I still can’t believe it’s been one full week here! It really doesn’t feel like I’ve been here that long! Truly falling in love with this place. One of my favorite parts has been talking with different locals at coffee shops or restaurants. They’re all really friendly and have been patient with my attempt at speaking Catalan. I’ve found that a good amount of people that I’ve met moved to Barcelona after their study abroad and have lived here ever since. They all have cool stories that are really interesting to hear about the different countries they’ve traveled to.
This week, we went on our first day trip to Montserrat with our program. It was so pretty! The mountains that surrounded us were so cool. It was only a short drive there, and I slept the entire way. However, some people felt a little car-sick afterward since there were so many twists and turns we had to take around the mountains. Right when we got there, there were stands on the street that were selling different types of cheeses, and they all offered us free samples, which tasted amazing. We only had 20 minutes of free time, but we were able to do a short 10-minute hike with everyone that gave us a great view. I’ve heard a lot about how incredible Montserrat hiking is, and I would definitely go back to Montserrat to be able to do a longer hike because it’s so pretty. After our free time, we went to see the Monastery, which was beautiful and definitely the highlight of my trip there. We had to cover our shoulders and knees in order to get in, and once we were inside, it was (like everything else in Montserrat) so pretty. Soon after the monastery, we went to Freixenet for a wine tour. We learned more about the process and fermentation of wine, and we were able to see wine that dated back to the 1940s. After exploring all the wine, we were able to try some cava outside.
The next day, my roommates and I had planned a trip to Cadaques and Roses, and booked it through a third party called “Barcelona Trips”. It was super easy and nice because they coordinated the bus there and back, so we didn’t have to figure any of that out. They also included a boat ride in Roses which was one of my favorite parts. We stopped in the middle of the ocean and were able to swim around for about 20 minutes. They also had an underwater observatory under the boat where we could look at all the fish. On the boat, we met some people who had been living in Barcelona for the past few years, and we got lunch with them in Cadaques. After lunch, we walked around Cadaques and laid on the beach for a long time. Barcelona has a great beach, but Cadaques has been my favorite so far. There are beautiful white houses all around you, and it felt like we were in Greece.
All around, this weekend has been one of my favorites!