July 28: our last night in Barca =(
Tonight we went to dinner and went out dancing. It was a tragically good time... because it was so hard to say goodbye to everyone. I even cried. I just have such a hard time becoming such close friends with people in only a month, and then saying goodbye so quickly!

July 26
Tonight was another lovely night. We went to the oldest bar in Barcelona. The drinks were amazing, but not as great as the company.

ps- tragic reality: 2.5 more days in my beloved Barca

July 23
La Costa Brava= beautiful.
Monjuic Fountain Show= beautiful
Getting pickpocked= really sucky

A pickpocket stole B's camara from my purse. It was a terrible end to an amazing weekend.

July 18
My Birthday: 1) Foodballs for dinner. Yes, balls of food. I had two balls for my birthday dinner. Very interesting, somewhat tasty... (see pics)
2) Dancing at a discotecha in Barcelona. Fabulous. Just fabulous.

One of the things I love about Europe is the discotechas. It's not like in America where people are anxious and worried about their dancing skills. Nobody judges you. Nobody cares. You just dance and have a good time. And it is a good time!

July 17
It's my birthday... 21... hopefully it will be a good one!
ps- going to school/ doing ungoldy amount of homework here definately puts a damper on the whole exciting European vacation idea.

July 16
The fountain show is absolutely brilliant!
I am sitting here drinking my sangria and soaking it all in. We usually all come on Thursdays, but I wanted to come again tonight so this time I am by myself. It is so nice to finally have some quiet time. And the music, the colors, the power yet the grace of the water... it is so pacifying. I think this is one of only a few places in Barcelona that I find truly beautiful. Don't get me wrong though, I still love Barca. In fact, it is really growing on me.
Now that we've been here for two weeks we have kind of a routine and it really makes it feel like home.
I go to mass at Sagrada Familia three or four times a week. I love going to a little backery by our flat for breakfast. Every Tuesday we go to this restaurant called the Attick for dinner. On Thursdays we bring a sheet to sit on and some wine and bread and cheese to watch the fountain show.
It's pretty much fabulous. Even Brittany is getting along ok. I try to do everything I can to make her feel at home. Like the first day of school here, I decided to go grocery shopping while she was in class, thinking that if I buy her favorite foods maybe she'll stay for at least a few more days.
But I didn't think about the fact that I don't have a car and I would have to carry it all home. So as I'm checking out with my entire cart full, the woman asks me... in Spanish.. how I am going to get all the groceries home. I just started cracking up and told her I have no idea. So she tells me I can borrow the grocery cart! So there I am, walking down the streets of Barcelona, pushing a full-sized grocery cart. I then wheeled it into our building, into the elevator, and up to our flat. Brittany got home a few minutes later to find me, in the kitchen, unloading a grocery cart! It made her laugh though... and she stayed!
Eventually I brought it back, but I totally started a trend because I saw two of my roommates doing the same thing a week later!
Well, the fountain show is starting again and I think I am going to use it for poetic inspiration.
but ps- today when I was walking through the metro, I wasn't paying attention and accidently kicked a homeless accordian player's coin cup about 30 feet down the tunnel! I had to run after it and chase all of his five or so coins that went spinning different directions! Cause they had to all go different directions, of course. He never even stopped playing for a second, though! So I felt bad and gave him some of my change too.

July 15
Just got back from San Sabastian, and let me just say a little about the trip...
1) The bus on the way there was so miserably small that I had bruises on my knees by the time we got there from being pressed up so hard against the seat in front of me.
2) We took a tour of this hill/mountain top, and while I was sitting on the edge overlooking the cliff, letting my feet dangle, I thought "I should take my flip-flops off so they won't fall over the edge!"
So I took them off, only when I was turning to stand up I went to grab my shoes, and I don't really know what happened... it was all so fast. But I knocked one flip-flop over the edge of the cliff!
For some reason everyone else seemed to find this very funny. I tried to laugh about it, but I was the one walking around the whole town half-barefoot for the rest of the tour!
I didn't have any other shoes in San Sabastian so Brittany let me wear her flip flops (the other shoes the brought... high heel wedges... were too small for me). So yes, she wore high heels to the beach and everything the next day just for me!
3) Friday night, me, another girl named Annie, and two guys on our trip decided to go the beach. Instead of taking the stairs down, we jumped onto a rock about 6 or 7 feet below us and then climbed the rest of the way down. Well Brittany's flip-flops - that i was wearing- didn't hold up and when i hit, my feet slipped out from under me, and i landed on my butt, HARD. When I woke up this morning, my tailbone was so bruised I culdn't sit down!!! It hasn't gotten better... and needless to say the bus ride back was just as miserable as the one there.
4) Also at the beach, I was SO paranoid about having my purse stolen again, that I refused to leave it in the sand while we went in the water. I insisted on holding it over my head as I went splashing through the waves! Everyone thought I was rediculous but I kept telling them, "My dad always tells me: Trick me once, shame on you. Trick me twice, shame on me!"
I'm so cool.

