A Cardinal Weekend

Once back in Europe, we finally were able to enjoy several days of rest. We even found a public outdoor basketball court, which we had been searching for since our arrival here. Gabe is confident he can hustle a few bucks out of the locals. Will opted for the rock wall instead, and has been several times since, even meeting a few Spaniards in the process.

Starting thursday, however, Barcelona was bleeding Cardinal red- Stanford students abroad came from all over the continent to celebrate a birthday. We were only too happy to host them. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too cooperative, and somewhat ruined our plans to enjoy Montjuic, a must-see in Barcelona, on Friday. After finding shelter in a bar briefly, though, we salvaged a rainy afternoon at the National Catalonian Art Museum, which we had not yet visited. We all met up later to enjoy Barcelona's nightlife- everyone agreed it is second-to-none.

Saturday was game day vs. UCLA. Normally this wouldn't be a massive rivalry, but given both the mass of UCLA students in the ISA program and the comparable number of Stanford students here for the weekend, blood was boiling on both sides. Though we made a valiant effort at somehow maneuvering a way to watch the game live, we all ended up crowding around a little laptop with the "gametracker" on it, that is, watching a blue line and a red line march down the virtual fields. It did come down to an exciting finish, though unfortunately not in our favor. We were greeted Sunday morning with taunting and bragging via text message from several of our so-called UCLA friends.

Our losing streak also continued into this week. A local bar hosts a "Quiz Night" every Wednesday night, and we decided to finally take our shot at the big money prize. The questions were too pop-culture oriented for us though, and we came away with a disappointing second place finish. To prepare for next week's contest, we're reading the encyclopedia cover to cover.

We have also been getting increasingly more adventuresome in the kitchen. Recently, with the help of "Dad's Own Cookbook", we have feasted on some home cooked classics, including chili, chicken parmesan, and lasagna. Our corn bread, however, leaves much to be desired.

In other news, Bobby has started a volunteer language exchange program with a Spaniard, and Gabe is sick but hopefully on the mend. All of us are looking forward to another great week in Barcelona. Stay tuned.