LISBON, PORTUGAL

The next stop on our trip and my next location to plan is Lisbon, Portugal. Before we started planning this trip, I didn’t know much about Lisbon and even after doing some research, I still feel like I don’t have a clear image in my head of what Lisbon will be like. I don’t know anyone who has been there and it isn’t one of the first major European destinations that comes to mind. While we were making our list of places to go, Chelsea suggested we include Lisbon because she had heard great things about it. At first I thought it seemed kind of random, but the more I’ve researched Lisbon, the more convinced I’ve become that we cannot skip this city.

Also, if there are any other Bachelorette fans out there, this past season the show filmed an episode in Lisbon. After watching that episode I became even more convinced we had to go! The city looked beautiful with its many hills and cobblestone streets. I also distinctly remember Ali and the guys visiting a gorgeous castle I must go to while I am in Lisbon! Ali and Roberto had so much fun in Lisbon, they even started dancing in the street!

Researching Lisbon I realized that I must not be the only one who doesn’t know much about Lisbon or consider it a top European destination, there isn’t nearly as much information on the web about Lisbon as there is about every other major city in Europe. However, I came across the website golisbon.com and it is a great resource for anyone traveling to Lisbon! I got all of my travel information for this leg of the trip solely from this website and they offer detailed information about the various districts of the city, attractions, top ten lists, suggested itineraries as well as interesting information about Lisbon. A few facts from the website solidified my need to visit Lisbon and might just convince you of the same!

Lisbon is known to be pretty inexpensive compared to most other major European cities.

It has a mild climate year round and even during winter temperatures rarely go below 50 degrees! We are going to be very thankful for this come March!

The beach! Beautiful city and the ocean, does it get any better?

It is smaller than most European capitals! Considering it will be up to the three of us to find our way through these cities, the smaller the better in my book!

Great nightlife!

Great wine!

(Those last two points are all I really need to convince Chelsie and Chelsea)

So here’s how I am thinking we are going to spend our three days in Lisbon:

Day 1 – We will spend our first day exploring Alfama, one of Lisbon’s most popular districts. This part of the city is known for its amazing views of Lisbon and its medieval history. It is a village within a city which features narrow streets, tiny squares and beautiful churches. While here we will visit Saint George’s Castle (which overlooks the entire city of Lisbon) and explore the district, stopping in its many churches and museums.

Also in the Alfama District is one of Europe’s top clubs, Lux, so if we are feeling a little adventurous that night we might as well give it a try while we are there!


Day 2 - We will spend our second day exploring the city's best attractions:

Belem Tower – Known as an icon of Lisbon and a symbol of the age of discovery, this fortress was once the starting point for many voyages of discovery, including those of Prince Henry the Navigator, Bartholomeu Dias, Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco da Gama.


We will have lunch and maybe a glass of Portuguese wine at the Santo Amaro docks, a collection of former warehouses now transformed into some of the city's best bars and restaurants.

Then visit some of Lisbon’s most important monuments and museums – the Berardo Museum (collection of modern art), the Discoveries Monument (the world’s explorers carved in stone), the Maritime Museum (tells the story of Portugal’s role in world sea exploration), Jeronimos Monastery (the resting place of former explorer Vasco da Gama).

We will spend our evening in the Bairro Alto district, the nightlife mecca of Lisbon known for its cobblestone streets and lively restaurants, bars and fado houses.


I want to spend our last day outside the city, however after doing some research I am still down to two great options:

Sintra – This seems to be a popular recommendation and I can understand why, it sounds amazing! It was once the summer residence of Portugal’s royal family, features several fairytale like palaces, beautiful views and museum collections and its only a 40 minute train ride from Lisbon.


Cascais - Also seems like a great option, a colorful seaside town known for its surfing, great beaches and beautiful views. Even though it will be quite cool when we go, it might still be nice to spend a day at the beach!


Most importantly, I want to leave Lisbon being able to say I enjoyed some authentic Portuguese custard tarts, took in the sunset from the top of the hills, appreciated the history of Lisbon and its influence on the age of discovery and enjoyed the weather as I strolled through the picturesque streets of Lisbon.

