The Last Stretch

I guess I should have named this post ‘Amsterdam Part 2’ but that would have been nonsense on my very last blog post don’t you think? I can’t believe that it’s been two months already and the time has come that I’m finally heading home. I must say, during my travels it all went so slow. Every day I kept thinking about how much time I still had then BAM- The end has sadly crept up.

Regardless, my last few days spent in Amsterdam was exactly what I wanted. I met so many new friends, explored the countryside of Holland and of course celebrated my last night with a cheeky steak and one last Red Light District pub crawl out with the crew. It’s was delightful! Oh and I can’t forget my second Canal cruise. Those boat rides are so legit! I just couldn’t resist.

The country side was very beautiful. It was actually a Windmill Village I visited in Zaanse Schans (don’t bother with the pronunciation) in Northern Holland. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Nothing like the city. So many farm animals and lush green grass, it was stunning! It had a lot more to offer than just a few Windmills too. There was a fresh water lake which was nice to see oppose from those dirty slum canal waters in the city. The village also consisted of a cheese factory where I spent a great amount of time. So many deluxe samples. I tell ya, I didn’t need lunch after an hour in there. Another fun part of the village was the shoe factory. This is where they hand-make the traditional Holland wooden shoes. I had a demonstration and everything. Got to try them on and take a stroll as well. They definitely weren’t as comfy as expected but they are waterproof and basically act like steel toes so I thought it’d be hilarious to buy a pair for house boating. Wear all the classic Europe gear on the boat. From the Sahara Desert head wrap, to the Bull Run outfit, then all my Ibiza swag and now the wooden shoes! Too funny! Right?

Anyway, my travels to Morocco (I know, I almost forgot I was there too) and throughout the 4 countries I tackled in Europe, they all absolutely exceeded my expectations. Each country was so different from the last. It was so inspiring to learn about the different cultures, languages and all their values. I for sure plan on revisiting some of these counties, of course after I adventure to all the remaining countries I have on my checklist. I am so unbelievably grateful with all these opportunities I get to experience and learn about the whole world through my backpacking adventures. Every journey teaches me many new things about life, culture and even myself. Who knows where Tray Travels will be off to next? Now for the last time, back to Barcelona I go before the home soil calls my name. Stay tuned and until next time folks! Thanks for reading. 

Tray OUT

xx

Amsterdam Pt 1

Needless to say I am a few days behind on my blogs but what am I suppose to do- Amsterdam has kept me very occupied! This city is brilliant. I’ve enjoyed every day to the fullest and I still feel like I don’t have enough time. When I tell people I’m spending a week in Amsterdam, they look at me funny and think ‘You won’t survive’. Same way they looked at me when I committed to 5 days in Ibiza. Am I crazy? Well ya duh, but there’s nothing wrong with overstaying your welcome… Sometimes. Anyway, I’m sure as most of you know- Amsterdam is the city of museums. I actually haven’t dabbled in too many of the tours but the first day I hit up the Anne Frank House. History at its finest (Dad, you’ll love this). The Anne Frank House is one of the most popular museums in all of Amsterdam. We had to wait in a line for almost 3 hours just to get in. Once we were done the tour, the line up was 5 hours long. Relentless! But totally worth it I’d say. I won’t get into too many details as it is pretty interesting to read the full story. But the gist is Anne Frank and her Jewish family hid from the Nazi’s in the back of this house during the second World War for two whole years. They weren’t even allowed to be exposed to the outside. The door to their house in the ‘back’ is hidden behind a bookcase. They even kept all the books on the shelf and all the decorations on the walls from when the family lived there. It was quite chilling. Unfortunately after two years in hiding, someone told their secret and the Nazis raided the house and found the Frank family. They all were were taken to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp where only Anne Frank’s father survived. So sad eh? Anyway, Anne Frank wrote a diary during the war and her two years in hiding that was found and given to her father. He published it in 70 different languages and turned the house into a museum to share their story. Super interesting! I recommend reading more about it.

Now on another note, I also got to experience a wicked electronic music festival in Amsterdam which was wild! We knew the headliner DJ so he got us in for free. Celebrity styles, I know. The music was amazing and it felt great to dance all day and all night! Especially with hundreds of crazy Dutch people. Definitely unexpected but it was sweet getting out of all the mayhem in the Red Light District.

