Tag: travel

Countdown to Alaska!

Countdown to Alaska!

by Hannah Schwartz ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Can you believe March is almost over? We only have one more week! Where has the month gone??

Well, the great news is that every day that goes by brings me closer to my Alaska cruise! Only 50 days until we fly to Seattle!

Last week, I spent time trying to plan my 24 hours in Seattle. I’m sad that I don’t have more time, so I’m going to try to pack as much in as possible without killing myself. It’s only Day 1 of my vacation, so I don’t want to overdo it.

So far, my plan is the following:

  • Get from the airport to the hotel – We still haven’t had figured this part out. We’re trying to figure out how we are going to do it. There are a ton of options. There’s Uber, a million different private tour transports, and taxis.
  • Once we get to the hotel, I doubt we’ll be able to check in, but at least we can drop our stuff off.
  • After the hotel, we get to start the fun stuff! First stop is going to be Pike’s Place Market. I’ve spent hours pouring over menus, reviews and websites trying to figure out what I’m going to eat when I get there. I can’t wait to see all the sights and sounds. I want to catch a fish and eat all the food.
  • Next, we’re planning on wandering up to see the Space Needle. Due to the time constraints and financial constraints, I don’t think we’re going to go up in the Needle. That makes me sad, but at least we’ll be able to see it. And maybe hit up a gift shop!
  • Once we explore that area, we’re going to do a Duck Boat tour. I’ve read some good reviews and have had a great time on other duck tours, so I’m really looking forward to this.
  • After the Duck Boat, it will be time to eat again. The next two months will be spent searching for some sort of delicious dinner. Trying to find a restaurant that is cheap, delicious, close by and appeals to 5 very different appetites will be interesting, but I’m up for the challenge.
  • Our final destination for the night will be the Seattle Great Wheel. I’m looking forward to this for some great views of the area.

So this is my rough itinerary for our day in Seattle. I’m so excited to experience the city and add a new state to my list.

Have you ever been to Seattle? What are some can’t-miss sights and restaurants? Am I missing something?

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Vista de Seattle, Washington, Estados Unidos, 2017-09-02 by Diego Delso (Wikimedia Commons)
Guess who’s going to Italy?

Guess who’s going to Italy?

by Hannah Schwartz ♥ 1 Comment

Well, I was sitting at my desk on Thursday, minding my own business,haq when Groupon sent me a very dangerous email. Now all of a sudden, I’ve booked a trip to Italy in September.

It’s ridiculous how happy that makes me. Ever since I’ve booked the trip, I’ve been googling places to go and things to eat. I absolutely cannot wait for the trip, but honestly, my favorite part is the planning before it.

I adore looking at the pictures of faraway places and dreaming of when I’ll be there. I love making crazy plans for busy days bustling through the streets of Rome or driving (!!) through the tiny, twisting roadways of Tuscany.

I love searching for tours, and tickets, and itineraries. I love trying to figure out how best to absorb the history and culture of where I’m going.

I absolutely cannot wait for the trip, but luckily, I have six whole months to savor the anticipation of going.

In case anyone is wondering where I’m getting my travel ideas, this site has been a lifesaver:

Visit a City

I’m also a huge fan of booking tours here:

Viator

And of course, I love saving all of my ideas to my lovely Pinterest board:

My Europe Trip Pinterest Board

I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated with any news or fun finds for the trip, and there will be LOTS of pictures when I come back.

Until then, ciao!

P.S. This is where I’m staying for part of the trip. HOLY COW!

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Dreaming of Barcelona

Dreaming of Barcelona

by Hannah Schwartz ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Now that my race is over, I’m back to daydreaming about far off places. As the saying goes, “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list”.

One of my favorite places that I have visited was Barcelona. The city is just gorgeous and the people were so nice. I loved the history, the architecture, and I especially loved the food.

The highlight of my all-too-brief trip to Barcelona was a tapas tour through the Food Lovers Company. We did it our first night in the city and it was a great introduction to the area.

The tour guide (Aleix) was fantastic. He had so much knowledge about the city and talked to us about politics, history, and food.

The food was all stuff I would never have thought to try on my own. We went to 5 small tapas bars. One was literally a hole in the wall with no sign, but the food was ridiculous.

There was a wide variety of dishes, including fried fish, fresh sardines, black pudding with chickpeas, ham and chicken croquettes, and amazing desserts.

If anyone goes to Barcelona, I HIGHLY recommend this tour.

Has anyone else been? Did you have a favorite food there?

Alaska Bound!

Alaska Bound!

by Hannah Schwartz ♥ 1 Comment

In addition to all this running nonsense, my real passion is travel. I’ve been Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Spain and England. I want to go EVERYWHERE.

My next big trip is coming up in May, and it’s an Alaskan cruise. I cannot wait! I want to see whales and glaciers and trains and bears and eagles!

Screen Shot 2018-02-04 at 9.50.48 PM.pngSo far, we are planning on doing whale watching and glacier viewing in Juneau and the White Pass Railroad in Skagway. We haven’t made any other solid plans for anywhere else yet.

It’s going to be a mix of amazing scenery, wildlife, and some history thrown in for the nerds in the family. Ok, let’s face it. I’m from a family full of nerds. Mom, dad, siblings, me. We’re all nerds.

We’re still discussing doing some sort of an excursion in Ketchikan. We’re probably just going to do dinner in Victoria.

Has anyone ever done an Alaskan cruise? What is a must do?