Friday, March 18
Let me start at the end, I left crying… like legit tears coming out of my eyeballs. Crying because I didn’t want to leave Dublin and end our Spring Break. Crying because I didn’t want to go back to Florence… Florence, Italy- one of the most amazing places in Europe!! Reality check, please!! Like, who am I?! Crying about going home to Florence… I should have been spanked and put in the corner on time out. But, if that isn’t any indication as to just how amazingly fabulous the places we went are, I’m not sure how else to convince you.
Packing.
I despise packing, but if there is anything worse than packing it’s unpacking. As I folded and piled clothing into my suitcase, I was already dreading unpacking. I paid close attention to where exactly my passport was at all times- I did not want a Paris repeat. Our plans for the night were to pack, have dinner, and go to bed early so that we would be well rested for our 6am-ish wake up call. Of course, that did not happen. We sat around talking, ordered our very first delivery pizza (AMAZING! The man came all the way up our stairway from hell), and went to bed after midnight only to lie there watching TV shows until way past a reasonable hour.
Friday morning came too soon, but I was pumped… running on three and a half hours of sleep and excitement. We had had enough lugging of luggage back and forth from the train station and were not about to bite that bullet again before 7am, so we called a cab. Amanda met us on the corner and we were officially off on our Spring Break adventure!
Just when I thought I was settling into the position of worst traveler- Amanda swooped in and stole the title. First mistake, she brought a huge duffel bag. This is fine, except there were no wheels and the thing weighed as much as a chubby middle schooler. She was stuck either dragging it or shifting it from shoulder to shoulder around the airport… how miserable. She also forgot her boarding pass in the bathroom and had to run back five minutes later to find it. Luckily nobody flushed it down the toilet and she was able to retrieve it.
Flying Ryanair has its positives and negatives. Positives- it’s cheap. That’s about it. Their weight restrictions and nit picky size requirements are bullshit. Plus, they tack on additional charges for just about everything. Oh well, you get what you pay for I suppose! Our Ryanair flight was about an hour delayed, which caused some serious chaos in the boarding line. Forty-five minutes into the delay the people checking passports moved to a different little station so the people waiting all mobbed over to the new line. Then, they moved back to the original station so everyone shuffled over there again. It was ridiculously idiotic. But, in the shuffle of line switching confusion, we were able to upgrade from the very back of the line to almost the very front. Hollaaaaaa!
Landing in Barcelona was amazing. We were greeted by fabulous weather- sunny, sunny, and sunny! My pale ghostly toes have never been so happy to break free from my boots and settle into a pair of sandals.
Our pint size friend, Kelsey, and her younger sister Amanda, both members of the White Team and Visitation Alumni, met us close to our hostel for lunch. We went to this tiny whole in the wall place called Champagneria. There are no seats, just a counter to order over and a standing area. They’re famous for serving cheeseburgers and champagne. You don’t have to ask me twice!
After lunch, we continued to get our buzz on by drinking more champagne on the beach. Drinking champagne on the beach in Barcelona… That’s when you know you are either having a great day, extremely blessed, or have awesomely generous parents. Thankfully, in my case, it’s a combination of all three.
On the beach, we “Iced” Maggie and Kelsey. Let me explain this term because it will come up a lot on this trip. Everyone is familiar with the drink Smirnoff Ice, yes? If not, props, because you have officially been living under a rock. So, someone buys an Ice and thinks of a creative way to reveal the Ice to their friend. Upon seeing said Ice, the friend must drop to one knee and chug the Ice while everyone around stares and laughs- or in our case, laughs and takes twenty pictures.
The water was freezing, but that didn’t stop Amanda (Kelsey’s sister) and I from going swimming. The idea was brought up and we just kind of went with it, but I couldn’t be happier with our decision! Out of fear of freezing my skin off, I kept my layers of clothes on to act as a buffer between the water and my bare skin. I’m not sure how much that worked, but I really wasn’t as cold as I thought I would be… I am sure the champagne helped.
Back in the hostel, Equity Point Sea, we took powernaps and got ready to go out for our first night on the town in Barcelona! We went to dinner at a restaurant whose downstairs turned into a discothèque after dinner. I got yummy pineapple chicken with rice, but the real winners where Molly and Amanda (Florence Amanda, not Visitation Amanda). They ordered the native dish, Paella. Woof. That stuff was stanky… it was dubbed with the name “Fishy Rice”. Truthfully, we called it an inappropriate variation of that name, but that is definitely not blog talk.
