Nice France and Monico

I managed to stay up and get on the train to head to Nice France at 7am.  And I don't mean nice as in good or great France.  Nice is a place.  If I did an all nighter or not, the train from Barcelona to nice was the worst.  It was 10 hours with 4 connections.  So really no time to sleep a lot.  And for that matter you can not really fall asleep or you could miss your connection.   Now I don't really fall asleep on planes, trains, or cars like other people ( Andrew Monteleone) .  That was not the case this time.  I passed out on the very first train.   I woke up to the train cleaning staff shaking my shoulder.  I quickly jumped to my feet and looked around to see what stop I was at.  I was the only one left on the train.  It turned out that I was at the right connection and still had time for the next one.  The other 3 connections went smoothly.

I spent one full day in nice and one full day in Monaco.  Nice was nice.  The French Riviera is not everything it is cracked up to be.  The beach really close to my hostel was very rocky.  Like really rocky.  Makes me think the jersey shore isn't that bad.. . .  oh no wait.  New Jersey is still bad.   So we asked the front desk and they told me and a friend I meet that was also trying to go to another beach about a place with sand.  We both went to a nice small beach one train stop before Monaco.  The beach was a lot better with actual sand.  After spending a few hours there we headed to Monaco.

Monaco was awesome.  It was exactly how everyone said.  If you are not driving a Ferrari or a Bentley your probably the poor kid in school.  We had a good time taking pictures of all the exotic cars.  At first I was snapping pictures of every Ferrari and Lamborghini.  By the end of the day it was normal.  We went to the famous Monte Carlo Casino ( it is the casino in the James bond movie casino royal).    Although a lot of people are intimidated and just take pictures of the exotic cars on the outside, we decided to walk in.  Yup, damp swim trunks and all.  They surprisingly didn't say anything or kick us out.  So I put a whooping 10 euros down on red.  Casinos are no different then in the united states.  I was walking out the front door 10 euros lighter in about 5 minutes hahha.  It was fun to say I played at the Casino Royal though.  After a full day of fancy cars and yachts we were ready to head back.
While waiting for the train we somehow got talking to these two girls.  The one girl asked us to guess her age.  I really had no idea.  I guessed 17 and my friend was going to guess 18. . . .  she was 14.  Then she told us to try and guess her friends age.  We both looked at each other and I said out loud,   "I really don't like this game" haha.  So after talking to them for a little longer we realized the train didn't come.  We checked again and the next train wasn't going to come till about 10:30.   This was a problem because I was switching hostels and I needed to be checked in by 11 unless they were otherwise notified.  So we were just sitting there contemplating what to do.  It just worked out that another two French girls that sat next to use had internet on their phone.  I was able to get the number to the hostel and they also let me use their phone to call the hostel as well.  I was able to tell the hostel I was going to be a little late and they said they would wait.   I had a place to sleep after all.  Sometimes things work out.
So on the train ride back me and my friend were talking to the two French girls that helped us out.  Who would have guessed. . .the one 14 year old girl was on the train and walked up to us.  So she is trying to talk to us and we are just looking at each other like this is a bad idea.  Then she takes out her iPhone and asks us if we have a Facebook and could put our names in her phone.   At this point I was just so confused.  We actually did end up giving her our names for some reason.  And just when things couldn't get any weirder two more French girls come over. So at this point me and my friend are talking with two girls who let us borrow their phone, a 14 year old stalker girl, and two other girls.  I just started laughing on the train.   As a mechanical engineer this is definitely not an everyday event. The last two girls that came over were definitely ( pardon my French ) very bitchy.  I couldn't understand what they were saying but I could tell.  It turned out that they were jealous that the other three girls could speak English and they couldn't.  What ever the case, they were not this nicest people in the world. 
We headed to the hostel and check in went smoothly.  For some reason when checking in i was in one of those laughing  moods.  The desk lady asked if I was drunk even though I was really completely sober.  Unfortunately because we got back late all the grocery stores and shops were closed so we ended up going to a restaurant and ordering pizza.  Now I'm a little behind on my blog so I have already been to Italy and I can still say that was my favorite pizza I had all trip.   That spicy olive oil that they gave you to put on top just really made it.

All together i had a great time at both Nice and Monaco.  Fancy cars, hot girls, and rich old men. I was not apart of any of that but it was still really cool to see it as a poor college graduate tourist haha.

