Spain/Portugal Trip Part 4: Lisbon

And this brings us to the final leg of our trip: Lisbon, Portugal. After having such an amazing time in Spain, we had some unreasonably high expectations. And I'm happy to say that this beautiful city measured up! After checking into our hotel in the Baixa neighborhood, we popped into a spot around the corner for a delicious late-night dinner.


The next day, we didn't have much of agenda, so we rambled around town and took in the city. Lisbon reminded us of a European San Francisco, with its endless hills, colorful buildings, quaint neighborhoods, and trolleys. I loved all of the street art and tile work!


Throughout the day, we stopped for coffees and a freshly baked Portugese pastry, like their famous egg custard tarts. We ended the day sipping Cuba Libres while walking through the Barrio Alto neighborhood, which turns into one big backpacker street party.


The next day, we headed up to Sintra, which is about an hour away by train. Unfortunately, the skies opened up and it started pouring, so we skipped some of the sites to check out the colorful Pena Palace, which is the closest thing to a Disney palace that I've seen in real life. The upside to the howling wind and torrential downpour was that were no crowds, so we were able to explore. (And by explore, I mean clutching to the castle on a precarious stone path right next to a dangerous drop-off.)


The next day was my birthday! We spent it taking in more amazing street art and wandering up to the Castle of Sao Jorge, which has breathtaking views of the entire city. In the evening, we ate the most amazing meal of our entire lives! (Confession: Sometimes, when we're sitting on the couch, I break out a picture of that dinner and we both sigh longingly.)


The next day, Erik flew back home and I moved my stuff to the Lisbon Surf House, a surf hostel located on the outskirts of town. The winds were not in my favor during my stay, but I got some fun surfs in. One day a huge and messy swell came in, and I ate it on a crap-ton of waves. But I also managed to ride one of the biggest close-outs ever, which earned me a "wow, brave girl!" from a hunky Portugese dude. On another day, I went for a solo afternoon surf and got lost trying to find the train home, which involved me rambling around a quaint village with my surfboard and asking grannies for directions. It felt like I was in a movie.

The Surf House itself was fun, filled with travelers from all over the world. One night, I went out with a Swedish girl, Israeli dude and two hilarious Italian buddies. Before the trip, I was a little apprehensive about staying and surfing in a strange country solo, but I'm so glad that I did. What an experience!

Spain/Portugal Trip Part 3: Granada to Seville

Let's see, where was I? Oh yes, we had just spent less than 24 jam-packed hours in Valencia, when we hit the road for Granada. The five-hour drive between the two cities was one of the highlights of our trip! The scenery was out-of-this-world amazing. We snaked through tunnels, twisted around craggy mountains, and passed charming villages and towering castles. At one point, we got a little lost while looking for a gas station, turned down a deserted road, and then hopped a fence to a sketchy-looking property… and were rewarded with an insane view of the golden countryside. It was hard to tell where the blue sky met the ocean.


Around dusk, we entered Granada, a charming town nestled at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains and immediately fell in love. The city is full of winding stairs, cobblestone streets, music, and crisp mountain air. We checked into our hotel, the centrally located NH Collection, which was our favorite of the trip! We were upgraded to a corner room with giant windows that we could throw open; sometimes it felt like were lounging right on top of the city. After a tapas dinner of beer and fried seafood, we explored the city by moonlight.


The next day, we had tickets to the Alhambra, the magnificent Moorish castle and major tourist site in town. (Tip: If you go, buy your tickets far in advance! They limit the amount of visitors per day, and it generally sells out weeks beforehand.) This place is a must-see, and there's so much to take in. We spent the entire day there, from around 1 until 8 p.m. or so.


We wandered around the fortress and into the main castle, which was breathtaking. Every room was filled with intricate tile work and carvings; Erik was in design heaven. In the late afternoon, we started getting hungry and happened across the Palador restaurant. What an amazing meal! We felt so lucky, feasting on almond gazpacho, wine, and jamon croquettes in the middle of the Alhambra's spectacular gardens.


After a full day of exploring and climbing hills, our muscles ached! We made a spur-of-the-minute decision to check out a nearby hammam, where we soaked in Moorish hot and cold pools. By far one of the best days of my life! We were loving Granada so much that we decided to stay one more day, which was Erik's birthday! We celebrated by sleeping in, eating delicious food, checking out the city, and seeing a passionate flamenco show in a cave. I don't know if I've ever seen Erik so happy.


The next morning, we packed up our stuff and hit the road again for the 2.5-hour drive to Seville. We got into the center city around 1 and had to drop off the car at 3, so we followed the tourists and parked in a random lot. It was hilarious: We sprinted past landmarks and booked it into the Plaza de Espana, laughing all the way. I felt like we were in the Amazing Race.


We rushed back to the car, got a little lost, and made it to the airport just in time. Phew. That concluded the Spanish leg of our trip, which was beyond amazing. We were off to Portugal!