Not going to lie, it tasted fabulous. I was having Maggie score me some bites off their plate the whole time.
After dinner, we headed to a bar called Chupitos. Everyone I’ve spoken to about Barcelona has told us about this bar. The place boasts hundreds of different types of specialty shots- flaming marshmallow boy scout shot, the hot sauce and Pringle shot, the sugary orange Harry Potter shot, and the Monica Lewinsky… just to name a few. We ordered Sara the Monica Lewinsky shot; it involves whipped cream, beer, a couple other props and the loss of all dignity. What happens at Chupitos, stays at Chupitos… I won’t go into any detail.
Saturday, March 19
Saturday morning, we woke up to two young men in our room. With accents. How fabulous! Their names were Dean and Ross. They are from England and are working at Equity Point for a little while. Still punch drunk, we started calling them Harry and Ron- I hope I don’t need to specify by saying Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They loved us and we loved them… it was the beginning of a beautiful and tragically short-lived friendship.
Anyways, we started our day with a walk around the city. Our longtime BFF and Kensington native, Julia, studied in Barcelona last semester and was brimming with great ideas and suggestions for us. She told us about a smashing place for lunch, Bo da B’s. The place opens at 1pm so we had some time to kill… Naturally, we got Pringles (obsessed.) and sat by the water. Around 1pm we strolled back over to Bo da B’s only to be greeted by a huge line of Hungry Hungry Hippos waiting to get their paws on some sandwiches too. While waiting, Amanda took it upon herself to Ice me. Damn.
For only 3 Euros, we got the most delish chicken sandwiches on baguettes piled high with corn, shredded lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and feta. Party in my mouth. YUM. In addition to eating the mouthwatering sandwiches, we got to enjoy sunshine and people watching while sitting on the stone steps across the street.
Las Ramblas is another hot spot in Barcelona. Full of street performers and small vendors, you could spend hours walking up and down this street. Amanda was feeling spunky and decided to get her cartilage pierced at a tattoo parlor. We were all super pumped; I even had the honor of holding her hand through it! We also went to an amazing market bursting with fresh fruit, chocolates, and a huge wall full of gummies. Naturally, we stopped and filled up a bag of gummies to walk around with! Maggie also got chocolate to share with me because she is such a fabulous galpal.
After the market, Amanda led us to Gaudi’s house. The place looks like he was on acid when he designed it… which might actually be the case. It’s stonewalls are sprinkled with colorful glass and a scaly texture. Hence, the nickname “Dragon House”. She also showed us a house that’s architecture was inspired by a wave.
Super navigator, Maggie, brought us safe and sound on the metro back to the hostel to meet up with Ali and Cynthia. Because they missed their flight and checked in late, Ali was given the dreadful bed number seven. Bed number seven is a solid five feet higher than even the top bunks and tucked away into the corner of the hostel room. It’s like its own little cinderblock treefort.
After dinner, we set off to the ICE BARCELONA! I’ve seen pictures of this heavenly place and could not wait to get my mitts on that space suit jacket. On our way into the bar, we met a “Stag Weekend” from England- more specifically, Devonshire. (Stag Party is just code for Bachelor Party.) The husband-to-be was too drunk and had to be sent back to the hotel room so the Stag Party’s night was wide open. Being the charitable women we are, we invited the twenty handsome British bachelors to join our Ice Bar reservations.
The Ice Bar was so cool! Yes, pun intended. The tables were ice, the glasses were ice, the seats were ice, the walls were ice- you name it… ICE! Another positive of the ice bar is there are no sweaty dance parties. The speakers were pumping some great tunes so we were all dancing, but it was too cold for anyone to get overheated. If only all dance parties came with climate control, my hair would be so thankful!
After the Ice Bar, we went to Opium. Julia and a few other people all recommended hittin’ up Opium. The drinks were 10 Euro each, which would have been a problem if I hadn’t made a new best friend. Jack, a rugby player from Devonshire and the husband-to-be’s younger brother, was a fabulous drink ordered and very generous. Don’t freak out, Mom, things were strictly platonic with Jack.
Sunday, March 20
Our morning bike tour, like many of our other tours, did not go perfectly. We showed up right on time (or maybe ten minutes late) and the bike tour had already reached its capacity. Thankfully, the Australian tour guide, Jordan, took pity on us and offered to take us on a private afternoon tour at three o’clock.
