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. 

My Absence

Hello World!

If you haven't noticed, I took a month off from blogging.

Following my move across the USA, unpacking, and starting a new job, some things fell off to the wayside. The blog was one of the things. But, post this holiday weekend, I'll be up and going again!

Stay tuned!

The Last Day of the Road Trip

Arizona

On July 14th, I woke up in St. George, Utah, to drive the last two hours to Las Vegas. As I mentioned in another post, I'll have to go back to St. George to visit the sights.  

My drive took me through Utah and into Arizona before arriving in Nevada.

For those who went to Syracuse, there is a certain feeling that you get when you turn the corner on I81 North and see the Dome. It's a feeling that doesn't change, no matter how many times you've done that drive. When I turned the corner out of a canyon and saw the Strip for the first time, it felt like I had arrived home. 

From a small town to Syracuse University to summers in Boston and DC to London for a combined two and a half years, I've finally arrived in my new home. It's been almost three weeks since I strolled into town, and I am so excited to now make Las Vegas my home! 

My Apartment

Road Trip Day #5

On day five of the road trip, Nicola departed back to Cleveland for other plans. I got to drive the 11 hours to St. George, Utah on my own. Before we get to my solo driving day...

We first had breakfast in downtown Denver with some friends. I got to see my friend, Nicole, who if you are a regular reader, will recall our trips to Italy and Amsterdam .  She did a one year masters in London during my first year at LSE. Nicola and I also got to be reunited by a fellow former intern friend from London.  We all had brunch at a place that was themed around the disco. 

Nothing like a disco ball going on a Sunday morning at 9am!

Anyone surprised?

Nicole and me

London Reunion 

Best Road Trip Co-Pilot! 

After breakfast and goodbyes, I snapped a few photos of downtown Denver before heading off into the Rockies! 

Leaving Denver around 10am, I hit Utah a bit before 2pm. There was quite  a few zones of construction in the Rocky Mountains. Plus, I was not used to the windy roads and the elevation! My ears popped enough for an entire year!

Perfect Music

Such amusement

Rockies

Rockies

For lunch, I stopped in Grand Junction to check out the Colorado National Monument. I had 30 minutes to spare, so I went in through an entrance and drove around for literally 30 minutes. The roads were nerve wracking, but the views were well worth that brush with death!

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument

The longest stretch of my solo drive was in Utah.

Everyone had told me to fill up my gas tank as much as possible once I got into the state until I hit the larger cities. They weren't kidding. The state doesn't kid either. I passed a sign that said, "No Service Area for 100 Miles." I stopped and filled up my tank even with 3/4 left.

To make my trip more enjoyable getting through Utah, I took time to get off at the scenic outlook spots as I was coming through the canyons and desert.

Utah

Utah

Utah

Ghost Rock, Utah

I was puttering out as I got out of the canyons. Thank goodness for coffee! And, when Las Vegas started to show up on the signs, I got a lot more energy!

I stayed in St. George, Utah, that night. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to spend exploring the city. Thankfully, it's only two hours away from Las Vegas! 

Road Trip Day #3

Continuing to re-cap the road trip, day three was a very long day of driving.

In the morning, we toured around Omaha. 

Doing some scheming the night before, we were able to find Warren Buffet's home!

Warren Buffet's Home

Down the street from Mr. Buffet's home, we found the birthplace of President Ford. While the home was torn down many years ago, they have put in a garden and small exhibit about what the house looked like. 

Birthplace of Ford

Finally, before we left Omaha, we wandered down to where Lewis and Clark surveyed the Missouri River and stood on the state line on the pedestrian bridge. The pedestrian bridge runs over the Missouri River.

Lewis and Clark Landing

Omaha

State Line

Our second major stop of the day was in Lincoln. It was supposed to be a quick stop to see the state capitol. I, of course, got us lost in the city for a good 40 minutes. Nevertheless, we did get to see more before finding the capitol!

Nebraska State Capitol 

One of the highlights of the trip was getting to see a lot of sites that were part of the Oregon Trail. After a few wrong turns, we found Fort Kearney on our way into South Dakota following Lincoln. 

Fort Kearney

GO WEST! 

We wanted to stop and see the actual markings in Ash Hollow which was a short drive away from Kearney, but we were battling some weather. We did get to drive through parts of the area on our way to Chimney Rock. 

Phew! Nebraska Rain Showers...

Chimney Rock Cemetery

Chimney Rock 

My Car thought it was in a Chevy Commercial

Before turning North to get to South Dakota, we found one of the most amusing things on the side of the road.

What, you may ask?