FRANCE

No trip to Europe is complete without a visit to France… the wine, the cheese, the romance, haha… however, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, we decided to forgo Paris on this trip. Not that I don’t want to go back to Paris, believe me I do and I will one day, but we want to see a different side of France on this trip. We’ve all been to Paris, but this time we want to go off the beaten path. We want to stay in the French countryside, have a picnic with some fresh cheese and a local bottle of wine, bike ride to the nearest chateau, you get the picture. The only problem is figuring out where exactly to go for this experience. Here are the options I have been entertaining:


The Loire Valley – This region is referred to as the “Garden of France” and boasts vineyards, flowers, chateaux and rolling green hills. Sounds exactly like what I have been looking for…. what makes this choice difficult is that there are several towns to choose from in the Loire Valley, the most appealing options seem to be:

Bourges – Paved stone streets, Medieval and Renaissance architecture, a beautiful gothic cathedral overlooking the town, nearby chateaux and vineyards….

Chambord – Home to the largest castle in the Loire Valley and I’m guessing it is also the home of Chambord, I’ll take a glass of champagne with a splash of Chambord while I tour the castle please…..


Tours – University town and known to many as the hub of the Loire Valley, features Renaissance mansions, museums, wine, nearby chateaux and castles, oh you know just the same old same old in the Loire Valley….

Amboise – Known for its beautiful castle and white stone houses, this town was also once the home of Leonardo Da Vinci….

Many great choices, they all sound amazing and pretty similar, however I don’t want to let my travelmates down and choose the wrong Loire Valley town! Tough decision I must face, I know…. Any suggestions?

Outside of the Loire Valley I am considering:


Bordeaux – Much larger than the towns of the Loire Valley, this port city is located in southwestern France on the Garonne River and is known as a university town. What caught my eye about Bordeaux is that it is the heart of France’s wine industry, but I guess also known by some for its art and history.


Lyon – One of the largest cities in France, a major industrial city, but more importantly, the gastronomical capital of France, need I say more?

At this point, the Lorie Valley is sounding like the place I want to be. As much as I love food and wine, I am sure the Loire Valley also has some fabulous food and wine to offer along with its smaller towns, wineries, castles and chateaux. Any suggestions about where to stay in the Loire Valley or about our other options are welcome! Too many choices.....

LONDON

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
- Samuel Johnson


Trying to plan a backpacking trip definitely presents its challenges. The whole point of the trip is to pick up and go whenever and wherever we choose. However, we can’t just head over to Europe without some kind of plan. We have an idea of how long we are going to be in each place and the route we are going to take, but right now it is impossible to plan an exact itinerary and accommodations for each location. So, we decided the best way to start planning would be to divide up our destinations between the three of us (about 5 places each) that we will each tentatively plan. The first location to plan on my list is…..LONDON!

We decided that I would plan London because I am the only one between the three of us that has been there and because I just love London. At first, we actually debated if we would even visit London on this trip. I was just there a year ago and Chelsie and Chelsea didn’t seem like they were dying to go. Luckily for me, the cheapest place to fly in and out of is London, so I will get to return to London with my best friends and I am convinced they will leave London loving it as much as I do! Growing up, two of my favorite movies were Peter Pan and Mary Poppins, so for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to go to London. When I finally got to visit, it was everything I expected and more. There are so many things to see and do and I just love the feel of this beautiful city.


We will be flying into London and spending the first four days of our trip there!

Some of the things I did last time that I think we must do again are:

Cruise down the Thames – you get to see so many great sights and get an idea of where some of the most important landmarks in the city are

Westminster Abbey – this time though, I would like to go for Evensong rather than the traditional tour

Harrods – even if you don’t buy anything, you have to go look! My mom and I especially enjoyed the pet section, the Christmas section (which goes up in July!) and of course, the food hall

Buckingham Palace – you have to see it, but surprisingly I don’t think I would go again during the Changing of the Guard, it was too crowded and honestly not too exciting

Walk through Hyde Park – one of my favorite memories in London was getting lost in Hyde Park at dusk

Visit one of the many markets around the city – great food, clothes and interesting souvenirs

Things I didn’t do last time that I must this time around:

St. Paul’s Cathedral – I know, I talk about how much I love Mary Poppins and I didn’t even get to this beautiful cathedral where the “Feed the Birds” scene takes place, also where Princess Diana married Prince Charles

Take a ride on the London Eye – It costs more than $20 dollars a person to ride but I am sure you can’t beat the view

Visit a few of London’s many museums – I am ashamed to admit this but I only visited ONE of London’s many museums while I was there (the Imperial War Museum) and entrance into many of them are FREE! There are so many to choose from too, the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, even the Sherlock Holmes Museum!


