GET THAT ON A T SHIRT

(kerb stomp)

I was in Finland last year - it really is as expensive as you hear it is. But it's also beautiful.

So- things to do in Athens? Hit me with some suggestions, please.

Am spending next Fri-Sun in Manchester. To make it more interesting have decide to travel there via Bruges for a pub crawl.

Hove/Brighton's nice.  I had steak.

I didn't get to set the agenda, but thanks anyway.

Got back from Barcelona this afternoon and I bloody loved it. Can't say i've been to a city that has me longing to go back this strongly before. Climate took a day to get used to but luckily we had fairly strong breezes to alleviate some of the heat and I like a bit of burn to speed along the tanning process anyway. Highlights were La Sagrada Familia (which is one of the most impressive structures and artistic works of art i've ever seen/been inside of) and having a soberingly down to earth chat with a topless female French student on the beach about jobs and travelling.

Local architecture was great to look at, especially the gothic quarter. Took a fair few shots of those and some of which i'll post below. The food was a bit sub-par, especially on the first night when we went to one of the fancy restaurants right where the harbour is and got shite food and shite service. One of the clubs even neglected to collect the 60 eyro payment customers before us had left on a table up until we left in disgust after 20 minutes. We found a good shisha place afterwards though, the apple smoke was good and the girls roped me into devouring Mojitos till about 3.

Dinner the nights afterwards were much better with us going to a place on Las Rambla for some tapas including a fucking fantastic dish involving green peppers covered in salt crytals and some kind of sauce that was bliss to eat.

Visited the Museu d'Historia de Catalunya on the last day though due to time constraints we had to rush the last few sections to my chagrin. I was left with a little understanding of how much pride the locals seem to take in the history of Catalonia and the how the language apparently is increasing in its amount of speakers as well.

Architecture and The City
Where the bus dropped us off
Twins
Starting down Las Rambla
Gothicness
Impressive government thing
Apparently Colombus Column (Wasen't he Italian?)
Close-up
Gherkinesque
Old 'n' New
Awesome church rims
Get a load of that frontage

Grub
Grub 1st night
Grub 2nd night
Grub 2nd night (2)
Grub 3rd night

The green peppers are pimientos de Padrón, a Gallician speciality. They're the roulette peppers I spoke about yonks ago if anybody remembers. Usually 1 in about 20 is flaming hot, as good as a habanero. Although I'm told they show up far less often these days, for whatever reason. Probably because the Spanish are faggots when it comes to spicy food.

Also Columbus was Italian (although it's debated) but the expedition was entirely Spanish.

Cheers Kow. That's a dish i'll remember the name of. One of my grub pics shows one of the peppers being a strong orange colour that I was afraid was a mouth blistering one but it was just another stage of ripeness. Most disappointing.

regmcfly wrote:

I have always wanted to go back, and your pics got me wanting mores

Not sure how it was in 2010, but it's quite expensive spending money there now. Still, highly worth it.

About to post some images I took of Sagrada Familia. Tried to keep them original resolution so the sense of grandeur isn't lost too much. I'm sure the forum resizing might do a number on them.

A couple of tower shots to boot. As you can see, construction is still on-going. Sadly the we got there too late in the day to go inside the towers.

Sagrafa Familia looks like a real life Vigrid from Bayonetta. I've wanted to go there since I was 14. Maybe in another seven years or so.

Lovely summary 'kof

Going to Zdiar in Slovakia at Christmas. 1 week in Poland then a week there, skiing. Looks like this except with more snow.

Nope, I'll ask the burd tomorrow though she used to go every year. Been to southern poland at Christmas and it was down to about -20. Suppose it depends on altitude but, short, yeah it will be fucking freezing.

Barcelona is a great city, went on a trip with my course (Architecture) earlier this year. Highlights for me were wandering about the non touristy squares and in a wee tour of the libraries which are all modern and pretty cool. Also the old sailor's quarter next to the beach is probably the best place ever to spend an afternoon. There was 30 of us and it was fucking amazing. Went to see the offices of the guy who designed the Scottish Parliament as well, Miralles.

Later on Reg.

Nice stuff Boff, this one is like Sen's Fortress during construction



I'm going to France tomorrow, a place called Loches near Tours. It will be Bastille day, I hope I have fun.

Anyone been to Sorrento / Naples bay area?

Fancy Italy for holiday but fuck me, you look at a map and want to go everywhere, could spend 8 weeks doing it.

Nick wrote:

this one is like Sen's Fortress during construction

Well that's never going to get out of my head now. Swinging blades by Gaudi please.