Just So Damn Happy

I can't remember the last time I've ever been this consistently happy, if ever.

I believe it all starts with the duplex. It's decorated to feel just like home. Our room is so big, and the walk-in closet gives me warm fuzzies every morning. Our bathroom towels are yellow and orange, and our shower curtain is shiny orange. We have our own washer and dryer, so I can literally walk out of the bedroom and do laundry. And if I have to wake up to pee at 2:30 in the morning, I'm not forced to walk through a hall with lights that blind me, then have people stare at me awkwardly in the lounge, then find three of the four toilets clogged with some kind of bodily excrement. That in itself could just make you giddy, right?

I get to live with some of my very best friends - Sean, Nick, and Dan. A lot of people give me grief for living with three guys, but they don't really understand. I love Nick and Dan like brothers. We say we're a family, and we really are. I'm glad that they're as clean (or cleaner) than I am, that they don't want to have parties at our house, and that they like to help cook!

Speaking of cooking, I have a new hobby! Granted, we haven't really made anything that incredibly complicated yet, I just love spending time in the kitchen. It's unconquered territory for me - a new frontier. It's even more fun because Sean and I often cook together, so of course I mess around and give him a hard time :)

Oddly enough, I enjoy cleaning...most days. I like doing laundry and Swiffering, making the bed, organizing the closet. It's cathartic for me. And it satisfies a bit of my OCD.

Of course, just thinking back on my memories of Spain always brings a smile to my face...how couldn't it? I had the best summer of my life, and it just makes me so happy to reminisce!

Reason 85: I GOT THE SPORTS BEAT FOR THE MISSOURIAN!!!
When I opened the e-mail tonight, I screamed and danced around. All this time I had been dreading the impending doom that I'd be assigned the neighborhood beat or government or some shit. If that had happened, I would have been miserable. But it didn't, and I'm not. I'm just so damn excited. I can't even put it into words! I'm really hoping to cover volleyball or soccer, but whatever comes my way, it's sports, so I don't care. I will love it no matter what.

I get to have my favorite professor for the third time, and it just makes me giddy. I love that little Peruvian man! Haha...he is the cutest thing ever and SUCH a good teacher. Just incredible.

I love my job. I get to talk to people, help them if they need it, and in my down time, I can watch Gilmore Girls, read, or as a last resort, do homework. I really am so fortunate to be able to work here.

My family is awesome. Crazy...but awesome.

I got the 1985 Live Aid concert DVD for my birthday! It is absolutely fabulous. I love the 80s!

I turn 21 on Sunday...that's cause for celebration, right?! Apple martini, here I come!

A Week Later - The Aftermath

I finally got the chance to sit down and trim down my photos to a mere 2,071. God bless Sean for sitting through all two thousand of them. He pretended like he enjoyed it, at least J

It’s hard to believe the whirlwind that has been the last week. Literally the day after I got back, we moved into our duplex. I got 8 hours of sleep, woke up, and started packing up all three vehicles that we took up to Co-Town. Luckily we had electricity…but no water. We kicked the air on, so it wasn’t too bad, and the twins and their dad and uncle were already here when we arrived. Jennifer, too!

I must admit, moving into a duplex after having moved into the dorms the past two years was a freakin’ piece of cake. Almost enjoyable, even.

Sean came up with me, but then he had to drive home to get a couch and chairs and the rest of his stuff that didn’t fit in his car the first time around.

Monday then rolled around, and Mom was here to help us clean. Sean had to work Tour Team, so Mom and I hung out and organized. She scrubbed the bathroom head to toe, and I can’t thank her enough.

Sean was off Tuesday, so we did dishes and dishes and dishes and dishes. I never wanted to see another piece of Tupperware in my entire life. But we did get Shakes for dinner, so I can’t complain too much. He had to work Wednesday but only from 3-5, so we spent most of the day together running errands (Wally World, Club Ellis to get on the internet, etc) and organizing some more! Haha. Cable man finally came, so we got the internet! Painters were in and out all week, and they were a hot mess, to say the least.

Snuck in on one of Sean’s tours yesterday, and he did SUCH a good job! I’m sure he has a 98% recruitment rate J

Today is Friday, and I start training for work! Yikes! I’m pretty excited about it…meeting new people and seeing all the people I knew from last year.

It’s still hard for me to sum up all that I learned and all that I gained from my time in Spain. Most importantly was the grasp that I finally got on the language that I’ve never had before. I now have a pretty good idea of the difference between preterite and imperfect, subjunctive, and the like. I made some invaluable friendships that really made my time in Spain that much better.

I overcame quite a few obstacles like lost luggage, boob rash, diarrhea, the pain in the ass that is traveling in general, and I finally figured out what I need to do in order to make myself happy. Perhaps that was the most important thing.

I’m definitely nervous about the upcoming semester, but having my own home with people I love (that is decorated very cute, by the way!) will make it all worthwhile. I can’t tell you how excited I am to tackle this next chapter in my life.

And I hope upon hope that Spanish stays a huge part of my life…I’m e-mailing Centro Latino about volunteer opportunities after I post this J

Day 36 - Home at Last

I truly could not have asked for a better travel experience, and it was exactly what I needed to make the trip home enjoyable and make me even more excited to see everyone I’ve been missing.

