Just returned home to England today after quite the adventure-- It all began in Spain two weeks ago, when I flew to Madrid and met up with my parents for a tour of Espana. Renting a fabulous, sporty Audi, we tossed in our bags and headed South-East toward a little town called Chinchón. We stayed there for one night, enjoying tapas and some Spanish wine, while my mom discovered a licorice flavored aperitif. The next day, we continued on toward Barcelona, stopping at some interesting towns along the way. Traveling through "La Mancha" I couldn't help being reminded of Don Quixote, particularly when we passed a field of modern windmills. My favorite destination was Cuenca, where we visited the Spanish Museum of Abstract Art and saw "las casas colgadas," or the famous hanging houses. The museum and the lovely place we dined for lunch were both part of the hanging houses, which are not nearly as precarious as the name suggests, yet still produce a distinctive effect. We also got to walk across an amazing bridge and see a fascinating 16th century church with abstract modern stained glass windows. Next on the agenda was "Ventano Diablo" or the devil's window, which was a rock structure shaped like a window, overlooking a deep gorge. After a somewhat scary day and night driving through the mountains of Spain on dark, narrow, and winding roads that were not recognized by our GPS system, we were thrilled to finally make it to Rafales, a tiny town just west of Barcelona, with a population of approximately 120 people. We were greeted by our host for the evening, Jose, and as we appeared to be the only guests at the B&B it pretty much felt like we were guests at his home. His wife cooked us a delicious meal and Jose made sure we had plenty of wine and provided us with plenty of entertainment. In the morning, the whole family kissed us goodbye, and after a (very) quick visit to the Rafales historic jail, we got back on the road for a scenic several hour journey to Barcelona, stopping in Valderrobres for a tour of the medieval city and some honeycomb and chocolate before getting back on the road. Arriving at our lovely apartment in Barcelona's Hotel Suiza, we unpacked and got changed for the evening before wandering out into the night. It was around 9pm on a Monday, and the streets were nearly empty. Feeling very hungry and ready to eat, we headed into a tiny restaurant decorated with votif candles and exposed brick with a modern charm called "El Oso Galoso." The chef was Italian, and that night we had what I thought was the best meal of the trip-- a fantastic pizza, two pasta dishes, a goat cheese salad, and a bottle of wine. The next day, we visited the Picasso museum and then headed to the beach. That evening, after a short rest, we ventured to a fancy seafood restaurant for Paella that had been recommended by the concierge (sadly it was a bit disappointing, but still not bad!). The best discovery of the day was bread coated in boiled tomatoes and olive oil. How could that be bad?
The next day was our Gaudi day, as we started off by exploring the Sagrada Familia church, designed by Gaudi, which has been under construction for 100 years. Amazingly, it won't be finished for another twenty! Such an incredible building, and the inside with all its light and open air was even more awe-inspiring than the captivating exterior. After the church (which was only a few blocks away from our hotel!) we got onto a Barcelona tour bus and spent the day getting on and off at various stops. Highlights included Gaudi's Park Guell, which reminded us of a Dr. Seuss book, and La Pedrera, Gaudi's famous apartments. The day was not complete without a short visit to El Corte Ingles, Barcelona's famous department store. In the evening, we said goodbye to Spain with a stroll down Las Ramblas and a pitcher of sangria and one last paella.
Chinchón
On the road..
Cuenca
Ventano Diablo
Rafales
Valderrobres
Barcelona
Brighton
Brugge
Brussels
Amsterdam
Coming home from Spain, I embarked on a new adventure. For an entire week, I would wake up every morning between 8-10, roll out of bed and grab coffee and a fiber muffin from the Pret around the corner. Coffee and muffin in hand, I walk a few short blocks to a park near UCL's campus with a field of yellow flowers surrounding a statue of Ghandi sitting in meditation, and a circle of benches surrounding the flowers and the statue. London has been warming up, and with the pleasant air, the sun out, and all the flowers in bloom its impossible to stay indoors for long, because being outside just feels so damn good. Each morning, I sit cross-legged on a bench facing Ghandi and meditate with him and people watch while I sip my coffee and enjoy my muffin. When I'm finished, I walk a block to the UCL gym and work out for about an hour. Afterwards, I grab a sandwich and a mocha for lunch and find a quiet bench somewhere outside. After that I feel wide awake and ready for my day, and do whatever I feel like doing. Some days I sit in a coffee shop and read, while other days I stroll around London, visiting museums or parks. Last week I went to the Cult of Beauty exhibition at the Victoria & Albert, which was fantastic and I can't wait to go back and see the Yanamoto exhibition. In the evenings, I usually meet up with friends and go out. Last Monday, I visited Brighton, a quaint seaside town with a pebble beach, complete with an American style boardwalk pier, George II's "fantasy palace" and a nice selection of shopping and restaurants.
So my life has been a lot about parks lately, which seems fitting for the beautiful spring weather awakening. Park Guell, Hyde Park, my Ghandi park.. then there was the gorgeous park we wandered through in Brugge last wednesday when I visited Belgium with some friends. Wednesday we did Brugge, climbed to the top of the belfry where we could see all of the city, went to a church to see Christ's blood brought back from one of the crusades, walked through this amazing park, enjoyed delicious frites (double fried, with mayo), and also had some amazing Belgian chocolates. Wednesday night we headed into Brussels, where we stayed for the next few days, eating more frites, waffles, chocolates, and beer than I ever thought possible. We also saw the Magritte museum, which was incredible, as well as a collection of Breugels, and some other interesting sights. Friday night I headed off to Amsterdam and stayed there for one night, exploring the beautiful canals and Dutch culture and avoiding getting run over by the millions of bikes that overtake the city. Once again, a park was a major part of the experience, Vondel Park, which we spent the evening exploring before heading to our hostel. Catching an early train back to Brussels, I caught my train home to England. Back by 3, I was thrilled to squeeze in my daily routine of Pret coffee/muffin and a work out, followed by a stroll through Ghandi's park and around the neighborhood. After picking up some groceries, I headed home and took a much needed shower. And that's the last few weeks! Looking forward to continuing with my lovely routine in good old London, and hopefully exploring some more parks in the coming weeks as I write my essays.