CARHENGE.

Based off the one I've seen several times in England, Carhenge is well...Stonehenge but made out of American cars. It was a bit weird, but it served as a good break.

Unfortunately, the drive into South Dakota was not a pleasant one. We stopped for gas right outside the border, and we were both considering giving up driving for the evening and grabbing a different hotel. But, I started to drive into the rain, the Black Hills, a highway that while runs into Texas has no light all while we avoided deer...somehow we made it through it.

Nicola and I clearly were stressed when we got in, but we survived!

Stay tuned for day four! 

Road Trip: Day #1

Last Wednesday, I set off from my home in upstate New York to start driving across the country to Las Vegas. For those who haven't caught up, I've relocated to Las Vegas for a job. 

Instead of flying to Vegas, I decided to get my car in New York and drive out. I also had an amazing co-pilot for four out of the six days which lessened the driving time behind the wheel each day. My good friend, Nicola, joined in.

Wednesday was a day of driving for the most part. I left New York, traveled through Pennsylvania, and into Cleveland where Nicola lives.  From there, we traveled through Indiana and stopped outside Chicago that evening. 

The highlights of the first day included seeing Lake Erie, lots of corn, and getting to see one of my closest sorority sisters from Syracuse!

Life is a Highway...

Lake Erie!

Reunion with Melissa! 

Greetings from Las Vegas!

Greetings from Las Vegas!

I know that is has been over two weeks since I've last updated the blog. 

From packing and getting ready to move to driving across the country, something had to be cut off the to-do list! But, never fear...I'll this back up and running this week!

First up are re-caps of my days driving across the United States!

Stay tuned!!

Life is a Highway...

Today, I begin my road trip to Las Vegas! 

Not only is this the start of the next chapter of my life, but I can also finally cross something off my bucket list. Forever, I have dreamed of road-tripping across the United States. I've been to quite a few states, but there are the gems hidden around the US that most rarely get to see. 

Rather than speeding through to Las Vegas, I'm taking my time to see those hidden gems across this great country. 

Today, I pick up my friend, Nicola, in Cleveland, Ohio before we reach the suburbs of Chicago for our evening pit-stop.  This evening, I get to be reunited with two sorority sisters at dinner as well! 

Tomorrow, Nicola and I start to add in tourist activities to our driving adventures. We will be stopping to see Holt House, where Pi Beta Phi, was founded. We also get to see the Iowa State Capitol, several railroad monuments, and the Lewis and Clark Monument before reaching Omaha, Nebraska for the pit-stop.

On July 11th, we head to Lincoln, Nebraska passing by Chimney Rock, Ash Hollow, Fort Kearney, and the Gothenburg Pony Express Station before reaching Rapid City, South Dakota for the evening. 

On July 12th, we see Mount Rushmore in the morning before heading to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Cutting down through Wyoming, we see Fort Laramie, Register Cliff Monument, and the Wyoming State Capitol. We pit-stop in Denver for the evening where we get to have dinner with a few mutual friends. 

Nicola leaves me on the 13th to head back to Cleveland. I continue on through the Rocky Mountains into Utah on the 13th. I'll stop and see Grand Junction, the Colorado National Monument, and the Arches National Park before getting to St. George, Utah for the evening. 

And, on July 14th, I'll leave fairly early and arrive in my new home, Las Vegas!!

It's going to be a whirlwind of a drive, but I wanted to make sure I got to see as many things as possible! I'll be posting on Instagram throughout the entire road-trip! 

Stay tuned for blog posts!

Goodbye for Now

"There's nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere." 

-Vivienne Westwood 

Today, I leave London...

From the first time I studied in the city in 2010 to the last two years of grad school, I fell in love. London is truly one of my favorite cities in the world.  

I'm heading back to America with a suitcase full of Primark clothes and memories, a handful of new slang words, a passport full of stamps, and enough game theory textbooks to start my own library. 

As I begin to embark on my new journey and new chapter of my life, I want to say thanks for everyone who was apart of this chapter of my life.  My blog is appropriately named "Wandering Walpole" as even though I will no longer be in London and Europe, I'll still be wandering around this amazing world.

As I'm not good with goodbyes...I'm telling London that I will "see it later." I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I know it will be as soon as possible!

Pip, pip...Cheerio!

I got a job!

Well, folks...it's official! 

I have a job following my graduation in July!

If you recall my post yesterday about my trip to Las Vegas, I was out there for a final job interview!

In July, I'll be moving to Las Vegas to start a career in local government with Clark County! 

It's still sinking in, but I'm excited to begin a new chapter of my life!

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!