Changing perspective in Barcelona

The day before we left for Barcelona I was feeling pretty low. I won't delve into why but if you want to know a bit about my experience with depression you can do so here. Flying over the Alps on the morning of our trip and I was lifted out of the dark completely. When I see natural beauty like this I am reminded of what and who I am living for. He is so much bigger than a bad day, a broken heart, a missed train or ignored text messages. Perspective is a wonderful thing.

I can't remember exactly where this photo was taken but I know it was near one of Barcelona's many museums, if that's any help. We stood in a large courtyard surrounded by old and new architecture. The contrast was stunning, especially with the reflections and the clear blue sky.

Ever seen a vending machine as big as this one? We were amazed. Found in one of the metro stations, we had to stop for a photo and buy a snack.

The Sagrada Familia was recommended to us by so many people and it was one of our favourite sights in the city. The light inside this magnificent church was beautiful. So many different colours, shapes, patterns and avenues of light. If you're heading to Barcelona you have to check out this incredible work of art. Designed by the late architect Antoni Gaudi, construction of the Sagrada Familia started way back in 1882 and is still being built.

The beach in Barcelona was warm and quiet. We watched the shore lap close to our toes and dogs swim in the lukewarm water when this little chap came to say hi. There were so many dogs in Barcelona, which made me happy but also sad because I don't have one of my own.

We stood on the roof of Barcelona's cathedral in the January sunshine – what a treat. Another stunning piece of architecture.

If only my spending money had allowed for a pair (or ten) of these beautiful pumps. Found in one of those shops you stumble upon and never see again, there was a pair in every colour you could imagine. 

On our last day we headed to La Rambla, the tourist hotspot in Barcelona. Just off this busy street was Plaça Reial, a square in which friends meet for lunch, holiday-goers stop for selfies and, when it's warm, people sit on the edge of the water fountain to soak up the sun with an ice cream. We did all three.

Read more about my trip to Barcelona here.

A Weekend in Paris

Since Jess and I graduated (she in 2014, I in 2013) we've been talking about traveling and seeking out the cheapest ways to do it. We snapped up a bargain when we went to Paris last month, paying just £69 each for return tickets on the Eurostar. Our Airbnb apartment in Montmartre cost us £25 a night each and it was exactly what we needed in a brilliant location. I would highly recommend Lea to anyone wanting an affordable stay in Paris in a nice, quiet area. I have an entire post coming up all about the food as I couldn't possibly fit it all into one, so for now, here are a few snaps from our short summer trip and a little about what we got up to...

We arrived on Friday afternoon and headed straight up to Sacré-Cœur, on Poppy's recommendation. Poppy lived in Paris for a while and lent me her mapbook of the city which was an absolute necessity during our trip. Once we'd had a wander round the church we were just about dying from the heat so went to get something to eat from a nearby cafe.

 

Peach iced tea and a ham baguette - a typically French (for me, anyway) lunch and in 30°C heat it was spot on.

Later that evening we went down to a bar (which I'll tell you more about next week), drank cocktails and people-watched as the sun went down but the streets got busier.

We were up and out of the apartment by 8am on the Saturday but we had no idea that the French enjoyed a slower start so while we waited for everything to open we had a wander around the quiet streets of Montmartre.

We got the Metro to Madeleine and went to Galeries Lafayette - the most beautiful department store I have ever seen. It reminded me of Bendel's in New York, but this was much, much bigger.

Then, despite being told by a number of people not to bother, we went to the Eiffel tower and had a look at the famous landmark in real life. It was mildly underwhelming but it was pretty cool to see it - it seemed a lot bigger than in all the films I had seen.

By this point I needed an ice cream, and that's when I found this violet beauty. It was the colour, scent and flavour of one of my favourite childhood sweets and was about as big as my head, but I managed to eat (nearly) all of it.

Despite only being in the French capital for 48 hours, we soaked up every last minute of our trip and didn't feel like we missed out on anything. There's a lot I haven't included here because I have separate posts lined up and these will be live very soon. Expect to see french fries, lots of pastries and actual bowls of hot chocolate :)