Blog: Entries Tagged With 'europe'
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Copenhagen Trip - Saturday, May 23, 2026
Because Priscilla constantly has the travel itch and because she found cheap airfare to Copenhagen aboard Scandinavian Airlines for $510 per round trip ticket, we found ourselves traveling once more, exploring Denmark's capital city for 9 days.
We were able to see my parents for Mothers Day, and my mom dropped us off at the LAX FlyAway to take the bus to the airport. A very convenient option for not having to drive through traffic ourselves.
The flight aboard Scandinavian was fairly comfortable. We'd opted for extra legroom ($69 per person each way) and it was worth not having to deal with leg cramps. But even with this plus a comfier than normal reclining seat, we were unable to get much sleep on the plane.
Day 1:
We touched down at Copenhagen Airport mid-afternoon Monday and took the metro to get to our Airbnb in Vesterbro, our home base for the whole trip. Priscilla had originally booked a hotel, but we wouldn't have a fridge there and I like having some home-cooked food during trips. That evening we just explored the area and went to two SuperBrugsen supermarkets and went to Döner Corner for shawarma, which is considered fast food here.
Day 2:
We had planned for a bike trip up to the Little Mermaid statue the next day, but we ran into issues authenticating a phone number on the Donkey Republic (a local bike share) app, so we ended up just walking to several places. Still, we ended up walking 10 miles between Nyhavn, Broens Street Food, Freetown Christiania, and more. We also learned how to pronounce "Nyhavn"—it's pronounced like "Nee hown". Danish is not a phonetic language and, while Google Translate was invaluable, the pronunciation of most words threw us for a loop.
Nyhavn looked almost as picturesque as what you see online, and we took a picture at what I think was the best vantage point. Broens had several stalls and our respective lunches were each around 130 Danish Krone (approximately $20), which seems like the typical price here for food that's not fast food. And Freetown, a self-governing commune, was interesting to see.
Day 3:
We activated our 5-day Copenhagen Card, which covers 80 attractions and public transport. We visited Ripley's Believe It or Not! and the Hans Christian Andersen Experience (located in the same building), Museum of Illusions, Guinness World Records Museum, and finally a canal boat tour. I thought that Ripley's was the best attraction overall; I enjoyed the various eclectic items and tidbits. Museum of Illusions had some cool optical illusions and a room with different puzzles. The Guinness Museum had displays on a lot of unusual records and some interactive exhibits. The most fun thing was doing pullups during the "1 minute pullup challenge." The world record for that is... a lot more than what I did.
Day 4:
This was our day trip to Helsingør. It normally takes an hour on the regional train, but since it was Ascension Day, our train made fewer stops and got there faster. The main activity was exploring Kronborg, a 16th-century castle known internationally as Elsinore due to having inspired the setting for Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Climbing the stairs to the top of the cannon tower and exploring the catacombs beneath the castle were my favorite parts. Also, they had wooden stilts out in the courtyard for anyone to try, something that you would never see in the US for so many reasons. I tried them but failed to stay on for more than a second. Afterwards, we had lunch at Elsinore Street Food (the local food hall) and saw a feeding at Øresund Aquarium, probably the smallest aquarium I've seen.
Day 5:
We walked 12.5 miles on Friday, the most we did of any given day. The majority of the day was spent at the Open Air Museum; I really enjoyed the exploration aspect combined with looking at old buildings from the 1600s and on, and seeing how construction methods evolved over the centuries. They too had wooden stilts out for people to try, and I was able to greatly improve my technique and walk around on them, albeit ungracefully.
After dinner, we visited Tivoli, the local amusement park. The rides were closed due to the concert that was going on, but it was nice to walk around and see all the lights as well as the Illuminations light show.
Day 6:
We went to IKONO (an immersive experience but a bit of a letdown), and then walked briefly through the Botanical Garden, Palm House, and Butterfly House. Then we hit up the Natural History Museum of Denmark, had pho for a late lunch, and finally saw a film at the Planetarium. It was cool to see the various collections and the nature photography at the Natural History Museum, but we're realizing that museums aren't really our thing.
Day 7:
Sunday kicked off with a visit to Elijah's Church where we attended a jazz service! This was a one hour service where in addition to traditional hymns, there was also jazz music during the interludes. There was also real wine during communion. The sermon was a bit short and didn't really touch on the gospel message, and I felt like there was way too much jazz. They apparently have this service every week, so I hope that while people might come for the jazz, they leave with a real understanding of the gospel.
After the service, we headed over to another church, Church of Our Saviour, to climb the famous staircase that winds around the spire. What a fantastic view of the city! We then took a short stroll through Freetown again, saw the Royal Library Garden, and finished with touring the ruins under the Christiansborg Palace.
Day 8:
This was our day trip to Malmö, Sweden. The main draw for Priscilla was the Disgusting Food Museum, where we learned about unfamiliar, unconventional, and downright "disgusting" things that various cultures eat. Then we got to try 20 or so of those things for ourselves! Priscilla ate everything except the final variety of hot sauce, which requires signing a waiver acknowledging that it can cause abdominal distress and that consuming it is downright idiotic. I ate everything except for that one and a worm and a beetle. I surprised myself since I tried more than I thought I would, including crickets and ants!
Afterwards, we got some normal food at the local food hall, Malmö Saluhall. Priscilla ordered meatballs and I ate a lunch that she had packed for me. But we did get ice cream from one of the stalls there and the quality was terrific. Afterwards, we walked through Slottsparken (the castle park) and Pildammsparken (Willowpond Park). The parks were lovely, and overall we enjoyed walking through Malmö a little better than Copenhagen since it's slightly less crowded.