July 13
Barcelona smells aweful. If you breath in through your nose, you smell the filth and then if you blow your nose, brown dirt comes out. But if you breath in through your mouth you taste the filth and after an hour you feel like you need to brush your teeth again.
It really makes me miss my sweet-smelling, air-conditioned suburban America.
So I went to KFC.
Luckily we leave for the beautiful coastal town of San Sebastian in the morning, and it will literally be a breath of fresh air.

July 9
Early this morning I did something I never thought I could actually do... I ran with the bulls in Pamplona!
I wrote my column for The Daily about it... so here it is:

"Run. Run fast. Don’t look back – and get out as quick as you can."
This was the last bit of advice I received before the rocket sounded and the bulls were released.
Isn’t it funny how such a simple sentence can save your life?
The running of the bulls festival is a tradition in Pamplona, Spain dating back to the 13th century.
I ran last weekend.
You would think Americans like me would leave the running up to the experienced Spaniards, but there is something about this adventure that intrigues so many of us and unfortunately even kills a few.
The intensity begins about an hour before the bulls are actually released when all the participants are packed into a small town square and cheered on by fans sitting behind barricades and in balconies overlooking the square.
Each runner seemed to either be scared shitless or too drunk to know that they should be scared shitless. The police were supposed to remove the ones who were obliterated, but I came across a few the police must have missed.
During that hour of anticipation, I think I tried to remember all of the tips bystanders and other runners had given me that morning. But my mind was spinning and my heart was beating too fast to allow myself to think.
The first rocket that goes off signals a 10-minute warning, and the participants begin walking in a surprisingly orderly fashion. But when the second rocket sounds, signaling the release of the bulls, the sudden chaos is absolutely indescribable.
The words, “Run. Run fast. Don’t look back – and get out as quick as you can,” kept replaying in my mind, and I could feel the ground rumbling even though the bulls were still a quarter of a mile away.
I think I ran for about three seconds.
Well, I’m not sure it could actually be considered running. It was more like I was swept up by this British friend I’d made and practically flown through the crowd.
But after about three seconds of that, I spotted an open rail. “Get out as quick as you can,” I remembered, and the next thing I knew I was diving through the rails of the barricade.
Of course, I landed in a pile of bullshit – literally, but at least I was safe.
I had managed to escape before actually seeing any of the bulls, but the rumbling of the ground and fierceness of the other runners was enough to heighten my adrenaline for hours.
Plus, I then had a front-row seat for watching the rest of the race.
As the more courageous runners went by, barely escaping the ferocious bulls, I was so grateful for those last simple words of advice from my British life-saver.
From that I think I learned five things: Run. Run fast. Don’t look back. Get out as quick as you can – and most importantly, listen to the advice of people with more experience than you, because a simple sentence can save your life.

July 3
Last night was so much fun! We went to a bar calledd Chupitos where I met a group of people from Belgium.
It turns out one of the guys liked me, so they all started talking to me and trying to convince me to make the guy (Chris) my boyfriend for the night. Apparently he is a med school student/ aspiring novelist in his spare time. Impressive. (If it was true).
Well I turned my back for a second, and when I turned back around, all the guys in the group (there were about 8) were lined up about 20 feet in front of me. One of the girls explained that they were lining up for me, and I got to take my pick as to which one I wanted to make my boyfriend for the night! I had to eliminate them one by one, giving reasons for each elimination. I felt like I was on some television dating show!
But finally I eliminated all but Chris and they all took pictures of us as he kissed me on the cheek, and then they left us alone to walk down Las Ramblas holding hands- now I felt like i was in some cheezy chick-flick movie!
By this point the entire group I had come with had gone home so it was just me and the Belgians! And I had a really cute boyfriend for the evening!

