Barcelona

So I tried to upload a photo to this post and it didn't really work, so unfortunately there won't be a photo accompanied with this post. Today is our first whole day in Barcelona. We woke up this morning and went on a bus tour of the city. The only place we really stopped to explore was the public park that was designed by Gaudi. The park was really cool, and I really like Gaudi's designs, probably because he tries to make his structures reflect nature. The problem with going on a bus tour is there are very few opportunities to take pictures while riding around. And I think more than half of us fell asleep during the tour. It's hard, the bus is nice and warm, and we've been traveling around so much that the exhaustion just takes over.
An observation I must make is that Barcelona is hotter than Madrid. This makes no sense to me because Barcelona is further north than Madrid. Thankfully, the landscape around Barcelona is much greener than in the south of Spain, which I expected. It was kind of sad on the bus because we finally reached a place that wasn't just arid desert, and that reminded me of all the green space in Boston and Portland, my two homes in the US. I know I'm so lucky to have this opportunity, but I don't think I'll be one of those people who doesn't want to leave Spain at the end of the semester. I am a homebody, and proud.
On Saturday we leave for Cordoba. I have to say, I can't wait. I'm ready to settle down into a routine of classes, and finally be able to unpack. I want to meet my host family. I want to start using my Spanish the majority of the time. I think that will help with the homesickness.