HOUSE 77 Xmas EDITION

Ola!
So today is the last day that we will spend on continental Europe, in fact we leave in about four hours. Barcelona is a fucking bizarre and fantastic place. Our first night, Brad was still a bit out of it due to his illness from the French food, so Andy, Eric and I pulled a mission with our hostel group. We went to a cool little bar that served big big pints for about €2.00, good deal! Then we went to La Paloma, an old opera house that was just an insaaaane club. There were DJs, dancers, etc etc etc. Oh and hookers too.

Doners and shwarma are key to survival here, but terrible on the digestive system.

The next night, Cip, Brandi and Mark joined us. After a ridiculous time trying to find a place to go, and after getting many beers from the street (that is to say - dudes selling beer on the street) we wandered back to La Paloma. This time though, Mark, Eric and I fucking killed it. Drank sooo much tequilla. I woke up the next morning not knowing how we got home. Gooood times.

So then our final big night in Barcelona was Saturday. We went to a very cool, if not slightly costly all you can eat buffet place that had some awesome food. Then we hit up The Black Sheep pub...get this people - €2.20 for a HALF A LITRE of beer. haha oh man, it was ridiculous. Then we wanted to go to la Piratas. It´s a bar with a PIRATE SHIP inside. And strippers, and apparently all kinds of shit. However, Eric Mark and I got screwed cuz the cabbie didnt know where it was...sooo we didnt go. Ask Brad or Andy what its like. Apparently insane. Mark, Eric and I went to a place called Jamboree...was a toootal wigger-fest and had awful music like back home. However, I salvaged the night with four shots of vodka, in quick succession.

Now, other than the nightlife, Barcelona is an amazing city. The architecture is just mind-blowing, from the fantastical Sagrada Familia, to the Olympic Stadium and gallery, to the many works of Gaudi...well the list goes on.

There is a bad side to the city though. For one, its stinking hot. STINKING hot. When we went to Jamboree we think it may have been upwards of 50 degrees in the club, just insanely hot, worse than home even on its worst days. The other bad side is by far a much more sinister problem though. Pickpocketing and crime is a huge deal here, EVERYONE told us to watch our wallets. In fact we don´t even go out with wallets because you just feel so paranoid about having anything stolen. You never take your hands out of your pockets. The first day out we were pretty paranoid about it, but now we just are smart enough not to go out with anything that really can get stolen, and really, if you arent an idiot you won´t get your stuff jacked.

But there you have it folks. Eric should already be on his way home. Brad, Andy and I are taking a flight to London today and then catching a flight to Toronto on the 17th. We shall be back that afternoon. It´s been a ridiculous six weeks. In that time I´ve broken an elbow, dislocated an elbow, had more alcohol than I probably consumed in my first two years of university, been to some of the most insane clubs and pubs imaginable, met people from all over the world, crossed an ocean, seen mountains, been to places the mind can barely even imagine...and generally just had the time of my life. But then again I suppose that was the entire point of the trip now wasn´t it? That being said, we all agree it´s time to go home. I´ve worn the same four shirts, two tshirts, two pairs of pants and two pairs of shorts now for 41 days and have two more days to deal with. My stomach, elbow, liver and body in general are screaming for a good nights rest at home, and of course we miss you all.

That, and really, we can only take being asked "Skunk, weed, junk" or "Sex, blowjob" so many times more.

Oh christ, I nearly forgot, at the Black Sheep we think we saw probably one of the best foosball players ever. Like, in the world. Period. He would WAIL on the freaking ball from the GOALKEEP and you could barely even SEE the ball let alone stop it before it pumelled the back of the goal. He would even tell you what he was going to do, and how he would score, and you couldn´t stop him. HE HAD A FOOSBALL GOLD MEDAL HANGING FROM HIS NECK. We were dying of laughter and amazement. He was the highlight of Barcelona, haha.

Okay, so there you have it. I don´t know how many posts I´ve made over the trip but this is my last official post from Europe. Again, it´s been the trip of a lifetime, and I don´t know how anything else in life could ever top the past six weeks, even considering all the things that went wrong, or the bad times. I recommend to everyone that they try to make a trip like this just once in your life, screw the money, you don´t care about the money when you are here, you just enjoy yourself and take in the world. It´s simply incredible.

Adios amigos y amigas!