First stamp new passport...

My first stamp of 2013 & the first in my new #passport! �� #antigua #travel #fun #stamps #manymoretocome




~ Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Antigua

New Passport more Stamps!

It's been a few months since I've had a trip to consider posting about. The time has come! Antigua is just a few months away. My youngest sister is getting married and we are off to Antigua for the wedding. Preparing for this trip has been quite the journey. Caribbean Island's such as this are not easy to reach, and prove to be quite costly. Nevertheless this was a trip I was destined to make. After all it's one of my sister's who's getting married. I'm excited about the beautiful beaches that await us. This will be my first international trip of 2013 and my first stamp in my new passport. I'm a little sad to part with my first passport, as it has opened so many doors of traveling. I've enjoyed collecting every stamp in it, and live for collecting more in the new one. The next 10 years of travel I feel will be even grander. So many more places to visit with family and friends. So for now I will continue this count down to Antigua, which will be a very welcomed sight after Winter in Chicago.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:W Division St,Chicago,United States

Enchantée Mon Chéri...

Moi in front of the Arc de Triomphe

...Ahhh Paris! While I've visited Paris before, it's worth a second or third or fourth visit! This second time around I was able to visit places I hadn't before. One of which was the Chateau de Versailles. On that day it was so awesome to stand in a place with so much history. The gardens were magnificent in grander and scale. The inside of the Palace was equally awe inspiring. This is definitely worth a day trip either on your own or with a guided tour which is was I did. I used Viator.com to book the tour and it was seamless. I think next time I visit Paris I'd like to spend more time outside of the city and see what the Parisian countryside has to offer. 

In front of the Musée du Lourve

Gardens at Chateau de Versailles

They Say Happy People Live Here...

Waterfall in the Swiss Alps

...Zürich, Switzerland was stop number four on my European 2012 Summer trip. Getting to Zürich was quite a feat. While traveling by train, well before we arrived, part of a mountain had fallen on part of the train tracks. This meant we had to take multiple trains and a bus to finally end up in Zürich. While it wasn't my ideal trip there, it allowed for additional beautiful scenery. The Swiss Alps are simply amazing! In some places they are covered in waterfalls which was an awesome sight to see. I didn't get to spend too much time in Zürich, as I took a day trip to Luzern. Should I ever decide to visit Switzerland again I'd personally stay in Luzern. It was so beautiful and such amazing scenery. The people were friendly and the atmosphere was electric. Switzerland is a must see even if just passing through.

Luzern, Switzerland

La Luna del Cacciatori

  

At the Vatican

Italy was the next destination for my European vacation. While I've visited Italy previously you never see everything in just one visit. This second time around while visiting Roma, I was able to visit the Sistine Chapel and see Michelangelo, La creazion di Adamo, the Spanish steps in addition to going inside the Colosseo. It was quite a feeling to try and imagine what it must have been like when it was full of people cheering on the arena matches.  After Roma we traveled via EuRail to Venizeia. I simply adore Venice. It’s a beautiful city that you can walk around in and know you’ll never be lost. It’s impossible to leave the island while walking around. This allows you to see different corners of the city you may never have been able to view. Definitely take a day just to walk around and see what’s about. You can walk the entire island in a day and it’s worth it. Don’t for get to pop for a Gondola ride. It’s well worth the expensive charge. However you can negotiate with some of the gondola operators for a smaller price tag. It’s worth a shot any way. :) Ps. In Rome I highly recommend the Roma Pass for 30 euro worth the money. It allows you to use the metro unlimited rides, skip the line at certain places and discounts. 

Inside the Colosso

    

Where a part of New Moon was filmed

We took a day trip to Montepulciano all for the love of Twilight. While I wouldn’t personally recommend this five-hour trip (train ride bus ride and the reverse to get back) it was nice to see more of Italy. The countryside is beautiful and pictures just don’t do it justice. picture to the right was taken in Montepulciano, Italy. While they are not only known for Twilight to us Twihards, they're best known for their wines. 

Kicking my feet up on the Gondola ride

Bienvenido a Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia

This Summer I took on a very ambitious 25 day trek through five countries and eight cities with three additional day trips to different cities. For me at this point in time it was definitely the trip of a lifetime. I enjoyed traveling from country to country and city to city. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't taxing on my body and mind. It was definitely exhausting to travel with a suitcase from place to place but well worth it. I now understand why people backpack through Europe and not travel with suitcases. I visited Barcelona, Spain first. This was a beautiful place that I recommend a visit to. We only spent two days in Barcelona so it was very important to see as much of the city as we could. To accomplish this we chose to do a Hop-on-Hop-off tour. Yes very touristy but it got us around an we were able to see a lot of the city. We also definitely made time to walk around and get lost and find our way again. That's definitely part of the fun while traveling. We also relied heavily on the public transportation system. This is a must when traveling abroad. The people of Spain were marvelous! Go Visit! 

View of Barcelona from Parc Güell

Planes trains and automobiles...

The final count down is on! Just 30 days until I along with friends along the way, take on this ambitious trip through Europe! This is potentially my last free Summer, so I plan to take full advantage of this trip. Excited about the possibilities, the new people to meet and the fun we will have. Just to recap we are traveling to Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Zurich, Paris, London, Glasgow and Dublin. Some of these we get to by flight others by train. Can’t wait to see the beautiful countryside of Italy (again) Switzerland and Paris. June 14th will be upon us before we know it and Tripit and Viator have been instrumental in organizing our trip and helping us purchasing tours and things to do in the different countries. xx


~ Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:W Chicago Ave,Chicago,United States