things to do in dallas - coffee shops, pt 8.

This is the 8th installment in an ongoing coffee shop series.

For more, click here or here.

La Famiglia Caffe (North Richland Hills)
I drove out to NRH one afternoon to meet Peter for dinner when he got off work, but went a little early so I could also spend some time with his mom. We decided to grab coffee and I used my handy dandy Yelp app to guide us. We ended up at La Famiglia Caffe because it was close, Deborah had seen it around before, and we were both curious. Inside was much nicer than the outside - an unsuspecting shopping center - might lead you to believe. It was cozy and bright. They had multiple syrup options for flavored coffee as well as lots of baked goods and gelato. I was SO tempted to get a scoop of salted caramel with a shot of espresso poured over and a dollop of whipped cream because I saw that on Yelp and WOULDN'T YOU? But I stuck with my vanilla latte because I am boring. It was a fabulous cup of coffee and the atmosphere lent itself to sitting and chatting for a while. We were both very pleased and I could definitely see us visiting again together.

Espumoso Caffe (Oak Cliff)
This small Bishop Arts coffee shop serves up coffee with a Latin twist. I got a toffee crunch latte - they had lots of flavors to choose from! - but I'm pretty sure they forgot the syrup, ha. It was a decent latte, but truth be told, that's not what I was there for. I knew they had acai bowls and I really had my heart set on that. The frozen acai layered with granola, fruit, and honey is absolutely delicious and, as far as I know, isn't found anywhere else in Dallas. The menu is larger than most, filled less with coffee and more with baked goodies. Empanadas, paninis (including Nutella and banana!) and traditional Spanish treats fill the display cases. The service is friendly and the atmosphere lends itself to chatting with friends, but is not the best place for studying. Definitely worth checking out.

Fourteen Eighteen Coffeehouse (Plano)
This coffee shop had been on my list for a while, but it's about 40 minutes away from where I live, so I needed to have a good reason to make my way up there. Luckily, a sweet friend of mine who lives in Plano just so happened to be that good reason. I'm so glad we got to check this place out! The owner was my cashier at the counter and was seriously friendly. She talked me into a special drink they had -- the Purple Haze. It was a lavender and vanilla latte, so I didn't feel like I was cheating on my usual order too much. It was so tasty and creamy. I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere was exactly what a good coffeehouse should be -- quiet, but welcoming. Excellent for studying, but also for chatting for 3 hours. Yup, 3 hours. Also, added bonus, they get their coffee beans from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters! Hurray, local! Definitely check this place out if you live in far North Dallas (or even if you don't!).

rome 2014.

Jamie and I finally arrived at our last stop - Rome! We were both really excited about this one, believing that we'd saved the best for last.

We started our first full day in Rome with a Colosseum + Roman Forum tour. On the way to our meeting spot, I was so focused on the Roman Forum ruins that I didn't notice the Colosseum looming ahead of me. It was quite the reveal when I finally looked up and saw it. Roman architecture is absolutely incredible, y'all. I was blown away this entire day, only stopping to pick up my jaw when it was time to eat. We toured the Colosseum, then made our way to the ruins of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill with our guide. I don't have enough words to describe how amazing it was to be standing on marbled floors dating back almost 3000 (!!!) years. From here, we marveled at the Arch of Titus, Capitoline Hill, Circus Maximus, and the Arch of Constantine. We had a lunch of lasagne and panna cotta with a view of the Colosseum while we ate, then wandered over to Campidoglio Square. This square was largely designed by Michelangelo and hosts a statue of Marcus Aurelius riding his horse in the center. There is nothing in Rome that didn't impress.

The next day, we started with another tour -- this time of Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica. We learned all about good popes and bad popes, the Borgias, saw 15th century tapestries, wandered through rooms covered with wall-to-wall Rafael masterpieces, and finally stood face to face with Adam's famous finger stretching to reach God's. It was breathtaking. And we weren't allowed to take photos, haha. The entire chapel is overwhelming so I just sat down and stared upward, taking it all in. We then made our way to St Peter's Basilica which remains the largest church in the world to this day. The baroque-style of carvings and intricacies inside was awe-inspiring. I've been in many, many churches on this trip, but this one was by far the most detailed. Absolutely incredible. After our tour and a lunch of pesto fettuccine, we headed to a famous gelateria that is known for having 150 flavors. It was quite the walk, but we were rewarded nicely! The gelato is out-of-this-world delicious. On our way there, we passed through the Navona Square and got a few photos, but we were on a mission! Finally, we rounded out the day with a dinner including a charcuterie plate, gnocchi, and tiramisu at a restaurant in Trastavere.

