A little motivational pep talk.

First of all: I got the spinning job ha. For now it's only gonna be 2 days/week. I was really afraid they're gonna give me the 8pm class (which I'd do anyway), but my boss just called and asked if I was up to the 6pm class. HECK YEAH! Actually, I prefer it a thousand times! The gym is almost 9K away from my home and I bike to get there. Not fun biking all the way back, at 9ish pm, 40F. So 6pm works great!

Second. Some thoughts about positive attitude. I haven't posted this here but I have been feeling pretty down those past weeks. Like 4-days-in-a-row-without-leaving-your-bedroom kind of down. It all started when I got the news that I did really bad in a final that I've studied my a** off. And it was probably some scam from school, which I won't get into details about. This subject was correlative for most of the subjects I should be taking this year - which I can't do now 'till I pass this damn test. Considering that all the subjects are annuals, I'll basically waste a whole year of my life. Add to that the fact that I still have 5 more years to graduate + 4 more of residency and you get the picture of how big this is.

It took me almost a whole month to sort all this thing out inside my head. First I got really depressed, to the point where my roommate had to do an intervention. I got better. Then sad again. Trying to find a job. Doing nothing the whole day. Not having motivation to wake up, to go out. Barely eating. Then I re-started bodyrocking. Got slightly better. A couple gyms started calling me for subbing some spinning classes. My appetite got better, my mood improved, my will to simply exist finally came back. Now, I know that I had the right to be upset, but still I did leave all the circumstances take the best out of me. I could've sort this out in a different way. I could've reached out for my friends, family. I could've used up my time for running more, hanging out more, socializing more. Instead I've hibernated in my own world and started avoid everybody, which obviously just made me feel worse. Now when you move from country to country as much as I do, feeling lonely is something you just get used to. New friends are easy to find, but that old ones that took you years to cultivate in your own country that's something really hard to find in just a couple of months or years. Studying the hardest career on the planet also doesn't help with the socializing part, specially because every med student you see are in their own world and have so much inside their heads that it's hard to make time for anything else besides school and probably only one more thing (either family, friends, bf/gf, activity, hobby etc).

So if you're feeling depressed, allow yourself to feel it but please don't let it take over your life. Bad things happen and we should all feel sad about them - I have a really hard time with those bloggers who all have a perfect relationship, always a perfect workout, always motivated to run etc; don't let this kind of thing bring you down! Everybody has their own problems and weather they decide to show it or not is a whole other thing. Don't think about how it looks much easier for everyone else and how apparently you always have to work much harder to get what you want. Just do your own thing. Using others as motivation is a great thing, but 'till a certain point where you don't feel bad about what you have compared to what everyone else has. Obviously some people have it easier than others, but that's circumstantial. You have something that come easier for you than it does for them as well, you sure do. It's time to focus on our strengths instead of whining about our weaknesses.

Anyway, I think this is more for myself than for the blog world ;) I'm just gonna put up some inspirational pictures so, every time I (you too) feel sad, down, unmotivated, you can always remember that there's someone else who's feeling the same - the difference is that they're pushing through it instead of feeling sorry for themselves.

Born To Run and some gross-looking foods.

When I think I've reached rock bottom with my gross-looking-yet-healthy foods, I always find ways to surprise myself :D

First, I'm damn sure you've read this book:

(source)

Wait, you haven't? Really, and you call yourself a runner? Ok, just kidding, but really you really should just buy it like yesterday. I won't spoil it because I really don't believe anyone hasn't read it yet. What I want to talk about is chia seeds. Yes, the chia recipe that the Tarahumara tribe drinks before a run. Yes, I did it. And no, it doesn't taste nearly as gross as it looks!

Chia seeds, water, lemon and honey.

Like it's said in the book, after a while the water gets this gel-like consistency. So you drink it. And in 5min you feel like someone has injected redbull straight into your veins. Now, you should really try it for yourself since the placebo effect can really affect me ha. But seriously, I've tried 3 times now and all of them were like really awesome. A staple in my house now. 

