8.28.19: 10 years! That’s how long we have been married. Wow, does time fly! This year called for a big celebration. After deciding that Europe was definitely going to be our destination, we each picked a place we really wanted to go. I chose Barcelona and Brian chose Paris. We tried to squeeze in a couple more places but decided in the end that we would rather spend a longer amount of time in just two cities then just a couple days in 3 or 4 places. That decision completely paid off!
Paris is HUGE! Even in the 6 days we were there we could have easily spent another 6. This is city is amazing! The food, the culture, the architecture, the history, we loved it all! And wine is readily available for about 4 euros a glass no matter where you go. So yeah, Paris is my favorite! I know a lot of people think it’s cliche to visit Paris. And if you are more of a beach or mountain person then maybe this wouldn’t be the destination for you. However, if you like cities then Paris is a must see! There are so many beautiful gardens, parks, historic buildings and monuments to tour and when you get tired you just stop and picnic with lunch, a bottle of wine and even a quick nap! If I only could live every day like that! A lot of people warned us how expensive Paris is but we didn’t find it be that way. Yes, there are crazy expensive restaurants you can go to. But we chose to eat mostly at the average cafe and found it to be very reasonable. Cheaper then eating out back at home even! The one downside to Paris is that EVERYONE smokes! We couldn’t go anywhere without being consumed by second hand smoke. Both of us were getting crazy sinus issues because of it. So if you extra sensitive to cigarette smoke then you should take that into consideration before visiting Paris. But all in all, Paris was everything we wanted and more! It’s somewhere everyone should see at least once in there life and I’m hoping we get to go back!
Now for Barcelona! I loved this little city so much! We spent 5 full days there and I could have spent more! It’s such a vibrant city full of culture, delicious food, nightlife and more! It’s not an expensive city so you can really get a good bang for your buck here! One of the main attractions here is the architecture designed by a man named Gaudi. His designs are like no other! There are multiple houses you can tour and even a whole park designed by him that are just gorgeous! However, the highlight of Barcelona and maybe even the whole trip was taking a paella cooking class at The Paella Club. This was such a fantastic experience! I wont go into every last detail because it wont even do it justice! But if you find yourself in Barcelona then do yourself a favor and take this class! You wont regret it! The one thing that was very disappointing about Barcelona was the beach. I didn’t expect to spend all day everyday there but I was looking forward to a little r&r by the water. But honestly, the beach was terrible. Super crowded, very dirty and full of people trying to sell you things. We ended up leaving after just an hour and went back to our hotel pool. So if you are looking for a good beach vacation then Barcelona is NOT for you! However, walking around the beach at sunset is gorgeous! So at least we got that 🙂
So after our trip I’ve decided that if I ever have move out of the country, Europe is where it’s at haha! I could definitely get used to that laid back lifestyle! But seriously, if you are thinking about traveling to either of these two cities I would HIGHLY recommend both! You wont be disappointed! Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or if you want to purchase prints!
