Barcelona: Spiritual Epic Journey

Thursday night I went to Honeyclub with Ab and we fucking danced like there ws no tomorrow. I had a bus to catch at 5 so I was ready to stay up all night until I had to meet Lib. After the club, I went to this fish n chips place to get a coke. Some fuckin' guys in the line kept making Karate chop moves in my face.

::HYA!:: "You do Karate?!" The shorter one asked.

"No, I don't."

And the same convos went: where ya from? california. where you really from? california. where are you really really from? california. OOOH YOU'RE AMERICAN?! Darling, you're really far away from home. I suggest you take a boat and go that way! ::points toward Isle:: Are you Republican or democrat? I'm a democrat. ::high five:: HOW'S IRAQ OSAMA?!

"It's Barack Obama."
And while all this is happening, the tall one keeps shoving his face in mine, yelling about stupid shit. WHERE DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL? You do karate?!

"NO!" I yell back into his face.

What do you do? I do nothing. I study English literature, poetry. and he asks, "What do you mean you do't do anything? Karate? Sumo?" I ask him what he does. I just do this, "HYA!!" and makes a "karate chop to my face."

Well that killed my high from a really good night out. I got to the bus station and waited until 4:30. Lib came and we started on our journey to BARCELONA!

To get to Barcelona, we rode a bus to get to London. From London we transfer to another bus that took us to Stansted. From Stansted we flew to REUS (BCN). To get to Barcelona we had to take another bus. The bus had left and another came, but it sat idle for an hour before we could actually leave. On the drive there, the sun was setting and it looked like we were driving on the 5. There were mountains, there was sherbert sky and we were on the right side of the road, unlike England.

And when we got to Sants (the bus station) we were like FUCK YES BARCELONA! and had decided that we probably won't drink that much because we were tired. We tried to find our way, and using high school Spanish we managed to ask some guys how to get to Passeig de Gracia. He told us to catch a bus across the street. "He said to catch the 22!" I said. "Um? "Cuarenta y dos is 44," Lib corrected. Ooops. Hahaha.

We get to the hostel, Centric Point and it's friggin bomb. We're on the fifth floor. Some guys from london invited us to go out with them. Super fine men too, but we had to meet up with Lib's friend V. After getting some dinner that was disappointing, showed up and we headed to a tiny bar in the gothic quarter. The bar ws cool but a bit smokey. After that we headed to meet some of his friends who were also studying in Barcelona. They were from UNC and UCSD UCSC and etc. We drank more wine, more cervezas, y heading towards another bar around midnight. I was already pretty fucked because my tolerance is low and I was red and embarassed and felt ridiculous.

We walked through La Rambla, where people sold cans of beer and prostitutes stake out. We got to The Black Sheep and there was a mime as the bouncer! The bar was packed! It looked like old school German underground beer tavern. We got a pitcher of SANGRIA (12 euros) for the 3 of us and a pitcher of beer. THE SANGRIA AT THE BLACK SHEEP IS SOOOO DAAAMN GOOOD! I was knocking back glass after glass because it tasted like juice. THAT SHIT FUUUUUCKS YOU UUUUP! I was sooo blasted! Ridiculous. So we "knicked" some beer mugs because it's own proper British. Lib and I hid it under our coats.

Lib was too drunk, she held hers in her hand and the bouncer at the Lotus was like No. She hid it behind the tree in front and we went in. We danced, smelled like cigarettes, and we (Lib and I) left the club at around 3:30. Somehow the other mug ended up in V's possession, he called us and we were so drunk and lost. He found us, BOTH MUGS IN HAND! We kept laughing until we made it to our hostel and I PTFOed (passed the fuck out)!

10 in the morning we wokeup and planned our day, with Wade (a guy who stayed in the same room, was from LA who travelled for a while, wanted to be a rapper, was annoying, but came in handy later in life). We went to eat at some cafe that also had disappointing food, walked to the merquat de sant joseph and la rambla. The merquat was crowded but the stands were decorated with all different kidns of fruit from basic bananaas to exoctic cactus fruit. There was chocolate, ice cream, fish, meat, and if you couldn't find it there, I'd be really surprised. On the main street, people sold birds, fluffy pigeons to canaries and finches, goldfishes, cactii, etc etc....

We took the metro to Montjuic, and climbed the fuckin' mountain. There was a guy climbing up singing and okaying his guitar. Bomb diggedity bomb because it was HUGE! Met up with V at La Sagrada Familia.

La Sagrada familia is outstanding! It truly is Gaudi's life work. Beautiful. Check it out.

All four us us walked toward la playa. The sky was blue, there was a sailboat in the Mediterranean, a single cloud floated above, and a couple walked passed holding hands. We put our feet in the cold sun until the sun sank behind the palm trees.

Wade and I decided to o back to the hostel so we could nap (in our respective hostel beds) so Lib and V kept going. Thy came back, asked me if I wanted to gru, I said no, they left and told me to call them when I was awake. So I wake. My phone is about to die and Libby's didnt work, so I called V and was ready to meet up with them at the bar they were at. At the metro station, I was pretty much ready to get onto the train and then I remembered that Wade wanted to hang out, so I called and asked if I should get him. They said yeah sure, and so I did. I woke him up and he said that he needed to shower. WTF?!?!! Pretty boy sheesh!

