=j(oe) + (l)izz + travel
On our way back from Cordoba to Seville, we noticed there were fields of sunflowers. The girly girl in me squealed in silent delight at the thought of running through a field of sunflowers. But the closest one we were able to get to was separated from us by a giant ditch and we could […]
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Even before we left, I knew that I want to come back to Granada. It’s such a beautiful city. So much greenery, colourful gardens, nice plazas to hangout. The city is small enough that you can walk everywhere. Within the city, there are many gardens known as carmens. Some are open to the public for […]
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I knew nothing of the Alhambra before arriving in Granada. Our Airbnb host was very emphatic that we must visit the main attraction of the city. Later I learn that the Alhambra is the most visited attraction in Spain. By the time I looked into getting tickets directly from the Alhambra website, there were none […]
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so back when i was hunting for graffiti areas in granada to walk though i came up with lots of suggestions to check out the windy roads of the albaicin, the old moorish quarter. our airbnb host also gave us a map that, shockingly, had points of interest around town with small thumbnails of graffiti […]
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from our taxi ride departing the barcelona airport into the city, spain has offered up a smorgasboard of street art. over the span of the four cities we visited, i’ve grown fonder and fonder of spain. each of the cities have their own charm and the streets are the best way to see it up […]
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so our first dinner in spain was a must-do in the form of tapas. we ended up at cerveceria catalana and had a great meal with a few wobbly-pops to the tune of 40 euro. not cheap but not breaking the bank either. with the countless restaurant reviews i’ve sifted through since we’ve been in […]
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one of the biggest culture shocks coming from asia to europe has been the markets that spain’s cities have to offer. from the fresh produce to the baked goods to the fresh seafood and even the candy. toss in stalls selling fresh food from breakfast to evening cocktails and you have everything you need from […]
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before leaving vancouver, my longtime friend/boss took me out for one final hurrah and we ended up at the pourhouse to get a burger done ‘just right’. no frills, no toppings, just a medium rare burger on a bun with my favourite mix of beef, bun and blood. with that said, it’s pretty easy to […]
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we eased into our first of many tapas dinners at cerveceria catalana in barcelona. nadius had a great meal here the last time they were in in town so we placed our trust in them. we got there after 730pm and while most restaurants in town were just starting to bring people in, this place […]
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We had time to see two other architectural works of Gaudi while in Barcelona. Both were commissioned by Eusebi Guell, a wealthy Spanish industrial tycoon. Guell Palace Mansion located in the El Raval neighbourhood of Barcelona. We walked by and noticed that there was no line up, so we decided to pay the €12 to […]
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so over our 12 days in spain, we’ve had to make a few adjustments from life in asia. nothing groundbreaking but these were some of the things we’ve noticed on a daily basis. keep in mind that neither of us have been in europe for almost a year and a half so. i also think […]
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we spent a week saying no to churros in korea, of all places, and set foot to try out this local dish so the last time i’ve had a churro was at taco bell about 20 years ago, a far cry from anything legitimately spanish. a lot has changed since then… churros have gone designer […]
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my limited knowledge of spanish culture has lead me to believe that they eat tapas for every meal. idiotic and ignorant but that’s me most of the times. it was a glorious discovery to find out that there are many affordable lunches to be had if you ask for the meal of the day, aka […]
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Jojo and I are not huge on cathedrals. When we went to Notre Dame, we quickly decided the interior was not worth the 2 hour wait in the hot sun. Sure we missed seeing the gargoyles but we would rather be sipping wine at a sidewalk patio anyway. However, Barcelona is synonymous with Gaudi and […]
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our trip in barcelona hasn’t been bad by any stretch of the imagination but i feel we would have had a better time if we had made a few changes. spain in general was an audible that we decided on about three weeks ago so planning it out in it’s entirety wasn’t as thorough as […]
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Since arriving in Spain, I’ve noticed that the young guys here wear tight pants. Maybe it’s a European thing or maybe they are skinny enough to carry off the look but it’s definitely a big enough trend that I had to comment on it. So like a proper stalker, I spent an afternoon taking photos […]
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jojo: what do i like? -graffiti. have yet to see too much by way of foot but i saw alley upon alley during our bus ride into the city center. they even have areas marked off on guide maps. i’ve come across multiple blogs that rave about this city being a mecca for street art. […]
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q. current home/addy where i stayed (neighbourhood) and how long a. barcelona (airbnb, sant just desvern, 4 nights), madrid (airbnb, chueca, 4 nights), granada (airbnb, centro, 1 night) q. favourite meal a. takos al pastor in madrid. maybe it was the 3.5 months that i’ve been without one. maybe it’s because they’re mexican-made soft shell […]
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