Very quick post today, because I’m away from home and I’m running out of time today – I might need to get ready for a wedding in a hour or so. I’ve been in Barcelona and Tarragona for the last few days, and I just wanted to share a few pictures with you, ok?
The café is boiling. The atmosphere is clouded with bittersweet coffee.
Three years of desire rip through my body and burst from my lips: “Josh!”
His head jolts up. For a long time, a very long time, he just stares at me.
And then…he blinks. “Isla?”Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on brooding artist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And, after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer break, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to face uncertainty about their futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.
Set against the stunning backdrops of New York, Paris and Barcelona, this is a gorgeous, heart-wrenching and irresistible story of true love, and the perfect conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.
This one is my favorite of this series! Yep, Isla and the Happily Ever After totally stole my heart! I loved Anna and the French Kiss and I liked Lola and the Boy Next Door too, but Isla was on a totally different level.
Once again, the writing of this book was flawless. It was funny and self aware, and it flowed so well. I really liked Isla’s voice, she felt real to me. Again, I really loved the setting, how it starts in NY and then we get to go back to SOAP in Paris :), it was awesome.
If there’s one things that all these books have in common is that all characters are unique, and Isla and Josh are no exception. Isla is quiet and shy, but once she opens up, she’s fun and easy going. Her insecurities broke my heart, but once again, they felt real to me, so much so that I was sobbing for a good chunk of the book.
I love Étienne and Cricket, sure, but Josh… OMG! Where can I get a Josh? I had loved Josh during Anna and the French Kiss, but I fell in love with Josh during this book. One thing that made this book totally different and better for me was the fact that we actually get to see some of the events through Josh’s perspective and how he feels about things.
The fact that Isla and Josh enter a relationship quite early in the book was a plus for me – even though I knew that something bad was coming – because it actually allowed me to read about their relationship and not just how they got together. This means we get to see them grow within it. Another thing that I loved was how well the sex was handled. This is the first book of this series in which both partners are equally experienced, which means that it flowed naturally and it made a lot of sense.
The conflict broke my heart, because it hit close to home. I think that Isla voiced the fears of a lot of people, but I absolutely loved how it was resolved. And this book’s message is so important… It’s ok to not know what you want to do with the rest of your life at the age of 18!
Because I do live in Barcelona, I did love the chapter in which Isla and Josh are here. The descriptions of La Pedrera, Casa Battló, Parc Guëll and La Sagrada Familia were beyond perfect. I’m not a very big fan of Gaudí, but I do love these sights, especially Casa Battló and Parc Guëll, which are my favorite places in Barcelona.
I was overjoyed when Anna, Étienne, Meredith, Cricket and Lola appeared in the book. 😀 I was so happy about that whole subplot. And Isla recap of Josh’s comic about the events of Anna and the French Kiss – slight spoiler for Anna and the French Kiss – was the best thing ever! Also, Kurt! How awesome was Kurt?! I really liked to see their friendship and how Josh and Kurt’s friends fit into their dynamic.
In the end, I loved this book to pieces and it took the top spot in this series. It’s ok to not know what you want to do with your life. And sometimes you need space and time to organize your thoughts and feelings and realize what’s important. All the love for Isla and Josh!
And it only took me approximately 28 hours between the time I left my house to the moment I stepped outside Seoul Airport. What’s 28 hours, right? 😀
My journey on itself wasn’t that large, but given that my first flight would leave at 6.45 a.m., I had no way to get to the airport except to arrive before midnight and stay there throughout the night. The only other option involved paying about 60€ for a cab at 3.30 a.m., and that’s just a no!
So I got there at 11.45p.m (wednesday night), I finished Cinder, I wrote Cinder‘s review (will pop up later today), I squeezed some work and analysed some DNA sequences. Then my batteries started to die and Barcelona airport doesn’t have nearly enough power sockets as it should have, so it took me about 20 minutes of combing through the airport until I found the right place… then I finally got a start on my Queen of Shadows review. 4a.m. meant that Check in opened, so there was that, security and so on, and then McDonalds!