So, you want something worse? 

Ginseng!

If you know me you well, you'll be aware of my passion for korean dramas. Well, it was only their dramas at first. Now I pretty much love their whole culture in general. Music, food, literature, movies, language (although I don't study and have never studied korean, only japanese ;) ). Anyway, the ginseng tea is known for TONS of good stuff. To list some:

Benefits of korean ginseng

The main active ingredients of Korean ginseng are ginsenosides. These steroid-like phytochemicals have adaptogenic properties, which give ginseng property to counter the effects of stress. The glycosides act on the adrenal glands, helping to prevent adrenal hypertrophy and excess corticosteroid production in response to stress. Ginsenosides increase protein synthesis and activity of neurotransmitters in the brain. Ginseng stimulates the formation of blood vessel and improves blood circulation in the brains, thereby improving memory and cognitive abilities. Ginseng is also used for diabetes, migraine, infections, radiation and chemotherapy protection, to aid in sleep, and to stimulate the appetite. 
Korean ginseng contains steroids such as panaxtriol. The steroids are remarkably similar in structure to anabolic steroids found naturally in our body. This makes Korean ginseng ideal for athletes and body builders looking for a natural alternative to anabolic steroid. Korean ginseng is also used by women for treatment of post menopausal symptoms.

Other facts

The word panax is derived from the Greek word panacea, which means all healing. In China, ginseng is the most used herb, where it has been used for more than 7000 years. Also in the Western world people are convinced of health benefits of ginseng. 
In China, the Korean ginseng roots are called Jin-chen, meaning like a man as they resemble the same shape our body. The ginseng plant can live for over 100 years. (source).

So yes, I've been searching for it for a while now, 'till I finally found it! Although I was looking for the roots, they were out of it, so I brought home the tails instead. I'm not quite sure yet what to do with the ginseng tails... they're too thin to make tea (I think?). I've heard you can pretty much just boil them a little then EAT them. And, yes, I did. Well, this one tastes funny. I mean, not horrible. Just funny. I've been brewing and eating them, just like that, since I can't find anything else to do with it. Anyone? Ideas? 

That's it for weird stuff. ;) I've been in a funky mood lately. It's like there are lots of good stuff but lots of nhen stuff at the time time. I finally got the spinning instructor job, so I'm psyched! But I was really looking forward to teach english at Berlitz, but they haven't called me yet :(  So I've been filling my days with:

Friends and wine.

Some nights out.

Hanging out with the rommie.

Satisfying my biggest addiction ;) 

Not much running in my books those days. No excuse except for the fact that I, to put it simple, do not want to run. I don't wanna stress over this anymore. I've cried enough on my own. It's a phase, or at least that's what I said to convince myself that it's something temporary. I don't want to run to feel bad. Running is my passion and it's supposed to make me feel fresh and happy, not devastated. So let's just take a breathe, do some more bodyrocking and spinning while my mind sort its shit out ;) 

RIGHT? 

Livefit Program Review and The Hungry Planet book.

So yes, I'm not a doctor (yet!), but I can tell when someone is making a really stupid idea about nutrition. I've been reading a lot about this Lifefit program and I went to check it out and see what all the buzz was about. At first, I didn't understand much of what it was, so I signed up to have a better look at it. As I was watching some of the videos, I went to check out their "Nutrition Plan", and that was enough to make me lose all respect to the whole program. Not only it doesn't have any form of complex carbohydrates whatsoever, but it also states that:


The following foods do not exist:
• All dairy foods (including milk and cheese).
• Empty calorie drinks such as fruit juice, soda and 
alcohol.
• Worthless carbohydrates such as bread, noodles 
and pasta.
• Starches such as potatoes and white rice.


