1000 Places: A Traveler's Life List

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2009-04-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our time in Dubai was very limited. We had about a 24 hour layover on the way home from the Maldives, so we checked out of the airport for the afternoon and night to see a little of the city. Our hotel was in Bur Dubai, the historic district, but we thought we'd go see some of the more touted tourist attractions in the city, like the indoor ski slopes at the Mall of the Emirates and the Burj Al Arab hotel. So we headed over to that part of the city by taxi, passing the Burj Dubai (tallest building in the world) on the way, and saw what we could. (Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us inside the Burj Al Arab - I guess next time we'll just have to stay there, ha!)

We headed back to Bur Dubai for dinner, which we had at a nice little restaurant overlooking the river, and turned in early for our early morning flight back to the States. It was a very quick trip, just enough to sate the appetite. We'll definitely have to make a return trip in the future!

North Ari Atoll, Maldives

2009-04-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

To be honest, 40 hours is a long way to travel for anything, even a honeymoon. (Our route: Austin to Houston, Houston to Dubai, Dubai to Male, seaplane from Male to Velidhu.) And I was seriously having second thoughts about it all as we sat in the Dubai airport for 8 hours following a 14 hour flight (did you know they announce every flight in the entire terminal over the loudspeaker in several languages? NOT particularly enjoyable at 2 am).

But, after 40 hours, we finally made it to our destination, Velidhu Island Resort in the Maldives. Granted, we immediately hit the sack upon arrival, but after a little catching up on sleep, we realized... we were in paradise!!

Unreal turquoise waters; overwater bungalow with gorgeous views of sunrises, sunsets, and colorful coral; pure white sand beaches; secluded sunbathing spots; bathwater warm ocean; snorkeling with sharks, mantas, and countless brightly colored fish; yummy all-you-can-eat meals; tons of privacy: all on one lovely little island (it literally took about 20 minutes to walk the perimeter of the entire thing). Heaven!!

Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

2008-03-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Jake and I decided to take a quick mini-vacation to someplace warm and sunny, and we ended up choosing the Los Cabos area, where we stayed at an all-inclusive resort just outside of San Jose del Cabo. We arrived late afternoon on a Thursday; although it was too late in the day to catch any rays, we spent some time down at the beach, watched a beautiful sunset, and enjoyed a particularly amusing buffet dinner.

Friday was entirely spent enjoying the sun, sand, food and alcohol at our resort. On Saturday, we took a 4-hour boating excursion from the marina in Cabo San Lucas (the more touristy town of Los Cabos), about a 30 minute drive from our resort. The "Jungle Cruise," really a booze cruise, was a nice change of pace - we boated out see the famous Arch at Land's End, to a cove to do a little snorkeling, and we even stopped on the way back to the marina to do some whale-watching (several surfaced not far from our boat!).

After the cruise, Jake and I headed back to our resort; the sun had done us in - we ended up passing out very early! On Sunday morning, we enjoyed the resort pools and took one last stroll down to the ocean before heading back to the airport to catch our flight back to the States. It was a quick trip, but a good one!

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

2007-08-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

I visited Boston for the first time in August of 2007. Jake and I traveled there for the wedding of his friend Craig. We arrived a few days before the wedding in order to spend some time with my good friend Misty, who lives about an hour outside of Boston. With Misty, we hit some of the area clubs to do some dancing, and the next day we walked part of the Freedom Trail. Boston is really beautiful, and it was fascinating to see all of the sites along the walk (lots of really old cemeteries, churches, houses, etc.). It was so crowded when we went, though, and since we were so tired from the night before, we only made it through about half of the trail. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped by the Cheers bar and restaurant to refuel with burgers and beer.

The rest of our time in Boston was spent celebrating the wedding of Craig and Jenna, which was a beautiful black tie affair at the historic Fairmont Copley Plaza.

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

2007-05-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

My first, and so far, only, trip to Vegas was in May of 2007, when Jake and I went for a long weekend to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. We stayed at the MGM Grand, and on our first night in town, we went to see Cirque de Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio. It was an amazing show, and we had great seats thanks to Jake's friend Jeff. Our mornings in Vegas were rather lazy, spent catching sun at the pool, but in the afternoons and evenings we explored the strip, visited the many other casinos, and tried out our luck at various places. I did pretty well on the slots at the Mirage, but I lost all of my luck later at the Luxor. Part of the time while there, we hung out with Jake's friend Mike, who is currently living in Vegas. And of course, we also took time to do the touristy things, like watch the fountain displays at the Bellagio, see the outdoor show at Treasure Island, and check out the lions at our own hotel. There really is no other place like Vegas, and the city truly does not sleep! I can't wait to go back!

