Partying & Tourism, a difficult balance !

It's been a while, writing takes a while & I feel that sleeping or wondering is always much more fun!

Back to a week & a half ago, YIKES.

Wednesday are my long long long days. However this Wednesday was actually quite interesting and a lot of fun! In my art history class we took a tour around Madrid, mostly puerta del sol, plaza mayor, a nunnery etc.. It was so interesting even though it was freezing because I have always walked around these areas but did not know much of the history behind it. I have my guide book but it is deffiently not as detailed as my professor and it was nice to just hear about these places. We had AMAZING cookies as in I WILL be going back to this nunnery. They were almond cookies almost marzipan like that the nuns make and sell to the public. You can't see the nuns and they can't see you so have to pay in a turning saucer( can't think of a good word for it) type thing and then they give you the cookies. YUM YUM YUM! I learned so much from the tour I was very happy!

Wednesday night was a very very fun night! We had a Tapas Dinner with all of the CEA group at a place in Sol( actually the same tapas place I ate at the first day I arrived(the paella with all the animal heads still attached, QUE ASCO(how gross). After an amazing meal with lots of Sangria we all  made out way to a place called chapandaz AKA ' the cave bar' as everyone knows it by. It's off the Metro Moncloa ,so pretty easy to get to.This was my first time here but everyone says its a must bar to go to madrid. The place looks like a cave( by the name obviously) with the stalactites & stalagmites hanging. Its a cool scene. They are famous for a milk drink with vodka in it I believe called Leche de Pantera. I thought it tasted just like a cinnamon dolche latte at starbucks YUMMYYY. Some people say they don't really like it but maybe it's the milk part or just how the bartender makes it that time, who knows.

Thursday was BARCELONA TIME :) I was sooo excited to finally visit this city since I knew Matt, Dirk, & Acri were going tobe there and because I heard this city is so much fun! A stressful morning though because I hadn't packed the night before & still had to make it to class. Not a good idea leaving packing till an hour before your flight & having to ask your teacher to let you leave within 15 minutes because you miss judged your flight. In any case, he didn't care & I didn't miss a class so it worked out well!  Thursday night I was with my friend Jen and we went to Matts apt right by La Sagrada Familia. I thought that was so cool to be living right by such a touristy spot but they obviously aren't phased because they live there. We then went to Acri's apt where he cooked an AMAZING & i mean AMAZING gourmet meal. Rice with chicken, bowties, fried zuchini, salad, and wine. It was so nice to see all my friends but definitely made me homesick a little bit! Acri had people at his house to pregame and we all went to this place Osham. I had a good time & ended up seeing a few UF kids there which was funny.

 The night life in Barcelona is similar to Madrid but a little bit different in the hours that they party. Madrid: Go out around 10:30( pregame & such) come home around 4 or so depending on the day of the week and where we are going. Usually wed-thurs you go home between 5 and 7. The metro opens at 6 so it just makes it easier to stay up and partayyyy. Barcelona: pregame/party 12 until 2 and then stay out till 5 or so. So very different in the sense that you have more time at night time to get ready & do school work, nap  etc.. All and all I think Madrilenos(Madrians) stay out later :) Although I do have to be fair to Barcelona and say that they do have wayyy more legit discotecas than Madrid does(Madrid has more of a bar with dancing scene.)

Friday: a little difficult to awake early after a fun night out. Jen & I went to Parc Guell. It was BEAUTIFUL & just so much fun! The architecture from Antoni Gaudi was amazing and modern contemporary even though it was done a while ago. It was sunny and really pretty but still cold in Barcelona, wehhhh. Jen & I saw the cave like place where project runway was filmed & obviously took our own pictures there :) We people watched in the main part of Guell( mainly creeping on the little kids who were running after all the bubbles that were being made by performers.) We then met Megan & Brit( who were with their friends from San Diego State) to go for a bike ride along the beach and into the town. It was only 6 euros for 2 hours. It was FREEZING by the water but so worth going to because it was just so nice to be by a beach.We rode into town, which was a tad difficult at times because of all the people, but so much fun. We went down all these sides streets and made it to the bottom of Las Ramblas where the famous Barcelona letters are.Hours later we were all really tired and ready to go eat and then get ready for the night. We went to a place called Catwalk that night. I had a ton of fun because I knew every single song the the DJ played which made it just so much fun to sing along too. I think everyone had a great time!

