Counting Down the Days

I caught an afternoon flight back to Paris yesterday (March 29) and check out the picture I got flying over the French Alps! I imagined myself in space looking down on Earth because that's the exact imagine I would expect to see (minus the wing propeller). I was back in the apartment by 3PM and was overjoyed on my way in seeing the spring blossoms on the trees. The parks are now lined with tulips and trees are no longer skeletal. I spent the afternoon doing laundry and organizing my stuff so I won't have to do it all last minute when I leave next week. Mark arrived home late so not much time for hanging out, but we did get a "Hi...goodnight, love you" in there.

Today I went to Shakespeare and Co bookstore and got an economics book ad brush up on my econ theory before CASB starts in May. It's a very comprehensive and to the point book and I'm enjoying it a lot. The author also throws in some applied econ in there too. There was this other book on modern economics and how econ theory is not suitable to be applied to the economic problem that we face today. I looked really interesting but at EUR25 I think I'd better try to get an e-copy or find it on amazon or something. Another late night for Mark...."Hi, goodnight, love you" and another day begins for him in the morning. I just messaged one of Janice's friends from school, Shelly, for drinks tomorrow so that'll add some excitement to my day. 

xoxo

Alexis

The Acropolis and Its Many Wonders

We met up with our friend Gen today who is currently working in Athens and headed straight up to the Acropolis for a day in the sun. The Acropolis hill, so called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the most important site of the city and constitutes one of the most recognizable monuments of the world, the Parthenon. It is the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture, as well as the symbol of the city of Athens itself as it represent the apogee of artistic development in the 5th century BC. As you walk up the marble ground became more and more slippery and just as Rania was taking a picture of Gen and I, I lost my grip and almost went tumbling down the side of the hill. I'm OK though so no worries. As you come up the hill, the first thing you come across is the Propylaea - the monumental entrances to the sacred area dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of the city. Built by the architect Mnesicles with Pentelic marble, their design was avant-garde. To the south-west of the Propylaea, on a rampart protecting the main entrance to the Acropolis, is the Ionian temple of Apteros Nike (the goddess of victory - where the brand name Nike comes from), which is now being restored. When you get to the "back" of the hill you get a 180 degree view of the city (actually it's more like 270). We took a few photos and then headed down to get lunch. Again I insisted on Greek food so we went to this strip Rania and I saw last night that had a great view and was crowded with greeks. We had greek salad, fried potatoes and greek sausages...plus a beer for good fortune ;) Gen then went home to get a couple of things done and Rania and I did some more relaxing. What a hard life we have, eh? We met up again for dinner on the pier and said our sad farewells and until next times. Although a short trip we made the most of it. I really enjoyed Athens and given that people say that it's by far not the nicest part of Greece, I have a feeling I would love to come back to see more of the country. One day, I have no doubt. 


Goodnight! xox
Alexis

Athens with the best tour guide in the city!

We woke up early this morning to catch our flight to Athens! Rania was really excited to spend the next leg of her trip in Greece and when we arrived I was so impressed by how comfortable she was conversing with the locals in Greek. We caught the metro that took us downtown and then took a short cab ride to our hostel.

We spent the afternoon walking around and getting a few admin things out of the way. Rania has her first business meeting tomorrow morning and it just so happens to be in Athens, in Greek. She was nervous about it but as soon as she talked with her boss her nerves seemed to have eased quite a bit. I have no doubt she'll do great.

We went to the Acropolis Museum for dinner and had a very Greek meal with a shared bottle of wine looking up the beautiful hill to the Acropolis. Stunning! We started off with spanikopita (a type of spinach ricotta pie with phillo pastry) and greek mint meatballs. Next we had a Greek style lasagna and we finished off with greek yogurt and honey. This meal sealed the deal that Greek food is my favorite type of food, and that says a lot considering that I had just spend a good two weeks in Italy! Our waiter really liked Rania and kept coming over to talk with her. He ended up giving her 25 of their placemats so she can bring them home and "remember him" by, haha.