Fredericksburg, Texas, United States

2007-03-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Fredericksburg was during our spring break in March of 2007. We needed a little vacation from school and work, so we hopped in the car and headed west. On the way, we stopped at several wineries along the Texas Wine Trail, so by the time we reached our bed & breakfast in Fredericksburg, we were feeling pretty good! Our b&b was awesome, a few miles outside of town and nice and secluded. It was decorated beautifully, and it had a great hot tub outside that we could enjoy and watch the stars while sipping glasses of wine. We headed back into town during the days to check out the various shops and a few of the biergartens, but we always ended up heading back to the b&b to enjoy the wonderful hot tub! The trip was a great relaxing break from everything - just what we needed!

Kalutara, Sri Lanka

2007-01-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

Kalutara was our last stop in Sri Lanka. After being on the move and exploring so much, we needed a few relaxing days on the beach before heading back to the States. Kalutara is pretty well known for sustaining serious damage by the tsunami of 2004 - you can see before and after pics here. Our visit was about 2 years following the disaster, and honestly our resort looked pretty good. I think the area has recovered rather well, and tourists are starting to visit once again (apparently Kalutara is very popular with the Germans!).

Our time in Kalutara was nice - on our first night we enjoyed a spectacular sunset on the beach. We really didn't do a whole lot during our time there other than relax on the beach, sip cool drinks, eat delicious food, and play with a baby monkey(!). One night we had a fresh lobster dinner that was incredible! We also endulged in Ayurvedic oil massages on the hotel roof - which felt pretty good but left us smelling like food for days! All in all, it was a good way to spend our last days in Asia!

Kandy, Sri Lanka

2007-01-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

Kandy was our second stop in Sri Lanka. We took a cab from Colombo and drove for a few hours through the lush countryside. Before we got to Kandy, we made a couple of stops, first to take an "elephant safari" through the jungle, and second, to the Pinawalla elephant orphanage. Elephants are a popular tourist attraction, especially all of the baby elephants at Pinawalla. One of the babies we saw was just 10 days old - cute! Our last stop before reaching Kandy was for tea at our taxi driver's house. It was somewhat of a surprise to be welcomed into his home, but he and his family were very nice.
After tea, we at last arrived in Kandy. Our hotel, the Earl's Regency, was a spectacular five star hotel on the edge of town, and we had a fantastic view of the Dumbara Valley from our balcony.

Our sightseeing in Kandy included a walk around the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, which had, in addition to all of the exotic plants, thousands of huge fruit bats (3 ft. wingspans!!) hanging from the trees, rather large scorpions, and several monkeys (one of which was more than ready to aggressively defend the trash can in which it sat!). We also toured the Temple of the Tooth, which houses the Shrine of Buddha's tooth relic, dressed very stylishly in makeshift skirts to cover our bare legs. Later we ascended to the top of the hills overlooking the city to see the Bahiravakanda Buddha. On the recommendation of our hotel, we also went to see a performance of traditional Kandy dancers, fire-walkers, and fire-eaters, which was very impressive. We topped off our time in Kandy with a trip to the Pizza Hut that we spotted in town - American food had never sounded so good!

Colombo, Sri Lanka

2007-01-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

Our time in Colombo was fairly short. We arrived from Delhi pretty late, probably around midnight, and we headed right to our hotel. Although we were close to the ocean, we couldn't see much in the dark. The hotel was awesome (particularly compared to the one we had stayed in the night before in Delhi), and when we opened up the doors to the balcony the next morning, we had a beautiful view that allowed us a tantalizing glimpse of the Indian Ocean! Our itinerary didn't allow for any exploring in Colombo, but before our cab drove us to Kandy, we stopped at Beach Wadiya for a really nice lunch. We were right by the ocean, and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves! Lunch was good, the staff was super friendly, and we enjoyed a few Lion beers (a Sri Lankan "social lubricant") as we relaxed.

We were a little nervous coming into Sri Lanka because of the ongoing civil war there between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers, a militant rebel group. Since Colombo is the capital, violence has been particularly prevalent in that city; in fact, we heard that just a few days after we flew out of Sri Lanka, there was a bombing at the airport! However, we never saw any evidence of the conflict the entire time we were there, and for that we are very thankful!

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

2007-01-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

Jaipur was the last destination on our road trip in India, and the journey there deserves some mention. Jaipur was a pretty decent drive from Agra, and with several girls in our group, we had to make a few bathroom stops on the way - and, of course, there weren't really any rest stops as we know them. Instead, we'd look for a field (usually mustard) that offered some level of privacy.