Day 9:
Tuesday was our last full day and we made good use of it by walking 8.5 miles between Assistens Cemetery, The Little Mermaid statue, and Kastellet. Assistens Cemetery is a tranquil place and is as much a park as it is a cemetery. The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) is a 4-ft statue right off the shore and is often referred to on Tripadvisor as the "second most disappointing monument in Europe", right after the Manneken-Pis in Brussels. I can see why, as most people probably come here, take a picture, and leave. But for us, it was a nice point of interest on a longer walk and a relaxing place to rest. Kastellet, a historic star fortress, is nearby, so we took a stroll through there to wrap up the day.
Day 10:
After breakfast and cleaning up at our Airbnb, it was time to take the metro back to the airport. We were pretty tired from the long trip, so Priscilla managed to get some decent sleep on the plane, while I was only able to nap for a bit. Once we got back to the LAX FlyAway, my mom picked us up and drove us back to our car and gave us a lot of food to take home. She is very caring in that way.
Reflection:
Overall, we enjoyed our trip but were tired each day from all the activities. Each day back at the Airbnb, we would doze off and Priscilla would sometimes sleep for 2 or 3 hours. Finding the right amount of things to do each day is a balancing act, particularly when you're visiting a new location and there's no shortage of things to do and see—and especially when you have a city pass that covers more activities than you can realistically fit in.
Copenhagen is a unique place. It's dense and people are everywhere. Most people walk and/or cycle, and bikes are parked all around the city, sometimes in crowded bike lots. In fact, bicycles outnumber cars 5 to 1 here. It's a testament to intentional city planning and also a product of the city's geography. Denmark is also extremely safe. They're a high-trust society, and it was refreshing to see things like minimally-locked bikes being the norm and no turnstiles at metro and train stations.
And while food prices and living costs are high, it was cool that the country is basically cashless. We paid everything with a credit card and never needed cash.
While I was already longing for home halfway into the trip, in some ways I enjoyed it more than Priscilla did. She didn't care for all the walking (60+ miles total), and she wasn't impressed with Danish cuisine like smørrebrød, a traditional open-faced sandwich. But we're glad that we went, and she's already thinking about where she wants to go next—some place with cheap airfare AND better food!
We were able to see my parents for Mothers Day, and my mom dropped us off at the LAX FlyAway to take the bus to the airport. A very convenient option for not having to drive through traffic ourselves.
The flight aboard Scandinavian was fairly comfortable. We'd opted for extra legroom ($69 per person each way) and it was worth not having to deal with leg cramps. But even with this plus a comfier than normal reclining seat, we were unable to get much sleep on the plane.
Day 1:
We touched down at Copenhagen Airport mid-afternoon Monday and took the metro to get to our Airbnb in Vesterbro, our home base for the whole trip. Priscilla had originally booked a hotel, but we wouldn't have a fridge there and I like having some home-cooked food during trips. That evening we just explored the area and went to two SuperBrugsen supermarkets and went to Döner Corner for shawarma, which is considered fast food here.
Day 2:
We had planned for a bike trip up to the Little Mermaid statue the next day, but we ran into issues authenticating a phone number on the Donkey Republic (a local bike share) app, so we ended up just walking to several places. Still, we ended up walking 10 miles between Nyhavn, Broens Street Food, Freetown Christiania, and more. We also learned how to pronounce "Nyhavn"—it's pronounced like "Nee hown". Danish is not a phonetic language and, while Google Translate was invaluable, the pronunciation of most words threw us for a loop.
Nyhavn looked almost as picturesque as what you see online, and we took a picture at what I think was the best vantage point. Broens had several stalls and our respective lunches were each around 130 Danish Krone (approximately $20), which seems like the typical price here for food that's not fast food. And Freetown, a self-governing commune, was interesting to see.
Day 3:
We activated our 5-day Copenhagen Card, which covers 80 attractions and public transport. We visited Ripley's Believe It or Not! and the Hans Christian Andersen Experience (located in the same building), Museum of Illusions, Guinness World Records Museum, and finally a canal boat tour. I thought that Ripley's was the best attraction overall; I enjoyed the various eclectic items and tidbits. Museum of Illusions had some cool optical illusions and a room with different puzzles. The Guinness Museum had displays on a lot of unusual records and some interactive exhibits. The most fun thing was doing pullups during the "1 minute pullup challenge." The world record for that is... a lot more than what I did.
Day 4:
This was our day trip to Helsingør. It normally takes an hour on the regional train, but since it was Ascension Day, our train made fewer stops and got there faster. The main activity was exploring Kronborg, a 16th-century castle known internationally as Elsinore due to having inspired the setting for Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Climbing the stairs to the top of the cannon tower and exploring the catacombs beneath the castle were my favorite parts. Also, they had wooden stilts out in the courtyard for anyone to try, something that you would never see in the US for so many reasons. I tried them but failed to stay on for more than a second. Afterwards, we had lunch at Elsinore Street Food (the local food hall) and saw a feeding at Øresund Aquarium, probably the smallest aquarium I've seen.
Day 5:
We walked 12.5 miles on Friday, the most we did of any given day. The majority of the day was spent at the Open Air Museum; I really enjoyed the exploration aspect combined with looking at old buildings from the 1600s and on, and seeing how construction methods evolved over the centuries. They too had wooden stilts out for people to try, and I was able to greatly improve my technique and walk around on them, albeit ungracefully.
After dinner, we visited Tivoli, the local amusement park. The rides were closed due to the concert that was going on, but it was nice to walk around and see all the lights as well as the Illuminations light show.
Day 6:
We went to IKONO (an immersive experience but a bit of a letdown), and then walked briefly through the Botanical Garden, Palm House, and Butterfly House. Then we hit up the Natural History Museum of Denmark, had pho for a late lunch, and finally saw a film at the Planetarium. It was cool to see the various collections and the nature photography at the Natural History Museum, but we're realizing that museums aren't really our thing.