July 6
Last night my purse got stolen. But the day didn't start out all that bad!

Yesterday we began the day by going to La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo. The two ended up being my favorite of all the sights I've seen in Europe at this point. At La Sagrada Familia, we ended up in the crypt where Gaudi is buried right as Mass was starting. It is said that Mass is Universal, but no service I have ever been to can compare to that one. Even though the Mass was said in Catalan, which is vastly different from Spanish, I could still sense the passion in their words. It didn't matter that I couldn't understand much of anything, because I understood the soul meaning of the words.

Casa Batllo was also an amazing experience. Unique for its time and even still today, the building encorporates the flowing curves of nature and colors of the earth to create a connection between civilization and nature. Gaudi's architectural genious instantly became my Spanish obession.

Later that night, though, we found our way to the the beach, which is always best at night. Unfortunately, I set my purse down while we went running into the water, and when I returned... both my purse and my friend Betsy's purse were long gone. As if that wasn't bad enough, Betsy had decided to go skinny dipping and had put all her clothes in her purse! So there was Betsy, running around in her underwear, sreaming that she is going to kill the bastard who took her favorite skirt. What a site!

I honestly felt bad for her, but oh how I was thankful that I kept my clothes on!

July 1
I absolutely love it here in Barcelona. Last night we had a welcome dinner and spent the rest of the evening exploring the city. There seems to be so many treasures here. I could spend all day wandering the narrow streets and taking in every intricate detail. Life here in Spain is different than anything I've experienced before, so liesurely and mellow. It seems as though there is something interesting or exciting to see in every corner of the city.

Anyway, we are about to go find out where we will be living for the next month... another highly anticipated activity! But my roommate Brittany keeps wandering off. And every time she is missing for more than five minutes, I know it's because she is trying to convince someone (her mom, the CEA people etc.) to let her go home to the states. I don't know how long she'll last here, but if it was up to her, she'd be back at the airport right now. I know what it's like to be homesick though, so I am trying to be supportive. I just don't want to miss out on all the adventures that await us!

June 27
So now here I am, lying on the soft, green grass underneath the Eiffel Tower watching the sun set and attempting to write poetry. I am trying to be philisophical and take advantage of the insirpation this scenery provides, because I've always wanted to be able to say, "Yea, I wrote that while lying underneath the Eiffel Tower watching the sun set."

Unfortunately, I keep getting interupted by Frenchmen. I have had to move 3 times now to avoid their propositions. They are relentless!

But now that the sun has finished setting... there are fireworks! Lots of beautiful fireworks and cheering! France just eliminated Spain from the World Cup tournament, and the entire city is going crazy! How amazing to be sitting here soaking all of this up! I want to remember this moment forever.

ps- I would highly reccommend the stairmaster as preparation for Paris. My entire body aches after climbing thousands of steps to reach the top of so many monuments!

June 27
We have arrived in Paris! Yesterday morning we went to mass at Notre Dame and then climbed to the top of the bell tower. With each step up that winding staircase, so dark and narrow, I felt myself drift away and my imagination take over. Memories of myths and fair tales flooded my mind. The historic element is simply magical in a place with a past like Paris.

Then Brittany convinced me to take that giant, red tour bus around the city. You know, the double-decker ones that you kind of laugh at when you see them go by and you think, haha... ignorant tourists. Well, it was a compromise. I said I'd take the bus if she would climb the stairs. So far we have climbed the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame bell tower, the Arc de Triumph, and the Sacre Cure Basillica. All offered beautiful sights every step of the way, and breathtaking views from the tops.

But the best part of Paris, in my opinion, was definitely Moulan Rouge. It was so amazing! Yes, the girls were pretty much naked, but they were classy and respectable. It wasn't all about the girls, though. There were male dancers who were fully clothed and offered great talent, as well as jugglers and clowns who sparked laughter and hilarity in the audience. It was truly a fascinating display of entertainment in such a rich culture.

