**I know, Bossa nova is a genre of Brazilian style of music, and I did not go to Brazil (you are in North Atlantic girl) but, I do have my traveling theme songs. It would be awesome if there’s background music in life haha.**
So I have started my one-month school break, yes, A MONTH.
21-30/3/2015 London, Paris, and Barcelona
It’s been a long time since I visited these cities. My last visit to London and Paris was 6 and Barcelona when I was 14. Good old times… but I considered I have never been to London and Paris (c’mon who has the memory of 6!) Like many cities, these three cities are packed with people. I felt like being home because I was raised in one of the most hectic cities in the world. I am glad to have the pretty Canadian , Vikki to be my travel buddy in these 10 days. This is definitely NOT a in-depth tour but more like a touching-the-surface and (trying to) hit-on-every-tourist-spots tour. Vikki and I are both really chill travelers, except we walk a lot, like a lot.
3.1 London
One big discovery, Asian tourists love taking pictures of the mummy at British museum. I found that there’re lots of people tagging the Tower Bridge as London Bridge (understandable guys) but I was so tempted to put #notlondonbridge on one of my friend’s photo because of his BIG COCKY smile and the London Bridge tag (which just kind of triggered my cheeky side). I am so SORRY if you actually read my blog! I know we are just FB friends xD
a korean a-chu-ma helped us take the photo! so far the best tourist photo we had. at least is on focus
nomnomnom at borough market
3.2 Paris
We feed ourselves with dessert every single day and it feels so good. In order to save on a night of accommodation and transportation, we took the overnight coach from London Victoria Coach Station to Paris Gallini. And… that really freaks us out. Some random European guys stared at us most of the time when we were on the ferry to Paris. LADIES JUST BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL. I consider visiting Paris is a one-time thing. Of course the arty city is known for its glamorous city life with many splendid architectures, and of course it’s all girls’ dream of going there and taking loads of selfies. It could just be me, not having the best weather in the city of amour, and didn’t build the best impression on Paris. It rained on the day when we went to Palace of Versailles, and had an overpriced meal at Angelina… so I guess that’s the reason why I don’t like Paris that much.
trolling at the eiffel tower
trolling at the louvre
fist bump!
classic tourist photo at the louvre
it was windy and rainy -_-
3.3 Barcelona
Barcelona is definitely the most vibrant city amongst the three. I fed myself with tapas and drank sangria everyday. To be honest, I don’t mind a third-time visit. Before we left for the trip, we have bought a Barcelona card online and… it really doesn’t worth it if you love walking like us. Alright. We don’t intend to walk everywhere but all the tourists spots are so so so close to each other except Park Güell and Sagrada Familia. I don’t know many architects but I still name Antoni Gaudí as my favorite. How did he create something like 100 years ago that still stands out in 21st century? When I first came to the Casa Mila at 14, I was stunned by this man’s mind and I swore I would be back one day. So here I am. Our best Airbnb experience would be the stay with Ivan in Barcelona because HIS CAT WAS ADORABLE and his place was spotless. Don’t try mojito unless you can drink. I think the bartender has poured the whole bottle of absolut vodka in just one glass of mojito.
skyline of Barcelona
we walked for 20 mins to the top(!?) of the hill for this view
totally worth it
so pretty yumyumyum
King of sass, Coco
Miscellaneous
All the landmarks of these three cities are actually within walkable distance, so we walked like 15 miles a day (no jokes)
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Airbnb is definitely a great place to stay if you are on a budgeted trip and want to live like locals. Read the reviews and most of the hosts are really friendly and responsible. However, as this is not a hotel but a real home, sometimes it would be hard to find the place AND hosts don’t clean the place like a hotel does, which means, don’t expect it would be as tidy as a hotel room, and don’t be surprise if the bathroom isn’t that neat.
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Before we leave for Paris, some friends told us to be alert in Paris and Barcelona as more thieves are targeting Asian tourists. Quite a few cases of tourists have lost their wallets, cameras, and passports. 
We are lucky that nothing happens to us, but few strangers approached us by standing extremely close (almost back-to-back). So my friends, especially ladies, try not to show off your purses when you are walking on the street and always zip your bag.
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If you have EU passport or EU visa, you can have free entry to many tourists spots in Paris. (Sorry Vikki I didn’t know it until later 😥 )
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Map vs Google map? MAP for sure.
Footprints: when He walks with us 