Marzo

March! March was quite a full month with plenty to share! Two rounds of visitors, two field trips with school, a trip to the north coast, a marathon, Carnaval, classes and just enjoying Spanish life. Kicking the month off right away, on March 1, Valeria's and my flatmate from Helsinki came to visit with her boyfriend. Kati and Pauli were here for 5 days, and it was great to have them! We did the typical things, like go out for tapas and explore Parc Guell; however, their visit also coincided with the grand reopening of the Hospital de Sant Pau (The former Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is a complex built between 1901 and 1930. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a fully functioning hospital until June 2009, but now it has been restored and was open for free tours). Also, their visit was during Carnaval, and we went to Sitges (a town 35 kilometers to the southwest), for a massive street party! Sitges is a predominantly gay town, therefore there were lots of drag queens, it was a hilariously good time! Aaaaand we discovered that there was a free acoustic session of Jarabe de Palo (a band from Barcelona) while they were here, I doubt we could have had a better visit with them! :)

Kati is here!

Hospital de Sant Pau - this place was more like a palace than a hospital, in my opinion.

Pauli, Kati, me and Valeria - there was a wig party at Valeria's house!

And then the wigs came in handy at Carnaval - along with the masks I conned a stranger into giving us! :)

Carnaval street parade!

This is an admittedly terrible picture, but it's meant to show off the platform shoes! I will never be as glamorous as some of these ladies!

Jarabe de Palo! It was almost too perfect to be true!

Gluten free tapas = bliss

The infamous Gaudi lizard.

After Kati and Pauli left there was a week of calm before round 2 of visitors! I tried to be a good student and go to class during this time. I have also begun giving English lessons to one of my professors! This is going really well, and we meet twice a week, an hour each time, and so this bit of pocket money has been really great to have! There was also the first of two field trips during the week break to a town near the mountains in Cataluna, Balaguer. The trip was interesting and we got to speak with town officials about their urban revitalization projects, and then had a tour around the city. 

Balaguer!

School in Spain is great!

And then we went to another tiny mountain town for a tour/lunch. But the rustic view was ruined by a car nearby, so this is my attempt to take care of that!

Las montañas

This is the ridiculously cute cafe where I hold my infamous English lessons!

And then Casey and Chelsea arrived!!!!!! I was so excited for faces of friends from home! Of course, immediately looming on all of our minds was the marathon, but I am happy to report that it went well :) We all 3 finished, which was of course the biggest goal, and what's more is that we had a fun(ish) time! The atmosphere was contagious, and the cheers, music, perfect weather, and company made it a day we will all 3 remember forever. The cheers of strangers lining the streets the whole way were quite encouraging, as with every kilometer it became harder to find the motivation at times. "Venga, venga, venga!" will forever be imprinted in my brain! The bibs we wore also had our names on them, which even made for the occasional personalized cheer, and it made you feel on top of the world! And their were quite a few drum cores (for lack of a better way to describe them) sporadically throughout the race, and their upbeat rhythm kept you running at a swift pace. I finished in 5:02, not quite under 5:00, which was my ridiculous goal, but hey, I know I should just be pleased that I ran 42 km in one day. I am so grateful for Casey and Chelsea being by my side as I checked this major life goal off of my bucket list, and I know I wouldn't have done it without them, so thanks ladies for your support. 

Admittedly we were all in a bit of pain for a few days after, but that was to be expected. We came home after our victory and enjoyed a lazy afternoon on the balcony. I was quite emotional at different times throughout the day, especially at the end, because I have vowed to quit road running. I have been road running for over 13 years now, and I can tell that it is having deleterious effects on my body, so with this in mind, I was quite overwhelmed in emotion, realizing that this was the end of a massive era for me. Road running gave me quite a bit of identity for all of my teenage years, and helped me find clarity all throughout college, so it was a bit sad to close this chapter of my life; however, I am eager to begin trail running, and looking forward to what is next.

The start and the finish were the same, so here is what the madness looked like at Plaça d'Espanya

Before...

And after! We did it!!!!!!

Chelsea made us these awesome shirts! We were a lady wolf pack! :-)

This is what it looked like coming through the finish line! Valeria took this picture and the next.

Felicitaciones to all of the finishers!

And then I stole this action shot from the website! 

