Back! From Barcelona, from Milano, from the Fiorentina Game.

I'm back!
How unlike me is it to not post for two weeks?
Forgive me for my hiatus. I'm been EVERYWHERE for the past two weeks, and I can't wait to share.
I left last Wednesday for Pisa and took a plane to Girona, a city an hour outside of Barcelona. My flight cost only SEVEN EUROS! So, I was willing to make the trek alone and stay alone in a hostel in a country where I didn't speak the language.
I made it safely, then went off to look for my hostel...in the dark. Girona's streets are poorly marked, so I frustratedly ran around the town for about thirty minutes. There were a group of people on their balcony across the street, and they could tell I was lost. It was late, dark, and I was a lone American. "Parlez-vous français?" "No....English." The next thing I knew, a Frenchman ran down the stairs and across the street to my aid. We used English, French, and Spanish to find out where my hostel was. I gave a "gracias!" then headed to the hostel.
It was clean and cozy, and I decided to explore Girona a bit more. At night, everything was beautifully lit and the stone, Medieval buildings tower over you. It was so impressive.
The next morning I woke up, got my free breakfast of cocoa krispies and tea, and headed to meet Garrett in Barcelona.
He flight was delayed, but we finally met up back at the hostel and decided to take it easy the first day. We both took naps then decided to hit the University center of town and search for a restaurant. We caught up and walked in any direction we desired before finding a tapas bar for dinner. We chose mainly seafood and had great conversation.
The next morning, we ate a big, warm breakfast and headed to the station to meet Alece. We missed our stop and watched out the window as Alece sat on a bench by herself, straining her neck to find her friends.
Alece and I have bonded. We often call ourselves "travel buddies," and love hanging out together. In fact, we've known each other for less than two weeks but have passed a stranger's "best friend test." I'd share it, but I'll have to do it in person so as not to spoil the trick. We were tested last night by a Florentine engineer we met on the train from Pisa to Florence. He was...interesting. He leaned over to us and said, "May I ask you a question?" Alece and I nodded. "Would you date a guy who was still friends with his ex-girlfriend?" This developed into a 30 minute conversation about dating, the differences between men and women, and even immigration. Oh, the people you meet while traveling.
Back to Barcelona. I'll spare all of the details, and I'll suggest you look at my pictures for specifics. We checked out a lot of the modernist architecture of Gaudi...everything his created defies expectations and is so passionate...it's aesthetically pleasing, mesmerizing, really, but is also functional.
We went to the coast and found a cute little market for antiques, jewelry, and art. I stepped up and decided to buy my first piece of art! It's odd. I guess you can say I was inspired by the expressionism of the city. It's pink, has an old-fashioned espresso maker, and has words in different languages written across it. I've decided to start my own little collection. Soon I'll buy one of the Ponte Vecchio to take home; I'm already scouting out artists on the street.
To experience the Spanish culture, we decided to attend a short concert with Spanish guitar, singing, and Flamenco dancing. Oh it was lovely! The dancers alternate smooth, sensual moves with tight, emphatic ones, and they stomp to the music with their feet and clap their hands. It was a delight to watch. The next night, we went to the jazz bar next door to the Flamenco club, and we watched Italians play and sing the blues. I smiled at the Italian accent that peaked out from an attempt at a southern drawl. The concert was lively and even a sweet taste of home. The music was great, too! "I got my mojo workin'..."
A highlight of my trip was finally getting to have lunch with my friend from high school, Jennifer, who is studying in Barcelona. She was so kind and toured us around, and we laughed and talked about home and about how studying abroad is such an enriching, strange experience. Her family comes soon, and I was her sister's intern this summer, so I'm so excited to hear about their time together. They are such sweet, loving, generous girls.
So, fast-forward to THIS weekend. It's Sunday night, I just ate a stir-fry dinner, and I'm sitting down to work on a presentation on "The private life of the Renaissance family" for my history class tomorrow. Today we went to a rainy yet explosive calcio (soccer, European football) match against Verona's Chiavo team. I loved the exhibition of Florentine pride...purple everywhere, flags waving even through tired arms, yelling and chanting their song. We won, too!
It rained, and because we weren't allowed to bring umbrellas into the arena, I had to use a magazine as a makeshift hat. The walk was forty minutes back to my apartment, and I had to go to the grocery store as well. The "hat" absorbed so much water that it broke apart, and when I returned home, I realized it had left black ink residue on my forehead. I was still completely soaked. Hopefully I don't get sick again after my trek in the cold rain!
LAST night consisted of a five and a half hours of train travel from Milan and finally arriving back in Florence at midnight. I worked on schoolwork, read, and chatted with Alece and fellow travelers on the way back.
Our weekend in Milan was fantastic! I love the city, although it is very much metropolitan rather than the stereotypically charming, inviting Italian village. A lot was destroyed in the war, but there is still a castle, a few palaces, and of course the famous Duomo of Milan. It's breathtaking...the facade is the first thing you see when you get off the metro. It's free to get in, and the stained-glass windows were huge and amazinggggggg.
We met two guys at our hostel at breakfast, and we invited them to come along with us for our day of sightseeing. Charlie was from Northern Ireland, and he convinced his friend Tommy from England to travel in Italy with him. They were hilarious. We made jokes about American stereotypes and had a friendly competition about America versus the European Union. This included a game of Trivial Pursuit, which lasted until 2:30 in the morning, but Alece and I won! The bragging rights were worth the lack of sleep.
Other than that, we traveled all around Milan, had an inexpensive aperitivo buffet near the canals, and met interesting people. It was great to be with Garrett in his city, of course. We went to the shopping district and found a "discount outlet." Yeah, right. Everything was still hundreds of dollars. Thanks but NO THANKS.
The highlight of this trip was the Salvador Dali exhibit. He was a surrealist, so his stuff was a little crazy. Probably the craziest art exhibition I've ever seen. I soaked up every bit I could. Just look at some of his stuff. Really. I can't describe it. Some of it was too overwhelming, and I just thought, "I guess here's where the art for art's sake philosophy comes in." But then there were documentaries playing in side rooms, and the interviews of him were hilarious. He has this curled up little mustache, is Spanish but speaks decent English, and refers to himself in the third person. He talks about how he is the best artist of the time simply because there are no other good artists, and goes on a schpeal about his love of money. Anyway, I'd go again in a heartbeat.
Here's a Disney cartoon he made. Odd but spellbinding:

Enjoy!
Well, I'm off to skype my parents.
Arrivederci!