Barcelona: A City of Color

I will start off by saying that Barcelona was a wonderful retreat from the cold weather of Angers, France (where I am studying). I did not don a jacket the entire trip, and the scenery was beautiful. There are so many things to see and do, that I am glad I took a few days for this trip; you don’t realize how big a city is until you finally visit. Barcelona is a city with lots of culture, great food, beautiful architecture, and a very lively nightlife.

The first day in Barcelona was spent relaxing a enjoying the city, which was very easy to do in the summerlike sun. I tried the best seafood paella at a quaint little restaurant, and took the metro to the harbor. There you will see a beautiful bridge and many, many tourists; my impression of the city was that the natives really try to make everything as beautiful as possible. After the stroll I went to dinner at a beautiful restaurant, Mirando al Mar, where I was offered a complimentary glass of champagne and the best seat in the restaurant (due to my indecisiveness on whether or not I should dine there). Mirando al Mar definitely delivered on their promise; I was seated at a table with a gorgeous view of the harbor, and was promptly delivered a glass of champagne. This restaurant is in the mall, Maremàgnum, and I would highly recommend their quality meals to anyone who wants a pleasant Mediterranean experience. 

That evening I wanted to explore the nightlife of Barcelona that I had heard so much about. I took the metro to the beach where there were endless lines of people waiting to get into various clubs. However, within in five minutes of exploring the area, I was offered a pass that would allow me inside without a cover charge (apparently quite common in Barcelona). Once inside, I was blown away by what I saw; mind you, I grew up in a small town and do not have much experience with big clubs such as this. Everyone inside was so energetic, the music was modern and hypnotic, and the building was a hybrid beach house and modern big city lounge.  I stayed for a couple of hours, but it got a bit too crowded for my taste, and I traveled back to my hotel to conclude a very relaxing day.

The second day was much more touristy than the first, but equally enjoyable. I started the morning at Sagrada Familia, the famously unfinished cathedral. It was a stunning combination of old and new, and each section (inside and out) told a different biblical story. After the cathedral, I walked up a mountain to the Teleférico (cable car). I chose the tour that took me from the mountain to the beach, I got a great visual of the entire city and it wasn’t outrageously priced. The whole tour took about 15 minutes or so, and it got a little chilly because we were so far from the ground! I concluded my adventures at Park Güell, a park that features work from Gaudi and lots of intricate mosaic statues and seating. I visited the park later in the day, so it was a bit difficult to find the mosaics as they are only in one area of the park. However, once I did find them, I lingered for about an hour because the artwork was just that beautiful. Barcelona is a great city filled with culture and friendly people, I would definitely put this city on my travel list if I ever get the opportunity to visit Europe again.

Paris: Day Two

I started the day with a trip to La Défense, the business district of Paris. It is a completely different city there, with modern architecture, art, and shops. The most prominent feature of La Défense was the modern version of the Arc de Triomphe, a beautiful, gigantic, white arch. I found it incredible how I could feel as if I were in a completely different part of France while still being in the same city.

From La Défense, I made my way to the Louvre, one of the largest art museums in the world. While I did not have time to go within on this trip, I will return to Paris again with the sole intent of exploring this immaculate museum. It is an incredibly building, and I would recommend saving at least one full day to explore all that it has to offer.

The final hours of my trip to Paris were spent at Notre Dame and the Jardin du Luxembourg (Garden of Luxembourg). Notre Dame was by far the biggest cathedral I had ever seen, and to go inside you need immense patience due to the plethora of tourists. It’s definitely worth the wait though, especially if you go up the stairs that are outside of the structure, you get a beautiful view of the city from the top. The Jardin de Luxembourg was also an incredible sight. There was a small orchestra playing in the courtyard, and there were countless types of flowers everywhere. A spectacular place to have a picnic, or just relax from all of the chaos that is Parisian culture.

I can safely say that Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There are so many places to go, and the entire city was built to impress. I would highly recommend spending at least a week in this beautiful city, in order to truly appreciate all of its glories

Paris: Day One

Forget everything I said about Bordeaux being a big city—Paris is huge! I spent two whole days there, and even with the metro’s help, I didn't get to visit everything I wanted. I started this Parisian adventure at the Arc de Triomphe; it was an awesome site from afar, but once you get underneath it via the underground tunnel it is absolutely awe-striking. Despite having opened to the public in 1836, this arch maintained its impeccably intricate detail. When one looks up from the center of the structure you are surrounded by beautifully carved flowers all the way to the top. I also liked its location in the middle of a huge intersection, although the access tunnel was initially hard to find.

After the Arc de Triomphe, I took a stroll down Champs-Élysées. If you travel to Paris without a budget, this is a very dangerous place to take a leisure stroll. There are countless shops including: restaurants, souvenir shops, sweet shops (especially gourmet macaroons), and all the high-end retail stores you can imagine. While I did not purchase anything on this visit, you can rest assured that I will return to purchase some fabulous macaroons from Ladurée.

It was then time to check into our hostel, and for any student/teacher traveling I would highly recommend this place: BVJ Champs-Elysées Monceau. It's a beautiful little place specifically for housing students and teachers that is right down the road from a metro station. After checking in, I traveled back to the Champs-Élysées area to tour the many museums of Paris. I should mention that if you are a student at a European Union university, you can get into all of the museums in Paris for free!

The first was the Musée de l'Armée, or The Army Museum. Now I am not a huge fan of history, but this museum featured military attire and weapons from all over the globe and from many different eras. Overall, I would recommend this museum to anyone who wants to get the French perspective and narration of the World Wars. The second museum I visited was the Musée Rodin, an absolutely beautiful art museum. It featured exclusively the works of Auguste Rodin throughout an entire building, and an elegant courtyard. Probably the most well-known sculpture here is The Thinker, but there are many other beautiful sculptures to see here as well. The final museum of the day was Musée d'Orsay; again, this was a gorgeous building with lots to see. My favorite exhibit was that of Vincent van Gogh, but the museum had everything from paintings to sculptures—definitely my favorite museum of the day.

After the busy day of museums, my friends and I all met at the Eiffel Tower. I hadn't been able to see it during the day, but it is immaculate in the dark. The first five minutes of every hour the entire structure flashes with lights. You also don’t realize how tall it actually is until you’re standing directly underneath. It was definitely a very “touristy” area, but it was still a wonderful ending to my first day in this beautiful city.

Bordeaux: The First Big City

Bordeaux, with a population of around 1.1 million people when including the suburbs and satellite cities, was the first big city I visited in France. Bordeaux is world-renowned for its amazing vineyards and wine, and the locals know this very well. Initially, I felt overwhelmed with the typical aspects of a big city: smells, crowds, demeanor of the locals, etc. However, after some exploring and getting my bearings, it became an architecturally interesting city with a lot of cat-calling men! I was not accustomed to this at all, and this experience definitely allowed me to brush up on my French slang (if you catch my drift).

Besides the occasional rude remark from a drunken man passing by, everyone was very friendly. Even though my French was not the strongest, I discovered that if you make the effort people are much more welcoming and will even try and help you in the little English they might know. You may even learn something speaking with them!

The food was also amazing! An “Insider Tip” from a student on a budget: if you want a great three course meal for under 13 euros, look no further! La Table D'Arrieta has delicious and diverse menu choices with a price that is unbeatable for the value. I tried duck (Demi Magret) for the first time at this restaurant, and it was so good the first time that I went back the second night to have it again. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend putting this city on your go-to list in Europe!