My niece secured an internship with a football club in Madrid, so my family was keen to visit while she was there. I offered to plan their family vacation to Spain to include Barcelona and Madrid. While I would normally recommend a first visit to Europe be at least ten […]
For my summer visit to Venice, Italy with my 16 y.o. niece, I originally included the public transit option in our budget and my mom (aka mom-mom) vetoed it. As a solo traveler, I’m keen to save money and would normally take the Alilaguna boat (15 euros one way) from […]
It’s not a secret that I love chocolate. When I travel, I try to find the best local chocolate shops which can be easy or impossible (see Bruges Chocolate Shops). On a recent trip to London, I even tried my hand at making chocolates at Melt Chocolate in Notting Hill. […]
As I exited the elevator to find my room, I noticed what looked like a draft beer bar in the hallway. Of course, it wasn’t free beer, although I’m sure that hotel amenity would get lots of folks to book, it was a water station. With three pulls representing tap, […]
I returned to Paris solo last year and wanted to explore the city differently this time. As much as I love the Louvre and Musee D’Orsay, I wanted a new experience for my three days in Paris. While my cooking skills are severely lacking, I figured learning how to make […]
When I decided to take the train from Barcelona to Paris it was to relax and recharge as my first trip to Europe since the pandemic was a whirlwind of great cities (London, Madrid, Barcelona). With no plans for Paris, I thought it was best to stay again at Hotel […]
I don’t remember how I discovered the Praktik Hotels in Barcelona, however, after my stay at the Praktik Bakery Hotel, I was hooked. For my recent trip to Barcelona, I considered another stay at the Bakery, however, my family is gluten free and it seemed wrong to revel in the […]
I’ve taken so many art classes over the years in the hope that one will magically unlock the secret artistic skills I possess. Despite no magic occurring, I keep trying new, and often frustrating, art classes to see if maybe my talents are hidden deep down just in case there’s […]
My strongest memories of Spain have always been food & wine – tapas with friends and family, wine tastings and discoveries of new desserts. So it’s not a surprise when I saw the “Iberico Ham Experience” on Airbnb Experience, I was intrigued. I love Iberian ham but what was there […]
When I turned the corner and saw the plethora of gondolas and people surrounded by shops and a Hard Rock Café, for a moment, I thought I was in the Las Vegas Venetian Hotel. However, I was in Venice, Italy, the original gondola city. It was a popular spot near […]