A semester in Barcelona and all the adventures that come with it
It rained every day I spent in Krakow. Even when it wasn’t raining, clouds covered the sun and the air had a damp moisture. The cold weather made outdoor excursions feel like a trek, but Krakow also felt like a city that can be enjoyed from the inside. Its UNESCO ranked old town (in fact …
Aix-en-Provence seemed like the perfect spot for middle-aged vacationers and retirees seeking a South of France getaway. Known for its lavender, soap and slow pace of life, it’s easy to see why. Aix-en-Provence, Aix for short, is a relaxing university city with a condensed downtown oozing of classic architecture and shops you can easily pop-in …
After a tight connection from city bus to our Flix Bus, we were on our way to France. The double decker comfortable ride was stiffened by almost standstill traffic for probably the first 30 minutes of the trip. Our bus ended up arriving to Nice over an hour past the E.T.A. Luckily, the sweet couple …
Optimistic and well-rested from the train, we arrived at the building of our Airbnb, or at least what we thought was its building in Genoa, Italy. After not hearing back from our host despite several messages, we contacted him through whatsapp, and then we called – no response. Minutes turned into over an hour, to …
Continue reading "Focaccia, Farinata and Friends in Liguria, Italy"
Throughout my semester in Spain every weekend trip I’ve taken has been solo (not counting my program’s mandatory trip to Tarragona). But for Spring Break I planned a two-week-long journey through Northern Italy and the French Riviera with two of my best friends. It felt exciting to explore grand European destinations with people I have …
A mural recreation of the infamous Picasso work Guernica isn’t particularly charming. Other than the red-brick Spanish gable roofs, its buildings exude practicality over style, but for good reason. Ingrained in the global historical memory of the Spanish Civil War, thanks to the immense media coverage it received and the infamous Picasso work, is the …
Some cities seem defined by their bridges. Pittsburgh’s iconic yellow three sisters’ bridges are just a few of the many that reach across the rivers. Wroclaw, Poland is known as the city of 100 bridges. Venice’s romantic gothic bridges are said to characterize the city as much as the canals they stretch over. And Bilbao, …
As I write this, I’m sitting on a train from Bilbao to Barcelona. My fingers extend from the home row keys while my gaze is fixed to the window where lush green mountains and valleys carve the landscape. Along the route I’ve see small lambs running to their mothers, amateur soccer teams setting up games, …
Continue reading "Why I Prefer Train Travel to Plane Travel"
I usually find it trite when someone captions their travel posts with a geographically-oriented song title or line. Ed Sheeran lyrics while standing in front of Sagrada Familia? How inventive! The concrete jungle is where dreams are made of? Who would have guessed! But despite my sarcastic critiques of these overdone lyrically-oriented captions, I found …
The palace and the city behind it Vienna is known for its café culture. Trendy coffee shops across the city offer retreats for freelancers, students and visitors looking to rest their feet. There were several spots that caught my eye, but after having been away from my two cats at home for three months, I …
To Barna & Beyond 