Barcelona, Spain: Gaudi’s work of art.
I visited Barcelona back in March of 2007 with my friend Lisa. It had been long on my must-see list.
We got our flight through the always-cheap Ryan Air, flying into Girona, a city about 1 hour away from Barcelona. It was £85 return per person. The great thing about Ryan Air is that the flights are affordable, but in exchange they almost always fly into airports that are a bit out of the way from large cities.
Lisa and I easily took the train into Barcelona from the airport though, and found our way to HelloBCN, a hostel we booked through Hostel World. I’m more of a holiday apartment kind of person, so this was my first hostel experience. I think it would be fair to say that this was not your average hostel, and my experience was pretty damn far from creepy expectations (as in Hostel).
We spent three days exploring the beauty that is Barcelona, largely amounting to markets, picnics and Gaudi. If you have never heard of Gaudi (shame on you), let’s say he is one of the few architects who left a lasting impression for me since art school days. You don’t have to be an artist to appreciate his work – I think anyone who has seen photos or walked through one of his buildings will fall in love.
Now before we get into Gaudi, I want to say that I absolutely love markets, and the ones in Barcelona didn’t disappoint as they were all FOOD! This probably deserves its own posts but ah, well.
Back to Gaudi. We visited three of his creations:
Casa Milà – Located near Diagonal metro station, the Casa Milà (also know as La Pedrera) was originally built in 1905 for a rich couple who wanted a building of rental flats. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the interior as well as the awesome roof and rooftop can be visited almost any day of the year.
Looking up on the Casa Milà, outside from the street
Catenary arches in the attic, which lead you to the rooftop
The amazing chimneys on the rooftop!
Closest metro station: Diagonal
www.lapedreraeducacio.org – Casa Milà website
Regular entry is €11, students are €7
Parc Güell – that same day, Lisa and I made it out to Parc Güell for a picnic and some relaxation. But in order to reach that point, we had some serious hiking to do. Because Parc Güell is not just any old park; it’s a park designed by (you guessed it) Gaudi, and it’s seemingly located at the top Mount Everest, especially when you’re out of shape. But yes, it was worth the hike!
As always, I packed a picnic because that is what I do at every park. Sandwiches got a little squishy. We bought some fresh pineapple and watermelon along the way. Orange Nestea is delicious, by the way.
Everyone chilling on the famous serpentine bench.
Closest metro station: Lesseps
Entry is free into the park. It opens at 10 in the morning and closes around 7 at night.
Sagrada Família – to close off what was now officially our Gaudi tour, we went to the Sagrada Família, fully known as the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. I was most excited to see this. It’s a Roman Catholic church that was never completed in Gaudi’s heyday and has been in construction for over 125 years. Even though it’s not finished (and has eternal cranes around it), it’s jaw dropping. You will have seen nothing like it.
Closest metro station: Sardenya or Mallorca
http://www.sagradafamilia.cat - Segrada Família website
Regular entry is €12, students are €10
It rained on our last day, so we just strolled around the city before we had to get to the airport. Only Barcelona can look beautiful while pouring cats and dogs. Some cities have all the luck.
Coney Island, the biggest thing in… Detroit?
To close off my 30th birthday celebration, husband Jon and I decided to hit up a Coney Island restaurant in downtown Detroit. For those of you who are not from the northeast coast, let me give you a little history.
A Coney Island restaurant is one that sells Coney Islands, which is a chili cheese dog with chopped onions and mustard. They are a staple in Detroit. We passed so many Coney Island billboards while we were driving in Michigan that we had to have one. And if you’re going to have one in Detroit, it better be from one of two places: Lafayette Coney Island or American Coney Island. On W. Lafayette in downtown Detroit, they are located next to one another; the story behind them is that two brothers started Lafayette together, and after a dispute, one decided to open up his own version right next door. This was back in 1917. Today they are both still standing strong, and creating a friendly divide between those who like one or the other.
We chose American (just because it looked like it had more seating) and when you enter, it feels like you’ve stepped into a Coney Island variation of a diner, complete with paper diner hats and checkerboard patterns. Think Pop Tate from the Archie comics!
An original Coney Island is an all-beef hot dog, topped with an all-meat chili (no beans), yellow onions and yellow mustard. We both ordered Coney Islands, Coney Island fries and a Pepsi.
Clockwise from the top left: Lafayette vs. America; delicious Pepsi (sorry they had no Coke); Coney Island!!
In a word, the Coney Island hot dog was delicious. Jon wolfed his down in no time and had to order a second. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed mine until I found myself craving one the next day when I was back in Canada!
Fast times and even faster food
As a Canadian, I am always in awe at the fast food establishments available in America. We may be neighbors, but we eat very differently from one another. Though I think fast food is as bad as the next person does, just like them I love it, too.
There are four places that we all want to eat at when we hit the States. White Castle, Sonic, In-N-Out Burger and Hardee’s. We see their ads online, we hear about the crazy 1000-calorie burgers they invent, and we want some.
My husband and I celebrated my – gasp – 30th birthday down in Detroit, and the first touristic sight I wanted to see was Sonic. I learned of Sonic during the first season of The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie and I have been wanting to go there ever since.
