Adios Barcelona!

This is going to be my last blog post for a long time....or maybe the last ever on Bopeep in Barcelona....because after tomorrow....Bopeep will no longer be in Barcelona.

Some thoughts...

I have been here in Europe 108 days. With 16 left :)

I have lived in 4 different apartments since my arrival.

I have used 3 different kinds of shampoo and conditioner.

I have cooked 6 different kinds of noodles.

I buy a fresh baguette at least every other day and dunk it in olive oil and balsamic.

I eat at least 2 principe cookies a day.

I have not stepped in dog poop the entire time I have been here.

I travelled on 8 different weekends.

I have lost 1 cell phone, 1 wallet and 1 camera.

I saw 1 car accident.

I hung my laundry out to dry and it did not smell pretty.

My socks are black from walking around my apartment because it is so dirty.

You can be arrested for hanging your laundry on the outside terrace of your apartment.

Ahad's market down the street from my apartment will always hold a dear place in my heart.

I will miss seeing the tippy top of Sagrada Familia every.single.day.

I have decided that Emily Stew and I are going to have to speak Spanish to each other in our house next year.

People here stare...and they don't care.

Contact solution costs a lot more here than you could possibly imagine.

Ziploc bags are not common.

People ride bikes everywhere here...and I will miss that.

I love walking everywhere...the only reason I've managed to keep my bread and pasta weight off somewhat.

I will miss 1 euro bottles of wine.

Cava. 'Nuff said.

The internet only works 70% of the time in Spain. Fact.

It's going to be weird to drive a car again....so starting May 16th...WATCH OUT!

I have discovered that when I am bored I have inherited my grandmother's habits...I like to do the dishes, organize the fridge and straighten up the house.

I will not miss walking down Las Ramblas at night. SKETCHYYYYY.

Paella is something I have enjoyed but will not miss too much.

It is going to be strange to eat at 6, going out at 10 and being back in before 6 am.

Wintergreen flavoring will come back into my life. YAY!

I have grown to enjoy watcing fútbol....but I am ready for baseball.

Fresh squeezed juice will be incorporated into my life back at home.

Boqueria...I don't know how we are ever going to part.

Park Guell....thanks for the memories!

Ryanair, Easyjet, and Vueling...thank you for the cheap airfare.

My apartment on Castillejos...it's been real.

Barcelona....no hay palabras.

This experience has been UNREAL. There have been highs and lows. I have cried and laughed my toosh off. I have fallen up escalators, fallen down stairs and had the time of my life. I have learned so much about myself, about others and about how the world works. Like...the fact that laughter REALLY is universal. Having the mountains and the beach within 10 minutes is something to be appreciated!

But this experience is not over! Tomorrow I jet off to Santorini, Mykonos, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London for the next two weeks. Then homeward bound on May 16th. For now, there is a bottle of cava in the fridge with my name on it, and I need to finish packing up my apartment and soak in every last moment I have here...

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.