Winter Break: Part 3

Is it wrong for me to say that I like Portugal more than Spain?
Don't get me wrong, Madrid is great and I don't think I'd want to live in Portugal, but it is just so cute and quaint and friendly! We flew to Porto on our first stop and then went to a tiny town called Nazaré and finished up with Lisbon and a small city outside of Lisbon called Sintra.

Our first day was in Porto, a very charming city with a great view from across the river where we did a Port wine tour and tasting, after 10 plus years and lots of sugar, it was delicious but a bit sweet for my taste buds. The only hitch was when we woke up to no showers because of a broken city pipe and discovered we were an hour early, thus missed an hour of precious sleep, for our 7 am bus because of the time change between Spain and Portugal....a small detail...but the next city TOTALLY made up for it.

My favorite city by far was Nazaré, its a tiny town on the beach with traditional everything. When we arrived an older lady, dressed in the traditional dress of tons of petticoat skirts and a knitted shawl across her shoulders, greeted us saying, "Two beds? You look, if you like, you stay; if not, no problem." So we went and checked out a really nice apartment about two minutes from the beach with three beds and a kitchen and when she said "35 euros", we took it! Basically, the nicest part of Nazaré was how calm it was and the cute quaint streets and the gorgeous view from Sitio, the city just above you get to by funicular.After our relaxing beach day we headed to adorable Lisbon with tiled houses and old street trolleys. This is the main street Rua Augusta where our hostel was.My favorite part was the traditional fado music we got to listen to while sipping a cherry liqueur. Although I didn't understand it, they tell me that they usually are about love and betrayals...big surprise...Finally, we did a day trip to Sintra, a town about an hour outside of Lisbon that has three castles and lots of gardens and beautiful grounds in the mountains. And yummy, yummy pastries.Basically, I would LOVE to head back to Portugal and probably most of all to relax during the summer on the beaches at Nazaré and wander more in the adorable streets in Lisbon where you feel like you've gone back a century in time!

Winter Break: Part 2

I may sound like a real snob when I say, I was not that fond of Barcelona...sorry! I'm guessing its because it wasn't summer, and it would certainly be awesome to be at the beach tanning, but as massive cities go, I'd rather be in calmer, cleaner Madrid, with so many less tourists...but that's just my opinion...that said, Barcelona's amazing architectural sites from Gaudí are pretty amazing and you won't find them in Madrid. Here are his crazy, but oh, so cool houses:

And then there's Park Güell which, once again, is just weird, but in an awesome way...And we must not forget the Sagrada Familia which has been under construction since, oh, around 1882!!!
Again, unbelievable sites that you have to see in Barcelona, and then get yourself away from the crazy tourists crowding every square block of the place! Kidding, kidding, really you should head to a tapas bar because you won't be seeing any of the amazing tapas they make there in just about any other place I've been to!

Winter Break: Part 1

After living four months in Madrid, I'd like to think I've got it down pretty good now. I completed the first two semesters of three of my Master's which is extremely hard to believe but OH, so exciting, I've mastered the metro which is probably the nicest I've seen anywhere, and learned how to hop up on a bar stool and ask frankly and without much anglosaxon politeness for my Mahou (practically the only beer available here) and a my pincho of tortilla española. Sí, being a madrileña means being asking for what you, want when you want it, and without a please or thank you.

As for my little adventures, most of them happened recently with my parents when we saw lots of Madrid, Barcelona y some small towns close to Madrid. I would have to say that my personal favorite was the monastery on top of the mountain about an hour outside of Barcelona, Montserrat. It was absolutely beautiful and I wish I could have spent more time hiking around.This is Mom and I up on top of the mountain.Here's the monastery in the side of the mountain.

So, if you take a trip to Barcelona, Montserrat is a must, while I loved all the amazing architecture of Antoni Gaudí, its just can't compare to the beauty of nature.
Happy New Year!