Many people worry about the future so much that they forget to live in the present, but I live by the motto “You Only Live Once”, which is why I make it a point to do what I want in the moment and live life to the fullest!
Life is too short to worry too much so live in the moment and do what you want! Of course, I’m not asking you to splurge your life savings and you still have to spend responsibly! You can have money, make money once again but you will never be 20, living your dream life, doing things you like and in my case, it would be travelling the streets of Europe
Why did you do that?
You may be wondering, why did I decide to do that? I wanted to. It was as simple as that. It has been a dream of mine to be in Europe and I thought, as a treat for surviving NS, why not turn my dream into reality! I really like Europe, for its rich history, the streets, architecture, vibe, food, shopping etc.
Well, I could go on and on… Everything feels magical, surreal even as I’m writing this article, I feel like I’m reliving those memories so allow me to bring you down memory lane as I recount my experience in Europe.
Here’s a brief introduction of what I did- I initially wanted to go on a graduation trip with my friends, which was postponed due to the pandemic.
We then went ahead with a post ORD trip to Europe for 2 weeks and I travelled to Spain and Portugal. I could go on and on with my travel adventures but I shall keep this short and split it into 2 parts so check out the next part next week!
Spain, the land of Passion
For Spain, I went to the city of the “Bear and Strawberry Tree”, the capital of Spain, Madrid and Ciudad Condal, Barcelona, in which I was enchanted by the art and architecture, its rich cultural history and its tradition. Spain was breathtaking and when I say that, I definitely mean it!
Sagrada Familia nicely portrayed Gaudi’s architectural vision, combining elements of Art Nouveau, Catalan Modernism and Spanish Late Gothic Design.
I then went on to visit more breathtaking and must visit attractions such as FC Barcelona (if you are a fan of football), Casa Mila, Montjuic and Park Guell, which I feel are must go attractions when you are in Spain! Spain is a really beautiful country and is rich in its history, allowing me to not just admire its aesthetic but fulfil my own quest for knowledge as well!
Attractions aside, what about Shopping and Food?
There’s so much more about its building and attractions that I can go on and on but I shall refrain myself! Apart from sightseeing, the shopping there was good too! I headed to La Roca Village, a factory outlet in Spain, and managed to buy lots of stuff there at discounted prices. There was a good variety of brands, from brands like Burberry, Coach, Boss, Armani to big, mainstream brands like Adidas and Nike etc.
Besides shopping at outlets, shopping is generally good even on the streets of Spain. With their inhouse-brand such as Massimo Dutti and Zara being so much more affordable and stylish, these shops are a must go when you are in Spain. Moreover, what makes it better would be that the clothes are half the price you can find as opposed to when you’re shopping in Singapore!
Now, this part would be for the foodie! I have had some of the best meals I’ve ever had when I was in Spain. From its mains to dessert to drinks, from tapas to steak to churros to sangria to cheesecake (oh I had so much cheesecake that it may be an addiction), they were all so good, flavourful and authentic!
I’m a huge fan of steak and when I say that, I mean it. The steak that I had was so tender, rich in its taste and that was probably the best meal I’ve had in Spain.
It would be a pity if you do not visit this place when you head to Spain! La Selva, you MUST go to this place when you visit Spain!
So, mark this place in your notes or Google Maps but La Selva, this steakhouse in Barcelona serves dry-aged steak that is tender and flavourful, provides a hot stone for you to enjoy your steak hot, grilled to perfection.
Their desserts are magnificent as well, with cheesecake which melts in your mouth, perfectly sweet with a light and delicate taste.
Side note, if you are not a fan of alcohol, then you probably have to prepare your own water bottle when you head for the streets! I was particularly amazed with the fact that people there drink alcohol more than water, with prices of alcohol as low as water, sometimes even cheaper than water!
You may be wondering, is it safe?
Well, I would say Spain is a pretty safe country in my 2 weeks there. Although I went to Europe with a group of friends, there were days where I was a solo traveller, travelling free and easy due to differing interests and agenda.
Rather than packing the itinerary full for the day, we split up among ourselves and went ahead to do things that we wanted to do.
Well, in the times where I was walking on the streets on my own the entire day, the people there were really friendly to me, and my experience on the streets was good! I faced no racism and was able to get along with people there. The streets at night were brightly lit and there were a lot of people on the streets at night so it was generally quite safe to walk around at night!
Well, I did face one problem on my trip there, a language barrier with some Spanish. Although there are some language barriers but that can easily be mitigated with the help of Google Translate so fret not and book your trip to Spain now!
In conclusion…
If you asked me how my trip went, I would say that would be one of the best trips I’ve ever had! I had such a great time with my friends, doing things I love, going to places I’ve always wanted to.
I’m glad that I was able to recount my experience in Spain in the form of this article because I’ve really enjoyed myself and am glad to be able to share this experience with you all!
Well, I guess that’s all from me for this week, stay tuned to part 2 of my Europe trip next week, with another article coming out on my trip to Portugal!
Gracias and see you soon!