¡Hola! Barcelona

Currency exchange, check-in times, itinerary planning, planning, planning, planning. I have to admit, I salute my mum for having to plan all our family vacations. Who would've thought it would be so hard!  

I had a three week Christmas break from university last year and decided to go on a little getaway to Barcelona. Three weeks prior to my departure and I had a Google history of everything Barcelona. From things to eat to places to go; I could be your itinerary planner if you're ever planning a trip there. I must say, I have a whole new respect for those who travelled when there was still no internet. Google maps has by far been my best friend throughout the whole trip. Along with apps such as City Mapper which were a BIG help during my stay in Spain. 

A screenshot of the City Mapper app. 

Planning where to go is simple. Just google 'things to see in Barcelona' and boom. Pages and pages of websites providing you those answers. 'La Sagrada Familia', 'Parc Güell', 'La Pedrera', and so many more. This is where my saviour Google maps come in to picture. Planning the hours to go to each of these attractions was by far the hardest. How long will it take to get there? How long would I spend there? Google maps tells you roughly how long it will take to get there by foot, taxi, and whatever public transportation they have in their country; let it be buses, tubes or trains. And lovely TripAdvisor reviewers tell you how long you will need to spend there. It's amazing. 

You cannot leave Spain without trying churros. You cannot.  

La Sagrada Familia feat. unglam me

Panaroma view of the roof of La Pedrera

Watched a match between Barcelona and Huesca. This would be my first football match.

Panorama view of Parc del Laberint d'Horta

Famous lizard of Parc Güell

The colonnade "La Ola" @ Parc Güell

Tip: I bought all my entry tickets (La Sagrada, La Pedrera and Parc Güell) online so I can skip the long queue and not waste any time. Oh! And for Parc del Laberint d'Horta, admission is free on Wednesdays. 

This was taken while I was stranded in a town and there were no taxis (what happens when your outlet shopping desire > the fear of getting lost in a country where you can't speak their language)

picture from Global Blue

Details: 

La Roca Village
08430 Santa Agnès de Malanyanes
La Roca del Vallès

Last meal in Spain: pork ribs (because who doesn't love ribs?)

So long, Spain. Till we meet again. 

Siobhan Lim

Chapter 1

It was pretty overwhelming when I first touched down to the United Kingdom 6 months ago. I was going to a country I had never been to, to live and study. I was going to live on my own for the first time, experience 4 seasons for the first time, see snow for the first time, COOK on my own (eating > cooking). 

6,572 miles and 13 hours later (the butt ache was real), I arrived in London, United Kingdom. That, and another hour or so in a coach to arrive in Brighton, my last destination. I think the only pictures I saw of Brighton prior to my arrival were picture of the beach which, instead of having sand, are replaced with pebbles. Yes, pebbles (even up till now, I have yet to go to the beach thank to winter). 

First meal in Brighton.

itsu @ 68-70 North Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2RE

Everything amazed me. Everything was new. I had a lot of learning and adapting to do. I think the hardest would've been identifying all the coins (there's 1p 2p 5p 10p 20p 50p £1). Even the weather was new to me. It's a lot less humid here in the UK and my skin wasn't pleased at all. But nonetheless, I was excited about starting a whole new life here. 

The Lanes

Bill's Restaurant @ The Depot, 100 North Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1YE

The view from the Brighton Pier.

Unfamiliar places, unfamiliar faces. It's like going on holiday, just a really long one. And starting over would've been the most terrifying. I had to go through the process of learning where places are, what streets go to where, of making new friends (not saying that it's a bad thing, just a nerve-wrecking one (considering how shy I can be)). Even now I still get nervous when taking a bus. Fear that I'd miss my stop and end up some place foreign to me. 

But to conclude all that shenanigans, the past 6 months were really good. It took me a while to finally figure out the coins and it took me no time at all to make friends. Streets are still a challenge for me but at least I can sort of tell you where everything is (ha). It's been tough, but it's been fun too. 

"I eat mail for breakfast."

Siobhan Lim