Life in Barcelona

We went to Paris last weekend, and it was so amazing! (At least the days were, the nights were a little dramatic. Tip: Don't put five girls in one hotel room.) We left Barcelona Thursday afternoon and arrived in Paris in the evening. The girls and I (the boys were not nice this weekend, so we're not planning any more trips with them..they hold us back anyway) went straight to the Eiffel Tower, which was so beautiful at night. We went to the top, which was so cool because the whole city was lit up.

Friday we woke up early and had a full day. We went to the Louvre in the morning and saw the Italian art. I have a slight obsession with DaVinci, so for me, that was pretty cool. We had lunch outside by the pyramid- also very cool. We then strolled through the gardens by the Louvre and walked around the city until we hit the Arc de Triomphe. After, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower to get some day pictures. While we were there, there was a movie being shot, so we checked out the set for awhile. We decided to go back to the Louvre to explore another room and randomly met the boys in our program on the way. Back at the Louvre we saw the Egyptian art, but it was pretty late and we were getting tired and cranky (hence the drama) and went back to the hotel.

Saturday we slept in a little bit and headed out to the Notre Dame Cathedral at about noon. It was so beautiful and so much fun. We had lunch in a park near Notre Dame. After, we walked to the Basilica, which was SO PRETTY. It was probably the most gorgeous day in Paris ever: blue skies, sun shining.. At the steps of the Basilica, there was a band playing, so we sat and listened for probably two hours. It was so much fun. We then walked around the city for a long time. I went back to the hotel and some people tried to go shopping, but the stores close there a lot earlier than in Barcelona.

We woke up early Sunday to get to the airport, but it was such an incredible weekend. I love Paris, and I definitely want to go back A LOT later!

All my love,
Kara

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written, but internet is a no go most days, and I’ve been sooo busy with class and projects and trips!

On Saturday, February 2, a bunch of us from the program went to Sitges for Carnaval. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we didn’t spend a lot of time outside or at the beach, so I really want to go back when it gets a little warmer. But Carnaval was a lot of fun. Sitges is about a 30-minute train ride from Barcelona. We rented a room, but too many people ended up wanting to be there, so I came back on the 3:30am train with about 15 people. Sitges was crazy. The streets were PACKED with people dressed up in everything you can imagine. We didn’t really dress up because it was going to be kind of expensive/we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, but it was still a lot of fun. After everyone arrived, we all got ready together in the room and then went to dinner and out. We really just wandered the streets looking at everyone’s costumes. Fun times.

Last weekend, our whole program went to Madrid, which was amazing, but I’m still really happy that I chose Barcelona. It was weird because while I was there, I missed Barca, but while I’m in Barca, I miss home. Our program director says it’s because Barcelona is starting to feel more like home, which is true, because it’s getting harder and harder for me to accept that I have to go back to real life at IU in a few short months.

We left for Madrid Friday morning at 9am and the train ride was five hours – not bad. We had some free time and then went on a walking tour of the city. We lucked out with the weather – normally it’s a lot cooler there than Barca, but this weekend it was 65 and sunny! Plus, our tour guide was AMAZING. She was soo smart and so good at her job. I learned so much and was really enthralled the whole time. After the walking tour, we had more free time, rested, got ready, and went to dinner. The nice thing was that the trip was included in the program, so we got food vouchers and didn’t have to spend a lot of money. Friday night, we went to a bar called the Cave, which looked like a cave inside. It was pretty fun..I even ran into one of my sorority sisters, so that was nice.

We barely slept and then took a tour of the Museo Prado Saturday morning and saw works by Velazquez, Goya, and El Greco. Again, the tour was incredible, and I finally found some art that I like!! After the museum, we went to El Retiro, a beautiful park, and walked around before lunch. The park also a Crystal Palace, which was really just a building made of glass, but it was really pretty. After lunch, we went on a tour of el Palacio Real, where the Spanish Monarchy used to live. We unfortunately weren’t allowed to take photos inside, but the outside is still incredible, and I have plenty of that. I seriously learned so much, and it already helped today in my art class! That night, we went to a 7-story discoteca called Kapital. It was fun, but soo overwhelming, a little too much and too expensive for my taste. I’m glad I had the experience, but I can’t imagine going somewhere like that again.

Sunday we had a free day, but still had to wake up early to check out. (I slept about a total of 8 hours in three days in Madrid.) After checkout, we spent most of the day at a flea market..they had some cool stuff – I got a scarf and some sunglasses. Afterward, we hit Plaza Espana which had a really pretty fountain and then headed back to the train station to go back to Barca. I was soo tired and then put some face time in with my senora until like 11pm so Monday and Tuesday I was dead to the world, but it was worth it with such a good weekend.

My sorority sisters Julie, Heather, and Cara who are in Florence this semester are coming to visit this weekend, so I’m getting really excited about that. And next weekend, a bunch of us are going to Paris, so it’s our first big trip. We’ll see how well we handle it.. That’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll be able to update sooner than last time. I miss you and love you all dearly!!

Love,
Kara