Paris at Night

Under the Parisian night sky, I saw the beautiful iconic tower. When it began to sparkle, my hair stood on end. A tear of joy just fell. I suddenly asked myself, "Did I do something great before to deserve this?"

I know I was overreacting but c'mon! I used to see it on big (and small) screens only. On January 15 this year, I beheld the Eiffel Tower for the fourth time. Yes, my fourth time. I have yet to blog about my first, second, and third experience. Haha!

The whole city becomes magical and lively when the tower gets adorned by golden lights then sparkles. It feels like something good is occurring somewhere.

Just wanna share! Did you know that it is illegal to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower at night? Ditto, I did not know and I still don't know the reasons. But I just can't control myself from capturing an image of something that makes me tickled pink over and over. Hihi!

We capped off the night with steak and wine.

Spanish Trip - Barcelona

I am a hopeless romantic. I love watching cheesy flicks that make me coo "Awwww" and "Ayieee". So, I have to admit that Kathniel's movie "Barcelona A Love Untold" vicariously hit me, even though I am not a fan of this famous love team in our country. When I found 52-hour Madrid layover in my roster, I immediately thought of going to Barcelona. I know I would not have the chance to obtain that romantic scene seen on the movie in real life, but at least I could experience a little of it through visiting the place itself.

On December 28, 2016, we woke up very early for the cab would pick us up at 5:30 a.m. We took a direct high-speed AVE train from Madrid to Barcelona. December is a peak tourist season, thus, the tickets we purchased online were pricey. It got us to the Spanish capital in under 3 hours.

First stop on our itinerary was, of course, the top attraction, La Sagrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudi. I won't lie. I am not aware of the history of this unfinished church. But... But... I got this giddy feeling. Yes, I know that it is caused by the movie. This is the place where Daniel Padilla's character proposed to Kathryn Bernardo's. We probably mooched around for 2 hours.

We stopped over in another masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi, the Casa Mila or La Pedrera. It is said to be the last civil work he diseigned. We then drifted to Dreta de l'Eixample where we found Plaça de Catalunya. This plaza is surrounded by monumental buildings. At the time, it was a busy square. There were entertainers, rides, and other activities. I had fun watching kids playing with their parents, especially the Snow Ball machine.

Afterwards, we lost track. We could not find the destinations listed on our travel itinerary. We hopped into the cable car in Montjuic with an expectation of taking us to La Barceloneta. However, one staff gave us confusion. We ended up chilling at Port Vell without knowing that La Barceloneta is just 15-min walk. Sadly, we were not able to see the sandy beach. We just convinced ourselves that we would not enjoy due to the cold weather. Haha! But hey! The view from the cable car was breathtaking.

We just kept on swanning. We stopped by Camp Nou Stadium, which is out of the list. Luckily, there was an ongoing small event. We finished watching the wheelchair racing then left. Our last stop was Placa d'Espanya. This is where we hoarded souvenirs.

We could have seen Parc de l'Espanya Industrial if we had enough time. But we needed to be back to the station to catch our trip.

We missed many tourist attractions. One whole day is not enough. I may not have the opportunity to return to this vibrant capital anymore, but I will have these memories I can always recall.

Spanish Trip - Madrid

We arrived in Madrid early morning of December 27, 2015. The weather was fine. Its level of temperature was totally tolerable. We stayed at Hotel Hisperia Madrid. Breakfast buffet would be a nice start. We took a rest afterwards, then off we went to wander.

I was very glad to share this layover with my batchmate, Fatima. Both of us took a tour of Madrid. Fatima is from Zamboanga. Her Chavacano dialect resembles Spanish language. I was so amazed that she could communicate with the locals. Her dialect saved us from getting lost.

Our first stop was Puerto del Sol. Many tourists were walking here and there. There was a giant Christmas tree at the center. We just took pictures with the statue and bear with the strawberry tree. We continued walking util we reached Plaza Mayor. Here we confirmed that there was an occasion (but we did not ask what it is), hence, the crowd. There was a bazaar at the center. Street entertainers like magicians, dancers, and mascots were showcasing their talents.

We visited the world's oldest restaurant, Restaurante Sobrino de Botin. We thought of dining in, however, the manager told us that we should have a reservation. A picture taken in front of it was enough for us. Haha! There was a restaurant next to it where we had our dinner. When in Spain, eating paella is a must! To cap off the night, we looked for the famous Chocolateria San Gines. We heard they make the yummiest churos in town. We were stunned by the long queue. Wow! Many tourists would patiently fall in line for this. And we were one of them. Haha!

We returned to the hotel to get more zzz's for we had to wake up early for our 2nd day of Spanish trip. It's Barcelona this time. Click this link to see my memories in Barcelona: Spanish Trip - Barcelona