If you’ve been to Amsterdam, you already know prostitution is legal. Insane right? It’s still hard for me to grasp. Fun fact of the day: A prositute pays 150 Euro per night to rent a window on the District. And charges 50 Euro for 15 minutes. Wowzerssss! I did the tour at the Prostitution Museum which was kind of sad and degrading I felt but again, quite interesting. 

Enough of that talk now. One thing I very much enjoyed was the Canal Tour. It was beauty and an awesome way to explore Amsterdam. Of course they also had unlimited wine so that’s always a perk for me. Another fun fact: There are 165 canals that go through Amsterdam and they recover 15,000 bicycles from them per year. Neat eh? I’m full of so much legit info sometimes I am just so amazing at listening. Also, I did a 4 hour walking tour this morning so it’s all fresh in my brain! 

I also hit up the famous red and white IAMSTERDAM sign thinking Id get a cheeky picture of me climbing on top of the ‘T’. You know, for ‘Tray’ obviously. The tourists however took over the hot spot and I couldn’t even get one decent picture of all the letters. Oh well, a post card will suffice.

I am now back to solo travel and I have a few more days here in this glorious city. Already have met so many gems of humans so I’m stoked to get amongst with all the new friends. I’ll rent another bike, do some shopping, treat myself to a steak and perhaps another tour! Only one more blog post after this folks. I know, I know, I’ll miss it too of course! 

Tray xx

Bonjour Paris

When I said I was going to France, what I really met was just a cheeky two day stop in Paris but still legit ya? I had a couple of days to spare on my way to Amsterdam so ‘wine’ not? Anyways, one of the best decisions I’ve made so far. Touristic Tray absolutely nailed Paris and all what I think are ‘must sees’ with a little extra time. It was kind of entertaining running around catching all the different Metros to all the hot spots. Literally running. My timing couldn’t have been better… But you know me, always ahead of the game. According to myself, anyway.First stop- Eiffel Tower duh! This has been a bucket list item of mine for ages. Who knew I would check it off this trip? It was massive and totally amazing to see. I even came back to the Tower at night to see it all lit up. It was stunning! It does some flashy little dance on every hour for 5 minutes so I lucked out and got to see that. Just brilliant. Unfortunately the park surrounding it wasn’t open due to those damn Euro Cup games. They had a massive fan zone in the park and it would take at least a week to haul out all the equipment and big screens. Very impressive set up but it didn’t help my tower pics one bit. I managed to squeeze in a few goodies which sufficed. At night it down poured hardcore so it was a perfect reason to pick up a snazzy decked out Paris Umbrella. I’m so cool sometimes I can’t even handle it. Alright, ch ch check- onto the next stop. 

I then hit up a sick ARCHitectural structure. See what I did there? It’s actually just the Arch but I think I’m pretty clever. Don’t chirp me for this, but I didn’t really get the grasp of the whole Arch reasoning. I just knew I had to see it, it’s very historical and it was awesome. Located in the middle of this ridiculously hectic traffic circle. I legit almost witnessed 4 accidents. I was certain I had to take a leap of faith and dodge traffic to get to it but luckily a local informed me there’s an underground tunnel when he realized my plan of attack. Phewph! The Arch has a huge France flag in the middle of it which was cool. Lots of intricate stone work as well. It’s located at the top of one of Paris’ richest streets with a ton of upscale stores that I could never afford but it was nice to act like a local and pretend I was interested in many astonishing items that ended up being ‘too small’. The McDonalds even had a preorder touch screen so you can build your own order and pick it up minutes later with your receipt. I only ordered a McFlurry, I swear.

Next stop- the Bridge of Love Locks. I don’t think its actually called this but it’s where couples (or single people like myself) write their names on their lock and secure it on the bridge, then throw their key into the River for a life of long lasting lucky love. Alliteration eh? I’ve always seen this bridge in pictures and thought to myself, ‘one day I’ll do that’. Who says you can’t do it single right? Anyway, don’t get your hopes up like mine were, but they cut off all the locks!! I was absolutely devastated. Only a month ago too because it was weighing the bridge down to collapse. I couldn’t believe it. Where was my warning? How am I supposed to be in long lasting lucky love with myself forever? Maybe this is some sort of a blessing in disguise. At least I wasn’t the only shocked tourist there to seal their deal. One day they’ll start another bridge or hopefully build one of cement instead of wood but whatever. 

