Semana Santa: Rome

All roads lead to Rome.  And that’s a good thing because a European fling would not be complete without it.  We rode in by bus during a thunderstorm and found our way to Trastavere where we would be staying for our week in the legendary city. 

Legendary not in the least was the food: pizza, everywhere; and then… more pizza.  The Romans know how to eat!  For being so amazingly simple (often only a single topping, if that) the pizza has a truly unique flavor; a combination of much coveted old family recipes for sauces and dough, wood-fired to perfection and laden with local cheeses and farm fresh produce toped with spice-infused olive oils, and all worth a gladiator fight to the death. 

After pizza, we strolled through Trastavere, a trendy neighborhood built on one of the seven hills constituting the city layout.  It was an eclectic mixture of ancient architecture with modern conveniences. Every street was lined with pizza cafes, clothing shops, leather stores, art galleries, gelaterias, and specialty wine and cheese rooms.  From there, we crossed the Tiber on a bridge that had a spectacular view of St. Peter’s dome in the distance.  Ten minutes later we were in the heart of the ancient city.

A park we found in our neighborhood

The view of St. Peters from the bridge by our apartment.

There are no words to describe how incredibly magnificent the Colosseum must have been in ancient times.  Having been deserted and even used for hundreds of years as mere storage space while slowly crumbling to bits, it still takes one’s breath away to walk inside.  Most impressive was the extensive system of underground pathways that served as waiting areas for elaborate events and performances, some even requiring the flooding of the entire floor in order to have real sea battles!  

The adjacent walk atop Palatine Hill gave immense context to the city’s ancient governance, with its many extravagant buildings for ridiculously lavish purposes, all for the personal life and enjoyment of the Roman royalties.  Walking further into the city center, we passed magnificent government buildings of this last century, as well as many public statues and monuments each representing a significant time, person or idea.  The average Roman must be very aware of their legacy!

Eventually, we made it to Vatican City.  The Vatican is built on one of Rome’s seven hills, and St. Peter’s dome is surely an icon.  We took a guided tour that helped to piece together the history of the site and the relationship it has had with the Romans.  Of course, the Sistine Chapel was incredible.  We also enjoyed the crypt under St. Peter’s and the various museums housing everything from sculpture to carpet, crystals to parchment, and a whole array of theologically significant items both ancient and modern.

Aside from sight seeing, we got in plenty of leisurely time.  Rachel’s older brother Aaron was there with us, and we spend many hours just wandering streets, sitting on river banks, and revisiting leather stores to flirt with temptations over some slightly overpriced wallet or bracelet.  We even found a cat sanctuary!  Literally, in the middle of downtown, an entire city block of ancient ruins cordoned off to the public is being used to provide shelter for stray cats. We made many stops by here!

Can you spot the kitties?

With minds full of history, stomachs full of pizza and gelato, and hearts full of new memories, we wrapped up our Spring break in the ancient city, and headed back to Barcelona to show Aaron our home!

Semana Santa: Florence

One of the best parts of the year is when we have an extended break and get to spend more than just a weekend in the places we choose to visit. Semana Santa (the week before Easter) is our Spring break, so the list of places we would like to spend a whole week is always growing. This year, we decided to focus on two cities in Italy, Florence and Rome. While Rachel had been to both of these cities before, she was not able to see the cities nearly as much as she would have liked, so was happy to go back. 

We first flew to Florence, which immediately upon arrival, was already shaping up to be everything we hoped it would be. While trying to find where we were staying in the maze of jagged and narrow streets, we happened upon a flea market.  Perfect for us. 

A walk through the city led us to a number of amazing churches, art galleries, and scenic plazas. We climbed the 460 steep steps of the campanile, which provided excellent views of the city and surrounding countryside.  There are many great stories behind the main courtyard statues and various replicas, often with political overtones going back to the medieval era, and also peculiarities and secrets which require a guide to point out, all of which enhance one’s understanding of the historical life and climate of the city and its political place in Italy.

The Florence Cathedral - We love it's colors!

View from the top of the Camponile

Further exploration took us across the river over the iconic bridge, lined with jewelry shops and an old secret passageway for purposes of escape in times of war.  Beyond that were the Boboli Gardens, which stretched up one entire hill facing the city, and just down from it was a tightly woven intersection of pedestrian streets where we found just possibly one of the best gelato shops in all of Europe.  Scattered everywhere were pizza places, a few even offering gluten-free!  Surprisingly, the night was pretty calm downtown, and we spend some long and peaceful hours just watching the sunset from the bridge and then sitting in the moonlight with a cool and refreshing river breeze, marveling at the rows and rows of twinkling orange city lights.

We left Florence by bus, headed to Rome, with a warm incompleteness, the kind you feel when you just finish a good book, and know you'll want to read it again in the near future. It was the perfect introduction to a week of Italian history and lifestyle, with just the right blend of information overload and European tranquility… a great mood-setter for our Roman adventures just around the corner. 

Paris -Take Two (and three)

                                                                                                                                       (Author: Rachel)

Paris - the city of love, many's dream vacation destination, the holder of a great icon of Europe! 

Most people hold these stereotypes of the city, but I begged to differ. At first.

