The Mintzer Chronicles

Adios Barcelona!

themintzerchronicles — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:23:53 +0000

Before leaving Barelona, we tried to squeeze in the last of the must-see sights this wonderful city has to offer.

[antoni gaudí's casa batlló]

I’m so glad we decided to see Casa Batlló before we left! Just like all of Gaudi’s other designs, this one was inspired by nature. For example, the roof is supposed to be a dragon’s back, and the balconies look like skulls.

The spine of the roof is inspired by a dragon's spine.

The hand-railings are ergonomically designed to perfectly fit the shape of your hand. The base of the railings is inspired by a whale's vertebrae.

The ceiling is designed to look like scales.

The whole building is designed with skylights and window panes in every room. This allows every single room to have natural light.

The fireplace alcove contains a bench on each side, and was inspired by a mushroom.

This ceiling is amazing!!!

Built in planters on the terrace. Each of the large round tiles have been strategically cracked in order to fit around the curves.

This fence divides Casa Batillo's terrace from the neighboring building's terrace.

Even the patios are curved and life-like!

What an awesome chair(s)! It's too bad the barbie sized replicas were so expensive - $100 each!!

Even the chimneys are unique.

signing the guest book

[antoni gaudí's casia mila]

[antoni gaudí's park güell]

[boqueria]

[barcelona cathedral]

[bari gotic]

[mount tibidabo]

Mt. Tibidabo is one of the highest points in Barcelona. Standing atop it gives you an amazing view of the entire city. The magic of Tibidabo lies in it’s amusement park. Most of the rides weren’t running on the day we went, but it appeared as if the best view of the city is from the top of the ferris wheel or some of the other old-fashioned rides.

The church on the top of Mt. Tibidabo is lit up at night, and looks like a magical Cinderella castle on a hill.

[mont juic]

[fountain show]

[around barcelona]

Chameleon in front of the Three Dragons natural history museum at the Park de la Cuitadella.

church Jason walks by on his way to work

Agbar Tower

urban owl - on top of one of the buildings in barcelona

Van Gogh graffiti

[festival parades]

[statues]

[just plain awesome]

[figueres & girona]

A few weeks ago, we decided to go on an excursion to Figueres to see the Dali Museum. Unfortunately, we arrived to discover it was closed for the day. So we took a few photos outside of the museum, and then we got back on the train and went to Girona to spend the rest of the day.

Roman Bath House in Girona

[sitges]

[a look back at november & december]

Thanksgiving with Ben & Heather

Barcelona's Christmas Lights

brrr!!! Barcelona had an unusually cold winter this year.

[double date with cristina and wookie]

One of my students, Cristina, has become a wonderful friend as well! Here are some photos from our last night out with Cristina and her husband Wookie. They took us to dinner to a delicious Paraguayan restaurant.

[The Catalan Medieval Village of Besalu]

[final weekend out]

[final farewell]

On our last night, a few of our closest friends came over to say goodbye. Cheers to a wonderful year, and to the wonderful friends we’ve made!

Darren, Ben, Jason Mangan, Jason Mintzer, Naomi, and Judit (not necessarily in order, though)

Springtime in Paris

themintzerchronicles — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:51:32 +0000

After my mom and aunt Denise came to visit me in Barcelona, they set off on their own European Adventure to Paris and Frankfurt. They were sweet enough to let me crash in their hotel room, so I was able to squeeze in one more trip to Paris this year! Paris was even more beautiful in the Springtime than I could have imagined.

[airport bathrooms]

Everything in paris is beautiful, even the bathroom!

[arc de triomphe]

View of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

[art nuvou metro]

[dinner]

[eiffel tower]

[musee de les arts decoratifs]

fashion exhibit

[musee de nissim camondo]

The Musee de Nissim Camondo is a private mansion built in 1911. It is still furnished and decorated as it was when it was built. I was in heaven touring this “museum”!

[notre dame]

[palace of versailles]

[garden photos]

The numerous parks and gardens throughout Paris were stunning. It was a completely different place then it was when I visited in December! The sun was shining, flowers were blooming, and French people were sunbathing in the parks on their lunch breaks. We decided to make the most of this beautiful little park and do a little photo-shoot here!

[lunch in jardin de tulieres]

[awesome buildings]

[a ride on the paris tourist bus]

[the louvre]

[bonus day!]