We took advantage of our early start to day and made our way to the famous Park Guell. Park Guell gains its name from, obviously, Guell who designed this trippy, colorful wonderland. The beautiful mosaics and groovy architecture did not disappoint. We spent most our time aimlessly walking around and enjoying some omelet sandwiches in the company of a million pigeons.
Come three o’clock and we were ready for our Fat Tire bike tour with Jordan! Jordan was fun, well versed on Barcelona’s history, and a beer enthusiast. We all enjoyed a cold Estrella at just about every pit stop. He guided us through the city, stopping to see the local bull fighting arena, La Plaza del Rei, La Catedral, La Sagrada Familia, and Parc de la Ciutadella.
Towards the end of the day, we were feeling pretty comfortable with Jordan so we surprised him with an Ice. After explaining the rules, Jordan was down on one knee chugging the sugary adult beverage.
For dinner, Jordan took us to a local Tapas bar that served several different little finger foods. We were all given a plate and asked to keep the toothpick from every thing we ate. At the end of the meal, you paid 1 Euro 80 cents for each toothpick on your plate. It was a great deal and the perfect way to end the tour!
That night we attempted to find Bar Marcelle, an absinthe bar Amanda had visited on her previous trip to Barcelona. The directions were a little foggy and after following some wrong advice we received from a police officer, we were a little lost and confused. Unfortunately, we ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time and Molly had her phone stolen. This crazy guy, who seemed very high on something extremely illegal, bum rushed her and grabbed her phone while she was texting. Karma is a bitch, and she will find him!
After that traumatizing experience, nobody was in the mood to go out. We told the police about what happened and headed back to the safety of our hostel room as quickly as possible.
Monday, March 21
The next day we went to Bo da B’s for round two of the heaven-sent sandwiches. Sara and Cynthia, on the other hand, opted to go to Champagneria. While waiting in Bo da B’s inevitably long line, Amanda Iced me.
I must admit; she is the Ice Queen.
After lunch, we all met up to go to Las Ramblas and show Ali and Cynthia all there was to see at the market and surrounding stores. Amanda, like the Ice Queen she is, bought an Ice at the grocery store. Unfortunately, Ali spoiled the fun and told the whole group about Amanda’s purchase… as you can imagine, this has put a permanent target on Ali’s back for all future Ices.
Our walk down Las Ramblas was full of events- we Iced Cynthia, took pictures with several street performers (a creepy man dressed as a baby, a levitating golden man, a Rastafarian pothead, etc), and had caricature drawings made.
We had satisfied our Las Ramblas fix for the day, so we made our way to the beach. Apparently, it is totally acceptable to walk around in the nude on the beaches in Europe. We saw a handful of men walking around in their Birthday Suits… not something I care to remember seeing as they were semi-in shape older men with bodies past their prime. And, of course, what would a trip to the beach be without someone being Iced? Julie fell victim this time.
Later that night we ate at Princess 23 and met up with Kayla, a friend from Holy Cross, for her 21st birthday celebration. The club, Boulevard, was smaller than Opium but full of people and a great atmosphere. It was a ton of fun catching up with Kayla!
Ali was a bit over served and did more shots than she has ever done before… something she would regret the next day.
One of the highlights of my night was watching Maggie’s reaction after a face painted man on stilts tried to pick her up.
Tuesday, March 22
As mentioned previously, Ali drank way too much on Monday night and was feeling extremely under the weather. I am only mentioning this because it was a first for Ali. We have never seen her drink that much, or even close to it, and we certainly had never seen her that hungover.
Frankly, we all thought it was hilarious.
Taking pity on Ali, we spared her the morning Ice. Maggie, however, was not as lucky. As we rounded the corner outside our hostel, Marge was ambushed. Nothing says great friends like a bright and early, luke warm Smirnoff Ice-ing.
Breakfast was delicious; we all had varying combinations of omelets and yummy potatoes! After finishing up, we went back to the hostel to say our goodbyes and pack our bags. We were all very sad to leave our British friends, Dean and Ross, but very excited to hit our next Spring Break stop… AMSTERDAM!
Amanda, Sara, Lindsay, Julie, and I headed to Amsterdam while Molly, Maggie, Ali, and Cynthia headed to Seville.
Tear.
Looking back on all the times we Iced each other, I realize this blog just screams, “Someone call Intervention!”. But, rest assured, we do not have drinking problems. Ices are all sugar and we just think it is a hilarious game to play…
