Spring Break 2016

Longtime no post! The past two weeks have been a whirlwind! It was Spring Break, yet another excuse to squeeze in more traveling. I thought I would share some photos I took on my trip, and give a whole list of restaurants and sites I visited. 

Lisbon, Portugal

I can say without a doubt that this is one of my favorite cities in all of Europe. This was only the second time I visited Lisbon, but I am still obsessed. The high 60 degree weather, the colorful houses, and the view of the water were only a few factors that made this a great trip. Like I have been telling everyone else - I highly recommend you put Lisbon on your bucket list. 

View of Lisbon from the Castelo de Sao Jorge.

Where We Stayed

• Lisbon Lounge Hostel - This was only my second experience staying in a hostel, but it was amazing! It was basically like a hotel honestly, very clean and a free breakfast in the morning. They also offered tours, bar crawls, and dinner for a little extra fee. 

What We Did

• Pena Palace - a colorful palace that has amazing panoramic views of Lisbon.  
• Castelo de Sao Jorge
• Quinta Da Regaleira - a magical little palace, with a garden that you could spend hours in. 
• Cristo Rei - The statue of Christ overlooking Lisbon, that makes you feel like you are in Rio! 
• Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art - open within the last five years, and an amazing collection of art. A must see if you are an art lover! 
• Cabo da Roca - The most Western point of Europe. Beautiful views. 

Where We Ate

• PARK Bar - Yes, a bar on top of a parking lot. Amazing views! 
• Noobai - A cafe found at yet another beautiful viewpoint. 
• Taqueria Pistola Y Corazon - Amazing tacos!
• Pastéis de Belém - Home of the famous local pastry that is a must try. 
• Ponto Final 
• No-Bairro Petiscos - We tried Portuguese style tapas here. 

Madrid, Spain

To be completely honest, Madrid was not at the top of my list of places to visit. I had heard mixed reviews from many people, so I didn't know whether I would end up enjoying the city. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised after spending three days there! Madrid is not the most beautiful city I have ever been, but what it lacks in architectural aesthetic it makes up with amazing restaurants, bars, and the Prado of course. 

Where We Stayed

• The Sungate One Hostel - Again a great hostel with clean rooms and a free dinner! Also very helpful with giving us a bunch of tips about the city. 

What We Did

• The Prado Museum - I couldn't leave without seeing some Spanish masterpieces, this included Velázquez's Las Meninas. 
• Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia - Life complete after seeing Picasso's Guernica
• Rave Market - Sounds very weird, but was actually super cool. A vintage market with a great DJ. 
• ARCO Madrid - An international contemporary art fair. Spent about 5 hours there, and saw some amazing work!
• Palacio de Cristal - Beautiful greenhouse found in a huge garden located at the heart of the city. 

Where We Ate

• Federal Café - A very charming café with an amazing selection of breakfast and lunch food. 
• Ojala - Really cute restaurant with amazing decorations. 
• Slow Mex Restaurant 
• Celicioso - A cute cupcake shop that was a great stop for a little pick-me up. 

Barcelona, Spain

The weather in Barcelona was a dream! High 60 degrees let us explore the city in t-shirts and jeans - a welcome changed compared to the heavy parkas worn in Paris. Because we were in Barcelona for a week, this gave us plenty of time to explore the city and not rush through all the things we wanted to do. We also stayed in an airbnb in the Gothic Quarter, which was very charming with its winding and tiny pedestrian streets. 

What We Did

• Picasso Museum - A great collection of some of Picasso's work. 
• Sagrada Familia
• Park Güell 
• Monserrat Monastery - This was quite the adventure to get to this monastery. It took about an hour and a half, and we messed up which train we should have taken. Either way we got there an hour before it closed! We briefly got to explore the area (which was on top of a mountain) and take in the view. 
• Ciutadella Park - A park not far from our airbnb, we spent about a good 2 hours lying in the sun reading. 
• Barceloneta Beach - A little chilly, but it was still great to lie on the beach.  

Where We Ate

• Federal Cafe - They had a location in Barcelona as well, we had to have another breakfast there! 
• Sensi Tapas
• The Pan's Club 
• NAP - We had pizza in Barcelona...but it was delicious. 
• Makamaka - A beach burger cafe which was perfect to have lunch at on one of the many sunny days in Barcelona. 

Hope you enjoyed the round up of these three unique cities!