When I first stepped out of the airport and towards the buses, I saw… more airport. But then we started driving, and it all came into view. I saw beautiful modern buildings and elaborate old ones standing next to each other. All of which are covered in tasteful graffiti. I was prepared to feel the centrifugal force of all the roundabouts only to find that we came across one, and the rest of the time were stoplights. I found that the picture I had in my head was just that, solely in my head, the real Barcelona consists of an incredible blend of leisure caf? people watching and pickpocketing of those brave enough to have their wallets in their back pockets. It’s a rush that no one can quite be prepared for. You come across little inconveniences that you wouldn’t expect. Most of the signs and menus have English translations, but what do you do when they don’t and none of the waiters speak English? How long do you have when the green walking man starts flashing before it turns into the red hand that says you can’t cross the street? What does a thief look like in a crowd of diversity? All things that could never be thought of until you arrive here. Barcelona was nowhere near what I thought I was getting into, but then today, another small thing that I’d never expect happened. A guy jogged by the group by the beach. At his heels, was a tiny brown weenie dog trotting after him. I have never in my life seen a dog that happy. He constantly looked up at his owner as if showing him how amazing it was that he was keeping up. Out of this whole trip, I never expected the thing I would miss the most would be the look of a weenie dog.
