my 7 links.

Thanks to Suzy Guese, I was nominated to participate in Tripbase’s Seven Links project, with the goal being to bring travel bloggers together to “share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.” I’m stoked to be a part of it.

Here are my 7 links:

1. my most beautiful post: christmas in madrid. I spent Christmas with my roommates in Madrid this past year and experienced the holiday in a new way, absorbing a different culture’s traditions on the holiday for a change. Christmas Day evening was marked by a stroll through Madrid’s take on Central Park, known as Parque del Buen Retiro. The combination of the lights, sunset, and Christmas spirit make this my most beautiful post.

christmas in retiro.

lights in the puerte de alcalá.

2. my most popular post: an A- in 100 Montaditos. This post chronicles the culmination of my “Cien Montaditos Challenge” where I tried to make my way through all 100 sandwiches offered at the Spanish mini-sandwich chain, Cervecería 100 Montaditos. I ended up trying 91/100 while I was in Spain for 9 months and in this post I highlight my favorite and least favorite montaditos, as well as my favorite locations of the chain. This post is probably popular because the sandwiches are so insanely good.

montadito heaven.

me, 100 montaditos menu, and Plaza Santa Ana.

the ópera location.

3. my most controversial post: corrida de toros. The controversial nature of this post makes sense – last October, I went to a bullfight at Madrid’s ring at Las Ventas. I had a good time at the corrida – it was definitely a lavish, cultural experience and more artful (in my opinion) than brutal. While I only went to one during my time abroad, I’d recommend the bullfight experience. I received some harsh feedback on this one – I respect animal rights’ groups and my non-meat eating friends’ beliefs, but it was important to me to check this out.

las ventas.

the corrida.

toreros + the bull.

4. my most helpful post: destination: BCN. Barcelona is my favorite city on earth, and I’ve passed this guide around to every visitor I’ve known who has gone there – insisting they visit Gaudí’s masterpieces, eat at my favorite restaurant (La Rita), and check out the bars, sights, and quirky oddities that make BCN so magical for me. My Dad has forwarded this post to his colleagues who have traveled to Barcelona, and my roommate in Madrid followed my recommendations to the letter  - and then she made her two sisters do the same! I’m a big guidebook fan, but if you’re going to Barcelona this post will get you started for sure.

park guell.

at the magic fountain with my friend becca back in the study abroad days.

my obsessions in a photo.

5. A post whose success surprised you: be my guest. This post was essentially a “thank you” to everyone who visited me in Madrid this last year. I didn’t think people would be that interested in seeing random photos of my friends, but it was surprisingly popular. It was a fun way for me to remember the past year.

brian giving an "abrazo" to a bartender who felt compelled to give us endless free chupitos de tequila.

my roommate alia, me, and my college friend krisse in mallorca.

my uncle and i outside madrid's Mercado de San Miguel.

a post that didn’t get the attention it deserved: wwrsd: what would rick steves do? I wrote this post after reflecting upon my 2009 Spring Break trip to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and Rome and how my friends and I swore by Rick’s guidance and triangle-based rating system. I also explained how much I enjoyed the talk I attended featuring Rick Steves at my alma mater, UC Berkeley, in 2010. While I know not everyone loves Rick Steves, I always enjoyed this post because I mention many different travel-related themes and how the travel guru himself influenced my travels and travel philosophy.

following Rick's advice to a Bamraxler in Vienna.

meeting Rick in October 2010.

7. the post I am most proud of: run it. I wrote this post for June 1 of this year, also known as National Running Day! In it, I describe my years-long obsession with running, how I got to be a runner, and why it is important to me. While not necessarily travel-related, running has punctuated every trip I’ve ever taken: from my family’s vacation years ago to Maui, to my first run in Europe in Lucerne, Switzerland in 2006, to running the Madrid Half Marathon in 2011.

running xc senior year with my friends and teammates angela + kelsey.

post half-marathon with my spectators, tina + alia.

my nominations.  To keep the project going, here are three bloggers I’d like to see contribute their own 7 links!

Anywhere There’s An Airport

Kaley…& Más 

Love & Paella

If you’d like to be nominated, leave me a comment! I have two spots left!