We then went for a nighttime walk around the city and came across the Parliament building just in time to watch the changing of the guards. There was a good crowd watching and once they were done we were able to take photos with them. When I went up to stand beside one of the guards, he cat-called me!!  I just started to laugh because it was so inappropriate but I wasn't surprised in the slightest. Tsk tsk, Greek boys! 

Tomorrow we're going to do the Acropolis and fingers crossed we get blessed with good weather. I have a feeling we will. 

xxxxxxxx

Alexis

Venice!

Venice is best described by an aggregation of romantic adjectives that gives justice to a city of postcard beauty. As you're walking down the streets you see couples sharing a gondola ride, people strolling through the city singing out loud to themselves and terraces full of people sharing a lazy afternoon together over a plate of pasta and a bottle of wine - all under the warmth of the "summer" sun. We got into Venice on Monday (March 24) and immediately made our way to the Molino Stucky Apartments where we stayed during our three nights in Venice. Rania's co-worker, Giacomo, has kindly let us stay in his family's waterfront apartment, which is part of the Hilton Hotel. It was absolutely beautiful and a perfect setting for what Rania and I had planned to do for the next few days: relax. Unlike Rome and Florence, there wasn't anything in particular in Venice that we were pressing to see. Therefore our days there were all just a mishmash of us hanging out so I've included all three days in Venice in a single entry. 

Day 1: We arrived by train, but not before encountering a small road bump. Turns out Rania's train ticket was for the month before so she was forced to wait an hour for the next train which gave me an hour in Venice to sit in the sun and ooo and aaa at the beautiful canal just outside the train station. Like I said earlier, we dropped off our stuff at Giacomo's apartment and then went walking along the water to get food at one of the few places that was open at that hour in the afternoon (I guss it was about 4PM). We enjoyed a wonderful pasta meal with a glass of white wine under sun overlooking the beautiful turquoise water. Impressionist painters, like Monet, used to come to Venice for the perfect backdrop of pastel colors that marry into one another and hazy misty skies over sparking waters. We did a bit more walking after the meal then enjoyed a quite night at home. We picked up some groceries and Rania made her famous Avglemeno soup (Greek egg-lemon soup) and we tried to recreate our favourite Italian dish, proscuitto and melon.   

Day 2: We went into the main area of Venice and did all the major tourist attractions including Saint Mark's Square, the Bell Tower, Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal. We were really looking forward to a gondola ride along the canals of Venice but we didn't realize that the going price was EUR80 so we opted out of that. Instead we did our own waking tour along the canals and into the Jewish Ghetto for lunch. 

Day 3: Another day of getting lost in the narrow streets of Venice and really taking in our last breath of Italy. We opened our bottle of wine we got in Florence and had a few glasses under the setting sun. A good night sleep to end the perfect trip to a beautiful country. 

Up next is Greece! A short trip but a good introduction for future trips that I definitely intend to make. 

xoxo

Alexis

Michelangelo: Artist, Sculpter & Architect

We moved out of our honeymoon suite in the boutique hotel we were staying at for the past two nights and into the honeymoon suite at the Westin Excelsior Hotel right on the river thanks to Mom's Starwood rates. It's Rania's birthday today and we decided to splurge a little and pamper ourselves for the day.
The highlight of today was by far seeing Michelangelo's David, a 17-foot marble statue of the male nude. The marble used had already been worked on by an earlier hand and thus established Michelangelo's prominence as a sculptor of extraordinary technical skill and strength of symbolic imagination. Michelangelo had a lifelong interest in anatomy and was granted access to the corpses of the Church's hospital where we would study the anatomy of the bodies. As a result, David has extraordinary lifelike qualities in his muscles, ribs and limbs. A true masterpiece. Here is a quote from Michelangelo himself that I really like: "In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it." 


