2019 couldn’t close out with at least one more trip. I’ve been bereaved on a budget lately, so this one took some serious brainstorming. As a disclaimer, this was the first year that I didn’t go home for the Christmas season. Unfortunately, flights were just too expensive. I’d already secured the time off from work – and I wasn’t about to sit at home for a week. So, I looked into what was on my list that could be within driving distance and my dog would be able to tag along for all adventures.

My quest to visit all 50 states and being based out of Texas, I knew my options were limited to visit somewhere new. It would be between Arkansas and New Mexico. I’d read about the White Sand Dunes in New Mexico beforehand and knew that was where I wanted to go. It was impromptu planning and jump in the car and go kind of trip.

Living in central Texas, I’ve ventured to the northern, southern, and eastern parts of the state (could all be their own states), but I’d never traveled to the western part of the state – mainly because I’ve always heard there is nothing there.

I’d known since moving here, I eventually wanted to make my way to Marfa, Texas. Marfa is a small desert city in west Texas, known as an arts hub. In addition to displays and exhibitions, Prada Marfa, a permanent sculptural art installation is located just north of Marfa in Valentine, TX. This would be a pit stop.

I packed our bags Saturday night and quickly booked a room for Sunday night at the Magnuson Hotel & Suites in Alamogordo, NM – about 15 minutes from the dunes. *I also want to note my excitement for the new Little Women film. I love Director Greta Gerwig and thought the cast was amazing choices. I’d never read the book or seen any of the prior films. I bought the book on audio and realized how perfect this would be. It takes about 19 hours to listen to and in total that would be about how much time I’d be in the car.

Sunday morning, we packed the car and set out for Marfa. I’ll note that I’m very lucky that I have a dog that loves riding in the car. I hit play on Little Women, immersing myself into the lives of the March sisters, while we drove the seven hours to see this Prada art installation.

Stopping in Fort Stockton to grab a bite to eat and refill on gas, we reached Prada Marfa by about 3pm. Naturally it was pretty busy with other tourists there for the same reason. We admired and had a quick photo shoot ourselves, then headed further west.

I will say that it is true, there is nothing along the roads of west Texas, but it is a beautiful drive – very calming and phenomenal scenery. My own ignorance, I had no idea there were so many mountains in west Texas, or maybe they’re canyons… We had about three and a half hours left in our drive until we arrived in Alamogordo. Our last two hours were in the dark, which was a strange feeling being somewhere brand new with no lighting. I went through my first Border Patrol. I’m still a little stumped, simply because I always thought those were only on the border and I’d crossed a state line. Alas, we made it through and arrived in Alamogordo around 7pm. (I’d forgotten there would be a time change to Mountain Time).

We checked in, unloaded the car and set off to grab a bite to eat. I picked up something to go so I could take it back to the room and plan the following day’s itinerary. After some preparation, I decided to finish where I was in Little Women and go to bed. *The book is split into two parts, however the audio is split into eight. I finished part four and drifted asleep.

My phone died in the night so we got a bit of a late start on Monday. I grabbed a quick bite from the continental breakfast, and we drove the 15 minutes to the White Sands National Monument. We were about two miles from the dunes when they came into view.

The website for the dunes is very concise and thorough, so after paying our $10 and receiving our park maps, we were ready. I’ll mention that I dressed in plenty of layers and packed ample water and snacks for us. From outside the park to into the dunes, it dropped over 20 degrees. It was about 33 degrees while we hiked, however with the sun and appropriate clothing, I was never cold.

There are four laid out trail options within the dunes, each one more challenging than the last. We started on number two, the Dune Life Nature Trail – in hopes of catching some sights on the wildlife. Although, we didn’t see much wildlife, that was quickly forgotten. These dunes were easily one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I’ve ever been. This trail took about 45 minutes to complete and we then went to trail three, the Backcountry Camping Trail (this is the trail you can camp overnight on, we intended to do this, but it fills up fast and didn’t want to chance it).

This trail was extraordinary – we may have taken a wrong turn or two, but we didn’t care. The beauty and serenity offered, quickly had us hiking to the top of a dune and taking some time to appreciate where we were and being together. Disclaimer, my dog is this awesome chill free spirit who is down for whatever I drag him to.

I lay in the sand, completing a few sand angels, gazed for miles and miles without seeing a single person and just admired Mother Nature.

We completed the trail, spent our last moments in the park and decided it was time to get back on the road. Yes, this was a short trip and I spent more time in the car than anywhere – however, any amount of time spent at the dunes would have been worth any drive. Simply put, it was amazing.

Hitting play on Little Women, we set back out for Austin. Two quick pit stops to use the restroom and having to go through another Border Patrol (this time in Texas), we stopped back in Fort Stockton to fill up on gas and stretch our legs.

We arrived back in Austin at about 10:30pm, minutes after completing Little Women and reeling on how we spent our morning and afternoon.

This trip holds a special place in my heart for multiple reasons. This was my first holiday season not surrounded by loved ones, New Mexico marked my 25^th state (half way there), the dunes were also named the 62^nd National Park the same week, and because I didn’t think I’d be able to make another trip happen in 2019.

I will most definitely return to the dunes, for any amount of time – to relish in the splendor and tranquility that surrounds one there.

“I love road trips, I love driving, I love finding little towns. I just think it’s the best way to travel.” – Scarlett Johansson

Lay your towel down and stick your feet in the coastal tide as I tell you about my latest adventure. Two cousins and I left soon after Christmas to go on a vacation and bring in the new year in Costa Rica. This was a journey that will be remembered by all and left us with a greater bond and memories to last a lifetime.

It began on the morning of Saturday, December 29^th with our venture from Richmond, VA to Washington DC for our flights. Cousin one (the logistical one for our trips) had booked our flights, Airbnb and rental car back in September. We were to fly through Avianca. The check-in process for this airline in the airport was a confusing mess, but we made it through. Our first flight was to be from the states to San Salvador, El Salvador. This flight was the craziest flight I have ever been on. I don’t even have a guess for how many flights I’ve been on – and this was just wild. I would easily say about 85% of the flight was up and moving the entire time. Talking, walking, laughing, living… even the flight attendants couldn’t get through – nor did they seem to think this was unusual. We needed tres vinos, rojas. Stat.

After arriving in the San Salvador airport, we hopped into a little pub near our gate to grab a bite to eat and some local brews. From there we boarded our flight to San Jose, Costa Rica (short flight). After leaving the chilled air of Washington DC, the immediate warm air in San Jose was refreshingly thawing. Our rental car was with Economy Rental Car. Our representative there was one of the sweetest humans I’ve ever met, Surí. From there we headed out on our hour and a half drive west to Jacó. We were probably a mile out when yours truly (the passenger/co-pilot/navigator) had us do a wrong turn – when we corrected, we were nearly nailed by an 18-wheeler. Everything’s Fine. We joked, “Surí, we’ve only made it a mile, you have to come rescue us.” Next stop, Jacó.

Our Airbnb was at Croc’s Resort & Casino. Although this is a hotel resort, they have private residences, which is what we were able to Airbnb through. After arriving, when Lauren became La’Orange, checking in – with a quick question about asking if the water was ok to drink or not – there was hesitation, so we said ok, nope – in reality it ended up being fine. We crashed as it was about midnight at this point.

“Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” – Jack Johnson

When we awoke, we headed to the resort coffee shop where we got latte’s and empanadas. From there our plan was to head straight out to the beach. Jacó Beach is amazing – the sun was the most intense (equator maybe?), as someone who usually can get by without sunscreen, this was not the case – and I’d only ever been in the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of the United States where the temperature is always cold compared to the Atlantic. The Pacific off Costa Rica felt amazing, not too warm or cold –perfect.