Now wait... what? First of all, you can not, by any means, say that all dairy foods to NOT exist. It's true that we eat nowadays way more dairy than we need and that they aren't the best choice for our calcium intake. STILL, to state that they don't exist is just completely and absolutely wrong. If you wanna go vegan, that's your choice, but I know lots of people who do very well eating their fair amount of milk or cheese per day. Before you state something this big, you really need to make sure the other person is aware of the consequences. Not eating any kind of dairy can be considerate healthy, but it need a whole backup system to it that the other person needs to be aware of. If you're cutting a whole food group completely off of your diet, you need to be aware that something's gonna go off balance and you need to compensate it somehow. A minimum amount of knowledge about the nutritional value of most foods is really important here, so please, don't just go around believing that cutting dairy is the solution for your problems.

Second... did they just put "fruit juice", "soda" and "alcohol" in the same category? So you're saying that if you blend an orange, some strawberries, blueberries and ice and drink it is the exact same thing than drinking a cup of coke? And when did blenders start sucking off all the nutrients from fruits that they became "empty calories?"

Third. Again the words "worthless calories". Bread, pasta and noodles. Now really, when did complex carbohydrates became worthless calories and where was I when that happened? You body RUNS on carbohydrates. If you take them off of your diet, you're gonna feel it hard and have really low levels of energy. But there's no problem, because they recommend at least a thousand pills and vitamins for you to take to get that pick up you need. Atkins feelings, anyone?

Last but not least, potatoes and white rice. I'm not a big white rice fan myself, but if this was the biggest weight problem in the world, well can someone explain this to me: (source)

Now how come the 4 countries that eat the most amount of rice and that have their diet based mostly on carbohydrates have the least level of obesity in the world? Not only that, but lower levels of heart disease, cancer and most of the common diseases wildly spread around the US?

So before you start jumping into some crazy diet sold by people who may look muscular and fit but are definitely not healthy, you should sit down and think. Any diet that restricts a whole food group like carbohydrates or dairy as bad are not only a bad idea, but it's probably gonna me harmful for you. I can't state this enough but everything, EVERY SINGLE THING should be done in moderation. Let me make an example here. A couple years ago, I read a book that nearly changed my whole conception about food and dieting. It's called Hungry Planet, What the World Eats. Here's a little description:

Imagine inviting yourself to dinner with 30 different families... in 24 countries. Imagine shopping, farming, cooking and eating with those families... taking note of every vegetable peeled, every beverage poured, every package opened.
Well that's what photographer Peter Menzel and writer Faith D'Aluisio did for their new book, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.
The husband-and-wife team wanted to see how globalization, migration and rising affluence are affecting the diets of communities around the globe.
Each chapter of their book features a portrait of a family, photographed alongside a week's worth of groceries. There's also a detailed list of all the food and the total cost. (source).


Let's go over some of the countries from the graphic above: (source):


Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25

Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips

                      

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily

Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98

Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken

United States: The Caven family of California

Food expenditure for one week: $159.18

Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream

I pretty much think the pictures speak for themselves, but if you're still unsure check this book out. See what the whole world has been eating not for years but for centuries before you decide to let anyone tell you that rice or bread is bad for you. As far as my opinion goes, what is bad for you is putting a huge amount of food in your body. It can be a huge amount if anything, really; even something healthy. It's still gonna be bad for you. We need to learn that moderation is the key. That our portion sizes are just ridiculous. That we need to go back to the basics of eating less, move around more. It's kinda simple, right? ;) 

Answering your questions!

So, as promised, I'm gonna answer some questions that have been popping out on my inbox lately!

Anonymous:  What are you gonna do after med school?
That's a great one... so, this kind of question actually has been asked A LOT, so I thought I'd take the time to answer it properly ;)  I go to med school for one reason: I love sports. You may not see the connection, and at points even I couldn't see it, but there is. It's true that I have to self-endure a bunch of stuff that I absolutely will never find any use in my life, but oh well, if that's what it takes, I'm all for it! So, as you all know, after med school I have to do my residency, and that will be for Sports Medicine.

Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise.

It's a very large branch and it usually involves injuries and I don't wanna work with that (that's why we have traumatologists for!). So, afterwards, I plan on specializing as an Exercise Physiologist.

Exercise physiology is the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to a wide-range of physical exercise conditions. In addition, many exercise physiologists study the effect of exercise on pathology, and the mechanisms by which exercise can reduce or reverse disease progression. Accreditation programs exist with professional bodies in most developed countries, ensuring the quality and consistency of education.

An exercise physiologist's area of study may include but is not limited to biochemistry, bioenergetics, cardiopulmonary function, hematology,biomechanics, skeletal muscle physiology, neuroendocrine function, and central and peripheral nervous system function. Furthermore, exercise physiologists range from basic scientists, to clinical researchers, to clinicians, to sports trainers.

And this, ladies and gentleman, is my dream job. I want to study the bodies responses to different kinds of exercises and how nutrition can affect it. Surreal, right? Although I'm a loooong way to get there, knowing what I want and what I have set on my mind helps me to keep focused. Med school is no joke. Most of the times, I'm moody, stressed, sleepless and all the sorts you can imagine... Just so you can picture it, these were my books for the FIRST SEMESTER:

If you don't have some sort of goal planned ahead of time, you will never EVER make it through. Tough but rewarding... kinda like running, right? ;) 

Julie: Did you know any spanish before you moved to Argentina? 

Nope! Not a single word! But when I moved to the US I didn't know any english either lol. I don't like to think too much about stuff like that, because I end up not doing it like ever... so if I have this crazy idea and this awesome opportunity, I'm taking it! I don't care what it takes, if it's gonna be hard, lonely, whatever. It was not easy moving to the US... I had to leave my family and friend of many many years behind... I got homesick for about 3 months straight, I'd start crying out of nowhere for no reason! So when I moved to Argentina, it was kind of easier because I was already used to live by myself, ya know? But the language... ohhh, the language! You'd think it'd be easier because portuguese and spanish are both latin languages, but darn it, it wasn't! I've been here for almost 2years and a half now and I'm really ashamed of my spanish skills (hence why my facebook and blog are all in english lol). I do manage to live, obviously, because I need to go to school and all that, but most of the books I read are in english; I've unplugged my tv so I have no contact with argentinian media; all the shows I watch are either in english or korean and I've never taken spanish classes. Some people have requested me to start blogging in spanish or portuguese and I've been considering this for some time now... maybe I'll do it once in a blue and see how it goes ;) 

Anonymous: ilove ur pics soo much! u're really pretty and you inspire me!!! 

Aww that's the sweetest thing ever! THANK YOU! People like you motivate me to keep going even through hard times... if I can inspire one single person, I'm happy! :D 

About today... spinning instructor interview went GREAT! I have a class on Monday to see how it goes and then hopefully they're gonna hire me <3 Sooo excited to finally be able to teach spinning again! The manager is really awesome, the interview was amazing, the spinning room looks more like a nightclub, it has tons of different lights and stuff like that... CAN'T WAIT! 

When you think about not working out, think about why you started it in the first place! Think about how great you're gonna feel afterwards, how rewarding it'll be for your body and mind, how it's gonna affect your mood for the whole day... inspiration is ALSO a habit! We all have setbacks (I've had many!), so choose pages that you think inspire you, bookmark them and make sure you get your daily motivation in ;) 

Real Jazmin Tea and job interviews.

