Last September, Derik and I took a spontaneous road trip to Brugge, Belgium. He had a hankering for a good Belgium beer, and I wanted to escape to a different country for an overnight trip. Knowing nothing of Belgium, we asked around (thanks Instagram Fam.) and the general consensus was to travel up to Brugge. It. Did. Not. Disappoint. The drive was a manageable 4hours 30 minutes, and we had zero issues with construction stalls, navigation errors, and finding our hotel. The tricky part was finding parking in September as most of the central parking lots were already full. We ended up parking at the enormous underground parking garage right next to the train station, and walked the 1.2 miles to our hotel (seriously an amazing walk on such ... Read More
Travel Guide to Krakow, Poland
A couple weeks ago a friend contacted me about taking a spontaneous trip to Krakow, Poland. I don’t know if it’s just because November is considered 'off-season' or Ryanair was having a promo, but I found direct airfare there for only 5 euro and 30 euro back. Yes, FIVE EURO. I couldn’t pass up such a sweet deal, and before I knew it I was squished in the middle seat on a crowded plane bound for Poland. I honestly did not know what to expect of Krakow, but thanks to Pinterest, Google, and constant Facebook messages with my travel buddy, we eventually hashed out a plan and were ready to take on the city. Thankfully our plans were flexible — we had a 'must-do’ list, but quite a few things we did weren’t actually on the schedule until we ... Read More
36 Hours in Istanbul, Turkey
Our visit to Istanbul seemed even shorter due to when we arrived: our plane landed at 4:00pm, we got to the Shangri-La around 6:00pm, and by the time we showered and ate, it was already dark outside. Derik and I make a point not to wander the streets of anywhere we aren’t familiar with until after we talk to the locals a bit about safe/unsafe areas, so instead of venturing out our first night in Istanbul, we decided to turn in early. Plans were made to spend a full day exploring Istanbul before we began our cruise through the Mediterranean and Aegean seas the day after. Although we visited Istanbul at a somewhat insecure time (when the mass migration from Syria and surrounding countries began), it was everything I had hoped for ... Read More
Visiting The World’s Largest Pumpkin Festival
I had to wait an entire year to write this post. Last Fall, Derik and I spent three months in Germany visiting my sister (the adorable girl you see in the post below with Derik is one of our nieces) and going on quite a few adventures…of which included The World’s Largest Pumpkin Festival. After our time in Germany was up, we moved to Alaska and spent a couple months getting stuff in order after our four years of living abroad. Before I knew it, pumpkin spice lattes were no longer in season, and the world was suddenly in full-blown Christmas/New Year’s mode. And then came Spring. By that point it would have been kind of ridiculous to post about a Fall festival — Spring is all about flowers, green grass, fresh air and sunshine. ... Read More
One day in Mykonos, Greece
Last year, Derik and I went on the most amazing Mediterranean cruise with Princess Cruises for our anniversary. I haven’t had much time to write about it, let alone go through pictures, and decided today was the day! Mykonos, Greece was our first port destination of the cruise that left out of Istanbul, and it didn’t disappoint. I mean, how could it?! I’ve always wanted to visit the island of white and blue, and with only 7 hours allowed to explore, we crammed in as much as we possibly could! Mykonos was exactly everything I had dreamed about and more. The white-washed walls, the pretty streets, flowering trees, colorful doors, delicious food, and stunning sights. Our short venture around the island wasn’t nearly long enough, and ... Read More
The LIAL Guide to Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea is one of the largest cities on earth. It is actually known as a 'megacity' because it's population soars above 10 million. If that isn't impressive enough, more than half of South Korea's inhabitants reside in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (including suburbs like Incheon and Gyeongi), making it the second largest metropolitan area in the world at 25 million residents. With it's 2000 year old history and unique Asian culture, no wonder travelers today are making plans to visit this vibrant city. SEOUL CITY GUIDE CONTENTS: 1. Know Before You Go 2. Where to Visit 3. Where to Shop 4. Where to Sleep 5. Something to Eat 6. Learn the Language (simple words) KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Population: 10.44 million within the ... Read More