After 6 long years, I am finally back on my way to Hawaii with Tony. I can’t believe it’s been so long since leaving LA and, in consequence, leaving the beautiful 24-hour layovers in Hawaii. My favorite then was Lihue (Kauai), but Maui is Tony’s favorite, as well as another dear friend of mine. I’m excited to explore more for the next 10 days!

We woke up bright and early in Boston at 3AM to make a 6:50 flight to Seattle. We got upgraded to Comfort+ and took advantage of a free mimosa to celebrate the beginning of our trip. We passed the nearly 6 hour flight by watching the first two John Wick movies. Neither of us had seen any of them, so we figured now would be the perfect time for a movie marathon.

Before we knew it, we were landing in a cloudy Seattle, with no views of Mt. Rainier. Bummer! If you’ve flown into SeaTac, then you know the view I’m talking about, hehe. I could take hundreds of photos of it, and it would still not be enough. We found a lounge we could get into with Priority Pass, and we had a few drinks and some snacks while we waited for the flight to Maui. When I tell you this was the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had, it’s the truth! It was spicy and so flavorful! My goal now is to concoct my own BM recipe and perfect it! Hehe

We didn’t get upgraded for the flight to Maui, but we did get a row to ourselves! Love when that happens! We finished up the third John Wick movie and then watched Sherlock Holmes. The closer we got, the more excitement permeated the entire airplane. JUST before landing, we could finally see some of the island, and it was tantalizing. We’re so close!

Once we arrived, Tony texted his friend Christian, and we worked our way to baggage claim. The long-awaited reunion between these two was almost as if it was out of a movie, nearly running towards each other, both with beards they didn’t have the last time, embracing each other in a heartfelt hug.

We grabbed our luggage and quickly made our way to a food truck plaza for some much needed dinner. We hadn’t really eaten much besides snacks and leftover pizza the entire day.. nearly 20 hours total of travel time. Tony and I shared a Poke bowl, and I ordered pulled pork sliders, and he ordered buffalo chicken sliders.

After polishing off our delcious meals, we made our way to Christian’s parents’ house, who were kind enough to allow us to stay with them on our trip. The house is amazing! Really unique octagonal architecture and a huge porch in the back, with a view of the town lights and chickens in the yard. We finished the tour and decided to call it a night. We were exhausted after all, and the shower was calling our name.

Day 2:

Holy Moly, did we sleep like rocks! The room we’re staying in has a couple of fans, and it was the perfect temperature. Warm enough to almost not need a blanket, but cool enough to wrap up and cuddle with it. Glorious.

We awoke early to the sound of roosters and to the needs of our bladders. We slept in for another several hours, truly recovering from our long travel day. And when we finally got up to get ready for our first day, we noticed fresh squeezed orange juice in the bathroom for us. How sweet! And how yummy it was! Tart and fresh and the perfect way to start off the morning. As we were getting ready, we wanted to pass off a small gift we had brought for our kind hosts, some coffee from New England, and a Boston mug. Christian’s mom, Susan, then offered to make us lattes. How could we say no? Hehe. After humbly denying the fact she wasn’t a barista, Susan brought us the most delicious and frothy lattes…..again, what better way to start the day! Hehe, mahalo! We chatted with Susan and Gerry, getting to know them a little better.

Soon though, we parted ways, and Tony and I began packing a day pack for the beach. Today was all about relaxation and a slow introduction to the island. But first, a stop at Baked on Maui, a delicious coffee spot Tony came to every day when he last stayed in this area, and highly recommended by my friend, Jaimee. I got more coffee and a skillet breakfast that was to die for, and Tony got a chai latte and a BLT. We’ll definitely be stopping by here again, if not every day, hehe.

Once we finished our breakfast/lunch, we meandered our way through sleepy Paia and towards the beach. We ended up at the Secret Beach, not so secret, but also not very busy at all. The waves here were quite large and intimidating. I may have mentioned before that I have a healthy respect for the power of the ocean. She is not to be messed with, hehe. I never got in further than my knees, but Tony bravely went further, and I watched as he got knocked around, confirming my decision to stay at the edge of the surf, hehe.

