A Great Weekend with Even Greater Friends

I apologize for not having posted on here in a while. I am currently getting ready to go to class and then Switzerland! I am so thankful for this opportunity to see so much. Last week I was blessed to see Barcelona, Spain with my dear friends Janice and Spencer. Janice is studying abroad this semester as well in Cordoba, Spain, and I missed her so much (especially since the year before I saw her almost every day).

Some Crazies at the Metro Station

Sagrada Familia

Before we got to Barcelona, Spencer and I had quite a full experience of every sort of transportation available in England and Spain, going from bus to train to plane to bus to metro just to get to Barcelona. It was quite the happy reunion when Spencer and I found Janice at the bus stop, and, of course, our first course of action together: food. We found a small tapas bar for a late dinner and had some amazing Spanish food, something that was quite new to me. I loved it!

Bench at Parc Guell

Me at Parc Guell

The Green House at the Parc de la Cuitadella

The next day we packed in almost everything there is to see in Barcelona! Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, La Rambla, Mercat de Boqueria, Parc de la Ciutadella, and more. It was wonderful to see all the Gaudi architecture, which I found so beautiful, and the parks were breath-taking. By the end of the day, our feet were nevertheless killing us and we were ready to rest so we could enjoy our last day in Barcelona together.

Parc de la Ciutadella Fountain

More Gaudi Works of Art

We woke the next morning to go and get some Churros con Chocolate... oh my gosh! I nearly died right then and there. Their chocolate was so rich and think, I was in heaven. It is vital that I find a good recipe for that when I go home, no joke! After my much needed chocolate fix, we went to the Mercat de la Boqueria, which is one of the coolest outdoor markets I've seen, and we got food for lunch (yes, we were ready for more food). After some exploring in the Mercat, we were off to the Parc de la Ciutadella to eat our lunch at the benches in front of the most amazing fountain structure in Barcelona.

Heavenly Churros con Chocolate

El Mercat De La Boqueria

Even More Gaudi Architecture

The Gothic Quarters

It was, without a doubt, such a wonderful weekend. I got to spend time with two wonderful people in a city rich in culture and life. It was within our last 20 minutes in the city that my emotions were rocked. To put it plainly, a thief stole my bag. A strange creepy man had come up to us and got right in our faces, asking questions and acting so strangely. Meanwhile, another man had come up and taken the bag right from under my feet! Yes, right under me. I felt a rush of emotions: extreme anger, frustration, embarrassment, worry, and after some time (and some wise words and prayers from my friends) thankfulness. Why thankful? Because my wallet and passport were in my pocket, not my bag. Because I had taken my brand new camera out of my bag right before it happened. Because I had friends who speak Spanish much better than myself who were there to support me. Because I could still get back to England. Because I am insured and not too much stuff was stolen. Because God taught me a lot that day.

This is where we ate lunch :)

Janice at the Arc de Triomf (Spain Version)

It was one of those things where I thought "that'll never happen to me!" I am extremely cautious when I travel: checking my pockets ever 5 seconds, making sure I don't leave my bag anywhere, etc. How could it happen to me?! But then I was made aware of my perspective. I had taken this trip abroad with such excitement (which is good) that I naively thought everyday will be the most amazing day of my life. Not to say that I became careless with my materials per se, but that I became unfocused. It has been so awesome to be here, but it is still life. We still live in an imperfect world. We still desperately need God. I was reminded that day that I still need God, even (especially) here. It sounds so simple, but I had started to live like I was on cloud nine, but really, I'm still here on earth (just a different part of it). It was an important reminder, that we are a world that so greatly needs a God who loves us with all He has (which is infinite).

A rainy morning with friends

La Barceloneta, a beautiful boardwalk by the beach

The most beautiful part of this whole crazy situation was on the way to the airport, Spencer pointed out the window of the bus to a beautiful rainbow (which was quite strange since it wasn't even raining that day). He said "Look, it's like God's promise from the flood." I remembered in that moment that my backpack of clothes and such are just materials. God's promise is so much greater than that. He was there with me all along.

There were some strange adverts

Arc de Triomf