Two of the most important things I brought with me on this trip: 

1) A Money Belt 

2) Flip Flops 

Let’s start with the money belt. It wasn’t fashionable, and it certainly did not make me look good, but it was perfect for peace of mind. I bought a belt  which would hold my passport and credit cards that I could wear under my shirt. It let me travel without stressing about having my stuff stolen from my bag, or my bag getting snatched out of my hands. It however, made me look like I was pregnant for most of my trip and was defintely not flattering when it came to meeting people. Most of the time I just shrugged it off, clearly because I would rather have the safety of having my important documents with me and hidden than explain to some new kid I met that I was not pregnant or extremely fat in a very strange location. 

Flip flops are the most important accessory if you are living it up in a hostel. First of all, you DO NOT want to take a shower in a shared bathroom without your flip flops. While most of them look clean, a lot of them don’t. Case in point my co-ed shared dorm in Granada. Every time we would take showers, Tal and I would try not to touch the walls or floor or anything but ourselves and the water. Flip Flops are also perfect for walking around in your questionably clean dorm rooms, and throughout the hostel themselves. You will thank yourself for bringing flip flops because they will save your life…and keep your feet and socks and shoes from smelling too bad. 

It can be nice to find yourself alone in a city where you don’t speak the language, as long as you’ve been there once before and know where you’re going. 

On my last day in Spain I had to return to Barcelona to catch my flight back to JFK. Thankfully I had already maneuvered the transit system and could make it to my hostel, without doing the hour long circular walk that I had done the first time. Upon reaching my hostel and dropping my things off I was exhausted, from getting only 4 hours of sleep again and having to take a flight on Ryanair (more on Ryanair later) on which I fell asleep as soon as I got on and had a nice 45 min nap. 

When you’re by yourself you can do anything at any time. You also feel extremely awkward sitting at tables in restaurants and walking through the streets where people keep staring at you, because you’re by yourself. 

I traversed through Barcelona and walked up and down, and again in a few more circles in time to see the Cathedral (they really love their churches in Spain), the Arc de Triomphe (yes Barcelona has one too), Parc Cituaduel (finally I found the place where everyone our age hangs out), and the pier. I spent the rest of the day just walking and walking along the main thoroughfare of La Rambla.

Walking had to be the best way of seeing more of a diverse Barcelona. Especially when one walks through the ethnic district and everyone there is definitely NOT spanish. 

Unfortunately being single in Barcelona sucks. There are no places to just sit and grab a drink, no cafes for the sole traveler, and no quaint little sandwich shops. It’s either restaurants for groups of friends and loving couples, or the side by side McDonlads and KFC. So, if you’re coming to Barcelona, and it’s Sunday with most of the other eatiers closed I warn you, you’re dinner is going to be a sandwich of bread, cheese, and meat like mine was. 

If you have just one day in Sevilla (pronounced Sebilla) I would suggest you go see these 3 things: 

1) Plaza Espanya 

   One of the most amazing pieces of design in Sevilla. It’s reminiscent of Venice, with waterways for rowboats that flow underneath a number of bridges all surrounded by a dazzling building of Spanish elegance. It is a little further from the other main sights, but is worth the walk. Even the travel to get there is filled with lovely historic style buildings and charming restaurants. 

2) Alcazar of Sevilla 

    It’s a royal palace that was built throughout 3 different centuries, featuring designs from the Muslim era, to the Moors, to Christianity. So the style of the building changes between wall and ceiling, and from room to room. It is worth the 8,50 Euro for non EU-students (If you have an EU student ID and you are below 25 years of age, you get in for 2 Euros) and I highly recommend you visit. The gardens behind the main palace feel like they go on forever. They were beautiful in the winter and I can only imagine what it would be like in the summer. 

3) Cathedral 

Located right next to the Alcazar. The Gothic design of the architecture is awe inspiring as you stand beneath the bell tower and crane your neck up. I would say seeing it from outside is good enough, as the mere structure itself is gorgeous. 

A funny thing happened at the Alcazar gardens. After a rushed morning and a night of broken sleep (more on drunken American study abroad students later) we thought we had left Granada behind. However, as we were about to take a picture we tapped a girl on the shoulder to help us out, and lo and behold it was our Columbian friend from Granada. She also happened to be our mysterious 3rd roommate in one of the less elegant hostels that we slept in. She joined our party for the night, and rounded us out to a lovely 4-some. 

