Je N'aime Pas Paris

Whoever said Paris is for lovers was correct. What they failed to mention is that it is downright depressing to visit as a party of one. There are couples everywhere. Dinner specials for two. Honeymoon hotel packages. Blech. What's wrong with taking myself to Paris, hmm? I slept for 14 hours in an effort to rid myself of the cold that half of Europe seems to have, but woke up in time for breakfast. After getting yelled at by the French cafeteria lady for taking the wrong tray (apparently there is a big difference between lunch and breakfast, so you'd better get it right!), I got ready to head out for the day--the hostel locks you out of your room from 12-3 pm so they can clean. A little severe to actually have a lockout, but no matter. To the Louvre!
Channeling my inner Robert Langdon outside the Louvre.
I spent 6 hours exploring the vast array of exhibits, and I gotta tell ya...at least for the Egyptian exhibits, it was cooler seeing the same stuff in Cairo. Felt more authentic, if that makes sense. Ew, I sound so snobby. But it's true! And nothing was behind glass there.
Really, France, that's the best you can do?
At the Louvre, though, the Greco-Roman sculptures were outstanding, one of the finest collections I've ever seen.. aside from a security scare that required the evacuation of the entire wing, it was a great way to lose a few hours. The crowds were out in full force but the lines moved quickly. I almost walked right by Venus de Milo until I realized what it was, and then I got in line just like everyone else to ogle the masterpiece.
The Mona Lisa, however, was just a zoo. Totally ruins any attempt to marvel when you're being herded. It's on its own wall, behind thick panes of plexiglass, and it's tiny. I elbowed my way to the front, snapped a few pics, and got the hell out. I'll take lesser-known works any day if it means I can be in a room by myself to ponder. There will be no impending nuptuals to a Grimaldi, a la Gossip Girl. Unlike Blair Waldorf, the closest proposition I got at the Louvre was from the aging security guard who inquired about taking me for coffee (I politely declined). After I exhausted my ability to absorb new artwork for the day, I took a leisurely stroll by the Seine, saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance, then headed to McDonald's for some free wifi to catch up on the blog. Tomorrow I'm debating doing a bike tour of Paris--sounds kind of fun! I've decided against going UP the tower--much better photos with it in the background anyways, and then it's free!

The Art of Macarons

French cooking class in the morning--learned how to make macarons! Not to be confused with macarOOns, these pastries are light, fluffy, and delicious--they'd better be, considering they consist of butter, sugar, and egg whites. Yum. I definitely don't like the precision required to bake things though--I'll be sticking to savoury cooking back at home. But when in France...
The chef walked us step-by-step through the process, although it was more of a demonstration than a hands on experience, since there were so many people in the class. I did get to pipe a few macarons onto the baking tray, however! And we got to keep some of the finished product at the end, which, let's be real, is obviously the most important thing anyway.

Went into town in the afternoon to try and deal with my Paris plans--apparently it's super expensive there so I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for that. Every hostel seems to be booked, even though it's the middle of the week--I don't get it! And the highest rated one that is showing up in my searches is 66%. Yuck. Looks like I may have to spring for a hotel...in one of the priciest cities in the world. Lucky me. Note to future travelers: do not put western Europe at the END of your trip when you are running out of money! Do it first! (and save in India--it's what I should have done. Boo.)

I also tried salad Nicoise at the hostel--I am in Nice, after all! It was SO delicious I forgot to take a photo. I will definitely be incorporating it into my rotation at home! That's about it--I'm exhausted from trying to figure out what I want to do about Paris. Definitely not designed for backpackers I think. Not ones who have seen Sex and the City, anyway.

Mediterranean, You're Kind Of Big

Sept 16:I'm going to refrain from the joke here; it's too obvious....thatswhatshesaid. Okay! Moving on. Today was a travel day to Nice. I left at 8 am after not going to bed the night before, so sick, and had to change trains every couple of hrs so couldn't sleep at all. Got to Montpellier and had to buy new reservation for train from there to Nice, since they wouldn't do it for me in Spain. Of course, the train I need is full, so I have to wait two hours til the next (non-reserved) train departs. I met two Aussies from Darwin who were doing the same thing, so we navigated the rest of the trip together.

The last train from Marseilles was really sketchy--no light, so were just sitting in the pitch black with strangers going through tunnels. Brought back memories of my favorite travel movie, Eurotrip. Mi scusi! We finally arrive in Nice at about 10:30 pm, only for me to realize my pouch containing my sunglasses and phone is missing. Shit. Back to the train I go! I couldn't remember exactly where we were sitting since it was no reservation, so I searched. Every. Single. Compartment. Hoping the train wouldn't start moving while I was still on board. At last, I found it! Fallen between two seats. Mon Dieu!

I called the hostel which told me to take the tram to a certain stop, where their shuttle would pick me up. I finally arrived and collapsed into bed--folks, the med is a lot bigger than you may realize if traveling by train! 15 hrs is not fun, especially on zero hours of sleep.

