Believe it or not, I am currently sitting on a train to Nice, France. That’s right, we have officially left Spain. Our last day in Barcelona was truly a beautiful one. First, we went to church at a cathedral located in the city. This was quite the experience. It was a huge, old, and beautiful building. It was very touristy as well, because people were walking around with cameras before hand looking at memorials they had dedicated to certain saints. They didn’t even let people in the main church until Mass was ready to begin. Mass was in a mix of Spanish and Latin. I’ve taken Latin the past couple years in college, so I could pick out a few things there. Spanish, on the other hand, was what most of the Mass was in and although I took some Spanish in high school, it has been a looooong time. I could follow along just by keeping track of the order of the Mass, but otherwise, didn’t know what they were saying. This was a challenge, but I did the best I could. I wish they would’ve had books to follow along with, because then I could have at least sang along and followed along, but it was a great experience and I’m excited to learn more about Mass in the next couple countries I will be in.
After Mass, we went to the beach. It was awful.
Just kidding, it was pretty awesome. It was a perfect day – no clouds in the sky, bright sunshine. I swam in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. We also played some Frisbee and just relaxed…it was really nice, since most days we have been walking all over the place. Afterwards, we walked along the port of Barcelona, passing many huge boats. It reminded me of a bigger Navy Pier and the harbor in Baltimore, both of which I was at this summer. We came to a gelato place that Katie – one of my fellow travelers – had a friend recommended to us. Yes, I know that Italy is supposed to be the gelato specialists, but it’s only fair to give Spain a shot right ;)? Then I will try some in Italy to compare, if I have to. I guess. It was verrrrry good. I inherited my dad’s love for coconut, so when I saw they had that, I had to get it. We then walked along the streets, looking at little shops and such. There was one painter who used spray paints to make paintings. It was amazing! They looked so real! We eventually made it to the Hard Rock Café in Barcelona for some dinner. It is crazy how many American restaurants are over here. Yes Dad, they do have Dunkin Doughnuts Coffee :). I haven’t been gone that long at all but wow, a burger sure tasted good! By the time we were done eating it was close to 10:30, so we called it a night.
This morning, we had to leave our apartment by 8, and we are taking three different trains to Nice, a total of about 9 hours riding in a train. If you want to know what it is like carrying our entire luggage from one train to another, finding a place to put it all, and sitting down, I would compare it to an Olympic marathon. We get very tired on these travel days, and I must admit it will be nice to be in Greece to stop traveling around all of the time. But honestly, it has been 100 % worth it. We already had a fun encounter on the previous train we were on. Nick, who is another member of our travel team, struck up a conversation with a French guy sitting by us who knew English. It was so interesting to hear him talk about his experiences in America – he had an internship in San Francisco this past summer. He said that the people in America were so nice and the Yosemite national park was awesome. He even knew where Minnesota was! There was also another French lady next to us who wanted to give us suggestions of things to see in France, so our dude translated what she said for us, and Katie speaks a little French, so we were able to communicate well. It is so much fun for me to learn about other people’s walks in life – where they are at currently, and what makes them who they are. I really appreciated how kind these people were to us. Kindness really does go a long way. No matter how small of an act it is, people remember it for many, many years after.
Just a few more hours, and we will be off the train. I’m hoping that Nice is nice. Ha….haha…ha. But really, it looks like it will be fun. Time is really flying by…just a short week from today and we will be in Greece! Starting school! Yikes. We are excited for this last pre-travel week in France!
Peace and blessings,
Laura
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