During one of these stops, Misty and Annie went off into the field, while the rest of us waited outside our vehicle on the side of the road. While we waited, two Indians on motorcycles rode past, yelling something at us as they went. Apparently it was an obscenity (directed at me, actually), and Prosun immediately yelled back at them in their language (use your imagination). Instead of continuing on their way, the two Indian guys did a u-turn, heading back for our group. We got a little nervous at this point; it appeared the guys were ready for a fight! Immediately Ravi, our driver, pulled out a crowbar from under his seat in the car! Why he had a crowbar, we'll never know, but the two guys fortunately then drove off and left us alone.

We arrived into Jaipur safely around sunset. We checked into our hotel, which was very near to the Floating Palace (Octopussy's lair, to all you James Bond fans). Pretty though it was, there was no water, and thus no floating! That evening we went out to dinner at a local restaurant, which featured traditional Rajisthani dancers - Misty and even Ravi got into the action on the dance floor!

Day two began with what I had been looking forward to - an elephant ride! Early in the morning, we rode colorfully painted elephants up the hill to the Amber Fort. Once we arrived into the fort, we dismounted our "steeds" and headed off to explore. The fort was a large complex with very ornate decorations, and from it we could see a spectacular view of Jaipur.

We had hired a guide to show us around Jaipur, so after visiting the Amber Fort, he drove us to see the various other sites of Jaipur, including the Wind Palace and the Astronomical Observatory (which has the world's largest sundial). We also saw some local snake charmers and watched traditional artisans who demonstrated block printing. The next morning, before we left Jaipur, we took a camel ride, which was rather unremarkable and a completely touristy thing to do!

Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

2007-01-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

In Delhi, we hired a driver , Ravi, to take us to Agra and then to Jaipur. There are a few things to be said about traveling the roads through India. The first is how many people can be squeezed into or onto a single tiny vehicle - wow! Second is the large numbers of animals we encountered, including cows, monkeys (wild and tame), sheep, and camels, to name a few. Third, no matter where we went, we continued to get a lot of attention, and not always in a good way (see the post on Jaipur for more details).

We arrived in Agra a little later than planned, around sunset. We had to rush to get to the Taj Mahal, because the following day it would be closed to the public for prayer. We arrived just as dusk fell, as you can see from the picture. Pretty, but I wish we had gotten there earlier for a better view. By the time our tour made its way into the Taj Mahal, it was really too dark to see much of anything (although I've been told there isn't much to see on the inside anyhow). After our tour, we visited an inlaid marble factory, where we could view the processes used to make the decorative marble on the facade of the Taj Mahal. And of course, Misty and I did a little shopping! I got some very pretty jewelry boxes made of inlaid marble and a fantastic Star of India and diamond ring. The day ended at our hotel with some hookah, a henna tattoo for Annie, and a pretty hilarious dinner!

Day two in Agra started with a quick trip back to the Taj Mahal, where we hoped to get a good view of the back side; unfortunately, it was too foggy to see much of anything. Nearby was the Agra Fort, which we only checked out from the outside. So we hopped back in our vehicle and headed to Fatehpur Sikri, a"ghost city" outside of Agra that had been abandoned because of a lack of water. The city is really very beautiful and impressive, and well worth a visit.

Kolkata, West Bengal, India

2007-01-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Calcutta was a much more positive experience than Delhi. We arrived in Calcutta in the early evening, only to find that all taxi and bus drivers were on strike. Rather than try to find a way to Prosun's house, we stayed at a very nice 5 star hotel in Calcutta, the Park Hotel. Jake and I had the Presidential suite, which was just what I needed for a nice hot shower and a great night of sleep - I needed to get that crankiness and stress from travel out of my system!

On our first day in Calcutta, we (Jake and I, Prosun, Misty, and Annie) headed to the home of Prosun's extended family for lunch. We took cabs part of the way (traffic and driving in Calcutta are crazy!!), and rickshaws the rest of the way (dirt cheap). Since several of us in our little group were blonde, we stood out quite a bit, and we eventually had an entourage of Indian children. Prosun said that a lot of the people we encountered in the streets of Calcutta had probably never seen a white person before, much less a blonde. The sights were definitely a cultural shock, from people bathing in the streets, to men urinating on walls, to cows (and a horse) roaming freely.

After lunch at Prosun's family's, we headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags, and we took cabs to Prosun's parents' house. The house was amazing - 3 stories and beautiful (his parents are much better-off than the typical Indian family), although I must admit I wasn't a big fan of the shower! That night we checked out an authentic hookah bar.

