Sara Noonan

Paris – Day Six

First up? The Museum of Natural History (specifically the Hall of Evolution). A massive museum with taxidermy animals of about every species filled this space. Nearly everything was in French, with the exception of a few special exhibits, so we mostly wandered around. Because it was a week day in March, we had the museum almost entirely to ourselves up until we were about to leave (at which point all of the school groups arrived for field trips).

Following, we headed to a creperie that was highly recommended and had buckwheat crepes and galletes (meaning I could eat them). I had one with gruyere, smoked ham and a sunny side up egg. James had the same without the egg. For dessert, salted caramel with whipped cream. I have never tasted something so incredibly amazing in my life.

We left and walked around the area, making our way to the Notre Dame. A cheese shop, which is known for being one of the best in the world (and not mean to tourists), was on the way. Now armed with the knowledge from our class earlier in the week, we were confidently able to walk in, point (because our cheese monger didn’t speak English) and walk away with the most amazing cheeses. Sadly I cannot bring any of these home because they aren’t pasteurized.

We arrived at Notre Dame, took a quick loop around inside, and left to bring our cheese home to the fridge. Stopping of course to get dessert for later, and a croissant for James.

Home we devoured the cheese. I cannot even tell you. It was so good. We had a brie, a funky goat and a little wheel with a heart of fig jam in the center. Now in a cheese coma, we lounged around for a few hours, glad to have a break in one of our days that are typically filled with walking. Around 4:15 we headed back out to see the Catacombs.

The Catacombs are passages built 20 meters under the city of Paris. Originally, they were limestone mines, which often caved in, taking the homes and parks above with it. In the late 1700s, the city finally started to fix the tunnels and built supports. When the death toll from the French Revolution (pre and post) were getting out of control, they used the space as a mass grave – naming it the Catacombs. It is both eery and beautiful. If you are at all the littlest bit squeamish, I advise you to stay home.

On our way back to the apartment, we decide to walk through the Luxemborg gardens which literally were closing as soon as we arrived. So we walked along the edge, looking in. Back at the apartment, we feasted on a homemade soup, some baguettes and treats we purchased earlier in the day.

Paris (Brussels) – Day Five

The train unions went on strike Tuesday night until Thursday morning. Right smack in the middle of this strike, James and I were supposed to take a train for a day trip to Brussels. Lucky for us, our train (both ways) was not impacted, and were able to embark on our journey. We pulled into Brussels a little before 11 a.m. Unlike Paris, it was sunny with a cold bite in the air.

We decided to walk instead of figuring out the subway system. Brussels is a tiny city and were able to walk through a good portion of it during the day. We headed to La Quincaillerie, a hip bistro in an old hardware store. Since we arrived early, and restaurants here don’t open any earlier than noon, we wandered around the neighborhood and came across cool shops, patisseries and more. We were definitely in the Williamsburg Brooklyn of Brussels.

For lunch, I decided to give oysters another try. They were also on the tasting menu and sounded like the least filling option. I’m still not completely sold, but they were probably the best I’ve tried thus far (and no, I have not had any from home yet so I know there are many, many more varieties to tackle!). James also had the oysters. For my entree, I had the steak and frites, James had duck served atop of a perfectly formed pile of potatoes. We left and made a beeline for the patisserie around the corner, with the most beautiful display of treats. We had them boxed up and started making our way to the city center.

Along our journey, we came to a ledge – a huge overpass looking over the city. In fact, you could take an elevator down if you preferred to not walk down the steep streets and stairs. From here, you could see the entire city of Brussels, including the cool atom structure which is located much further away from city center.

At the bottom, we found a sunny bench and decided to enjoy our treats. Both of us had chosen a raspberry macaroon, but it was much larger than your typically macaroon, maybe the size of a chocolate chip cookie, with filling the incorporated a layer of raspberries and cream. It was heaven. The closest I can compare it to is the Haagen Daaz raspberry vanilla frozen yogurt swirl – but better, and less sweet.