Every time I go to a japanese restaurant, I always end up getting jazmin tea because I simply can't get enough off it. I've always promise myself I'd get my own teapot and make real tea, but it was one of those things that you keep procrastinating... not anymore! ;) 

I have 4 job interviews tomorrow, one of them as a spinning instructor, which I'm stoked about! I haven't taught spinning since 2010 in here, and I really missed the days when Jodi and I were making spinning routines together for Ramsey and Westood classes at New York Sports Club in NJ :(  One of our themed classes was an 80's class, and it rocked! You better believe that I did NOT skip on the outfit ;)

I obviously did not live in the 80's, although I reaaaally like 80's music <3

Time to rest up for tomorrow! Hope everyone had a great Easter (I had a whole box of chocolate, thank you very much) ;) 

ps. I have a couple of questions on my mail box and I promise I'm gonna come around them by tomorrow! ;) 

Human Body - Pushing the Limits.

I'm a documentary freak. Specially when they're medical or ecological related. I used to watch way more documentaries than I do now, but yesterday, as I was bored out of my mind, I started looking into some and found one that used to be my favorite. It's a Discovery Channel series called "Human Body - Pushing the Limits". It has 4 episodes: 1) Strength / 2) Sight / 3) Sensation / 4) Brain Power. They're unbelievably awesome. It shows us the capacity our bodies have when we push them beyond what we think we can. I'll leave you with the link of the first episode, so you can just follow up the other ones in the related videos tabs ;)

The difference is not in pain threshold, is how much you'll put up with before you say "that's it, I quit".

This video yesterday actually came in a heck of a good time. Saturdays are usually the hardest training day for me and my running group. It's the day we do the long speed workouts, like 800m/1000m/2000m. I've done them ONCE in my life last year, mostly because I was either injured or I had a race on the following Sunday, so I would just take it easy. Now, I have no choice. If I ever wanna get better, I MUST do them. We all know the benefits of doing speed training and how it transfers afterwards to out halfs and marathons. So those nice long jogs you do really need to be pared up with some quality time on the tracks. What are the benefits? Well, you're gonna must likely raise your VO2max (from Runner's World):

In their laboratory research, scientists frequently measure this delivery and use of oxygen, calling it maximum oxygen uptake or VO2 max. They consider maximum oxygen uptake to be the most basic measure of aerobic fitness, and they've shown that it increases as you train more and harder.  (source)

How to do it:

The best and most efficient way to increase your aerobic capacity is to run slightly faster (10 to 30 seconds per mile) than your 5-K race pace. Faster runners should be closer to the 10-second figure, and slower runners closer to the 30-second figure. For example, if you can race a 5-K at 7:40 per mile, you should run your max VO2 workouts at 7:20 to 7:30 pace. This isn't a pace that you can maintain very long in training. You can run for distance (800 meters) or time (3 to 5 minutes). (source)

So, back to my dreadful Saturday. The first 1000m hit and I did it at 5:15min. It nearly killed me. I couldn't breathe and thought I wasn't gonna be able to finish it - at all. The second one I slowed down a bit and did it at 5:30min. After that one, I was laying down on the grass wondering why on god's creation I had to do that. I was totally done, but my friend insisted we did a light "jog" just to finish it up. And we did. At 5:25min and I was happy and alive! But... wait a minute. How on god's creation did I run faster and felt effortless? It was because she used the magic word: jog. As soon as my brain figured I wasn't gonna do anymore speed, it twisted from the "I can't do this shit" mode to the "Let's do that" mode. I know, right? I gave that a lot of thought and it's amazing the power our brains can have over our overall performances. So it's up to us to push ourselves to the limit, knowing that you always have more in you than your brain let you think you do - or our ancestors would hunt forever 'till they collapse due to exhaustion ;) 

On a side note... have this ever happened to you?

Apparently, my socks are really sentimental... so when I forget about them, they hide themselves to claim for attention. 

And, on a side note part 2:

I know Adidas is our group's sponsor, but I just can't get enough of Mizuno. They fir me perfectly and feel like heaven on my foot! 

"Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. Sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can." 

Vince Lombardi.

Granola recipe and proud of being a runner.