The next day in Calcutta was full of sightseeing, from the beautiful Victoria Monument,with it's lush landscaping (quite the departure from the rest of Calcutta), to Mother Theresa's Mission, where we could tour her room and view her tomb. Our experience that evening was unforgettable - we took an impromptu tour of the Kalighat temple, where we participated in a ritual that included walking barefoot on the muddy floors, being shoved through the narrow rooms of the temple crowded with throngs of people, throwing flowers at a statue, saying prayers by a pool of holy water, and then, of course, being solicited for money. Wow! It was confusing and overwhelming, but a very cool experience, not one soon forgotten. When we got back to Prosun's, we washed our feet over and over, but the dirt just wouldn't wash out!

Before we left Calcutta, we made some time to do some shopping, meet more of Prosun's family, and ride in tuktuks... then we were on a plane back to Delhi!

Delhi, National Capital Territory, India

2007-01-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, to be honest, I'm not that big a fan of Delhi. Granted, I didn't spend much time there, but it wasn't exactly awesome. To explain - I flew into Delhi from New York by myself, and I arrived pretty late. I stayed the night at the home of a friend of Prosun's, and then I returned to the airport the next morning to meet up with Jake, Prosun, and the rest of the group, who were flying in from Thailand. Well, their flight was delayed (for how long, I didn't know), and I ended up sitting around in the airport for about 5 hours. Not a problem in and of itself, but a single blonde girl sitting in the domestic terminal of the Delhi airport all by herself is a little unusual. Men, who apparently had their curiosity piqued, would sit themselves down right next to me, and turn and stare at me (their faces only a few inches from mine). Not fun for me. I was already jet lagged, cranky, and hungry, I had no idea when the others were going to arrive, and now I was very, very uncomfortable.

Well, nothing happened to me, they just stared. The rest of my group did eventually arrive, but late enough that we missed our flight to Darjeeling. We opted to head straight for Calcutta instead, and in order to catch our flight, we had to walk to another terminal, suitcases in tow, through an alley (a very dirty one, at that). Ah... Delhi!

Jake and I came back through Delhi when we flew to Sri Lanka. We hoped to do a little sightseeing, but we didn't really have a whole lot of time, so we saw the outside of the Red Fort, and we drove past the Gate of India. Since Prosun had left us by that point, we way overpaid for a seedy hotel that night - such is the life of two obvious foreigners alone in India - and well, we could not wait to get to Sri Lanka!

Bagnoregio, Lazio, Italy

2005-08-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

On the way back to Montefiascone from Orvieto, we took a short detour in order to visit Civita di Bagnoregio. A tiny little medieval town, Civita di Bagnoregio is perched upon a plateau of tuff (a not entirely stable rock formed from volcanic ash). The plateau has been slowly crumbling for years, and many buildings in the town are in danger of sliding off. Civita was originally a part of the town of Bagnoregio, but due to erosion of the plateau, it is now connected by only a narrow footpath.

The sun was setting when we arrived, and our view of the town from across the ravine was really very striking and beautiful. Since it was so late, we didn't actually venture into the town, although I wish we had. Despite being called the "Dying City," there are still residents in Civita, although certainly not many (approximately 15!).

Orvieto, Umbria, Italy

2005-08-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

I first visited Orvieto in the fall of 2000. The trip was accidental - I was planning to visit some friends in some random tiny Tuscan town, but alas, I hopped on the wrong train when I boarded in Camucia. I figured out I was heading the wrong way around the time the train stopped in Orvieto, so I thought, what the heck, I'll go visit Orvieto instead. So, I took the funicular (inclined railway - Orvieto is built on a plateau) up to town, and spent the afternoon exploring.

My second, and this time - planned, visit to Orvieto was in the fall of 2005, during my stay in Montefiascone. One of the professors at the school drove a group of us there for an afternoon visit. The approach to Orvieto by car is much more stunning than by train - as we rounded a curve and came over the top of the hill, we were treated to a spectacular view of the city.

To reach the town, our car traversed the winding roads up the side of the cliffs, until at last we reached the top. Once there, we visited the Duomo (a gothic cathedral, similar to the one in Siena), strolled through the gardens, enjoyed some gelato, and browsed the many local handicraft shops.

Montefiascone, Lazio, Italy

2005-07-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

I came to Montefiascone in the summer of 2005; I was really needing a change of pace in life, so I enrolled in two week-long summer courses offered there at the School of Conservation and Preservation. At that time, I was still interested in going into book conservation, so I thought this would be a good opportunity for me. The first course was in medieval manuscript pigments (we ground up a lot of our own pigments using raw materials and even made some lakes), and the second was in medieval album bindings.