For our last full day in Rome (and last full day of travel! Wahhhh.) I began the day alone with a quick walk to the nearest bakery that inspired this post. Then Jamie and I headed out together to get coffee from Sant'Eustachio Il Caffe, famous for it's many espresso drinks. We took our frappes and wandered over to the Pantheon, which was closed for morning mass. We sat in the shade, sipping our drinks, and listening to the hymns. Once we got going again, we headed to the Capuchin Crypt where the bones of thousands of Capuchin monks have been artistically arranged to decorate several small chapels. It was both interesting and creepy -- and again we weren't allowed to take photos. From here, we walked to the Spanish steps and the Spanish square. Sooo many people here! The fountain here was closed and under construction which was even more of a bummer than usual because we avoided the Trevi Fountain completely for that same reason. Apparently it's been under construction for about 6 months without water flow so we figured it wouldn't really be worth our time. Guess we'll just have to see it on our next trip to Italy! We spent more time in Navona Square after this, grabbing a quick lunch before heading back to the Pantheon to actually catch a glimpse of the inside. I was so glad we doubled back to do this because it was absolutely incredible. The Romans were amazing architects, y'all. It's so hard to even explain or fathom. Finally, we finished our trip with a peek inside a Prada store (!!) and some more tiramisu after dinner.

Ultimately, Rome was both of our favorites and Jamie and I were both happy to have ended the trip on such a high note. The whirlwind of 20 days was sad to say goodbye to, but I learned so much about myself and about different cultures. I would 100% do another trip like this. Any takers for my next adventure?
-e.

barcelona 2014.

We got into Barcelona around 4:30 pm and began our introduction to the city with a driving tour. We saw many of Gaudi's amazing architectural works as well as the 1992 Olympic stadium, the cathedral of Santa Eulalia, the triumphal arch, the Colombus Monument, the national art museum whose building was originally built to host the World Exhibition in 1929 and a few bullfighting rings that have been turned into shopping and event centers since bullfighting was banned. The incredible artistry and architecture of these rings begged for them to be used for something else rather than be torn down. We then headed to a dinner of tapas and sangria, enjoyed a flamenco show, and ended the late night by experiencing some of Barcelona's famous nightlife.

The next morning, our crew was pretty exhausted, so we had a slow start to the day. We made it over to La Sagrada Familia - another of Gaudi's famous structures - only to find the line wrapped around the block. We changed course and headed to La Rambla, the main tourist street in Barca. From here we wandered into the gothic quarter and went to the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, or Barcelona Cathedral. It was absolutely incredible inside and we even got to go to the roof to check out the city from an amazing viewpoint. This cathedral was one of the highlights of my trip! For dinner, we ended up at a tapas bar I found through Yelp! Hah. Waiters came around to each table carrying plates of tapas with toothpicks in them and you'd take whichever looked interesting to you. Each toothpick was €1,65 and they were tallied together at the end of the meal.

The next morning, our part of the tour ended while the rest of the crew went on to the French Riviera. It was incredible how close we all got in such a short period of time! I was sad to see them go, but excited to spend more time in Barcelona exploring. Once we got to our Airbnb in Barcelona, however, we were totally exhausted! We ended up going to Playa de Barceloneta for the rest of the afternoon to read while lounging in the sun. We also may have split a pitcher of sangria between the two of us. Uh, hello?! Vacay! We got tapas for lunch and dinner because of course we did and ended the night early. Sometimes on trips like these you just need to take a slow day to regroup...

...And sometimes on trips like these, you need multiple slow days to regroup. Jamie and I had been entirely on the same page for this trip, so when we got up the next day and decided shopping and more beach time was the only thing on the agenda, we were both happy. We met up with Dan, a guy we met from our tour who also stayed a few days extra in Barcelona, and headed to Arenas de Barcelona. This shopping center used to be one of the main bullfighting rings in the city, but once the sport was banned, they turned into into a functional mall instead of tearing down the beautiful structure. While there, we finally had some excellent seafood paella and then headed to the beach once more!

Finally, the next day, we headed to our final destination: Rome!