There were plenty of boogie boarders and a couple of surfers out, but the most inestering one was a man with a remote controlled surfboard toy. We couldn’t wait to see him put that baby in action, lol. It was so cool! And we had never seen nor heard of anything like it. You just never know what you’ll stumble across.

We walked down towards the end of the beach where the ruins of an old bunker stood, holding on for dear life. As we approached the dilapidated structure, we saw a sea turtle on the beach. He didn’t look so hot, and we wondered if it was even alive. It had a big tumor-like mass next to its head, and one of its eyes looked worse for wear. As we’re trying to decide if it’s alive or not, a big wave came up and submerged the little guy, and it was enough to disturb his deep sleep. He moved his head around a bit and eventually put it back down and returned to a deathly still sleep. We hope he was healthy enough to eventually get back into the water.

After several hours, we packed our things and decided to try another beach, one that I had found, called Baby Beach. Named because the beach was protected by a rock reef/sand bar, and the waves were not as strong; perfect for small children and, Amelia, lol. There were two sides to this beach, and on the left, we could see the ‘Īao Valley Mountains, and there were a ton of big volcanic boulders we could walk across, with small tide pools in between. Lots of little fishes and crabs.

The Baby Beach side was really cute and lived up to its name…A bunch of families with small kids, hehe. Perhaps because of the rock outcropping, this beach also had a lot of shells and rocks to look at while walking along.

We saw another sea turtle here, too! She was HUGE! Way bigger than the last one we had seen. And it even took us a minute to see her. We probably would’ve tripped over her if we were paying any less attention, hehe. It was so cool to see these two sea turtles just lounging on the sand, and nobody was bothering them. I hope we get to see more!

After waking around here a bit, we decided to head back to town for some dinner. The traffic was horrendous. But, it didn’t take long before we reached a public parking lot and were lucky enough to find a spot! We strolled around and window shopped for a bit before deciding on eating at the Paia Coffee and Bar Company. They had live music and a very open space.

We enjoyed a couple of cocktails here, a Bloody Mary that paled in comparison to that of the airport lounge, hehe, and a coconut espresso martini….yum! Hehe. We shared a dish called the local moco….absolutely phenomenal; wagyu beef with rice, carmelized onions, pickled cabbage, and a very tasty sauce.

After dinner we went for some gelato! I got POG (passionfruit, orange, guava) and haipu (a creamy coconut flavor). The person who served us said he used to work for Delta in Venezuela! How funny that I’d run into another Delta employee.

Once we had our fill, we drove back to our lovely accommodations to call it a night.

Day 3:

Started the day off right at Baked on Maui for some breakfast and some coffee. Love this place!

We met up with Christian and Paige, and they drove us up on the road to Hana a little bit to a bamboo forest that was off the side of the road. Literally, we parked the car and then tried to find an opening in the bamboo to get in. If it looks like the trail, it is the trail, haha. It was surreal being in the midst of so much bamboo…looking left, and looking right through all the plants almost made you feel dizzy.

We meandered our way down to a beautiful river and began following a trail alongside the river and hopping across rocks to make progress closer and closer to some waterfalls. We saw 3 medium-sized waterfalls, all absolutely beautiful! Next to one of them, in order to continue on the trail, we had to climb a ladder and use a knotted rope to hoist ourselves up to the next level. Talk about some adventure! Haha.

But we weren’t done there….we kept going until we came to what looked like the last of the waterfalls, and we noticed a bunch of belongings scattered along a rock ledge. Paige and Christian began to unload their shoes and clothes, preparing to jump off the rock into the river, where we would then swim to get up close and personal with this “last” waterfall.

We jump in tentatively, knowing the water is going to be chilly. What an understatement that was! Haha, the water felt frigid! But off we go! Haha. We were told earlier about a waterfall scramble, and I sort of just went along with it, not really knowing what that meant. Maybe the ladder and rope we climbed? Nope!

