Sisters & Sangria; Barcelona, Spain

If there is one thing I love most about living in Europe, it's how easy it is to hop from one country to another.  Want to go to another country on the weekend? No problem! Book some cheap flights and explore your heart out before the weekend is up and Monday graces us with its presence.What makes this scenario even better is when your sister-in-law also lives in Europe and shares your passion for traveling.

A couple weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Alex, and I were chatting about her upcoming road trip to a few cities in France and her final stop, Barcelona.  Well after about 2 messages back and forth I was officially tagging along to spend some time with her in Spain.  Barcelona was a blast.  I am pretty confident that anywhere the two of us went we would have fun, but we really enjoyed this city.  Despite the frequent stinky smell on the streets, rolling my ankle while climbing a mountain, and gaining 45 pounds from the fried food we devoured, it was a fantastic trip.  I mean look at this row of buildings....

Alex arrived later in the evening, so we headed out for some dinner and drinks at TapasTapas, which we found to be a popular little restaurant chain in this city. We ate quite a few plates of tapas (the word for appetizers or snacks in Spanish cuisine).  My favorites dishes were the very popular "patatas bravas", potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce and mayo and "paella" a rice dish traditionally mixed with seafood and vegetables. Both of these were offered at every place we dined!  After dinner we walked around the art museum, Museu Nacional d'Art de Cataluyna.  The building itself was a piece of art.  Completed in the late 1920s, it was stunning!    Since we were on a tight budget, didn't go inside, but added it to the list of things we are going to do when we return to Barcelona!

The next two days went by in a blur.  And not from how much sangria we drank but from how much fun we had! I think I could be a tour guide of this city from how much we walked and biked.  MILES AND MILES.  They say it's the best way to see the city, and I have to agree.

Let's talk about something, or should I say someone, that got me really excited.  The famous architect from the area, Antoni Gaudi.  Gaudi's work was influenced by two passions in life; nature and religion, the latter earning him the nickname of "God's architect."   His works can be found all over Barcelona and are truly remarkable.  The most famous, Sagrada Familia. No picture could EVER show the grandeur or detail of this place.  It looks like a giant sand castle. No disrespect, Gaudi! But then again, the man loved nature, so that could be a compliment...Construction started in 1882, and it isn't expected to be finished until 2026.  It's neat to be able to say we saw this work of art in the process of being created!

Continuing on with Gaudi, here are a few of his other notable works.

Casa Batllo, my favorite and another place we didn't go into...to expensive for us budget gals.  Added it to the to-do list! 

Park Guell is another place filled with Gaudi's creations.

After walking all morning, Alex and I brought our lunch to the park and parked our bums to take a rest.  This was our view...with Sagrada Familia in the distance as well as the Mediterranean Sea, it was a perfect picnic spot. 

Snacking on plums.  There were fruit stands everywhere in the city! All selling super cheap fruit.  

My sister-in-law has mountain radar. If there is a mountain near us that you can hike, she can sniff it out from a mile away.  After downing our lunch, we (Alex) found this creepy path that looked like it lead to nothing. We climbed and we climbed and BOOM! A 360 degree view of Barcelona.  It was breathtaking.  

This is the hill where we met some new friends from Hogwarts; Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley. But really, we chatted with two British travelers who were absolutely hilarious who actally played along like they were from the Harry Potter series-our Harry Potter lovin' hearts were full.  Another highlight of traveling; you meet the most memorable people!  If you are reading this, Neville (I forgot your real name), contact me so I can set you up with Alex! Wink, wink!  

Casa Mila is another popular Gaudi building to visit.  Alex and I decided to spluge and take a special night time tour of this place with a rooftop light show, a glass of champagne, and a new Australian friend to conclude. Definitely a night to remember.  

Our last day in Barcelona we rented bikes and biked everywhere!  I love the bike life.  This day consisted of beach and sangria.  What more could you want out of life?  I have never been to a beach this crowded...also I realize you can barely see me because I look like a ghost compared to Alex's tan. 

