The Best Souvenirs from Around the World

May 15, 2015

I feel like a lot of travel bloggers are talking about souvenirs lately; those little momentos that you pick up while traveling and bring home to remind you of that amazing trip. Well I feel I should add my two cents, and offer suggestions based on some of my favorite things to bring home with me. Since we travel with only carry-ons, we usually don’t have a lot of extra space, but there are defiantly little things I want to bring home with me, so we try to make the most of the space we have for those special memories from a trip. Here are my suggestions for some of the best options for souvenirs from around the world (from the continents I’ve visited so far) that are worthy of that extra space in your luggage on the way home!

Middle East/Africa

Teapots in Morocco

Spices | Teapots | Silver | Jewelry | Lanterns

Europe

Dutch Waffle Cookies from Amsterdam

Reusable Grocery Bags with names of places you visited | Artwork | Cookbooks | Local Treats like cookies or other foods that will travel well

Asia

Wooden Carved Elephants in India

Figurines made from local materials like wood | Frames with intricate patterns | Fabrics and Silks

North America – keychains, magnet, t-shirts

Fluer de Lis ornament in New Orleans

Keychains representing the place you visited | Magnets | T-shirts with place names or images

Rooftops, Ocean Views & Cable Cars : Explore Lisbon

May 13, 2015

After my introduction to our time in Lisbon the other day, I got to thinking more about our time in Portugal. We really did end up leaving with a totally different view of the seaside city than when we had arrived and all in all, really enjoyed Lisbon. The colorful buildings, the red rooftops, the blue skies and the old world charm of the city really is lovely and with less crowds than other spots in Europe, Lisbon really is a great spot to see and experience.

We spent our time in Lisbon just wandering, with no real itinerary in mind. Being the last stop on our trip, we were pretty worn out and two days of wandering was just what we needed. We wandered the hilly cobblestone streets of the Alfama, took in the the gorgeous buildings in the Chiado neighborhood and did some local shopping in Baixa. We stopped to take in incredible ocean views, looking over red rooftops to the sea, and admiring the ancient but charming cable cars. The food was great, the views spectacular and the people lovely.

Don’t Miss in Lisbon

-Pizza at La Puttana – We were craving pizza on our last day and asked our hotel front desk for advice. They recommended La Puttana close to the LX Boutique Hotel and it was incredible!

-Sunset at the Abril Bridge – If you want to venture to the Abril Bridge from Lisbon, know it’s a trek on foot. We walked and it took about 45 minutes, then you have to cut through the underground tunnels to get across the train tracks and the busy road along the water. But once you arrive, it’s oh so worth it. Also, I recommend taking a cab back. We were lucky to just be able to flag one down, but you might want to call since there weren’t that many in the area near the bridge.

Traveling to Portugal?

See all of my posts on the country!

The Truth About Traveling : Sometimes You’re Tired

May 12, 2015

When we had Lisbon scheduled on our itinerary for this trip, I got a ton of suggestions to take the day trip from Lisbon to Sintra. I did the research, checked it out and truly had every intention of going, but in the end, we didn’t end going and here’s why: we were exhausted.

I know as a travel blogger I’m supposed to want to see everything, to power through the tiredness and just go, but the truth is, as I get older and as I travel more, I’m stating to realize more and more that that’s not the kind of traveler I want to be. I don’t want to drag myself somewhere just because every guide book and travel blogger says I should if all I want to do is curl up in the hotel room bed for a 2 hour siesta on my last day of vacation. And the thing is, that’s totally ok. I feel like a lot of times all I read about is how we should seize every opportunity, power through the jet lag and the exhaustion, because seeing a place even if you’re drop dead tired is still worth seeing it. I beg to differ…I want to really experience the places I visit, I want to take them in emotionally, I want to really see them and personally I can’t do that when I’m exhausted.

I’m totally that person that loves to go to bed at 8pm and wake up at 7am. I need a lot of sleep and as I get older, I’m realizing more and more that while traveling, I am just not willing to sacrifice that to add another place to the itinerary. And so my friends, I’m here to tell you that traveling is exhausting and sometimes, as much as you might want to see another place, sometimes you’re just tired and need to use your vacation to actually rest.