After the big build up of the marathon, it was time to show Casey and Chelsea a good time! We definitely saw virtually all of Barcelona, or at least the bits that everyone recommends seeing. This included Montjuic, the Gaudi architecture, Barceloneta, tapas bars, the cathedral, la Boqueria, and the tiny streets of the old town complete with a tour from Valeria! Some pictures to tell the story better...

Macqsum and myself, enjoying a beautiful sunset from the balcony.

Views of the harbor from the old fort at Montjuic.

Palau Nacional lit up at night, and below it is the 'magic fountain'..

The Magic Fountain at Montjuic. This fountain dances with music and colors every Friday and Saturday night, naturally we went to see the spectacle.

Parc Guell never gets old.. we spent a lazy day wandering around here.

Lazy day at Barceloneta.

After week one of the whirlwind visit we scored a steal on a car rental and took off on a grand adventure. Day one of the trip was just outside of Barcelona at the Montserrat mountain. The mountain is home to a monastery, with a world famous boys choir, and we made it just in time to see their daily performance. However, we were more interested in the hiking available here, and supposedly Montserrat is Spain's first national park, according to the ever so reliable Wikipedia. It was quite a foggy day, but this provided for some eerily beautiful views, and whenever a break in the fog presented itself we were always in awe of how high we got. We hiked the Sant Jeroni trail, which is 4,055 feet above sea level! 

Chelsea managed to snap a real smile..

Going up..

The tippy top!

Pretty hyped on this hike, and on alliteration!

Too bad the fog blocks the view of what we were seeing up here.

At the edge of the world (cairn) field.

High five for such a steep hike mere days after our marathon.. my everything was aching on the way up :(

After our day trip, we began our 2,000 km roundtrip journey to Asturias and back. We spent 5 days exploring the north of Spain, and wow did we see some beautiful landscapes, but damn was it rainy... The first day we drove straight to Dave's house, and along the way we got to watch the landscape change from the semi-arid views of Catalonia, to the lush, deciduous trees of Asturias. A bonfire was had, and then we woke up the next day to the sound of hail! Fear not, we were determined to explore, despite the gloomy skies. We ventured first to Lastres, essentially the closest beach town to Dave's, and then made our way over to Gijón. We had a nice walk around Gijón, seeing the world's ugliest statue, but also seeing the inside of a bakery for Casey and Chelsea's first chocolate croissants of the trip. Jack, Dave's cousin, joined for our day adventure since he was visiting his dad while we were there! The day ended back at Dave's, to utilize the dry shelter of a house for another night. 

Lastres! We tried to have lunch here during this break in the rain, but the minute we got down to the sand the hail began again.. cest la vie.

The crew in Gijón taking in the views.

Who needs electricity when you have sunlight?

Adios from Dave's house!

Day 3 took us as far as Santander, and was the nicest day (weather wise) of the whole trip, and naturally there were plenty of beautiful stops along the way. Llanes was the first stop, and it was a hit with everyone because it's streets were filled with remarkably beautiful buildings, and it didn't hurt that the beach spot we found for lunch had waves crashing up, providing us with a quite a bit of entertainment.  The next stop of the day was Comillas for a bit of a walk around and a coffee break :) And the day ended near Liencres at a retirement rv camping park.. twas quite comical of a setting. Casey and I endured a bit of a walk to sit on a cliff and watch the waves at night, while Valeria and Chelsea held down the fort. 

Lunch in Llanes.

Taking in the views in Comillas.

Pretty pleased about the fact that there is a town named 'Boo'!

Day 4 was not as sunny as day 3, in fact it was quite rainy. We started the day with a walk at a national park nearby Boo, Dunas de Liencres y Estuario del Pas. It was quite gorgeous, until the rain started, and then we ventured back to the confines of the car. We drove as far as Bilbao on this day, and took in the beauty that is the Basque country! This was my first time to the Basque country, and wow! It was quite impressive, even with all of the rain, and I'm looking forward to going back during a dry spell some day! Needless to say, day 4 was largely spent sight seeing from the car, but the drive along the coast was epic. We arrived in Bilbao and fought the rain in order to see the famous Guggenheim museum, and the other bits of the old town. We opted out of camping for the night, and found a steal of a deal on Airbnb for 50 euros for an entire flat for a night. We all enjoyed a hot shower, a good meal, and chatter over wine. 

Misty walks at the Dunes.

The Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Massive spiders were taking over Bilbao!

Neon sign inside our flat for the night. Not ironic at all.

