finding our way

I am proud to say that we're finally getting to the point where we know our way around Barcelona without a map! On Tuesday after classes we walked from school to the Port on the water and ate our sack lunch overlooking the ocean. We stopped at la boquería (a famous market on the way to the ocean) to pick up some fresh berries to supplement. Afterwards we walked and walked through the winding, narrow, twisty-turny streets of el barrio gótico (the gothic quarter). We stumbled across several amazing tapas joints (which we plan to return to). We also found this candy store called "Happy Pills" where you fill a "bottle" with gummy candies which are beautifully displayed in bulk. Then you can slap a sticker on the bottle that says "for happiness" or "to get over a breakup" or other funny things. It was so cute! We just HAD to try some gummies and we walked and talked at ate them as we explored the little boutiques. We are finally feeling comfortable. We don't need to pull out our maps, we just find a main street that we know or a metro stop that looks familiar and we suddenly know right where we are. We also know the metro system like the back of our hand. We can hop on at any stop and transfer if need be to get exactly where we're going. While this may sound silly, to us its a huge feat (and one worth bragging about).

Our comfort with direction also really means comfort with the culture and the general do's and don'ts of Barce. We are finally getting the hang of when we REALLY need to be hyper aware about watching our purses for pickpockets and when we can relax a little bit more and take in the sites. For some reason every website ever about Barcelona tells you that Barce is the "capital of thievery" and basically assures you that your purse will be stolen. Before I left I was deathly afraid that some random man on the street was going to pour mustard on me as a prank and then steal my purse while I was distracted. (My parents still make fun of me about that every single time I call them on the phone. It is pretty funny, I can't lie). But in all seriousness this is honestly not true! Los ladrones (the thieves) are looking for a very specific kind of person- loudly speaking in a foreign language, with their wallet out, and a map in their hand. Monj and I try SO hard to blend in that it is laughable to us when we see tourists standing in the middle of a busy street looking down at a huge map with their phone out. Of course they will be pickpocketed! In other words, a little common sense goes a long way here in Barce (like any other big city).

In other news, today we saw the best view of the city that we have EVER seen! We walked and walked and hiked and hiked all the way up a STEEP hill in the Carmel barrio, about an hour walk from our apartment in Gracia, to an old civil war bunker. At first we couldn't find the bunker. We had to ask 3 different local people for directions. It is a very well hidden (totally unmarked) path and park. It is totally worth the hike and trouble though! From there you can see all of Barcelona! It was breathtaking. We sat for two hours at the top of this place (totally unbeknownst to tourists but full of locals) and talked about life. I know it sounds cheesy but Monj and I are both having huge life-changing realizations and reflections here. We're finding ourselves. And I can't imagine a better place to be doing so.