Innsbruck, Austria: 6-9 June 2014

Hands down, the most beautiful train ride I have had in my life was when I was on my way to Innsbruck. We took the train from Zurich, Switzerland to Innsbruck, Austria. Deep blue rivers and lakes surrounded by the Alps. The train going in, out, and along the mountains overlooking such great valleys.  I cannot recommend enough this train journey. Taking the trains through Europe is always fun as there are always great views, but Zurich to Innsbruck was particularly incredible. Where else are you going to take a train ride through the Swiss Alps? We didn't leave on our train journey until almost 7pm, but as it is is summer and light outside until 9:30pm or so, we got to watch the sun set over the Alps. Incredible!

doesn't do it justice, but the view from our train ride to Innsbruck

Innsbruck is definitely a town for the outdoor adventurer. In the winter, there is an abundance of ski slopes and snow activities. In the summer, I also was surprised at how much there was to do. The “old town” is very small and quite possible to do all the sites and best museums within one day. The next day can be spent heading up to the mountain for great views of the mountains and the city. Once at the top of the mountains, there are A TON of mountain bike trails, hiking trails, and tons of people paragliding. We opted for a small hike and to watch the outdoor extremists take on the mountain. 

singing in the mountains !

our little hike above Innsbruck

Innsbruck itself is a tiny & adorable city. There are lots of interesting museums to go to. We opted for one that held exhibits on the cultural history of the Austrians. This may be one of the creepiest museums I have been to. Not that Austrian history is scary, but the artifacts and background music was so eery! There was an exhibition on masks, some of the scariest masks I have ever seen! There also was a section on the dress and fashion of Austrians, which would have been interesting if they were not displayed on creepy wooden life sized dolls. The museum was full of interesting items, but I couldn't help but being completely and entirely creeped out! It didn't help that my husband and I were the only ones in the museum.

creepy museum

My husbands favorite site was going to the Olympic Ski Jump; The Bergisel. It was interesting, but I enjoyed the views from it more as no one was actually practicing. However, it was SO STEEP and gave you an entirely new appreciation of the ski jump as a winter activity. It always was one of my favorite winter events, but actually seeing it, the athletes have to have some huge cajones to actually go through with it!!!

the Bergisel

Also, while in Austria, you cannot leave without having a huge giant glass of beer with sauerkraut & pretzels. Summer time in Austria is absolutely stunning. Sipping on large pints (mugs called a mabkrug) of beer and eating traditional food under the sun, surrounded by mountains, was just phenomenal. I actually was surprised by how hot it was. When in the Alps I always think of the snow, but it was 31 degrees Celsius or so every day! About 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

me and my mabkrug !

Innsbruck is an awesome town, like in Zurich, we enjoyed going to the grocery stores for picnic lunches and dinners and enjoying the sites of the town. Innsbruck in the summer is great, but I also would love to come back in winter as I can just imagine how adorable it would be with Christmas markets and instead of having beer I would be sipping on mulled wine. I am thoroughly enjoying my time in Austria and enjoying the laid back culture.

Zurich, Switzerland: 5 & 6 of June 2014

Zurich was stunning. It has the bluest of green river running through the center of town which leads out to a large clear lake. All around are the snow capped Swiss Alps. As Zurich is ridiculously expensive, we only spent one night here. We spent our time walking around the city enjoying the hot summer sun.

I will be honest, I didn't even go to a single museum or historical site! I was just enjoying myself too much. My husband and I went to a grocery store and picked up beers and food for a picnic along the river. It is SO GREAT being back in Europe. (is not was, as I am currently still here) I forgot how amazing the food is. I won’t be eating healthily until I am out of Europe as I just can’t stop eating cheese!

edam & beer, what more does a girl need?!

We grabbed some Edam, olives, sun dried tomatoes, fresh bread, & potato salad and spent an hour or so eating, drinking, and enjoying the sunshine and warmth. I am sure there is more to Zurich than beautiful architecture, scenery, and food, but for the 24 hours I had in the city that was all I cared about.

