London Bridges....

So, my first trip over sees was when I was a junior in high school. We went to England over Christmas break. My first memory that comes to mind about this trip is the flight overseas. I knew this was going to be a long trip, but I did not quite understand how long this trip would be. The flight over to London was about eight hours.

Once we got to London, I was so pumped. It was the first time overseas, and we were going to get to spend Christmas in London! Our first few days in England we got to go site seeing. We were able to visit Buckingham Palace. It was a lot of fun trying to distract the royal guards. Those guys do not budge! I was hoping we would get to see the Queen, but it didn't happen. After visiting the Palace, we visited Westminster Abby. This is a really neat church to visit. All of the royals get married here. I was really cool getting to walk down the center aisle and think about about how many famous people and walked the same walk.  Once we were finished at Westminster Abby we stopped by Parliament and took pictures with Big Ben! This was a sight to see. My dad had to lay down on the street to be able get my sister and I in the same picture with Big Ben.  The last place we were able to visit was St.Paul's Cathedral. This is probably prettiest church I have ever seen in my entire life!

After seeing all the famous sites, it was time to prepare for our Christmas celebration in London!!! Since the trip was our main "gift", we decided to split into two groups and buy each other small little gifts. So, we split up the girls and the guys and decided those would be the teams. My step-mom, sister and I decided to get dad and my step-brother some nice clothes from the local stores. It turned out to be a little more expensive that we were planning, but we were excited. Christmas Day came, and we had our gift exchange. We laughed so hard because my dad and step-brother went shopping at a drug store and purchase chap stick, hand warmers, and socks for each of us. Needless to say, we were a little jealous of the gifts we were about to give them!

All in all, it is a vacation I will never forget! There were a lot of first during this trip! These are memories I will have forever!

Ya Mon!

After my high school graduation, my parents decided to treat my family to a trip to Jamaica! This was exciting because it was somewhat like a graduation gift. It was a great way to kick off the summer after high school and a new beginning in college. It was my last chance to hang out with my family, or at least that's what I thought. I soon realized things weren't going to change all that much.

I always knew Jamaica was a pretty small country, but I didn't understand how small it was until we landed at the airport. It was pretty cool landing, as we landed right next to the beach. There were only a few terminals, which was the first indication of a small country. We got to our hotel, which was basically all inclusive. It was nice because our family had our own little cottage bungalow type of room. We had our own private pool and everything sat only a few yards from the beach. This was so nice having the Caribbean waters right outside our door. I loved being in Jamaica because everything was so relaxed. The locals would say "Why where a watch? You're on Jamaica time!".  No one was every worried about the time or reservations. That was nice.

While we were visiting, we mainly stayed near the beach. I was able to read a few book and just relax. My step-brother and I both tried wind surfing, but we were having a difficult time considering there was not much wind. I am excited to say I tried wind surfing, even if it was a total failure. We also got to swim with the dolphins!!! This was one of my favorite memories ever! My sister, step-brother, and I all went swimming with them. I think the coolest part of it was when the instructor put my hand on the dolphin's rib cage and I was able to feel her heart beat. I thought it was so cool! The instructor taught us how to dance and sing with the dolphins, and then we were able to actually ride the dolphins! This was so exciting. After the dolphin adventure, we went to visit the famous Margaritaville! This was neat to say we visited. There was a restaurant, gift shop, and a mini water park that fed into the bay.

Along with all the exciting activities, I was able to enjoy the food! There was always a new fish served at dinner. That was pretty neat getting to expand my fish eating experiences. I grew to like fish after this vacation. I want to say of all the food we had, my favorite has to be the fruit! It is amazing how fresh the fruits were. The watermelon and pineapples were to die for! I think I could live off the fruits alone.

This was a pretty exciting trip. There were a lot of new things that came from this trip and just set me up for a new beginning after high school. It was a great way to kick off the start to a new chapter in my life!

When In Rome

So, I think one of my absolute favorite cities in the world is Rome, Italy!!! I was able to go visit a few years ago and I absolutely LOVED it!!! I think it is so neat because there is so much history in the city, the food is to die for, and ambiance is just perfect!

I may have already mentioned this, but in my Western Civilization class that I took my sophomore year of college introduced me to all the history from 100,000 B.C. to the 1500's A.D. It was in this class I was able to learn about all the history that went on in the Roman Empire. My step-mom signed us up for a tour of Rome. Our first stop was the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.  This place was amazing. I have never seen anything like this before in my life. It was really exciting getting to see all the famous painting and artwork. The artwork on the ceiling blew my mind. I cannot imagine back in that day and age being able to create these wonderful paintings that would last for hundreds of years. It was also really neat getting to see the balcony that the Pope comes out and makes appearances on.

After visiting Vatican City, we went to see the Roman Colosseum. I thought this was pretty cool. We were able to go inside and stand were the so called "seats" use to be. There is part of the floor the had been destroyed and we were able to see were the lions and tigers were kept when they weren't fighting the gladiators. There was something about this place that was a little bit unreal. The structure was astonishing and I still have a hard time understanding how people built these type of structures.

