For the first time on this wild crazy adventure, I found myself in a brand new city - Paris! And the City of Light did not fail to meet my very high expectations, it exceeded them in fact. Everywhere I looked I found beauty, sunny skies (more on that), great food, and Parisians in love.

For this leg of the trip Ari found a super cool apartment for us to rent. It was so adorable and we got to see how a young 20-something would really live in the city!

Since the weather was so uncharacteristically lovely, Ari, Kelcie, and I spent the majority of our time rambling through the city streets and stumbling upon small markets, adorable cafés, and beautiful parks.

Our favorite park was definitely Place de Vosges, where we spent an afternoon botelloning (aka drinking in public). Although that’s technically a Spanish custom, we figured the Parisians would support it.

Of course, Paris is well known for its mind-blowing food, and we all indulged ourselves in hearty helpings of cheese, croissants, crepes, café au lait, and most importantly… MOUTARDE! Somehow the French have managed to keep their delightfully spicy and superior mustard to themselves, so we definitely took advantage of our short time in Paris and ate as much moutarde as humanly possible. No regrets, just a possible impending ulcer.

Look, Dad! A forest of olives!!

One of our favorite dining experiences was actually very casual. We enjoyed some wine, cheese, quiche, moutarde (duh) and baguettes on the Seine at sunset (which occurs around 10PM). 

A trip to Paris is not complete without a trip to the Eiffel Tower, and its beauty and charm definitely exceeded both Kelcie’s and my expectations. As we watched it sparkle at midnight we felt like kids again. We couldn’t take our eyes off of the Tower as it came to life like thousands of tiny fireworks. Now we understand what all the fuss is about!

Another outing that we enjoyed was a trip to the Pompidou, Paris’ modern art museum. The works really inspired us to make some “art” of our own on one of the patios. Sigh, you can’t take us anywhere…

Lastly, after Ari left us on our last day, :( we miss you, Kelcie and I took a day trip to Versailles. Since the lines and the prices were absolutely out of control, we decided to forgo the palace itself and instead spend the sunny day exploring the gardens and Marie Antoinette’s domain. It was such a great decision! 

Well, that’s all for now. Greetings from Amsterdam - new post coming soon!

Simply put, Barcelona was a crazy good time. Not only did I get to see some of the city’s amazing sites once again and share them with Kelcie and my mama for the first time, but we also did so without feeling like tourists jumping from site to site. This was mostly due to Ari’s uncanny ability to navigate cities, which really came in handy and made the rest of us feel much more carefree.

Here are a couple of the amazing things we did in the city.

Toured the Casa Batlló.

Spent a day on the beach and drank some delicious bevies by the water.

Took the funicular up to Montjuïc, toured the mountain, and then rode the aerial tram back down to the beach.

Another facet of Barcelona is that literally everything is beautiful. The architecture, the weather, the greenery, the animals – they were all on our side.

Wild parakeets! 

Of course, Barcelona is an incredible city with so much to see and do, but the real beauty of this adventure was the silliness and laughter that filled each day. To start, we ordered salmon “tacos” at a restaurant and got this 

and at that same restaurant Ari and Dad tried marijuana ice cream (active substance removed).

We also went to a restaurant that was glorified as the best paella in Barcelona (and totally lived up to it), but the restaurant was so eerily quiet that we all couldn’t stop laughing out of discomfort. The boisterous Americans probably really irritated the 4 other parties in the restaurant, but what were we supposed to do, dine in complete silence? Have you met us?!

Kelcie had the misfortune of having her shoe break at the start of day 3, so she was forced to do this funny walk where she walked normal on her right foot and then marched with her left. Of course, Ari and I would not allow her to feel strange so we all proceeded to “Do The Kelcie” for the rest of the day.

Remix to The Kelcie: Walking barefoot when your leg gets tired.

2^nd Remix to The Kelcie: Getting a ride from Ari.

Here are some other pics of us getting silly in Barça.

Strongest Girl in the World

What collagen can do for me

Sexyland. Population: 2

Running through sprinklers to cool down

Best photobomb ever

The weather has been crummy for the past few days…

Although we missed the opportunity to bask in the sun on the beautiful beach in San Sebastian, this gave us a perfectly good excuse to bring out our inner foodies and have some of the most incredible dining experiences of our lives. For that reason, the entry about our time spent in Burgos, San Sebastian, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz will mostly be comprised of food photos to make you all incredibly jealous. But before we get to that, here are a couple of other highlights:

• Burgos, most especially the Cathedral

• Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France – beautiful and so quaint!