Literally, we would be scrambling up the waterfall to the next level of the river. Ummm……okay? Is this really safe? Lol. Paige goes first and monkeys herself up in no time, followed by Tony, who gets up pretty quickly, and then it’s my turn. I watched how they got up, but there was a point where I didn’t feel secure enough to hoist myself up with the handholds I had found. Tony grabbed my hand and helped pull me up. Not sure I could’ve done it without him! Hehe, thank you! Mahalo!

As soon as we had achieved what felt impossible, we were hugely rewarded with the most magnificent waterfall of all! It was easily 5 times taller than all the others we had seen and was just gorgeous! The death-defying waterfall scramble was worth it! We sat on some dry rocks to try and warm up, but it didn’t help much, hehe. The sun didn’t reach this low in the valley, and we were just gonna have to suck it up and let the beauty of the view warm us from the inside out.

After basking in our achievements and the view, we made our way back. Thankfully, we had the option to jump back in by the waterfall we scrambled up. I wouldn’t want to do that in reverse, lol. We did our best to dry out a little bit before gathering our things and making our way back towards the car.

I had decided on the way in to go barefoot, as my trail sneakers were no match for the slippery mud and rocks, which worked for me for quite a while, but then, I leaped from on rock to another to cross the river, and I came down hard on my right heel. Ouch! I felt the shockwave go through my body. Well, that sucks. Nothing was broken, and all in all, a minor injury, but not very comfortable! Haha. I hobbled around on the rocks until we got to a place I could put on my shoes. At least my poor heel had some cushion, even if I was slipping and sliding, lol.

We drove back to Haiku and stopped to grab some post-hike grub at a food truck area. I had one of the best Mediterranean plates I’ve ever had! Would love to go back before we leave the island.

After our lunch/dinner, we walked over to the local market and picked up some beer to enjoy while we sat out by the pool at the house. This pool was beautiful! It had a grotto with a waterfall when turned on. Hehe. The pool looked like it hadn’t been used for a while, so we opted not to get in. It was also pretty cold, and we were still warming up from the cold river water. Hehe. But, the four of us hung out and enjoyed our beers for a while until it was dark, and then we called it a night.

Stay tuned for more Maui adventures! 😉

Our next adventure takes us to Dublin! I can’t wait for a fresh Guinness! Haha

As we’re getting ready to leave the hotel, the elevator doors open, and we see my friend, Josie, getting ready to head up the elevator we were getting out of! We had no idea the other would be in Dublin today, so it was quite the fun shock, and she nearly knocked me off my feet with a running hug, and I can’t think of a better way to start the day, hehe. We made brief plans to meet up later, but first, she needed a nap. Fair enough, hehe. We’ll be in touch! 😁

We begin our day with a tour of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I have been by here in past travels, but have never taken the time to do the tour. Heather had come here many years ago with her Mom, so we decided to pay homage and did the tour. It was beautiful! The stained glass windows are stunning, and of course, all the history surrounding the church was hard to surpass. It was a great way to start a long day of walking around yet another city!

Next stop was the Dublin Castle, which, if you’ve been, you’ll know that there really isn’t much left. There is one big castle-like tower and an old chapel, but the rest was destroyed long ago, and now there are colonial style municipal buildings in the area where the castle once loomed over the city. We did a walk by and snapped a few photos and continued on our way to something we both were looking forward to very much: The Book of Kells. 😁

We had plenty of time, so we found the entrance to Trinity College and then decided it may be a great time for some caffeine to boost our sleepy slow morning. Right across the street from the college was Butlers Chocolate Cafe. Ummm..yes please! Heather got a chai latte, and I got a mocha. I think mine had more chocolate to coffee, which was delicious, just a tad sweet, and I really needed the caffeine boost, lol. Our drinks came with a little chocolate truffle, and those were killer! So tasty! I’m so glad we had a pitstop, because for whatever reason, I was feeeling it this morning, lol. 😅🤣

The actual book of Kells was inside a giant glass box and open to one page. I can’t imagine how else it could be displayed, but it honestly wasn’t much to look at. It was amazing to be there and to see such an old book, but anyone is probably better off looking at the images of all the pages online. 😅.

