Beautiful London

I wanted to share a few more beautiful pictures of London. I love that city! We had such a nice time on our visit.

British Food

British food gets a bad rap, but I loved the food we had in London. From the top, wonderful fish and chips complete with mushy peas at the George Inn, delicious local oysters from the British Isles at Wright Bros Oyster and Porter House, veggie ramen at Wagamama and ICED TEA. With ICE! Fantastic!

Historic Pub Crawl

We followed our guidebook's recommendations after visiting the Borough Market, and took our own pub crawl through historic London. We figured, if Shakespeare liked to drink there, then we probably would too! Pictured above are the George Inn, The Anchor (complete with pirate ship), and the Wright Bros Oyster and Porter House.

A Proper British Tea

I had my first proper 4:00 tea at the British Museum this weekend. Well, I'm not sure if it was exactly proper, because we had beer and champagne with our tea, but we got finger sandwiches, teeny desserts, scones, strawberry jam, and clotted cream with our afternoon blend as well. It was awesome! I think I am going to insert a tea in my daily routine, after the menu del dia but before tapas.

Oh Yes, the Ring

Here is the ring, by popular demand! It is perfect.

Engaged!

Derrick and I got engaged this weekend in London! I am so happy to share this good news with all our friends and family. Thanks for all the well wishes we have received so far! We are so lucky.

Casa Batllo

I revisited Casa Batllo on the Manaza de la Discordia yesterday, but this time with purpose. Marco, my partner in Spanish class, and I went to prepare to give a presentation on the incredible building. I hadn't been inside before, and I was missing out! I am so glad I got this assignment. The Gaudi-designed apartment home is unique and fascinating, down to the last detail. I just picked a few of the many great pictures I took for the presentation to share above, but they show the famous street number, the entrance to the parlor or living room, one of the many beautiful light fixtures, and the famous arches in the top floor. I recommend that everyone coming to Barcelona spend an hour or two here!

Happy Faces

I just realized that none of the pics I posted had any faces in them, so I thought I would add a couple here. Even the dogs in Madrid were smiling for pictures this weekend!

Museo Reina Sofia

I was like a kid in a candy store at the Museo Reina Sofia. We stopped by for a quick hour-and-a-half, self-guided tour, and in that short amount of time, I saw Picasso's Guernica along with many of the sketches he used to prepare for it, a room full of Dali, a striking Magritte, a small Calder sculpture, along with a really interesting exhibit called "Between," which included the "donde" print above. I could have spent all day in this museum, but we definitely didn't have the time!

Parque del Buen Retiro

Another favorite stop in Madrid was the Parque del Retiro. The property used to serve as a retreat (hence the name) and hunting ground for the royal family, but was transformed into a magnificent public park in the late 19th century. We only covered about a quarter of the park, but that included the fountain (freezing! Just ask that turtle above), the crystal palace (including the blue art installation above), and the beautiful lake filled with birds. I would love to go back there sometime when it's a bit warmer!

A Bite to Eat

With all the walking we did in Madrid, we worked up quite an appetite. I really enjoyed the famous foods of the city, especially because they kind of reminded me of New Orleans. Chocolate con churros or porras, which are larger than churros, are traditional for breakfast (seemed very similar to beignets at Cafe du Monde), and calamares is the most popular bocadillo (squid poboy, anyone?). We stopped at a great tapas place and enjoyed olives, anchovies, and canas before they served us a variety of bocadillos until we couldn't eat another bite. Yum!

Madrid's Mercado de San Miguel

One of my favorite stops on our whirlwind tour of Madrid was the Mercado de San Miguel. It's a historical market that was renovated and reopened in 2009. After we warmed up at the heaters, we stopped for a fresh, salty oyster and a glass of wine, and walked through to admire the fruit, vegetable, bean, meat, cheese, and dessert stands, just to name a few. If I lived in Madrid, I think I would be there every day.

Magnificent Madrid

Madrid is magnificent. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but my expectations were definitely exceeded. I loved the wide avenues, grand architecture, and wonderful sights. There were few lines anywhere, probably because it was 2-3 degrees (celsius), but I hardly minded the cold. Big thanks to Ryan's friend Marc for showing us around all weekend!