2014 In Review

December 30th, 2014

So yes I am still around, and still crossing things off that life list. I have absolutely loved my time away from the blog, and I am glad to still be continuing with the list.  It has been 10 years now since I started this dear old list, and I am proud to say I have accomplished a lot in those 10 years.

I made my annual trip to New Orleans, and this time I visited the Jazz Festival.  It was such a great time with some amazing bands and some great southern food. 

I made it to my 50th country and visited Ireland.  I learned how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness, kissed the Blarney Stone, visited the Cliffs of Moher, partied in Temple Bar, and walked along the Giant's Causeway. 

I then spent over a month in East Africa traveling through Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zanzibar.  It was probably my hardest travel experience.  I camped in tents at times and even got stranded and had to be rescued when a group of hyenas and buffalos surrounded us.  I would go DAYS without a decent shower, and the amount of poverty I witnessed was just heartbreaking.   My first full day in Kenya I witnessed a man get hit by a car and die.  It was horrifying. 

I crossed the equator four times!

I also did one of the most physically difficult things I have ever done.  I went gorilla trekking in Uganda!!  It was probably one of my favorite travel experiences (and probably one of the most expensive). 

I can officially say I saw the Big Five.  That stubborn leopard made me fail my attempt to see the Big Five in 2010.  This time I finally saw it.  Granted the leopard ran away fairly quickly, but I saw it!!  I also got to witness the Great Migration in Tanzania, and during a safari in the Ngorongoro Crater we were FREEZING cold.  I often had to ask myself, "Am I in Africa or Alaska?"  Camping was not fun that evening.  BRR.

I managed to celebrate my birthday in style (as always).

Fitness has been a big part of my 2014!  I have really grown to love the outdoors.  I LOVE hiking now, and I find myself climbing any mountain I can climb whenever I get the chance.  I am still obsessed with Zumba, and I have become the favorites of many of my instructors for my enthusiasm and energy.  This year I have lost over 30 pounds, and about 90 pounds from my absolute highest weight.  

The above picture was taken on Christmas day, and I am happy and healthy.  Sure I still have a few more pounds to lose, but I am in such a better place than I was years ago.  There are enough "Before" photos on this site to see the difference. 

I am also happier because I made it a point to open my heart this year.  I dated a guy for a few months, and was very unhappy.  I lost track of who I was being with this man, and working out was my only way of feeling alive.  A few weeks after that relationship ended I met the most amazing man, and I love going into 2015 with him by my side.

2015 is going to be an amazing year.  I am starting it off with a 6 week trip through Asia, specifically Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Japan.  I will be traveling solo for the entire trip!  Me with my backpack.  I will also be traveling to New Orleans one more time for my best friends graduation, and hopefully to Costa Rica in the end of the year.  I am also hoping to squeeze in a trip to San Francisco and Sedona during the year.

The new boy owns a boat so we are already planning a few trips out to the lakes and rivers for some water fun. 

I am hoping to post more in 2015, but if I don't, at the very least expect one of these annual year-in-review posts. 

Here's to a great 2015!

Visit The Beaches Of Portugal

I first fell in love with Portugal via pictures, photos of beautiful cliffs with endless views of beaches.    Since Portugal is along the Atlantic Ocean, the choices of beaches in Portugal are near infinite.

My first visit along the coast was to Cabo da Roca which is the westernmost point of continental Europe.   It is located 42 kilometers from Lisbon, and just absolutely stunning.  There were plenty of areas to do hiking or walk some trails, and it is a great place to spend a few hours.

I then visited Cascais, a former fishing village now a popular coastal town.  In the middle of Cascais, is a popular beach called the Praia da Rainha, and a perfect place to enjoy a scoop (or two) of ice cream from Santini.  Yum, Yum. 

Portugal was a perfect and relaxing way to end my European Adventure, and a destination I highly recommend for some solid R&R. 

Date Accomplished:  October 29th, 2011

Birthday Europe Trip

June 24th, 2013

First off....did you know that Google Reader is disappearing on July 1st?  If you use Google Reader make sure to make the switch by using Bloglovin or Feedly.   I like Feedly, but it's all about personal preference. 

So 1 1/2 year ago I celebrated my 30th birthday in Europe.  It was amazing.  My trip was jampacked with so many memories, like....

