The Tapas Crawl

 Lovelies,

A trip to Spain is simply incomplete without enjoying a few tapas. 

Tapas, also known as Pintxos in Basque, are served from 7 PM to 12 PM, and are meant to be eaten as appetizers; a precursor to a very late dinner. It is not uncommon for locals to "hop" from one tapas bar to another, sampling each bar's specialty as they go. While tapas bars were once seen as small and cheap eateries, they are quickly gaining popularity and recognition in the gastronomic world. 

During my stay in San Sebastian, I knew I had to fully experience this so-called tapas crawl at some point. The city is notorious for hosting a range of exceptional cuisine and dining; there are more Michelin stars in the city per square foot than any other city in the world! (crazy, huh?)

I began my walk towards San Sebastian's old town at around 9 PM. The worn streets, filled with locals and tourists alike, smelled like a mixture of beer and olives. Although I carried a map with me that highlighted the specialties of each tapas bar, I decided it would be more fun to pick the bars at random. With that decision made, I began my crawl.

After entering a few bars, I noticed that each eatery presented their tapas differently. While some bars took the traditional approach to presenting the delicacies, others used marble slabs and an edgy presentation to display their tapas. The pictures above highlight the differences in presentation and construction of different tapas.

Overall, I had a lot of fun experiencing the crawl. I would, however, recommend doing some research before venturing out into the streets. Although it was fun to sample different tapas at random, there were some bars that seemed much more popular than others. 

XOXO,

Em

Bucket List Item #16

 Lovelies,

 When I was ten years old, I wanted to be an architect. In part, I was inspired by the documentary on Frank Gehry, a quirky Canadian architect whose use of metal and glass turned the industry on its head. In the documentary, a few of his major works are highlighted, The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao being one of them. After waiting for years, I finally got to visit! I tried to take photos of the most interesting structural aspects of the building, including the varying angles of the sheet metal, as well as the glass panels in the interior.

The museum hosted several temporary exhibitions while we visited, one being the Riotous Baroque exhibition. This installation presented questionably- themed modern day pieces alongside Baroque-era pieces to emphasize the shock value of the Baroque pieces when they were originally released. This was unlike any other exhibition I had ever visited; the way the curator designed the layout of the floor was fascinating.

While visiting art museums, I like to look as artsy as possible. I attempted to do so by combining the colorful striped scarf with a basic striped shirt. I think it provides some great contrast and color to the monochromatic blue base (jeans and blazer). I finished the look with brand new Converse (there's something about the fresh, white rubber accents that makes me feel so pulled together), and my J. Crew schoolboy blazer.  

XOXO,

Em

Notes on the Outfit-

- J. Crew Schoolboy Blazer in Navy 

- Madewell Striped Shirt

- Michel LeBrun Scarf (I purchased this at a small boutique in my town. The designer is based in Paris and makes incredible scarfs! You can shop for some of them here. The site is in progress, but it should be back up soon).

- Abercrombie Jeans

- Longchamp 'Le Pliage' Tote

- Converse

- Dogeared Necklace