Day 7:
Sunday kicked off with a visit to Elijah's Church where we attended a jazz service! This was a one hour service where in addition to traditional hymns, there was also jazz music during the interludes. There was also real wine during communion. The sermon was a bit short and didn't really touch on the gospel message, and I felt like there was way too much jazz. They apparently have this service every week, so I hope that while people might come for the jazz, they leave with a real understanding of the gospel.
After the service, we headed over to another church, Church of Our Saviour, to climb the famous staircase that winds around the spire. What a fantastic view of the city! We then took a short stroll through Freetown again, saw the Royal Library Garden, and finished with touring the ruins under the Christiansborg Palace.
Day 8:
This was our day trip to Malmö, Sweden. The main draw for Priscilla was the Disgusting Food Museum, where we learned about unfamiliar, unconventional, and downright "disgusting" things that various cultures eat. Then we got to try 20 or so of those things for ourselves! Priscilla ate everything except the final variety of hot sauce, which requires signing a waiver acknowledging that it can cause abdominal distress and that consuming it is downright idiotic. I ate everything except for that one and a worm and a beetle. I surprised myself since I tried more than I thought I would, including crickets and ants!
Afterwards, we got some normal food at the local food hall, Malmö Saluhall. Priscilla ordered meatballs and I ate a lunch that she had packed for me. But we did get ice cream from one of the stalls there and the quality was terrific. Afterwards, we walked through Slottsparken (the castle park) and Pildammsparken (Willowpond Park). The parks were lovely, and overall we enjoyed walking through Malmö a little better than Copenhagen since it's slightly less crowded.
Day 9:
Tuesday was our last full day and we made good use of it by walking 8.5 miles between Assistens Cemetery, The Little Mermaid statue, and Kastellet. Assistens Cemetery is a tranquil place and is as much a park as it is a cemetery. The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) is a 4-ft statue right off the shore and is often referred to on Tripadvisor as the "second most disappointing monument in Europe", right after the Manneken-Pis in Brussels. I can see why, as most people probably come here, take a picture, and leave. But for us, it was a nice point of interest on a longer walk and a relaxing place to rest. Kastellet, a historic star fortress, is nearby, so we took a stroll through there to wrap up the day.
Day 10:
After breakfast and cleaning up at our Airbnb, it was time to take the metro back to the airport. We were pretty tired from the long trip, so Priscilla managed to get some decent sleep on the plane, while I was only able to nap for a bit. Once we got back to the LAX FlyAway, my mom picked us up and drove us back to our car and gave us a lot of food to take home. She is very caring in that way.
Reflection:
Overall, we enjoyed our trip but were tired each day from all the activities. Each day back at the Airbnb, we would doze off and Priscilla would sometimes sleep for 2 or 3 hours. Finding the right amount of things to do each day is a balancing act, particularly when you're visiting a new location and there's no shortage of things to do and see—and especially when you have a city pass that covers more activities than you can realistically fit in.
Copenhagen is a unique place. It's dense and people are everywhere. Most people walk and/or cycle, and bikes are parked all around the city, sometimes in crowded bike lots. In fact, bicycles outnumber cars 5 to 1 here. It's a testament to intentional city planning and also a product of the city's geography. Denmark is also extremely safe. They're a high-trust society, and it was refreshing to see things like minimally-locked bikes being the norm and no turnstiles at metro and train stations.
And while food prices and living costs are high, it was cool that the country is basically cashless. We paid everything with a credit card and never needed cash.
While I was already longing for home halfway into the trip, in some ways I enjoyed it more than Priscilla did. She didn't care for all the walking (60+ miles total), and she wasn't impressed with Danish cuisine like smørrebrød, a traditional open-faced sandwich. But we're glad that we went, and she's already thinking about where she wants to go next—some place with cheap airfare AND better food!
Barcelona - Monday, April 8, 2019
Priscilla and I took a vacation to Barcelona from February 23 to March 6. Why there? Mainly because she wanted to go somewhere international, and non-stop flights to Barcelona were pretty cheap ($350/person round trip on Google Flights with Iberia Airlines, contracted out to Level). So on Saturday, we boarded an 11-hour flight from SFO en route to BCN.
Day 1:
It was Sunday when we arrived. We took Aerobús to Plaça de Catalunya (the city centre), then walked to our Airbnb, a 6th floor apartment in a neighborhood close to La Rambla. Markets in the city are closed every Sunday, but restaurants are open. We ate dinner at a tapas place near our Airbnb, La Viena Blanca, which included patatas bravas (these are pretty common in Barcelona) and bombas picantes, the latter which we liked the most.
Day 2:
We first stopped by La Boqueria, the outdoor market, and bought zumo (fruit juice), an empanada, and a dish with potato and cheese. We bought groceries from Carrefour Market (we would end up visiting several times during our trip). We then joined five others at Foodie Experience Barcelona and learned how to make paella, sangria, and crema catalana from our welcoming host, Carmen. Each of us was given a different task, and mine was to make the sangria. We all got to cook our own crema catalana dish with a blowtorch. And then we got to eat everything! This was so fun and educational and was one of the highlights of our trip. We walked to Plaça de Catalunya for a free Gothic Quarter walking tour, but we were the only tourists there because it was not peak-season, so the guide canceled the tour. So we spent the rest of the day back at our Airbnb taking it easy.
Day 3:
We elected to start using our 3-day Barcelona Pass on this day and used it to visit 5 museums: Casa Batlló, Egyptian Museum of Barcelona, Casa de Les Punxes, Casa Milà, and the Museum of Modernism. So tiring! My favorites were Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, both designed by famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. His works are so creative and inspired, yet also thoughtfully functional.
