The ABCs of Traveling

Last week, my blogger friend, Jordan, posted a blog entry entitled "The ABCs of Travel."  Jordan and I met up back at the beginning of June when she traveled to London.

Anyways, I absolutely loved the idea of the post,  and I loved reading her responses. I also read the posts that Kaelene and Casey did.  Reading about their various experiences from traveling the world was such a great escape this week. 

As I'm trying to get back into blogging post my three month hiatus, I'm doing my own "ABCs of Travel!"

A.  Age you went on your first international trip: I went to Niagara Falls and Canada when I was four years old. I don't remember a lot of it, but a few memories still stick out. 

B. Best foreign beer you've had and where: Strawberry beer in Brussels. I went to Brussels on a class trip when I studied abroad in 2010. One of the best trips I've ever taken to this day! 

C.  Cuisine (favorite): Italian! Yummy! My trips to Italy left me with tighter jeans due to the gelato, the pasta, the wine, the cannolis...you get the picture. 

D. Destinations- favorite, least favorite, and why? 

Can I answer London for my favorite destination? Does that count? I know I lived there for over two years of my life (in total), but there were still things that I discovered each day. Such a cosmopolitan city that brought new adventures around every corner, buildings that showcased the past, and things you can't see anywhere else in the world. 

Least favorite? Athens. I was entirely disappointed with the majority of the attractions. Perhaps, if I had gotten to explore more outside the city, I would've enjoyed Greece more. Add it back onto the list of countries to travel to!

E. Event you've experienced abroad that made you saw "wow": When I went swimming in the Atlantic Ocean in Wales or the first time I stepped into the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. 

F.  Favorite mode of transportation: I actually don't know about my favorite mode of transportation. What I do know that I love is train stations and airports. I love sitting down with a cup of coffee, my headphones on, and watching the world get from one destination to another. 

G.  Greatest feeling while traveling: The feeling of being unknown in a large city. It must be attributed to the fact that I grew up in a small town, but I love wandering down the street and blending in. The feeling of being unknown couple with endless possibilities is something that I love. 

H. Hottest place you've ever traveled to: In May, I went to the Hoover Dam following my interview for my now-current job. I was unprepared for the heat, and then proceeded to drink tons of water bottles. 

I. Incredible service you've experienced and where? When I stayed at the one Hilton in Las Vegas for my interview in May, I had the best experience I've ever had. From the moment I checked in, they gave me tons of advice on the climate of the town, did directions and booked my taxi ahead of time, asked me how I was feeling before and after the interview, treated me to a few extra treats, and just truly cared. 

J. Journey that took the longest: When I flew back and forth to Las Vegas from London in May, the flights were almost 11 hours each way. That was the longest I've ever been on a plane. But, if we're going for the longest never-ending journey that left me in tears and making expensive phone calls back to the USA, it was in 2010 when I studied abroad. I was on my fall break with SU friends on an overnight train ride from Roma to Vienna. 

K. Keepsake from your travels: I have bought an investment piece from each country/trip I've taken. I've got clothes from decorations to prints. Each day, I get a reminder of my adventures. I also collect postcards. 

L. Let-down sight, where and why? Dracula's Castle in Romania. It was such a let-down, both inside and outside. There was little information about the history of the castle and its' residents. Just felt disappointed  with the whole thing. 

M. Moment where you fell in love with traveling: I think I've always loved traveling and planning. My parents will recall that I loved planning trips even when I was a little girl (e.g. Lake Placid and Disney World). I'm not sure I can pinpoint one moment. There are moments when I remember why I love traveling, but no one specific moment that I fell in love. 

N. Nicest hotel you've stayed in: Either the Hilton in Berlin or Stockholm. The Hilton in Stockholm provided me with a balcony and a view over the Old City.

O. Obsession-what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?  Besides the different spellings of my name that Starbucks can do? I love taking photos of residences. I think part of it comes from my fascination with how people live.

P. Passport stamps: how many and from where? I had to go count! I have 63 from two different passports. While I don't have a lot of stamps from traveling from one country to another in Europe, you do get quite a lot traveling from the UK to another country in the UK. The other ones are usually entrance stamps into the UK or the USA. 

Q. Quirkiest attraction you've visited and where? In 2010, I visited the National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin. 

R. Really Frightening: where's one place you've visited where you felt unsafe or uneasy? I don't have one. There are places in all cities that I'm sure would make me feel unsafe...even in Las Vegas. 

