my first visitor in Barcelona!! and Valentine's weekend

Bhavik (aka my boyfriend) became my first visitor in Barcelona when he came to see me on Valentine's day weekend! He only was able to be here for a day and a half but he was at least able to see the top things on his list, meet a lot of my friends, and also got invited to dinner by my host family. It was awesome to play tour guide having now learned so much about Barcelona and Bhavik says that he had a lot of fun here too.

He got here on Friday early in the afternoon and Alex, my friend Stephanie and I met up with him at the bus stop. We all got big hugs and I introduced everyone before Bhavik had to run to check into the hostel. We both went in expecting the worst of the worst based on our previous experiences but were pleasantly surprised to find the opposite. It wasn't infested with cockroaches or with creepers or anything like that... actually it was a full apartment with rooms they rent out to groups of people and it was really nice! We had a balcony overlooking the street and a mini chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It may not have been exactly like home but it was definately worth the money we spent for once. I guess there actually are hostels in the world where you can go and not have to worry about catching something. haha.

After letting him get settled in and to relax a little bit, we took a walk down las Ramblas (the main tourist spot in Barcelona with lots of shopping and street performers) and then we met up with some more friends at our favorite Mexican restaurant for just something to drink and snack on before dinner that night. He met my friends Tony and Nicole and Alex and Stephanie met us there too. We got a table and we able to stay and talk for about an hour or so before having to run back to my house here for dinner with my family. Lola and Carlos invited him over as soon as they knew that he was coming and Lola made a huge meal for everyone. We got to the house and started with introductions (thank God my family here speaks a good amount of English otherwise Bhavik would have been lost) and then dinner came shortly afterwards. It was so much fun! and Lola and Carlos turned it into a big event with all mine and Alex's favorite Spanish dishes and one of the "best wines in Spain". We even ate at the "celebration table" where they say they only eat when they have important guests or big events like birthdays. I still can't believe that they were so open to having him over to the house and were so gracious with the food and such. We had lots of little finger foods, baked artichokes (my favorite!!!), spanish tortilla (Lola makes them the best), 2 big salads, bread with tomatos (a spanish specialty), and a few more little side dishes. We were already stuffed when she brought out a huge bowl of fruit salad but somehow managed to finish the whole bowl. The fruit here is a hundred times better than the fruit in the US... even Bhavik was raving about it. He now admits that he's jealous of the food I eat every night and especially jealous of the fruit and my awesome host family. That's exactly what I wanted to hear :) haha. After we were done with dinner, Enrique (the youngest) entertained us with jokes and we all talked for a long time with Bhavik before we had to run out of the house again to meet up with friends. Neither Bhavik or I could thank my family enough. The food that night was especially amazing and I'm still thankful for them having him over.

We met up with all my friends again in the center of town and got to meet my friend Nicole's boyfriend too who was also here for the weekend. All of us went to a small bar to sit and talk for awhile and then to our favorite bar in Barcelona where we have made friends with the bartender. We only stayed out for a few hours mostly just talking and letting everyone get to know the boyfriends but it was a lot of fun. Going to bed early was the best thing since Nicole and I still had to show the guys as much as we could see of the city the next day.

Bhavik and I woke up pretty early and then I took him to Park Guell so he could see one of my favorite parts of the city. It was packed with it being Saturday and evidently a big tourist weekend but we saw more of the park that day then I ever got the chance to see before and on a absolutely beautiful day. We stayed for a good 3 hours, got a bite to eat, and sat in the grass taking in the sun. We looked over the city from the 2nd tallest hill in the city and took lots of pictures. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time... that place really is like a dream world but I swear Gaudi must have been crazy to come up with such ideas.

Afterwards, we took the train down to Gaudi's probably second most famous landmark in Barcelona, the Sangrada Familia (the Gaudi chapel). It was the first time that I had ever seen it too but I expected something different. The side that Gaudi designed and helped built was really really neat and like nothing I've ever seen but the newer side (built after his death still according to his designs) wasn't nearly as cool. It doesn't exactly match the rest so that took away from it but the chapel as a whole is still pretty cool. It's still under construction and is not supposed to be done for a long time but I'd love to see it when it is finally finished. Each design element has a different meaning and is symbolic of something but it won't really have as much of an impact until it is officially done. I want to see it then.

After the chapel, we decided to get a bite to eat at a small restaurant next to the chapel... traditional Spanish paella (seasoned rice and vegetables) and patatas bravas (spanish potatos) and just talked for a long time. Then we took a nap back at the hostel before going out again for dinner that night... lots of good food! We decided to eat with our friends for Valentine's Day and not make any big deal about it. We ate at an inexpensive but really nice restaurant just off the main plaza and stayed there for probably 4 hours talking, eating, and drinking cheap wine (because we're all poor :( ). Afterwards we were thinking that we'd end up going out but instead Bhavik and I just went to get some ice cream and then to bed. It was his last night here and he had to catch a taxi at 4am to the airport so it was probably better that way. Even though it was only a really short trip, it's awesome to see a familiar face and get that taste of home. Just know that I miss you all so much and I can't wait to be back with so many stories and experiences to share with all of you. Maybe you guys can catch me up on what's cool in the states and what I've missed. I'm realizing that I'm SOOO... out of the loop. I can't even tell you what the cool song is on the radio or what movies have come out since Slumdog Millionaire which is the newest movie here right now. They're so far behind! At least I'll have lots of things to do when I get home :)