Semana Santa and More

I don't know where all the time is going. Only a few weeks left in the city and then a few more in Florence with Meghan. For so long it felt like such a long semester and now it's nearly over!

Anyway, lots of vacationing and fun times in March. At the beginning of Spring Break/ Semana Santa I met my family in Milan to surprise Meghan for her birthday. It was nice to get out of town and spend some more time with my parents. (They came here first, I don't remember if I mentioned that in the last entry.) Milan itself wasn't terribly exciting though. There were a few cool things to see, but it's very industrial and dirty. It wouldn't recommend it... there are many more beautiful and exciting places to go in Europe. We did find some great homemade pasta and pizza and good gelato... which is probably the most important thing anyway. I only spent about a day and a half there since the transport took so much time.

Sunday (the 16th) I flew back to Barcelona and met Andrew at the airport. He stayed about 5 days and I got to give him a little taste of what life is like around here. The weather was decent... I was hoping it would have been nice enough to go to the beach, but it was a little chilly. Mostly we just walked all through town everyday. I took him to a couple touristy places and some with historical significance... Parc Guell, Roman and Medieval areas and more. We also went up to a part of the mountain I hadn't seen before to check out the castle/fortress. We took the gondola things that I've been eying since my first week here. And at night we mostly watched futbol (soccer) and drank beer in pubs. It was a very relaxing week and it was so exciting to spend some time together here. Seeing him did make me a little homesick though, especially when I had to readjust to not being around him all over again.

After Andrew left I still had a few days of break that I tried to fill despite my exhaustion. I was not very excited about coming back to my dark little hole and my terrible mattress. Luckily Megan and Gavin were around that weekend too and we found cheap entertainment like the botanical gardens and the chocolate museum. The weather was pretty awful though so we wasted a lot of time downloading episodes of Friends and Sex in the City. Then school started back and remains as boring as ever... guess some things are the same in all cultures.

This past weekend we went with our program to Vall de Boi in the Pyrenees Mountains, very close to where I went skiing. We got to tour Romanesque Churches from the 12th century, wander around tiny mountain towns, and trudge through the snow in the national park. The weather was fabulous... sunny, warm, dry air, and very few clouds. You could almost taste the oxygen. My lungs have been deprived lately. The landscape was fabulous... I could definitely have handled a little more time there. And the good news is, I actually understood nearly everything the tour guides said!! Although speaking is still quite difficult, I am catching on to a few things.

That's all for now I guess. Just another week of thrilling classes. Then off to Munich for a couple days of lovely German beer and trying to decipher that silly language. Miss you all. Hope things are going well back in the states.

Un Abrazo,
Erin

A Full Month!

Sorry I haven't been keeping up lately. I will try to catch everyone up, or at least hit some of the high points. So in Febuary:

Meghan and friends visited
I skied in Andorra!
Went to the Dali museum in Figueres
Had a lazy weekend in Barcelona, but went to a few cool parks and the fountain show
Met Donna in Lisbon with a couple other friends... it was fabulous!

My weekdays are never very exciting. I just have class all day and by the time I get done I'm usually too tired to do much else. I joined a gym though, so that gives me something to do after dinner or between classes some days. Its a pretty nice gym and working out makes me feel much better... the steam room and long showers alone are worth it!

As far as Meghan visiting goes, she probably summed it up best on her blog. All in all, I think I make a pretty good tour guide. I kept them pretty busy, but it turns out I have great navigational skills... so that has been helpful. It was really nice having someone familiar in town though. Meghan and I always have fun together... or at least for the first couple of days!

I went skiing for the first time since I was a little girl. We went with a group from the university so we were able to meet people from here and all over Europe. I think there were more Germans than anything else. Andorra was very nice and small, but all I really saw of it was the slopes. Megan (my roommate) was a pretty great ski instructor. It took me a while to learn to stop - I even ripped my jeans to shreds trying one time, but I eventually got it and was a pretty decent skier for a beginner. Hopefully it won't be another 13 years til i get to try again!

While all the other kids in my program spent the next couple weekends all around Europe, I mostly just stuck nearby and got to know Catalonia a little better. The Dali museum was pretty wild, as would be expected. It is in a tiny town a little North of here. I also ventured to the parks and mountains in Barcelona everyday one weekend. It was a really cheep fun way to spend the pretty days. I really enjoyed the Larbernit park... it has a maze made of hedges and actually doesn't feel like it is part of city life.

Lisbon was definitely my favorite though!! Cobblestones, tiled buildings, pastries, fresh fish, and lots and lots of Sun!! It was gorgeous and the perfect getaway. I would have loved to spend a little more time there, or the rest of the semester. Seeing Donna was certainly icing on the cake. I think not having a list of to dos and just wandering and exploring really made it feel like vacation... which was exactly what we all needed! I recommend Portugal to everyone!! It is fabulous.

Well I better head to class. Sorry the summary was so brief. I'll try to add details and pictures soon. Hope all is well back in the states. I miss you all. Luckily I get to see my parents in two days!! I can't wait... finally some good food I hope.

-Erin