S. Splurge- something you have no problem spending money on while traveling: Food. I love to try the local delicacies! From mussels to polenta to gelato to meatballs...I'm good to go. 

T. Touristy thing you've done: I actually am not a fan of this question. I think that everything is a tourist thing...even when you don't think you are doing something touristy. You're exploring. Do it ay your pace and how you want to do it!

U. Unforgettable travel memory: The trip that I took with my Dad in 2013 all over Europe. Actually, any trip I've taken with my parents is up there...even day trips. 

V.  Visas- how many and for where? I have three. Two for the UK, and one for Turkey. 

W. Wine-best glass while traveling: Probably any glass in Italy. 

X. eXcellent view and from where? I got to see some incredible views as I drove across the USA back in July. I'd also have to say the top of Tower Bridge in London.

Y.  Years spent traveling: I'm going to go ahead and say 24 years. 

Z. Zealous sports fans and where? I watched several World Cup games with my close guy friends from LSE. As my regular readers know,  I'm more of a college basketball fan. So, that was a real experience especially when I didn't know what was going on. 

Windsor Castle

The day after my last exam and celebrations, my friend, Josh, and I took a day trip up to Windsor. Yes, we can all be shocked that I hadn't made it up there in my entire time in England.

We grabbed a train out of Waterloo, and before we knew it...we were there! It took about an hour which was fairly quick for some day trips.

Windsor, the town, is exactly what you imagine it would be. Old buildings, cobblestone streets, some modern buildings, and a ton of monuments. 

To start the day, we took a duck tour. It was Josh's first duck tour! If you haven't done a duck tour in a city before, I say run and do one now. It tends to be a bit cheesy, but being a tourist eliminates those words from your vocabulary.

Back of Windsor Castle 

Entering the Thames River

Windsor Castle 

Windsor Castle

The Windsor duck tour started at the base of the castle, took us down to the base of the castle grounds, showed us where some of the horrific floods occurred this past fall, and then we cruised on the Thames. The cruise allowed us to catch a glimpse of the famous Eton College. 

Post the tour, we grabbed a pub lunch. As this all happened in my last week of London, I was adamant about eating traditional fare. Fish and Chips won over for lunch that day.

And, then...the sad part of the day happened. Windsor Castle closed early for some unknown reason. We were left on the outside looking in. While it was a bit disappointing, we looked at as much as we could and then wandered the town.

Cutest Phone Booth Ever?

Fitting Pub Name

As we all know that I'll go back to London sooner rather than later, I'll have to take another day trip up! 

Celebrations

On Wednesday, following my last final, a bunch of us went off to celebrate. There was a group of us that had some of the last set of finals. 

Appropriately, my Congress class headed to the George to celebrate being done with the class!

A tad later, I met up with Federico and Simon. We survived capstone, so naturally we all had to celebrate being officially done with the MPA! 

Following a quick lunch, we gathered with our other friends for some rooftop drinking. 

Talk about a great view!

We all ended up watching the World Cup game that evening at a local pub. It was an absolutely lovely day spent with some close friends celebrating freedom! 

O-Town Concert

Back in my elementary and middle school years, boy bands were the trend. 

NSYNC was my favorite followed by the Backstreet Boys. I'm fairly sure I made my Mom and Dad take me to the CD store at the mall to buy new cds the day they came out. 

I was devastated when NSYNC stepped aside as a group. Love ya, Justin Timberlake...but get the band back together! 

Anyways, I was also a fan of O-Town. Again, another band that fell to the wayside following a few hits and albums.  But, as of this year, they have reunited! They are without one member, but they still got it. 

Chelsea Football Club

Last Friday, Susannah and I went to the Under the Bridge venue at Chelsea Football Club to see them perform for the first time in a decade! 

It was a flashback to our years of middle school. Both opening acts were boy bands, and they played the major hits of our youth during the breaks. Although, we both agreed that being adults now made the evening better with a pint or two! 

O-Town performed several of their hits, talked about getting back together, and played their new song!

Well worth the trip down to Fulham to see them perform! Be sure to check out their new song, 'Skyfall!'

Polo in the Park

I've been dying to go to a polo match since I was a little girl. 

The scene in 'Pretty Woman' where Julia Roberts gets to stomp the divots resonates with me very well.

The part of 'Winning London' with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen where they go to a polo match was something that I always wanted to do. Fairly sure I can still quote that part of the movie. 

So, as I enter my final weeks in London, I grabbed discounted tickets to Polo in the Park from the SU alumni club! This past Sunday, three of my friends and I ventured down to Putney for a match! 