Reading our afternoon away, soaking in the salt air and sun rays, we made a game plan to head to the Más y Menos (grocery store) to grab snacks, beer and quick breakfast items. This grocery store was a nightmare – organization is not a thing and people literally taking you out with their bodies and carts. Finally getting into line and to the cashier, we learned many places won’t accept debit/credit without your license (everyone except the driver had left things we didn’t think we’d need in the safe in our room). Thankfully we had just enough cash.

From there we went to The Green Room for dinner. This was such a cool hole-in-the-wall type place. Really capitalizing on the culture and great weather – very open floor plan. There was a wait – reservations are a thing, everywhere. Cousin one went up there to put our name on the list and we were secretly sat immediately at one of the reserved tables right in front of where the live music was to begin. Cousin one didn’t catch on, but I instantly mentioned, thank goodness you’re pretty, that’s why we didn’t wait. We drank Rosé and I ate what was essentially a protein bowl but with local veggies, falafel, etc. and it was amazing. After dinner we went back to the resort and attempted to get drinks at the resort bar. I say attempted because this is when we realized all guests with the inclusive wristband are made priority. We sat there for roughly 30 minutes waiting to be waited on – even when the bartenders weren’t assisting other customers, they ignored us. I was pissed – we’re paying customers. We left.

The next morning was New Years Eve and I woke up feeling awful. My entire body was in pain and my throat felt so swollen I could barely swallow. We had fun things planned, and this was not going to prevent me from enjoying them. We ate breakfast in the room and got ready before heading out on our first excursion – a crocodile boat tour.

We arrived at Jose’s Crocodile River Tour, ready to go down the Tarcoles River with our guide, Exon. It should also be noted that Jose asked us if we were from Holland because we’re so tall – this perplexed us all, as two of us have indeed been to Holland and didn’t see the similarity or randomness. Because we’re all so tall, he wanted to know what we ate so he could feed his kids the same. Everyone who worked here had great humor, even 9-finger Jimmy.

We set out on our adventure in a boat that in my opinion sat a little too low to the river. Our warning was to keep arms, phones and cameras inside the boat – as crocodiles can jump out of the water… I can’t even begin to count how many different bird species we saw on this trip. It was about a two-hour experience from going to where the river met the ocean all the way into the mangroves. The crocodiles obviously being the highlight were wild. 9-finger Jimmy got out of the boat twice and fed two of them right before our eyes, the latter being 1,600 pounds. They have names for each crocodile out there and they’re quite comical – Nicole Ritchie, Miley Cyrus and Brad Pitt to name a few.

Following our excursion, we headed back to the resort. I was still feeling pretty bad, so I decided to take a nap in hopes of feeling better while the girls went to the beach. I slept for about 2 hours and then headed to meet them on the beach where we walked past a lagoon to where the ocean was crashing along the rocks and had a full photoshoot.

As this was New Years Eve, we had to decide what we wanted to do. Our resort was hosting an event, but we hadn’t opted in for the wristband services. We spoke with the front desk to determine if this was an option and worth it. We decided it was and got ready for the evening before us. Being sat for dinner was a bit of a disaster as we had to wait approximately 30 minutes since we had opted in just hours before, we weren’t on their list. When we were finally sat at our table, we got in line for the food (buffet style), got our drinks and watched the shows. The food wasn’t great, and the shows were interesting… They were all over the place, one being a Star Wars dance competition to Costa Rican cultural dances. Following that, we went out onto the beach to get prime seating for the fireworks show. This show was incredible. I don’t think they have the same laws that we do in the United States, because they were extremely close to those who came to watch. Overall, it was a beautiful show and I was happy to bring in the new year with those closest to me.

The next morning was a day that I was especially looking forward to. Although, I woke up still feeling rough – this was the day cousin two and I were to have our surf lessons. After breakfast at the resort (truly their best food), we headed to Tortuga Surf School. I highly recommend this place – for $50 you get a one-on-one 2-hour lesson with water and snack included. After going over group basics, I was partnered with Ricardo who I learned was from Venezuela, lived permanently in Costa Rica now, with a stint also in Brazil. Over two hours we became friends and he was an awesome instructor. I think in total over 2 hours, I only fell twice. I did not anticipate taking to this so fast – as I’d attempted the waves off North Carolina without much success. I didn’t think twice about not feeling well and was living in my element. I could have done that all day and did not want it to end. Cousin two’s experience wasn’t as great… being naturally sporty and competitive, she struggled with not being good at it. She and her first instructor clashed so she had a friendlier one for the second half. Overall, we enjoyed it and the whole-time cousin one was our personal photographer from the shore.

After surfing, we were bruised and exhausted. We headed back to the resort for lunch and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach. I began my first book of 2019. From there, we headed in to get ready for the evening. Cousin two was so exhausted, and sun burnt from surfing she opted to climb into bed at 7pm for the night. Cousin one and I headed into town for a bite to eat – it hadn’t occurred to us that with it being new years day (a holiday), many places were closed. We went to Señor Harry’s, where we enjoyed sangria, fresh guacamole, queso, and enchiladas. From there, meandering downtown we headed back in for the night as Wednesday would be a full day.

Waking up not long after sunrise, we ate breakfast at the resort, relishing the fresh fruit before our full day of adventure. We had purchased a full adventure package through Ocean Ranch Park ahead of time to include waterfall repelling, zip lining, ATV’ing, and horseback riding all in the jungle. Highly recommend.

“Adventure is worthwhile.” – Aesop

The van picked us up and, on the way, we scooped a family of Canadians that were also headed there just for the horseback riding part (they’d previously done the waterfall repelling). Upon arrival, there was some confusion on what would happen first and clarification that we’d do everything we purchased but as the day unfolded – all was fine. We started with a rather large group for the waterfall repelling. We made friends with the employees who lead this. We waited to go last, and it was worth it. We went two at a time, so I hung back and photographed my cousins going down together and then enjoyed the waterfall by myself on the way down. I enjoy rock climbing, so I was thriving for this. I didn’t want it to end. I asked our South American leader if he did this every day, which he replied, yes. Can you imagine? My guess is it would get old day in and day out, but I’m envious as I type this from my work desk under fluorescent lighting.

Next was our zip lining adventure. In total we would do 7 zip lines through the jungle, with the last two being the longest zip lines in Costa Rica. We did these with a family from India – and there was so much miscommunication between our guides, them, and us, we were all in hysterics. We were taught a couple tricks we could do on the zip line, i.e. hanging up side down. This was a blast. The last one was incredible. I felt like Tarzan going through the jungle, over rivers, spotting animals, etc. I may have even let out a yell/roar. This Poseidon of the Sea was feeling his King of the Jungle oats. After zip lining came our locally prepared lunch – it was delicious. It started with freshly cut up pineapple for us, and then being the vegetarian of the group instead of meat, I was served grilled avocado and portobello mushrooms with beans and rice on the side.

Following lunch, we went on our horseback ride through the jungle. Finally, it was just us and our guide. I love riding horses and have always known the phrase of you and your horse have the same personality to be true – and sure enough it was for us this day. Cousin one (who wasn’t looking forward to this) got to ride Charlie, a calm and slow horse. Cousin two (who rides often) was given, Lightning, who gave her a few jolts of spontaneity. And I received, Orejas (ears in Spanish), who was somewhere in between the two. He never gave me any surprises but was constantly pushing Charlie along – we bonded.

Last on our adventure tour was ATV’ing through the jungle – this was simply four wheeling for anyone confused. This started off rough as I made the mistake of not bringing sunglasses – being behind everyone else, I had dust and dirt spraying me. Our guide saw this and we circled back for the owner to lend me a pair. Back on track, we went through rivers and jungle until we eventually made our way up a mountain to the highest part of the park to watch the sunset, underneath a toucan. It was beautiful!

