After a long week of Studying and exams, we decided to go out in a big way on Thursday night. There was a big DJ playing at a club called Sala Heineken (which means the Heineken Room - clearly a huge sponsorship at hand), and so a huge group of Middlebury students and my piso mates all got together for a Botellon (an outdoor party) in a local park where plenty of other students had the same idea. After a long night we came back and crashed to get ready for the family arrival on Saturday.

On Friday, Taryn and I went to Escorial in the Rain and after hiking up the mountain to the monastery, we found out that it was closed. We came back and after a long nap we went on a great date. The weather was awful and it seemed like a recipe for disaster. When we arrived at the restaurant, there was a wait, and we were forced across the street for a bit. However, it was definitely worth the wait.

'La Finca de Susana' was certainly a hit. Priced well, the atmosphere was great and so was the food.

Saturday morning, Taryn and I woke up super early to go meet the family at the airport. After rushing through the metro, we finally caught up with them and escorted them to their hotel in some pretty rainy weather. We later ate at a restaurant called 100 Montaditos, which serves little sandwiches. Everyone was happy to have been fed. The rest of the family took and easy night, while Taryn and I went to a tapas bar called Lateral which was great!

Sunday was a whirlwind, as we went to Toledo via AVE (Alta Velocidad - High Speed Rail), and then came back whisked Taryn off to the airport, and then to dinner with the Perez family for Mom's birthday at Restaurante Jose Luis. We had a great time and Mom had a great birthday! I decided to stay at the hotel with Mom and Dad, and ended up skipping class and finally finishing the rest of my exam work which turned out fine.

Wednesday afternoon we left for Barcelona. After an easy flight with Iberia, we landed in Barcelona, checked into our hotel and began to explore the city the following day. We were able to see everything while there including the Sagrada Familia, the Art Museum which puts on a great light show, many of Gaudi's works, more palaces and Park Guell, designed by Gaudi as well.

We also had the chance to take the cable car to the top of the city and see Barcelona's fort which was very cool. Laura and I got the chance to hit the Casino at the Ritz for a while, where she took home the bank! After a super busy week in Barca, we headed back to Madrid for some much needed rest!