Saturday: Again, hard to get up early but we were out by 1:30, I think. Jen & I went to see La Sagrada Familia. It was very interesting architecture. I really like Antoni Gaudi's work. It was a cathedral but has a lot of construction going on in it now. We went inside and saw how Gaudi used nature as a way of constructed this building and got to learn about his life( HE DIED ON MY BIRTHDAY, obviously manyyy years ago) and why he constructed the buildings the way he did! I think most people go into La Sagrada Familia to take an elevator ride to the top of it, but there was an  hour and 30 min wait and we did not have the time for this. wahh wahh wahhh. After we met Brit and Meg again and went to  Casa Mila and Casa Botil(I forgot name & toooo lazy to look). We debated on going into Casa Mila but THANK GOD WE DID. I was saying I wanted to see the Pededra because I kept seeing it on all these postcards and wah-la( I obviously cant write french, that was my own spelling of that word) it was at the top of Casa Mila. It was so pretty to see the sandstone  beige pieces of art against the bright blue sky! MUY BONITO. Afterwards we went to Las Ramblas, ate at a random restaurant, and went to the merkat where there is sooooo much food. I thought it was a flea market rastro type thing but I was wrong. The food ranged from all kinds of fruits, candies,meats, and fish. Interesante but the smell was ewwwwwwwwwwwwwie.  Went back to Meg & Brit's friends apt and then back to getting ready again :) Tonight we went to Elephant. I went with Jen & Matt and all of them. I had a good time, it was more a  lounge,club then just a discoteca club. I ran into Shannon there which was funny because there is like 400 clubs in Barcelona but that was nice :) Madrid people stick together!

Sunday:   Jen and I are officially DEAD. Getting up today was roughh but we managed earlier than every other day because we knew we wanted to see the MountJuic before we left for our flight. Jen & I both thought it was just a place where the Jews hid during the Holocaust( well I actually just took her word for it) but apparently its a lot of art museums, cultures, and a bunch of other sites to see that we had NO time to do. ComposeWe basically got there, walked around, took some pics to prove we were there, and then had to leave. Oh well, we should have seen the Picasso Museum or something that would have been a little easier and not required as much time to be at.  Lesson learned after this: You need to look up the times for the Renfe Train to take you back to the airport. None of us thought of this but luckily we did not have to wait a long time and the waiting did not make us late for our flight, but it could have been a close call! EEEEEEEEE.
---> Side Note: I would have like to have gone to the more famous or well known clubs in Barcelona and the bars that a lot of people talk about but it was no big deal, just means that one day I will have to go back. Que Lastima( What a Shame... NOT ) :) 


HOME SWEEET HOME. I love coming back to Madrid, it definitely feels more like home which is good because you know me, I'm homesick very easily.



In short: The week was good. Nothing too too special, although I can't remember things anymore, blahh.. We went to this guy Alex's apt and then to a bar called Lateral. It was awesome because he know so many international people.I met people from France, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, Germany. And guess what, they ALL knew english and spoke it pretty well! I know this English is the Universal language but it is still amazing to me that we could all communicate and we were all from different places. I am fascinated by this. I guess the U.S.is not boarded by as many countries as Europe and other continents are so that is probably why we don't know and are not as exposed to other cultures are much! Orrrrrr we are just ignorant, stubborn, and Americans as usual. Either way, I really enjoyed the scene.
     I got to see Danny Lupu on Wednesday which I was very happy about. He went to the cave bar I described earlier. It was SO nice to see him and meet some of his friends! It was weird that we were in another country yet it still felt like it was at home! I was bum the next day and didn't meet him out to walk around but he was with soo many of his friends that I think he was okay! 

Thursday I finally went to the discoteca Joy. It is one of the famous ones here and I had still never went but now that's crossed off my list! I had a good time, got home a little too late but still managed to get up on time for CADIZ CARNAVAL at 6:30am. There was a giant group of us, 20 or so, people who signed up on EuropeanVibe( a company that takes you there).

&& thats where the next post comes in. Mis manos are tired from typing.

HASTA LUEGOOOOOOOOOOOOO.