Tag Archives: Europe

Auf Wiedersehen!

As some of you may or may not know, my younger sister, Twist, just spent the past five days exploring the city (and Syracuse) and is now off on her first foreign adventure to Germany. I could not be happier/nervous/jealous, but more importantly I am extremely excited for her to catch the travel bug!  After helping her prep and pack for this trip, I was inspired to write a blog on my top ten travel tips because international travel is anything but stress-free.

  1. Check in 24 hours before hand! While in Europe, some (budget) airlines required us to print out boarding passes before hand, but more often than not I opt to go for the eTicket to save time and the environment. This also enables you to change your seat before getting to the airport and check for upgrades. Who doesn’t love a free upgrade? I also recommend purchasing your airline’s app (usually free) on your iPhone and signing up for gate changes and updates. After I get to the airport all I have to do is show my boarding pass on my phone and everything’s a go. If your gate changes or there are delays, updates are sent directly to your phone – super convenient, right?
  2. Set aside enough time to get to the airport and make sure to set enough alarms if you have an early flight. This is an important  tip and one lesson that I’ve had to learn the hard way. I’ve unfortunately missed my fair share of flights but have learned to give myself adequate time to get to the airport – especially around the holidays in New York!
  3. Have necessary information (card numbers, passport number, flight information) in a safe place. Sh*t happens and you’ll never know when you will need this information. I usually keep a copy of my passport on my email and phone and send it to my parents. It’s also critical to make sure someone you trust has access to your flight information in case anything happens.
  4. Travel light! I know this sounds ironic coming from the “packing Princess” (see below), but trust me on this one. Weigh your bags before hand to make sure they aren’t over the weight limit, otherwise you’ll find yourself either repacking at the airport or paying an extravagant baggage fee (no thank you!).  If you want to save yourself some time and money  just pack carry-on’s – I usually opt for the functional back pack and duffle bag.

    They call me the packing princess

    They call me the packing princess

  5. What (not) to wear?  Everyone has varying opinions on how you should dress while traveling, and my answer of course is, “it depends”. I travel a lot for soccer and often times we are required to wear the same thing. It’s comfortable  and I thoroughly enjoy being able to wear sweatsuits on the plane. On the other hand, when I travel alone I enjoy dressing up a bit. A blazer, jeans, cute top, scarf and flats is cute and functional.  You never know who you’ll meet at the airport!
    Traveling in matching gear is comfortable and easy!

    Traveling in matching gear is comfortable and easy!

    Looking professional also has it's perks

    Looking professional also has it’s perks

  6. After you decide what to wear, make sure your choice is easy to get through TSA. I often times avoid putting on a belt until after security (or not at all) and make sure I empty my pockets before getting to the airport. Nothing annoys me (and other travelers) more than somebody who stalls the TSA line because they didn’t “know” they had to take off their belt.
  7. Maybe it’s just the soccer player in me and the bottomless stomach I possess, but I always pack some snacks and an empty reusable water bottle when I travel, whether it’s just a quick trip uptown or a longer international excursion. When you travel internationally, you run the risk of not having food you’re used to or like. My go-to’s are pre-packaged trail mix from Trader Joe’s and Chocolate Chip Cliff Bars for Kids. Just keep in mind some countries don’t allow certain foods to enter into their country so check before hand!
  8. Choose your carry-on wisely. If you decide to pack just a single bag for your carry on, I urge you to pack it in the most ergonomically way possible. I usually keep my laptop closest to my back and have my camera on top so I can pull them both out quickly as I go through security. The front pocket of my backpack usually has gum, headphones, lip balm, and my business card in case I ever accidentally leave it. The middle pocket contains the valuables: passport, boarding pass, wallet, snacks, and a few toiletries. I reserve the pocket closet to my back for my laptop, camera, chargers and a good book.

    Planning what to pack makes traveling so much easier

    Planning what to pack makes traveling so much easier

  9. Have a positive attitude while traveling. Planes get delayed, luggage gets lost, and sometimes you just flat out miss your flight. Everything is going to be okay!  If you stay positive, your travels will be! Relish in the adventure.
  10. Document your travels! As an avid shutter bug and self proclaimed traveling photo journalist (I wish!), I thoroughly enjoy looking back on my adventures and reminiscing of the “good ole days”.  One of my goals when I went abroad was to snap photos of everything in sight – the namesake for this blog.

I hope these tips help you out and you enjoy your next adventure wherever in the world you are!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Menú del Día-ing

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In Spain, it is not uncommon for most restaurants to offer un menú del
día for lunch – sort of a prix-fixe- but for only about 10-12 €. It’s
about the hottest deal in town and usually includes 2 courses, a
beverage, bread and your choice of coffee or dessert.  I’ve definitely
taken advantage of this amazing deal, as to try as many Spanish foods
as possible.

A few  Saturdays ago, I went to this restaurant off of Calle called
Cervcería. Though it wasn’t my favorite menú thus far, I’m glad I
tried it because I got to taste new dishes including. This past weekend in Barcelona, I somehow ended up with baby octopuses in my soup – trying food has definitely become an adventure.

Potaje de vigilia – soup filled with garbanzo beans and grape leaves;
it sort of tastes like miso soup but with a lot more filling
Brucheta de solomillo – This dish was a kebab with French fries and
fancy mustard on the side. The meat was a pork chop – very tasty
naturally  but super fatty as well (not exactly my fav).

