Hi guys! I hope that you’re doing well and enjoying summer. I love the feeling of having free days where you don’t really have anything planned and you can spend it doing whatever you feel like in the moment. It’s nice to have some time to travel too!

My family went on an incredible trip to Spain and France in mid-June. We did sooo much, which was great because we got to see a lot, and it also meant that we had to take a couple naps throughout the day. My dad told me that we walked an average of about 8 miles every day...that probably explains why standing was hard by the end of the trip :/

The two weeks were filled with so many memorable moments. Thinking about it makes me want to go back!

One of my favorite things was exploring the different cities. I loved wandering through the cobblestone streets of Madrid, exploring the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona (which had so many good spots for churros con chocolate), and strolling through the lit-up streets of Paris.

In Barcelona, one of the highlights was visiting la Sagrada Família, which is a famous church in Barcelona that was designed by Gaudí in the 19th century. Upon walking into the church, I felt like I entered some majestic palace from The Lord of the Rings. It was truly breathtaking with all of the light streaming through the brightly colored stained glass windows and the larger than life columns. I was in awe.

The city that I was most excited to visit during out Europe trip was Paris. I’ve wanted to visit Paris since I was single-digits young. Pretty much everything I knew about Paris was from watching the Disney movie Ratatouille, so I picture Paris as this city full of amazing food, spotless cobblestone streets, and a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower no matter where you went. I was completely in love with the idea of sitting at a cafe by the Eiffel Tower while eating a raspberry tart (anyone who has seen the Begin Again music video by Taylor Swift knows exactly what I mean). Although Paris was very pretty and there was lots of good food, I can’t say that it completely lived up to my Ratatouille dream. A lot of the city actually felt more modern than historic. Granted, we were only there for a few days and didn’t get to see a lot of parts of the city.

We saw the must sees like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs-Élysées. But the highlight was spending a whole day in Versailles, where we signed up for a bike tour through the city. Our first stop of the tour was this picturesque outdoor market where we were able to stuff our bags with fresh baguette, cheese, strawberries, apricots, and meat. It was all so charming and the market looked like it came straight out of a storybook. I thought to myself, I could definitely get used to this lifestyle. Afterwards, we biked around the grounds of Versailles for a bit and stopped beside a lake for a picnic. Something about sitting on the grass, eating fresh baguette and cheese, and being surrounded by a beautifully manicured garden made me feel like I was in some romantic French movie.

Later in the day, we went into the actual Palace of Versailles. Even though you had to fight your way through a swarm of people, walking down the Hall of Mirrors was like being transported to the 17th century. You really get lost in the intricate paintings and the glistening chandeliers which hung by the dozen. We ended the day in the garden of Versailles. My family was completely spent and wanted to head back to the hotel, but I couldn’t pass by the opportunity to walk through such an incredible garden! I could’ve spent a long time just taking it all in, but my exhausted, hangry family was waiting for me.

I couldn’t end this blog post without talking about the amazing food we had during out trip. In Spain, we ate a lot of delicious tapas which were meant for sharing. One dinner that stood out was at a restaurant in Barcelona called Catalana. If you ever find yourself in Barcelona, be sure to eat here! We tried this delicious dish of cod blanketed in rich aioli and drizzled with honey. The desserts were to die for as well. We gobbled down the churros with dipping chocolate, cookies with ice cream, carrot cake, and bread pudding filled with cream (my family doesn’t go light on the dessert). In Madrid, we went to this market called El Mercado de San Miguel. The market was filled with stands that sold small dishes like smoked salmon toast, empanadas, and desserts. I highly recommend this spot! Just another note on Spanish food: patatas bravas are my love. They’re potatoes drizzled with a tomatoey, garlicky aioli…mmm. I could’ve had patatas bravas for dinner every night! I’ll have to learn how to make them back home.

Moving onto Paris, one of the best meals was from a crepe restaurant called Breizh Cafe. We got seats at the counter, so we got a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of crepe making. When you see how it’s done, it looks like they’re making pieces of artwork. The delicately placed fruits, thin drizzles of chocolate, and sprinkle of powdered sugar made the crepes almost too pretty to eat!