It is rare to find friends where you can pick up right where you left off without any awkward pauses or moments after months apart. Those however, are exactly the kind of friend I have. This past week we met up in Barcelona to share memories, stories, moments, and most importantly, laughs. Barcelona itself is not an extremely remarkable city. My friends however, made it remarkable.
It is hard to say what my favorite part of the trip was. Perhaps it was our adventure at the beach when we stumbled upon a giant rope tower and decided it would be a great idea to join the kids and climb to the top. It could have been finding ourselves at quite possibly one of the most dangerous parks with a crazy teeter totter-like structure suspended in the air while walking towards the dead Tree of Life. Maybe it was watching Matt try to jam himself into pillowcases in order to keep himself warm at night (who really pays 2 euros for another sheet or blanket?). It could have been using Heather’s “Tapa, Tapa” phrase to agree to a statement in a positive manner (until we actually went to the restaurant Tapa Tapa and were disappointed by the food). Maybe it was even our failed trip to see the Magic Fountains that neglected to share their magic with us (apparently the show is only on Fridays and Saturdays). Perhaps it was seeing the “Silence” sign when entering the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral that is still under construction after years and years of work. It could quite possibly be our hiking trip to Montserrat, a mountain with a monastery where we took a train, cable car, funicular, and our legs to share lunch bought at the open-air market and spectacular views from the highest point of the entire mountain. It could also be us running through the train station in order to make the train to go to Montserrat. Maybe it was watching Matt nearly fall to his death about every 5 minutes on the hike. It could be Tyler’s one-line jokes thrown in at the perfect moment. Or maybe it was the ever-present repetition of something someone just said only to be followed by Heather’s “Guys, we don’t listen to each other!” It was possibly trying to beat AJ’s time while racing through a giant hedge maze (needless to say, I was the last one every time… “Laura, have you reached the middle yet?”, “There’s a middle?!”). Maybe it was wandering down the streets of Barcelona, seeing what we could stumble upon next. Maybe, just maybe, it was all these adventures and every laugh, every sharp comment, every expensive piece of bread, every bicker, and every moment in between.
I don’t know if I can explain the flood of emotions on parting ways with my friends yet again. It was a phenomenal experience to be able to share my study abroad experience, one of the best things I have ever done in my life, with some of the people I care about most. It was sad to leave them and head back to life in Sevilla, but at the same time I know I have many adventures left.
As I stepped off the bus and back into Sevilla, the first thing that hit me was the smell of the Orange Blossoms, welcoming me home again. The second smell that hit me was the overwhelming smell of incense… Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Sevilla had begun, and soon I was to be a part of it.
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