Got up around 7 and did the whole morning thing – brushed teeth, put on makeup, etc. The hotel breakfast started at 7:30, so we headed down there around that time, and I had a gigantic blueberry muffin and my last legitimate Spanish tortilla EVER L Sad day.

The rest of the group decided to take the Metro to the bus, and I just was not feelin that. After our WONDERFUL experiences in Barcelona, I was quite over the Metro. So, I had the hotel receptionist call me a cab, and I ended up getting the sweetest driver ever! I asked him if he was from Madrid, and we talked for quite awhile. He dropped me off right where I needed to be, but I was just slightly confused as to the direction of the United check-in, so I stopped at the information desk and they gave me the right number. Our flight didn’t depart until 11:05, and I got there around 8:30. Had a pretty short line to wait for check-in, and the attendant asked if I wanted to speak in English or Spanish…I chose Spanish, of course J My VERY last chance to speak Spanish in Spain…I had to take it!

There were three different security points, but they all went really quickly, I guess because I got there so early. By the time I was through it all, it was about 9:45. Headed to the duty-free shop because I only had a few Euros left, and it wouldn’t be worth changing them to American dollars, so luckily I found a REALLY cute orange scarf with rhinestones on it! I love it!

Grabbed a juice box from a vending machine and texted Mom and Sean about the morning. Got on Facebook, even!

Then boarded the plane, and it’s been a great flight. Watched Tenderness with Russell Crowe…it was a little strange, but I liked it. Then watched The Last Song, yes the one with Miley Cyrus. I just decided to start it to see how bad the acting was, but the movie itself was actually pretty good. And all the other actors were awesome.

Listened to The Cream of Clapton after watching the movies and dozed off for a bit. Watched some music videos (“Hard,” “Bad Romance,” “Russian Roulette,” “Hey, Soul Sister,” etc.), and now I’m just listening to streaming radio.

SO CLOSE TO HOME!!!

P.S. I love Michael Buble.

And I have a really bad feeling that I’m going to miss Spanish incredibly. I don’t want to speak English J

CONTINUED

The Aer Lingus flight gave us a pretty legit meal – beef, potatoes, and vegetables with a roll, salad, and brownie!

The flight back was so much easier than the one TO Spain. I guess it was because I kept myself entertained pretty much the whole time and didn’t try to fight to make myself sleep.

Basically ran off the plane when it landed in Washington DC because I know I’d have to go through customs and all that fun stuff, and I am not a huge fan of lines. The less time I have to spend waiting in lines, the happier I am. So, I ended up getting pretty close to the front and talking to a younger woman who was from Michigan and studying in Spain, as well. She teaches elementary and middle school Spanish. I think that would be great fun.

Made it through customs, and the officer talked to me about my trip and then said, “Welcome home,” and I got all emotional. I absolutely love Spain, but there’s just something about being “home.” Made me tear up.

Picked up my bags, threw them on a belt to “re-check” them, then went through security again. Ended up taking a wrong turn out of security, so on the way back, I ran into Stephanie, and we took the airport’s underground metro to a different terminal to catch our flights. She had been talking about how much her boyfriend likes Five Guys, so I ended up getting a hot dog and fries and a LARGE Coke with free refills. Boy, was I happy to be back in ‘Merka.

We had the cutest flight attendant ever. He was trying to re-arrange all the passengers so that people could sit by their friends and family. It was one of those tiny planes that had one seat on the left side and two seats on the right side. He ended up moving me next to Alee, which was quite sweet of him. He was a riot.

Basically ran off the plane because I was so excited to see Sean, and he was nowhere to be found. I ended up just trying to find my luggage, but it hadn’t reached any of the belts yet. So, I stood around, then Sean called me, and he was whispering.  Then he tackled me. I started crying instantaneously. Thirty-some odd days is a long time to be away from someone you love.

He carried my luggage like a gentleman, and we hopped in Freddy and headed for good ol’ J-Town. We stopped at a gas station and I got my reverse-culture shock. Loud, window rattling rap music. I didn’t hear a word of rap in Spain. Weird.

We decided on El Jimmy’s for dinner, and I spoke Spanish the whole time. Then four of the waiters came around and started talking to me. It was a CF, but I loved it. I think they like that I speak Spanish.

Finally got home, and Mom and Dad had it all decorated for me…Proud to Be American themed. Haha…red, white, and blue star decorations, hats, and even a cake! I gave them their souvenirs, and Sean gave me a David Villa jersey and matching shorts. I was SO excited because I’d been looking for a jersey EVERYWHERE in Spain, and of course, it was nowhere to be found.

Hung out and talked to the rents for a while, then hit the hay. What a way to end the trip of a lifetime J

Day 35 - Perfect "Amy" Day in Madrid

Seeing as the group was heading to another museum today, I decided that it was time to do my own thing. Had errands to run and just was not in the mood for another museum.

So, I made it my day, and it was glorious in every way, shape, and form.

