Touched Down and Downright Touched!

Well, I'm finally here! It's been months of thinking, planning, preparing, packing, and attempting to learn a little bit of Spanish. I finally got on the plane and flew my way to a new adventure!

Sept 9:
It started off normal, in that I woke up at 7am (this was somewhat normal for work, and somehow still normal, because I've just been too excited and nervous to sleep!) Went for coffee with my mom and uncle. Went and did a little shopping (non-drowsy gravol is a must for all flights!) Went home and stress-ate a half a bag of chips with my mom, finished packing - wait! That's not normal! This is where things started really changing. I finished my packing and my parents and I took my stuff to the van, piled in and started for Toronto. We went really early and it's probably a good thing we did because traffic was attrocious. So we get to the airport, get checked in (window seat- score!) and then we wandered the gift shops a bit. We sat down to eat a light supper and my sister text me and almost made me cry, but I didn't. Then my mom started crying. And then I started crying! In the airport Swiss Chalet!! So much for looking cute and put together on my flight.

After a long, tearful goodbye with my parents, I went thought Security. Suprisingly, they weren't as strict as I thought they were going to be, considering the anniversary being mourned tomorrow.

So I go and take a seat in my boarding area and, you know how people look around and see who might be taking their flight and the men and women check each other out, and then men size each other up and the women stare each other down? Well, oddly, I had 4 different men at different times sizing me up. And it wasn't like I'm mistaking their looks as casual gazing in my direction hoping that I might be the one sitting next to them so that they can strike up a witty conversation and I'll swoon over their intellectual abilities and agree to join the mile high club with them. No, it was more like they were noticing that I was travelling alone to Spain and wondering what kind of super-human powers I must have in order to embark on such a mission all by my self. Trust me guys, you don't want to know. Board. Depart.

Option Plus on Air Transat is worth the extra $70.

Enough said. :) But really, you do get an extra 10kg in your luggage, Priority Boarding, a blanket, earphones, an eye mask, a blow-up pillow, earplugs and SOCKS! You get to pre-choose your meal (chicken parm- it was alright), and they bring you champagne, wine and you can choose something later from the snack cart (which I didn't because apparently siestas happened). I felt like a total rock-star! And the couple sitting beside me was on their honeymoon and they didn't even get champagne! (Thanks Dyan for talking me into Option Plus! SO made my flight!!)

On thing I found funny because I'm a dork, is that we were flying out of Canada, into Spain, drinking Italian champagne and Australian wine. That is alot of countries involved in me having a good flight.

The in-flight movie was Water for the Elephants staring Reese Witherspoon and *cringe* Robert Pattinson. I was really not sure what this movie was going to be like, but it turns out, it was pretty good. RP actually has a face and facial expressions! The story was good, though the ending slightly predictable, even if you haven't read the book. I suggest it for a rainy day when you don't feel like a complete sap, because it does have it's humour!

Sept 10:
Sunrise happened at about 3:30 am. This is sooo not normal. But it was breathtaking.



I cat-napped for about an hour, and by cat-napped, I mean my butt isn't as small as it used to be; turbulance is just annoying; and my hips felt like they should be on an 80 year-old woman. When I finally roused myself at about 4am, it was bright and sunny out! Breakfast was as breakfast is on airplanes. Meh. 

Barcelona

The woman picking me up from the airport was a little late due to some other student pick-ups, and I have vowed never to have to use a payphone again in Barcelona. I don't know how they work!!

My apartment is... cozy. And yes, any Canadian who uses the word "cozy" to describe something, knows that it means SMALL! I'm okay with it. I'm small. I'm sharing an apartment with two locals named David and Jonathan. They're both great. And they have a cat. Jonathan gave me a little bit of the lay-of-the-land before he had to go to work. It was really sweet of him to take time to walk me to le supermercado, y el banco, y la metro. His broken English and my somewhat Spanish made for interesting conversation. This is my pad:

View from the balcony out the living room (my view out my window is three brick walls. It's spectacular.)

Looking west on Travessara de Gracia

The best photo I could take of the triangular stairways and the elevator in the middle. I'll try to get more of the elevator- its really cozy :)

Entrance into the building. Lovely.

I'll take one of my room and post it when its not so... hectic. I've only mostly unpacked while my roommates are away. Adventuring and Skyping with my family is more important.

Speaking of adventuring: I took a little stroll and this is what I found:

Antonio Gaudi's Templo de la Sagrada Familia

A.MAZ.ING.

I'll be going back during the week some day- too many tourists!

Off to bed. Roomie David is going to show me around a bit tomorrow. I can't wait!!