Barcelona day 4

My last and finally day in Barcelona :'(  By this time I had finished most of all the main touristy things and was looking to get a better feel for the culture.  So the day before I messaged my cousin Katherine and asked if I could meet up with her house mother, Carmen, that was born and raised in Barcelona (house mom means someone that hosted Katherine as she studied in Barcelona for several months).  Katherine provided me the number and I gave her a call.  The tricky thing was that she spoke about as much English as I did Spanish.  So after a few tries I finally understood that we were meeting at the Fontana train stop at 5 the next day.   I later messaged Katherine to see if she could give her a call and make sure everything was set.  So the time and place was all set and verified.
So I left a few minutes early because I didn't want to be late and make a bad first impression.  So 5 rolled around and I was anxious to meet her.  It was a few minutes past five and I was starting to get a little worried but Katherine told me that she had a meeting before hand so she might be a little late.  During this time I was walking from train exit to train exit seeing if anyone was waiting.   At this point I realized it would have been good to know exactly what she looked liked.  I had a vague picture in my head from a photo Katherine showed me for a few seconds about a month ago.   I was getting a little desperate and started walking up to anyone that looked like they were waiting for someone and said "my cousin is Katherine".  No cigar.  So at this point its way past the meeting time and I decided to head back to the hostel, get WiFi, and Skype call her.   She picked up and I couldn't quite understand so I walked up to the guy at the front desk and gave him my phone so he could interpret for me.  Yeah . . . . . I was at the completely wrong stop.  I felt so bad.  He told me that she was walking here to pick me up.  I felt sooooo bad.  The day before the very first original plan was to meet at Diagonal , which is the stop I was at, but she changed it to Fontana because Diagonal had so many exits.  I really screwed that one up.   You know how you prepare for something and get so ready for that something that you forget the little details.  Like getting ready for a big presentation and you leave the flash drive with your presentation on it at home.  Well that's kind of what happened to me.
After saying sorry a bunch of times and telling her I was being crazy in Spanish we headed to the Gothic district and las ramblas for a tour.  She brought a friend with her that interpreted for me which was a big help.  The tour was incredible.  She showed me where she used to live as a little girl and the church her parents got married and she knew every corner and bit of history that went with the Gothic district.  We stopped at a little pastry shop that was on the road she used to live on and they bought me churros de chocolate.   I think I was the only tourist there hahah.   These were not just pastries dipped into chocolate, they were pastries dipped in heaven.   They were sooooo good.  I attached a picture below (trust me, it looked very neat and pretty before I got a hold of it).  So after the tour I said goodbye to Lydia and took a taxi back with Carman.  We stopped in a restaurant and she bought me a beer while she waited for her take out food to be ready.  So we both finished our drinks and I was getting ready to say bye and thanks for everything. . . . .  . i ended up going back to her house and having dinner with her and her current student.  How crazy is that.   I told you the Spanish are really nice.   The potatoes were out of this world.   We had a really nice time laughing and talking at the dinner table.  I left at about 10:30 at night and said bye and thanks for everything.  Before I left she also gave me a sugary bread type pastry and a sandwich for the road. 
If you are reading this Carmen, thank you so much for your amazing hospitality and generosity.  I had an amazing time and hope to see you in Barcelona or in the united states.   And thank you Lydia and Trang for translating.  That was a big help.
I walked back to the hostel with a big smile on my face and in just a good mood.  When I got back everyone was pre gaming and getting ready to go out at 11:30.  So I was talking to the other two girls in my room while I was packing up to get a 7 am train in the morning.  I ended up deciding to go out.  Last day in Barcelona so I felt obligated.  I ended up going out with everyone with the hostel.  I had been there for a few days now so I knew a lot of people but the roomies and I clicked the best.  It was to bad it was my last day because we had such a great time.  And I'm sure most of you did the math already. . . . going out at 11:30 and train leaves at 7am.   If you guessed all nighter you guessed right :-).  So we got back a little before 6am and me and the roomies stayed up just laughing all night.  An amazing day to end my stay at Barcelona I would say.

