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Lisbon, Portugal

~ alyssa ~ 1 Comment

This past summer was a whirlwind mini-Euro trip.  After Budapest, our second stop was Portugal’s capital city Lisbon.  The steep hilly city offers spectacular views of the sprawling city and the Tejo River, complete with its own San Francisco lookalike Golden Gate Bridge (actually called the Ponte 25 de abril).  Take the often packed and rickety yellow tram ride (or if the line is too long, take any of the tuk tuks for a speedy and personal tour) up to Castelo de São Jorge for the best view.  The vibe here is lively yet still a relaxed pace with many grand squares and plazas to walk through, fountains to sit by and outdoor cafes to eat and drink at.  While you’re eating, definitely get a pastel de nata, a delicious Portuguese egg tart that just nails flakiness and smooth custard all in one dessert.  With so much to see and do, I’ll have to go back and visit Lisbon again after only being here for a day trip.

Budapest, Hungary

~ alyssa ~ 1 Comment

Budapest is one of those perfectly picturesque, charming, old-world European cities.  For being a major European city, it’s easily walkable and has a relaxed pace, offering a summer vacation that’s both casual and with plenty of things to do.  Full of historical sites, Budapest is bursting with culture.  Things to do: relax in any of Budapest’s thermal baths – especially the Széchenyi baths, see the city from the top of St Stephen’s Basilica, take a boat ride on the Danube River, tour Parliament and take in the view from up on Castle Hill at Fisherman’s Bastion.  Just take a look for yourself and see how easy it is to fall in love with this city.

Wanderlusting to: Italy

~ alyssa ~ Leave a comment

This week in the Wanderlust series is Italy.  I’ve been to Italy before and visited the beautiful, historical and cultural cities of Rome and Florence.  Now, looking forward to future trips, I’m setting my sights on new places including Cinque Terre, Positano, Venice, Sicily and pretty much every quaint sun drenched town and island along the Italian Riviera, the Amalfi Coast and off the Mediterranean Sea. For a trip that’s a little slower paced, less focused on the museum hopping and more on getting a good spot at the beach or overlooking the water, these places are perfect.  Of course, the rich Italian culture can’t be ignored no matter which city you’re in, so there’s always plenty of sightseeing to do.  Take a look through the photos and try to tell me you don’t want to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

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Summer in the City

~ alyssa ~ 1 Comment

Summer is finally knocking on our doors in New York and with Memorial Day coming up to kick off the season, I thought I’d show off my backyard in all its summer splendor.  Central Park is amazingly different with every season and this one has to be my favorite.  The view from here is lush and green with the fountains spraying to provide some cool relief from the humid heat.  The local baseball teams are playing, the kids are screaming in delight from riding the little amusement park rides at Wollman Rink and couples are rowing boats together at the Boathouse.  This summer promises to be full of outings for New Yorkers and visitors alike to take advantage of.  From the evening outdoor movies, the free concerts and renting a Citi Bike to explore the park from a new perspective, summer is here begging us to take it all in.

Wanderlusting to: the Philippines

~ alyssa ~ Leave a comment

This week in the Wanderlust Series is the Philippines.  This place is unique to me because I’m half Filipino and sadly I’ve never been before!  So at the top of my list is this amazing group of islands in the Pacific. I want to visit Manila, El Nido, Palawan, Coron, Cebu and basically anywhere that I can get into the water… My picks from Instagram capture the secluded and great beaches that the Philippines has to offer but what I’m really excited to see is what’s away from the tourists. Though I’m born and raised in the US, my grandparents were born here and I’d love to see where they grew up and experience my culture completely unAmericanized.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wanderlusting to: Tulum, Mexico

~ alyssa ~ Leave a comment

As a new section to the blog, I am unveiling the Wanderlust series – a growing collection of places I’m dying to visit as seen through the eyes of some pretty cool people.  I will be living vicariously through them and using all of their great photos, travel tips and stories as planning inspiration for my future trips. First up is Tulum, Mexico.  Mexico is a country I want to thoroughly see all of though and right now top spots on my list also include Mexico City, Playa del Carmen, Puerta Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Sayulita.  Of course, after seeing what Tulum has to offer, I’m going to need to increase vacation time to see more…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exploring Santorini

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Here’s some more photos from my trip to Santorini.  Take a look at the rooms with a view in Imerovigli and the beautiful Oia.  Time runs on a different schedule here and the overwhelming feeling of relaxation and tranquility comes through in these photos.  Once you’re in the town of Oia, there’s really no streets that cars can drive on and it becomes a walking city.  Every bend and turn around the hillside leads to a new street of shops with handcrafted goods and friendly shop owners or lively restaurants with people spilling out onto the patios and the sound of music floating onto the streets.  The weather here is so comfortably warm, there’s just as much action in the main squares as there is in the individual shops and restaurants.  You’ll feel like you’re doing everything and yet nothing at all here – and it’s a great feeling.

Taking a Dip at Kamari Beach

~ alyssa ~ 1 Comment

What makes Kamari Beach so unique is its signature black pebble shores formed from Santorini’s volcanoes.  The sand is not quite sand, not quite rocks, but it definitely isn’t fine and soft that most sandy beaches are.  The water here is super clear and still – lie on your back for half an hour, get up and realize you’re in the same spot.  The beach has a private feel to it being enclosed by the headland, the place isn’t very touristy and people are here to tan or swim, there isn’t room for beachside sports.  However, just a few steps away is a promenade of shops, restaurants and bars to enjoy.  Upon arrival, you can rent umbrellas and chairs which are essential to stay off the hot, pebbled shore.  The calmness here is undeniable.  Relax, take a dip in the water, enjoy the sun and hop aboard one of the water taxis to take you to Perissa Beach, a short boat ride just around the headland.  Welcome to bliss.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

~ alyssa ~ 3 Comments

At the highest point in Old San Juan, overlooking San Juan Bay sits the Castillo San Felipe del Morro – the 16th century citadel built by the Spanish to protect Puerto Rico’s port.  This fort, plus the Castillo San Cristobal, most of the city walls, the San Juan Gate and Fort San Juan de la Cruz make up this World Heritage Site. We mainly explored El Morro and saw the other forts in passing wandering through the city.  For history buffs, there’s plenty of information scattered around the site to learn about the Spanish history of controlling the Caribbean trade routes and preventing enemy ships from coming to PR.  And for those who want some great photos to show on the ‘gram, El Morro looks like something right out of a Game of Thrones set, and the huge compound is complete with barracks, passageways, guard towers and a lighthouse.  There’s a lot of walking and steep stairs to climb here, but the views of the bay, the city and the fortress itself are unlike anything else you’ll see in PR.  Tip #1: the entry cost is $5 for both forts, so if you have more time than we did, save your ticket for entry to visit both.  Tip #2: don’t walk all the way up to El Morro, the trek is more tiring than exploring the fort.  Take the free Old San Juan open-air trolley instead.