I go to McDonalds very rarely, in fact, the McDonald’s at Barcelona airport is the one I visit more often, because I usually have it before boarding my plane. Now, before you scoff about me eating McDonald’s at 5a.m., please note that I hasn’t slept at all, so it was more of a second diner than breakfast.
Time came to board, I started my second book, Rikki, and read about 25% before take off, and then my head was throbbing so hard that I had to close my eyes for the almost 2 hours of the flight.
And then, Paris! I had forgotten how amazing Charles de Gaulle airport really is! I found a starbucks – it was high priority! Had my favorite drink + my favorite muffin, charged my phone, because it was about to die for the 4th time of the day, changed money, took some pics, and the hours flew by.
Suddenly was I was first in line to board to Seoul, then we were taking off, I was finishing Rikki, got some sleep because my head was giving me all kinds of warning signs that I needed to shut down, listened to some KPOP, because I figured that I should acclimate myself with it, saw a Korean comedy (that I laughed much more than the firm warranted – that was my brain shutting down). Had breakfast, saw a couple of episodes of Friends, started my third book and then TOUCHDOWN!
Getting out took a while, passport control and all, but I had wifi right away, so everything was cool. I had my car waiting for me, and damn it, that this was confortable like hell. Read some more – the airport is hells away from Seoul city centre – and the finally arrived at the hotel! Halleluia right? Well, no! I got in at 9 a.m., the hotel is fully booked and my room won’t be available until at least 1p.m… Happy me! So, here I am, in a coffee shop next to the hotel, with WIFI (thank the heavens), writing blogs posts and reading some more, while my head is protesting so hard from lack of sleep that I have the clear impression that I’m floating instead of sitting down.
I’ve been wearing the same clothes for more than 30 hours, I slept a grand total of 7 hours in the last 48 hours, and I would kill for a bath and a bed… but I still have a couple more hours of wait ahead of me…
Tomorrow I’ll starting posting pics of the city 😀
Hello people, I’m back from Portugal. After a crazy crazy week at home, I finally arrived to Barcelona yesterday morning (and at my house roughly 2h30m later… I have public transportation sometimes).
It was a SUPER CRAZY WEEK!! I’ll resume it for you, just because… I got there Friday night…
» Saturday I had a full day celebration at a friend’s house, to celebrate her birthday and PhD. After a day of eating and playing games, I finally got home at around 1 a.m.
» Sunday my brother picked me up at 9.30 a.m to go to the supermarket, then we went to his new house, looked around a bit, he showed me his 65′ and 55′ new TVs and played some PES, and then we had family lunch at our grandmother’s. After that, me, him and his wife went to a shopping mall, where he then left us and we went to IKEA next. We left IKEA completely drained at 10 p.m. and went to have a soup at another shopping mall… isn’t it great that things are open until 11p.m.?! After I had a freakout moment because I saw Throne of Glass in Portuguese, I went home.
– By now I’d been home for 2 whole days and had seen my dad a great amount of 1 hr on the day I arrived! –
» Monday I decided to sleep in a little… that was until my sister called me (and woke me up), to announce that she and her husband were arriving at Lisbon and if I wanted to have lunch with them. My answer was yes (because you never say no to dining out with your siblings, right?). SEAFOOD!!!! 😀 My bro and sis-in-law joined us as well, and then we (again) went to my brother’s new house. It was time to start washing the linens and stuff, and I spent the day assembling the kitchen diner table and the chairs… bless IKEA. On a bright note, I managed to get away and have diner with my dad 😉
» Tuesday I was able to stay at home a bit. I had to work on some stuff for my advisor, so that worked out well. And after 2 days of being stuck in the same page of Queen of Shadows, I was able to move up a few chapters (not many though). My BFF then went to get me and we made our usual route to some starbucks, a few shops, diner and a movie. 😀 (and then staying talking until past 2a.m. – I’m in serious need of some sleep).
