5+1 things to do in Barcelona!

   This year I decided to go to Barcelona as an Erasmus Student. It was the best decision of my life! I spent at least 10 days as a tourist before adjusting to university life and I will just write the highlights of Barcelona!
Enjoy the list!

1.  Visit the beautiful Park Of Ciutadella! 

As a lover of nature, I would highly recommend visiting Ciutadella park! Many meetings take place there, yoga classes in the nature , pilates, etc.! And there are some really adorable ducks. Best place for photos.

2.Visit Cathedral

This is one of the (many) most representative monuments in Barcelona. The exterior is spectacular but on the side of the building (from the right looking to the Cathedral) there is access to the interior garden and some corridors (with several chapels). It is a very relaxing place to visit and disconnect from all the noises and hurry outdoors. Nice fountains and great architecture. Outside of Cathedral you could find some really nice bars to enjoy a glass of sangria.

3. Visit Gothic Quarter

The beautiful neighbourhood known as the Gothic Quarter is so called because it used to be the Roman village and thus has some remnants of its glorious past. These days because of the constant modernization it is easy to spot an ancient building right next to one built in the 90s. It is this mix of old and new that brings people from all over the world to stay in the Gothic Quarter.

The narrow, winding streets create quite a labyrinth and means that it may take a while to get your bearings. I recommend that you should always look up and around you or you may miss some of the best bits.

The Gothic quarter has many peaceful squares (plaças) where you can relax and enjoy your surroundings.

4. Visit El Carmel -Bunkers for best views in the city! 

Absolutely stunning views of the city from an old anti air battery emplacement from the Spanish Civil War during the late 1930's. Easily accessible by bus, many people come here to picnic and drink beers and wait until sunset which is truly a view to behold. The sun sets amongst the mountains that surround Barcelona and some truly fantastic photos can be taken. Many photographers will be present and nearly all of Barcelona is visible from the bunkers. There are also some information panels that describe and explain this history of the place and its uses, for those interested in history. A definite must if you are in Barcelona. 

5. Visit Museo Picasso

An incredibly comprehensive and well designed installation of Picasso's work. I am still stunned at what he was capable of painting at just 15. A true genius. The gallery shows the evolution of his style over the years from more traditional through to pieces in the Cubist style. 

6.  Enjoy the fountain show at Placa Espanya! 

If you are in Barcelona overnight and the Font Magica show is up, do plan to visit it - it is totally worth it! There are several shows per evening and the place is relatively easily reachable with public transport from most parts of the city. The arrangement of the music, lights, and water shapes and intensity, coupled with the beautiful imposing surroundings all add up to a magical experience, leaving you enthralled for the duration of the show.

Escaping to historic Krakow, Poland

 Krakow has always being in my wishlist as a travelling destination. Last September, my best friend and I decided to take advantage of the  first week of September and travel before university starts.
  Some of the factors that led us to take this decision were the following:

1. Cheap Cost of Living
2. Historic City-lots and lots of sightseeings
3. Classic Spirit of City
4. Sweet and delightful weather

We held some really high expectations from this trip. We left sunny Cyprus only to arrive on a rainy day. Thankfully it was only a light rain and it was quite refreshing escaping from the excessive sunshine in Cyprus! 

Let's take a walk! 

Upon arrival, we were approached by the landlady of our appartment, we managed to book a really good flat thanks to airbnb, and even negotiated to get a better price! 

We packed our stuff and right away we left our flat to explore the city. Exploring on foot is one of the best ways to get familiar with town and perhaps one of the most pleasing feelings, getting lost and finding your way back home! 

Starting with  Rynek Główny. it's the center of Krakow and is a huge square. You could see a combination of history and thousands of tourists from all over the world. Around the square you could find many buildings, souvenir shops, clothing shops and an enormous Zara of 5 floors! 

It is also important to mention that this city is really clean and fresh, and it has a really nice natural beauty which could be seen through the variety of parks that exist around. The majority of people living in Krakow are students as Krakow has one of the best universities in the world!  Even though Polish people do not speak english, since krakow has mostly young citizens it was really easy to ask questions in order to find anything you are looking for! 

Food! Eating as there's no tomorrow! 

Food is absolutely delicious in Krakow! We found a really nice restaurant that makes homemade hamburgers of each type of meat and flavor!  It is called Moaburger and it could be found in the main square of Krakow.

We also went to a traditional restaurant once, we had delicious pierogies which tasted YUMM!

Moreover, it was very easy to find restaurants to get a nice breakfast or brunch. Delicious fresh croissants spread with chocolate.


It is highly recommended to check reviews on foursquare or tripadvisor, some good restaurants need a booking in advance so highly recommending to take a look before going.

It is very cheap to have a really nice meal in Krakow. It could cost from 7-20euros for something really nice !

Coffees & Sweet Life! 

Something that I really fancied about Krakow is the variety of sweets that could be found around. 

We found a really nice chocolate factory that was making chocolate right in front of you and was also operating as a cafe.

There are so many bakeries in Krakow selling each kind of sweet and very delicious fresh breads! 

The cafes had unique design, mostly were retro so expect to see a modern city that looks like 20th century and operates like 21st-soo cool! 

History & Krakow! 

On our second day we decided to visit Wawel's Castle. Wawel's Castle was supposed to be a must see but I was not really impressed. You should have paid something extra in order to have access to some rooms. There is also an interesting legend about a dragon that lived by the river and used to scare the inhabitants and kill them, the cave is right next to the Wawel's Castle hence why Krakow is associated with a dragon!  

Highlight of the trip: Auschwitz 

 As a history nerd, for me the highlight of the trip was Auschwitz.  

We booked the trip for like 30-35euros or so with transportation and a tour guide. It was quite educational and we learned a lot about the conditions of Auschwitz. People were kept there in the worst conditions ever, what this country and inhabitants went through is unbelievable.

We shed some tears while hearing the tour guides saying stories about Auschwitz. One which I remember clearly  is when a man had to take his mother  to the "showers" or else gas chambers. He was supposed to guide people there and then get out, but that time he went in with her and sacrificed himself to die by her side, i still get goose bumps when I remember about it.

Overall, trip to Krakow was memorable, we had some really good times, we walked all day long and got to eat nice food, were surrounded by a beautiful environment and visited some really nice places! I would highly recommend a trip to Krakow!