I don’t remember when I first heard Laura say this phrase, but it has stuck with me for a while and was my go-to motto for their weekend in Spain.
Was everything that happened the best planned? No. Was everythinng happened fun? Also um maybe no. BUT… it definitely all contributed to the plot.
Thursday Night
Laura and Juliette arrived pretty late in the night after they BOTH had some rough journeys from the UK. Despite it being midnight, we felt the desire to have a small adventure. Barcelona boasts a late night-life, but if you want a chill bar/tapas after 12:00, your basically out of luck. I found a place called “bakery and tapas” that was open, and um It was interesting.
The “Tapas” they had were actually just little bocadillos (sandwiches). Then, the owner gave us beers in a brown paper bag, trying to tell us to take it out onto the street.
I asked if we were allowed to drink and eat inside the cafe. He obliged.
Friday
While Laura was working, Juliette and I slept in. After a lot of procrastinating, we went for a run up Montjuïc. I will be completely honest, before writing this, I knew nothing of the history of the hill or castle. From Wikipedia, I learned the castle dates all the way back to 1640. It also had a big role in the civil war from 1936 to 1939, when both sides of the conflict imprisoned, tortured and shot political prisoners at Montjuïc. Obviously, there is a LOT more history to be read. There is a lot I have yet to learn about the history and cultures of Catalonia and Spain.
Friday afternoon, right around the time the sun was going away, we made it to the beach. After a little picnic, Juliette decided to walk around. Laura came after work.
We almost lost Juliette because her phone died, but she was found. Then, we walked back to the hostel. My step count was 45,000 that day. Like holy crap.
I was tired but your only in BCN with your friends once, so I got a monster and we got tapas and went salsa dancing.
Saturday
BIKE TOUR! WOOO-HOOOO. Ya – so I took them on my ultra-famous bike tour. I am pretty sure they were amazed. Also there were Torrones, empanadas, churros and chocolate, swimming, and then we cheffed tapas together for the hostel. Juliette even went all out to make Patatas Bravas! Laura made some beautiful meat arrangements. It was elite.
Saturday night….lots of walking…for the plot.
We first walked 20 minutes to the Gracia district to see the Sant Antoni Bonfire’s event, but in typical Ashley fashion, by the time we got there, the fires were done. I think we were a little hungry from all the walking, so I climbed a tree for a little snack to share. I love climbing things.
We then walked 20 minutes to a bar to dance. After a little while of dancing, we were chatting with a new friend and discussed the idea of running into the ocean for the hell of it. This friend said they knew JUST the spot. So ummm we followed…and…a little later, we’re all on a metro headed south then walking another 20 minutes to the beach.
Juliette and Laura ran in the ocean. I was not about it , but I did climb a little jungle gym and watch them. We trudged back another 20 minutes to the metro and 20 minutes back to the hostel. All the while, this nice friend becoming a little more (or less) interesting to talk to each minute.
Remember, nothing good happens after 2:00.
Sunday
Morning: By the time I got out of bed, I was already at 5,000 steps. We slowly awoke and wandered, grabbing coffee and roaming the gothic quarter, grabbing more tapas and gelato, and then headed back to the hostel. Byeee to Juliette<3
a salty fish.
“bon-bon’ a lot in the Willy Wonka movie
Night: I wanted to hit the open-mic one last time. At first, I was so nervous Alina and Laura might hate it. The music was VERY moody that night. Everyone seemed to have the Sunday scaries and was singing their most sad original songs (including me cuz I like to write moody music😅). However, they told me it was a nice vibe, and I felt better (You know cuz I am a people pleaser).
I last minute decided to play a Dolly Parton song instead of my moody folk to try and boost the mood a bit.
After the open mic, we walked to see this show happening at Casa Batlló. It was such a beautiful last cultural experience in BCN.
Monday
Laura had to work, and I needed a reset. I went for a run. 1/2 way through my run, I started feeling not great and proceeded to have trouble breathing, racing heart, shakiness. AKA – a panic attack. I am grateful I have managed my anxiety for many years now, and I know what these symptoms are and how to cope through them, but they definitely are not fun. Also, it had been a while since I experienced one! I am not going to get into it here, but regardless, my reset run….it definitely reset something.
I will say in the afternoon, I processed through what was going on, made some decisions that align with my values, and I am overall thankful for the experience. Also, I am thankful to my pastor and mom for some pieces of wisdom.
Monday Night: I FINALLY made Risotto (It is supposed to be a weekly dinner, but I had avoided it until then). I was kinda craving a glass of red wine after my day, so when we picked the recipe, I chose an alternative red-wine risotto. I think it’s cooler that way. After dinner, we watched a little movie and all retired early.
Tuesday
Laura had made this beautiful list of things she wanted to see/do in Barcelona. We had done basically none of it at this point, so Tuesday was the final opportunity!
We started at a cute coffee shop where Laura worked remotely, I reevaluated all my life decisions, and then the wifi and power shut down. Classic. The Tahini bread hit so hard though.
We spent the afternoon wondering around a market, getting these Tik-Tok Jamón’s, and I got my first Empanada!
Honestly it was 5/10 because the Empanada was cold and she microwaved it and then it was only half warm but also not crispy.
BUT I like the picture and the idea of an empanada still appeals to me.
After munchin, we went to the Picasso Museum, then hit the beach for a final sunset and sangria.
Fun fact: this was the first museum I went into in BCN, and it was also the first Sangria I got (if you don’t count the Fanta and red wine Sangria I made for the hostel each Saturday).
PHEW OK! That concludes the Ashley, Juliette, Laura weekend in BCN, also my last weekend in BCN.
Hasta Luego,
Ashley
Creating Space 
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