Day 4:
We used our pass to see the city via the hop-on, hop-off bus (Barcelona Bus Turístic). The first stop we got off at was Parc Güell, a park designed by Gaudí. We decided not to pay to see the buildings there, but walking around the park and admiring the viaducts was enjoyable and relaxing. Our next stop was Camp Nou (the home stadium of Futbol Club Barcelona), where we toured the stadium from the locker room inside to the press boxes up top. Very cool. Then we got off at Poble Espanyol, where we walked around the quaint village, saw a film about how people in different regions of Spain hold celebrations, and visited a modern art museum. The village was pretty quiet and a third of the shops were closed, not that we minded. Finally we walked over to the nearby Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), which was closed for the day but had a really photogenic exterior.
Day 5:
The morning began with a 2.5-hour walking tour of the Old Town (I learned quite a bit about architecture), followed by L'Aquàrium Barcelona (they had a cool oceanarium but everything else was meh), Las Golondrinas for a boat tour of the city shoreline, and Museu de Cera (wax museum). All these were included with our Barcelona Pass. We definitely got our money's worth from that pass (it cost €116 and we used €226 worth of benefits).
Day 6:
We had originally planned to do a day trip to Sitges (a coastal town) on this day, but instead decided to take a rest day. And Priscilla's idea of a rest day is to eat, so we got tapas from Quimet & Quimet, pinchos from La Tasqueta de Blai and Blai 9, and finally chocolate con churros from La Churre. Each place was good in its own way, but we liked the quality of the food at Quimet & Quimet the most. Their signature dishes were the most enjoyable: mussels and caviar, and salmon with yogurt and truffled honey.
Day 7:
This was our day trip to Girona, another highlight. From Plaça de Catalunya, we rode a bus for a little over an hour to Girona, a city that feels like a mini Barcelona. Our guide Guillermo gave us a tour of the old part of the city including the outside of the Girona Cathedral and old Roman fortifications. Priscilla and I had time to explore on our own while most of the group headed out to another town (Figueres) on the optional part of the tour. We had seafood paella at Via Augusta (was alright) and explored everything from the city's distinctive bridges to walking atop the Roman wall. There's much to enjoy in the old part of the city, but the sweeping views from atop towers along the walls were probably my favorite. We ended our day trip by strolling through Parc de la Devesa before reuniting with the tour bus.
Day 8:
The day started with a couples photoshoot in the Gothic Quarter, from which we got some nice, professional-looking photos. Many museums in Barcelona are free to visit on the first Sunday of the month, and since this day was that, we visited MUHBA and enjoyed seeing the underground remains of the ancient Roman city of Barcino. Next, we tried to visit the Picasso Museum but found that tickets were sold out (they need to be reserved online ahead of time). So we consigned ourselves to finding lunch and settled on Taperia Princesa, where we had some decent tapas.
Day 9:
This was our day trip to Montserrat, which was my favorite part of the entire trip. Priscilla had purchased ToT Montserrat passes from Expedia which paid for everything: subway and train fare to get there, a cable car ride up the mountain, unlimited use of the funiculars, lunch (unfortunately the buffet place was closed, so we were only able to get selected items at the cafeteria), and admission to the Museo de Monserrat. Admission to the monastery is free, and there we enjoyed the grand architecture and saw the famous Virgin of Montserrat (La Moreneta) statue. We did the hardest hike up to the Sant Jeroni lookout point (and were rewarded with amazing panoramic views) and took a funicular back down to the village. We revisited the monastery towards the end of the day, after the tour busses had left, and were pleased to find the place almost empty. I enjoyed Montserrat for the hiking and architecture, both of which there are plenty of. If I could, I would stay overnight in a hostel here so that I could explore the area over the course of two days.
Day 10:
Priscilla liked Quimet & Quimet so much that we went back again for brunch. We had the two signature dishes again plus a few other things, but the signature dishes were still our favorites. Afterwards, we walked over to La Sagrada Familia for a pre-paid tour from a company called Visit Europa Today. Our guide Isaac had a deep knowledge of the place, but more importantly, his passion for the history and culture of La Sagrada Familia was evident. The tour was very helpful, as there's so much history that you would otherwise miss. My favorite part of the church was the polychromatic stained glass windows, which bathe the inside in a flood of multiple colors. The church was designed by Gaudí, who drew his inspiration from nature. Maybe that's why his works speak to me on a personal level. After La Sagrada Familia, we made an impromptu visit to the Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella (I enjoyed the beautiful fountains at the latter) before eating at La Viena Blanca again.
Day 11:
This was the last day of our trip and consisted pretty much of walking to Plaça de Catalunya, taking Aerobús back to the airport, and a 12-hour flight back home. The end of the flight was pretty turbulent and made me nauseous, and I arrived home still dizzy on top of being extremely tired. There's no place like home!
Barcelona was really enjoyable; the flights there and back less so (I don't enjoy being cooped up on a plane). We went when it wasn't peak season, fearing that the weather would be a little chilly. But it turned out to be fairly comfortable. The city is unfortunately known for pickpockets, so Priscilla and I tried to travel light with our valuables in inner pockets. We left the suitcases at home and managed to fit everything inside of two backpacks, my laptop bag, and a tote bag for food. We brought a few day's worth of clothes, and Priscilla washed our clothes at the halfway point during the trip. It's surprising how much space you can save when you really try to avoid packing non-essentials.
Maybe more so than on past trips, we tried to incorporate rest time so that we wouldn't feel overwhelmed. I think that helped me enjoy the trip more. Also, Priscilla tirelessly cooked food almost every day (hence the reason we went to Carrefour so frequently), so that helped us save money. Our total cost for this trip was $2605, cheaper than our trips to Hawaii and Ireland. And after travel credits from credit cards, it was $2127. Which seems very reasonable, all things considered.
