Molly on the Menu

The last moments of seeing my family felt like a movie. You know.. The scene where someone is leaving and their friends and family are waving in the distance as they slowly disappear from sight? Yeah, that’s exactly what I saw. Walking out of the doors of the terminal, my dad and brother waved goodbye as my mom was taking as many last minute pictures as possible.  

Sitting on the tiny plane as it began to roll away from the terminal, I felt a deep ache in my heart. It wasn’t that I was scared or sad, but mostly that I felt an overwhelming feeling of isolation. I felt like everything I had ever known was on land, and I was a tiny iceberg drifting further and further away. 

Now, I am not one to dwell on a certain feeling or emotion for long. Once I feel it, it has been felt and I have moved on. I cried for most of the first flight, listening to songs that reminded me of my boyfriend and looking at photos of my friends smiling from cheek to cheek. 

The traveling and moving process was stressful and exhausting, as it normally is. I traveled for a total of 22 hours from the time I left home to the time I arrived at my new apartment in Spain. 

This was my first time traveling out of the country alone, but I killed that shit! There were no complications. No more cries or overwhelming meltdowns. I found my way better than I ever could’ve expected. And let me tell you… that cold, tall IPA from the Chicago airport was probably the most satisfying beer I’ve ever drank. 

What wasn’t so satisfying was the fact that on my longest flight, I was squished between two large and unfriendly men. 

I touched down in Brussels, Belgium for a layover and took a much needed nap on a very uncomfortable bench. And before I knew it, I was headed to my new home in Barcelona, Spain. 

I found my checked baggage at the Barcelona airport and struggled but succeeded in carrying my 70 and 50 pound bags the entire way to the taxi pickup spot. 

The drive to my apartment was more than beautiful. I had done as much research about Spain as possible before leaving, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of cascading rocky cliffs that met the bright blue ocean like they were long-lost lovers. 

Culture shock doesn’t feel like the right term… Beauty shock seems more accurate. 

The buildings are magnificent. It is so amazing to be somewhere that civilization truly started because you can see the history and life in the architecture. Barcelona is a large city, but not the concrete-jungle-type-of city that I am used to. Barcelona is scattered with castles, churches, and monuments that are too gorgeous to even be described in words. 

The taxi driver dropped me off on the corner of a street and told me to walk 10 meters “that way.” I was too much in awe to pay attention to which direction he said, so I just gathered all my bags and started wandering down the streets until I found something that looked similar to the pictures I had looked at on the apartment website over a hundred times before leaving. 

My lovely landlord met me outside of my apartment and told me all the secrets of the city as she helped me settle in. My apartment is even more cute and cozy in person. The balconies that are lined with plants and tapestries are something from a Disney movie. 

It took me a few days to fully settle in, as the time change hit me pretty hard, especially since I barely slept during my two days of travel. 

Today was my first day truly exploring, and I could honestly do it forever. I don’t have cell service here unless I’m on wifi, so I was very much just wandering in hopes that I could follow the streets on Apple Maps all the way back to the pinned location at my apartment. 

I began with the intent to check out the huge park down the street from me, which soon turned into a three hour walk all around the city. 

This is the longest I’ve gone without talking to someone face-to-face since I am not fluent enough in Spanish to have conversation with locals, but I’ve found peace in that. Practicing mindfulness in my daily life made this journey so much more appreciable. I was able to get lost in the beautiful city of Barcelona without the distraction of a phone or conversation. 

I honestly don’t even know what I was looking at most of the time, as I left the apartment with no specific direction or destination. I followed the sidewalks in the park to a magnificent fountain. I don’t even want to try to describe it because I will not be able to do it justice. I’ll just say my favorite part was the bundles of bright green plants that draped down the sides of giant, moss covered sculptures and molded around flowing, crystal blue waterfalls and fountains. 

I then walked all the way through the park, over bridges, and around ponds, until I was met by the Barcelona zoo. From the research I had previously done on the city, I knew that the beach was hiding somewhere behind this massive zoo. I somehow ended up taking the longest route to the beach, but I was more than pleased to find a half-mile long wall of some of the most alluring graffiti art I have ever seen. 

Once I finally made it to the beach, I sat with my toes in the sand and people watched. I must have found the side of the beach that wasn’t popular among tourists, because I could tell that many of these people were locals. There was one older couple that caught my eye. I watched them attempt to play frisbee and then settle with just sitting together on their blanket as they shared a large bowl of fruit. 

The water was a deep crystal blue, clear enough for you to see every detail of the rocks hiding below. The sun sparkles on the waves as they massaged the sand.

By this time, I was starving and my legs began to ache, so I started to make the trek back. On my way home, I found myself walking through the neighborhood of Barceloneta, which is full of local culture and lifestyle. I stopped at a small bakery to grab one of the most delicious looking sandwiches I’d ever seen. Tall, crooked trees towered over the thin streets of Barceloneta, and locals sat on their balconies enjoying the midday sun. 

One of my favorite things about this city is the amount of people that have dogs. They bring their dogs everywhere! Into restaurants, stores, gyms, etc. And all of the dogs are so well behaved, following their owners without leashes and minding their own business. It makes me miss my dog Hazel, but I know she would sadly never live up to the doggie expectations of Barcelona. 

I wandered through the zig-zag streets of the city, all the way back to my apartment, enjoying every moment and every beautiful sight.

Until tomorrow, Barcelona. You have already gone above and beyond, and I cannot wait to become more familiar with you.