Next stop was the Louvre Museum. Its the largest museum in France and the second most visited in the world. However, I couldn’t be bothered to go in because the line was 10km long. The outside of the museum was spectacular though. The roof of the museum are these glass pyramids that you can play around with your camera making trippy perspective pictures. I wasn’t overly creative but I touched the top? Regardless, another touristic picture check!

Last but not least was the Sacre Coeur Basilica which is a Roman Catholic Church that sits at the highest point in Paris. It was gorgeous! And basically a walk in the park to get there. The view overlooked most of Paris but unfortunately the Eiffel Tower was on the other side. Regardless it was amazing soaking up all the sites. You couldn’t go in the church but the outside was the most magical. It felt like a scene in a fairytale.

Aren’t you impressed with all my ‘Tray takes on Paris’ accomplishments? I sure am. Who needs longer than a few days in Paris anyways? It would have been nice toexperience the nightlife I suppose. I may not have sealed my deal in the ‘City of Love’ but damn, Paris had some amazing French wine and cheese I easily fell in love with.

Now I’m off to Amsterdam! Another city I’ve been waiting basically my whole life for. It’s sadly my last leg of this trip but surely my longest. I’m spending a whole week there before I go back to Barcelona…again. Imagine all the checklists I’ll finish in Amsterdam. Stay tuned friends.
Au Revoir!!

Tray Tray

  

Bye Bye Barcelona

The time has finally come. I’m actually leaving Barcelona and not returning on my travels. Just kidding… I actually have to fly back here to catch my homebound flight but that doesn’t really count. In total I have spent 12 days back and forth here in the city and loved every moment of it. Did I see everything on the tourist check list that I should have? Probably not but that’s okay. I needed some chill out recovery days on Barcelona’s beautiful beach so I’m cool with that. Regardless I’ll be back one day. This is by far the hottest weather I’ve experienced in Barcelona. I legit was melting everyday. The heat was almost unbearable so thankfully for the sea and its breeze.
One touristic check was the Sagrada Familiar Church designed and significantly Influenced by Gaudi. I’m sure if you’ve been to Spain you know exactly what I’m talking about and most likely have visited it as well. The Church started its foundation in 1882 and is estimated to be finished by 2026. Sounds ridiculous right? The layout is super intricate. Gaudi’s designs and all his architectural work are very remarkable and stunning. The church fills with vibrant colors from the sun shining through all the amazing stained glass. When complete, the church will be 560 ft high. Pretty impressive eh? The church is taking ages to finish because it relies on only donations and a percentage of ticket money for construction costs. Gaudi died in 1926 and he was laid to rest in the church so you can visit his grave. It was all quite interesting and fascinating but Google has way more fun facts for you than me but I’m sure you friends get the gist! 

I also checked off the FC Barcelona Stadium. It was amazing! I wish I could have seen a live futbol (this means ‘soccer’ folks), match while in Barcelona but because of the Euro Cup, the other divisions don’t start up again for a few weeks. It was sweet to watch all the Euro Cup games though. Yay for Portugal! (I suppose?). 

The stadium is huge. Holds almost 100,000 people. There was a museum with all the winning trophies. The Barcelona team is one of the best in the world. And all the players are total babes so that’s a plus! I got to see the change room, the press room and all the VIP views. Pretty fancy I’d say! The pictures don’t do justice as I’m now taking them on my shitty iPod but what can ya do right?! 

I had another friend Tom from Calgary come meet us for the weekend so It was nice to exchange travel stories and catch up with him. We treated ourselves to all the wine and tapas all weekend. Might as well treat ourselves on our last few days in Spain am I right? Oh speaking of this, I had a half hour massage on the beach and it was so deluxe! 

I’ll miss everything about Spain very much. The heat, the language, the culture, the food and of course the cheap wine. Definitely an interesting and amazing last few weeks. Now on to country number 4! Where is Tray Travels off to next? Ooooooh the suspense…. Don’t hold your breath it’s France. 

Adios Amigos!

