Dreamy Lisboa

Finally! The city has been my top "must-see" since moving to London, and it did not disappoint! I had an art history professor who specialized in Portuguese Baroque architecture, and ever since her class, those slides have inspired me to visit this beautiful city. Brandon and I went in early November with our good friend, Eric, just as London was turning wet(ter) and chilly, so 70 degrees and sunny was very welcome!

Loving the weather, views, and company!

Lisbon has so much character. The buildings and streets were not as pristine as Paris or London, with some buildings in need of a bit of TLC. But overall gorgeous and colorful, and you could sense that the Portuguese were very passionate and proud of their city. Our Airbnb host talked at us for at least a solid hour about the best places to visit. After three days, we could see why!

Although Lisbon has been a major port city since the 8th century, most of the architecture dates after 1755 when a deadly earthquake destroyed 85% of the city. The resulting architecture is fairly modern by European standards.

Rossio Square

Praca do Comercio greeted visitors arriving at the port

The city has seven major hills, and the iconic funiculars and trams were constructed to ease access to the neighborhoods. I loved the pop of colors! It was a photographer's playground, and Brandon took full advantage.

Tram 15

Funicular beauty

On top of one of the hills is Sao Jorge Castle, the remains of the 8th-century citadel constructed during the Moorish rule. It was reconstructed continuously throughout different monarch's reigns so has varying styles of Moorish, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Sao Jorge Castle illuminated overlooking Lisbon

We took a day excursion to Sintra, about 30km from Lisbon by train, and the host of a dazzling array of summer palaces and estates belonging to royalty and aristocracy from around the world. The mansions have been used as backdrops for millionaires' weddings and movies for decades!

Coast of Sintra on the Atlantic Ocean

We toured the outside of several castles by car, around twisting, hilly, dirt roads surrounded by lush vegetation, including cork trees (only country in the world where cork trees grow.) Our guide told us ghost stories of sacrificial rituals and hiker disappearances in the forest. With the density of the trees, fog in the air, and the network of secret tunnels that ran for miles underneath the estates, I started to believe him!

Secret passageway entrance (full of spiders!)

We visited the grounds, gardens, and mansion of the Quinta da Regaleira, built in the late nineteenth century for an eccentric millionaire with Masonic ties. We spent over two hours wandering around the spectacular gardens that included waterfalls, tunnels, wells, bridges and towers. I've never seen anything like it! 

View of the forest from an elaborate bridge in the Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira estate

All those hills in Sintra and Lisbon made us hungry, so we made a beeline for the most famous custard tarts in town at Pastels de Belem - I'm still dreaming about the perfectly warm vanilla custard on flaky shells! The tarts are a Portuguese specialty, but these were especially delicious and served with cinnamon. 

This may have been our third tart each...of the hour

To sum it up, Lisbon was everything I had hoped for and more. Definitely one of my favorite cities. I would love to explore more of Portugal! And now I leave you with this gem - Brandon's homemade gif of our funicular experience post some vinho verde...

Riga, Latvia

For Brandon's 30th birthday, I planned a surprise weekend away. The only clues I gave him were that he needed to pack his passport and clothing for 55-degree weather. Brandon really got into the surprise idea, so I managed to hide the destination from him through airport check-in and boarding the plane. The Latvian and Russian-speaking passengers gave away a bit but not much. B knew we weren't headed to Russia because we would need special visas. And obviously he didn't know what Latvian sounded like. The pilot didn't even give it away when he announced, "Welcome to Riga," as Brandon had never heard of the city. It wasn't until we were about to go through the immigration officers that I turned to him quickly and told him we were in the Baltics! Latvia! Less the officer think I kidnapped this clueless man...

Pretty satisfied with my successful surprise trip

We stayed in a pretty swank hotel in the center of town (which cost us like $50!) and had a lovely dinner chatting up the locals at the hotel bar. The next morning we joined a walking tour and started to learn more about the recently-democratic country and capital city (they broke from Soviet communist rule in 1991.) While much of the city has lost its communist tone, some of the architecture gives it away. Brandon noticed a hammer and sickle on a bridge balustrade marked in red spray paint to be chipped off:

See the medallion in the center

But the really beautiful architecture dates to the 18th, 19th and early 20th century, pre-communism. We went to the top of St. Peter's church to get a bird's-eye view. The colorful buildings and carved facades reminded me of Amsterdam.

One of the "older" buildings is the House of the Blackheads, the 14th-century headquarters for the most important merchant guild in Riga. The building was actually demolished by the Soviets but rebuilt to the exact design in the 1990s.

