La Semana Santa

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Hello! I apologize for being SO terrible about updating my blog! When I first got back from spring break I had a new entry typed up and was ready to post it but I took too long to type it up so I was automatically logged out of the program so it completely wiped out all that I had! I was SO irritated haha but here I am about to update you.

Last time I posted a blog I was saying that I was going to go hiking, well the weather was nice and we ended up going to the beach instead! At least I think that is what happened. The week before our spring break was totally hectic with tests right before we were heading out! On the bright side I went surfing for the first time before we headed out for break, the weather was phenomenal and the waves were the perfect size for beginners so it was an absolutely incredible day! Our surf instructors are super nice and very down to earth (surprise surprise, they're surfers haha).

The first stop for us was Palma de Mallorca, we got in on Friday evening and checked into our hostel which was more like a hotel. The owner Tim was such a help to us and gave us tips on what to do each day, every suggestion turned out to be a fun day outing. On the first evening Remy and I walked along the beach and stopped in at a bar every here and there, unfortunately Natalie got food poisoning for the first couple of days so we did not really go out in Palma. The second day we walked from our hostel to the city center of Palma, the walk took up the majority of the day and the trail was along the coast which was absolutely gorgeous even though it was not the hot weather I had been hoping for. The weather was mild and partially cloudy for the whole time that we were in Mallorca. The third day we took a little antique train up into the mountains then it popped us out on the other side into a little town on the shore. The ride up in the mountains was gorgeous, the countryside was very beautiful and the little town, although touristy, was adorable with the bay and all the sailboats. What I have discovered is that nothing to me is more relaxing is the white sailboats against the blue sea. After sitting down to a cocktail in the little village we caught a cab back to our hostel and stayed in for the night. The next day we caught a bus into the city center to spend the day in Palma. There was a cathedral that we took pictures in front of and spent the day walking around and exploring the city, we stopped in for lunch at a cute little Italian restaurant for pizza and clazones. After spending the rest of the day in the city center we headed back to the hostel for an early night; the last day in Mallorca we journeyed south to Sant Jordi for a day at the beach and luckily the weather was accommodating! There was a nature reserve beach was in the area which we visited, but was a bit disappointing because it was littered with trash and seaweed when we were expecting a pristine white sand beach. Although the nature beach was not what we expected, we had a nice Chinese lunch and spent the rest of the day on the nice beach just outside of the restaurant. Again, we did not go out because we had to get up early to catch our flight to London.

Our journey to London was an absolute disaster! First off Natalie had booked a flight that left about ten hours after our flight (oops) and we discovered that the apartment we booked was about an hour outside of London in Romford. The airport security gave Ramiro and Maria a hard time which was probably about the least of our problems. When we got into the Stansted Airport we had to figure out how to get to our apartment, we had not eaten all day, the currency exchange was frustrating, and we were irritated with the distance of the apartment. After FINALLY getting to the apartment, we used the train to go to Liverpool Station then hopped on the Tube to Romford Station and from there we took a bus to where our apartment was located, we were able to eat and relax a little bit. We decided that with the commute to get to London it would be more time efficient and cheaper to book a hostel for two nights closer to London.

The hostel was right in Russell Square, two blocks away from the tube and a MUCH better option than Romford! Natalie arrived at one o'clock in the morning and after trying to figure out how to buzz her in and open the door we called it a night. The next day in London we got a later start because check-in at the hostel was not until two o'clock that day. After a relaxing morning we packed up and headed into London to check in then to walk around the city, we saw Big Ben, the Eye of London, and some other sights around. Our original plan was to do the London Dungeon tour that evening but we were too late in getting there so we decided that we would wake up early to get there the next day to take the tour. We called it a night after walking around so we could get up early the next morning.

