European Adventures - Part 5: Gaudi Day

Please excuse my brief hiatus.   I've been having an awful migraine situation - basically since last Wednesday!!  It's been insane and I feel like I'm pretty much losing my mind.  Do any of you out there suffer from migraines?!  Seriously - the WORST!!  I've been getting them since I was about 10 years old - so you can do the math - but it's been a long time sufferin'!  Anyways…back to the final installments of my European travels and THEN next week we'll start fresh with some other things!! 

Day Seven

It's Gaudi day!!  It's Gaudi day!!! By far one of the best days on this whole trip!!  I didn't know a lot about Gaudi before I went to Barcelona, but now I've become completely OBSESSED with him.  Like I'm in love.  We started the day with a quick breakfast at the hotel and then went on to catch the bus up to all things Gaudi.  We began the day at Park Güell.  Seriously - I've never seen anything like it.  It was like a fun architectural dream park.  Absolutely amazing.  Here are a few pics of the park:

Part of the "bench area"

This is made to look like the inside of a wave...pure genius

The columns

The ceiling of the "column area"

The Lizard

Entrance to the park

Seriously - if you ever find yourself in Barcelona - this is an absolute MUST!!  It's filled with gorgeous colors and "ideas" - just breath taking.  And if you think we didn’t get our picture taken with the "lizard" that stands in front of the park - you're seriously wrong.  We also had a delightful lunch in the park and just enjoyed our time there immensely. 

After our stroll through the park, we headed down the Passeig de Gràcia (a fantastic street to shop on)to Gaudi's apartment.  Again - the architecture in this place was not to be believed.  I normally don’t get all "omg" over buildings - but this was like nothing I've ever seen before.   We walked up the crazy amounts of stairs and finally arrived on the roof.  The view was spectacular and you could see a good portion of the city.  Here are a few of the pictures:

Apartment Building from outside 

Inside the lobby looking up

Rooftop Statues

More art on the roof

The view

More view

From the top looking down

After this we just strolled around and walked down the Passeig de Gràcia, in and out of stores.  I also snapped this shot of the tallest/shortest duo I've ever seen.

We also had a nice afternoon snack at this place called Qu Qu - a lil wine & tapas never hurt anyone in the middle of the afternoon!  Then back to the hotel to regroup and meet up with sister #3! 

We walked over to dinner after my sister got there.  She took us to this amazing little tapas place - the food was so good.  It was all very fresh/organic and I basically licked my plate clean.  Then we headed to a bar that was basically like a Rain Forrest Café for adults - nbd.  It was so cool!  Umm pretty sure I haven't said "so cool" since '97, but it seemed fitting.  It's called El Bosc de les Fades and again - it's a "must" if you're in Barcelona.  Here are some pics:

After our busy day - we were exhausted and even more excited that we actually had to spill Gaudi day into another day (actually it will turn out to be another one, too)!!!  I know you're psyched!

Day Eight

Day Eight was quite a busy day!!  I mean we really packed it in.  We started out at La Sagrada Família. Another one of Gaudi's masterpieces.  It was gorgeous.  The intricacies in his work are not to be believed.  Here are some pics:

There was an option to go up into the towers (18 stories high) and you can look out and then (this is what they forget to mention to you) you have to walk down the 18 stories down a spiral staircase that is about as wide as 2 large pizzas and basically pitch black.  Well me and my sisters thought it would be fun and I was trying to "challenge" myself on this trip so off we went.  Aggain - not knowing these details.  Well we got to the top (via elevator), they drop you off - you look out at the view for an second and then you're off to the races.  Wellll guess who didn't want to "accept this challenge" anymore - yup that would be me.  Shockingly enough I had a migraine that morning and I had to take my medicine - which can also make me a bit anxious/uneasy…so couple this with these specs and that equals a bit of a problem.  I was shaking like a leaf and sweating profusely…I just wanted to get down.  Thank God my sisters were with me and they were so good - they bookended me in and got me down.  All the while my younger sister motioning to people that we were trying to pass (with extreme difficulty) that if they didn't move I'd throw up on their heads.  Sisters are great!  We finally reached the bottom and I couldn't run out of there soon enough.  I sat down and about 3 guards came up to check me - so nice.  I was able to compose myself and we finished touring the rest of the church. 

When we finished up there we grabbed some lunch and then had one of the best sweet treats of live. Churros con chocolat…

It's like hot chocolate you can dip sugary greatness into.  Unreal.

