Travel Photo Journal 2 : BARCELONA , ESPANYA

Continuing my photo journey around the capital of Catalonia, I hopped on the trusty double decker bus to have a quick tour of the city. I used the City Sightseeing Bus Tour Company for my city hop on-hop off.

For short trips (specially on a solo travel), most of the time I rely on a double decker bus to give me a glimpse of what I can see in a city. From there, I will choose which one I want to spend my time visiting.

I was able to get a quick view of this beautiful city and spent the night walking around. Barcelona is such a wonderful and vibrant city and I will visit this city again and again in a heart beat if given an opportunity.

Check as well: Travel Photo Journal Part 1: BARCELONA, ESPANYA

[caption id="attachment_2946" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The trusty Big Bus Tour![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The Barcelona Head by Roy Lichenstein and was inaugurated for the 1992 Barcelona Games[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2943" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Monastery of Pedralbes[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2942" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Blue Tranvia (Traditional trams of Barcelona)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2945" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Camp Nou. Home of Futbol Club Barcelona since 1957[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2944" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The pride of the city![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2947" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Ones by Andreau Alfaro along the entrance of the port. It is composed of 7 steel arches said mimicking the shape and movement of waves in the ocean.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2948" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Port Authority Building[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2958" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The Barcelona Metro. Hmmmm aren't we in Espanya already?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2957" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The Magic Fountain of Montjuic. It's amazing how many people cramped in this place to see the fountain show. My carpool friends and I said to meet here, from the looks of it, you'll know that we didn't find each other hahaha. Oh well, or should I say, oh fountain LOL.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2959" align="aligncenter" width="800"] I love this drinking fountain. Looks hardcore![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2963" align="aligncenter" width="800"] After a full day of walking, getting and getting lost I almost forgot to eat.  Most of the  restaurants were already closed, good thing this small tapas shop was open and I was so happy to meet the owner got my serving of  tapas, bruschetta and sangria.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2960" align="aligncenter" width="800"] TAPAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2964" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Some sandwiches along the road. The Spanish really know their food.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="800"] hahaha..yes I tried their McDonalds. A friend of mine insisted that I should a tleast get a meal and chicken wings.----so I did ^^[/caption]

Check the first part of this photo journal here: 

Travel Photo Journal Part 1: BARCELONA, ESPANYA

Iftar Series: Dusit Thani Dubai

The season of Ramadan is here again and it means that most of the food establishments will be closed at daylight, in respect for those who are fasting for the whole month(especially in this part of the world, where the majority of the population are Muslims).

In line with this, every night, restaurants are providing Iftars (evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset) as their special offer this holy month of Ramadan. As a food and travel blogger, I've received several invitations (mostly from the restaurants that I have reviewed before) to try out their Iftar offering. For the whole month, I will be posting number of food blogs that will focus on this.

First stop, Dusit Thani Dubai.



My very first invitation came from Dusit Thani Dubai along Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road. I have tried two of their restaurants before, Benjarong and Pax Ristorante and so far I enjoyed both. Check out my blog about it.

Ok, back to Iftar. Dusit Thani Dubai is offering an Iftar buffet that features traditional Arabic cuisine and a mix of international dishes (Italian, Indian and Thai mostly). These selections are arranged at the hotel's 24th floor with the panoramic view of Dubai's skyline from their restaurants, The Californian, Banjarong and Pax Ristorante & Lounge.





The time for the Iftar buffet is from sunset until the 8:30pm and after that, the hotel restaurants will resume to it's a la carte menu. Because of the limited time, I was running from work just to get there the earliest possible time. You see, I finish work at 7pm and sunset is normally at 7. In my mind, if I will calculate the time that I will commute, I will only arrive there at 8pm, meaning, I will only dine for 30 mins. As someone who loves to eat, this is a very short time.....whew..........Because of all the running, I arrived a few minutes past 7, perfect to enjoy an hour of selected dishes.

I was welcomed with a big smile by the hotel attendants and immediately ushered to my table. I found several of my food blogger friends already enjoying their appetizers.







Traditionally, to break the fast, one should first eat some dates and yogurt, but because I didn't fast, I went straight to the soup and salad station.

I got a soup with vermicelli and some green salad to start it of. It was a good time to catch my breath and also to have a chitchat with my blogger friends. I haven't seen most of them for quite some time, so we TALKED a lot.





After a few bites, I went ahead to the main dish area. If you have been reading my blog before, you already know that I am in love with Thai food. For this reason alone, my first station was the Thai buffet section (which is at the center of the lobby). My favorite was the Duck Curry (I can live with this alone). The rest was alright for me.

Because of the limited time, I wasn't able to try a lot of the selections so I just zoned in to those that looks interesting and a bit familiar for me. Aside from the duck, I went for the braised beef and a creamed fish dish (I forgot the exact name). Also, I took a shawarma and a spaghetti bolognese. I was so full after finishing my overflowing plate. I love buffets but the feeling after a buffet is something that I dont like (#fooddieproblem).





