A bachelorette dinner in Havana, Cuba

Hey guys, in my last post, I promised to do a separate blog about the bachelorette dinner we hosted for my friend in Havana. Here goes...

Before we left North America for Cuba, I had suggested a day for us all to wear the same color and take photos. When I got to Havana, I casually scouted for a plain wall, and found a blue wall right behind our Air BnB in Centro Havana. Blue complements yellow (our color), so I was hella excited at the possible outcome of our photos. My friend who was getting married the following month was also on the trip, so the rest of us decided to throw her a surprise bachelorette dinner after the photo shoot.

When it was time to take the photos, an outburst of heavy rain ensued. Boy was I disappointed. The rain did not look like it was stopping anytime soon, so we decided to utilize an indoor space--the stairwell of our AirBNB. When we were done inside, the rain suddenly stopped, and we dashed outside for our shoot. We took a few photos on an outdoor stairs, and as we were fixing to change positions to another wall, the rain started again, and at this point we called it quits😪.

The photos were not exactly what I was hoping for, but sometimes you just roll with the punches and keep it moving. I am sure COVID-19 has taught us this too well.

The bachelorette dinner on the other hand was perfect. The bride-to-be was utterly surprised, as she had no clue. The restaurant staff at Elizalde were amazing. They let us rent out a space for free, got us a cake at a moments notice, and George, the host even serenaded the bride-to-be with a Boyz II Men song. In all it was an amazing time. 

Enjoy the photos .

Bachelorette Dinner Time

That's all folks. Have a lovely socially-distanced weekend.

Travel Therapy: Barcelona, Spain Part 2

Hi all, this is my very first post in the month of October! I know, I know...quite shameful. Today I am concluding my Spanish adventures in the wonderful city of Barcelona (see part 1 here). The final part highlights my last day in my most favorite European city. I was fatigued from the last few days of tourist activity, and since I had one more European city to tour before heading back to the States,  my travel buddy and I decided to to take it easy and calmly enjoy the last day in Barcelona.

The day started with these photos in the courtyard of the apartment we stayed in. Gothic Quarters also known as Barri Gòtic is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Barcelona. With its narrow streets and medieval landmarks, it was the perfect place for me to call home, even if only for a few days.  

After  my photo session, my travel buddy and I headed to one of the restaurants in our apartment building for a final breakfast in Barcelona

Spanish pastries

After breakfast we headed to Parc Guell to explore Antonio Guadi's colorful wonderland. However, we encountered a mammoth crowd, so we settled for pictures outside the ticketed park area and headed on our way.

Definitely not as dangerous as it looks. The ground was only 2 feet below on both sides.

Had we explored the interior of Parc Guell, we would have experienced this magic!. Source

Once we were done at Parc Guell, we headed off to explore Gràcia district, the neighborhood the park is situated.

Photo op in front of  a squat house and old guard post, Kasa de la Muntanya.

How colorful is this Gràcia district street?

Can you tell I am fascinated by the colorful buildings!

When the wall matches your coat.

Soon after, we made our way to Plaça Catalunya, a large square in  the heart of Barcelona. The plaza is a busy place and a major transportation and shopping hub.

Made some new birdie friends at Plaza Catalunya :-)

Came across these colorfully dressed gypsy beggars

My travel buddy was heading back to Switzerland, so we said our goodbyes and I went off to explore Arc de Triomf

How beautiful is this palm tree lined square

Came across this colorful floor map of Barcelona, and of course *snap, *snap

Montjuic mountain and Jardins de Miramar was my next port of call. The Montjuic mountain is a hill with an amazing view of Barcelona. It overlooks the city harbor and also houses the Miramar Garden. I arrived at the hill at a very good time and I was able to see the sun set over Barcelona. 

Amazing view of the sun setting over the city

The Harbor

Miramar Gardens

Giant cactus at Miramar Gardens

After a brief stint at Jardins de Miramar, I headed to the Magic Fountain which is also situated at the end of Montjuïc mountain.

Font Màgica/Montjuïc Magic Fountain--what an amazing sight

The main fountain, Font Màgica

There is a light show every evening, but I didn't wait for it

Entertained by this street performer while people watching at the Magic fountain

Then hopped on a tour bus as my ticket from the day before was still valid. We drove by Poble Espanyol,an open-air architectural museum.

Camp nou, the home stadium of FC Barcelona soccer team was one of the sights I encountered on the drive back to Gothic Quarters.

The day ended with paella(soggy:/) for dinner and yummy pistachio/strawberry cheesecake ice cream and creme brulee for desert. With that, my adventures in Barcelona came to a delightful end.

Ha!ha...not to worry locals, I am on my way outta your city

Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed seeing Barcelona through my eyes. Do you guys have any trips coming up soon, or are you just back from a trip? Where did you go and what was your experience? Please share with me in the comment box. Hope to hear from you.