My first time visiting Europe was when I studied abroad after freshman year of college in Innsbruck, Austria. It was the most amazing 6 weeks of my entire life. It was what really started my obsession with traveling. During my time in Innsbruck, we only had classes Monday-Thursday mornings. So, as soon as the final bell rang (OK, there was no actual bell, this is just figurative) we would head to the Innsbruck train station to hop on a train to other countries for the weekend. Most weekends, we would focus on one place – some of my weekends were spent in Prague, Amsterdam, London, etc. Well, one weekend we decided to take on the heaping task of seeing TWO fantastic cities in a little over 3 days – Florence AND Venice.
How could we cram in two beautiful Italian cities in just 72 hours? Here’s how it went down.
Do you love London? Do you love farmer’s markets? Do you love food? I’ll answer all of these for you: YES. Well, those happen to be 3 of my favorite things. Although I haven’t posted too much about it (because I honestly don’t even know where to begin) I’m OBSESSED with London. Plus I LOVE markets of all kind – whether that be food, produce, secondhand, flea, etc. And, obviously, this gal loves to eat too! And I’m really good at it. #moretolove
One of the (many) reasons London my favorite city is because it has TONS of markets. I haven’t been to all of them yet, but I have absolutely LOVED the ones I have been to! And one of the best London markets I’ve been to is Borough Market.
I don’t know about ya’ll, but I look through my old travel photos ALL. THE. TIME.
I could be watching TV or something, and I’ll be simultaneously browsing old pictures from my travels. I’ve looked at them dozens of times before, and yet every time they put me in such a good mood because they take me back to some of the best times of my life.
But recently as I was looking through them again, I noticed something….
Travel to experience new cultures, try new foods, listen to and learn new languages. Travel to walk on streets older than your country. Travel to grow and learn from all the mishaps, challenges, and setbacks that will inevitably come your way. Travel to get that exhilarating, amazing, yet terrifying adrenaline rush from being in a foreign land – somewhere totally new where you don’t know anyone. Travel to open your eyes…to everything. Travel to taste new beers. Travel to create meaningful relationships with people you meet along the way. Whether that be on a train, in your hostel, or anywhere. Whether it be a 5 minute conversation or a night out, you will learn something from them. Travel to gain a new perspective on life. Different ways to see and look at the world. Travel to take suggestions from random locals, and discover hidden gems off the beaten path. Travel to appreciate architecture, history, and art. Travel to feel that amazing sense of accomplishment, whether that be from completing a challenging hike, or successfully ordering a meal in a foreign language. Travel for those moments of pure bliss, as well as those moments of challenge. You learn from both. Travel for the lifelong memories and cool stories (and, ok yes, cool pictures). Travel to break routine and never, ever be stuck in a rut. Travel to learn more than you ever did in school. Travel to eventually pick up bits and pieces of a new language that at first sounded like gibberish. Travel to become more adventurous and adaptable. Travel to meet people and make new friends who think, dress, and see the world differently than you. Travel to gain knowledge and empathy on the struggles around the world. Travel to evolve. Travel to realize you’re just one person in this giant, amazing, diverse world we live in. Travel to eradicate all prejudice and narrow-mindedness you may have within you that you don’t even know. Travel to embarrass yourself in public but not care (because you don’t know anyone!). Travel to make your dreams a reality. Travel for some “me time.” Travel to step out of your comfort zone. Travel to know you can survive out there in the “great big world.” Travel to see famous places. Historical places. Beautiful places. Travel to change the way you see the world. Travel because life is meant to be lived and the world is meant to be seen and felt and appreciated.
One day I’m going to make amazingly detailed city guides of various cities, Dublin included, but today is most definitely not that day. I know I’m going to be talking a lot more about Ireland soon, but before I move there and get the real “local” experience, I wanted to share what I think to be the top 5 things someone who’s a “Dublin virgin” MUST do when visiting this great place!
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with travel. I mean, obviously, I have a blog dedicated to it. I specifically love traveling around Europe – there’s just something about the culture, the cities, and the lifestyle that I just absolutely adore. Although I’ve been on my fair share of trips through Europe, I also think I’ve visited my fair share of great destinations here in the good ol’ US of A. I have a never-ending list of “places I must go to before I die” (don’t we all) around the world, but my list of cities here in the states keeps growing as well! So I’ve tried to narrow down my top 5 US cities that I want to visit!
The City of Light and the City of Dreams. Both magical, both beautiful, both on every traveler’s to-do list. These 2 cities are both so full of culture and history, but also so different from one another. Three recent book releases showcase one, or both, of these cities in creative and entertaining ways. So of course, they’re now on my book wish list!
Here are 3 travel-inspired books that I’m currently fawning over. These books aren’t guides to these cities or tips for travelers, but more of a study of culture and trends. Not only are they all entertaining and inspiring, but they are beautifully designed (graphic design nerd in me talking). These may not be travel “guides” per say, but they are rooted in a love of travel. Any travel enthusiast should add them to their book wish list. Trust me, you will droooooooool over them. I am personally hoping to get all three for Christmas (really hoping Santa comes in clutch here).
With the holidays right around the corner, I’ve been doing some prowling of Pinterest trying to find things to ask ol’ Santy Clause for. I came across so many things I would love to have on my next trip! I picked my top 6 travel items from my Holiday Wish List!