Today we woke up with the early morning sun and took a train to Champagne where we went on a tour of the champagne caves of Moet and Chandon. I participated in my first Champagne tasting! And I feel so sophisticated now.

June 25
We just got to Paris. It is raining and so far not my favorite. But tonight we climbed up the Eiffel Tower in the rain, which was amazing! Well, I loved it... but I wouldn't go so far as to say that Brittany did. Actually, she pretty much hated it. Oh well... we still have a couple days here and hopefully it will get better.

June 24
As if staying on my old family farm and hiking through the Alps didn't give us enough of a taste of the Swiss culture, we definitely went to Switzerland's annual yodeling festival tonight!
It was absolutely fascinating and comical at the same time! All the yodelers wore traditional costumes that identified them with the region or city they are from. The clothing does more than just identify though, it also reveals the wealth of the region. Poorer areas sport simple, bland designs while the wealthy regions display gold lining and fancy accessories.

Thousands of people come form Switzerland, Austria and Germany for the festival each summer. You can find them congregating spontaneously in the streets offering yodeling serenades throughout the weekend! Then there are the bugle and alphorn players. Alphorns are similar to bugles but are much bigger. In fact, they are taller than most of the people who play them. It was just priceless to see these men, including my great uncle, in extensive constumes, playing these alphorns in the middle of the steet.

It was another unique adventure that took us from tourists to townies in so little time.

June 23
Today we went paraglyding off the Swiss Alps! It was the most freeing feeling. It was as if I was flying, really, and I felt absolutely limitless. It reminded me of this song from Wicked that goes, "And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free!" What a perfect thought for my life right now. Yes, I am flying solo, but at least I'm flying, right? So many people wait around for their life to evolve into the picture-perfect one they have always dreamed of, but I don't want to spend my time waiting for something to happen, I want to fly away and experience everything I can in a whirlwind so that I will never look back thinking I wasted even a day.
When I was up over that glacier lake, looking at the mountains and forest and sky-blue water, I decided I want to enjoy every moment of my life as much as I enjoyed that moment. I never want to let this feeling of freedom, adventure and confidence fade.

June 22
My day began in Dallas. Then New York City. And as soon as our plane arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, we hopped straight on a train to Stutgart, Germany to see a World Cup match. Well, we didn't actually ever go inside the stadium, but we definitely experienced the insanity of "football" in Europe.

We ate a traditional German meal with all the Ausies and crazy Croatians who were there to watch their game. We even tried Germany beer, but it was a bit too strong for our tastebuds.

I know I shouldn't be surprised by how friendly everyone is here, but I can't help being shocked to experience more than the southern hospitality I grew up with. We've met so many people on the train and in the city, and it's so evident that everyone is interested in everyone else's story! I love that sense of camaraderie that is instantly established among travelors. I also love learning about the lives of people so different than me. I think that is why I have such a passion for journalism. Even though I can't be a rural farmer, a teacher at an inner-city school, a professional firefighter and a human rights lawyer all at the same time, at least I can learn about the lives of all those people through interviews for articles. The same idea applies to tragedy and success. I may not know what it feels like to loose a child or win the Nobel Peace Prize, but I can learn through writing stories about people who do.

I think that will be one of the greatest things about this trip.... meeting so many interesting people who lead lives so far from mine.

THE BLOG IS BORN
So I have always been reluctant to start a blog because I figure I use up all of the attention the world owes me by talking so much.
But then when I got to Spain, several people informed me that all the crazy things that happen to me are not common. Apparently it is not normal to loose a shoe off the side of a cliff or have your own selection of young Belgian men for the evening. A girl I met here, Jo, made a comment that I better be keeping a journal.... because she wants to borrow it and pretend all the stories are hers.
And because I have been keeping a journal, I decided I would just type up the entries and start a blog! So here I go... traveling through Europe with my best friend, Brittany, and only a big suitcase and my parents' credit card to last me the next seven weeks! Who could ask for more?

P.S.- this way if you read the posts, you won't have to listen to all my stories when I get home!