What a day… we were disgusting!! Covered in sweat, jungle and dirt. We looked like someone tried to put makeup on us in the dark. Getting back to the resort, cousin one went up to shower, while cousin two and I headed directly into the ocean. It changed my life. I was so gross, the ocean just washed it all away. You may be thinking sunset/hungry sharks… whatever, I didn’t care. After our dip and a shot of tequila, we too went to shower before all heading out to Caliche’s Wishbone for some homemade sangria and pizza. Exhausted, we headed to bed for the night.

After our adventure day, we planned to have a relaxing day on the beach all day on Thursday and that’s exactly what we did. Between the pool, beach, snacks and drinks we were revitalized. We got ourselves cleaned up and headed out for what was supposed to be our last night. We went to Villa Caletas (which is also a resort) for drinks and to watch the breathtaking sunset over Coast Rica and the Pacific Ocean from their mountainside built-in amphitheater. Words truly cannot describe how amazing this was and of course we did a photo shoot.

From there we headed down to Playa Hermosa, to The Backyard – a bar we had heard about that’s owned by two Americans and to order a “milk” shot. This was essentially a shot made of coconut milk, vodka, and a third ingredient I didn’t catch. We sat in Adirondack chairs literally on the beach and enjoyed our drinks. This is when cousin two took a phone call and mistakenly walked through a nest of fire ants. I’m laughing just thinking about her reaction… she blew through that bar screaming to the bathroom to wash her feet and ankles. We headed back into town after that to find her some calamine lotion and do some shopping. We ate dinner at Amancio’s, which was delicious. We had wine and pasta – our favorite things.

We parked next door in the grocery store lot (that we’d parked in all week), and upon leaving dinner to get the car, they were locking the parking lot up. With a language barrier we were communicating that we needed our car and weren’t leaving without it. After minutes, they allowed only cousin one to go behind the building, out of sight to retrieve it. Blonde, American girl by herself at night. I was openly not ok with this and was counting to 60… if she wasn’t pulling up in that amount of time, I was grabbing cousin two, we were hopping the barricade and prepared to do a full rescue mission/survival fight. Luckily, she rounded the corner in car, and we hopped in. Deep breaths. We spent the rest of the night laughing, joking, and packing before bed.

“Life is short and the world is wide.” – Simon Raven

We woke up Friday morning, packed up our last-minute essentials, grabbed some coffee and hit the road. We were headed to Irazú Volcano for one last adventure, recommended to us from a new friend on the crocodile tour. I’ll also mention I woke up this day finally feeling ok, which was strange since I’d felt awful all week. Our trek up there was something else… I don’t know if it was the altitude adjustments or what, but I was going through wild stages of hot and cold and was eating everything I could find. We were above the clouds, going through towns/villages of people who live everyday above the clouds… like what? Blew my mind. We finally arrived and it was crazy windy up there, but after our hike to the actual volcano, it was beautiful.

Leaving the volcano to head to the airport is when our trip turns into a nightmare. Coming down the volcano/mountain, cousin one realizes the brakes in the car feel funny or are no longer working – understandably, she’s uncomfortable and panics. Cousin two is the most versed in automobiles takes over and we go a little further before she says yes, the brakes are gone. We’re going down the mountain and this point and use the emergency brake to pull off and come to a stop. Our flight is scheduled for that evening. We call Economy Rental Car and explain our situation – they say someone will be there in 3 hours. We are going to miss our flight. During this time, we’re trying to scramble new flights. We call back to try and get an ETA of the person coming, and never in my life have I had a ruder customer service representative. The nicest old man stops and tries to help – he doesn’t know any English and our Spanish is very limited. He and cousin two pop the hood to the engine and communicate. He points out the hubcap on the tire is zip tied on and is melting… Throughout this we’re also trying to flag down the police, three different police vehicles ignored and drove right past us.

Throughout this ordeal, every single check engine light comes on – we call Economy back to relay this information, still not feeling great, I begin to panic. We are in a foreign country, where we don’t the language, we are stranded, cell phones are dying, and the sun is setting. To keep myself busy, I gather all the trash in the car and panic pee in the ditch. With 20 minutes left until the 3-hour window is up, we call back again, this time in fear. The Economy representative hangs up on us. At the 3-hour mark exactly, our “savior” shows. He doesn’t know any English but we’re able to communicate that he was only told about the brakes, none of the other issues and that we’d need to pay additional money. No! He stays with that car and we take the one he came in. We’ve re-booked flights by this time and discuss the claim we’ll put in (trip insurance).

We arrive back into Jacó and head straight to Economy Rental Car, where luckily Surí is working. We like him, we want to speak with him, so we wait for him. I’ve never seen a more apologetic and broken man before – he felt awful about what happened to us. We went in there, ready to be a category 6 hurricane, but his demeanor changed our approach. He explained everything to us about what can happen next and knew exactly which rude representative had treated us that way. We were provided a discounted room at the Holiday Inn that was within walking distance. Checked in, I then call and cancel my flight scheduled the next day for Austin and re-book it for Sunday.

Defeated, we go to the casino next door to go to the restaurant inside for dinner. Our first real food of the day. From there, we head to our hotel room that I discover is infested with ants. We’re beyond shattered, we “sleep.”

“…life is an adventure, dare it!” – Mother Theresa

Saturday, we eat the hotel breakfast, show the front desk video footage of the ants everywhere and receive another discount. Packed and in the lobby, we meet a dear old man in his 80s from the DC area traveling alone, with a bucket hat that is covered in pins from every state and country he’s been to. He is thriving… and I want to be doing the same thing at his age – what a life he’s lived.

We get to the airport to immediately find out our flight has been delayed… we can’t catch a break. We fly to Newark and land about 11pm, grab our rental car and drive the hours to DC. We arrive around 4am and catch a 2-hour nap before they drive me to the airport at 6am for my flight back to Texas.

An update on that claim to get reimbursed for the additional flights, hotels, and everything in between proved to be a waste of time. Although, our liability claim representative gave us an impression all would be fine, they eventually came back and said they could only reimburse it if we had filed a police report… We were simultaneously pursuing Economy Rental Car for a full reimbursement of at least the rental car since they gave us a faulty one. Brake pads don’t wear out in days. We took this all the way to the top before we were eventually ignored, and they stopped responding. Our next step would be legal action, which we didn’t want to pay more out of pocket, so we accepted our losses.

Aside from the last 24 hours in Costa Rica, this trip was amazing. When I reflect on it, I don’t think of the bad. I remember surfing, and zip lining, and the warm Pacific Ocean, and bringing in the new year with two of my favorite people. 10/10 would go back to Costa Rica. Pura Vida, my friends.

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

If you’ve ever wondered what exactly would happen when casting a merman into the Rocky Mountains, look no further. I’ve got the story right here, ready to share. The tides took three college friends to Denver about a year ago, and I’ve been swimming diligently to get up there to visit. After a couple failed attempts due to scheduling conflicts, we settled on a long Labor Day weekend. Fortunate for friendship, my great friend drove me to the airport around 7am the Saturday of the long weekend. I was scheduled for a landing of about 10am Mountain Time. I’d packed a couple books with me and was ready for take-off. Similar to my Seattle trip, I told my hosts that I wanted to experience it all. All the food, drinks, nature, exercise – you name it.

Upon landing in Denver, it was about a 30-minute drive to their mountain castle. Friend one and two are the owners of said house; and I’d yet to meet the pup they adopted together. I’m a dog lover and couldn’t wait to snuggle that hyper ball of fur. After dropping off my things, eating a quick lunch at home and discussing plans, friend one and I headed out to Boulder (about a 40-minute drive) to do some hiking at a park that he likes to frequent. I’d been warned that some suffer from altitude sickness, so I was a little nervous as we drove out there but decided only one way to find out… let’s see what these sea legs are made of. Happy to report that I had zero effects.

