Venice, For The Win

VENICE IS THE COOLEST CITY IN EUROPE. There. I said it. By far the most unique city I have ever been to, I fell in love with Venice last weekend. Why, you ask? Because it is literally a city on water; there are no cars, your only means of transportation are boats or gondolas. Not only is Venice unique, but it is also beautiful. Canals run through every street and bridges are your walkways. We spent our first day just walking around and exploring, making our way to the main Plaza called Piazza San Marco and also took a walk along the port. For both lunch and dinner, we stopped at 2 random places we stumbled upon and hoped for the best. That’s the amazing thing about Italy – no matter where you eat, you are almost guaranteed to have an amazing, Italian meal. Being with some of my best friends, amazing food and sites, Venice became one of my favorite cities as soon as I stepped off the train and onto a boat to get to my hotel.

We spent our second day in Venice exploring the 3 islands that surround the main town and learning about what each island has to offer. The first island houses a glass making factory, where we watched glass being made into various objects such as horses and vases. The second island was centered around silk, where we watched women sewing clothing items and gowns. This island was my favorite of the three, as the land was lined with beautifully painted houses of various different pastel colors; no boring white houses here, but purple, red, blue, and any other color under the moon. On the third island we explored a church and a vineyard, but it was not the most scenic of the three. After the tour, we couldn’t resist the temptation to take a cliche gondola ride through the canals. It was an amazing day to be in Venice – we could not have gotten any more lucky with the weather! After an amazing 2 days, I had to say a say goodbye to one of my favorite city’s of abroad (however, I like to think of it as more of a see you later).

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Florence

DAY 1: Despite being such a small city, our time spent in Florence was definitely filled with endless activities. Our first stop on our own little walking tour was the Ponte Vecchio bridge. The bridge crosses the Arno River and is noted for its beautiful jewelry shops along the sidewalks of the bridge. After snapping a few pictures and checking out some of the shops, we made our way across the bridge to the famous Venchi gelato shop. I never understood the hype of the Florence gelato and how it could be that much better than gelato in other cities, but after eating my gelato from Venchi, I realized I was highly mistaken. My mixture of dark chocolate and cappuccino gelato definitely lived up it’s Florence reputation – so much so that I had to go back for a second round! After stuffing our faces with gelato, we made our way to the famous Duomo cathedral. This beautiful, gothic styled cathedral can be seen from almost any vantage point throughout Florence, as it is one of Italy’s largest churches. Although we had hoped to climb the stairs of the Duomo and explore the interior, the lines for entrance were miles long! Despite not being able to enter, seeing the decorative exterior was interesting enough. For dinner, we went to La Giostra and had what I would like to call, one of the best meals of my life. We started off with a platter of tapas along with some delicious burrata and pan, and for my main dish I had chicken stuffed with cheese and vegetables – everything was unreal. Although a little pricey, the experience was definitely worth it.

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DAY 2: After visiting most of the important sites on day 1, we spent a lot of our second day in Florence relaxing in the Boboli Gardens. Known for their collection of sculptures dating from the 16th through the 18th centuries, the gardens are a lovely, wide open field with places for visitors to relax and lay in the grass. There is also a beautiful view of Florence when you reach the top peak of the garden, which overlooks the entire city. We spent most of our day sitting in the grass and talking for hours and hours. It was a beautiful day out, and the perfect day to relax. After, we made our way to the leather market to make a few purchases. One of our friends who is abroad in Florence took us to her friend Massimo’s store, where we got some great leather jackets and bags. For dinner, we went to a restaurant called Osteria Santa Spirito for yet another amazing meal. I ordered the truffled gnocchi – aka heaven in a bowl. Safe to say, I gained about 20 pounds in Florence, but it was definitely well worth it.

