Madrid!

My last post is about Madrid.  Madrid is the largest city in Spain and is absolutely beautiful! During my trip there we did a bit of everything like in Barcelona. The thing that I loved most about Madrid was the shopping.  The city reminds me a lot of New York because it is one of Europe's fashion capitals.  One of my favorite stores that was right across from our hotel was a store called Zara. They had the cutest outfits and the prices weren't too outrageous. Springfield was another nice store with really good deals.  Ladies, if you like stores like Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe then Springfield is the store for you! Madrid also has Canalejas Square which is surrounded by many stores and restaurants just as Time Square in New York City.

Our trip required for us to visit all the places we researched in our special history class, so just as we did in Barcelona, we visited numerous museums and churches. A few of the places we visited were the Prado Museum, the Reinia Sofia and the Thyssen Museum. Each museum had amazing paintings and sculptures from all over the world. The place I enjoyed visiting the most was the Royal Palace of Madrid. The place is BEAUTIFUL to say the least.  Each room had sculptures, royal armor suits and other artifacts that once belonged to the kings of Spain. The place is huge. Although it is the official residence for the King of Spain, most of the kings decide to use it only for state ceremonies. This allows the Palace to remain open year round for visitors to explore. If you ever get the chance to visit Madrid, I would say the Palace is definitely that one place you want to check out!

I hope you guys have enjoyed my postings over the past four weeks about a few of the places I have visited. I love to travel and encourage everyone to travel whenever you get a chance! Whether it's in your hometown, in the USA or somewhere else in the world, it is always refreshing to see new places and try new things. Explore as much as you can!

Barcelona, Spain

I saved my most favorite trip for my last two posts! Four years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Spain with my Honor's College group at Houston Community College...for FREE! The trip was free, we ate three to four times a day for free and our transportation and entrance into all of the places we visited were also free. During the spring of 2008, everyone who was set to go on the trip had to take a special History class as part of the criteria for us to go. During the class we researched the history of Spain, the artwork, the transportation system and maps of the city so that once we got there we could all act as our own personal tour guides! It was AMAZING!

The first stop on the trip was to Barcelona, Spain.  We stayed in Barcelona for about six days and did just about everything the town had to offer. Barcelona is known for a lot of the unique architecture done in the town by the infamous Antoni Gaudi. One of Gaudi's most remarkable works is the Sagrada Familia church.  The church is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.  He started on the church in the early 1880's and the church is still not complete. Once he died, people from all over the world began donating money for the church to be completed by some of the absolute architects in the world. Some other great Gaudi landmarks we visited were the Casa Mila and Park Guel.

 Above: Park Guel; Below: A pic of me and the Honor's College at Park Guell

 Below:The Top of the Casa Mila; When Gaudi built Casa Mila he intended for it to be an upscale apartment complex

The guy was an absolute genius and all of his work is so beautiful. My friend Batoul was our tour guide and information expert on all of the Gaudi places we visited. She loved everything so much that whenever she mentions something that she thinks is amazing she calls it "Gaudi-licous".

Besides the architecture, another thing I loved about Barcelona was the food! While visiting we would eat about three to four times a day at the most wonderful restaurants and tapas bars in the city. Barcelona is where I fell in love with seafood paella! The dish is incredible and I encourage EVERYONE to try it. Another unique thing about Spain is that there isn't really an age requirement on drinking. We would see kids who looked about 15 drinking wine with their meals just about everyday.

Another incredible thing about Barcelona is the city in itself. Our hotel was further out from the city along the beach. It was so beautiful.  The city is also very clean and tidy.  On just about every street corner there were huge recycling and trash bins. It should how much pride they take in keeping the place clean. The weather was also wonderful. We visited during the spring but on most days the weather was quite breezy. The transit system was also very nice.  We mostly traveled on foot and the subway system. Since we studied the maps and routes in our class, it made it very easy for us to move around within the city.

After our six days in Barcelona were over, we all packed up and loaded our things onto a bus that would be taking us to the train station. Our next stop was Madrid, Spain!

L.A!

