FC Barcelona

The one thing that I regret not doing while in Barcelona was go to an FC Barcelona match.  For those of you who know me, know that I am a huge sports fan -- anything from the Yankees, to college basketball, to tennis, and the Giants.  I know my stuff, and I am surprised at myself that I did not make it to a game. Sport, a Spanish daily newspaper in Barcelona, gives daily stories about FC Barcelona and its' matches so make sure to pick up a copy.  So, suggestion: make sure to get tickets ahead of time and plan it in the beginning, there is no need to wait until the last minute like I did! You can purchase tickets on fcbarcelona.es and who knows maybe you will get to see Messi or Valdes up close.

What is going on in Barcelona this summer?

For those of you who will be here this summer, Xavi, our teacher, told us about a music festival.  To me, it kind of sounded like a mix between Coachella and Sensation.  On June 14, 15, and 16th, performers from around the world will be going to the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona and be performing in the streets.  Sonar holds festivals in Tokyo, Cape Town, and Sao Paulo. You can get tickets on the website (www.sonar.es) and even if you are somewhere else in Europe, hop on a plane and come see it. Some of the people that will be performing are James Blake, Die Antwoord, New Order, Lana del Ray, The Roots, and more.  I wish I was here for this because it would definitely be something that I would enjoy!

Sights to See: Casa Mila

Casa Mila (La Pedrera).  Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, is located on Passeig de Gracia.  Towards the top of the avenue, Casa Mila stands tall and definitely sticks out.  Its structure is much different than most buildings on the avenue.  When my mom and grandma came to visit, we went to Casa Mila and went to the roof and then took a tour of the floor that is opened to the public.  Of the two Gaudi buildings on Passeig de Gracia, Casa Batlo and Casa Mila, I enjoyed Casa Mila more before of the roof.  It is amazing that something built 100 years ago is so Modern and abstract.  I cannot even imagine what the public thought about both buildings when they both opened.  Here are some of the pictures that I took when I went up there. Enjoy!

Sights to See: Montjuic

Montjuic. In 1992, Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics.  Montjuic is a hill located in Barcelona near Plaça Espanya.  It is located right near my apartment and sometimes I go for a run to Montjuic down Gran Via.  Montjuic is the home to many different buildings and events.  Palau Nacional is at the top, and today it is the Catalan Museum of Art (MNAC).  In 1929, Montjuic hosted the International Exposition (World´s Fair).  Then in 1992, the Olympics were held at Montjuic.  Today, you can visit the stadium and if you want a great view of the city then take a trip up to Montjuic.  Personally, I think it is a better view than Parc Guell.  Definitely see Parc Guell, but Montjuic is also beautiful on a nice day to sit out by the fountains.  At night, the fountains are lit up for a light show.  Something definitely worth seeing!

Shopping in Barcelona!

Shopping in Barcelona. When I think about Barcelona, I do not think about shopping, yet there are a few good places to go to.  While Barcelona is not a Paris, New York City, or Milan, there are a few good shopping streets.  Passeig de Gracia is like the 5th Avenue of Barcelona and is the home to all of the top designers.  There is also Bulevard Rosa, a Spanish version of a mini mall.  You can walk through and once inside there are different stores.  The street is beautiful, but what most tourists do not know about is Rambla Cataluyna.  While doing a project on my neighborhood, I discovered Rambla Cataluyna.  Rambla Cataluyna has many shops and stores from Spanish designers.  Rambla Cataluyna also has great architecture on the street. Located in the Eixample district, there are many famous buildings on this street. Some of the buildings to note are Casa Fargas (#47) by Enric Sagnier.  This building is an example of Catalan Modernisma architecture.  Another building on this street is Casa Serra (#126) by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and it is an example of neo-Romanesque style.  