We are definitely going to spend one of our days taking a day trip out of the city, but I am trying to decide where we will go. I would really like to go back to Oxford because after spending six weeks there I would love to go reminisce and show Chelsea and Chelsie around! And there are so many things to do and see in Oxford. I would love for us to tour some of the colleges, I stayed at Trinity so we would definitely go there and Christ Church is where a lot of Harry Potter filming took place. Of course we would stop at the Covered Market for its many great shops and eats (Ben’s Cookies!). Another must in Oxford is to have a drink at the famous Eagle and Child, once frequented by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.


However, some other possible day trip options are:

- Cambridge – another great University town
- Windsor Castle – the official residence of the Queen
- Canterbury – a picturesque town that includes Leeds Castle

There are so many things to see and do in London, 4 days just isn’t enough! Whatever we end up doing though, I am sure we will have a great time. Please let me know any suggestions/comments you have about our trip to London. Any other ideas or places I overlooked? I want to plan a trip that includes all the best London has to offer!

Travel Warning Issued For Americans In Europe

With all the talk and news stories this week about the elevated threat level for Americans in Europe, I felt it was necessary to discuss the issue of safety concerns abroad.

While I realize the risks of traveling to any foreign country, I’ve never really thought of my trip to Europe as especially dangerous. I’ve heard of so many people backpacking through Europe so the only safety concerns that have crossed my mine have been issues of petty theft, not terror. But generally, I haven’t been really worried about safety at all. My parents on the other hand, think that three girls traveling a foreign continent is the unsafest idea they’ve ever heard. Now, with this terror warning, I am even more scared to hear my parents’ thoughts!

Like most people, I’ve assumed that traveling to Europe is pretty safe with regards to terrorism. Europe seems like the safest place in the world for Americans to travel other than within the United States. I do remember the terrorist attacks on transportation systems in London and Madrid years ago and I will admit, I was a little nervous to ride the Tube in London, but I also get nervous riding the subway in NYC thinking how easily the same thing could happen.

I appreciate the warning from the State Department. People complain about the vagueness of this warning but people would criticize the government for not warning citizens if something were to happen. But considering the vagueness of the warning, what are Americans already abroad supposed to think? Or those about to leave on trips they’ve been planning for months, even years? It made me think how I would feel if this warning was issued while I was on my backpacking trip in the spring. Like most of the American travelers interviewed on CNN.com, I don’t think the warnings would change any of my plans, other than maybe not riding the metro systems.

I think the main implication of this travel warning is that in the future Americans may re-think traveling to Europe. Maybe Europe isn’t as safe for Americans as we have all assumed. Personally, this warning will have no effects on my trip in March. I would only reconsider travel plans if a very severe warning were issued for a specific location in Europe.

How do you all feel about the travel warning? Would it deter you from traveling to Europe?

Getting Around Europe

With our flights officially booked, our plans getting TO and FROM Europe are finally set! The next step is figuring out how we are going to get AROUND Europe once we’re actually there.

There are quite a few airlines in Europe that offer low-cost flights to many European destinations. Two that I know of are Easy Jet and Ryanair. I flew Ryanair twice last summer, to Dublin and Pisa. My travels on Ryanair were interesting to say the least, but you really can’t beat the prices. I booked my flight to Pisa a couple of weeks in advance and I remember it costing only about $50 round trip. However, as the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for!” For those of us that are not citizens of the European Union (EU), boarding a Ryan Air flight is quite a hassle. I saw plenty of EU citizens breeze by, but non-EU citizens must get their passport checked and boarding pass stamped before getting on the plane and the line is usually extremely long. Our group traveling to Pisa actually spent the night at the airport (London’s Stansted and that night is a story in itself) before our early morning flight and we still almost missed our plane because of the long passport line! On board, there are no assigned seats (think Southwest Airlines in the U.S.) and everything costs money (no free drinks). I have even heard that Ryan Air is proposing selling standing tickets! Cheap air travel definitely has its disadvantages but these cheap airlines get you from point A to point B for ridiculously low prices! I even know someone who found a free flight on Ryanair’s website and only had to pay tax! For those doing weekend traveling or looking to quickly get across the continent, budget airlines are a great option.

We’ve decided that our best option would be to travel Europe by train. We plan on visiting about 15 different places, so rail would be the easiest and cheapest for us. Eurail offers many different options. You can buy a pass for a particular country (if you are only traveling to one), to a few countries that border each other or a global pass that includes 21 European nations. Travelers should do some research on Raileurope.com to find the best option for themselves. The website allows you to input how long you will be traveling for, how many places you will be visiting and your age to determine the best deal for you. Based on my trip (2 months, visiting about 15 places, under the age of 26) I will be buying a “Global Youth Flexi Pass” which will allow me 15 days of travel in any of the 21 countries within 2 months. Flexi passes allow you to choose your travel days within the time frame (two months in my case) but consecutive day passes are cheaper. Eurail also offers discounts for seniors (60 and up) and a saver option for groups of 2 or more traveling together at all times. In addition, the youth option will save travelers under the age of 26 a good amount of money. I was initially expecting to pay about $1,000 for my rail pass but I will only be spending $674.

