Christchurch, New Zealand

After spending a quick four days on the North Island, we flew into Christchurch on the South Island and spent the day wandering around town. We stayed the night at an Airbnb apartment. At a cost of $168 USD per night, the two bedroom apartment served the four of us very well. Being able to spread out and do some laundry were great perks. The apartment is also within walking distance of downtown and the Botanical Gardens.

The river that runs through the Botanical Gardens

Christchurch seemed to have a lot to offer and rebuilding efforts were abundant. There were little shops, bars, and restaurants everywhere along with a lot of construction especially near the Cathedral. If I had more time, I would have loved to stay in Christchurch a little longer to explore and see what else it has to offer. There were also many signs for parking. We had walked into the center of town, but the parking situation seemed like it could be a good, cheap option. I would guess city government is hoping to entice more people to come into the city.

The remains of the Christchurch Cathedral. Rebuilding efforts are under way. 

We grabbed a drink and snacks at a little place near High Street called The Lower 9^th Diner. They offered tasty Cajun-inspired food. We also made the necessary trip to Pedro's House of Lamb. Pedro's has a take-away only location in Christchurch (I am under the impression that the restaurant location did not make it through the 2011 earthquake). We were a group of four so we picked up two trays of lamb and potatoes at $35 NZD each. We ate until we were stuffed and then ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

Barcelona, Spain

Recently, my friend Katie and I traveled to Barcelona. When we travel together, we tend to focus mostly on wandering around, eating, and drinking. Here are some of our finds and a few tips.

We stumbled across a great little tapas bar in Barri Gotic called La Cala del Vermut, Carrer de les Magdalenes, 6. It's not far from the Cathedral de Barcelona, but it's tucked away enough that the tourist crowds can't find it. We had a small lunch of a few tapas and a drink which cost about €6 per person. The staff was very friendly, answered our questions, and tolerated my poor Spanish.

La Bodegueta, Rambla de Catalunya, 100 is a delightful little tapas place usually full with patrons. It's too small for standing so grab a table and order something wonderful from the menu. We really liked the Manchego cheese, the tiny pimientos de Padrón (grilled peppers) and the pa amb tomàquet (bread rubbed with tomato and garlic, then drizzled with olive oil). We ate here twice and both times the bill was under €10 a person.

Taktika Berri, Carrer de Valencia, 169 is a great pinxtos bar. At €1.45 per pinxtos, it can get expensive if you eat a lot but you can also try a handful of great items and keep it under budget. The general rule is to let the bartenders serve you unless its very crowded; then you can take what you'd like for yourself. Also, remember that when you are ready to pay, your toothpicks will be counted (usually at the register) and you will need to tell the bartender who many drinks you had. It will all be tallied up. Side note: It seemed that most people did not tip at pintxos bars. I'm not sure if it was because you kind of serve yourself, although they are filling your drinks and bringing around new pinxtos. We decided to tip when we felt that the service was exceptional.

We didn't only eat and drink, if that's what you are thinking so far. We also took a bike tour of the city (bad idea), went into the Cathedral de Barcelona (which is free before 12:45 p.m. and supposedly free after 5:00 p.m.), and we made the pilgrimage to La Sagrada Familia. Do not wait in line to get into Gaudi's church. Tickets are available online via Ticketmaster (for a fee) or you can buy them at one of the many yellow ServiCaixa ATMs and skip the fee. The machines are tricky and don't seem to work with all credit and debit cards, so try more than one card, pick a date and time, and skip the line at La Sagrada Familia.

We also made more than one trip to La Boqueria, the large market just off La Rambla. It's a good place to buy produce, cheeses, and ready made snacks, but it is also over-run. Watch your bags while you are there.