Barcelona day 3

As much as I enjoyed the Fabrizio's hostel and the all you can eat breakfast all day everyday, I was ready to explore somewhere else in Barcelona.  So I booked 2 nights at the saint jordi diagonal hostel in Barcelona.  I later loved the hostel so much I added another night.
Barcelona day 3 consisted of mainly Parc Guell.  I had been meeting a lot of people over the past week or so and was looking forward to walking around the park by myself and taking pictures.  I asked the front desk where to go and I was off.  Just before I got to the park I got a little turned around and didn't know exactly where to go.  I asked a lady if she knew where the park was and it just so happened she was in search of of he park as well.  So we both headed to the park together and actually ended up spending the whole day together.  ( funny how you meet people)
The park definitely had Gaudi written all over it.  From the funny looking gingerbread type house to the brightly colored trencadis tiles.  It also turned out that I wasn't the only one that liked taking photos.  I think she took more pictures with her iPhone that day then I did all week haha. 
After the park we decided to take the metro to the magic fountain and the mall.  Unfortunately the magic fountain was not running that day so we headed to the mall.  And no it wasn't to go shopping for blue jeans and some socks.  Even on vacation guys still don't enjoy shopping one bit.  This mall had an elevate that took you to the top so you could walk all the way around and have beautiful views of the city.  I believe the mall used to be the old bull fighting arena but don't quote me on it. 
After the mall we both headed to the metro and said our fair wells and it was back to the hostel for me.  When I got to the hostel I was reminded that they have a bar crawl every night.  Yeah . . . . every night.   That's Barcelona for you.  And the bar crawl doesn't even leave till 11 which is right up my alley.   For everyone that tried to go to the bars with me at Penn State, you know I don't like going out till 10 or 11.  So I had a half hour to change and get ready to head out with everyone at 11.  At this hostel the bar crawl always goes to a bar for an hour or two and then to a night club to finish the night.  It turned out that the night I arrived at the hostel they were going to the famous bar of 300 shots.   It was pretty inexpensive and the shots were soooo crazy.  I took 4 shots in total with the group.  We took a citrus, campfire,  lays chip, and a freeze shot.

The citrus shot was a shot glass filled with alcohol and then half a partially hallowed out orange sitting on top of the shot glass filled with alcohol as well.  So you had to take a shot out of the orange, then squeeze the orange into the shot glass, and then take the shot.

The campfire shot was my favorite.  For this shot everyone got a stick with a mini marshmallows on the end and a shot glass.  The bar tender poured 151liquor all over the bar countertop and then set it on fire.  You had to roast your marshmallow over the flame.  The marshmallow pretty much catches on fire for everyone.  You then take your flaming marshmallow and dunk it in the shot.  Next you eat the marshmallow and then take the shot.  It was probably my favorite because of all the fire. 
The lays chip shot was a lays chip with a little bit of Tabasco sauce at the end sitting half way in the shot glass.  This one was pretty self explanatory.  You just eat the chip and then take the shot.  It definitely tingles a lot of different taste buds.
So the last shot was a free shot on the house.  After taking it I could see why it was free.  I imagine it had the same effect as drinking mouth wash.  This shot is held in your mouth and swished around like mouthwash until the bar tender counts down from 10.  Then you take the shot and right after you take a deep breath.  It was pretty much a miserable time.   It froze your head and warmed my stomach.  It was quite comical watching everyone else's faces and groans though.  After that we were all finished with shots for the night, so off to the dance club.  It is nice that with the hostel the covers are all free and you can get right into the front of the line at both the clubs and bars.
The dance club was awesome.  Slasa dancing the night before was a blast but the dance clubs definitely play music I am way more familiar with.  I was dancing with a girl from Canada and boy were we tearing it up.  At one point we made a little circle in the middle of the dance floor and were definitely turning some heads.  It must have been those salsa moves I learned the night before I guess haha.  So after we went our separate ways I went back over to dance and sing with friends from the hostel.  When we got back I went to the 24 7 grocery store with a guy I meet and we made sandwiches for a nice morning snack.  I also learned that night that ear plugs are definitely a necessity in hostels.. . . 

Barcelona day 2

Unfortunately Juan could only stay Friday evening and Saturday.  So we said our good byes and it was back to work for Juan.  Thanks for everything Juan and I'm sure I will see you in the states.
So I booked the hostel one more night and headed off to finally see the sagrada familia with the room mates from Brazil.   We purchased the tickets online to prevent any lines. 

When we got there the church was just as breath taking as it was at night. I've already seen a few churches at this point but the Segradia Familia is like no other church I've seen. It has a very Gothic feel on the opposite side of the entrance, a modern feel by the entrance, and a forest feel on the inside. But it is not just the looks of this church that are interesting and different.