We went to Chautauqua Park, which on such a beautiful day was rightfully busy. We stuck to the trail, hiking and hiking and before deciding to surf our own waves. We climbed up rocks and attempted a cave spelunk before deciding maybe that wasn’t a good idea. We then found a spot that over looked the park and simply caught up on each other’s’ lives. These are the moments I enjoy most. In college, friend one and I weren’t as close as we are now – so it’s almost like we’re making up for lost time.

On our hike back down, we came across not one but two wild black bears – not even together. It was mesmerizing. For each, we were easily 20-30 feet away. Without explanation, I wasn’t even scared. Living in a city, I’m surrounded with the hustle and bustle of man. I long for nature and to see a beautiful, calm, wild creature enjoying apples and berries so close in distance, was phenomenal. What does make me nervous is how comfortable they were near people and the idiots that tried getting closer. I hate to think they could be put down for someone being stupid in their home.

Following our hike, we drifted into downtown Boulder. Being a Saturday, there was a lot going on. More than one festival, streets lined with people, and the students from the nearby university preparing for the semester with outdoor fun. We parked and headed to Pearl Street – on every corner was a different street performer with talents including balancing a chair on fire on their face with knives being thrown at them – it was wild. We popped into Le Pops for a popsicle – I got the blackberry lavender and words cannot describe how delicious it was.

After swimming around the festivals and taking in downtown Boulder, we navigated back to Denver. We docked home, where friend two was waiting for us and we set sail for dinner. We went to an incredible vegan restaurant named, Watercourse Foods. Highly recommend. We started with seitan wings and then for an entrée I had the jackfruit BBQ sandwich, with a lavender lemon drop martini. From dinner, I think we were all dragging energy and headed home to get some rest for Sunday’s festivities.

As the Sunday sun awoke us, we got ourselves together and cruised to downtown Denver to Postino LoHi for brunch, where friend three was meeting us. Friend three and I were great friends in college but hadn’t seen each other in almost three years. I got the veggie panini which was absolutely delicious. This place has a great deal on pitchers of beer, even having a secret hybrid of two on draft. Eight pitchers, endless laughs and full bellies later, we floated to the sights. I was able to glide through Union Station, a fully functioning train station the city has capitalized on with thriving businesses. We walked through the Denver Milk Market and saw what was to offer around there, before heading to ViewHouse. Here friend one and three and I enjoyed some cocktails, people watched and decided our afternoon plan – which was looking like it’d be a bar crawl. From ViewHouse (which lives up to its name, rooftop seating over looking the city), we headed to High Lonesome. Luckily this bar was within walking distance to the house and was the perfect hole-in-a-wall atmosphere that I love. The signature cocktails here are so fun and delicious. We had multiple rounds, trying new ones each time, all while playing endless games of pool and chatting with other mountain mermaids.

Making our way home, we settled on ordering in for dinner. Pizzas, breadsticks, etc. couldn’t have come fast enough and we settled in renting new movie, Tag to watch for the evening. The food hit the spot and company was even better. Fortunately, Labor Day was the next day, so we didn’t have to rush to bed.

Monday was a day full of exercise, clear skies and self-reflection. We woke up, packed the bags with snacks, grabbed the pups and hopped in the truck. Friends one and three and I headed out to Big Bend for a day full of hiking and nature. We settled on Jones Pass. After the drive up the mountain to get there, which was no easy task – we set out on foot, embracing our inner Lewis & Clark. We hiked for hours – that ridge and rock formation looks cool, let’s check out that pond down there, that incline looks hard-let’s do it, etc. The highest we hiked was about 12,000 feet up, so high we were actually being hit with snowflakes. Dress accordingly – I did not. Weather in Denver and hiking in Boulder was very different. Shorts and short sleeves were not enough; might as well have been in my fins. I can over look all of that though because there were zero other people out there for the eye could see. It was just us and nature. The air was thin but clean and fresh, the views breathtaking and self-reflection needed. Upon arriving back at the truck, we relaxed in the tail bed simply taking in the views, while I played music from Vance Joy.

Driving back to the house to shower and thaw, friend two was picking up her sister from the airport (flying in from Europe) – after all were back at the house and showered, we set out on foot to walk to Pepper, an Asian bistro that I think was either amazing or simply our hunger deliriousness was setting in. I ordered Pad Thai, which hit the spot for me. After a day full of hiking and a stomach full of Asian food – this merman was ready to sink into bed.

I knew Tuesday would bring a day of adventure by myself, as all my friends needed to return to work. After I got myself together, I walked over to Black Eye Coffee for an acai bowl and cold brew to decide my itinerary for the day. I decided to head back into downtown and explore a bit more. I ‘swam’  along the South Platte River all the way into town, where I first found myself in the Tattered Cover Book Store – I could have spent an entire afternoon in here. Following this, I decided to go check out Union Station again before heading over to Coors Field. Following getting lost around town and taking it all in, I ventured into Larimer Square and walked along the 16^th Street mall.

After exploring a few miles around town, I stopped back by Black Eye Coffee to grab a Rowdy Mermaid kombucha and headed back to the house to make some lunch. Friend two’s dad also arrived for a visit – sweet to see their small family reunion. Following my refuel, I set out to Red Rocks Park. Luckily this wasn’t a far drive. I arrived and was able to see the amphitheater and take in the beauty of the park, but it did take me a hot minute to actually find the real trails.

It was a hot afternoon, but it was incredible to do a hike of this caliber by myself. To truly immerse oneself in nature away from mankind; it really makes you think. The rock formations were beautiful and I find it captivating to understand how creations like this exist.

Returning to the house, I jumped in the shower and then got myself ready for the evening. Friend two and her sister hadn’t returned yet, and friend one was talking business with friend two’s dad – so, I took my book and the pups to read on the back deck. I was obsessed with the weather. It was perfect. Eventually we made our way down to what could be considered the “arts district” to Work & Class for dinner. The style of this restaurant is to order multiple half or full plates of food and everyone shares. So… we ordered essentially everything from the massive attack salad to chickpea croquettes to spiced fried sweet plantains to jalapeno cornbread to Wisconsin cheddar mac & cheese to other meats for my carnivore friends. Food comas were an understatement. From our table we could see some guys painting the roads adjacent to the restaurant. We meandered over there to see that they were painting multiple colored jellyfish– it was so creative and showcased their talent.

Later we drifted back to the house, where I took the time to pack my things, then friend one and I sat on the back deck chatting the evening away. After discussing past travels, college memories, future travel plans and our friendship, the moon said we should call it a night.

The next morning, friend one drove me to the airport before his day at work got too busy. This trip brought so much reflection for me. Maybe it was because of the book I was reading, maybe it was truly immersing myself into Mother Nature and the beauty of the Rockies, or maybe it was becoming closer to friends and better figuring out where I want my future to go. Or maybe it was all of those things.

I left a little piece of my heart in Colorado. I’ll be back.

“These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.”

– Najwa Zebian

Diving back down to my first blog post I realize I mentioned a couple friends and I would be exploring Seattle this summer for the July 4^th holiday. I’m going to do my best to take you all on a tour of that week and how stunning the city of Seattle truly is. For a booming city in development, I’ve never seen so many infrastructures and skylines showing respect to the surrounding nature and conservation. Go green!

*Going into this trip, it was agreed upon we’d do all the eating, all the drinking, all the exercising, all the positivity. You get the picture.

My flight was to take off at 6:40am on Tuesday, July 3^rd – aggressive for this night owl. Luckily a great friend agreed to wake up at 4am with me to take me to the airport. I think my excitement to not only visit this city but also to reunite with two of my absolute best friends (I hadn’t seen since New Year’s) killed any tiredness I had. I was ready to go, could have flown the plane myself. It was beautiful to watch the sun rise through the plane window, alternating between playlists and podcasts. I landed just before 9am in Seattle. Friend one is living there for the summer as part of his internship for his MBA program, but friend two (girlfriend of friend one/my land mermaid) was waiting for my arrival. It should be noted finding the uber/lyft area at the Seattle airport is not an easy task (possibly my deliriousness was to blame), but after that I was also surprised how far the airport is from the city. It was easily a 30-45-minute drive; however, my driver was a local and got me there in record time – he shaved off 11 minutes. I was impressed.

