Arrived this morning in Barcelona, safe and sound! The city is slightly underwhelming at first, but as you move away from the train station, you begin to get a better idea of the flavor of the city. Beautiful parks, more space than Paris, and some incredible architecture. This afternoon, we journeyed up the Castell Montjuic, a castle built in the mid 17th century to protect the city, now laid out as a public park. The view up there is extremely beautiful and allows you to get some sense of how the city is laid out. It's overcast here today, but I write this from the Platja (beach) de Sant Sebastia. The waves are huge, but I still took my first dip in the ocean ever, accompanied by dozens of surfers! We really only have a day and a half to experience the city, but we're determined to make it count!