Didn’t finally get out of bed until 11, got ready and headed to Starbucks. Grande Vanilla Bean Frappucino and chocolate doughnut. Yum. Sat in a really comfy armchair and tried to figure out what I was going to do with my day. I wanted to go to the aquarium, but the bus didn’t run by there, and I didn’t have a Metro map, nor did I want to take the Metro at all. So I flagged some pages in my guide of things I was interested in, then headed to Corte Ingles to buy a second bag to check so my first suitcase wouldn’t be overweight. Got quite the deal! The small suitcases were 45 euro, so I decided on a Reebok athletic-type bag, which was 25. But it rang up 17.50…score! A definite good omen for the rest of the day.

Went souvenir shopping after that and got a whole bunch of crap. Stuff for Mom, Dad, Wen, Claire, and Matthew. I loved going into the little shops and looking at all the shit they had. And then finding cute stuff made it even better! Like Madrid coasters for my new apartment J

Went back to the hotel to drop all that stuff off, then hopped on the double-decker Madrid Vision bus to go to the Hard Rock Café. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to eat there, so I just went in the gift shop, which was disappointingly small. Headed back out to find the National Library and may have made a wrong turn :\ Oops! Figured it out eventually and went back in the right direction. Saw on the map that the Wax Museum was really close by, so I hunted it down, but it had JUST closed and didn’t open until 4. And it was 2:30-ish. I spoke Spanish to some teenagers and they explained the whole situation to me.

So I decided on that meal at Hard Rock. I spoke to the hostess in Spanish, and she handed me the buzzer and explained it to me, then asked for my name. I said, “Amy” but then spelled it out in English letters as opposed to Spanish letters and just had to laugh. Oops. Then when I was buzzed, she asked me if I wanted a menu in Spanish or English. I told her I didn’t care, so she said (in Spanish, of course) “Spanish. It’s much better!” So cute.

My waiter’s name was Enrique, a scruffy, gangly thing, but he was so nice. And we only spoke Spanish. I loved it!

Got to see some guitars from Mountain, Cream, Kiss, Blind Melon, Phil Collins’ drum head, and one of Elton John’s shirts, among other things. Love! Ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with fries, and it was ginormous!

Headed to the Wax Museum after that, and it was absolutely ridiculous. So sketch and creepy. It was crazy, though, because people just started flocking to it right around the time it was opening. And lots of little kids! It just made me smile.  I guess I must still be a kid, too.

At the beginning, there was a whole hall of monarchs, along with some Arab royalty. They absolutely looked real. My favorite part was the second half, though. You walk in and the very first things you see are the Spanish Prince and Princess, along with the King and Queen and rest of the royal family. Then there was a lifelike set-up of Goya’s Third of May. It was sick. And of course, those goddamn Las Meninas.

There were a lot of artists and writers in that hall. Then came Bill Gates and a lot of athletes – Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal, etc. But my favorites were to come. There was an old Western scene with Bruce Willis as the bar tender, then a whole bunch of political figures – Arafat, Hitler, Churchill, Ghandi, Princess Diana, Mother Theresa, and Obama and JFK. My stupid camera died when I was trying to take a picture of Obama. There was Batman and Jack Nicolson as the Joker. Scary as crap, let me tell you. Mary Poppins was hanging from the ceiling spinning in circles. Then there was a room with Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and an absolutely realistic Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean. I wanted a picture with him so badly! People would have thought I really met him!

Upstairs was the museum of crime, and I almost soiled myself. There was no one around, which made it that much scarier, and it was set up like a cave, with different horrific scenes in each one. People getting hung, tortured, impaled, committing suicide, and the like. I couldn’t walk all the way through it cause I was too scared. No likey.

My favorite part was the more “current” celebrities like The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Louis Armstrong, etc, etc, AND David Bisbal. I was giddy!

Headed to the National Library after that and saw Moorish books written in Arabic and Spanish circa year 900. Pretty redic.

Then went to the Temple of ­­­­­­Debod after that. It’s an ancient Egyptian temple that was rebuilt in Madrid as a gift to the Spaniards for helping the Egyptians preserve some historic monuments from being destroyed. There’s a gorgeous park that surrounds it and a fountain behind it. I laid down on the grass in the shade and felt grass for the first time in 35 days. Granted, there was some grass in Oviedo, but I never sat down and enjoyed it. I was getting really thirsty, so I hunted down an ice cream stand and got a 1.5 liter bottle of water for 2 euro. Easily the best purchase of the whole trip J

The group ended up running into me on the way to the cable car lift, so I decided to join them. I was all kinds of scared, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to make myself more scared than I already was. It ended up being ridiculously awesome. It was a 15-minute ride each way, and we were lifted over highways, apartment buildings, and one of the main parks in Madrid.

Since I had a late lunch and wasn’t feeling too hungry, I decided to head back to the hotel. I really needed a shower and was going to go to a bar where Walt Whitman used to drink, but they never found it, so I just hung out at the hotel. Got everything packed up, finally, Skyped with Sean and Mom and headed to bed. 

Day 34 - Prado and the Palace

Woke up and saw on my Facebook that Sean had written to me recently, so I messaged him back and told him to get on, and we got to Skype! I was quite excited because it had been a really long time since we had talked, and if you know anything about me, you know that I need my Sean. So we Skyped for about an hour, then I headed down and grabbed a wee bit of breakfast. Those blueberry muffins are dee-lish!

