The Beginning

So here we are, sitting in a Barcelona coffee shop, where we have become regular customers.  It's a cozy little place, good food and great coffee.  With that, let us take a few steps back to where it began. 

     The flights within the United States were nothing out of the ordinary.  Just a few quick jumps from here to there, nothing special.  The flight from New York to Dublin was the longest plane ride I had been on yet.  A total of six hours over the ocean spanning the hours of the early morning.  However, with the time change it put us in Dublin around 7 in the morning, a perfect time to start off and begin a completely different lifestyle for an entire month.
    We began our stay in Dublin by searching for a place to stay.  As our efforts were diminished from being told places were fully booked, we came upon a place that had one room left.  A room to be shared with 10 other people, and let me say that this place had a reputation for being the worst hostel in Dublin.  The building was right near a train track, and the whole structure shook every time the train passed.  It was a roof and a bed, but that is all that is was.  Needless to say, we only spent one evening there.
     We spent the next few days wandering about Dublin, touring the Guiness brewery, walking up and down the streets, dipping in to pubs as we went, and playing cards with locals on the roof of a five story club.  One of the greatest things you can accomplish in your life is to go to a pub in Ireland and have a local man buy you a round while he tells you about his life experiences.  The numerous variations of people and cultures in this world is beyond me, and this was only the beginning.  We only spent a few days in Dublin amongst the crowded and narrow streets, then it was off to the next of destinations, London.
     We arrived in the UK, only to find atrocious prices and a lot of time spent in airports.  It would have ran us dry to stay in what seemed like the most expensive place on Earth.  We slept in the airport that night, which was was nearly as bad as the shanty hostel in Dublin.  Immediately regretting the decision given our financial states, we decided to take the next flight out to Barcelona.  This left the only sightseeing in London to what we rode past on the bus from Stansted airport to our departure terminal in Gatwick airport.  We were glad to be heading somewhere where we actually knew someone who could show us around.
     Barcelona is absolutely stunning.  The gothic architecture intrigues me, the coastline is beautiful, the mountainous countryside is incredible. The first night we arrived, we stayed in a nice hostel, while we waited for the final agreements to be settled on a flat that Sara Larrabe and her family have graciously let us stay in while we are here in Barcelona.  So far, we rode a tour bus that brought us around the entire city, and walked the beach from end to end.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, and it is only supposed to get better from here.  I can't stress enough how greatful we are for Sara's family.  They took us out to eat the day after we got here, and treated us to an immaculate 5 course meal.  There is still so much to do, and so much to see. 

This is only the beginning of Barcelona.