Unlike other churches the Segradia Familia was not just planned out, built, and finished. Its actually far from that. The Segrada Familia began construction in 1882 and has Gaudi's signature work all over it. Gaudi was 30 when he was employed for the project. At about 1910 the generous donations slowed significantly and construction speed on the church decreased significantly as well. To keep things moving, Gaudi moved his shop on-site so he could work next to his great masterpiece. 16 years later Gaudi died right outside the church by a brutal death by tram. It is said that Gaudi liked to dress very casual and looked almost as if he was poor. And in 1926 he was hit by a tram and supposedly everyone thought he was a homeless bum and decided to just leave him there. It was not till after his death that everyone realized that the famous Antoni Gaudi had passed away. After his death everything went downhill for the church. Construction was stopped all together and civil war broke out followed by people raiding Gaudi's tomb in 1936. All the plaster molds were smashed, documents destroyed, and his shop was set on fire :'( Construction had continued based on reconstructed models and has definitely took a turn from Gaudi's original vision. It is planned to be completed in 2036 and if projects are anything like they are in the united states, I'm sure it will take longer.

After visiting the sagrada familia we headed to the castle of Montjuic. In Catalan, montjuic means " mountain of the jews" after the old cemetery that used to be there. The castle was not anything to write home to your mom about but the panoramic views of the city and the ocean definitely were.

On a side note, I'm heading to Interlaken Switzerland from Florence Italy on a train and completely forgot to validate my ticket. Whoooops. There is a nice 40 euro charge that goes with that.

After we visited the castle we headed back to the hostel for a nice cat nap. And oh yeah, I'm on the regional train to Interlaken now and I didn't have to pay the fine. I was talking to an older gentlemen who could only speak Italian about where I was going and what I graduated with and so on and so forth. Its nice that Italian and Spanish are so close. Anyways, he talked to the ticket guy and said something about me being an american and the ticket guy said it won't be a problem just next time!

So after we all took a cat nap, we went outside to figure out where to go that night. After talking with a local girl she recommended a nice salsa dancing place. We all looked at each other and decided to go for it. So the three of us and the local girl set off to go salsa dancing. The place was very small and not that crowded but had a great vibe to it. Not to flatter myself but I am a pretty good dancer and can pop lock and drop it when some Usher or Michael Jackson comes on. When it came to salsa dancing it was back to the basics for me. The music was a mix of both salsa and some type of funky jazz. I must have been either looking good in my button down shirt or looking like I had two left feet and needed some help. I think it might have been a little more of the second choice but what ever the reason was a girl came over and took both my hands and started showing me the basic steps and where to put my hips. I might have been the most sober person there but by the end I was having a blast.

. . . .This is soooo rough. I usually just type up my blog on the train from place to place but that is not possible in Switzerland. I'm on the regional train and there are snowy mountains everywhere. I am moving from one side of the train to the other looking out the windows. I think the locals are looking at me like I'm crazy but I'm sure they get this a lot hahaha. I am sooooooo sooooo anxious to get to my hostel. Whoooop. Whoop.

So back to finishing up the day back in Barcelona almost a week ago . . . quickly. I later walked the girl back to her hostel and dropped her off, weird piercings, may or may not have had the police called on me, strange hookers on Las Ramblas street, beautiful solo walk on the beach at 7am watching the sunset, late night/early morning snack at the hostel ( all you can eat all day everyday remember :-) , and then off to bed.

(I love taking pictures of everyone else taking pictures. I get some funny looks and it really cracks me up for some reason)

Barcelona day 1

My train from Granada arrived in Barcelona in the evening and I was anxious to explore the city.   I had the hostel booked for two people for the weekend, which was a first for me being used to always booking solo.  It happened that my moms trapeze/aerial arts instructor, Juan Pablo, had been in Spain for the last few months and had the weekend free and was able to visit me in Barcelona. 