I was sad to discover that after waiting at the airport for hours due to my extremely delayed flight, it had been cancelled. I was rescheduled for a flight the next evening. As disappointed as I was that I wouldn’t be able to go home and see my hubby that day, it turned out into a great experience as I was able to spend another day in Paris. It was a tad rainy, but a great day nonetheless. I toured the Latin Quarter, visited the Jardin du Luxembourg, and took a look at the St. Michel statue. I also spent my first night alone in a hotel room, and as I got quite lonely, I realized it was an experience I have no desire to repeat.

St. Michael Fountain in the Latin Quarter

I’m not sure if I prefer Paris in the spring time, or Paris in the winter. All I know is that I prefer Paris… hehe. Thanks Mom and Auntie for allowing me to tag along! I had such a wonderful time, and made memories that will last a lifetime!

Barcelona: Nature Edition

themintzerchronicles — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:55 +0000

This post is dedicated solely to Jason’s snake-hunting and hiking adventures. Here are his best photos of the year.

[nature]

[birds]

[insects]

[snakes]

[frogs & toads]

[lizards]

[newts]

[salamanders]

[turtles]

A month of visitors!

themintzerchronicles — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:48 +0000

Between the end of April and the end of May, we were lucky to have three sets of visitors! These photos will take you on another tour of Barcelona.

:: Our first arrivals were my mom, Dawn, and my aunt, Denise. ::

[arc de triomphe]

Our first visitors were spoiled with incredibly warm, sunny weather!

View of Barcelona's Arc de Triomphe

[a bit of baking]

Time to bake some chocolate chip cookies!

my delicious banana bread

[lunch time]

Lunch in Sarria - yum yum yum!

Lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant by Sagrada Familia.

Lunch in Gracia

[park guell]

[la dia de san jordi]

La Dia de San Jordi (Saint George’s Day) is one of Spain’s greatest holidays. It is similar to Valentines Day, except instead of chocolates, the couples exchange books! In addition, the men give the women roses. The giving of books is a more recent tradition originating in 1923, when a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on 23 April 1616. The streets are lined with booths selling books and unique roses. Half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this day.

The Little Prince translated into tons of different languages.

[sitges: our favorite beach town]

On the train heading to Sitges.

Finishing off a nice, warm day in Sitges with gelato!

[some random photos]

Park de la Cuitadella

viewing barcelona via the tourist bus

A walk around the Barri Gotic lead us to the red cross booth. We had to get a photo with nurse Denise!

enjoying the public transportation

a cool building across the street from my chiropractor

:: Our next guests were Jason’s parents, Mark and Diane. ::

[la sagrada familia]

[hospital sant pau]

[lunch with juan and miranda]

[a rainy day at plaza catalunya]

[tapas in el born]

[sitges]

palace courtyard

[mont juic]

:: Finally, our fun-filled weekend with Nikki and Heather. ::

Nikki and I became best friends at the young age of three, and have remained close ever since. Not only did I get to visit Nikki in her new hometown of Aviano, Italy this Christmas, but Nikki was able to come see me in Barcelona, too. It was so great to share this new stage of our lives with each other!

[sightseeing]

Casa Mila

the fountains at plaza catalunya

Boqueria

placa reial

Gaudi's first commissioned work in Barcelona was this lamppost.

[night out at the fairy bar and a disco on the beach]

the traditional metro picture

After a long night of dancing, it was time to head out of the club's patio and on to the sand.

[dinner in el born at princessa 23]

:: Mom, Auntie, Mark, Diane, Nikki, & Heather: Thanks SO much for visiting us!!! ::

Spring Break: Morocco and London

themintzerchronicles — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:37:28 +0000

[before we begin on our spring break adventure...a short and sweet update on our lives here in barcelona]

Spending a year in Europe has been the experience of a lifetime for both of us, and we’re going to be sad to say goodbye. Life isn’t stressful, or busy, or complicated. We eat, we sleep, we watch a ton of movies and tv, we read, we go to the beach, we work (a little), and we hang out with each other…a lot. and Jason hikes. We live the night-owl lives that our bodies naturally desire. We have dinner together every night. Our rent is so cheap that we’ve been able to save enough money to travel. Life is good.

However, as wonderful as this year has been, we’re glad to be coming home to such wonderful family and friends. We’ve missed you all so much, and are looking forward to continuing this adventure we call life with all of you by our sides. On July 19th we’ll be flying home, and although we’re a smidgen nervous that we don’t have jobs, we’re excited to discover what the future holds.

* * * * *

Be a part of our adventure. Sit back and relax as we take you on a photographic journey through Morocco and London. And if you’re wondering why we split our eight day vacation between two continents…the answer is as simple as “he picked one, she picked one.”

[moroccan treasures]

Looking to add some color to your life? Marrakech is the place to find it. Take a look for some of the brightest and best treasures sold in the markets of Marrakech.