Hot Spot: Opium Mar

Opium Mar.  Opium is located on Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta and one of my favorite places to go out at night.  One of the downsides is that Opium is ´promoted´on Thursdays and I am usually traveling Thursdays, however, when I do get to go to Opium, I always have the best time. In fact, I was able to celebrate my 21st birthday at Opium with all of my friends and even my mom came for a little bit too! Opium has a great dance floor and are always having DJ´s performing.  The music is great and one can easily stay at Opium until 7am.  What is nice about Opium, is if you need a little break from dancing, there is a lounge outside that allows you to sit and regain your strength for the next round of dancing.  During the day, you can enjoy lunch outside and while I have not eaten lunch there, I have had friends who did and enjoyed their meals. 

Fun Spot: Chupitos!

Chupitos.  Chupitos has two locations in Barcelona, one by the port and the other on Calle Aribau.  Chupitos is very small inside, but a fun place to take people who are visiting or just a fun place to go before the clubs.  Chupitos means shots, and there are over 100 shots in the bar.  Word of advice, do not order the Monica Lewinsky shot! But, do order the Boy Scout shot.  You roast a marshmellow over the flames on the bar and then take the shot.  A lot of the shots are very sweet, so choose your shots wisely.  The Bob Marley shot is good too and it looks cool!  Look at the pictures!

Hot Spot: Bankers Bar

Drinks at Bankers Bar at the Mandarin Oriental.  My mom and grandma stayed at the Mandarin Oriental when they visited and before dinner we would get drinks at the Bankers Bar in the Mandarin Oriental hotel.  The Bankers Bar is stylish and trendy with its walls and ceilings being covered by old bankers vault drawers.  The space was a bank in the 20th century, which is why the room is decorated with security boxes in a steel construction. The decor of the bar is fabulous and the selection of drinks is great for a pre-drink before dinner.  The menu also allows you to pick a variety a little bite size portions before dinner.  If you are looking for a stylish, seen and be seen spot, try the Bankers Bar.


*image taken from Google Images

Hot Spot: Agua

Agua.  If you are here in the summer time and are looking for a restaurant by the water, then I would suggest Agua.  Agua is located right near CDLC, Opium, Shoko on Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta.  What is nice about Agua is you can sit outside by the beach or inside.  It is owned by Grupo Tragaluz who owns Bar Lobo, Mordisco, CDLC, and many more restaurants.  Agua has similar tapa size portions to Bar Lobo & Mordisco as starters, but great main courses.  I particular like their vegetables with wild rice and their rocket salad with paramesean and balsamic is great too.  It is good for lunch outside or dinner even if it is a bit cooler.  I think that if you are here when it is warm out, then it would be nice to sit outside and enjoy the view.  
*image taken from google images

Hot Spots: Nuba

Nuba. Nuba is a new restaurant located on Calle Doctor Fleming in the Sant Gervasi neighborhood.  I got this recomendation from the Mandarin Oriental when my mom was here.  We asked for a new, trendy restaurant, and that is what we got.  Besides the food being good, the atmosphere in the restaurant is beautiful.  A little bit dark, with beautiful lights and designs, Nuba is great.  The walk up to the restaurant, in the hidden area, leaves you thinking what am I walking into...but once you walk in, you feel like you could be walking into a restaurant in Paris or New York City.  The restaurant also poses as a nightclub.  The food is great and my suggestions are the avocado and artichoke salad and then the chicken paillard.  If you like seafood, then the lobster risotto is great or the manchego risotto is a fancy version of mac&cheese.  Do not forget about ordering a drink at the restaurant, as their bar is beautifully located in the front as you walk into the restaurant. Definitely a pricey restaurant, so take your parents when they visit!


