When in Rome

This city is a home for beautiful buildings and delicious foods. I'm so glad that this is our last destination before we went back home. Rome is perfect for sightseeing, strolling down the street without rushing and of course munching it's delicate cuisine. Compared to Barcelona, Madrid and Paris, Rome is the quitest and the smallest, yet the prettiest. There's not so many people on the street, less MRT as people would prefer go around the city by bus, vespa or by foot and it's super quiet at night. You won't find parties nor festivities at night except on weekend. 

So, below are my list of must visit places in Rome;

1. Vatican City: breathtakingly beautiful and magical, you will need one full day to explore every corner of this city. Go upstairs to the dome to get full view of the city. Don't forget to bring passport, wear covered clothes (Vatican is a sacred place, thus shorts, minis, sleeveless or sheer clothes are forbidden), wear comfortable flats, not only this place is huge, but to be able to reach to the top of the dome you will need to climb those never ending narrow stairs and bring mineral water so you won't get dehydrated as the heat is such a killer (and don't forget the stairs please).

2. Trevi Fountain: the fountain is pretty but cramped with tourists, don't forget to throw a coin to it's pond as according to Roman myth, one who throw a coin into Trevi's will be coming back again soon =)

My favorite of Trevi is it's rows of cute little restos, gift shops and ice cream corners. Do try their famous gelato and pasta, best!

3. Campo de Mari: a place to enjoy great pizza and wine whilst got serenade by local musicians. I love the concept of open air eateries, plus Rome's weather is as pretty as it's city.

4. Pantheon: a famous temple surrounded by another open air gastronomical spots. Perfect place to enjoy your lazy day sipping wine and tasting some Roman's dessert.

5. Testaccio: recommended by locals to go here for a nightlife, most clubs here are packed with youngsters (and super duper good looking hunks) on the weekend. But don't expect to find any boisterousness on weekdays, you'll get yourselves dissapointed as nothing's open.

6. Colloseum: for me the Colloseum is the most impressive building of Roman empire. Bulit of concretes and stones, this amphitheatre is the largest and greatest work of Roman architecture. It's super huge so expect a one full day tour and wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

Autumn in Paris

Trendy, edgy and pretty. Famous landmarks, historical museums, scrumptious desserts, super chic cafes, luxurious boutiques. I could see myself living in this city, really. There's an interesting mixture that I really love about Paris, winning combination of old and new, posh and modest at the same time, all perfectly blend.

I might not experienced Paris at it's best, since it's cold, dark, gloomy and drizzly during my visit, but still the city didn't lose it's magic.

We stayed for 3 nights at Prince Albert Opera Hotel in Opera, 9th Arrondissement. This area's perfect for shopping galore. Here you can find those belle-epoque department stores and elegant shopping galleries. Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps are around, along with other flashy high end boutiques.

After 8 days of giggly promenade, it was good for me and Lila to meet other familiar faces. We're glad that our long time friend, Tita and her family were in town. Spent the day throwing some euros for a bit of Paris de luxe, the family then invited us to a dinner at Baan Boran (43 Rue de Montpensier near Palais Royal), a nice Thai resto owned by a dear friend of them. Great place and good food with reasonable price too. Finished with the meals, we then off to Avenue des Champs Elysees for Lido! It was my very first time so I got bedazzled by it's sparkly costumes and make ups. What a show to close the night! 

We're thanking the Latief's family for all their kindness and generosity. terima kasih :)

LIDO!

On the next day, we took the Hop On Hop Off double decker bus (36 euro for 2 days) to discover all those tourist destinations. Le Louvre, Notredame Cathedral, Eiffel Tower, Musee d'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, all done in one day. At night, we got accompanied with Viga, an Indonesian currently taking her master of arts in Paris. Both me and Lila was attacked by hideous cough, it was embarrassing! So I personally was craving for some hot soup to soothe my throat. Not only took us to a Japanese restaurant-where I finally can have the miso and ramen-at Rue St. Anne, Viga also brought a cough syrup for us. She's a savior! Right after dinner, we're then exploring Parisian night by foot, taking round two in embracing the beauty of Louvre, Eiffel and Notredame. Priceless.