During the rest of our journey through the winding streets, James stopped for a waffle, topped with whipped cream and strawberries. We finally came to the city center, the “Grand Place.” I had forgotten how truly amazing this section of the city is.

Each of the buildings ornate, covered in gold, and breathtaking. We opted to go into the Brussels History museum, which was one of these ridiculously orante buildings. Here we learned about the different periods in Brussels, saw how the city expanded from the 1200s to today, and the best part, every costume that Mannekin Pis has ever worn. Mannekin Pis is this tiny little boy peeing (it’s supposed to be Cupid) that was constructed in the mid-1600s. He’s situated outside the main square, and every time someone important comes to visit Brussels, the city creates him a special costume and dresses him up.

We left the museum and headed over to see the actual Mannekin Pis. He was dressed up (I think for Australia, but I have no idea!). We then made our way to a chocolate shop, purchased some goodies, and headed to the Comic Museum.

The Comic Museum is very cool. Tin Tin was created by a Belgian artist, along with some other famous comics, and so there is of course an entire museum dedicated to these folks and others. We saw the process of how comics were invented (monks used to tell bible stories in the same format that we see comics in today!). There was an entire section dedicated to the Smurfs, graphic novels, etc. It was a very cool spot, and highly recommended if you are in the city. Again, I wish I wasn’t so tired by the time we got here!

We made our way back to the city center for dinner at Aux Armes de Bruxelles – one of the city’s historic spots to eat their most famed dish – mousels and frites (mussels and fries). To get here, one must travel through the slippery snakes of tourist trap spots. Men outside yelling for you to come in, trying to veer you in a different direction. It reminded me of the tapas and paella places in Spain, but 100 times worse. We ducked inside the restaurant to be greeted by possibly the worst waiter in the world. At least the worst I have had! But the food was good and it was a solid 90 minutes of sitting. I had moules in a tomato sauce, and James had his in a wine cream sauce.

We walked slowly back to the train station, enjoying the quietness of Brussels at night, and arrived at our apartment in Paris before 11 p.m.

Paris – Day Four

The intent this morning was for James to run and me to lounge around in bed. Instead we lazily lounged around until we decided to do something before lunch, but just late enough that the lines for the Modern Art Museum were out of control (also the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and the masses flock elsewhere!). Instead, we sat outside a carousel, eventually rode it, and stalked a couple who had a pair of backpacks we desperately wanted (only to find out you can get them in Spain, but pretty much anywhere else they are nonexistent).

For lunch I made reservations at Le Jules Verne, a restaurant located dead smack in the middle of the Eiffel Tower. From the ground, you can see a restaurant, which we assumed was JV. Nope. This restaurant is literally tucked away on the second observation deck. A terrifying elevator ride, and we arrived to about 40 waiters all greeting us. Our seats were incredible – on the outskirts of the room, which meant we were next to a window the whole time. Similar to Top of the Hub, for those who have been there before – but with a piece of the Tower blocking your view (even cooler).

I let them know that I was gluten free and they brought the usual olives to the table. I’ve become accustomed to eating olives, which I used to detest, simply because its the only thing I can often have while everyone else is gorging on bread. And then they brought out warm, delicious gluten free bread. I don’t know what they do here to their bread, but it is nothing like you get the in the States. Nutty, and complex, soft in the center, but not crumbly. Unless you’ve eaten gluten free bread, none of this will make sense – but trust me on it. The amuse bouche was a piece of fish served on a cabbage and purple potato salad. For my appetizer I had warm asparagus with ham, peas and a massive pot of hollandaise sauce (I ate all of the sauce, spreading it on my vegetables and my bread of course). James had a mackerel tart. For our entree I had the duck and James had the beef. Dessert we both ordered what we thought was mango sorbet. It was not. It was literally a pile of mango with some sort of passion fruit sauce on it, with a small side of sorbet. Then they brought out chocolate, homemade marshmallows, cream puffs, macaroons and more. It was literal heaven.