Spain/Portugal Trip Part 2: Road trip to Valencia

From Barcelona, we rented a car to drive explore the south of Spain. Truth be told, I was nervous about driving in a foreign country, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! The roads were easy to navigate (though heavy on tolls), and the scenery was amazing: olive tree farms, white-washed villages, and craggy mountains. Even the rest stops had the most beautiful views and delicious food; we feasted on cortados and fresh sandwiches.

We arrived in Valencia around lunchtime and drove straight to the beach, where we met some rad new friends for paella and beers. Afterwards, Erik and I took advantage of the summer-like weather and jumped into the crystal-blue sea for the last rays of sunshine. After sitting in the car all morning, watching the sun set while floating in the Mediterranean was just…perfect.


From there, we headed into Valencia's city center, parked in the tightest spot imaginable (insert: me sweating and moving the car one centimeter at a time), and checked into our hotel (ideal location but nothing special).

We met up with the homies again for a leisurely tapas dinner and local walking tour around Valencia. The good thing about sight-seeing after midnight? Zero crowds. My favorite building was the breathtaking intricate marble cascade outside of the Palacio del Marques.


We had to hit the road by noon, so we woke up early and hit up the central food market. Talk about foodie heaven! There were aisles upon aisles of fresh produce, cured meat, fragrant pastries, and more. We ate empanadas with freshly squeezed orange juice, and bought some jamon and bread as road-trip snacks. On the way back to the hotel, we popped into the Old Silk Exchange, a fascinating piece of Gothic architecture.


…And that was our jam-packed 22 hours in amazing Valencia! When we were planning the trip, I thought that our stay would be a quick layover before heading onto Granada, but it turned out to be such a colorful, delicious, and beautiful experience.

Spain/Portugal trip part 1: Barcelona

Finally catching up on my epic vacation posts! We flew a red-eye to Barcelona; because I stayed up late to work and woke up early to surf, I was able to sleep through most of the flight. At around 8 a.m., we checked into the Hotel Ciutadella Barcelona, a lovely, centrally located hotel in the El Born neighborhood (ask for a corner room with a balcony!), took a quick nap, and then set out to sight-see. Erik's been to Barcelona multiple times, so he lead the way to the Sagrada Familia. I've always wanted to see Gaudi's famous work, so it was magical eating our lunch less than 10 feet away from the gorgeous basilica. From there, we jumped in a cab to the Gaudi-designed Park Guell.


Gah, so beautiful. Pictures don't do this stunning park justice. It felt like I stumbled into an Alice-in-Wonderland version of Central Park. The intricate tile work, out-of-this-world architecture and blooming flowers combined with our jetlag-induced fatigue made the whole experience super trippy and magical! We spent hours rambling around; it's an experience that I'll never forget.


For dinner, we rallied to meet up with a bunch of Erik's homies. They took us to a local tapas bar, where we dined on wild mushrooms, snails, pan tomate, and jamon paired with little Estrella beers (so light and cold!), wine, and cava. Then we hit the town, hopping to a few bars and the one hip-hop club in town.


After such a jam-packed first day, a more relaxing schedule was in order. We wandered around the cobblestone streets and eventually made our way to Barceloneta. Who knew there was such a beautiful beach right in the middle of Barcelona? The weather was still warm, so we sipped on sangria and mojitos in the sun, dug our feet into the sand, and took a dip into the crisp clear-blue Mediterranean sea. On the way home, we caught an outdoor concert and feasted on razor clams and fried octopus al fresco.


For the rest of our time in Barcelona, we explored. We sipped cortados in charming cafes; took in Gaudi's dragon-like Casa Batllo home; and wandered into ancient churches. Of course, we also managed to swing by a few streetwear clothing stores. I loved the mix of old and new in the city: Hip skateboarder kids and colorful street art mixed with beautiful arches and cathedrals.


And the food, oh, the food. We've never eaten so well! Some of our favorites included: Bar Canete, a fancy-ish tapas restaurant with amazing seafood and jamon croquettes; Picnic for a super-fresh brunch; Enrique Tomas for an unforgettable jamon platter (Erik almost cried); and La Paradeta for seafood (you pick the raw seafood and they cook it up on the spot). Oh, Barcelona, we love you! We'll be back!

34 hours in Georgia

On Saturday morning, we headed to Georgia for Ben and Briana's wedding. After getting up early to fly to Atlanta and drive to Athens, we had an hour or two to stroll around the grassy campus and main drag. It's a chill college town that reminds me a lot of Chapel Hill. Then we went to the botanical gardens for the gorgeous couple's lovely nuptials. I couldn't be more excited for them! It makes me so happy that those two soul mates found each other. We drank, dined, and danced with great friends in the glass-covered arboretum and then finished the evening at the 40 Watt Club with Waffle House fare. So much love -- and so many cool details. The next morning, we slept in till noon, which was much-needed; props to exhausted Erik for being such a trooper on the heels of an exhausting work trip to Canada. After a delicious biscuit brunch, we made our way back to Atlanta, with lots of green farmland scenery and a few research stops at clothing stores (#wifelife). We even managed to have dinner with one of Erik's homies before flying home. A whirlwind weekend, for sure, but packed to the brim with friendship and love. Living life to the fullest!

