Greece 2016 // Mystras, Nafplio

Day 6
We woke up early to get a start on our last full day in Greece; I could hardly believe how quickly the time had flown by. We had arranged to have breakfast at 8 AM, and when we walked to the separate house where we were to have breakfast, there was a lovely classic Greek spread: hard boiled eggs, bread, breakfast cookies, cheese and meats, Greek yogurt, a selection of jams, fresh squeezed orange juice, and hot coffee. We dined indulgently, and soon after finishing breakfast packed up the car and headed to Mystras: our first stop of the day.

Mystras is a site of an upper and lower town on the mountainside. Many of the structures are restored, so along with the crumbling ruins, there are churches and houses that you can walk in to. This was a wonderful last archeological site to explore; despite the sweaty and winding walk up the mountainside there was always a breath-taking vista and the beautifully designed architecture depicted the age of the site.

Greece 2016 // Methoni, Kalamata, Sparti

Day 5
We got up at a reasonable time in our Air BNB, and right away my mom, cousin, and I headed down to the beach for a morning swim. We had the beach completely to ourselves, and the water felt wonderful. Walking into the water for the first time sent a shiver up my spine in the cool morning, but running in and letting the water close around me felt immediately invigorating. After swimming out a little ways, I floated on my bag with closed eyes. The ocean was extremely calm with almost no waves, but still I felt myself move with the water.

When we retreated back to the shore we dried off in the sun for a couple minutes before heading back to the flat. We did a quick change, packed up our things, and made our way into Methoni––a nearby town––for breakfast. It took us a little while to find a bakery, but we eventually did and I devoured an apple pastry (imagine a croissant with cinnamon spice apple pie filling).

Next we headed to a castle in Methoni, which we had seen––and said we wanted to come back to––the previous day. The castle is absolutely beautiful; although the structures themselves are not very large for the most part, there is a massive wall encompassing fields of purple and yellow wild flowers. Surrounding all of this is the ocean, with stunningly clear blue water. It was a relaxing morning of ambling around, and the cool sea breeze from the water allowed us an escape from the morning heat.

Greece 2016 // Louisios Gorge, Olympia, Pylos

Day 4
We arose around 8:30AM, and left our room at 9AM for breakfast at the hotel. We were met by a feast of bread, meats and cheeses, delicious fried mushrooms, house-made jams, Greek yogurt, traditional Greek pastry and cookies, and croissants! AND fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee! After dining like kings (and queens), we said a melancholy goodbye to our lovely host, and headed onto the day's first destination: the Louisios Gorge.

Greece 2016 // Corinth, Mycenae, Dimitsana

Day 3
Our first day on the road in Greece, we wanted to get a good start on the day, so we woke up at 6:30AM, and after a short (but sweet) breakfast on our balcony, we headed to the car, cranked the local station of traditional Greek music, and began making our way to Ancient Corinth.
It wasn't long before we arrived, and first made our way to the museum which although much smaller than the Acropolis Museum in Athens, was very impressive with quite a lot of statues and other artifacts. Although still relatively early, by the time we began exploring the ruins it was already sweltering. Still, we spent around an hour walking around, and taking in what was left from a time long ago.

Greece 2016 // Athens

Now in full swing of summer, I am finally writing on the blog again, and currently back in Austria visiting family. About a week ago, I returned from a six day trip to Greece I had taken with my parents and cousin. Originally I had been unsure of whether or not I wanted to do a blog post on the trip; in the end I figured the trip was so wonderful that I should share the experience. If you happen to be going to Greece soon, or are wanting to take a trip this sometime in the future, maybe this can give you some inspiration for some places to see. Our journey started in Athens, and we took a rented car throughout the Peloponnese taking in as much as possible in what felt like an extremely short trip!

