August 2 - House Party

My all day fun adventures definitely took a toll on me so I crashed out and slept in much later than I had hoped. As soon as my roommate woke me up, I rushed to get dressed and ready for the day. I knew we were going to have a long day ahead of us so I grabbed a few items from the nearby café before meeting up with my group. Our first stop of the day was to a house designed by Gaudi called Casa Batllo. It was a unique structure designed to be reminiscent of the ocean and nature. There were many interesting design features such as the stained glass windows and curved walls. It was quite a stunning place and one of the best things I have seen here so far.

After this first house, we had some down time to grab food and explore the area. As a group we collectively went to a nearby bakery for some treats. The bakery was called Mauri Patisseria and everything there was delicious. I enjoyed a small sandwich and a fruit tart and shared treats with my classmates. I even tried gazpacho while I was there, though I was not much of a fan. The little treats were the perfect snack before exploring and visiting some of the shops. Many of us grouped together to visit local artisans as well as some name brand selections around us. It was a fun break from touring everything and I loved the time to just decompress.

While out, we stopped at a nearby boba shop for some much needed refreshments. I had a tea with a variety of fruit and it was the perfect beverage to bring back my energy. We sipped on our drinks as we made our way to our next destination, another Gaudi house. Casa Mila is also in the district called the Area of Discord and was another unique building created for the aristocrats of the time. The building had many interesting features such as a gorgeous rooftop terrace and a large attic with high ceilings. The houses created by Gaudi are some of the most famous Barcelona structures so I am grateful that I could visit them with my class.

We were out for most of the day and most of us were exhausted from the heat and walking at this point. We finished up at the houses and went back to the hotel for some much needed rest. I wanted to nap but the pile of laundry in my room had grown to a concerning size so I knew I had to be responsible and actually wash my clothes. I walked to a nearby laundromat, threw my clothes in a machine, and sat around for an hour until they were clean. While I waited, I chatted with some friends who were also doing laundry and made plans to go out with them for some tapas later in the evening. My laundry finished drying and I went back up to my room to fold my clothes and nap for a few minutes. I did what I needed to do and an hour later I was out the door to meet up with my friends for tapas.

The tapa place we wanted to go to was a metro ride away so we hopped on a bus and set off for an adventure. We were all pretty hungry and the hunger got the best of our judgment. We ordered so much food that our waiter had to keep bringing plates in waves. We had an array of items such as shrimp, fries, hummus, and nachos. It was a delicious dinner and we were all stuffed after it. We grabbed the check and then made our way to the hotel to rest for the night.

Back at the hotel, many of us clamored into my room for a much needed homework night. We sat on the floor with our laptops and bounced ideas off of each other for a few hours. It was quite a productive night after a long day of touring the Gaudi houses around us. We all needed the time to decompress so it was nice to chat while working on our blogs. I am so grateful for my classmates and I am so glad that we get to share this experience abroad with each other.

♡ Katie