Day 40- Final Day

This was our last day of the journey. We woke up around 8am and left the hotel at 9am. The ride to the airport was only 30mins away so the ride over was not too bad. Our flight was not leaving until 1:25 so we had plenty of time to kill. We checked our bags early and Ashley and I were able to get upgraded to the next class up for our long flight and we were so excited. We decided to just kill time at the mall inside the airport and hang out in McDonald's. The chairs there were really weird but it was a nice place to kill time. When it got closer to time we went to the gate and slept until we could board. The 2 hour ride was not too bad and then we were in London. We got to London and our gate was not given yet so we figured that we had a delay. We were right. We had a 1 hour delay but before we knew that we went to grab some dinner and turn in our tax free forms in too. Once we found out that our gate was determined we hustled over to the gate and waited for more information. We were correct, it was an hour wait and after we boarded it was another 30 min wait to take off but here's the nice part. There was something wrong with our upgraded ticket so Ashley and I got upgraded again into Club World section. This section is virtually first class. My chair turned into a bed and I had a huge personal TV and received a hot towel and noise canceling headphones as well. Also I got a newspaper to read while we waited to take off. I was living the life. The meal was actually real food and the drinks were unlimited. Life was good. I watched two movies along the way and time flew by. Before I knew it we landed and the journey was over. We landed and went through customs and were excited to see Mom and Dad on the other side. We drove home and unloaded all the gifts that we got and went to bed in our own beds. The trip was unbelievable and I probably will never forget it. This is the last post of the blog. I hope everyone enjoyed reading and being a part of this experience. Thank you

Day 39- Final Day in Barcelona

Today is our last day in Barcelona. We decided to sleep in and relax but I also had to meet up with our old bus driver Jose because I left something on the bus and he was coming to give a tour of the city for another group. We got the bag that I left and went to get breakfast and then went to sleep for a couple more hours. After that Ashley and I woke up and packed all our bags. It took a lot longer than we thought but it was beneficial because we were able to get ride of our duffel bag because we split up my backpack into two different parts. After packing the crew went into town to do some shopping and Ashley and I got tickets for Flamenco show that night. Ashley and I just walked around all day shopping and getting little souvenirs along the way. It was a great day. After shopping we went to see a Gauti designed building and walked along the nice part of the city. The building was amazing and the structural design was cool as well. After that we continued to walk around and Ashley and I split up. We went to go to Hard Rock for dinner but the wait was too long and we needed to catch our show so we just got a quick dinner and went on a quest to find this churro place that Tita talked about. It was literally behind this one building where we were the entire time. We found it and it was amazing. The taste was so good and then after we walked to our Flamenco show. We waited until our name was called. The wait was not too bad and we go inside and our seats were awesome. The show was breathtaking. The footwork was so intricate and precise it blew my mind away. The show was only 1.2 hours long but the entire show was full of excitement. We finished the show and met up with Chase and Josh and then all of us took the metro back and headed to the hotel because we had early get ups in the morning. We got back to the hotel and everyone was just hanging out in the lobby because it was our last night and it was quite sad. We all just talked about the good times and just relaxed. The journey was almost over. The only thing left was the flight home

