by Katie ReedUniversidad de Navarra, Spain
First stop: Madrid.
The time had finally come, as I got on that bus and headed to Madrid, I was finally going to see my Mom after being away for three months. I got to the airport about two hours before Mom and Marcia arrived. That was just enough time to rest a bit, get some coffee, and make a welcome sign for my girls who were about to arrive in Spain for their very first time. I was so excited as I stood anxiously awaiting at the door for them to come out. When I finally saw them I could not believe it...the excitement and emotions were kicked in high gear! I quickly walked over to hug them both. It was so good to finally see them. After saying our hellos and a few tears from Mom we headed off to find a taxi. We got us a taxi, headed to the hotel to check in, and got to exchange presents. I got some pretty awesome Easter presents (edible of course since I don't want anymore to bring back to the states in June) and I got to give Mom her birthday earrings that I bought her back in March. After getting settled in it was time to go get on the tour bus to get a view of the city. It was not long that Mom realized that when I messaged her a few days before her arrival (several times actually) that she might need a jacket because it is cold in Spain, she should have listened. Cardigans are not what I could consider jackets but that is what she had brought for the week. After making a round on the tour bus we got off, walked to find a bite of lunch and take it easy for a bit. I found us a small little restaurant where would had some wonderful soup on that cold day as well as some wonderful pasta and croquettes. Now it was time for a siesta! After Mom bought her a scarf of course. That night we got ready and we were off for some Tapas (Meatballs, Croquettes, etc.. Caipirinhas, and Sangria!) The next day we headed off to tour the Palacio Real (Royal Palace).
After our meal the brought us
the nastiest things ever that I have only previously seen in Costa
Rica...a digestive drink. We had to take "shots" of this horrible
stuff, the thoughts leading up to it were almost as bad as the
aftermath...
After our afternoon rest we got dressed up and headed out to see some Flamenco. Or wait...is it Flamenco or Flamingo??? Just ask Liz...she might be able to tell you. We found a typical place to get some good tapas and then headed to our show at Casa Patas. It was a very small little place where there was a band/singers of about five guys plus three dancers. It was definitely a cool experience. The next morning it was Easter Morning and we headed to Plaza Mayor for breakfast then to the biggest flea market in all of Europe. I was loving every minute of it since it was all souveniers, cool clothes, and tons of things that I loved to look at and buy. I was able to fulfill the hippie wants inside me and buy some pretty crazy pants that I have no idea how I pulled out enough bravery to buy or even wear but I sure did! We found us some Kebap for lunch then it was off to the Prado Museum to see tons of Spanish art and then back to the hotel. That night we were out for a nice Italian dinner since it was our last night it Madrid. I had a pizza with Pears, Carmalyzed Onions, and Cheese...sounds nasty but it may have been the most delicious pizza ever! Hasta Luego Madrid!
Next Stop: Barcelona.
When we got to the bus station early Monday morning we were surprised to
find that our online paid reservations did not go through so we had to
buy more tickets! God was definitely on our side for that one because
we literally got the last three seats on the entire train. When we
finally arrived to Barcelona we went to get a taxi and when I walked
outside all I could think (or sing) was "Black and Yellow, Black and
Yellow"....ALL the taxis were black and yellow and there were a ton of
them! We made it to our cozy little hotel that simulated the typical
Spanish style and got checked in then headed out for some quite
impressive tapas and then to another tour bus adventure. This time the
weather was nicer so we were able to sit on top of the bus with the open
air and ride around the city. We got off and found a nice little place
to get our typical Spanish breakfast of coffee and pastries then we
were able to tour the Barcelona Cathedral....I was pretty much in heaven
the entire time! There was not one place of that place that did not
completely fascinate me. We were even able to take the elevator to the
top of it and overlook the entire city. This Cathedral was designed by
Antoni Gaudi (who I have studied at school) so it was really neat to be
able to see things I have actually previously learned about....little
did I know my love for Gaudi was just beginning.
