Day 37-41 Barcelona

Day 37

         I went on a walking tour through the ancient parts of the city. It was nice to see the area and hear stories about that area BUT It was the most boring tour I've ever been on. Midway through the walk I wanted to leave but I decided to stay. Afterwards I ate lunch with a few Americans and a guy named German(like Herman) from Chile who was also on the tour. German and I walked around the city and saw the Olympic Stadium and castle. We ate a nice traditional Spanish dish NOT haha we had it our way at Burger King. The cost of fast food in Europe is double compared to the States. The taste and size are also not as good. I met my host at an Irish Pub for a cs meeting. We drank some Catalin beers.

Day 38

           I met German at noon and we went to the Church of Sagrada Familia. It was very interesting and unique. I've been to my fair share of churches and its nice to see different ones that stand out from the crowd. Later on I met Snezanaa and her friend who were both cs members. We went to the Arena Bar where there was another cs meeting. CS is amazing in so many ways. Theres a community section of the website that have groups in the majority of the cities who hold weekly meeting and special events.

Day 39

           I metup with my friend Carissa at noon. She was my cs host when I was in Madrid. Shes in town for a few days and had already been to Barcelona before. Shes a great tour guide and gets lost very easily but its nice to wander through different parts of the city. We went to Park Güell and I surprised no one had told me about it yet because it was amazing and one of the best parts of Barcelona. At night we went to the Magic Fountain. We watched a water show that was synchronized with music.

Day 40

         Carissa and I went to the beach and saw the cucumber building(Torre Agbar). It was very windy but the sun felt so good beaming down on my skin. We met another cs member named Viola. We went to a shot bar where they had a list of about any shot ever made. They would light some of them on fire. Next we went to a few bars and enjoyed soe Catalin beers.

Day 41

         Carissa, Viola, and I went  to a couple Tapas Bars and enjoyed the different foods like Calamari and Potatoes Bravis. Tapas is when you order a beer and get a small side dish of food. We met Snezanaa and went to a Squat house where a show was scheduled. A squat house is when an abandoned building is being used by a group of people who don't own it. It was a massive sized warehouse where about 20 people performed theater shows, fire shows, acrobatics, and comedy. It was the best part of my trip in Barcelona.

Day 34-36 Bratislava, Slovakia

Day 34

          I arrived in Bratislava by train from Vienna around noon. I met a cs member named Shelby. She was an American from Tennessee working as an english teacher living in a nearby town. She was very kind and a terrific guide. The city is small with a great feeling and beautiful castle. We shared our stories of traveling and it was nice to hear how passionate she was. It feeds my passion when I met people who have similar interests. I met my host Martina later at night and we went to a nice bar and had some Slovakian beers.

Day 35

         I met a cs member Maria in the afternoon. We walked around the water and across a couple bridges. I had a traditional Slovakian dinner with my host. A group of four people Maria, Martina, Martina's friend, and I went to a nice bar for a few drinks. Then we went to a monument for fallen soldiers that had a beautiful view of the city. After enjoying the view and the normal chit chat we created a  story about Cedric the tree. haha

Day 36

          I slept in and got alot of much needed rest. I ate a Slovakian style schnitzel. I went to the airport in the afternoon. I flew to Girona, Spain and then took a bus to Barcelona. I met my host Anna really late and then went to sleep.

   

Vienna Day 32-33

Day 32

              The first day I was in Vienna it rained all day and night. I took the train from Budapest early in the morning. I met my host Martin at his flat and we spent a few hours getting to know each other. I met another cs member named Isabel and we went to a well known Restaurant where they served me a delicious plate of schnitzel. At night I met Martin at his friends graduation party. The party appeared to be lame and Martin asked me if we should goto another party. I got an idea to introduce the classic American party game of beer pong. After explaining the rules and playing few games the party shifted into the right mode. It's nice to share cultural things with other even if its beer pong. haha

Day 33

             I woke up today feeling a little tired and dehydrated. Martin took me to a place where they served us the best hangover medicine. If you can picture hashbrowns with a ton of lard or fat then thats what we had. It took control of my hangover and I was feeling brand new. Next Martin took me on a tour through Vienna. I really enjoyed the different buildings and stories about Austria. There was an architect who after finishing his job on his newest building for the emperor committed suicide because when the emperor saw the final result he said "its nice". After that incident the emperor would always say "thats very nice" when handling similar matters. Martin and I went to a birthday party and enjoyed some Sangria.

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Costs- Train Budapest to Vienna- 13 Euros

            Metro pass                    -  10 Euros