The fabulous Los Angles, California is the next adventure. As depicted in the movies and television shows, L.A is stunning! The weather is always nice. It's not to hot but not to cold versus the constant hot and humid weather we have in Houston. The weather was my favorite thing about the city.

Whenever anyone visits LA, one place that is always on the agenda is Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills. Rodeo Dr. is the home of some of the most luxurious and expensive shops in the United States!  Stores such as Valentino, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani and Jimmy Choo are just a few of those amazing shops. While I couldn't afford half of the things in any of the stores, it was nice to visit. One thing that tourist always look forward to when visiting LA or any major city for that matter, is to run into or see a few celebrities. I actually rua into the Kardashian sisters and saw Halle Berry as she was leaving the Gucci store.

I also had the chance to go on one of those double deck tours of the city. A few of the places we had the opportunity of visiting were the Kodak Theater, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Capitol Records Building and of course, the Hollywood sign.  We also went on one of those tours that showed the areas that the celebrities live. Cheesy, I know, but it was hilarious to see the way many of the people on our tour reacted!

Another interesting highlight of our trip was visiting The Price is Right. It was a show I grew up watching sometimes when I was young with my grandmother and was nothing like I imagined.  The stage is small compared to the way it appears on television.  When I visited, Bob was still the host and the guy was extremely small. Between breaks they were constantly rushing to the stage to help the guy around.  But you could tell he loved his job and loved being there. If you ever get a chance to go on any game show and hope to be selected, here's what you should know: they ask you a bunch of random questions and look for some crazy random answers! They also want people with a lot of energy who comes with a large group of people. It's all about ratings!

If you like energy and beautiful weather, you'll love Los Angeles!

Hot-Lanta!

My next adventure is about my vacation to Atlanta, Georgia.  I went to Atlanta in middle school and would always say that if I had to move away from Houston that Atlanta would be the city for me! It is so similar to the way of living and a great place to start a career. We spent about a week there and found something to keep us busy every day.

One place we absolutely had to visit was the King Center. Since I was a young I’ve always been a fan of ANY type of history, so of course I was so excited.  The center had different monuments and programs all dedicated to life of Dr. King.  It also had letters and photos from many of his fellow civil right workers and activists.  Atlanta is also where Dr. King was born and raised so we had the opportunity to take a tour of his birth home! Being that I had already visited the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, the location of the Civil Rights Museum and the hotel were Dr. King was unfortunately killed; visiting Atlanta to see the rest of the history of Dr. King was even more exciting. We also had the opportunity to visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum which has ancient objects from all over the world.

Atlanta is also the home of the Coca-Cola factory. The factory has exhibits about the history of Coke and different collectibles.  There is also a beverage lounge that has a fountain dispenser with different types of Coca-Cola drinks from all over the world. I tried beverages from China and was amazed at how different it tastes from our drinks here in the U.S! 

Some other places we got the chance to visit were the Georgia Aquarium, which is the largest in the world, the Hard Rock Café Atlanta, Stone Mountain Park and the Underground Atlanta Shops.

Bahama Mama!

From the title of this posting I'm sure you can tell my next adventure is to the BEAUTIFUL Nassau, Bahamas! My senior year of high school my grandmother decided to take me on a cruise for spring break.  I know it may seem odd to go on a spring break trip with your grandmother but this lady knows how to have fun and how to shop! My aunt, cousin and one of my sisters decided to join us on our trip as well. We flew to Miami on a Wednesday night, checked into our hotel and hit the sheets so that we could board the Carnival cruise ship early Friday morning.  Since this was my first cruise, I was amazed by the different activities that the ship offered.  It also blew my mind that all the food was free!  The room was cozy and offered a nice view of the ocean as well as the ship’s deck. 

While on the ship we tried to participate in as many of the activities that we could.  We did everything from Dinner with the captain, the amateur comedy show and even played a bit of Bingo.  As I mentioned before, the ship had free all you can eat food and many buffets.  Although I enjoy a good meal, I’m not too big on buffets. It’s just too much food and absolutely too many people hovering around it throughout the day. 

