All posts tagged: travels

| THE WORLD KEEPS TURNING |

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I made it to Madrid in one piece, but slightly delusional. The one thing I didn’t prepare myself mentally for was the jet-lag. I had never traveled far enough for it to every have an effect on my body. Here I am, two two hour naps later, and I’m up at 3:50 AM . . . whoops! Before jetting off I said my farewells to my parents and Rodrigo (our Chilean exchange student). We parted ways and I made it through security where I met Ryan at Terminal E5 in anticipation of our adventures to begin! The first stretch of our flight took us from Boston to Dublin – a five and a half hour flight. Ryan and I took our seats; he was solo in the four-across row and I had two others sharing my row. Of course, I moved to join Ryan – I wasn’t going to let him enjoy his four seats all to himself. Aer Lingus blessed us with a large selection of movies, games & tv shows to choose from …

| IF THERE’S A BOOK OF JUBILATION’S |

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It’s been awhile since I’ve put my adventures into writing. Although I’ve jumped into a routine of working 40 hours per week, dinner dates Monday and Wednesday’s, and going to the gym, I still manage to explore new parts of my city every week. I have also bought a new DSLR camera that I have been learning how to use. It’s been a great way to capture my new city the way I see it. Although there are moments of nostalgia and missing the coastal life – I have grown to like Madrid a lot in these past couple months. It’s simply a different way of life: from hearing a man playing the accordion on our street corner, buying churrors from a street vendor to buying my fruit and veggies from a fruteria. However, my newest venture living in a big city: taking the metro to and from work (which still remains an interesting part of my day). Whether I am able to embrace the 40 minute journey by taking a nap, or simply sit, …

| SNOWFLAKES THAT STAY ON MY NOSE & EYELASHES |

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Its snowing. Hard. And Im in Montpellier, France. It never snows here. I thought I was running away from the winters in Maine, but I guess it chose to follow me — sorry, France. So far my time in this country has been amazing despite the frigid weather. The abundance of boulangeries filled with fresh baguettes, croissants, and macarons along with creperies spread throughout has put a small dent in my pocket, but its totally worth it. – – – Clearly my attention span for writing has been very limited these days. But, who can blame me? I’m traveling around, seeing so many new places, meeting new people and visiting good friends. By the time I have some time to sit down and write, I’m usually putting my head to the pillow to fall asleep for a few hours here and there. But since I’ve been in Salzburg I’ve felt at home. I’ve felt comfortable and I’ve taken the time to relax. I’ve explored the city, found a few cafes I really enjoy, edited all …

| AUSTRIA TO ITALY & AN ALMOST RUINED MORNING |

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After just barely catching my train out of Innsbruck, I spread out the sheets and tossed the wool blanket over my body and tried to fall asleep as fast as possible. The rocking back and forth and the low rumble of the wheels on the tracks lulled me into a light sleep. When we arrived in Rome I was flustered to be in a new place. I guess I wasnt quite ready to have left Austria. I met some amazing people in my last minute trip to Innsbruck and it was so cool to eat well and share stories. I definitely look forward to going back. Next time: snowboarding and paragliding are on the checklist. But, despite the beautiful memories of Innsbruck, I was in Italy. I was only in Rome for two hours before catching my next train to Ancona to visit my friend Salva from university. Then all hell broke loose. Lets rewind to the previous 5 times Ive taken the trains and used my Eurorail pass. Conductor walks by, asks for my …

| HAPPY UP HERE |

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I’ve been away for awhile. But now I’m back. Last time we spoke, I was just getting back from London and telling you about my love affair with the city. To say the least, much has changed (except the fact that I’m still madly in love with London). Now, I’m sitting in my bed in Kennebunk, Maine. My hometown. My comfort zone. I love being back in my small town, I love seeing faces I recognize on the street, I love driving by the beach every-single-day. I’ve made a few new friends in town, but I love being so close to my high school friends. They have become such an important part of my life, and I can’t imagine a world without them. Although, now having been away from Halifax for a year and a half, I can say I miss it dearly and all the amazing people I created memories with in that city, that country. You all will hold a special place in my heart and it saddens me that that part of …

| 12 THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN 57 DAYS |

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After a day of fighting the flu at a 5 star hotel and 2 days laying on the beach and regaining my summer glow, I’ve sat down, ordered a café con leche and jotted down what I’ve learned these past 57 days in Europe. 1. You can survive (while looking good) for 3 months on one backpack of clothes. I don’t know if it sounds like a lot or a little, depending on who you are, but when I’ve come across both kinds of shock either on how much I have or how little. To me, I change between the thoughts on a regular basis. When I packed my things in Kennebunk preparing for my travels I thought of the most useful things I could bring with me – the things that could be worn over and over again, could be worn casually or dressed up, and could be tossed away if it came down to it. I also needed to be prepared for winter conditions and island weather leaving me a little unsure of what …

| SUNSHINE, SOUL SEARCHING, & GOAT CHEESE |

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After a lonely stint in Italy, I headed to the South of France to run into the arms of my Colombian princess. An 8 hour train ride and I was finally in Nice where I found Melissa and we squealed with excitement as we hugged and kept repeating how excited we were to see each other. We headed back to her place and I made myself at home where I actually lived for 10 days. It was perfect. Most people are confused when I say I love the South of France. It has the stigma attached that it’s all about flashy cars, houses on the beach and expensive nightclubs. And maybe, yes, this is true. But it’s not the side of the South I experienced. It’s more than easy to find cheap places to eat with a beautiful view, to take long strolls along the coast and admire the flashy houses, and to enjoy good company in whats supposed to be an expensive city. I believe new cities are all about the people you meet …