iMe Encanta Barcelona!

Sorry for the absence my faithful blog readers, wi-fi in the airports was minimal, and this is the first time that I have really been able to sit and catch my breath!

Today was our first full day in Barcelona. Believe it or not, I have not really experienced any jet lag (today). Yesterday was a different story! It was a long, exhausting 24 hours of travel, with very little sleep, but we finally made it and we fell in love with the city almost immediately.

Here we go - the beginning of our first (nine hour) flight!

A meal fit for a princess!

A little midnight snack

My find in the Frankfurt airport - who else remembers these being the best kind of M&M's?

Our dorm is absolutely beautiful and this city, y'all, it is amazing. We were here for maybe two hours before we went to meet our RA, Flor, who is just so incredibly sweet. She showed us how to get to the metro station, helped us to buy our metro passes, and showed us how to actually use the metro system, as we decided to go over to the IES center, where we will be taking classes, as a group. Though Sarah and I were tired, and not necessarily feeling up to it, we both agreed that we were glad we went. We knew this morning would be an early one, and that it would be extremely helpful to already know how to get to the metro station and to know how to navigate the system. It is actually pretty easy and I feel as though I am starting to get the hang of it!

My Metro pass!

From The Center

The walk back to the dorm

This morning started out bright and early, as I was expected to be over at the IES Center for a 9:00am orientation. I slept so soundly, despite the paper-thin walls and our singing neighbors! After a delicious breakfast (all the meals here have been wonderful, although I am never entirely sure as to what I am eating!) I ended up being in an orientation class with the people who will be in my Spanish class for the summer. Over half of them are from UT, which let me tell you, it is nice to have some fellow Texans in the mix! I didn't know any of them before, but ended up discovering that Chris and I have some mutual friends through BYX and YoungLife. After orientation, my group went on a scavenger hunt around Graciá. It is an absolutely beautiful area of Barcelona, and it is near Parc Guell, a place to which Sarah and I plan to go tomorrow after our language class orientations.

El Desayuno

A Street in Graciá

After a delightful lunch, we came back to our room to attempt to plan some future weekend travels. We were unsuccessful in submitting our credit cards, but we are hoping to get that done soon, as a flight to Paris is only 16 euros! Talk about a great deal!

Almuerzo

We then headed back over to the IES Center for the IES Welcome Party. We met some new people, said hello to friendly faces, and enjoyed some delicious food. Y'all, the food in Spain is so good. I never really know what I am eating, but I am trying to be adventurous and try everything, and so far I have thoroughly enjoyed all of it. I have eaten quite a bit of ham and pork, which is fine with me, as I think both of those meats are absolutely delicious!

After about an hour at the party, we headed back toward our dorm so that we could buy an international phone. We both have our iPhones, but neither of us have the international plan, which is fine with me, as I am now the owner of a really stylish Samsung flip phone!

Naturally, Sarah and I were both feeling a workout, well, we actually weren't, but we told ourselves that we would feel better if we did - plus, we gotta get started on that six-pack! I brought along a Jillian Michaels Six-Week to Six-Pack workout DVD that I found (unopened) in my room before departure, and we decided that it must be fate. Our program is six weeks long - perfect time for us to get a six-pack! Kidding, but it will definitely be something that holds us accountable. That, some different cardio circuits, and some beachside runs thrown into the mix, we are going to be golden. We certainly won't have any regrets when it comes to sampling all of the delicious food surrounding us!

We are absolutely loving it here, and I can't say that I miss the United States (yet). This place is wonderful, and there is so much to explore and do and see. Speaking of, we are about to map out our next couple days. Talk to y'all soon - hope your last few days have been as wonderful as mine!