Today we went to two must see sights in Barcelona. We started the morning on a panoramic bus tour of the city. The highlight was Placa de Catalunya. It is the highest point in the city and has amazing views. During the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s rule, it was the sight of many deaths. The city has now taken it and made it place to celebrate peace and nature.
Later, we went to the La Sagrada Familia, the church designed by Gaudi has been under construction since 1852. No matter what your religious beliefs, it is an awe inspiring place. I took a lot of pictures, but they can’t do it justice. There is so much detail and symbolism in ever space.
Technically, this is my day two in Barcelona. But, the “touristy” part of the trip started today. Prepared to roast in the Mediterranean, I was pleasantly surprised. It was warm (low 80s), but there was a nice breeze. We started with a guided walking tour of the city. Even though I know this it’s still so striking to me whenever I visit other countries just how young the USA is compared to most countries. There are structures in tact from Ancient Rome. The architecture of the past is so much more ornate that it gives old cities much more character. A great start to the tour.
Remains of Ancient Roman Aqueducts
In other great news- I have a new suitcase, paid for by the airline. They emailed me the location today and I was able to make the exchange during our free time this afternoon.
As the title suggests, this is not what I was expecting my first post to be. I was going to skipt he travel time and begin tomorrow when the tour officially begins. But, the trip got off to a bit of a rocky start. Which lead me to think about the first thing I always tell people:you have to go in with the expectation that something will go wrong at some point.
Any large trip has so many flights and luggage transfers and reservations that there’s bound to be a hiccup somewhere, and that’s without factoring in weather. You can’t control any of that, but you can control how your attitude and how you react. So far, this trip is challenging me to practice what I preach.
I woke up Saturday to a text telling me that my twelve o’clock flight was now a 12:45 flight. Then shortly before leaving for airport, there was another message that it was now a 2:00 flight. It was going to make my layover tight, but the ticket agent thought I’d be able to make it when I checked in. Then, while waiting I got a message that it was now a 2:37 flight. That put my original flight landing at JFK at 4:01 and my connection leaving at 4:15. I rescheduled for a 9:45 PM flight. Longer delay than I would like but I went to a restaurant instead of food court, and had time to walk around, read and chat on the phone with my mom. Of course, during this time my Gate was changed three times. At least they were at the same terminal, unlike last time I was at JFK. The flight was smooth and it seemed the tide had turned. We even landed a little early. Then I saw my luggage coming down the conveyor belt. I’m not sure if the picture will post here. But, all I can say is no person could’ve done that kind of damage to a piece of luggage. The side was torn and dangling with wires hanging out. My best guess is it got caught in a conveyor belt.
This is where the attitude comes in. I was standing in line laughing at how ridiculous it looked and how much has already happened. At the end of the day, I made it to Barcelona, it’s beautiful and there’s lots of fun activities ahead in the next couple of weeks. I’m going to say the laughing is because of my positive attitude, and not because I haven’t slept at most an hour in the last 24 hours and am on the edge of insanity
This is a just a quick note to let you know that the content at Nicole’s Nook is going to be shifting over the next couple of weeks as I travel. Instead of keeping a journal like I normally do, I’m going to document the trip here. I don’t know how much time I’ll have, so it will probably just be brief snippets . The main focus of Nicole’s Nook will always be reading and writing. Therefore, I still have other literature based content written and scheduled to post too.
Nicole’s Nook is primarily a book blog. But, I also want to occasionally include some writing “talk”. I’m going to start out today by talking about the importance of finding writing groups.
By nature, writing is a solo activity. That’s why it’s so important to find your writing people. When I started writing, I didn’t talk about it. Then, I got an honorable mention in a writing contest, and told people close to me. After that, my mom spotted a sign at Barnes & Noble about a writing group. That then lead me to two other local writing groups. It’s very hard to make that first leap and put yourself out there. But it’s worth it. Here are some of the reasons aspiring writers should consider joining a writing group.
accountablility– it is very easy to find ways to procrastinate, but if you know you’re going to be meeting with other people who will ask how you’re writing is going, you’re much more likely to write
critiques– it’s one thing to have family and friends read your writing, but if they’re not writers themselves, it’s hard to get quality feedback. Fellow writers want you to improve and aren’t worried about hurting your feelings, like friends and family.
resources: other writers are great “resources for resources”, they can recommend classes, conferences, books, magazines and web sites to improve your writing.
presentations: most writing groups have guest speakers. They may not always apply to your writing, but it still expands your knowledge.
In conclusion, if you are interested in writing, finding other writers is essential. If there aren’t any writing groups in your area, there are plenty of forums and resources online as well.
Thank you NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Description
Fifi the raccoon is trying desperately to get her family to play with her. But everyone is too busy, busy, busy! What’s a girl to do? Together with her dog, Felix, Fifi comes up with an idea—one that will bring them all together and give them lots of time to play: it’s a lots-of-time machine! But what happens when Fifi’s brilliant idea doesn’t go quite as planned? Can Fifi and her family find a way to be busy…together? Find out in this endearing and relatable family story.
My Thoughts:
This is such a cute story that’s relatable to any kid/family. Fifi just wants to spend time with her family, but they’re all busy. There are few words per page that are written speech bubbles, making this easy for a beginning reader. The bright illustrations tell the story and keep you engaged.
“Lucifer, why did so many human emotions feel like physical illness? It was a wonder humans didn’t visit the doctor on an hourly basis.” ― Sarah Hawley, A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
Title: A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
Author: Sarah Hawley
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: March 7, 2023
Goodreads Synopsis:
Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.
Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).
But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.
My Thoughts:
A demon with a soul was such a fun premise. I loved the unique take on the demon plain. Even though the demons are evil, they’re just regular people doing their job. The jobs just happen to involve dasterdly deals and soul stealing. I didn’t give it a full five stars because the pacing seemed a little off at times.
