It's so cold. Your eyebrows freeze. The water is the only warmth around once you get in. Everything is glowing luminescent blue as far as you can see. They sell volcanic rocks at the bar. It really is somewhere special. There are several types of muds, masks, and exfoliants that you can use to keep your skin soft at this natural geothermic spa. Swarms of people come to enjoy the natural hot water, the rejuvenating properties of the mud, as well as the Lagoon bar. It was a cold, refreshing experience, full of fresh air, and steamy lagoon. I enjoyed the afternoon, as well as the light lunch in the restaurant overlooking the outdoor spa. This place is listed as one of Conde Nast's World Traveler sites. It's a must-see!

This hotel is absolutely stunning. Usually, I find the cheapest 3 or 4 star hotel on websites like hotels.com or ebookers.com. They are good, but not great. This time I did some homework before I booked and found Hotel Axel. It was a little bit more per night, but well worth it. There was a spa below the ground floor, complete with a massive jacuzzi system powerful enough to knock you over if standing up to its jets. It had a wonderland for adults. The steam-room, chock full of hot Spanish men, was large enough to not be crowded, but full enough to not be empty. After the sweltering hot heat of the steam-room, there was an after ice-shower that completely refreshed. Also, there were two tiled love-seat lounge-chairs that were heated. You can lie down after that swim in the jacuzzi for a nice heated muscle relaxer. They have locations in Berlin and Buenos Aires.

Carrer Aribau, 33
08011 Barcelona, Spain
933 23 93 93
Axel Hotel Website

UVA restaurant is a hidden gem in the Upper East Side. It is mainly a wine bar, with a wide assortment of cheeses. The also have sit down dinners, lunches and brunch, but at night it is hard to get a table. They have just a neighborhood walk in crowd. My favorite part of the evening was the Barbera d'Asti Coppo that we paired with our cheese. I recommend this place highly for anyone looking for Italian but who is a little over spaghetti and meatballs. I could have had another bottle or two and chowed down on the cheese but I didn't want to make a pig out myself. I plan on getting back to this place soon so look out!

There are many winding corridors underneath the city of Paris that are filled with the remains of the dead. Their bones are piled high for miles with plaques, photographs, and some artwork on the wall along the way. The catacombs came about because around 1795, the city's cemeteries were overcrowded with the bodies of the victims of the Black Plague, as well as from several revolutions. There were so many that the city smelled like rotting dead bodies. They were contaminating the streets with bacteria getting the living sick. Originally, the French government decided to pile the bodies in the crypts to help sanitize the city. The remains were considered disrespectful by many as they were not laid to rest properly. Eventually, many people petitioned the government to create some kind of order in the Catacombs. They eventually placed the bones throughout the tunnels in piles against the wall while cleaning the area to create a museum.
The Catacombs
The history of the Catacombs

St. Patrick's Day 2011 was off the hook in Temple Bar! This place knows how to party. People were out in the streets with green hats, beer cups and party favors until sometime the next day. The festivities were throughout the week, with events that we attended ranging from Live Trad music by Sharon Shannon to the parade itself. The actual parade was a performance, with a narrative story that highlighted each section of the parade as a chapter in the tale. There were floats built around the words of the story. It was much different than any parade in NYC, to the extent that it was like something from Chinese New Year. There were so many people there that it was almost overpowering. We had to go inside at one point to get away from the gigantic crowd around the parade. I think I have had enough to drink until next year's parade.