Costa coffee was our substitute for Starbucks while in London (or Europe in general) and we stopped in for breakfast early that morning. The London Dungeon tour was that morning at ten but we were the first people in line at eight o'clock to make sure we could get in! The tour was an interactive way to learn about "London's dark past", learning about Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, the plague, and more was thrilling! After the tour we walked around and stopped in at the National art gallery and saw famous works from Van Gough, DaVinci (which was my favorite), Monet, and a few others that I don't remember off the top of my head. While in London of course we had to get fish n' chips which were delicious but the portion size was huge! We had a walking Harry Potter tour that evening so we returned for a rest before the evening came. We returned to Lieschter Square (sorry about the spelling!) where all the big movies premiere and from there we visited the M&M's store then met up for our walking tour. The Harry Potter walking tour was not so much like the studio tour where most of the movies were filmed, but more so what inspired J.K. Rowling while she was writing the books and a few places that they filmed from the movies outside of the studio such as Diagon Alley. The tour included a bout ride on the river and from that we saw the Shakespeare house and London lit up at night. There was an old outdoor market which was very cool to see even though it was not open; and of course we saw Platform 9 3/4! The shop was closed that night but we wanted to return the next morning. By the end of that day we were all exhausted and called it a night.

The next morning we did go to the shop and did a little souvenir shopping. Next we were onto Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards was not going on that day but the palace was certainly a sight in itself! My favorite part was probably the park in front of the palace, London was incredible but the little bit of green was a wonderful sight to see! We walked through the park and at the end we saw some guards on horseback which was cool. We went to Abbey Road to try and get the typical Beatles picture but failed seriously at taking it! Although it did snow while we were there. After our day of walking around we got our stuff and checked out of our hostel and headed to our apartment in Romford to rest before our flight leaving early the next day for Barcelona.

Our day started at four that morning taking a cab from our Romford apartment to the Stansted Airport. When we got to Barcelona, Ramiro and I bought our tickets for the end of the trip back to Bilbao. Our time in Barcelona was very very laid back in comparison to Mallorca and London! The first day we were in Barcelona we soaked up the sun with a walk along the beach that took up the afternoon then we sat down to a family dinner for Easter, we had pallea, sangria, and a lava cake and ice cream for dessert. That evening we played drinking games at the hostel with some Scotts, Brits, Canadians and an Australian, we were very diverse! With our hostel every night they offered free entry to a club so that night we went out. The next day Natalie and I had a chill girl's day, we got ice cream and went to see the Croods in Spanish which was super cute! I can't wait to see in in English. =] That evening we did a bar crawl then hung out with some people from the hostel for the rest of the evening because we wanted to get up early the next day to see the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.

The next morning we got up with the sun and were in line by 8:30 so that we did not have to wait in a multiple hour line to get in. The cathedral was absolutely stunning and the architecture inspirations were a bit surprising. The museum underneath the cathedral was extremely informative that I really enjoyed. We were able to go up to the towers at the top of Sagrada Familia and from there you can see all of Barcelona, it was breathtaking! After the Sagrada Familia, we walked down Gaudi lane to the hospital at the top, it used to be a mental asylum then was turned to a hospital but conditions were so bad they had to close it down so now it is under construction to be a hospital again. Between that and our adventure to Park Guell we stopped for coffee and croissants, we then spent the rest of the day in Park Guell which was by far my favorite part of Barcelona. The park was stunning, the green was again a nice break from the constant sight of the city, but the tile artwork was so incredible to me, the colors and brilliance of it was so incredible. We returned to the hostel for dinner, it provided three complimentary meals a day which was nice on the wallet, and then socialized with everyone. One of the bartenders had invited us to go out with him and a few of his friends so we went out with them that night and met some other people and went bar hopping that night. The following day, two of the guys we had met the night before took us out for a day of cocktails and gondola rides up to the top of the mountain. After the gondola ride we found a champagnaria and had some bubbly and appetizers. Following that we had dinner at the hostel then Natalie and I went out with our Canadian friend from the hostel. We went to the infamous shots bar that has over three hundred types of shots that range from Daisy to hijo de puta (son of a bitch). My personal favorite was the boy scout shot because to take the shot they lit the bar on fire, roasted a marshmallow then took the shot which was the smoothest shot I have ever taken! That was our last night in Barcelona and the next morning it was off to the bus for a nine hour bus ride back to Bilbao! I took the rest of the weekend to rest and relax before classes.

This was definitely the best spring break I have ever had because I got to see so many new different places with some really fun people. =] I think this time in Europe is so precious and I am so grateful that I can be here and live in such a different place and appreciate this different culture. Thank you so much Mom and Dad for giving me this amazing opportunity =]

Love you!

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