21

So in typical Barcelona fashion, I had a great birthday. I went out with my friends both nights and spent the day checking out some amazing views at Tibidabo.

Definitely 24 hours to remember. I missed being at home with all of my friends but it was still a great day. The rest of last week and this week have also been great. I've been making sure to get done everything else in the city I haven't had a chance to yet. I've been super productive and done a ton so here are a few highlights. 

Evan and I went to the chocolate museum yesterday which was tiny but pretty cool. Also got to check out the aquarium. It was a little expensive but also very interesting.

Alex and I also got a chance to go rowing! Unfortunately, it will probably be the only time that happens this semester. Everyone at the rowing club was so nice and very welcoming but it was a little too expensive for what we were getting. Alex and I would have unlimited use of the gym but would only get to go out on the water on the weekends. Since I'm spending all the rest of my weekends traveling or with friends, we figured it wasn't worth 50 euros a month. Rowing in the ocean was an experience. In Spain, they don't have the same water traffic rules so Alex and I definitely almost got run over my cruise boats and huge sail boats several times. We didn't row out to the open ocean and only stayed near the dock so we didn't have to deal with huge waves but the wake from the boats and salt water was something new.

I had an amazing time at the Barca vs. Copenhagen game to start off my birthday celebrations. I don't know too much about soccer but was really entertained and got really into the game since the crowd was so great. 

The stadium is so incredibly huge. It seats 100,000 people. They only sold 75,000 tickets for this game but it still looked packed to me. Everyone was so into the game that it was hard not to share in the excitement. I was also really impressed by the fans from Copenhagen. They had their own little section at the very top of the stadium but there were tons of them and they were all dressed in white. They also had many more chants and synchronized dances than any of the Barca fans. Even though they lost and Barca dominated them in possession of the ball, they were still very proud of their team. It was a very different game than anything that would happen in the US but was tons of fun.

Wooo so excited for Barca adventures with Richard and Linda next weekend! Too bad I need to actually do my first homework of the semester this week and start studying for midterms. Barca spoils me.