BARCELONA

Hola! It's officially been a month!

This was an exciting week in Barcelona because we had our first visitor!! Our Theta friend Madysen who now lives in Switzerland came to visit for a few days! Sadly, we had a lot of school work and class while she was in town, but we got to have fun with her in the evenings and catch up on life. One night, we attempted a yoga class via Youtube, and Brynne learned the hard way that headstands are not as easy as they seem (see video). We also took Madysen to Taste of America! It was so fun to finally see a familiar face and introduce her to our new lifestyle. We absolutely loved having her, and it was so sad to say goodbye!

On Friday, we joined other students on a day trip to Tarragona, Spain. We started the day off with a tour of a winery/vineyard and got to try tasty wine and cava, which is their version of champagne. After the tour, we got to enjoy a traditional lunch of Catalonia (the northeast region of Spain). This lunch consisted of Calçotada, artichoke hearts, sausage, beans, a fruity dessert and messy hands (see video for experience). Then, we drove to the coast, where the old town of Tarragona is located. We toured the Roman ruins and saw the amphitheater, which was a smaller version of the Roman Colosseum. It was a great day, and we loved getting to spend it with our friend Bailey!

Saturday morning, we woke up and started our day off with "Brunch & Cake." This is an adorable local restaurant that serves gourmet breakfast and, more importantly, cake. We absolutely loved the fresh squeezed orange juice, and next time, we plan to try the red velvet cake! After breakfast, we shopped till we dropped on Barcelona's version of 5th avenue, but don't worry, Brynne and Katie didn't buy anything. Contrary to what you might expect, Meagan was the shopper of the day! We spent the rest of our evening watching Gossip Girl and eating popcorn. We enjoyed relaxing for once!

Sunday, after a GREAT night of sleep and not waking up to an alarm for the first time in what seems like forever, we put on our walking shoes and headed for the beach! We walked miles along the boardwalk and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon seaside. People watching, dog watching (see video) and food sampling at the local sunday market kept us entertained for quite a while. For lunch, we found the typical hole-in-the-wall hamburger shack by the beach and knew we had to try it. We had a nutritious lunch of fries and a shake (Meagan had a smoothie…of course). The atmosphere was so fun, and we definitely plan on returning! Following lunch, we took off for the cathedral of Barcelona. This atmosphere is so hard to describe, but as we strolled along the tiny streets of old town Barcelona, we found street singers, street vendors, Barcelona festivals and fell in love with the city all over again!










Barcelona truly is beginning to feel like a home away from home, and we are excited for what the month of February has in store. Also, we decided to do some decorating to make our place feel a little more homey!

Here's the link to the video! http://youtu.be/SVGrs1hJI7w

Sending lots of love and warmth from Spain!
Brynne, Katie and Meagan