This time last year I had just spent the weekend in Barcelona. Having travelled across the States with a friend for 2 months, followed by a few weeks in the UK with family, Barcelona was my first destination travelling solo. On the Friday afternoon I was wondering why the hell I had decided to travel alone, determined I had made that worst decision of my life. So ensued a weekend of Gaudi Architecture, new friends, the beach, partying, eating tapas, drinking sangria and attempting to salsa (not technically the right continent, but whatever). By Monday I was convinced I had just experienced the best weekend possible and flew to Rome with a new zest for life (did I just type that?!).

So anyway, my Aunt recently reminded me of my anxiousness pre-Barcelona and how well it turned out in the end. So the Catalan capital will always serve to remind me to be confident when diving head first into the unknown. Also that after a few sangrias running up a downwards moving escalator is never a good idea.