I know, I know...

Blogging is not my forte. But when I update Flickr all the time, I don't see why I have to write anything!

In any case, Denmark has been lovely. Despite freezing my butt off every so often, there have been bouts of incredible weather. And CPH Pro (Europe's [only?] all-pro skate contest) was amazing. Definitely an event that I would like to attend again someday, hopefully as soon as next year!

That event pretty much took up most of my time between the 23rd and the 29th, and since then I've been bumming around, taking photos, and spending time with my friends. Oh, and visiting castles.

Today I went to Helsingør, better known as Elsinore to the English-speaking folk. Yes, Hamlet's Elsinore. Helsingør is a coastal town in Eastern Denmark, about an hour away from Copenhagen by train. The castle, Kronborg, dates back to the 16th century. It was pretty cool, despite the fact that it was POURING for the greater part of the morning. And of course was beautiful as soon as I boarded the train to return to Copenhagen...

Kronborg Castle

Carving on a 16th-century chapel pew.

The moat!

While I'm excited to head to England, I'm quite sad to be leaving Copenhagen. This is a great city.

Turning Tide

Yesterday was, unfortunately, my last day in Barcelona. I spent the day roaming the streets, saying goodbyes, and trying to check some more "to do's" off the list. One of them was trying horchata! Unlike Mexican horchata, which is made from rice, Spanish horchata is made from tigernuts (chufas). I did some research and found that the 'best' horchata in Barcelona was supposedly being served in a little place not too far from two of the city's most famous skate spots (well-situated for me!).

Horchata!

I also got some cupcakes, because.. they're cupcakes. I don't really need a reason more than that, do I? There's a cute place in BCN called "Cup & Cake," which just recently opened a second store ALSO close to one of the city's most famous skate spots (MACBA). How very convenient for me. In any case, I gave two away and had two myself, one of which was greek-yogurt flavored. And it was awesome.

Clockwise from upper left: Greek yogurt, red velvet, brownie, and vanilla + coconut

Anyway, now I'm in Copenhagen. So, there will be posts-a-comin'!

Sitges

Yesterday I went to Sitges, a nice beach town about 45 minutes by train outside of Barcelona. The beaches there are much nicer than in BCN. They're smaller, but not as busy as those in Barcelona.

One of things I was most excited about in Sitges was the Bacardi museum!! Unfortunately, it was closed, and I was sad. While Bacardi is a Cuban brand, its creator was from Sitges originally. The story (according to Wikipedia, at least) on Bacardi's origins is actually quite interesting. Before Bacardi, no clear rum existed, and rum was considered to be a "lowbrow" drink (think pirates).

Look at how pretty Sitges is!

Side street

Cathedrals and Labyrinths

I visited Santa Maria del Mar (1329-1383), and the Barcelona Cathedral (13th-15th centuries). Both are gothic cathedrals in the Catalan style. Per its title, the Barcelona Cathedral is the more famous of the two. Personally, I liked Santa Maria del Mar better.. It was quieter, and had a spacious nave that allowed you to see the entire church. The Barcelona Cathedral, on the other hand, was quite crowded with other tourists, and the choir prevents a full view of the nave.

Santa Maria del Mar

I also went to the Labyrinth Park (again). It's a beautiful place, and a little more off the beaten path. It is the oldest "historical garden" in the city (first construction started in 1791). The park was owned privately until 1967, and was opened to the public in 1971. No more than 750 people are allowed in at the same time. If you're ever in Barcelona, I highly recommend a visit.

Tibidabo

Today, I hiked the small mountain (512m or 1679 feet for the non-metric folk) called Tibidabo. It's not a very long or arduous walk, but it was a beautiful one. The mountain overlooks the entire city, and while the amusement park on top of the mountain may not be particularly interesting, the view is probably worth it!

On top of Tibidabo there is a small amusement park and church that date back to the turn of the 20th century. I didn't take any photos of the church/park, mostly because I figured you could find better ones online anyway. :)

Girona

So I went to Girona yesterday, which is a beautiful little town about an hour and a half by train from Barcelona.

The Girona Cathedral has the second largest nave in the world (22m) beaten only by St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City. I wasn't very impressed with the exterior of the cathedral, but that may be due to the fact that it wasn't finished until the 19th century, I believe, and looks quite boxy compared to most gothic cathedrals that I've seen.
The most incredible part of the visit was the choir practicing as I walked into the cathedral. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bring me close to tears. There's something extremely awe-inspiring about the way that choirs sound in cathedrals (special thanks to my pops for making me appreciate cathedrals so much!).







Click on any of the photos to see more images!

So I'm horrible...

...at updating blogs. Mostly because I'm fairly certain that most people don't actually read blogs. At least I don't, really. Skim, maybe. But read? No.
Anyway. I went to the Botanical Gardens and Montjuic yesterday. It was quite a hike to the top, but well worth it. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day:

 

I spent today sunbathing/eating Oreos on the beach with a fellow American.. Not a bad 4th of July! I'm planning on heading to Girona tomorrow, so I hopefully I'll have some interesting things to post about that visit.