Just as I was ready to call V again about th plans, my phone died. I was like, "SHIT SHIT SHIT! How am I supposed to contact them? I'm alone in Barcelona!!! I didn't want to only hang outwith Wade. It's my last night! WAAAAAAAAH!!!" So I go to the reception and try to make a call to 's phone. I dind't know his number. I went to the payphone across the steet; the number I used still didn't work. I went onto skype and asked Calvin andRizz to help me out. They called and it still didn't work. This is where Wade comes in handy. I go get Wade and he had made some toast with some cheese for dinner, left by Joe (Australian travel companion) in the kitchen where the computers were. We went, and he asked, "Did you try charging your phone on that machine?" There is a machine that has all these different chargers and costs a euro. GENIUS!!!! I charged my phone and shared toast and cheese with Wade.

On the flip side, Lib and V were waiting for me at the Metro, but after an hour were smart to come back to the hostel. The fear of going to the hostel was that I would be going towards them and we would miss each other in transit. Joe happened to be sitting outside the hostel.

Lib: Do you know where Diana and Wade are?
Jo: Wade's in the room.

Upn entering the dark room, Wade and I were no where to be found. But just right then my phone had completely charged d I had called V. V says: DIANA! I say: V!

At once we reconnected and I was never so happy to lay eyes on these two strangers! And it was about time to get fuuuuucked up! I was revived and open to last night in Barcelona!

We went to a hostel that sold a litre of beer for 3 euros. I didn't eat so I was already fucked with my one litre. We met friends from the night before and from Hungary. Megan was V's back and she was beautiful! Political, open, , from new mexico, and a big drinker; i mean beeeeeeautiful! mary was from nebraska and that girl pissed in front of the cash point (atm); too legit to quit! Again, we went back to TBS and downed a pitcher of Sangria and a pitcher of beer within 45 minutes. Wade kept making raps in my ear. they were predictable and he used them over and over again. I was too fucked up to say shit so I kept laughing and laughing, but Megan challenged him so it was good times.

We go to this club called Razzmatazz. It was fucking amaaaazing! There were thousands of people on three floor with multiple dance rooms and diffeent DJs. This was pretty much a fucking rave; it was so bomb! Libby and I kept going from room to room, up and down, down to up, dancing and laughing.; everything happened to fast. "Vamanos," we'd say to escape creepers, "Next room! Next room!"I got to salsa with a guy and that was amazing because taking basic salsa at the ARC really gave me the confidence to show off! Guys offered us drinks. Libby was drinking one, and I yelled, "No! No! It's tainted!" (I don't believe in taking drinks from men because of roofies.) She shrugged and said, "A little won't hurt!" After we got away from this creeper who kept trying to dance with me, I asked for the time. Lib handed me the phone. It read: 5:15! 9 missed calls!

Shit! We were supposed to meet V and co outside the lcub at 5! EEk! We got outside, I was calling V and some guy approached us trying to sell us some hash. Lib said, "No gracias. No gracias.' Then aof a sudden, I hear the guy say to Lib, "Aye fuck you!" I turned around to look at Lib and guy, and simultaneously, we threw up the "Up yours" and shouted, FUCK YOU WANKER!!!" And we ran off, laughing. A perfect way to end the night!

So we walked back to the hostel, all 5 of us, drunk, giggling, warm and cuddly, and Lib and I were ready tocatch our bus to the airport. We PTFoed on the bus and got to the airport early. Checked it and our fuckin' plan was delayed 5 hours! Lucky for me, I PTFoed on the bench and it was sunny enough that I felt I was in Irvine again. Lib made some skateboarder friends who travel and film themselves skateboarding. We got on the plane, and lucky for us we didn't have to pay to get onto the coaches. It was all perfect timing.

On the coach, I realize after hearing Christina Aguiera's "You are Beautiful" that I love Calvin so much and want to be with him and will support his decisions in our break, but I must also love myself and will follow my heart, doing what I want to do. That way there won't be any regrets. Barcelona was about MAXIMIZING and living with no regrets! We only had two days to experience it. And that's just like Life. Short. So I should always be MAXIMIZING and living with no regret by doing what my heart wants to do! We talked about Rizz and how positive perception affects your experience. For him home means being in the environment of home. For us, home is about the people and our hearts yearn for our friends. Heart is where the home is.

On a random note, this guy from Italy hits on me while we're on our way to London. First he says, "Sayonara!" Then he says he wants a Chinese girlfriend in London. The same "Where are you born? California. Where were you originally born? California" and insulted poetry saying that writing is not a useful thing because it isn't making anything. I disgreed. He also said that his yellow fever is only for women who speak English because he can't understand women who come directly from Asia. Boo beans to him. (I told you, this shit doesn't stop!) I just need to chronicle how many times this happens to me.

We get on to Brighton and Lib and I have our goodbyes and thank yous for an amazing weekend. And as much as Barcelona was fun, we were ready to come back to Brighton because living that way was too crazy. I couldn't drink 5 days out of the week. I need ME time and breathing time. Sanity.