Black Cats, Tapas, & Terrifying Easter Egg Bunnies:España y Portugal

WOW!!!!

I am pretty sure that my trip to Spain and Portugal was the best time I’ve had in Europe so far.

lisbon

barcelona

chocolate festival near lisbon

I cannot remember a time I had more fun, constantly, for a week straight. I was with my two best friends from school, Nikita and Lizzie, and Nikita’s best friend from childhood Shauna, who I love as well. Funny things kept going wrong the whole time, so we had an inkling that an anti-fun demon was following us around, but sure enough, we prevailed. I will reference the demon throughout the blog, just to show you how many times he tried taking over our trip.

The day before I arrived, there was a CRAZY freak snowstorm in Barcelona even though it was gorgeous weather the day before and after. Lizzie and Shauna were on a train on their way to the Dali museum. 40 minutes into their ride, the train stops, and they finally find out (no one would translate the announcements to english) that a tree has fallen in front of the track. DEMON!! They figured they’d just go backwards back to Barcelona, no big deal. Meanwhile, a train behind them crashes. They are stuck between two crashes. DEMON!!! NINE hours later, they are still in the train and finally there is an announcement that everyone will be moved to a basketball gym and have to stay there overnight. Meanwhile, Nikita is going crazy in Barcelona, because her friends are stuck on a train and don’t speak spanish so well. Plus they don’t even really speak Spanish in Barcelona, they speak “Catalan.” Finally, Nikita’s host family at 11 pm decides enough is enough! They go out in the storm, rent a car, and drive an hour away to pick up Lizzie and Shauna! SO SWEET!

The next day, Tuesday, I arrive. It is gorgeous and the first time since I landed in Europe that I don’t need to wear a coat. Overwhelmed with euphoria, I spread my arms wide, and exclaimed to the world: “HERE WE GO!!” at which point, a man who had been expressively talking to his friend, turned fast and his arm accidentally punched me in the stomach. Thank you, demon. Shauna captured this moment on camera:

punched in the belly

Meanwhile, Nikita had to go to class, so she gave us a check list to accomplish by the time she was out of class. First, we had to “find a street performer on the main walking road and get a picture with him, even though you won’t want to.” Very cryptic checklist.

lizzie and the terrifying street performers

These creepy, Lord of the Rings-esque creatures sit there on their thrones, quietly, motionless, as nonchalantly as such a creature can. We timidly approach for a picture, then all of a sudden, they start making terrifying noises, licking their lips, grabbing at you with their nasty claws. Thanks a lot Nikita for forcing us to accomplish this task!

Task #2, we had to find “The Black Cat” (El gato negro) and get a picture. We ask a kind man for directions, who points in one direction (“ALLI! ALLI!”) but calls his wife over for confirmation. “NO, NO, NO, NO!,” she says in an accusatory tone, as if we are to blame for something, “El gato negro ALLI!” Points in opposite direction. Meanwhile, a random guy walks by and feels obligated to jump in on the conversation, and points in a totally different direction. His mother disagrees and points in a different direction. We pick one of the Spaniards and follow him to el gato negro. He asks us where we’re from (meanwhile his mother is shaking her head the whole time, probably talking about how we’re still going the wrong way). Lizzie tells him she’s from Pennsylvania, and he replies with a smile, “Ahh, Pennsylvania!” Then he GROWLS at Lizzie and makes a demon-like face at her, baring his teeth. A very sad Lizzie can’t understand how Spanish people perceive Pennsylvanians as monsters. Then the man says, “Dracula!! Si?”

No. Falso. Lizzie was quite relieved.

He stops us and informs us in Spanish that el gato negro is actually closed at the moment. We ponder how a statue can be closed, until we realize he has brought us to a bar called el gato negro. It is 2 in the afternoon. Do we LOOK like raging alcoholics??!

His mom who we should have listened to from the beginning then points us in the right direction.

shauna with el gato negro

Then we headed to this really cool outdoor market. It was so colorful! You start off near the fruit stands, and make your way down the aisle of candy (every kind imaginable), and then suddenly, there’s a pig head. And a cow’s foot. And then you’re back to the fruit. Then some tapas: a Spanish tortilla here, some olives there, another pig head.

metallic chocolate

fruta

After wandering around there for a while, we met back up with Nikita and enjoyed some churros and chocolate in the spot in Barcelona where they are supposed to be the best. They were delicious!

churros and hot chocolate

(You probably have gathered by now that this week was not the healthiest. The demon probably managed to slip in some extra calories to everything we ate as well. Don’t worry, I played Rugby immediately after I got back to Copenhagen!)

Later that night, we went out to dinner for Nikita’s friends bday, and while I was out, I ran into none other than AJ Finer, my cousin from Tulsa, Oklahoma! Craziness!

cousin!!

The next day, we took a trek up to a park called Park Guell:

Park Güell (Catalan: Parc Güell, Spanish: Parque Güell) is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914.

cacti area of the hike, walking up to park guell

Gaudi architecture is so cool! Lots of strange curves that make buildings seem like they’re from a cartoon. This was also in the same place where Tyra Banks filmed one of the Next Top Model (tv show) runway shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPNwpFhes_g&feature=related

We did out own runway show, but sadly my videos won’t upload. Here’s one shot. Notice Lizzie’s spectacular model pose (on the left).

strike a pose

here’s some more pics from that day at the park:

gaudi lizard

pretty view

We went out that night and didn’t really sleep and then made our way to the airport to head to Lisbon, Portugal. Blackmail pictures:

in line at the airport. lizzie eating cheetos, drinking coke at 7am. typical haha

Aww, they’re still cuties even after no sleep.