Barcelona is a polyglot city with Spanish, Catalan and English seeming to be the predominant languages. The people that we interacted with there generally seemed to understand English, but once we got out of the city, it seemed like a smaller percentage of people spoke it. Priscilla and I had tried to re-learn some Spanish leading up to the trip, but I felt that my vocabulary during the trip was pretty lacking. It was enough to get by, but only barely. Every day I would pick up a little bit more Spanish, and sometimes Catalan since some signs were only in Catalan. Trying to learn a new language is hard enough, let alone two new languages at the same time! Google Translate was an invaluable tool.
Would I want to live in Barcelona? Not really. The city is pretty dense (1.6 million within city limits, making it the second most populous city in Spain) and felt busy. I can only imagine that it would be even busier during the peak tourism season. There is also a lot of graffiti around the city, including on historic buildings. Apparently graffiti there is associated more with free expression and political dissent than gang activity, but it was still off-putting to see, especially on buildings of historical importance.
But would I want to live somewhere else in Spain? Somewhere smaller and quieter? Maybe for a short period of time. The weather during our trip was nice and the food was generally a little cheaper compared to back home. But the most appealing thing would be being immersed in a culture and having to pick up the language. I probably wouldn't want to live there long-term, but staying for a couple months learning to get by might be fun. It aligns with my desire to learn to do life better. I've been spending more time learning Spanish since the trip, and Priscilla is planning for us to take a cruise to Mexico early next year. Hopefully by then my vocabulary will extend past just the menu at a restaurant!
Day 1:
It was Sunday when we arrived. We took Aerobús to Plaça de Catalunya (the city centre), then walked to our Airbnb, a 6th floor apartment in a neighborhood close to La Rambla. Markets in the city are closed every Sunday, but restaurants are open. We ate dinner at a tapas place near our Airbnb, La Viena Blanca, which included patatas bravas (these are pretty common in Barcelona) and bombas picantes, the latter which we liked the most.
Day 2:
We first stopped by La Boqueria, the outdoor market, and bought zumo (fruit juice), an empanada, and a dish with potato and cheese. We bought groceries from Carrefour Market (we would end up visiting several times during our trip). We then joined five others at Foodie Experience Barcelona and learned how to make paella, sangria, and crema catalana from our welcoming host, Carmen. Each of us was given a different task, and mine was to make the sangria. We all got to cook our own crema catalana dish with a blowtorch. And then we got to eat everything! This was so fun and educational and was one of the highlights of our trip. We walked to Plaça de Catalunya for a free Gothic Quarter walking tour, but we were the only tourists there because it was not peak-season, so the guide canceled the tour. So we spent the rest of the day back at our Airbnb taking it easy.
Day 3:
We elected to start using our 3-day Barcelona Pass on this day and used it to visit 5 museums: Casa Batlló, Egyptian Museum of Barcelona, Casa de Les Punxes, Casa Milà, and the Museum of Modernism. So tiring! My favorites were Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, both designed by famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. His works are so creative and inspired, yet also thoughtfully functional.
Day 4:
We used our pass to see the city via the hop-on, hop-off bus (Barcelona Bus Turístic). The first stop we got off at was Parc Güell, a park designed by Gaudí. We decided not to pay to see the buildings there, but walking around the park and admiring the viaducts was enjoyable and relaxing. Our next stop was Camp Nou (the home stadium of Futbol Club Barcelona), where we toured the stadium from the locker room inside to the press boxes up top. Very cool. Then we got off at Poble Espanyol, where we walked around the quaint village, saw a film about how people in different regions of Spain hold celebrations, and visited a modern art museum. The village was pretty quiet and a third of the shops were closed, not that we minded. Finally we walked over to the nearby Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), which was closed for the day but had a really photogenic exterior.
Day 5:
The morning began with a 2.5-hour walking tour of the Old Town (I learned quite a bit about architecture), followed by L'Aquàrium Barcelona (they had a cool oceanarium but everything else was meh), Las Golondrinas for a boat tour of the city shoreline, and Museu de Cera (wax museum). All these were included with our Barcelona Pass. We definitely got our money's worth from that pass (it cost €116 and we used €226 worth of benefits).
Day 6:
We had originally planned to do a day trip to Sitges (a coastal town) on this day, but instead decided to take a rest day. And Priscilla's idea of a rest day is to eat, so we got tapas from Quimet & Quimet, pinchos from La Tasqueta de Blai and Blai 9, and finally chocolate con churros from La Churre. Each place was good in its own way, but we liked the quality of the food at Quimet & Quimet the most. Their signature dishes were the most enjoyable: mussels and caviar, and salmon with yogurt and truffled honey.
Day 7:
This was our day trip to Girona, another highlight. From Plaça de Catalunya, we rode a bus for a little over an hour to Girona, a city that feels like a mini Barcelona. Our guide Guillermo gave us a tour of the old part of the city including the outside of the Girona Cathedral and old Roman fortifications. Priscilla and I had time to explore on our own while most of the group headed out to another town (Figueres) on the optional part of the tour. We had seafood paella at Via Augusta (was alright) and explored everything from the city's distinctive bridges to walking atop the Roman wall. There's much to enjoy in the old part of the city, but the sweeping views from atop towers along the walls were probably my favorite. We ended our day trip by strolling through Parc de la Devesa before reuniting with the tour bus.
Day 8:
The day started with a couples photoshoot in the Gothic Quarter, from which we got some nice, professional-looking photos. Many museums in Barcelona are free to visit on the first Sunday of the month, and since this day was that, we visited MUHBA and enjoyed seeing the underground remains of the ancient Roman city of Barcino. Next, we tried to visit the Picasso Museum but found that tickets were sold out (they need to be reserved online ahead of time). So we consigned ourselves to finding lunch and settled on Taperia Princesa, where we had some decent tapas.
