Week Eleven!

Woohoo blog week 11! Back to back blogs this week because it took me so long to get last week up, sorry about that! OK, so this week was jam-packed and super fun. On Monday my dad and I got coffee before my classes and then I went to school like normal, I had a presentation in my speaking and writing class. Then my family met me after my class got out and I showed them around the school before taking them to the AIFS office to meet my program directors. For lunch, we went to Los Manueles and had some yummy typical Andalusian food. After lunch, I was going to drop off my bag and we ran into Charly in the street on our way up to get some tea at my favorite tea house called Teateria el Bañuelo. We enjoyed some delicious Morrocan tea before going up to the San Nicolas lookout for sunset. It was super cloudy so you couldn't really see the sunset, but we were there with the Thomases so that was really fun. We took some pictures with the Alhambra and enjoyed the view before walking to Sacromonte to go to a Flamenco show. The flamenco show was so much fun, I loved it so much. After the show, we grabbed some dinner at a cute restaurant near the cathedral, and then Annakate and I met my friends out for St Patrick's Day. It was a lot of fun to all be together laughing and talking. Then I had to say bye to Charly :(. That was sad but I was so glad I got to see her even for a little bit. The next day we got breakfast at the coffee shop by school and then split up so I went to my classes until 1pm. My family met me at school again after my classes and then we walked to get lunch at the Mexican restaurant that I love, El Nopal. After lunch, we did some shopping and walking around and then walked through the old silk market and souvenir shops. A little bit later we grabbed some yummy churros and chocolate near the cathedral before walking around and a little bit more and then heading to my apartment. We met up with Begoña and then we all walked to dinner together in the Albaicín, it was so good. It was so fun for them to meet each other, I loved it. On Wednesday we got up early, got breakfast at the coffee shop again, and then walked up to the Alhambra for a tour. It was so beautiful because the flowers were starting to bloom and it was a really fun tour. For lunch, we went to my all-time favorite tapas spot, Om Kolsum for some amazing Morrocan tapas. After lunch, we walked back up towards the Albaicín for our last few hours in Granada before catching a taxi to the airport and flying to Barcelona! We landed and then took some buses and some metro trains to the Airbnb where I immediately passed out from exhaustion. On Thursday it was my birthday (21 woohoo!) and it was such a good one. We started out walking through Park Güell and even though it was cloudy and rainy, it was still a super cool park and really pretty. We then grabbed some coffee and made our way to the Sagrada Familia which I think is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I could've stayed there for hours. We grabbed some lunch from a place next door and then walked down the main shopping street of the city. After walking down the street and seeing some of the Gaudí houses, we ended up at the Mercat Boqueria where we got some little snacks. My dad and I also popped in another market near where we were staying and had a quick bday oyster. We went back to Airbnb to freshen up and then had dinner at a cool tapa bar that was delicious. They sang happy birthday to me and brought me a little pastry with a candle. The next day we had a slow start, we got some breakfast pastries and then walked down the shopping street again before heading to the Cathedral de Barcelona, it was stunning. After the tour of the Cathedral we got some churros and then yummy paella for lunch, it was so good. We then walked through the Gothis quarter to another cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar, and then we headed over to the cool fountain that is in a park, I can't remember what the fountain or park was called. We also saw the Arc de Triunfo on our way back to eat some dinner and it was super cool. Dinner was at the place around the corner called Casa Dorita and it was sooooooo good, lots of typical Spanish dishes that were amazing. On Saturday, we woke up and headed over to the Olympic arena/village/area after grabbing some pastries. It was really cool to see, I'm pretty sure it was the '92 Olympics that Barcelona hosted. We also saw the National Art Museum of Cataluna, but we only stopped there for a second. After that, we hopped on the metro back to the Gothic Quarter where we saw some cute kids dancing in a little festival and then we stopped for lunch and the same paella place as the day before. We strolled down the streets some more, one more time past the Gaudí house before grabbing our bags and heading to the airport. I flew out at 8:30 and I had to say bye to my family. I was sad to say bye but I had so much fun when they were here. It was fun to show them all around the city. After I landed in Granada, I met my friends at a cute little bar for a little bit and then I hit the hay. Today, Sunday, I slept in and then worked on my scrapbook throughout the morning. In the afternoon I met my friends to study at a coffee shop because we have midterms this week. And then tonight, my friends are so sweet, they surprised me and took me out to dinner with all of our friends. It was so fun, we got Thai food and yummy ice cream. So overall this week was actually soo sooo awesome and I got to see my family and Charly and I turned 21 and I got to see Barcelona and it was just the best. That's all I have this week, miss you guys!!