Spring break 2010

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Despite getting pick-pocketed, Barcelona was my favorite.
The city is filled with colour and excitement-I did not want to leave.
We stayed in the BEST hostel, it was surreal. Free breakfast,
tea, and smiles...AND homemade brownies! If you're ever in Barcelona,
I highly advise you to stay at Mambo Tango.

Day one: We started off late and stumbled upon a vegan and vegetarian
restaurant that was painted really artistically. I ate the best thai peanut
tofo sandwich. Then we went to the Mercat de Sant Josep/ La Boqueria
and bought more delicious food. Later we headed to the Picasso museum
and the Salvador Dali museum, both of which are amazing.

Day two: We went to Park Guell and spent the entire day there.
It was like a fairy tale filled with gingerbread houses and colourful mosaics.

Day three: Went to SPANNABIS , a marijuana exposition, and spent
the entire day there. Ill post more about this later.

Last day: Walked around, did some shopping, ate delicious food.
Went to Apollo, a disco club with sick dj's. It was "Nasty Mondays" that night
followed by "Crappy Tuesdays"...we only went to Nasty Monday
because, ironically, we were feeling to crappy to
attend "Crappy Tuesdays" the following night.

LONDON, UK
London was just like New York City, but way more expensive and that didn't
help my current money situation. I skipped a meal
a day to budget what money I had left to spend in Amsterdam. We went to see Parliament,
London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Changing of the Guards, and The Princess Diana Tribute.
We rode the infamous TUBE, went shopping at the markets (Portobella/Spitalfield) + TOPSHOP,
saw Big Ben, and walked around town. In all honesty, I could have skipped London
and spent more time in Spain!

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
There is nothing like Amsterdam. The first night we arrived, it was pouring down rain and very windy. However, that didn't stop us from going to coffee shop after coffee shop. Amsterdam is such a laid back and enthralling place, despite all the tourists.

Conceptualize this:
You walk into any coffee shop or smart shop (3-5 on every block)
and you are able to buy the most dank bud, hashish, psychedelics, and
ganga food cheaper than the US. The coffee shops have every smoking
device and grinders for you to use free of charge.
Now you have the munchies?
That's alright, because in Amsterdam, they have every food
craving you can dream of within 5 minutes walking distance.
I'm talking about Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, candy stores,
Belgium waffles, pancakes, nachos, burritos,
fresh fruit stands, cheeses...the list goes on.

My favorite thing we visited was the Anne Frank House. What a moving experience. I had read her story in middle school, but seeing the annex where 8 people lived in hiding was mind-blowing. No words or pictures will do this emotional experience justice. You just have to go there for yourself, walk through the house, and put your place in her shoes.

(Walking through the annex, I kept thinking about Neutral Milk Hotel and how they wrote a whole album dedicated to Anne Frank. Now I finally understand their obsession with her, she is truly inspiring)