Hello again, I guess I’ll make a routine of posting these on Saturday. Which brings me back to last Saturday night. That night we went out to an Irish bar which apparently had good deals. Every time I look at my bank account it makes me not want to go out, but when I do I make sure to find good deals. This bar was not the case, but there was a big group of us and we had a good time. Half the group left after about an hour, and the rest of us went searching for another bar.

I’ve talked a little bit about the Gothic quarter, but after a few more visits it is now my favorite part of town. It is the oldest, therefore the streets are very narrow and there isn’t a grid layout like the rest of the city. This makes it easy to get lost in the winding alleys among the mossy stone structures. There is an abundance of history in that area, not to mention hidden bars and restaurants. Late at night, many of the shops were closed along with many bars, but we walked around with no GPS or map until we stumbled upon this little bar with a tiny entrance.

The atmosphere was much better than other bars. It wasn’t crowded, it wasn’t too loud, but it wasn’t empty either. The booth we sat in was wooden with pillows as the seats. The bartender was French, and the people sitting next to us were Irish, who we later befriended. The experience was refreshing, after being in bars and clubs with so many Americans. Deep in the Gothic quarter is where to go to get away from the tourist traps and actually encounter uniqueness and genuine culture.

On Sunday, we made plans to go to the Picasso museum. On Sundays after 3:00pm, almost all museums are free to the public. Also when I say we, I usually mean Cole, Eva, Allison, and I. Upon arriving at the metro stop, we learned from people who were already there that the line was massive and the museum was giving out tickets to come back later. It was raining that day, as it has been all week, so I didn’t want to wait in line outside. Being the brilliant leader and tactician that I am, I suggested we get some food while we wait for it to be less crowded later. We were right next to the Cathedral of Barcelona (different than the Sagrada Familia), so we thought we could check out the inside before getting food. Unfortunately, the price for admission was 7 euros, but we were previously told that it wouldn’t cost money, so we passed. Cole did get electrocuted by a wire made for pigeons, so that was worth it. After 20 minutes of winding through streets and weighing our options between many restaurants, we settled for KFC.

We decided it was time to finally go to the museum, assuming it would be less busy. Upon arrival, they told us they had no more tickets. Before I made the executive decision to go kill time, I debated with Cole and Allison for quite some time because they thought that tickets would sell out and we needed to go early. I did not hear the end of it for the rest of the day, and even the days to come. Fortunately, there was another museum essentially right next door. I forget the name, but it had artifacts and art pieces from all over the world. The museum was divided into regions of the world, and I thought it was a great substitute for the Picasso museum.

On Monday I signed up for yoga classes through ISA. There might not be enough people to make it happen, but I wanted to try something new. On Tuesday I got a haircut, I chopped it all off. I was getting some poor reviews on my unkempt mane, plus I was burning through a lot of shampoo. The lady who cut my hair talked me into buying $20 hair wax, which I regretted so much that I tried to return it later that day. She did not accept returns. From that point on Tuesday, I gave myself a budget of $20 until Sunday. It is really easy to spend a lot of money here, so I am really making some cutbacks. Dad, if you’re reading this, don’t worry, I still have plenty of money. Being the frugal person that I am, for me it feels like I’m spending a lot. Wednesday night Cole got lost, which was a weird story I can talk about later. Now Thursday was the fun night.

I posted a picture, but if you didn’t know I went to the FC Barcelona game. That was a blast. The team they were playing wasn’t great, so tickets were cheap. Cole, Eva, Cole’s friend Parker, and I got seats behind the goal that were way closer than I thought they would be. That atmosphere was electric, even though it wasn’t a high stakes game. We were right behind the super-fans section, where they had a hype man with a microphone, a drum among other instruments, and an endless supply of chants and songs. The stadium, Camp Nou, is incredible. It holds almost 100,000 people and is the largest club-owned stadium in the world. What made it better was during the second half, Barca was attacking the goal closest to us and scored four times in that half. The final score was 5-2. One of my bucket list items has now been crossed off.

The Barca game was the real highlight of the week. Friday I didn’t do much besides go to the gym. Cole and Eva left on a romantic getaway to Nice, France, leaving me all alone. Everyone else seems to have left this weekend, so I figured it would be a good weekend to go on some hikes outside of the city. The consistent rain rejected that plan, but I’ll figure something out. Getting people to commit to plans is proving to be extremely difficult. Now in the works are trips to Ireland, Morocco, and Italy, but we will see if and when those get locked in. I’ve also talked to my buddy Trent from CU, who is studying abroad in Belgium, about planning a trip or two.

Anyway, this week wasn’t super eventful, but forcing this budget upon my self has caused me to find more cheap places to eat and drink. There is a chain of restaurants called 100 Montaditos, which offers mini sandwiches for 1 or 2 euros and a pint of beer for 1.5 euros. On Sundays and Wednesdays, everything is 1 euro. Mondays and Tuesdays you can get a sandwich and a beer for 2 euros. This is the cheapest place I’ve found by far.

I’ve finally gotten back into a routine of going to the gym, now that my homework schedule has been freed up. Plenty of fine ladies are there, which is motivation to go. However, there are also plenty of dudes wearing really tight, spandex leggings, which is motivation not to go.

Friday night I had my first dinner alone with Mami, Cole and Sam were both gone. When Sam (our translator) is gone, Cole and I can usually help each other out to understand the whole conversation. Now I was worried I wouldn’t be able to talk about anything. We watched a game show during dinner, as we usually do, called Pasa Palabra (which means “pass word” or “pass the word”). It’s the most popular game show in Spain, and it gave us something to talk about. Following the game show is the news, which even in Spain is consumed by Trump. We bonded over our mutual dislike for Trump, and I’ve found that I am much better at listening to her talk and understanding her than I am trying to formulate my own sentences. So I ask her what she thought about Brexit or if she likes Spanish or American politics more. Then I just spend most of the time listening. A lot of time is taken up reassuring her that the food is great and that I’m full and can’t eat anymore. Overall it went well, it helps that she is really nice and patient with someone who is a very slow learner of the Spanish language.

Today is Saturday, and there is a break in the rain. Maybe I can finally go outside, we will see. I’m sure I’m forgetting some things so if you have a question about anything, be sure to ask. Thanks for reading.

Keep on keeping on,

Jack