Budapest!

Our next stop was Budapest. I had heard really great things about this city and we decided to spend my birthday here. Also, two of my friends living in Barcelona (Lee and Luisa) and I had planned to be there at the same time. We did a lot of eating, touring, relaxing, bar hopping, and hanging out around the Jewish Quarter. It was wonderful.
The first night we went to have dinner at Leitz Frank Square, a two-sided street full of outdoor restaurants and bars. We met my friend Lee there and ended up having a feast at Bohemia. We had duck liver, steak, breaded wienerschnitzel, a big salad, and a cheese dish, as well as big beers typical of Hungary.
Afterwards we headed to "A83" which is a boat party. A big boat is docked on the harbor and has a bar, dance floor with DJ's, and nice places to sit outside and enjoy the city view at night. We tried the famous polinka shots which we were not so found of, but when in Hungary right?
The next day we went to the Szechenyi Bath and Spa, which is the biggest thermal bath in Budapest. It was my birthday and all I wanted to do was relax and be in the sun. We went all day and even got massages, it was amazing. Later we had dinner in the Jewish quarter and went to a cool bar in an abandoned jewish building called Simpla. The Jewish quarter was full of life and bars. It was a great birthday spent with great people in a new city.
The next day we headed to see the Jewish synagogue and then took the free walking tour of the city. We saw both the BUDA and PEST sides. We went all the way up to the castle and got a great view of the city (also got lucky and saw 5 weddings) and ate delicious pastries (one filled with apples and the other with cottage cheese mmm mmm). It was our last night before the girls headed off to Italy, so we bought some hungarian wine and got ready for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Karma in the Leitz Frank Square and really enjoyed our meal (my new obsession was goulash). That night there was a huge thunderstorm, so after dinner we headed to our hostel. The girls left early in the AM and I went to tour the inside of the Jewish synagogue, see the cemetery, tree of life, the Jewish ghetto and outdoor market. It was beautiful and I was happy how the Jewish quarter was such a big part of the city. On the tour I meet some new friends and we headed to the Simpla bar afterwards. We watched the Spain vs. Italy game for the Eurocup 2012 (Wooooo viva España!). I had my last goulash for dinner with Luisa before before going back to Barcelona.

Hungarian feast! 

A83

A83

 

 Szechenyi Bath and Spa

Szechenyi Bath and Spa 

Szechenyi Bath and Spa

Simpla Bar

Simpla Bar 

Jewish Synagogue

Ibiza & Formentera

When most people think of Ibiza, they think party party. What I was most excited about were the pretty beaches. Two friends from the US visited me (Gena and Dana) and we traveled to a few places, our first stop was Ibiza. It was a beautiful island with an energetic crowd ready to enjoy the night festivities.
The life in Ibiza was something like this:
Lay out all day on the beach, swim in the water while dancing to the music from the beach parties, eat good meals, and get ready to go out all night long. Then head to the beach for sunrise. Repeat.

Our first night we went to a club called El Paradis for the fiesta de agua (water party) that friends had recommended to me. This was an incredible party and was like nothing I had done before. When I was told to wear a bathing suit and a dress I did not care for, I knew it would be completely different than the usual clubs I was used to. At first it was like any typical club, people dancing and go go dancers in 80's outfits dancing above your head. The dance floor was in the form of a circle and at around 4am water started pouring in from every direction and suddenly there was a pool beneath us. Bathing suits started coming out and people are dancing and playing in the water. It was great. One of the best clubs I have been to, hands down. After some hours in the water at the club, we headed to the beach in our wet bathing suits.

The next day we headed to Formentera by ferry. People had mentioned to me how beautiful this island was, but seeing it in person really had me blown away . As most of you know, I love going to the beach so when I see a beach like this, it's hard for me to leave. Its white sand feeling softer than ever and clear turquoise/blue water made it breathtaking. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. We also ate a delicious meal in Formentera- fresh caprese salad and pizza. As we were leaving, we had the chance to see the sunset which was very pretty.
Unfortunately we only had time to stay for the day and had to return to Ibiza for our last night out. We went to a club called Space which in my opinion was just okay. The next day was our last day, spent it on Playa d'en Bossa again enjoying the sun. My friend who lives in Ibiza came to visit and we all had lunch before heading back to Barcelona to get ready for our next trip.

Formentera

Formentera                                     

Formentera

Formentera

Formentera

Formentera

Formentera

Formentera

Formentera

Formentera

Nit de Montjuic

It amazes me still how a city can have something going on every weekend and many of these events or festivals being free to the public. This past weekend there were three different festivals going on at the same time in Barcelona. There were fiestas mayores de Raval, fiestas mayores de Poble Sec, and Nit de Montjuic. In Barcelona, during the summer, each neighborhood has a festival to celebrate their neighborhood. So this weekend, the neighborhoods of Raval and Poble Sec had their own parties. These neighborhood parties usually last from a weekend to a week long. There are bands playing, several stands that serve food and alcohol, and people celebrating all night long in the streets.

Nit de Montjuic was on Saturday night. It is an event where around 20 different bands play all in different parts of Montjuic (even the castle all the way up top and the olympic stadium) starting at 8pm and ending at 4am-- oh and all for free. It was one of my favorite events held in Barcelona, definitely exceeded my expectations. 

After visiting la fiesta del Raval for a little and seeing an amazing view of Barcelona from a hotel bar in Raval, we headed to Montjuic around 1200am. We went straight to the castle after walking to MNAC. We admired the views from the castle, heard a flamenco band inside the castle, and then walked outside to see hear and dance to amazing techno/dub step DJ's. We danced all night listening to fun music. I could have not asked for a better night!! 

Porto

I remember loving Portugal when I went with my parents three years ago. This time I decided to visit the north of Portugal to experience more. The food, people, and different neighborhoods make this country so special. Porto was much smaller than Lisbon making is very easy to get around and explore the city. Before arriving we checked the weather and saw that the next four days were supposed to rain consecutively- we weren't too trilled about this, but somehow got lucky and saw the sun for the majority of the trip. We stayed at a great hotel in the center. We ate incredibly well- tried bacalao (codfish) four different ways (fun fact: there are over 300 ways to make bacalao in Portugal), drank delicious Portuguese wine, and went wine tasting at the Oporto vineyards. 

Highlights of the trip: 

• The Ribera (quickly became my favorite spot of they city) is the typical neighborhood of Porto, it is on the lake with the view of bridges and houses on the mountains and across the lake are the Oporto wineries.
• The wonderful food: we loved the Bacalao, different wines we tasted, the pastries (pastel de belém was a favorite, and cheese pairings. 
• A day cruise along the Ribera through the 6 bridges-- it was so nice, especially in the beautiful sunny weather. 
• Going wine tasting in the Oporto wineries to try the sweet Oporto wines (we also got a free tour of the Croft winery). 
• Riding the funicular through the city and seeing the pretty views from above.
• Experiencing the busy nightlife in the center. 

       

La Ribera

Bacalao Feast