Barcelona

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."- Jawaharial Nehru

Our final destination was Barcelona. This was my third time in Spain and my second time in Barcelona which is why I didn't take many photographs. I must say that this trip to Barcelona was so much better than my last trip (I was food poisoned). Kelsie and I did a bike tour of the city and got a bit of a history lesson as well. We went to Park Guell and the fabulous la Sagrada Familia.

Barcelona was one of our more low key destinations. We spent a lot of our time meeting people and going out with them. The flaming shots of Chopito's were the best shots I've ever taken and we had a great night at Opium Beach Club.

Gorgeous Fountain 

View of Barcelona 

Kelsie and me! 

Overall, this was one of the best trips of my entire life. It reawakened my desire to travel. Since I've been home I've started planning a number of different trips. I love going to new places and cannot wait until I can take off somewhere new for another incredible experience!

Adios!

Italy

"The name of Italy had magic in its very syllables."- Mary Shelley 

Our next stop was the Eternal City- Rome.

 We spent the majority of our time in Rome eating or drinking. I rotated my meals between pizza and pasta, red or white wine, and all the gelato in Rome. The food was absolutely spectacular. I have always been fascinated by ancient Rome so being able to walk through all of the sites I've studied and read about was so incredible.

Lunch, the Colosseum, and the Capitol 

Ruins of Ancient Rome

Rome was also the last place that the four of us experienced together. Sarah had to fly home to start work and Gioia had to go to a wedding in Northern Italy.

Friends! 

Rome did have a downside for me though. My wallet was stolen our second to last night. All I'm saying is the Trevi fountain better grant my wish... it's the least Rome can do for me :)

Making wishes

 We toured Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. I found St. Peter's to be the most beautiful church on our trip. I was worried that I wasn't going to like Rome very much, but despite getting my wallet stolen, I really did enjoy the city.

After Gioia and Sarah left us, Kelsie and I took a train up to Monterosso in Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre was unbelievably gorgeous and a great break from the touring we had been doing. Two days swimming, eating, and wandering the coast was a welcome break from the stresses of traveling.

Italian Riveria 

Soaking it all in 

Waterproof cameras are so fun  

Paddleboarding is hard

This is much more my speed 

Last night in Italy

Italy is gorgeous and I cannot wait to tour Tuscany sometime soon.

Ciao!

The Adventure Capital of Europe

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."- Eleanor Roosevelt 

Our next stop was Interlaken, Switzerland also known as the Adventure Capital of Europe. In a fashion befitting adventures, we took an overnight train from Berlin to Zurich that was a bit disastrous. We were supposed to be in a sleeping car with seats that reclined almost horizontally. However, there was an issue with that car so we were instead in seats that didn't recline.  12 hours! On a train ride through the night... it was hell.  Furthermore, the only open room on the train was with a man who may or may not have been a serial killer. I slept a grand total of one hour.

Couldn't wait to get to Interlaken

Despite our struggles getting to Interlaken once we were there it was a dream come true. It was raining quite heavily when we got there, and yet that only added to its charm. Interlaken is a small town in the Alps that honestly seems like it is straight out of a fairytale. I would have stayed there forever if it was possible.

Roses in the Rain 

Backpacking in the rain

Misty Mountains  

We arrived at the fabulous Balmers Herbage hostel (which took us forever to find in the rain). We settled into our room and took a much needed nap. We decided to explore the hostel a little bit and upon finding a door marked 'hangover recovery' our interest was piqued. Inside there were tens of colorful hammocks in a wooded slatted room. We ended up in the Metro bar on the property and made a couple of friends over a couple drinks.

Hammocks everywhere!

The next morning we awoke to a gorgeous day. By far the best weather we had seen since arriving in Europe. Interlaken was even more beautiful than the day before.

View from our window. 

My dreamland

Since Interlaken is the adventure capital of Europe we decided to go rafting and canyoning with the greatest company, Outdoor Interlaken. We had a great time risking our lives in class 4/5 rapids and in huge gorges in the alps.

Before Rafting 

While Canyoning 

We also were lucky enough to be in Interlaken over Canada Day. The Hostel threw a huge party at their tent village. We ended up riding on the handle bars of some of the Outdoor Interlaken guides bikes back to the bar to continue celebrating Canada.

Interalken surpassed my expectations be leaps and bounds and I would recommend it to anyone that likes a thrill or beautiful scenery. 

The Alps

Wild Roses

Cheers! 

Berlin

"Berlin is more a part of the world than a city"- Jean Paul

After Paris we flew over to Berlin. None of us really knew what to expect from Berlin; I had been to Germany previously, but never to Berlin. All of us were surprised by how incredible the city of Berlin actually is. Obviously the history is deeply entrenched and quite extensive, but the character of the city was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The nightlife, the graffiti, the architecture, the people, and the history all work together to create an atmosphere that is both calming and energetic, historical and futuristic, grungy yet welcoming.

Upon our arrival at our hostel (The Cat's Pajamas) we were informed something had gotten messed up with our reservation so we were given the nicest private room in the hostel. We had come from staying in rooms of 12 people, so a private suite was a godsend.

Ready to drink 

We decided it would be in our best interest to go on a tour of Berlin since we really didn't know what we wanted to see. We got lucky yet again and had the best tour guide of all time. Rob McKracken was ridiculously knowledgeable about the history while still being entertaining. We ended up getting drinks with the guides after our tour and learning a bit more about the local life.

Berlin Wall 

Turkish Market 

Bubbles on the street 

Berlin Cathedral 

Brandenburg Gate

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

I was familiar with the Berlin Wall and the Holocaust, but learning more about both while in Berlin was an experience I'll never forget. There is a saying that "Berlin is condemned to always becoming but never being" and I'm still struggling with it. I think the beauty of the identity of Berlin is that it can change, it isn't stagnant and can adapt to the circumstances facing the city. Berliners are resilient and their city reflects the tragedy and the strength of Berlin. 