I will say that we loved our time in Portugal and I know we’ll be back at some point in the future, so not to worry Sintra, you’ll be on the itinerary the next time around, but this time, that 2 hour siesta and more time in Lisbon was just what the doctor ordered.

Rough Around the Edges Lisbon

May 7, 2015

I’ve got to be honest, Lisbon kind of shocked me. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting and at first as we wandered the city (albeit pretty tired from our early morning flight from Spain), but we were kind of taken aback. At first glance Lisbon seems to be falling apart at the seams, buildings that look like they are barely standing, graffiti everywhere, cobblestone streets and sidewalks that we were cursing with each step and hills beyond belief… oh those damn hills. Our first impression of the seaside city was that it was a bit like we expect Cuba to be…bright colored buildings falling apart in front of your eyes, complete with a totally retro vibe and palm trees abounding. But as we explored more, I realized how much we had sold the city short upon first impression.

Lisbon is an old city and yes, there are spots that are incredibly rough around the edges, like your older edgy cousin with too many tattoos and a little much time spent partying, with the age starting to show a little too early. But the city certainly holds it own and as you explore more, you realize that it wears the edginess as a vibe, as an identity. Yes, it’s tattered and torn, it’s old and withered, but its colors are still shining bright and its personality is youthful and vibrant.

We spent two days exploring the city and left with an entirely different perspective of if than when we arrived. As we wandered her streets, Nick and I kept saying how much the city was growing on us and it seemed with each streetcar that passed, we loved Lisbon more and more.

Traveling to Portugal?

See all of my posts on the country!

5 Reasons to Visit Spain

May 5, 2015

Now that I’ve finished all the recap posts from our trip through Spain, I hope you’ve fallen just in love with the country as I did. It’s an incredible place and my love affair with Spain, I feel, has only just begun. Spain is one of those countries that you can’t quite get out of your mind after you visit and a place that offers so much for an amazing travel destination from being incredibly economical to gorgeous architecture. So in case you needed any more convincing, here at my top 5 amazing reasons to visit Spain.

And for your trip to Spain, here’s where to stay!

Sangria, tortilla española, potatoes bravas, paella, Ibérico ham, manchego cheese, churros con chocolate…need I say more? The food was one of our major driving reasons behind booking a trip through Spain and it did not disappoint.

The Spanish people were some of the friendliest, most patient locals I’ve met while traveling. Always a smile on their face, always helpful when I couldn’t quite find the right word in Spanish, the locals were a huge favorite part of our trip.

Within the cities and along the routes we took as we trained throughout Spain, the landscape and scenery is absolutely breathtaking. From the coastline of Barcelona to the hilly tree groves of the South, this country is gorgeous beyond belief.

From bull fighting to Flamenco dancing, Spain is full of rich history and culture that is still keep very much alive today is so fantastic to explore.

One of my favorite parts of Spain, the architecture and design throughout the country is incredible. From the Moorish influence in the South to the ornate designs of Madrid’s buildings to the whimsical features of Barcelona…Spain’s diverse culture lends itself well to architecture and design.

Traveling to Spain?

See all of my posts on the country!

Souks, Churros & Alleyways : Exploring Granada

May 4, 2015

Granada surprised me. Whereas the rest of our stops in Spain (Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla) felt very European, Granada felt very Middle Eastern in nature. From the food to the architecture to the languages spoken on the streets, Granada is very much in close relation to it’s near neighbors, Morocco and Northern Africa. Being so far South, you can definitely see the Moorish influence here and I thoroughly enjoyed this unique Spanish/Moorish combination. We spent much of our time in Granada just wandering, buying lanterns and Moroccan tile and silver jewelry at the many souk-like shops that scatter the streets of the city. We explored the alleyways and steep steps of the ancient whitewashed neighborhood of the Albaicin and tasted some of the best churros of our entire trip at a cafe in the Plaza Bib-Rambla. We wandered down empty streets, took in the buildings that were in much rougher shape than the other spots in Spain we visited and meandered back to our hotel after our dinner of churros and chocolate (it was vacation after all!), finishing off our time in Granada with the sun setting over the Albaicin and the Alhambra high on the hill from our balcony. As the light fell on our time in Granada and our trip through Spain, we knew that it wasn’t goodbye, but an invitation to return again and see more of this insanely amazing country.

