Barcelona

Wow, there is so much to tell, I don't know how I'm going to manage to recap everything, but I will try my best.

Barcelona.
My first impression when I got off the bus and stood outside the Hard Rock Cafe waiting for Veronica: Tourists. Everywhere. And hot. Sizzling with life. Strange, I could use all those same words to describe Paris (maybe I wouldn't say sizzling, but something similar with a more metropolitan clang to it) yet it was completely different.
Once again, I was incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people to stay with. Two super sweet, very welcoming Swedish girls =). I slept really well on the couch.
6 days was definitely not enough time to see everything nor really find my way into the groove of the life and culture of the city. I did not want to leave.
The best part, by far, was when we got out of the city. I was able to take two day trips up the coast, one to a beach near Sant Pol de Mar, the other to Costa Brava. So incredibly beautiful. Pictures to come!
My first day I went to the Picasso Museum with Tienne, the girl I met on the bus from the airport. We hit it off and hung out a few times before she flew back home. She lives in NY, so we will probably meet up at some point back home. It won't be the same as tanning on the beautiful Barcelona beaches together, but hey, New York has it's perks, right?
The first trip up the coast, I went with Lina and two of her friends. It took us about 2 hours to find where we were going, but it was SO worth it. The most beautiful beaches! I mean, besides all the nude old folks, but even that aspect adds something to the experience. We were there for hours, alternating beween soaking up the sun and diving in the crystal clear blue waves. There were big rocks in the water and clifs all around. You'll see when I post the pictures, even though I wasn't fully able to capture it's full beauty.
The second trip I took with Jordi, I guy I know from HB Studio. We've been in a few classes together, and it was actually his suggestion that inspired me to add Barcelona to my itinerary in the first place. He is originally from Barcelona with so much pride in his Catalan identity. We drove up to Costa Brava, with once again, the most beautiful beaches and little fisherman villages imaginable. Another highlight from my trip was eating Black Rice. It's not black rice you normally get, which is a form of wild rice. This stuff is black because of the squid ink they cook it with. It's like a Pallella but with even more liquid, and it's completely black. With seafood in it. Including whole crayfish, so by the time I was done, my fingers were completely black, not to mention the ink around my mouth. But it was sooooo good!!! Definitely my culinary hightlight from Spain. Or Catalunya. I think it may have been a typical Catalan dish. Not sure. But it was glorious.
I left at 5am on the 29th after barely 3 hours of sleep, groggy, but very tan and with the California-beach-girl side of me very satisfied. I think there may be some salt water in my veins.