We docked in Nassau on our second day of being on the ship.  The place was incredible! The first thing we did was go on a tour of the city. The tour guide took us around to see the major attractions of the city as well as some of the places the locals like to go. One place that he took us that was a bit disturbing was by Anna Nicole Smith’s burial site and home. Our trip was around the time when she had just died and the legal battle of her daughter was just starting up. It was sad to see that there were so many people intruding on her family’s personal space while they were dealing with a lost.  We also got to tour the beautiful Atlantis Resort where many famous celebrities stay when visiting.  It is also where many major films such as Casino Royale have been filmed.

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Straw Market.  Straw Market is where a lot of the locals go to sell authentic Bahamian crafts and jewelry.  It is the best place on the island to buy souvenirs. There are so many small shops that it is overwhelming.  Another great thing about the Bahamas is that a lot of the stores are duty free.  This means you can shop and not pay local or national taxes.  My grandmother used those stores as an opportunity to by my uncles their favorite bottles of alcohol while us girls bought loads of jewelry, perfumes and purses! After we were done shopping we took our bags back to the ship and decided to spend the rest of the day along the beach as we ate at a nearby restaurant.

Fun in the Sun

My next adventure is to Miami, Florida.  I have been to Miami twice and absolutely LOVE the city.  The people are nice, the food is wonderful and the beach is amazing!  South Beach was my first stop when I made it to the city.  The beautiful white sand and clear waters is the complete opposite of Galveston Beach which is not too far from Houston.  While I’m not too big on getting and staying in the water, me and my friends would get some beach chairs, drinks and just enjoy the fun atmosphere.  The great thing about South Beach and it being a tourist site for a lot of college students is that you meet so many people.  When I went it was me and four of my best friends. We met another group of about ten people and all hung out that day on the beach.  We had a blast!

Another thing I loved about the city was all the different restaurants and shops up and down Ocean Drive and the surrounding area.  My friends and I would get up just about every morning and go down to News Café for their wonderful breakfast.  We would eat, talk, read up on what the weather was going to be like and then plan our day’s adventure.  News Café is also a great place to go for a late night snack! We made plenty of trips there after being out all night or at times when sleep was not our friend.  Since Miami is about a four hour drive from Orlando, one day we woke up at about 6 a.m. and made a day trip to Disney World and SeaWorld’s Waterpark.  Needless to say, we had fun and slept extremely well that night.

One thing I would recommend it to not visit Miami during Spring Break.  The first time I went was during Spring Break of my 3^rd year of school and although I did have fun there were so many people! When I visited this year during early May, it was a lot cheaper and not as busy.  When you visit during the off season you can enjoy yourself so much more and it gives you the opportunity to do some of everything.

The City That Never Sleeps!

My next adventure is about the big New York City! I've been to New York about three or four times and still haven't managed to do everything I've wanted to do.  My favorite thing about New York is the people that you meet there.  There are people from all over the world that go to New York in hopes to jump start their careers or just to move to this amazing city.  Like Philly, most New Yorkers lack that hospitality that we have in the South but with there being so many people walking the streets all times of the day, I always find myself able to adjust.

One thing that I love to do while I'm there is to shop! There are so many stores that its unbelievable and many that are not in Houston.  Stores such as Conway and H&M are two that I always make sure to visit. Another good place to go and do a bit of shopping is along Canal and Broadway Street.  If you are from Houston and have heard of the different shops that are on Harwin, the shops along Canal and Broadway St. are very similar. While you won't find designer clothes or anything like that, you can find souvenirs, jewelry, shoes and many other accessories.

As a tourist, there are some things you absolutely have to do while visiting NYC! First, you MUST have a New York hot dog and visit the Statue of Liberty. The hot dogs are amazing and the view from the Statue of Liberty is breathtaking. Time Square is the place to be no matter what time of the day it is! There is always so many people and lots of shops and amazing billboards.  For example, the last time I was there I was walking down the busy street and there were three guys on the side of me with snakes around their neck that were about five or six feet long!! Who does that?! New Yorkers!