After touring the city we always found the best places to eat! Basically everything we had while we were in Italy was amazing! We had several kinds of pizza, spaghetti, all kinds of deserts, and awesome espresso! When we weren't sight seeing or eating, we did manage to fit in a little bit of shopping time! I think I would love to live in Rome!

Aloha!!!!

So, for vacation last summer my family decided to surprise my siblings and me and take us to Hawaii! We went to the island of Lanai. Originally, Dole owned this entire island. Dole used this island as a pineapple plantation. Lanai is one of the smaller islands in the chain. It was a definite culture shock in the beginning. We had to take a ferry from Maui to Lanai, and it was total shock to learn that most of the locals who live on Lanai have to commute back and forth to do simple things like going to town for groceries or clothing.

 I had a hard time comprehending that people could not just run down to the local grocery store if needed.  Of course, once we got onto the island of Lanai, we were able to see parts of the culture. The only official town on the island is Lanai City. There is a small downtown square that has a little drug store, a church, and few gift shops, and two restaurants. This is when I realized this was going to be a very down to earth type of vacation.

Since we were going to have to take a ferry if we left the island, we decided to stay on Lanai. My step mom gets extreme motion sickness, so that also played into not taking a ferry unless needed. This gave me a great opportunity to find time to just relax. We traveled in the early part of June, so I was still recovering from a tough spring semester. This was great! I was able to read of book of choice, take a nap if I wanted, or just sit on the beach soaking in the rays. Other than  getting to see the unique culture of Lanai, we did not experience the traditional must see sites while in Hawaii, but it was still an amazing experience.

Cruising the Waters

I have always wanted to go on a cruise! Everyone always talks about how much fun they are and how there are so many things to do. I never fully understood how much could be on one boat until about two years ago. My family was able to take a cruise through the Mediterranean Sea. It was so much fun!

I went on vacation with my parents and my two siblings. I really enjoyed the big boat because you were able to all be together when you wanted to and separate from each other if needed to. I was able to bond closer with my sister without having to go too far from everyone else. My sister is just becoming old enough to where she is able to be independent from the group and no one become worried. It was exciting to get to see her grow up a little.

For those who have not had the privilege to enjoy a cruise, I truly recommend it. Our boat had two swimming pools, an in-line skating rink, ice skating rink, and a climbing wall. Unfortunately, I was only able to try out the swimming pools. During the day we were out enjoying our excursions throughout the different cities. Along with all the recreational activities provided, there was a fully equipped  workout facility. My family really enjoyed this one. After dinner we would normally go hang out at the piano bar and listen to comedy music. It was here that I was able to meet a great group of people for England. There are a few of them that I still talk to everyone and then.

My first experience on a cruise was a success I would have to say. I was able hang out with my family, and my sister and I had great bonding time. There was plenty of activities and food to keep us busy! And I was able to meet people that I will keep in touch with for years to come!

The Big Apple!

New York City is one of my most favorite cities. There seems to be a completely different culture between the northern states and the southern ones. The environment is different. There is a hustle and bustle that is like no other. If you are walking down the street in the heart of New York City, you better keep up. There were a couple of times my family and I got pushed and shuffled around because we were not keeping the same pace of everyone else. It was hard for us though, because coming from the South, we naturally move at a slower pace. Things just seem more relaxed in Texas.

Riding in a taxi cab is another experience like no other. I could not imagine learning to drive in a city like that. I thought learning to drive in Dallas was hard enough. We had to take a cab a few times while in NYC. The first couple of times it was extremely neat getting to ride throughout the town at a faster pace, but there were times where it did get old. I particularly did not enjoy riding in a taxi cab if there was traffic. There is a mass of yellow cars everywhere. I was in shock by how close the cars were getting to each other, and how people just learn to cut each other off. I realize it is a different environment, and is definitely a place I would not enjoy driving.

Along with getting to see different cultures interacting, I really enjoy the usual highlights of New York. I have been able to see a few shows on Broadway and absolutely loved every minute of it! The Statue of Liberty was really exciting to see, and spending the afternoon in Battery Park having delicious hamburgers. Central Park is a place like no other. It is so cool to think about this enormous park in the middle of this even bigger city. While we were in Central Park, we were able to see the preparations and photography of a wedding in progress.

New York City is so fun and full of life. I think part of what makes this one of my most favorite places is because it is so different from Texas and our way of life.    

My Next Plan

So, today I am going to share one place that I am dying to go visit. I have been to a lot of places, and have enjoyed them all, I am dying to go to Greece!!! There are so many things about it that draw me to this country. I feel that if I were to go to Greece I would enjoy so many things, but I also know there would be some obstacles for me to tackle too.

