Vienna is such a great place to be a musician. The city lives and breathes music, with many major concert and opera houses. One of my favorite things to do is to grab standing room tickets to the opera and go after class. I see whatever show happens to be playing that night. With the Bundestheater card, I can get standing tickets for only 4 euro. Everyone who has a residency in Vienna is eligible for this card, and the discounts apply to all sorts of performances around the city. I highly recommend it if you find yourself living in Vienna.  

For four months, I've immersed myself in the cultural landscape of Milan, Italy, with the intention of studying music formally in classes and the renowned Italian opera scene. However, I found myself captivated by the more subtle and enchanting melodies that fill the air of this vibrant city—from the buskers on the street corners to the performers in the metro stations. It's a world of music that transcends the concert halls and formal education, a music that speaks to the soul of this city and its people.

By all accounts (and by that I mean just me), you can’t say you’ve truly made yourself at home in a place until you’ve marched around trying to find the best food, the best cafes, the best hikes and most importantly…the best possible spots to buy yourself a new book. In this line of reasoning, a few of my friends and I decided to spend one Friday afternoon scouting out of few of the many bookstores scattered around Granada.

Though all were amazing, here are my rankings. First on our list…

TROA Librería Dauro  ★★★✰✰