Ciao Bella! Florence, Italy (aka Shopping Capital of the World)

Aside from the ridiculously addicting shopping– the leather market, the flea market of cashmere scarves and leather gloves, and the endless amounts of boutiques– the food and wine in Florence is obviously out of this world. Some of the restaurants I still dream about... La Giostra for its Balsamic steak and scalloped potatoes, the "on-the-house" plate of antipasti, and the bolognese ricotta stuffed ravioli; Acqua al Dui because they have a taste testing menu of 5 different Tuscan pastas and salad dishes and their famous Blueberry steak; Tre Panches (literally means 3 benches as the entire restaurant consists of 3 tables) for its fried chicken and zucchini, fresh shaved truffle ravioli, and house cheesecake; and of course– the gelato anywhere and everywhere.

Lounging before walking into Palazzio Pitti, the Renaissance Palace

Just a touch of Florence's friendly vibes

Inside the Ufizi

The Duomo, where we climbed up 497 steps to reach the top and walk up to the rooftop balcony to oversee all of Florence and Tuscany

The dome, taken from the balcony on the way to the rooftop

And finally, the view of Florence and the Bell Tower from the top

The most epic of all– FESTIVAL GELATO.. only any flavor you could every imagine to exist.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic

Music, Light Shows, and Therapy

(not gonna lie, I stayed to watch the show that goes on every half an hour twice)

MX museo de la xocolata (Chocolate Museum)

Yes, it was all made out of chocolate.

Remember Parc Guelle?

Oh and not to mention, our entrance tickets were two chocolate bars- sweet deal.

Gaudi's Parc Guelle

Ok fine, this was obviously my fourth time going already and I have yet to post the top "must see" attraction in Barcelona. As you will see, Gaudí incorporated many motifs of Catalan nationalism and elements from religious mysticism and ancient poetry into the Park. While you get a vibe of peace and calmness touring the park, Gaudi's flamboyant colors and patterns, fantastical shaped roofs, detailed tilework, and unusual pinnacles make this garden a pleasure as well as a masterpiece. 

Here are some of my favorite photos between all my visits:

Welcomed by 'The Serpent'

Tricks by the Bubble Lady in the open terrace

The detailed tilework, each piece hand placed by Gaudi

Walking through the gardens

The rooftops I think look like vanilla ice cream cones

The colonnaded footpath

FC Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal Match

UEFA Champions League, Camp Nou

Tuesday, April 06, 2010, 19:45

(jealous?)

Getting geared up to go

"BARCA, BARCA, BAAAAAAAAAAARCA!" 

- the stadium's favorite theme chant

125 euro and not even in the lowest level? 

No worries, there's no such thing as a bad seat in this stadium

The typical swarm of fans leaving the game, victorious, still chanting.

Take a look INSIDE!

So I made my way back of course to the Cathedral as promised, and thought I should share a sneak peak...

walking down the hallway of the Gothic style cathedral

View of the apse and ambulatory

The outdoor terrace

One of the adoration rooms

The Labyrinth Park, Barcelona

Finally I live in a city where I can truly get lost like Alice in Wonderland. A friend of mine recommended me to go check out the labyrinth, so we thought it would be a fun adventure. Took the metro about a half an hour to Mundet metro stop and had to take a 15 minute walk to get to the park which was way cooler than I had expected. We had to walk along the highway and cross over the bridge (an underground path of long walls completely covered in graffiti). Being the art lover that I am, it made me feel like finding art in the streets was almost cooler than most of the museums I have visited abroad, and believe me I've seen enough. Fell in love with these new modern forms of expression and had to snap a picture on the way.

500 steps later, we reached the Labyrinth, sweating.

Walked into the Labyrinth thinking "Common it's not that big, this should be a piece of cake to reach the statue in the middle." Meanwhile, we hear people walking around, laughing, and sometimes scampering around out of nervousness.

20 minutes later, about 4 circles around and 5 dead ends, we made it to the center. Thankfully the way out was much easier.

Just some proof I made it out of there, took a rest at an old fountain in the park upon your exit from the maze.

AmsterDAMN.

With less than 10 pictures take for obvious reasons, I made it to Amsterdam and back alive. Some of my fondest memories– Banana pancakes at Barney's breakfast, the GREEN tree in Vondelpark, The male crew's ORANGE crocs, Mexis with Ari, coffeeshop after coffeeshop after coffeeshop, Pancake Factory, the Anne Frank House, 3D walls in Dolphins, the Comedy Show, Spacecakes, and peanut butter vomitile. 

Hello to the Palaces of Prague!

Living the life in a castle as my hotel with a key that weighed 7 pounds of gold. Talk about the Middle Ages...

A view from our hotel room terrace- Yep, right in the center of Old Town Square.

My golden princess bedroom

Not the most "typical" fountain you'll see abroad..HAHA

So apparently the IMAGINE sign at the Lennon Wall was destroyed? I happen to show up a month late to Prague and cried because all I wanted was a snapshot with the peace sign.

Charles Bridge

The scene inside the caves of Prague at night

a new appreciation for Dub Step and Drum and Bass music

Cheers to Praha, loved it.