SVong-Along

2 weeks ago I began a Dan Brown "Origin" inspired adventure- visiting Barcelona as the first stop on my whirlwind Eurotrip. Below are some of my do's and don'ts for the capital of Catalonia. Do: WowAir (if you can't find a direct flight, book late, and are on a budget- my flight was around $400 one way and I booked a month in advance, and don't mind a layover) I flew from SFO to Iceland (KEF) and then to Barcelona (BCN) on WowAir. WowAir was okay since I paid extra to upgrade to more legroom and bring a carry-on luggage. The KEF airport is nice since it's newer- I was especially impressed with personal bathrooms. Do: Take Aerobus to get to Barcelona's city Center.  The Aerobus  is a bus between the airport and downtown. It only took 30 min and I bought my roundtrip tickets online in advance. It was super easy to find and definitely a good value.  Don't: Be Afraid to speak Spanish. I heard from someone that because of the politics betwe...

Where do we come from?  Where do we go?  No, I'm not quoting "Cotton Eye Joe," but referring to questions that Dan Brown explores in his most recent novel, Origin. Origin is a thrilling fiction tale following Professor Robert Langdon as he journeys to Spain to solve riddles and ponder the controversial tale of how life began. Dan Brown is a master of pitting religion against science (read Angels & Demon, and basically every other one of his novels), and Origin is no exception. His books are generally formulaic: nerdy protagonist, crazy world-changing discovery/implication, hot chick, scary assassin, plot twist, and ending a chapter on a cliff-hanger. Although the plot was very predictable (maybe because I have read all 7 of his books), I enjoyed the story incorporating historical sites, recent pop-culture references, and page-turning writing. At the heart of Origin and what makes it so interesting is its theme debating how life began: "Just imagine what...