We left lunch, satisfied and completely full. Next stop? The sewer system museum. I had read this was a cool, off the beaten track place to go. After the mornings experience where we were unable to get in, I was a little nervous about the lines. I don’t know why. The sewer museum is not in an old part of the sewer that’s unused. No, this is in an active area of the sewer, where waste from the Eiffel Tower region is flowing under our feet. It was…. disgusting. I walked around with my scarf covering my face. In fairness, we learned a lot, but I would not advise going after eating. Ever. It smells like your worst nightmare.

Following, we headed to the Technology Museum (Musée des arts et métiers). I heard there was a subway station underneath that was abandoned during WWII. Sadly I didn’t find this subway. But the museum was really cool – a thermometer invented by Galileo. The original Foucault pendulum resides here, and is active. I wish I wasn’t so tired. Oddly enough, it was the only place I spoke entirely in French to the staff and they didn’t bat an eye. I still can’t do a very good job – but have gotten down the basics.

Afterwards, we meandered the streets. We headed to a famed chocolate shop, but when entering, it was the most overwhelming and sterile place. And the chocolate was insanely priced (130 euro for 1 kilogram). I opted to buy my chocolate in Brussels and left. We went to Merci next – a concept store that is everything Urban Outfitters wishes it was. Incredibly expensive, but definitely fascinating. We wandered around for a good 30 – 40 minutes before our dinner reservation. There were many books I wish to purchase, but of course they were only in French. Hopefully I can find the English translations back at home.

For dinner, we had made reservations at Frenchies – a highly recommended place by multiple people. Frenchies serves a tasting menu, and everyone receives the same five courses. I stopped taking notes after the second course, so here it is from memory: a thinly sliced fish with some sort of citrus salad, foie gras with beet and rhubarb jelly, monk fish with a coffee cream, duck, blood orange sorbet and the most amazing mint chocolate dessert (think a sort of ice cream on the bottom, melted brownie in the middle and sugar circle on top). We left satisfied and I would echo everyone else’s sentiments: go to Frenchies!

During dinner we heard that the unions that work for the trains were on strike – so here’s to getting to Brussels tomorrow. According to our train’s website our train is unaffected. Fingers crossed. I have chocolate to buy and James has waffles to eat.

Paris – Day Three

What a most glorious day. Armed with our subway passes, and a new found sense of direction in this city, James and I headed out to the Musee de l’Orangerie – also known as the home to Monet’s water lily paintings. I opted for the audio tour this time (and I’m glad I did, you get so much more out of a small museum with some narration behind it – and it’s actually feasible to hear almost everything!). We started in the basement of the museum – and found ourselves among Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Cezzane, etc. Absolutely breathtaking paintings – paintings I studied in art class – paintings I admire intensely. Here we were, in this small, two level museum, surrounded by the works of master painters. Only in Paris.

And then I made my way upstairs to the section dedicated to Monet. If you have not been to this museum, and are in Paris, GO. Two rooms are dedicated to the water lilies – each containing four paintings. What I was unaware of, is the sheer massive size of these paintings. Each one wrapped around the room, and took my breath away. How was it possible that he could capture such beauty?

We left, in a star struck daze, to head to the famous kitchen supply store: E. Dehillerin. Imagine an old hardware store, but instead of nails and hammers, it’s filled with an array of copper pots, utensils and every imaginable knick knack. Let’s just say that I did a little present shopping here, and spent WAY too much money, but it was worth every cent.

Don’t let that packaging fool you. This was the “bad” supermarket cheese, with its ooey gooey partner sharing the same platter.

Afterwards, we headed towards Le Aligre market, where had arranged for a wine and cheese tasting class – a three hour ordeal that turned into four, but who’s complaining?! We took the class through “Paris by Mouth.” I thoroughly enjoyed the teacher (Meg – the founder of Paris by Mouth and an American who has lived in Paris for more than a decade). We tried more than 10 types of cheese, starting with goat, moving to blooming rind, then to stinky like a barn, then to pressed (think cheddar), then to harder cheeses (think parmesan but we didn’t eat that type) and finally ended on blue cheese. Almost every cheese had it’s own wine pairing – so as you can imagine I was quite tipsy when I left!