• Trip to the San Sebastian Aquarium, the first aquarium in Spain (no pictures, but we found Nemo and the whole gang!)
• The most beautiful (even when it’s raining) San Sebastian

Okay, now onto the food. First stop, Bar Zeruko, our first run in with Basque food meets molecular gastronomy (science+food)!

Fried Shrimp

When I saw this in the cup I thought it was going to be a lime sorbet. Surprise – white fish!

Foie Gras in an artichoke dusted with gold. Just seconds before this was delivered my Dad was feeling extremely happy with the seafood selection but noted that the only thing that was missing was some uni (sea urchin). His prayers were answered!

Although you may not be able to tell, this is a mini-smoker. You smoke the fish, place it atop the yummy bread thing, eat that, then drink the shooter!

No idea what this was, but that’s dry ice in the shot glass that kept it nice and chilly

Steak and foie - that’s my face reacting to Kelcie’s face after I fed her a bite.

La Muralla – white tableclothin’ it

Squid in rice cooked in squid ink. Mark’s tongue was dyed black!

Monkfish deboned with the ribcage exposed – cool!

Duck

And finally, the grand finale of all grand finales, one of the best meals in all our lives: A Fuego Negro. Our second experience with molecular gastronomy, nine courses, and some of the most creative and surprising food we’ve ever tasted.

Course 1, Imagine this. Texture = eating a snowball. Taste = buttery cheese.

Course 2 + 3: Squid fried in its own ink and Olives filled with vermouth

Course 4: pickled pork with mole ice cream

Course 5: Salmon, orange, and grapefruit salad, best salad we’ve ever tasted!

Course 6: The Greatest “Picnic” in the World. Toast with bits of pineapple, canned foie (made in-house) that was bruleed (what?? how??), and pumpkin jam to spread on top. 

Course 7: no picture :( Cod with cous cous cooked with paprika

Course 8: kobe beef burger with ketchup infused bun and plantain chips

Course 9: strawberries injected with cheese (like a fluffier, sweeter cream cheese) with a strawberry and red wine sorbet

Suffice it to say, San Sebastian totally deserves the distinction of being one of the food capitals of the world. Completely mind-blowing!

Our next stop is Barcelona airport, where we will be picking up the most wonderful Ari and continuing our Spanish adventures!!

Besos,

Ashley, Kelcie, Mark, and Linda

Ashley, Mark, Linda, and Kelcie here! As we ride in the rental car on the way to San Sebastian, we figured it would be a good time to do a quick recap of our time in Madrid. The trip was such a whirlwind – Ashley tried to squeeze in as many sites as possible in just two and a half days. Although many of us were half asleep for most of the time due to jetlag, we did our very best to be champs and make the most of a short trip to the city! One thing that really helped was the weather – even though our feet hurt we made it a point to walk around the city during the day to soak up the warm sun!

Some of the highlights in terms of attractions include the following:

• Plaza Mayor
• Plaza Santa Ana
• Parque Retiro
• The Prado
• Reina Sofia Museum

Everyone felt in awe at the art museums to see the real works of some of Spain’s most famous artists: Picasso, Dalí, Goya, El Greco, Velasquez, and Bosch. 

Most of our memories, as usual, revolved around food. Mark loved the porras con chocolate, Kelcie swooned over a donut filled with dulce de leche, Ashley enjoyed the toast with goat cheese and carmelized onion, and Linda thought Spain’s café con leche put American coffee to shame! Some food memories include Kelcie attempting to drink absinthe with Ashley and hating every minute of it and Linda accidentally pouring water all over the churros (and Ashley) because she was exhausted and mistook it for the powdered sugar. Blonde moment! Our favorite meal was at El Albur, including a spinach salad with fried goat cheese, fried mushrooms with more goat cheese and romesco sauce, tuna tataki, and baby bull that we cooked at the table on a castiron skillet. Mark managed to smoke up the entire restaurant while cooking the tbone.. he always makes an impression!

Another favorite was Café Lolina in Malasaña, where we ate breakfast twice.