Swiss Alps over Lake Zurich

Hoi An, Vietnam

 Hoi An was a picture perfect postcard. It was everything you would expect an UNESCO World Heritage, small Asian town would be. It is set a few kilometers east of the ocean and is surrounded by rice fields. All the homes and shops are old protected buildings and the river separates the town with old bridges and gas lamps. It was quite peaceful and beautiful. It also was a complete change of pace to the busy HCMC.

Hoi An became one of my favorite cities I've visited whilst travelling. Hoi An was just what everyone needed after a few days of waking up early and site seeing. Just being in Hoi An was sightseeing as the entire Old Quarter is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The first day we went to Reaching Out, which is a coffee and tea house in the Old Quarter that is run by deaf Vietnamese. It is a place that employs the hearing impaired and is a way for them to work and have a good quality of life. Needless to say the place was peaceful, but we also were served traditional coffee and cookies. It was super relaxing.

our coffee tasting

The food in Hoi An was also excellent. We went to so many different restaurants to try many different types of food. Everything was excellent and my friends, who are not vegetarian, loved everything they ordered as well. In Hoi An we found beer for 4000 VND which was only $0.18/glass!!! At night we would spend most of our time bar hopping asking for “fresh beer” which is the equivalent to a home brew. It was great!

roof top dining

One day we rented bikes and rode to the beach through the paddy and rice fields. It really was so beautiful we had to get off our bikes a few times to take photographs, which of course won’t even be able to depict correctly how amazing it was. The ocean was not the prettiest, but it was still fun jumping in the waves and sleeping on the beach. Again, the theme of Hoi An, was that it was so peaceful! The beach had hardly anyone around except the four of us; it was great.

on the way to the beach

Ironically, the one night out we had in Vietnam was little Hoi An. We found some random bar to play pool in and they let my husband dj for the night; his dream came true! It was hilarious as an old couple clearly lived upstairs and let their son have a bar down stairs as we saw his parents come up and down a few times! Later in the night someone on a motorbike told us that there was a club in Hoi An, so the four of us hopped onto motorbike taxis and away we went! Well, it probably was the deadest club we had ever seen. As it was near 3 am we didn't feel guilty leaving after a few drinks, as what did we expect in a sleepy town?

DJ Vision !

So basically, Hoi An has everything you would want while travelling to Asia. Beautiful scenery, a beach, cheap beer, world renown food, and if you want to go out you can! It really was a beautiful place and one of my favorite places I've been to on my travels. 

having fun in town !

Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta & the Cu Chi Tunnels, 12 April – 16 April 2014

amazing dinner with friends !

Ho Chi Minh City was nuts! It definitely was a lot more urban and modern than Cambodia; a wake up call! The sheer amount of motorbikes was amazing and crossing the street was like playing Frogger. I thought that Kuala Lumpur had busy streets, HCMC was worse and I loved it! HCMC was great due to the fact that one of my best friends, Joe, and his girlfriend were flying out from England to do the next 2 weeks of Vietnam with us. I also had a reunion with my friend Crystal who has been living there for almost 5 years. My opinion of HCMC may be biased due to the fact that I enjoyed my company so much as well.

in front of the Notre Dame-Esque Cathedral

try to cross the road

First off, the food in Vietnam was excellent. I definitely have put on some weight in these past two weeks. Luckily, Crystal gave us some recommendations and even took us out to dinner one night. We tried a little bit of everything and it was delicious. I would say the main reason to go to HCMC would be to get involved with the culture and immerse yourself in the food. The sites here are okay and you can walk around the city in a day, but the best thing (for me) was the food and watching people try to cross the road or the street with the motorbike traffic.

Vietnamese coffee on the side of the road

The War Remnants Museum also has a lot of information on the horrors of the Vietnam War and has an amazing galley of Lifetime Photographs as well as Vietnamese Journalist’s photos from the war. It is pretty graphic, but extremely informative. It is interesting to see what really happened in Vietnam. The truth is in the photographs and what is taught in the schools in the U.S. isn't entirely accurate. What happened during the Vietnam War was absolutely dreadful and absolutely a waste of time as the U.S. left anyways, the North won, and what was left were innocent people whose lives were destroyed or taken from them and a country that was left in ruin. It is amazing how modern Vietnam is and how far it has come since the unnecessary destruction from the war.  Anyone visiting HCMC needs to go to the War Remnants Museum to see some insight to what the country has been through.