Sonic
Sonic is amazing because it’s a drive-in, a dine-in and a drive-thru. We pulled into the driveway and chose one of 20 drive-in “stations”. Each station has a board with their HUGE menu (see it here), and when you are ready you order in the intercom. It took a minute for the waitress to rollerblade our food out to us on a tray. Efficiency!
Clockwise from the left: "Open 'til midnight or later"; 12" hot dog smeared in chili and cheese for $3; tater tots
My first experience with Sonic was the best. The sandwich I got was huge (the Bacon Cheeseburger Toaster, it had a height of about 5 inches) but I did manage to finish it. My husband and I both got flavour shots in our Cokes – I got vanilla and he got strawberry. It had real strawberry bits in it. Strawberry flavoured Coke, who knew!
On our second night, we tried to go to this acclaimed Italian restaurant but got there too late, so we went to White Castle instead. Yes, I was happy with this substitution.
White Castle
The first time (and prior to this trip, the last time) I had White Castle was back in the early 90s, when my mother lived in New York. My uncle would always talk about this cool place that served mini square burgers. Even as an 11-year-old, I had been anticipating the experience of eating multiple tiny burgers with all my might. My first experience was great, but a sophomore visit was way overdue. Jon had never been before, and it was on his bucket list as well.
We found a random White Castle in Oakwood, and each got the 4 hamburger sack meal. Jon added bacon and cheese to his four. They were just as small as I remembered, though it seems that there’s a lot more packaging going on these days (White Castle, you really need to sort out your carbon foot print). Upon taking a closer look at the “burger”, I realized it was not so much a beef patty, but a thin slice of Spam. Lucky for them, my stomach isn’t that prejudiced and loves Spam along with Vienna sausages.
I gotta say that one of the highlights at White Castle was the unlimited packets of tartar sauce they had. That is always a showstopper for me (it trumped all the mayo that was sitting there, and that’s saying somethin’).
From left to right: New uneaten meal; lots of unedible paper left over.
We’re looking forward to visiting In-N-Out when we’re on the west coast. I’m also looking forward to my second Sonic experience. There was a Grape flavoured Creamslush Treat that had my name written all over it.
Aegean Air: now a Star Alliance member
Image courtesy of Star Alliance
My husband and I flew Aegean Air during our honeymoon (from Athens to Istanbul) and we were thoroughly impressed with them. The flight was on time, the plane was clean and new, the service was impeccable, and we were served a hot meal during our 90 minute journey! If that isn’t enough to get you flying with them, it was just announced that Aegean Air has joined the Star Alliance network. It has now among the ranks of Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and 24 other airlines in being part of the world’s largest airline alliance.
The best part of all this for us? It’s just another way to collect more frequent flyer miles! As Canadians, many of us have an Aeroplan card already, so flying Aegean Air (and any of the other Star Alliance members) now let’s you collect miles and build status onto your Aeroplan membership.
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Review: Witt Istanbul Hotel – boutique spectaculaire!
I recently came back from my honeymoon which spanned over 17 days in Athens, Santorini and Istanbul. We stayed at one particular hotel that impressed me so much, that it deserves some insane praise. Fatboy Slim Praise.
Witt Istanbul Hotel
Istanbul, Turkey
How do I say this? The Witt was the best place I ever stayed at. Better than the little beach bungalow in Thailand, the family home in Italy, better than the quaint little B&B in England. It was the best of the best.
My husband and I were really excited to stay at the Witt, because the web had so many super awesome pics, but you know… usually when your expectations are so high, they never get met (case in point: our hotel in Santorini, but I will save that for another post). Lucky for us, we were to be pleasantly surprised! Istanbul was our last stop, and we were only spending 4 nights, 3 days there. So if this hotel was the shit, we better enjoy the short time we had.
Upon arriving at the Witt, we were immediately blown away. The decor is fabulous, with service to match. Our suite was about 700 square feet – the size of a 1+1 condo in the city here – and came with a gorgeous kitchen, seating area, closet, bed, delicious breakfasts… the list goes on. And don’t get me started on their bathroom. Don’t believe me? Let’s have a sneak peek. All images courtesy of the Witt’s flickr page.
Six head shower, big enough for at least 3
Yes, Molton Brown!
This was exactly what our room looked like, if you were standing in the bathroom doorway.
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The images indeed look like renderings, but I kid you not, that is what everything looks like in person, too.
The location of the Witt is great as well – it’s located in Beyoğlu, a trendy district on the other side of the Bosphorus, away from the touristy old town. Access to Sultanahmet and the Bazaars was easy enough though; we just hopped on the tram (2 minute downhill walk from the hotel) and were there in about 10.
Closeby, there’s a great little area called Tünel, which was a maze of streets littered with outdoor bars and restaurants. All the cool 20-somethings were there, smoking, eating and drinking. If you find your way off the southwest end of Istiklal Caddesi (the long pedestrian street in Beyoğlu) you’ll get to the patios. One of the guys working at the hotel recommended it to us and it didn’t disappoint.
I could go on about the Witt (you can even ready my tripadvisor review here), but I’ll leave with only one bit of advice – if you’re ever in Istanbul, you gotta stay here!
The living area, with a flat screen, DVD player (DVDs available in the lobby) and satellite TV.
King size beds I never wanted to get up from