If you are in Sevilla, the ONE thing you CANNOT miss is a Flamenco show. Thankfully Tal’s friend is studying Flamenco herself and knows of many nice flamenco shows and clubs. The three of us, Tal, our Columbian friend, and myself walked confusedly through deserted-slighlty scary back allies where upon 2 lovely Sevillian boys helped us find the club (One thing about Sevillan’s, they’re the friendliest we’ve met so far).  Tal’s friend joined us soon after and we had a chance to see an amazing Flamenco show. Flamenco is a mixture of aggressive feeling, fiestyness, and riverdance/tap dancing. A dancer with an amazing spirit combined with a strong singer and a beautiful guitar player create an epic show for us. 

Alas, only one day allows oh-so much, and thus I said good bye to Sevilla to fly to Barcelona by myself. 

Granada is the historical Islamic capital of Spain, and you can see it in the architecture and people and you can hear it in the language. ole..allah…woah! 

The old city of Granada (not the modern one) is picturesque. The best way to see it is walking the cobblestone streets and figureing out where you are and how to get to where you want to be. As the city with the most number of international students, Granada feels very homey for someone our age.

Things about/learned in Granada:

1. Dont judge the hostle. The first time I stepped into my mixed bed room it smelled like boys and sweat and dirty. It was horrendous and I immediately went downstairs and upgraded my room, by liking our hostle on facebook we got a free upgrade. The people I thought had been making the smell…turned out to actually be really awesome and not the cause. Just weeks of cold weather caused the room to be smelly. 

2. Go on free walking tours, by free I mean that you tip the tour guide at the end based on what you think they deserve. I met some great people from Edmonton, Calgary, Gaudalajara, New Zealend, Melbourne, and Munich. The boy from Guadalajara ended up being my bunk mate, totally awesome, and my little brother on the trip. I went to tapas and drinks with my Melbourne friend and ended up getting drunk at night with my Edmonton friend.

3.Chill out in the hostel common rooms. It’s how I met a girl from Melbourne who was so much fnun, these boys from Poland who helped us have a good time, and this girl from Columbia who was the sweetest translator ever. The polish guys and the girl from Melbourne ended up to being our roomates, and surprise we ended up wishing we’d staying in the room. 

4. Watch your stuff. 3 people got robbed within 24 hours. 2 of them in my room, one of them in the bed right next to me. They had kept their valuables near their pillows and in their coat pockets. Someone, in a span of half an hour robbed them of their camera, cell phone, id, and 200 euros. Lock everything up no matter who you’re staying with. 

5. La Alhambra is the fortress in Granada taken by Ferdinand and Isabel from the Muslims. It’s a must see and something that we should have alotted more time for. Granted, it was a bit overrated, but still very nice. Bring a good camera because there is so much detail and beauty. 

6. Bring good shoes and eat all different types of food. I had tapas from 4 different bars. 4 different kinds of tapas and 4 different drinks. It’s very very cheap too. I had great schwarma from an ex-pat French man who gave us great life advice, and I had Paella of chicken, prawns, mussles, tomatoes, peppers, and spanish rice made by a chef at the hostel. 

Granada is a great place for someone who likes a very historical vibe. I met awesome people I totally intend to stay in touch with, for however long possible. And, if you’re smart, then you’ll have a great time. 

In Sevilla I discovered what true Tapas is and why Spaniards don’t drink water. 

There is nothing comparable to Sevilla’s tapas. The plates are large, and are truly meant to be shared unlike what we had paid for in Barcelona. Some of the most amazing chicken with green mustard sauce, swordfish, and salmon I had the pleasure of eating. Although, I definitely showed my American colors by ordering 3 tapas for myself and ending up feel more than stuffed for the rest of the night. Tal’s good friend was our tour guide for the night and kindly told us the reason our waitress was shocked that we only ordered water. Apparently in spain the day starts with Coffe, goes to Cerveca, vino, coffee, and then vino or cerveca again. And the reason they eat so little is because they drink so much. Clearly, I was doing the wrong thing and should have been drinking more. 

Btw. Oasis Backpackers Hostel in Sevilla is awesome. A bit far from the airport station, but absolutely gorgeous. 

Early to bed early to rise to get to Granada. 

A hurried morning of Alberquinn hostel’s toast, nutella, and cereal.