The second half of the Book of Kells tour was the library! This was right up my alley. 😍 Absolutely stunning! It immediately reminded of Harry Potter, with floor to ceiling book shelves lining the narrow hall, completely with ancient looking books, and tall and skinny ladders on wheels to move about and select your book of choice. I loved being in this space and can only imagine what kinds of texts are there, and for how long they have adorned the shelves here at Trinity College.

After our jaunt through the college campus, we headed to a bar called Doyle’s, where our friend, Dana, recommended we go. Dana used to live in Dublin, and this was one of her go-to spots, so we had to swing by and check it out! It’s always time for a Guinness, right? Hehe.

We each grab a pint and take a nice long swig of the black gold that is Guinness. It tastes so much better here in Ireland than it does back in the States. I even brought some home and did a side by side taste test with my boyfriend, Tony, and it was night a day! I wasn’t convinced, thinking it could be a placebo effect of some kind…once you hear the rumor enough, you begin to believe it, but it’s factual! Guinness bought in the States is more watered down and lacks a certain nutty deliciousness that is very forward in Guinness straight from the source. It’ll be difficult to ever drink Guinness in the States again….😅😂

As we enjoy our Guinness, we plan our next steps. We want to go check out the store that our friend Dana opened. It’s across the river and not a very long walk from Doyles, so we decided to swing by there and then double back across the river on the Ha’ Penny Bridge. This drops us right in the Temple Bar area, so of course, we had to take a few pictures of the infamous and iconic Temple Bar. Little did we know, we’d be ending our night in there as well. Hehe 😅🤣. More on that later 🤣.

From here, we snagged an Uber and went straight to the Guinness Brewery. We wanted to make sure we got to do this before they closed. With some trouble securing tickets online, we head inside to buy them the old-fashioned way, but the line was long, and we had other things to do. So we try again on my phone to buy tickets, and success! So we exit the manual line and head back in with our electronic tickets displayed proudly on my phone, haha. 

This is now my 3rd time in the Guinness Brewery, and I still think it’s just as cool as the first time. We meander our way through the maze that is the brewery, learning about how Guinness is made, taking an expertly led tasting experience, seeing how the ads have changed over the years, and taking a quick snack break. We shared a giant grilled cheese, but it was a deluxe bougie grilled cheese, hehe. It was so amazing, and so needed at that moment in time. We knew we’d be having dinner soon, so we were trying to wait, but we were slowing down big time 😂. After our snack, we continued onwards and eventually ended up at the 360 view bar at the top. We exchange our drink coupons and get a pint of Guinness. 

It was crowded and hot up there, so we quickly drank our Guinness, but we were sure to savor every sip. Once we were done, we climbed back down allllllll the stairs to the first level where the gift shop was. We spent some time there, picked out a few goodies to bring home, and were outta there. 

We opt to walk to our next destination, which is to meet up with my friend Josie. Heather and I want to go to another restaurant Dana recommended to us, O’Neil’s, for dinner. But first, Josie wants us to meet for a drink at a bar one of her friend’s owns. Twist my arm! Hehe. So we head over, and eventually Josie’s friend, the owner, comes to find us, as we’re having trouble locating the right spot. Josie had already moved to a second bar, one that had just opened a week ago, owned by the same friend. We got to see a bit of the first place, which looked amazing, the Market Bar, and the next one was Ciss Maddens Public House. 😊

Josie is in the front of the bar in a tiny little out cropping, which is a super cute private little area. I’ve never seen anything like it before. So Heather and I grab some drinks and visit with Josie. It was soooooo good to see her! It’s been wildly busy lately, so we haven’t planned a girls’ trip we try to do every year with another one of our friends. So this impromptu meetup was perfect! 

At one point, mid conversation, Josie dashes out of the bar like a bat out of hell, and Heather and I are laughing hysterically, but what we didn’t see, at least initially, was that Josie spotted an empty table outside! So she ran straight to it and saved it for us, hehe. We had been keeping our eye out the entire time. 😂 Nice work, Josie! Thank you! So we each grab one more drink while enjoying the outdoor setting, and plan to head for dinner afterward. 