Day 9:
This was our day trip to Montserrat, which was my favorite part of the entire trip. Priscilla had purchased ToT Montserrat passes from Expedia which paid for everything: subway and train fare to get there, a cable car ride up the mountain, unlimited use of the funiculars, lunch (unfortunately the buffet place was closed, so we were only able to get selected items at the cafeteria), and admission to the Museo de Monserrat. Admission to the monastery is free, and there we enjoyed the grand architecture and saw the famous Virgin of Montserrat (La Moreneta) statue. We did the hardest hike up to the Sant Jeroni lookout point (and were rewarded with amazing panoramic views) and took a funicular back down to the village. We revisited the monastery towards the end of the day, after the tour busses had left, and were pleased to find the place almost empty. I enjoyed Montserrat for the hiking and architecture, both of which there are plenty of. If I could, I would stay overnight in a hostel here so that I could explore the area over the course of two days.
Day 10:
Priscilla liked Quimet & Quimet so much that we went back again for brunch. We had the two signature dishes again plus a few other things, but the signature dishes were still our favorites. Afterwards, we walked over to La Sagrada Familia for a pre-paid tour from a company called Visit Europa Today. Our guide Isaac had a deep knowledge of the place, but more importantly, his passion for the history and culture of La Sagrada Familia was evident. The tour was very helpful, as there's so much history that you would otherwise miss. My favorite part of the church was the polychromatic stained glass windows, which bathe the inside in a flood of multiple colors. The church was designed by Gaudí, who drew his inspiration from nature. Maybe that's why his works speak to me on a personal level. After La Sagrada Familia, we made an impromptu visit to the Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella (I enjoyed the beautiful fountains at the latter) before eating at La Viena Blanca again.
Day 11:
This was the last day of our trip and consisted pretty much of walking to Plaça de Catalunya, taking Aerobús back to the airport, and a 12-hour flight back home. The end of the flight was pretty turbulent and made me nauseous, and I arrived home still dizzy on top of being extremely tired. There's no place like home!
Barcelona was really enjoyable; the flights there and back less so (I don't enjoy being cooped up on a plane). We went when it wasn't peak season, fearing that the weather would be a little chilly. But it turned out to be fairly comfortable. The city is unfortunately known for pickpockets, so Priscilla and I tried to travel light with our valuables in inner pockets. We left the suitcases at home and managed to fit everything inside of two backpacks, my laptop bag, and a tote bag for food. We brought a few day's worth of clothes, and Priscilla washed our clothes at the halfway point during the trip. It's surprising how much space you can save when you really try to avoid packing non-essentials.
Maybe more so than on past trips, we tried to incorporate rest time so that we wouldn't feel overwhelmed. I think that helped me enjoy the trip more. Also, Priscilla tirelessly cooked food almost every day (hence the reason we went to Carrefour so frequently), so that helped us save money. Our total cost for this trip was $2605, cheaper than our trips to Hawaii and Ireland. And after travel credits from credit cards, it was $2127. Which seems very reasonable, all things considered.
Barcelona is a polyglot city with Spanish, Catalan and English seeming to be the predominant languages. The people that we interacted with there generally seemed to understand English, but once we got out of the city, it seemed like a smaller percentage of people spoke it. Priscilla and I had tried to re-learn some Spanish leading up to the trip, but I felt that my vocabulary during the trip was pretty lacking. It was enough to get by, but only barely. Every day I would pick up a little bit more Spanish, and sometimes Catalan since some signs were only in Catalan. Trying to learn a new language is hard enough, let alone two new languages at the same time! Google Translate was an invaluable tool.
Would I want to live in Barcelona? Not really. The city is pretty dense (1.6 million within city limits, making it the second most populous city in Spain) and felt busy. I can only imagine that it would be even busier during the peak tourism season. There is also a lot of graffiti around the city, including on historic buildings. Apparently graffiti there is associated more with free expression and political dissent than gang activity, but it was still off-putting to see, especially on buildings of historical importance.
But would I want to live somewhere else in Spain? Somewhere smaller and quieter? Maybe for a short period of time. The weather during our trip was nice and the food was generally a little cheaper compared to back home. But the most appealing thing would be being immersed in a culture and having to pick up the language. I probably wouldn't want to live there long-term, but staying for a couple months learning to get by might be fun. It aligns with my desire to learn to do life better. I've been spending more time learning Spanish since the trip, and Priscilla is planning for us to take a cruise to Mexico early next year. Hopefully by then my vocabulary will extend past just the menu at a restaurant!
Recap of the Europe Trip - Wednesday, July 11, 2007
I'm back from Europe! Our 17-day tour was extremely long and tiring, yet fun and insightful. Here are the highlights of each day:
Day 1: June 21
3-hour flight from Los Angeles to Houston, then 9-hour flight from Houston to London. First time flying longer than one hour. Tried unsuccessfully to sleep in the plane to reduce jetlag. Found the TV displays behind every seat very cool, but the games were horrible and laggy.
Day 2: June 22
Met our tour guide, Liming Pan. Since the tour was supposed to be conducted in Mandarin Chinese, I was glad that she actually conducted in English and translated in Mandarin. In England we toured the Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world, and the oldest in continuous occupation. Stopped for pictures in front of Buckingham Palace, toured the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels, and the adjacent Tower Bridge.
Day 3: June 23
Eurostar train to Brussels, Belgium. Saw the Manneken Pis, a famous fountain statue of a boy urinating. Had mussels lunch in the Grand Place, the central marketplace. They looked at us funny when we asked for tap water, and they wouldn't allow us NOT to order bottled water. They took a long time preparing the food and since we had a tight schedule, we had to ask for a to-go box. This was also something they had no concept of, so they packed everything in a plastic margarine tub. Drove to the Netherlands, stopped in front of an old windmill for pictures, and took a canal cruise in Amsterdam.
