Yesterday at 830am Lauren arrived in Barcelona!!! I went to pick her up from the airport by using the Aerobus which was really easy and fast to use. Once we got back into downtown Barcelona we headed to her hostal to check in. When we got there we had to wait a bit because the person before her hadn't checked out on time. So instead of sitting around doing nothing we decided to go out walking and have some lunch. We first made a stop at my apartment to drop off some of her things and introduce her to my host parents. Then we walked from my house to Casa Milá, then to Sagrada Familia, stopped and had some lunch. After lunch we went back to her hostal to check in. Her hostal is very modern looking and her room looks like one straight out of an IKEA catalog. After getting Lauren settled into her room, we decided to walk down Passeig de Grácia (which is like 5th ave in NYC... lots of designer/fancy shops), then to Las Ramblas, and finally the Barri Gothic. Over lunch I gave her an orientation of sorts to introduce her to the city, give her important emergency contacts, and tell her where to go/not go in the city. I also showed her how to use the metro and how to buy a metro pass etc. :)
When we were in the Barri Gothic we found a dance performance going on for Carnival so we stopped to watch it.
They did traditional dances in very elaborate costumes to music. Then afterwards we founds another little concert going on in front of the Barcelona Cathedral where people were doing a traditional Spanish dance called.. "Sardana", which is where people put their clothing/bags in the center and make a circle around it joining hands and dancing around their belongings to music. This dance is only done in Cataluña and was the first time I saw it in Barcelona. :) 
After walking around the city for 6 hours, I took Lauren to a Tapas Restaurant on Passeig de Grácia for some yummy Spanish tapas!
She loved it, and got to try many different kinds there.
After the restaurant we headed to the Tavern off Las Ramblas for some sangria! Here we met up with 4 of my API friends - Jordi, Matt, Andrew and Liz!
Today we met around 11am and headed to Parc Güell.
I showed her around the Park, and explained all about Gaudí. After the park we got some "bocadillos" (sandwiches) on our walk back and then headed to Parc Ciutadella where we saw the large fountain that is similar to the Trevi fountain in Rome, and also the beautiful parks, the zoo, and ponds. We found a small park by a church within the park and played there for a bit... feeling like children all over again. 
After Parc Ciutadella we continued to walk down to Barceloneta where I showed Lauren the beautiful beaches of Barcelona! Once again we walked over 6 hours today! How time flies in beautiful Barcelona! :) When we got back to my apartment my host parents had many guests over because it was my host mothers birthday today! So I introduced Lauren to their friends and they immediately sat us down and fed us lol.
They gave us this rice, corn, salad, seafood dish and cake! I was Lauren's translator though she could understand some things because Lauren speaks Italian! So for the rest of the evening we sat around the kitchen table eating and drinking and celebrating my host mother's birthday. Later on she served both Lauren and I dinner, we had Tortilla - which is a traditional Spanish dish that is like an omelette... very tasty. Then we had a conversation about Colombia, and the Amazon river/forest, and then my host mother's friend invited us to come to Colombia in 2011 if we want to haha, so many things! And it was all in Spanish... so now I have a bit of a headache because ive been thinking and speaking in Spanish intensely for the past 6 hours, and also being Lauren's translator, it's exhausting!!
The best thing about tonight was when my host mother taught us DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE in Spanish: "De oca a oca y fuego porque me toca!"
There was a lot of laughter and joking around tonight. My host family and their friends are so hospitable and kind. They accepted us with open arms, telling us all kinds of stories and history of Colombia and South America.
As each day passes in Spain the more I love my host family, this beautiful city and the people of Spain!
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