• Touring Anne Franks House
• Taking a photo with the I Amsterdam sign
• Trying Belgium Chocolate and Waffles in Belgium
• Biking Through the Countryside in Holland
• Walking through the Red Light District in Amsterdam
• Visiting the Beaches of Portugal
• Trying Pastel de Nata in Portugal
• Drinking Port in Portugal
• Having Tapas, Sangria, and Paella in Spain
• Visiting Gaudi's Work
• Pretending to be a Matador in a Spanish Bull Ring
• Enjoying the Moorish Architecture of the Alhambra Palace

....and remarkably I am still not done posting about that trip.

Another thing I love to do is make videos of my trips.   My old Macbook Pro was near death, and it made it very difficult to make videos using lots of clips.  I recently upgraded to a fully upgraded Macbook Air (I am in LOVE!), and it has made loading video clips a breeze.  I tested out my new system and made a video of my Birthday Europe trip....


I have to explain a few things as some of the clips will probably have you scratching your head.

I have limited videos in Amsterdam and Belgium because my camera momentarily died during a "flash flood" in my poncho while cycling around Amsterdam.

The second music choice is a song we heard quite a few times on our trip.   Tell me you love it as much as I do!?  Hah!

The clip of the old people in wheelchairs were our fellow passengers that we shared a flight with to Malaga.  I had never seen so many wheelchairs in my life (and I work in a hospital).   We were easily the youngest people on the flight!

The ridiculous dancing is a mockery of a man we met on my birthday.  He had the craziest and most bizarre moves!

Yes...THAT is a clip in the video!

The "singing" at the end was an imitation of a person we encountered while having tapas in Seville.  The person asked for money and then proceeded to sing....HORRIBLY!!!!

....and I'm sure you are all wondering why I decided to give myself a fake goatee?  On a way-too-early bus ride to Gibraltar, both my friend and I (while half asleep) noticed two women sit next to us.  When we arrived in Gibraltar we both woke up to find that the "woman" was actually a man!  We laughed at our delirious confusion, and still chuckle about it till this day.

This is the time in the post when I typically apologize for being so ridiculous, but I won't this time.  The crazy antics are me being me, and I kinda like that about myself.  :)

Visit "The Sound Of Music" Sites In Austria

"The Sound Of Music" was one of my favorite flicks growing up.  My dad was too cheap to buy the actual movie, and I had to rely on my bootleg VHS.   I had watched the movie so much that the VHS ripped from the end of the reel, and every time I wanted to watch it I had to open up the VHS and tape the film together.  Nowadays I have the movie on DVD.

I took a two hour train ride to Salzburg from Munich.  I met a chick named Casey from New York on the train who had tried traveling to Russia without a visa (she didn't think she needed one).  She got stuck in an immigration room for almost 2 days without food until a Russian woman finally helped her purchase airline tickets to Munich.  We decided to tour Salzburg together, while trying to focus on some of the sites from "The Sound Of Music" (thank goodness she was a fan as well).

Our first stop was the Mirabell Gardens, one of the primary locations of the "Do Re Mi" scene.

The Mirabell Gardens is a beautiful garden that is free to enter.  I couldn't help myself by singing "Do Re Mi" while walking around the gardens.

My new pal, Casey, even got into the spirit.  She was asking me, "How should I pose?"  I told her to just hum the song in her head and a fun pose would come out of her...

Also, doesn't she look like Blake Lively?  Blake is totally her Doppelganger.

Do you remember this scene?  When Maria and the Von Trapp kids go running down a garden tunnel?

Well that garden tunnel is still there....and maybe it isn't as lush as it once was, but it still made me go  skipping down it....

Also during the Do Re Mi song, the children visited the hilarious Dwarf Garden.  The Dwarf Garden is filled with borderline creepy dwarf statues.  Some of them have tumors, hunchbacks, and one looked like he was ready to hurl.....

...and you know what they say....when you see a statue ready to hurl, you imitate it....

At the opposite end of Mirabell Gardens was this beautiful entrance where this famous scene was filmed....

Unfortunately, I didn't have the Von Trapp kids to make this shot extra fun, but just imagine them in spirit....

One of the best views of Salzburg is from the Monchberg.  From the Monchberg you get a great view of the Dom and the Festung Hohensalzburg. 

To get this amazing view you can hike to the top, or take an elevator lift for a few euros each way.  It is definitely worth it, and it beats the view from the fortress since you can actually SEE the fortress from this viewpoint!

If I had more time in Salzburg I would have loved to visit the "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" gazebo, and the Von Trapp house.   Just another reason to visit the beautiful Salzburg again!

Date Accomplished:  April 22nd, 2013

Tour Anne Franks House

The Diary of Anne Frank was one of my favorite books growing up.  I have always been fascinated about learning about the Holocaust and have visited Schindler's Factory and Auschwitz in Poland. 

