Seville and Barcelona with the family

I had a very fun week with my family, even thought it was a little hard at times. I couldn't help thinking that I wanted to go back home with them to the U.S. when they left. However, I know that it is not my time yet. I still have a few more exciting weeks to live out here.

Last Friday, I met my family at the airport and we flew all together to Seville, Spain. Seville felt very different from Barcelona. All the streets were lined with bright yellow and blue and orange houses and that combined with the sunny weather made it a very festive and joyous place. Our hotel was a bit odd, but very cool. We had to walk for about five minutes through all sorts of gardens and underground rooms to get to our rooms. It was a big maze and I never quite learned how to navigate it myself. After we settled down for a bit, my mom made the family do one of those very touristy bus tours. I am actually glad we did it, because we got to see certain parts of the city that we never made it back to. After the bus tour, we split up and my mom and I went to the Alcazar Gardens. I absolutely loved it there. It was incredibly gorgeous, full of beautiful flowers and and ponds and fountains. I had a very peaceful moment on my own there, taking in the beauty.

On Saturday, we got up early and took a van to Cordoba, Spain. We got to see the Great Mosque, which was huge. We were supposed to be on a tour, but the tour was in English and Spanish and we got bored having to sit through the Spanish part so we ended up just exploring on our own. We had a great lunch on the rooftop of a restaurant with great views of the city. Back in Seville, we stopped in Plaza D'Espana for awhile to look around. A lot of it is under construction.

Sunday was the beginning of Santa Semana and we got trapped in the procession. We saw hundreds of people in all white wearing these huge, long pointy white hats that covered their entire faces. It was very creepy. We went back to the Alcazar Gardens as a family and read for awhile. At night, we went to the Arab baths. These baths are an ancient tradition. You rotate between a warm bath, a hot bath and a cold bath. There is also a salt bath, a jacuzzi and a steam room. You are not supposed to talk. It was very relaxing. On Monday, we shopped for a bit and then I found a yogurt place called Yogurtlandia. So good! Oh how I miss Yogiberry!

On Tuesday morning we flew back to Barcelona. I took my family to the Boqueria and to El Born. It felt good to be able to show them around and they loved matching up some of the places they went with the pictures of mine that they've seen.

Wednesday was my favorite day of the trip. We went inside Gaudi's Casa Batllo on Passeig de Gracia, something I had been wanting to do since I got here. I highly recommend this to everyone. It is quite a sight to see. We also went to the Ciutadella Park, which I have officially decided is my favorite place in Barcelona. Thursday we rented bikes and rode along the water, which is always enjoyable and then we went to the movies.

Friday was the last day so I took the family to see La Sagrada Familia. After buying some beautiful art there, we went to Montjuic and sat and listened to live guitar outside of the MNAC building. I had wanted them to see the fountain show too, but since Daylight Savings Time just occurred, it was too light out for the colors to show. We had a lovely last dinner and then they got up early Saturday morning to go home.

Overall, I had a great time and I really got to bond with my brothers. I think back to our last European trip to Italy and France and I can see how much we've all grown and changed. My brothers and I fought a lot on that trip, but on this trip we got along so well. We had some really deep talks and it made me so happy because I really feel like we are friends now.

Today I am off to Holland to visit Denice until Wednesday. On Thursday, Ken and Susie are arriving in Barcelona and I will spend the weekend with them. The following Friday, I am meeting Jamie in Nice for the weekend and the Thursday after that, I am going to Berlin with Re, Lanz and Lindsay. I am coming home April 30, which is in just under four weeks. That is hard to believe. While I know I will definitely be ready, I am really pushing myself to try and enjoy my last few weeks here. I still have a lot of fun stuff coming up and I know I am so lucky to be able to experience these adventures.