Day 4: June 24
Visited a diamond cutting/polishing factory in Amsterdam where we saw a lot of expensive diamonds, including a 2-carat selling for 32,000 euros. Drove to Cologne, Germany where we visited its Cathedral. Took a cruise on the Rhine River, and had pig knuckles and non-alcoholic beer for dinner.
Day 5: June 25
Toured the Heidelberg Castle, learned about the construction of cuckoo-clocks at a shop at Lake Titisee in the Black Forest, stopped for pictures at the Rhine Falls.
Day 6: June 26
Explored the center of Lucerne, Switzerland. Visited some large shops selling watches and Victorinox knives. Saw the Lion Monument, a memorial to the Swiss Guards killed during the French Revolution. Saved money on lunch by getting food from a supermarket, which was a large building with two stories and an escalator. Had a meager Fondue dinner that cost 170 Swiss Francs (about $144).
Day 7: June 27
Visited Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, a tiny country I never knew existed. Saw the ski jump, the Golden Roof, and the Swarovski store in Innsbruck, Austria.
Day 8: June 28
Explored Salzburg to see sites where "The Sound of Music" was filmed, and the house where Mozart was born.
Day 9: June 29
Toured the Schönbrunn Palace, often dubbed the Austrian Versailles, in Vienna. Went on a drive through the city to see the Vienna Opera House, and the Hofburg and City Hall buildings.
Day 10: June 30
Took a ferry to Venice, explored the city, took a gondola ride through the Grand Canal and smaller canals, walked on the Rialto Bridge, saw the Bridge of Sighs, and stood in the plaza of St. Mark's Basilica trying to woo pigeons.
Day 11: July 1
Saw two replicas of Michaelangelo's David statue in Florence, the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and wandered through the huge Peruzzi leather store.
Day 12: July 2
Spent the first half of the day in Rome, where we toured St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, the Colosseum, Constantine's Triumphal Arch, the Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain. The rest of the day was spent traveling to the city of Lucca in Tuscany, where we had a four-course Tuscan dinner at our hotel.
Day 13: July 3
Went onto the grounds of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Lost five euros in video poker at a casino in beautiful Monte Carlo, Monaco. Traveled to the French city of Nice where we walked along the completely rocky Mediterranean shoreline.
Day 14: July 4
Explored Avignon, the residence of seven popes during the Avignon Papacy. Had lunch at a McDonald's where the lines were incredibly slow because people don't get out until they've received all their food at the register.
Day 15: July 5
Arrived in Paris in the afternoon. Went up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, took pictures of the panoramic view of the city, and took the stairs all the way back down. Took a cruise on the Seine River where we saw Notre Dame and other sights. Had escargo and goose liver in a five-course French dinner.
Day 16: July 6
Toured the interior and a bit of the gardens at the Versailles Palace. Saw many statues and paintings, including the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre Museum. Posed for pictures in front of the Arc De Triomphe. Wandered around the huge Galeries Lafayette department store.
Day 17: July 7
Our homebound flights from Paris to Houston, and Houston to Los Angeles.
Some things of interest that make Europe different from the United States:
Whew. So what was Europe? Incredibly fun. Incredibly tiring. Definitely worth it. I don't think I'd ever want to go on a trip like this again though, at least not for so long! In a tour things feel rushed and you don't get much free time to take everything in at your own pace. But I had a good time. Now I can say that I've been to all these places.
Europe also made me appreciate things in the United States that I've taken for granted. Like sunny weather (it rained almost every day for the first two weeks), free water in restaurants, not having to pay to use restrooms, and the relatively low cost of living. Even concerning housing—I thought prices of houses were high in California, until I saw places in Europe where people pay much more, for flats.
So that was the trip in a nutshell. Now it's back to reality once again.
Day 1: June 21
3-hour flight from Los Angeles to Houston, then 9-hour flight from Houston to London. First time flying longer than one hour. Tried unsuccessfully to sleep in the plane to reduce jetlag. Found the TV displays behind every seat very cool, but the games were horrible and laggy.
Day 2: June 22
Met our tour guide, Liming Pan. Since the tour was supposed to be conducted in Mandarin Chinese, I was glad that she actually conducted in English and translated in Mandarin. In England we toured the Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world, and the oldest in continuous occupation. Stopped for pictures in front of Buckingham Palace, toured the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels, and the adjacent Tower Bridge.
Day 3: June 23
Eurostar train to Brussels, Belgium. Saw the Manneken Pis, a famous fountain statue of a boy urinating. Had mussels lunch in the Grand Place, the central marketplace. They looked at us funny when we asked for tap water, and they wouldn't allow us NOT to order bottled water. They took a long time preparing the food and since we had a tight schedule, we had to ask for a to-go box. This was also something they had no concept of, so they packed everything in a plastic margarine tub. Drove to the Netherlands, stopped in front of an old windmill for pictures, and took a canal cruise in Amsterdam.
Day 4: June 24
Visited a diamond cutting/polishing factory in Amsterdam where we saw a lot of expensive diamonds, including a 2-carat selling for 32,000 euros. Drove to Cologne, Germany where we visited its Cathedral. Took a cruise on the Rhine River, and had pig knuckles and non-alcoholic beer for dinner.
Day 5: June 25
Toured the Heidelberg Castle, learned about the construction of cuckoo-clocks at a shop at Lake Titisee in the Black Forest, stopped for pictures at the Rhine Falls.