For those not familiar with Anne Frank, she was a young girl who went into hiding along with her family in 1942, specifically hiding in secret rooms in her father's office building in Amsterdam.  She detailed her experiences in her famous diary throughout the two years they were in hiding.

In 1944, they were found and transported to a concentration camp where she later died from typhus.  She was 15 years old, and died a few weeks before British Troops liberated the camp.

Her father was the sole survivor of the family, and published Anne's diary in 1947.  Her diary has now sold more than 30 million copies and has been translated in over 60 languages.

Her famous house where the diary was written is open for public viewing.

 The outside of Anne Frank's House

During a rainy day in Amsterdam I decided to visit Anne Frank's House.  I had heard the lines were hideously long, but because of the rain the lines were much shorter than I expected.  Tickets to enter the museum were roughly $12 USD.  If you booked online ahead of time you could skip the long lines and enter through a separate entrance.  Photos are not permitted inside the house.

Visiting the house was a somber experience, and most people remained silent while walking through the house.  The most memorable part of my visit was walking up the narrow steep steps behind the movable bookcase that I remembered vividly from the book.

The highlight of the museum was not what I saw, but how it made me feel while walking through the secret annex where 8 people hid for 2 years.  If you have read the book it can definitely be a moving and somber experience.

The canals around the museum are also quite lovely, and if that's not enough to encourage you to visit then I don't know what is!

Date Accomplished:  October 19th, 2011

Have Tapas, Sangria And Paella In Spain

My taste buds were so thrilled to try some Spanish food while traveling through Spain.  The foods I was most looking forward to were tapas, sangria and paella.

Tapas-  We had our fair share of tapas while in Spain.  Tapas  are a variety of small dishes that come cold (ie. cheeses and deli meats) and warm (ie. fried).   The beauty of tapas is that you can pick a few to make up a meal.  In some areas of Spain, tapas can come complimentary with a drink order.  My favorite place was an outdoor restaurant in Sevilla called Vineria San Telmo.  The ambiance was fantastic, and the food was so savory.  The tapas served were also very unique from other tapas joints that we tried in Spain.  Mmmm...I would love some chiporones (deep fried small squid) right now.

Pinchos (or Pintxos)- I know this wasn't on the list of things I had to try, but I ended up adding this onto the list just prior to my trip after a friend recommended them to me.  Pinchos are more prevalent in Northern Spain, and are similar to tapas because of their tiny portions.  The biggest difference is that they are often spiked with a toothpick accompanied with a piece of bread.  It is often eaten while  standing and surrounded by shelves filled with pinchos.  You then grab the pinchos you want, and collect the toothpicks on your plate.  At the end of your meal you are charged by the number of toothpicks you have accumulated on your plate.  Shortly after we were robbed in Barcelona, we went to my favorite pinchos place called Golfo De Bizkaia. 

I was obsessed from that point on.  I hunted for pinchos everywhere I went in Spain, and if I couldn't find pinchos then I would settle for Tapas.

Sangria-  I've had my share of good and bad sangria.  Sangria is like a Spanish punch filled with fruits, red wine, and sometimes brandy.  I asked my Barcelona friends to take me to their favorite Tapas place for some Sangria.  They took me to La Bombeta.    My friend and I were the only foreigners in the entire place.  Sangria isn't my drink of choice because I prefer white wine, BUT, during hot summer days sangria with that twist of fruit is just what I need. 

Paella-  Paella is a dish made with rice, saffron, veggies, chicken and seafood.  I love rice.  I grew up eating A LOT of rice, and my mom would make a huge pot of it every day.  While traveling in Malaga we decided to look for a good paella joint.  Since Malaga was on the coast, I was very hopeful that we would get some fresh seafood for my Seafood Paella.  I was wrong.  My paella was served in a paellera (a pan that the paella is cooked on and traditionally served on).  I ate a few spoonfuls before I gave up.  It was awful.  It's not a good sign when you prefer to munch on the stale bread in the middle of the table over your overpriced main entree.  

You can't win them all, but 2 out of 3 isn't half bad!

Date Accomplished: October 27th, 2011

Have An Unforgettable 30th Birthday

I've had a lot of forgettable birthdays.  I guess it's partly my fault, historically speaking, I'm not one to make a big deal out of them.  I've just never been one of those people. If it weren't for my photos, I probably would not have memory of many of my birthdays, including some of the more "monumental" ones.

