Hey Guys! So heres my final blog posting for my Spain trip, so get ready!
I know its been awhile, but after getting back to my homeland of bojangles and sweet tea, all I wanted to do was SLEEP. and SLEEP. and then SLEEP some more!
Throughout my entire trip, I never got a full nights rest, between trying to experience all of Spain and keeping up with all you guys here, it was taking a lot out of me! (That is not a complaint, I absolutely loved it all, and any future trips will be accompanied with another blog!)
After getting back and going through my hibernation, I experienced the jet lag. yeah. Especially with late night meetings for clubs and organizations that were trying to get everyone back on schedule with school and all! And of course, I had to get back into the swing of not carrying a camera everywhere and actually reading books for class and not for fun!
Thanks to everyone who was an encouragement throughout the trip, and thank you to everyone who read my blog-you have no idea how awesome it was to log on every night and see that my blog had over 1,500 views, yeah, thats right, 1500! Y'all are awesome. Pat on the back for patting me on the back!
Love you all and can't wait for the next adventure!
Adios for now,
Katie Kimble
(maybe Kelly Ann actually read this one since its (1) short and (2) no pictures for her to scan through… :)
España: Las Vacaciones de Primavera
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
final day in Barcelona!
Aye yo guys! So here I am, packing for home…and leaving
behind this beautiful city of Barcelona… I know… bittersweet. But you guys are here to read about my day,
so here it goes!
This morning we met in the lobby of our hotel at 8:30, where
we left for a daytime tour of the same area that we toured last night! It was
great, but seeing it all lit up with the nightlife was so much better!
After
that quick tour, we were set free to discover the main street of La Rambla, the
place to shop, dine and just walk and see the city! So Katie Stephenson, Carmen
Brown, Lynde Ring and I headed out to look in all the shops! It was really cool
to see what all the souvenir shops had in store, while also getting to see the
little kiosk-like things with the original and strange things for us to buy! I
ended up getting a sweatshirt that says “Barcelona University” on it, and it’s
a rosy pink color and SUPER soft!!!! I couldn’t help myself, and it was the
only piece of clothing (other than the Prada Art Museum Shirt) that I bought!
After walking around for a while, we ran into the market,
which is literally right off the main street! Inside, the front few stands sell
fruit of all kinds, and the smells and bright colors bring you in to discover
more. Once in, you notice the meat shacks…yeah like where they are slicing and
dicing on some animal’s leg. Gross, I know. And then there were the seafood
stands where the owners were literally dumping out pounds of crab and lobster
on huge trays of ice where these tiny creatures suffer and eventually die. By
the time we got around, the creatures were on their backs and still moving
their legs… ew. I’m done. So after escaping the horrors, we eventually found an
ice cream shop where I treated myself to the BEST scoop of chocolate ice cream I
have ever had. Like it was perfect. And not just because it wasn’t moving.
After this, lunch. At McDonalds. I know, I know, “Katie you
should be trying the foods of Spain and enjoying every moment” but you don’t
understand. I cannot order another thing that smells weird and has weird
aftertastes. I was in dire need of a burger and this did the trick!
After eating a beautiful lunch out on the streets of La
Rambla, we headed back towards the beach, but on the way, ran into artists who
were selling their works on the street. Yeah. I should have closed my eyes and
kept walking….but I didn’t. And by the end of it I had two new pieces to add to
my personal art museum that will be located in Raleigh, NC! The first guy uses
some sort of puff paint type stuff (except its more legit and has a cooler,
professional name other than “puffy paint stuff”) to draw out the lines, and
then he uses liquid lacquer to fill in the lines with the bright colors! I
ended up getting one of his works that is of the Casa Blattlo house that was
built by Goudi. (If you have already forgotten, that was the house that we
visited our first night in Barcelona that has the underwater theme!
The second artist that we met was an older lady who paints
using oil and cement to create her art! The oil adds the color while the cement
adds depth and texture to her work. Lets talk about some amazing stuff. Not
only was she super sweet and reminding us to watch our purses at all times
because of pickpocketers (re-read that blog post if you missed it!) and she
also gave us her email to contact her son if we decided we wanted another
painting! I was stuck between two paintings, but I ended up getting a gorgeous
painting of a flamenco dancer. The dancer is wearing a red dress with a black
background, and IT WILL MATCH MY DORM ROOM PERFECTLY. So yeah, get excited!
After selling my soul to art, we made it to the beach!!!!! I
finally got to dig my toes in the sand and experience the freezing water of the
Mediterranean Sea! I also got a lot of legit photos—check em out!
After this, I was in dire need to wash my feet and empty out
my purchases before going to the Park Guell with the rest of our group. So we
made a pit stop by the hotel, which made us seven minutes late. And our group,
all except Ken, had gone on without us. Yeah. Lets just say Katie had her
moment of anger as I fumed over the whole situation. Just YESTERDAY we were
sitting in the lobby for an extra HOUR because some people in our group
couldn’t set an alarm, while my small group of four missed a metro and got left
for a measely SEVEN MINUTES. I was through.
By the time I hiked the mountain to Park Guell (not a
literal mountain, but it was a steeeeeeeeeeep hill that went on forever) I had
calmed down enough to enjoy the park. I had expected it to be larger, but what
we did get to see of Goudi’s early works was absolutely astounding! The detail
in the bench was SO AWESOME. The smallest pieces of tile were used in
decorating the longest bench in the WORLD. Yeah. Don’t believe me? Google it. I
sat on it. Today.
part of the longest bench in the world
the mosaic tiles are crushed up and then pieced together like a puzzle
and heres the famous salamander!
Fun Fact: The Park Guell was built by Goudi, but paid for by
a man with the last name Guell. The man wanted to design a high-class
neighborhood with houses that took up 1/6 of the land, and the rest was outdoor
areas to congregate. By the time Goudi got to where the development had
stopped, the rich man died and his family didn’t want to keep it going, so
instead they gave it to Barcelona city for them to deal with. So ta-da, only
two houses were completed, but the design and layout has kept people coming to
see the all time famous salamander!
After this, I headed back to the hotel to pack. Around 7:30
we went to the restaurant that we ate at yesterday for our group meal. It was
good because I got to order a grilled chicken plate with some type of Spanish
salad, and some potatoes with a chipotle-type sauce that was DELICOUS! I also
ended this amazing meal with a slice of chocolate cake! Thank you scholars for
paying!
Now bedtime. We have to be up and ready by 5:30 for our
plane! Who misses me?!?!!
Adios for a short time longer,
Katie Kimble
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