For the longest time, the idea 'backpacking through Europe' brought up images of hitchhiking, camping, and hiking through mountains for me. I did not realize that the essential part of backpacking was the fact that everything you need for your trip fits into a backpack. But since I now understand this, I can say that I backpacked for my spring break. I spent a week and traveled to three countries with slightly varying temperatures, so as a chronic overpacker, I am proud of my newfound backpacker status. (Tip for fitting your clothes for a week of spring break into your school backpack = rewear clothes. Also, I used packing cubes that you can roll up to squeeze all of the air out.) To catch you up on my spring break, here is a little highlight reel of a blog post!
Destination 1: Barcelona, Spain
One of architect Antoni Gaudi's three houses in Barcelona.
Best Meal: My first night, we had tapas and sangria on this little restaurant's patio that squeezed our group of ten in. We each ordered a dish and split them all. My favorite dish was probably the huevos estrellados, which consisted of fried potatoes, egg, and ham.
Highlight: Walking through the gothic quarter and listening to the street performers. There were a few violin players, and it was such a lovely combination of music and beautiful architecture. (Honorable mention goes to collecting sea glass on the beach at sunset.)
Story time: On a day with a high of 47 degrees, my friends and I attempted a 'polar plunge' at sunset. The water felt so cold I couldn't think for a minute after I got out.
Destination 2: Lisbon, Portugal
A combined bookstore/bar in Lisbon. I just noticed that you can see the $0.55 cent venmo that my friend insisted on sending me for my lending her 0.50 euros to buy a little poem from what was basically a poem gumball machine.
Best Meal: Our first night there I got cod, a Portuguese specialty, with salad and potatoes - very delicious. The famous custard pastries - pasteis de nata - were something I could eat every day.
Highlight: Something about Lisbon was magical to me; I could honestly see myself living there, so it is hard to pick one highlight. But it would probably be our trip to Sintra, a small town outside of Lisbon, where we explored the beautiful grounds of a castle.
Story time: My friends and I were taking the metro and were deep in conversation and missed our metro stop. In fact, we missed the last metro stop of the line and ended up at a place where only the operators of the subway are supposed to go. We exited and waved at some people in the control booth, and one of the employees kindly drove the metro back to our stop.
Destination 3: Budapest, Hungary
Me in New York Cafe, a very pretty spot in Budapest.
Best Meal: Tie between paprika chicken and a bagel sandwich. I missed bagels! And I loved the flavors and the texture of the noodles with the paprika chicken.
Highlight: The baths of Budapest were warm and calming. Very different from my experience in Barcelona's ocean.
Story time: Nothing too exciting happened in Budapest; being the end of spring break, I was tired and it was a nice, relaxing trip. I enjoyed my first morning walking around and finding a nice spot to read my book.
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