Then we headed out to see the beach - don't worry I took my shoes off and put my feet into the Mediterranean Sea - it was a necessary thing.  We walked around down there.  My sister took us to this gorg park with this inside…

Crazy that these things are just "around" there.   We also saw The Arc de Triumf:

Afterwards we headed home for another lil nap/downtime.  We had a big night out with Sister #3 and her friends!  We went to this place on the water for dinner.  It was the best paella I've ever had in my life.  Randomly, our cab driver told us to go there after we told him where we wanted to go…he said "No no no…I take you to Salamanca…best paella in town!".  Sooo we didn’t have much of a choice - we just kinda went with it.  We met my sister's friend there, too - they go to school together so we know her - she's great.  We had a fabulous meal of paella and sangria - does it get much better?! 

After dinner we headed out to my sister's favorite Wednesday night bar - La Ovella Negra (translation - The Black Sheep - translation - what my family calls me).  I was pretty much obsessed.  And don’t think that we didn't get this to drink…

Because we did.  It was great - it's all picnic tables and relaxed - I had so much fun.  We played games and just hung out.  We got to meet some more of my sister's new friends.  And don’t worry we got souvenir mugs on our way out…NBD.  After this my sister wanted to take us to this place called "Raz Mataz"…yup just as you'd picteure it.  Now let me break this down for you - she's still in college and doing the college thing - which don’t get me wrong I'm all over - BUT when you're NOT in college and you all of a sudden go into "mom mode" things change a bit.  On our walk over with the "group" this is what we experienced:

-A girl fell and totally exposed her situation because of the shorter "skirt" she was wearing
-3 girls were trying their hardest to not tottle off their 8 inch espadrille wedges
-Someone's hair almost catching on fire because of a girl flailing her cigarette around
-An ambulance/ EMT people huddled around a guy that was sitting on the sidewalk - so drunk he peed his pants and didn’t know where he was
-People trying to "get us on the list" so we didn't have to wait 8 years for the pleasure of getting into said bar
-A lot of yelling/screaming/obscenities

NOW I'll reiterate - I'm not saying I was never like this - because the Good Lord knows another song - BUT at this point in my life - I feel more protective and I just wanted to scoop all these kids up and bring them home to bed - because NOTHING good (looking back when you're my age) was going to happen at good 'ol Raz Mataz.  Sooo my sisters, Sydney & I headed back to the hotel and passed on the second bar.  I think it was the best decision we made our whole trip.  The best part - my two sisters went out and bought us McDonald's "wedges" - not produced in the states - they were amazing little morsels of potato.  God I love BARCELONA!!!

Go Ruby It's Your Birthday!

So we'll take a brief Europe hiatus to discuss this past weekends festivities!   Ruby's birthday extravaganza was a fabulous time and I have no voice and my eyes can't stay open as proof!

I had a flight down there Friday night - I met Charlotte at the airport - it was really pretty seamless.  My ride to the airport was a lil uncomfortable - there was an older man across from me on the subway and he WOULD NOT stop staring at me.  

It made me feel very creeped out, but I couldn't really do much about it, so I just decided to pretend I was sleeping.  Anyways…Charlotte and I grabbed dinner together then boarded the plane.  Basically you take off and land in like a hot second.  I'm reading Bossypants right now - if you haven't already done so - please do yourself a favor and read this book.  

I literally laughed out loud a few times, but thank God the guy next to me had already read the book, so he totally understood and didn't think I was a weirdo.  So we landed, went outside and waited for Hilary to pick us up.  We were also waiting for Amy & Coco to arrive, which worked out perfectly and they got there about 15 minutes after us!

After dropping bags off at Hilary's we headed to Ruby's.  It was a very low key night and we just caught up.  We are getting a lil old (aka Hags are here), so we try to keep Fridays low key.  Around 1 am we decided to head back to Hilary's to go to bed.  We had to split into 2 groups for cabs so Coco and I stayed behind for the next one.  As we were waiting, one pulled up and poured out this disastrous couple.  They were so bombed.  The girl literally fell out of the cab, stood to the side, spit on the ground, touched it, and then tried to stand back up.  The guy wasn't much better, but was trying to keep her in check.  It was hilarious.  Coco and I just watched in judgment. 

