Life thus far...in Europe

I officially started living in Barcelona about a month ago but I've been pretty busy balancing architecture studio and traveling. So, sorry for the huge delay on travel updates! I will catch up on them fairly soon.

So thus far! Where have I been to?
> Paris, France
> Amsterdam, Netherlands
> Rotterdam, Netherlands
> Bilbao, Spain
> San Sebastian, Spain
> Salamanca, Spain
> Madrid, Spain
> Toledo, Spain

Although I haven't been to most countries in Europe yet, there are a few things I found interesting or different from the US and here's the list:

> DOG Poop 

dog poop everywhere! For some magically reason, no one ever picks up their own dog's poop! So beware of dog doodoo when you're walking down the street...

> Dryers?

I would say this is a good thing that most homes don't have a dryer since it saves a lot of power but not fun when it starts raining or when your shirt falls down to the third floor...

> Metro Tickets

Y U STILL IN PAPER!? The one thing I don't understand about Europe's metro system! Doesn't matter if I buy a 3 day pass or 1 trip ticket, both tickets look exactly the same AND if I put it near a credit card/magnet it cease to work AND it also rips and tear! I paid 40+ euro for a 3 day Paris metro pass and you give me one tiny paper... why...

> Need Change?

If you sit on a step in front of a building, eating a peach waiting for you friends so you could head to school. Don't freak out when someone suddenly offers you change. Because that's what happened to me.

> The beach + the club

There are really popular beachside clubs that are pumping with energy and are lots of fun if you're drunk enough. But the issue is not with the club... It is with the people that pee in public right on the beach where the wave barely touches the sand. Disgusting.

> THE TIGER STORE

best place ever. cheap affordable cute adorable useful necessities! 5 euro blanket? Hell ya! I love this place!

> Wine vs Water

I still can't believe the market sells 1 to 3 euro bottle of wine. Yet, one bottle of water costs more than a bottle of wine. Ridiculous. Save your money and bring your own water bottle or a filter!

> Free Bread? NOPE

If a waiter puts a basket of bread in front of you and you ate it thinking it was free, well then, be prepare to see it on your check.

Instagram// @janichen

Un Dia en Norte Barcelona

Breakfast! A important meal of our day, we chose to go to Cusachs, a place that got good reviews for their pastries. Individually we got different breads and tarts, ranging from mango to the traditional strawberry tart (for around 2 euros). It was definitely not enough to fill us up all day, but just right to kickstart the day~

Curious of the looming silhouette on the hills north of Barcelona, we decided to take a trip up to Tribidabo and also take a look at Parc del Laberint d'Horta. We took the subway up north towards Mundet and went in search of the park. After walking 10 minutes in the hot sun in search of the maze, we came upon the stadium and made our way into the park for 2.23 euros.

Parc del Laberint d'Horta was basically a historical retreat for the wealthy with two awesome 18th and 19th century gardens and one dilapidated mansion. It was a really nice place to walk around, take pictures and explore! But unfortunately I got injured here from my own stupid impulse to photobomb my friend's photos so I got myself scrapped badly on the knee (note to others: don't jump or run on gravel/sand...).

The maze wasn't that big but I underestimated it in the beginning. Although it looked like we can walk right into the middle and out within a minute, we probably still spent 20 minutes walking inside and chilling in the middle of the labyrinth.

Then we bused to Tribidabo and had a quick bite at BuenasAmiga which is not worth the money since most things are microwaved and overpriced. Most tourists chose to take the old fashion trolley up the hill but we just took the bus up to save us time and money (the line was wayyyyy too long). Arriving at the funicular station, we bought tickets and went on the funicular which is just a slanted cable car (around 11 euros with 2 attraction tickets). 

Finally arriving, we finally figured out that the looming silhouette was a elaborate church! The church was contrasted with the old attraction rides that sprinkled along its base. We went on two rides, but it was very meh. The church was cool but definitely not as cool as the silhouette we see from far away.

Leaving the northern part of Barcelona, we went back to the area near our apt in Gracia for dinner. Walking down Carrer de Verdi, there were numerous Lebanese and Italian restaurants with many nice little bars spread throughout. We ate at Gattopardo, a italian place, most of us ordered from their 8 euro set menu with a salad and pasta with a exception of one pizza. I would say this restaurant is good enough for one meal but not great to go back to. I had the Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon which was super creamy but lacking some flavor. The gnocchi and pizza were much better dishes!

Definitely still slightly jetlagged, but soon there will be even more adventures to come! Going to Paris, Amsterdam and Rotterdam with study abroad program in 2 days!

More photos go to cargocollective.com/bonvoyagebird

Un Dia en el Barri Gotic

On the very first day of my Barcelona adventure, me and my friends metro-ed to el Barri Gòtic. Walking down the main streets was too suffocating with the tourist crowd so we explored the narrow alleyways with clothes hanging outside and numerous of graffitis.

We stopped by Los Toreros for some tapas (ham croquettes, sausages, garlic tomato bread) and super sweet sangria. Definitely expensive but probably not as pricey as those restaurants on the main streets.

After much walking, we went to the beach... Massive amount of people. Everywhere we looked, people, people, people. But not going to lie, it was really nice (only if there were less people).

For dinner, we tried Lalola which is right underneath our airbnb. It felt like a diner with a mix of American, German, Spanish food. I ordered the Catalan Cod with roasted vegetables, pretty good but definitely too sweet for my taste.

And spent the rest of the night making another blog! :D

For more pictures, head to my new and nicer looking!

http://cargocollective.com/bonvoyagebird

D Day Onwards to Barcelona!

Today is the DAY! Making my way to Barcelona with Aeroflot... The flight was not as bad as the negative reviews said, because I still had a personal TV! woot woot! Watched Gravity, The Internship, The Great Gatsby and Winter's Tale... 

Now just chilling in Moscow waiting for the next flight. One thing I realized, there's no freaking outlet anywhere!!! Oh, and it smells like smoke... But the sunset was pretty :)

D-5 Preparing for Lift OFF

Only FIVE more days until I depart from LA... I'll be going to Barcelona as a architecture student and a traveller! So why blog?

I have a habit of recording everything I do by writing, taking pictures and collecting memorabilia. Yet, I never really had a coherent journal of every trip I've taken in my life. I kept folders of pictures or boxes of memories but I never did anything with them. Thus, for my upcoming trip to Barcelona, I wanted to try a different approach and record my experience while sharing it to the world.

look forward to it!