Gaudi’s Parc Guell is by far the most fantastic thing in Barcelona. A hike up an incline was eased by escalators built into the sidwalk. Pictures on facebook will show I’m not kidding. Gaudi began with a small stone tower with a cross that visitors are allowed to climb up to. It’s a pretty view but a dangerous walk because one little push will throw you over the edge and there are a lot of tourists jostling for the best picture. As I said Gaudi’s art is all about undulating walls, mosaic, and the ocean. A vast sandy rink surrounded by mosaic walls of waves was held up by rows of columns amongst which mosaics of color swirls and sea animals popped colors. It was a stunning display of artwork. Gaudi also had rough hewn viaducts throughout his land that made you wonder if the rocky ceiling would come down on you with one push. Parc Guell is a perfect balance of art work, nature, and spectacular views. The park stretched out for miles but we very much enjoyed our hike down the streets of the surrounding metro area. 

The day would not be complete without the backpacker lunch of good bread *from the market*, cheese, meat, and fruit. 

On to Sevilla! 

If you are flying into Europe and want a decent meal on your international flight don’t choose Delta airlines. Just saying, their food made me regret meal times and being hungry sucked on an 8 hour flight. Next time I check Jet Airways.

Day 1 in Barcelona. 

First off, learning a little spanish would have helped. I got lost for an hour walking in a distinct sqauare from the Barcelona Sants railstation to the Alberquinn Youth Hostel. What was even more embarassing was that it happened to be about 10 min away. 

When I finally made it to the hostel  I was sweaty from carrying my bag, my coat, my sweater, and my purse. What was supposed to be a chilly vacation in Spain happened to be a nice 65 degree Fahrenheit walk for an hour. Since, hostels don’t usually let you check in before 11am, and in this case 1 pm, we decided to drop our bags off with the really nice reception girl Marta and head out. By we I mean, my friend Tal, her boyfriend Byron, and myself. 

By far, my best buy in Barcelona was the T-10 metro ticket. It got me from the airport and throughout the city for the best price. The first thing we saw was Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. His church which commenced in 1892 is still in the process of being built and is estimated to be finished between 2020 and 2040. After I saw the church I now undrstand why it’s taking so long. I also wonder, what the heck was Gaudi thinking. Each facade is in a different style. Gaudi went from colorful fruit on top of each spire, to a fir tree surrounded by white doves, to Jesus crucified with his head at such an angle that you can only see his face if you’re directly below him. It was an amazing work of art that was just really really strange.

Barcelona’s love of Gaudi does not end here. He is prevalent in most of the architectre in the city, and many buildings host is trademark undulating walls, color scheme, and mosaic designs. Upon the main shopping area on Paseig de Gracia (the Champs Elysee of Barcelona) we saw Gaudi’s Casa Mila and Casa Battlo both very much reminiscent of the ocean. To me they were sandcastles built for mermaids with shimmering blue, green, gold, and purple mosaic decorating the inside and outside and sandy undulating walls and exteriors. I really felt like I should be underwater.

One of the most fun parts of day 1 as the Market of la Boquiera. This market had amazingly bright fruit and vegetables, fresh baked bread, cheese *i love cheese, chocolate, nuts and dried fruit, fresh seafood and some things I have never seen, and red dark meat *even a goats head with eyes. It was a sensory overload. We snacked on almonds covered in chocolate flavored with possibly amaretto and dusted with powered coco, fresh fruit shakes, and fried dough balls filled with tuna and meat as we wandered the aisles of the market. Eventually we made it to the pigeon filled square underneath the Banca Central de Barcelona. Good food, a sunset, and good conversation with new friends was absolutely blissful. 

After Byron had left for Paris, Tal and I continued to wander the streets. We were able to sample a hot Focaccino which was toasted sweet bread filled with gelato *in our case blueberry vanilla and chocolate*. Of course no trip to Spain is complete without Tapas and Sangria. Tapas in Barcelona are small bit sized bites served either warm or cold accompanied by the best sangria I have ever had.

A long day of travelling, three hours of sleep, and  an entire day of walking makes one very tired. So a good rest was needed. 

Sitting on the plane makes me realize that a month ago all of this was a dream. What could have been a hazy possibility changed as a result of one book and a growing feeling of frustration at where life had brought me. As I read the book, the cover which will explain all, I realized that there was no point in just wishing I could be traveling.

If I wanted to have an adventure, well the only thing thankfully stopping me was myself.

So here I am, about to go visit a country I’ve been dying to visit for years. This is the first step of many, admitting that the key to getting what I want is to actual start the motion.