If there is anything you get from this blog (other than drinking lots of champagne and wearing high heels), it’s this:
GO TO MADEIRA, PORTUGAL.
Crystal clear water, lush greenery, beautiful flowers, warm weather (even in January). CHEAPEST BEER EVER. I’m talking about .80 cent beers.
It’s paradise.
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I have SO many thoughts…that I’ve been having trouble putting them down into a blog post. But I have been writing in my journal each day, so I thought that I’d take snippets from my journal and make it into a post. I hope it gives you some insight to how this trip has been.
Seriously…can someone pinch me?
Sometimes I wake up and think that this whole trip will have been a dream and I’ve been in LA the whole time. I cannot believe the things I have seen and experienced.
Can I move to Barcelona?
It’s all of the little things too. Once you travel, you’ll realize how much this means. It’s the difference in trash bins, in lamp posts, in metro stops, in balconies, in fashion, in the sound of the ambulances and police cars, the way people carry their cigarettes, the street vendors, the road signs.
The women trash collectors in Rome are the baddest bitches ever. (True story, every single woman trash collector in Rome was GORGEOUS. Hair perfect, makeup on…amazing.)
I’m obsessed with carousels.
When I first started this trip, I thought that it would be a highly glamorous. In reality, I’ve stayed in apartments smaller than closets, weird shower experiences, and sometimes ate more bread and cheese than I’d like to admit.
I need an entire farmer’s market worth of vegetables.
My legs are now rock solid. Oh hey calves! I guess that’s what 6+ hours a day of walking will do to you.
Today, I ate a slice of lemon meringue pie as big as my head. And I had NO shame.
La Boqueria Market is the best market in the entire world. I don’t think I’ve ever gawked at vegetables more in my entire life.
Paris changed me. Changed me for the better.
I’m addicted to pain au chocolats.
More confident.
More stable.
More sex.
Great sex!
The lights from the river boats reflecting on the water of the Seine is the most gorgeous thing ever. I can watch them all day.
Wine.
Cheese.
Bread.
Champagne.
Chocolate.
Repeat.
WHY THE FUCK IS THERE MAYONNAISE EVERYWHERE?!
I’m ashamed to admit that I actually have been tempted on more than one occasion to buy those light up, flying, boomerang things the street vendors sell.
Dancing in your underwear when your neighbor across the courtyard can clearly see you = awesome.
Liters of local wine are always the best decision.
And I can say french fries and beer in 6 different languages. TOP THAT.
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This trip has basically been about food. I’ve been eating my life away…especially in Rome.
Rome was food heaven. Every single meal I had in Rome was delicious. The service was always outstanding, and everything always tasted freshly prepared. I think Johnny and I ate in our apartment once the entire week we were in Rome.
Now, I’m a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain and No Reservations. I had watched his episode on Rome months before we took our trip, and knew we had to go to a place called ‘Restaurant X’ that he featured. One simple Google search later, and I had found the exact restaurant and made reservations for dinner. Restaurant X, now not so unknown, is called Roma Sparita, and it’s located in the Trastevere area of Rome, hidden in an alley that opens into a big piazza. It was definitely a place I would not have found on my own. The specialty of Roma Sparita is their cacio e pepper (cheese and pepper) pasta, placed in a fried bowl of parmesan cheese.
Yes. A FRIED BOWL OF PARMESAN CHEESE….aka heaven.
We ordered a bottle of white wine to share…and feasted on the most glorious bowl of pasta I’ve ever had in my entire life. The flavors were so simple, the dish is literally just cheese and pepper, but every bite was oozing in flavor. Johnny and I barely had a real conversation, other than, “Oh my god this is so good!”.
And it wasn’t just us eating this cacio e pepe. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE had the same exact dish on their table. I’ve never been to a place where one dish is that popular. But trust me, it was seriously that good. I still have dreams about it!
After our pasta dish, we ordered another course, this time deciding to have grilled shrimp. And OH MY GOD. I’m not a huge fan of seafood, but I told myself that I’d step out of my comfort zone. And I’m so glad I did. It was the most amazing dish. The shrimp was perfectly seasoned, cooked to perfection and just oh…so… delicious. I could have easily ordered more.
The whole experience was just awesome. It was simple, hearty Italian food, good (and inexpensive!) wine, wonderful atmosphere…everything you could ask for in a perfect meal. After we finished, we decided to get gelato, and we just could not stop talking about how amazing our meal was. Actually, we still talk about it today. It’s definitely one of those meals that’s going to stick with me forever.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? Let me know in the comments!
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