And here are a few of the beautiful treasures we decided to take with us…

this table will look superb in our living room.

the lantern is now ours...although I would have taken the window, too, if the hotel would have let me!

unfortunately, this lantern got a tad smashed in the shipping...but at least it actually arrived. my fingers are crossed that we can put it back together again...

[djemaa el fna]

This next segment shows photos taken in Marrakech’s main square. This place was, as [our British roommate] Ben would say, “Crackin” 24 hours a day. We were surprised to discover that it was used just as much by the locals as it was by us tourists. You could find anything and everything here…food, shopping, and entertainment in the form of monkeys and the much-anticipated snake charmers. What more could you ask for?

As fun as it was to see the snakes all hooded-up and dancing to the music of the snake-charmers, it was actually rather sad. To prevent venomous bites, the charmers either de-fang the snakes or sew their mouths shut...not a very humane way to go about it. The snakes usually only live for weeks.

The snake charmers conned us into a "photo-op" by throwing the snake on our shoulders, and then demanding "paper money" when we offered them coins. Even looking in the direction of the snakes and monkeys caused the charmers to run after us demanding money...we quickly learned to look straight ahead and keep walking when it came to the animals in the square.

I was super excited to see the monkeys in Morocco. Then I got to Morocco, and a man threw a chained-up, dirty, sad monkey on my shoulders...hmm.

The food stalls in the square were ALWAYS packed.

[moroccan cuisine]

Taking the advice of our Moroccan hotel guide, we avoided eating at the food stands. We did, however, eat at many of the restaurants surrounding the square. And we indulged daily in the tasty Moroccan Mint Tea.

The fruit and nut stands made for a great photo...but I decided to pass on giving them a taste, considering that the local flies had made a home on them during the hottest hours of the day.

Spice Towers

Snail Soup

Orange Juice

[the souks & streets of the old medina]

[a day in the life]

It was quite a challenge to get photos of the Moroccans going about their business. They didn’t take kindly to tourists photographing them, and even spat in our direction when they noticed our camera. Here are a few of the photos we got while trying to be secretive.

Jason titled this photo "Show Me Some Leg". Is anyone else cracking up at that slightly-offensive title, or is it just me?

It is difficult to imagine living covered up like this...especially in the baking summer heat.

Inequality

National Lampoon's Moroccan Vacation

Eco-Friendly Transport...it gets three miles to the apple.

When all else fails...you can always push it in the wheelbarrow.

a barbie & ken sized pick-up truck.

[Poverty in Marrakech]

Visiting Marrakech was an incredible cultural experience, but once was enough for me (Naomi). It’s rather heart-wrenching having a vacation in a city full of poverty. Beggars surrounded us, a majority of which were children. Even the animals lived a difficult life. If it wasn’t a wheezing donkey, barely able to pull the cart, it was a kitten dying of starvation. This little kitty lost it’s right eye, while two feet away, her sister-kitty died of starvation. Even the reptiles sold in the Souks lived in such decrepit conditions that they probably wouldn’t have survived more than a few days.

[majorelle garden]

Although the plants weren’t the most memorable things we’ve seen, the bold, vividly colored buildings in this garden were unforgettable. It was also a great place for Jason to set up the old tri-pod and try to photograph a few amphibians before they hopped away.

[bahia palace]

Built in the 19th century, this palace was intended to be the greatest of it’s time. Although, in my opinion, it’s hard for any palace to measure up to Versailles, this palace exuded a completely different type of beauty.

[riad jomana]

Our stay at the stylish Riad Jomana hotel was fantastic, and the price couldn’t be beat.

[koutoubia mosque]

This is the largest Mosque in Marrakech. Non-muslims aren’t allowed inside the building, so that remains a mystery to us. We weren’t at all surprised to hear the prayer on the loud-speaker five times a day throughout the city, but we were surprised to discover that in the markets and the main square, nobody stopped to pray – they just went about their business as usual.

* * * * * L O N D O N * * * * *

[a walk in the park]

Springtime in the parks of London was absolutely gorgeous! The flowers were blooming, the grass was green, and the air was fresh and crisp. Jason took some great photos of the trees in St. James Park.

this isn't a great photo...(because jason didn't take it)...but I loved this tree!

[buckingham palace]

[churches & cathedrals]

a cool church.

church by the london bridge

another photo of the church by the london bridge...

us in front of the church by london bridge

a beautiful church in the maida vail neighboorhood (a wealthy neighborhood I read about in shopaholic!)

reflection in a puddle of the beautiful maida vail church

Naomi sitting in front of beautiful maida vail church...pretending to be a maida vail resident.

