Mykonos

 

I was so excited to go to Greece, definitely a check off my bucket list. Mykonos has the cutest little airport ever. I’m guessing because the airport is so small, they experience a lot of delays because our hotel was already expecting us to come later than scheduled.  Anywho we were escorted to a family run hotel called Hotel Nazos. So hospitable, clean with the traditional blue doors and terrace. Our hotel was near everything!

Our Hotel Manager Nick.
Everyone's name is either Nick or Anthony in Greece.

The night was young so we had to go out on the town! The city is so alive, right next to the Aegean Sea with lights glaring from the various bars and restaurants. We went from Jackie O’s, to a restaurant to another pumping club. By then I didn’t know what the name of the bars were.  I was having a great time!

 

 

 

Now with having a travel buddy I was able to let my hair down. Because we were of 2 different cultural backgrounds we kind of stuck out.  So, we had people come up to us and ask us how did we know each other? I have to say I was a bit naive to this because were from New York. We have friends of all different cultures, colors, and religions. It is truly a mixing pot. But elsewhere it’s almost like cultures stick together. Not much multicultural mixing unless you are a tourist.

The next morning we woke up and headed to Paradise. Yes, the freaking beach is called Paradise! We laid out and tanned for the Gawds, Honey. The water was crisp, blue, warm and salty! And it felt great. Later in the evening we went to the Cave which is this big ass club on top of Paradise beach Cliffs. Definitely a place to go if you like to party!

The Cave!

 I think everyone should do Mykonos at least once in their life. It brought me back to my college days and I didn’t even know I was missing them. What happens in Mykonos, stays in Mykonos. That’s for sure!  

Usies!

 Santorini and Milos Next!

Switz Francs!

Jet d'Eau... Big ass water jet!

I have to say, Switzerland is one of my favorite countries. I have been before in Lucerne and it’s truly is a romantic place. Its clean, It’s safe and best of all, Its Rich! The air is Rich, the landscapes are Rich, the people are Rich. And damn it, you start to feel Rich too! To be honest there isn’t much to do in Geneva, you just have to “BE” in Geneva. No expectancies, no expectations, no worries, Just being!

You could literally see the full town within a day. I linked up with my friend here whom lived there previously and showed me around the city. The first day we ventured to The U.N. then we went to this incredible lake that has 2 different streams within it and just laid out sunbathing. But I was so tired from all the previous traveling that I had to take a Siesta (aka the traveler’s way of saying nap) from the jet lag.

2 streams, 1 lake but never intermixing

 

Side note: It’s always good to keep in mind that you have to rest during backpacking trips, traveling from airport to airport, time zone changes and wanting to see everything in a tight time frame can put stress on your body. You will need time to relax and Switzerland is where I did this.



Chez Ma Cousine Restaurant in Old Town

Later on I was able to meet her friends that worked at a local Pub. Everyone spoke French and it was so soothing to the ear. The whole trip I thought I was French Bon jour, Merci, merci, Au revoir! I had time to walk around the city and felt completely safe. We used the trolly system to get around. Although the Franc is about 1 to 1 on the dollar, everything is overpriced. A simple plate of food could cost up to $20. I saved a lot of money having a travel buddy who knew the ends and outs of the city.

 



Pasta and a Tomato Basil Salad... Delish!

The coolest part of the trip was staying with a friend of hers that lived on the border of Switzerland and France. So during the day we were in Geneva but by night we were in France. The house was so cool very art deco style and we sat in front with an authentic Italian home cooked meal, sipping on beer and talking about love. I swear it felt like a scene from Eat Pray Love.

Shots at the Pub!



Switzerland is filled with huge mountains and we decided to hike up Mont Salève. We actually had to take a tram up the mountain and our trail ended at a panoramic view of the well known Mont Blanc.Some other sites are the Jet E'dau huge water jet, Old town which gives you a historically look at Switzerland and its founding Fathers' and luckily, I was there during The Geneva Festival. So there were bars, food trucks and carnival rides set up on the pier of Geneva Lake. (Checkout my FB page for more photos)

 

Nonetheless I highly recommend Switzerland. The views are magical, the tempo is relaxing and everything has a quality to it. I was just truly grateful that I had a partner in crime and Geneva was only the beginning of our adventures.The Greek isle were next!
 

 

 

Hanging in the U.K.: London

People of the World, Spice up your life! Every Boy, Every Girl, Spice up your life!

Come on now!  I’m an 80’s baby who grow up in the 90’s and what girl did not love the Spice Girls. I think the whole time I was there I secretly sang Spice Girl songs in my head. Like the first album was bomb!

London was great! I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed. There’s just so much to do and so many people there. It definitely deserves a second trip. I would highly recommend if you do go to London, just makes sure you have at least a week to venture around.

Although London is beautiful, it’s quite pricey. It literally is so disrespectful to the US dollar, it’s about double to the dollar. I found myself calculated in my head for the full stay. During a solo travel make sure you plan out funds for when things don’t go as planned. At the end of my stay, I ended up paying $100 (60 pounds) for a cab to the airport. It was planned and I was so annoyed but I got there safely and on time so I couldn’t complain.

