THURSDAY
I got butterflies in my stomach when I went to pick up Jazz at the airport. They were even more than the ones I used to get when I used to surprise and visit Larkin. I waited for her at the arrivals gate just like in Love Actually, but she never came. I waited for two hours and still no Jazz. My MP3 player was about to die so I asked around about her flight since the boards said they were delayed. Finally I decided to walk the airport, and there Jazz was sitting in terminal A, not B. She didn’t think to go wait in the designated terminal. That is so Jazz. She started crying and all I could say is “I’m sorry I ate your chocolate” And she replied back, I ate yours too! That was the start of our adventure. Knowing that the perfect gift is chocolate and the perfect comfort without a sister is chocolate.
We took the bus to the metro quickly.
We needed to get ready fast because we were going out to the club and bar. At 11 we went to the bar by our house. You could pour your own shots, so we filled our glasses to the top and kept chasing them down as though they were shots. We devoured the popcorn they had there. You could fill up your own bowls and we went through at least 10! I was the ultimate chaser creeper. I got Jazz four free chasers! Then we walked to the club. Erin, Jazz, and I danced with the boys all night at Sutton. We did swing dance, spazzy dances and old school. And we went to the techno part of the club and attempted to dance. Think of the concept where you can literally pick up your feet and still stay in the air. But we managed. Every time a Rihanna song came on or Chris Brown we would add in fake punches and bites. I love adding pop culture into songs, and Erin and Jazz are my favorite people to dance with. Tom is the best rapper ever. He can come up with the most creative raps, way better than any Eminem or Lil Wayne. It reminded me of Austan on his wedding night “Kim has STDs, Jazz is with Jerry, and you Can’t get close to Rachel song”. I love nights at the club. At 5 we walked home. A guy wanted to kiss me goodbye at the club, but I made up a rule as long as Erin and Jazz don’t get a kiss. I don’t get a kiss. Oh Barcelona nights, I am going to miss them the most!
FRIDAY
I attempted to get Jazz up for Spanish class, but she wouldn’t budge until I screamed for her to get up! Almost everyone attended Spanish, I was surprised. We walked around La Rambla y El Born y El Gothico today. We took a mininap and went out again. I showed Jazz some of the pretty Barcelona spots and we ate our weight in chocolate croissants and helado. I think Jazz became sick of chocolate by the end of her weekend here! Barcelona has so much to do, but the best is just to walk around the tiny gothic streets.
Later that night we went to the Mexican Restaurant by MACBA. We waited for our seats. We got some right by the bar because it was so packed. It was amazing to eat a burrito that wasn’t greasy, spicy or too meaty. A great break from the bread and jam we had been consuming! When we all ate at the restaurant Jazz and I went on an adventure to find wine. We decided to get two boxes, which was 1.25 euro each. A mega bargain for boxed wine (though it tasted like it too). Jazz found her dream .63 euro wine today at corte and she named him Vino when we pregamed.
After eating and drinking boxed vino we ended up at the “brothel”. An adult Jazz bar located in the square in which you had to get buzzed into. Inside was dark and there was Cabernet music and people our parent’s age. They all were staring and the walls were a mix of crushed velvet and satin and tall with a floral wall paper. We were supposed ot meet the boys here, but they never showed up! So we sat on the stares drinking the night away. I loved all the pickup lines creepers give u. The best was “Oh my fucking god”, and those were probably the only words he knew in English. We ended up at Opium that night, a club on the water.
In my mind opium is the prettiest club. It has a huge porch balcony with leather couches, and tables all lit by candles and walls of torches. It feels like you’re on a romantic tropical getaway. The dance floor is more like a club setting, but had a lot of techno music. But I loved just sitting outside and listening to the ocean, feeling the breeze, and smelling the salty air. I would go to the club just to sit on the porch! Jazz loves the dancing scene here! I am really glad! Later that night at 4:30 we took a cab home because Jazz was passing out. The cab driver asked if my friend was having sweet dreams. And I was like my sister isn’t used to the time schedule. She couldn’t keep her eyes open in the cab. But just like at the U where we would have devoured mac and cheese at 3 am, in Barcelona bread and Jam at 5 am was just as good!
SATURDAY
In the morning we went to Segrada Familia. I love Gaudi’s work. I still don’t understand how he can make the cerement to appear to look as though it is melting mud on a huge cathedral. But park Guell is my favorite piece of his work. We sat on the beach and walked the city beaches. They aren’t as nice as the beaches to the North and South, but they are still nice. Jazz lost her Mediterranean Sear virginity and we just enjoyed the sun! After a few hours the boys called us to meet them for lunch. We went to a tiny sandwich shop which was amazing. I had a sausage and gouda sandwich, it sounds so nasty. But it was one of the most amazing tastes ever. Today we watched a children’s parade like the Fallals in Valencia, but a smaller version here.
The boys, jazz and I went to park Guell. Too bad it got cloudy. Some of the best views of the city are up here. Also one of the biggest climbs. Much of the hiking trail was still closed from the windstorm! But Jake, Jazz, Steve and I watched the dogs chasing birds, a little boy playing soccer (he and his grandma were amazing) and just watched the city view. I love Jazz being here. It’s like a constant friend I can talk to and she just gets me, ad we understand each other! Since it was Valentine’s Day, Jazz and I went to a romantic dinner at a nicer restaurant. We ate tuna pizza. It sounds nasty, but it is one of my favorite foods now. We also ate helado y croissants chocolates. Muy bien! It was the best valentines I ever had. My twin sister in my favorite city. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. <3
People went to a house party in the mountains so Jazz and I drank copa sangria at the fairy bar. I knew Jazz would like it there. It was like an enchanted forest, and there are gnomes, waterfalls and mini tables. It is really cute and dark. We sat in the cave and when we got out Jazz was feeling it. I think it was because she chugged Vino dos outside because they wouldn’t let her carry it in the bar. After walking along the port we ended up at chupitos the shot bar. People were taking boy scouts, lighting their thumbs on fire, and licking cool whip of a flaming bar, some boys with accents were taking shots. I casually asked them what a Harry Potter shot was and they bought some for us. You sucked on a full sugar coated warmed orange at the end so the shot tasted amazing! They have hundreds of shots for 2 euros each, but they are all fun!
