WHAT.

Oh my goodness, Barcelona is totally wizard! I have only spent one whole day here, but I really love it already.

Jade and I met up with Nicole at her hostel in Barri Gotic. Nicole suggested we go to the restuarant around the corner that she was curious about. She claimed that it was where all the locals ate which made me really excited. Sitting in that restaurant surrounded by catalan speaking neighbors, where everyone was smoking, where we were drinking wine and ordering tapas, finally made me realize that I was actually in Europe in Barcelona with two great girlfriends. I felt truly happy and lucky to have such an experience.

The next day we set out in the city and had a Gaudi day. We went to his church Sagrada Familia, which is still being built. It was grande and very different from anything I´ve seen before. His art is very Tim Burton-ish (or Tim Burton is Gaudi-ish), a lot of his inspiration comes from nature and it became very apparent when we went to go see La Padrera, a huge building originally designed for rich families back in the day. We went into the museum and the inside of the building was AMAZING. There were brick archways all over, it felt as though we were inside a snake vertebrae. I loved it so much. I took a lot of pictures and I will post soon. The rooftop deck was incredible as well. A lot of crazy mosaic stuctures that also function as water buildings and electrical huts for the whole building. Tall knights that serve as chimneys, it was all so inspiring, i had a field day with pictures. We sat up on the roof and took silly pictures, Nicole drew for a while, Jade and I sat in the sun and people watched.

Later that night we headed out in the neighborhood, Gracia, where Jade and I are staying with our friends Amalia and Giorgos. Both of them are out of town right now but they are incredibly generous people and invited us to stay at their place even though they are not there. I cannot thank them enough for their hospitality. The apartment is really minimalist right now since they just moved in. I am sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and living out of my backpack once again. I really like this kind of lifestyle, it is fun and uncomplicated, easy and continues to prove to me how little I really need to maintain a happy lifestyle. Amalia and Giorgos´ apartment feels very European. Long hallways, tile floors, big windows, sun coming in from all directions of the flat. A nice balcony where we can see a fountain on the corner of the street and pretty apartment buildings all around us.

I am having so much fun right now, Nicole left to go to Morroco, and says that she will be back later in the month. I am excited to hear of her travels, and my mission now is to be able to find some hot spots to take her to when she gets back.

Jade and I are planning on going to Park Guell today, another Gaudi design, but it is cloudy and looks as though it might rain, so plans may change. Maybe we will just hang out and cook some good food and drink some cheap wine.

Fotos coming soon!