My favorite part of Riga was the art nouveau architecture. The historical city center has the highest concentration of art nouveau buildings in the world, lending to its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At its height, there were 800 art nouveau buildings in the city! Art nouveau was a style in the late 19th and early 20th centuries inspired by the curved forms found in flowers and plants. I did some research before the trip and took Brandon on a walking tour of the most impressive examples in the city center:

Note the two faces at the top

The faces are supposed to ward off evil spirits

From the bottom of a stairwell looking up - painted underneath the stairs!

B's fancy photo skills

It was a bit hard to photograph because the streets were fairly narrow. Our necks were sore from looking up all day! 

We had some delicious food and the smoothest vodka I'd ever tasted (like really cold water. Latvia shares its northern border with Russia.) We also tasted the worst local drink I've experienced thus far in Europe: Riga Black Balsam. The locals claim it has curative properties (Empress Catherine the Great drank some when she became ill while visiting in the 18th century and made a miraculous recovery), but I could barely stomach the flavor of bitter, syrupy herbs. But the bottle was so cool I asked a cafe server if I could take one home!

We had a wonderful weekend exploring our first Baltic city and can't wait to try more. In fact, Riga was so relaxed, intriguing, and full of friendly people, it ended up being one of our favorite trips. Paldies, Riga!

Donostia

Part 2: San Sebastian, Spain

After a few days on the French seaside, we spiced things up a bit and headed to another Basque city - San Sebastian. San Sebastian, or Donostia (Basque name), is only a 40 minute bus ride from Biarritz, but the landscape changes dramatically. Although the city is still on the Bay of Biscay, the architecture is completely different from France. We stayed in San Sebastian's Old Town, which is nearly 500 years old. The city has seen its share of monarch changes and sieges over the centuries, and the buildings have both French and Spanish influence.

Our Airbnb was at the top floor of this building

With this view from our balcony!

Sunset perfection

Most visitors flock to San Sebastian for two things (and we were no different): the food and the beach. The city has become a Michelin-star mecca, home to more starred restaurants than any other city in the world except Kyoto, Japan. We skipped the pricey dining in lieu of eating our weight in pintxos, tapas unique to the region. My favorite one was called "Gilda" named for a Rita Hayworth film. The pintxo consists of pickled guindilla peppers, a salt-cured anchovy and a green olive. The hot peppers were a reference to the sexy screen siren. And to note, anchovies in San Sebastian are NOT the slimy, tinned anchovies you are thinking of - these are fresh and delicious! I've never eaten so many anchovies in my life...I never thought I would say that!

Gilda pintxo

We spent our days walking around the beach, playing in the waves, and eating and drinking the local fare. The food in pintxos bars are often spread out across a very long bar. There isn't much (if any) seating, so most people chat with each other and the restaurant staff. On a food tour to the best "local" places, we learned how to order pintxos (grab them off the table and start eating, counting your items) and which ciders and wines paired best. It's a bit chaotic, but we were pros after a day.

Popular pintxo bars in the Old Town

The beach was one of the best I've visited - silky, soft sand, clear water, and subtle waves. I didn't take photos because I was too busy being in heaven. :) Aside from the beach, the city was surprisingly green compared to the other Spanish town's I've seen (all in the southern part of the country) and made for beautiful photographs. B did a stellar job as vacation photographer, as always!

Feeling a bit heavy after all those pintxos, we hiked a portion of the Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrimage trail that ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, or St. James, where the saint's remains are said to be buried. There various routes that start across Europe, but the most common one starts in France and takes pilgrims about one month on foot. We saw a few pilgrims hiking with their packs while we just did an easy three hours. Our guide said most people today walk the route for a spiritual/meditative escape from modern life, not necessarily for religious reasons.

Camino de Santiago sign on our trail

View from the trail

While the trail was certainly beautiful, I preferred to escape the bustle of city life at the below hilltop bar. I mean, can this view get any better? At the top of the hill was a statue of Jesus, so I think hiking up there and drinking kalimotxo (red wine and cola) counts as a spiritual pilgrimage?

Swoon

One night we took a funicular up to the top of one of the hills to catch the sunset. While the clouds didn't cooperate too well, it still made for a lovely prom photo.

Funicular station - Art Deco with a Spanish flair

Cheesing

San Sebastian is one of my favorite cities we've visited since moving to Europe. I know I'll be back!

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea...

Part 1: Biarritz, France

For our summer vacation, we spent a few days in the Basque region of France and Spain. To start, we flew into Biarritz, France, which is one of the southwestern-most cities in France. Biarritz is on the Bay of Biscay, opening to the Atlantic Ocean. If you're thinking, "Biarritz" doesn't sound very French, you'd be correct. The name is Basque (Eskara), one of the oldest languages in the world and only spoken in this region of France and the neighboring region of northern Spain. Approximately 700,000 people speak Eskara today in this area, and it's a very difficult language to learn, as its roots are different from all modern languages. I only picked up one word - "kaixo," which means, "hello!" (If you're interested in the fascinating history and politics of the Basque region, I recommend a quick internet search.)

