And we're coming to the last post about my grand European adventure. Rome and Barcelona. Many places to see but our smaller group agreed to take it easy along the way. With our imminent departure from Europe, I became more introspective, wanting to lazily walk the streets and ponder what life could be like here. I think the next out-of-the-country trip, I'm going to set aside time to do just that.

ROME.









Our first stop after dropping our things off at the airbnb was towards the Piazza del Popolo where an Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza. We had to walk up a hill and some stairs to get closer to the gardens of Borghese Villa, but it afforded us an amazing view of the city. Even though I wasn't familiar with this city, I had downloaded offline maps of all the locations so I was leading us to each destination. The closest? Piazza di Spagna to see the Spanish Steps. It was an easy stroll to get there and we enjoyed walking down the cobblestone streets to get there. The weather was hot and humid by this point but still not worse than Texas. When we came upon the top of the Spanish Steps, I was shocked to see all the tourists milling about the steps. At the base of these steps, you could see the medium-sized Fontana Barcaccia.

We took our obligatory photos on the steps but we soon noticed a good number of people eating gelato. We found a close one nearby, run by three funny (and cute) Italian men. With gelato in one hand, we began to look through the stores nearby. L and I had decided we both wanted small leather Italian purses. We found them quickly. I'm happy to say I used it every day in Barcelona and then some when I returned to the States... but I digress, we spent about 25 euros for some sleek cross-body leather purses. I was tempted to get Ben a leather wallet but I knew it hadn't been much time since I got him his last wallet. Gives us another reason to return to Italy of course.

We began walking south again, towards the Trevi Fountain. It wasn't as crowded as I expected it to be. We were able to take the photos we wanted and find room to throw in a coin and make a wish! There was a lot of restaurants nearby so we picked the busiest one and had a seat close to the entrance so we could enjoy the evening breeze. Our pastas and wine were delicious. Definitely the best pasta I've had to date. One of our servers was Filipino which was another startling fact, there's a lot of Filipinos in Rome. I could still recognize them from their accent when they spoke English. I'm jealous that they could speak so many languages! I need to add more to my repertoire as well!

Our meals came with dessert; I chose a warm apple cake with mascarpone cheese. I say 'cake' but the consistency was closer to a castella cake just a tad denser. It was my favorite meal in Rome. We sat around, enjoying the wine, and chatted with our server who suggested we check out the markets along the Tiber River. We wandered over there and it was really a beautiful sight. Promises were made to return the next night and we caught the last bus and train home.

The next morning was our special visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. That was really amazing, especially seeing the Sistine Chapel in person. No photography was allowed but I think the best way to enjoy the whole experience was with your own eyes. We had purchased audio guides that really enriched the overall experience. I also nabbed another rosary for myself in the gift shop before we hustled out of there for lunch. And for me, that was the end of Rome. I saw the Colosseum at night, but didn't join my friends in the tour inside. I got sick the first day of Rome and somehow soldiered through the first day. I could only manage the morning before I realized I needed to just stay in and rest so that I could get better sooner and enjoy the rest of my trip. Regardless of getting sick, I'm still satisfied with what I was able to do!

BARCELONA.









The last city, beautiful Barcelona! Easily ate the best seafood of my life. The architecture, especially Antoni Gaudí's architecture, was just gorgeous. And yes, the sangria flowed like a river those last blissful days.

Our airbnb was in the perfect location, right next to the Barcelona Cathedral. There was a small open market outside every morning which yielded some interesting prints for me. I plan on putting them up in the kitchen in the next year. We arrived in Barcelona in the evening, so we really didn't start exploring until the next day. Our dinner for the first night was tapas at Cafe Victor, which despite the blunt rudeness, couldn't overshadow the fact that the tapas were amazing and we had live opera right by the cathedral which we were facing. Good start, Barcelona, good start.

M and J hit the beach in the morning while I stayed in, still recovering. While getting sick during vacation is annoying, I took it easy and just walked around all the alleyways nearby. I found an amazing art gallery and purchased several pieces. The smell of pastries wafting outside nearby bakeries was also tantalizing. We ate an early dinner at Rosa Negra Restaurant before heading out for the evening to visit the Casa Batlló, one of Gaudí's masterpieces. We were handed headphones and augmented reality phones and let loose inside the building. Looking back, this was my favorite site to visit. Stunning architecture and a soothing audioguide, hard to beat.

The next day, we grabbed pastries at a nearby bakery and headed towards Park Güell. It was quite a hike getting up there, not withstanding our getting lost and heading to the wrong park(!). We purchased tickets for park, not realizing that it was for the wrong day. They were very strict about the dates and wouldn't let us enter. However, the park itself is mostly free, just one area required purchasing tickets. I think it's better that you not bother with the tickets and enjoy the free area of the park. You can still get a spectacular view and put those 7€ to other use! After walking the whole length of the park, we were starving. M and I headed to the Mercat de Boqueria while J headed back to the beach. We found a busy seafood restaurant, all the stools facing towards the kitchen. M and I ordered the Graellada, 60€ worth of seafood—four whole squids, almost a whole pot of mussels, razor clams, scallops, langoustine, prawns, and shrimp. Again, the best seafood I've ever eaten. We probably shouldn't have eaten so much because I had also made reservations at a fancy restaurant called 7 Portes. We could have cancelled reservations, but I think our stubbornness (and desire to get dressed up) won out so we kept our 7PM reservation. We all ordered paella, which was rather silly because the serving size is meant to be shared! Obviously we all had to get it boxed up but I think we learned our lesson for next time.

The next day, we grabbed pastries at a nearby bakery and took two trains to the Sagrada Família. Yet another dazzling masterpiece by Gaudí. It's still being built, subsisting purely on donations, but it's still an amazing church. I was sure to grab a rosary here (why not? Already purchased one at Notre Dame in Paris and one at the Vatican) before heading out.We returned back to the airbnb for lunch, the girls had a lot of leftover paella to finish after all. We took some time to visit some of the stores, like Zara, where I found some tasteful salsa dresses. Since this was our last full day, we headed back to the Mercat de Boqueria and ordered lots of sangria and more seafood. We had room for dessert so we wandered back to Cafe Victor and continued to gorge ourselves while listening to another round of live opera.

The next morning, I waited outside one of the bakeries to buy a tin and fill it with freshly made cookies. It was hard not to devour them on the spot but I wanted a fresh full tin to bring back to Ben. One long bus to the airport and before I knew it, I was back on an 11 flight home. There was a short layover in Frankfurt, Germany, where I was tempted to relax in one of the priority pass lounges but I just didn't have the time! Next time for sure!

So it ends. Back home. Still jet-lagged. Very tan. But very happy. And those cookies I brought from Barcelona? Devoured the next day between Ben and I.

I tried my best to write down everything we did and everything we enjoyed. I couldn't capture all the little moments of joy but I remember them well. I don't know when my next big trip will be but I look forward to it. Cheers.