After arriving, we exchanged birthday/friendship gifts (we’re those kind of people), swan dove into some hot water to freshen up and off we went. Keep in mind; we’d created a Google Doc of all the places we wanted to go. We decided to head to Biscuit Bitch, which we’d heard so much about. We set off to walk there. Friend one is living in Westlake, which was prime for just about everywhere we wanted to go – we walked everywhere. Seattle is a very walk, bike, and public transit friendly city.  Biscuit Bitch is easily hidden if you aren’t looking for it, but once we found it (look for the crowd standing outside), we ordered and waited. The playlist is incredible and will immediately make you feel some kind of way. As the title insinuates, the staff has no problem talking to you like you’re family and they’re mad at you. Quick adjustment but I’m a good sport and can appreciate it. Food was delicious.

 

After our meal, we swimmingly navigated down the streets, popping into a few shops (made a couple purchases) and headed to the infamous Pike’s Place Market. This place is incredible and huge – you could easily spend days here. I think what shocked us most is the abundance of fresh flowers. Thousands. And how cheap they were; you could get a bouquet that filled up a 10-gallon bucket for anywhere from $7-20. We watched the notorious fish throwing, which was cool. It should be noted you can only participate in the fish throwing and catching if you buy one. The disputed first Starbucks is across the street from Pike’s Place – basic, but we had to go. We agreed it would be the only chain we would visit, but nonetheless it was cool to go to and say we went. Sipping our iced coffees, we walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed the unbelievable scenery.

 

By afternoon time, friend one was off work and we all met for lunch at The Butcher’s Table. The reunion I’d been looking forward to for months. These two are my safe harbor and the wake to my water – home is where the heart is. Following lunch, we walked back to get ready for the evening, discuss plans, and formulate itineraries. We met new friends, grad program friends, and Seattle friends at Dexter Brewhouse  for a happy hour before heading out to the Ballard district. We started at Bramling Cross for a couple more drinks while we waited on our table at Stoneburner. Each of these places were new for everyone and enjoyable cocktails and food. And hello, new crew!

The next morning was July 4^th – big day! I woke up before the rest and decided to go work out in his apartment building gym. Just because it was vacation didn’t mean I shouldn’t boost my serotonin. After my workout and shower, friend two and I walked down to Umbria Caffé for coffee while friend one caught up on his rest. We walked to Whole Foods and bought the things we’d need for the plans later that night. After returning, we all walked to Serious Pie & Biscuit for an absolutely amazing brunch. I had a lavender and honey lemonade, with a fried green tomato and fried egg sandwich with all the fixings. Post brunch we walked over to the Fremont district, which could be said to be more of the “hipster” area of Seattle. Between the Fremont Vintage Mall and the Goodwill in Westlake (not a normal Goodwill – think extremely nice dept. store), our outfits were set for July 4^th festivities. Subsequently, we walked along Lake Union looking at the multiple marinas with all the house boats afloat – goals!

 

We returned to prepare the food we were to bring and get ready for the evening. We walked a couple buildings down to where another friend was living for the summer to celebrate on the rooftop and watch the fireworks over the lake. I was able to meet a lot of cool new people, enjoy incredible views and watch the longest and most beautiful firework show I’ve ever witnessed.

 

Between the time change and the sun rising so early, I woke up early everyday (unlike me). For the first time in my adult life, post July 4^th celebrations, I decided to work out. So, I ran the 1.6 miles back to the vintage mall in Fremont and back, for a sum of a 5k. Legs = dead; anchored down. Ready to tackle the day after a shower and some quick Advil. We meandered down to the area around the Space Needle, stopped for a break on some grass, then went to Skillet Counter for breakfast. Following this we decided we would snag a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island. Round trip ferry ride is $8 – so worth it. We headed to the front of the ferry and relived Titanic, while venturing away from the city to beautiful harmony.

 

Once there, we decided we wanted to live on this island. It was so quaint and sweet and perfect. We walked through town, stopped in some shops (made some more purchases), listened to multiple locals play music on the streets, grabbed some lemonade and just simply ventured around the island. We had plans that night, so we had to be attentive to the ferry ride times to return. I’ll mention my legs being dead again, because I laid on the ferry on the return trip soaking in the waves and Vitamin D. After our return, we went back to Pike’s Place to buy some flowers and stop by Rachel’s Ginger Beer for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. The revival we needed.

 

Perfect timing that our arrival home was the same time friend one got off work. We had just enough time to get ourselves ready to head to the Mariners baseball game (tickets we’d purchased previously) at Safeco Park. It was a great experience and a without a doubt breathtaking sunset over the park. The home team won, which was another plus to the evening.

 

The next morning, friend two and I went to Portage Bay Café for brunch (they serve brunch every day of the week) for a delightful and very filling meal – definitely recommend. Following our food comas, we decided to go paddle board out on Lake Washington. The water was pretty chilly, but after working up a sweat paddle boarding and thinking who knows when I’ll swim in this lake again, I dove in. It was very refreshing but what I didn’t expect was the vegetative growth under me. Swimming through trees is what I would compare it to. Eventually we sat/laid on our boards and floated adrift back to shore. We decided we should use the rent a bikes and bike to the arboretum just outside the city (11 miles). The first half of this voyage was extraordinary as the trail follows along the shore of the lake. After about 5 miles I was over it – my bike seat wouldn’t stay secure at the height I needed. We biked the 11 miles to the gas station right before the entrance to the arboretum, where I chugged a Gatorade before I could even purchase it. I’m completely ok with not getting on a bike again for the rest of 2018. I’ll drift through the city by foot.

 

We ventured into the arboretum where we walked and talked until stumbling upon an inviting patch of grass along the water. We docked ourselves in the grass, possibly catnapped, and rested our bodies. Eventually we got up and made our way back to the apartment to prepare for the evening. Once friend one came home, we met some friends we had previously met earlier in the week at The Backdoor for some drinks and “dinner.” We then traveled over to The Garage for a couple more drinks, where I think I can confidently say a good time was had by all. Here we decided why not do a bar crawl of Capitol Hill (college area). Not knowing any of these places we went off limited descriptions from the internet. The first one we 100% misinterpreted the description and found ourselves at Dark Bar, a heavy metal/goth bar. We did not fit in and got a few stares but decided we’ll make the best of it – we’re not rude. Well we were never waited on, so we then headed over to R Place, however it had a cover fee so on to the next! We finally settled on Honey Hole for our last drinks of the evening before returning home.

The next morning (which would also be my last day), I arose before the others so decided to head down to The Six to purchase us some fresh squeezed juices. Following a shower and juice detox, we went to Citizen for some brunch, trailed by what was our hopeful trip of going up the Space Needle – however tickets for the day had all been bought. Buy in advance! I’ll be back! Instead we hopped on the monorail and decided to go for an afternoon cocktail at The Nest, a rooftop bar in the Thompson Seattle Hotel with incredible views that a friend I’d met on my Portland trip had recommended. Time wasn’t standing still for me, so we went to The Tasting Room for flights of Rosé before heading back to the apartment.

 

The time I was dreading the most – saying goodbye. Not only am I bad at bye’s because I don’t like them, it’s always difficult because I never know when exactly I’ll see them again. Fortunately, the three of us all want to move to the PNW in the next year.

