Lake House

This past weekend Kevin and I enjoyed some time away from the hustle and bustle of city life to visit his family at their lake house.

Gorgeous skies, clear water, fresh air...the perfect weekend getaway.

Sights and Scenes from Barcelona

Despite some unexpected rain Elizabeth and I enjoyed multiple days of sightseeing and fun mini adventures around Barcelona...

Even though we only had 3 days to frolic in Barcelona we packed as much fun, adventure and food in as we possibly could. Barcelona, you treated us well and hopefully one day we shall return for more fun and delicious yum-yums.

Highlights of Barcelona:
- Finally reuniting with Elizabeth
- Decadent food
- Watching Spain win the Euro Cup while being in Spain
- Beautiful Gaudí buildings
- Secret castles
- Our wonderful host Jami (who creates gorgeous handmade jewelry) 
- Oh, and using my amazing Spanglish skills once again

Barcelona

The three days I spent in Barcelona flew by way too quickly--it was almost as if it was one never-ending night of unique food, new friends, and beautiful art. I arrived in Barcelona mid afternoon on the last Saturday of June, fairly sleep-deprived after only getting a few hours of sleep on the flight over, but was quickly rejuvenated by the sight of Elizabeth waiting for me across the street. It almost felt like a scene from Inception, or perhaps an actual dream, seeing my best friend for the first time in over a year in Spain of all places! I of course caused a commotion by shrieking when I saw her and immediately running over for a giant hug. At some point the adrenaline kicked in from realizing I was finally in Spain and about to have the most amazing two week vacation of my life thus far and I was able to stay up for nearly 24 hours straight.

Elizabeth and I used airbandb to book our stay throughout the trip and it was by far the best decision we could have ever made. Our view...

Jami, our host in Barcelona, is originally from southern California but has lived in Barcelona for the past 12 years. She lives in the Gothic area of Barcelona, which is absolutely gorgeous--from the old stone castle-like buildings to the winding cobblestone streets I was immediately in love with the city. Besides the perfect location, Jami's hospitality and beautiful spirit made our stay in Barcelona so memorable.

Our first night in Barcelona Jami invited Elizabeth and I out to dinner with her friends Rachel and Steven both of whom are also from the United States. We went in search of tapas, a common style of Spanish food originating in Madrid, and eventually found a cute little spot to enjoy some much needed yum yums.

This is a pink elephant, a pink elephant that no one wanted but a random guy "gave us" in hopes of receiving a donation. Strangely enough street sellers are apparently allowed to wander through restaurants and push their unwanted products to the people eating. Slightly annoying at the time, but this pink elephant became quite the random addition to our wonderful night and always brings a smile to my face when I randomly find in it my purse every now and then.

After a delightful dinner, including the ever so famous tomato-paste bread, Pimientos de Padron (delicious green peppers), Gazpacho and Spanish tortilla (similar to a quiche but usually egg, potato, and onion) we ventured around the town eventually ending up on the beach and dipping our feet in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was warm, the sand was cool and we all stood knee deep, soaking in the beautiful night air.

We eventually parted ways with the sea in search for Gelato and a quick night tour of the Gothic area. Jami was an amazing guide, showing us around and explaining in great detail the importance and historical context of various buildings and monuments.

The first day in Barcelona was long, but a fantastic way to begin the trip.

Africa Reunions

Before I jump into my European Adventures I need to have a quick shout out to my Africa-reunion month of June! That's right I was ever so lucky to reunite with four of my friends from my study abroad in Tanzania throughout the month of June.

First there was Stephanie...my fellow master jokester

Hanging out with Steph at Bonnaroo this year was magical. Not only was it great to see Steph's beautiful face again, but I finally got to meet her awesome sister Sarah! Stephanie is one of the most passionate, caring and intelligent people I know and I am so glad to have her as a friend. Counting down the days till she visits Philadelphia this fall!

Now, I knew that I would see Steph at Bonnaroo and Elizabeth in Spain, but my next reunion was completely random and perfect in its own way.

Katrina, aka Katreeeen-Bean, just so happened to be in Philadelphia for a conference in June with our other study-abroad friend AJ. We all met up for some beers in South Philly, catching up on the past year or so and enjoying each others' company once again. Hanging out with Katrina and AJ for the night made me miss all of my Tanzania-lovas and crave a good old-fashion African adventure.

Finally, after nearly a year and a half without seeing each other in person, I reunited with Elizabeth in Spain!