Because the day before NoGlu was closed, we headed to another nearby gluten free bakery: Helmut Newcake. I bought a baguette, a loaf of bread and an eclair. I had literal tears in my eyes because I had not eaten an eclair in more than five years since going back on my gluten free diet. I will definitely need to go back before I leave. The baguette was also incredible – and I felt like a Parisian as I ripped a section off to eat. The inside was… SOFT. Like bread.

Following, we headed immediately to Galleria Lafayette for a view of the city from their rooftop – a free alternative to the Eiffel Tower, and a view that actually has the aforementioned monument in it! It wasn’t nearly as high, but it was breathtaking. Afterwards, we headed back down (stopped quickly for coffee) and landed on the ground floor, surrounded by silk scarves, bags and shoes.

At this point, we needed to go to the grocery store and get home to change before going back out for a show at the Moulin Rouge. We made a pit stop at MonoPrix, a department slash grocery store that had every imaginable goody in it. Armed with my new knowledge about wine and cheese, I picked a few items out (it won’t be as good as the cheese shop, but until I can get there it will do!) and then went on a hunt for some souvenirs. It didn’t disappoint.

Dinner consisted of gluten free pasta with a delicious pesto we bought at Monoprix – along with some goat cheese, broccoli and tomato. Nothing fancy, but it’s been nice eating at the apartment the last few nights. We’ll be enjoying dinners for the next four nights out.

The Moulin Rouge show was… well, I don’t know if there were words. It felt like the time Cory and I went to see the Counting Crows. We weren’t necessarily disappointed, but it was very odd. The best way I can describe it is a bunch of very fit men and women with outrageously horrible 1960s costumes, a lot of bad wigs and clacking plastic beads. I’m sure each dancer is good on their own, but together in sync? The miniature horses that they brought out later were better coordinated. It felt campy, but it wasn’t supposed to be. I wished my Dad had seen it – he would have loved and hated it all at once.

After 90 minutes, I couldn’t take anymore – especially when they botched the can-can. So we took off and headed back for some much needed rest at the apartment.

Paris – Day Two

Finally, a full night of sleep! And how blissful it was – after I convinced myself that 12:30 a.m. is not the time to wake up for the day (in defense, James hadn’t reset his watch yet so I thought it was 6:30 a.m.).

We woke up early this morning, struggled through making breakfast with one pot and one hot plate, and then walked along the Seine to the Louvre (about 3 miles from where we are staying).

I am not going to lie, walking around on a Sunday morning before anyone else in Paris is awake? Glorious. Being pooped on by a bird five minutes after you’ve stepped outside? Not so glorious. This bird managed to poop in my hair, down my coat, all over my purse and on my sunglasses. Needless to say I was less than pleased.

We arrived at the Louvre around 9:15, and waited in line for free first Sunday of the month admission. 25 minutes later we were in, and free to roam wherever we pleased. This museum is so incredibly massive. A quick trip to see the Mona Lisa (she hasn’t changed since the last time I was here!) and we were off to explore the rest. If you want to make going to a large museum very easy, don’t speak or read the language of all the placards and don’t get the audio tour. We spent about two and a half hours wandering around – taking in famous masterpieces.

Afterwards, we headed to NoGlu – a gluten free bakery that does brunch in Paris. It was about 15 minutes from the Louvre, and I had been looking forward to this all morning. Except that within the last week or so, they no longer are open on Sundays. This was something I reviewed very carefully before making plans. Sundays in Europe are like before 11 a.m. on Sundays in the U.S. but all day long. Quiet, very few stores and restaurants open. It was tragic, and all I had to console myself was some freeze dried peas with ranch flavoring.

We wandered the streets, desperate for something to eat (well me at least, James had stopped and enjoyed an eclair before we left the museum area). Finally we stumbled across Le Petit Machon, a restaurant with a chalkboard menu, no English menus (always a good sign) and waitresses who spoke about as much English as we spoke French. Perfect. I had duck with some sort of orange sauce. James had a whole fish (we think it was sole, the waitress said salmon but that was the only fish she knew in English!). We both – get ready for it – had espresso afterwards. Yes, James had his first espresso. Did he like it? He said it got him through the day.