On the agenda for the day was the Prado, which apparently is a big deal. I got to see some Goya, which were probably my favorite paintings, saw the goddamn Las Meninas (which, by the way, you can’t seem to escape if you’re in Madrid), and basically just wandered around the museum. I didn’t have anything that I especially wanted to see, so I figured I’d just look around and see what I could find. I ended up finding the one Rembrandt that they had, and it was hella lame. A portrait. But their section of El Greco was outta control. I loved it.

My favorite of all, though, were the sculptures. Not only because there was NO ONE in that section at all (I got to enjoy the quiet), but because it was absolutely mind-boggling. I freaked when I saw a sculpture from 150 B.C., but as I went on, I ended up finding a bronze sculpture from 500 B.C. I can’t even describe how blown away I was. Just absolutely incredible.

Had lunch at the museum by myself – pasta salad, a huge slice of chocolate cake, and Coca-Cola with NO ICE AND NO LEMON! Praise the Lord! It was a wonderful meal J

We hopped on the Madrid Vision bus after that to head to the Palace. I’m pretty sure I was meant to be a Spanish monarch. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It really was a shame that I didn’t get to take any pictures AND the gift shop was closed, so I couldn’t grab any postcards, either. I’ll Google image it or something. There were frescos on nearly every ceiling, and absolutely EVERYTHING was decorated in some way, shape, or form. I think the craziest room of all was called the Porcelain Room, and as it sounds, the walls were completely covered in porcelain. There were rooms completely covered with fabric with the King’s seal on them, and I’m sure the table in the dining room seated well over 100 people. After exiting the palace itself, I went into the palace pharmacy, and it was just rooms and rooms filled with jars full of all kinds of herbs and medicines. It was quite cool.

I was hot, tired, and cranky after the long day, so I split from the group because they wanted to go eat at the plaza. I headed into Desigual really quickly then grabbed McDonalds. It hit the spot completely. But then again, when doesn’t it? J

Came back to the hotel, showered, and Skyped with Wen, Sean, Evelyn, and Mom. It was a very good evening!

Day 33 - Holiday in Spain

I’m sitting out on the terrace of our hotel room in Madrid, and the weather couldn’t be any more perfect. It’s just past midnight, and I’m listening to Jonny Lang “Wander This World” and enjoying some much needed Amy time. It’s absolutely glorious.

There’s a building that’s lit up by streetlights in front of me, but it’s still gorgeous. There are four Amy-sized topiaries along the railing and the terrace itself is made out of tiles that look like they’re made out of clay pots J

As compared to our trip to Barcelona, the trip to Madrid was an absolute BREEZE. Enjoyable, even.

Steph and I decided to skip out on the Pedrera this morning so that we could sleep in for a bit. I needed it. We woke up a little before ten and headed down to the hotel breakfast, which was really nice, as always. I had two hard boiled eggs, peaches, yogurt, frosted flakes, OJ, and water. Dee-lish. Then I hopped in the shower and attempted to re-pack. I’ve decided that if I ever travel again, I’m only bringing a week’s worth of clothes, even if I’m staying somewhere for a month. It’s just such a pain in the ass to lug more than a month’s worth of clothes around Spain. And pack and re-pack it. Not my favorite thing in the world.

No matter, after we got all that done, we headed downstairs and vegged out in the lobby. It was glorious. I hopped on the puter for a bit, then just rested in the comfy chair. My idea of relaxation!

Forgot to mention seeing the “Alejandro” video while we were packing. Got it stuck in my head the rest of the day, and I have to listen to it now, too. Sheesh. Anywho, the Spanish MTV actually plays MUSIC VIDEOS!!! I couldn’t believe it. Another reason why Spain rocks.

We took a taxi from our hotel to the train station, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It was ten BILLION times better than the metro. It was easy and enjoyable…we actually got to see the city! The train ride was good, too. Lots of room and very clean. They showed Last Chance Harvey, but I decided to catch up on some blogs and just listen to music. Which, by the way, I’m obsessed with Hanson again. Just thought I’d throw that in there. Not like I never wasn’t, but I love, love, love listening to the This Time Around album. Good shit.

Took a taxi from the train station in Madrid to our hotel, as well, and again, I can’t overstate how damn thankful I was. The hotel is absolutely gorgeous, and we even have a little living room area, along with the gorgeous terrace I described. I think I may actually sleep out here tonight. As long as I don’t sustain any skeeter bites.

After we arrived at the hotel, I was ready to crash, but it was decided that we’d go pick up our Madrid cards, which are supposed to get us free into a bunch of museums and such.

It’s hotter than crap in Madrid, I must say. And we were walking around at 6 at night. Can’t imagine what tomorrow will bring.

We finally found the Office of Tourism where they would give us the cards we bought, then we tried to find dinner. Emphasis on “tried.” Finding somewhere to eat usually encompasses walking around for an hour or more, then returning to one of the first places we saw. Not how I operate. But what have you. I got spaghetti tonight, and I was craving it, so I can’t complain too much.

We walked back to the hotel around 11, and everyone left after they gathered their computers because they wanted to try and get WiFi at McDonald’s like the concierge suggested. Apparently, they didn’t have any luck. Which turned out to be luck for me because I couldn’t figure out how to turn the damned shower on. It was one of those fancy contraptions like Mom and Dad had in the Dominican, and as much as I pushed and twisted buttons, nothing happened. Eventually, Steph helped me out, and all was well.

