5/2/23-5/3/23
iHolá, Barcelona!
It is hard to believe that we are already starting our trip. I have been so excited that it almost does not seem real that we are here. I feel like I am living in a Pinterest board.
As someone who has only flown twice for a collective five hours, I was a little nervous for the nine hour flight, but the seats were pretty swag. They were decked out with a screen and a detachable remote control that even controlled the air and lights above us. I felt so fancy. The flight itself was not too bad; I just was not able to sleep as there was a little kid crying on and off. Also, I give the food a solid six out of 10. The pasta was like a basic microwave meal, but the churro inspired dessert bar was AMAZING. I think we were all thoroughly impressed. Once we landed, we took the long walk to customs. I was super nervous never traveling abroad before, but it went super smooth, besides the super long line and super hot airport. Now I know to wear an undershirt next time.
After arriving and settling into our apartment, the roomies and I went to get lunch at a local pizza place. What really surprised me was that water is not a given. We had to order distilled water, which came in a glass bottle. It was also room temperature, which is something I did not particularly care for. We also were just so tired and fighting to stay awake that we did not want anything else, and the waitress seemed a little offended when we did not order more. I think that is going to take some adjusting to, as since prices are so high back home, we tend to order the cheapest things possible.
A few things stood out to me about the apartment we are staying in. First, there is nothing outside the building that denotes it as an apartment complex. It is just in between businesses. Second, it has a really cool old elevator. It is super sketchy riding it and only has room for like two people, but it is so pretty. The doorman was super nice and let us put our bags in it instead of having to lug our luggage up the flight of stairs. Third, where are all the outlets? There are only like two outlets in each room. In fact, the room Arianna and I are staying in only has one. And, the kitchen, which is down the hall from the dining and living room, has its own room with a door. There are also a lot of wood panels that open to the outside.
For the rest of the day, we fought the jet lag and walked around. We came across a cute crystal shop on one of the side alleys, and when we exited the store, there were two guys beating up another guy and pressing him into the wall. Momma Baylee shoved us into a nearby second hand store as we waited for it to die down. The fight was super short, and all the men walked away so casually. I did not necessarily feel unsafe, just weird that we experienced something like that on our first day. We also found an Aldi’s and bought a few groceries for breakfast. I cannot get over how cheap things are here. After all of that, we went to Popeye’s for dinner (go ahead and judge all you want), but it was exactly what I needed because after I ate, I showered and crashed. I was a little worried about being too hot at night, but it cooled down, and I snuggled in the comfy bed. The weather overall was amazing but made me wish I packed more shorts. Looks like shopping is on the horizon as well!
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iHasta manaña, Barcelona!
Erin 🙂