Overall, I fell in love with [Sea]ttle. All I heard was, “it rains all the time, you won’t like it.” Maybe it does most of the year but that’s why everything is so green and beautiful – hence the nickname, Emerald City. Perhaps it was luck, but it was sunny and in the 70s everyday we were there. All in all, I can’t wait to return and explore this city further.

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius

It seems I’m writing more and more about travels lately, but I suppose that’s a good thing. All of these were on my goals list and I like sharing them with you all should you want to go. This exploration was with my usual travel partner/cousin and another cousin who is making our duo into a trio. We sporadically planned a trip to Chicago with a day trip into Milwaukee. Two cities and states we’d never been to before.

As we researched flights and times and everything that goes into planning a trip, we obviously were gaining insights left and right on what to do once we got there. One of the first things that comes to mind when hearing Chicago is of course the Cubs. Luck would have it they were playing a home game the same day we were to arrive. So, we bought those ahead of time and splurged on the tickets (thankful for this later).

It was a very early morning and after some flight delays, I was on my way from Austin to Chicago. Upon arriving it was raining and dreary – can’t kill my vibe. My cousins were driving a rental in from a wedding in Iowa, so they were coming straight to the airport. Surprisingly as non-hectic as the inside of the airport was for me, I can’t say the same for the passenger pick-up area. If anyone was watching us, it was essentially a slowdown, throw my suit case and jump in while never putting the car in park. Hugs would have to wait.

We had about an hour to game time, and fortunately our Airbnb was only 2 blocks from Wrigley Stadium, so we were on our hunt for where we were staying. This was difficult. Directions weren’t very helpful because roads run together, and we were told to turn down alleyways that didn’t make sense. Not only are there alleyways everywhere, we weren’t familiar with this kind of housing construction. Truthfully, it was a clustered mess, but some nice people looking for a “Roberta” helped us out and pointed us where we should be.

We also didn’t pack accordingly. This is our fault. We were later told that Chicago will have all 4 seasons in one week. When we saw the degrees projected, we also think of the humidity that comes with it. That wasn’t the case with Chicago. It was raining and a little chilly. We’re good sports though. So here I go to the Cubs game in a bathing suit, Chaco’s, and a raincoat. The only water repellant clothes I have. We get to the game and (bless) those seats we splurged on are covered seats – yes! We all love baseball and it was a great experience. Unfortunately, the Cubs lost, but we had a great time. Even saw a [fan] take the field and avoid at least 5 security officers before finally being taken down. We stayed the entire game and it was well worth it. Following that we walked back to the house to warm-up and figure out our game plan.

We understood that Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza was going to be our dinner. We headed to Pequod’s (recommended from a friend) for dinner. We got 2 pizzas and tried some local ciders and put together our itinerary for the rest of the trip, after catching up and enjoying being together.

Monday would prove to be our heavily touristy day. It started with what would be hands down my worst Uber experience to date, but 45 minutes after entering that vehicle, we were free and ready to experience this incredible city. We started with breakfast at The Eastman Egg Company and headed over to the Willis (Sears) Tower to experience the Skydeck. We were told at arrival that visibility was at zero percent – ok, we’ll be back! Instead we headed over and experienced the infamous, Bean. From there we’d heard so much about the Chicago Riverwalk and the Chicago River/Architecture Tours. We booked our tour, which at first glance looks expensive – it is SO worth it. Our tour was absolutely incredible not only learning about the history of Chicago, the river, and all of the buildings/architecture, but our volunteer tour guide was an absolute treasure.

From there we walked along the mouth of the river and Lake Michigan, out to Navy Pier. In my opinion Navy Pier is a bit of letdown. It’s prime real estate and I thought they’d really capitalize on restaurants, bars, and make it a touristy pier – it’s a bust. We meandered down Magnificent Mile and headed to a couple happy hours. We started at Cindy’s Rooftop, which is incredibly popular, and we had to wait in a line for – however, super friendly staff and beautiful views of the city, river and lake. After a couple drinks there, we headed down just a few floors to The Game Room before going to dinner at Miller’s Pub. We had a great time here for dinner, but it wasn’t our first choice. Time got away from us and truly we went there because it was still open serving full menu.

 

The following day was our day trip into Milwaukee. Surprisingly to me, Milwaukee is only about an hour and half north of Chicago. We put on Lakefront Brewery as our destination and headed that direction. After arriving, we went in and the brewery sits right on the Milwaukee Riverwalk. After a very helpful and pleasant staff, we grabbed some brews and sat out on the river just talking. From there we walked down the river into town, seeing the Bronze Fonz and going to the Milwaukee Public Market, where we enjoyed some delicious desserts. Per recommendation we walked to Harbor House, where we enjoyed a cocktail and had a photoshoot on Lake Michigan. We went back to the Milwaukee Public Market for dinner and had all the cheese in Wisconsin, with some other indulgences. On the way back to the car, we saw where the Milwaukee Bucks play, and the new stadium being built for them.

 

Arriving back to Chicago it was still important for us to experience Willis Tower, so we headed there just an hour before they closed. I mention this because I totally recommend going then. Not only was there not a line, but we weren’t rushed to take pictures on the Skydeck and leave for the next people. We could take our time, and seeing the city lit up at night is beautiful.

 

Unfortunately, then it was time to head back to the house and pack for us to get just a couple hours (literally) of sleep before having to go to the airport. After we all got through (separate airlines and terminals), we were able to meet for breakfast and say our goodbyes – already planning the next trip for us.

All in all, Chicago was an incredible city that I can not wait to return to and experience more of. I feel like Milwaukee would be such a blast if they were celebrating a sports win – the city just had that feel with all their breweries and bars.

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

This exploration is a reflection from a year ago exactly. My cousin/travel partner and I sporadically decided over Christmas 2016 that we would take a European adventure. We set flight alerts to fly in and out of Germany, but we would travel by train to other countries and had some time to piece together our itinerary. By February a flight from DC to Munich was just over $500 (it costs more for me to fly home for Christmas). We didn’t think we’d get a better deal, so we booked them. With further research and excitement flooding our heads, we settled on the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy. Doing my best to recap our travels to 5 countries, this post may be a little longer than others, as I want to share as many details as possible in case any of you readers want to pick up and do it yourself.

Before we begin, I’ll note how we afforded all of this. I use Skyscanner to search for flights and set alerts, so I’m notified when they increase and decrease. Is it the cheapest flight search? – maybe not, but it’s very user friendly and I like it. After researching train tickets in advance, we read in multiple places that those fluctuate, and it would be smarter to buy day of (which was true). Our train tickets ranged from $20 to just over $100 for our most expensive. Next came lodging, our first night we stayed with my cousin’s college friend who is currently living in Germany, so that’s where we began. We considered Airbnb’s, but luckily my other cousin (travel cousin’s sister) has a family and friends discount with Marriott through her employer – we capitalized on this for our entire trip. In terms of excursions and touristy sites, many were free. We were also surprised how much cheaper food and beverages (minus water) were everywhere.

Our shortest trip was to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Technically this was a layover from DC to Munich, however we had a full day, so we left the airport and went out to adventure. Between my trek from Austin to DC to Amsterdam – I was a mess. After getting our bearings straight and deciding food was first. We went to a nice little café on the river, next to the Heineken factory. Can’t go to Amsterdam and not have a Heineken. This was also where I learned you must pay to use the restroom… Ok, different. Truly, we kind of got lost in this city just wandering around. We started in Dam Square that eventually led to Dappermarkt, which is a street market – imagine a United States’ farmer’s market on steroids. I should also note that Amsterdam is a very bicycle focused city – I’m talking thousands, everywhere. We walked along the Amstel River, eventually blindly walking into the Red-Light District. Even during the day this area is just like the rumors one may hear – I can only imagine what it would be like after dark. After escaping the advances of many, we found a pub for lunch, just in time to run in from the rain. The best fresh squeezed orange juice I’ve ever had. I hope to revisit this city again one day, where I’ll have more time to explore all it has to offer, but in the meantime, it was a great prelude.

