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After taking a plane, bus, metro, and walking, we made it to the hostel and my parents were waiting in the lobby.  It was good to see them and they were really excited from their day trip to Girona.  We chatted for a few hours, drinking some Italian wine in their new glasses and having a blood orange.

            The next day we all met Clodaugh, a friend of Gina and I that we went to school with.  She has been working in London all year and was in BCN on vacation.  So we had breakfast and walked around the Gothic Quarter checking out a few churches and the cathedral, then heading to the port and finally Barceloneta beach.  I wasted no time introducing them to the Doner Kebab, then we all parted ways so Gina and I could get some fresh clothes from my host family?s house.  Later that night we met back up to check out the light show at the fountains in Montjuic but we had the wrong day, so we headed out for drinks.  I took everyone to l?Ovella Negra and we got some sangria, tapas, beer and a great time.  As we walked Clodes home we passed a midnight Easter mass where there was a fire burning in the street, then hopped the metro to the hostel.

            Easter Sunday we slept in then went to a café for breakfast.  My hot chocolate was almost as thick as pudding, great for dipping my croissant!  After breakfast we went right to the bull ring and bought tickets for that afternoon.  Then it was off to the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi?s lifelong work and most famous structure.  We picked up some souvenirs, had a tapas lunch, visited the Hospital de Sant Pau, then went to the fight.  It was an experience.  Even I didn?t know what to expect and we were all a little surprised and slightly unsettled at the spectacle.  They killed 6 enormous bulls over two hours, the toreros getting better as time went on.  Later, we picked up some groceries for dinner and had sandwiches, wine, cava, and a slideshow of our Italy pictures til two in the morning.

            Monday was another holiday in Catalunya so the town was pretty tranquil and everything was closed.  We met my parents at a different café for breakfast, then walked around the neighborhood where I live.  Around 2 we headed to my house to meet the family.  Will, the other student that I live with, brought his parents and sister over as well and we snacked and talked in a few different languages for almost 3 hours.  Good times.   After a nice nap, my family went out to a nice dinner.  We got two different paellas and some other typical foods and we outside right along the harbor on Paseo de Colon.  Afterwards, a little gelato was in order, and we lost track of time so the metro closed and we had to take the night bus home. No harm done.

            Tuesday we headed right to Parc Guell for a few hours, then had a nice lunch outside off of Diagonal in the l?Eixample district where my university is.  After lunch, we tried to go up to Tibidabo, one of the highest points around Barcelona, but after taking the train and walking up the entire hill, the funicular (cog railway) to the top was closed.  Oh well.  We caught the bus, train, and metro back to the hostel then tried to find a bar to watch the semifinal game of the European Champion?s Football League, as Barca was playing.  Gina and my parents definitely got the local soccer experience and another, better kebab.  When the game was over, we said our goodbyes and hit the sack.