BARCELONA

Hola!

This was a fun week in Barcelona even though the tourists are beginning to invade! We started Monday off by skipping our Spanish class for the first time and going to the famous Plaça España. Here, we explored the former bull-fighting arena, which is now a shopping mall. We didn't
buy anything, but we enjoyed fresh sushi overlooking Plaça España. On the way out, Meagan got the dead skin eaten off of her feet by fish. Brynne and Katie are too ticklish. After that, we headed to class and stayed at our school to get wifi since we still didn't have it at our apartment. To end the night, we watched the Bachelor finale and made spicy pretzels.



Tuesday, we got our wifi back and had a very productive day catching up! That night we cooked spaghetti, and Wednesday we made tacos! Since the weather has warmed up, we decided to take advantage of it and head to the beach on Thursday. We stopped at a breakfast restaurant called Milk and ordered delicious pancakes and mimosas. Then, we spent the day laying out on the beach!

Friday, we went on a day trip with other students to Girona and Besalú. In Girona, we went on a city tour and saw the ancient city established by the Romans. For once, we hated our meal at lunch, so we decided to get dessert at a yummy frozen yogurt place instead. We hopped on the bus and went to Besalú for the afternoon. Here, we toured the medieval city that is surrounded by an ancient wall. We even had to enter over a bridge. We enjoyed getting to see the last standing Jewish bath in all of Spain. Friday was full of lots of history and learning!

Saturday morning, we woke up and went to Tibidabo. After finally finding our way there, we discovered the amusement park costs 29 euros, and it wasn't even that good. Instead, we walked into the church and headed right back down the hill. When we finally made it back to the heart of the city, we realized that our stomachs were about to implode, so we set off to find some food. After looking in many disappointing restaurants, we found a gem-Pacific Café. Our stomachs were finally full, so we decided to explore some new streets in Barcelona. We found some adorable stores and hid out from the rain shower by drinking a smoothie. We had a relaxing evening and enjoyed watching a movie together over no-bake cookies on our last Saturday in Barcelona!

Sunday, we took advantage of the nice weather and wandered around the Gothic Quarter of the city. We tried Spain's 2012 #1 croissant, which did not live up to its name. Apparently, we have become croissant snobs.



From there, we went to the Sunday market and walked in the famous Westin hotel on the beach. That did live up to its name. We stopped in McDonald's for some free wifi on our way to the Picasso Museum. However, the line at the museum was sooooo long, so we decided we would return another day.

We ended our day at a new restaurant that had been recommended to us-La Luna. We ordered salads and nachos, and it definitely lived up to its recommendation! Sunday night was also the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid fútbol game, which took place in Barcelona. We would've gone, but the tickets are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Instead, we watched their version of ESPN. It was an exciting game resulting in a Barcelona win by a PK in the final minutes. Apparently, Barcelona's way of celebrating a Real Madrid defeat is by shooting off guns in the streets. It took us by surprise to say the least, but we loved feeling like a part of the celebration!


This week begins the preparations for the end of school with many projects, papers and tests. However, we are looking forward to having Brynne's grandmother arrive and are soaking in our lasts weeks in Barcelona.

Adios Amigos!
Brynne, Katie & Meagan

BELGIUM & THE NETHERLANDS

Hallo! (Hello in Dutch)

We spent this weekend in Belgium and The Netherlands! Before arriving in Spain, we never thought that these two countries would be a stop along the way, but due to an unexpected open weekend, we thought-what the heck?

Friday morning came at 4:00 am. If you haven’t noticed, we don’t ever sleep in on Friday’s, but the early mornings pay off. We flew into Brussels and took a bus to Bastogne for our Battle of the Bulge/WWII tour. Katie’s mom and brother went there last summer and had a wonderful tour guide that they recommended to us. His name was Henri, and he picked us up at our bus stop. Henri made this tour so special because he was 9 years old when the battle took place in his hometown. The first hand accounts made the stories come to life. First of all, you need to understand that Bastogne is only a city because of the United States help. There are American flags everywhere showing their appreciation, and one might think that they are more patriotic than America, haha. 

