So, I had a really awesome weekend, on Saturday I went to Penedes, the region in Catalunya that is known for its Cava (Spanish champagne) and visited two vineyards: Cordoniu and a small one in Sant Pere de Molanta. We had a great time touring the vineyards and learning how to properly taste wine (see the swirling and smelling picture of Billie and I to the left).
Then yesterday (Sunday) I celebrated the holiday of Sant Eulalia (La Laia), Barcelona's patron saint. It was really cool, especially the Castellers (see photo on the right), who competed in Plaza Sant Jaume. The giants also came out to parade, and almost all of the museums in the city were free. I love Catalonian holidays! See my pictures from Penedes and La Laia here.

Labels: adventures in europe

I just recently returned from a very nice weekend in Amsterdam where I saw lots of cool things:
-Anne Frank's House
-The Rijks Museum
-The Rembrandt House
-The Van Gogh Museum
-The Red Light District
-The Coster Diamond Factory
-The Botanical Gardens
-Dam Square
I also ate yummy Dutch food called "Hotchpotch" I think, which was mashed potatoes and carrots and onions. I loved it, an excuse to eat an entire plate of mashed potatoes! I also took a tour of the city by boat on the canals, which was beautiful. I also like that everyone rides bikes everywhere, it is so adorable. There are way more bikes than cars or motorcycles in the city. The picture on the right is me looking silly because it was so cold standing next to one of the canals. It is so gorgeous there!
PS - I am uploading my Amsterdam pictures to a different place because Webshots is being dumb. You can see them here: http://community.webshots.com/user/Rachel_Barcelona_2.

Labels: adventures in europe