are making the 50 pound cut. We have taken down most of the decorations, and our final load of laundry is hanging on the drying rack. Yay for having a dryer in T-5/9 days!! Maggs was just disposed of in the dumpster because we can't leave her in the apartment. We had a moment of silence for her passing. There's a pizza in the oven and ice cream in the freezer, and we are about to begin reading all of our blogs from the semester and putting on 6 pounds each.
Looking back on the semester, we can all say it was the best one of our lives! From our days spent in Barcelona to the many weekends spent traveling, we never dreamed of all the places we would journey to this semester. 15 weeks. 106 days. 10 countries. 31 cities. 21 planes. 18 trains. More pictures than we can count. And memories that will last the rest of our lives.
Here are our favorites from each of the trips!
London: Borough Market and Wicked
Munich: Dachau and Hofbräuhaus
Salzburg: The Sound of Music Tour
San Sebastián: Pincho hopping with the locals
Paris: The Marais and The Eiffel Tower at night
Nice: Carnival Parade
Madrid: Retiro Park
Bastogne: Battle of the Bulge Tour
Amsterdam: Anne Frank House
Portugal: Western most point of Europe and Bairro Alto in Lisbon
Mykonos: Picturesque Grecian Streets
Athens: The Parthenon and Mars Rock
Rome: Vatican City on Easter
Venice: The Grand Canal
Verona: Juliet's Balcony
Cinque Terre: Hiking from village to village
Pisa: Holding up the leaning tower
Florence: Michelangelo's Square and dinner at Buca Mario
Arezzo: Getting to see OUA
As much as we absolutely loved traveling, Barcelona truly began to feel like our home. Coming back to our apartment each weekend and walking through the door truly brought a sense of peace and comfort. We fell in love with the little cafés, yummy restaurants, our cute neighbors, Barceloneta and many more places that we don't have time to name. The Spanish culture is one of a kind and will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Not only that, but this culture will continue to influence our lifestyle back home. We have learned to take our lives one day at a time and to truly live in the moment. This culture is not prompt and couldn't care less about planning ahead, which was a breath of fresh air for the three of us. Warm welcomes greeted us everywhere we went, and we will miss so many familiar smiling faces. This semester we have also greatly improved in our Spanish speaking abilities. None of us would answer yes to the question 'are you fluent?' However, we would confidently answer yes to the question 'do you know Spanish?'
Petit Pot and Pacific were two of our favorite cafés. Attending an FC Barcelona game is a must. A day trip to Montserrat with tennis shoes and water bottle in hand was one of our favorite days. Playa de la Barceloneta, which includes Maka Maka-our favorite burger shack and Paella everywhere you look, was one of our favorite areas. Of course, who wouldn't love Passeig de Gràcia with all of its shops and La Rambla with La Boquería market. Not to mention, living two streets away from La Sagrada Familia.
For our concluding thoughts, here are some fun facts that we think everyone should know about our semester abroad.
-First and foremost, the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence will NEVER fail you. EVER. literally. -For clarification, there is a difference between a Trip Advisor sticker and the certificate of excellence sticker. You must find the latter because it will never fail you.
-If we have lung cancer in the near future, it's because of all the second hand smoke we've inhaled.
-A croissant a day keeps the doctor away.
-It is possible to pack for 10 days in a backpack.
-Never wear 3 pairs of bright tennis shoes when walking through European streets (unless you want some great stares).
-When in Paris, always walk with a French Baguette in hand while gnawing at the end.
-In Italy, gelato is never a bad idea. Even if you had it 10 minutes before. Yes, the workers will remember you, but its okay-it's a no judgement zone.
-When it rains, it pours, so call a taxi.
-It's a good thing we live in Norman because skipping class to go to the beach is always a good idea. Oops.
-Indian markets are your best friend. You can find Pringles, Cool Ranch Doritos, Dr. Pepper and popcorn.
-Milka bars are perfect for splitting between three people because they have 6 rows, and you each get two. We know this because we have probably had one every other night with dinner. Oops again.
-Get over your personal bubble because they do not exist here.
-Staring is also acceptable, and even if you stare back, they KEEP ON staring. Meagan found it's best to make a funny face.
-Cards and snacks are necessities for train rides through Italy.
-Don't worry about finding a gym membership because you will walk everywhere, literally.
-Don't walk in the apartment with your boots on or you will get mean letters from the people that live below you who used google translate to tell you that you sound like elephants.
-The first floor is really the second floor.
-When you see a large group Asian tourists, always look for the large iPads taking pictures of people holding up multiple peace signs.
-Get over your fear of PDA because it's not a thing here.
-Don't follow the walk signals, follow the locals.
-Everything in school here is a group project. We've all done more this semester than our entire schooling combined.
-When Barcelona beats Madrid, they shoot guns in the street, so don't be alarmed.
-Sleeping in a room with all three beds is way more fun.
-Italian hostels are NEVER a good idea. NEVER, we repeat.
-Don't be surprised when you're on Ryan Air and they land early. You will hear a nice jingle and the whole plane will break out in a round of applause.
-Vueling has the worst leg room in the entire history of planes.
-EasyJet has Orangina so they're number one in our hearts.
-Which brings us to this point: If you see a bottle of Orangina, buy the bottle of Orangina.
-Train stations are never a safe place. Especially La Spezia in the dark.
-You can decorate your entire apartment in under 20 euros.
-Mango and Zara will always have something that you will want. Always.
-European cappuccinos are the way to our hearts. FYI-Starbucks fails at cappuccinos.
-People on metros never look happy, but don't worry, once you start laughing, they'll lighten up.
Now that we've given you just a glimpse into our semester, it's time to say 'adios'. Thank you for all of the support and prayers while we've been away and for following us on this incredible journey. We are SO excited to see all of the familiar faces when we get home, and we are sure you will find us talking about this more than you care to.
Lots and lots of love from Barcelona for the last time,
Brynne, Katie & Meagan