We then went outside and had
lunch in front of the Cathedral. When I looked at the menu I knew
exactly what I had to have..the "Cathedral Sandwich". It only seemed
appropriate since I was sitting there looking at the Cathedral. It
turned out to be verrry good...salmon and cream cheese! After a little
rest the we went out to do a night tour on the bus. My attention span
is only there for so long when it comes to tours so I spent the time
aggravating Mom and playing with my camera. Once we returned we stopped
for some Paella. I had seafood Paella and decided it was time to
expand my horizons since I love seafood so much. I now eat mussels,
clams, and cuddlefish...I didn't know what it is either...google
images! After dinner we continued our wonderful gelato experiences and
this time they formed it like a rose on the cone. Just about the
coolest thing I have ever seen. Bed time! On Tuesday as I told Marcia I
would, I pulled out my new pants! Then we headed out to shop on La
Rambla (the main street in Barcelona that we were staying near). Then
we went to the shoe museum! That was definitely really cool. We were
able to see shoes from the 1700's all the way up until now. After the
shoe museum we shopped downtown a bit then went to the Picasso Museum.
This was also really cool. We got to see the contrast between
Velazquez's version of Las Meninas and Picasso's version. And at the
end was the best part of all...in the gift shop...I found my new love
and addition to my collection....my Picasso rubber ducky! After the
excitement subsided and a bite of lunch we went down to the beach. We
decided we wanted to ride the cable cars that went over the beach and up
to the mountain and that we did...and it was beautiful!! That night
Marcia found us a cool little restaurant to go to that was in the back
of the local market. There they cook all their food from the fresh
items sold at the market. As we walked through Mom was amazed at the
sight. Growing up in a grocery store she has always loved going through
grocery stores of different kinds, but this was an experience like none
other. However, the market was closing so most of the food was being
put up so I told her that we would definitely have to come back as I
knew she would love it after seeing the Market in Pamplona. We found
our restaurant, had a very good dinner, and with dessert Marcia's
artistic side kicked in. She was officially the next Picasso with her
chocolate art on her plate! The next day was my favorite!! Well if
you know me well you know I say favorite with tons of things...but it
was awesome for sure...Gaudi Day! We started off and took the metro to
see the Sagrada Familia. This is a Cathedral that Gaudi was designing
when he died. Since then other architects have taken over and continued
the project with Guadi's design in mind. It is set to be finished
completely in 2026. However, it is magnificent already!
After this Marcia was not
feeling well so we went back to the hotel for a bit...well I went out
shopping while they rested...then we left out for our next Guadi
adventure..Park Güell. This was another wonderful experience that I
absolutely loved. I love bright colors so tons of colorful mosiacs are
definitely at the top of my list. Then it was off to Casa Battló,
another one of Gaudi's designs. That night Mom and I went out to dinner
while Marcia rested and packed up to head back to Tennessee. While
waiting in the hotel earlier before going out I was giving Mom a hard
time about something like I usually do and it did not take long before I
heard her say, "You and your attitude and crowding my hotel room!" I
needless to say laughed histerically! She really did forget how much
she had missed me! haha. At dinner I was able to try one thing I
really had been wanting to...Cava. As well as ordering pizza with
Shrimp and Pineapple on it...man are my taste buds going nuts these
days. Thursday morning Marcia left heading back to Tennessee and Mom
and I headed out to the market. It was one surprise right after
another! Every part of pig, chicken, rabbit, baby goat, lamb, and
anything else that you could imagine. Including the rooster
heads, their feet, the rabbit heads that were previously on my plate in
Valencia. As well as every creature that you can find in the sea! 
When we got to the end of the market Mom found some carmelized nuts that
she wanted...and boy did the salesman see her coming. He told her that
it was better to buy the nut types separtely because the mix had a lot
of plain peanuts in it. So as he began scooping the nuts for her his
scoops got bigger the farther down the row he went. When she finally
made him stop putting them in the bag she had 25 euros worth of nuts in
that small bag!! We got her bag of nuts and headed up to the Park to
shop for a while since there were tons of souvenier shops up near it.
By the time we were done my large purse weighed a good 20 or 30 pounds!