Well, look who's adventuring herself in the kitchen ha That's something, specially if you know me at all! I was really determined to make homemade granola for a while now for a couple of reasons: First, I don't seem to be able to find a single granola here that doesn't have raisins. Now, that's just wrong. Why, why put raisins in any food at all I'll never know... it's gross. Ew. d: Second, they're never really healthy - ok, remember that I live in a 3rd world now that there's no Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or any of the sort. What they do have in Buenos Aires is a  single block called Chinatown and one supermarket there that sells some healthy stuff. That's it. Third, they're obviously extremely pricey. I might become a rich sports medicine doctor someday, but I'm telling ya that day is not today.

So for all those reasons and maybe more I've decided to make my own granola at once. Omg it's so easy and the best part is that you can pretty much get a base recipe and just switch the ingredients for whatever you're feeling like at the moment! So, I got this recipe as my base and did my own thang with it ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 c. old fashioned oats
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp. sunflower seeds 
• a handful of chopped almonds

Directions:

• Preheat over to 300 degrees and spread a cookie sheet with cooking spray
• Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir
• Slowly, stir honey and sunflower oil into oat mixture until oats are adequately coated
• Spread granola onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes, stirring halfway through
• Let cool until oats become crunchy (as soon as you take them off the oven, they're gonna be munchy and you'll think you did something wrong, but really, once they cool down they will get crunchy!). 

Sorry about the bad quality, itouch pictures kinda sucks :S

Back to running-related news, somehow yesterday I've managed to get my speed at the 100m from 27 to 25sec (6.24 pace) and dang it I was so proud of myself! I still don't quite get how my running has had any improvement at all after almost a whole month without hitting the pavement, but apparently the god's of running really love me <3.

Hoping everyone is having a great weekend! Don't forget to eat tons of chocolate for Easter, as long as you never forget its real meaning ;)

                       

Running insights.

Enough with vacations, let's get down to business. If you've seen my dailymile page (probably not d:). you'd notice that I was really into my training last January/February. Well, that obviously lasted 'till I got in Europe. I took everything I'd possibly need to run... but it did not happen. I could throw a thousand of excuses here, but truth be told, despite of my actually desire to keep on running, I just couldn't bring myself to it. Our schedules were completely hectic. We'd wake up at 7am, breakfast, walk, walk, walk, lunch, walk tons more, dinner, more walk, back to hostel around 1am. Repeat. Like I said, we were basically walking in between 15, 20, 25K a day. I'm not a person to go backpacking and then get in buses or subways to go anywhere. You're there to see stuff, right? So walk to it and you might find zillions of interesting stuff on the way. And that's exactly what we did! So, imagine walking those distances every.single.day for 13 days straight and you'll have an idea. By the time we were back at the hostel, I swear I could barely feel my legs...  :(  But still, all that walking was great and totally worth it. 

I know that sometimes it's really hard to keep on schedule with your training when you are out of your routine.  Specially for me, I suffer a lot from re-adjusting into new environments, so by the time I get myself going, it's already time to head back. Usually, I'd let this stress me over and I would end up, sometimes, not having as much fun as I'd like to because I'd be all worked up on when or how I was gonna workout. This year, I just turned the "screw this shit" bottom on and just went with it. Of course I did feel a little guilty about losing my so hard-earned resistance, but hey, I can always get that back right? It's not the same for opportunities and momentos ;)

When I got back to Buenos Aires, I was pretty boomed about the score I got in one of my finals :(  It was a really important one and I've studied my a** off, so I got really pissed and depressed about it, and unfortunately, I let this got the best of me and totally hibernated in my room. For almost 2 whole weeks, I'd wake up past 1pm, turn on the computer, eat if I wasn't to lazy to get up (most of the times I was), stay up 'till 6am, sleep again. I wasn't even seeing sunlight. Thank GOD, my roommate intervened and took me to a frozen yogurt date... isn't she the best? <3 (besides, she also knows there's no depression in this world that can make me turn down an offer for free frozen yogurt d:).

