The Last Weekend in Spain

On Saturday, we took a train about an hour away to a coastal town called Sitges. The day for it was perfect. Clear sky, sunshine, and it was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Danelle and I had a goal to find stamps and a post office so that we could get some postcards mailed before we did anything else. We found out that stamps in Spain are sold at the tobacco shop. We finally found a tobacco shop, and got our stamps before heading a couple blocks over to the post office. 

Once we had our postcards taken care of, we headed to the beach to enjoy the Mediterranean. At the beach, we saw people lounging and enjoying the sunshine. It was a bit chilly for me to imagine being out there in a bathing suit (or less in some cases!), but people did it. It was all I could do to stick my feet into the cold water, but I'm glad I did. I can't wait to come back some day when it's warm to get in the water and enjoy a little more of the Mediterranean. We had fun frolicking and making sand sculptures and enjoying each other's company. It was a welcome break from the academics and a great time to just hang out. After spending some time at the beach, we were all hungry, so our group went in search of a place to grab a bite to eat. We finally decided on a little sandwich shop on a side road. Our remaining afternoon was spent enjoying the shops and walking around the town before we headed back to the train station for a ride back to Barcelona. 

After all, we had to get to dinner at our favorite restaurant one last time. We had been here like 4 times now. The server at the restaurant recognized us and picked up the phone to call our favorite waiter. I'm pretty sure his name was Ignatio, but don't hold me to it. He might just change it when he feels like it just to mess with people's heads. It was so good to get to eat here one more time. The food was always good and our waiter ALWAYS entertaining, and this time was the best yet. I will miss this place.

The next day was Sunday and Danelle and I went in search of a ceramics shop that Katelyn had mentioned. We found it tucked in next to a bunch of souvenir shops near the Santa Maria del Mar. We first went into the church to take a look before the mass started. Beautiful architecture, such a contrast to the much more modern Gaudi work. We didn't have much time to look around before mass started, so we took advantage of the time that we did have and enjoyed it. 

The ceramics shop had lots of things made by local artists and this was right up my alley. I love ceramics, and this was the best kind of souvenir. Something hand made by someone here instead of mass produced in China to be sold someplace else. One of a kind pieces. I picked a bowl and Christmas ornament for me and a spoon rest for my mom before we went on our way. 

We got our shopping finished and went back to the hotel to finish packing and grab a siesta before going to dinner. It was going to be a long evening and we wanted to grab whatever rest we could. We got up and went to Tapa Tapa for dinner and then went to the stadium to watch an awesome FC Barcelona game! The stadium was packed, the energy was alive, and everyone there was a superfan. I couldn't make out everything the gentleman behind me was saying, but he was definitely using colorful language in his cheering and would every now and then begin a chant which others would join in on. We had seats 19 rows up from the field, behind the goal. Great location and worth the extra euros to see all the action. FC Barcelona won 4 -1 and everyone went home happy. We went back to the hotel to catch a few z's before we had to meet in the lobby at 3:30 am to catch our flight home. 

What an experience. I hope to get back to Spain soon to visit again, but I also hope to meet up again with my classmates again because of the friendships made while we were there. The cultural experiences and the learning experiences were priceless and I would encourage anyone who is considering a trip like this to do what it takes to go and to enjoy every minute of the experience. The things you learn from a trip like this go much farther than any lesson from a text book. The memories you will take with you will last a lifetime.