Europe
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European Winter Travel
Winter Travel: Three Ways to Embrace Europe’s Winter As winter approaches, whispers of dread can be heard flitting from place to place throughout Northern Europe. Locals pull out their scarves, down jackets, and feather collars, while travellers, who tour in droves around the continent during the summer months, pack up their sandals and head for the tropics, chasing the carefree ease of warmer temperatures. While winter does bring snow, freezing temperatures, and reduced daylight to the majority of Europe, it also brings an entirely different experience of the continent: things slow down, become quieter. The evenings lengthen, the wind whistles through, and people move indoors, looking for ways to brace…
- Asia, California, Canada, Europe, France, Ireland, North America, Northern Ireland, Pennsylvania, Scotland, Thailand, UK
My 13 memorable moments of 2013
It’s the last day of 2013! Â What an amazing, exciting and rewarding year I’ve had and I can’t wait to see what awaits in the coming year. Â Until then, here is a list of my thirteen best moments of 2013 in no particular order! Â Enjoy and have a happy new year! 13. Â Behind the scenes at Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California. As a child you dream of being an oceanographer, a Sea World employee (until you watch Blackfish) swimming with the dolphins or in a job surrounding yourself with wildlife for your 9 – 5. Â The Aquarium by the Bay in San Francisco makes you feel like…
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One Day in Brussels: Waffles, Chocolate and Beers
One day in Brussels is easily filled with waffles, chocolate & beers. Any of the those things are delicious on their own, but when you find a city who’s claim to fame is the trifecta of deliciousness, you are bound to have a bit of love at first bite. Oh, and don’t forget about the fries.  The snacks, meals and beverages of Belgium are a food lovers paradise that make for a filling day in Brussels. One Day in Brussels, Belgium  Home of the European Union and NATO, Brussels is the ‘de facto’ capital of Europe and consequently almost 30% of Brussels inhabitants are foreigners, so along with 1/3…
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How Brussels sprouted onto my itinerary
I love Brussels. Â There I said it, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it. Â It was an accidental addition to my most recent trip to Europe and once again, my overweight luggage worked in my favor and the travel gods smiled down on me once more. Big Red Some of you who have heard of my recent trips know that I have two suitcases, one is a crimson behemoth I’ve affectionately dubbed “Big Red”. Â Ok, so it isn’t the most creative nickname, but “Big Red” and her carry on counterpart, (you guessed it) “Little Red” is what we started calling them and the monikers stuck. Â Since I’m…
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A Day Tour from Edinburgh: Uncovering the Holy Grail
Ok, so I didn’t uncover THE Holy Grail, but while in Scotland I did have the opportunity to visit Rosslyn Chapel. It’s a treasure trove of unique stone work and ornate statues, it’s exploding with legend and folklore. Taking a day tour from Edinburgh to explore the mystery of the church turned out to be an interesting and adventurous day trip. I was only in Edinburgh for a few days and hadn’t originally looked into taking the time to head out of town. My father however had been talking about this place since before I had planned my trip to Scotland. Each time I talked to my family while I…
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World’s Most Famous Cemeteries
 Why are we so interested in cemeteries? That eery feeling, the tragic stories or the spooky architecture? Whatever the reason, people have been intrigued by cemeteries for centuries and we have been visiting famous grave sties so frequently that the term “tombstone tourist” was coined to describe the millions of grave goers each year. Peruse through my personal list of the world’s most famous cemeteries. Père Lachaise, Paris France “We die only once, and for such a long time.” — Molière Located in one of my favorite cities, Paris, this is possibly one of the most well known cemeteries around the world.  Famous musicians, writers, politicians and thousands of others…
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The most beautifully hellish train ride
Trans-Siberian Railway, Orient Express, The Polar Express, well, maybe not the Polar Express but you get my drift, they are all famous and iconic train trips you dream about taking, having your eyes fixed on amazing scenery and you get that nostalgic feeling of traveling through a country the way they did in times of yesteryear. Â The train from Glasgow, Scotland to Mallaig, Scotland is one of these train rides, a five hour journey north on the West Highland Line and it is one of the great train journeys only a true locomotive lover would appreciate. I thought it would be a cost effective way to get a lay of…
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My Irish Eyes are Still Smiling
I was fortunate enough to go to Ireland twice this year, both trips better than I could have imagined, full of fun, laughter, adventure and of course Guinness. Â The second time around I was coming back to Dublin for TBEXÂ Europe, a travel blogger conference, which was an amazing meeting of the minds for those of us who call everywhere home. Â Dublin was a perfect location for the event, buzzing with life and culture, the city is full of friendly locals, rich history and did I mention Guinness? The opening event was, of all places, at the Guinness Storehouse and I was blown away by the hospitality that Ireland had to…
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Finding peace in Nice
Why have I not been to the French Riviera yet?!? After having an amazing time in Paris, I said adieu to the City of Light and headed south for the city of sun, Nice the beautiful. Hugging the Mediterranean Sea, Nice has it’s warm tangerine and saffron buildings tipping their terra-cotta roofs towards the calm blue sea and the alps in turn peer from a distance over the town. In close proximity to Italy, Nice reminded me of Cinque Terre, a small area on the Italian Riviera. Founded by the Greeks, inhabited at one time by the Romans and then later vacationed by English aristocrats, there is a little splash…
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Let Me Eat Cake: My Day Trip from Paris to Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is a beautifully massive structure surrounded by extraordinary gardens, out buildings, a farm and public park.  I budgeted enough time in my itinerary to spend a full day here and I’m happy I did because this once humble hunting lodge expanded by Louis XIV could take you the whole day to explore. I’ve broken down everything you need to know about a day trip from Paris to Versailles. How to Get to the Palace of Versailles I took the RER C (Versailles Rive-Gauche) and it was a quick and easy way to get to the palace from the city.  Paris Metro has a great app for…