Now, I’m here, and I must say almost more content than I have been this whole trip. Other than Hard Rock day J But it’s just such PERFECT weather out here, and I’m just writing and listening to Elton John and Billy Joel and the night sounds of the city.

I miss “me time.” Looking back, I really haven’t had any in the past month. It was always go-go-go. And maybe that was for the best because it didn’t give me a lot of time to sit and think about what was going on at home, what I’m missing in the States, WHO I’m missing in the States, etc.

I’m thinking about all that I’ve gained, learned, and how I’ve grown from this trip. It’s strange because I feel like it really has been a lot, but at the same time, I’m still the same person. I feel like it’s changed me, but it hasn’t. I don’t know if that makes any sense. It kind of does to me.

In a lot of ways, it was like being a little kid again. I remember how scared I used to be to call a store on the phone to ask what their hours were. I guess I figured I wouldn’t ask the right question or they would be mean or something. And in a lot of ways, that’s how I felt about speaking Spanish to native speakers. It’s intimidating. But after doing it so much and so often, it becomes second nature. I’ve caught myself multiple times after speaking to someone, and I don’t realize if I’ve spoken Spanish or English to them. Trippy.

The cool thing is, a vast majority of the time, if I approach someone and speak Spanish to them, they don’t try and speak English to me. I’ve heard that happens a lot in Barcelona and Madrid, but not so. So far, at least. I must just be THAT good J

Speaking of being full of myself, I’m actually the exact opposite. I almost shit myself when I found out that I was in the most advanced class in Oviedo. And it wasn’t a good type of shitting myself. It was a panic attack shitting myself. I don’t understand why I’m so hard on myself and doubt my abilities so incredibly much. Obviously, I know what I’m doing. I don’t know if it’s a defense mechanism or if it’s a way to protect myself from being disappointed. I’m not sure what the cause or why I do it, but I do, and looking back on it, it’s really frustrating.

I lived with a family that spoke NO English at all. That’s pretty cool in itself.

I learned a whole new city and got to see the coolest building in the whole world (the Gugg, of course).

I don’t know what type of world I was living in before, but I’ve realized that no one is going to look out for me but myself. Gotta look out for number one. At the same time, it’s really disheartening to see just how much people don’t give a shit. Just how unaccommodating and uncaring people are. Sometimes, it just baffles me. And really makes me miss my Momma.

I’ve figured out exactly what I want for my wedding, and I’d say that’s a pretty big deal in and of itself. I’ve decided that it’s about what I want to do because, after all, it is MY day (and Sean’s, too J ), and I want to get married on the beach. With as few people there as possible. And then honeymoon at the Hard Rock Hotel in the Dominican. But before the wedding, Sean and I are going to road trip to Florida…spend the night and possibly a day in Nashville and just have a grand ol’ time. It sounds like something we’d get a kick out of.

I don’t think I’m a hard person to get along with, but there are some things that get under my skin like nobody’s business. Namely, body odor and smoke, especially when it’s balls hot outside, indecisiveness, people who just aren’t agreeable, people who can’t go with the flow, how damn expensive any type of liquid is here, and how they put lemons in your Coke. No likey.

I’m afraid there’s going to be a lot of things I forget because they’ve somehow eluded my ability to remember every last detail or I’ve forgotten them by the time I sit down to write these blog posts. I’m afraid that the memories are going to fade, and all I’m going to have are these words on a page. I can read what happened, but it will be so far gone that I won’t be able to place myself back here. I won’t remember the smells or the feelings or all the little details.

I want desperately to keep in touch with the friends I’ve made, but I just know the type of person I am and how I lose track of people so easily. It really is a shame.

I can’t pinpoint every exact thing that I’ve taken from this trip. But I’ll be trying to for awhile, nonetheless.

Day 32 - Obama Bar, Gary Moore, and Apple Martinis

I’m just so damn tired.

We woke up semi-early this morning, headed down to the hotel breakfast, then I hit the shower. Our main order of the day was to visit the Picasso museum. We had some fun getting lost trying to find it, but we finally came across it, and there was a hella line. It looked like we’d be waiting at least an hour. So Alee, Stephanie, and I decided to go to some little gift shops in the area while Alee’s parents stayed in line.

It was a wonder we ever did find the museum because it was tucked into this alley, more or less. The buildings are smushed together with about ten feet of walk space between them, but it’s a really, really cool thing to see. In a claustrophobic sort of way J

The museum itself left a lot to be desired, I thought. First off, the service was terrible. The lady selling tickets was an absolute bee-otch. But no matter.

It was really interesting to see some of Picasso’s earlier sketches and paintings. They were very traditional by-the-book type works. There were some things from his Blue and Rose periods, but then it leapt straight into his cubism. There was a period of about 20 years that was completely left out of the museum. Strange.

And then when it got to his cubist works…the “real” Picasso to me…all they had was his interpretation of Velazquez’s Meninas. Lame! Don’t get me wrong, it was very cool to see that, but I wanted to see more! Much, much more.