Saint Paul's Cathedral

Westminster Abbey

technically, this photo should be in the "museum" category since we found it in a stained glass exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum...but it seemed churchy enough to fit in with these photos!

[sight-seeing]

Kings Cross Train Station

Naomi is off to Hogwarts!

Somerset House

Tower Bridge

I think we're on the London Bridge here, and the Tower Bridge is behind us...

London Eye

Is it the London Eye or is it quite possibly the worlds largest fan?

Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament

If only this telephone booth took us to the Ministry of Magic...

[museums]

Considering everything else was closed for Easter Sunday, we were thrilled that at least the museums were open. We split our time between the coolest science/history museum EVER and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

I must say, the entrance to the Natural History Museum was quite creative!! Who wouldn't want to go up an escalator through a giant planet?

You gotta love the animal exhibits!

Unfortunately, the reptile exhibit was rather weak.

The Natural History Museum was seriously incredible...I can't imagine any kid not having fun there. Everything was larger than life, and interactive, and just plain awesome.

An exhibit of retro stuff at the V&A Museum...I used to have that radio!

Juicy Sweatsuits made it to the Fashion Hall of Fame at the V&A Museum...woop, woop!

Jason always finds the paintings of Saint John the Baptist.

[some cool statues]

Sweeney Todd's "Fleet Street" is a real street! This is the Fleet Street Dragon.

Perseus

[the beautiful buildings and homes of london]

One of my favorite things to do in any city is explore the neighborhoods and drool over the adorable homes. Here are some of my favorites.

I love everything about this house...the glossy black door, the clean lines of the red brick, the way the beautiful white tree contrasts with the red...everything.

Although this house isn't quite as fancy-pants as the first, there's still a lot to love - cute blue door, flowers on the balcony...

Yet another beauty...I love the contrast between the first floor's white walls and the upper floors' black brick.

What an adorable row of town-homes!! And to top it off, they're facing St. James Park! That's quite a view.

The George. Not a house, but cute nonetheless.

Why don't we have "Royal Borough's" in America???

[a few of our favorite london neighborhoods]

Covent Garden was my top top TOP choice of all the neighborhoods.

Covent Garden

How adorable is the Covent Garden market?!??! I just loved it.

China Town

China Town was cool, but technically it wasn't my other favorite neighborhood...that would be the SOHO district & the shopping along Oxford street (but those photos are in a different section).

[shopping. dining. and entertainment.]

The Borough Market in Southwark, London...as seen in Harry Potter & Bridget Jones' Diary. The market claims it has existed since Roman times...pretty cool!

Harrods

Harrods was closed!

At least the Harrods window displays were awesome...Alice in Wonderland themed.

Another awesome Alice in Wonderland window display at Harrods. I bet the actual store displays would have been even CoOlEr!!

Liberty of London was one fabulous store...although I'm not sure how anyone can afford anything inside there except the products from their "Liberty of London for Target" line!

Shopping on Oxford Street! fabulous.

Top Shop...THE coolest store in Europe, by far. It was like a Nordstrom...plus a hair salon, and a nail salon, and tons of fashion lines made just for top shop.

enjoying a yummy lunch of fish and chips.

pizza for lunch before heading to see Alice in Wonderland 3D

Our favorite food in London was the mexican food! We didn't realized how much we'd missed it until we ate there...two out of our three nights in London!

Our last night, we went to a very American restaurant...cheeseburgers, fries, milkshakes...the works.

yum yum yum

Phantom of the Opera at Her Magesty's Theatre was fantastic. It's too bad Jason didn't keep his eyes open for this photo, though...

[hotel hostel]

We arrived at our “Bed and Breakfast” Hotel to discover that it was not the cute little hotel we had hoped for. Nor did I bring flip flops in preperation for sharing a shower with a gazillion random people. Nonetheless, it was a great location and we actually slept quite well … even with mattress springs poking us in the back all night.

[hair]

Getting my hair done in Spain has been a bit of a challenge, considering blonde isn’t the most popular hair color here…and I don’t speak much Spanish. So going to London presented the perfect opportunity to get my hair done at a posh, English speaking salon!

Headmasters in London's fab SOHO district. I had my hair done by the coolest Australian girl.

new hair...yay!

[random]

Here are some other photos that didn’t really fit into any other categories…

An awesome skatepark just off the Thames River

a Marc Jacobs Taxi...so cool.

a memorial

an awesome miniature theatre set in the V & A museum

* * * * *

Well, that about wraps up the journey for today. Join us next time as we take you through our summer adventures in Greece and Israel!