Tag: Travel Blog
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Hotel Review: Porto- Torel Avantgarde
When I’m in the mood to stay at a hotel, nothing does it for me quite like a boutique hotel. Boutique hotels by definition are designed to feel small, intimate, and unique. Our stay at Torel Avantgarde in Porto, Portugal went above and beyond our expectations and to this day remains one of my favorite…
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Top Five Travel Apps to Keep On Your Phone
As a seasoned traveler, I’m always looking for apps that make my trips easier while taking up as little room on my phone as possible. Having just gotten back from a multi-month trip around Europe, I’m able to say with confidence that these five travel apps were absolutely essential to my trip!
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Brewery Hopping Through Munich’s Big Six
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival, celebrated worldwide throughout dozens of countries. The original festival celebrated the marriage of Ludwig I’s marriage to Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, and the tradition continues annually to this day. Despite the name, Oktoberfest actually takes place at the end of September, which means that we were not able to…
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On Being Lactose Intolerant In Italy
One of the first things people talk about regarding their visit to Italy is the food. Gelato, pizza, pasta, pastry- the list is endless; my self-restraint is not. Now, most people know; no one is more willing to risk it all than a lactose intolerant person facing a tasty, dairy filled treat, but having had…
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Top Five Ways to Avoid the Line in Paris
No matter how much time is spent in Paris, it never feels like enough! New visitors may find themselves stuck with extensive waits to see busy museums and wasting their limited time on long lines. Using a few strategies I’ve accumulated over years of traveling, I was able to get into the Louvre within fifteen…
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A Sojourn With Shakespeare- How to Spend a Day at Stratford-Upon-Avon
William Shakespeare- the man needs no introduction. Widely regarded as the most prominent and influential writer in the English language, his works inspired countless generations over hundreds of years. It’s no wonder, then, that sites related to him have become almost pilgrimages for those familiar with his works. Stratford-Upon-Avon (more commonly referred to as Stratford)…
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A Guided Tour of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
The famous Lipizzaner stallions of Austria are housed at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, which is actually located surprisingly center city. So named for the Spanish horses that helped develop the Lipizzaner breed, the Spanish Riding School is one of the four most prestigious riding academies in the world. The stables are located inside…
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Winter Delights at Warwick Castle
This holiday season was accompanied by a slew of train strikes in three consecutive countries that we were traveling through. We were able to dodge these with a Matrix-like series of pivots until it caught up to us at last in Birmingham, England. Luckily, this was the best possible point that this could have happened…
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Christmas Market Survival Guide
When I thought of Christmas markets in Europe, I had always pictured something similar to a crafts fare. After market hopping for a few weeks, I’ve realized that the crafts goods are usually more along the lines of holiday decorations than Christmas presents, though it can vary dramatically from market to market. Traveling with a…
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Things No One Warned Us About Before Visiting Greece
You can’t flush the toilet paper! This is not an incredibly uncommon request from countries with older plumbing, but we were caught off guard that Greece was one of them! There are usually signs above the toilets asking you to throw your papers in the bin, but only by asking was I able to clarify…