INDONESIA!

So we decided to wake up a bit late and rest a bit longer after the long walk a night before. We then went for shopping at Champs Elysees and tried Parisian fast food, Quick, for lunch. In the afternoon, we moved in to the second place to stay in Paris, a hostel in Latin Quarter area near Sorbonne University named Young & Happy Hostel (in which I'm not happy at all with it). I actually love this area better than Opera. Narrow and hilly cobblestones, small local cafes, street musicians, students rushing for their class, older people strolling down the street with their dog and bunch of young folks wandering around. This area is perfect for younger people as it's very crowded and lively til dawn. But, I really not impressed with the hostel; dirty toilets and bathroom, super low room ceiling, cold and stone-hard bread served daily for breakfast, no wifi and the worst is it's narrow and circly never ending stairs. We chose to stayed outside until midnight and went back to the hostel when we're really dead tired so we can go straight to sleep.

Anyway, another friend of us,Tania, picked us up at night and took us for a dinner at Le Seraphine Restaurant in Odeon. Tried out some Parisian cuisine this time and loved it! Nice and cozy resto, good food and above it all got accompanied by great friends. Life is good.

My love for Paris has grow stronger when we were visiting Le Marais. Famous as the gay district and home for the Jews, this area is very edgy and eclectic. Filled with local cafes, bars and boutiques, I also found hidden gem in here, my sanctuary place called Free P Star. A two storeys vintage shop with huge selection of leathers and lavish fur coats  Then there goes Kiliwatch, RAG, Hippy Market, Allison & Sasha and Episode, to name a few of my favorite second hand stores in Le Marais. 

Oh! and when you're in Marais, don't forget to stop by to L'As du Fallafel which serve the best fallafel in town (according to the New York Times) and it is surely taste so good.

Our last day in the city was closed by visiting the Sacre Cour and Le Mur Des J' Taime in Montmarte. Another interesting district in north Paris where the famous La vie En Rose, Amelie and Moulin Rouge was filmed. 

I have tremendous love for this city, blinded by it's beauty. Still have plenty places to visit in my bucket list. Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris Catacombs, Canal St Martin, Bastille, Rue Oberkampf and Palace of Versailes. 

Until we meet again Paris, hope it's pretty soon in a better weather.. A Bientot ;)

Hola Madrida

We didn't spend much time in Madrid. we spent half day at the Indonesian Embassy to issue the emergency passport then visited Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, continued with Retiro Park, Plaza Mayor and ended the day with a pub crawl organized by our hostel. Our highlite of the city were, Madrid Motion Hostel and the Retiro Park. 

So our hostel was amazing. Located only a few steps away from Gran Via street, while Callao and Gran Via metro are less than 5 minutes walk, you can also find many restos and bars near the hostel (my favorite is El Tigre at Chueca!). Not only it has the best location, but it also has the cleanest room and bathroom. We shared the room with other 4, it's also a mixed dorm with shared toilet and bathroom inside. The bunk bed and the pillow are heavenly comfortable, blanket is provided and they change the towel and the bedsheet everyday! another great essentials are, it offers great wifi connection, the staffs are very helpful and seems to be university educated and they organized a super fun pub crawls everyday at night! here I could really stretched my legs off after those heavy parties. You will love this hostel if you're planning for a shopping. Local and international brands are spread along the Gran Via St. Best hostel I've ever stayed so far, I highly recommend it!

Another best spot was the Retiro Park. Huge and beautiful! we spent whole half day strolling and exploring the entire park admiring its beauty.

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu

Street act at Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor

as it's a short visit, we surely missed out too many interesting places. But it didn't lessen the fun, Adios Madrid!

