"Su pico es bonito" ~ Family comes to visit!

Wow, it seems like so much has happened since I last updated! This past weekend was Mercé, which is a festival honoring one of the patron saints of Barcelona (aka another excuse for the Spanish to party and not to work. Hey, I'm not complaining!). Wednesday night I quickly learned not to accept free drinks from locals, for they will claim you as their own and not allow you to talk to others. Even though it was nice to practice my Spanish and not spend as much money, I think I'll say no from now on and buy my own drinks. I think Brittany also learned not to talk to locals since she was asked to go to Russia for the weekend... Who goes to Russia?? Right Brittany?

Thursday was filled with exploring the city and enjoying the free concerts and events throughout the city. As we walked down Las Ramblas, we discovered these giant statues of people and animals, which we later discovered, after being chased by one, were in the Gigantes parade down the main street. It's always fun to be stuck in between two 25 ft. tall, walking, statues.

Friday, my parents we scheduled to come around noon, however my mom got some sort of bacteria infection in Madrid and needed more time to come to Barcelona. They arrived around 4pm. I met them at their hotel and then showed my dad and brother around el barrio gótico, las ramblas, and the sea port.

Saturday, in the morning, Brittany and I took Matt and my Dad to La Padrera, on of the Gaudí houses. After that we went back to the hotel to check in on my mom. Unfortunately, she was not feeling any better. We ended up taking her to the hospital because she was so dehydrated and wasn´t getting any better. While my Dad took my mom to the hospital, I took Matt to meet my señora and have our scheduled lunch. I forgot to tell Matt that in Spain when you meet someone, you give dos besos on the cheeks. It was hilarious seeing him react when they went to kiss him! I felt so bad because she prepared so much food for my family, and only my brother was able to come. Luckily she was very understanding and said no pasa nada. Matt loved the food and so happy they allowed him to play their piano and guitar. My señora even recognized "Smoke on the Water" when Matt played it.

When my Dad was done at the hospital, which was probably around 8pm, he came over to meet my señora and to have dinner. This is where it starts go get interesting. First of all, my señora brought out a bottle of wine, which can always turn into something bad. My Dad, being the social person that he is, decides to make conversation, which of course means I have to translate everything. It was going really well, until I had a little too much wine and started translating the Spanish from my señora into Spanish rather than English to my Dad. Then my Dad wanted to tell my señora that her apartment (piso) was very nice. I told him to say, "Su piso es muy bonito." Instead, he said, "Su pico (beak) es bonito." The night only got better from there. After my brother and Dad left, Brittany and I somehow found ourselves on a ferris wheel with a woman from Chili...and Brittany hates ferris wheels...

Sunday, I took my Dad and Brother to La Sagrada Familia and Park Gruell. La Sagrada Familia was amazing. The detail is incredible and the inside is going to be beautiful when it is finished. To make our tourist trip complete, I brought my Fromers Barcelona book with us to read the history and meaning of the different facades. We felt like we were reading those ISPY books because there were so many little things that were so hard to find. Once we found them we were like kids in a candy shop, excited and wanting more! Park Gruell was beautiful, as it always is. My Dad bought a cd from a street flamenco musician and, of course, wanted to talk to him, meaning I had to translate. I swear they just made me study Spanish so that this trip would be a lot easier for them. We then picked up my Mom from the hospital, finally feeling better (not completely better though).

For dinner, we went to a resturant near the port. My Dad and I decided to order a pitcher of sangria not realizing there were only two of us that could drink it. The waiter, however, saw differently and poured Matt a small glass. At the end of the meal, they brought us out a complementary glass of cava, and again served Matt. Matt now think he is an expert of wine and cava. Just ask him. After dinner we made our way to the end of Mercé firework, music, water, and light show. There were so many people there I felt like I was in Times Square for New Years Eve. It was incredible. They played music from a ton of different movies such as Star Trek, Jurassic Park, Slumdog Millionaire, Pirates of the Carribean, Chicago, and more. It was a good way to end the night.

On Monday, my family was supposed to leave Barcelona and continue on their Spain trip, however with my mom not feeling 100 percento, she stayed here in Barcelona while my Dad and brother went on with one part of the trip. I was happy to see my mom feeling a little better and finally got her out of the hotel and to Sagrada Familia. She really enjoyed it. And you know she was feeling better on Tuesday because we managed to go shopping :) Yesterday was sad because I had to say goodbye to my parents, however this time it was a lot easier than the first.

Whats in store for this weekend you ask??? OKTOBERFEST in Munich! We leave tomorrow and come back on Sunday! Hopefully we'll get by knowing no German! Wish us luck!

Hasta luego! Muuuuuuuchos besos!