We hit up the gift shop afterwards, and I fell in love with one of his pencil drawings that I didn’t even see in the museum. It was a dove with an olive branch in its mouth. And, as my luck would have it, they literally had postcards of EVERY SINGLE ONE of his works…but not that one. So I ended up settling for a postcard of a pencil drawing of a bouquet with two hands on it…it looks like someone is handing the bouquet to someone else. I really liked it but Sean was being a meany face when I showed it to him later and said he didn’t like it L

After the museum, we took the Metro to the Park Guell area, but we had to hike up a damn mountain to get there. And I was hot and tired and hungry. So Stephanie and I parked it on the ground next to a column while Alee and her parents went into the Gaudí museum in the park. I just had no desire to. I’d already been to one museum that day, and I think that’s my limit. Plus, I was hot and tired and hungry. Again, not a good combo.

We walked for miles after that and did the whole dinnertime fiasco, like always. Ended up eating at a place right outside of La Sagrada Familia, so we ate outside and got to look at it while chowing down. Stephanie and I shared paella and croquettes.

We walked around for a bit after that, then headed to Torre Agbar…aka the Gherkin, dildo, pickle, etc. It was gorgeous all lit up at night. Quite the sight to see.

We hopped on the Metro back to the hotel, then decided to go out for drinks. I was quite relieved that “going out for drinks” consisted of walking out of our hotel and into the building right next door.

It was called “Obama: British Africa,” and it actually was an Obama-themed bar. Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. There was a park bench with a statue of Obama sitting on it inside the bar, but the rest of it looked like it came straight outta Jumanji. All safari-themed. I ordered my very first apple martini for a whopping 8 euro, and I fell in love. I’m pretty sure I know what I’ll be ordering on my 21^st.

Walking into the bar, “Still Got the Blues” was playing, and I freaked the fuck out accordingly. They also played “Wonderful Tonight” by EC, along with a bunch of other good stuff. Septimo cielo. Then there was a live musician who sang in English and Spanish and played guitar. If I didn’t have Sean in my life…haha.

Back to the hotel after that and actually got to Skype with Sean for awhile. Finally got so tired I had to let him go, and then Mom had signed off, so I didn’t get to talk to her. Sleep was much, much needed, though.

Day 31 - Absolute Heaven

Alee and her parents wanted to see the Dalí museum in Figuras, but Stephanie and I about croaked when we heard that it was tagged at a pricey 71 euro. I don’t care about it THAT much. They ended up finding a cheaper route, but it still ended up being something along the lines of 30 to 40 euro, and luckily, Stephanie didn’t care about seeing it, either.

Not that I would have been able to, even if I wanted to. I had spent about the same amount of time in bed as in the bathroom the night before. It was glorious.

I woke up to eat the free breakfast, even though I didn’t feel like eating in the slightest. I had a headache from the pillows, stomachache, and was more tired than crap. So, I ate what I could and climbed back in bed. Took the second dose of Cipro, and it didn’t settle well, so I didn’t want to chance taking Excedrine on top of that. I was able to fall asleep for a good long while, and finally woke up again about 1:30 in the afternoon. Felt SO MUCH better, then took some Excedrine for the headache. Talked to Mom on the computer for awhile, the Excedrine kicked in, and I felt back to 100%.

Minus the fact that I was hungry. So I called Stephanie, who had been walking around Barcelona, and asked her if she would go to the Hard Rock with me. I almost cried when she said yes J

We went in, and the wait was about 30-40 minutes. So we signed ourselves up and then went next door to Desigual because that was basically the only other thing on my list, other than the beach. Fortunately, all the Desigual shirts and dresses that I was in love with (a total of two dresses and two shirts) just looked ridiculous on me. So I didn’t have to spend any money!

The Hard Rock was incredible. I thought the drum kit chandelier was awesome in St. Louis, but they had one made out of saxophones, so that was pretty damn cool, too. I bought the coolest shirt ever in the gift shop and a necklace, too. Good, good souvenirs because other than the Gugg, it was my favorite place in all of Spain. Good memories.

I told Stephanie when we were still back in Oviedo that I was hardcore craving mac ‘n cheese. And, lo and behold, there was something called “twisted mac ‘n cheese” on the menu. I got it with grilled chicken on top. I couldn’t ask for anything more, right? I mean, it was just straight-up perfection. I was “en el septimo cielo” (seventh heaven).

Then I got to see Eric Clapton’s autograph J And a whole Paul Stanley display, Ritchie Sambora, a Fleetwood Mac poster from ’77, a guitar from Jethro Tull, a signed magazine that Smashing Pumpkins were on the cover of, U2 memorabilia from the Pop tour, a note from Jimi Hendrix, a drum kit from the Foo Fighters, Shakira and Madonna costumes, a blown-up cover of Spin magazine with Everclear, and so on. Plus, they played “Wonderful World” by James Morrison, along with a lot of other really freakin’ awesome music, as only Hard Rock would.