My Sweet 16th Birthday I got an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and had some friends over to celebrate.

My 18th Birthday I had a small get together with my closest friends.  We were in college at the time, and decided to crash our high school's homecoming dance.

My 21st Birthday was so forgettable that I could only recall it through photos, and it wasn't because I was drunk either.  I was pretty sober, unfortunately.  I went out with friends to Dave and Busters, had a few drinks, and then went to a friends house to open presents.  The End.

In recent years I have decided to embrace my birthdays, and have fun with it. 

My 28th Birthday I spent wine tasting in Santiago, Chile, and then literally took over a local bar at night.

My 29th Birthday I spent in a suite in Las Vegas, with two nights of clubbing, and a helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon.

I was determined to have an unforgettable 30th Birthday, so I booked a trip to Europe, and planned to have my birthday in Barcelona to celebrate with friends.

On my balcony in Barcelona with a pink frosted cupcake and a bottle of Cava.

We decided to have dinner the night before my birthday.  Since the Spanish love having late dinners, we headed out to the El Born area to look for a pintxos place that someone had recommended to us.  Hours prior, we had met with some other friends that were native to Barcelona.  They warned us excessively to be careful of pickpocketers.

As we were walking down a busy street, I heard my friend who was looking at a map suddenly scream.  I turned around and saw a man sprinting down an alley with her bag.  Oh my god.  Were we just robbed?   Two locals ran up to us and pointed to a police man just a few feet from us.  We ran up to him and told him our sob story, and he just kinda shrugged and gave us a "Tough Luck" look.

We were convinced the man followed us for awhile, specifically waiting till we passed the alley to give him the best opportunity to rob us.

My friend was obviously bummed. Thankfully we had left most of our valuables in our hotel safe.  She lost her iPhone, an old digital camera, an umbrella, about 50 euros, and a few tablets of Imodium.  We joked for the rest of our trip that we hoped the jerk took all the Imodium and couldn't poop for days.

We did eventually find that pintxos place. So we spent the following hour eating delicious food and drinking way too much cava.

We headed to the bars of the El Born area and found a bar with dance music and the most Uh-Mazing mojitos.

I rang my 30th year of life dancing with some new buddies!  We met a group of people that worked for a university that were touring a guest from Asia.  This "guest" had some crazy dance moves.  It was like a dance scene from a movie, you know, one person starts dancing crazy, and then EVERYONE simultaneously joins in.   I'm pretty sure he got his dance inspiration from PSY.

Correction, I think he is PSY.  Gangnam Style Bitches!

On my actual birthday we spent some time checking out the eccentric work of Gaudi.  The weather was not really to my liking, but it was perfect weather to enjoy some coffee and of course, more cava....

We did more site seeing, before ending the evening at a restaurant for tapas and sangria.  I spent the evening with my three witches, an inside joke that was spawned while we were traveling through Africa.  Only we could turn delicious sangria into a witches brew.....

Enjoying a fantastic meal with great friends was a perfect ending to an especially unforgettable birthday.  It didn't matter that I was half way across the world, it truly was the company that made it unforgettable.

This year I will be spending my 31st (eek!) birthday having dinner with friends, and then spending a few days in St Louis enjoying some Halloween debauchery!  Here's to more unforgettable birthdays!

Date Accomplished:  October 23rd, 2011

Try Pastel De Nata

Pastel de Nata (or Pastéis de Belém) is a delicacy in Portugal.

I was overwhelmed and overjoyed with the countless amount of Pastelarias (pastry shops) in Lisbon.  My sweet tooth was in overdrive, and each time I entered a Pastelaria I was engulfed with delightful smells and yummy goodness.  Not only did each pastry taste and look delicious, they were cheap!  The most famous of all the pastries was Pastel de Nata.  

 Eating a traditional Pastéis de Belém from the original pastry shop

Pastel de Nata is a Portuguese egg tart that was believed to be created during the 19th century by Catholic Monks in a Parish called Santa Maria de Belem (hence why the alternative name is Pastéis de Belém). Of course, I had to try one for myself from the original source.  The craze began in 1837, when locals and tourists began flocking to the bakery to stand in lines extending out the door, simply for the chance to purchase one of the treats straight out of the oven.  Several pastry shops have successfully made their own versions of the famous tart, but if you want a guaranteed food orgasm, go for the original! 

The traditional way to eat the tart is to eat it warm during the peak of freshness, and to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.  Boom! 

