Behind the Eiffel Tower, Paris | Photo by Lauren Girardin Claude Wainstain is a sneaky man. He not only captivated me and Todd with his passionate storytelling, he had his wife Jacqueline hold us captive with a homemade dinner followed…
We ate all this cheese | Photo by Lauren Girardin For the most part, we ate at home with our hosts in St. Mandé or picnicked. Food and booze prices in Paris restaurants are shockingly high for backpackers just starting…
Postcard: Eiffel Tower sunset from St. Mande, Paris | Art by Todd Berman We spend our first day in Paris brain dead in the spectacular St. Mande home of Claude and Jacqueline, long-time friends of Todd’s parents, grazing on a…
Cava slinging bartender, Barcelona, Spain | Photo by Lauren Girardin I won’t look up. I can’t look up. If I do I’ll get cava in my eye. Glass after glass of the rock-bottom cheap and disturbingly pink-hued bubbly is being…
Where we ate: Shrink wrapped goat heads at Mercat de Sant Joseph | Photo by Lauren Girardin
Street art in Lisbon, Portugal | Photo by Lauren Girardin Spray paint sales are doing well on the Iberian peninsula. At night, artists and hooligans make their marks all over the walls of Spain and Portugal. Our guidebooks told us…
Dali Museum, Figures, Spain | Photo by Lauren Girardin After we say farewell to the Baron and Baroness, Todd and I skip out of Barcelona for a side trip through Catalonia, Spain. Mainly, we’re indulging our artsy-fartsy side by wallowing…
Where we ate: Vinil, Girona – We’d been told that the food in Catalonia is some of the best in Spain, because of the proximity to France. They weren’t kidding, this place was innovative and affordable: YEH!!
Postcard: El Xampanyet, Barcelona, Spain | Art by Todd Berman We’ve settled in so well in Spain that in Barcelona, we’re briefly mistaken for locals by a German tourist, Reinhard, when we help him order “siete cervezas” for himself and…
When traveling around Madrid and Barcelona, I recommend bringing along your own talented architect who can help you fully appreciate the beauty of these well-built Spanish cities. Most especially, you can feed off the architect’s bubbling excitement at the chance…