Don’t Miss while in Granada:

-Take the chance to enjoy lots of Arab food while here! We feasted on Chicken Bastilla (a favorite Moroccan dish) and schwarmas (an Arab staple that I grew up on).

-Don’t miss a visit to the Alhambra!

-Set aside time to just wander.

Traveling to Spain?

See all of my posts on the country!

And here are all my recs for where to stay!

Morning at the Alhambra

May 1, 2015

When we added Granada to our Spain itinerary, there was no question that one of the main draws to this ancient Southern Spanish city is the incredible Alhambra fortress high above the landscape. We found out quickly, that while the Alhambra is definitely the top draw for people coming to Granada, this area has a lot more to offer as well and we’d love to go back, take in more of the area and the countryside. Alas, this trip though, with only 2 days in Granada, we spent a large majority of our time at the incredible Alhambra.

We headed out of our hotel bright and early to make our entrance time of 8:30. We bought tickets ahead of time (which you need to…read below in tips for more information) and wandered from our Hotel Casa 1800, down little alleyways in the freezing cold morning air towards Plaza Nueva (wear layers, it gets cold at night!) to grab a cab up the hill to the Alhambra. You can walk up, but we chose the 5 euro cab ride over a 40 minute trek first thing in the morning. Upon arrival at the top of the hill, we headed to the kiosks at the entrance to get our tickets and made our way through the entrance gates. I had read before hand that while most of the grounds you are free to wander at your own leisure, the Palacios Nazaries can only be entered at your ticket time. So for us, that was 8:30, and immediately after entering the grounds we made the 5-7 minute walk to this famous building on the grounds to make sure we could see it. They let groups in every 30 minutes, so make you sure you head here first whatever time your tickets are. This building is the one you always see photos of, intricate details, incredible architecture and insane views over Granada.

We spent the next few hours just wandering the grounds, taking in each building complex, admiring the ruins and admiring the insane views over Southern Spain. From the white washed buildings of the Albaicin, to the incredible snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains to the South, you could spend hours up there on the hilly fortress that is the Alhambra just admiring one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen. The views, the details, the history, our morning at the Alhambra was truly one to remember and after spending about 4 hours wandering the grounds, through orange groves and ruins, through old palaces and colosseum type rotundas, we meandered back through the gardens and water features toward the main gates and grabbed a cab back down the hill. Needless to say, this post is pretty picture heavy because the Alhambra is just too beautiful not to see every corner of it. Our morning there, especially being there at the first ticketed time with so few other people, made the experience all the more special. Standing at the top of the Alhambra’s oldest section, on top of a massive hill over Granada, looking out in the distance for miles over the breathtaking landscaping of Southern Spain, will always be a memory I’ll never forget.

Tips for your Visit to the Alhambra:

-Buy your tickets online in advance. Go to the Alhambra website and it will forward you to a link to buy tickets. We chose the first ones of the day (8:30am) which I would highly recommend to miss most of the crowds, plus the light for photos was amazing!

-Give yourself at least 15-20 minutes to arrive at the Alhambra entrance early to collect your tickets from the kiosks. We were running a bit behind and were hurrying to get tickets and make it to the Palacios Nazaries at our ticket time. The kiosks are next to the gift shop near the entrance.

-Head first to the Palacios Nazaries at your ticket time. We got there about 8:35 and they had just started letting our time slot in, but since that was the first of the day, I would make sure you get there before your start date during the later times. There will be a special line for this one building and they will need to scan your tickets so keep them handy.

-Keep your tickets handy throughout, as in most of the buildings throughout the grounds they will scan them again.

-Take your time. We spent about 4 hours wandering through, but if we hadn’t been really tired and the crowds were getting big, we could have spent a couple more easily. It’s a huge complex so take your time and just wander.

-No real food inside the gates, so bring your own. Since our ticket time was early, we didn’t have breakfast before thinking we’d grab something up there. Half way through we were starving, and other than a little coffee shop with small food and coffee, there is no real food up there. So eat before or bring snacks.

