View north across the Danube from the Western Buda

Now I know why the Hapsburgs were hanging in Budapest. It’s visually stunning and in comparison to the other two Hapsburgs happenin’ towns Vienna and Prague, I would say Budapest comes in number one. For me it was the vista from Buda across the Danube that tipped the scale over Prague. For history buffs, it has more than its fare share of sights to see including the Neo-Gothic Parliament, authentic Turkish bath houses and real deal Roman ruins.

On the flip side, it’s certainly a modern city when it comes to nightlife. The city has some top-notch restaurants where you can get a modern take on classic Hungarian dishes as well as cool watering holes were locals and tourists gather when they are in the mood to party. Unfortunately, I can’t say so much about Hungarian locals. They don’t seem to be the mingling sort. However when it came to service they were very courteous, and attentive. I was also pleasantly surprised at the level of angol (English) they spoke. I am not sure if it was the places I was going but everyone, from the metro attendants to the café baristas, spoke a basic level of English, which was impressive.

You can definitely get a good feel for the Hungarian capital in a quick three-day tour, which is what I did with a friend of mine. While she worked I toured the city mainly on foot and only took advantage of the metro and trams when I needed to warm up from the 20 degree temperature.

For a three-day whirlwind trip to the Hungarian capital try out my tips below! (more…)

Can I just say how happy I am that Graydon (Carter) and Annie (Leibovitz) are catching flack outside of the US borders for the overtly colorless cover of Vanity Fair’s young Hollywood issue. I generally surf through the pages of El País every morning to catch up on the latest national news and last week, there it was… a title that caught my eye, “Vanity Fair Elige el Blanco como Color de la Década (Vanity Fair elects White as the Color of the Decade).” 

I pumped my fist and thanked the Washington correspondent for feeling the lack of color was important enough to report. I mean, the magazine blatantly ignored up and coming actresses of color. I was probably the only one here that read the piece and rejoiced as most Spaniards don’t have the same obsession with Hollywood as Americans. Furthermore, the highbrow Vanity Fair only began publishing their Spanish edition two years ago and it’s pages mainly feature the who’s who of Spanish aristocracy and high society. (more…)

A recent study by the Consejeria de Inmigracion y Cooperacion in Madrid found that overall foreigners and Madrilenos are getting along just fine and in fact, 54% of immigrants and 35% of Spaniards in Madrid stated there has been a notable improvement in the relationship between the two groups.  Furthermore, the most outstanding fact is that 76% of foreigners residing in Madrid feel totally integrated in the community albeit the largest hurdle most have to overcome is the language barrier and employment.

This isn’t all surprising to me as it is common knowledge among all Spaniards and foreigners that have spent some time living in Espana that out of all of the big cities, Madrid happens to be the most cosmopolitan with a positive multi-cultural presence. If the study were to be conducted in Barcelona I have a sneaky suspicion those numbers would be flipped on their heads. Even fellow Spaniards from other parts of the country get the cold shoulder from their Catalan brothers and sisters so being a legal immigrant one can just imagine how hard it can be to break the ice with the locals.

As beautiful as Barcelona is with its regal boulevards lined with magnificent buildings styled in Catalan Nouveau, its picturesque seaside location and amazing cultural institutions its not as open nor open minded as its sister city, Madrid. This schism causes one to ponder the irony of it all because Barcelona is the design capital of Spain. (more…)

I found a brunch spot and I’ve been hitting it up on a regular. This is a big deal. I’ve belly ached for years about how much I missed brunching. As a child I looked forward to brunch with the family on Sunday church service. As I got older brunch was a Sunday ritual with friends at favored spots in NYC like Felix, Essex, Odeon, blah, blah, blah. Anywhere you go back home, finding a brunch spot is a snap and everyone always has a favorite. Here in BCN there is Milk Bar & Bistro. My one and only brunch spot. Run by an Irish couple, its been seving a clientele primarily from the US and the UK since 2005.

Milk is a quaint little spot hidden down a narrow alleyway behind the main Correos near El Borne. Its advised to know the exact address and approach the locaion slowly as is easily missed. I walked passed it twice until I glanced up at the tiny little cartel strung high above door. As soon as you walk in you feel at home with cosy lighting and the smell of pancackes wafting through the air. YUM!

The decor is designed to have the air of an old-school millionaire’s drawing room. The place is decked out with antique chandeleirs, plush handmade sofas, gilded mirros and vintage 1950’s wallpaper. The waiters all super friendly and attentive flipping back and forth between gringo-accented Spanish (more…)

This holiday was almost a complete washout. Ironically, the matador (mi novio/boyfriend) and I chose to spend this navidad in his home turf, the Costa del Sol, however there was little sunshine to speak of and non-stop rainfall. All of Spain was drenched in rain and Andalucia, known for milder temps, was soaking wet and in some areas literally drowning in flash-floods. Mother Nature also tossed in gusty winds and hair-raising thunder just to drive myself and other vacationers over the edge. My hopes of FINALLY seeing Granada, the historically not-to-be missed Alhambra (a remnant and reminder of Spain’s Muslim occupation) and the charming pueblo of Ronda, the birthplace of bullfighting, ended up like the Titantic – sunk!

On the few days of sunshine (three out of 12) we took advantage of the agreeable weather conditions and ventured to Malaga to meander through the old town. I don’t mean this to offend, but I didn’t find it that interesting, which is why I suppose the novio never insisted we visited during previous trips to the area. Sorry Malaguenos.

We also toured the historic center and waterfront of Cadiz by night on our other rain-free day. Now this should be a stop on anyone’s itinerary when visiting El Sur as it is the oldest city in  Western Europe. All throughout the city you see Moorish minaretes (minarets) dotting the tops of buildings which I assume at one time were used to call its Muslim inhabitants to prayer and to guide ships safely to shore. (more…)