Barcelona oh twelve

The current weather of Paris makes me wish I was in Barcelona again sitting by the beach, basking in the sun, daydreaming. Outside, the rain just stopped but the cold, humid air is still lingering, I decide to escape this not-so-summery reality by going through the photos I took during my 4 day-trip in Spain, right after finals at the end of May. 

I didn't plan on travelling this year but I guess I was very lucky: my good friend Oanh won the Polyvore x Mango contest (her work was picked out and signed by Kate Moss whoottt) and she was kind enough to share her prize with me which was a trip for 2 to Barcelona and a shopping spree at Mango. So off to Spain we went!

Growing up with beaches not so far away, I thought I wouldn't get to bathe in the sea again until I came back home (which is hopefully next year). So of course it was beyond amazing to feel the sand between my toes and the refreshing water again even though it was still a bit cold to swim. Love how it was super clean despite being super crowded :))

It was pretty windy but ahhh I didn't mind, as long as I had the beautiful sea and the warm sun with me!

Tried on some clothes at Mango and bought only the top, so cute, comfy and versatile.

My favorite part of this trip was the ports, breathtakingly beautiful. The port we have back home is full of big industrial ships so it was my first time seeing something like this, so well organized and lots of blue and white haha :D

Port Vell

My friend and I also enjoyed walking around La Rambla aimlessly, sans map, discovering adorable nooks with local ateliers which were mostly closed because we went at lunch and nap time. 

Sagrada Família

View from Park Güell

As for the food, I found it pretty expensive... or I just didn't know the right place to eat :)) Anyway, it felt nice to get away for a couple of days, especially to the beach with good company ♥ Now it's time to snap back to reality. So, adiós amigos, until the next post =))

It's been a while...

Spent the whole afternoon skyping with my best friend and it felt incredibly good. It's been quite a long time since we last talked, especially with her senior year stressful workload and the time difference but I'm so glad we finally made time to really catch up. Can't believe I've known her for 9 years, that's almost a decade, haha I sound so old! We don't hang out regularly, not as much as we would love to, but each time we get to meet up, we can just talk and talk for hours, from boys, food, movies to politics and life philosophy, no awkward pause, no weirdness. She's always so inspiring and radiates a sense of comfort which put people at ease. Particularly in this time when I feel so out of place and lack of energy, it's nice to have someone to confide in, who encourages and reminds me of my abilities. I'm so grateful we're still super close despite the distance, it seems like I've never left :D 

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! 

- Rudyard Kipling

Part of my birthday presents, from papa ♥ 

At Ralph's

It was the night before I turned 19. Out of a whim, my sister, her best friend and I decided to go café-ing without having precisely any destination in mind. We strolled around Odéon, got distracted every now and then by bustling bars, exquisite chocolate figurines and beautiful vitrines until we stopped in front of the Ralph Lauren store on boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés. If my sister didn't come here before for school work, we wouldn't have known about the restaurant hiding behind those big blue doors because at that time of the day, the other parts of the 4-story building were all closed. 

The terrace was beautifully decorated with lots of blue and white cushions on top of the lounge chairs. It gave off a rustic, peaceful atmosphere, like you're going to a family gathering in the countryside. Since it was a busy night and we went there just for desserts, we could only get a table inside. The decoration reminded me of the interior of a castle, with lots of paintings, wood and leather.

Roses in full bloom were on each table, even at the bar, right next to the aureate utensils with other beautiful porcelain and glass wares. 

Ralph's served mostly american food. Our desserts were even accompanied by a bowl of caramelized popcorn which would be too much (+ too much sugar!!!) if we ate it all. Both of the chocolate and carrot cakes were delicious, especially with the sweet wine whose name I cannot recall. I also ordered  some hot chocolate which was nothing extraordinary but neither was it terrible. 

My sister being silly :))

I would return here for the gorgeous settings, the chocolate cake and the lovely service, but not on a weekly basis since it is pretty fancyyy.