travel

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: 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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Hanging in El Yunque Rainforest

~ alyssa ~ 3 Comments

Only about a 45 minute drive from the city, El Yunque National Forest is a dose of natural beauty and a must-visit spot in PR.  On our day tour, we started at The Yokahu Observation Tower, where we climbed to the top and overlooked the rainforest from 360 degrees.  Hiking to La Mina Falls was the absolute highlight of the trip.  We visited in the dry season so it was interesting to see how dry the rainforest was and how non-tropical it looked.  I was surprised at the lack of bugs and animals running around and so relieved to find that we were at such a high altitude that mosquitos were not present here.  However, if you listen, you can hear how full of life it is here with the chirps of various birds and the coquí frogs croaking.  This place is magical with the vast amount of greenery, huge plants, shady trees and bright flowers.  Constant light streams through the heavy canopies of rich vegetation.  There is an ever-present sound of water running nearby and a tiny stream suddenly turns into a river and then winds down to a waterfall as the trail twists and turns through the rainforest.

La Mina Falls are beautiful and packed at its base are people climbing over the slippery rocks to try and maneuver their ways into the freezing cold water to swim in the waterfall.  The power of the water rushing is intense but the falls are not so big that people could cliff jump into it – I can only imagine what it’s like come the rainy season.  We wrapped up our trip visiting La Coca Falls.  These falls were pretty too, but less adventurous and offered more of a photo opp than a chance to swim in them.  For a thrill, there were plenty of rocks to strategically climb over to make your way to the top of the falls.  Get off that beach chair and experience both the thrill and tranquility that only El Yunque offers.

Wandering through Old San Juan

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Old San Juan is the lively cultural center of San Juan.  Everything here is bright and colorful, the buildings painted with a pop of pastel pinks, yellows, greens and blues.  The colonial architecture reflects the Spanish influence here in Puerto Rico.  The cobblestone roads meander through the hilly city and leads you down streets lined with shops, historical sites, museums, bars, restaurants, open-air cafés.  The streets open up to beautiful plazas with churches and little outdoor markets with locals selling crafts.  The best traditional Puerto Rican, Caribbean and Mexican food was found here and the bars offered plenty of happy hours with great tropical drinks.  Going at the end of the Puerto Rican winter made the city not very busy and not very touristy, which was great to avoid crowds but also made for a quieter nightlife scene.  The city fills up with tourists whenever cruises come to port, but Old San Juan still maintains a local feel to it and the hospitality here is friendly and welcoming, with genuine people who want to help you experience as much as you can.

Beachside in Puerto Rico

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Vacation in Puerto Rico was well-deserved after the freezing and forever-lasting winter in NY.  We stayed in San Juan and visited the beautiful Condado and Isla Verde Beaches.  The beaches follow the same winning formula: turquoise blue water, mild waves, soft sand and a nice cool breeze to keep the 80 degree sun and clear skies from becoming too hot and humid.  The sun setting behind the hotel/condo strip and making the waves glow as the tides come in was stunning.  A drink in our hands, a hammock to lie in and a sunny spot to tan were all we needed to keep us busy.