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It’s Always Christmastime in Germany!

Posted on September 26, 2013

To be more specific, it’s always Christmastime in Rothenburg, Germany. And considering that Christmas is my favorite time of the year, I absolutely loved this town. And actually, the holiday isn’t celebrated here year-round; this town just has the greatest concentration of Christmas shops of anywhere I’ve ever been. Rothernburg ob der Tauber is a fascinating town located in Bavaria, Germany. Surrounded by a wall, with cobblestone streets, window boxes overflowing with colorful flowers, and lots of ice cream parlors (and the above mentioned Christmas shops), it’s incredibly quaint. I found myself enjoying two nights here during my 2007 summer in Europe with my friend, Teresa. Our time in Germany started with a flight from Edinburgh to Dortmund, where we stayed at a bed and breakfast for one night.…

Making My Bed with the Cows in Switzerland

Posted on September 23, 2013

To be more precise, I made my bed in the home of cows in Switzerland. The actual bovines were kind enough to move out while I was there. Let me rewind just a bit. As part of my 2007 summer in Europe, one of the places I had at the top of my list to visit were the Swiss Alps. I was introduced to the tiny village of Gimmelwald through Rick Steves’ travel guidebooks, and decided it would be the perfect place to call home while visiting these majestic mountains. My Switzerland adventure started with a long train ride from Salzburg, Austria to Interlaken, nestled at the foot of the Alps between two lakes. My travel buddy, Teresa, and I stayed the night at Balmers Herberge – possibly…

Colorful Leaves, Comfy Clothes, & College Football: Bring on Fall!!!

Posted on September 20, 2013

It never fails, come July or August of every year, I am over summer and ready for fall (I might also be kind of ready for Christmas around this time, but please don’t tell anyone). This year, my yearnings for autumn came a bit later due to the fact that I was still happily enjoying a perfect island summer in Hawaii in August. But now that I’ve been home for over a month, my desire for fall has kicked in hard core! Now, what do I love about fall? What am I looking forward to? Well for starters, cooler weather! Unfortunately, I live in Florida and will most likely still be sporting flip-flops come January. *sigh* I also look forward to boots, sweaters, hot drinks,…

Life Imitating Art (Or, People Imitating Statues)

Posted on September 17, 2013

I love traveling. I’m sure that’s pretty darn obvious by now! 🙂 I like pretty much all aspects of the traveling experience. I also love to laugh. Who doesn’t? Combine travel and laughter and you have a recipe for some great times! One of the great things about traveling is being able to look back and reminisce about your journeys. And photos help a lot with that. I always take a ton of photos when I travel and I just love going through them years later and remembering “when.” Some photos bring a smile to my face quicker than others. And those photos would be the ones that my travel buddy, Teresa, and I started taking on our first trip to Europe: statues. Except, not…

Cathedrals, Castles, & Pigeons: Final Days in London

Posted on September 12, 2013

My final days in London were packed full of fun! On Sunday, Teresa and I attended a service at Balham Baptist Church and had “Sunday Roast” with the pastor, Steve Rouse, and his family at their home. We were put in contact with them through some mutual friends and they were so incredibly welcoming to us! We spent the entire afternoon with them, and then were driven back into the city by the whole family. The following day started early with a trip to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We arrived as it opened and pretty much had the place to ourselves. This was only the second cathedral I had ever been in and it was truly indescribable. Photographs were not allowed inside but they really wouldn’t…

London: Gardens, Museums, & A Giant Eye

Posted on September 9, 2013

If there is one thing that makes my heart sing and causes me to contemplate moving to a new city, it’s green space – being outdoors, breathing in nature. Sunshine helps too. 😉 And I experienced all of that during my third day in London! And all subsequent days in this city. Hallelujah! The weather greatly improved after my first rainy day in London town. My outlook greatly improved too after a few nights of great sleep! 🙂 We started our day at Buckingham Palace with plans to watch the famous changing of the guard ceremony. Unfortunately, the rest of London had the same plan because the place was PACKED! We stood on our tiptoes trying to catch a glimpse of the parades of…

A Sunny(er) Day in London Town

Posted on September 6, 2013

It’s amazing what a good night of sleep can do for one’s outlook! After a dreary first day in London, my second day started with sunny skies and I felt rested and ready to face the new day! After eating a forgettable breakfast at our hostel, we headed out and made our way back to Victoria Station to take the Big Bus Tour again since we were half asleep during the tour the day before. This is a hop-on, hop-off tour and tickets are good for 24 hours. We had a much better experience this second time around! After our tour “Part Deux,” we bought travel cards for the underground and bus and proceeded to take our first ride on the “Tube.” Can I just say…

A Foggy Day in London Town

Posted on September 3, 2013

The beginning of an incredible adventure started in London, England. In the summer of 2007, my friend, Teresa, and I spent ten weeks traveling throughout Europe – and London was our official starting point. And London became one of my favorite cities. Although it didn’t start out that way – after my first day there I was regretting the decision to spend an entire week in this city! Our first day in London started after a sleepless flight across the great expanse of water known as the Atlantic Ocean. I so wish I could sleep on planes but I don’t foresee myself acquiring that glorious ability any time soon. Unfortunately. We flew into Gatwick Airport, arriving in the early morning. After going through Customs, picking…