Eating Europe #5: La Cocina de San Antón by Cinco Jotas

Upon arriving in Madrid, I found myself reading a lot about the various markets the city had to offer. Our first morning, we ventured out to find Mercado de San Antón for some lunch. The market's three levels include mainly food to take away and cook at home, a food court-type area with some fresh meals, and a bar and a terrace on top for finer dining.

Eating Europe #4: Chök, Barcelona

You know when you're exploring a new city, a certain something catches your eye in the window and you know there is no way you're leaving without it? Well, my first evening exploring Barcelona included that experience with a chocolate-covered pastry. 

Eating Europe #3: Bar Los Pescadores, Barcelona

My friend and I decided that for our last full day in Barcelona we would have a proper seafood meal at the beach. After some online searching that morning (thank you, TripAdvisor!), we discovered the existence of Bar Los Pescadores near Barceloneta. 

After a walk along the windy beach, we wove through a few side streets to finally reach the almost hidden (not clearly marked) restaurant. It was a Sunday, around 2 pm, and all the tables at the small place was packed, with more groups waiting at the bar. At this point we (a group of five) were all pretty hungry, but took this crowd as a sign that it would be worth the wait. I believe they initially said it would be a 30 minute wait, and it ended up being slightly longer. Ultimately, it was worth it!

Eating Europe #2: Angelina, Paris

My travel buddies and I had seen Angelina and the famous chocolate drink on multiple Paris musts lists. So, our first day there, we all made a special trip to check it out at the Rue de Rivoli location, down the street from the Louvre. Hint to Paris newbies - Angelina is everywhere! On our remaining days in Paris, I saw the name several places, including Angelina cafes within the Louvre itself and Palace of Versailles. So this trip wasn't exactly necessary to simply try the chocolate, although the interior was quite lovely - all gold and white, reminded me of fancy hotel restaurants I've seen in movies, but cozier. 

Eating Europe #1: Le Petit Gourmet, Paris

The journey had been long. In the name of budget travel (and in my case a desire to avoid flights, although still took 3 in the course of our 17-day trip) we had left Newcastle upon Tyne, UK at 1 am and arrived in Paris the following evening. After 18 hours on a bus, what I wanted more than anything was a glass of wine. 

Flipping Through the Pages

Not the most flattering picture of myself - but set against the gorgeous backdrop of Lisbon, Portugal  

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page..."

This quote, attributed to Saint Augustine, was spoken by a tour guide in Amsterdam, the last stop of my 6-city 'Eurotrip.' While I sometimes roll my eyes at these cliched sayings romanticizing travel, this is very much in line with what I've been thinking lately (since I actually started traveling). It is a simple yet poetic way to verbalize the thoughts racing through my head about how large, diverse, and rich in culture and history (and climates!) the world is.