» My plan for Wednesday was to relax all day and read, nothing more. I almost managed doing just that… But my sis called to let me know she would be picking me up soon… I said no, she said yes, she won! So, again, bro’s home – it’s a really nice house – we had a snack, we went to my grandmother’s, then to see a friend, then back to his house, we had diner at 11 p.m. and me and my sister-in-law’s sister stayed until 2a.m. playing Dance Central on the X-Box, while the men were upstairs with their PES.
» Thursday was a good day! I made progress on Queen of Shadows! I read and watched a bit of TV, relaxed, managed to actually read some blog posts that I had been accumulating, and then me and my BFF went to have coffee with a friend of ours that we hadn’t seen in awhile.
– Are you tired yet? –
» Friday I went (guess…), yeah, bro’s house. They went to deliver furniture, mainly the couch and dining table – very important – then we had lunch, me and sis went to starbucks, pharmacy, grandmother’s house. Then we had a family diner. My nephew arrived from the south of Portugal. After diner we all went to my brother’s house. Me and my BFF finally left past 1a.m. and I was super tired by then.
» Saturday (it’s almost over), I had a lunch with my family from my dad’s side. It’s always great to see my aunts 😀 ! By late afternoon I went shopping with my nephew and that was awesome, I had missed the kid. Then it was time to pack and sleep, because having a plane to catch at 6.45 a.m. is no joke.
My Grandmother/aunt’s house is full of these little treasures… Damn it, I was so cute when I was little…
Now, for the actual #TackleTBR Warp-Up, I didn’t do any good in this Read-a-Thon… not good at all.
Welcome again, to another week of Wandering About. I’ve been showing some amazing places that I’ve been at, but I thought that it was time to share some photos from the place I’m currently in: Barcelona! Though, technically, I live outside of the city right now.
I first set foot in Barcelona in January 2009, when I came to perform the lab analysis of my master’s samples. I was lucky enough to come with a friend, who was also doing a stay at a lab in this same university – it was a huge coincidence, and we only found out on the day before that we would actually be on the same flight to the city.
2009 was also the time I saw the most of the city, because I had company probably, but also, when you actually live somewhere, you don’t get in such a hurry to visit some stuff… Look at Park Guell – before you had to pay to get in – still one of my favorite spots in the city.
See that guy in red in the penultimate photo? That guy was hot and cute and was smiling like hell, and I was trying to actually get a photo of him. I have several, all of them from really far away. Me and my friend had a fun day! Also, here is the most known market in Barcelona, La Boqueria:
When I finished my master’s work, I went back home, and then I returned to Barcelona in December 2011 to complete my enrolment in the Doctoral program here at the university.
In September 2012 (3 years ago), I moved here again. I was here for just a week or so, when my cousin came to visit me, and I was able to actually see a bit of the city again…
And that’s it! Barcelona is a gorgeous city, it truly is. I have to collect my most recent photos and do a post just about the old part of the city, The Ramblas, and the Gothic and the sea front… it’s lovely. But usually when I go there, I’m not in tourist mode, I’m in “I want to do something” mode, so I end up not taking photos of nothing… I will though, before I leave for good.
It has been a while, but these weeks have been kind of crazy, a lot of work and no free time… at all… The Weekly Small Pleasures was created by A New Life Wandering. Here are some tiny pleasures of the last week or so…
1. Books!
I realize I say books a lot… a LOT! But hey, Amazon delivery day is always a pleasure… 😀
2. Packing
Apart from the crazy amount of work I had, I also had to find a new room to rent and pack up all of my stuff… it was stressful, but there was a kind of good feeling when I saw the boxes and bags all lined up.