Tray Travels 

The Bull Run

Oh Pamplona, Pamplona, Pamplona… there is so much to chat about in this blog post I don’t even know where to begin. For the most part, experiencing the San Fermin Bull Fighting Festival was an absolute highlight of my travels. The culture of the whole thing was super intense. It was almost like a 4 day long dream. 
I went to Pamplona for the opening ceremonies which was such a hoot. We camped with hundreds of other travelers- mostly Aussie dudes (hell yes!) and this felt like its own music festival on its own. They had awesome DJs, a sick pool and a decent bar. They even brought in screens so we could watch the Euro Cup game! Very legit. 
Every person in town, including the babies and kids wore their traditional ‘San Fermin Bull outfit’ which consists of white pants and a shirt, as well as a red sash and bandana for your neck. You are strongly warned to slip knot your bandana incase of a bull horn catching on it. That way the bull can’t drag you. Crazy right? I bought two of these outfits, I loved them so much. Also, I plan on wearing it through every airport, bus and train station until I get home. And then house boating and all the music festivals after that… because I’m hilarious of course, that’s why. 

I am stoked the timing worked out and that we were able to experience the pre party leading up to the festival. Think of a massive street party in an old town filled with thousands of people wearing ‘white’ having an outrageous Sangria fight. Imagine this, but way bigger. The craziness was relentless. It was something I’ve never been part of before and I reckon I would not want to ever do it again. The stickiness of being drenched by all the Sangria was enough for me. However, it did surprisingly make my hair look hella good which was cool- regardless of all the mayhem. The people including the tourists were so overly aggressive. Chanting obnoxiously and shoving each other. I unfortunately got mugged in the middle of all this chaos and had my phone stolen. It was such a buzz kill for me and totally brought my spirits down for some time. However, shit happens and I’m grateful I’m alright. The outcome could have been way worse. I met so many people that got jacked as well so apparently it’s quite common during the festival. Oh the madness!

Anyways, back to the Bulls. Approximately eight to ten monstrous beasts weighing between 550-680 kilograms, run the narrow cobblestone streets of old town Pamplona each day for 10 days while up to 1000 tourists and locals essentially ‘run’ with them. It’s the most terrifying adrenaline rush anyone could ever ask for. These animals are gigantic and can mess with anyone. A lot of people got tossed and pushed around by the Bulls. Some of these wild animals would even stop in the middle of the ‘run’ and turn around to charge at the other runners behind. On Friday, it was actually the longest Bull Run in history of this festival because the animals kept stopping and bucking in other directions. It usually totals around 3 minutes and Friday’s run was almost 6 minutes! The Bulls are nervous just like the runners and are definitely not friendly at all. You’ll never know how they’ll respond to you. It’s scary as shit. 
At the end of the 3-6 minute run (depending if the Bulls stop to have a laugh or not) there’s an arena which seemed more petrifying than the run itself. All of the people and the bulls run into this arena where they then will start to release one bull at a time to get taunted by the runners. It was difficult to watch. Most people ‘jump’ the ledge once they arrive in the arena because they shut the gates and there’s no escape after that. The bulls charged at so many runners goring them brutally with their horns, bucking them up so many feet in the air, then trampling over the people that were grounded. Horrific eh? I really don’t see the fun in it all. Seemed more like a death wish to play in the arena if you ask me. In fact, I’m almost certain there was a death that took place. I even have it on video. A younger male was bucked pretty drastically by one of the bulls and was knocked out cold as if he broken his neck. He then had to get rag dolled out. It was vicious as hell. There’s only ever been about 20 known deaths from the Bull Run but we hear they keep many more on the hush. It’s literally the most barbaric festival I’ve ever experienced.

At the end of the day is when the Bull Fights occur in the arena. This is when a professional bull fighter brutally, slowly slaughters all the bulls that participated in the run earlier that day. I absolutely understand that it is a cultural event but I don’t personally believe in the Bull Fights so I chose not to stay and watch. I did skim through a buddies video of them though and I’m happy I chose to avoid the situation. Plus the street parties are such a blast. The whole town lights up all night and day. The bars stay open 24/7 so you can imagine 4 days in Pamplona is surely long enough. All the new friends and experiences were top notch though! I may still smell like Sangria and am sadly phone-less but all worth it. I for sure recommend going to the San Fermin festival one day. I also suggest reading the book ‘The Sun Also Rises’ by Ernest Hemingway. This book from 1926 inspired tourists from all over the world (like myself) to travel to Pamplona specifically for the Bull Festival and that’s why it’s blown up to become so big now. Pretty sweet! I thankfully read it before my travels and it made Pamplona much more interesting for me. 

Now guess what… Back to Barcelona! So original right? I have 4 more days here to relax and be touristic exploring all the things I haven’t yet. Hopefully squeeze in a couple beach days! I’m mostly amped for a decent sleep- camping for 4 nights with hundreds of intoxicated hooligans does not allow much rest. 