Souveniers? We got em!! And I got the one thing that I really wanted
to get while I was in Spain...a tea set. I found a Gaudi design 6 place
setting tea set. I was sooooo excited! Once we got back to La Rambla
we went to a little coffee shop and got another Spanish typical
treat...Gofres..or waffles with chocolate and whatever other toppings
you would like. While waiting for ours to get done we had a surprise
visitor...just about the biggest cockroach I have ever seen come
crawling across the floor. When I went to get our food thank goodness
Mom was able to get it killed or I was leaving that place...I could just
feel it come crawling across my toes since I was wearing flip
flops...not about to happen! After leaving there we ended up in some
souvenier shops where mom proceeded to try to bargain with one guy over
the price of a shirt. She would not get it because he would not go from
12 euros to 10. However, she ended up going back later for the shirt
and the guy and her got quite a good laugh out of it since she got to
pay 12 for it. However, that night I wanted to her to try some
xorchata..and she did...and refused to try it again...I don't even
remember what she said it tasted like but it was just not very nice at
all! Then we had gelato for dinner rather than a big meal since we were
not that hungry and it was time for bed. The next day (Mom's last day
in Spain) we headed out to Port Olympic were we found nice little
restaurant to have lunch (bocadillo...oh how I had missed those) and
coffee of course..<-- may have been becoming addicted to Spanish
coffee. Then we walked on down the beach and found some cool and
surprisingly comfortable concrete benches to sit on and relax.
Then after some crazy guys left
I got out and tried my luck on a rope tower that was on the beach. It
was actally a lot of fun and would have been a lot easier had I been
equiped with the right shoes. After my climb I went out to get us a
drink...Mom of course wanted water and I was set to try a San
Fransisco..yumm. While observing our surroundings we noticed there was
actually an outdoor gym built right there on the beach with an elyptical
and all...hardest elyptical I have ever tried to use but hey that still
gets bonus points in my book...loving this city more and more each
day. After all that we went back to rest then got ready for a nice
dinner out together as it was Mom's last night with me until June 23!
We got ready and went out to Port Olympic for some good seafood by the
beach. We ordered a big seafood platter and Mom ate the fish while this
girl got to eat all the wild and crazy crustaceans...fredricks,
mussels, the little pink octopus from Finding Nemo...yeah you get the
picture. It was quite good though!! After our great dinner we walked
down the beach to see the one sight that we had not seen yet...the tall
building in the city that is multicolored and all lit up at
night...beautiful! But very cold so it was time to head in! Bright and
early on Saturday morning we got up and headed to the airport so Mom
could catch her flight out. It was hard saying goodbye, but it was also
very exciting to know that in just 70 days I would be arriving in
Tennessee with her there waiting to pick me up. After I left I went and
found a taxi only to find that it was a minimum of twenty euros just to
leave the airport...however I did not have another choice since I had
no other way of getting to the nearest metro station to get back to the
center near our hotel. Once I got there my taxi driver told me I needed
to be careful since I was alone...yeah that made me feel real good! Oh
well I made it back to the hotel to rest for a bit before conquering
Barcelona on my own for the day. Once I got ready and got all my stuff
packed up I went out and walked down La Rambla, walked around the
downtown area and then walked to the beach while shopping all along the
way. I realized that any stores that had the Indian guys working in
them were not a good idea for me to go into alone. I didn't have to do
anything but walk up to the door and they were like a magnet to me
trying to help me and sell me something...no more of those stores for
me! After making it down to the beach finally, I found me a nice place
to sit in the sun and it was time for some tannning and volleyball
watching! After getting pretty sunburnt I took a taxi back to my hotel
where I chilled for an hour or so then I headed out for a bite to eat
and the mojito that I had been wanting to try all week. Then I came
back to the hotel and it was about time to head to the bus station to
head back to Pamplona. And just my luck it started pouring the rain!
So I pulled out my new hoodie I had just purchased thank goodness and my
ole faithful Sperrys and headed out to the metro station. On the way
there I was getting completely drenched and while dragging my suitcase
of a good 70 pounds since Mom brought me all my summer clothes and a
drink in the other hand I had men trying to sell me an umbrella..it was
all I could do not to look at them and say, 'How in the world do you
think I am going to carry an umbrella?? Do I look like I have enough
hands for that right now?'...but I didn't I was nice and just kept on
moving. Once I got to the the metro station I realized there was no
elevator so down the steps me and my bag went..then to get to the right
metro line we went back up more steps and back down more and again and
again. Finally I reached the bus station, found a little bar, sat down
for a drink and waited for my bus only to find that two girls I live
with were on my bus as well. It was nice to be back to my little home
away from home...and at 5 in the morning it was time for some rest! It
was definitely the best Spring Break I have ever and will ever have. I
am so glad that Mom and Aunt Marcia came to visit me. I love those
gals!!! 