We continued to walk around the area, with intentions of going to Ladurée Royale for their famed macaroons. We purchased eight and sat on a bench at a nearby park (next to some delicious smelling flowers) and enjoyed all eight in one sitting.

I was quite pleased Ladurée’s window display.

We took notes when eating them, and because this is the best stream of consciousness from us both… here they are (unedited):

Coffee tastes like its supposed to
Green apple definitely tastes like fake green apple
Cherry blossom tastes like buttery perfume
Chocolate was hoping it would taste like a brownie and it didn’t
Marie Antoinette refreshing and like a tea party
Pistachio favorite one so far – like that Italian paste I can’t remember what it’s called and rainbow cookies
Vanilla now this is my favorite like birthday cake with homemade frosting that makes your teeth want to fall out
Salted caramel is even better like my grandmas homemade caramels

That Italian paste is marzipan in case you were wondering or knew. We ultimately voted for the salted caramel which instead of having a layer of frosting had a thick smear of buttery rich caramel sandwiched between the two macaroon cookies

It wasn’t until our walk back home that our feet really started to protest. Luckily today was a sneaker day because we ended up going 15 miles. Tomorrow our week long train passes will go into effect, which means we have no excuse to do that.

We spent the rest of the evening at home, making dinner (it was a slight improvement over the previous!), drinking rose (me) and watching Broad City.

“Paris” – Day One

Day one in Paris was not at all in Paris. Our red eye on Icelandair was 90 minutes delayed, which meant we missed our connection (in which we only had 30 minutes to get to if we landed on time) and were stranded with a bunch of other disgruntled New Englanders (including an actual New England Patriot – through some excellent Google stalking skills and some observations that James and I both made, we have confirmed that we sat next to a player).

To make up for this bad connection, Icelandair arranged for us to still arrive in Paris on the same day, but it meant changing planes again in London. And a three hour layover. Great. Except they at least made this leg of the trip first class which meant lounging in amazingly massive chairs with lots of leg room, getting on before anyone else, and enjoying the first class lounge at Heathrow. I was very excited for all the free food and wine until I remember that I don’t like British comfort food. So many carbs and curries. And bad tomatoes. Where are my roasted veggies at?! (But in reality, this was awesome because I really wasn’t planning to eat lunch at the airport – this was supposed to be happening in Paris).

For the last leg of our trip, James and I fell immediately asleep only to be woken by some very nice British flight attendants offering us afternoon tea. Apparently on British flights they serve this tea in a porcelain teacup when you sit in first class. It was so ridiculously cute it almost made being woken up for it worth it.

We finally landed in Paris a little after 5 p.m., five hours later than we planned. By the time we figured out the train system, purchased our weekly passes, and got to the AirBnb, we’d been traveling for 18 hours straight (oomph!). James very begrudgingly went to the grocery store with me. Now that I’ve been to grocery stores in Iceland, London, Spain and France…. I have to say, we’re really lucky in the U.S. I know, I know, I should be going to the farmers markets, but you try finding one that’s open at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night.

Because we landed so late, I had to move our dinner reservation to another day. So our first night in Paris we had an Against the Grain roll from home, smeared with goat cheese, some spinach, and a “Neat” burger (a vegetarian burger mix we buy at Target and let me tell you, this was a life savor!). Tomorrow, I promise we’ll have better food tomorrow!

So, it was a waste of a day, but at least my plans weren’t too substantial and we did make it here on Saturday, which meant that we’ll be hitting up free Louvre day tomorrow as soon as they open.

Adios 😉 (or you know, au revoir – working on it!)

Iceland – Round Two, Day 2

Our second day in Iceland was truly magical – the perfect way to celebrate our one year anniversary! We booked another tour through Arctic Adventures, the same group we booked the Black & Blue tour with last time around. (The one where I had a panic attack during diving in freezing water). James and I were standing outside of our hotel, and waited to be picked up super early in the morning. A van pulled up at 7:45 a.m. and called out our names. We sat down and proceeded to be driven through the city like a game of Crazy Taxi. The driver was up and down curbs, taking turns too quickly and stopping literally just in time. We arrived at another large bus station where we proceeded to a small bus that would take us through Southern Iceland.