We went back to our hotel to get ready for tonight. Tonight we're meeting our friend Giovanni for dinner and drinks. Gio is Janice's friend from her exchange in Amsterdam and we met him when he came to Montreal in our final year for a visit. He picked us up from our hotel and helped us polish off the bottle of champagne that we bought from the wine bar yesterday before bringing us to his favorite pizza joint in his neighborhood which specializes in true Napolitano pizza. It was great having a local friend bring us around to parts of Florence you wouldn't normally go to. After dinner we went and met a few of his friends at the bar they frequent often. 


Tomorrow morning we're off to Venice so we called it an early-ish night and enjoyed a restful night on those amazing Westin beds! 


xoxo
Alexis

The Beautiful Sight of Florence

What better way to spend a beautiful sunny day and the eve of Rania's Champagne birthday than in a city as beautiful as Florence. How did I get so lucky?

Today may have been one of the best days of my trip. Generally I like seeing the major sights but what I love most is seeing a beautiful view and being immersed in nature...a true Vancouverite, I guess. We started our day with a fresh breakfast from a cafe near our hotel and then made our way over Pont Vicchio (a pedestrian foot bridge that that brings you to the more low-key area of Florence) to the Boboli gardens, which are among the most beautiful gardens in Italy and are complete with fountains, statues, an amphitheater and at the very top a spectacular view of Florence. After a couple of hours relaxing in the gardens we grabbed lunch at an amazing wine bar that served us up the most delicious smoked trout salad. Their wine was amazing (best I've had) and we bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne to celebrate Rania's birthday tomorrow night. Next up in Piazza Michelangelo to get a panoramic view of the city. 
Tonight we went to a bar called Slowly. We had a few drinks and as the clock stroked midnight we had our champagne in our hands and cheers'd to Rania's birthday :) HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY, RANIA! xx

Love,
Alexis

Firenze!

So get this: Rania and I had an early train out of Roma Termini this morning on route to Firenze. We get to the train station and look at the departures board to find that our train isn't posted. Our departing time was 10:30AM and the only one close was a 10:58AM train. Hmmm... we hoped on it thinking that maybe they just put 10:30AM on our tickets because Italians are always late. Anyway we were off and no turning back now. Even if it was the wrong train, it was going to Florence and that's all we really cared about. Once we got going I noticed we were making a ton of stops. Hmmm.... I don't think we'll be on the 1.5hr schedule at this rate. When the ticket conductor came by to check our tickets, he told us that we have Eurostar tickets and we're on the local train that won't get in until 3PM. D'OH! Oh well, another 3.5hrs but who's counting - you can't win them all. 


Anyway Rania and I got into Florence eventually and have fallen in love with the city. We're staying at a really cute boutique hotel in the city in a private room. After spending the week in a shared 8 person room in Rome, I was happy to have a comfortable place to stay. We unpacked a bit and then started to walk the streets of Florence. We first went to the main attraction, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and were amazed by the size and beauty of it. The art of the dome was the most beautiful and peaceful I've seen yet. We did some more walking and got pizza at a pizzeria before heading to a wine bar on the other side of the river for a few glasses and a heart-to-heart (Rania and I like to have those haha). 


Tomorrow we'll be taking advantage of the beautiful weather and hopefully get a better feel of the city. 


Sweet deams,
xxx
Alexis

The Catacombs of Saint Callixtus

The Catacombs of St. Callixtus are among the greatest and most important of Rome. They originated about the middle of the second century and are part of a cemeterial complex which occupies an area of 90 acres, with a network of galleries about 12 miles long, in four levels, more than twenty meters deep.
In it where buried tens of martyrs, 16 popes and more than half a million Christians...half a million! 