Traveling to Spain?

See all of my posts on the country!

And here are all my recs for where to stay!

Travel Tips : How to Get Along if You Don’t Know the Language

April 29, 2015

There are often times traveling when Nick and I don’t know the local language. Whether we know a little bit or none, sometimes it’s really hard to get along and figure things out. And while we might think everyone is going to speak English, the more places we visit, the more I realize that really isn’t true in lots of places, so it’s good to have a backup plan in mind on how to deal with language barriers. The last thing you want is to have a trip ruined because you don’t understand. Here’s some ways to help break that language barrier and get along if you don’t know the local language.

Google what you will need to say and take a screenshot.

I do this a lot and it works really well. It helps if I can speak a little bit of the language or know how to pronounce things, but either way, if you google a phrase you know you’ll be using a lot when you have wifi, take a screenshot so you can pull it up easily when you need to. For example, I do this a lot with directions or phrases that I know I’ll be using a lot on our trip and it’s really handy.

Carry a map at all times.

Even though we travel with service on our phones internationally, I never leave home with a map for each city we’re visiting. I personally love the Streetwise maps and I mark in sharpie on each one where our hotel is and where the major spots we’re most likely going to be heading are, that way in a bind we always have a map. If our phones die or we don’t want to use all our data, make sure you have a map in your language to navigate.

Keep addresses of hotels and other lesser known spots to show taxi drivers or ask directions.

Before we leave on a trip, I take a screenshot of every address we’ll need while gone. Whether it’s an apartment address or a hotel or restaurant, any place you know for sure you’ll be going and will need to get back and forth to, take a screenshot. This is particularly helpful in countries that might not speak English but at least share an alphabet, they will still be able to read it even if you can’t pronounce it. It’s harder in countries where the written language has its own alphabet, but still helpful all the same.

Try local ethnic restaurants at home to figure out what you like and remember the names.

We do this a lot before we head somewhere a little more exotic so we know what to expect from the food. Have dinner at a local ethnic restaurant and look over the menu, try a few things and remember the names of what you liked. Then, when you’re traveling in those countries, you won’t be lost reading the menu, you’ll have some idea of what they items are.

Download apps like Word Lense that translates on the spot from an image.

Word Lense is an amazing app that basically hovers over an image and shows you the translation. We used it a lot in Spain when we weren’t sure of things on menus and such and it’s super easy and works so well. There are a lot of translation apps out there, but that’s my favorite.

Over the River : Triana District in Sevilla

April 28, 2015

On our last day in Sevilla, we really only had the morning as our train to Granada left mid-afternoon so we headed out after sleeping in toward the Triana district of Sevilla. This area right over the canal is a more local area and we were curious to see it. We wandered the little alleyways over the bank, took in the white and yellow buildings complete with orange and lemon trees out front, then stopped at a little cafe overlooking the water for some cafe con leche. For our final hours in the city, we sipped slowly and took it all in, the colors, the feeling, the magic of Sevilla.

Traveling to Spain?

See all of my posts on the country!

And here are all my recs for where to stay!

Orange Trees & Cobblestones : Sevilla’s Old Town

April 27, 2015

After our morning spent taking in Sevilla’s tourist attractions like the Giralda Tower and the Real Alcazár, we wanted to get a better taste of the rest of the city, so we headed out that afternoon (after a siesta of course) to see the rest of Seville. The city is really walkable and really not that big so it’s easy to cover a lot of ground in just a few hours. We wandered down to the Plaza Nueva, down cobblestone streets lined with orange trees. We took in the scenes of plazas and locals heading home from work, then down toward the Canal de Alfonso XIII, stopping to take a look at the famous bull fighting ring, taking in the Torre del Oro, the last major Islamic building in the city, and then found a spot along the banks of the water to take in the sunset. It was one of those magical travel afternoons, with no real place to go in mind, no time to worry about, just wandering, taking in the city and ending up where we ended up. We found a great spot near the Puente de Isabel II bridge and watched as the colors began to spill across the sky. It wasn’t a great sunset but it was magical all the same, in a city I love, in a moment that seemed pretty much perfect.