Southern Iceland is… breathtaking. I am going to let the pictures do the majority of the talking, because this was just a magical tour, filled with rainbows, waterfalls, glaciers, hiking and more.

Our first stop was at the Skógafoss waterfall.

Yes, this is all real. It was stunning. Shortly thereafter, we drove to the Sólheimajökull glacier for “glacier hiking.” This was seriously a once in a lifetime opportunity. The glaciers in Iceland are sadly melting, and not being reconstituted due to temperature and weather. We had to hike about 30 minutes to the glacier (and to be honest, this was the most difficult part of the journey!). Once at the glacier, we strapped on crampons and received ice picks (I think mostly for show, I really didn’t use it!). Our guide took us around the glacier and provided us with facts about the different areas of it.

Following, we headed to Black Beach – which received its name because of the color of the sand, which was created by volcanic ash and rock. The beach was breathtaking. Every time you turned a corner, there was something else magical to see.

The two rock formations out there – they are believed to be formed by troll “children” who were turned to rock when not returning before the night was done. Apparently trolls turn into rock when hit by sunlight.

At this point, the majority of the group was “hangry.” I had brought provisions for sandwiches from the U.S. (part of my 4.75 kg!) and so James and I were doing quite well. This called for a stop in the village of Vik – which is really a tiny fishing village with a knitting factory. I of course, had to buy a hat.

Afterwards, we drove on top of a cliff (but they called it an island) which had a luxury hotel in a lighthouse. Luxury is questionable, and there are only four rooms available. The view is fantastic though.

The tour continued on with a pitstop along the beach where a plane from WWII had crash landed. It was a U.S. plane that was flying from the east part of Iceland to the west, and had forgotten to fuel up beforehand. All passengers survived. But it left a very cool shell.

Our final stop of the day was Seljandsfoss waterfall. This is the waterfall you can walk behind. Only a few people on our tour opted to do this. Crazy people! Everyone should walk behind a waterfall.

It was clear, on our ride back, that we would not be making our 8:00 p.m. reservation at Sjávargrillið (SEAFOOD GRILL). I called the restaurant, quickly updated our reservation and anxiously waited for the tour bus to drop us back off at our hotel. This is hands down one of our favorite restaurants in the world (so far) and we really didn’t want to miss the opportunity to dine there. Our bus got us to the hotel at 8:45 p.m. We bolted inside, changed as quickly as possible, and then RAN to dinner in the rain. We made it two minutes before our updated reservation time.

James ordered the exact same thing he did last time we were there – the lobster meal. He’s so original. I opted to change it up a bit and had the shellfish stew and a lobster and beef main course. For dessert we split James’ creme brûlée which was served with sorrel and strawberries.

Exhausted from our day, we quickly stopped at the Lebowski bar (but only to see the inside) and then headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Iceland – Round Two, Day 1

For our one year anniversary (can you believe it has already been one year?!), James and I decided to go back to Iceland to celebrate. This seems extravagant until I tell you that we flew there for $300 roundtrip each, thanks to Wow Air (which I’ll get to in a moment). I am all for experience over material gifts, and because we enjoyed Iceland so much the first time we came, it felt only fitting to come back.

Let’s start with the airline. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Wow Air is one of those “discount” airline companies. The no frills, you literally are paying for your body to be on the plane. I had limited expectations but was extremely pleased with my experience overall. The airline is punctual and clean. The staff was very kind. And with the help of a handy luggage weight, James and I were each able to pack 4.75 kg of the allowed 5 kg on our carry on (as to not pay extra – because as I mentioned, this is a no frills flight!).

