Well, it is about time I share about all things Spring Break, and boy was it one of the most amazing trips I have been on in a while. To begin with, my friends and I took a ten hour bus ride to Paris from London (not recommended), but we traveled on a ferry and arrived in Paris early enough to greet the morning. I immediately bought a nutella and banana crepe as we walked toward the Eiffel Tower through the Tuileries Gardens, by the Obelisk, and across the River Seine. I went to the very top of the tower, and to my surprise was given a free glass of champagne (or three). The day was sunny and beautiful, though a little cloudy, and I was loving every minute of it. We then proceeded to walk the Champs Elysees toward the Arc du Triumph (sorry Washington Square, but this arch was waaaaaay better) and then grabbed dinner by the Notre Dame before visiting the Louvre The following day we walked to the catacombs, saw the Pantheon, sat in the Luxembourg Gardens as I ate a chocolate croissant, passed the Sorbonne, and ate a delicious three course meal at a small French bistro. We finished the night off with a tour of the Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, and the Paris Opera House. We split up the next day because I was the only one who wanted to go to Versailles. I just didn't think my Paris trip would be complete without visiting this decadent place...and I had the most amazing time touring the palace and the gardens, eating macaroons and sipping on a cup of tea.
Bright and early, we took a plane to Nice. I immediately fell in love with the little beach town, full of life and delicious smells of the water and fresh pastries. Our apartment was a converted wine cellar right by the water and a cute little market that changed what it sold daily. The day we arrived, stalls were selling antiques. I bought a pair of earrings for 3 euros, the cheapest thing I could find in the entire market. We walked to a chateau that overlooked the entire city, and what a view! The harbor on one side, equipped with a small lighthouse and gorgeous ships, and the coastline on the other, with its massive boardwalks and quaint homes. We ate at a traditional Nicoise restaurant and I had the most delicious seafood. I cannot believe we were only in Nice for one day. There may not be that many "touristy" things to do, but the atmosphere and easy-living definitely made me wish I spent my entire break basking on the coast.
The next city on our list to visit was Barcelona. We dropped our bags off at our beachfront apartment, and started touring the city. We went for paella and tapas and then sat on the beach for hours as the sun set. The next day we woke up bright and early to walk Las Ramblas, ate gelado in Placa Catalunya as we searched for wifi, toured Sagrada Familia and ended our afternoon at Parque Guell. The weather was absolutely beautiful and everything from the city's architecture to its people was amazing. We ate at a fish market for dinner and went club hopping on the beach. Hungover and sad that I lost my favorite bracelet, the next day was rather easygoing. I laid out on the beach for a few hours before walking around the city and going on a hike.
We flew to Madrid the next afternoon where we met up with our friends from NYU Prague. Our apartment was gorgeous and the lady we were renting from had cooked us breakfast. We did some grocery shopping before walking to the park near the Prado museum. When our friends arrived we ate dinner and got ready to go to Joy. I don't remember the rest of the night, sadly, but it was apparently a lot of fun. The next morning we walked to Plaza del Sol, the Royal Palace, a few different churches, and open markets. Because it was Easter weekend, streets were crowded with performers and different parades. We went to Kapital that night, and again, I do not remember much of the club. Easter Sunday was rather rainy so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to museum hop. I started at the Reina Sofia because it was a three minute walk from our apartment and then went to the Prado and Thyssen. I was enamored by the art collections. Famous masterpieces one right after the other. Spring break seemed to be too good to be true.
That was until we traveled to Morocco. What an eye-opening experience. After doing a bit of research on Tangier, I realized that I would have to cover myself completely in order to be respectful. So, in 75 degree weather, I wore a sweater, jeans and boots. I thought I was going to pass out. Everywhere we went, men came up to us asking if we knew where we were going or if we needed any help finding a place. We were all a bit skeptical to tell these strangers anything, but in the end we realized that they only wanted to help us so that we could pay them. One of these "strangers" actually became our tour guide for the day and showed us amazing places to eat and shop. My friend and I kept getting called to, which was rather annoying, and then we noticed that we were literally the only women walking the streets under 25. We walked through the village, visiting small shops that sold spices, medicines, souvenirs and clothes. I ended up buying more in Morocco then I did in any other city, because everything was only a few USD. I bought Moroccan oil, rose cream, amber and a small hand-woven leather purse...all for $20. I then had three cups of delicious mint tea in a famous terraced cafe right on the water for 70 cents. The next day, we had a traditional Moroccan lunch, with split pea soup, chicken and cous cous, and strawberries and honey, before traveling to the grotte d'hercule, a gorgeous hand carved cave the shape of Africa and riding a camel along the beach. We ended our afternoon by the port of Tangier where we walked along the beach and looked at a few shops. Because there was no wifi in the city, I had to go to an internet cafe in order to contact anyone and to check the status of my flight to Lisbon. To my disappointment, I had the wrong flight to Lisbon, and afraid of being stuck, I had to spend $200 to change my flight. Now the airline did not claim that it was their fault (of course) so they charged me the penalty anyway. Extremely upset, I just wanted to go back to London, since I just spent a large amount of money (my supposedly grocery money) on a damn flight.
The next day, our group of seven split up. Most were flying to Rome, but since I had just been in January, my friend and I traveled to Lisbon instead. Lisbon proved to be an extremely enjoyable city. We visited the Belem Tower, a famous pastry shop, a gorgeous monastery, and the point where all explorers, like Columbus and de Gama, left for their explorations. We toured Saint George's castle, walked through a pretty little park along the water, visited a museum and an oceanarium, Lisbon's top attractions. We ended our nights with drinks in the Barrio Alto district, where streets are rampant with the cheapest deals in the city.
All-in-all, I had an amazing spring break, despite minor setbacks and wild adventures. I would definitely relive my travels, and look forward to the many more to come. (Photos will be posted soon!)