Rania and I took our time this morning and made our way by foot to the bus stop where we had to catch the #128 bus to the Catacombs. The great thing about taking buses and trains is that you get to see areas of the city/country that you normally wouldn't see. We bused for about 15 minutes outside of the city and drove through small towns and villages that were so contradictory to the Rome we had experienced in the past week. We made it to the catacombs and took a half hour tour with an English speaking guide around the top two levels (there are four in total). We weren't allowed to take any pictures but the inside was a cold and dark labyrinth like you would expect. The tombs were all along the walls and were of all different sizes for adults, children and even animals. On the tour, we were able to ogle some of the earliest Christian art—frescoes, carvings, and drawings scratched into the rock depicting ancient Christian symbols like the fish, the anchor, the dove, and images that tell some of the earliest popular Bible stories. Very cool. 

We made our way back into the city after taking some pictures in the sun of the surrounding fields and then headed back to our pizzeria for our final meal in Rome (of course we were going to go there for our FINAL meal!) A pizza, two pastas, a melon and prosciutto, two desserts and a litre of wine later we were ready for bed and excited for our trip to Florence tomorrow! 


xoxo
Alexis

The Pantheon, Trevi and A Few In Between

We only have a few days left in our Roman holiday and we still have a few things that need to be checked off our list before we go. Today we are dedicating ourselves to that list.
Lucky for us the rain decided to give us a break today but there was till this moisture in the arm that wasn't the most comfortable - especially for our hair! (Girls will be girls...)
Our first stop, and you may say that most important, was to get ourselves a coffee at the closest place possible. We hoped into this little café that sold EUR1 coffees - I should have ordered two or three at that price! We walked to the Spanish Steps, down a very chic shopping street that I forget the name of towards the Trevi Fountain for a quick snapshot of the two of us. The fountain marks the terminal point of the "modern" Acqua Vergine, the revived Aqua Virgo, one of the ancient aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. It is today one of the most famous and beautiful fountains in the world. 

Then it was off to the Pantheon (a must-see on anyone's list). Built more than 1800 years ago as a temple for the pagan gods, the temple was converted into a church in 609. The Pantheon now contains the tombs of the famous artist Raphael and of several Italian Kings. Its ecclasiastic interior design contrast with the temple's structural design, but the marble floor - which features a design consisting of a series of geometric patterns - is still the ancient Roman original. The most remarkable part of the building is the more than 43 meter high some. It was the largest dome in the world until 1436 when the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence was constructed. Out of all the sights we've seen, I think this takes the top spot. It is magnificent and subtle at the same time, it is a wonderfully designed building and had a feeling of tranquility inside even though there are hundreds of people surrounding you. 
Our tour ended with a walk through the famous Piazzas (Navona and Flori) and then an early dinner at, yet again, our most-loved pizzeria in Trastevere. We really can't get enough.
Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and we have a trip to the Catacombs planned. 

Thinking of you all back at home! 
xoxo
Alexis

The Vatican & The Sistine Chapel

Rania and I woke up early this morning to try to get to Vatican City in time for our 9:15AM tour. We were a bit late but managed to catch up with the group in time to only miss the intoduction. Because we reserved our tour online, we were able to bypass the long line up (I'd say it would have taken at least three or four hours). Our tour guide brought us around the Vatican Museum in a two hour tour. One of the first things I learnt was that Vatican City is its own city state - the world's smallest independent city state, in fact. It is surrounded by a wall enclave within the city of Rome, but isn't part of Rome itself. We saw many ancient artifacts and sculptures, but the highlight of the tour for me were the Rooms of Raphael and the Sistine Chapel.  Vatican City is home to some of the most famous art in the world. St. Peter's Basilica, whose successive architects include Bramente, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, Maderno and Bernini is a renowned work of Renaissance architecture. The Sistine Chapel is famous for its frescos, which include works by Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Botticelli as well as the ceiling and Last Judgement by Michelangelo. Artists who decorated the interiors of the Vatican include Raphael and Fra Angelico. The paintings were absolutely incredible - a lifetime of work for many. I'll include some of my favourite paintings as soon as I upload them onto my computer (give me a couple of weeks).
 