Day 1
We flew into Athens on June 25th, arriving at 2:30 PM local time. We were shuttled to the car rental place, where we picked up a little white Nissan, plugged in the GPS, and began our drive to Athens. As we entered the city I was immediately taken with the feel of the streets; before arriving I didn't really know what to expect from Athens. It was so unlike other European cities I had visited. Narrow streets were crowded on both sides by lined up cars and plethoras of motorbikes constantly whizzed by our car, trying to get ahead of the traffic. Buildings looked slightly dilapidated, and graffiti was scrawled all over the place... but they were also painted in cheerful colors with plants overflowing on balconies, making the streets appear homey and well lived in.

Washington D.C. Travel Diary

Over the recent Easter break, my family and I drove down to Washington D.C. for three days. We had planned this trip back in January thinking that it would be a nice little get-away; little did we know it would be the ideal time to be in D.C. with cherry blossoms at their peak! To say the least, it was a pleasant surprise to find the entire city adorned in the delicate beauty of the pale pink flowers. The cherry blossoms also have a very sweet history, as they were a gift from Yukio Ozaki (previous mayor of Tokyo City) to the US, celebrating the growing friendship between the US and Japan. This gift has become a symbol in the capitol, which is celebrated annually with the national cherry blossom festival. So if you are planning a trip out to D.C. and don't know when to go, I would absolutely try to do it in early Spring. Because we were there for three days, I wanted to format this travel diary a little differently than others I have done, and just give my top recommendations (as opposed to a blow-by-blow of the trip). In terms of things to do, the majority of these are free, making this trip pretty inexpensive. I wasn't really sure what to expect of D.C. prior to the trip, but I can now say with certainty that I am already looking forward to my next trip back!

San Francisco Travel Diary

Last week I was in California visiting my grandparents for spring break. They live in the Bay Area, and only about an hours drive from San Francisco, so we planned a day trip into the city. I have always loved the idea of San Francisco. At heart I'm fully an east-coast girl, but San Fran has always intrigued me. Maybe it's the picturesque pastel houses and the way you can gaze down the streets for miles. Or maybe it's the plethora of urban coffee shops in alternative/artsy neighborhoods. Whatever it may be, I was excited to be going back (as I have been there a number of times before). The difference with this trip was that I was making all the plans for the day, so the night before I got the map and marked out specific places I wanted to hit, as well as general districts which were must-sees.

I always like to see where I've been in cities using a 'map my distance' site; including bus rides, we went approximately 21 kilometers during our day in the city!

Long Weekend in Madison, WI // Part II

    Just as the morning prior, our second full day in Madison began relatively leisurely.  I woke up around 8:30AM, and read for a little bit before jumping in the shower. About an hour later, we headed out of the house, again stopping at Starbucks for a quick breakfast before heading on to the morning destination: House on the Rock.  Located in Spring Green (about 45 minutes away from Moses’ house), this had been the house of Alex Jordan, a man whom there is not a lot known about. He had sought to create a house for himself which would incorporate nature in an eccentric and unconventional architectural style. The exterior of the house alone is very impressive (there is a narrow glass hallway that reaches out over the ‘rock’ and appears from far away ominously precarious), but the interior is where things get really weird. The house is humongous, and each new space is filled with different odds and ends... one hallway is modeled after a 20th century village (with authentic shops such as a sheriff, an apothecary, a old-school theater, and more), there are a maze of turns decorated by intricate dollhouses, collections of swords, creepy dolls, cars, armor, instruments (which self-play complicated melodies when activated), and just about anything else you could think of. The house is utterly indescribably, and even seeing the photos will give you no appreciation of just how bizarre is is to actually walk through the house and be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of stuff.

Long Weekend in Madison, WI // Part I

This past weekend, my brother, Trevor, and I took a road trip from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin to visit a family friend, whom we've known our entire life. Uncle Moses (although he's not really my uncle in the generic meaning of the world) is one of the most charismatic, eccentric, and witty people I know. Originally from Greece, Moses came to America for university studies and is now is the founder of a consulting company. When I say that Moses is somewhat eccentric, it's no exaggeration... he is a certified minister, speaks three languages fluently, has taken an 8 week course with his local police department, has traveled to over 46 countries, and has the most incredible house (more on that later though!). The last time I had seen Moses was almost exactly two years ago in Paris for my 15th birthday, where we had gone to the Paris Opera House for dinner, and he had given me a chocolate shoe and a Swarovsky diamond necklace. Needless to say, I was more than excited for what the weekend adventure would hold.

