Fifteen years later.
At the ripe age of 20 I boarded the giant plane to fly internationally ALONE for the first time. My sister was living in Barcelona at the time, and I couldn’t wait to visit. It has been 15 years since that trip and let me tell you I remember very little. Thank goodness I uploaded not just one, but two albums to Facebook so I could look through and remember where we went. Most of our time was drinking wine and walking around. We visited Park Güell (a large tourist trap, but beautiful park on Carmel Hill designed by Gaudi), we went to the magic fountain at night, took the cable car to Montjuïc, and drank wine walking down the famous las ramblas. ALL of which I repeated this time around, but it felt very different. Below is a pic of my sister, Emily, and I all those years ago. We look the same right?
This time around.
My good friend Lauren was in Barcelona for the World Mobile Congress for Amazon for the week and asked if Jasmine and I wanted to join her (and stay in her fancy hotel – thanks Amazon – for free). I couldn’t say no to that. During the day she was working while I explored the city with a new mature lens. I slept in, I did yoga every morning taking classes in Spanish at different studios (try out Yoga 108 and Jivamukti), I took advantage of the amazing hotel buffet breakfast, I wandered the city, I had a cold beer at a tapas bar in different plazas. Nicky (Jasmines good friend from LA), Chris (Lauren’s colleague) and Kelly (Chris’s good friend) were also there so we had a great group to explore and enjoy the night life of Barcelona. We ate so many tapas, by the end of the trip none of us wanted tapas and in pure American fasion we had pizza as our last meal. If I ate any more patatas bravas or croquettes I may turn into one. We drank a lot of good wine, it was cheaper to get a glass of wine than a bottle of water. I danced down las ramblas just like Ed Sheeran told me to do in his song Barcelona (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osrw0d_KGOw), I scared the pigeons in Catalonia Plaza, we visited the famous Familia Sagrada with the gang, I had a beer on the top of Montjuïc, I drank champagne on the beach at sunset with Lauren (photo below in same location as my sister and I – some people think Lauren and I could pass as sisters – which is the best compliment I could receive!), we went to the Picasso museum (so fascinating!), I climbed trees and walls in Park Güell, and I walked down the fancy shopping streets dodging people (no I obviously didn’t buy anything – I don’t have the budget for that). We had a freaking blast and so many photos to prove it (https://thejenessentials.com/barcelona-pics/). Every evening, ironically, we stayed out way too late at different local pubs and acted as if we were 20 again. So while this trip felt different, in so many ways it felt the same.
36.
I don’t think I have ever spent my birthday abroad. There is a first for everything. I turned 36 on March 3 (thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!) and this one felt different in the best way possible. Not only am I closer to 40, which is a little terrifying, but I am getting closer and closer to knowing who I really am. Life is really just a journey to learn who you are. Every year we learn, every year we change, every year we discover, every year we grow. This year I got rid of a ton of distractions and typical life responsibilities to do all those things at an exponential rate. I wouldn’t change a thing, I am honestly having the time of my life. When people ask how it is going, there are not enough words to share my pure joy I am experiencing. I have a feeling 36 is going to be an age I NEVER FORGET.
The day was perfect, I slept in (after maybe one too many sangria pitchers the night before with the 20 year old study abroad students) followed by a giant breakfast (thanks Renaissance Marriot). Lauren was done with the conference and got to spend the day with me! We took the local train 30 minutes south to a small beach town called Sitges to spend the afternoon basking in the sun, it was still not quite beach weather, but that didn’t stop us. I brought my yoga mat and we did yoga on the beach, jumped in the sea (it was not warm – but we live for that), and had lunch at a local beach bar. A tradition of mine for over seven years is to get a foot massage on my birthday so obviously I did that after the beach. In the evening we met Jasmine and Nicky for a pre champagne toast before a flamenco show and dinner. I have never seen a live flamenco show and I was FLOORED. The dancers were incredible and nothing short of passionate. I wanted more (foreshadow for my time in southern Spain). After the show we found a fancy cocktail bar before the club was popping enough to go (which is like 12am – I am getting too old for this). We danced the night away under the disco ball. It was an incredible day. I am so grateful for my friends Lauren, Jasmine and Nicky for planning the day, making me feel so special, and always being there for me. I am not sure how I will be able to top this birthday, but you bet your bottom dollar I will try. International birthdays from here on out!
The jen essentials for barcelona.
- Dancing shoes (not flamenco shoes, but shoes that allow you to dance until wee hours of the morning)
- Amazing friends (my trip to Barcelona would have been sad and lonely without them – thank you for the laughs, the amount of planning you did so I didn’t have to, the endless love you have, and lastly for being there for me)
- A fancy hotel (it was a much needed break from hostel dorms)
- Yoga mat (nonnegotiable – for the beach and the hotel room)
- Espresso (it’s cheap and delicious – we are doing something wrong in America)
- Warm jacket and beanie (Feb/March are chilly in Barcelona – wear layers)
- Giant appetite for tapas (93% of restaurants are tapas in Spain, so be ready)
- Bandaids (I got lost of blisters from walking so much)
- Cheap and delicious Spanish wine (buy a wine opener in Spain, you’ll need it when you drink wine on the beach or in your hotel room)
- Money (Barcelona is NOT CHEAP – especially coming from South America, my wallet felt the pain)
Wrap it up jen.
I normally do not go to the same place twice because there are so many amazing places in the world to see. However, I made an exception for Barcelona. And let me tell you, I do not regret it. Not only was I there with some of my closest friends, I got to experience the same things again with a totally different perspective. I celebrated a new year of life in an old city, but in a new way. I was with old and new friends who made the time there so much fun. While my body feels old, I have a new and fresh start of this one life I get to live. I could not be more excited for what the rest of 36 holds for me.
Next up: Morocco with my girls Lauren and Jasmine!
Signing off for now,
Jennifer