HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!!!!!! I hope you have had a great birthday, and that you did something fun!!!
Today's trip to Montserrat was outstanding. We got up early, running on little sleep, and took an hour long subway/train ride out to Montserrat. We accidentally got off a stop too soon, but it was rather fortunate because we walked through an adorable Spanish town and ate lunch at an equally adorable cafe. Once we finally got off at the correct stop, we then proceeded to take a skylift up the mountain! Imagine a ski lift (a closed in one you can stand in) going to the highest peak of an enormous mountain. The view was breathtaking. I am so glad we got to ride it. It took us about 5-10 minutes to reach the top and arrive at Montserrat. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Montserrat is a very old monastery way up on the top of the mountain. It is incredible. The thought that it was hand-built all the way up there blows my mind. We explored the grounds. There were a bunch of trails you could hike. They were all long and steep, and I left my inhaler on the ship, so I didn't want to risk it, but some of my friends went up them. We went inside the basilica, and it was beautiful. There was a corridor filled with candles. I bought one, and lit it for my Nana and my Uncle Art because I knew this was something they would have loved to see and been a part of. The whole place really was incredible. The view off the mountain was unparalleled. You could see for miles and miles, with a nice view of Barcelona in the distance. On the train ride home, I was talking to this nice family, and it turned out they were from Woodridge, which is close to Aurora! What a small world!
Once I got back to the ship, I knocked out. After about four hours of the deepest sleep I've had in a very long time, my friends and I got ready, and headed out to Las Ramblas. We found a nice local restaurant away from the tourist traps. They gave us a free glass of sparkling wine, and even though I don't like red wine, I thought it was very good. I ordered a sandwich, which was a steak burger with a fried egg, havarti cheese, bacon, and lettuce on it. It was absolutely delicious. The quality of the food in the Mediterranean is just something you can't find in America. I'm going to go broke on food alone. One of my roommates (Kendra), our friend (Caroline), and I broke away from the group and explored on our own. We walked through Las Ramblas and came across the plaza, where there is currently a protest being held. Spain is going through a terrible recession at the moment. Their unemployment rate makes the US's look like nothing. There are people camped out in the plaza, living in tents (some people have even built tree houses!), and having demonstrations. It was so interesting. I wish I could have understood what all their signs were saying, and what the man making a speech was saying, but it was all in Catalan.
Day 2 in Barcelona has been a success. I love it here. I love Europe so much. I'm still dealing with how surreal it is that I'm in Spain, I can't even comprehend at this point that this isn't it, that this is merely the beginning. This voyage has really just begun, and it has already changed me in the most profound ways. I am so fortunate.
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