I have to say when i first said i wanted 2 go 2 europe i had some mixed emotions, which for me was unusual! Part of me was soo terrified i didnt think i could do it (for the 1st time, fear nearly stopped me) & the other part of me that is stubborn (which most of u know about me) would not let me not go! So 2 different people fighting in my head, actually is annoying, but of course the stubborn part won out in the end!

Before i knew it 6 wks of planning was gone & it was D day, time for the adventure 2 begin (hopefully). So i got waved of by a pair of anxious parents & a sister that cant understand my urge 2 travel, and onto a jet plane. Of course it was Ryanair, im on a budget, the journey started off smoothly, until we got 2 the runway that is. The captain announces that 1 of the computer systems aint wrking so we have 2 turn bck 2 get the engineers 2 hava a look at it. Not the best thing 2 hear when u dont really like flying, but if i can fly 2 oz on my own i can manage this little journey! The engineers try 2 no avail for half an hr 2 try n fix it, so we all get chucked off that plane while they fuel up the spare plane. By this time the toilet has being calling for over an hr & those of u in scotland know how cold it is at the minutre, which doesnt help bladder control. A nice hr n 15mins later we take off; thanks to the high winds it was a shaky one. What feels like an age, the seatbelt sign goes off woooo, reach the loo & the plane gets hit by some sideward winds & i get thrown into the toilet, (likes natures way of paying me back for talking bout it) & i get a nice bruise 2 the head 2 remember it! Great Start! Injury 1- Check!

Arrive in Girona airport, about an hr from Barcelona, finally arrive in the centre bout 11.30, the reception shuts at 12 in the hostel (fingers crossed that they remember 2 leave our key for us at the desk, otherwise we r sleeping in the reception!). Armed with directions from the hostel we set of in search for it, surely couldnt be that hard we thought! They were written in english but they seemed like a different language all together, like someone fancied sending some backpackers on a wild goose chase! Arrived at the metro station, well so it says, talk 2 a couple of spanish kids who spoke english (i am envious of people that can speak more than 1 language) turns out we r actually in the train station not the metro station, ud think we would be able 2 spot the difference!! Still with the 2 kids we arrive at the metro station thankfully, as it turned out we had a train ticket not a tram ticket n it wouldnt wrk & there was no ticket machines; so we jumped the toll, shocking i know, but then wot else were we supposed 2 do!? Eventuallyyyyyy we get 2 the place were we change 2 another line (soo complicated at that time of night) but this 1 is close, of course it was, just my luck. We give up & hail a taxi, arrive at the hostel just after 1 & the bloody taxi driver charges us a euro 2 get our bags bck!! Robbing git!! They didnt even do that 2 me in Africa!

Next morning, well afternoon, we go check in properly & get some sightseeing places. While at reception an American guy comes over & introduces himself & we ended up spending the whole day sightseeing. He was lovely but soo camp that i honestly felt like a lan outta us!! We went to see the Parc Guel, which looked like it was at the higher most point of the city. We climb up the mammoth street, when we get to the top of it, we are faced with about 200 steps, anyone who has climbed Kings Canyon in Oz knows what i mean when i say OH MY GOD!! But unlike the canyon this park has esculators going to the top! Score!! We have some lunch, watch some Spanish Dancers, wandered around & of course had a look at the market stalls & then got chased a bit from people who didnt want 2 hear no for an answer. After that we walked to the Temple de La Sagrada Familla, its a pretty cool cathedral that they are still building & have been for over the last 100 yrs or so! On the way there tho we nearly lost Rebecca to a bus!! After impatiently waiting for the red man 2 turn 2 the green man, as soon as it does she skips off into the road not noticing the bus speeding towards her! I actually see it happening in slow motion! Manage 2 scream at her, as i do, the driver notices her & with the best facial expression swerves outta the way 2 avoid her!!! Soo glad there was nothing in the lane nxt 2 the bus, soo couldve had a pile up!! Turns out i was more shaken than her cause she wasnt even looking at the bus!! Ps for those thinking of goin 2 spain, spanish drivers are f***ing mental!!!

Day 2 of Barcelona; not as nice as it was thz day before, actually needed my jumper on (sorry guys in britain). We decided 2 take a free tour around the centre of the city & learn some history. All i remember of the tour is; i heard a lot of history, walked a lot, laughed a lot, chatted 2 some travellers, returned wit all my bellongings haha 2 the pickpocker that followed us around for a bit, saw some pretty buildings & a lotttt of churches! Was a grt way 2 spend the morning! After the door, we get told of a place that is good for food, so we set of wit our directions which didnt include the name of the restraunt & unknown exactly wot side of the street it is on! Needless to say, we couldnt find the place & after wondering around the back parts of barcelona for a while, we give up & discover a take out kinda place but wit desent spanish food all home made! Awesome!! Who wouldve thought cold potatoes, ham & cheese sauce would taste soo good!? After the food, we wander around the city till sunset, after a while of getting colder & hungrier we deicde 2 head bck 2 the hostel to read a book, yip i said a book! Funny enough that didnt quite work out, got chatting 2 this english guy, Rory (who was half scottish!) until the Sangria making class began. Rafael the receptionist type person was leading the class, he was stoned before we even began, pretty sure thats why he put white wine in the mix instead of red wine! We got taught that u can put wotever u want into the sangria u wish as long as u put in oranges, limes & sugar!! After the "class", the sangria drunk & Rafael away back up to the terrace for another joint we got talking 2 some ozzies, Laura, Sam & Anthony! Totally fell in love with the ozzie chick, Laura, she had such an ozzie accent!! Before we knew it, it was 1am, so much for our boring night! If anyone is going to Barcelona & wants a hostel stay in the HostelOne Sants!!

