I’m feeling a little extra blessed this week! I had an amazing weekend with my mom and Kate, her friend and my confirmation sponsor, who both came and visited me!

Our adventure began on Thursday with a one-day crash course of Madrid. We first took the metro to my apartment and got breakfast at a local café that is one of my favorites.

It was a busy day, and we took the hop-on hop-off bus to see a lot of the city. We went to Retiro Park, which is probably the most famous and biggest park in Madrid. We stopped at the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple that was built in Egypt and then later moved to Madrid. For lunch, we ate at a restaurant that was right outside the Madrid palace. Next we went inside the Madrid Cathedral (Catedral de la Almudena) and the Madrid Royal Palace. While at the palace, I ran into a girl who I life guarded with a few summers ago – small world! After that, we went to Plaza Mayor, did some shopping, and stopped for churros and chocolate!

 

On Friday, we got up early and took a train to Barcelona. This train was so nice – huge seats, lots of space, and a very smooth ride. We got to our hotel and found that we had made reservations at a space themed hotel. While the hotel was very nice, the decorations were so odd. Mom and Kate enjoyed taking pictures by the astronauts.

 

We got pizza and ravioli for lunch, and Mom and Kate tried Sangria in Spain for the first time. We then toured La Sagrada Familia. It was absolutely incredible. My pictures just do not do it justice!

 

We then went to the Magic Fountain light show, which was super cool. The lights were incredible. Music was playing as the fountains changed colors.

 

On Saturday, we took a crowded train to Montserrat – a famous monastery about an hour from Barcelona. The views of the mountains were absolutely incredible.  We saw the famous carving of Our Lady of Montserrat in their beautiful chapel. We had to take two inclines up into the mountains, and although I was convinced we were going to die, we survived to tell the tale.

We took the train back to Barcelona and decided to go to an evening Mass. This Mass was in Catalan, the language widely spoken in Barcelona. None of us understood a thing, and we definitely stood out. There were probably only 40 of us at Mass, and we were the youngest by quite a few years and the only tourists.   After Mass, the priest spoke to us in Spanish, welcomed us, and reminded us how awesome it is that we can go to Mass in any language and it is still the same Mass.

We got dinner at a restaurant near the church, and Kate and Mom got to try croquettas, paella, patatas bravas, and a ham and bread plate.

 

Sunday was our last day in Barcelona, and we went to the beach and saw Guell Park. We got breakfast at an adorable restaurant and enjoyed freshly squeezed orange juice. It was a good end to the weekend! We took a train back to Madrid and enjoyed Kate’s last dinner in Spain.

 

On Monday, Kate flew back to the states nice and early. Mom and I had a pretty relaxing day after our crazy week. We did some shopping, went to my favorite pizza place for lunch, saw my school, and enjoyed dinner at the hotel. She flew back to the States this morning!

Today marks two months exactly since I’ve been gone. Time is flying by!

Much love,

Katie

PS – here is my latest article on the St. Thomas website in case you’re interested: http://www.alumni.stthomas.edu/s/904/index.aspx?sid=904&gid=1&sitebuilder=1&pgid=252&cid=5757&ecid=5757&crid=0&calpgid=2800&calcid=5702