16 Great Trips I've Taken

Throwback posts to:

June 2008

July 2009

May 2011

February 2012

April 2012

May 2012

July 2012

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

November 2012

New Year's 2013

January 2013

February 2013

April 2013

May 2013

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Talinn, Estonia: Skype, Culture Kilometer, and much more

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Synopsis: Two trips in one month!? We crazy people, working to live and not living to work... Since Stephanie is leaving Europe (this is where the audience 'aawws' in sympathy for me), we decide to go see her top place she's wanted to visit, before she leaves. Estonia is not an easy place to get to, as the tickets are expensive or for cheaper flights, the required travel is longer than the alotted vacation days.

Trip Overview:
Day 1: Take off from Brussels, where our plane just appeared out of Finnair, at 19:20. We get a sandwich and drinks on the flight. Land in Helsinki but we don't Finnish there (ok, I'm done). Shuttle ride to the plane is longer than the 52 second flight from Helsinki to Tallinn and we arrive just after midnight, yet I can still see sunlight. We catch a taxi for about 9€ to the hotel.

Thoughts: Just can't get over the ridiculousness of the prices of Brussels' cabs and public transport! It cost us 6€ a piece to catch a bus 3km to the airport in Brussels, yet only 4,50€ a piece to catch a cab about 7km, directly to our hotel, in Tallinn.  Daylight so late in the evening reminds me of my trip to Alaska. 

Boarding the plane in Helsinki at 23:45

Tere (tear-ay) Estonia!

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Bucharest, Romania: Well, where's Dracula?

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Synopsis: I've have been trying to go to Romania for some time now. Since Ed repeatedly refused to go to his homeland with me, I just never went. Thanks to Stephanie, we will go for the 4th of July weekend. Celebrating American independence in eastern Europe, with style!

This is the first blog that I am recording in real time. Imagine how accurate it will be. Wait, that's more pressure on me. Stop imagining, right now! You in the back, I can see you still imagining...

Trip Overview:
Day 1: At the Zaventem airport waiting to board. Suddenly we hear our names on the loudspeaker, calling for last boarding. Almost missed the first flight! Get on the plane and we have exit row, oh yeah.

Romania heard we were coming from Brussels, so it, thoughtfully, greets us with light rain showers. We board the bus to downtown and we don't do the validation thing correct, so when the transit cops get on, they try to charge me 50 lei ($15.50). Between my obstinance to pay and the cops' inability to speak english, I am not charged.

Bus stops at Unirii Square and we walk toward our hotel. Leave our stuff at the hotel and head toward Palace of the Parliament for a night-time photo op. Then to Old Town. Later, to Carrefour for snacks and water, and then head back to the hotel.

Thoughts: Lufthansa gives you food and drinks... note to self, keep flying Lufthansa. I thought the transit cops were con-men at first, which is why I really didn't want to pay. They ended up just showing me how to validate the ticket. There are many giant televsions on top of buildings and in the squares. Old Town is a lively place and there are quite a few "Hot Massage" and "Girls Night Dance" places. Some of the restaurants/stores have "Non-Stop" written on them, which means they are 24/7. Even Carrefour was non-stop. This is amazing to me, considering EVERYTHING in Belgium closes at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and doesn't open on Sundays at all!

The fountain started spraying us as we wait for the camera-timer to take the pic

This is totally normal at Carrefour afer midnight

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Morocco: Imperial Cities Tour

Synopsis: Staša and I are heading to Zaventem airport at 4AM to catch our early morning flight to Marrakech, Morocco. We are doing a guided tour of the Imperial Cities of Morocco, includes: three meals a day, entrance fees, and all in French. Don't worry, we are fluent in Franglais/Frenglish. Minibus is the primary mode of transportation, aside from walking.


Trip Overview:
Day 1: Land in Marrakech and after checking in, go straight down to Place Jemaa El Fna. Someone is drawing henna on Staša, against her will. She concedes, since she wanted a henna tattoo anyway. Now we are walking around the souks... no thank you, I don't want to buy your stuff... where are we? how do we get out? we are in a labyrinth... finally, there's the exit, and we escape without having spent any money.