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La Pedrera con Cervecería Catalana

FINALLY! After 3 months of begging my friends to come with me, I finally got to see La Pedrera, Another building designed by Gaudi, La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila, has one of the most interesting and strange rooftops designs in Barcelona. The building it located down the street from my apartment on Passeig de Gracia and admission grants you access to a tour of the inside of the building as well as the beautiful rooftop. The inside of the building was meant to serve as residential housing apartments and is built around a giant courtyard in the center. My favorite part of the structure however, is the strange architecture located on the rooftop. I had seen it every day as I walked to and from school, but finally seeing the structure up close and personal was well worth the wait.  It’s definitely not your average rooftop, and it’s almost hard to explain, so here are some pictures of the rooftops unique design:

After exploring La Pedrera, we took a walk down the street to a popular tapas restaurant that was highly recommended: Cerveceria Catalana. Knowing that the restaurant does not take reservations, we tried to go at an off time to avoid any lines. However, regardless of our strategic planning, the place was still packed! After a 40 minute wait, we were finally seated and ready to eat. To start, we ordered a pitcher of delicious white sangria and two orders of Greek salad. Next, we got a round of patatas bravas and fried calamari and finished it off with their speciality dish, Huevos cabreados, my favorite dish by far! The dish is made up of small crispy-fried potatoes with a spicy red sauce and covered with fried egg whites. High definitely recommend and can’t wait to come back and try them again!

 

Montserrat/Wine Touring

Another weekend in Barcelona, another new day of exploring and site seeing. Taking another break from traveling around Europe, my friends and I decided to book a tour that included a tour of the Montserrat monastery and after, a wine tasting at a nearby vineyard.

After 45 minutes of driving, we arrived at the scenic mountain of Montserrat. Located at the top of the Catalan pre-Coastal Range, Monserrat offered some amazing, mountainous views filled with trees and nature. The mountain is also home to the Benedictine abbey,  Santa Maria, which houses the sanctuary of the Virgin of Montserrat. According to our tour guide, legend has it that the monastery could not move the statue of the Virgin for religious reasons and instead, had to build around it. We walked around the top of the mountain and also took a look inside of the monastery, where we witnessed services being held within it’s tall, beautiful walls.

After a tour of Monserrat, we drove back down the mountain to a wine vineyard close by for a tour and wine tasting. The vineyard had a beautiful view of Monserrat in the background and it was a great, sunny day to walk around and explore. The grapes had just been taken off of it’s vines, but we could see the rows of land on which the fruit s grown. After a tour of the outside, we were taken inside to the building where the wine is made and then stored in barrels. We were then seated at a table where we were given some authentic Spanish tapas and tastes of different ages of wines. Our tour guide taught us how to differentiate wine based on taste, smell, and appearance and we noted the differences between 3 different ages of red wine. I am not usually a red wine girl, but this experience made me appreciate the work and effort that goes into making it. I also enjoyed the wine more because I could appreciate the taste of the high quality wine, as opposed to the cheap 1 Euro wine we buy at our local Supermerkat 😉 All in all, it was a perfect day filled with sun, friends, and amazing views. I am very happy to share this experience with some of my best friends and I can easily put this day down as one of our best day trips so far!

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A Cultural Day: Sagrada Familia & Parc Guell

My weekend of culture didn’t just end in the city of Tossa Del Mar. On a beautiful sunny day back in Barcelona, I took my parents to two of the most famous Gaudi creations: La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell.

I had been waiting for my family to be in Spain to finally visit the cathedral of Sagrada Famalia, as it is one of the most well-known architectural spots in Spain that everyone always recommends to tourists. Turns out, la Sagrada Familia is located on Carrer de Mallorca just 10 blocks down the street from my apartment – who knew! Seeing la Sagrada Familia from the outside for the first time is breathtaking. The tall, beautiful building reaches to a height of 170 meters and is way taller than any of the buildings that surround it. The inside of the cathedral is also just as amazing – rainbows of stained glass lines each window with large cubic colums lining the interior. I really enjoyed how the glass windows lit up the interior of the cathedral with beautiful, vivacious colors. Here a few pictures that capture the experience:

