Barcelona study abroad Summer 2011: Day 25/Mount Tibidabo and Farewell dinner and last night in Barcelona

We had planned on going here before finals today, but the lift to the top doesn't start running until noon, so that plan got messed up. So, a friend and I got out of our second final early and hurried our way to the top of this must-see monument before our farewell dinner. We had to hop on the secondary train to get to the bottom of the mountain, and once there had to walk across the street and get on a trolley that took us even closer, and once here, had to walk across another street and ride up a tram to the very top of the mountain. It took us about an hour to get from Barcelona to the top, but it was definitely worth it! Unfortunately, it was really cloudy so we didn't get the full experience, so I will just have to do it again when I come back, but i'll make sure that it's on a clear day. At the top, there is an old amusement park, an old church where you take an elevator up many floors to get to the highest view in Barcelona, from which you can undoubtedly see the ENTIRE city. We didn't have long before the dinner, so we quickly walked around the park and took pictures before we went to the top of the church. We went inside the sanctuary and then took an elevator to the top, where we got out and took some more pictures before walking even higher to the very top. And of course, as soon as we got up here, massive clouds began to overtake the skies and we couldn't see 20 feet in front of us, except at rare breaks in them. I mean, we were IN the clouds, touching them and all. The times when we were able to see the city were incredible. You could see from Montjuic and the airport to Sagrada Familia and Torre Agbar, all across the city. Unfortunately it wasn't sunny though and the city was dark from the clouds. We tried to wait it out because the clouds were moving fast, but it was such a big overcast that it never stopped. We headed back down towards the bottom and on our hour trek back to school. It was definitely worth it coming up here because everyone on the trip said it was a must-see, but this left us with no time to change for dinner and we hadn't even started packing yet. So, we got to dinner only to be wearing casual street clothes as girls were wearing dresses and guys were wearing collared shirts and button-ups, seeming to be going out immediately after dinner. Needless to say, we were underdressed. We ate at a restaurant on the beach, but since the weather wasn't ideal, we ate inside rather than outside on the patio-seating. The meal was definitely tasty (I ordered the Paella, of course) and there seemed to be some good conversation going on at each table. And for some unexpected entertainment, a few of the illegal street vendors walked up to the windows where we were and tried to sell us their merchandise! After dinner, people began saying their goodbyes because it was unlikely that we would all be going to the same place. Unfortunately, some people skipped out early so I didn't get to farewell everybody, but that's what Facebook is for. Most of them were travelling after the trip, which I wish I could have done, but it was time for me to come back home. I was really bummed that I had to go home and pack instead of going out with everybody after dinner because I probably would not be able to find them because I didn't have a cell phone. So, my roommate and I went back to the apartment and I began to pack. Someway, somehow, I fit everything into my suitcases and it only took a few hours! I really have no idea how it all fit, but I had to pay a 55 Euro overweight fee at the airport haha. After getting everything together, I went over to a friend's apartment for a little bit to kill time because I wasn't going to sleep or else I would miss my flight! I really wish I met up with some other people on the last night because this apartment wasn't exactly having a good time and ended up in pranks going too far and fights erupting (I was not involved though). So much for a good last night! So, after I had enough I took a cab back to the apartment to relax for a little, only to miss a few of my friends who had just left. Luckily my other roommates were back now so we were able to share stories for a little while. It seemed like they had a really good time with everybody. If only I could have found with them! After a little while, it was time to go so we said our goodbyes and off to the airport I was. Only a 30 Euro cab ride...JEEZ LOUISE! I'm glad I got to the airport when I did because people started pouring in soon after and the lines were moving slow because they didn't have many employees working that early. The Barcelona airport is really nice so I was able to kill time for a little bit before my flight and grab a small snack for breakfast. When we were boarding, we took stairs down the ground and hopped on a bus that drove us to our plane. I even met a guy who just got done studying abroad with API for 8 weeks who goes to Ole Dominion in Virginia, so we chatted for a little bit before it was nap time on both flights. The BCN airport is right next to the ocean so I looked out the window for a little before falling asleep, but sure enough I slept the rest of the way. The terminal where we got off from this flight and where we boarded the next one back to the U.S. were very far away from each other, so it is good that I had a 2 hour layover to give me time to get there. I grabbed one last baguette before my flight for old time's sake and tried to stay awake. We flew Aer Lingus back to the U.S. too (the Irish air line) so looking at all the green put a smile on my face. I got a window seat this time so I was able to check out the Spanish country side a little bit before we went above the clouds. I was sleeping on and off for the whole trip, but I was able to watch a movie and luckily wake up just in time to see the coast of Portugal as we flew over it. There wasn't much else to look at for a while except the ocean so I tried to take a long snooze here and it didn't even matter how uncomfortable it was, I was able to fall right asleep. With the 6 hour time difference in Barcelona and the U.S., we left Madrid at 11am and arrived in D.C. around 2pm (which means it was only a 3 hour flight, right?) They had alotted 9 hours to get back because of the tailwinds, but the winds were not as strong as anticipated, so it only took about 8 hours and we arrived earlier than expected. It was so good to hear the English language everywhere again that I didn't even mind paying the $30 cab ride back to my cousin's house! I played a trick on my dad though and told him that I missed my flight in Madrid and the next plane was having "mechanical issues" so I had to sleep in the Madrid airport over night, when really everything went according to plan and it was all part of my scheme to surprise him! Which I did, somewhat. It was such a long day but in order to prevent jet-lag I had to try and stay awake, so I watched TV, went and exchanged my iPhone for a new one (luckily it was still under warranty!), and treated myself to a delicious Chipotle burrito before crashing that night at 9pm after a Domino's pizza! Mhhhmm, that new recipe is phenomenal!