After Vatican City, we went home and did our laundry. The rain clouds were closing in on us so we decided to stick close to our hostel. We wondered through the backstreets and found a nice place for dinner. Tonight we might go to the Roma Pop Festival with a couple of guys we met at the hostel. Depending on how we feel and what the weather is like, we might just veg here instead. We'll see....

Hope all is well back at home! See you all in a few weeks.

xoxo
Alexis

Colosseo & The Forum

When people think of Rome, there is one thing that often pops into their minds: the Colosseum (Colosseo). Today Rania and I visited what is considered one the the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

We started the day with a free breakfast from our hostel and then made our way into the city centre. The weather wasn't very pleasant at all (it was ten second soaked type of weather) so we quickly stopped to get a couple of umbrellas and did our best to continue on with our day. From Termini Station we walked through the back streets of Rome until we hit the centre of Ancient Rome marked by the ruins that appear everywhere. The first thing we noticed was the Momument to Vittorio Emanuele II (aka. The Wedding Cake) and passed by the balcony where Mussolini used to give his speeches from. I'd like to say that I did my research but really we just overheard this fact passing by a tour guide. We got onto Via Imperiali and walked all the way down until we hit the Colosseum. Having no real knowledge about what we were about to see, we decided to join a tour that included an hour at the Colosseum and an hour at the Roman Forum. The Colosseum was vast and striking, and our guide showered us with information about the elliptical amphitheater. 

After the Colosseum we went to the Roman Forum and got lost in the rich history of the oldest part of Ancient Rome. It was for centuries the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections, venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches, and nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. Although much of the area has been restored over the centuries, there original "main pathway" still has its original stones.  

Tonight Rania and I are going for dinner at the pizzeria in Trastevere that I found on my first day here. Night plans are still TBD. 

xoxo

Alexis

A Roman Holiday

I got into Rome last night and made  my way to the hostel which is located right next to Rome's main train station. It was a bit of a culture shock at first - the traffic was absolutely terrifying and the guys are all so forward. I was told before I came here to watch out for the guys so I had an idea of what to expect but it always amazes me how they think hissing at a girl will get them what they want. Anyway I was starving when I got to the hostel so I went to the corner trattoria for my first pasta meal in Italy! Meh, it was ok...

Today I did a self guided walking tour around the city. I am waiting for Rania to get in so I decided not to pay any of entrance fees since I know she'll want to visit the sights as well so I just walked and admired the sights from outside. It was a gorgeous day but unfortunately I didn't bring my camera because it was back in the hostel charging. I first went to the Trevi Fountain, then passed the Patheon and strolled through the famous Piazza di Fiori and the Piazza Navona. I walked past so many ancient ruins and beautiful streets and buildings but I didn't have any idea what they were - I forgot my Italy guide book in Paris :(

All day I felt like I had been transported back in time and I could imagine the ancient romans walking through the cobblestone streets as I past by the Colosseum and the Forum ruins. As I was making my way back towards the east part of town, I met a man (about 70 years old) who offered to help me find my way while I was looking at my map trying to navigate which way was east and which was west. He fixes electric boards for Ericsson Company and was interested in improving his English. He asked if he could walk with me for a half hour and of course I said yes - he was way too cute! As we walked down Via de Guilia, he was telling me about the history of the area. He showed me some of the main sights that I needed to see while I was here and what was so special about each place. For example at the Castle San Angelo, there use to be houses that were built underground and as you walk around the castle grounds you can find little holes that are windows to the homes that were once there. I then made my way across the river to the Jewish Ghetto - an area of Rome that is much less touristy and has many bars and restaurants popular with the locals. They say there are more restaurants than apartments in that area. I found a cute pizzeria in a small courtyard surrounded by flower beds and whispy trees with a small fountain in the middle. I ordered a carraf of wine (1/4 bottle) and a pizza and took the phrase "la joie de vie" to heart at that moment. I then went for gelato artigiano for dessert. YUM!

