Barcelona Eat Guide Giveaway!

This is the first year of my three years in Spain that I haven’t been able to go to Barcelona. I’m pretty bummed about it because it is one of my favorite cities in Spain. I usually spend all day walking around looking at the pretty buildings and stopping about every 45 minutes to snack on something.
Finding a good restaurant in a city that big and touristy can sometimes be tougher than it seems. I have been tricked a few times thinking that I was getting a good deal, or eating where the locals are only to find out I got stuck with the tourist prices and menu.

Fidua or noodle paella

Luckily for you, future Barcelona travelers, I have two copies of this amazing e-book from the authors of The Spain Scoop about restaurants in Barcelona to give away! It was written by an American and her husband who is from Barcelona, so you can get a true locals perspective of where the best restaurants are. It has tons of Spanish/Catalan listings and some other cuisines, too, for the days when you just don’t feel in the mood for Spanish food. There are lots of different price points and restaurants from all over the city. It is a great resource to have on your phone, ipad, kindle or whatever other device you have.

Regina and Adrian, the authors of Barcelona Eat Guide

One of my favorite parts is reading the little stories the authors have about each restaurant from the first time they tried it. I have a bunch of places bookmarked to try when I make it back to Barcelona (hopefully) soon!

What food are you most interested to try in Barcelona?

UPDATE: The contest is over and the winners have been notified. :) If you didn't win you can still get your very own copy here.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cost of Living in Valencia Via COMO Consulting Spain

 

Here is my survey about life and how much it costs in Valencia. This website is relatively new but incredibly helpful for people thinking of making the move from tourist to expat. Definitely check it out if you are thinking of coming here long-term or are just curious how much it costs to live in various places in Spain.

 

Click here for my story.

Day trip to Venice

One of the best things about Italy is how connected the entire country is by train. Its really easy and cheap to take day trips. We were able to take 3 day trips during our time in Milan.

My boyfriend had never been to Venice so that was his choice for our first day trip. I had visited Venice in December 2011 the day after Christmas with my friend Shani. Here is the post. Let me tell you, visiting in August and visiting in December are COMPLETELY different. Shani and I were basically alone in the city which was really cool. Mo and I were there were 9 million of our closest friends.

On the Accademia Bridge

Some of our friends in the Piazza San Marco

Venice is only about a 2 and a half train ride from Milan and there are tons of trains between the two cities each day.

To me, Venice is like a different world. The streets are so small, there are no cars and bridges everywhere.  The water is a beautiful color too, its like a weird green/blue color that I swear you can only see in Venice.

I love taking pictures of the doors in Venice. I love the stripped wood and the algae growing at the bottom.

We, being the poor and cheap people we are, decided not to go on an 80-150 euro gondola ride. But, instead parked ourselves by a bridge to watch all the people enjoying their rides. Almost as fun, right?

I think one of the biggest misconception about gondolas that American’s have is that the gondoliers sing. Not true. But! I did manage to snag a video of this guy singing on his gondola.

I love window shopping in Venice. The Murano glass sculptures are just beautiful. I of course, had to buy myself a new necklace and a present for my roommate. Shani and I didn’t make it to Murano Island and the Glass Museum so I was really hoping we could go this time. But after walking around all day we realized the museum was already closed! boo. So, I guess another trip to Venice is in my future.

Shopping in the World’s Oldest Mall

Just to the left of Milan's Cathedral is a beautiful archway which leads to the worlds oldest shopping mall. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is named after the first king of Italy and was built by Giuseppe Mengoni starting in 1865.

The structure is set up in a cross with a beautiful glass ceiling. Where the two sides meet is a glass dome and lots of stonework on the floor. What is represented is the Coat of Arms of the three capitals from the Kingdom of Italy (Florence, Torino and Rome) and also Milan’s.

You might notice people hovered around one of the mosaics turning in a circle. This tradition states that if you put your foot on the bull’s testicles in the mosaic of Torino and turn in a circle 3 times it will bring good luck! So many people have done this that there is a dent from the feet.

Outside one of the exits is the Piazza della Scala which houses the beautiful Teatro alla Scala.

Now, for us poor folk the mall is a beautiful place to walk through and window shop. It houses some very high end stores like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Gucci even has its own café where an espresso will cost you 8 euros!