 

Landing in Munich and getting to Central Station, came our first experience with the train system – it didn’t go well. This was our only language barrier we ran into. The person we asked at the station thought we said Hamberg instead of Amberg and we were headed the wrong way… People on the train again couldn’t understand us pronouncing the difference. We got off the train, my lunch was seasoned with a dust storm from another train going by and I brushed my teeth on the train tracks. I’d been up for over 30 hours now and I was bringing nothing to the table to help. It was beginning to get dark and panic was setting in with my cousin. We finally made communication with her friend who got us going in the right direction and decided to pick us up at a different train station that was closest to us. Bless. We arrived at their home and I’ve never been more grateful for a spread of vegetables, meats and cheeses. It was everything and more. Then came the hot shower followed by a bed.

We slept in until 9am that Sunday, had another wonderful breakfast prepared by the hosts and then came our tour of Amberg. This town is just like a children’s fairytale book. It is the culture that nothing happens on Sunday – it is a day of rest. So, the town was mainly deserted as people stay home. We went to the train station to go into Regensburg where a festival was happening – the best way to describe this would be Oktoberfest meets state fair. A fun day and my demise. We rode rides and played games like we were teenagers again, eating genuine German food. The steins of beer overpowered me. I had been sober 45 days before this trip, just on a cleanse and wasn’t prepared for those German beers. They got the best of me… in every way possible. We made it home and passed out. We were to leave Monday morning by 7am for our train into Prague, so I was a struggle bus. It was about a 3-4-hour train ride to Prague and I slept the first half. Got that out of my system – moving on!

 

Prague was easily one of my top 3 favorite international cities I’ve ever been to, I cannot wait to return. We stayed in Prague from Monday to Wednesday, so we had a couple full days to venture around. We saw the Old Town Hall, Old Town Hall Tower and the Prague Astronomical Clock – this is also where the city hosts their Christmas markets. I can only imagine how beautiful it is during the holiday season. Our walk across the Charles Bridge, led us straight to the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, which we toured. After these festivities, we had the most beautiful lunch on the river where we had a bottle of wine, two waters each, an appetizer and our actual lunch’s – all for $40. I was blown away by how much cheaper everything is in Prague. Following lunch, we did what I wanted to do most, and we went to the infamous John Lennon Wall. Following this we got ice cream in cones made from donuts!! Why this hasn’t taken off in the United States, I’ll never know. As we continued our exploration of Prague, we also saw the Basilica of St. George, toured the Museum of Communism (I personally didn’t know the rich history of Prague and WWII), and went to U Medvidku Beer Hall so we could try X-Beer 33 (the strongest beer in Europe/also thick like syrup).

 

Vienna, Austria was our next destination. Although we would only be here for 2 days, it was important for us to squeeze in as much as we could. I think what surprised us the most is our hotel room was legitimately across from a palace – casual. We decided to start this city by going first to Schonnbrunn Palace, this palace was breathtaking. The gardens, architecture, absolutely all of it. And the biggest bonus is the Schonnbrunn Zoo is right next to it. Not only do my cousin and I love animals, this is also the oldest zoo in the world, so we felt we had to go. In addition to that bonus, when we left the zoo and came back out to the palace, the Phil Harmoniker was setting up for an event. Though we didn’t hear them play for the event, we were able to stay and listen to them practice. Incredible. Walking through Heldenplatz, we saw St. Stephen’s Cathedral and many other buildings and palaces – what was most interesting about Vienna was the buildings all implementing teal and gold accents into the architecture.

 

Following Vienna, came Venice. My absolute favorite – hence why one of my 2018 goals was to learn Italian. I have every intention of returning to this country and my hope is to be fluent. And what a treat we had when we arrived. The Marriott Venice is on a private island (this was our splurge city), so we boarded a private water taxi and headed over there. Upon entering the hotel lobby, I immediately spotted Giorgio Armani – so my thoughts went to ok, it’s that kind of place. It was already into the afternoon, so we changed into our bathing suits to go and lay by the rooftop pool and enjoy some wine and a meat/cheese spread.

 

After soaking up some Vitamin D and snacking, we showered and ordered our water taxi to head back into the city for some exploring and dinner. Throughout this trip it should be noted that we traveled via the Grand Canal for all of it. I mention this because if you look up things to do in Venice, this is on the list but I’m not sure how you’d visit Venice and not at some point be on the Grand Canal. Anyhow, our first night had us venturing into Saint Mark’s Square, where St. Mark’s Basilica and Campanile di San Marco are also located. Many articles and blogs will tell you to get lost in this city and I couldn’t agree more. We wandered with the day light we had left and stumbled upon the Torre dell’Orologio until popping into a local’s restaurant for some red wine and fresh pasta.

 

Venice was the city we chose to spend the most time in and it was well worth it. Other beautiful sights to see were the Rialto Bridge, Bridge of Sighs, Santa Maria Farmosa, and Doge’s Palace. We were also touristy and did a Gondola Ride – well worth it, our guide even sang to us in Italian. Aside from staying in Venice, we took a day trip to Burano Island, where the island is painted with bright rainbow colors and they’re known for their creative arts. We each walked away with multiple purchases.

 

Our last night in Venice was textbook perfect. We went to another local’s restaurant where we feasted on wine, appetizers, entrees, and dessert. The staff liked us so much, the next thing we knew they were bringing us limoncello shots. Even without counting this kind gesture, I can absolutely say that every restaurant staff member we encountered in Venice was genuinely amazing to us.

After saying goodbye to my favorite city, we boarded what would be our longest train ride back to Munich to spend a few days before flying back to the United States.

We arrived in Munich that evening and even though we had just left Italy, surprisingly Munich is known for it’s pizza, so that’s what we had and prepared the details for the rest of our trip.

The next morning was our hardest day of the trip, emotionally. We bought our tickets and went to Dachau Concentration Camp. As incredible as it is to see with your own eyes and stand where history took place, it’s very taxing. Without giving a history lesson, one thing I learned was that the Dachau camp was the first concentration camp created and the last to be liberated. We watched actual footage of the liberation, we saw the gas chambers, replicas of barracks, and many memorials that have since been added to the site. World War II is something that has always captivated us, as both of our grandfathers served; therefore, the holocaust was important to us and visiting a camp while there was at the top of our list.

 

From here on out our goal was to see as much of Munich as we could and finish our trip strong. We conquered Marienplatz and Angerviertel, saw St. Paul’s Cathedral, and enjoyed our last German beers at Augustine Keller Beer Garden. I was surprised how modern Munich is compared to the other cities we had ventured to, the unexpected cost to use the bathroom, the looks we got for ordering so much water, and the food portions were wild.

 

All in all, this nearly 2-week European Escape with my cousin was a blessing. Not only did it bring us closer together, I got to see more of the world I long to see, fell in love with Italy, and can’t wait to plan our next international trip.

“You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.” – Will Traynor

Swimming Monday through Friday from eight to five in the education field, I am fortunate enough to also receive a ‘spring break.’ For the first time in eight years, I did not spend it with my friend group – I decided solo or with others I was going to explore somewhere new.

I set my flight alerts on to multiple destinations and monitored the increases and decreases in price. Mid-January the price to Portland, Oregon hit a number I was comfortable with and booked the flight without blinking an eye.

Luckily a friend from college lives in Portland – Hello, friend, give me all the recommendations. Places to go, things to see, where to eat, where to stay, etc.

I immediately called my cousin/travel partner and offered her to join me on this adventure. Then it was settled, I’d get the rental car – she’d book the Airbnb. Similar to our European Escape (coming soon), I took on the duties of creating our itinerary.

Next was the countdown. We couldn’t wait.

