We arrived to BCN airport exhausted after a car ride from Cincinnati to Chicago, a 14 hour plane ride, and a 10 hour layover in the most God awful airport. We hailed a cab with all of our belongings and headed to Las Ramblas where we believed our hostel was located. The cabby took us to the middle of Ramblas and told us our hostel would be very close. We got out of the cab looked around and decided we were already lost. We started walking with our suitcases, rut sacks, pillows, and everything else we had around the catacombs of the Barri Gothic (streets that all look the same with no names and no numbers). We must have passed our hostel’s reception 5 times because it is not a door but an opening in a wall! Finally, we realize there is a door there and go in only to find out the hostel gave our rooms to someone else. We waited in the streets for them to find us a place to sleep that night. Today in BCN was the hottest day they had had all summer. Finally, the hostel found us a place to stay for a night. The girl said “Follow me” so we followed. I thought we were going down the street or up the many stairs there in the Gothic, but NO we weren’t. Lucky for us the hostel had the farthest room opens for us. We got to ride the metro for the first time with all of our belongings and tug our bags up and down numerous stairs. After walking for what seemed like 25 minutes we finally stopped and she said “We’re here!” Next, we carried all of our things up more steps because there was no lift and found our interior room. We all decided we were too tired to do anything but shower because we had all lost at least 10 lbs. on the way there. Annie was like, “hey there’s a window here, let’s open it.” She opened it to another person’s room! The room resembled a hallway with three beds and hangers on the wall for coats and wet stuff. We slept and the next day did it all over again because we weren’t at the correct hostel we booked months prior on the net. The next hostel was in a much better location and our roommates were cool travelers from different countries. We partied like rockstars for the first week, went on pubcrawls, went shopping, spent loads of money, and had a great time. Our hostel guests changed daily and some we made friendships with others just came and went. The hostel was airy and clean and had internet so we were happy. We were all in school for around 8-10 hours a day so we didn’t really stay in the hostel until we slept. One night Kate and I decided it would be a great idea to do laundry in the kitchen. Above the washer was a sign that read: For linens only, Not for Personal Use. We decided that everyone would be asleep really late so we’d do it then and get up super early to get it out. Now it was a good idea except the washer broke since we put 500lbs of crap in it. The next morning we wake up and Kate walks to the kitchen and I hear her swear so I’m like oh no someone stole our shit…no worse water EVERYWHERE in the kitchen! Kate and I are grabbing drenched clothes out of the washer and ringing them out in the sink and trying to not laugh because it’s just our luck! We had to get the clothes out of the washer fast because the cleaning lady came early to clean the sheets for the next guests and we had to be at school. We were working in like an assembly line grabbing the soaked clothes, ringing, sopping up the floor, putting in a pile and doing all over again! I was peeing my pants because there is no way this would happen to anyone else in a million years! Kate was getting more and more pissed by the second when I asked, “Where we gonna put these?” So, now we have the wettest possible clothing you’ve ever felt in a huge soaking pile in the kitchen and nowhere to hang em! Then I remembered the bungee clothes line Luke lent me before I set off. I got the cord out and strung it from my bunk to Kate’s bed. We started hanging the wet mess on the line until it bent all the way to the ground and had to resort to hanging the rest on the chairs and lamps! When we left the room looked like a bomb had gone off. We made it to class and our clothes were at least clean! When we got back everything was hung outside on the sheets line by the cleaning lady, bless her heart! After that night we decided we needed some sleep so we went to bed early. I was awoken by a loud crash and saw a lamp that was near the door all the way across the room by the window! I was like “WTF!” Kate goes, “Erin you hear that?” Then we see the two crazy ass German boys staying with us stumble in and puke on the floor! The one boy is hanging out the window while the other is kicking in all the metal lockers located outside our room. Kate says, “I’m putting on my gym shoes because if they come near me I’m kicking as hard as I can!” I say, “Yep!” So, were lying in our beds hearing the commotion but not able to see anything because the light is shattered on the floor. I was so anxious that entire night and Kate was swearing at the Germans and no one slept a wink that night. Knowing Kate and myself the next morning we reported the boys and they were kicked out! After the nightmare, Punk Paul and Not so Silent Jim, our British friends moved in and all was good with the world. We were with the Brits for a night and then found our wonderful flat in the clouds and moved in!
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