asheville

Spent the weekend in Asheville, NC, for Mara and Erik's breathtaking wedding! Because my Erik couldn't attend, I flew into Raleigh and took my cute mom. It turned out to be such a lovely weekend for both of us, even though (or perhaps because?) we rocked it senior-citizen style. We stayed a little outside of the city at a cozy cabin. Every day we woke up and had our coffee in beneath an old oak tree covered with wisteria and gazed at the pretty mountain views. One day, we walked around charming downtown Asheville, ate Indian food and ice cream, and did some window shopping. We also drove a little of the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiked around the Arboreteum. On Saturday night, I headed to the wedding, which took place on the most gorgeous farm, complete with horses and lush greenery. The evening was filled with love, happiness, dancing, and delicious eats! So happy for those two perfectly matched people. The next day, we stopped by a little bakery on our way out of town and I caught up with a dear college pal. Even though it's probably been 10 years since I last saw her, it felt like a day hadn't gone by; the best kind of friendship. Now I'm back to the grind, but full of happiness and fun memories.

Quote of the day: "Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." - Dolly Parton

barbados love

Home from an epic trip to Barbados! We had the most amazing time; I didn't expect to fall in love with the island as much as I did. Everything was so easy and relaxing, from the crystal-blue water and long lefts at Freight's to the gentle breeze and sound of the ocean lulling me to sleep each night. Every day we surfed for about four hours. At first, I was bummed that the waves weren't bigger -- in the two-to-three feet range -- but it actually worked out because it forced me to work on my technique instead of just holding on for dear life. I concentrated on my turns and carving up and down the wave, and even tried cross-stepping. (It's so cool to learn something new as an adult and track your progress!) Our late afternoons and evenings were free, so we ate dinner out and explored the island: One day, we went snorkeling with giant turtles, and on another, we drove to the other side of the island, hiked along the rocky coast, and swam in tide pools. We even entered a dance contest at the local hotspot and won a bottle of rum. All in all, it was a magical time with some rad ladies! As a friend of mine posted on Facebook the other day: "Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer."

snowboarding Windham

Since there's no end in sight to this brutal winter, we decided to make lemonade out of the lemons: Last Thursday, Gretchen, Amanda, and I decided to do an impromptu snowboarding trip up to Windham. It was so fun! There was a ton of fresh powder (my board even did that squeaky noise on turns), and I even felt like I kind of knew what I was doing. Since Gretchen is badass, she took off on the moguls while Amanda and I did a little refresher on the green and then advanced to the blues. The runs were pretty empty, and the snow-capped branches looked like white lace against a brilliant blue sky. It was just the little shot of sun and adventure that I needed in my week!

New Orleans!

Early in January, Erik and I were fed up with the incessant snow and sub-freezing temperatures. So when I spotted a cheap fare (less than $300 each!) to New Orleans, we impulsively booked a long weekend on the spot. Such a good decision. We had the best time, and it was such a fun break from the dreary winter.


Man, what a cool city. It has such colorful architecture and gorgeous wrought iron. I joked that everyone we met came straight from central casting, with either a genteel James Carville-like drawl ("'scuse me, pah-dner") or down-home clip. Everywhere you turned, there was someone playing music, dancing, or doing a magic trick. That's partly because we stayed smack dab in the French Quarter, at the lovely and centrally located Omni Hotel. There was a rooftop heated pool, and one morning I did laps while the city was waking up. It was blissful to soak up the sunshine and views!


We didn't have an agenda or itinerary, which was refreshing. Mostly, we ate and drank. Of course, we went to Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets, which pretty much taste like State Fair fried dough to me. (Yum!) We had shrimp and oyster po boys at Johnny's and Mother's, as well as fried alligator and turtle soup. One memorable meal was at Nola, one of Emeril's restaurants, where Erik had the shrimp and grits and I had lots of wine and gumbo.


But perhaps our favorite bite of the trip was the muffuletta at Central Grocery. It's an Italian sandwich topped with olive salad on a thick round bread in exactly the right proportions of meat to salty to soft. Erik was so obsessed that we had it three times in as many days! He also made up a song about the muffuletta that we sang all weekend.


When we weren't eating, we pretty much explored. One day, we rented bikes and cruised all over town, heading up to the Garden District to look at the stately homes and crumbling cemetery. Of course, Erik also insisted on going to a bunch of men's clothing stores to do research for work; I paid him back by making him pose for lots of pictures and dragging him to street fairs. Hands down, my favorite part of the trip was shaking off the winter grumpiness and laughing my head off with my favorite guy.


In conclusion, dear reader, New Orleans makes for the perfect wintertime getaway. It's quite affordable, and there's plenty to do, see, and eat in three days!