Day 38- Barcelona

Today we woke up and went on a Panoramic tour of the city. We hopped on the bus and were off. It was really cool to see the different parts of the city. Our first stop was Park Guell. It was a park that was quite cool. It was designed by Gauti so it was full of wave designs and mosaics. The little town was full of color and life. I really liked it. We got some great pictures of mosaics and other building and sculptures. Ashley really liked it and we got a great tour of the town. The top level was made of sand because when it rained the rain would fall through the sand and they would catch the water in a tank. It was really neat. After we finished up in the Park we went back to the bus and headed to another part of town. At this point we were really tired but the scenery around the city was amazing. Our next stop was when we were by the port and at the highest point in the city. The view was really neat and Ashley and I were able to take some really neat shots. We ended the tour close to Las Ramblas and then it was free time for the end of the day. Ashley and I just walked around and did souvenir shopping and grabbed some tapas for lunch. The problem was that we were not able to pick our tapas at this place so we got some very weird ones. The price was right but still very weird. So we finished up lunch and continued to walk around the shops and buy little gifts. We did not stay out too long because we had our farewell dinner with the group that night at 8pm. We got back to the hotel and got dressed up for our farewell dinner for the group. We left the hotel about 7:15 so we could go outside and wait for the bus. When we got to the stop the bus was not there. So what did everyone do to pass the time? They took prom photos. All the girls lined up and took pictures then all the guys lined up and took pictures. After about an hour or so of pictures everyone was done with pictures but still no bus. I go talk to Jason and the first bus company thought that it was tomorrow not today so he called a second one and that was going to be about 45min until they come. So we continue to kill time and we see a huge bus pull up but nope was not for us. Now it is 9:30 and our dinner was for 8. Then we see another bus pull up and the bus was suppose to fit 50 people but it only had 24 seats... The bus company sent us the wrong bus. After talking to the bus company we decide to just pack as many people as we could in and than take cabs over to the restaurant for the rest of the people. We had to close the curtain on the bus to hide everyone. I was so cramped in bus over that I thought I was going to die. After the crazy bus ride we had an amazing going away dinner. We had a 3 course meal and it was very fun but sad as well because we knew that our trip was coming to an end. We had unlimited wine and the food was quite tasty as well. We had a nice discussion and we all decided that we would go out after dinner but it wasn't 12:30 am until we got to the hotel. Ashley decided to chicken out and not go out but Jenny myself and a couple of other people decided to go to this bar called the Dow Jones. The inside of the bar was just like a stock market and the whole bar was so cool. The prices of the drinks went up and down based off what people were buying and every hour the stock market crashes and all the drink prices go down. After that we were going to to a Disco but nobody wanted to pay the cover charge so we just went back to the hotel and got some sleep for a couple of hours before breakfast the next morning.

Day 37: Transfer to Barcelona

Today we had our 9 hour drive from Nice to Barcelona. Our bus driver Jose looked super tough but was a good driver. We headed out at 7 am and did not get to Barcelona until 5:30 pm! It was quite a long journey but it was worth it. Our hotel was in a perfect location, only 4 stops away from Las Ramblas which is one of the most famous streets in Barcelona. So we dropped off our stuff in the hotel and headed out into the city for a walking tour. We hopped on the metro and headed downtown. At this point Ashley and I were starving so we decided to peel off of the group with the normal crew and went to get dinner. We went into a tapas restaurant because we saw that it had a really good deal. We went upstairs to get seated and soon found out the special was only for the bar and our deal was different. We had a 15 Euro unlimited tapas deal and very large glasses of Sangria. Ashley and Michael, Erica and Chase got the unlimited tapas and Sangria. Josh, Jenny, Alyx, and I decided to get our own Paella dish and it was amazing. Also everyone got .5 L worth of Sangria and it was very tasty. It was my first time having it but it hit the spot. It had all sorts of fruit in it so it left a snack for after the drink was finished. I got the chicken Paella and it was so good. The tapas looked amazing as well. They kept getting plates and plates of food. Each time it had a different theme. My favorite dish that I tried was potatoes with a cheese sauce on top. They had an assortment of meats, cheeses and veggies. There were also some very weird dishes that nobody wanted to try because we had no idea what it was. I already loved Spain because the food was so good. The dinner was fabulous and after a great meal we decided just to head back on the metro and get some sleep because we had a long day planned for tomorrow. We were going on a panoramic tour of the city so we needed our sleep.