Night 1: The "tour" officially begins, which simply means we get dinner at the hotel. Head back out to Jemaa El Fna. Officially a billion people here. Restaurants that weren't there before have emerged everywhere. A lot to take in. We will be back in a few days to do it again in more depth.

Thoughts: Great introduction to Morocco, the culture and the people. Looking forward to this adventure!

Arriving first thing in the morning

My trademark (assisted) handstand next to Koutobia Mosque

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Rome, Italy: Sono affamato for cappuccino

Synopsis: Stephanie and I decide last minute to take advantage of the 3-day weekend and do a 4-day trip to Rome. Weather will be nice so we will just walk around until we see something cool. She speaks a little Italian and I eat a lot of Italian, so we should have no problems.

Trip Overview:

Day 1: Land at Ciampino in the morning and head to the hotel to check-in. We are staying by Termini station so we have access to every kind of transportation available in the city. Stop for cappuccino. We decide on the 110 Open bus tour. We take the red one around for an hour and a half just to get an overview of the city. Stop for cappuccino. Republicca Fountain is nearby, waiting for a photo op. Head down to Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria, aka The Wedding Cake), which just happens to be near a third of the tourist attractions in Rome: Trajan Forum, Roman Forum, Piazza Campidoglio, and the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum) in the near distance.

First day, full of energy, let's walk to Trevi Fountain. Wow, can there be any more people here? We gently blitzkrieg our way to the front for a photo. Alright, that took two minutes, let's go to the Spanish Steps. Oh, the other half of the entire world is here. Stephanie's friend recommended a restaurant near here but we can't seem to find it. Let's check google maps... yeah its on the other side of town. Let's head back to the hotel. Stop for cappuccino.

Night 1: In Italy, they don't eat dinner until very late, so we venture out around 9PM looking for food.  Walk by the Pantheon, but it's closed this late. Continue on to Piazza Navona and check out the Fountain of the Four Rivers and eat at a restaurant.

Thoughts: After navigating Rome by foot and traversing the length of the city twice, we are completely familiar with the layout and quickly get to wherever we want.

Main train station in Rome

The "Wedding Cake" aka Altar of the Fatherland

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Dubrovnik, Croatia: Easter plus Bosnia and Montenegro

Synopsis: Hmmm, another 3-day weekend coming up. Stephanie and I know what that means! 4-day trip to somewhere I've never been. Been wanting to go to Croatia for awhile, Dubrovnik seems nice. It's on the border of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, so why not go there too? Ok!

Trip Overview:

Day 1: Found a hotel right in Old Town, go check-in. Booked a city tour, so we head that way. Our guide, Heni was a knowledgeable guide and had good historical insights. The tour was the perfect amount of time, not too long that we got bored or tired, but not too short that we missed sites or skipped important stuff. We, then did the ancient city walls tour and it is clear why the ancient walls are the biggest attractor to Dubrovnik. Mari was a good guide with lots of insight into Game of Thrones trivia, for those who are into that show. The walk had stairs and inclines, but totally worth it to get the views and photo ops. The city walls ticket is also good to get you in Lovrijenac Fortress across the water. So we go there next and walk up the 4 bajillon steps to the top. Great view. There's a pizzeria across from our hotel, so we'll check it out. 

Thoughts: Good weather and great tour guides made for an informative and fun day. Staying inside of Old Town is cool, as I feel it really immerses me into the city. There are fresh water fountains EVERYWHERE, and we fill up often. Probably the first trip I've ever been on where I stayed hydrated. So, does that means I can eat all the ice cream I want?

Arriving in Dubrovnik

Me in front of Lovrijenac Fortress

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Miami, FL: New Year's 2014

Synopsis: Fresh off our cruise, my parents and I stay in Miami to celebrate New Year's. But we don't just stay in Miami, we do all of southern Florida.

Trip Overview:

Day 1: First things first, I go to an Apple store in the mall and buy an iPad mini. Then, I can breathe, eat, drink, and use the bathroom. Gotta have priorities. We drive down to Homestead AFB, where we will stay for a couple of days. En route, what do I see? Krispy Kreme donut stores abound. We are passing the 3rd one on this road alone! Well, when in Rome... or when in America, eat as much as you can!

