So my actual birthday started last night at midnight, but I'm including our amazing dinner in the celebration. We started the evening (Thursday night) by doing a cooking class. We learned how to make sangria (a wine, brandy, juice, fresh fruit combo that is amazingly delicious-dangerous), tapas, and paella. So good! After several pitchers of very strong sangria and a stomach-bursting delicious paella, we convinced our table to join us for the nightly festivities. That meant 4 Aussies and 2 Belgians joined M, Stacy (our friend who is living in Madrid and came up for the weekend), and myself for a night of more drinks and lots of dancing. It was awesome! I have to admit, we showed this town how to party! =). Of course for anyone who has ever partied in Barcelona, you know that's impossible, but we gave it our best. M and I made it back home and had to tip toe so we wouldn't wake up our 4 other roommates. Then after going to bed at 4 am-ish (which is very early in Barcelona terms), we got up around 10 to change rooms (a luxury of last minute planning). M and I then changed into our bathing suits and sun dresses, packed some apples and sunscreen, and headed to the metro station to join Stacy. The minute we left the building we realized the sun may be avoiding us on our attempt for a beach day. Regardless (in sleeveless dresses), we bought a pass to an outside town called Sitges and headed on a 40 min. metro ride. We made it to the beach after stopping for some lunch and enjoyed about 30 seconds of the high-wind waves. After that, all 3 of us were bundled lying spoon style underneath 2 blankets and a towel. Even as we shivered to sleep for a short nap, I wouldn't change a thing! Why else would we all be bundled if it wasn't for being freezing in little sun dresses? This is what creates memories...none of that vanilla stuff for me. After about an hour on the beach and having enough of a cold draft come through the blankets, we jumped up and headed to the metro. M and I dropped Stacy off and found ourselves trying to take a "short" cut home. Yeah, that was pretty much a failure, but at least we worked up an appetite (it's also important to note that we probably walked 12k the other day from our hostel to the Sagrada Familia then to the Parc Guell and tonight still was a lot...thanks flip flops). We made it home to enjoy our homemade sangria (made in a pot and drank from recycled marinara glass containers) and tuna salads. The perfect round 2 birthday dinner! After talking for a bit (and drinking for more than a bit) we both realized how tired we were. We took showers (officially my first of my new year) and got ready for bed. We then tried to look up flights/trains/buses to our next destinations. That lasted for about an hour before we gave up on that too.
We're both getting pretty tired of the planning aspect...yet, we're down to the nitty gritty. We hit our one-month-to-go mark yesterday! In other terms, a month sounds like forever. I can remember all of the months I've wished away in my life (usually school related). However, with a trip like this, a day is a sunrise (something we don't see very regularly), breakfast, walking, lunch, sightseeing, dinner, a sunset, another dinner, drinks, possibly another snack, then bed. A week is only 7 of those. Of course, there are the travel days...yes, the dreaded travel days! A month is only 4 of the weeks. They fly! I hope I never wish another day away in my life...something I shall strive for in my search for total happiness. I look at where we've already been. It's amazing. We've come so far. Oh, the stories...!
-Justin
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