Day 6: June 26
Explored the center of Lucerne, Switzerland. Visited some large shops selling watches and Victorinox knives. Saw the Lion Monument, a memorial to the Swiss Guards killed during the French Revolution. Saved money on lunch by getting food from a supermarket, which was a large building with two stories and an escalator. Had a meager Fondue dinner that cost 170 Swiss Francs (about $144).
Day 7: June 27
Visited Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, a tiny country I never knew existed. Saw the ski jump, the Golden Roof, and the Swarovski store in Innsbruck, Austria.
Day 8: June 28
Explored Salzburg to see sites where "The Sound of Music" was filmed, and the house where Mozart was born.
Day 9: June 29
Toured the Schönbrunn Palace, often dubbed the Austrian Versailles, in Vienna. Went on a drive through the city to see the Vienna Opera House, and the Hofburg and City Hall buildings.
Day 10: June 30
Took a ferry to Venice, explored the city, took a gondola ride through the Grand Canal and smaller canals, walked on the Rialto Bridge, saw the Bridge of Sighs, and stood in the plaza of St. Mark's Basilica trying to woo pigeons.
Day 11: July 1
Saw two replicas of Michaelangelo's David statue in Florence, the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and wandered through the huge Peruzzi leather store.
Day 12: July 2
Spent the first half of the day in Rome, where we toured St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, the Colosseum, Constantine's Triumphal Arch, the Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain. The rest of the day was spent traveling to the city of Lucca in Tuscany, where we had a four-course Tuscan dinner at our hotel.
Day 13: July 3
Went onto the grounds of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Lost five euros in video poker at a casino in beautiful Monte Carlo, Monaco. Traveled to the French city of Nice where we walked along the completely rocky Mediterranean shoreline.
Day 14: July 4
Explored Avignon, the residence of seven popes during the Avignon Papacy. Had lunch at a McDonald's where the lines were incredibly slow because people don't get out until they've received all their food at the register.
Day 15: July 5
Arrived in Paris in the afternoon. Went up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, took pictures of the panoramic view of the city, and took the stairs all the way back down. Took a cruise on the Seine River where we saw Notre Dame and other sights. Had escargo and goose liver in a five-course French dinner.
Day 16: July 6
Toured the interior and a bit of the gardens at the Versailles Palace. Saw many statues and paintings, including the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre Museum. Posed for pictures in front of the Arc De Triomphe. Wandered around the huge Galeries Lafayette department store.
Day 17: July 7
Our homebound flights from Paris to Houston, and Houston to Los Angeles.
Some things of interest that make Europe different from the United States:
- Everything from homes to roads and vehicles to meals is smaller in Europe.
- For large vehicles like coaches and semis, their speed limit on highways depends on the amount of tax paid. The higher the tax, the faster they get to drive. This is done to try to control air pollution.
- Commercial drivers are also required to take a vacation day every so often, and cannot drive more than a certain amount of hours each day. Their vehicles are equipped with instruments that keep a continuous record of operation and speed, and are readable by law enforcement.
- Toilets are in many areas called water closets (often abbreviated WC), and many have flushing switches that can start and stop flushing on command to save water.
- An umbrella is an essential thing to carry, because rain is very unpredictable. It might be clear one minute and pouring heavily the next, and vice-versa.
- Euro banknotes vary in physical size—the larger the denomination, the larger the dimensions. I'm guessing this is to expedite recognition and sorting.
Whew. So what was Europe? Incredibly fun. Incredibly tiring. Definitely worth it. I don't think I'd ever want to go on a trip like this again though, at least not for so long! In a tour things feel rushed and you don't get much free time to take everything in at your own pace. But I had a good time. Now I can say that I've been to all these places.
Europe also made me appreciate things in the United States that I've taken for granted. Like sunny weather (it rained almost every day for the first two weeks), free water in restaurants, not having to pay to use restrooms, and the relatively low cost of living. Even concerning housing—I thought prices of houses were high in California, until I saw places in Europe where people pay much more, for flats.
So that was the trip in a nutshell. Now it's back to reality once again.
Update from Florence - Monday, July 2, 2007
It's now morning and we're in Florence, Italy. I'm using the Internet in my room through the TV with a wireless keyboard. It should cost 8 euros but the service has been spotty so they're not charging us for it.
So Italy has been... hot. We've been walking outside for hours each day and I've got plenty of sunburns despite having sunblock on. Other than that, seeing all these places has been awesome, and slightly overwhelming. We're on to France tonight after visiting Pisa and Monte Carlo. Maybe I'll gamble more than the $2 that I played in Las Vegas...
So Italy has been... hot. We've been walking outside for hours each day and I've got plenty of sunburns despite having sunblock on. Other than that, seeing all these places has been awesome, and slightly overwhelming. We're on to France tonight after visiting Pisa and Monte Carlo. Maybe I'll gamble more than the $2 that I played in Las Vegas...
Update from Salzburg - Wednesday, June 27, 2007
I finally managed to get my hands on a free computer at the hotel we stayed at last night. This is harder than it might sound, since everything in Europe (at least the tourist spots) costs money—and lots of it. You can't get tap water in restaurants for free, you have to pay to use the restroom (which they call a water closet or W.C. for short), and the list goes on and on.
So that's the short update for now. Europe has been fun but extremely tiring. We're in Salzburg, Austria right now and will be headed down to Italy in a couple days. A few days in Italy and a few more in France and will conclude the trip. Ok... I'm done. It took too long to write this because this computer uses a German keyboard layout. More blogging when I get back home! Or if I find another free computer.
So that's the short update for now. Europe has been fun but extremely tiring. We're in Salzburg, Austria right now and will be headed down to Italy in a couple days. A few days in Italy and a few more in France and will conclude the trip. Ok... I'm done. It took too long to write this because this computer uses a German keyboard layout. More blogging when I get back home! Or if I find another free computer.
Bon Voyage! - Wednesday, June 20, 2007