Winter Break in Espagne Part 1- "We Yoke Here!"

So now that Steven has left, and my mom and sister are back in the states, my once crowded apartment is seeming quite spacious. I have pages of stories from their visits, but I believe I should first start with my travels in Spain two weeks ago.


Barcelona:
Before even leaving Barcelona, our adventures begin. Apparently there are strikes at the airport, so Diana and I are the only ones to keep our original flight time. Poor Gulfem has gotten her ticket delayed to the next day by herself and has no choice but to join us on Saturday. Once we get over that ordeal, Diana and I leave at 4am for Barcelona.

We arrive at Barcelona and manage to figure out the pretty simple train system to get to Richa's place (trust me, it is quite an accomplishment for the two most directionally challenged people in Paris). We first notice the palm trees and 60 degree weather. The buildings are beautiful, and in Spain people wear colors!

We begin at the Boqueria, a massive covered market. Diana and I decide to split some fresh calamari which the vendor dips in the fryer for 20 seconds before serving us. We decide to get fresh fruit trays for dessert with melons, strawberries, coconut, kiwi, and some random fruit that is pink with black seeds (we were most excited about trying this one, but it was surprisingly tasteless). The rest of the fruit was so sweet and fresh. The melon didn't taste anything like the stuff you can get in the states. We took the others back to this same market the next day for fresh fruit smoothies.

We then decide to go to the water and sit on the dock. Richa and Diana try to haggle with a man selling sunglasses. Suddenly the man sees the police coming and he pulls the strings on his blanket and starts walking. Clearly the smart thing to do is follow the sketchy sunglasses man who is motioning us to follow him while fleeing from the police. So we do it. At some point we realize that we are surrounded by about 25 men with blankets filled with fake goods. At this point, our common sense kicks in and we decide this is, in fact, a bad idea. On our walk home, we stumble upon a strike in front of some very important government building and decide to take pictures unsure of what it is about. All we know is that they are wearing neon jackets and look very angry!

After showers and some frozen pizzas, we "pre-drink" (as the canadians say) and go out to a club. The bouncer asks me if my name is "Vir-chinia" and I respond "no, it's Rebecca." He then tells me that "it is a yoke. we joke here!" This is now our new line in Paris. Richa's roommates over the past few weeks have become friends with a club promoter, Kike, who spoils us with champagne and pineapple vodkas all night. The best part of the club is the girls bathroom who has a separate D.J.

The next day, we meet up with the rest of our group. We go to tapas and eat patatas bravas, which begins our detailed analysis of this dish at each restaurant we go to. We also get to go to a Barcelona football game. The stadium is massive, and we have the best seats in the house. We are so high up, that we can see EVERYTHING! We were a bit late, so we decide to sprint through the parking lot to get to our seats. Barcelona is playing Malaga, and it is a really close game. Of course, Barcelona wins at the end with the help of our man Messi, and everyone, even the old Spanish men in the audience, are waving flags/scarves and cheering. Diana and I then go back to the hostel and pass out from total exhaustion.

The next day we go to Sagrada Familia. We want to take the elevator up to see the top of the building and the view of Barcelona but it is broken. I suggest that perhaps it is because "the building is under construction." Theresa then explains to me that the building has been under construction for 150 years and is based on the plans of a famous dead architecht Gaudi. All of the designs are inspired by nature, and the building is unreal. There are beautiful modern stained glass windows, and mosaic ceilings. It is expected to be finished in 2050, so we all make a pact to come back on our own one day to see it once it is done.

Our best meal is at Taller Tapas our last night, where Diana and I eat the best shrimp we have ever had in our entire lives. They put the shrimp in oil with fresh garlic cloves, and while it seems to be an instant heart attack, the shrimp just melt in our mouth. Diana and I cheers more with our shrimp than with the Sangria. Then, we all eat the fruit left at the bottom of the pitcher while our waitress gives us funny looks.