We took a red eye flight to Iceland – which meant arriving at 4 a.m. local time. OOmph. Instead of a crying baby, like we experienced in Spain, I was seated next to snorer. I would take the crying baby over snoring, so needless to say, I didn’t get much shut eye on the plane. When we arrived in Iceland, it was raining, windy and cold. We made it through the airport and settled on Reykjavik Excursions, the bus that takes you to and from the airport. This bus is a godsend. Seriously. It means you don’t need to rent a car and navigate crazy roads. It drops you off at a large terminal and passengers board smaller buses to take them to their hotels.

The bus was packed (despite it being super early). The bus driver arrived at the main station around 6:00 a.m. and realized that the woman who took our tickets and our hotel information never gave him the list. So he proceeded to write down where everyone was staying on a piece of cardboard. But rather than communicate any of this to the staff, he simply handed James the cardboard, told him he had to go and left. We stood there for about five minutes, completely out of it due to the lack of sleep, before realizing no small bus was coming to take us to our hotel since no one was notified! We eventually found someone who could make this happen. We arrived at our hotel by 7:00 a.m., and promptly fell asleep for a few hours.

We planned an easy day, given that we would have limited sleep. Around 11 a.m., we were picked up and our way to Blue Lagoon – the famed geothermal spa. We made reservations at their restaurant, Lava, before we headed into the water. Lava once again, did not disappoint. Though the wait staff was thoroughly confused when I ordered a coffee for the start of my meal.

Afterwards, we spent a few hours in the hot spring. We even had someone take our picture together. It was shocking.

On our way back, James and I got off the bus before our stop so that we could walk through the city center. Reykjavik is filled with colorful buildings, graffiti and interesting people. A walk through is a must. We stopped a Kaffitir for a chai tea latte before making it back to our hotel.

For dinner, we made reservations at Dill, which is supposedly one of the “best restaurants in Reykjavik.” Set up as a tasting menu, it did not disappoint. They were even accommodating of my diet, and made everything for me gluten free. Which really just meant, didn’t include cake with dessert, but gave me more ice cream to make up for it. I’m good with that.

James was really set on eating a hotdog in Iceland. It’s a specialty. So after his seven courses, we proceeded to the hotdog stand he has been dreaming about for one year.

I am sorry this is not the most flattering photo of you.

We ended our evening at our hotel’s bar, which was surprisingly vibrant and funky – and great for people watching.

Day 7 – Barcelona

Our last day in Barcelona – what a great vacation this has been – from eating to sightseeing to learning new cultures and improving (slightly) on our language skills – we truly had a great time.

Having been to Park Guell a few days earlier, but unable to gain access to the section with Gaudi’s architecture, we returned in the morning. The tour, which takes about an hour, weaves through beautiful ceramic and stone work, a trip through the gatekeeper’s home and through a beautiful garden.

Afterwards, James and I headed toward the Picasso museum, in hopes of finding lunch. It being Sunday meant that the tapas place I had identified was closed (despite Google saying otherwise). But this was perfect, because across the street was a small shop called Tapeo – it was crowded (even though it was a bit early for Spanish lunch) and we took that as a good sign. With just two seats at the bar, James and I had the best tapas meal since we arrived.

We shared Iberian ham ribs with a honey mustard sauce, oxtail, grilled leaks with an olive paste on top and tortilla de patatas y chorizo (no we didn’t order patatas bravas this time). This food was phenomenal and I wanted to order more, but we also needed to save room for gelato.

After lunch we sought out said gelato down the street. It was amazingly delicious. I had vanilla with candied macadamia nuts and double chocolate. James had caramel flan and terrone.

The Picasso museum is entirely dedicated to Picasso – and takes only about 45 minutes to walk through (though if you do the audio tour I’m sure it could go on and on). We breezed through, learning about Picasso’s early years (he was painting when he was 12/13) and saw the transformation of classical art to modern art. It also happened to be free museum day, which shame on me for not knowing and buying tickets ahead. But hey, at least we beat the two hour line!

The rest of the afternoon consisted of packing and cleaning up the apartment. I made a tortilla with the remaining potatoes, vegetables and eggs we had purchased for the week for breakfast the following morning. Around 6:30 p.m. we headed down to Barceloneta, where we’d be having dinner.