In the Bastogne City Square, Henri began our tour at the American tank, which stands there to show their appreciation. From there, we saw Patton Square (Patton was the American general in charge of this operation), the Bastogne Cathedral where the bells ring the first three notes of the Star Spangled Banner on the half-hour and the Bastogne Barracks where we saw the headquarters of the American troops and tanks from many countries that participated in WWII. Sorry, that was the longest sentence ever. After that, we went to the American monument and the crypt that overlooks the city.  This monument remembers the many American lives given for their city. The rest of the day was spent at the American Fox Holes surrounding Bastogne, the German cemetery and the 26 trees planted by the children of Bastogne in honor of the kids who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook shooting. They really do love America that much. Then, Henri took us to the bus stop, and we took the bus and two trains and finally arrived in Amsterdam. We got to our hostel ready to experience our first 18-girl room. Let’s just say, we’ll be doing private rooms for the rest of our semester.

Saturday morning, we woke up and headed down one of the main streets in Amsterdam. We found a place called Cup-a-la-Cake and had a yummy breakfast of smoothies and muffins. After that, we wandered down the shopping streets and ended up in the Red Light District. We knew going into it what it was and what to expect, but nothing could prepare our hearts and eyes for what we saw. As we walked down the street, the windows were full of women. Each window had a prostitute trying to lure a man into her room. We are so sad that these women do not see that they are worth more than that. With heavy hearts, we continued to explore Amsterdam. On our way to the ‘I Amsterdam’ letters, there was a new canal to see around every corner. After battling our way through the tourists, we finally got our pictures with the letters and headed off to lunch. 

We found a delicious café called Bagels & Beans where we got tasty hot chocolate, chai tea lattes and bagels with cream cheese.  Our taste buds definitely thanked us for that meal. The afternoon was spent wandering through Waterloo Market, a flower market and many random shops down the streets of Amsterdam. We should probably mention the consistent smell of weed as we walked through the streets. The coffee shops in Amsterdam should probably be called weed shops. It’s EVERYWHERE. We eventually caved and bought fries at the number one fry stand in Holland. They served them to us in cones with Mayonnaise and Ketchup…we declined on the Mayo offer. We headed back to our hostel and decided to shower before the troops returned to flood the bathroom. Then, we had a variety of food for dinner and ended up at a coffee shop (that only sold coffee) and met some Thetas from Colorado College!

Sunday morning was our favorite part of the weekend. We got to tour the Anne Frank House! It was incredible to say the least. We walked through the Secret Annex and saw where they hid for two years. It was a moving experience, and it was crazy to finally bring her diary to life and put real-life images in our heads. In a hurry, we ran by Bagels & Beans and took off toward the train station. 

Three hours later, we arrived in Brussels where we got to see the original Godiva store, try real Belgian Waffles, see the Royal Palace of Brussels, go to Brussels Park and eat some yummy Wok for dinner. Before leaving, we relaxed in the square where the Flower Carpet is constructed each August. Exhausted and ready for a shower, we trained to the airport and took off for Barcelona! When we got back to our apartment, we found out that we still. have. no. wifi.

Here is the video! Sorry it's a short one! http://youtu.be/y4N001vIres

Hope everyone is having a great Spring Break!

Love,

Brynne, Katie & Meagan

MADRID

Hola once again!

We have officially passed the halfway point of our time in Barcelona! We are shocked at how quickly the time has flown by, but there is still plenty in store for the next seven weeks!

This past weekend was spent in Madrid where we got to experience a new Spanish atmosphere. We went with our program and met at the train station early Friday morning. We enjoyed getting to see the countryside of Spain and spend time with our other Oklahoma friends Bailey and Katrina! Once we arrived in Madrid, we made our way around the longest line we have every seen in our entire lives and finally reached the hotel. We later learned that the line was to see a saint…we never really figured out if he was alive or not. However, the line was thousands of people long. We were pleasantly surprised by how nice our hotel was, and our feelings were reinforced the next two mornings at breakfast. 

After getting settled in and finding a yummy outdoor café for lunch, we joined our group for a city tour of Madrid. On this tour, we saw the most famous bull-fighting arena in the world, the Real Madrid Stadium, the oldest restaurant in the world, the Palace of Madrid and many more local favorites. One of the most exciting parts of the tour was getting to go inside a convent and buy cookies from the nuns. We rang the doorbell and made our way through the convent to a turntable where we passed them our money and they passed us their cookies. This is the only contact they have with the outer world because no one is allowed to see their faces. It was a really great experience and was definitely a group bonding moment! After the tour, we spent the rest of our Friday wandering around Plaza Sol and the local market with Katrina and Bailey. We found yummy food and saw many street performers dressed up in creepy costumes.