Day 5 was the last day of our trip, and the goal was to explore San Sebastian. Unfortunately, the weather gods were not in our favor this day, and we endured more rain and hail, but alas, we still had a good day. But again, the drive alone between Bilbao and San Sebastian was stunning, and I love car rides, so I was still quite content with the day, despite the lack of hiking we originally intended on :) We had a bit of a walk around Bermeo, a drive through Ea, lunch in Ondarroa, and finally arrived in Donostia, or San Sebastian. So much lush vegetation always calms my soul, I think I'm meant to live somewhere really green; I can't wait to explore the Basque country again some day! But we again decided against the rainy camping, and found another deal on Airbnb for 45 euros for half of a woman's flat, it was quite fancy. We decided to explore the San Sebastian nightlife and had a really fun night out on the old streets. 

The cathedral of San Sebastian.

And so concludes our rainy spring break road trip along the north, it was quite a good time indeed. Day 6 was spent driving straight back to Barcelona to return the rental car in time, and we watched the landscape change back to semi-arid, yet while we were away the trees began to bloom, and Barcelona is looking mighty fine this spring, I must say!

One last picture from the trip that Valeria took outside of Dave's. The Picos de Europa had fresh snow, que guay!

Casey and Chelsea only had one more day after we got back to Barcelona, and it was spent wandering around the Ciutadella park in Barcelona and then out for tapas, a proper send off, I figured. After their departure I've been trying to crack down on my thesis before round 3 of visitors, my parents!! But literally the day they left was another field trip with school to Girona, and to a national park northeast of Figueres, Aiguamolls de l'Alt Empordà. The park would have been a birdwatcher's paradise, because I was even in awe, and I am yet to be a self-proclaimed bird geek! Supposedly the park contains Catalonia's second largest wetland, hence all of the bird life. And the trip to Girona was nice because we received a tour from an urban planning professor from the local university. Free field trips with school are pretty cool!

Girona!

Terrible picture, I realize, but I was so excited to see so many nesting storks!

Well that concludes the whirlwind that was March! I'm looking forward to April very much and will surely put up a post about what it brings come May.

Bienvenidos a Barcelona!

Since arriving to Barcelona, life has been crazy and time has passed so quickly; I can't believe I have already been here for over a month. I have been doing lots of walking, exploring, visiting, eating, and just enjoying life. It was quite surreal when I first arrived here seeing things, hearing sounds, and smelling scents that are from a time in my life that feels like so long ago. I realize that 6 years isn't a long time in the grand scheme, and I recognize that I'm still very young; however, my mind associates all of these places and spaces with a time in my past. It has been fun rediscovering Barcelona and all of its beauty. Words can't do justice to how grateful I am for this opportunity, and how thrilled I am to be out of Helsinki (no offense Finland). The classes I am taking are also pushing me to re-learn Spanish at a rapid rate, and to also expand upon my otherwise very limited vocabulary. I'm excited to see how far I can get with expanding my knowledge in the next few months. 

Here are some pictures of what I've seen in my first month here...

I was so excited to be back at the Boqueria, the world's prettiest marketplace I have ever seen.

I naturally wanted all of it..

My second weekend here Valeria and I went on a hike to the nearby 'mountains' and it was a lovely way to spend a Saturday. Thumbs up for agave rather than snow!

I thoroughly enjoy succulents!

Cherry blossoms blooming in February, I dig it.

Valeria took this really pretty photo of the Catalan flag on the hike.

An admittedly crappy panorama of the view from the top of the hike. Barcelona is below, and then the sea.

There have been lots of sunny walks.. lots of sunny walks.

And you find lots of funny things along the way, usually.

And lots of getting lost in tiny streets.

And lunches at the beach :-)

The Sagrada Familia looks no more complete then when I was here last, but that doesn't mean it isn't any less stunning.

Arco Iris - Beautiful architecture and beautiful rainbows.

We also spent an afternoon wandering about the Picasso museum on a random free day. I snapped this when the guard wasn't looking - too bad there is a crappy glare.

Valeria took this pretty photo of our school. One more semester to go!!

Oh and our school has birds of paradise flowers - I'll take it!

There are always festivals for one saint or another. We enjoyed the festivities for Santa Eulàlia; kids swinging around bottle rockets to drum beats.

Favorite store front.