Thoughts: Driving about 20 miles down the highway, I saw 4 McDonalds, 3 Krispy Kreme's, 17 car dealerships, and 4 shopping malls. Talk about a consumer-driven society!

First picture taken with my new iPad mini

Yummy! Don't worry, I only ate 2... dozen

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Caribbean Cruise: Christmas 2013

Synopsis: I always spend Christmas and New Year's with my parents. This year, along with my grandmother (Mom-mom), we decide on a Caribbean cruise for Christmas. This will be our 2nd Caribbean cruise all together (we did New Year's 2007), and my 4th Caribbean, and 6th total.

Trip Overview:
Day 1: Miami and embarkation. My parents and I arrive the night before and stay in a hotel. Mom-mom arrives the day of and we meet her at the port. Board the boat and walk around and check out the amenities. At dinner, our staff are super friendly and cool, Jerry and his crew.

Thoughts: I'm on a boat!

Our cruise ship, who's name will not appear in my blog until I receive some royalties :-P

The family getting ready to set sail

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Madrid, Spain: Hora de divertirse

Synopsis: Ed is looking at potentially working in Spain and has a friend there who will host us. I am taking spanish classes, so what better way to test my progress? Let's do it. I am in the middle of my keto diet experiment. This is gonna be hard with all that delicious spanish food.

Trip Overview:
Day 1: Head down to Charleroi at 5AM. Arrive, and I've forgotten my passport. Thankfully, they let me through with my belgian ID. We get to Madrid and Ed whips out his Spanish that he learned in one month of visiting Spain. I say "gracias" about 4 times, just so they know I know what I'm talking about. We meet up with Diogo, our host and Ed's friend, and drop off our bags. Time to walk the city a bit. Head to El Retiro Park, and on such a lovely day. From there, go to Puerta del Sol and walk around. Madrid is having a garbage strike so there is trash everywhere.

Night 1: Starting to get dark so we walk from Plaza de Isabel II to Plaza Mayor, to Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace. Lots of walking, and we are tired and hungry. Diogo takes us to an interesting restaurant where I have a zebra burger. It's only 11PM and Ed has friends all over town. We go to meet up with another at a cafe, as they catch up and I people watch.

Thoughts: I speak decent Spanish when ordering my food, its just when they respond that I struggle. One lady yelled at me in english like I was a child, "just sit down, and i'll bring your food". Haha, I speak English fine! Also, glad I took my photo with the bear at Puerta del Sol today, because it was way too crowded every other day.

Ready to get to Spain for some fun

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Luxembourg City, Luxembourg: Smallest country in the EU

Synopsis: Staša has a friend that lives in Luxembourg who invited us out to hang out. We will do just a day trip to get a taste of the country. City tour and then hang out for a little while.

Trip Overview:

Day: We arrive in Luxembourg after a 90 minute drive. We are hungry and have about an hour before our city tour. Why not stop at McDonalds? Then to the city tour where our guide shows us the ins and outs of the city. Back at the main square, as we wait for Stasa's friend. She finally shows up and takes us to the other side of the city. We walk around a bit and then head back, so we can drive home.

Thoughts: I love Europe. An hour and a half and I'm in a new country, with a new language, new culture, new people and customs, and new experiences, and then drive back home, all in the same day. I drove 5 days from Washington state to Washington D.C. and all I saw was Americans! Granted, there were some differences and some nice experiences, but nothing like what I experience here in Europe. If you have ever heard Luxembourgish, you understand how different it is from German, French, and Dutch (from the four surrounding countries), and how important the differences in culture are to the different European nations. This is Europe, ladies and gentlemen.

Driver: focused. Passenger: goofing off.

I had a luxemburger

Our knowledgeable guide

View of the city

The Luxembourg flag looks JUST LIKE the Dutch flag. Oh yeah, Stasa is in the pic too

Taking a picture that I will likely have to delete later due to its poor quality

Beautiful people in front of beautiful background

The interesting art in the alleys of the city

Final Thoughts: One day just didn't suffice to experience all there was in the city. It was, however, a great interest sparker for me and I do plan on going back to do the 7 castles tour.

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