At the end of my meal I enjoyed a cappuccino – nothing beats frothed
milk and steaming hot coffee in Europe.

That’s all for now. I’ve included pictures from my other menú del día
adventures below with restaurant names as well, so if any one is in
the area they can indulge themselves as well.

5 Things I’ve Learned from Europeans

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Living abroad has taught me my fair share of lessons, like don’t try and take out your rent money all at once, and milk isn’t refrigerated at the supermarket (yikes!), but below are a list of the five most important things I’ve learned from Europeans since being here:

  1. Coffee making is an art form – Trust me, the coffee here is ten times better than anything I’ve had anywhere else (and I don’t even really like coffee)
  2. Don’t take yourself too seriously – Life is short, so enjoy the view while you’ve got it.
  3. You can never know enough languages – the other day I was speaking with this one girl who switched between Spanish, English, French, and German, how amazing is that?
  4. Train travel is severely underrated -It’s cheaper than planes, there are no security lines, you have cell phone service the whole time, and there are no bag fees.
  5.  Enjoy your meals – This extends so much further than the food on your plate. Take the time to enjoy those around you, as well as savor each and every bite you take.

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Until Next Time

Bonjour from Brussels!

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Greetings from Belgium – home to the worlds most magnificent chocolate, waffles, fries and beers (also known as comfort food central). It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m really “here” and my stay will be less than a full weekend, but I’m still very excited.

After staying up on Thursday night until 3 and a quick siesta in the cab to the airport, Los Chupitos arrived at Brussels international airport by 5. Less than three hours later the distinct, sweet smell of waffles infiltrated our noses as soon as we stepped off the plane and into the natural sun lit terminal. With just our backpacks and smiles upon our weary faces, we ventured down to the train station and figured our way into Brussels. We had decided to meet up with the boys at their hostel in the city because we couldn’t check in until later, but the general lack of direction and signage in Brussels had us more lost than anything.IMG_4834

After finding Grand Place – the center of Brussels – we searched for a bar, restaurant, hotel, pretty much anything with internet to let our friends know where we were. Luckily for us, we found an Irish Pub, O’Reilly’s, with an English speaking bartender to give us directions and the password to their network. Sooner rather than later we were sitting down engulfing our first Belgian Waffle at a lovely little restaurant named Drug Opera – we don’t entirely know what the name means, but it’s probably just a severe case of Engrish.  We all decided to order a waffle with whip cream, chocolate, and ice cream. The lemon tinted waffle was covered in the ice cream and whip, and they served us a side of steaming hot chocolate to drizzle over the sweet sensation. While I was busy taking pictures of our sweets, Jess and Erin dove in. Their “mmmmms” and “ahhhs” with each bite made me put down the camera immediately.

Drug Opera Waffles

Drug Opera Waffles

After our scrumptious breakfast, we met the boys in Grand Place to walk around. Prior to coming to Brussels, I had compiled a list of things to do and see, but other than that there was no general plan other than to have fun. They had been there a half day longer than us and had found the famous Mannequin Pis statue around the corner so we decided to walk there. I was pissed (pun intended) about the size of the statue – it was less than a foot tall – we were all expecting a grand sculpture of some sort, not some tiny corner dedicated to this famous landmark. In all honesty, I would have missed it just walking down the streets if it weren’t for the large group of Japanese tourists crowding around it.

At the Mannequin Pis

At the Mannequin Pis

By the time we were done with the minuscule statute it was time to check in so we trekked to our hotel. Even though our accommodations at Hotel Le Grand Columbier were great (definitely recommend it for the price and hospitality), it was very difficult to find. It was between two main roads on a quiet alley and the alley name did not match the one on the website. Twas a wild goose chase to say the least.

After dropping our bags off and grabbing some warm clothes we headed back out on the road to find some waffles for the boys and the cathedral. Once Sam grabbed his raspberry waffle, which smelled absolutely divine, we were on our way once again up the hill to the church.

On a side note… churches are a huge deal in Europe. Every city has massive cathedrals and are open to the public which is wonderful. This cathedral was no different.IMG_4513

We walked around by ourselves, gazed at the marvelous stained glass and ended up whispering to each other in the pews talking about God, our pasts, and the trip. Our deep conversation ended up making us hungry so we returned to a quaint restaurant on an alley off of Grand Place. Though the food was delicious, it did not compare to our previous waffles and chocolate, however meals are more about the conversation and people you are with than the food.

Dinner Crew

Dinner Crew

Waffle, Chocolate, Whip Cream, Chocolate Heaven

Waffle, Chocolate, Whip Cream, Chocolate Heaven

After realizing we had spent over two hours in that cozy booth, we decided to head back to our hotels and take a quick siesta before venturing out on the town. We had all heard of this place called Delirium Village which holds the Guinness Book of World Records for number of Beers served with over 2000 different types. Both Sam and Kevin boasted about how great it was last night so we decided to meet up there but not before having another waffle (best one yet). We ended up meeting tons of people and ran back to our favorite waffles and fries place around the corner before piling into bed.

Delirium by Day

Delirium by Day

Roommates at Delirium

Roomies at Delirium

Today we’re off to the city of Brugge – about an hour outside of Brussels. I heard it’s absolutely stunning and will post as soon as I get back!

Au Revoir!