I joined the masses of Americans in a pilgrimage to Europe this summer. It was my first time out of the country since 2017, long before the pandemic, and to say I was anxious would be an understatement. I didn’t know much about Barcelona before booking the trip, aside from the Disney Channel masterpiece The Cheetah Girls 2, Woody Allen’s (I know, insert *yikes* here, but it’s arguably his best film) Vicky Christina Barcelona, and what I learned in AP art history about Gaudi. And while I wanted to over-prepare and over-plan, as is my nature, going in semi-unprepared served me well. Now I think every European vacation should be under-planned. All I can hope is that I absorbed even a tiny drop of that laid-back, carefree, spontaneous Spanish energy. Fingers crossed.
jennifer perry 