barcelona

TIBIDABO

camel coat kinda day in barcelona

macba by school where tons of boys skateboard all day

cava

bambinos

la marina 

flor del sol :)

chillin at school

filed trip to el monastero de san pedro y cadaques.. this is the view from the monastery

monastery

interior slate  walls.. it is built into the mountains.. freezing

cadaqués . town where dali lived.

apolo

madrid

I woke up this Easter Sunday really late due to my lack of sleep the past week (spring break). Once I finally got out of bed, I took the metro to Las Ramblas and began my day.  I ate fruit as a I strolled along the port, enjoying the beautiful sunny weather.  This is what all the Barcelonians have been telling us about.  Wandered for hours until I ended up at Santa Maria del Mar, my favorite church in the city.  As I walked in, a baptism was beginning.  3 Spanish babies were being baptized, their families filled with joy.  The mass was said in Spanish (not Catalan!), which I was happy about.  An hour later, as I left the church the weather had changed completely and dark ominous clouds filled the sky.  Rain poured down as I ran into the metro.  

Amsterdam/Brussels

Catching a 6 am flight is no easy feat in Barcelona.  The metro is closed until 5 am; the buses to the airport don’t start running until 530.  The only option is a cab.  I woke up at 415 am, forced myself out of bed and waited in the cold morning air outside my apartment for a cab.  Janice and I were probably delusional the entire drive there, we talked with the energy one has at 2 in the afternoon.  We arrived in Amsterdam around 8 am and followed Ali’s scribbled directions to our hostel.   Our 14-bed room was part of a building that was built in 1638.  The ceilings were low and wooden, the bathroom small and the smell – pungent.  We walked around Amsterdam in the brisk morning fog and decided our first stop would be Anne Frank’s house.  The line went around the block but we stepped in line knowing that it was inevitable.  I can definitely say that the tour of Anne Frank’s house is in my top 5 most moving experiences while abroad.  Each room is untouched and the whole tour is really well done as it retells her story.  It was mind-blowing and unforgettable to see how she and her family lived in fear behind a bookshelf, which concealed the entrance to their 4-room home inside the upstairs of a warehouse building.  Although it is too fragile to enter, they have placed a mirror inside the attic where Anne frequently spent time, her only glimpse of the outside world through a tiny window.  The posters and magazine clippings she glued to her walls remain there behind glass.  For the rest of our stay, we explored Amsterdam.  One night, we went to a Boom!Chicago show.  Ali is into improv and found this comedy club that is super famous in Amsterdam.  It was really interesting to see an improv show, I’ve never before, and it was also interesting to see the Dutch perspective on comedy and all things funny-mainly America(ns). The city is really cute, every building is unique but they all blend into one, as there are no spaces between them.  The canals are pristine and beautiful, they provide for a nice break between the busy streets filled with bicycles, bicycles and more bicycles.  The Red Light District serves as a gigantic contrast with the quaint approachability of the rest of the city.  Women stand behind floor length windows wearing just about nothing, showing off their bodies and begging for men to come inside.  Men stare at them from afar and up close, tons knocking on their doors and entering. This part of the city screams of sin. 

For a nice break from Amsterdam, we spent a Sunday in Brussels.  We took a 3-hour train from Amsterdam and arrived mid-morning.  We were immediately welcomed by the pungent smell of waffles and chocolate; we quickly learned that this scent is inescapable throughout the entire city.  We went straight to the Magritte museum to discover that it was Sold OUT.  We walked inside anyways, hoping to find out that we could come back in a few hours when the crowds would disappear.   The man behind the ticket desk told me I “have Bambi’s eyes” and that the 3 of us could get in to the museum for free if we kept it a secret… and that we did! The museum was amazing, all of his works were even better in person and I really enjoyed it.  After leaving the museum, we followed our noses to the waffles and were treated to the most scrumptious of waffles!  We walked through the charming streets of Brussels and found a cab driver.  I asked him if he knew where Avenue Paul Deschanel was.  He said yes and we jumped in.  About 25 minutes later, we arrived at 130 Avenue Paul Deschanel.  As soon as the man put the car in park, the three of us ran out and stared up at the beautiful white building.  It’s wooden features delicately carved into the curvature of the corners, I walked up the few steps to the door.  Ali and Janice took pictures as I stood exactly where my grandmother had many times before! Across the street is a tiny park and the entire street is full of beautiful apartment buildings.  As we drove away, I kept my eyes opened wide..memorizing the stores and buildings around me.  It was an incredible feeling knowing that my grandma had once lived there and has so many memories from the very streets I was passing by.  For the rest of the day we took advantage of the approaching Easter holiday and ate as many free tasters of chocolate as we could.  Every two steps is a different chocolate shop.  We stumbled upon the Manikin Pis, the claim to fame of Brussels – and were surprised by how tiny it is! We ended our lovely day in Brussels with some fruit flavored beer – specialties of the country.  Peach, apricot, blueberry, strawberry and the best – raspberry! We returned to Amsterdam late that night and crashed in our beds, trying hard not to awaken our roommates.  Monday, we went to the Van Gogh museum and the Heineken beer factory.  Both of which were crowded with fellow tourists.  The museum was AMAZING and the factory was full of self-promotion but free beer! 

This past weekend, Ali L had a friend visiting from Rome - Lizzie.  The three of us had a really fun weekend, I feel at one with Barcelona after having had explored even more of the city.  I am beginning to treasure the weekends I am here in the midst of traveling around Europe at the same time.  

There are tons of restaurants on the beach by the marina and clubs of Barceloneta.

We made Lizzie try tapas and she loved them. Free chupitas de lemoncello at the end of our dinner.

In front of our favorite club, Opium, that is literally on the sand.

We spent the night out like true Spaniards - dancing until the early morning. On our walk back (the metros were closed) we arrived at the Boqueria to discover that they were just beginning their day there.  Here you can see women piling pounds and pounds of raw meat into their little tiendas.  It was so crazy to be there at the start of the day, where all the vendors sat and drank coffee with shots of rum to wake up and start their days.. ours were just ending - headed straight to our camas.

Ever since I knew I was going to be studying abroad here, I knew I wanted to explore the courtyards in the E’ixample.NYTimes has a really great article describing the background and location of various hidden courtyards in the area.

This 2nd one is at the base of a water tower(in front of me), behind me are rows of magnolia trees and white benches.  It is beyond beautiful in it’s secrecy. A perfect place to eat your lunch or sit in the sun.

one of my most favorite things to treat myself to every other day or so is a cup of guayaba (guava) juice from the boqueria. the boqueria is most certainly one of the most popular tourist stops in the whole city. as i enter the market, i know what i want - guayaba. i have to squeeze through tons of tourists who are in awe of the food surrounding them, just to get to my yummy fruit stand.. freshly squeezed with chunks of the fruit randomly popping up through my straw.  i’m convinced there’s nothing better.

live music in the universitat metro stop - a great start to my day while stumbling out of the crowded smelly metro train.

one rainy day, while wandering through the barrio gotico we stopped and drank tea and ate these delicious desserts which all possessed fantastic names .. the best was the marzipan cake