at the war museum

After a day of site seeing, we did a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, these were the tunnels that were constructed for the war. I’ll be honest, for something that could have been so informative, it really was just a tour to get us to buy stuff. The tunnels were impressive and so tiny I couldn't do the small part the tourists were allowed in due to claustrophobia (didn't realize I had it). Also, seeing the ways the fighters attacked intruders was pretty gruesome, but like I said it was done badly and they lead you to a gift shop. They also take you to where you can shoot guns; handguns to AK 47s. On the way to and from the tunnels you stop at another gift shop and “bathroom break”. Organized tourism in the South of Vietnam was very much lacking. Things could have been so great, but were disrupted by the fact they wanted you to buy stuff.

Cu Chi Tunnels

life on the Mekong

We also did a tour to the Mekong Delta (you cannot really get to these places without buying tickets from a tour agency) and the same thing happened. We went to the Mekong river and a boat took us from island to island which was essentially tourist gift shop to tourist gift shop. It was quite humorous and worth it as we got to have traditional Vietnamese coffee (sooo tasty and strong!) and watch some coconut candy being made. We also got on a traditional boat of the Mekong, but of course we did it and had to tip. It was a weird experience, but what can you do? At least we saw the Mekong!

The highlight of our time in the South was definitely the food and the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. It was awesome. You wake up and play real life Frogger or sit in a cafe sipping Vietnamese coffee and watching the crazy traffic. Next, you go see some sites, then head to a roof top restaurant for some amazing food and great beer with friends. What more could you ask for?

the markets

just your typical electric wires on the street

EVERYONE has a scooter

Winter in Italy, True Intimacy

26 December 2010 - 8 January 2011

Italy has always been a country I absolutely had to visit. I love everything about Italian food, from olive oil to wine and everything in between. Food and history, again, was the inspiration behind this trip. I back packed with my husband from Rome, to Pisa, to Florence, to Venice, to Milan. Going to Italy this time of year was cold, but had hardly any tourists. For me, that was well worth it. Experiencing Italy without any herds of people made the experience that much better. One valuable lesson I am learning with the more I travel is to go on the "off season". It costs less, has less tourists, and you get to see the "real" city/country. The only thing you need in Italy is your passport, back pack, and Lonely Planet: Italy. What an amazing book with fabulous ideas. The Lonely Planet series, to me and my husband (who is in the travel industry) is the most useful and interesting travel guide.

Rome:

I was actually very shocked by Rome. Rome is an iconic city. It was the capital of the Roman Empire which once ruled the entire known world. The Colosseum is here, as well as the Trevi Fountain. Rome is filled with old architecture and history is just around every corner. However, there was graffiti everywhere! I was shocked how the Italians didn't seem to mind all the graffiti.

I pictured Rome to be clean and well taken care of. Rome was an interestingly beautiful city, but I was very shocked by the graffiti next to the Colosseum and on the walls leading up to the Trevi Fountain. Didn't anyone realize the historical significance of these things?? To simply deface it, to me as a history major, was quite shocking to say the least.

After my initial shock, I started enjoying myself, being lost in Rome. We had an adorable tiny little hotel. Very rustic. Our breakfast there was amazing. Cold cut salamis, cheeses, and fresh espressos and cappuccinos made fresh to order. It was a great way to start our day. When in Rome, eat like a king! Jayda and I were determined to get some good Rustic Roman Pizza.

Pizza in Rome is unlike any other in Italy. It is on a hard, crusty, bread crust. It is served in a napkin and is perfect "to go" food. It is cut in half, folded together and it looks like a big square sandwich after it has been folded over; ready to eat. Jayda and I did a lot of research before we left, the hunt for the best Roman Pizza place ever.

We knew we found the Best Pizza place when we found a hole in the wall with a massive line out the door filled with Italians.  This was found after much wandering around looking at a map almost blindly. It was well worth the long unknown journey! Also, waiting in that long line was worth it. The pizza in Rome was truly fantastic. Definitely different that the Napoli pizza or the New York Pizza, but an amazing, crusty, delightful experience. (another Lonely Planet recommendation!)    