Since that experience, I've decided I prefer the field of archives to that of preservation, but my time in Montefiascone was still a good experience. The town is beautiful and sits atop a hill overlooking the Lago Bolsena. Since classes were only in the mornings, I often took the bus down to the crystal-clear lake and lounged around in the afternoons. During one of the weeks, Montefiascone was holding its yearly wine festival EST! EST! ESTE! (obviously I partook in the festival offerings), and I also spent a lot of evenings at the various restaurants enjoying the local cuisine with the rest of the my classmates (a very international group). All in all, it was a relaxing time and a much needed escape from everyday life.

San Antonio, Texas, United States

2005-03-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

Austin, Texas, United States

2004-08-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

I have lived in Austin since the summer of 2004...

Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

2004-03-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

My friend Traci (who was also my boss at the time) and I went to Cancun for our spring break in 2004. Yes, we were a little older than most of the college-aged crowd there, but that certainly didn't stop us from having lots of fun! The week was pretty much a booze-fest. Drinking all night every night, hitting up all of the massive dance clubs and other hot spots (a few of our favorites: Coco Bongo, Dady Rock, Fat Tuesday; we went to Dady Rock so many times that they put us on the VIP list), sleeping off our hangovers on the beach. We did take a break from all of the alcohol-related fun one day and went parasailing, which was incredible!

A few more random memories: meeting a cross-dressing guy from Austin whom I still run into every now and again, huge lizards everywhere, military officers with large guns patrolling the high-end shopping centers, fantastic shows at Coco Bongo, sweaty dancing, lots and lots of wristbands for all of the inclusive bars, riding the packed and uber-cheap buses at 4 in the morning, getting yelled at for being too loud at the hotel, being desperate for American food and hitting up the McDonald's.

We made lots of new friends from all over the world while we were there, and overall just had a blast. I loved it so much that I actually made another trip to Cancun just 2 1/2 months later, to celebrate my 24th birthday (the first trip was much more fun)!

San Francisco, California, United States

2004-02-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

My mom and I visited San Francisco in February of 2004. I had originally planned the trip in order to visit a graduate program at SFSU. My plans were redirected towards Austin, however, and the trip to San Francisco ended up giving us a chance to relax and do some sightseeing together. It's such a pretty city, and we rode the cable cars down to the piers, where we enjoyed the sights and the beautiful weather.

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States

2003-10-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States

2003-10-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Route 66, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

2003-10-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

Misty and I drove on Route 66 in the fall of 2003, when I accompanied her on her move from Indiana to California. It was a great road trip, and I saw parts of the country that I had never seen before. Incidentally, the Hot Air Balloon festival was going on when we passed through Albuquerque, which we could see from a distance.

New York City, New York, United States

2003-08-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

I love NYC! I've been several times with friends, and to visit other friends living there. My first trip was to visit Emilie and Kate in the summer of 2002. On my second trip, with Misty and Stacy, we were just outside of the Rockefeller center when the big Blackout of 2003 occurred. We had to hoof it all the way back to Brooklyn (11 miles, in heels, mind you), because traffic was a nightmare and the trains obviously weren't running because there was no electricity. It ended up being an incredible experience - when we got back to Brooklyn, we met up with our friends at a local bar, where candles kept the place lit up and neighbors provided live music with their guitars. I met people that night who had never see the stars in the sky from within the city before. Incredible! More recent trips include one to celebrate New Year's Eve '05, and a nice trip with Gina in December of 2005, where we stayed with a friend in the Trump Towers. While there, we went to a fantastic (and uber-trendy) Cuban restaurant, where we happened to meet "Bobby" from The Sopranos!

Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

2001-04-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Hans and I went to Pisa towards the end of our semester abroad in Florence. Pisa wasn't too far away, so we hopped on a train one afternoon. When we arrived at the station in Pisa, we had to walk through the entire town to reach the Piazza del Duomo, in which the Leaning Tower stands. The town was quite a bit bigger than I realized, and quite pretty (but what Italian town isn't?). The entire walk was pretty quiet - the streets seemed deserted - but once we arrived at the Piazza, there were people everywhere!

My Italian friends had mentioned that when they were younger, it had been possible to climb the tower, but when we visited, this unfortunately wasn't the case. The tower had been leaning a bit too much, I suppose, so it was reinforced with cables and closed to the public. (The tower actually reopened to the public in December of that year, so we just missed being able to climb it.)

Fiesole, Tuscany, Italy

2001-04-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

The first time I went to Fiesole was with an Italian friend to an Irish bar there. All I remember was the Harp's Strong I drank (a wickedly strong beer, which is probably why that's all I remember!). The second time was with a friend from school, Hans. We went there just to wander around the town and to take photographs; Fiesole is located on a hillside overlooking Florence, so the views are very picturesque.

Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

2001-03-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

Elba, Tuscany, Italy

2001-03-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

Berlin, Brandenberg, Germany

2001-03-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

Shannon and I went to Berlin on our spring break, during our semester abroad in Florence, in the spring of 2001. Of course, Berlin is still frozen in March, so it didn't feel like too much of a spring break! Our hostel was in Mitte, and we had made arrangements to meet up with Hans, a friend of mine that I had met during my first semester in Italy. We met all the way across town in Alexanderplatz, only to find out that he was actually staying in the room across the hallway at our hostel! Other interesting experiences include visiting the Brandenburg Gate, which at the time was being renovated. The whole thing was covered in a giant drapery, which had a life size Brandenburg Gate printed on it - kind of odd! So, we *sort of* got to experience the Gate. We also visited a lot of the museums (Berlin is a great place for modern art), went up into the Reichstag Dome, visited saw remnants of the Berlin wall, checked out Checkpoint Charlie, toured the bombed-out Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, and of course, drank bier!

Milan, Lombardy, Italy

2001-02-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

Carnevale, Venice, Veneto, Italy

2001-02-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

I went to Carnevale in early 2001, and it was one definitely one of my most memorable experiences of all times. Venice was so crowded that we had to stay in a hotel outside the city and take the train in every morning. The streets of Venice are narrow to begin with, and with all of the people that come to Carnevale, much of the time is spent in a dead standstill. Normally the walk from the Station to San Marco takes 20-30 minutes, but I remember that walk took around 4 hours! And it was freezing cold!! But despite all that, I loved it! I had been to Venice just a few months beforehand, so I could enjoy the festivities instead of concentrating on seeing the sights. Lots of people came masked and in costume - very elaborate, colorful, and beautiful! Shannon and I bought masks of our own (which I still have), and Jodie and I had our faces painted one day. The party goes all day and all night during Carnevale, with lots of street performers during the day, and spectacular performances in San Marco Square at night. Nearly every piazza has something going on in it. We didn't get to see any of the famed Venetian masked balls - those are pretty exclusive and generally invitation-only, but the streets of Venice were amazing enough!

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

2001-01-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

Paris, Île-de-France, France

2000-12-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam, Netherlands

2000-12-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

Copenhagen, Denmark

2000-11-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

Denmark was the third stop on our (Emilie and I) trip around Europe in late November/early December of 2000. Our train ride there was interesting - in order to get to Copenhagen from Germany, a waterway has to be crossed. Rather than have passengers disembark from trains and board boats, whole trains are put on ships! I had never heard of that before, and remember wondering what on earth was going on! During that part of the trip, we actually could get off the train and wander around the boat.

It was sooo cold in Copenhagen, but that didn't stop us from getting out to explore. Our hostel was pretty far outside of town, so we had to take buses into town - not too difficult despite not knowing one bit of the language. We went to Tivoli, the local theme park, twice, I believe, once during the day and once at night. Everything was decorated for Christmas and just absolutely beautiful! It was far too cold to do any of the rides there, but it was fun to walk around to see all of the decorations and lights, and to watch everyone ice skating around the pond. Looking at the website now, I didn't realize how much there was to the park, but I think a warmer time of year is better for doing further exploration! The rest of Copenhagen was beautiful as well, with very interesting architecture - I loved the spires on the buildings! The canal areas were picturesque, and now remind me a little of Amsterdam (although I had not yet been there at that point). On the recommendations of some Italian friends, one afternoon we wandered over to Christiana park (pretty much a glorified hippie commune) - I'd never seen so much hash just out there for sale in the open! :P

Szentendre, Hungary

2000-11-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Visegrád, Hungary

2000-11-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

Budapest, Hungary

2000-11-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Budapest was part of my European trip with Emilie in November of 2000. We were in Budapest for Thanksgiving, which we spent with Darina, a college friend of Emilie's, and her roommates. While in town, we toured the impressive Parliament buildings and took a driving tour of Budapest. During that (very bumpy) tour, we drove up to Castle Hill, as well as out to Gellert Hill, from where we had a fantastic view of the city. We had hoped to see Brad Pitt while we were there, who was filming Spy Game at the time, but to no avail!

Vienna, Austria

2000-11-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Emilie and I visited Vienna in late November of 2000, during our travels across Europe. Everything was decorated beautifully for Christmas, and after being in Italy for so long, Vienna really was a breath of fresh air. Highlights included a tour of the Belvedere Palace, which had a fantastic Klimt exhibit on display. We also spent a lot of time at the Christkindl Markt on the Rathausplatz, drinking spiced rum as we browsed the booths and enjoyed the festivities.