Barceloneta is the famed beach I mentioned earlier – with huge crowds. Clothing was optional.

We walked the length of the beach down to the W hotel and then ended at Costa coffee (where had you been my entire vacation?! You had real iced coffee!), where we sat on their deck, enjoyed the free wifi and waited until our dinner reservations later that evening. With sporadic internet at our AirBnb, this was heaven.

For dinner we went to Merendero de la Mari, at the suggestion of our AirBnb host. He claimed they had the best paella in Barcelona. Having just attended a cooking class (for traditional Spanish paella), my expectations were low. I decided to order arroz negro – the only paella I had not tried in Spain. This is made with squid in and served with seafood.

Oh. My. God. It was the best thing I had eaten on the entire trip. The paella came with a garlic butter/lard concoction to mix in. I wish I could have eaten the entire thing, but alas, I couldn’t fit it. (James had a ravioli dish – he clearly missed out).

Thanks Spain – you’ve been great – but I am so glad to be writing this final blog post from the comfort of my own bed! Adios!

Day 6 – Barcelona

Beach day! The hope was that today would be lazy, less walking and more lounging. We certainly lounged, but I’m not sure if we succeeded in less walking. By the end of the evening, we had put in 9 miles. Ah well.

James and I started our day by waking up late (well, we forced ourselves out of bed at 9 a.m. aka 3 a.m.) and puttered around the apartment for a bit. We left mid-morning for La Platja de Nova Icária, a beach that is next to the Olympic port, and slightly more out of the way than Barceloneta – which boasts huge crowds. We settled under an already set up umbrella (later to find out it was eight euros to “rent” the space – James paid, he loves umbrellas at beaches). The beach itself was nice enough for a city. The water was, well let’s just say I went in it to say that I went in it, but in no way shape or form would I put my head under. There was a lot of floating debris, including some less desired items that resulted in a group of British women screaming obscenities. The people watching here was superb.

This hat, while ridiculous, saved my life and shoulders from a burn. Long live the hat!

After a few hours, we packed up in search for some lunch. The golden rule in Barcelona is that if you are near a tourist attraction (such as the beach) or on Las Ramblas (their main strip), the food will be frozen and overpriced. So we moved inwards and found a nice little cafe, alongside shops and fruterias (a real place that sells fruit! Not just a word they make you learn in Spanish class!).

I ordered sangria, and was given about 20 ounces. Water? Oh about four ounces or so. I ordered the tuna belly salad and roasted vegetables with a tomato sauce. James had bacon asparagus risotto and a seafood stew. We ended the meal with mocha mousse. This was an incredibly lazy, lounge worthy lunch, taking nearly two hours. A little tipsy (me only), we headed back to the apartment where I proceeded to take an unexpected nap.

For dinner we had arranged to attend a cooking class with a tour of La Boqueria market. We were joined by six additional Americans, one Canadian and 19 Australians. The evening was incredibly enjoyable and we were forced out of our comfort zone and had to make conversation with complete strangers. One of which who was Scarlett Johanssen’s doppleganger. At least in my opinion. I don’t care what James thinks.

To start, the chef took us through La Boqueria and purchased the seafood we would be using in our paella, as well as meat and cheeses for the tapas. We stopped at a juice stand for a quick refreshment (watermelon juice for me, kiwi pineapple for James) before heading to the kitchen. Here we made our own tapas. For those who eat gluten, it contained a piece of bread, rubbed with a tomato, drizzled in olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, and then topped with a piece of manchego cheese, Iberian jamon and an olive. I wrapped my cheese and olive in a piece of ham and called it a day. Until I spotted mini chorizo sausages and just ate those by the toothpick full.

The class itself was super informative, and a lot of fun to learn how to cook traditional Spanish paella. We were also taught out to make Spanish sangria (the secret recipe lives in my brain and involves a Spanish dash of this and a Spanish count of that).

We walked with the group to a nearby bar, and then parted ways to enjoy a quiet rest of our evening.