The first time I went, I was 16...with a choir tour, got lost, didn't know how to read maps, had blisters on my feet from walking all day in choir shoes, and encountered some not-so-helpful French people. Needless to say, it left a bad taste in my mouth. For years afterwards, I claimed that I had no desire to return to the city, that it was overrated, and I really didn't see the big appeal. 

When I moved to Barcelona, I began to be more curious about the city. I met multiple people that were from there, and began to sense that my first experience was not the most accurate. Slowly but surely, I began to be convinced that I should give this iconic city a chance to redeem itself. 

So in the Fall of my first year here (November of 2012), I visited again! We had a four-day holiday weekend, and so my roommates and I headed there. My sister, Sarah, also flew in from Switzerland to spend the weekend together. It was definitely a completely different experience. Having good travel companions along with simply being a more seasoned traveler made a huge difference! Having four days there instead of three hours of "free time" ALSO made a difference. This time, I was able to see the Sacre Couer (now one of my favorite places in the world!), the famous flea market, rent bikes, go to an underground wine bar... that trip really changed my perspective of Paris.

It's hard not to love this view

Traveling with these girls is never short of fun.

Authentic Parisian sisters

And yet....I had never gone with the one I love! Isn't that the whole point of Paris?! So... I knew another trip was in store!

The opportunity presented itself to go to celebrate my sister's fiance's birthday in April, and we knew it was a good idea! It would be Sarah and I's second time in Paris together, and Devin's first time. I also really wanted to see Paris in the Spring, as it was quite chilly and rainy when we were there in November. It would only be a normal weekend, flying in on a Friday night, and out on a Sunday afternoon, but we knew it was still worth it!

This trip was even more magical. Eating apples and cheese on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower... being able to kiss my love under the Eiffel tower... eating gluten-free crepes... riding bikes along the river in a tank top... seeing flowers in full bloom in front of the Notre Dame... and admiring all the leaves filling the trees... I'm telling you - the city really is incredible. At the right time, with the right people, it is as dreamy as it sounds.

If you haven't been to Paris, I DO suggest going, but suggest taking it slow, admiring the details on the buildings, the colors, the trees, the "vibe"...and most importantly, do not go with a group of 16-year olds. :)

Our new dream is to spend a whole summer in Paris, diving in more, understanding our surroundings, and exploring more leisurely... some day!

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Have you been to Paris? Did you think it lived up to it's expectation? More? Less? Is there any place you've been that you had high expectations for but were let down? We'd love to know your experiences!

Calçotada

Onions are kind of a big deal here. But not just any onions. Specifically, calçots. Calçots are a unique type of onion, grown only in the region of Catalunya. The traditional Catalan method of cooking the calçots is to grill them over a flaming barbecue, and then wrap them in newspaper, which makes them tender. They are served on a terra cotta roof tile so they stay warm. To eat them, you peel away the charcoal layer, and then tip the tender white onion in a sauce made of almonds, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, vinegar and oil.

It is typical to go to a rural house in the countryside to take part in a whole event surrounding around calçots. A group of friends and us rented a bus to drive to the region of Tarragona. We stayed at a rural house, which hosts events, and during this season, specializes in calçotadas.

We first were ushered into the cave underground for the first portion: the calçots. As you can see in the pictures, you must wear a bib when eating, because they are quite messy! The calçots just keep coming, so there is no limit on how many you can eat!

After the calçots, you move into the dining room for your three course meal. Ours included potatoes, spiced beans, pork for the carnivores, and escalivada for the vegetarians.

The rest of the evening, we wandered around the premises and walked through the vineyards before dinner was served. Although no one was really hungry, we gathered for yet another meal. We picked at our food, trying to muster up an appetite, but it was hard after such a huge lunch!

It was a beautiful weekend to escape the city, be surrounding by rolling hills, and be full of good food.

Morocco: Desert Tour

Desert, Camels, and Nomads....

These were typical images that come to mind when one imagines Morocco. We didn't want to go to Morocco without experiencing such unique aspects of the country. So for three days, we went on a Desert Tour with a private driver.

Driving distances in Morocco are long, so for the majority of this tour, we were actually in the car, just observing the scenery. It was truly fascinating, as we drove through remote villages, abandoned villages, snowy mountains, and barren deserts. The terrain was constantly changing, and we were really thankful for a local driver, because we could not peel our eyes from the view out our window.

Pictures summarize this part of our trip better than words, so I will let them do the work in this post.

This was our sweet ride

We crossed over the Atlas Mountains - We loved the contrast of mountains and desert.

There were wild monkeys as we went over the mountains.

We were excited to ride the camels, little did we know how painful it would be.

We climbed a dune to watch the sunset.

What our camp looked like, set up in the middle of the desert.

Typical scenery during parts of the drive.

We stayed in the Todra gorge in a hotel that was a cave built into the rock.

Exploring the area surrounding the cave hotel.

Our cave hotel room.

We learned and observed a lot during our three days in the desert. It was a fascinating part of the country, and we spent a lot of time asking our driver about what we were seeing, and the culture we were in the middle of. 

The desert tour concluded our week in Morocco, and before we knew it, we were headed back to the Western world.