Sant Pol de Mar

Yesterday was a perfectly relaxing day. I know I sound like a broken record but I just keep having relaxing days and just enjoying the beach and the sunshine here. I got up and had some breakfast in my apartment before heading to the main train station - Barcelona Sants - to meet Karla and head to Sant Pol de Mar. This is a very small and low key beach about an hour north of Barcelona. The train ride wasn't too bad - some funny entertainment included, and we got dropped off in the center of Sant Pol de Mar. I took some pics, but it was absolutely perfect. I was looking for a more quiet and low key beach experience, and this was exactly it. Barely anyone in the town as we walked to the beach, and then at the beach there were only a few people laying around. The water looked AMAZING. We setup camp near the water, with plenty of space between us and anyone else, and enjoyed the sunshine while I played music from my phone. I shared my band's music with Karla and she liked it - though she said it's not what she is used to hearing. No surprise :) Eventually we got too hot and jumped in the Mediterranean, and WOW it was cold. But it felt amazing, and I was impressed that Karla was able to handle the cold for the half an hour we were swimming. Salt water really feels great. We got out and laid around for a bit more before going to the restaurant just behind us on the beach. They had a fixed menu which you could choose each course from, and I got muscles, paella, and then strawberries and ice cream to close out the meal. EPIC. Pictures below. I'm so glad I waited until this place to have my paella. It was amazing. We walk back to the train station and as we're walking up the railroad crossing is coming down and so I rush to grab tickets and we seamlessly get on the train within minutes. Such a perfect end to the beach day afternoon. We get back to the city and go our own ways, but then I made pasta for dinner and Karla came to my place to eat on the terrace. We grabbed ice cream to cap off the night and Karla headed home. I can't say enough good things about this girl - she's really a cool one. As I said yesterday, Karla is from Peru and is in Barcelona for her residency in medicine (general practice). She's now finished her residency and applying for jobs here, but she might end up in the US if good offers don't come her way. The bummer is that she would have to REDO her residency in the US if she goes there. Not ideal, but I think her ideal plan is the end up in the US anyway (better opportunities). We had great conversations all day, and we shared a lot about our past, including losing loved ones very close to us. Karla is a great person, and she is going to be a great doctor as well. We're going to do dinner next week when Michael, my buddy from SF, comes back from Oslo with me. Should be a blast!!

Today I moved out of the apartment I was in, and I'm leaving the bulk of my things here at Guillem's apartment while I take only a few things to Oslo. It's going to be an INSANE weekend. I'm not bringing my computer with me, so I won't be writing over the next few days. I get back on Monday and will have a huge update then (pics and stories). Reka, my friend in Oslo, was my closest buddy at Carnival this year, so it'll be a great reunion. Adding my buddy Michael into the mix is like throwing gasoline on a dumpster fire, but I had to do it…too much fun.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!! Enjoy the sunshine and remember - there is nothing worth complaining about. Life is good.