My flight arrival was after hers (her luggage was lost). By the time I got to the house (we stayed in the Alberta/Mississippi district), we were both starving. We decided to head down to our district’s version of downtown and to our first Portland meal at Por Que No? The line was out the door – must be a good sign! The first thing we noticed on the door was the sign below (later to be spotted in all stores, bars, and restaurants). We were mesmerized with how inclusive this city was just in the first hour. Outside of the restaurant hung a rainbow flag, a Black Lives Matter sign, other signs supporting DACA and the Dreamers; these are just to name a few. It was incredible. The food and staff were just as amazing. I had sweet potato tacos with a home brewed purple tea. After dinner we walked down the street and stopped at local brewery, StormBreaker Brewing. Again, such wonderful staff and great beer. We went over the rest of the trip’s itinerary and then returned home to await the arrival of her luggage. With time differences, we’d been up for 24 hours and I struggled to remain awake with her – I failed. When I awoke the next morning, my thoughts were, “well I hope the suitcase delivery man didn’t murder her.” Great news, all was alive and well.

*As these adventures start, please note that all parking in Portland is parallel parking. Great.

We started our day at Tasty N’ Sons for an amazing brunch. Brunch here is more of a tapas environment, so we enjoyed chocolate potato doughnuts, sweet biscuits with a blueberry compote and whipped cream (still swooning), potatoes bravas with an over easy egg and aioli sauce, and the hangtown fry which was oysters with all the breakfast fixings.

After brunch, we headed into the woods for a short (long) hike to see the infamous Witch’s Castle in Forest Park. We were stunned how active the trail was to get to the castle and the number of runners running on these thin trails that one slip in the mud would send them barreling down a mountain side. The Witch’s Castle was definitely a tourist site to see and gave us 90’s Hocus Pocus kids a great sense of spook. From the hike down and back up a mountain, next came something a little more leisurely. We decided to head to the Rose Test Garden. Pictures of this garden were breathtaking – well, wrong time of year. Garden was dead… zero life. We considered going to the Japanese Garden or the Lan Su Chinese Garden, but we found out there was a fee associated with entering those and after the Rose Garden, we decided to keep going.

*It should be noted that Portland has a huge Asian past and culture. It was very interesting to learn more about this.

Multnomah Falls was only 40 minutes away, so we made our trek out there. A beautiful drive along the Columbia River the whole way, led us right up to the waterfall. In fact, when we got there, we were trying to figure out how far we’d have to hike until we looked up and it was directly in front of our faces. Breathtaking.

We thought we were headed to the SE Wine Collective (12 wineries represented) for lunch and a wine tasting, but we took a different turn and ended up at a different wine shop. Still had a wonderful tasting with bread and cheese spreads – even walked away with a few bottles.

At this point, we were within walking distance of House of Vintage, which I read about online and knew it was on Hawthorne Street – a great shopping location. House of Vintage turned out to be enormous and truly too much to look at, so we decided to instead walk up and down the street and stop in local stores and purchased some treasures.

Back to our districts version of downtown, we popped into a local pizza place that had a Zebra statue outside, where we enjoyed some fresh slices and local brews. After that we then went and had ice cream. I of course went for the lavender and honey hybrid. Two of my favorite things. Sunday would be an early morning, so perfect way to end the night.

Blue Star Donuts was our first stop as we headed out to the coast. Per a recommendation, Cape Kiwanda State National Area was our destination. The most beautiful drive and just the right amount of time for us to talk and catch up on everything. My favorite. Cape Kiwanda was unreal, truly incredible. We got there by 9am, so the only other people out there were the morning surfers. One thing I immediately noticed was the lack of sea shells, instead near and far between were perfectly smoothed small black rocks. Pelican Brewery sits right there on the ocean and stole our afternoon lunch appetites.

Driving down the coast towards Depoe Bay for our whale watching appointment. The Pacific coast is something that should be on everyone’s bucket list. We saw pictures of the previous sightings and were told just the day before there had been two whale breaching’s. The odds were in a favor. Once we were out 3-5 miles, we followed two whales for about an hour. It was unbelievable. I hope to do this again one day. Patience and warm jackets are key.

After our whale watching excursion, back in the car to head back up the coast to Cannon Beach for a sunset and dinner. If you’ve seen the movie, The Goonies, you’ll recognize the giant rock at Cannon Beach. We arrived with about an hour to go until the sunset, so we enjoyed the beach and the great weather we were told we brought with us. We watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, dancing around this rock. Simply stunning. Instead of our original dinner destination, we just went into the Town of Cannon Beach and ended up at the Sweet Basil Café. We were wet and cold at this point – red wine was our goal. Quoting my cousin, “I want to be sweating when we leave here.” This was easily my favorite meal of the trip. A veggie tortilla soup, followed by a mushroom and polenta with fresh veggies dish. I could eat it again every day. After a full day of coastal travels, we headed back to Portland to call it a night.

Monday morning took us back downtown to start our day at Voodoo Donuts, right across from the infamous Keep Portland Weird sign. The best blueberry cake donut, anywhere. This is when I kept our itinerary very open for us to have a free day. Followed by pictures with the giant Paul Bunyan Statue; we considered the Oregon Zoo (nah), doing the Portland Underground Walking Tour (more of that learning the Asian history) – but it only had a 2pm timeslot open… (nah). After a brief walk back down our districts’ downtown and pit stop for coffee at Jory Coffee, we decided to drive out to Mount Hood; a potentially active stratovolcano in Oregon. It was crazy to think the day before we only drove an hour west to the coast and here we were driving an hour east into the snowy mountains. We saw Mount Hood after an almost ‘run out of gas’ moment, and it was more breathtaking than a pictures’ justice.

From there, we drove to Naked Winery in Hood River, Oregon. Being the two people, we are, we made friends with our sommelier who in addition to our requested tasting, allowed us to also try their house specials. After our time there, he pointed to a bridge out the window about a football field away and said on the other side was the state of Washington if we wanted to go, he could offer some more recommendations. Well, you don’t have to tell us twice. We were in the car headed for Washington.

Unfortunately, some of the places he recommended were closed that Monday, but we were able to frequent a brewery and try some Washington beers and go to a restaurant for some loaded Washington tots.

The night was still early so on our drive back to Portland, we stopped at Pine Street Market. A place that offers multiple food business all in one giant dining hall. Pizza and ice cream again won us over. I’m seeing a trend here. From there, we went to Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider for a flight of his ciders. Delicious. His two originals, were by far my favorites.

Tuesday morning came, and I had to take my cousin to the airport. The infamous Oregon rain was back. I started with an acai bowl downtown and walked to Powell’s Book that kept me dry and busy for the next hour and a half.

Despite the rain, there was still more I wanted to see outside. So, I headed to the Redwood Grove Hoyt Arboretum, to take in the Redwoods. After some time imagining how old they were and if anyone could wrap their arms around one, I decided to head to The Grotto. This is a destination of trails with Catholic figures made into nature. I’m not Catholic, but still found it incredibly peaceful and stunning all the same. I then tried my first vegan restaurant, Bye & Bye. It was phenomenal.

I spent the rest of my afternoon, walking around and taking in more of this city. I went back to the house and packed my bags, so I wouldn’t have to later that night. I made my way back to StormBreaker Brewing, where I tried a couple more of their home beers and chatted with the staff. I took a new book with me, and as I sat there reading and reflecting on this city and trip – I was overcome with an unusual feeling. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I was where I was supposed to be. Friend from college and I were then able to meet down the street at Ecliptic Brewing for some dinner and other local beer. It’s always great catching up with an old friend and seeing their success in life. I thanked him for all the recommendations and shared that this city had captivated me.

Following our departure, I went home and prepared for my morning flight. The flight home was filled with new books and a sadness of leaving this unbelievable city and state. Until next time, Oregon.

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal.” – Unknown