After absolute heaven, Steph and I didn’t really have any plans, so I suggested we walk back down to the pier because it was really pretty last night, and we could just chill out and enjoy the view. But we ran into something awesome on Las Ramblas. There’s a section of the street that artists set up their canvases and examples, and they make caricatures and portraits. We found this man who was absolutely INCREDIBLE. He had example portraits of Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, and a cute little girl. I can’t tell you, but they looked absolutely REAL. So we stood and watched him for upwards of an hour finishing a portrait of a girl and her boyfriend. I have pictures. It was mind-blowing. And also 70 euro. Guess I wouldn’t be getting one…

Steph and I continued on our journey, and once we got to the pier, we decided that the beach had to be somewhere nearby. We figured it out on the map and started walking toward it. We ran into a market along the way, and there was even a band playing upbeat music with guitar and sax. Very cool.

Finally found the beach, and it was damn near empty. It was a cloudy day, so I assume most people didn’t plan on going to the beach. But the weather was gorgeous, and we weren’t going to sunbathe in our clothes, so all was well. The beach itself was dirty – litter everywhere – but the water was absolutely gorgeous. We just wanted to play around for awhile, so we decided to take the flat, black stones and make them into an “I heart you.” It was great fun. We walked along the beach after that then found a bench under some trees to sit on because it started to sprinkle. The Barcelona Swingers Association (yes, the dancers…definitely NOT what Stephanie was thinking) set up shop right in front of us, so we were listening to swing music and watching swing dancers with the Mediterranean in the background. I couldn’t have been happier.

We met up with Alee and her parents when they got back into town, and we found a place to eat pretty quickly. I’m pretty sure I had something to do with that because I just wanted to go somewhere out of the rain. We actually got to sit outside under some big umbrellas, and Stephanie and I shared a pepperoni pizza. SO yummy!

There was a guy sitting next to us who was from West Virginia and met his Swiss wife on E-Harmony. Interesting guy.

Ran into a small grocery store after dinner and picked up some peanuts and juice boxes.

Came back to the hotel and Skyped with Sean, who ended up going to a Cards game, then Mom and Evelyn. Skyping with Ev was an epic 4 hours, and we got hella caught up on life. I didn’t go to bed til after 6 in the morning.

It really was the perfect day. And I think I deserved it.

Day 30 - "If You're Going Through Hell..."

So, we arrived in Barcelona after coming off an all-but-restful 11 hour train ride. I had diarrhea to beat the band, and I was physically and mentally way past exhaustion. I just wanted to get to the hotel and pass out.

Not quite what happened.

We make it out of the underground area where the train let us off and up into the light of day. However, we had no idea where the fuck we were going. Alee’s dad had a few maps, and Stephanie and Alee went to the tourist information center to ask where we needed to go. I stood with Alee’s dad basically wishing I was dead. We waited and looked at maps and waited and looked at maps, and finally someone decided that we should take the metro.

Did I mention that the handle that you pull out on my suitcase is broken at this point in time? It will not pull up at all.

So, I’ve never experienced a legitimate Metro before in my life, and I must say, I never want to again. At least not with 70 pounds of luggage in tow.

All that the Metro reminded me of was a gigantic maze that you see lab mice run in. And let me tell you, it was a rat race, if I ever saw one.

Alee’s dad almost got pick-pocketed for the first time when we were trying to buy Metro tickets…some guy rubbed up against him and squirted a TON of white lotion on the back of his blue blazer. Cute.

Even cuter? The fact that I had to buy TWO metro passes for one ride because I tried to make it through the turnstyle with my suitcase, and that clearly did not work out. The metro is hotter than the hinges of hades and an absolute CF. I don’t know what to say other than it was quite possibly the worst experience of my life. They have escalators coming up from the metro but only stairs going down to it, so I ended up just literally throwing the damn thing down the stairs. I was so pissed off and sick and tired and hot. Definitely not a good combination.

We make it up out of the metro to the now quite toasty city of Barcelona. Again, with the maps. Again, with the broken suitcase. Again, with the walking. Again, with the stomach ache. You can imagine.

Upon arrival at the hotel, we found that we couldn’t check in until 3 in the afternoon. And it was 10 in the morning.

We left our suitcases with the hotel, went to a café around the corner, and I got tortilla española. We ended up seeing a distance race through the streets as part of the European Athletics Championships. It was pretty cool, I have to say.

So, at breakfast, it was asked what everyone wanted to do while in Barcelona. I said I only really wanted to go to the Hard Rock Café, and it got laughed off. Made me feel GREAT. The only other thing I truly wanted to do was go to the beach to see the Mediterranean, and that got nixed, too because we knew some people from Missouri who went, and one person got their clutch stolen. So, our group couldn’t go to the beach because they “wouldn’t be able to relax.” I didn’t quite understand it because all you would have to bring is a towel and a few euro for the bus ride, but whatever.

So, after breakfast, it gets decided that we were going to go to La Sagrada Familia. Quite the jaunt from our area of town, but it got decided that we would walk, and we ended up running into Casa Battló by Gaudí. I was an idiot and paid a 14 euro admission fee. It was gorgeous and all, but I just wasn’t feeling up to par, as you can imagine, and I just wanted to be laying down somewhere.

Finally, we make it to La Sagrada Familia, and I must say, it was a LOT more gorgeous in person than it looks in pictures. It was absolutely incredible. We paid to go inside, then it was a little more to take the lift up into the towers, but it was well worth it. Gorgeous views, and I got my first glimpse of the Mediterranean!

