So sorry this took so long, but once you read this post you'll see why! It was a long, but fun week of travel. I'm still recovering from getting sick during the trip, and dealing with the post-travel blues. It's back to the daily grind I guess...
Saturday 2/16
Early morning wake up call for the Isle of Skye trip! We stopped at many places on the way to Skye, which was over five hours away. We saw Loch Lomand again (and got chased by a swan), Loch Tulla, and the Three Sisters (not covered in snow this time!). We stopped at Garrison West in Fort William again for lunch and I got their delicious Mac and cheese. After finally arriving at our hostel, Saucy Mary’s, we walked around a bit before we had pizza at the pub.
Sunday
Day two of Skye! First we went to the Sligachan Bridge. Legend has it if you dip your face into the River Sligachan for seven seconds, you will be blessed with eternal beauty and youth. So on that fine Sunday morning, I dipped my face into a random river all in the name of beauty. Not sure how youthful I feel but it definitely woke me up! After that we hiked up to Old Man of Storr, a 50m high pinnacle of rock. It was shrouded in clouds, and the hike was one of the windiest I’ve ever been on. Our third stop was Mealt Fall, one of the few waterfalls in the world in which the water falls directly into the sea. Lastly we saw Lealt Gorge and Lealt Falls, which is considered Skye’s most spectacular gorge and waterfall. We had lunch at the Portree Hotel and made our way home.
Monday
First day in Barcelona! I woke up at 3:15 to catch my early morning flight. Once we landed in Barcelona, we went to lunch at Market Cuina Fresca for lunch! It was one of the freshest, most unique meals I’ve ever had. We went to Joliu next, where I got a yummy chocolate croissant and got to look at all the cute plants I couldn't buy. After that we went to Ciutadella Park, which had a huge gold fountain with stallions on top. Then we went to see the Arc de Triomf, this beautiful red arch in the middle of a park. To round off the night we explored the Gothic Quarter more, got dinner at Conesa Entrepans, and ate rolled ice cream from Rolls & Co.
Tuesday
We did a 2.5 hour walking tour of Gaudi’s works! We started at Plaza royal, and made our way to several of the buildings he designed. Some of them included Palau Guell, Casa Lleo Morera, and Casa Amatller. We also saw the Padrera building, which was one of Gaudi’s more controversial works (it was very “out there” in terms of its design). Our tour guide recommended we go to Los Bellota for lunch. There I had one of my favorite meals in Barcelona! It was Iberian ham with garlic, tomato, olive oil, and salt and pepper on fresh bread. You peel and rub the garlic on the warm bread, and then crush the tomato on it, adding the other ingredients later. It was simple but delicious, and the hands-on aspect made it feel even more of an authentic experience. From there we walked to the Sagrada Familia, a church Gaudi had began in 1882 and is expected to be finished by 2026. For my early birthday dinner, we went to Bodega Joan, where I had sangria! It was so good, and the chicken I had gotten there was great as well. To end the night, we got churros at Xurreria Trebol. I got a Nutella stuffed churro, which was one of the most delicious desserts I’ve ever had.
Wednesday
To start the day we went to La Boqueria! It’s a Spanish market, with individual vendors selling a variety of food products. There was so much food that it made it hard to decide what to get. I ended up getting an empanada, and later some Iberian ham and cheese. Both were great choices! After we left we walked more through the Gothic Quarter, a beautiful part of the city with narrow streets and pretty buildings. After that we strolled through the La Gracia section of the city. It was similar to the Gothic Quarter, but full of pastel colors and much more well-lit. Before going to our next stop, we stopped for a mid-afternoon snack. I got a chocolate covered waffle! Our next stop was Park Güell. The entrance looked like a gingerbread house and there was some beautiful mosaic work. However, I found it highly underwhelming. There wasn’t much going on there. Still beautiful though. From Park Güell we climbed up a mountain to watch the sunset and it was one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen. We got a 360 degree view of the city, with a nice pink sky from the sunset. We went to a Japanese place called Ramen-Ya for dinner, and then went back to our Airbnb.
Thursday
Thursday was the first day in London! We took another early flight into London Gatwick airport and I fell asleep before takeoff lol. From there we made our way to our hostel, YHA London St. Paul’s Hostel. We got a quick breakfast at Cafe Rouge and then made our way to Covent Garden. It’s not actually a garden, but a market of shops. We window shopped until we made our way to the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square and then the British National Gallery. It was an afternoon of observing good art. For dinner we explored Chinatown and got dinner at Rasa Sayang, which was a Malaysian style restaurant. It was the first time I had ever been to any Chinatown! It was so cool.
Friday
On our way to Buckingham Palace we walked through Whitehall Gardens and St. James Park. We went to see the changing of the guard at 11 am. Right as we were walking up we hear a guard shout that the Queen is driving past. I look towards the car in time to see the Queen and another unidentified woman in the backseat of this seemingly inconspicuous car. I was shocked afterwards. All we went there for was to see the changing of the guard!! After that we went to Chando’s for lunch, which was basically a classic British pub. Literally right after lunch we went back to Chinatown to get Bubblewrap ice cream (the cone looks like a waffle bubblewrap). I got strawberry cheesecake ice cream with raspberries and a white chocolate drizzle. Yet another successful dessert! After that we hit up the British Museum, the British Library, and some of us went to King’s Cross! I got my obligatory Harry Potter picture at Platform 9 3/4. To end the night we got Thai food at Krua and just talked for the rest of the night.
Saturday 2/23
Our first stop of the day was Borough Market! We snacked our way through all the free samples, particularly many good kinds of cheese. One of my favorite stands we stopped at was a place called Drunk Cheese. Here they make cheese that is soaked in alcohol- beer, wine, you name it! I tried a piece of Prosecco soaked cheese (@Mom and Aunt Patti- you’d like this!) and I kid you not it tasted exactly like it but in cheese form. We the tube to the Natural History Museum, which has been my favorite museum so far. I could’ve spent hours in there. Our last museum for the day was Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A museum). We looked at the Cast Courts, which display copies of some of the word’s most renowned pieces of art (i.e. think of art like Michelangelo’s David sculpture). After that we went to Kensington Creperie for lunch. I’d highly recommend for all you crepe fans out there. From there we walked to Kensington Gardens, and just relaxed until we began our journey back home :)
