Holla

Hola (not to be confused with "holla"),

We're in Barcelona! It's currently 1:30 in the morning here. I know what you're thinking... "Oh that Rigel, what a teenager. Staying up late in Europe probably up to shenanigans."

False. I am an old woman in a 19 year old's body. Last night Faith and I took an all night train from Madrid to Barcelona and I was in a car with two Argentinean men. They snored. I didn't sleep at all. Today, after visiting the National Museum and 'Plaza de Espana' I went back to the apartment and took a nap. Much to my dismay, I can't sleep now. So here I am!

We have been in Spain for about a week now after staying in Edinburgh for a few days.

In Edinburgh we visited the National Gallery. We were both struck by the interior of the gallery as well as the artwork itself. Faith finds herself gravitating more towards sculpture, whereas I am interested in gothic architecture and figure drawings. We also had lots of fun exploring 'Old Town' and 'New Town'.  We did plenty of walking around, eating scones as per usual, hiked Arthur's Seat, and spent time with Hilary Lynd! We also saw the Occupy Edinburgh protest in St. Andrew's Square and climbed the Scott Monument (287 steps...the ultimate Stair Master).

Malaga was wonderful. We got to see Paula Fernandez, a good friend of ours from junior year in high school (gosh... high schol... that was just SO long ago...if you can't sense my sarcasm we need to have a chat). While Paula was at 'the university' we went into the city and explored. This mostly consisted of tripping over cobblestones and art galleries. The ground was covered in tiles in the  center of town, and there were plazas nearly everywhere. We saw an old roman ampitheatre and an ancient Arabic fortress from 1060, and a beautiful museum dedicated to the spanish artist Revello de Torro...it was wonderful. We also learned about the wonders of olive oil and salt on bread. How mediterranean.

(It's morning now...Faith here!) Then Madrid! Wow this is a lot... I realize we haven't blogged for a while *slap on wrist*. We stayed right near the center of the city, and were able to walk around quite a bit (our feet hurt). We spent a lot of time in Puerta del Sol, one of the city's central plazas, visited the cathedral, saw the Palace (but didn't go inside...these things are expensive!) and visited one of Madrid's famous museums. There was music everywhere, and people dressing up for halloween. We really loved it...we got a chance to meet up with Paula and some of her friends for lunch, also, before we left on an overnight train for...

Barcelona! Yes, here we are in Barcelona, blogging and eating oil/salt bread and a mango before going out to do more exploring. Yesterday we saw la plaza espana and the national museum, which used to be this amazing palace. At night it's all lit up and the fountains are going...we think we may have to see the spectacle, as cheesy as it may be. There's so much to do and see, lots of parks and the beach, of course. Statues everywhere. Gaudi's masterpiece buildings...I saw the Sagrada Familia yesterday which may be the most unique building I've ever seen. I think I may head to the Cathedral for mass so I can see it for free (we're on a budget...6 Euros is a lot of money!) Rig is off to bike about the city and read...
We leave for Frankfurt on Friday, and Girona Spain tomorrow, where our flight takes off. So...Chao!