Next, I took my family to Parc Guell, another famous Guadi creation. I had already visted Parc Guell, but it was still just as enjoyable the second time around and a great experience to take the family there. Parc Guell is known as one of the largest architectural works in Europe and can be described as a garden complex filled with Gaudi architectural elements. Originally intended to be a housing site, the park was converted into a beautiful garden. At the top of main terrace of the park gives tourists the perfect view of all of Barcelona, extending all the way to the sea. There’s no better way to describe the beauty of the park and the sites than surround it than by showing some snapshots from my family’s visit:

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Tossa De Mar

With my family in town, we decided to rent a car for the day and take a drive to the suburbs outside of Barcelona. This was my first time outside of the city, and a great opportunity to see a different side of Spain. After about an hour in the car, we made our way 100 kilometres out of Barcelona and into the city of Tossa De Mar. Located on the Costa Brava, Tossa De Mar is one of the oldest cities in Spain, whose presence appearance dates back to the 14th Century. The city still has the city’s entire original perimeter lined with stone walls and towers that separate the Old Town from the New Town. The Old Town consists of narrow, cobblestoned streets while the New Town reveals more modern homes and streets. We spent the first half of our day exploring the seaside and eating at a delicious restaraunt along the beach, where we enjoyed some traditional Spanish paella along with some vino rose.

At the edge of the Tossa Beach lies a castle/fortress known as “Vila Vella”. Declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument, Vila Vella is a beautiful medieval fortified village open for tourists to climb and explore. My family and I spent hours walking around the fortress and looking over at the beautiful sights overlooking the ocean. From the top of the fortress, you can see the divide between the Old and New City and the differences between the architecture and layout. The fortress was magnificent, and the ocean was an amazing shade of blue. The fortress is unlike anything I have seen so far in Barcelona, and the city of Tossa De Mar is one I will definitely never forget. Before I leave Spain, I would love to come back here one day with my friends and enjoy a relaxing day on the beach.

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The Fairytale City

My weekend in the capital of the Czech Republic was magical – no, literally. With huge castles, bridges over strips of water, and old-fashioned street vendors all around, the city of Prague makes you feel like you have entered some sort of fairytale story. What makes the city even better is that all of the important landmarks and tourist attractions are within walking distance – we explored more of what Prague has to offer in just a day. We started off our day by crossing the Charles Bridge; an historic bridge built under Kind Charles IV that is decorated by a continuous alley of gothic-styles statues on each side. After crossing the Bridge filled with live music, caricaturists, and street vendors, we made our way towards the John Lennon Wall. Along our journey, we passed a smaller, Prague version of the Paris “Lock Bridge” as well as some interesting statues of giant babies. We had a little too much fun taking pictures with these odd statues….no surprise there.

After taking a few laps around, we finally found the Lennon Wall…underwhelming to say the least. In every city, there always seems to be a wall with graffiti on it that has some significance to an historical moment in the city. We learned that the Lennon Wall was used for people to express their feelings and emotions during the time of Lennons assassination, however, the things we saw on the wall today were definitely nothing inspirational. Although it may have been important at one point in time, we felt a little ridiculous after running around Prague to see a wall filled with graffiti that is smaller than a Billboard. We found the quote below to be the most inspiring of all:

“99 problems but a bitch ain’t one”

Last, but certainly not least, we took a stroll around Old Town Square. Found in the Old Town quarter this square was my favorite part of Prague. Here we saw beautiful buildings and churches that reminded you of castles and made you feel like you were in the middle-ages. There were show performances, bubble blowing, food vendors, and people dancing all around. It was a beautiful, sunny day, which I’ve heard is very rare, but Barcelona seemed to bring out the heat. My friends and I spent hours trying new food, dancing with street performers, and exploring all of the beautiful buildings. I never really understood what Prague was before my visit; I always wondered “why would people ever go abroad to Prague? I don’t understand what it has to offer?” Well, after this weekend, I definitely understand it now. Not only is the city so unique, but there is also great night-life in store. We went to two clubs: Lucerna and Mecca. Lucerna was my favorite – they played 80’s and 90’s music all night long! I definitely loved Prague, and I can honestly say it is the only other city so far that I could have imagined myself studying abroad in if I was not in Barcelona (and that means a lot). 

