I had the most wonderful day yesterday! I went to Montserrat. I don't know if you know it or not, but it's a beautiful mountain with a big cathederal/monestary/touristtown on top of it. I think that what had happened was that the mountain was so beautiful that people decided to worship god there. I appreciate that! Anyway. I hiked around the back side of the mountain. It was beautiful. I didn't see a human being for 2 hours while I followed a cute path along the mountainside. I saw lots of wildflowers and took lots of pictures. (they will be on facebookand flickr soon and maybe myspace too, just for kicks.) There was even a part of the hike where I could hear rocks falling in the distance, higher up than I was. I don't think any would have actually made their way all the way down to where I was, and I wasn't nervous about it, but I guess it was slightly just barely possible. There were wonderful views all around me up and down and in front and behind (weeee prepositions!) and it made me almost start crying. I miss being places like that. It was great that I was by myself too. I could stop and look at any little detail or take in any magnificent view I wanted to look at without worrying that someone else wanted to keep walking or anything. There was a short period when I was afraid I got onto the wrong trail and wouldn't make it back to the tourist central in time to take the train home, or that I'd have to sleep on the mountain outside, but even those things seemed more like an adventure than anything that might have been a real problem.

I did end up missing one little train, but all it meant was that I got to navigate my way across the little town of Monsterrat with these two Irish people who didn't speak any spanish to get to the ferrocarriles station. When I got back to the city, I realized that a surprise birthday party for my friend Spring was actually last night and not tonight, so I went to her house and we surprised her! The theme was "hippies," which is a funny thing. I was wearing the clothes that I hiked in and certainly SMELLED like "hippie," but I wasn't in costume. There's something about going to theme parties without dressing up but then claiming to be in costume that's just not quite right on some level. It didn't matter. The guys who were Mexicans when I went to Carnaval in Sitges were all wearing big afro wigs with headbands tied around them, and I stole one from Fabio (an italian dude) because he was complaining that it was too itchy. I also had bought my first pair of sunglasses ever yesterday morning before I left for the mountain at the mercadillo in Cerdanyola, and they went perfectly with the afro wig and make me look like a whole new kind of rock star.

This morning, I took the bandages off of my new piercings and stopped by the piercer. I couldn't get all the sticky gunk off my skin, and I can't really scrub the area, so I think it's going to stay for a while. Anskar, the piercer, told me that he's doing a performance as a clown tonight in this square nearby. He said he'd be really happy if I came to see him, so I'm going! exciting! things happening in cerdanyola! Happy Annie!

Also, I'm supposed to dress like a "goody goody" for the second half of the birthday party that actually IS tonight (hence the confusion beforehand) and I have no idea what to do. Right now I like what I'm wearing, and it's tights and shoes and a skirt and a tank top. maybe I can throw some kind of collared shirt over that and wear the wig and th sunglasses and just... be the only one not really in costume that fits the theme yet again? either way. I don't care! I'm having fun.

Next weekend, I'm going to Switzerland.