Herbstferien...Barcelona and Paris!

So obviously this'll be a long post...read if you'd like. I also posted all of my pictures (the other girls posted their pictures as well) on facebook if you'd rather see those.

By the time we got into Barcelona and found our hostel (which in itself is another story), we decided to start our trip with some tapas and Sangria...in other words Spanish style. The first restaurant we ended up in a was a little fancier than expected, and we each ordered what we thought was a glass of wine and a few tapas. After our waiter uncorked all three of our individual bottles, I was lucky enough to get the other girls to try clams...which started the three day long shellfish lesson. Needless to say we moved onto another tapas bar, and tried some things we could quite figure out. The one thing we definitely knew what it was...fried whole little fish. Naturally I ate what I thought was the edible part of the fish, but through our broken Spanish we asked the waiter if we could eat the fish heads. After he said yes, Emily and I both popped one in. I hate to admit they tasted pretty delicious, but I think I'll pass next time.

The next day we went to a big open air market, and if you felt like cooking different proteins or seafood it's the place for you. If you're slightly unter dem Tisch, you should probably pass for someplace with a little more fresh air. Very cool way to see the type of things that they like to eat. We then did a 2 hour boat tour along the shoreline of Spain. It was beautiful, and they played some sweet jams from the mid-90s. All in all we spent the day on the beach and walked about 16 km.

At lunch I did do something pretty terrible. We were sitting on a deck on the beach having lunch (I was sitting right on the edge). I would say the deck was about 2 feet off the sand...needless to say I leaned back to get a coin out of my pocket and began to teeter...next thing I know I'm laughing before I hit the sand chair and all. Emily and Mary loved it, can't say that I entertained the locals, or the entire collection of people on the boardwalk and the beach.

That night we had an AWESOME seafood Paella. I may or may not have been the only one to eat 90% of it (part of the shellfish education program). Best food ever. EVER.

The next day we went to the Sangrada Familia, which is above. It's a Gaudi cathedral (which has two towers left and the inside to finish). It should be done in about 30 years, and was INCREDIBLE.

Here's Mary and I off a balcony of the Sangrada Familia. We went up the towers for the best view of Barcelona. Later we went to a great dinner where I had steak (with foie gras...yes I know it's inhuman but it was super delicious). We stayed out pretty late, but had to be at the bus to the airport at 4 am. However, the lady at our hostel told us about 15 min. too late. We got their right at 3:45, but the bus left at 3:45 rather than 4. Needless to say it was an expensive taxi.

We arrived in Paris without much sleep, but fortunately got to stay in the beautiful Montmartre neighborhood (if you've seen Amelie/Moulin Rouge it's that area). We visited this church, which I can say but don't have the right letters to spell...and finally took naps before dinner. I had an AMAZING french stinky cheese quiche. The next morning we did a free tour of all the major sites in Paris. We finished at the bottom of Champs de Elysees, which is the big fashion street in Paris. After walking up the street and having crepes we headed off to the graveyard.

This is Amanda and I in front of the Arc de Triumph. (I can't spell today, so deal with it kindly please). Chopin, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde were all buried there, and it was a beautiful cemetary. For dinner we ate in the Latin quarter (lamb chops with a great salad). Following dinner we bought a few bottles of wine and hung out at the Eiffel tower at night, which was beautiful.

We made a Canadian friend the next day, Bret, who accompanied us to the Musee d'Orsay, which has a lot of pre-impressionism and impressionism. We went back to the latin quarter for lunch (decently priced daily menus).

Unfortunately our cancan plans fell through (way too expensive, but someday I will go in the moulin rouge). We met a few of Amanda's friends living in Paris at a Uni bar with vegetables on the ceiling. I'll have to explain that in person... Somehow we found our way back thanks to Mary's navigating.

The last day in Paris-- Emily was dying of a fever in bed, Amanda was visiting her friends, and Mary and I had the best meal of the whole time probably. The weather wasn't super, but we walked around and ate until about 3. Bought our final pastries and headed home.

Overall...an amazing trip, and I could write about 10 pages about it, but seems senseless. Just ask me in person!