My first reason for wanting to visit Greece is because there is so much history. As I have mentioned before, I am a huge history buff. I took a Western Civilization class about two semesters ago, and that is when I fell in love with Greece. I am dying to see the Greek ruins. I find it amazing that thousands of years ago, people were able to build these magnificent structures with no heavy machinery. These type of things blow my mind.

One of the challenges I feel I would face while visiting Greece would be finding food that like. I grew up being a very picky eater. As a child the only things I liked were chicken strips and macaroni and cheese. I have slowly expanded my taste buds. My only problem is going to be trying new things and be willing to keep trying. I feel as though this is going to be a small challenge that is well worth it.   

First Big Trip

My first big trip was to Whitefish, Montana. I was not really excited to be going on this trip because I was probably around the sixth grade, and the last place I wanted to go was to the middle of the country in Montana. It actually turned out to be a fun trip that allowed me to see another part of our country, but I didn't begin to appreciate this trip until long after.

Some of the highlights that I remember are hiking and horseback riding. My family tries to do some kind of activity that allows us as a whole to do something fun, active, and out of the norm for us. The first memory is of us hiking up the side of the mountain. It was neat for us, because even though it is the middle of June, there is still snow on parts of the mountain and hot chocolate was our favorite drink. We found it odd, because as we were beginning our hike, we found locals who were hanging around the base of the mountain in shorts! We were shocked! I could not believe there were people wearing shorts in the same place where snow is on the ground! It was almost mind boggling for me.

The hike itself was a blast. We climbed to the top of the mountain and there were able to ride the gondola back down to the base of the mountain. It was a great bonding moment for my family, because my sister decided to play in the snow and got her clothes all wet and I began to have a leg cramp. So, between my sister and I, it took a good amount of team work to be able to get to the top. The next day we went horseback riding, which is my absolute favorite! We did a four hour ride through the country side. It was very neat getting to see all the different types of vegetation. All of the trees and plants are somewhat different from the plants in Texas. It was an overall great experience that I am just now starting to fully appreciate.

My Latest Adventure

As soon as school was out, my family and I visited France! It was my favorite vacation we have taken so far. I am not sure if I enjoyed it so much because I had only been out of school for a few days, or if it was because I was older and appreciated it more. We traveled to Bordeaux, Normandy, and Paris! Each of these we completely different. Each of the cities had a different environment and the people were all exciting to meet!

Bordeaux was in the southern part of France, whereas the other two cities were further north. Traveling to Bordeaux gave my family and me the chance to see the gorgeous French countryside. It was so neat getting to see all the grape vineyards, which is the main crop grown in that area. Along with the rolling hills of vineyards making the scenery breathtaking, there were several castles on the hill tops that had amazing views. Getting to see where people lived in the 14th century was a real eye opener.

Of all the cities we visited, I would say Normandy was one of my favorites. Loving history as much as I do, I would have wanted to spend a week in Normandy alone! I thought it was so exciting getting to see the actual grounds that Americans fought on. I had never been to a battlefield of any kind, so I thought it was very moving. We were able to go to Point Du Hoc, which was the point where American rangers fought the Germans and capture the land in between the two beaches where American soldiers were fighting. I think out of all the places we visited in Normandy, the one place I will never forget is the Normandy American Cemetery. I was so emotional when I saw just how many of our soldiers fought and died in the war. The numbers did not become real until I saw all the headstones. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the men who fight for our country.

After traveling all across France, we finally got to Paris! This city is so much fun! The atmosphere is awesome. The city is so alive it seems. Not very many people spoke very much English, but everyone was willing to try and help communicate with us! While in Pairs we visited the Louvre which holds famous art work like the Mona Lisa and the Statue of Venus. This was an awesome experience. Not many people can say they have seen the Mona Lisa in person! The Eiffel Tower was so pretty at night. The lights would sparkle once it was midnight. There was not a thing about Paris or the entire vacation that I did not enjoy!

The Love for Travel

Thank you for deciding to travel with me! Traveling has been a love of mine since I could remember. I am excited to share these memories and some of the place I dream to go with everyone. Some people are interested in things such as painting, or playing sports. I am interested in seeing things and going places. I am not just talking about big vacations. I like driving and seeing the environment for what it is. 

My family has always believed it is important to travel, not only to spend time with one another, but to see the world and where others come from. This is part of why I am so in love with traveling. Getting to see other parts of the world, and more specifically, other parts of our country. We are so privileged to have such diverse areas in our one country. Within just the U.S. travelers can see the beaches, the mountain tops, the flat plains, and deserts. Not many countries are like that. 

Along with seeing the places within out great country, it is a pleasure of mine to travel to other countries. Seeing other areas bring a new perspective when traveling. You get to see things like the history within the city, the remains left from a huge war, and the culture and religion from around the area. Sometimes seeing these things are what we need to either become more appreciative of our surroundings at home, or change somethings to become better once we get home. I look forward to being able to share some of my experiences with you and to show how it has impacted my life!