 After Spain, our dynamic duo has explored 5 foreign countries together.  I feel humbled to be able to say that! God blessed me when He brought T into my life, and then again when his family became my own.  I have come to adore my sister-in-law like she has been my sister forever.  Looking forward to many more explorations with you, Alex! But what we really care about? Our traditional jump pic.

 

Barcelona, we'll see you again in 2026 when we have more time and money!

Until Next Time,
Always 

Frolicking Among the Ruins; Athens, Greece

I can officially yell the word, "OPA," and guiltlessly eat blocks of feta cheese because, hey, we went to Greece, and I'm married to a Greek, which automatically makes me Greek, right?  YES.

This trip was spent admiring the ancient Grecian ruins, eating delicious food, and spending time with my husband's Greek family in Athens.  One of the oldest cities in the world, and the capital of Greece, this weekend getaway was a good choice. We also were able to share this weekend with T's sister who jetted over from France to meet us! I married into a culturally diverse family. 

And now, a little overview of our adventure!

Day 1:

After arriving in Athens and getting settled in our cute little Airbnb, T and I headed to spend the evening with his family!  Imagine My Big Fat Greek Wedding and you'll get a perfect vision of how our night went.  Lots of family members, hugs, loud conversation, and wine was the perfect way to start our night.  They wined and dined us at a traditional Greek restaurant they often frequent, so I was basically drooling in anticipation of this dinner.  Lamb, pork, chicken liver, greek salad, FETA, and the best tzatziki sauce in the world were just a few of the items we devoured that night.  We left full and happy, ready to start our full day of sightseeing the next morning!

Hipster pic.

 

For real though, look at Theo's uncle...second uncle? Too many relatives to keep up how they are all related...totally played a lead in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  

Day 2: Greek Ruins 

This day was jammed pack with sightseeing.  The Acropolis, Zeus Temple, Temple of Athena, Olympic Stadium just to name a few.  It was truly remarkable to see these structures, some dating back to the 5th century (500-401 BC).  I snapped roughly 78 pictures of the stray cats in Athens, but didn't get one good picture of the Parthenon.  

Odeon of Herodes theatre completed in 161 AD

View of the Temple of Zeus built between 472-456 BC

One of my favorite pictures from this trip, the Temple of Athena Nike built in 420 BC

Athena's sacred olive tree.  Legend says that Zeus presented a contest between Athena and Poseidon for the ownership of Athens.  During the battle, Poseidon smashed his trident on the Acropolis land and a salt spring was created while Athena produced an olive tree with thousands of  ripe olives.  The city is named Athens, can you guess who won?  The Athenians chose Athena's gift of the olive tree and from then on the tree became a symbol of Greece.  The olive tree above is not the original tree of Athena, but is believed that this tree was planted in the same place as the original.  

Greek Mythology rocks my socks.  

After we hiked back down from the Acropolis, we headed over to get a close up view of the Temple of Zeus.  

View of Acropolis from the Temple of Zeus 

Awkwardly posing with Acropolis 

And a few more pictures of the Temple! 

After checking out these ruins, we headed to the Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.  SO friggin' awesome.  This stadium was orignially built in 566 BC and has been renovated many times since.  It also holds the title of being the only stadium in the world built entirely by marble.  We walked through a super nifty exhibit about the previous games and saw many of the Olympic torches on display.  It was truly remarkable to see!  To finish our visit here, the three of us ran a lap around the track.  T ran it barefoot....no thank you. 

Last but not least, a few artsy pictures of the city.  Obviously including doors and plants because that's all I take pictures of.  And cats. Always cats.   

This was another amazing get-away to experience with family especially my sister-in-law.  I'm looking forward to getting back to Greece to explore the islands! Until then I will be dreaming of tzatziki sauce.  

OPA! 

Until Next Time, 

Always