Spring Break 2003...

So I decided that I should do spring break once as a college student and picked Hawaii as the place to go.  Problem, Hawaii is expensive and most college students are broke.  So my traveling companion was my mom since she had money and no one else that I knew did.  It turned out to be a great trip.  Hawaii is everything you dream it is.  Vibrant colors, perfect weather and pricey food.  My mom and I spent six  nights in Honolulu, Oahu.  Yes, this is the main tourist stop, but for your first trip to the Hawaiian Islands, it's a great starting point.  The best part about the 8 hour flight was landing at the Honolulu Intl Airport, seeing the bright green plants, the many palm trees and smelling the Hawaiian air.  It was cold and snowy in Chicago so this was a great way to start Spring Break!  The first night we ate at Cheeseburger in Paradise and I had a Mai Tai.  I discovered that I do not like Mai Tais and have never had one since.  So much for tropical drinks!  Our hotel was a few blocks in from the beach, but we still had a pretty decent view out the window. 

Day 1 was spent visiting Pearl Harbor.  The memorial itself was closed due to maintenance, but the museum was open and we enjoyed that.  I then made my mom come with me to Aloha Stadium so I could get a picture for my NFL stadium book.  They have a great flea market there on the weekend so we got to check out some Hawaiian stuff. 

The next day we took the bus around the whole island.  We went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation.  This is an awesome place if you like pineapples.  We made it through the giant maze and had some Dole Whip, which is one of the best dessert things ever.  Then we went to Waimea Bay, which is up on the North Shore and watched the giant waves.  Saw some whales way off in the distance.  My first whale sighting ever.  Too bad they were so far away.   Continued on the bus back to Honolulu.  The scenery is so beautiful everywhere you go!

Day 3 was spent checking out the Punchbowl, which is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.  I recommend stopping here if you are in Honolulu.  The cemetery is nice and the views are amazing.  The rest of the day was spent at Waikiki Beach because that's what you do when you are on Oahu!

Day 4 we spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  This is like a living history type place with recreations of villages of the various Pacific Island groups that ended up in Hawaii.  I did not enjoy it, but I did enjoy the luau and show after.  The food was delicious and all the fire and dancing was very impressive.

Our last full day was spent snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.  First you watch a short video about what you might see and what you can and cannot do while snorkeling.  Then you head down to the beach and get your snorkeling gear.  The fish in the bay come in all different colors and sizes and shapes.  We stuck to the shallow water so we did not see anything exciting like turtles or octopus or anything, but the fish were fun to watch.  I wasn't sure if I would enjoy snorkeling, but it was so relaxing and very enjoyable.  And yes, the water really is that blue!

The last day we took the bus to Diamond Head to see how far we could get before we had to turn around and head to the airport.  We did not make it all the way up, but I bet the views at the top would be spectacular.

The thing about Hawaii is, it's pretty much exactly what you think of when you hear Hawaii.  Every day was about 80 and sunny.  People walk around barefoot and go into stores and restaurants in bathing suits and surfing gear.  You have to watch out so as not to hit your head on a surfboard, not an umbrella, when walking down the sidewalk.  Everything is expensive, but you're in Hawaii so who really cares!  I think I had a pretty good spring break, considering it was the only college one I had and it was with my mom.  We had a great time!

