Abril

There were no April showers to rain on my parade that was the beginning of a beautiful spring! April began with a bit of hard work between Casey leaving and my parents arriving. But between hard work, Valeria and I managed to score a gig for a night as extras on a German tv show. This 'job' entailed hanging out at a bar for about 6 hours while some Germans filmed 3 scenes for an episode for an (what appears to be) obnoxious German 'reality' television program. It was pretty fun hanging around watching how something like this is filmed, but after about hour 3 I started getting a bit bored, but all the same, silly ways to make money like this are always welcome, and not to mention, they did feed us dinner. So stay tuned for my big debut...

Fancy schmancy bar I made a few euros at..

And the day before my parents arrival was another field trip with school, I really enjoy all of these free field trips! My environmental restoration course went on a trip to a nearby national park, Parque del Garraf, to see how the land has been restored since a major fire occurred there a few decades ago. The sky was kind of hazy on this day, so no real good photos, but it was still good to get out of the city for a day.

Parque del Garraf

Then my parents and Sally arrived for a nice weekend before they left on their cruise. We spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the classic Barcelona sights and eating lots of good food. And on the Sunday before their trip, it was Palm Sunday, so the streets were bustling with people and it was interesting to see the palms adorning every corner. And Sunday night was even complete with a beautiful flamenco performance at the Palau de la Música. I was really excited to have the opportunity to explore this famous Barcelona music hall, and wow was it indeed gorgeous! Then Monday morning I bid them adieu as they left for their trip.

Me, mom, and Sally taking in the sites.

Saints for Palm Sunday.

Mis padres y yo con la catedral de Barcelona on Palm Sunday.

Checking out the view from the old bull ring!

Wandering around the old town.

And then once the crew left for their adventure at sea, I cracked down very intensely on my thesis, BUT with plenty of breaks in between, duh! Because friends from Finland arrived for 4 days. And at the same time as Hanna and Fede were here, so were Valeria's sister, niece, and her niece's boyfriend, so it was quite a big gang and it was good fun to spend some evenings with them. Good food, good drinks, and good conversation by night kept me motivated during the day while staring at my computer screen for hours on end. The best was spending a beautiful Saturday afternoon at a lovely paella restaurant in Barceloneta, complete with un poco de rumba during the lunch.

Waiting for our paella lunch mmmmm!!

Enjoying said paella lunch!

Zhanna, Valeria, Emi, Hanna, Fede, Dimitri, Anastasiya

And then mom, dad, and Sally returned from their cruise for another beautiful day in Barcelona. And then to follow was Dave's arrival!! The last two days of mom, dad, and Sally's trip were spent getting to know Dave and vice versa, all while enjoying the beautiful scenery. A day was spent at Montserrat, going on a lovely hike on the mountain path. And the last day was spent meandering through parks, the beach and the Montjuic castle. It was so good to see my parents and Sally, and Dave and I are very much looking forward to our visit to the states this fall to spend more time with everyone.

No more photos, please :)

Montserrat never ceases to impress!

And then the very next day after mom, dad, and Sally left, Steve arrived! Steve is one of my classmates from my Masters program. Steve has stayed in Finland to wisely finish his thesis without the distractions of Barcelona, but was also wise enough to get away for a bit for a visit to sunny Spain. The days passed slowly and carelessly with plenty of good conversation and time spent outside in the truly perfect weather. I don't know if I can say enough about how conducive my balcony is for a good hang out. Steve was in town for 6 days, and it was really great to see him. Now Dave and I have to pencil in a visit to Ottawa to visit Steve if/when he moves back home! :)

Fausto (my other roommate) and Dave enjoying a sunny Saturday spent on the balcony.

No visit is complete without a visit to Parc Guell, and wine is always a given accompaniment.

Pretty sure there are quite a few photos of us in existence by now where we are both sporting plaid...

Friends!

And what's Barcelona without an afternoon spent at the beach with a couple of cervezas?

Slow walks to a tapas bar through the narrow streets of Barceloneta.

Obviously we are a really cute couple.

Steve said he wanted a picture of him and Dave in front of the Christopher Columbus statue... I failed miserably at this simple task.

The classic staring into the distance photo.. 'Wow that's a massive shipyard.'

And that was what April looked like for me. And although it was sad to have the last visitor depart, it was probably good for my health to sleep for a couple of days at the beginning of May. I can't believe what a great time I have been having, and am still having here! I still feel so lucky to have had this opportunity. And as I write this, it is nearly the middle of May, and I am getting sad at the thought of having to leave soon, but other great adventures are on the horizon! May updates will be given at some point in June and I can't wait to write all about what will surely be an amazing trip that Alex, Lauren, Dave and I will have traipsing around Spain and England! 2.5 weeks til the Lati arrive, yayayay! I'll end with 3 random photos from April.. ciao!

Eye see youuuuuuu!!

Torre Agbar, quite possibly the world's most phallic building I've ever seen!

Lastly, the day Dave arrived was Sant Jordí, essentially the Valentine's Day of Catalonia. And Dave got off easy because while the tradition is for men to give the women a rose, and the women give men a book, my dad greeted me with a rose. In the end, Dave gave Emi this pitiful rose he found in the bin... I see where his loyalties lie!