I have one gear: go!

To quote a favourite emo band of mine, "vacation's come and gone".

I'm a little bit sad that the trip that I was looking forward to for some quite time has flown by just like that. Well, it flew by, but it's also felt like an eternity since Becca T and I arrived in Barcelona on a rainy Saturday lugging our bags all the way from the Placa Cataluyna all the way to our hotel near the Arc de Triomf.

My next post will contain all sorts of photos, I promise. I'm major jet-lagged, and plan to hit the sack by 9 pm, but I'm in a writing mood, so words will have to suffice for now.

I had an amazing time in London. Even though this trip was about experiencing place unfamiliar (BCN) and familiar (LDN), I found it really came down to being about friendship, banter, and a little bit of rest and relaxation. I needed all of that.

I loved my time in BCN with Becca T. I always like to think about how we were randomly thrown into a room together in first year uni (back in 1998!), and how I wished a little voice would have told me that almost 13 years later, we'd be meeting up in BCN to catch-up. When I first met Becca T, I didn't expect a friend for life, but I'm glad that's how the story turned out.

LDN was so much fun. I loved catching up with Claire... it seems like just yesterday that we saw each other, when it was really the summer of 2009. We had such fun chatting about life and teaching; it's so amazing to be able to find such a great friend across an ocean. I found myself today missing all of our inside jokes, old and new. (DJ Raimundo for president, hit the bin, go and get your llama, new age fun with a vintage flair.) We spent a lot of our time laughing over Youtube videos, and having lots of tea, and it was grand. And of course, it was great spending time with Claire's Matthew, who laughs over Youtube just as much as we do.

I was lucky enough to see other friends in London too. I met up with an former colleague for tea, and it was so much fun. In addition, I spent Saturday afternoon with my little cousin, who is teaching Kindergarten in London. I have to admit that I'm not very close with my extended family; however, it was really great meeting up with my cousin and discussing pedagogy and family. It made me really nostalgic for our shared grandparents and my childhood. She's thinking of moving near Toronto after this year, so it would be great for us to get to know each other more as adults.

Finally, it was great seeing Siobhan for dinner on Saturday. She's a friend via Claire and now via blogging, and it's great to see familiar faces with lovely new haircuts! Siobhan - I can't wait to hear about your trip to BCN later this year. It's such a great city!

This evening, I was feeling a little nostalgic for my weekend in London, so I watched this youtube video which got stuck in my head.

And now for sleep. Which I always like because that's where I'm a viking.