Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi!

Day 3

Day 3 is the day that I dedicated to Gaudi. I didn’t want to spend all my time in Barcelona in Gaudi museums so I decided to see the iconic Park Guell, La Sagrada Familia and one museum. Based on reviews and pictures, I chose Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo, a house redesigned by Gaudi, is one of his many masterpieces. It was  commissioned by the well known (in Barcelona) Batllo family and Gaudi was given complete creative freedom.

The balconies look like skeletal faces!

Before entering the building I spent some time admiring the outside. You probably can’t tell from my photo, but the facade is covered in mosaic of all colors. The facade of the house is so strange to me with all of its windows and oddly shaped balconies. I’ve heard the balconies compared to bats and masks, but I think they look like little skeletal faces. What do you think?

Exploring the inside of Casa Batllo was like exploring an underwater wonderland in some parts and walking through the inside of an animal in others. I know that sounds odd, but that’s what it felt like for me! It was a very fantastical building with surprises at every corner. I was walking through an open room full of windows, turned the corner and SURPRISE! A gorgeous courtyard covered in mosaic and colorful tiled floor. My favorite part of the whole tour was the rooftop.A great open space which gave lovely views of Barcelona and was covered in colorful chimneys and the “dragon spine”.  It took me 2 hours to get through the tour of the house using the audio guide. I’ve read reviews saying not to take the audio and just explore at your own leisure, but I highly recommend the audio if you visit! It gives you a behind the scene history on every inch of the house. And after you take the audio tour, you can take the time to explore the house without it! I definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to get an inside look into one of Gaudi’s masterpieces!

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Park Guell

After Casa Batllo, I met up with my new friend Nick  to head to Park Guell. Park Guell is one of the most iconic sites from Antoni Gaudi and the one I was looking forward to seeing the most. It’s a very large park and is now a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Works of Antoni Gaudí”. Entrance to the park is free, but to see the main part which include the famous buildings, monuments and mosaics, you have to pay a fee.  Nick and I packed a lunch of bread, cheese, and wine and had a picnic in the park area! It was quite lovely! Be warned, the hike to Park Guell is super steep. I mean, super steep! I had to take a breather about halfway up!  Pack your trainers and leave the nice shoes at home!

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Days 4 and 5 

The last 2 days were full of hanging like the locals did and a bit of touristy stuff too. I ate tons of tapas, danced the nights away, visited the beach even though it was far too cold, skate parks, went on a self-guided tour of the Gothic Quarter and took a pay what you can walking tour. I totally recommend these tours. They’re very informative and I was enjoy them. I try to take one in every city I visit.

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I had a great time in Barcelona. I already can’t wait to plan my next adventure. Istanbul is really high on my list! What’s on yours?

Barcelona!

2 weeks ago I went to Barcelona for 5 days. I It was a blast and you get to hear alllllll about it 🙂

*taken from my travel journal*

DAY 1

Hola! Barcelona, Spain! This is my first international trip since Toronto in 2010. I can’t believe I’ve been so stationary for so long. Well, this trip sparked my wanderlust and I’m ready to be an adventurer again!

I decided to go to Barcelona at the spur of the moment. No planning, just booked the flight. I only knew a few things of Barcelona before I arrived and I was super excited to learn more. The first day I was completely exhausted. I usually fall asleep as soon as the plane takes off, but I couldn’t fall asleep on the 7 hour flight. So, I watched movies and played Animal Crossing until I landed in Barcelona. I was so exhausted when I arrived in Barcelona. I took the train to my hostel, checked in and slept until the evening. When I woke up, I met up with 2 Couchsurfing (CS) members for drinks and tapas in the center.  It was a Tuesday night, but the city center was still bustling with activity.

 

 

Day 2

Wednesday! I woke up super early today to go to Els Encants Vells- Barcelona’s largest flea market. Encants Vells is only open Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week. I’m a big fan of vintage and antiques so I was super stoked to get to visit a Spanish market. The market was HUGE and very crowded, but it didn’t have anything that really caught my eye. I was a little disappointed in their selection There were antiques, little souvenirs, but mostly vendors just sold little things you could get from anywhere! Still, I wandered around and had a churro while I explored.

After Els Encants Vells, I wandered over to La Sagrada Familia. The incomplete, yet beautiful church designed by Antoni Gaudi.  I opted not to go in, but walked around and enjoyed its beauty from outside. It’s truly a wonder with it’s gothic, but modern design, tall spires and beautiful facades. If I’m ever in Barcelona again, I will definitely see the inside. I took a virtual tour when I arrived back home and I kicked myself in the butt for not seeing it. It’s just as beautiful on the inside as it is from the outside.

I spent more time walking around the area exploring and met a traveler from Australia. We just started talking and hit it off and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon together.  We had coffee/churros and shared stories while we wandered around Barcelona. That evening I said farewell to my new friend and headed to Sabadell, Spain, a city about 30 minutes North of Barcelona,to have dinner with my friend Laura and her family. We had  a delicious traditional Catalan dinner and I enjoyed  spending time with her mother, grandmother, and cousin for the evening. Laura’s grandmother kept raiding the fridge and cabinets to find interesting new foods for me to try. It’s amazing I still had an appetite for dinner.

Days 3-5 are a bit picture heavy, so I’ll share them tomorrow.

4th

Happy 4th of July!

schmamsterdam

Hey! I’m back! Was on vacation for 2.5 weeks. I’m exhausted. Who know vacationing could take so much out of you!? I had a great  time. Specifically at the tail end when I traveled alone to Florence. Here are links to pictures on my flickr!

St. Moritz, Switzerland

Bolzano, Italy

Florence, Italy

Pisa, Italy

Back in cold, grey, Amsterdam. The water’s frozen! Know what that means? It means you can actually skate on the canals and ponds. Everyone (the dutch are pro at skating…it’s what they do!) is excited and I’ve been hearing about it for a week now. It’s good to be back in my own apartment and my own bed. Unfortunately, I had to come home to an empty house. In fact the empty house will be the norm for me for a while. My roomie Devynn moved back to the states while I was on vacation. I miss her already! We spent a lot of time together(in and out of the house) and even though we only met this summer, she became one of my best friends. Miss you Devynn!

And Manon! My other bestest friend, Manon, is moving back to Australia this week. Woah! I’m really getting emotional just typing this. However will I wave her goodbye at the airport? Manon has been here the majority of my time in Amsterdam! We were roomies for about 4 months and even though we don’t live together anymore I see her at least every other day for coffee, a chat, whatever. She’s been my emotional strength, comfort, best friend, dancing buddy, EVERYTHING! I can’t imagine Amsterdam without her. She’s opened my eyes to jazz/blues/funky stuff and vintage style. I will never ever forget her or the memories I have of our times. Planning a trip to visit  her in Australia for December this year.

I wonder how many people in the world are dreading going back to work as much as I am.

St Martin, St. Martin…

That’s what all dutch kids have been singing for like a week now. why? In preparation of today, St Martin’s Day. St Martin’s day is celebrated in the evening of 11 November in Flanders, parts of the Netherlands – primarily the southern and north-western parts – and most areas of Germany and Austria.

Children go from door to door carrying paper lanterns and sing traditional songs about Sint Maarten to the householders in return for sweets and goodies, a custom which can be likened somewhat to the American tradition of ‘trick or treat’ at Halloween. I seriously just opened my door to 50+ kids(a group from the creche) singing and holding out bags. It was cute, but also scary as they were all knee height and pushing towards me for candy.