Gaudi Crush

Me in front of Casa Batllo - about a block from the hostel
Today was my last day in Barcelona, so I got up in time for a Gaudi walking tour. We saw some amazing stuff by Gaudi--his first ever job, designing a lamppost (that has a suspiciously similarity to the Snitch in Harry Potter), Casa Batllo, Casa somethingelse (where 2 floors are still apartments that will run you a paltry 25,000 Euros a month), Palau Guell, etc.
The one with expensive apartments--I would die to get a look inside!

Gaudi's first-ever job: creator of the Snitch for JK Rowling
Turns out this was the biggest group they've ever had (62 people!) so it was a little hard to hear. Combine that with having to take the subway twice and naturally, I lost the group during a bathroom/coffee break at Starbucks. I met up with them again at la sagrada familia though, just in time for the end of the tour. Good thing it was free! A bunch of us decided to grab some food after that, so we set off in search for non-touristy tapas.
The offerings from lunch... We finally found a place with no English or photos on the sign outside, which we took as a positive. Once inside we discovered there were no menus--great! How much more authentic can you get? Turns out not speaking Spanish was a bit of a problem, because our order got lost in translation and we ended up with 5 of the worst steak frites I've ever seen in my life. Mine was actually beef jerky. Luckily, the entire debacle only cost us 7 euros each (including drinks) so we cut our losses and made plans to meet up for better tapas at dinner.
Barcelona from the top of Parc Guell!
In the afternoon, I made the trip up to Parc Guell for more Gaudi and views of the city skyline.
Me in the Parc Guell
Two things worth mentioning: A) it is a HIKE and a half to get up to the top of the hill!
B) I don't understand why 'gaudy' means cheap. If I'm correct in assuming it gets its namesake from the Spanish artist whom I've fallen in love with, there is nothing cheap about his work--today he would be one of the highest paid designers ever! Just a random musing, courtesy of yours truly (and if the two aren't related, well, you're welcome--you've just encountered your blonde moment of the day).
More Gaudi creations in the Parc

I met up with the guys from California (apparently Sacramento is now on my to-do list!) at the hostel for some drinks before dinner. Turns out there was a Tripping event at the rooftop bar that night, so it was a great chance to meet some locals and enjoy some free drinks. The atmosphere was great: sunset over the Barcelona skyline, with Casa Batllo and La Sagrada Familia both clearly visible from the roof.

I invited a fellow blogger on a whim when I noticed he was in Barcelona at the same time as me, and we had some fascinating conversations (he has seen John Mayer in his famous Borat bathing suit, and he's currently traveling the world for 9 months on $418. Impressive. He runs nerdfitness.com so check it out if you have a sec!)

We finally made our way to Tapas 24 (again for me, but it was so good, and the boys needed a lesson in proper Spanish cuisine after the debacle that was lunch!). It was a long wait but totally worth it. We had several of the same things, plus mussels, black paella (that was a new one), and a ham and cheese bikini (spanish for sandwich i guess? It was way better than it sounds).

After that we met up with some girls who are working here in Barcelona as au pairs, and we sat in the Plaza Real, talking and drinking beers that sketchy guys come up to you and sell for one euro each. seems shady but everyone does it, so I guess it's acceptable here.
The plaza

We decided to go dancing and ended up in this Jazz club that turns into 80s night after a certain time (random?). It was a lot of fun, although I really should not have stayed out til 6:30 am the night before I have a 15 hour travel day--in my defense, I didn't know it would be that long! But I had to do my last night in Barcelona justice. The sleepless night was worth the memories made...cheesy but true! Adios, Barcelona, I'll miss you!

La Sagrada Familia

September 13:

Woke up in time for free breakfast, then decided to check out La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's piece de resistance. It. Is. Amazing. One of the architectural highlights of my entire trip. One of those places that you can't quite seem to capture the grandeur in photos (but I tried my best!) It's interesting because it's like Gaudi got bored with the style he was building part way through, and just switched tactics--the Nativity facade looks like the outside of the building is melting. Then you walk over to the Passion facade and are greeted by modernistic, Picasso-esque statues. It's very strange.
Nativity facade, possibly melting

Picasso would have sued for copyright infringement on this side of the church

The inside is incredible; he designed the columns to resemble a forest, and with the light from the beautiful stained glass windows streaming in, it's simply magical.
Some of the beautiful stained glass windows There's a prayer section in the middle of the church, but it's filled with tourists just taking photos (you have to sit to take pictures in that part, which coincidentally happens to be the best view of the ceiling).
Gaudi's impression of a forest

We sprung for the lift ticket and went up to the top of the Passion tower. Great views of Barcelona, although the skyline is remarkably unremarkable. At least I didn't walk into another gift shop (remember Vienna?).
View from the top of the church--or lack thereof!