The first day I stayed at a really nice hostel called Wombats. It’s very chic, clean and honestly you could stay inside the hostel the whole time and have all your needs met. I arrived at night and explored Tower Bridge. The next day I did a double decker bus tour, it was a great way to see the city and my form of transportation for the day. When visiting a new city, I always like to do a tour in the beginning of my stay. It gives you a visual map of the city, you see everything and it lets you know what you’re really interested in seeing up close and personal.

The Eye of London

 

Throughout the days I was able to go to Museum, where I saw the famous Sunflower painting by Van Gogh, Regency St. where all the high end shopping happens, and Camden market where there’s a punk rock culture. I used the Tube to get everywhere and the train system is super easy, affordable and fast. During the evenings I hung out with some great people at the Hostel. It was an eclectic group of Australian, Kiwi (People from New Zealand), Canadian, Finnish, and German travelers. We sat, enjoyed brews, talked about art, life and the hot topic about Race. A girl from Finland inquired about the issues of the confederate flag in America and from there the issues of all different countries began to open up.

Here’s what I got from it:

Australia has racial issue with the Aborigines, which are the natives of the continent. It seem to me that they are in some way treated like the American Indians here. The Aborigines are being forced to not live in tribal communities and are pushed into reservations.

Finland doesn’t understand what the big deal is about gay marriage. Since they were one of the first countries to legalize gay marriage years ago.

And Canadians are not happy with how their government is being ran. To be honest I’m not quite sure why, but there seems to be many reasons.

Local Artist drawing maps of the world.

 

At that moment, It dawned on me what travel was all about. We were beautiful representations of our cultures. We were able to exchange information and be the vessels to relay what we’ve learned. It seemed our differences were all the same. Traveling is not about finding yourself or becoming an entirely new person. Its about exchanging information, ideas and gaining perspective. In traveling you don’t change, your idea of the world does. Your scope of possibilities and your mind expands and therefore you can not react to the world as you once did. London made my world bigger yet a whole lot more intimate.

Next Stop: Switz Francs

The Luck of The Irish: Dublin

A friend of mine from England was surprised to hear that I was going to Dublin. If I remember correctly the statement she made was “They’ll call you a Ni**a in a heartbeat!” In her British accent. So already I was thinking, What did I get myself into?...

Yet when I got to Ireland, I experienced the complete opposite. Nothing but the kindest, most helpful and prideful people. A lot of people there are very knowledgeable about their Irish culture and history. As an American I forget how young of a country we are, but in Ireland they have buildings, artifacts, and stories from thousands of years ago. The Irish greet you with Hellos and have no problem giving you directions. Seriously just ask! 

Trinity College



The first day in I arrived at the Ashfield Hostel early. So I decided to check my bags in and just wonder around the city. It was freezing for August, I had purchase a scarf and sweater just to bare the cold. Clearly I didn’t check the weather before I went and I didn’t carry a Vitamin C with me. Both which were suggested by my friends before I left. But I’m stubborn…. I’m working on it.

 

 My first location was Trinity College which inhabits the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is one of the oldest and most illustrated Bible pieces written. The library that holds it is super old, there are books from floor to ceiling. It was some real Harry Potter type stuff.

 

My next stop was Guinness StoreHouse and let me tell you the Irish love their Guinness! I had Guinness Chips, Guinness Pot Pie, Ummmm the actual Guinness. Name it, they have Guinness in it. Don’t even mention to the bartender that you don’t like Guinness. I quote the Bartender, “Yeah because we sell crap batches elsewhere, and we keep the best for ourselves.” And this seems to be true because after 1 glass of Guinness, I was kind of buzzzzzzzzing. Beer is not really my thing but when in Ireland…. (You know the rest!)

Showing How to Pour the perfect glass of Guinness

 

Throughout the trip I visited The Archeology Museum of Ireland, The St. Patrick Cathedral and the Cliffs of Moher. I honestly felt safe enough to just wonder around Ireland. Transportation is affordable and easy. The pricing of food was fairly similar to New York pricing. Only 1 odd time when this guy walks up to me to ask if I spoke English. Which I found strange because English is the #1 spoken language there and #2 is their native language Irish/Celtic. So, I just shook my head "no" and kept it moving.

Anywho, I decided to do the Cliffs of Moher, just to get a taste of that greenery that I was dreaming about. And it’s AMAZING! It’s like stepping into a Irish Folklore. If you go to Dublin, You definitely have to visit the countrysides. It’s just amazing to see how Mother Nature creates itself. (Check out more photos on my Facebook Page)

Cliffs of Moher

 

In the hostel I met 2 young ladies who I was sharing a room with. One just leaving Romania from doing a Roman archeological dig and another traveling in between her conferences for her PHD in communications. Super cool and encouraging chicks. When I meet them I was blown away by the commitments and how effortless they made it seem. So during the 3 days we chatted it up, shared our life stories and did some Pub hopping in the evenings.

All in All, I would say Ireland opened up my desire to learn. In which way? I’m not quite sure. I am definitely not the one for conventional learning in a class room but I'm starting to think twice about it. I left Dublin with a thirst for wanting to know more.

One of the young ladies I meet whom was studying for her PHD was from Canada. She explained how College is already paid for there, so they just keep going!  Which I never thought about because that's not quite the deal in the states but it made complete sense.

Let me ask you, If your college was already paid for...Bachelors, Masters, on to PHD. Would you just keep going?