Hi friends! Forgive me for getting a little bit more lax in keeping you updated… September has been such a great month here so far… There is always someone visiting Barcelona and September is a holiday / festival-filled month. Not only does each neighborhood (barrio) in Barcelona have its own annual festival, but also the entire city comes together yearly to celebrate Barcelona’s patron saint, La Mercé – the saint of Mercy. So, from Sept. 20th – Sept. 24th, the city was ablaze with fireworks, free outdoor concerts, shows, fair-like attractions, wine and cava exhibitions, and more. It was awesome to be here for this annual celebration.
One night towards the beginning of the week long festivities, Cass and I walked through Plaza Real, Plaza de San Jaime, and over to Ciutadella Park… there were concerts going on in the plazas and everyone just walks around with beers and food and friends. In the park we stumbled upon a very interesting interpretive dance performance taking place right by the big fountain in the middle; the two dancers were guys with hair longer than that of Cass and I. They were good though.
Last Saturday night we went to the Flaix back FM outdoor concert at Montjuic; Cass, Gabi, Adrienne, Emily, and I primed at our apartment then we met up with Sergi and the Sant Cugat crew in the crowd that spanned the entire area from the magic fountains to Plaza España! It was a wild night, too much fun. Since Adrienne was just visiting for the weekend, it was great to have her around and what perfect timing to catch the La Mercé festivities. We also went to the fiesta maxima concert in the Forum later that week with the crew. It was the most people I’ve seen together in Barcelona ever. Great music, weather, and friends.
Sunday night Damian and I went to Park Guell around sunset till the park closed… Damian and I have been seeing each other for almost a month now and I was absolutely shocked to find out that he had never been to Park Guell, which is undoubtedly one of our favorite spots in the city. Since I had yet to go there at night, we walked from my apartment up to the side entrance on Sunday evening; by the time we got to the cross at the very top it was perfect timing – the view of the city from there was even more breathtaking than usual. I showed him the pillars and the mosaicked ceiling, the curvy benches, and the lizard at the front entrance.
Also noteworthy, Damian is from Argentina so his Spanish has been quite a learning experience for yours truly. Obviously at the end of the day Spanish is Spanish, but the vocab and accent differences can throw you for a loop every now and then. For example, instead of saying “Eres guapo,” they say “Vos sos guapo.” In Spain they say “yo que sé,” where as in Argentina it’s “que se yo.” And one can’t forget the nearly constant usage of the diminutive in Argentine lingo. Needless to say, not only do I have fun being with Damian but also I’m learning a lot along the way. I’m going to have dinner with his family soon – looking forward to trying some authentic milanesa, dulce de leche, and this banana dish he raves about. No, we have yet to have a picture together – all in good time people, all in good time.
Tomorrow afternoon Cass, Emily, and I are going to go with Marta to try to find some bargains on FCB jerseys near Sagrada; Marta is talented at making them knock their prices down. I’m hoping to find a good deal on a Neymar jersey. Tomorrow night we’re planning on getting together with Ignasi (finally) and Billy to go out in Marina. The weather is slowly but surely gradually starting to cool down. I think it’s warmer here now than it is back home. We’re happy about this though because neither Cass nor I have an expansive fall/winter wardrobe collection to choose from.
Other random updates: My little brother Alan won freshman homecoming king for Southlake – such a proud sister!! I can make myself fried eggplant now, though it’s not especially aesthetically pleasing quite yet. I have another student for individual English lessons now – starting with him next week; I’m happy that he is an adult! I can officially say I am friends with an FCB cheerleader since Gabi made the team! I recently found out that one of my good friends, Adi, is for sure going to study here in the spring!
Hasta la proxima!
SAMHOPEHANSEN 