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
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