Obviously Berlin has another reputation. Berlin is known for being a great city to go out in. Berlin deserves that reputation.

Matrix

Statues

Each one of us was shocked by how much we loved Berlin. I was already a fan of Germany and Berlin just added a new side to the country.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart

"A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life"- Thomas Jefferson

Our next stop was the City of Lights. We took a short train from London to Paris (it is insane to me that you can travel by train that far underwater). When we started to plan this trip around Christmastime we decided that each one of us would get to select one city that we would all go to without argument. Paris was my choice. I had never been to France and I had just seen Midnight in Paris so I was enamored by the idea of the city. I have to admit that Paris was my least favorite of all the cities we went to. I'm not sure what it was but Paris didn't live up to the gorgeous ideal I had for it. To be fair, when we told Gioia's Parisian friends where we were staying they all grimaced. So our hostel location may have had a lot to do with my disillusionment of the city. With that said, I would love to go back to Paris and stay near the Seine (not the red light district where we were) and do a five star trip.

Eiffel Tower

Featured Fashion: Maxi Dress, Chambray Shirt, Infinity Scarf, Sandals

Even though Paris was not my favorite place I still had a great time there. It's hard to not enjoy being in Europe with your best friends. 

The four of us spent an afternoon having a picnic at the base of the Eiffel Tower in the rain with baguettes, cheese, and grapes. Sitting underneath a landmark of that magnitude with people I couldn't love more was one of those moments that reminds me how lucky I really am.  We did all the major tourist things we could fit in. Just for future reference, everything closes on Monday in Paris so plan accordingly if you go. We missed out on Versailles, the catacombs, and the Musee D'Orsay because we didn't realize that. 

Sacre Coeur 

The infamous Moulin Rouge 

The Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame

As most people are aware, Paris is synonymous with romance and love. One of the Parisian traditions is known as the lock bridge. Basically, lovers usually come to Paris with a padlock that they inscribe with initials, names, the date, really whatever they want. You lock the lock on the bridge and throw the key into the Seine to symbolize your undying devotion to each other. We decided that sounded pretty good to us (especially because our friendship has lasted between 16 to 18 years depending on whom you're talking to). Together we bought a lock, wrote our initials and the date, and threw the key over the bridge.

The Lock Bridge

Our Lock

I am incredibly blessed to have three incredibly intelligent, beautiful, and overall amazing best friends. We all went to different schools for college; two of us went out of state. Despite a 3,000 mile separation  we have maintained a friendship that I am overwhelmingly proud of. We all have our issues, but we love each other.  At this point in my life, there is no one I'd rather be in a city immortalized for love with. 

Stormy Day in Paris

Au Revoir! 

United Kingdom

"Not all those who wander are lost"-J.R Tolkein

After graduation and my road trip back to sunny California, I embarked on another great adventure- a month long backpacking trip of Europe with my best friends. I must preface this by stating that normally I am a notorious over-packer, but on this trip I limited myself to my backpack. Traveling for a month out of a backpack going from hostel to hostel was a new kind of trip for me. I had an incredible time and am already looking for a way to do it all over again.

I used this Dueter Pack which is a 40+10 pack. It worked really well for me and I would highly recommend it. I had the smallest bag out of all my friends and I traveled the longest without any problems.

I started my journey by flying to Edinburgh, Scotland. I studied abroad in Edinburgh and I am in love with the entire country. It also doesn't hurt that three of my favorite people are Scottish and let me stay with them. Erin, Emily, and Naomi were three of my flatmates when I first came to Bonny Scotland and they still live together (in a much more posh place).

I was picked up at the airport and immediately whisked into the center of Edinburgh. Erin, Emily, and myself caught up over breakfast and a walk around the city. I unfortunately didn't take many pictures of Edinburgh since I have so many from my residency there.

Victoria Street

We then drove to the train station to pick up Naomi and headed over to the gorgeous seaside town North Berwick. Erin is from North Berwick and was having a barbecue for her birthday there. We indulged in some great scenery, food, conversation, and an abundance of Pimms.

Yes, we are all in denim shirts.  

Erin's Gorgeous Ranch                               

The picturesque North Berwick

Our go to awkward self timer photo

We came back to Edinburgh the next day and went out for a great night on the Cowgate. We stayed out ridiculously late despite having to wake up early to catch the train to St. Andrews.

Getting wild in the streets of Edinburgh

The last time I was in Scotland I missed out on going to St. Andrews. However, Naomi and Emily were not going to let that happen twice.

St. Andrews Cathedral

Cathedral Cemetery 

The Castle

Taking in St. Andrews

The next morning I flew into London to meet up with my three best friends from growing up. I had a fabulous time in Scotland and am so grateful to have such great friends there! I can't wait to go back and see my flatties soon.

I honestly love the UK. I have a great time whenever I'm there, the people are great, and the history is fascinating. It was incredible to be able to share one of my favorite cities with people I've known all my life. Gioia, Sarah, Kelsie and I spent three great days in London pub crawling, visiting tourist locations, meeting new people, and celebrating our graduation from college (we all went to different schools). Our trip also overlapped with some other friends of ours so we had a great group to explore a great city.

Best friends together again

Hyde Park

Big Ben

Obviously it was raining 

London Eye

Photo Booth Photo Shoot

Gioia and Me

Rose Garden

Roses

*Ignore my horrible outfits. I struggled packing for the varied weather on our trip.

Anyways, the United Kingdom was, as always, an absolute joy and a great way to start my European Adventure. 

Cheers!