October 20th // The National Gallery // London, England
Today we had the opportunity to tour around The National Gallery with an art professor from Biola University who explained a few pieces to us and related the art to what we have been learning in class. This included small details in paintings, the relation of animals to those in the Bible, the use of color, different time periods, hidden concepts, and more.
“The Water Lily Pond” by Claude Monet“Sunflowers” by Vincent van Goph“Water Lilies” by Claude Monet
“The Ambassadors” by Hans Holbeinby Georges Seurat“The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Narrative Scenes” by Margarito d’Arezzo, 1263
They say eating in Spain is difficult for vegans, however, we did a great job of finding amazing food from Madrid. Although it took some research and searching around, we managed to get by. Here are some photos from our eats in Madrid with restaurant names and meal titles included. Enjoy!
Paella
This small outdoor restaurant is located in Plaza Mayor. There are several outdoor restaurants in this area that all serve the same meals at the same prices so pick a spot and eat up! This meal was completely vegan with carrots, red peppers, a lemon, lima beans, rice, and artichoke.
This all vegan restaurant has a plethora of options. These four tacos with soy, corn, tomatoes, guac and soy filled me right up! Something I found to be the coolest thing about this restaurant was that all the plates and most of the decoration was hand made with pottery.
Website: http://www.laencomienda.es
4. The Urban Bites
Chocolate & Vanilla Donuts
Although you can’t tell by the photo, these donuts are mini and can be eaten in one bite. It’s always a good day when I can also find some vegan donuts!
Noodles, mushrooms, red peppers, sesame seeds, and a delicious teriyaki sauce.
Website: http://cafeandtapas.com
9. Taco Bell
Crunch Wrap, Fries, Chips, Salsa & Guac
Late nights mean taco bell in Spain. I was surprised when I ordered my Crunch Wrap (substitute the meat with beans, no cheese or sour cream) and it came out with some fries! I also ordered a side of chips, salsa, and guac.
Website: https://tacobell.es
10. Viva Chapata
Vegan Burger with Fries
Vegan burger, mexican style with cheese, guac, and corn paired with some yummy fries!
Although this isn’t vegan, it is a must in Spain for others! This restaurant is the most well known in Madrid for chocolate churros so be sure to go here and get some famous desserts!
October 22nd // La Pain Quotidien // Brussels, Belgium
When in Brussels, we visited the first La Pain Quotidien. This restaurant can be found all around the world, but it felt so special to be in the very spot where it started. Along with a latte, I ordered a vegan pot pie that included carrots, greens, and lentils with a side of bread. This restaurant offers an array of vegan and vegetarian options of high quality. Be sure to give it a try!
If you’re ever in Brussels, you HAVE to try this sushi restaurant. You can either chose from the ten most well known rolls or make your own. I decided to make my own unique roll with avocado, yam tempura, green onions, and sesame seeds in a california roll style. Knowing I would still be hungry, I decided to also get bowl of rice with fresh vegetables. Both were absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to visit again! For warning, the line is usually pretty long due to how well known the sushi restaurant is so make sure to prepare for that!
Today’s little lunch include avocado toast, coffee, and the cutest pub with the most comfortable seats. As we sat and ate our delicious meal, Faeln and I caught up on life while people watching out the window. It was a perfect afternoon if you ask me.
Busy days call for some a fast sushi lunch. The photos shown above include the Yasai Roll Set with Brown Rice, inari, carrot, avocado, red pepper, cucumber in one roll, avocado, cucumber, inari and red pepper in another roll with an inari pocket, mixed leaves, fresh beens, and edamame with a ride of soy sauce and wasabi. The soup shown is the miso soup with traditional Japanese soup made with a dash broth, miso paste, and topped with tofu and wakame.
A trip to Shakespeare’s Globe with friends was the perfect day. We stood and watched Much Ado About Nothing which was powering and beautiful. Standing in this beautiful, historical theatre felt like a dream. If you’re ever in London, I HIGHLY suggest going and seeing a show here!
Another day, another adventure. Check Wales off the bucket list! My total country count is now at eight: Mexico, Canada, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, London, and now Wales.
Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff, Wales
We started our adventure by taking a three and a half hour bus ride into Cardiff where we dropped off our bags at our beautiful Airbnb as seen above.
Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff, Wales
We then took an Uber into the city where I couldn’t help but take a photo of my first time in a car on the opposite side of the road. It felt weird that the driver sat on the right side of the car and that we were driving on the left side of the street. The Uber dropped us off by the docks where there was lots of shops and restaurants.
Cardiff, Wales
We wandered around the area for a little, stopping at a cute coffee shop and talking before we ended up seeing the most beautiful sunset I have laid my eyes on.
Cardiff, Wales
After we admired God’s beauty for over half an hour, we began to notice that our bodies were freezing and that we should head inside soon. This is when we stumbled upon a comedy club called The Glee Club where we laughed our heads off and enjoyed the night.
October 7th // Cardiff Wales
Morning coffee and a cute cafe was the perfect start to the morning (Check out my posts “Stag Coffee” and “Bill’s Restaurant” under the Travel –> Study Abroad –> Foreign Eats section of my blog for more details).
Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff, Wales
Next, we headed to the Cardiff Castle to check it out, however, it ended up being ten pounds to go inside, and being poor college students, we just had to look from afar.
For a free event, we went to the National Museum Cardiff where they had all different forms of art including photography, sculptures, paintings, etc. Check out some of my favorite pieces from this gallery below!
We continued to walk around the small city and take in it’s beauty before departing back to London. Thank you for letting us visit you Wales, you will be missed.
We found this coffee shop and vowed to go here before we left Wales. I ordered my mocha with soy milk with Fae got a black coffee and Sarah and Yvette both ordered pumpkin spice lattes. We shared lots of laughs and enjoyed our last hours in this beautiful city together.
Exploring the World 