Despite the less-than-divine fat and cholesterol content, it is worth the calories to indulge in the heavenly, magical, buttery, flaky tart with the slightly charred top.  The original recipe remains a closely guarded secret with only a handful of people knowing the recipe since its creation.

 A Pastel de Nata in Macau

Macau (which was once ruled by the Portuguese) also sells several variations of the tart.  It does not compare!   I even had to toss more than half of the Macau version in the trash.  Massive sad face.  If you are going to splurge on the calories, and are in Lisbon, definitely brave the lines and get the original! 

Date Accomplished:  October 30th, 2011

Drink Port In Portugal

I love wine, and I love going to tastings and finding Port as one of my choices for the end of my tasting.  It's not something I can have a whole ton of, but it is a nice way to finish a meal, especially when pairing it with something sweet (mmm...chocolate).  :)

 

After walking up and around the Castle of São Jorge we were exhausted.  We had taken the long and steep way up to the Castle and needed some alcohol to ease our tired nerves.  We found a small wine bar called Wine Bar do Castelo on our way down from the castle. 

We decided to start off with a glass of Portuguese wine to compliment our appetizer of assorted meat, bread and olives. 

Afterwards, I told the owner of the wine bar that I wanted to have Port in Portugal.  He told me that the Port probably wouldn't pair well with the appetizer, and asked me if I had ever tried a white port.  I told him NO, so he poured me a free sampling of white port after I had finished eating.  It was delish, and it was free so I can't argue with that!

Date Accomplished: October 29th, 2011

Visit Gaudí's Work In Spain

Casa Batlló

Antoni Gaudí was a Spanish mastermind in architecture.  He integrated all his skills such as stained glass, ceramics, ironwork and carpentry into his masterpieces.  He used architecture to express himself in a cultural movement called Catalan Modernism.  Most of his work is scattered all over Barcelona, but a few can be found in other cities in Spain. To me, it almost looks like he and Dr Seuss collaborated and made the buildings in Seuss' books come alive. 

Casa Milà

In order to not get burned out by Gaudí architecture I spread out my visits in a span of three days.   My friend and I were on a budget so we skipped out on going inside Casa Batlló and forked our money to see Casa Milà instead.  I heard that the rooftop of Casa Milà was amazing, and because the sun was beginning to set I knew our views would be spectacular.  

Casa Milà

My assumption was correct.  It was like a magical land up there with crazy sculptures, funky arched walkways, and stunning views of the city.    After checking out the rooftop we took the stairs down that lead us into other rooms of Casa Milà.  The other rooms were also filled with eccentric furniture and designs fitting to be living under a Gaudí roof.

Park Güell

The following day we hopped on the metro towards Park Güell.  There is no metro stop that can drop you off right at Park Güell, regardless of where you stop you will have to walk....uphill.  We took the metro stop Vallarca that stopped near the side of Park Güell, and on the way up they had a few escalators to help you reach the steep top.  The other metro stop (Lesseps) is near the bottom of Park Güell and is a good 20 minute hike up to the entrance.  I saw many people give up and hail a taxi to get to the main entrance.  Because we took the Vallarca stop we entered Park Güell near the top, so we climbed another 10 minutes to a lookout that gave us a panoramic view of Barcelona.

Park Güell

Afterwards we headed down towards the entrance, and stopped at the Gardens, intricate walkways, and even stopped to watch a man create huge bubbles for the local children to go nuts over!  We nestled our tired bums at a large area lined with tiled benches to people watch and enjoy the scenery.  Just mind close attention to your belongings because as we were leaving we saw a few men running away with people's bags (we learned the reality of it just hours prior!).  Definitely prepare to spend a few hours at Park Güell to see everything, and you want to hear the best part?  It's FREE!

La Sagrada Familia

Our last Gaudí stop was La Sagrada Familia, the most famous of the bunch!  Most people arrive at Sagrada Familia early in the morning for fear of the long lines.  The lines are NO JOKE.  It wrapped around the entire church, and we waited for over an hour to finally get inside.  When Gaudí passed away in 1926 the church was only 15-25% complete.  The church is still not complete as you can see from the giant cranes hovering over the church in the photo above.  The projected completion date is between 2026-2028.

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is not only massive but it is painfully ornate.  It's no wonder that it is still under construction after all these years.  As soon as you enter the cathedral you see the countless hours, days, years, and decades it has taken to built.

In my personal opinion, you haven't truly visited Barcelona if you haven't visited something created by Gaudí.  I'd love to go back one day to see the Sagrada Familia complete!

Date Accomplished:  October 22nd-24th, 2011