10. Paris, Aren't You Lovely

I am now officially twenty-two and since that change, I have been really busy, but one thing in particular stood out, Paris. Need I say more.
Paris is known as a cultural city full of love, croissants, snails and lots of berets. I must say I definitely felt it all, whether it was the couple kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower for more than twenty minutes, or the never-ending patisseries or  the endless extravagant buildings, I felt it. All I can say is that it was amazing. I went to visit my friend who studies on my course at my home university, and thanks to her I got to see a lot of sights in a short space of time, without getting lost once, which is a first for me. I also had a lovely reunion with other friends of my course, and it was nice to hear about all our experiences abroad. I think I also managed to learn some French, but with my horrific French accent, I doubt anyone would understand me.
I also had the chance to see the Eiffel tower light up at night, what a spectacle, alongside visiting the Sacre Coere and a place called the Artist Quarter,which was definitely my favourite.
Along the way, I also found time to try some French delicacies, you know the typical ones, snails, frogs legs and a crème brûlée, all very tasty. Basically, Paris is a wonderful European city and I am glad I had the chance to walk the streets, especially now Christmas is round the corner, and there are lights and decorations up everywhere. hopefully, in the future, if I have more than a weekend free, I would love to explore the city more, but this time with a French dictionary by my side.

9. Birthday Blues

La Barceloneta

I have had two weeks full of mayhem, a hospital visit and a birthday to remember.
I haven't wrote on here for a bit, as I have been bombarded by university work, it is fair to say, sometimes being an Erasmus student is not an easy life. Spain may be a very laid back country but the teachers sure can be strict.

Anyway, to start with my recent happenings. I have learnt that knives are sharp. I was cutting bread with my friend and managed to slice my finger, luckily only the top of the skin, and although it doesn't sound like much, it was very painful. I knew that I was clumsy, but not that clumsy. Anyway, I now know where the local hospital is and have realised I have some lovely friends who all accompanied me there! now onto more happier stories, I watched the derby game, between Barcelona and Madrid, in a local bar. What fun that was. It was such an amazing atmosphere and I would love to go to an actual game at the stadium. Although being in a bar with endless cocktails and being able to order some food at any time was a pretty good atmosphere for me.


Monserrat

I have also managed to get around in the past few weeks, I visited Montserrat, which is only an hour away from Barcelona and it is basically a little town in the mountains, nothing like I have ever seen before, that was for sure. It was such a beautiful view from up there. we got a cable car up and for ten euros return it wasn't really that bad. then once your up there, it is a little town, it was full of cafes, shops, markets and a lovely cathedral. me and my friend also attempted to climb up the mountain, however on our way up a gentleman was kind enough to tell us that there was 789 steps to go, so on that note, we headed back down!




Monserrat

It has also been Halloween, although it isn't celebrated here as much as it is in the uk, but I wouldn't say that was a bad thing. although it was a fail of a night out as it was impossible to get in anywhere and even if you did, all the places were jam packed with people, and no one likes not being able to get to the bar. however, my Halloween got better as I went to a friend of a friends for a Halloween themed quiz, the host was Mexican and very very organised. If I could choose anyone to be a quizmaster on television, it would be him. he whapped out various rounds, for instance, guess the Halloween songs, photos of celebrities changed into Halloween monsters, hanging caldrens from the ceiling, and he also said the whole quiz in Spanish and English, what a legend. My team didn't win, but we came home with a goody bag, amazing.

Inside La Sagrada Familia

However, the best part of my week, was Thursday the 7th November, when my boyfriend came to visit. We have had a weekend full of eating, being tourists and me attempting to teach him Spanish. Firstly, I managed to show him around all the main tourist places, like Las Ramblas, La boquieria and La barceloneta, but i'm not complaining as in each place we tried to taste a different form of cuisine, or atleast a typical Spanish dish!
It was my 22nd birthday whilst he was over here, so we filled the weekend with many outings  and places i had never seen! My two favourite places, La Sagrada Familia and Camp Nou.
As a birthday treat, we went to visit the Sagrada Familia, and seen as I live right next to it, I felt like I should go inside. Everyday I see millions of people queuing up outside, so I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Although, inside of the queue, we bought tickets online and walked straight in. It was out of this world, I can't believe I had never been inside it before now. it is definitely a must see in Barcelona and a great token in the city. we also went to Camp Nou for a tour, and who knew Barcelona Fc have like a million trophies. It was actually really fun though, we got to see the pitch and the museum was so interactive, I could have been there for hours.

La Barceloneta

As for my birthday, it was amazing, it was so nice to receive cards, videos and presents from my family. It was also nice to do something different and experience my birthday abroad and all I can say, is Barcelona gave me a lovely birthday, especially the salsa club me and my friends went to.


In regards to my next post.. I am visiting Paris for my friends birthday. I am looking forward to experiencing a bit of the French life, and seeing the comparison between two major cities.

Au revoir for now!