Great Ocean Road - Day 1
We are spending this week driving along the Great Ocean Road, an Australian National Heritage stretch of road beginning outside of Melbourne. We rented a car Monday morning and started our journey.
Read MoreYarra Bend Park
Yesterday, Alex and I explored Yarra Bend Park, the largest area of natural bushland near Melbourne. We choose the Dights Falls path which follows the river around the park. The walk took us a little over an hour and there were lots of other people and cyclists on the trail.
Read MoreBrighton Beach
Alex and I spent Thursday at Brighton Beach. The beach is a 30-minute train ride from Melbourne and is famous for its 82 bathing boxes painted in a rainbow of colors. Many of these bathing boxes were built over a 100 years ago when beachgoers were more modest and neck-to-knees bathing suits were the style.
Read MoreSt. Kilda
We spent Wednesday exploring St. Kilda Beach. The beach is only a mile and a half from our Airbnb and we were able to walk there in about 45 minutes. Although not one of the prettiest beaches we've been too, it certainly made for a lovely day walking around the pier and relaxing in the sand.
Read MoreCentral Business District - Part II
Alex and I headed back to the Central Business District (CBD) on Monday to continue our sightseeing in this area. We woke up to a sudden rainstorm, but thankfully, it didn't last long and shortly after we jumped on the train and headed back into the city center.
Read MoreCentral Business District - Part I
Sunday was our first day venturing outside of our neighborhood and we started with the Central Business District (CBD). Melbourne was founded in 1835 by settler John Batman when he decided a point on the Yarra River would be "the place for a village".
Read MoreG'day Australia!
We arrived in Melbourne on Friday after a 26-hour journey from Omaha! Luckily, we were able to sleep on the plane and made it through customs without any problems.
Read MoreDoors of Portugal
To my surprise, one of my favorite things to photograph in Portugal were the doors! They were so colorful, bright, and many had unique doorknobs and handles.
Read MoreTchau Portugal
We are back in the States and enjoying our time in New York. I can not believe we have wrapped up the first five months of our travels. Alex and I enjoyed Portugal immensely and I'm so glad we were able to spend this time traveling around the country. It will be an experience I will not soon forget.
Read MoreCascais
On Tuesday, Alex and I took the train to Cascais, a once sleepy fishing village, 30 minutes outside of Lisbon. Nowadays, it is a popular beach destination with lots of restaurants, museums and a busy marina. Cascais is also the birthplace of James Bond. Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond books while living here and was inspired by the village.
Read MoreMuseu Nacional do Azulejo
Yesterday we visited the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum). Azulejo comes from the Arab word azzelij or al zuleycha, which means "small polished stone" and Portugal is known for its decorative tiles. This is especially true in Lisbon where so many of the buildings are covered in colorful tiles. The museum is housed in a 16th-century convent and the collection has tiles dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
Read MoreParis - Part II
We arrived back in Lisbon from Paris last night and only have five full days left in Portugal before heading back home to the States to celebrate the holidays with friends and family! We had an amazing time in France and I'm so glad we decided to fit this in before we leave Europe. It was the perfect way to start the holiday season as the city was lit up in Christmas lights and festive decorations.
Read MoreParis- Part I
Bonjour! Alex and I are having a great time in Paris - despite not seeing the sun since we've arrived! It is such a beautiful city and we have enjoyed seeing the sights and eating our weight in baguettes and pastries!
Read MoreLisbon
We arrived in Lisbon on Wednesday and have spent the past few days touring around and seeing the sights. It is much more spread out than Porto and there are SO. MANY. HILLS! Lisbon is built on seven hills which is not only great for your calves (ha!), but also makes from some beautiful views. It is also one of the oldest capital cities in Europe, second to Athens and was first ruled by the Romans, Germans, and Arabs before Portuguese crusaders finally conquered it.
Read MoreBelém
On Sunday, we took the bus to Belém, a district west of Central Lisbon. We started our morning at Pasteis de Belem, a famous pastry shop in the area. They are known for their pastal de natas (one of my favorite Portuguese treats - an egg custard tart) and the shop has been around since the 1830's. Alex and I each got one pastal de nata, a bola de berlim (custard filled donut) and a ham and chess puff pastry. When in doubt, choose everything that looks good right?!?!
Read MoreSintra
Since I started planning for our Portugal trip way back over the summer, there was one place I was very much looking forward to visiting - Sintra. It is a town set in the foothills of the Serra Mountains, a 40-minute train ride from Lisbon. You can find multiple palaces, beautiful wooded forests, and stunning views.
Read MorePorto Bridges Cruise
As Porto boarders the Douro River, there is an opportunity to take a short boat tour to see the six bridges that separate Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. The boat cruise starts in the Ribeira quay and makes it way up and down the Douro River. It was a nice way to see the river and the cities from this perspective.
Read MoreVila Nova de Gaia
Across the Douro River from Porto is Vila Nova de Gaia, the traditional home of Port wine. Wine must be produced in the Douro Valley to be considered a Port wine, but many of the major Port producers in Portugal continue to age their wines within the cellars that line this area.
Read MoreAveiro
Yesterday, we rented a car and drove an hour south to the coastal town of Aveiro. It is known as the "Venice of Portugal" thanks to a small network of canals. It was certainly more modern than I expected and we spent the morning touring around the city center and taking a ride on one of the molicieros - a traditional seaweed-harvesting boat now used for sightseeing around the canals.
Read MorePorto
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone is enjoying their turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie! Portugal does not serve whole turkeys here and I have been unable to find a can of pumpkin pie mix to save my life, so while I'm still able to watch the Macy's Day Parade online, Alex and I are going out for Indian food. If I can't have turkey, might as well enjoy a little chicken tiki masala and garlic naan!! #AmIright?!?
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