Excerpts from Barcelona - 07
A weekly glimpse into my Catalan adventures
This week was very different from the previous ones seeing as it was Semana Santa, or Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. The child I am au pairing was on school break, meaning I essentially started working at 8 a.m. and finished at bedtime, usually anywhere from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. By far, my most exhausting week yet.
Before the hectic week and constant stimulation of being with a five-year-old for 12 hours a day, I did get to enjoy a few things alone. For one, I finally made it to Three Marks Coffee. After trying their coffee in multiple coffee shops around the city, I was super happy to actually sit and enjoy a coffee at their location.
Saturday, I spent the evening at Maguro with friends and enjoyed their delicious (really delicious) all-you-can-eat sushi menu. I guess we can consider it “carb loading” because Sunday morning I ran the Salmon Run Barcelona 10km race! The run was the highlight of my week and you can read more about it below.
For the rest of the week, I planned a mix of educational and fun activities for the girl and I to do every day. Easter cards for mom and dad, spring flower collages, a nature scavenger hunt in the park, exercises for learning to tell the time, and a days of the week/daily routine activity were among some of the things I prepared for our week at home.
Highlights of the week
Salomon Run Barcelona 10km
This was by no means my best run but it was definitely the coolest race, experience so far. With 190m total elevation gain and a course that winded through the roads, trails, and steps of Montjuïc, the Salomon Run Barcelona was truly one of the best things I’ve experienced while in Barcelona. It also got me super excited for more challenging runs!
A glimpse at next week…
One of my biggest plans for the week is primarily to recharge after a very full week of caring for the girl I’m au pairing. But I do have a few things I’d like to do or try to do, anyway.
Visit a museum. I’m thinking either the Fundació Joan Miró or the Catalan Museum of Archaeology as their their current exhibition is about Sardinia and I’m very intrigued by it.
Honestly, I just want to sit and read (and bask in the sun) in a cafe. I have quite a few on my list but this week I’m leaning towards Pècora, Hidden Coffee Roasters, or Morrow Coffee.
We’re approaching the two month mark now, which is hard to believe. It simultaneously feels like I’ve been here forever and also like I just arrived, it’s kind of difficult to describe. My mind is starting to think about how I’m running out of time to solidify my post-au pair plans. With a whole month to myself in Europe, I feel overwhelmed by all the options I have, but I know I have to pick soon or everything will get booked! Until then, I’ll keep exploring Barcelona.