Abroadcast

So now that my blog has told you my favorite restaurants all over Europe, I wanted to share my friends’ experiences as well. In this podcast I ask them questions about their favorite places and restaurants abroad. And to wrap up my top favorites after a whole semester of saying every meal and place was better than the rest, here are my answers to the questions as well!

What was your favorite city? All in all, Barcelona takes the cake. But if I had to choose one I traveled to, I would say Nice. I fell in  love with the beaches and adorable side streets.

What was the best sight you saw abroad? I thought Harrod’s department store in London was actually one of the coolest things I saw abroad. Most beautiful though was The Duomo in Florence.

What city surprised you the most? Definitely Paris. I had been there already with my family and not appreciated it at all. I fell in love with it this time.

What city had the best food in general? Florence was incredible food-wise, dessert-wise I’d have to say Nice.

What was your favorite dining experience abroad? The truffle restaurant Terres de Truffes in Nice.

What is your favorite thing about Barcelona? I love how much character the city has, from all the restaurants, like the secret ones Speakeasy and Tintoreria Dontell, bars with themes like Dow Jones or La Champaneria, and sights – aka the variety of Gaudi.

What is your favorite restaurant in Barcelona? Such a tough one. Hofmann was incredible and blew my mind, but the spots I frequent are La Champaneria, Gran Foc, and Tapas 24.

What is your favorite dessert place in Barcelona? I have to agree with Kari and say Crepes Barcelona. 

Instabroad

I never thought of myself as artsy person, I couldn’t paint for my life and I hated sculpting and jewelry like my mom. I took photography all of high school thinking it was a way out of other art classes where I didn’t know if I could keep up (I could draw, but only on my own, very slow time). I never saw photos as a way of art until a semester in to my class, when I fell in love with some artistic photographs my professor was showing the class. I thought they were so fascinating and different – I finally understood the beauty and art behind a photograph. Since I graduated from high school, I lost touch with taking photographs for pure artistic appreciation since it was no longer integrated into my daily life. I had Facebook, sure, but these pictures are in a completely different sphere of photography – they represent a documentation of life and events rather than an artistic value.  I missed getting to share photos as art – whether it was a beautiful building I visited or an intriguing angle to look at a tree – and I missed the amazement I would get from seeing the work of others and what they could create. This is why I fell in love with Instagram.

Firenze, Italia

Being “artsy” has never been so… cool. Instagram is a new form of social media that allows you to connect and share not only events, what you see, and what you do, but also how you perceive it and what you find important. On Facebook you can find pictures of my friends and me at The Duomo in Florence, but on Instagram I can create a spectacular angle that shows the intricate details of what I truly found magnificent about the building. There are also other apps that work as partners of Instagram to enhance the user’s experience. For example PicFrame allows me to group together related Intagrams in different frames for one overall image.

One of the most popular categories to Instagram is, of course, food. I have become obsessed with taking pictures of my food and “Instagraming” them – especially desserts. Food abroad is different and more delicious each place I travel to – from crepes in France to pasta in Italy. I like to call Instagram a form of “food bonding” – as pictures of food receive the most “likes” of anything else – a chocolate cake can easily get more likes than the Eiffel Tower.

Instagram is about demonstrating creativity. It is about sharing what you find beautiful in the world – from food designs at a restaurant to a Gaudi building in Barcelona. And, Instagram is about showing off what you do abroad. Capturing my travels around Europe through Instagram and being able to share it with my friends and family who follow me has allowed me to grow an even greater appreciation for Instagram. Instead of waiting to see pictures of me on Facebook a week later, I can stay connected to people in America instantly as they can live through my visit to Rome with me – place by place, Coliseum to Trevi Fountain. Instagram has been an incredible social media network that is perfect for abroad since the places and sites are so unique, exciting, and breathtaking. It has allowed me to create, expand, and share my artistic abilities with the snap of a photo – capturing years of history and splendor in the click of a button.

Gaudi

Port Barceloneta