Linda and Kelcie also really enjoyed Mercado San Miguel and tasting the wide variety of food offerings.

Since it was Linda and Kelcie’s first time in Madrid, they were also really wowed by the architecture. Linda loved the statues on top of buildings and Kelcie thought that the urban art was very cool.

The most notable annoyance in Madrid is the street vendors, especially the ones selling squeakers. They won’t leave you alone until you say no a bajillion times! We also had some mini-fracasos which included attempting to figure out how to use a Spanish payphone, having to haul four 45 pound bags up five flights of stairs, not having warm water on our second morning, and getting lost on the freeway just a few minutes ago. It’s always an adventure!!

Our favorite memory by far took place on our first night when we spent a few hours at Ashley’s (and Ari’s) favorite spot, Café Manuela.

The place was absolutely empty so we had the spot all to ourselves. We ordered a few drinks and played a drinking game that Kelcie and Ashley had played a million times in college but the old folks were completely new to. When you combine Mark’s terrible memory, Kelcie’s enduring patriotism, Linda’s immature laughter at the words “hairy balls”, and Ashley’s embarrassing stories about Kyle, it’s bound to be a tear-inducing, belly-aching good time. 

Next stop – San Sebastian!

As I type these words it is 9PM back home and 6AM Spain time. I should really be trying to squeeze in a couple more hours of sleep before the plane lands but I simply cannot. My mind is racing, scanning through image after image of my old home, Madrid. I can’t believe I am fortunate enough to be returning so soon! The visions are still so fresh in my mind, but I know that my brain cannot even come close to replicating the real thing. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people, the language, the subtle yet pervasive cultural idiosyncrasies – I will be immersed in it all in mere hours!! And just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, I get to share this incredible city with my parents and my best friend Kelcie.

            Although I am bursting with excitement for all of the destinations on my month long Eurotrip (Madrid, San Sebastian, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Ibiza, Madrid), it feels so right that I will be bookending my trip in the European city that I can truly call home. Madrid has etched a special place in my heart, and although I know my travel buddies are more excited for some other cities, I hope to dazzle them with all that Madrid has to offer. I want them to see what I see!

Welp, I’ve been avoiding this post because I’ve found it incredibly hard to write about an entire week of new adventures without going on for hours and hours. In summary, my spring break was absolutely incredible. Each of the destinations I visited had something unique to offer, and I couldn’t have been surrounded by a better group of people. Although the weather was a bit uncooperative, nothing could hold us back from seeing the sights, eating wonderful food, and overall just seizing the wonderful opportunities that we’ve been given.

Since I’m not prepared to write a detailed account of my entire week, and I currently have no access to the over 200 pictures that I took, here are some Google images that summarize how lucky I was to visit these three Grecian treasures.

Athens:

Mykonos:

Santorini:

Today I arrived in Marrakech, Morocco at around 4pm, here’s what happened next.

• Survived a taxi ride to the hotel. No lanes, no street signs/lights, and people using only the law of common sense to navigate the roads.
• Arrived at the hotel which is a desert paradise. Amazing pool, tennis/volleyball/etc courts, the works.
• went into downtown for a delicious meal called tagine, consisting of beef, artichoke hearts, peas, yummy spices, and most importantly HOT SAUCE.
• strolled through Medina, the old town, which smelled like jasmine and fresh soil. so fresh and natural
•  went to this crazy huge market called the souk during the evening. it’s indescribable, but basically they sell an incredible quantity of things including delicious fresh squeezed OJ, dried fruits and nuts, random knick-knacks, and some other incredible street food. the only English words the vendors know is “good,” “cheap,” “price,” and “for you, everything tonight is free.”
• got attacked by a monkey, no big deal. we were just walking around looking at stuff and all of a sudden a monkey was on my head. no warning. and the guy wouldn’t take the monkey off and just kept saying “no its okay, take a picture, take a picture” as i’m cracking up/freaking out. then when they finally got the monkey off me he tried to get my friend to pay him for attacking me with a monkey

I’ve only been in Africa for eight hours, and so much has already happened. I’m feeling like the luckiest girl in the world, this is not real life.

Today I decided to take a couple of hours to walk around the center of Madrid, all by myself!