Catch you on the flip!

Tray Out 

San Sebastián

I have officially fallen in love with San Sebastián. What a somewhat ‘hidden gem’ of a small city in Spain. I only spent 2 days here but easily could have stayed a week. Totally stoked I decided to come as it was kind of a last minute decision. The beauty here is totally inspiring. One of the cleanest, well groomed cities I have visited on my travels thus far.
San Sebastián is a coastal city in Northern Spain and it has two amazing beaches. One actually happens to be a sick surf beach which I spent almost a full day at. The waves were a bit fierce near the end of the day and the water is so cold being the Atlantic Ocean, you’re forced to wear a wetsuit. Regardless it was great to get back into the sea. There was even a surf competition taking place which was rad to watch. 
I did a semi easy hike to one of the top view points in San Sebastián and it was fantastic. I got a full grasp of the whole town and didn’t realize how big it actually was. Even though I feel like I explored the whole city, I’m sure there was much more to see. I walked the whole ‘old city’ which had its typical cobble stone streets with upscale, unaffordable stores in every corner. Super nice though. The colonial buildings and churches are fascinating to me. I love how they keep all the old architecture in these cities and just add a modern scene to them. It’s brilliant and so stunning. Definitely on my list as one of my top fav cities. San Sebastián basically offers everything and more! 

One thing I’m struggling with is ‘Spain timing’. I feel as if people close their stores whenever they desire. It’s like it rains so people lock the doors for business, or it’s nap time every three hours. Super wierd but I suppose that’s culture for ya! 
Today I leave for Pamplona. Seems like ages ago I was talking about the Bull Run Festival and its finally here. I’ll be spending 4 days in Pamplona getting totally amongst with the Spanish culture of this festival. One of the biggest in Spain that goes down each year. Now the big question is: to run, or not to run. Hmmm..

Stay tuned folks!

-Tray

Ps love you Mum and Dad!

 

Eye-Beeth-Ah!

It’s actually called Ibiza but all the locals pronounce it that way. If you’ve been before, you know what I mean. And you also will understand that the island is known for its insane nightlife for all the party-goers and club go-getters. If you know me well, you know that I’m heavy into the electronic music scene and have been following well known dance and house DJ’s for many years now. This being said, Ibiza is another paradise bucket list check for me as it’s been a dream of mine for years now to dance the nights away to all the amazing tunes on this Island! It was totally everything I expected and more. I luckily saw at least 6 of my favorite DJ’s perform and it was so sick! I felt like I was at a music festival let alone a hot spot vacation island!
The island is stunning. It’s definitely more hippy like and chill during the day and all the magic lights right up at night. With the exception of a few booze cruises and day pool parties of course. Ibiza is full of gorgeous people with some of the most exotic European electronic music. It’s absolutely up my alley. However, this island is the most outrageously expensive place that I have ever visited in the whole world. We spent 5 days on this pricey island and I can see why people told us it was dangerous to over stay. Apparently 2 days is the appropriate duration. Oh wel! One drink would cost us up to 22 Euro (close to $32 Canadian dollars). Robbery am I right? It was sickening but I still got my groove on all day and night regardless of the money. I made sure I had a daily spending limit or else Ibiza would have soaked up my whole bank account! 
One thing that saved us a chunk of change is staying at an Air BNB instead of a classy hotel. It was such a wicked experience. Our host was so great, young and super cute. She hooked us up with cheap club tickets and was so helpful with all the tips! Her and her husband owned the cutest rooftop apartment with three massive sized terraces to soak up all the views and sunny rays!

July 1st (Happy Canada Day) is my Birthday! I turned 27 this year and of course I planned my trip to Ibiza around my birthday so I can celebrate in style. It was legit, but I wish we had started with my birthday day 1 in Ibiza instead of the last day. Day 4 was a major struggle as the clubs stay open till 8am and clearly us Canadians are not familair with this! You can imagine our fatigue but we legit had all our Canadian swag on and gave it a go. We celebrated on a party boat that roamed the the sea all day with a couple of rad DJ’s. The scenery was lovely. However, sea sickness got the best of me unfortunately so we cut the celebrations short this day and decided to postpone the Birthday party in Pamplona! No one will know right? 