As you can see, February treated me pretty well. And lastly there is a fun story to tell regarding the next two pictures. Long story short, a Canadian girl is living in the city, and is trying to build up her portfolio for her photography business. She is in need of families and couples to photograph, because she is mostly interested in wedding/engagement photography and/or family photography (mostly because this is where the money is). Valeria promptly suggested that we were cousins and got us a free photo session.. it was hilarious pretending to be cousins, but yet so much fun wandering the streets while someone snapped our photos. We've only gotten back two of the pictures, but they're quite fun. I was trying my hardest to not act like I felt really awkward being photographed, and I think I did alright. I am quite eager to see the rest when we get them. 

Candid laughter.

Just a couple of cousins, stoked on life.

Well March has already been great, and is only going to get better. I promise to update at the beginning of April. In the meantime, enjoy this splendid photo from my new balcony as of March 1. I couldn't be more pleased about being able to see the sea from my new apartment! Bienvenidos a Barcelona!!

Abisko!

My return to Scandinavia was spent in beautiful Abisko, Sweden. Dave is working in a really great place amongst really great people and I am beyond grateful for getting to explore the sights and sounds of Abisko. I flew into Kiruna, and then made the journey west to Abisko for two weeks of snowy adventures. Lots of walks on frozen lakes, warm beverages, sauna-a-plenty, movies, two lovely trips out to cabins, and some spectacular northern lights made the trip one to remember! I also got to see my first live moose/elk, so amazing! And I got to see my first reindeer, sadly it was dead, but seeing nature at work is quite interesting. Next trip to Lapland I'm guaranteed to finally see an arctic fox, I figure, and hopefully an alive reindeer. Pictures can show you my trip now, but bear in mind that I took the 6 crappiest ones, all of the others are Dave's doing, naturally.

The views from the plane were incredible! Welcome back to Lapland!

I think it was my second morning when this guy was just outside the window, having breakfast.

The view from Dave's bedroom, pretty spectacular.

And again.. it's hard to be upset about the sun setting at 2 when the sky is brilliant shades of pink and blue.

Lapporten, the gateway to Lapland.

Yup, it's frozen.

And so are my eyelashes.

And a tad closer for dramatic effect.

The first cabin that Dave took me to was along the Kungsleden, or the Kings Trail. It was a lovely area called Abiskojaure. We spent an evening by a fire, watching for northern lights, but to no avail. The company was what mattered though ;-)

Good morning from Abiskojaure.

On the lake just leaving Abiskojaure.

I'm a friendly skier..

Dave's hostel also organizes dog sledding trips, and they were very gracious to let he and I try it out. It was really good fun, despite the fact that I fell a couple of times. The day we went was quite cold, but made for some good pictures.. 

I think this is me and my pups.

My eyelashes freeze over quite easily, what can I say?

Dave and his pups!

Frozen eyelashes for everyone!

The second trip we took was to an equally as beautiful destination, Karsavagge. What I learned on this trip is that I'm not great at uphill skiing, but nothing that can't be perfected with practice? Sadly I was plagued with a migraine shortly after we arrived, so I missed the northern lights that were out that night, but I did get to see the sea of stars when I went to the loo and wow! It was on the way back to Abisko the next morning that we saw my first reindeer, so maybe click past that picture quickly if you're uninterested in how mother nature unfolds. We also saw a family of moose, but they were too quick and distant to snap pictures of, but it was incredible to see them roaming about. And a flock of willow grouse!

Views of Karsavagge.

!!!

This is what I missed :(

He makes the best breakfast.

The work of possibly a lynx.

Lynx tracks?

I was also unbelievably lucky to see the northern lights in truly spectacular form! I had been fortunate to see them last year, but this year it was like how everyone describes it, and how they picture it in magazines! It wasn't just a beam of green across the sky, but rather it was a swirling party in the sky and it moved and danced like nothing I've ever witnessed before. It was jaw dropping and something I will never forget. It carried on all night and was enough to make you not care if you didn't have on proper attire, because you could lay down in the snow and watch the sky perform without any care in the world because you knew you were witnessing an incredible event. If you were quiet enough you could even hear it whispering.

Brilliant shades of green.

I was so excited!

I like him.

And so concludes my whirlwind adventure to Lapland. I am so thankful to see what all I saw, but it was time to move on to my next adventure.. BARCELONA! Goodbye Arctic and Scandinavia, it's been a pleasure, but my heart is set on warmer, sunnier landscapes for now. 

My last snowy view, for a while. I flew over the Swiss Alps on my way to Spain.