Tonight Rania is getting in so I will be waiting at the hostel bar for her. I met a group of Brazilians yesterday who have invited me to have drinks with them tonight. They are super nice! Tomorrow it's suppose to rain so we'll see what we get up to.

Goodnight!
xoxo
Alexis

Karaoke Night!

The sun came out in perfect time for me to cross off the rest of my "Barcelona To Do List". Today I started my day with a stroll around the Gotic Town and had lunch at a place called La Fonda. Their sangria is to die for and I ended up drinking a whole pitcher to myself - it was wonderful! After lunch I headed towards the hill for a small hike in order to get the scenic view of the city. From there I walked along the edge of the hill until I got to the National Museum and the Magic Fountain - two of Barcelona's top attractions. It was a perfect day for all that walking and also a perfect way for me to walk off some of that sangria I had at lunch.

Tonight we went to George Payne (again) because it is their weekly karaoke night. It was absolutely packed full of locals and tourists. There were a lot of foreigners (exchange students) on their term break from different cities around Europe who decided to spend the week in Barcelona. I met up with my friends from the other hostel again and we had a good time together singing along to the songs that people were singing. We then went to a Brazilian club but I wasn't too into it - too many girls flaunting their chachas on the dance floor and that's not really my scene. We left shortly after and just went back to the hostel to hang out with some beers and good conversation.
Shoot I'm getting kicked off the internet. Updates will come soon!

xoxo
Alexis

And then it rains...

It seems like wherever I go, the Irish seem to follow me. I must have some Irish blood in me somewhere - especially with all that ginger I have in my hair. Tonight I´m meeting a couple of friends that I met in the other hostel (although they are staff so I wouldn´t call them tourists) for a few drinks at The George Payne - Barcelona´s biggest and brightest Irish bar. Mix a good Irish crowd with some beer and mixers and you´re sure to have yourself a good time.

It´s been raining all day so I´ve just been lounging around the hostel chatting with people and watching movies. I went to a cafe this morning with a book and got laughed at by the locals who could tell I was obviously a tourist. I think there was some lost in translation in there somewhere haha. Oh well, it was good banter anyway. I may check out another cafe around the area and get myself an afternoon tea and cake. I found a guide to Venice lying around the hostel this morning so I plan on dissecting that for some ideas for my upcoming visit. I´m nervous I won´t be able to navigate my way around the canals and narrow streets - I find my sense of direction disappears as soon as I can no longer look past the height of the buildings. I guess these rainy days are a good chance of me to get familiar with it now that I have my trusted Lonely Planet :)

Loving Barcelona more and more everyday.

xoxo
Alexis

When in Catalonia, do as the Catalonians do

Today is my chill day. Last night was a lot of fun but it left me in poor condition this morning. First thing I had to do was buy a huge bottle of water. Second: eat something...anything.
I walked in the opposite direction than where most of the tourist attractions are in Barcelona and found myself in a very local and quaint neighborhood that has a lot of independent shops and restaurants. I quickly found a grocery store and bought a 1L bottle of water and downed it in about a minute. As I was meandering through the streets I came across a food market that looked very busy and full of local Barcelonians who didn´t (for the most part) speak any English. You know it´s a good food market when there are grandmas and middle class workers in the mix - that translates to quality and value. I saw that one of the stands was busy and people were sitting down to have breakfast so I grabbed a seat myself and just pointed at something as my way of ordering. The man said something to me in Spanish and I just nodded, but I think he got that I didn´t understand him. As he was making it I could see him looking over at me to see what my reaction was because I had no idea what was coming on my plate. It ended up being some sort of spinach and egg omelet inside a toasted baguette, with maybe some minced meat in there somewhere, or maybe not. In any case it was delicious and satisfied my appetite. I ordered a cafe au lait and the whole thing ended up being just over EUR3. Love it!

