staclivin'itupineurope: July 2011

Today began by enjoying the yummy breakfast offered by our hotel. We were free to roam the city of Barcelona by ourselves and find what the great city could offer us. We decided on enjoying the sun and sand along the beach between the Frank Gehry Fish and the W Hotel. I had made the mistake of sending home my swimsuit in London because I had too much weight in my suitcase. Oops! So now I had to find a swimsuit fast and on a budget. Well my story had a happy ending and I found everything that I needed along the path to the beach. I found a swimsuit, some swim shorts, and even a cute dress to wear while basking in the warmth of the Spanish sun. I was a very lucky girl and quite satisfied with my purchases. While at the beach we enjoyed a picnic and shared an umbrella that we rented for the price of six euro's for the five of us to share. We enjoyed the waves and the hot Barcelona sun. The day was a hot one and the sun warmed up the sand really fast. We would have to run to the water as we would take turns watching our belongings and then swimming in the water. Later, we ventured back to our hotel and made our way out for some dinner. We found an old fashioned diner restaurant called "Big J's". It was a taste of home with yummy hamburgers, french fries, and shakes. Yummy!!! To sum up the day, I am an extremely lucky girl to have swam in the Mediterranean Sea and will be suffering from the effects of the Barcelona Sun. I will be loading up on the Aloe Vera for sure!!!! Looking forward to one more day in Spain tomorrow...and then back to the states. Its amazing how fast five weeks can go by.

My lucky finds along the way to the beach!

My view while basking in the Spanish Sun.

A taste of home away from home.

Enjoying a refreshing mango shake.

My last day in the city of Barcelona, Spain. Wow! I can't believe it! My summer adventure is coming to an end. But I lived this day up!! First it all began with another large breakfast, courtesy of Hotel Rafael. With my stomach full and my feet rested up and ready for motion, the time for shopping had arrived. We walked along the main shopping street called "Las Ramblas". This street made shopping very convenient for a tourist. The street was full of shops and fun places to see and visit. I found some great shoes (actually a grand total of three). I found cute jewelry for myself and for my family. It was a hot and humid day and we enjoyed the air conditioned stores while we shopped. As soon as we walked inside we all would give a sigh of relief and enjoy the temperature drop. Sometimes we would just walk into the stores because we needed cool air. It was a hot day!! After a while of shopping, we made a stop at the Hard Rock Cafe Restaurant. This was my second time eating at a Hard Rock Cafe and loved it as much as the first time. I enjoyed the crazy rock n' roll design, cool air, and yummy dessert. After a fun afternoon of shopping, we met up with some other people from our group and made our way back to the beach. I was excited to go again, but was still suffering a bad burn from the day before. This time I loaded up on the sunscreen, I learned my lesson the first time around with sunscreen and the sun in Spain. You apply and reapply! We went to a different beach this time and I loved it so much more. It was much cleaner, the sand was finer, and there was less people. My most favorite part of all was that the water sparkled with a gold colored mineral. It would get on your skin and make your skin sparkle. It was like I had glitter sprayed on my body. After enjoying the beach, we went souvenir shopping on the way home. I found some great treasures at some reasonable prices. My purchases involved a Gaudi influenced mosaic vase and an organic shaped black & white mug with the words Barcelona all over it. After swimming and shopping came the unavoidable task of packing for the voyage home. I ended up getting between 2-3 hours of sleep and then waking up for our airport shuttle to pick us up. WOW! That was my last day... now I want to cry and stay longer. Oh I am just kidding, I have extremely enjoyed my stay while in Europe and look forward to the day when I can return. Which probably won't be for a while because I am a poor but well traveled individual.