Day 36- Nice and Monaco

Today Ashley and I had a great deal of things to do. The entire group was going to go into the city this morning and spend the morning/day at the main beach. We got to the train station that was just up the road and we ended up getting our tickets but getting our wrong side of the track so we had to go underneath the track and get to the right side in time. Luckily we were able to get over to the other track in time and hopped on the train to Nice. The ride was only 15 minutes long and after that we walked up off the train station and walked up to the the beach. The beach was amazing but the beach was pebbled so it was not very comfy so Ashley,Joy, Alyx,Jenny and I decided to walk around and shop because later that day we were going to Monaco and Monte Carlo at night. So we all just walked around the shops and after that we went back to the beach and relaxed for a bit before we left back to the train station. We headed back to the hotel and had to get our nice clothes on because it was time for Monaco. We had a 4pm excursion on the palace and do a perfumery. So Ashley and I put on our best outfit and headed towards Monaco. Along the way we stopped in a perfumery on the way. I thought it was going to be really boring but it was actually quite interesting. We were able to do a smell test and got to see how they make everything as well. We ended up getting a lots of gifts for people because all the things in the store are limited to the factory so it was really cool. After the factory we drove up to Monaco and the view was amazing. It was at the top of the water and the view was amazing. We got off the bus and first explored the cathedral and the palace as well. After we spent about an hour taking photos and walking around we got back on the bus and headed to the other side were the Monte Carlo is.
We arrived to the Monte Carlo Casino and it was crazy. So many nice cars in front I thought I was gonna die. Even the sides of the building where amazing. I could definitely tell that this place was for the high rollers. Every other car was a Ferrari or Maserati. So Ashley, Joy, Alyx, and I decide to go inside and gamble a little. I wanted to play cards but the minimum chip change was 200 Euros. That was way to steep for me so Ashley and I just went to play cards on the slot machine. Ashley broke even and I lost 10 Euros. After that we went into the gift shop (which had nothing) and bought a shot class and a postcard. Then all of us went to a nice cafe and had an amazing dinner. I ordered my steak and I asked for medium thinking it would be like it is at home. I was really way wrong. I got a steak that was just sizzled on each side. It was no bueno so I had to send it back to get it cooked again. Other than that it was delicious and a great meal. After that we just walked around looking at all the cars and headed back home. The city was amazing and very expensive. The casino had many private rooms where I think James Bond likes to gamble in. The next day we left on our 9 hour bus right to Barcelona!

Day 35- TGV to Nice

After our last day in Paris we woke up early the next morning and headed off to Nice on the TGV. The TGV is the high speed train that travels up to speeds of 180mph. The only problem we had with the train was 2 things. First thing was that the train was 6 hours long. The second problem was that we only had about 3 minutes to get 49 people on the train and with luggage before it left. They were serious about leaving people because while we were loading the train the conductor whistled and we still had about 20 people left outside. Right after that happened, everyone just pushed everyone on and just started going into a crazy panic to get everyone on with their luggage. It was a mad house. Finally we were able to get everyone on train and we organized all the baggage and it appeared to be okay. Ashley and I sat across from each other while jenny sat next to her and I sat next to Phillip. The train was not too bad for Ashley and I but for some people the train was worse than the bus. We got off the train and walked outside to catch our bus because we were staying right outside the city for our hotel in Nice. After we checked into the hotel we walked around town to get food for dinner and the grocery store as well as pick up some food for lunch the following day. We bought a variety of foods like meats, cheeses,bread, juice, water, snacks and returned to the hotel to have a feast in the room while we relaxed. After dinner everyone just stayed in Ashley's room and talked and listened to music until bedtime. The next day was beach then a day excursion in Monaco and the Monte Carlo at night.

Day 34- Notre Dame

Well today we decided to go to mass at Notre Dame. Nick and I woke up dressed up and headed over to the 1130 mass. We got to skip the line to visit because we were actually attending the mass. The mass was really nice, hard to follow sometimes because it was 95% in French. There was also a chorus at the mass we chose which was also very pretty. At communion it was interesting to see how many people did not get up to take it because they were just coming to mass to see what it was like and not Catholic. After mass Nick and I wandered for a bit and found me a beautiful painting of the Eiffel Tower at night and then eventually made our way back to the hotel on foot. It was about a mile walk but we stopped in shops on the way. Most were closed though because it was Sunday. Once we got back to the hotel we found Jenny and decided to eat at Hard Rock. But once we got there they told us the wait was almost 2 hours... we said no way and ended up eating at a Fondue restaurant which was amazing. We had cheese fondue with bread and potatoes and then chocolate fondue for dessert with fresh fruit. After a filling dinner we walked back to our room, packed up and then just hung out until bed.