The first destination of the second round of Eurotrip '11 was Barcelona. There were six of us traveling: the original four from the first round, Caitrin, Katie, Lindsey, and myself, and then two friends we met in Galway, Molly and Carly. All six of us flew from Dublin to Barcelona and arrived there late last Monday night and took a taxi from the airport to our hostel to ensure a safe arrival rather than aimlessly wandering around a foreign city at night. Instead of exploring the city the next day, we decided to take advantage of the promising forecast and travel to Sitges, a beachside town about a half hour train ride outside of Barcelona. One of Molly's friends had recommended that we make the trip outside of the city because the beaches there would be a lot more safe, clean, and enjoyable. I am so thankful that we decided to go to Sitges because it was definitely the best part of the Spain portion of our trip. The town itself was small, quiet, and not overly touristy, which is always a good thing. We followed our noses to the beach and I was really surprised at how beautiful it was. As most of you probably know, I'm a complete beach bum and could sit in the sand for hours soaking up the sun, so I was really excited to be getting in a good beach day while traveling. The beach we visited was called Les Botigues, and although we were thousands of miles away in Spain, I couldn't help feeling like I was in Fort Lauderdale. The water was a bright blue and extremely clear, with temperatures that were warmer than I ever experience at home during the middle of the summer. The sand was really clean, with cabanas and beach chair rentals sprawled up and down the boardwalk. We found a spot, laid out our towels, and sat in the hot Mediterranean sun sipping sangria for hours. A few of us even took a dip or two when the sun got to be too much. 
As it got later in the day, more and more people came to enjoy the weather and suddenly we realized...we were at a topless beach. Dozens of women were sunning themselves, bearing the girls for all the world to see. It seemed to be a normal activity for them, while us "conservative" Americans were just about horrified. But such is life, I guess. At least I'll be prepared for the sights on my next trip to a European beach! After a few hours of swimming and tanning, we decided it was time to go as spending months in Ireland makes your skin quite sensitive to the sun once it is finally exposed to it again. I didn't burn but I did get some nice color and a few tan lines. A couple of the other girls weren't so lucky and ended up having burnt backs, legs, and chests which soon sent us in search of a "farmacia" to find aloe. We stopped to have a light lunch at a cabana on the beach before catching the next train into the city. Even though I had the rest of my trip to look forward to, I really wanted to stay in Sitges; who would want to leave the calm and quite of a little beach town for the hustle and bustle of a major European city? But as they say, the show goes on and there was lots more to see, do, and experience in the next week or so.
Love and beach bums,
Haley
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