The first day in Lisbon, we took a quick nap, explored the town a little, and then made the best decision of our lives. Nikita had picked up an advertisement on the plane for a chocolate festival that only happens once a year for a few days, and it happened to be going on while we were there. Done and done. Doesn’t take much to convince us to go to a CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL!!

The bus ride there was on a double decker (closed roof), and we sat in the front row, so it felt like we were flying an airplane through windy hills. The driver…was daring, I’ll say. Considering the severity of the turns he made and speed we were going, he must have thought we were in a normal sized car going on a straight road with no other cars. This was not the case. I blame the demon. The ride was actually beautiful though:

As we got closer to the town, I noticed a pretty castle outline in the distance. As we got closer, it became more and more beautiful, and we decided we would definitely go explore the castle after the festival. Turns out, the festival was IN the castle! There were white cobblestone winding paths, stunning views, and adorable shops everywhere. We bought our tickets (which came with a bar of chocolate) and headed into paradise.

The first road we started on was lined with shops that each sold its own special type of chocolate. First, we had the local drink which was a wild cherry liquor. They pour a little into a teacup.

a toast! to chocolate!

And then…YOU EAT THE TEACUP! Because it’s made of…chocolate!! Amazing. Like Charlie and the Chocolate festival.

We moved on. The next shop had crepes. And another one had pastries. Chocolate covered strawberries. Chocolate pie. Chocolate cake. Chocolate ice cream. EVERYTHING CHOCOLATE. Meanwhile, we hadn’t even entered the actual festival. FINALLY we get to the top of the hill (25 pounds heavier) and enter a room where there is cake upon cake displayed. Not every day from the box cakes. The kind you see on the Food Network. The kind that bakers spend days making. So cool!

wall-E!!

We left (after free samples that the demon offered us) and at last entered the festival. And by that I mean, Candy Land. There was a lollypop field, candy decorating all the buildings, a gingerbread man, easter egg bunny, 8 foot tall baker, fairies, man-sized cupcake and more!

lollypop field at sunset

The Easter Egg Bunny and Gingerbread Man were taking a snooze on the lollipop field and I was in the middle of telling the girls to get together for a picture near them, when the Easter Egg sits up all of a sudden. He then proceeds to sprint towards me, yelling something in Portuguese. I was terrified, needless to say! He jumps on me and starts giving me the tightest hug ever, all the while singing and yelling in Portuguese. (I think he got drunk with the Gingerbread man on his break.) He drags me to the lollipop field and sort of tackles me to the ground while tussling my hair with his giant paw.

about to take a picture of him, but no, he attacks me instead

down for the count

terrified!!!

now he just sits there, as if he hasn't done a single thing unusual. coy little rabbit.

Then, the Gingerbread Man approaches Nikita (who is…if you haven’t figured this out yet…Indian) and pronounces: “I shall make you my love, my chocolate woman!!!!” Great times!

gingerbread man proposing to shauna?

All in all- BEST DAY EVER!

Now, I don’t mean to be a showoff, but starting now, the rest of the blog post will be in espanol….

Hola! Me llamo magdalena! Tienes baño? Soy de Atlanta! Tengo hambre! Y tu?

That’s about the extent of my spanish, actually, so I will now continue in Portuguese…

Except…I speak no Portuguese. So you can imagine the anxiety I had when I was sitting in the barber chair of a hair cuttery in Lisbon, Portugal and the hairdresser speaks NO English. I noticed the floor had tons of white and grey hair, not so much brown. “Okay,” I thought, “So their main income is from geriatrics. Hair is hair, right??” I had google-translated how to say “no more than 1 inch, please” in Portuguese, so that’s the only instruction she had. She starts cutting. And talking to the other hairdresser. Who is standing BEHIND her. Yes, she is simultaneously snipping away at my locks as she is turned 180 degrees, laughing at something with her friend.

Now, all this discussion about my hair may all seem very self absorbed of me, but I have hair anxiety ever since one fateful haircut when I was about eight that my mom forced me to get that made me look like a boy. (I forgive you Mom, it gave me character…I guess). Back to Lisbon- At one point, she had my hair parted down the middle (I’m a side-part girl), and was about to put her scissors to my bangs and condemn my hair to fashion hell. I panicked. The result?

Me: Ahh..ermm…umm…ESPANOL?!?!

Robust barber: (shrugs her shoulders)Eh…si?

Me: Cuando…cortas…este (points to bangs)…puedes cortar….(here’s where I blanked)…on el side-o?

Thank you kind lady for understanding my atrocious Spanish, even though you are Portuguese. For 12 euro (15$), I had one of the better haircuts I’ve ever received, and by far, the best blowdry. I may have to go back to Lisbon next time I want my hair cut.

The next day we rented these things called GoCars! They are miniature vehicles somewhere in between a real car and a go-kart. It’s a convertible and you have to wear a helmet with a visor, which is pretty cool

How it works is there’s a GPS device inside the car, so it tells you where to drive and this (very loud) woman’s voice tells you all about the sites as you drive by them. She also tells you jokes!

knocking it as a test of safety. it passed.

driving on the road as tourists took pictures of us

We made a stop to check out some sites, and when we returned, the GPS wasn’t working. So we found our way somehow back to the shop, and it turns out someone had broken in and stolen the GPS’s while we were walking around outside. DEMON!!!!

The rest of the trip involved lots of fish, exploring, and overall just the best time ever. I actually have to run now, because I think the rye bread (rugbrod) I ate today was a little moldy and I don’t feel so great.

I am off to Amsterdam tomorrow and stayin there till Sunday evening. I will blog about that when I return.

Here’s some more random pics: