Friday highlights

The bank holiday approaches and Liam and I are off to Madrid. Goals are to see Guernica, eat a large number of tapas and soak in the 35 degree sunshine. It's currently about 12 degrees and pouring rain in England (apparently autumn arrived early).

• Forget the guitar, where can I get that dress?...
• This makes me want to learn to knit....
• I've been taking some personality tests this week. And not a surprise, I'm a judgemental introverted thinker. What are you?...
• Cowgirl, if my tent was that big I'd definitely give camping another shot...
• I love Danny Boyle but can James Franco really handle an entire film on his own? I've always thought of him as a supporting character...

Have a lovely weekend.

Image via

lazy heat

due to some recent health issues, I had to cancel my ski trip in a week.

L2 has decided to do back country in Switzerland in February instead and my roommate proposed to go somewhere warm to make me feel better. Thoughts turned to North Africa but Tunisia is only 15 degrees in February and Egypt isn't safe enough to travel. So we looked a little to the west and are now planning to go to the Canary Islands.

I'm voting for Lanzarote, but we'll see.

Image via

rain in spain

it does rain in spain on the plains. significantly. Both days my fam and I got caught in pouring rain. So much so that my mom looked a like a drowned rat! But it did help cut the humidity and help me sleep in a very very paved city. Images of Oro Tower (above) and the city of Seville.

bull!

I'm back from another venture into Spain and escaping the bear market. This time it was the capital of Andalucia - Sevilla. Sevilla used to be a very important city in the world. As a river port for Spain it was a key trading connection from 'The New World' and Europe. Columbus launched from Sevilla and most of the gold/silver that was taken from its hills was brought back to Sevilla to then be distributed from there.

Highlights included: Real Alcazar (I could really get used to growing up in a palace) the church (third biggest in Europe after St. Paul's and St. Peter's), Columbus tomb, a random flamenco performance and the always delicious spanish tapas. I could have croquettes every night.

To be honest, its architecture was a shamble of so many historic ages with Baroque, Gothic and Moorish style. Needless to say most of it would have probably been very garish when it was first created but time has worn down the colours and created emphasis on the beautiful detail rather than the in-your-face colour combos.

While I won't go back to Sevilla - I'm in love with the Moors and desperately need to get to Morocco now. (I do know it's not quite the same but it's as close as I can get without returning to Spain)

Seville dreaming

I'm dreaming of flamenco, warm nights and Spanish tapas with a lot of wine in Sevilla. Friday doesn't seem close enough. Wish L2 was coming.... Image via

a proper brit - vacationing in south Spain

my parents have decided to spend a bit more time in London and instead of Morocco are headed to Andalusia area of Spain for the month of October. I've taken full advantage of this and am headed to Seville in the middle of their trip and over my dad's 60th.

If you ask a Brit where they have been in Europe - you'll immediately get Spain and Portugal on the confirmed list. I've met numerous peeps that have never been to Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany or even Italy. But the south of Spain - it's been their favourite spot for 10 years.

Even if I stay here half that time, I hope I change it up a bit more than that. Image via (it also explains what the image is!)

not quite spanish

I'm still having problems understanding the difference between the Catalan and the Spanish. The catalan have been in Spain since the 'spanish' and have a different food and language. Needless to say, it's fine as most Catalan speak Spanish and probably broken English. However, looking at a menu in Catalan was beyond hopeless on our Sunday afternoon.

L2 and I had trekked up to the Olympic park and I kept leading us on in hopes to find a delicious restaurant instead of some tacky tourist subsitute. Just at the sight of the park - we found one but it was all in Catalan. Thankfully the most friendly woman I had ever met - read out our menu to us and then recommended their best dishes. Catalan food is scrumptious and L2 and I are already trying to repeat the biggest salad we got. We also had homemade hummous, and burgers but with no buns. Apparently, that's the spanish way - and such a good idea. Dipping your meat into sauces with carrots is unbelievably tasty and no carbs!

Didn't take any pictures of our meals so right is the olympic fish and left is a rhino I fell in love with in the Gothic quarter.

Gaudi = gaudy = great

Gaudi is Barcelona. With the Sagrada Familia, Guell park, and lamp posts everywhere, it's hard to not go somewhere and see Gaudi. And it's gaudy! He was not one to shy away from the overly ornate. However, you can see what he was trying to do and La Pedrera now goes on the top of the list as one of my favourite buildings. With no single supporting walls, the entire structure is held up by strategically placed posts. There's also no straight walls..... Gaudi was very influenced by the sea as most of the buildings look the water washed them away and they were always there. It's hard for a building to look that natural but the texture, the shape, and the little details on his work gave me the clear impression of what Gaudi wanted to convey. That the world is his ocean.
Again, pictures to come soon - waiting for L2 to put them online so I can take the ones I took and maybe some of the ones he took too. (update: pictures up. one on left - guell park, one below - la pedrera)