I then got myself a little something sweet - traditional Spanish mini donuts - and made my way back to the hostel to grab a sweater and chill out for a bit.
I think the sun might be making its appearance and if that´s the case I will go enjoy a few hours at the beach.
Tonight there´s another party, also on the beach. Tonight I´ll be sure to eat dinner before going out haha...I went to an Italian pasta shop and bought some raviolis to cook tonight. MMM MMM

Love you all!
xox

Alexis

Barcelona, Spain

They say that Barcelona is the city of life and celebration - I couldn´t agree more. I got into Barcelona this afternoon and immediately made my way to the hostel where I am staying for the next few nights. I made sure to get instructions on how to get to the hostel before I left Paris so it was as simple as catching the Aerobus from the airport and then taking the metro for a few stops; I got there without any problems. I am rooming with three girls and a guy. The girls are from New Jersey but are studying in Florence for the semester. It is currently their Spring Break. I havn´t seen the guy yet - he never ended up coming back last night and he doesn´t have much stuff on his bed so he´s kind of a mystery man.
After dropping off my stuff and settling in, I decided to get a few of the sights checked off. Almost everyone who visits Barcelona takes a trip across town to visit Europe's wackiest church which also boasts 2 UNESCO World Heritage sites (the Nativity facade and the Crucifixion Facade). If you want to get close to Gaudi, you can do no better than coming here - literally - as he's buried in the crypt. I decided not to pay the entrance fee to see inside, but the outside of absolutely remarkable. Gaudi was a Catholic and wanted the church to be the people's church, not owned by anyone but the people so all work that is done on the church is funded entirely by the entrance fees collected.
I then made my way down to Las Ramblas - an aray of tiny little side streets surrounding the main drag, La Rambla, and got lost in the zig-zagging streets for almost two hours. The streets are known to have very nice restaurants, bars and shops but still it is geared quite heavily to tourists. I went to the famous Boqueria food market and bought two huge fruit bowls for only EUR2!! I was so surprised - how could it be that cheap? I wasn´t complaing though. It was now dark so I skipped the beach and decided to do that another day.
The hostel organized a night out for all of us tonight. We went to this club right on the beach and because we were with the hostel it was free cover. The club was pretty good - good music and packed. Our tour guide has lived here for a year not (originally from Normandy) and he said that it was one of the more popular places to go on a Thursday. I liked it because when it got too hot inside you could step outside and walk along the beach.
Anyway that´s all for today. Tomorrow is still up in the air but if it´s nice out then I´ll try to head down to the beach or maybe climb the hill to get a view of the city and ocean.

xoxo
Alexis

Leaving on a Jet Plane...Again

You know with all this flying that I'm doing, I should probably get myself on a frequent flyers plan.... (and the lightbulb goes off!)

My week at home is now coming to an end, but before I go there is someone that I need to see: Uncle Wah-Sing. This morning I got all my stuff packed up and in the car so that I could pick Mom up from work this afternoon and go straight to Uncle's house in Burnaby. We stopped by a Chinese butcher on Kingsway and picked up some roasted pork and barbecue duck (Mom's favorite!). We got to Uncle's house to find him in the kitchen cooking all the sides we'll need for our lunch. Sides included fried tofu, steaming hot rice, lotus soup, tomato cabbage and steamed veggies. OM NOMNOM!!! We finished the meal off with ginseng tea and chinese almond cookies. I was a very happy girl.

Mom then drove me to the airport to catch my 8:30PM flight to Amsterdam. I'm not sure if I was just really tired or if the T3s that I took a couple hours before had just kicked in but I slept almost the entire nine hours and before I knew it we were landing at Schiphol Airport. That's what I call pain-free traveling! From there I caught my flight to Paris and now I'm in Mark's apartment sorting out my bags for tomorrow's flight to Barcelona. Mark won't be home until late again tonight, but we have plans to have breakfast tomorrow morning before he leaves for work.

Stay tuned for updates from Spain!

xoxo
Alexis