Back in Barcelona and Valencia for the weekend

This past week in Barcelona was definitely a week of rest. We didn't do too much, but it was definitely nice to relax.

Sunday, the day after D's birthday we all dragged our selves from our beds with only one hour of sleep to meet up with Dionne's grandma for a birthday brunch.  We all were so exhausted from the crazy night we had for Dionne's 21st birthday, but we all managed to somehow get through the day.  We had brunch at a really nice restaurant in the Barceloneta area and walked around with her grandma for awhile, it was a beautiful day out.  Our day didn't last too long because we were all so tired and the minute we got home we all just passed out.  Let's just say Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I did nothing but catch up on sleep and go to school.  It wasn't a very productive week, but definitely well needed. On Thursday, Jessica and I were craving to go to Champagneria (especially the tapas) since we hadn't been in awhile.  There was supposed to be quite a few people going, but it ended up being Jess and I at first and then Alex and his friend later.  I didn't really want the cava too much, but I drank it to help the delicious tapas go down.  It was an early night, but so much fun, like always at Champagneria!



On Friday we woke up quite early, 730, and finished getting ready for our weekend trip with GSE to Valencia, Spain.  We met like usual in front of the Hard Rock Cafe in Plaza Catalunya and boarded the bus for a 5 hour drive to Valencia.  Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and is along the Mediterranean coast south of Barcelona, not too far.  By the time we got to Valencia we were all starving, so thankfully we had a group lunch right when we arrived.  It wasn't anything too special, but it was food, and it did its job.  At 5 we all gathered in the hotel lobby for a guided walking tour of the historical part of the city.  I really enjoyed what I saw of the city. The entire city is very clean and open and all the buildings are really pretty.  Historically, Valencia is believed to hold the Holy Grain in the main cathedral, but unfortunately we didn't go in the cathedral to see it.  At then end of our walking tour we headed on the bus and drove around a little bit to see the parts that were too far away to walk to.  I really liked how the older historical buildings were able to mesh with the new more modern buildings.  We came back and rested for a little before heading downstairs for a group dinner in the hotel.  It was really nice because for this trip all our meals were with GSE as a group, fun and saved us some money! No one wanted to go out so we all stayed in.  I was watching the travel channel for awhile (one of the only channels in english) and was so excited because one of the shows was on South Africa.  It showed parts of Sun City and it reminded me of the great memories I had there with my mom and friends, and how I want to go back SO SO bad!! The travel bug is setting in and I want to explore the world more, even places I have been , like South Africa!



The past few days I have been finding myself getting up early and taking my time to get ready which has been a nice change from my lazy self back at home.  I had time to get ready and eat the most incredible breakfast buffet at the hotel, there was everything! There waere chocolate croissants , toast, eggs, meats, cookies, cakes, fruit, cereal, cheese, everything!  So we basically all stuffed ourselves silly and snuck a few snacks for the day ahead of us. Today was basically "field trip day with GSE."  We had plans to go to the City of Arts and Sciences which has an oceanographic park( the largest aquarium in Europe), a science museum, and an IMAX cinema, and we went to all three. The City of Arts and Science is actually really cool and huge, it is an ultra modern complex that is all white and looks like it is straight from the future.  The structure is mostly the work of a local architect, Santiago Calatrava, who is also the designer for the transportation terminal for the new World Trade Center in New York. I have a few pictures that will definitely show how modern and sleek it looks.       


We began our day at the oceanographic park, and I was so excited! One of my favorite places to visit are aquariums, like the Monterey Bay aquarium back at home.  I love all the animals that live in the oceans and seas, I just find them so intriguing.  I used to be a marine biologist and work with marine animals, but I guess that dream changed  We went through all the different rooms, with the different types of animals and I just had a smile plastered to my face, I loved it! We even all sat together and watched a dolphin show! It was so much fun and I felt like a little kid again, getting excited at each jump and each flip that the dolphin did. It was definitely a good day at the aquarium!



After we had lunch at the oceanographic park we headed to the interactive science museum.  It reminded me a lot of the Exploratorium in San Francisco and the many field-trips I had there as a kid.  It was pretty interesting but I wouldn't say it was my favorite part of the day.  We definitely didn't stay there too long.  After the museum we all walked over to the IMAX theater and got our tickets to enter the world of the Coral Reef.  I was actually pretty excited to see it, well because of my love for marine animals, and also because of my trip to Australia.  In parts of the IMAX it showed the Great Barrier Reef and it reminded me of the great opportunity I had to snorkel in it.  Of course it didn't look as clear as it did on screen, but it was definitely beautiful and filled with so many different types of species.  It was definitely a good "GSE field trip day" and we were all exhausted by the end so we all headed back to the hotel and rested up.


Tonight was our last dinner for the weekend so we all looked our best and headed down for some paella.  The region is home to paella and Spain's most famous dish, so we were sure to have some good paella.  It was definitely quite yummy and we all filled up on paella and wine.  We all headed up and got ready for the night.  We were all excited because Julia, Jordan and Paola were all going to come out with us.  A huge group of us headed out and walked to downtown, to where all the bars were.  Jordan asked for some directions and found us a really nice bar.  When we entered the bar it was empty but by the time we all left it was full of people dancing on the dance floor.  Somehow Jordan got us all free drinks, "agua de Valencia", (orange juice and alcohol) and of course Jessica made a toast to all the great memories we have had on this trip.  We all danced the night away and it was such a fun night, but my feet were hurting and it was time to go home and go to sleep.



Sunday was a long bus ride and we all just wanted to get home, back to our favorite place, Barcelona!! And so far this week has just consisted of the usual, school, homework, and city walking. But this weekend we are going to Vienna, Austria and I couldn't be more excited!  My grandpa grew up in Austria and I can't wait to explore the culture and type of life he might have lived.  I will make sure to take in everything and anything and think about how my grandpa could have walked the same streets that I will be on as he did as a child.  Until then...



hugs and kisses!


Pictures will be up soon from Italy and Valencia!