Venice, Veneto, Italy

2000-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

My first trip to Venice was at the very end of my first semester abroad, in November of 2000. Venice is a very beautiful city, and despite the very chilly weather, we spent a lot of time exploring. In fact, our hotel was towards the outskirts of Venice, so we had to traverse the streets in order to get to San Marco Square, the main piazza. Emilie and I got lost more than once! The streets are narrow and winding, and of course, there are no roads there, just pathways and bridges linking the numerous tiny islands. We took the water taxi several times, which is often more efficient than navigating the confusing streets. Aside from the beautiful sights, I loved browsing the shops of Venice, both for the fantastic costumes and masks they sold, as well as for the chance to warm my toes! One of the mask shops we visited had made the masks for the movie Eyes Wide Shut. Kate, Emilie and I also took a ferry out to Murano, the island famous for glass-blowing, where I bought some beautiful glass pieces. Of course, the time in Venice was a little bittersweet for me, because it marked the end of a great semester!

Padua, Veneto, Italy

2000-11-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

Capri, Campania, Italy

2000-10-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Perugia, Umbria, Italy

2000-10-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

2000-10-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy

2000-09-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

This was a day trip taken as part of my art history class at UGA Cortona during the fall of 2000. San Gimignano is very picturesque, and therefore very popular with the tourists. My art history class went there to see the frescoes painted in the Collegiata. Those paintings are, in my opinion, particularly gruesome, in complete contrast to the beautiful village in which they were painted! After visiting the chapel, we all went for some gelato, where I tried the wine flavored variety - pretty accurate!

Siena, Tuscany, Italy

2000-09-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Assisi, Umbria, Italy

2000-09-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy

2000-08-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

2000-08-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Cortona, Tuscany, Italy

2000-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

2000-08-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies

2000-05-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

I was in Grand Cayman in the summer of 2000, as part of a college service trip. We were there to help run a summer school for a week, which was a lot of fun - the kids were so adorable and sweet! The church that hosted us put us up in a gorgeous apartment right on the beach, and one morning we were able to take a boat out to Stingray City. It's a shallow part of the ocean, where the stingrays come swim around you like hungry fish! They eat right out of your hand, and as long as you take care not to step on their tails, they are completely safe to be around. A very cool experience! On another morning, we drove out to a remote beach very early in the morning and waded out into the water to watch the beautiful sunrise!

Warwick Castle, Warwick, Warwickshire, England

1999-06-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

I visited Warwick Castle towards the end of my stay in England. Everybody there was in costume, and we even got to watch a jousting tournament (staged and somewhat cheesy, but still kind of fun). I'm kind of fascinated by the history of English royalty (I love Philippa Gregory's historical novels), and it was fun to be able to explore an actual castle.

Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England

1999-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

On one of my days in England, the group I was with took a day trip to see the Salisbury Cathedral, which is simply astounding. It's a medieval cathedral, quite different than the churches I am familiar with in Italy, and it's so impressive, inside and out.

Walsall, West Midlands, England

1999-06-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Birmingham, West Midlands, England

1999-06-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England

1999-06-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

After visiting London, we took a bus to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare (top picture). While there, we also saw the cottage of Anne Hathaway (bottom picture).

London, England

1999-06-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to England in the Summer of 1999, after my freshman year of college. My tour of London was pretty hurried, and I remember it being a very gloomy, rainy day - so typical of England! We made stops at the popular tourist sites, including Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Piccadilly Circus. I ate a lunch of fish and chips on the shore of the Thames, not far from the Tower of London. :)

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1999-02-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Vatican City

1998-07-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Pompeii, Campania, Italy

1998-06-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Naples, Campania, Italy

1998-06-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Rome, Lazio, Italy

1998-06-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Santorini, Cyclades, Greece

1998-06-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Rhodes, Dodecanese, Greece

1998-06-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

While in Greece, my family took a 5 day cruise of the Isles. I almost didn't get off the cruise ship for Rhodes, but I'm glad I did! There is a very cool fortress right off the beach, and I went swimming there in the crystal clear waters. My parents explored the rest of the island and loved it; my mom has said that's the one place she'd like to see again more than the others. But, I was 18 at the time, and more concerned with my tan than seeing a historical town! So unappreciative! :P

Patmos, Dodecanese, Greece

1998-06-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

I actually did not disembark from the cruise ship at Patmos, but I could see view the beach and the edge of the town from the deck. Teenagers, I swear!

