July 25 - Au Revoir France, Hola España

Staying up until 3 in the morning when you have to be up by 6 is probably not the best idea but I did it anyway. It was truly the best finale for Paris and I am so glad I got to see a show, sip champagne, and have a blast. Nonetheless, I savored those few hours of sleep before meeting up with my classmates in the hotel lobby. We had a quick discussion about the trip and said our goodbyes to Dr. Carter, our professor, since he would not be joining us in Spain. After this meeting, we all dispersed back to our rooms to finish packing and get some much needed caffeine. Less than two hours later, we were all walking out the door of the hotel, boarding a motorcoach, and catching a train to Barcelona!

At the train station, we all made our way through the cramped corridors and waited for our transportation to arrive. I have never really traveled by train so this was a new experience for me. While we waited, we recapped our trip and shared some of our favorite memories. We talked for a while until it was finally time to board the train and head off to our next destination. As much as I loved Paris, I have always dreamed about going to Spain so this goodbye wasn’t too bittersweet.

While trying to board the train, we realized that twenty-some students with multiple pieces of oversized luggage would maybe pose an issue. The luggage racks were tiny and there weren’t enough spaces to put things. Luckily, we got creative and started stacking stuff under the seats and in other spaces so we could fit all the things we needed. Once all our luggage was crammed in and set to go, we waited for the train to leave the station and we were off.

As soon as the train began to depart, I pulled out my travel pillow and fell asleep. I spent probably half of our seven hour ride napping and recovering from the night before. When I wasn’t napping, I was snacking on the things I brought with me from Paris and working on my class projects. The train ride seemed to fly by. Once we got close to the Spanish border, the Spanish police checked our passports and made sure we were all supposed to be on that train. Soon, we were entering into Spain! I stayed awake for the rest of the ride so I could look out the window and enjoy the scenery. It was absolutely gorgeous and so thrilling to realize that I was in my number one bucket list destination.

The train stopped at the station and then we were off. We all left to find our motorcoach and head to the hotel. We hopped on the bus, traveled to our hotel, and dragged our luggage up the steep hill of Montjuic until we were finally there. Trying to figure out the rooming situation was a bit of a struggle but once it was sorted we were set to go! I set down my stuff and settled in with my roommate, Aubrey. We rested for a little while before deciding to head out to explore the city.

Out on the streets, my roommate and my two former roommates all went out for tapas. Tapas are one of the quintessential Spanish dishes so I was quite excited for it all. We found a restaurant nearby and ordered a lot. We had some Spanish Fanta which is infinitely better than the one in the United States. I don’t even like soda but I loved this one. To eat, we had vegetarian tortilla (Spanish tortilla is like a frittata and not a Mexican tortilla), olives, octopus, grilled asparagus, Spanish chorizo, and patates braves. It was likely a mix of traveling and a mix of food quality but we ate everything given to us and practically licked the plates clean. It was delicious and an amazing thing to share with some friends.

After our tapa extravaganza, we set to to explore the street we are on. We walked around and ended up in a giant mall that was a former bull fighting ring! We browsed through the nice stores, picked up some items for the beach, and ended our day with gelato before making our way back to the hotel. Although I will most definitely miss Paris and all that it had to offer, I am so excited to see where Spain takes me and I know that it will be such a magical experience.

♡ Katie