I arrived at the hostel about an hour or two before Juan arrived so I figured I would wander around the city by myself.  When I was about to turn around and head back I came across the breath taking sagrada familia ( so your on the same page its a cathedral designed by Gaudi). After taking lots of pictures of it all lit up, I was really looking forward to seeing it during the day and going inside. 
About the same time i arrived back at the hostel Juan arrived as well.  It was really crazy that I was meeting up with a guy that I meet for about 45 minutes a few months ago.  And never the less that was thousands and thousands of miles away.  That night we did a little pre-gaming in the hostel with two other people from brazil.   That night we heading to the beach and the clubs.  As much as i like traveling alone it is always nice to have a companion every once in awhile.  Especially if they can speak Spanish :-).   Instead of me pointing to locations on a map for a taxi driver , Juan just jumped in the co pilot seat and took care of everything.  When we got to the beach it was a zoo.   Drunk people everywhere and locals wandering the beach trying to sell you everything from  beers to wallets to marijuana.   Unfortunately we didn't get to the clubs till late so everything was packed and it reminded me quickly it was a weekend.  Lucky enough I was in Barcelona for a few more days so I would be able to go on a weekday.  We were able to get into a less crowded club and get a drink or two.  It didn't take me long to realize that you don't buy drinks at a nightclub in Barcelona.  I asked for two rum and cokes and handed the bar tender 20 euros.  All I got back was a receipt.. . .   that's about 13 us dollars for one drink.  Lesson learned!  After having a great night we all got in the taxi and headed home.  It was getting a little chilly outside  so I decided to roll up my window.  And right when I had my window rolled all the way up some guy threw a beer can at the taxi and it splattered all over the window I just rolled up.  I guess the taxi driver was honking his horn at someone and apparently that someone didn't approve.  Definitely a close call that I won't forget haha.

The next day was my first full day in Barcelona.  The hostel was not the best hostel I have stayed at but they had all you can eat breakfast all day everyday.  So muffins, croissants , yogurt, and juice for breakfast lunch and dinner I guess!  Juan was able to get a hold of a lady he meet a few months back that was a local to the area and could show us around the Gracia area in the evening.  Until then we walked around the city and the beach.  At the beach people were playing volleyball, doing crazy tricks on pull up bars, playing soccer, and off course sun bathing.  It was quite a sight and although we didn't go swimming, it was still quite a sight to see. 

So of course I had to get the perfect picture of the people, beach, and mountain range in the foreground.  So unfortunately I didn't have my fancy pants DSLR camera with me but I did buy a decent point and shoot before I came over.  So I'm on the beach trying to zoom in and out and get a good photo with this dim camera screen when I see this lady a few meters from me in the LCD screen turning and glaring at me something fierce.  So I take my eyes off the camera for a second and look up and come to learn that the French Riviera isn't the only place with topless beaches. . .   after my face getting red and an awkward moment or two I just turned and walked away.   And for all you that are wondering, I never did get the picture. 

We later meet up with Juan's friend who was very nice and showed us around and took us to an awesome place to eat.  It was a little more expensive but was probably in my top 3 meals so far.  It was this really spicy curry meal that was just amazing.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  After, we heading back to the hostel and happened to run into our two other room mates that said they just bought tickets to a Barcelona game.. . .  we were confused at first and then it clicked.  The very last Barcelona game was that evening.  We both completely forgot.  So after contemplating on going or not, we decided to fork out the cash and see the number one team in all the lands.   When in Rome right :-)

And I was absolutely glad I went.  People over 60 to little kids screaming out, "Barca Barca Barca".  Unfortunately all the chants were in Catalan so I didn't quite know how to say them but I had a good time trying.  Unfortunately it was the very last game and Barcelona already knew they seized number 1 so I don't think the crowd was as wild as they always are (but it did allow us to get tickets last minute).  I think a college football student section or an american hockey game has them beat.

After the game everyone in the stadium filled the streets and the line to get into the metro was outrageous.   We decided to walk back to the hostel which was awesome at first.  After about 40 minutes of walking we were definitely ready to get back.  A long day of excitement and sun made us both ready for bed.  

Katch-up

Just bought a charger for my phone so I now have access to my blog once again.   Unfortunately I left my phone charger and extension cord a few hostels ago.   We will see how long this $1.60 Chinese charger lasts. 

Just arrived at Le cinque terre in Italy and wowwwwwwww is it gorgeous. This might be my favorite place so far but we will see.  I'm glad everyone convinced me to come here.   I will hopefully have time either tonight or tomorrow to catch up on Barcelona and Nice and Monico.   Small events from Barcelona  are already starting to get a little fuzzy.  In the mean time ,  ciao!!!

Barcelona blog coming soon!