Sibling trip to San Francisco

In June of 2005, my sister Renee and I took a 4 night trip to San Francisco.  We decided it was the best trip either of us had ever been on!  San Francisco has many attractions.  Our favorite was Pier 39 and the sea lions.  We spent a lot of time just sitting and watching them.  Not that we didn't do other things as well.  We went for rides on the cable cars, took a boat over to Alcatraz, ate at In-n-Out, took a Bay Cruise, ate a dinner of ice cream sundaes at Ghirardelli, walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, checked out a beach and watched the seals some more.  When traveling to San Francisco, I highly recommend the trip to Alcatraz.  Get the audio tour, which guides you around and has actual interviews with some of the inmates.  I enjoy touring old prisons and Alcatraz was pretty impressive as well as creepy.  The island is a big nesting ground for lots of birds and I managed to avoid getting pooped on.  This happens to me a lot when traveling so it was a pretty big accomplishment!  The Bay Cruise that we took was pretty nice.  Our tour went out under the Golden Gate Bridge, around Alcatraz and back to the dock.  The wind was ridiculous, but otherwise it was a wonderful way to see San Francisco from the water.  I would also highly recommend walking on the Golden Gate Bridge.  It took us maybe an hour to walk to the other side and then back again.  There are small tourist centers on either side.  The one on the San Francisco side has food, but we didn't actually walk all the way to the one on the other side so I'm not sure about that one.  Now, the bridge is pretty high up and I am not fond of heights, but it wasn't that bad.  The views are definitely worth it! 

I'm sure there are lots of shops and fancy restaurants in San Francisco, but we didn't see any of that.  We ate at In-n-Out, a little place called Lori's Diner, had hot dogs and pizza at the Bridge, clam chowder and crab cocktail from little vendors along the Wharf, and probably Subway.  Our hotel was several blocks from the Wharf, but it was within walking distance.  We did a lot of stuff for not a lot of money.  San Francisco is certainly a city that is doable on a very small budget and I would highly recommend going!

My very first trip alone...

In May of 2004, I graduated from college and thought a trip to Europe on my own would be a great idea!  So I booked a flight to Salzburg, Austria, via Amsterdam, the Netherlands.  After a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam and a short flight, I arrived in Salzburg.  Then had to find my way to the downtown and then to my hotel.  Needless to say, it was exhausting and caused me to decide that this traveling on my own was not such a great idea.  Probably not a wise choice to pick a country where English is not really the first language!  I spent three full days in Salzburg and saw a lot of Mozart, Sound of Music and European buildings.

From Salzburg, I took the train to Prague, Czech Republic.  The minute we crossed from Austria to the Czech Republic you could see the difference.  The houses were more run down and some looked like small sheds.  Not the cute Alpine homes that lined the route in Austria.  The towns we rode through were dirtier.  I finally arrived in Prague and took a cab ride (ridiculously expensive) to my hotel.  I was supposed to spend several days in Prague, but had arranged to fly out the next day and cut the trip short.  

Looking back, I have decided that I would love to go again and would be much more prepared to deal with layovers and lack of sleep.  The Amsterdam airport has a hotel that you can get rooms by the hour (not just an Amsterdam thing) and you can also take tours from the airport to the Anne Frank House.  Definitely should have done that.  Salzburg was so nice.  The city was clean, the people were friendly and the scenery was amazing!  The hills really are alive with the sound of music!  The little bit that I saw of Prague was a bit scarier.  There was graffiti, which I did not see any of in Salzburg, and the streets weren't as inviting.  I think I would be able to do it now, but I wasn't ready in 2004.  All that being said, I was a big wimp and gave up too easily.  But it was a learning experience and one that I won't be repeating when I have such a great opportunity to experience a different country and culture!

View from my hotel room in Salzburg

My favorite travel picture.  The city of Salzburg!

The Fortress

Best ice cream ever!

About my blog

Every time I take a trip, I bring my travel journal.  My parents made us write in a notebook every night when we would take a summer vacation.  At the time, I don't know how excited I was, but now I make sure that I document what I did each day.  It's a great way to remember all the little things that happened after you get back and everyone asks "What did you do?" or "What was your favorite thing?" and you can't remember what you did on the first day.  The problem is, the travel journal is at my house and on paper so it's hard to share.  So I thought I would get with the times and start an online travel journal.  The main reason to start it is for my upcoming trip to New Zealand with my sister.  It will be nice to be able to post what we are doing as we are on our trip.  So we'll see how it goes and if anyone even reads it.  I'll post a few things about past trips to get myself familiar with the whole blogging thing.  Enjoy!