We came with them to a local bar and they bought up Estrella Damn. Earlier that day Jazz and I felt the wrath of its deadly alcohol levels. The boys we met up with where from Belfast and had the best accents. They made fun of us for having accents. They were so funny and they thought Kansas was a great state! We also kept using “ “ with our fingers and had a huge conversation on their favorite band rumblesticks. I laughed so hard. These boys are probably the funniest people I met this whole trip. You could have a full conversation with you; they added to it and cared. One wanted to work at Best Buy and the other wanted to travel to Arizona. Just the shit they said and realizing our cultural differences made it funny! Another funny difference was our opinions on Tijuana. And I told them they should only go if they want to get drugged and raped in the ass. But they said Merissa from the OC went and had a great time, and we I said look what happened to her! That is weird in Ireland that they hear great things about Kansas, and Tijuana!
We had to leave because Spazz drank too much! I still love you. On the way home I popped a couple perfect unnoticeable squats and I tried to keep Jazz awake on the metro. It was so loud. And local teens all had pitchers and plastic cups and were just riding the metro drinking. The man across from us had two beers in his hand. Oh the Barca metro on Saturday nights!!!
SUNDAY
Sunday morning was a celebrated holiday of Saint Eulilia in Barcelona. A 13 year old who died a martyr death, and was torched 13 different ways. For example breasts cut off, whipped naked in the square (where it miraculously snowed), nailed, rolled in a pointed barrel, decapitated and burned. There are 13 white geese in the middle of the cathedral which are symbols for her. We saw her tomb and the church was an old visogothic style with giant buttresses that stretched across the ceiling. It was one of the largest gothic churches I have seen except for Geneva’s and Girona’s. And it is in the center of town and you wouldn’t even notice it.
We explored Montijuic and the Olympic Stadium. Jazz and I are going to Canada for the next Olympics, then London for the next and I hope Chicago wins the next bid. I can imagine how crazy Barcelona got for the Olympics. Barcelona was supposed to host it in the 1920’s but civil war broke out. We looked at the National Palace and went to find some hot chocolate! When we were getting drinks we ran into the man Jazz sat next to on the plane! What a small world! At a tiny coffee shop in a non busy part of the city, she sees him! Weird!
We decided to go to the Garden Maze park! This like park Guell has an amazing view of the city! It is just outside of the city to the north, and it has gardens from rich estates from the earlier centuries! Jazz and I got lost in the maze and Jazz has to compare EVERYTHING to Harry Potter! No matter what she can do it. Try it with her sometime! We met the girls at Pan for a while and then we headed to the St, Eulicia parade.
Around Casa de La Ciutat there were musicians playing the famous Catalan songs where locals were joining into a dance. There was a series of two parades, one for kids and one for adults, each involving fire and dragons. We marched underneath the flames through the cobblestone streets from the Placa Sant Jaurme (which included Palau de La Generalitlat de Cataluña and the Casa de La Ciutat which were draped in Castilian flags.) We followed the parade around the Placa Reial, Placa del Rei where we went for the museum and ended at Cathedral of Santa Eulalia. It was amazing to walk through the narrow streets with so many people, look up and see cobblestone walls, seeing palm trees, “firesticks” everywhere, and the old cathedrals. Smoke filled the sky, but the glow made everything seem mysterious. The final cathedral was built on top of a former visigothic church (which was built in the 13th-15th Century). It was an amazing opportunity to watch this parade. I can’t even explain how cool it was to be jammed in the tiny Gothic walls and getting hit by the fire being spit from the dragons!
Jazz also experienced her first Fallafal! And she loved it! We sat on the streets listening to the orchestra play with the fireworks in the background! It was more patriot than Fourth of July in the United States in some ways! Especially because this history is so old, the United States is such a young country! We ate our weigh in chocolate and chocolate croissants today! The only way to describe it is amazing!
We sat on the beach tonight and just listened to the waves. The stars were trying to peak out but it was chilly today! But the salty air and the city lights made it seem magical that I was sitting on the Mediterranean sea with my sister. We just sad and talked in the sand. It was a perfect chill night and I love the beach and my sister so it was the perfection combination if we only had some cava! I love just spending my nights on the beach. I am so happy I chose to travel abroad to a destination on the water! I now know my obsession with living by water! Just to look out and not see the end gives you a great feeling!
MONDAY
Today Jazz went home, and I want her back! We went to La Rambla which I learned today is built on a river that is damned to the sea! Isn’t that weird how a busy, Barca Street is on a river, but you don’t even notice! It is an undergrounded water system inspired by the Romans. We ate our valentine’s dinner again! We went to the mall and shopped European style! I love how the mall is on the port and they leave the doors open so you can smell the salty air. Our thoughts were confirmed from last semester. YOU CAN GET SWALLOWED BY A SHARK!
We had lunch with the boys and I took Jazz to the train station and wished her off! I get to see her in a few days and that is the best part! I loved Jazz spending four days with me! We got to do a bit of everything Barcelona has to offer! We went to the beach, clubs, bars, shopping, parks and Olympic grounds! I hope Jazz loves Barcelona as much as I do. I have no idea why I am drawn to this city so much. I really hope to live here in the future. I fell in love with Minneapolis and Barcelona so fast. They are the greatest feelings!
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