Ephesus, Ionia, Anatolia, Turkey

1998-06-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Mykonos, Cyclades, Greece

1998-06-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Cape Sounion, Attica, Greece

1998-06-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Athens, Attica, Greece

1998-06-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Acropolis, at the center of Athens, is quite simply amazing. My family visited Athens as part of our big Greece/Turkey/Italy trip in the summer of 1998. Athens was pretty much our home base, so we had a fair amount of time to explore the city, and the Acropolis in particular. The temples are beautiful; I especially liked the Temple of Athena. It's a bit of a hike to the top to the Acropolis, but once up there, you can see all of Athens. From the roof of our hotel, on which we at a few dinners, we had a perfect view of the Acropolis and the Agora below. Athens is a must-see, and I'd definitely like to go back. Since that trip, I've taken classes in Greek archeology, so I think I'd understand and appreciate everything much more than I did when I was 18.

Istanbul, Turkey

1998-06-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

My dad planned a fantastic family trip to Greece, Turkey and Italy in the summer of 1998. Istanbul was our first stop, which straddles the picturesque Bosphorus Strait. My first memory of Istanbul is lounging by the lavish pool on our first day there and hearing the prayer calls from minarets all over the city - it was beautiful!

While in Istanbul, we visited several mosques, including the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent and the Blue Mosque, which are elaborately beautiful. We also toured the basilica of Hagia Sophia (which I would later study and write about in my Byzantine art class), went down into the Basilica Cisterns, took a river cruise on the Bosphorus (where we tasted the dubious delicacy of caviar yogurt), saw the mosaics in the Kariye Museum, and shopped the Grand Bazaar (so much to do in Istanbul!). Of course, we also took a tour of the Topkapi Palace. Ottoman architecture and ornamentation is extraordinarily elaborate and quite beautiful, and the Topkapi Palace is a great example of this. The museum had all sorts of fantastic artifacts on display, including jeweled thrones and swords, Holy relics, and the incredible Kasikci (spoonmaker's) diamond.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

1998-01-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

1996-03-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

San Cristobal, Táchira, Venezuela

1995-08-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

Mérida, Mérida, Venezuela

1995-08-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Rubio, Táchira, Venezuela

1995-08-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Caracas, Venezuela

1995-08-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

Amish Country, Shipshewana, Indiana, United States

1995-03-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

Being from a small town in Indiana, Amish people are nothing new to me (there are lots of Amish the outlying areas of Berne). But I do have very fond memories of the Essenhaus restaurant in Shipshewana - yum!! When I was younger, my family would often head there for dinner and to browse the shops when my grandparents were in town.

Victoria Harbour, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

1992-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

My mom is from the Seattle area, and during a visit to her family when I was young, we took a ferry up from Washington to Victoria. I remember being so impressed with the Harbour area, and in particular, the Fairmont Empress Hotel. It's so grand and elegant, and it is known for its afternoon tea - very old world!

Mount St. Helens, Cascades, Washington, United States

1992-08-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

Yep, I had style when I was 12!

Puget Sound, Washington, United States

1992-08-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

My uncle in Mt. Vernon (near Seattle) has a boat, and many years ago we all took the boat out and went crabbing. It really is beautiful out there, and crabbing is a very unique experience!

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States

1992-06-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Badlands, South Dakota, United States

1990-08-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Black Hills, South Dakota, United States

1990-07-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Bluegrass Country, Kentucky, United States

1989-04-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

I grew up absolutely obsessed with horses. Since my family lived in Indiana, a trip to Bluegrass Country, with its rolling pastures and numerous horse farms, was obligatory. I remember the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington the best, and I think I still have some souvenir knick-knacks from that visit. It's still a dream of mine to go back to Kentucky to attend the Kentucky Derby!

West Amana, Iowa, United States

1988-07-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States

1986-11-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, United States

1986-11-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

Squire Boone Caverns, Corydon, Indiana, United States

1985-06-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

Space Needle, Seattle, Washington, United States

1985-05-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Thousand Islands, Ontario, Canada/New York, United States

1984-06-19T11:06:00.001-07:00

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada/New York, United States

1983-07-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

I visited Niagara Falls with my family when I was pretty young. I have been there twice (my family lived in Syracuse, New York, for a few years), once in 1983, and then again in August of 1984. My great- grandparents were there the first of those times, which is one of my few memories of them.

Washington, D.C., United States

1983-01-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

My dad's family lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, and D.C. is just a short drive away (about 30 minutes), so I've been there several times. There are lots of great history and art museums to see, as well as all of the monuments. I've never been to the top of the Washington monument, although I'd like to someday.