May 12

Well, since the last update…

I visited Toulouse. Honestly, Albi was cooler. I think it’s just ‘cause everything was closer together in Albi. It formed a picturesque scene that I’ve not really seen before.

I was feeling pretty irritable, and I probably could have been a much better guest while CouchSurfing. I just was in the room they had for me and kinda stayed there on the internet, wishing I was home. The homesickness isn’t always predictable.

The next morning (Thursday, May 8), I went from Toulouse, France to Barcelona, Spain via blablacar.com. This ride wasn’t quite as comfy as the first one I went on. I had the passenger seat and my legs didn’t really have space. However, I made my way spending less time and money than I would have with a train ticket.

I apparently had the dates confused because my sister and our friend Brittany had arrived in Barcelona hours before me, rather than the day after me, so I only had one hostel room reservation. It worked out alright though, and she got a hostel that night for a few dollars more than what I was paying. We didn’t do much that night beyond eat, and she was pretty sleepy the next day, but Friday night, we went out. The club we went to, Catwalk, was far too far away to walk, yet walk we did. Time flew by though as I rather determinedly flirted with some French girls. However, it was boring at the club (especially ‘cause I was actively flirting, which ruins my purpose at the club) and it was less than half an hour before my sister, in her boredom, drank too many shots and I, having taken a few half-shots of hers when she offered, had to drunkenly navigate back to our hostel through Barcelona. She wasn’t really able to walk on her own, and I wasn’t in the best shape either, but we got a taxi to Catalunya Plaza. Our hostel was a few blocks from there, but I found in my drunkenness that I could not navigate from there. So we had to get another taxi straight to our hostel’s address, and we made it back okay, just with significantly less money after the cost of drinks and taxi.

The next day (Saturday), neither of us wanted to do much. I was hungover and we were both irritable, tired of traveling and wanting to be back in the States. We tried to find a way to the castle on the hill overlooking Barcelona but gave up after a time. We went back to the dorm and had a night in eating Nutella with digestives and I just watched Netflix on my porcuter.

Sunday, we both woke up late, refreshed and not hating the world. We did laundry and went out with our friend Brittany to find the castle on the hill after a quick visit to the big church under construction. We accidentally went to the wrong castle, but we got some nice pictures. We then went to the Picasso Museum and it was as great (and free) as I remembered it three years previous. After that, my sister and I went to La Malandrina in the Barceloneta area, a South American steakhouse which was known for being inexpensive and really good. It was known for the right reasons. We each ordered sirloin steaks and a bottle of wine, and the portions were large, served with potatoes and bread and sauce, all of which were really good. They ended the meal with a free digestif, a shot of Hierbas, a 26% liqueur made in Ibiza.

On our way back, we enjoyed the street performers and got many a picture, then ended the night with karaoke at an Irish pub, which actually turned out to be a poor venue. I did two songs and my sister did three, but our hearts weren’t in it. We’re used to getting WAY more attention at karaoke.

This morning, we made friends with some Germans and then had to say goodbye to catch our train from Barcelona, Spain to Paris, France. This train left at 1:20 PM and is a high-speed one, so it’s only making a few stops in Southern France, then going straight up to Paris, set to arrive at 7:50 PM.