So sorry, here's a lame recap

So sorry for my absence...I blame it on being sick. Yes, this week I got the full experience of the National Healthcare System after going in four times in the span of one week. But really, you don't want to hear about that unpleasantness, and I'd rather not talk about it, so onto nicer subjects, ay?

After Shannon's quite truthful and detailed report of our trip, I feel like any explanation I would give would be repetitive. Hmmmm....how about I just skip the details and give a highly subjective response to the third-grade essay question, "What did you enjoy most about your trip?"

1. THE GOTHIC QUARTER - holy freaking tark! I love the Gothic Quarter. Wandering around the narrow cobble-stoned streets between huge architectural monuments while listening to the seductive Aussie accent of Shawn, our hunky hunky tour guide was amazing! The tour itself was interesting as I learned a lot in a fun and enjoyable manner, but what I loved most about the Gothic Quarter was losing myself in the little alleyways. The only hope to find one's way was to listen for music and follow it. There were street musicians in almost every corner - a music lover's paradise - and there was one band that I'm still kicking myself over because I didn't get the courage to ask them their name. They sang the most beautiful song I have possibly ever heard. Yeah. That's right. It was powerful.

2. LA PLAYA - Due to rain we were unable to have a picnic and build sand castles the way we had planned. However, we were able to walk the beach one night under a New Moon (insert Twilight joke here). One can imagine that this setting was absolutely breathtaking. After walking around we stumbled upon some sand creatures, which turned out to be pirates, mermaids and monkeys (of the see/hear/speak no evil variety). Pure simple joy is what the beach was. (A horrible, grammatically incorrect sentence; I do apologize, but there it is.) Running around, darting from the ominous, cold waves before they could get me, playing in the sand....all good times. And quite therapeutic, really. I think everyone should have some beach time at least once a month to lower stress levels.

3. THE FOOD - Before my ulcer attack, I indulged a bit too much in the wonderful chocolate Spain has to offer. A popular breakfast (at least among tourists) is churros con chocolate, or churros with thick, pudding-like hot chocolate. Please, U.S.A. let's adopt this tradition, shall we?
It was AMAZING! But my body soon told me a bit forcefully that I needed to tone it down....so I switched to tortillas, an omelette-like egg dish with onions and potatoes. As I am a fan of omelettes, this was not too much of a sacrifice, and so I indulged in the traditional Spanish fare with gusto.

4. THE PARKS - after a long day of walking, it was nice to take a break and lay out in the sun, on a bench of the park closest to our hostel. This park had the most beautiful fountain (Shannon said it rivals Trevi Fountain), and this was the scene of many wandering, mundane, sleepy and shallow conversations, as well as copious catnaps. Can I just say that laying in the sun is a luxury that most Californians will never ever understand? Minnesotans, I know you've got me.

5. THE ARCHITECTURE AND ART - while I'm not as enamored of art as Shannon and Alex, I did enjoy going to the Prado and the National Art Institute. Seeing actual Piccasso paintings blew my mind, as did viewing Velazquez' Las Meninas. The Prado is ginormous....kind of like the Louvre I imagine. While it houses imagery of horrific and brutal murders, it is also home to some terrific and less gorey paintings by Goya, Reubens, etc. The great part was that the Prado was free between 18:00 - 20:00, so I went two nights in a row and came not even close to seeing everything. Also of note are the various cathedrals we went to including Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia. It's frickin' huge and full of so much symbolism that I would never be able to understand. What caught me about the cathedral (besides the magnificent facade, of course,) were the stained glass windows visible from the interior. They didn't show religious settings; they were, in fact, just pieces of glass. Because of this, Gaudi seemingly concentrated on brilliance of color instead of a religious depiction making them the most eye-dazzling windows I have ever seen.

Consensus: SPAIN ROCKS!

So ends my ramble, and I bid you good-day.

Good day,
Lauren