The girl in the purple jacket: travel inspiration

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quarta-feira, 30 de novembro de 2016

3 things for my future bucket list

On my previous post I shared with you 3 things on my travel bucket list I have already done. On this one I will share 3 things and only 3, although the list is bigger, I haven't done yet.

I must say that I don't put a limit to when I need to check an item off my travel bucket list, just as long as I plan well enough to someday conquer this travel dream.

1. Road trip across the USA: this is an old one. One of my biggest travel dreams and yet to be fulfilled. So, why haven't I done this yet? I still haven't finished planning! Sometimes, I say I need a month to do it, sometimes I say, "To hell with it, I'm gonna stay the whole 3 months I am allowed in the country!". I have drafted dozens of itineraries. From New York to California is my first option, but then what about Key West?, and Route 66?, I may drop by Montreal, I also should go up to Seattle, but if I am already there I can also visit Vancouver and once in Vancouver, why not go all the way to Alaska? Do you see my dilemma? I want to visit all the states and maybe more! Of course that when I am planning these itineraries I never think about how much money I would actually have to spend in one month road tripping across the USA. And it's a lot! Back to the list... but one day it will become a reality. Then I will definitely write a huge post about it!

2. Italy from North to South: oh Italy... a place I have never been to but would love to spend a long time there. I want to visit Italy from North to South, South to North. Don't know exactly why I would love to go to Italy this bad, but there is something about the food, the language, the monuments that attract me.

3. Giraffe Manor Hotel: this is a very recent item that went to my travel bucket list. Have you ever seen those pictures or videos of giraffes sticking their heads into windows and people feeding them? I thought this was a type of photoshopped picture, but it isn't! The giraffes stick their heads into windows at the Giraffe Manor Hotel in Kenya. How cool is that?! And you can also see Pumba from the Lion King in the hotel. Ok, not actually Pumba, but this is how I'm gonna call them! Staying at this hotel is definitely not for the budget traveler that I am, but this is the reason why I have a savings account!

Here you have 3 very different places on my travel bucket list yet to fulfilled: the USA, Italy and Kenya. Don't know long it's going to take me to one day check them off my list, but it doesn't matter, planning is also part of the fun. In these 3 places what I want the most is to collect amazing and unforgettable experiences. You know that book "Eat, Pray, Love"? This will be my Drive, Eat, Relax type of travel!

quarta-feira, 21 de setembro de 2016

BERLIN: the tour for nerds

I am a huge fan of free walking tours! I started taking them more than six years ago and now when I am planning a trip one of the first things I research is: are there free walking tours?

They are usually in English, but some also offer it in Spanish, French or German upon group request. Many of them don't request reservation, just your punctuality at the meeting point. They guide you and your group, around 15 people, through the city's most important sights, and some hidden gems too, always full of information and curiosities. It usually takes 2 hours or more, with a short stop for coffee, and at the end of it you give them a tip if you think their tour was worth it. A little secret: it always is!

When my husband and I planned our trip to Berlin, we could only think about the history immersion we would have in such an important scenery of World History, and a free walking tour, would be the best way to go.

It really is a tour for nerds, and if you are really into history, the free walking tour may even include a space for Q&A.

We decided to take Sandeman's New Berlin Free Tour. Our meeting point was in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Just by being there your mind starts to flash you images of how that space was during the Third Reich. Countless pictures and plenty of history from our guide Sam, who, by the way, has a PhD in History. How awesome is that?! We could listen to him for hours because he guided us in Berlin with a strong passion for what he was talking about.

Free Walking Tour in front of the Berlin Wall

In a little more than 3 hours we visited the Brandenburg Gate, Hitler's bunker, the Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, SS Headquarters, The Berlin Wall, the TV tower, Pariser Platz, Lufwaffle Headquarters and Humboldt University.

The experience of being at a place that staged so much history and tragedy is something that touches you. To see the Berlin Wall right there in front of you and to imagine how life was at that time is just impossible. Without a doubt being close to the Berlin Wall is an unforgettable experience. All the region of the Berlin Wall carries a sad, silent and respectful air. The Museum of Terror was built behind it, and when you're there you see many students of all ages, many tourists, and utter silence. Pictures, videos, texts, miniature models, newspaper clips and Hitler's voice giving speeches. To listen to that man's voice while you are in front of the Berlin Wall, brings you an indescribable feeling. You feel like you are mourning the people who had to live through that time while it's so hard to believe that that unfortunately happened.

Needless to say that that was the part of the tour that left a mark in me. Our guide said that Germans know what happenned and everything is still there to remind people that it is extremely important that we learn from the past. They built an underground memorial with a glass roof in front of the Humboldt University. The memorial is bookshelves with no books, because of the book burn that occured in 1933 when they burned 20 thousand books following Hitler's orders just because they weren't in the nazi's terms.

It really is a tour for nerds and I recommend you get to do as many tours as possible - there are others, but they're all paid; all on my list when I go back to Berlin. Then, on the next day I suggest that you pick your favorite stops and go again with free time to really dive in to history.

So, that's it my fellow travelers, I hope I've inspired you to hop on a plane and go take a walking tour in Berlin!

domingo, 4 de setembro de 2016

Best sunset of Porto!

Every sunset is one of the best shows Nature allows us to admire.

My initial idea was to describe one of the best sunsets I have ever witnessed, and in my opinion, the sunset seen from Vila Nova de Gaia, in the north of Portugal, is one of the most beautiful and romantic sunsets for you to watch. But what better way for me to tell you about the sunset other than showing you pictures? So, here are some pictures I took of the mesmerizing sunset from Vila Nova de Gaia, across from Porto, both cities sharing the Douro river. Make sure you add this to your bucket list!