I know it's been a while since either of us blogged, sorry. So, the trip to Barcelona was LONG and we didn't get in to our hostel until around 11pm. We saw Laura in the lobby there and it was SO great to see her. We visited a lot about our travels so far that night (we had many stories swap). The next day we meant to go straight to the beach, but we ended up trying to find a swimming suit for Laura (she shipped hers home...not sure why). Since it was a Sunday in a predominantely Catholic city, nothing was open. We ended up walking around the city for a very long time before making it to the beach. When we got there though, it was SO worth it. The beaches in Barcelona are amazing. Needless to say, we all got burnt...even Andrew. In the evening, we tried to find some tapas without much luck. We went to this crappy place late at night and were not very satisfied by what was offered on a Sunday night. The next day we took a fast train to Madrid. Madrid was AMAZING. We all loved it (especially in comparison with Barcelona). We had the BEST hostel of the trip, churros and chocolate around the corner, beautiful sites, nice people, great shopping, unbelievable tapas and sangria, and some of the best gelato I've ever tasted. Madrid has it all. After Madrid, we went on an overnight train to Paris. We thought we would be staying in either a 4-bed or 6-bed cabin (hoping for a 4-bed)...and got a chair. Yes, a chair. Aparently, in booking everything, we booked a seat instead of a bed. And these were the most UNCOMFORTABLE chairs ever. We hardly slept at all. It was horrible. We got to Paris in the morning and made it to our hotel pretty easily. Since it was the morning, however, we couldn't check in. So, we left our stuff and walked around the city all nasty and smelly from not having showered yet. Andrew did his own thing while we ate an amazing brunch, saw Notre Dame and shopped. We saw quite a lot of the city and we loved it almost immediately. In the evening, we met my friend Anne, who lives in Paris, and my friend Danielle, who I go to school with but was here on vacation, for dinner. We had a lovely classic French dinner followed by some good ice cream. Mmmmm. We also saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle from by the Louvre! It was a really fun night. Today we had an amazing brunch once again, seriously, best food of the trip or close to it...I'm sure Jess will share more. Then we just kind of walked around, saw a lot of good sites, shopped, and just relaxed (although we walked A LOT). Andrew was with us this time. Tonight we met up with Anne again for a drink at this really classy place. That was a lot of fun too. Tomorrow we part ways with Andrew (unfortunately) and Jess, Laura, and I are off to Dublin!!!! We'll update you soon, love you all!

Audrey