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Willkommen in Deutschland

My weekend in Berlin, Germany was very eye opening. With so many memorials and historical sites, it was kind of overwhelming to be in the country where the Holocaust originated. Most of the memorials that have been created to commemorate the Jews who died in the Holocaust were more abstract and metaphorical than just a statue with some sort of tangible meeting. For instance, there is an exhibit at the Jewish Museum called The Garden of Exile. This “garden” is made up of 49 concrete pillars that stand on slightly sloped square plot. When you walk through the garden, you actually start to feel dizzy and light headed, as the goal of the exhibit is to make you feel a sense of instability. The way one feels when they walk through the garden is supposed to represent a similar experience to the Jews who were driven out of Germany: lost and without orientation. Many of the other memorials we visited, such as the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Memorial to the Burning Book, used a similar emotional tactic in order to try and help visitors understand the pain and suffering that was experienced by the Jews. Photos of some of these exhibits can be found below:

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Along with these sites, we also visited the beautiful murals on the Berlin wall and tried some German curryworst (can’t say I was the biggest fan of the curryworst, but the fries that came along with it were lovely). Later that night, we enjoyed an authentic, German dinner at a beer hall called Hofbraeuhaus. The restaurant is meant to be a similar version to a celebration held in Munich called Oktoberfest, with staff dressed in lederhosen, people standing on tables, and gigantic pitchers of beer. The atmosphere of the restaurant was through the roof, and since I was not abroad first semester, it was fun to get a small taste of what the Oktoberfest celebrations were like. The culture in Germany was very different, to say the least, but the sites I visited were certainly an experience I will never forget.

The City of Love

What’s better than 1 Valentine? 8 Valentines (monogamy is lame anyway…) This year, I got to spend my Valentines weekend with some of my best friends in the beautiful city of Paris. My friend, Evan, who is studying abroad in Paris this semester, walked us around to all of the must-see spots of the city. We started our first day by eating falafel in the Jewish corner, then spent the rest of the day walking to different landmarks such as the Notre Dame and the Louvre. Along our walk, we were surrounded by large, beautiful buildings plated in gold – a very different style from any of the Gaudi buildings we have here in Barcelona. For a quick break, we stopped at the famous Angelina Teamroom for some delicious chocolate. The hot chocolate really lived up to its standard: a pure, thick hot chocolate that tasted as if bars of chocolate melted straight into my cup. The next day, we continued our tour and spent most of our day by the Lock Bridge as well as the Eiffel Tower. No boyfriend to share a lock with on the bridge? Not a problem – I had my friend Rory for that. With a great travel crew to share the experience with, Paris became one of favorite weekend trips so far.Could I imagine studying abroad there? Probably not (they don’t have Opium in Paris…), but I would definitely love to come back and revisit some of these amazing sites. But for now, bonjour, Paris.

Anchoring Down in Barcelona

This past weekend, Vanderbilt took over Barcelona. With a few visitors in town, we had an amazing time exploring the city, visiting staple Barcelona tourist spots, and taking them to our favorite night spots. Some of  our main excursions included taking a walk along the port, visiting the El Born area, La Boqueria, and trying amazing food at Bo De B, Milk, Happy Pills, and more. It was crazy to see how all of these famous food locations are literally the size of a shoe box – how did anyone even find them in the first place?!  Happy Pills is the size of a tiny narrow hallway while Bo De B and Milk can probably fit a total of 30 people combined. But hey, I guess good things really do come in small packages. This was also my first time seeing the El Borne area and I can definitely consider it my new favorite spot. The area has so many cute restaurants with cool graffiti lining the walls, and we also just happened to stumble upon a cute Spanish festival. While traveling is always new and exciting, I don’t understand why people are so eager to get out of here every weekend! Barcelona has so much to offer, but I hope we don’t get so caught up in trying to travel all over Europe that we never get to immerse ourselves in all of the Spanish culture we are surrounded by. Hopefully I can get my friends to take a few more weekends off of traveling so that we can visit even more new places around Barcelona 🙂