Day 3, the final day in barcelona & we deicde 2 c everything we have missed, which as it turns out was a fair bit! Im ashamed 2 say we start the day with a maccas, bit different from the crepe we were actually aiming for! We walk a really long street in the centre of tozn, there is supposed to be some really amazing architecture on it, either we missed it or it was on a different street cause it wasnt that special! Next we walked along the harbour, just hoping 2 bump into sum1 rich enough 2 take us away! We admired the yachts and the helepad while restraining ourselfs from seeing if we could borrow one. Then we climbed a mountain, wish i was lying when i say mountain but i wasnt! This time there was no esculator :-( We saw some more buildings & more parks & some stunning vieas from the top. Finally we walked 2 the other side of the mountain 2 a building that had been turned into a museum. While sitting outside watching the sunset, barely able to move, we realise that there is escualtors at this side going up!! So we totally didnt need to climb up the mountain!! Gutted!! Wots worse is there was a guy running up the mountain & we had got barely half way up when he met us again on his way down!!

The plan was to go back to the hostel, have a nana nap, make sum dinner, shower then drinks. What actually happened was back to the hostel, chat to Rory & his mate, Tim for 3hrs, have a shower, drinks then out!!

10pm arrived, tonight in the hostel its Spicy Potatoes & Sangria. Thankfully this time Rafael just buys the sangria in! Much more drinkable. Then the drinking games start, by 12.30 we r all hammered, thankfully not just me & we got 2 know a lottt about each others habits and sex lifes! Head into the city for a bar that sells only shots, 500 of them 2 be exact & only €2 each, instead we find a pub that has 17 different shots for a euro each! That equals 13 very happy travellers! By 4.30, 6 shots each & a couple of beers we stagger out looking for a metro, unfortunately the people with the map laft hrs ago! We do eventually find 1, who knows where. So 5 very drunken english speaking tourists desend into a spanish underground system! Funny enough we attract some attention! A group of young girls start filming the boys, which leads 2 them becoming more idiotic than before. They start dancing around , while Laura and I can no longer stand. Rory decides he wants 2 be dragged around the train platform, he lies on the ground while the other 2 start pushing & pulling him. Thankfully they quickly get bored of that so they all start dancing again! Anthony chucks his jacket down, Rory takes a run n jump onto the jacket, goes flying across the platform which leads 2 the back half of his sole coming away from his boot. Thankfully the metro arrives, we get on n 2 mins later we get back off (actually didnt get lost). Soberly the walk from the metro would take 2mins, in our drunken state it took a lot longer! Laura & I r holding each other up & Rorys running around making his boot make funny noises, which cquses the sole 2 fall off completly. Tim seizes the moment of opportunity to throw the sole away (soo childish but sooo funny). In the process tho he manages 2 elbow poor anthony in the face, where he falls 2 the ground & cracks his elbow off the pavement! We were all trying 2 check he was ok while in hysterics & trying not 2 pee ourselves!!! Such a grt nite out!! Cant believe i lasted nearly 5months without drinking & without goin out!

Eventually get 2 bed just before quarter to 6, which wouldve been fine had i not needed to check out at 10am!! 9am arrives 1 some foreign noise starts coming from my fone (dont remba setting it), then it happens again at 9.30 & then again at 10! By this point im conscious enough 2 sit myself up & drink water! Very proud we were checked out by half past & Rafael didnt even blink! Had i know this i wouldve stayed in bed longer!!

We caught the train to Madrid, 3hrs later we arrived woop woop! Have to say that having a backpack is actually easier than having a case & im a weakling! Espically as every station in Spain seems to have like a million stairs 2 get in n out! This time the hostel was soo much easier 2 find, we have got down the underground system wooo!

At the moment im reading Eat, Pray, Love, the new film that has Julia Roberts in it & its actually why ive decided 2 actually write my blog! Did mean 2 start 1 while i was in Oz but that didnt work out! Least when im old n cant remba being in europe i can read this & remember! She is going through 3 countries, staying there for 4 months & discovering herself again. Thats sorta wot im like when i go travelling, not that i go for that long a period normally. I discover something else about myself, thats why i love travelling soo much. I put whatevers happened in my life since the last time i travelled into context. I finish off that period in my life & begin a new 1.

When i went to Africa, i went 2 the put the months of depression behind me. Then i went to Oz where i put my papas death behind me & knew it was ok to travel. This time i came to Europe to put the attack in oz & the 10 months of struggling it left me with, behind me. Hopefully the next trip will just be to tick off countries in my list & learn something new.