Spring Break

I decided that I am officially the worst tourist EVER. Rather than see the sites or spend hours in museums, my friend Siri and I spent the majority of our break relaxing on beaches, playing in parks, or people watching in cafes. It was EXACTLY how spring break should be. I can’t tell you what breath-taking monuments you should visit in Barcelona, but I can give you names of several fantastic (and cheep) local restaurants.  After one crazy week and another that I was anticipating after break, I personally wasn’t up for anything too tiring. However, the two guys we traveled with went to the cathedrals, explored some forts, and did a few walking tours, and they also had an amazing time. It all depends on what you like doing I suppose. My camera was attached to my hand the entire trip, and I managed to take over 1500 pictures…so I don’t think I will have any problems remembering every detail of my spring break. I’ll try and sum up a few of the trip highlights, but I have so many memories I don’t even know where to start…

Lisboa, Portugal:

MY FAVORITE CITY. I loooooved Portugal. I want to go back. The people are friendly, the language is beautiful, and the pastries are delicious. In Portugal, we played at various locations along the coast, went on a bus tour of the city, and walked….a lot.

Madrid, Spain:

Once again, we toured the city by foot. Siri and I ate more pastries,…and  took a nap in the park. Our hostel didn’t have hot water so getting cleaned up was was miserable--the water was so cold that I would have a headache for half an hour after every five minute shower.  I also got carded at a pub…which means I look like I’m 16  : (  So in a desperate attempt to look a few years older, Siri gave me a haircut. People tell me it does the trick but they could be lying.

Barcelona, Spain:

Barcelona wins the award for Best Park. Once again, Siri and I ate pastries, people watched, and sat in the park. Oh! And we played on the beach.  Siri HATED Barcelona…and for a good reason. She spilled red wine all over her favorite shirt, tripped on the sidewalk and fell on her face, got sun burnt, fell 3 meters off of a jungle gym, lost her bank card, and got pick-pocketed on the metro. We ate some awesome food in Barcelona (see the pictures in my photo album) and we also paid an arm and a leg for each drink we wanted.

 

Nice, France and Monaco:

The end of our trip was a little rushed so we only had 2 days to see both Nice and Monaco. Both cities are beautiful, especially along the coastline. Once again…Siri and I ate pastries and played on the beach. In Monaco, we ogled at the expensive cars and yachts that were EVERYWHERE. Monaco is a super rich country (you make know it from the racecar scene in Ironman 2). Our waiter told us that it costs 3000E per month to rent a small flat in Monaco. Yikes. As a side note, I would like to say that I am proud of myself for being able to notice the small differences that make the southern-France accent (but only because I had a harder time understanding people than usual).

I wish I could express how grateful I am…I SPENT SPRING BREAK IN EUROPE!!!!! THAT’S SO AWESOME! I left with some great friends and I came home with better friends. Yeah, not everything was perfect. I got tired, and hungry, and annoyed, and lost,….but looking back, I know won’t remember any of that. I will remember pastries and parks : )