On my way to San Sebastián in northern Spain and I am so thrilled. I’ve heard nothing but astonishing things so I can’t wait to see what this city has to offer. I’ll be spending three days here to get warmed up for the Bull Run in Pamplona! Hopefully It’ll be a bit cheaper as well. 

Adios Amigos!! 
Tray Out xx 

BCN to Valencia

My first few days in Barcelona were unreal. I can’t wait to come back already. I’m using Barcelona as sort of my ‘stomping grounds’ so I’ll have a few more visits and make sure I can explore all the beauty of this city and not miss a thing. I feel as if I can spend weeks here already, there is so much to see and enjoy. I loved it! However, I decided to switch it up and meet Jamie in Valencia for a relaxing, much more calm weekend. 

Barcelona could get a bit hectic although I  didn’t mind the chaos. It was the kickoff to the ‘Summer Soltice’ celebration so the city got absolutely lit! Literally though- they had a 12 hour beach party through the night with thousands of people dancing, having bonfires and best of all: setting off heaps of fire works wherever and whenever they wanted. It was insane! If I closed my eyes I pictured myself in one of the ‘Call of Duty’ video games. People would chant ‘BACKUP!!’ to warn you of a nearby firework about to blast. I was so close sometimes my ears popped like crazy and rang as if there was an explosion. It was intense. One time I even stop, dropped and rolled it was so scary, but kind of hilarious. Quite the experience I may add. The pictures of the night simply don’t do justice. The clubs in Barcelona were a gong show as well. I feel like this is the city that never sleeps. You can see why I am craving a more chill few nights. 

I lucked out and have a friend named Cole that studies in Barcelona so I met up with him for a day and we took the metro all around town adventuring to different communities. Cole took me to this epic viewpoint to see the whole city of Barcelona with views all the way out to the sea. So high up they build escalators that you can use to get there. Classy right? Or lazy- yes, I know. We also feasted on seafood for lunch and walked the beachfront. Maybe had a sangria or two. One of my other days was spent hibernating on the pool rooftop of my hostel. This is definitely a clutch perk to my hostel. I met so many amazing friends and we watched tons of Euro Cup games. I am loving being in Europe with all the thrill of the Euro Cup Futbol. Makes things so hype and exciting. I try to watch at least one game a day. Reminds me of being in South America for the World Cup 2014. Awesome right? I’m cheering for the team that wins.

I had the pleasure of meeting my friends’ parents for a delicious proper steak meal. They just happened to be visiting Barcelona as well which was a fantastic coincidence. We had great catch up over some lovely wine and tasty eats. It was such a blast! Thanks again Ang and Ray!

Meeting up with Jamie in Valencia seemed like such a quick getaway but well   worth it. From what I saw, Valencia is a legit clean, very beautiful city. We rented bikes all day and rode to the beach. It was packed but so nice! Imagine South Beach in Miami. Got our bronze on and took a dip in the salty sea, it was plenty refreshing. I can swim in the ocean for days. We had low key evenings in so that was also nice. 

Back to Barcelona we go. We have two days here before we fly to Ibiza (WHOOP!) Think of it as the ‘calm before the storm’.

-Tray Tray  

Lisboa

Ciao for now Portugal! I spent the last week in the beautiful city of Lisbon but the Portuguese name for it is ‘Lisboa’ and they pronounce it ‘Lish-bowa’. Who knew? I’ll be calling it Lisbon for this post though, due to all that auto correct frustration (first world problems, I know).
Lisbon was amazing! It reminded me much like Buenos Aires in Argentina with the narrow, cobble stone streets in the old town, but also had a modern upscale look in the city. It was sweet. I feel as if I’ve said this before about Buenos Aires, but sometimes the cities all blur together. It’s located right on what they call a ‘river’ but it looked like a ‘lake’ to me but then it was also a ‘canal’ into the ‘ocean’ so hopefully your picking up what I’m trying to put down here. Regardless it was beauty, tons of sail boats and cruise ships passing by. There was a sweet ass, massive red bridge that looked like the legit Golden Gate crossing over it! I’ve never been so San Fran so this just an assumption. I love a nice coastal city. 
Everyone told us we had to try these traditional Portuguese pastries. I’m not much of a ‘pastry’ fan but if we had to take a half hour train to a far district called Balem all the way up the coast, then I imagine these pastries would probably blow my hair back. Did they? Not really but they were tasty enough. I ordered two of these cream filled deliciousness not realizing how rich they were. Half would have been acceptable, probably. I guess this bakery has been making these Portuguese treats since 1837. The line up to get in was next level long, but Balem was beautiful to see and riding the Metro is always a great experience. Oh also, turns out you can buy the pastries anywhere in Lisbon. You just have to take the half hour metro to Balem to wait in the line and see the bakery. Classic!