Another thing I recommend for anyone to do is to catch a play while visiting! The first time I visited NYC, I had the opportunity to catch The Loin King on Broadway. Being that The Loin King is my favorite childhood movie, I was in heaven. It was absolutely amazing! It was the first show of their run and everyone did a wonderful job.  I know that you can catch a Broadway show in Houston or any other major city but it is something about seeing one in NYC that makes it even better.

One thing I always try to forewarn people about NYC is to be prepared to walk! Being from Texas where we all pretty much have cars and busy yet easy accessible freeways, New York streets are always jam packed. As depicted in all the movies and television shows, it is extremely hard to flag down a cab and cabs can get a bit pricey. The subway is the best means of transportation.  It's quick, fairly inexpensive and there is always something interesting going on in the stations. All in all, NYC is a great place for anyone to visit!

The Not So Friendly City

One of my most recent trips was to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is often referred to as “The City of Brotherly Love”. Compared to other states that I’ve visited, Philadelphia isn’t very large in size or population, but is filled with tons of history that contributed to the growth and development of our great country today.  Being that one of my favorite movies is National Treasure, both the original and the sequel, I decided to go on a little adventure of my own in Philly! 

With Philadelphia being the home of many important artifacts of the United States, I dedicated one of my days to touring the city and visiting the different monuments and museums.  My first stop was none other than the Liberty Bell which in itself is very monumental in America’s Independence.  While visiting, I learned that Philadelphia served as the national capital from 1790-1800. And though that actual building of the Capitol is no longer standing, they have since built a small replica near the Liberty Bell. I also visited the Independence Hall, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the grave of Benjamin Franklin, the Christ Church, and the home of Betsy Ross.

Philadelphia is famous for their cheese steaks, so upon my first day of arriving it was a must that a stop be made at either Geno’s or Pat’s Steaks, two of the city’s best and rivalry Philly cheese steak restaurants.  Although I am not a food critic, I will say that I was not very impressed. Another place that I was blown away by was the Reading Terminal Market, which has fresh produce market, a number of different restaurants and meat markets of all kinds. The market had food from all over!  You name it they had it.

One thing that I strongly disliked about the city was the roads and highways.  Being from Texas I am spoiled by wide roads, convenient exits, underpasses at every corner and gas stations and restaurants every mile or two along the way. Philly was the complete opposite, which is a huge negative for a tourist, in a rented vehicle and absolutely no idea of where things are located. Thank goodness for GPS!  Another thing that shocked me was the rude people.  For a town to be deemed “The City of Brotherly Love”, they weren’t so friendly at all!

The Wonders of Home

My first adventure is of my hometown, Houston, Texas!  Many of us live in a place all of our lives and never fully take advantage of what the town has to offer.  Houston is one the nation’s largest cities and full of surprises.  Whenever I’m home for the weekend and have a bit of down time, I try and visit a part of the city that I’ve never been to.  One of my favorite areas of town is Montrose which has a bit of everything! They have shopping, fun and my favorite, FOOD!  

This past October I had the chance to catch up with some old friends who attend Rice University.  The school was having their Oktoberfest festivities and we were having tons of fun.  Since Rice is in the Montrose area we decided to wander around.  Our first stop was Rothko Chapel, a non-denominational chapel.  This place is unique because it’s not like your ordinary chapel with pews and organs.  The chapel is designed more like an art museum with a unique design with about fourteen paintings along the walls.  The paintings were interesting to say the least. 

Our next destination was the Houston Greek Festival. This festival comes to town every year and has been around for as long as I can remember.  One of the best parts of the festival is the food!  Different families set up tents and cook up family recipes to sell to customers and I tried as much as I possibly could! We ate gyros, a la carte, Greek pizza and a dessert called Baklava which is absolutely delicious! Aside from the food there’s the Folk Dance program where they split the people into different groups to depict different regions.  Outside of the planned activities there is tons of shopping where you can buy authentic Greek style jewelry and lots of wonderful people walking around to their story about their love of Greece!

This is just one of my many Houston adventures! I’m sure wandering around your hometown may not seem like that big of a deal to some but for me it is always a treat! It’s fun, a learning experience and VERY inexpensive!