We got up Saturday morning, had bagels, did a crossword puzzle (again, Hags are here) and waited for Ruby.  When she finished her morning errands, we met her for lunch.  It was great - just relaxing and we all get to catch up some more.  We had to get ready so early, that after lunch, we pretty much needed to just head back to Hilary's to start getting ready.  Then our night began!

We started at Ruby's and all met up there.  A few other people joined us, including Kit!  Gang's all here!  Ruby's husband arranged for a limo to take us to dinner and the bar, so obvi we were riding in style!  The limo was so fun - we all had a great time.  We had dinner at Buddha Bar - amazing.  It was really good - I highly recommend it.  After a few pics with the Buddha, it was on to the bar!  

We headed to Napoleon - which is one of my fave bars in DC, so I was really excited.  On our way there, the limo driver stopped at a few monuments along the way.  My favorite was when he stopped at the Capitol building, we all piled out for a quick pic, next thing - pretty sure we broke out into a patriotic medley.  It was amahhhzing and prob the best part of the night!  So much fun! 

We got to the bar just as a bunch of my old co-workers were walking in.  I was more than ecstatic to see them!  It's been forever so I basically jumped them all upon walking into the bar.  We had to head to the downstairs area first, they were still serving dinner upstairs.  Downstairs is great - but its kind of like a frat house basement.  Music blasting and you sweat just by standing in one spot.  So you can imagine how this worked out for me.  Basically every 1/2 hour I went upstairs and stood outside.   BUT the music was so fun and everyone was just dancing and having a good time.  eventually we were able to head upstairs and have more "civilized" conversations.  It was just so fun to see everyone and catch up with old friends.  I hate that I don’t see their faces daily anymore and I just have so much fun with them, that it makes me wanna move back down.  But that's the fun of visiting, too, I get to see them, have a great time, and then it makes me appreciate DC that much more!

Sunday was not fun waking up at 8 am …worst!  BUT it was good to get home early and lay on the couch for the rest of the day. 

I wish you a fabulous Thanksgiving and I'll see you all back here next week!!  XOXO

European Adventures - Part 4: Spoons!

Obregado! Hope you're enjoying these little jaunts down memory lane! If not - just give me a few more days and they'll be over. Actually Monday (ok maybe Tuesday) will be an installment from this upcoming weekend's festivities. My very own little nugget, Ruby, is turning the big 3-0!!

 She's the baby of the group and we're heading to DC to welcome her to the "club" in style!! It's sure to bring along a few stories!! Anywho…back to Europe we go!


Day Five

We got up (late) - stupid time changes in the US really screwed up our clocks! We pretty much just ate breakfast - by the lemon trees obvi - and left. We were heading back towards Lisbon so we could fly out to Barcelona that night!! Sister number 3 was in our sights!!

Before we went to the airport, we made a quick trip to Sintra. Again - obsessed. This little coastal town was gorgeous. We had lots to do there! We started by going to the Castle of Moors. This was quite the trip. To get up there, you have to take a bus up this very long windy road…it's extremely high up. Sydney would up getting motion sickness - very badly - so that was def not a "high point". Oh I should also make a side note - every night at dinner we did "high point/low point" of the day - always got interesting. So back to motion sickness - it was really bad - but once we got off the bus - my sister helped her a bit and she was able to get back on track. We had to pretty much hike out to the Castle - it was all woodsy along a trail. Once we got there we were in awe. It was crazy that something this old would still be standing the way it was. We walked around - the view was incredible. My sister and I hiked up a bit higher in the castle to get an even better view and see the whole city/surrounding areas. It was great.  Here are a few pics:

After that we hiked back the other way up to the Pena Palace. Again - it was quite the hike - but we all made it - sweaty and tired - but we made it! Once again - took my breath away. Incredible. Here are some pics, the tile work alone is enough to make you scream!

When we finished up there we headed back to the town. After a trip back down the "mountain" with my sister sitting with Sydney "coaching" her through the bus ride (cold hands on the back of her neck) and getting stares…BUT she made it without any problems! We had lunch and shopped around a bit, then headed to the airport.

The line for security at the airport was insane in the membrane. We had plenty of time but people were getting hella crazy. It is at this time that I got into my first and only fight of the trip. I was standing in line, calmly, nothing out of the ordinary for line standing and this guy behind me was basically on top of me. At one point he was literally laying on my book bag (that was attached to my back)…basically he was my back pack. At a different point he was so close behind me with his carry on bag that basically I was holding the handle to his suitcase. Finally I had enough and asked him to please stand back. He gave me a look. Then I asked again. Then I lost my shiz. I was like ummm seriously dude you need to either back off or go in front of me…pretty sure I hate you. That was pretty much the end of him because he then saw a "hole" and ran up to the front of the line cutting everyone and his brother. Very stand up guy!

Sooo our flight to Barcelona was pretty uneventful - we didn't get in until late - like 11 pm. We pretty much just checked into the hotel and called it a night. We had sister #3 to see in the morning - I could hardly sleep - it was like Christmas!!!

Day Six

Started the day bright and early with a special delivery sister at the door and 3 amazing croissants! Just the way I like to start my days! We started out just wandering around the city, down Las Ramblas, saw the Boqueria, the Cathedral and a few other key sights. She had to head to class, so we basically just wandered on our own. We found the Port and just meandered through the city. I was in love. If you've never been to Barcelona and have the urge to visit an amazing city - I can't recommend it enough! It was incredible. Here are a few pics from the first day…

After a brief siesta, sister #3 picked us up and we headed to her "home stay". She has a house mom, who is basically amazing. I'm obsessed with her. She cooked us this amazing dinner and didn't speak a lick of English! My sister translated and I communicated the best I could based on my limited Spanish speaking abilities. But not to toot my own horn…but I was really able to hold my own…soooo TOOT TOOT!! Dinner was fabulous and very entertaining. We were telling her that Sydney says "bananas" when things are crazy or "platanos" in Spanish. She burst out laughing and said that in Spanish they yell "spoons" for things like that. So basically I'm going to start doing that. SPOONS! Awesome. Dinner lasted until about 11 pm - crazy late. We had about a 1/2 hour trip home, so we basically just passed out when we got to our hotel. We were all so excited for Day Seven…GAUDI DAY!!! More on this next week!!

European Adventures - Part 3: Obregado & Suuurrrprise!

First things first - Obregado means "thank you" in Portuguese - this is one of our new fave phrases. 

Day/Night Three/Four

Seriously guys - you don’t understand the "show" that ensued this night.  I'm going to try my best to describe the epic-ness that was this night. 

So we sit down for dinner and our waiter comes over.  He seems fine - pretty nice.  We give him our wine orders and he leaves.  A few minutes later he comes back with our drinks, pours for my sister and I and then looks at Sydney with a bottle in hand (towel over it), pulls the towel down and yells "SUUUUPPPRRRISE"!  

The accent, the timing, the actions, impeccable.  I thought Sydney was going to fall off her chair.  From this point on - we knew we were in love.  This phrase "surprise" would later be used throughout the rest of our trip - it definitely summed the whole thing up.  We proceeded to have a great dinner - I had mussels which were amaze, the wine was great, everything was good.  We were telling our waiter how much we loved Cascais, oh what you say you love it, no worries he then brought each of us a hard covered book about the town.  NBD. 

During our dinner a family sat down behind us.  Now originally we were all "its so late why are children out", etc.  But then - I became enamored.  The mom had dropped a glass by accident and this is what originated our conversations.  She was apologetic and very sweet.  Her little girl kept staring at me so I said "hi".  Turns out she spoke Russian, Portuguese, but very little English.  However, the mother translated.  Well we got into a huge conversation, totally love this little one, and her sister (equally as adorable).  They 3.8 years old - that's what she told me and 2.4 years old (that is what the sister was).  She kept asking if we knew Shrek - love her - obvi since we live in the US we'd know him.  Her and I just chatted away - she totally got me - and her mom had to translate everything.  The little girl kept forgetting I didn't speak her language and just looked at me like - come on lady I asked you a question!  I wanted to just put her in my pocket and take her home with me.  She even asked her mom if when I came to Russia if I could stay with her.  Don’t think I didn't get a card from the mom's BFF so I can email them when I'm in town - don’t worry about it.  The mom & dad were so sweet - because we "entertained" their children - they sent us over a round of port - only the "best" - she said and thanked us.  Too kind. 

As we were downing our amazing Port - I was obsessed - our waiter informed us that downstairs was "getting started".  He told us he'd make the DJ play anything we wanted.  So we told him that we'd finish up and to save us a spot.   Well he did just that …and some!  We get downstairs to find a table - right in front of the DJ booth with a "Reserved" sign on it - yup gold plated "Reserved" sign - just for us!  

We sit down and the fun begins.  Within like 2 seconds Bruno (the manager from earlier) flies at us and wants to be sure everything was ok and "good" - he then jumps in one of our pictures and insists I send him a copy (he gave me his card - NBD).  We were like royalty!

We also noticed that our BFF's from dinner had since dropped the kids off and were "out" for the night.  Trying to be gracious - we decided that as a "thank you" for the Port - we'd send them a round of what they were drinking.  Well this started an all out "Drink War" - like nothing I've ever been involved in.  Let's just say bottles of champagne were received which were countered with shots which were countered with shots of fire.  I repeat - I took a "FIRE SHOT".  Let me break this down for you: you get liquid/liquor (no idea what it was) they set it on fire, you drink it, then they turn a glass upside down with the fire inside it and you take a straw and suck it out.  It was insane and nothing I'd ever like to do again.  Following this craziness we had to call a truce.   Game over.  Literally. 

Well my and the girls were feeling quite good at this point!  I had managed to strike up a conversation with a cute Portuguese guy named "Gino"…at least I think that was his name and that's what we're going with!  Turns out him and our waiter were boys.  He asked us to come to this bar with him and it was supposed to be really fun.   We obliged - especially since our waiter was going to meet us after - obvi we felt safe - so we went down the street to the bar.  Walk in - completely empty.  Like not one person in there - except this random Greek guy that Sydney took a liking to.  We stayed there for a bit - Gino wanted us to come to this other party, which I wasn't feeling, so  he shadily left without as much as a goodbye!  I mean I guess goodbyes are just too hard for two people in love.  Sigh. 

NBD just a lil Kelly & Dylan action

We realized it was about 2/3 am and prob time for us to head home.  We had a huge day planned for the next day.  Our waiter - nice as ever - walked us out and put us in a cab.  We got back to our hotel and I immediately felt the need to order Dominos.  Whoops - we couldn't - wahh.  We all went right to bed - only to encounter the next day.

Day Four

I woke up at 5 am with an excruciating migraine.  Next thing I know my sister gets up and says its 11 am - I'm throwing up from my headache and Sydney can't move.  Let me preface that we were supposed to be up and out of the door by 8 am.  We were a mess.  My sister called downstairs and they gave us a late check out.  Sydney and my sister left me to try to conquer this headache and they went out to get breakfast/beverages.  I managed to stay in the shower for a solid 45 minutes and they came home to find my pitiful little head peaking from behind the shower curtain.  My headache subsided a bit and I felt ok enough to get myself moving.  Sydney felt 100% better and claims it was the "Portuguese Air".  She told me my sister put her on a bench by the water and gave her a Coke and made it all better.  I later learned that the "bench" was a plastic "pod-like" stool and it was outside a beauty salon.   And they each sat there and stared at the water - not able to really talk much.  So when they got back they brought me a ton of things to try to help…not so much…got sick again…but determined to not let it get me down - I packed my things up and we left.

We headed back to the Boca do Inferno - we wanted one more look on a sunny day.  There I got an ice pop and it made me feel a million times better.  After some good deep breathes of "Portuguese Air" I was feeling back to myself.  So we got in the car and headed to Evora - a little town in wine country. 

It was about 2 hours away and we did get lost at one point.  Sydney and I got out again and tried to get directions from this man at a car dealership.  He didn't speak a lick of English - but we were able to communicate on the minimal Spanish that I know.  Bottom line - we got to where we needed to go. 

We pulled up to our Pousada (hotel) and it was amazing.  

The town was adorable, too.  As we were checking in our bellhop took us to our room and got us set up.  At the point he was leaving, Sydney, accidentally yells, "Good bye, Obregado, I love you"…she professed her love to him.  Hilar. 

We decided to walk around the town - which turned out to be the most frustrating experience of the whole trip.  The town was about one inch big, yet no one knew where they were.  For example - we were trying to find a restaurant that was recommended for dinner and we could not find it for our lives.  We went into numerous shops, with a map, asked just where we were - like what street were we on - not ONE PERSON could answer us.  

Not because of  the language barrier - but because they simply had no idea.  How do you not know a) where you are and b) where you work?!  Craziness. We finally gave up, headed back and had dinner at the Pousada.  It turned out to be delightful and we fully enjoyed our meal.

After dinner I insisted on watching a "program" to wind down.  The only thing that was in English was a show about Universal Studios in Japan - obvi I was hooked.  We all watched and went to bed early - we were still recovering from the night before!