Benvinguts a Barcelona!

vibrant! I'ts festivities everywhere here in Barcelona. This city really has too many to offer, thus 5 days won't be enough. 

We're glad that we cancelled our hotel in Passeig de Gracia and moved to a Hostel in Gotic area named Equity Point Gotic Hostel. We stayed in a 12 bed mixed dormitory room and shared the room with another 10 interesting people. The best part of this hostel is it's convenient location. Jaume metro only a few steps away, 15 minutes walk to Barcelonetta beach and lots of restos and bars nearby. The staffs are very nice and helpfull, the bathroom is very clean, though the room is too dark, poor wifi connection and breakfast aren't freshly served.

Anyway, we're really excited about this city that we've made endless list to visit. Above all, here I summerized what i love the most =)

Barri Gotic

known for its narrow alleyways and secluded squares, this area best represent the old town of the city. Busy and lively from dusk till dawn, Barri Gotic offers wonderfull architecture as well as rows of eclectic restos and bars. My favorite is Les Quintze Nits in Plaza Reial.

Mercat de la Boqueria

is a large public market in La Rambla and has beautiful selection of fresh fruits and veggies. My favorite spot are the juice stall and Pinotxo Bar, very small yet super busy bar with limited seating, which serves great tapas with affordable price. Try their chickpeas sauteed with botifarra, YUM!

Parc Guell

Situated on the hill of El Carmel in Gracia district, Parc Guell contains amazing stone structure, stunning tilings and fascinating buildings. My favorite is the terrace area at the top of the park, in which you can get a lovely view of the whole park and Barcelona city. Here you can find a wonderfull multi coloured tiled mozaic seat, very Gaudi-esque. To get here you can use the metro and stop in Lesseps, then take a 20 minutes uphilly walk - but trust me, this place worth that effort, or just simply take a cab and pay a bit more. Best visit in the afternoon when the sun ready to set.

Barri El Born
Fashionable. I would say that this is the trendiest part of Barcelona, a place for the youngsters, party goers and art lovers. Home for the famous Picasso, here you can also find Textile Museum, Parc Ciutadella, Palau de la Musica Catalana - the concert hall, and of course those eye catching local shoe shops, boutiques, restos and bars. My favorite spot? all of it! take a morning stroll in the park and watch the hippies play their bongos, or take a visit at night and hang out at their trendy bars with young and cool crowds. Too bad i left my camera at the hostel, below are a glimpse of Born taken with my camera phone.

Quimet Quimet

OMFG! i've had a tapas-o-gasm! this small and lively place serve unique and wicked combination of tapas. Salmon with truffled honey, tuna dotted with caviar and balsamic syrup, cheese with transparent fruit jelly or if you can make up you mind, ask the maestro behind the bar to serve their best then BAM! its a shoulder to shoulder standing room only here, so it's possible for you to mingle with other visitor whilst enjoy their exquisite wine. This bustling little bodega is located at C/Poeta Cabanyes 25, Poble Sec. Best visit before dinner.

Shopping Spree!
Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti and Desigual at the cheapest spread at every corner of the city! if you're a fan of those brands, then this is your moment baby. embrace it. oh wait, and they have 18% refundable VAT for tourist if you shop more than 90 euro.

La Rocca Village
Yes, another shopping spot. La Rocca village is an outlet for international premium brands situated 30 minutes outside the city. To get there, you can take a bus from Plc Catalunya which its ticket can be purchased through the tourist center. Here you can find branded items such as Furla, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Versace, Coach and more with discount up to 60%

Barcelonetta Beach

Well it's actually can't beat the beauty of Bali and Gili but, try to go here after rounds and rounds of late night drinks and do a bit of skinny dips hahaha! (-or just chillin down waiting for the sunrise after partying at Port Olympic)

Razzmatazz

There's party every night in Barcelona. Go to El Raval if you like it underground or to Port Olympic for more posh selections. We tried Shoko at Port Olympic. Nice drinks with older crowds. And then there's Razzmatazz at Calle Pamplona (metro: Marina), claimed to be the biggest club in town, it contains 5 different club spaces in one massive warehouse building. Covering everything from electro to pop, dubstep to disco, this club also offers some of the best line-ups for international big players. A must visit if you're a party goer.