Realizing that we only have 15 minutes left to get a dessert, we all wrapped up our time for the main dish and jump straight for desserts. I saw that they have a traditional Kunafa (is a Levantine cheese pastry soaked in sweet sugar-based syrup) so in my mind already, this is the one that I will get (^^).

I was a little dissapointed with their kunafa as it was already cold and hard. I love it when it is still very soft and the cheese is stretchy and goooey. Good thing, I enjoyed thier Umm Ali (Middle Eastern version of a bread pudding) and cheesecake. We've partnered it with a cup of peppermint tea---- aaah this is the best way to end a full meal.

In general, I enjoyed our meal. The only downside was the time limit as I thought it would have been nice to take time and enjoy the evening and not rushing to get as much food as you can just to get your money's worth. In all fairness, I love the Thai selections from Benjarong, only with this, you got your money's worth already.

Aside from Iftar, Dusit Thani Dubai is also offering Sohour Set Menu which is available from 12am - 4am through room service.

OFFER DETAILS

Iftar Buffet

Cost:  AED149 I Time: Sunset - 8:30pm I Location: 24th Floor Lobby

Sohour Set Menu

Cost:  Varies I Time: 12am - 4am I Location: Room Service Only

Group Iftar Menu

Cost:  Starts at AED119/ Person for groups of 50 or above

For Reservations and Inquiries

Call: +971 (4) 317 4515 or Email: dine.dtdu@dusit.com

Travel Photo Journal: BARCELONA, ESPANYA

I have been planning to make a full blog about my past trips, but most of the time I ended up putting them on the shelves. Now I have a lot of backlog travel blogs that I am pretty much excited to share with everyone.

I thought that aside from a detailed itineraries and tips of every trip I did, I'll post a photo journal so I can share with everyone the beauty of each place (immediately). Agree?

For my first photo journal, I thought of sharing my summer trip in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia in Spain and home of FC Barcelona (hooothooot).

I was really looking forward for this trip as I had an impression that Barcelona is an artist town, which means that I will fit here like a bespoke glove. In our Architectural history class, the works of Antonio Gaudi always intrigues us. I cannot say that we share the same sense of aesthetics, but I do admire his brilliant mind. This is one of the reasons why visiting the colorful Barcelona ended up in my travel bucket list.

So without further ado, here's the first part of my Barcelona Photo Journal.

[caption id="attachment_2921" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Newly found friends. Carpooling from Montpellier, France to Barcelona, Spain[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2923" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Oh yeah!!! We survived the long drive. Welcome to BARCELONA[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2931" align="aligncenter" width="800"] From carpooling all of us headed in our own way. I have chosen the trusty Barcelona Metro to go to my hostel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2922" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Barcelona Metro[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2924" align="aligncenter" width="800"] My hostel - Sant Jordi Hostels : Sagrada Familia. It was a little hard to find, I must admit[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2929" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Our clean and funky hostel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2930" align="aligncenter" width="800"] hmmmmm lemme check ---yey there is a Philippine Peso!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2925" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Walking distance from our hostel is the majestic Sagrada Familia by the famous Catalan architect,  Antonio Gaudi. This is the reason why I booked this accommodation.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2926" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Sagrada Familia. My view from the long line[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Beautiful interiors. A lot of details that I think only the mind of Gaudi can fathom[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2928" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Sagrada Familia interior[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2932" align="aligncenter" width="800"] I love how arts and artists can be found all around the city[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2933" align="aligncenter" width="800"] A one of a kind nativity sculptures[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2949" align="aligncenter" width="800"] As I've started with Gaudi, I went ahead to one of this 'other' famous creations. The Park Guell[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2950" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The mosaic along the famous Trencandis Bench[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2952" align="aligncenter" width="800"] I have to take a photo.. Sorry!!  This is the Trencadis Bench[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2955" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The main access to the park where you can find another famous piece, the Dragon Fountain (Salamander?)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Hello there Mr. Dragon[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2956" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Casa Del Guarda, built between 1901 and 1903. It is one of the few examples of modest dwellings created by Gaudi[/caption]

 

Check the 2nd part of this photo journal here: 

Travel Photo Journal 2 : BARCELONA , ESPANYA

Water for Workers by the Sameness Project (13 June 2015)

Join us in this project by The Sameness Project for a hot, sweaty fun and engage with our fellow workers here in Dubai.

[blockquote source="The Sameness Project"]

The month of Ramadan is nearly upon us, but right before that kicks off we're sneaking in a Water for Workers adventure on Saturday 13th June, and reaching one massive milestone.

[/blockquote]

To know more about Water for Workers (#W4W) check this blog post by The Sameness Project (see link below) :

[ water for workers ] June & 100K

Saturday 13th June
10am
Collegiate American School
Umm Suqiem 2

 



Photo credits to http://www.thesamenessproject.com/