Vale!
Met Aisling in Placa Catalunya between classes and then took her to my Mediterranean Environment class where she got to learn all about Barcelona's Agenda 21. Which I'm sure was fascinating. Afterwards, we headed back to my place and bid a fond farewell to my roommates who all took a cruise to Mallorca for the weekend, leaving Aisling and I free reign to trash the place and drink all their cava. Great. Had a few drinks and talked on the balcony before heading out to this supercute Art Nouveau tapas bar near BB+. We got: patatas bravas, ham croquets, cabbage-and-mayo-on-bread, and red-pepper-stuffed-with-fish-in-creamy-pepper-sauce. It was all very delicious.
Stuffed, we headed to BB+ for liters of Estrella. After accidentally spilling all over a Spanish girl who was sitting next to us, I thought I was in for a rumble. Quite the opposite. The girl and her friend (Estefania and ... I forget the other one's name) started chatting us up. Slash making us drink their liquor. Eventually they invited us to go to a club with them, where they spent the night trying to teach Aisling and I how to dance like strippers. We humored them, but when they tried to convince us to pull up our shirts and show our stomachs, we had to draw the line. Jajaja. They were so funny and so, so much shorter than Aisling and I. Baby-sized, really. After an hour or so of intense dancing to techno, Aisling and I bailed. At home, I whipped up spicy spaghetti and then we tucked ourselves into sleep.
I don't have any pictures of Thursday. Lo siento.
Friday we were awoken by Lisa at the door. It was pretty late in the day already. We went out to the Snack Bar on Sarria for bocadillos with her and then walked around a cute park by my house. Then Aisling and I tried to get to the top of Tibidabo Mountain to go to the 20's-era theme park on top ... but it was too late and the funicular had stopped running. Still, we were really high up on the mountain and it was a really clear day, so we stopped at a restaurant and had coffees overlooking all of Barcelona. (Aisling, you'd better post those pictures because I want to d/l them.) We walked through a crazy park to get down the mountain and then through a beautiful neighborhood with huge, sweet houses.
Metro'ed back to Placa Catalunya and hit up the Top Shop (que expensive) before going to the Boquería to browse/pick up supplies for dinnerz. We made fantastic burritos w/ superfresh chicken, onions, peppers, and mushrooms from the Boquería AND a great sangria with fresh strawberries, oranges, and apples. Maybe the best dinner of my life. We watched Freaks & Geeks on le internet during dinner and it was just great.
Afterwards, met up with Kerry and Lauren in their neck of the woods. Went to this neat lounge called Maumau (spelling?) where you have to pretend to be an idiot tourist to get in for free (it's members-only). It's a really relaxed place with non-rowdy young people and a bunch of couches and tables. The beers were kind of expensive, but I think if we were members it would've been a different story. After Maumau, Aisling wanted to see the Mellon District, the crazy apartments where Kerry & Lauren live. Since it's a maximum-security facility (seriously), we had to wait for K&L to throw their ID cards from their bedroom windows down to us on the street (via weighted plastic bags, claro). Watched some classic OC clips, called it a night. Long walk home.
Fruit and sugar. Sangria preparation.
Adding rum and wine.
The most beautiful thing I've ever consumed.
Veggies, chicken, seasoned rice. Can you tell I was really impressed by our cooking skills?
Saturday we got up significantly earlier so we could make it to the Parque de Atraciones, which we did. The park was so much bigger than I thought it would be, because I guess it has been expanded quite a bit since the 20's. We didn't want to pay the 25 euro entrance fee to get into the whole park, so we just rode the plane and the ferris wheel, both of which had great views overlooking the (smoggy) city. Also we had a delicious picnic! Great. Next, we went to Gaudí's Casa Mila, where it was really hard to get cute pictures of us on the roof because apparently all of geriatric France was at this house on Saturday (??). THEN we hit up the Champagnería. I think it was my 3rd or 4th attempt to drink at this establishment. Finally: Success! The place is just so tiny and so jam-packed that it's nearly impossible to get your cava and sandwiches. Anyway, we secured one bottle of pink cava and two cheese sandwiches. Then we decided to go for another bottle. And an order of chorizo with mustard. And a fois-gras sandwich.
La la, talked to some weird Germans then departed for the Magic Fountain light show! I love the Magic Fountain and I have 85 pictures of it to prove it.
Went back to my house and had some cava and wine and Skyped Stephen and Marjorie (for hours). Talked and were nerds all night and got too drunk to leave the apartment, so we watched Freaks and Geeks and called it a night.
The funicular to the Parque de Atraciones @ the top of Tibidabo.
A view from the funicular.
These clowns on Tibidabo that kept demanding that I take their picture.
Panoramic.
This thing (a) looks like it's tipping over and (b) goes really fast.
Carousel and the plane ride.
A ride we didn't go on. All these rides are from the really old section of the park.
Rollacostaaa.
Yes.
Recreation of the first plane to ever fly. The ride swings you over a cliff!
View from the plane.
My friend and yours, Aisling.
The old area of the park, from the plane.
On the Panoramic ferris wheel.
On the Panoramic, with Tibidabo mountain and the Collserola Tower in the background.
Panoramiccc, again.
Failing at taking cute pictures of us on the Funicular ride down to the bus.
Cute but blurry one of Aisling, though.
Giant church on top of Tibidabo.
On the roof of Casa Mila.
Again.
From the kids room inside of Casa Mila.
@ the Champagnería.
Magic Fountain!
Sunday, we slept in a bit and then headed to the beach where we took baby naps and I got a foot tan. Afterwards, we went to Cafe L'Opera on Las Ramblas so Aisling could try churros con chocolate. Then, to Maoz for falafel and french fries. THEN to my apartment for naps and Freaks and Geeks. Dinner, bedtime, Aisling departed early Monday morning. Voila.
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