Roma Castel San Angelo

Another must in Rome is going to the Vatican City. However, it is best seen from Rome Castel Sant Angelo. It is 8 euros to get in, but it is an amazing little castle and museum. You can see the brick wall that used to protect old Roma. Then, when you get to the top it is a perfect view of the Vatican, as well as the rest of Rome.

Rome has so much to offer, so much history, so much food, but you cannot miss going to Rome Castel San Angelo; the best view in Town.

Vatican City

Jayda and I were sad to leave Rome. We spent 3 days there, but we were keen to get to Florence.

Jayda with the Leaning Tower of Pisa

On our way to Florence, we stopped off the train to see Pisa.





The city Pisa, in general, has nothing to offer than the leaning tower of Pisa.

The Leaning Tower was stunning. It is such an iconic piece of architecture, but it was so fun taking funny photos with it.

The tower is not just leaning, but sinking! Most buildings in Pisa actually are leaning like that due to the soil the city lays on. We stayed in Pisa for an hour or two, had a wander, then jumped back on the train to get to Florence.

Florence:

Where do I even begin? The most beautiful city in the world? I was stunned by its beauty and intimacy. Florence is a large city, but feels like home. Cobblestone streets. Old buildings. Cafe's everywhere. In Florence, it was even more of a foodie city than Rome. Rome was for the sights, Florence was for the food, gelato and espresso.

Florentine Market

Jayda and I went every morning to the same cafe and would watch the Italians take there shots of espresso, then go on to work. They literally drank espresso like they were shots of tequila! I was in shock. I couldn't bring myself to do that. I was too much in love with the espresso, that didn't even need sugar! I had to sip it slowly, and embrace all its flavour. I knew I must have looked very much like a crazy  tourist, taking such a long time to drink such a small drink. The espresso was something that deserved a lot of attention and demanded to be appreciated. I was a little bit in love.

I know I always go on about the best things I have ever had in each city. Paris, best Creme Brule I have ever had. Italy, more specifically, Florence, best pasta dish I ever had. Jayda and I went to a lovely little Restaurant off a side street in the main Piaza in Florence. We almost walked right by it, that's how unseen it was. It was called L'Osteria di Giovanni.

The Duomo

We, of course, delighted our selves in a starter, main, and wine. I had a Tuscan Minestrone. Which had beans in it as well and was blended. When it came out, I wasn't too sure because it looked sort of like mud. However, the Flavour, oh the FLAVOUR! It was unlike any minestrone I ever had, and better. I wish I knew exactly what was in it and could recreate it. I hope that I get the opportunity to go back to that same restaurant again. My main, was the best pasta dish I ever had. It was a mushroom and black truffle pasta in a cream sauce. To be honest, truffle isn't the best smelling thing in the world. So when it came, it looked delicious, but the smell was something I was a bit surprised by. However, when I took that first bite, it instantly all came together. The look, the smell, the taste. It was a slightly salty pasta dish, but evenly balanced out by the sweet cream sauce. It was very simple: pasta, mushroom, truffle, cream sauce. It was the best pasta I ever had.

For dessert, I just had another glass of wine. I didn't want dessert, I wanted to contemplate the delicious pasta I just had. For most people, passing up dessert is no big deal, for me, I ALWAYS want dessert. This dish was so delicious, nothing would compare after eating it. Anything after just would not live up to the standards of that pasta dish. I honestly can say that I never have eaten anything that was so delicious, I didn't need to eat any dessert after; until I went to Florence.

Florence is a perfect place to go with your significant someone. Just being in the city is wonderful and romantic. After dinner Jayda and I wandered the dimly lit streets of Florence, then along the river back to our hotel. It was beautiful and a great way to end the night.  

The most exhilarating thing we did was definitely climb the top of the Duomo. We weren't going to do it, as it was raining and I was exhausted from sight seeing all day, and it was freezing! All I wanted to do was go into another cafe and eat and drink wine or espresso. However, Jayda really wanted to go. So I gave in.

Climbing the spiral staircase to the Duomo.

How happy am I that Jayda made me do this?! The most exciting thing I did in Italy was climb this Duomo. Florence was by far my favorite city and the fact that the most thrilling thing we did was in Florence as well only added to my delight. The Duomo was soooo old an dangerous, without ANY one supervising people on their climb up. In America it was a law suit waiting to happen, but in Italy, where life means so much more than money, the laid back culture truly showed on this trek and I absolutely adored it.