Pyrenees Mountains in the distance

Biarritz is a seaside town that became popular in the nineteenth century after Empress Eugenie frequented the area for fresh air and saltwater's healing properties. In its heyday, Biarritz attracted royalty and starlets from across Europe. Today you can still find remnants of luxurious hotels but the vibe is fairly laid-back, thanks to its new reputation as the surfing capital of Europe.

This photo doesn't do justice to the serious waves

Nineteenth-century mansion on the cliffs

Our view from a bench while eating waffles with Nutella

But that is exactly why we picked Biarritz - to escape the hustle of tourist-populated cities and rejuvenate the mind at our happy place, the beach!

To spice up our days of lazily lounging on the sand/pebbles, we hopped on a city bus to visit the town of Bayonne down the road. Yes, it is named after the bayonet, first produced here. The locals are also famous for their ham, cheese, and chocolate, yum! It was so lovely to meander around the quaint and adorable streets for an afternoon. The ambiance sucked me in, and I even bought a hand-woven basket to carry my baguette and chèvre, of course! We also loved the thirteenth-century Bayonne Cathedral and its glorious cloister, which was the center of the village.

Those shutters, c'mon!

Serenity

Another day we visited the town of St-Jean-de-Luz and tried their famous macaroons...and unabashedly, more wine and cheese. :) The beach at SJDL was perfection: the softest sand and not crowded at all. We had a spectacular seafood feast for lunch on the beach to cap it off.

Not your typical French macaroon - delicious!

Fishing remains a staple in the economy. And after our lunch, I can see why!

Biarritz and its surrounding towns were wonderful. I'm beginning to understand Francophiles now! Sunshine, amazing wine, cheese, Nutella, and friendly people - what's not to love?! Au revoir, dear France! Stay tuned for Part 2: San Sebastian, Espana!

Buda and Pest

For my second 29th birthday, B whisked me away for a romantic weekend in Budapest, Hungary (reality: I left nothing to chance and booked flights, hotel, tours and restaurant reservations myself). Budapest has been on BOTH of our "must-do" lists since moving abroad, so we had pretty high hopes for the second "City of Light" (you know what the first one is if you read my blog! Or if you're a smarty-pants.)

Budapest is named from its two parts: Buda - west of the River Danube, has old Roman baths, 19th-century villas and churches; and Pest is east of the river where the modern city operates and most of the hotels/restaurants are located. We had a spectacular weekend with perfect weather - mid 80s, no humidity and sunny.

My favorite part about Budapest was the architecture - an eclectic mix of old-timey Victorian, progressive Art Deco, and Soviet ugly (last one is not a real type. I forgot its real name but it's hideous). I didn't even take photos of the Soviet architecture because they were little more than blocks of concrete.

Art Deco brass plate in the pavement

Wrought-iron Art Nouveau hotel entrance

Victorian building with Soviet trolley

B went photo-cray and took gorgeous shots at sunrise and sunset. Check out his Flickr or Google+ pages for more. I was sleeping during both photoshoots (hey, naps are an integral part of vacation!) so can't take any credit.

Parliament building across the River Danube

Liberty Bridge

We booked tickets for a guided tour of the massive Hungarian Parliament building (the largest building in Hungary.) The architect looked to London's Palace of Westminster's neo-Gothic design, but inside, it was pure opulence. The exorbitant building costs raised an eyebrow when it was built in 1880s and still does today (Hungary's economy is not doing so hot.) The guide giving the tour sounded like a robot, and I only remembered one interesting thing: the building was the first in Europe to have air conditioning - via a giant ice cube blown by fans into the ducts.

Where members of parliament meet the press

Hard to see in the photo but the ceiling was made of gold! Also sorry for looking sweaty.

Per usual, B and I joined a walking tour of the city to educate ourselves more about Hungarian history (did you know they have Asian ancestors?) and culture (Hungarian wine is surprisingly delicious and fancy.) 

Funicular to the top of the hill on Buda

One of the cutest structures I've ever seen is the Fisherman's Bastion at the top of the hill on Buda overlooking the river below. Back in the day, fisherman used the area as a lookout point for storms, approaching vessels, etc. In the early 20th century, it was memorialized in castle-esque stone formations with turrets and viewing areas for the public to enjoy.

Fisherman's Bastion. Can you see B?

We spent a short two days in Budapest, but we had a blast. Eastern European towns are quickly becoming our favorite to explore - interesting history and culture, not crowded, super cheap food/drink and generally nice people. What's not to love?!

They had one Kentucky bourbon on the list - Blanton's for $4!