*Nuba image taken from google.com

Bo de B

Bo de B.  If you have any guide to Barcelona from an American, Bo de B will 100% be on that guide, so I thought, why not add it to mine too.  Bo de B is located on Calle Fusteria, 14 and literally a hole in the wall.  It is a little lunch spot, but definitely come with a big appetite.  This hole-in-the-wall offers fresh sandwiches with a selection of sauces.  The secret to its success is in its sauce, so make sure to get all of the sauces, and then ask for balsamic glaze on top.  They know you are American when you ask for the balsamic glaze on top.  My favorite is the salad plate with feta cheese and then all of the dressings.  If you are with people, definitely order the patatas bravas as they are hot potatoes with all of the dressings.  What is nice about Bo de B is they allow you to take out or eat at one of the three tables in the whole restaurant.  One thing to note, the restaurant opens at 1 and closes late afternoon.  No matter what time of the day you go, there will always be a line around the corner.  So be patient, and please wait because it is definitely worth it.  

Hot Spots: 7 Portes

Restaurante 7 Portes.  If your parents are in town and you want paella, then I do not know what else I would suggest.  7 Portes is located on Passeig d'Isabel II, 14 and right near the port.  7 Portes got its start in 1836, when Josep Xifre i Cases built the restaurant.  It had seven doors that was opened to the public and a special eigth door for staff.  For more than 170 years, 7 Portes has been a staple in Catalan culture. In the 1920´s, the spot was famous for journalists, politicians, and artists and you could spot anyone there.  The appetizers are great, especially if you enjoy seafood.  For dinner, I suggest any of the paella´s.  Be careful, the paellas are huge and two people can definitely split one order.  
*image taken from Google Images

Hot Spots: Bar Lobo & Mordisco

Bar Lobo & Mordisco.  Grupo Tragaluz is a hospitatlity empire in Barcelona and the group behind two of my favorite spots --- Bar Lobo and Mordisco.  Bar Lobo is located off of Las Ramblas on Pintor Fortuny.  If you are traveling with a big group before a night out and do not want to spend too much, then I suggest Bar Lobo.  It is definitely more touristy than Cornelia and Co. but the food is good so why not try it?  Bar Lobo offers tapa size portions for the whole table to share.  If you are looking for a similar menu, but for lunch, then I would try Mordisco.  Mordisco is located on Passatge Concepcio which is in between Rambla Cataluyna and Passeig de Gracia, two of the trendiest streets in Barcelona.  Mordisco is definitely a better spot for lunch, but definitely requires a reservation.  The patatas bravas are my favorite and the fried artichokes are fabulous too! The ambiance in Mordisco is great too -- it is light and refreshing.

Barcelona Hot Spots: Cornelia and Co.

The next series of blogs are dedicated to my favorite spots and things to do in Barcelona. Enjoy!

Cornelia and Co. If you are looking for a great, local, fresh spot, than Cornelia & Co. is the perfect spot.  Located in the Eixample neighborhood on Carrer de Valencia (225), Cornelia and Co. offers great lunch and dinner selections.  If you are going for dinner, definitely make a reservation, as the restaurant fills up pretty quickly.  The restaurant offers salads, appetizers, burgers, fish, and more.  It has a large menu and can serve every taste bud.  It is perfect before a night out or just a nice dinner with friends.  It is a Dean & Deluca inspired restaurant, which gives me a taste of home in New York.  The tables in the back of the restaurant are wooden picnic tables to give a picnic style feel to the restaurant.  What is nice about Cornelia and Co. is that it is not just a restaurant because during the day it also poses as a gourmet shop.  You can pick up goods for cooking at home as well.  I definitely recommend this spot.

portuGALS

I cannot believe that I have just completed my final trip of abroad.  The next time that I will be in El Prat is in two weeks, when I depart back to NEW YORK!  For my final trip, Riana, Mattie, Lauren, and I went to Lisboa.  After traveling to eleven cities, I feel like Lisbon was definitely my favorite, if not top three.  I have traveled a lot and a lot of the places that I went to abroad were my second or third time around, so I was anxious to travel to new places.  We all settled on Lisbon for our last trip and we could not have had a better weekend.

We stayed at the Sheraton Lisboa, and while the location was not in the city center, the hotel was nice.  I think that with a walking city like Lisbon, it is better to stay in the city center, rather on the outskirts like we did.  The weather was on and off the whole weekend, yet that did not stop us from walking around and exploring.  We met up with Jacob and his friend and explored Chiado the first day.  Chiado is an artsy neighborhood filled with beautiful stores and trendy boutiques.  After finding a small little place for lunch, we went go carting throughout the city.  I highly suggest Go Car! as a way to tour the city.  You can take different tours and each go cart is equipped with a GPS system and an audio tour.  We had a few mishaps with the go carts, getting caught on tram tracks and having to push them up the hill, getting caught in the rain, but after an hour we were caught in pouring rain and returned back to the beginning. Don't you like our yellow ponchos?  FASHION STATEMENT!

For dinner, we went to Solar Nos Presuntos.  It was an authentic Portuguese restaurant filled with locals and very few tourists.  Jacob and I split the seafood paella, as I was craving mussels.  Carlos, our fabulous waiter, showed us that in Portugal, it is totally fine to be drunk at work.  I thought he was great, and he saved himself at the end of the night by giving all of us a flower!

The next day, Riana, Mattie, Lauren, and I went to the Oceanarium in Lisbon and to be honest, if you have kids its a great thing to see, but personally, I would not put this on my "must see list".

After the aquarium, we took a TeleCab across the water and then it was off to Belem Tower.  When reading past guides, I was under the impression that Belem was an area with cute shops, either I was totally clueless and missed this area, or we were given the wrong information.  We were all hungry so I turned to spottedbylocals.com for a lunch spot, and was guided to Vertigo, a great place for salads and sandwiches.  After lunch, we went to Santini, the best ice cream place in Portugal.  We walked around the Chiado area and stopped by the best view in Lisbon.  (look at the picture, isnt it pretty?)

We went to Nood for dinner, also found on spottedbylocals.com.  It was an Asian Fusion bar and it was good, but I definitely think it is worth exploring the seafood restaurants, as everything is so fresh.  That night, Lauren, Jacob, and I went out to Barrio Alto, where the neighborhood is filled with bars.  In Lisbon, it is okay to walk around the streets with your drinks and everyone socializes in the streets.  We bar hopped and met a group of locals who took us to their favorite spot.

I was there for three days and did not see the entire city and could spend days walking the streets.  It is definitely a place that I would love to go back to, hint, hint, Mom & Dad -- next trip with the Price family?

A Look At The Raval Neighborhood

While I did not actually go on the field trip with the class because I was in Tel Aviv, I decided to explore the Raval neighborhood on my own!

El Raval is a neighborhood located right near the port in the neighborhood of Ciutat Vella.  El Raval was previously known as Barri Xino, meaning "Chinatown".  There are two neighborhoods that border La Rambla, El Raval and the Gothic Quarter, two neighborhoods that I enjoy!  The top of El Raval is marked by Plaza Cataluyna and Universitat.  Carrer de Pelai connects the neighborhood and it ends with La Rambla on the east, and to the south there is Avinguda del Paral-lel.  Historically, El Raval is known for its nightlife and cabarets.  These are two positive aspects, however, as we have learned there are also a few negative associations with the neighborhood and that is crime and prostitution -- two things that I did not familiarize myself with in the neighborhood!

Today, the area of El Raval has a diverse immigrant population, with communities from Pakistan and Indonesia.  There is also a recent immigration of Eastern Europeans, specifically Romanians.  There are many bars and restaurants in this area.There are a lot of major sights in El Raval, some include the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp, la Rambla del Raval, MACBA, CCCB, FAD, La Boqueria and more.  The neighborhood is broken up into two neighborhoods -- the public and the private.  In the public part of the neighborhood, there is the MACBA.  The MACBA is the Modern Art Museum of Barcelona. The museum opened to the public in 1995 and during the time of 1986 and 1996, El Raval seemed to flourish as a new neighborhood that was changing.  The MACBA hosts many modern and contemporary art.  The CCCB, Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, is one of the most visited art centers in Barcelona. The area is also known for having a lot of skaters hang out. La Boqueria is located at St. Mercat Josep and is the market inside located on Las Ramblas.  It is one of the most touristy markets in Barelona.  Here are a few pictures from the market!