The entire park was transformed for the perfect day out. From a Pimms Bus to the shopping venues to the location that I dubbed 'food truck heaven,' we had a fabulous time before the match started. 

While I am still a tad confused on the rules of the game, I attempted to follow the match. I do have to admit that it was one of the quietest sporting events that I have ever been. I wanted to cheer, so I had to keep that in check!

During what I deemed to be intermission, we got to stomp the divots! Truly made me feel like I was in 'Pretty Woman.'

It was a fabulous day out...even with getting a horrible sunburn! I would totally go to another match! 

Viva Las Vegas

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I creeped over to the United States last weekend.

I went to Las Vegas for four days, primarily for business (more on that, later). Yet, I also got to have some fun.

I got in late Thursday night, and I chose to stay at a hotel farther up the Strip. I actually had a view of the famous Stratosphere from my room.

Stratosphere

On Friday morning, I tended to some business. But, I then found myself by the pool. 

Cheers!

My brother, Ben, lives in California. He came in to spend the day with me for some sibling bonding! 

We soaked up the sunshine before heading out to see the casinos. We rode the roller coaster at New York, New York...which I do believe I passed out due to being so afraid.  We took in the Dueling Pianos Bar, caught the fountain show at the Bellagio, and just had a lot of fun catching up! 

Ben and Me

Ben left the next morning which meant I got to decide how to spend my last full day in Nevada. I started out by grabbing a pedicure. Post traveling around Europe, it was much needed.

From there, I went on a Hoover Dam Tour! I have always wanted to see the Hoover Dam in person being a history nerd. It was an incredible tour, and I don't say that lightly. One of the best day tours that combined the normal tour of the generators inside the Dam. 

Lake Mead

At the Hoover Dam

Generators 

Hoover Dam

Returning to Las Vegas, I took a night-time tour to see all the light shows, casinos lit up, and to learn more about the history of the City. 

We started at the famous Las Vegas sign!

Viva Las Vegas

Then, we stopped at the Golden Nugget and Freemont Street! What an experience!

Golden Nugget

Freemont Street

World's Largest Golden Nugget

And, finally, we got to see the volcano show at the Mirage and the fountain show at the Bellagio! 

Volcano Show at the Mirage

Bellagio Water Show 

I left fairly early on Sunday for the airport as I had a 10 hour flight back to London. It was a quick, fun, and exciting weekend! I hadn't been to Vegas in 10 years, so it was nice to go back.

And, stay tuned...I'll let you in on another secret on why I was in Las Vegas! 

Bulgaria Day Trip

While I was in Bulgaria, I got to take a day trip to the countryside! One of my favorite things to do is being able to observe the way people live throughout an entire country. And, at the same time, there are some real gems hidden across the Bulgarian county-side! 

The morning was an early one. I grabbed some breakfast at the hotel before the tour company picked me up. Luckily, the group was fairly small that day. Myself and three other women plus the tour guide. It got to be much more customizable due to the small group! 

About two hours post being picked up, we started up the curvy mountain roads to Rila Monastery. When I say curvy, I mean the type that caused me to get motion sickness. I ended up having to put my sunglasses on, closed my eyes, and then chugged a bottle of water. But, the drive was worth it!

Rila Monastery

Rila Monastery is listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Built in the 10th century, Rila Monastery is known as largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.  At one time, there were more monks than there were rooms. However, today, there are only nine monks in residence. 

Oldest Part of the Monastery 

Say Cheese!

We toured as much as we were allowed to see. Inside the main building, there were numerous relics from the original building of the monastery.

While we were there, we also tried the "famous" bread made at the monastery. Sadly, I likened it to fried dough from a state fair. Still had to try it though!

Post viewing the monastery, we stopped at local "famous" restaurant. Known for their access to a fresh water stream from the mountain ranges, we all dined on the trout. 

Re-engergized, we headed to Melnik for our last stop of the day.  

Melnik used to be a huge city and served as a seat of the Ottoman Empire at one point.  It is roughly 15 km from the Greek border (no small trip, that day). Apart from the fact that only 450 people now live in the city, Melnik is famous for its wine. We got to tour a wine cellar, sample our way around the city, and see how people live in the town. It has to be one of my favorite memories of Bulgaria.

Wine Cellar

Sampling...Check!

Melnik

Old Ottoman Empire Building

It was an amazing day trip to the country-side. If you're in Bulgaria, make sure to get outside of Sofia!