After that, I've collected myself and went to meet my running mates... it was so nice seeing them all again (I haven't been training with them in forever since summer started because I couldn't bare the humidity, so I was training by myself at 6am, I know who was I?), and that alone pumped me up! So, as a repayment, I offered my roommate to run alongside her in her first race ever (Nike's Women 5K Race) and we had a BLAST!

And I don't care if I wasn't racing, a sushi after any race is a MUST!

So, now I'm really excited for my upcoming races! First, I'm gonna run the 6K "Water's Race" on April 15th, although I'm not gonna sign up for it first because I don't have a tree made out of money and second because I'm really not racing it, just using it as part of my training. Then, on April 22nd there's the FILA's 10K race ;) 

By the end of May (not sure the exact day), I'll be running the Rosario's Half Marathon. Now, my experience with Rosario last year wasn't so pleasant (who forgets their very first race (6K) and their very first injury?), but I'm really happy to see how I've grown in just one year! I know I could be in a much better place now if I didn't lack as much consistency as I do. So, for this year, I'm gonna try to really focus on this word alone and just try my very best to be a better, smarter and stronger runner ;) I can not concentrate of the bad things and injuries that happened to me last year, or I'd never be able to move forward. I can only learn from them and make sure I don't make the same mistakes again... and also give myself some credit for being better than I was this very day last year ;) (actually, I started running at this exact time last year... how about that for improvement?). 

Be positive and don't ever forget to give yourself credit for all the amazing accomplishments you've achieved! ;) 

And back I am!

Continuing to my never-ending trip that really did end...

From Rome to Paris! Paris doesn't disappoint. I think I was amazed by Rome because, although I knew it was gonna be a pretty city, I had no idea it would blow me away the way it did... now the thing with Paris is that you already know what you're getting... And knew it would be charming, pretty, delightful and all the other adjectives you can imagine. So that's what I mean when I say that it does not disappoint. It is indeed the city of the blinding lights... you feel like you stepped out into a whole different world.

And... ah Versailles! I thought about all the History books and everything and to think I was like standing right there... was really surreal.

And... the best for last!

Ok, so I've heard enough about how bad the food in Paris is... and now all I have to say is: WTF? The food there is amazing! And you can obviously get food from all over the world! Of course is a little pricier than the rest of Europe, but we all already knew that, although we didn't pay nearly as much as we had thought! 

Croissants and the best coffee in the whole wide world for breakfast. I could get used to that. And, for dinner, I found a restaurant at Chateau Elysee that only sells seafood, but their specialty is... OYSTERS! Gosh, I was in heaven. 

First night, I got those cheesy oysters, beer and voila, unlimited fries!

Second night, I was obviously back there and got their most famous oysters with a cheesy creamy sauce... 

that Coke was obviously my aunt's... I haven't had soda since I was 13!

So then... off to Barcelona! I don't know if I had set my expectations too high or if I just didn't have enough time to walk around, but I didn't enjoy the city as much as I did for the other ones (it was actually the one I enjoyed the least!), but we've managed to have some fun! 

And it wouldn't be complete without... PAELLA!

followed with the famous spanish beer Estrella ;)

Ok and finally our last stop... Lisbon! I wasn't really in the mood to go there, I went because I wanted to meet a childhood friend of mine who's living there... but I must say: I freaking loved it! I would've switched all my days in Barcelona to more days in Lisbon for sure <3 

The very place from where Cabral's ships set sail and "discovered" Brasil d: 

So, if you've never had Port Wine from Portugal you don't know what life is. Oh, and also their Green Wine. Gosh, this alone makes life worth living. We also had an overdose of "bacalhau" (cod)... 

Green wine!

Ok, that was pretty much it! I hope I gave you guys enough enthusiasm to go out there and visit all these amazing countries... and more! ;)  If everything goes as planned, I might be able to hit Japan by the end of the year... now THAT would be just... priceless. 

I have some new insights into my running, which I should save for tomorrow because this post is already long enough d: