European Adventures - Part 6: Take It Home!

Ok here's the next…and FINAL…installment of my European travels!  Hope you've enjoyed the recaps and you've lived vicariously through me!!

Day Nine

Ok so as mentioned - actually I don’t know if I did mention this - we had one more Gaudi thing to do!! We left bright & early in the morning to go to the Casa Batlló.  This is it from the outside…

And the inside did not disappoint.  The colors were spectacular and his visions were just unreal.  I seriously LOVED this house - like I didn't want to leave/want to live there forever.  We did an audio tour which I was pretty much obsessed with.  I'm such a nerd - but I love learning about these things!! Here are some pics:

After we were done there, we just wandered around and did some shopping.  Sydney and I both purchased a bag from this store Hakei - the bags were gorg!  AND my sister, Sydney & I also ALL bought the perfume - smells so good - I mean it's sure to hook me a boyfriend…any day now…

The night was low key, Sydney wasn't feeling that good, so my sister and I had a nice dinner at this little hole in the wall restaurant.  It only sat about 20 people and was so dark and cozy.  Had some great wine and food!!

Day Ten

The next day was our last day in Barcelona (insert sad face).  We went  to the Picasso Museum and theJoan Miró Museum.  I enjoyed both - but they were not my favorites/ not what I expected.  Definitely worth it - if you're looking for something to do - but I just liked the other stuff better.  After the Miró museum, we went to see the Magic Fountains.  Now this is more my speed.  It was INCREDIBLE!  It was like Disney, beauty, water, craziness, music, all rolled into one!  The show was about 20 minutes and I loved it!  Basically it's this huge fountain and they play music and change lights and put on this spectacular situation.  Here's a pic and some video:

Then we were all depressed and sad that we had to go home.  So we went back and packed and tried to be excited to be returning back to the good 'ol U S of A!

Day Eleven

Came way too fast!!  We had to get up bright and early (6 am) in order to be at the airport in time for flights.  Our cab driver had to drive down Las Ramblas to get us to the airport and it was strewn with people just making their way home - amazing.  We saw drunk people, crazy people, prostitutes, etc. - it was great - a good variety!  We all made it through security without a hitch and the flight back was pretty seamless (minus the extra 2 + hours we had to wait on the tarmac due to "scheduling issues"). 

And if you think Steve Wozniak wasn't in front of me at customs in Newark - you're wrong.  And some idiot got in trouble for taking a picture of the 2 of them - so dumb.  The cop flew over and started screaming.  So we got through, got bags, said our good byes to return to our designated cities.  Just when I thought my travels were ending - they were just beginning - much to my dismay.  I jumped on what I thought would be a 2 second ride on the Airtran to go to the NJ Transit station - to head back to Penn Station - oh I'm sorry - it's broken!  

AND you're stuck there because you can't walk/go anywhere to get a cab.  So you have to wait until its fixed.  No worries 2 1/2 hours later - it was up and running! So you can imagine how angry, tired, had it, I am at this point.  Finally got to NJ Transit - get on train - stop…held for another 20 minutes because of something I don’t even know.  Get to Penn Station - fly onto an elevator - hit the buttons…we move…doors open…we're right back to where we started.  It's only letting off at one stop…exactly where a homeless man is laying across the exit - obviously.  So I hoist my suitcase up…cursing the whole way…get out in the completely opposite side of Penn that I need to be.  Careen my way through the station and out to the taxi line.  45 minutes later I get in a cab. Finally - I'll be home in 10 minutes.  Oh how wrong I was!  Don’t' worry - Batman is filming on my street - right by my apt!  Bumper to bumper traffic - is this some kind of sick joke?!  It took me an hour and a half to get home - I repeat an hour and a half!!  At this point I literally started crying in the cab - I had just had it.  

Could. Not. Take. Anymore.  My cab driver was so sweet - he was like "please don’t cry I'm trying my best ma'am - I'm gonna get you home as soon as we can".  FINALLY we pulled outside my building - home at last!!!  I ordered food and took a nice hot shower and went to bed! EXHAUSTED!! 

It took me a few days to regroup from the jet lag, but it was totally worth it!  Such an amazing trip and I highly recommend it!  If you ever need suggestions - just let me know!!!  Enjoy your weekends!! XOXO

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!!!

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!!