Saturday morning began with our most favorite breakfast yet. The hotel had a wide variety of choices in their buffet, and it was nice to start our day with good conversation and full stomachs before the five of us headed out for the day. Following breakfast, we went shopping in a popular area around our hotel. The streets were packed with people, and we found some great sales! From there, we had the yummiest wok, which we discovered from a man handing out samples the night before. Then, we headed to Retiro Park (their Central Park) and thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere. The weather was beautiful, and we got to see the Crystal Palace inside the park. 

We spent the afternoon wandering down the Gran Via, which is the most famous street in Madrid. The led us to the Egyptian Temple where we watched the sunset and had a great time people watching. We have learned that PDA is widely accepted here and a shock coming from our American culture. For dinner, we made the worst decision we have made the entire semester. While it included delicious Mac and Cheese and Nachos, we also lost Katie’s purse. That night, we chose to go to Hard Rock Café for an American dinner, but little did we know Katie’s purse was going to be stolen. Katie was seated next to a wall and in front of a column, so she thought her purse would be safe hidden in the corner. However, she thought wrong. After getting her phone out to calculate the check, she reached down for her wallet around 45 seconds later to realize her purse was gone. After many phone calls, prayers and searches through the restaurant, her purse was nowhere to be found.

 Sunday morning arrived with a fresh start and peace of mind. We enjoyed another delicious breakfast and headed back to Retiro Park to paddleboat with Katrina and Bailey. This was a relaxing way to spend our Sunday and end our time in Madrid. The train ride home consisted of Brynne’s struggle with allergies and preparation for the busy week ahead.

Monday morning, we all woke up early and headed to the U.S. Consulate General of Barcelona to get Katie a temporary passport. In true American style, the consulate was surrounded by a huge wall and very intense security. It was so nice to be on American soil, haha. The workers were so helpful, and we quickly got all of Katie’s lack of identity issues ironed out. Our prayers were answered, and we headed back to our apartment full of relief. That is, until we arrived to no wi-fi. Oh well, we went to our always faithful café, where we’re writing our blog!

Hasta luego!

Brynne, Katie and Meagan

BARCELONA

Hola!

This past week was such a blast in Barcelona! Meagan's birthday was the perfect way to start off the week. Monday consisted of homemade pancakes, a cake for lunch and yummy paella down by the beach for dinner! We loved getting to celebrate Meagan, hear about her favorite memories from the past year and her goals for the next. Tuesday and Wednesday consisted of studying for and taking midterms, while preparing for Meagan's mom to arrive in Barcelona.

Thursday morning, Brynne woke up to study for her midterm, and Meagan and Katie headed for the airport. Somehow, Meagan's mom arrived an hour early, so she was ready to go once we got there. We took her to get our favorite Suizo, showed her our apartment and took her to Barcelona's famous market on La Rambla. After class, Brynne joined us for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Friday morning, we woke up and went to Plaça España. Here, we discovered the hidden treasures within the old bull-fighting ring that has now been turned into a mall, not to mention, a natural juice bar. We will definitely be returning to spend some time in the cute local shops! Afterwards, we walked up the elaborate steps of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and the gardens surrounding it. This led us to the stadium from the 1992 Olympics. We loved this new view of the city and could only imagine what this looked like 22 years ago! After lunch, we visited La Sagrada Familia and got to ascend the Nativity Tower. The inside of this church was phenomenal and unlike anything we have ever seen. The way the sun shown through the stained glass made the ambiance very unique. This was also a fun, new view of the city. 

Following this visit, we made our way to Park Guell. This is the park we visited the first weekend we arrived. Meagan and her mom went inside to look at the Gaudi architecture and also experience a children's Carnival celebration. Then, we all followed Katie's dad's instruction and hiked the remainder of the mountain to the three crosses located. We turned the corner at the top and found a new friend…if you can call him that. This was a man clothed in leopard from head to toe and rocking out on his guitar looking for attention. He even purred and called us 'tiger tiger'. We were nothing shy of entertained and amused. However, nothing could take away from the beautiful panoramic view of the city. Yes, this was a day full of different Barcelona views. Meagan spent the evening at a yummy dinner with her mom. 

Saturday was our favorite day by far! We took the train to Montserrat just outside of the city. This is a unique mountain with a monastery built into the side. After taking the cable car to the monastery, we grabbed lunch and hurried to the basilica to hear Spain's most famous boys' choir. They were nothing compared to the choir from Westminster Abbey, but their voices along with the beautiful detailed architecture was definitely not a disappointment. 

We spent the rest of our afternoon hiking to see different views. Two of our favorites were the Ramon Llull stack of blocks and the Cross of San Miguel overlooking the valley and monastery. The mountain was so peaceful and incredible. This is definitely among our top memories in Barcelona! We returned to the city to celebrate Meagan's birthday with her mom at a yummy pizzeria. 

