Getting dirty in Barcelona

A couple of weekends ago we went on a little trip to Barcelona. The main reason we went was to do the Color Run on the Sunday, but we also had the added bonus of seeing our friends and having a jolly old time.

#planeselfie

We split off and did different things on the Saturday, me Tara and Adele wondered around the centre of Barcelona and had some breakfast before going to Parc de la Ciutadella to meet Will.

Will is an old school friend who Adele and I studied Spanish with and it was so lovely (but a bit surreal) for us all to be hanging out in Barcelona. We had some lunch and chilled on the beach and it was just perfect. The only thing I didn't like about the beach was the Indian men coming round offering mojitos or beer, there were so many of them and they totally ruined the tranquil atmosphere. There were also thai women offering massages...sounds dodgy, I know, I sat this one out but everyone else indulged in a 5 euro massage on the sand, from a spectators view it was pretty hilarious watching Will all oiled up with some Thai lady slapping his back.

sleafordians reunited

After a quick turn around we all met up again in Plaza Espanya to watch the Font Magica and have some dinner and drinks. It was just as magical as last time and we got this pretty cool photo.

the gang

On Sunday, race day, we met up with Hannah and Lizzie to all do the race together. The atmosphere was absolutely incredible and we were so excited. The Color Run really was amazing, after every 1K completed there was an area where you just got covered in the paint. It was absolutely mental, music was blaring and I think we were all just loving life. When it came to the yellow colour section, me Adele and Will lifted our tops up so we got yellow bellies. That's only really funny to anyone from Lincolnshire because apparently we call ourselves Yellow Bellies. Didn't quite work but it was funny.

The whole thing was so fun and even once we'd finished there was a huge concert with more paint and music. After a while it was a bit tiring though and I just felt sweaty and dirty and wanted a shower. Luckily our lovely friend Inigo let us go back to his and clean up before we all met up for a farewell lunch.

clean

not so clean

the attempt of yellow bellies

Anyway, it was an amazing weekend and I am so happy we went. I'm now on the countdown til I go home, 6 weeks today I'll be back in Sleaford so depressed that this is all over.

For now, it's the last week of classes and the beginning of exams. A lot of my friends start leaving in the next few weeks so although that'll be quite sad, it also means before they go there'll be lots of fun. And lots of alcohol.

Summer Sunshine

There is no denying that summer has arrived here in Andalucía, mainly because the Spaniards have taken off their coats and scarves and that's a pretty big deal. The sun is shining and everyday we are graced with 28-31 degrees. I do love the sun but I'm just not used to living in this heat. All you people at home reading this might be feeling jealous (which by all means you should be) however day to day life in this heat isn't quite what you think. It's not a holiday, there is no beach or swimming pool and it's sweaty, sticky and often just quite uncomfortable. It still trumps England though..

So, you may have noticed my blogs are becoming less frequent these days mainly because I'm not travelling quite as much (every weekend like I was doing at one time) and there are a few reasons for this:

• I can't be bothered. With this heat I just want to be a pool and a sea not traipsing round a city sweating my **** off
• I'm poor. I thought I was gonna be minted this year with an erasmus grant and more student loan than usual. However, with all the travelling, tapas and let's be honest...trips to Zara, it's kind of ran out. 
• You're never going to be able to visit every place you want to on your year abroad. It's impossible. There's still so many places I want to see but realistically they are always going to be there...use it as an excuse to come back in the future. 
• I want to make the most of Granada. Granada is such an amazing, beautiful and mesmerising city which sometimes I've neglected because of all the other places in Spain I've wanted to visit. There's no doubt so many nooks and crannies still do be discovered in Granada and I have exactly 57 days left to do this.

Yes, that's right. The dreaded flight has been booked (thanks Dad) and I now know when I'm officially leaving Spain and going back to England. I have mixed feelings. I love Spain so much it's going to be horrible to leave. There are very few things I dislike about Spain, I've fallen in love and now we have to go our separate ways. On the other hand, I haven't been home since 2013 (31st December 2013, but still) and I miss it. I never thought I'd say it but I do. I miss my family, my friends and English grub. It's also going to be about 40 degrees here come July 7th so if I stay I think my body might actually just give up. It makes me a bit teary to think about going home, my year abroad has been and still is such an amazing year and one which I don't want to end. I've learnt so much, not only in terms of Spanish but so much about myself and what I am capable of. If you don't finish your year abroad feeling independent, you haven't done it right, it's only upwards from here because knowing you are capable to move to a different country and start a new life on your own is pretty incredible. 

Anyway, enough of the soppy stuff, next weekend is going to be so exciting.  We're going to BARCELONA. We've had this booked since February so it's nice that it's all already been paid for etc. On Sunday we're doing the Colour Run (google it if you don't know what it is).  I can't wait to see Tara, Inigo and the recently Catalan converted Will (who is even doing the colour run with us girls!!). We don't really get that much time in Barcelona given our flight times but we'll make it a great weekend I'm sure.

Besos,

Ellie

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Taken on El Día de la Cruz