It was a tiny tiny little spiral staircase without any hand rails and steep stairs. The only warning we saw was before we went up, there was a sign to say it was a hard climb and no one elderly or ill should do this climb. What an understatement! No one who has not been the gym in over 2 weeks would struggle! Jayda and I on two or three occasions stopped to catch out breath... and we thought we were in shape!

After about a 20 minute climb through the spiral stair well and hall ways, we came out onto a deck. Inside the Duomo (church). We were right under the ceiling with the beautiful mural. In every church I have ever been inside on my travels, I have wanted to get a first hand look at the mural, but was never able to get that high up.

Well, here was my opportunity. It was so stunning. A mural of life and death, heaven and hell, good and evil. It was a true battle. We spend a good 15 minutes or so just taking it all in. Also, trying to contemplate how people even painted it over 150 years ago. Looking down was a sure death fall of about 7 stories high (or more!). Jayda had a look at his watch, and it was almost sun set. So we continued our journey to the top to try to catch the sunset on the top of the Duomo.

The trecherous trek continued. It was so fun just climbing up and through the Duomo, imagining Catholic Priests wandering around lighting candles in their robes and trying to get around.                        

The last bit to the top was a little ladder. When I got up there, it was the most amazing view of the city. A 360 view of all of Tuscan Florence at sunset.

Instead of being able to enjoy this view, the first thing I had to deal with was my husband. He stood there smiling with his goofy grin. Then said, "I told you so"...and boy, he sure did!

I couldn't believe I wasn't going to climb the Duomo because I was cold. I honestly just couldn't believe it. It was the first time my husband was able to claim that he was "right" about something. It also was the first time I had to agree that he was right about something too; which I obviously am thankful for... I just can't let him know that!

That was our last and best day in Florence, I was so sad to go.


Venice:

Venice is truly a floating city. It was so exciting to finally be in Venice! I was sad to leave Florence, but I was so happy to be at this gorgeous city on the water. Also, we were there in winter. Which meant that we got to stroll through all the canals in the winter fog. It gave it an almost eery intimate feel to the city.

The best thing about being in Venice was being in Venice; roaming the streets and canals. Venice had a lot to live up to after being in Florence. I didn't have as strong of a bond with Venice as I did with Florence, but it still was such a cool and interesting city.

Our hotel was across the main canal, so every morning and every night we got a panaroamic sky line view of the city. As we were going to be in Venice over New Years, we decided to splurge and stay at the Molino Stucky Hilton. A fabulous hotel for a fabulous city. It was a fun place to stay at because we had to take a ferry over to the main city every day as well. I love being on the water and everywhere you were in Venice made you feel like you were floating on the Sea. Venice is quite small, so we got all the sights done in one day. Which was nice because we got to just relax and take in its beauty the next few days we were there.

Venice is beautiful and unlike anywhere else I have ever been. There are no cars in Venice, as they are not allowed. The taxi's were boats on the water, ironically enough ,called water taxis. It was unlike anything I have seen. I was envious of the people who lived here, as they got to enjoy living on water. It seemed like if one lived in Venice, you couldn't help but feel you were on a permanent holiday.

Milan:
Oh Milan.... all I have to say is.... let' s just summarize my trip instead!

Rome was an excellent way to start Italy. History, History, History! Just blows you away. Florence and Venice definitely were the stars of the show. Florence stole my heart, so its hard to compare it to the other cities now. Florence is just simply fantastic. Venice is gorgeous intrigued me as it floated on top of the sea.

Milan, is not even worth talking about. What a waste of 2 days. I wish we didn't come here. Nothing worth seeing. Fashion capital of the world? This literally has to be a joke! Such an ugly city, nothing fashionable or gorgeous about it. Florence and Rome is where I saw amazing done up Italians with amazing shopping, in a gorgeous city. Milan, such a disappointing way to end an amazing trip.

My advise, skip Milan and spend more time in either Venice, Florence, or Rome when visiting Italy.

Italy was fabulous and fantastic in Winter. It didn't have the blooming sunflowers or hot sun, but as it was the "off season" I felt like I had it all to my own. I wouldn't have done it any other way.