Ironically Elizabeth and I have yet to actually see each other in the United States, which is fine because our international adventures are always the most memorable. Twins and traveling buddies forever ッ

Xponential Festival

Last weekend I scored a pass to the 3-day Xponential Music Festival across the river in South Jersey. Xpn is a local public radio station that has introduced me to some of my favorite emerging artists. While the rest of the tri-state area trekked down to slower-lower Delaware for Firefly, I knew Xponential would be the better choice. Even with Jack White as one of Firefly's headliners, the Xponential lineup was stacked this year. Here are some my favorite moments from the weekend...

The Lumineers were the second band to open up the weekend Friday afternoon at Wiggin's park, drawing a large crowd despite the poor weather predictions. They are mostly known for their song "Ho Hey," but their recently released album is full of catchy fun songs you can't help but sing along to. This was actually the second time I've seen the Lumineers live (the first being at Johnny Brenda's with Kopecky Family Band) and I can honestly say they are a great band to see live!

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound: I had heard a few JC Brooks songs on the radio prior to seeing him at Xponential but his set on Friday night exceeded my expectations for sure. This funky, soul artist is a modern day Otis Redding, and I loved every minute of his set. Hopefully he will make his way back to Philadelphia again soon.

Dawes, currently one of my favorite bands, was Dawesome Friday night. Even though I saw them in June (twice at Bonnaroo) you can never have enough Dawes in your life. Their set was a good mix of both their albums and a new song from their upcoming release. If you haven't had a chance to listen to or see Dawes live I highly suggest you get on that...now!

Good Old War, a local Philly band, opened up my Saturday morning at Xponential with some great tunes preparing everyone for the great day of music that laid ahead.

Delta Rae: The first time I heard "Bottom of the River" by Delta Rae on the radio I was blown away by the powerful, soulful voice that came blasting through my car speakers. This 6-piece band from North Carolina rocked the park Saturday afternoon, plowing through a number of new songs on their recently released album. Being such a large band they have 4 lead singers, adding such a great dynamic and diversity to their song collection. The crowd, especially myself, quickly fell in love with this band. Fingers crossed they come back to Philadelphia soon! Oh and I'm pretty sure this is my new theme song.

I'm not usually drawn to female artists (unless they are the epitome of pop, aka Britney Spears) but when XPN introduced me to Kathleen Edwards months ago I was instantly hooked to her sultry tunes and was excited to hear she would be playing at Xponential this year. I loved her set, even if she got emotional at times and broke her guitar...oops!

Saturday night was epic. Starting off with local favorite Dr. Dog, followed by The Avett Brothers, and finishing out the night with Wilco. I unfortunately was not able to photograph those sets myself but getting to see each of those bands was amazing in itself! 

The third and final day of Xponential was gorgeous out and it didn't hurt that I was absolutely psyched to see the remaining lineup... 

Work Drugs started off the day with a fantastic set. The half Philly half Florida band, who apparently sailed up from the Florida keys(??), got the crowd grooving Sunday morning with some fun tunes that matched the perfect weather.

JD McPherson: The first time I heard JD McPherson I literally thought XPN was playing a throw back from the mid 60s. His old school voice transports you back to the good ol' days of rock-n-roll and you just can't help but get up and dance.

I first fell in love with Argentine-American singer Diego Garcia when I heard "You Were Never There" on the radio--it reminds me of a Spanish influenced Beatles song (if that makes any sense). Seeing him live with a full band made me fall in-love with him all over again.

I had no idea who or what Kaki King was before xponential but I don't think anyone in the crowd that day, including myself, will ever forget. I was mesmerized by Kaki King's fantastic guitar skills throughout her entirely acoustic set with various rigged guitars--"I can teach you how to not play the guitar, on the guitar." King is finishing up a new album that will be released this fall.

 

Rhett Miller closed out the Wiggin's park stage with a great performance Sunday afternoon. Rhett sure knows how to whip his hair back and forth ;)

Sunday night was slightly underwhelming, with the exception of Delta Spirit who always rocks my world. The Counting Crows were the final show of the weekend and though I love all the classic Counting Crows songs, the band was determined to play only their new songs (which I don't know nor care to know). I was able to catch a glimpse of the set list and there was nothing really exceptional to see after "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" and "Long December," both of which were mid-set, so I ended up leaving early. A friend of mine said they changed up the set list and played "Rain King" but then ended the show with "This Land Is Your Land"...random?

Even with the Counting Crows flop Xponential was a fantastic weekend of music. I'm so happy I was able to go and I can't wait to see what is up their sleeve for next year's festival!