Alright, enough pastry talk. I have a friend that lives in Lisbon so we went out with him a few nights and he showed us an amazing, local filled, Portuguese time! He took us to all the hidden gems, the cheapest bars, these stunning viewpoints and even one of his Portuguese friends alley-party birthdays. This party had such a diverse of interesting characters. Not many spoke English but they had tons of great food and unlimited wine. Also super entertaining with authentic Portuguese music. Awesome right? It was such a hoot and I’m so grateful for Andreas and all his kind hosting! 

The party life was wicked in Lisbon. We went on a sweet booze cruise (yes, this is the second one in Portugal now) that went down the ‘river-lake-canal’ ocean. Such a blast! And of course the night continued on at this crazy ‘3 night clubs in 1’ bar called Urban Beach. Thousands of party people! Closed at 10:00am and had open-bar unlimited Sangria. Whoop! 

Another highlight of Lisbon was renting a car up to a town called Sintra. If you ever make it to Portugal I highly recommend it. It only took us half hour-ish to drive up to Sintra. Even though it’s so close, I felt like I was in another world. The town is located in forrest terrain mountains filled with magical castles, palaces and ancient architectural history from the gothic, mid evil times. The landscape was absolutely unreal. So much greenery with all the massive tall trees. We walked through an ‘Initiation Well’ that goes almost 30 meters deep into the earth. Pictures don’t justify but it was kind of creepy. I enjoyed the thrill of assuming there might be spirits and ghosts living in the Well. I loved the majestic castles and driving through all the hilly roads to each of them. Sintra was like a dreamy fairytale for me and I was a princess. HA!

I just hopped off a plane in sunny hot Barcelona baby!! Jamie and I are going to meet up again next week but I was keen to get here and spend a good chunk of time in Barcelona. I’m stoked to see what it has to offer. I’ll probably head down the coast to Valencia for the weekend and meet her though! Let’s see how much fun in the sun and sight seeing I can squeeze in. Back to the Spanish vibes I go!! 
Adios,

Tray

Life in Lagos

I agree, it feels like ages ago since my last blog post but Lagos life kept me consistently occupied and I absolutely loved it! Lagos is a cute beach city on the Southern Coast of Portugal in the Algarve region. Many (wealthy) Europeans holiday here and in the summer it’s just pops with people. That sounds like google but I seriously was so intrigued with the city. The sunny days were scorching hot but the evenings took a bizarre turn and the coastal wind was freezing. Brutal, yet tolerable. Good thing I had my dancing pants on every night (thumbs up). I am so confused why my blog doesn’t have an emoticon option….  
Anyways, let’s get to the good stuff. I finally jumped out of a plane my friends! Can you believe it? It was the most terrifying experience ever but another bucket list check that I’ve been waiting for. I can’t get over how many people skydive as a hobby. There was an 80 year old man at the dive centre that was on his 29,000 (plus some) jump and his goal is to make it to 30 thousand. Super rad eh? Also ridiculously expensive but good on him! The landscape was unreal. I saw the whole south coast of Portugal. The sea was so blue- I was in love. The adrenaline rush was wild! Where else can I jump out of a plane on this trip? Hmmmm…

We stayed at a sweet party hostel called The Rising Cock. Get your minds out of those gutters- the logo is a Rooster. I met tons of awesome new friends and we went on a sweet all inclusive booze cruise for Kristie’s last day of holiday (missing you ginger)! It was a great way to see some of the coast and get to know some new faces. Next level fun basically!

Jamie and I spent 6 days total in Lagos and figured it was time to head north although it was hard to say goodbye. We spent our last day kayaking the sea and feasting on 10 Euro all you can eat sushi for 4 hours… My fav! And of course ended it with an epic night out till we saw the sunrise. I wanted to go surfing but Lagos didn’t seem to have any waves. The Atlantic sea seemed quite still if you ask me but it was also friggen freezing so it’s all good! Up to Lisbon we go! Our next hostel is called G-Spot hostel. I wonder what their logo is like? 

-Cray Tray