European Vacation, Part 1: Barcelona, Spain

We spent our first week of Europe in a wonderful place; Barcelona, Spain.

Mies van der Rohe Pavillion, 1929:

Palau Nacional, 1929:

Palau Guell, 1890:

Santiago Calatrava's Communications Tower:

La Boqueria:

Casa Batllo, 1904:

 The weather during our time in Europe was rainy and cold. Good thing we packed rain jackets! I did have to buy myself some cute rain boots in Spain though.

La Pedrera, 1912:

Park Guell, 1914:

Sagrada Familia, 1882 - still under construction. Click on the pictures and look at the freaking detail on this place. Sagrada Familia is insanely huge. 

Barcelona was the best place to begin our trip. The people there are so genuine and kind. We were able to get around very easily because Christian can speak spanish. I used a little bit too. It was a very homey city and everyone made us feel welcomed and comfortable. I would easily move to Barcelona.

Adventure Time

If you haven't heard, Christian and I are off on an amazing adventure this week. In two days we are headed to......EUROPE!

We are peeing our pants with excitement for this trip. For the rest of the month, we will be traveling, eating, taking pictures, and eating some more. Can you tell I'm a little excited for all the food?!

First stop, Barcelona, Spain.

We will then stay in Paris, France.

Our last stop will be in Basal, Switzerland.

We will spend about 5 days in each country. Christian made me a journal to take. He used the laser cutter to etch out Europe on the cover of my journal, but then he had Spain, France, and Switzerland cut out and lined the back with colored paper. Christian is so creative!

Four Years

Four years people. Last month Christian and I celebrated our fourth anniversary. We went to a DBacks game again, I guess it's turning into a tradition.

We ate nachos and hot dogs and all that crap you're supposed to get at a baseball game. It was a blast!

He's my favorite :)

Our Weekend in California

Last weekend, we took a trip to L.A. We headed out Friday morning and made it to L.A. that afternoon. After traffic, it was about a 6 hour drive. First, we checked into our hotel which was on the Marina. Here is the view from our room.

Then, we decided to get some grub. So off to Gloria's Cafe we went to enjoy Christian's most missed foods from El Salvador: pupusas, rice & beans, and of course he got his Cola Champagne. We saw this particular restaurant on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and it was pretty delicious.

That night we hung out at the Santa Monica Pier.

Saturday, we tagged along with the rest of the ASU architecture grad-students to a few cool places. Our first stop was the Eames house. Charles and Ray Eames were famous designers back in the day. They designed everything from architecture to furniture. While all of the students were marveling over the Eames house, Christian caught me at the edge of their lawn staring at the view. What a beautiful place to live.

The house was really cool, but pictures weren't allowed. So, this is what I was staring at:

We drove by another famous architect's house, Frank Gehry. He designed the Guggenheim in Spain and the Disney concert hall in L.A. This is his house in Santa Monica.

Later that day, we had some beach time and got treats from Lemonade in Beverly Hills. And of course while in Beverly Hills, we drove around and looked at the houses. 

For dinner that night, we headed to Venice where we found Danny's on the Venice Boardwalk. It was a fun place to spend the evening. There was even live music. 

Before we headed home Sunday morning, we went to brunch at 26 Beach Restaurant. It was well worth the wait. I had croissant-french toast with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm. If you want to drool even more, check out their brunch menu: 26 Beach Brunch Menu