In the private part of the neighborhood includes Rambla Raval.  A few years ago, Hotel Barcelo was built on Rambla Raval which drew some tourists to this area.  Ideally, the area is good because it is right near the MACBA and CCCB, five minutes from Las Ramblas, ten minute walk to the port, and only five minutes from Plaza Cataluyna and Passeig de Gracia.

It is definitely a different kind of neighborhood and more modern than most in Barcelona.

Spring Break: Israeli Edition

It is only halfway through spring break, and I just got back from my first half.  This past week I was in Israel and tomorrow I jet off to Madrid...it is certainly not a bad life that I live.

Last Wednesday I left for Tel Aviv (and I am glad that I left when I did because of the strike in Barcelona).  I landed in the Holy Land Wednesday afternoon and it was only the beginning of one of the best weeks.  Wednesday night Rian, Karen, Jade and I went to dinner and then went to Dizengoff.  The last time that I was in Tel Aviv was almost seven years ago, so I really do not remember much of Tel Aviv.  It was fun to see a different side of Tel Aviv and actually be able to explore the city.

The weather was beautiful on Thursday, so Rian and I went to La La Land for some Hummus and salads.  La La Land is located right on the beach, so it was perfect for getting some sun in.  I wanted a little bit of a base tan before going to Eilat -- and I got it!

On Friday morning, Rian and I woke up very early and met the other girls in Eilat for IDC Herzliya's version of spring break.  We stayed at the Isrotel Princess and met up with Jillian, Karen, Elan, and two other girls studying abroad in Tel Aviv.  The minute we got to Eilat, we changed into bathing suits quickly and were off to the pool.  For those of you who have had the chance to experience PUNTA CANA or PV Spring break...well, IDC Herzliya spring break does not compare...the Dominican Republic and Mexico have nothing on Eilat, Israel.  The weather is better, the hotel is better, the food is better, and the boys are so much cuter! It is amazing that we were situated in one of the most controversial places in the world, and still were able to have the time of our lives!  I could see Egypt from the pool (and no, I am not trying to sound like Sarah Palin, I actually could) and Jordan was right across the sea! The next three days were filled with pool parties and tanning.  At night, we partied at a Camel Farm, literally, right in the middle of the desert.  Words and pictures cannot describe the weekend we had -- in fact, the girls going to Europe for their spring break did not want to leave (but you did not hear it from me)!

When the girls left for Europe, Rian and I stayed an extra night in Eilat.  I honestly think I could come back as a travel agent in my next life, I found a great restaurant on the water called Pago Pago. 

Monday morning, Rian and I went to Neve Tzedek to shop and walk around the narrow streets.  We went to Sigal, which had cute, handmade jewelry.  After, we walked along the beach and found a spot to lay out for the afternoon.  We got way too much color and went to bed early for a change! Much needed sleep.

9am wake up call and we were off to Jerusalem.  Even though I was in Jerusalem in June, a lot has changed since then.  The Mamilla Mall was finally completed!  Rian and I dropped our stuff off at the hotel, and explored.  This was my fourth time to Israel, and I still get excited every time I go to the Old City and to the Kotel.  Rian and I walked the streets of Jerusalem, walking through the Jewish Quarter, leading us to the Kotel.  We were blessed by two Rabbi's who gave us the Kabbalah string before entering the Kotel.  After the Kotel, we just kept walking until we reached Ben Yehuda street to stop for lunch at Moshiko (best falafel's in Israel!) and then we walked through the Shuk.

Everywhere we went in Israel, we played Jewish geography, and somehow we were connected to each person.  I honestly love Israel and even told my parents that I wanted to make Aliyah! Who would have thought, me, the nervous girl in ninth grade who had no interest in going to Israel, now texting her parents in Eilat, telling them she never wants to leave!  If you have not experienced Israel, I highly suggest it.  It was truly an amazing week! Thanks Rian! xoxo