3. I turned 31
It was my birthday this last week! And although I turned 31, and spent the day in front of my PC at home working like a maniac, it was nice! No cake or candles, not a single soul all day (I hate you NETWORK!), but I turned 31… the realization that I’m a lot closer to 40 than to 20 hit me like a rock, but hey, it’s all good…
4. Dad came to visit =)
Well, I’ve been in Barcelona for almost 3 years, and this was the first time my father came to see me. He came by car to take most of my stuff away, because there was no way I was going to move all that stuff that I didn’t need anymore, anywhere else. So he came here and it was great! 😀 We took a day to walk around Barcelona and see all the important spots… we also walked almost 20 km. Then we packed the car and they were off, and I was left with pain all over my body from walking and carrying boxes…
5. Check-in DONE!
It’s always a moment of pure joy when I open my e-mail to find a notification that my Check-in is now open. I travel on Friday, I’m going home for a week to spend a few days with my mom and 3 nephews, so I’m really looking forward to it.
6. Rainbow Rowell favorited my tweet!!!
It made me extremely happy! That’s all I’m gonna say…
7. New Simon/Blue e-mails
Because it’s Pride Month, there’s this great thing going on, you can read here. But basicly, if you buy a shirt, contribute or simply share the link, and then email Becky Albertalli (author of the amazing Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda), she will reply to you with some deleted emails between Simon and Blue that are just the most adorable thing. And when the author of one of your favorite books starts an email with your name and finishes with “Love, Becky”, it’s kind of impossible not to be crazy happy, right?
I love to go to the movies… that shouldn’t be news by now, but one of the worst things about living near the university, was that I had a 1h30min ride (with subway and bus) to an original version theatre (Barcelona). That will no longer be necessary!!! The Movie Theatre just 300m from my house will switch to Original version with spanish subtitles!!!! YYYYYUUUPPPIIII!!!
What a sh***y morning! So, I assume you are more or less aware that Catalunya want to be independent from the rest of Spain, right? So they want to vote on it and have it somehow count as it did in Scotland… (I hate to tell you this, but Scotland IS a country… Catalunya is not…). But well, so the students at my University decided to do a 2 days strike in order to raise awareness (I guess) and in the name of democracy!
That’s fair game, right? It’s a democratic right, the right to strike, but isn’t also your right not to do it?! Here at the university, we always have some trouble when the students decide to go on strike, because they barricade the entry that connects the FGC (trains) to the campus, which means, that either you got off on the previous stop and walk a long while to get there, or you have to know your way around the university pretty well and still deal with this a**holes (pardon my french). So, I decided “I’ll go super early, I won’t have a problem then”… and damn it, I was WRONG! Apparently the guys slept in the university so to be there super early!
As soon as I went towards the entrance to the university, I saw them putting up the last of the elements of the barricade, when I approached them, they were sending a poor kid away and…
I told them to “open up”…
to what they responded that “there’s now way, there are other entrances to the university”…
well “honey” – “I’m here and I want to enter!”…
“go around”
“no” – by this time, 3 other university employees were there as well, trying to get in – “I’m not spanish, I have absolutely nothing to do with this stuff, I need to get to work, you’re going to open up”
to this the guy responded in catalan – which is always nice when you just expressed how you’re not even from his country – “I’m not going to let you pass! There is a strike!”
at this point one of the ladies trying to get in appealed to the fact that the students may go on strike, but the personnel still has to go to work… this did nothing for them.
so, in a desperate attempt I said “well, you know, not everyone that sets foot in the university does so to study… some people have to work!” – to this the looked at me and laughed… I don’t know if it was the fact that I was wearing jeans, a hoodie and a backpack, but somehow this children (yes, to me that’s what they are!) thought that I was being ironic or something like that!
some other lady said (in catalan) “yeah, she’s right, there are a lot of companies based in the campus!”…
so some of the other kids convinced the first one to let us go through… quite a feat… if it wasn’t for the fact that has we were going in, they looked at a guy that was there as well and said “you can’t come in, you’re a student!”…
This made curse loudly… (with 3 policemen in front of me)! Do this people understand their rights? Because their freedom ends when somebody else’s begins! I would give them the benefit of the doubt if this was a strike about educational related subjects… but that was not the case. You have the right to have a divergent opinion, and you shouldn’t have your life disrupted because a group of people thinks that you opinion is not as valid as theirs.
God! I don’t miss being twenty!
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