It should be mentioned that you cannot use your Eurail pass in Great Britain (you can only use your pass in the 21 participating nations). Great Britain uses its own train system called BritRail, which is completely independent of Eurail. Also separate from Eurail is the Eurostar, the high speed train that connects London to Paris and Brussels through the underground “Chunnel.”

The Lost Girls

Chelsie and I stumbled upon "The Lost Girls" during one of our many trips to Barnes and Noble this past summer (we really did A LOT of travel planning there). The cover and title caught my eye and after I read the book's description I grabbed Chelsie and said, "We HAVE to read this book!"

"High above a waterfall in the Argentinean jungle, three friends made a pact. Struggling with uncertainty about their paths in life, they agreed to quit their glamorous New York City jobs, ditch their apartments, put their relationships on hold, and embark on a yearlong round-the-world search for answers. Authentic and uplifting, The Lost Girls will inspire anyone who has ever questioned the track she or he is following or longed to strike out in a new direction."

We might not have made our pact above a waterfall in the Argentinean jungle or have glamorous New York City jobs (at least not yet) but we made a pact nonetheless and we did it for the exact same reasons Jennifer, Holly and Amanda do in the book, even though our circumstances are a little different.

The story, divided into sections and told by all three girls about their year-long trip around the world really hit home for me. Not only because they are dealing with a lot of the same issues and feelings of uncertainty I am having at this time in my life, but also because reading about their experiences while traveling gave me a preview of what our own trip will be like. Their stories include scary moments, funny memories, times that bonded them forever and also times they had to get away from each other! The girls are easy to identify with and remind me of my own friends and myself. The book brings up many of the issues young women will encounter while traveling, including everything from safety concerns to how many night out dresses you can fit in a backpack (Lost Girls Verdict: Not very many).

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to travel, especially girls in their twenties. The book is exceptionally well written and made me laugh, reflect and get really excited to leave everything behind for a little while!

Also, check out the Lost Girls Website. What started as their travel blog has turned into a travel and lifestyle resource!

Making A Plan

Staring to plan an 8 week backpacking trip is a pretty daunting task..... We realized this when we first sat down earlier this summer to begin the process. It's hard to figure out where to start! There are soooo many things to consider: Budget (How much can we spend and how do we know how far that is going to take us?), Timing (when to go and how long to stay in each location), Accommodations (Do we book hostels before we go or wait until we get there?) and my favorite part of the planning process.... developing an itinerary! We started out sprawled out in the corner of Barnes and Noble with probably 10 guide books. While these will be helpful when planning what to do in each place and where to stay, we found the internet to be most helpful starting off. During a Google Search I found a webpage (First Time Europe by Rick Steves) that mapped out an itinerary containing many of the places we wanted to go and for the right amount of time! Even the description fit us perfectly, "two months, plenty of energy and a desire to see as much of Europe as possible!" Using Rick Steve's itinerary as our foundation, we made some slight modifications (8 days in Scandinavia wasn't going to work) and developed our own perfect itinerary! Here is what we came up with:

London (U.K.)
Loire Valley or Bordeaux (France)
Lisbon (Portugal)
Valencia (Spain)
Barcelona (Spain)
South of France
Cinque Terre (Italy)
Rome (Italy)
Naples/Capri (Italy)
Florence, Venice, Verona (Italy)
Switzerland
Munich (Germany)
Salzburg (Austria)
Prague (Czech Republic)
Berlin (Germany)
Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Pretty extensive list, huh? It was actually longer at first and we had trouble trimming it down. Once we reached this list though, we just couldn't eliminate anymore places. Each of these stops is a "must-see" for at least one of us! Are there any other "must-sees" we overlooked? Are there any of these places that don't live up to the hype? I'm sure some of you will notice one big city missing from the list.....Paris! We all agreed to skip it. Each of us had the chance to visit Paris on our study abroad trips and felt that is wasn't somewhere we had to visit again. I know it sounds crazy, but I didn't love Paris as much as I thought I would! Should we give it another chance?

Please let me know your thoughts/advice on our tentative plan!