Sunday morning, we slept in and went to old town. We saw the cathedral and experienced many Carnival celebrations. We wandered down to the beach and hit up our favorite Sunday market full of fruit gummies, candied nuts, tea and much more. After lunch at our favorite burger shack, we spent our afternoon sitting on the beach, people watching, collecting rocks and enjoying the sunshine. Sunday evening, we had our last meal with Meagan's mom at a new restaurant we found on Passeig de Gracía. Then, we had our official initiation into European culture at our first FC Barcelona fútbol game. We had 12th row seats and got to watch Messi dominate the field. Even after a very confusing situation resulting in Meagan's mom not being able to sit with us, we loved our first experience at a true fútbol match!

This morning, we said our sad goodbyes, and Meagan's mom headed back to The States! We had such a blast getting to share so many Barcelona memories with her and especially loved the yummy, homemade treats she brought along!

Here is the video! http://youtu.be/RhDaqpzcl1A

Sending some sunshine your way!

Brynne, Katie and Meagan

FRENCH RIVIERA

Bonjour again!

Katie's parents arrived in Barcelona last week and spent a couple of days seeing our home, some of our favorite places and the major tourist attractions. It was so fun to show them around and get a little taste of home! They also brought 115 pounds worth of American food and other necessities with them!! We're excited to have a literal taste of home to say the least!

Friday morning, we jetted off to Nice with Katie's parents. When we arrived, we got a rental car with a manual transmission and headed toward Cannes. This began the weekend of navigational disasters thanks to our not-so-trusty GPS who we named Margaret. We arrived in Cannes and while in search of a parking place, Mr. Turner discovered that he didn't know how to put the car in reverse. We finally found a public parking garage, and Mr. Turner pushed the car backwards into the parking spot (seriously, you have to watch the video on this one).

Trip Advisor was faithful once again and led us to a yummy and adorable family-run Italian restaurant before exploring the sites of the Cannes Film Festival. We visited the The Palais des Festivals et des Congrés, where the film festival is held, and the Carlton to see where the honored guests stay. After the exploring, we found a cookie shop where we discovered our new favorite type of cookie: the Kinder cookie, which is a chocolate chip cookie with Kinder bars on top. Since our stomachs were full and our feet were tired, we decided to head to Vence. This is a small inland town on top of a hill. We all felt like we were living in a fairytale in this picturesque French town. The streets were cobblestone and the old buildings were each painted a different color. We loved getting to experience the culture of the quaint local town. We returned to Nice for dinner and checked into our hotel for the night.  Also, don't worry, Mr. Turner figured out how to reverse the car!


Saturday morning began with a walk along the Mediterranean Sea to Castle Hill where we got to overlook Nice. As we took in the panoramic view, we could see the snow-capped Alps, the port of Nice and miles down the coast. This was one of the highlights of our trip.

To top it all off, we ran into Anna and her roommates on the way down the hill and got to exchange stories of the French Riviera. After descending the hill, we ate a quick lunch and went to the Parade of Flowers, which is part of Nice's Carnival celebration. This Carnival celebration is the most popular in Europe, and we definitely understand why. We claimed our front-row spot an hour before the start of the parade, and by the time the first float came around, we were being pressed into the poles in front of us by rows of people who don't understand the concept of personal bubbles. The carnival consisted of many floats that were covered in flowers along with performers and fun entertainment. (see video for examples) We loved getting to experience the culture of this celebration and would recommend it to anyone who has an opportunity to experience it! Following the Carnival Parade, we got Häagen-Dazs ice cream and spent our evening down the coast in Monaco. We ate a yummy dinner overlooking the port full of massive Yachts.

Sunday morning, we returned to Monaco with croissants in hand and beautiful views out the window. Upon arrival, we visited the Palace of Monaco, the cathedral where Grace Kelly was married and the beautiful gardens in her honor. Then, we had lunch by the sea and went to gawk at all the expensive cars outside of the Casino of Monte-Carlo. We also went inside and took a look at the fancy blackjack room and headed right back out because we realized we didn't belong there. After that, we got in the car and drove around the streets looking at high dollar shops. We returned to Nice for one last yummy dinner with Katie's parents and went to the airport. We were so sad to say goodbye all over again, but we loved getting to share a weekend with them!

Here's the link to the video!! http://youtu.be/0H4E5Lx-1ZU

Au Revoir,
Brynne, Katie and Meagan