Over fall break, I went to Barcelona, Nice, and Paris, so that’s why I’ve been MIA on all forms of social media.
Barcelona was absolutely amazing. I could have stayed there for the entire break. On the first day, we walked around and saw the main tourist attractions of Barcelona. We went to La Sagrada Familia, Passeig de Gracia (Casa Bastillo and La Pedrera), and Las Rambas. We ate tapas for dinner in Plaça Catalunya! I was finally reunited with my favorite dish, patatas bravas. The next morning, we went to the top of Montjuic, which was filled with gardens and had a castle at the very top. It was quite a workout, but the view was totally worth it. Afterwards, we went to experience the wonderful art of Gaudi. We went to Park Guell and then toured the inside of La Pedrera. Of course, they were both beautiful because Gaudi is amazing. Finally, we ended the night with grabbing dinner at a Mexican restaurant. On our last day in Barcelona, we went to the Barri Gothi. The architecture there is very classical, and the area has a lot of cool shops. Of course while we were in a warm country, we had to go to the beach. We went to Port Olympico and spent the afternoon tanning and enjoying the beach.
Our next stop on our trip was the beautiful city of Nice. The first day, we were there it was bright and sunny so we went straight to the beach. We basically layed out all afternoon, and then explored the city at night. We had a slight mishap in a restaurant, where the server couldn’t speak any English and I couldn’t speak any French. No worries though. I got exactly what I ordered, and my pasta carbonara was delicious. The next day, it rained in the morning, but we still went on a walking tour of the city. We saw the food and flower market, the opera house, the Palace of Justice, and got a lot of background on the city. Once the tour ended, the weather cleared up, so we climbed up Castle Hill and got an amazing view of the town.
Our final destination on the trip was Paris. On the first afternoon, we went to Notre Dame, the Lover’s Bridge, and Victor Hugo’s house. For dinner, we went to a delicious French restaurant, where I got pasta with salmon. It was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. The next day, we climbed up to Sacre Coeur. Yes, I climbed to the top of a hill every single place we went. I had to burn off calories from all the food I was eating! Both the view and the basilica are gorgeous. We also went shopping at the top of the hill. Afterwards, we went to my favorite place in Paris: MOULIN ROUGE! Finally, we made a pit stop by the Eiffel tour to end our day. For dinner, we met up with some of our friends who are staying in Paris, and they took us to a falafel restaurant. I had never had a falafel before coming to London, and now I feel like I eat them all the time. The next day, my friend Laura, who is studying abroad in Paris, took me to the catacombs and Luxembourg Gardens. The catacombs were half terrifying, half interesting. I can honestly say that I didn’t think I would make it through the area that had walls lined with skulls and bones. The Luxembourg Gardens were incredibly beautiful. I could sit in them all day, every day. It’s basically this huge park with fountains, statues, flowers, and a palace. That night, we went on a boat cruise to see Paris lit up. The sites were amazing, and the cruise was so relaxing. Finally, we finished our last night in Paris by going to get cheese and wine. Our last morning, we walked to the Louvre and then along Champs de Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.
Overall, I can say I ate too many crepes, gelatos, and macaroons, but I don’t regret a single one!
Spamalot
Monday night, I went to see Spamalot at the Playhouse Theater. The musical was absolutely hilarious. I’ve been wanting to see it for years, and it did not disappoint. It is very similar to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but I enjoyed the movie, so I didn’t really mind. Similar to the film, there are only a few actors who play all the parts, which I think is extremely impressive. All of the characters were extremely strong at all of their parts, and the singing was still great, even though it was more focused on the comedy.
Finally, this week, I started my internship at Purple Flame Media. I am extremely excited to be working in production. So far I’ve been working on the basics and learning more about the company. Tomorrow, I’m attending a training session that Purple Flame is hosting, and next Thursday, I am going on my first shoot with them. I’m looking forward to the experience, especially since the company focuses on giving back to the community. I think it will be a great opportunity to use my passion in order to help those around me.
pattersonanna 