Since I live on the outskirts of the city, I often find myself getting lost and/or relying on the metro to get from place to place. Mind you many times these places are less than five minutes walking distance apart and I still can’t figure out how to get from point A to point B. Feeling a little inept as of late, I decided to be a big girl, bring my map, and figure this city out.

And boy was it the best idea ever!

Although I’ve been all over the center of the city and I didn’t actually see anything new today, I gained a whole new perspective. I connected the dots from place to place, learned the main street names, and actually figured out what’s north, east, south, and west (a huge accomplishment considering my sense of direction).

Being alone on the journey really motivated me to soak in my surroundings. Everywhere I looked I found beauty - old buildings, statues on top of buildings (only in Madrid), flower covered fields, little kids laughing on the playground, and the list goes on and on.

Sun was shining, life slowed down, it was bliss. 

Since I lost my camera awhile back I couldn’t take pictures on my solo journey, so here are some Google images of sights I saw. And the weather looked like that too!

Puerta del Sol

Callao

Banco de España

Plaza de Cibeles

Puerta de Alcalá

Parque del Retiro

Happy Spring!

This weekend was.. weird. It had some definitely highlights and low points, and pretty much nothing in between.

The program organized our second mandatory group trip. Destination: Northern Spain, “la España Verde” (The part that rains a lot and is really green and lush).

At first, things seemed to be going swimmingly. Had early morning bus ride with great company, good conversation, and some awesome bread and cheese that Ari bought in Madrid the night before.

(insert  giant screech and car crash sound)

So turns out I am highly allergic to this unlabeled and delicious block of cheese. Here’s how the rest of the day went:

• About an hour after consumption my ears start feeling abnormally hot.
• At the rest stop i took off my scarf and noticed that my chest had been attacked by tiny red bumps.
• Took my first Benadryl, no affect.
• Arrived in Oviedo for a tour of the city. Couldn’t focus on any of it because I started to panic. Overheating, covered in red bumps, face is swelling, the works.
• Realized I was in a huge group and didn’t want to be “that girl” - the one who throws off all the plans because she’s freaking out over a little rash.
• Let things progress and notified the program director, Loli, at the end of the day that I was beginning to resemble a strawberry.
• Loli decided to make the bus driver stop at a pharmacy so that we could figure out what was wrong with me. Walked off the bus to chants of “ASHLEY, ASHLEY, ASHLEY.” Felt like a winner.
• Found out that I needed to get a shot in the butt to make me better. Was redirected to the doctor with Loli while the other 30 people on the trip went for a scenic walk by the water side. 
• Controlled my fear of injections in front of Loli and the doctor.
• Started to feel better almost immediately, arrived at the hotel, showered, and passed out.

While the rash was scary since I’ve never had a reaction like that, in the end it’s just kind of laughable. On both group trips I’ve had weird, debilitating sicknesses, so my terrible immune system was a fun topic for conversation. Although I was still a spotted creature for the duration of the trip, I took my meds and felt progressively better.

The next day we took a trip up to the Picos de Europa for one of the best days ever hosted by the program. Heres why:

The Picos are breathtakingly beautiful - its like God smooshed together everything wonderful in the world. There were lakes, rivers, oceans, snow capped mountains, grassy knolls, fields of flowers… all together in the same place. Needless to say, the beautiful scenery put everyone in a great mood.

Then we went to this very random and rural restaurant in the middle of literally NOWHERE. The place was incredible. They served us traditional food from the north of Spain and a generous helping of wine. Got our day drink on and basked in the sun . It was perfect. 

The rest of the vacation was just kind of weird - partly my own fault but also just strange overall. It’s not really post-worthy because I was kind of in a funk and so was everyone else. The Cliff Notes version is that we went to León and it rained a lot. However there was a bright side, which mostly revolved around food (shocking, I know). Zak, Ari, and I found the best Spanish food we will probably ever eat. Highlights include spicy sauce AND garlic sauce. It was a big deal. We also found a really famous ice cream shop called “Holy Cow,” where the featured flavor is laced with nutella. Nummmmm. We also met the shop owner, a really cool dude who knew 5 languages and has lived all over the world. 

So yeah, this weekend was just wonky. In fact, I used that word like 20 times an hour because I couldn’t find another one to adequately express my feelings.

Looking forward to the upcoming week/weekend. I’ve missed you, Madrid!