After that, I was starving, and Alee’s parents wanted to go to Starbucks, but there was a Subway right next door, so I made a run for it. Unfortunately, I was unaware that on their “baby” subs, you only get lettuce. I was asking for tomatoes, but she thought I was referring to ketchup, so I got ketchup on my tuna sandwich. Yum?

We decided to take the metro back to the hotel. Mistake. Alee’s dad almost got pick-pocketed again. He had his backpack semi-stuffed because it was his carry-on on the plane, and he hadn’t had time to take a lot of the stuff out. Everyone gets on the train just fine, but when Alee’s dad starts to get on, three guys push in front of him to get on, then they stand in front of him so he can’t get through to where we’re standing on the metro. Turns out, they were creating a distraction and actually got his pocket unzipped, but they didn’t get his wallet.

We finally got to the hotel, and I passed out. Showered a bit later, then we all headed out to find somewhere to eat. I never realized that picking a place to eat would be so goddamn difficult, but what have you. We ended up walking the entirety of Las Ramblas (supposedly the most pick-pocketed location in the entire world), which was a good mile and a half, at least. Then, we walked out onto the pier, and that wasn’t pleasing to some, so we ended up walking back to a place that we saw near the damn beginning of Las Ramblas.

I don’t know if I’ve made it clear, but there was diarrhea, nausea, exhaustion, etc. all involved with how I was feeling that entire day. All I wanted was a good meal. It didn’t seem that hard to ask. What do I get? A tiny ass plate of tapas, a 3 euro glass of water, and some paella (rice). Cute. Real cute.

Get back to the hotel and commence to lose any ounce of food that may have passed through my stomach. Skyped with Mom, which made me feel a lot better, but I can’t honestly remember the last time I was that sick. She called Dr. Weiss and found out that it was ok for me to take the Cipro and a new cream I should get for the boob rash. Remember that from weeks ago? Yeah, that’s still hanging around, too.

So, in short, the past two days were complete hell on earth. Fortunately, the only option I had to do was “keep going” like my good ol’ buddy Winston Churchill once said.

Day 29 - And Hell Begins...(Trip to Barcelona)

All I can say is get me the hell out of here. Pretty much had the worst morning ever.

Woke up around 9, even though my alarm clock was set for 11, and I had the worst stomach ache. Took some Tums, which helped, got up to go to the bathroom, then tried to go back to sleep. No luck.

Then I went out in the hallway, and I noticed that there were suitcases packed and sitting on the floor. Then my host dad says to me, “Do you want us to walk you to the train station?” And I said, “Well, my train doesn’t leave until 9:30 at night.”

And then the shit hit the fan.

I told them that my friend’s parents were staying at a hotel, and I could just go there, but then my host mom said that they would have to be out by 12:30, anyway. So I called Alee to see what her parents were going to do, and her host mom was going to let her parents leave their suitcases at her house. But her host mom was sleeping when I called, and she didn’t want to wake her up, so basically, I was fucked. Then I called Stephanie, and pretty much the same response. But then she suggested that I just stick the key in their mailbox, which made sense to me. But Berta said that wouldn’t work because you can reach down in the top of the mailboxes and grab stuff out.

This is not a sketch neighborhood. You have to have a key to get into the building itself PLUS a key to get into the apartment, obviously. BUT, when you leave the apartment and the door closes, you can’t get back in without a key. So I didn’t really understand what the huge deal was. But apparently, it was one.

I could tell they were pissed as shit, then Berta just said they would have to come back tonight to lock the door.

Good riddance, I guess.

REALLY great way to end my stay here.

Luckily, Daniella, Amanda, and Stephanie wanted to go out for lunch, and we finally got to eat in the adorable little outdoor plaza. It was yummy and so cute.

Then we shopped downtown for a little bit, I picked up some snacks, and now I’m back in the apartment. I think I’ll finish watching the Strong Enough to Break documentary and chill out in bed for awhile before tackling those ridiculous hills with 70+ pounds of luggage.

It’s gonna be a good time.

CONTINUED

So, that 70 pounds of luggage and those hills? That relationship didn’t quite work out. I made it up the hill from my apartment, crossed the main road, then went uphill to Stephanie’s apartment. I think I almost died. At that point, I knew there was no way in hell that we were going to be able to make it all the way across town and up numerous more hills to make it to the train station in Oviedo. So I called Steph and asked her to ask her host mom how to call a cab. She called one for us, and it was heaven. He loaded our suitcases for us and everything! And it only ended up being around 5 euro. A steal, if you ask me.

We ended up getting to the station really early, so we sat in the café, and I ordered a Coke and some chips. Speaking of Cokes, that has really been the only thing to get on my nerves. A) They ALWAYS put lemon in your glass and B) no free refills! Out of control. Anyway, it was a cute little café inside the train station, and we got to watch the European Athletic Championships that were taking place in Barcelona – they had it on the TV!

Train finally came, and much to my dismay, apparently we decided against the sleeper cars because they were so much more expensive. So we were in regular seats for an 11 hour train ride. Not my idea of the best time, but it could have been a lot worse. It was a really nice train for what it was. It was just really hard to get comfortable…I was switching positions about every 15-20 minutes, and nothing really suited. Plus, I had diarrhea to beat the band, so that just added to the fun.

That being said, I survived the train ride, but the worst was yet to come.