Museum and Landmarks

Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo - all this Antonio Gaudi's creation are a must. You'll be mesmerized by the complexity of his artworks. All strangely beautiful, very well put (...standing ovation...). Then Camp Nou Stadium if you're a Barca junkies or simply just visit their cathedral. all very lovely.

Barcelona has officially become one of my favorite after Bali. 5 days really not enough. I definitely will be coming back real soon, staying a bit longer and will try living like a Barcelonian. 

Adeu Barcelona!

Let's Go Europe!

Finally a Euro trip!

Me and a long time close friend, Lila were off those crazy workloads and flew to Europe last October. We took nearly a month budget trip started with Barcelona then Madrid, Paris and ended in Rome. We were very lucky we got affordable return ticket by Lufthansa, it cost us only around USD 980 for Jakarta-Barcelona-Rome-Jakarta trip. For accomodation, we choose to stayed at the hostel, not only because it's cheap but also so we have the chance to meet other traveler around the world. It was awkward moment at first, as I really not comfortable to share my private spaces with strangers, but then I get used to it and turned out I liked it! Cost in total for the accomodations are USD 517.5 for 3 weeks of stay. We budgeted USD 1000 for daily meals and ground transports and another USD 1000 for shopping. Will give you a bit details on the budget later on this post.

It was incredibly fun trip for both me and Lila, though there's a bit drama in Barcelona. So on day 3 of our stay, after heavily late night drinks at some pub named Bollocks (no joke!), we went to the Barcelonetta beach with our roomates, to celebrate the 24th birthday of one of us. That's, at the chilly and windy 12 degrees 5am in the morning temprature of Barcelona, when Lila's purse got stolen, along with her wallets (it's almost everything in it from credit cards, driving license, ID card and some cashes), cellphones (I Phone and Blackberry) and last but not least, her passport (YES! PERFECT!). It wasn't only her that lost her thing, another friends of us lost his I Phone and her pocket camera. BUMMER! I was so lucky that I didn't lose anything but still, it was sad for my friends, especially for Lila.

And there we were, all 11 of us; 2 Indonesians, 2 Australians, 1 American, 5 British, and 1 Polish, spent the next morning at the police station, a bit high, wet, starving and freezing. We're such a silly and hoodoo tourists, so sad. What actually funny is, a bit later at noon came dozens of another tourists reporting the exact same thing. Lesson learned, pick pockets in Barcelona are mean, don't leave your belongings unattended. 

Oh well, it was devastating at the moment, but both me and Lila now could laugh hard of it. Really a funny story to tell.

To get her emergency passport, Lila need to took a train from Barcelona to Madrid, while I flew over. The process to get the emergency passport's done was less than 1 hour. The officer of Indonesian embassy in Madrid was very helpfull. I forgot her name, my bad, but terima kasih banyak! =)

I'll write my visit to each cities in 4 different posts, I hope you enjoy it.

Euro Trip Budget:

Flights:

Lufthansa Jakarta-Barcelona-Rome Jakarta: USD 980

Vuelling Barcelona-Madrid: USD 109.4

Easy Jet Madrid-Paris: USD 61.8

Easy Jet Paris-Rome: USD 94.3

Total Flight: USD: 1245.5

Accomodations:

Equity Point Gotic, Barcelona: USD 211.8 for two

Madrid Motion Hostel, Madrid: USD 74.5 for two

Prince Albert Opera, Paris: USD 300 for two

Young & Happy Hostel, Paris: USD 204.4 for two

Hotel Tizi, Rome: USD 243.75 for two

Total per person: USD 517.5

Meals, Ground Transports & Daily Expenses: USD 1000

Shopping: USD 1000