Onward to Spain!

It's been a while since I posted last, so here is a brief account of what I did- more for my benefit as it won't interest many since it was so a while ago and I won't go into detail unless it was significant or really fun! :)

Friday 3 July- I was going to go to a nice club with Gaby, so I went out to buy shoes that would be a bit more trendy than my Keen sandals (I only have my Keen sandals and Keen light hikers... not classy enough for clubbing). I found some and returned back to Grant's to have dinner with Grant and his friend, Averon. It was a nice dinner and I was sad to leave, but eager to go out with Gaby. Unfortunately, my new shoes still didn't cut it for the bouncers, so Gaby and I just wandered London, got some pasties and then headed home. It was uneventful, but still fun. We got to talk instead of dance, so it was a nice change.

Saturday 4 July (American Independence Day)- Some CSers were having a Pub Crawl in the afternoon (not for Independence Day, just for fun). In the morning, I bought my Ryan Air ticket to Barecelona, then went to te French Market on my way to the pub crawl. I found some great French pastries and some wooden train-car-like letters (like what you would spell a kid's name in) and got some for Grant as a thank you when I left. I took my treats and train to the pub crawl and it was a lot of fun. There was another American there, so we 'celebrated' the 4th of July with Sam Adams and a shot of Jack Daniels.

Sunday 5 July- In the morning, I packed up to leave my two week stay at Grants. He had some friends coming over to play computer games, so I moved over to Ade's couch in Bethnal Green, in East London. Ade's 'couch' isn't really a couch, but a deluxe queen sized air bed. There was another girl staying there (a mere 18 years old!), so we watched the Wimbeldon Final (and got to see Federer win over Roddick by not much, but still win! Yeah!) and then the surfer and I went out to Guanabara to meet Gaby and her friend. It was fun to dance one last time with Gaby and since Bruno was there, we got to hang out with his friends after for a while, too, trying to find a place with an espresso machine that wasn't broken (hard to find that night). We were unsuccessful but it was getting late, so it was ok with me.

Monday 6 July- I went out to have 'lunch' (translate: coffee) with Bruno on his break and then took the bus back to Central London to meet the Suttons. A long bus ride back and a few phone calls and texts later, I met up with them in Trafalger Square. We wandered in the rain, had some hummous and tea and then they went to a show and I went to buy (late) Father's Day gifts for them to bring back to Dad. I went to a nice Chinese Restaurant (one of the very rare times I have eaten out on my own on this trip) and it was sooooo delicious.

Tuesday 7 July- I met the Suttons for the Changing of the Guards, then we went to St. Martin's in the Fields where I found some gifts for Cole, also, including a handkerchief that has an embroidered French Horn and says 'Blow Here'. If you know Cole, you understand why it was so perfect. After more wandering of London, I left the Suttons annd went to CS Drinks at The Couch for one last time. On my way to meet Bruno for the drinks, I was walking past TCR station and saw a guy that looked familiar: tall, dark skin, really tall, with a guitar (unless I imagined it). Did I say he was tall? It turns out I recognised him from the Ailee River Youth Hostel in Doolin, Ireland, where I had heard him play (one of his two) guitars. I never met him there, but we recognised each other and I told him about the CS drinks and he said he was a CSer, too, and was waiting for his friend to go to The Couch, too! Small world! Anyway, I met Bruno and we headed back to The Couch, where I was returned my coat! One long month it was gone and now it was back in my arms! I was so excited to finally have it back (kind of pathetically, but when you travel, you get really attached to your belonging... at least I do). It was great to see everyone again before I left and to have two final giant bags of Gummy Babies (I shared!). They were on sale 2 for 1. It was Tesco's going away present to me.

Wednesday 8 July- Wednesday, I flew to Barcelona. It was exciting to continue my trip after getting stuck in London (in a very good way). By the way, Ryan Air flies in to Girona Airport, which they say is Barcelona, but it's really a good hour drive from Barcelona. Once I arrived, I found my way on the metro to the youth hostel, which was nice but a sudden change from a month of couch surfing. After I got settled, most of the shops had closed but one still had 30 minutes left, so I hurried to find it and bought some pasta. My first adventure in a Spanish supermarket was quick and hasty, but easier since it was in Spanish and at least I could ask for help. When I returned, some Italian girls from my room invited me for wine, but I was starving and exhausted so I went to eat, search for a couch in Barcelona and then sleep.

Thursday 9 July- My first day in Barcelona, it rained. According to a lady who started talking to me while searching for her umbrella (in Spanish), it was the first day in over a month it had rained. She ended up helping me to the metro and to find the detour to the other metro entrance. She was very nice, but spoke very fast. I went to the Picasso Museum and stood in line, in the rain, to buy my ticket. After getting it, I was walking to the entrance and passed a guy who looked familiar who was looking at me like I was familiar. It turns out that we had met in London at a few events and picnics. We wandered the museum together, then found the Tour de France that was going through Barcelona. We waited maybe an hour and got to see the leaders go through. It was fun to have someone to spend time with and after seeing the Tour de France, we went for Paella, then wandered for a while since it wasn't raining. When I left him, I went to the hostel for my bags then to Fernando's house where we had olives, wine and dinner. My mouth is watering now just thinking about the combos of green olives and white wine he gave me.

Friday 10 July- After a nice relaxing morning, I headed to the market for some fruit, then to Las Ramblas to grip onto my bag and watch all the tourists funnel through the street, wide-eyed and sadly not seeing the 'true Barcelona'. After a few detours, I found an H&M where I searched for a dress that I loved, but they didn't have my size so I went into the city to find another H&M, but none had the dress in my size so I went back to the first store and bought the dress in the size bigger than I wanted, but I think in the end it was ok since I'll wear it with a tank top or longsleeve shirt under. That day, I did wash that had some of Fernando's clothes in it and some of mine, including the new dark pink pashmina I had bought in London. Sadly, it turned everything pink but Fernando was able to bleach his white sheet back.