An Inside Look at Cambridge, UK

As some of you may know, during my would-be freshman year in high school, I lived in England with my parents, due to a sabbatical year my dad was taking with his work. My two brothers did not join us, as they were both already in university, so just my parent and I arrived in late August into a city where we knew nothing and no one. Being a relatively quiet (and awkward) person, it was hard for me to adjust in the beginning--especially at school--but as the months went on, I came to love England as my home.

Croatia // Day 4

I woke up a little bit before 8 AM, feeling slightly groggy and unsettled. Because my upper back had gottena bit of a sunburn the previous day, I had tossed and turned quite a bit during the night trying to find a way to be comfortable, but it the end, not gotten a very good rest. Regardless, it was our last day so I was excited to have one last chance to explore Rovinj.

For breakfast we had some rolls and fruit, and afterward lazed around a bit before getting together some things for the beach. My brothers and I were going to rent bikes again, and ride some ways up the coast, where the beach was less populated and more rustic. Meanwhile, my parents would go for a walk, get a drink somewhere, and relax together. I wised up from yesterday's sunny bike ride--which had made my skin quite sensitive--and put on lots of sunscreen before stretching out in the sun. After a while of reading, listening to music, and splashing in the water, we headed to a beach side restaurant to get a drink.

Croatia // Day 3

The morning started out around 8:30 AM, and I awoke not long before sitting down to breakfast with my family. We had some fruit, yogurt, and rolls. When we had finished, I settled down with my computer, and tried (and became more and more frustrated) with trying to upload photos for the prior day's blog post!

Quite a bit later, a little after 10 AM, we were finally all ready, and headed into town. My brother, Colin, had found a website proclaiming the best coffee in town was at a cafe right at the edge of downtown, so we decided to go check it out.

Croatia // Day 2

    Day two in Croatia began at 8 AM: a relaxing start compared to the day before. We had gotten some breakfast essentials at a little market the previous night, and my brother had gone into town earlier that morning to pick up some rolls, so around 8:30 AM we sat down to a breakfast fit for kings: eggs, rolls, and a nice cheese board. After a leisurely morning of editing my previous day’s blog post and checking up on my Instagram, we headed out the door for a morning expedition.

    Our first destination was a quaint town roughly an hours drive away, called Motovun. The drive there was relaxing, as we passed through canopies of green trees, which cast dramatic shadows onto the small country roads. Cyclists were scattered along the road, and I must admit that riding through the country in the bright morning light looked appealing.

    Perched at the top of a hill, Motovun is located in Istria, and known as the center of ‘truffle country’: a type of mushroom which is a delicacy around the world, and a specialty in Croatia. At the highest point of the town stands the church, surrounded by old buildings with the typical Croatian rusty-colored tiled roofs and crumbling plastered walls. We meandered through the streets, soaking in the sun, and looking out at the seemingly endless scape of forest which is visible from the high focal point.

Croatia // Day 1

The day started off quite early; we rose at 5 AM and after some last minute packing and breakfast, loaded up the car. Four hours later, after driving through foggy mountains and tunnel after tunnel, we approached Ljubljana: the capital of Slovenia. The city is an absolute European jewel. The Ljubljanica River runs directly through the city center, and the streets are littered with brightly painted buildings, cafes, and groups of young Slovenian students and awe-struck tourists.

An Early Summer Weekend in Philly

This past weekend, my family and I set off early Saturday morning for a weekend in Philadelphia. The drive there from my hometown is only a couple hours so we planned to get there for a late breakfast, spend the day wandering around the city, and then checking out the Philadelphia Museum of Art the next morning before heading home. Although I have been to Philly before, this was the first trip for a number of years, and I was in charge of planning where we would go. All in all, the trip was relaxing and I certainly have some gems to recommend, however, I will say that there were a number of things I would do differently, as well as a couple destination which are on the list for next time.
(**Links for all places I mention will be at the bottom!)

