Europe

East Side Gallery – Berlin, Germany

Berlin’s East Side Gallery (in photos)

East Side Gallery – Berlin, Germany

In my opinion, one of the best free attractions in Berlin is the East Side Gallery – a section of the Berlin Wall that is now a memorial to freedom. This memorial is about a mile long and has 100+ paintings/murals on the East side of the Wall. These paintings were done in 1990s with themes of freedom, of the world changing for the better, of calls to action, of changing times, of hope, of happiness. And even on the overcast day that we visited, those messages came through bright, colorful, and powerful.

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Prague River Cruise

Picturesque Prague // Day 2 Itinerary

Prague, Day 2

Day 1 in Prague consisted of an all-day trek uphill to Prague Castle, while passing through Old Town, over the Charles Bridge, and past tons of beautiful and amazing sights along the way.

Our itinerary for Prague day 2 was just as jam-packed with sights, sounds, and food! In other words, amazin’!

Here is a recap of our second day in Prague, including recommendations and things to do!

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Picturesque Prague // Day 1 Itinerary

Prague // Day 1

Prague is one of my favorite European cities. Walking down the streets of Old Town, you really feel like you’re walking back in time. The medieval influences are literally everywhere and the history is so evident. Not only that, but it’s absolutely beautiful. I’m talkin’ like… eye porn everywhere you turn. I know most European cities are older than the entire United States, but Prague was the city where I most felt the whole “Holy crap, these streets, these buildings, EVERYTHING I’m seeing here is older than my entire country.” It was such a cool and surreal feeling to think about how far back the city has existed.

Here is a recap of our first day in Prague, including recommendations and things to do!

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Top 5 things to do in Dublin

Top 5 Things to Do in Dublin (If You’ve Never Been)


Top 5 things to do in DublinOne 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!

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Real Alcázar – Sevilla, Spain – courtyard patio

Exploring the Real Alcázar in Sevilla, Spain

Real Alcázar – Sevilla, Spain

5-6 hours on a high speed “AVE” train in Spain can get you from Barcelona to Sevilla, the capital of the Andalucia region in the south of Spain. And there stands the “Real” (Royal) Alcázar of Sevilla (“Seville” in English), an old Royal Palace built in the 1300s with Moorish influence.

Exploring the Real Alcázar was a highlight of my trip, and definitely one of the best things to do in Sevilla!

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When Travel Meets Graphic Design

So for those of you who don’t know, I’m a Graphic Designer. I graduated from LSU with a graphic design degree, and currently work in Baton Rouge in a communications firm. When I was in school, I would always seize the opportunity to mix my love of graphic design with my love of traveling. Of course, the projects assigned to us didn’t always allow that…

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Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse: Fancy a Pint?

Dublin is one of my favorite cities I’ve ever visited. Maybe it isn’t the most picturesque, and maybe the weather can be a bit of a downer for people who don’t like cold weather, but I absolutely adore it. The people are so friendly and it’s always so much fun. One of the top things to do in Dublin is the Guinness Storehouse, a tour through the brewing process of Guinness beer. AKA the sweet nectar of the Irish Gods. The Storehouse is located right in the heart of St. James’s Gate Brewery, in the center of Dublin. I had a great experience Guinness Storehouse and think it’s is definitely worth visiting

Here’s a review, recap, and what to expect from the Guinness Storehouse tour!

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Paris from Above

When I told people I was visiting Paris, or when I looked up things to do in Paris, one of the things I was told I “had to do” or “couldn’t miss” was to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower to see a great view of Paris.

Well, upon further research, I found that many people say that the views from the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral were actually a lot better than the views from the Eiffel Tower, because you got to see the gargoyles and spires of the church up close. Plus, that the lines were shorter and the climb up to the top wasn’t such a bitch (excuse my French).

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Winter in Portugal

Winter in Portugal

My mom recently went on a Winter trip to Portugal with one of her good friends through Collette tours. I was super excited for her. Not only because Lisbon was one of my favorite cities I visited this summer, but also because she hadn’t been to Europe since she was a little girl. I wanted her to have an incredible experience in a different culture.

She came back a couple of weeks ago with tons of pictures and stories from her travels to Lisbon and surrounding areas, the Azores Islands, and Barcelona. She had an absolutely amazing time!! I can’t wait to get stories from her. For now I just wanted to share some of her photos of winter in Portugal! Looks pretty gorgeous, if you ask me!

And I have to say, I’m very proud and impressed with my mom. She’s not much of a photographer, but she took some pretty beautiful photos on her trip!

Although Portugal is normally viewed as a sunny destination and is more popular in the summer, these photos have me convinced it would be great to visit in the winter, too! Probably less crowded, less hot, and just as gorgeous as always. It’s probably cheaper to visit Portugal in the winter, too!

Winter in Portugal
Winter in Lisbon, Portugal
Winter in Fatima, Portugal
Winter in Portugal

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John Lennon Wall – Prague, Czech Republic

John Lennon Wall Prague

I read yesterday that the John Lennon Wall in Prague recently got painted over in white. The only writing left on it is “Wall Is Over!” in reference to Lennon and Ono’s peace message “War Is Over!”

It made me reminisce on my visits to the wall on both of my trips to Prague. So I decided to take a look back at that wall’s more vibrant years (literally).

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