Red Lights and Red Bikes: Amsterdam

Amsterdam: known for it's legal marijuana and prostitutes. But it is so much more than. The city is full of history, life, and great energy.  The sheer beauty of the canals and parks is enough to make someone love the city. Then add in the Van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank house, and the ability to bike through beautiful parks and you've got yourself one great place.
Aside from the cold, we made the most of our few days there. Our hostel, Cocomama, was incredibly homey and near the center of town. Our first night we went to a concert in an old church which was really neat. The lights coming through the stained glass windows were mezmorizing.

We rented bikes, biked through the city, through Vondel Park, to the Van Gogh museum, to the iamsterdam sign, and then straight to the smell of crepes and hot chocolate. We were able to fit in the Anne Frank house the next morning before our way to the airport (it was a short trip because of classes). Although we had to fit many things into a very small amount of time, we got so much more out of the city than we all expected.

Mama and Papa Harp make an appearance in BCN!

I was graced by the lovely presence of the even lovelier Joan and Bob Harper in Barcelona for a few days before and after they gallivanted around the rest of Spain.  I was finally able to do all of the touristy things that I had put off and of course they were excited to be joining me!  We started with the Sagrada Familia - in case you don't know what this is (its a shame if you don't), it is a masterpiece started by the genius Antoni Gaudí and when finished will be the tallest church in the world. It is truly breathtaking and it is only 50% finished. After Gaudí was hit by a tram on his way to work, various artists and architects have taken to Gaudí's plans to finish his last and greatest piece of work.

Then we headed to the Castle at Montjuic. It was built to be a fortress and prison by the sea for the city when there were threats of attacks in the 17th century.  It was still used as a prison until Franco's time. It overlooks the port and the beach on one side and the entire city of Barcelona from the other side. On a clear day, the view is almost impossible to beat.

We were able to visit the Picasso museum a few days ago which was very neat. They had his work separated by each of the different periods and styles which helped shed some light on his pieces. We had a nice little visit to the Boqueria - or as I like to call it, a farmer's market on steroids.  On Thursday, Thanksgiving, we were able to join my friend Honor and her family at the apartment they're renting for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and all! It was the perfect way to spend such a great holiday abroad.

This past weekend we went to Brussels to visit my dad's cousin and his family.  I haven't seen David, Agnes, and Kate (her brother Shane is at school at Trinity in Dublin) for years so it was great to be with them again and make up for lost time. Brussels is a great city - quite cold but very neat!
Bright and early (or should I say dark and snowy) Saturday morning, we hopped on the train to Bruges. I have seen the movie In Bruges and I'd heard it was an angelic place - and it more than lived up to the hype. The Christmas markets were up, as was the ice skating rink, and the snow on the ground (other than successfully freezing my feet) added to the cheerful atmosphere. Our first order of business was to find waffels...we were in Belgium...how could we not seek out some waffels? We succeeded and with warm full bellies we managed to make it up the 366 steps of the Belfry to have an almost panoramic view of Bruges (they're doing some repairs up there).  But luckily we did not copy the movie and no one was pushed from the top of the belltower.

After we made it safely back down those 366 steps, we made sure to grab some tea to get feeling back in our bodies and went on a canal ride. The city has so much history and has been preserved so well - it was almost like time traveling.

On our way back to the train station to return to Brussels, we decided to stop into the Ice Sculpture Exhibit that was visiting...which was a fantastic decision! There were over 70 pieces from over 30 countries and artists. They were amazing, so much talent and time went into them, I was so grateful that we were able to see it.

I am so happy we were able to make it to Bruges, well worth the frozen fingers and toes :)

On Sunday, David, Agnes, and Kate showed us around Brussels a bit.  Kate showed me the all important Delirium Tremens Pub and beer - voted the best beer in Europe, home brewed from a bar that holds the record for housing the most beers on tap: over 2000.

And of course we had to finish off the day with some more delicious Belgian waffles and chocolate, you can't go to Brussels and not have exquisite beer, luscious chocolate, and savory waffles.

GRANADA!

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, time gets away from you here.

So let's talk Granada.  Well I'll start with La Alhambra. It is made up of the Alcazaba (the fortress), the Nasrid Palaces/Gardens, the Charles V palace, and the Alhambra.  It was built (save the Charles V palace) by the Moors in the 14th century - Charles, the Holy Roman emperor built his own palace in the 1500s.  Long story short (there is wayyy too much history to put here) the Alhambra is one of the most fascinating places I've been.  The gardens in the Nasrid palace were fairytale-esque and the view of the city of Granada from the top of the Alcazaba was breathtaking.

One great thing about the city is that it is very cheap - at least compared to Barca! When you order a drink at a bar, they automatically bring you free tapas. So you never need to go out to dinner, just go out for drinks and you'll be well fed. Also since the city is relatively small you can walk just about anywhere so we were able to wander side streets and get a good feel for it.
I have a few friends studying in Granada so they took us out and showed us a good time. They took us to a nightclub that overlooks the Alhambra, which is lit up at night, so it was beautiful!

So it was an amazingly beautiful trip and despite the wind chill, I would love to go back someday!