Spring Break 2015 // Day 6

It was the last day of being in California. I got up somewhat early, and relaxed for a bit, working on my previous day's blog with a cup of tea. My mom began making blueberry pancakes; let me just tell you guys: I love pancakes. Maybe it's because I used to help my Dad make them over the weekend for breakfast when I was little (I always got to whisk the ingredients together, and put on chocolate chips), but they will always be one of my favorite breakfasts. Meanwhile, I decided to make some fresh squeezed orange juice with a basket of oranges that were from the garden (something I definitely won't be able to do once I'm back in PA :( ). Once all the pancakes were done, we sat down to a nice breakfast together.

Spring Break 2015 // Day 5

Today was another very low key day. In the morning, I lazed around for a bit, and then headed to the kitchen to make dutch baby. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a breakfast for which you make an extremely simple batter out of flour, milk, and eggs. Then you put a pan in a preheated oven with lots of butter; once the butter is melted, you pour in the batter, and let the breakfast bake for around fifteen minutes. When it comes out (if you've done everything right) there should be peaks all around the sides, and the rest is fluffy. It's hard to explain, but they are delicious--especially if you eat it with maple syrup and fruit salad, as we did.

After breakfast, I worked on finishing up by blog from the previous day, as my Mom and her friend who was visiting caught up. Soon, we left for a hike at Hidden Villa (an organic farm with trails going into the mountains). Although the morning had been somewhat grey, by the time we reached the lookout at the top, there was nothing but blue above us, the the sun felt great.

Spring Break 2015 // Day 4

Today started out relatively early, as most days have, at 7:30 AM, and my Mom and I decided to go for a walk. It was still quite foggy and cool at this point, but it felt great to get some blood circulating to my muscles (and as expected, my quads were sore from the previous days run :( ). When we got home, I relaxed on the couch for a bit, and waited until everyone was up. Finally, around 8:30, we headed out for breakfast.

For all the years that I have been coming to California to see my Grandparents, I cannot remember a visit that didn't involve going to Linda's, a breakfast place in Santa Cruz. The place has a rustic, homey feel, and absolutely fantastic food!! After waiting outside the cafe (where they have benches and coffee), we were called in when a table opened up. The waiters there are super friendly, so after placing our orders, and impatiently waiting, the food arrived. I had a greek scramble (which consists of three eggs, black olives, tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese) with a relish green pepper hot sauce, a heaping plate of potatoes, and a buttery cinnamon role... and damn, it was fantastic!

Spring Break 2015 // Day 3

Today I got up and went for a run; wow, that sounds kinda weird to say! To give you guys a little bit of background, I am a pretty athletic person in general, but during the winter I always fall into a slump. It's not good, and I should really try to stay more motivated, but in Pennsylvania during the winters when it's negative temperatures outside, I want to be cuddled next to the fire with tea and Netflix, not freezing my ass off trying to go for a run! Anyway, the run was rough, to say the least. Regardless, I did it, so I'm happy to say that I'm one step closer to getting back into a good fitness routine for Spring.

When I got back from the run, I cooled down with a nice green smoothies, and sat in the sun. A while later, after showering, I moved on to breakfast with some maple oatmeal and tried to finish a little bit of homework. The rest of the morning I have to be honest with you guys, I did not do that much of anything :( However, come lunchtime we all made a trip out to Chipotle, where I got a chicken burrito. It was delicious, and I felt like I was going to explode by the end (I guess that's what 1,000 calories does to you, eh ;) ).

Spring Break 2015 // Day 2

After waking up, I went downstairs and had some water and and an orange (this is quickly becoming a ritual for my mornings in Cali), and started on a walk downtown to pick up some bagels for breakfast. The place I got them is quite the local joint, and at 7:30 AM already a had a little line! After coming home, we made some coffee and tea, set the bagels and cream cheese on the table, and sat down to yet another family breakfast.