Dinner at O’Neil’s was yummy, but I’ve had better meals in Dublin. Sorry, Dana! Hehe. I got a traditional Irish Stew, but my favorite is always the Guinness and Beef stew. I shouldn’t have strayed, lol. Lesson learned, though! 

After dinner, Josie takes on a little mini-pub crawl, and we’re in search of some live music that has more traditional Irish instruments: a violin and a flute/piccolo of some kind, hehe. 

One of the bars she took us to used to be an old Bank, and the interior was absolutely stunning! We had a good time in there enjoying our fancy drinks and the gorgeous atmosphere. I would definitely come back here! 😁

Next up was Temple Bar for…….3 shots of whiskey! Lol When in Dublin! 😅😂We stay in there a hot minute…literally…..its packed full of drunk tourists, and we get out as quick as we can, haha. Onto the next! We stop in a few places, and Josie reached out to her friend to ask for recommendations on where we might find some live Irish music, and we must have gone to 3 or 4 places, and nothing. It was kind of a bummer, but it was fun to see all these different places. By the last place, we had nearly completely lost steam and decided we’d better head back to the hotel. 

Josie guides us and takes us to the train, and we wait around a bit before the train comes and whisks us off towards the hotel. A short walk from the train station, and we’re back where we started about 12 hours earlier. It’s definitely time for a shower and a bed 😂. 

Another successful layover trip for Amelia and Heather! Hooray! No matter how tiring they may be, they’re always worth it, and I can’t wait for the next one! 😁

Heather and I are back it! And this time we’re set to explore Lisbon! 🤗

The timing of this trip was a bit different, and we were slotted to arrive around 11am. We had a nice bit of a delay on deplaning, so we got to the hotel around noon or just after. And of course, we had to take a few minutes to refresh and shower, so we didn’t leave the hotel until 1:30. With less time than Amsterdam, we would have to hustle to see all the things. Good thing Heather is a super planner! 🤗😁

One of the first most striking things we saw were the vibrant purple Jacaranda trees! I just love these! I’ve seen the spring blooms while living in LA, but Lisbon was chock full of them on every street, and they were all in their purple glory! Hehe. Love at first sight 😍🤩🤗.

Our first order of business was to enjoy a relaxing and informative hop on hop off bus. We rationalized it would be a nice change of pace to enjoy some of the views and orient ourselves while realxing and not adding insane miles to our daily total, as we did in Amsterdam. 😅🤣

We ultimately decided the hop on hop off wasn’t worth the money. We paid about 22 euro each, and we only rode it twice. So it was just over $10/ride when the uber/bolts we took were around $3-$4/each, hehe. But, we expected to listen to a little history and get the lay of the land. Well, we neglected to bring headphones, and we didn’t notice any available on the bus, so we weren’t really sure what we were near, besides my limited memory of the city layout, hehe. Lesson learned here! Haha. Never take the lazy route 😅🤣.

We finally decide to get off at the top of a big hill, where the National Palace is. We figured we could walk downhill towards the Monestary and then the Belem Tower. We stroll around the Palace, which has a couple of different museums, and neither of us is super interested in being indoors, but we do go into one to use their bathroom. We’re learning, Dana! Haha 😄

Turns out, the National Palace is beautiful! Our interest is peaked in a tour, but we choose to enjoy what architecture we can see on the way to the bathroom and to continue our city tour outside.

With that, we were off on our downhill walk towards the Monestary. We didn’t make it far before Heather realizes the sandals she’s wearing are not well suited for the hilly terrain that is Lisbon. 😅 She did her due diligence and tested them at home, but not to the lengths that would become the norm in this Portuguese city. So, we find a pharmacy just a block or two ahead, and we go in looking for some band-aids.

The pharmacy employee was extremely helpful and assisted Heather in picking out the perfect pack that wouldn’t cost her an arm and a leg. Heather ended up with a small box of Compeed bandaids….my absolute favorite! They’re designed to heal blisters and cushion them during the process. They are waterproof and will stay on for days while they work their healing magic. They’ve become a staple for me when I know I’ll be doing some serious hiking or running. 😁🥰

We were given a small exam room to mend the injured patient, and with the new blister bandaids securely attached, we were off once more on our tour around Lisbon. 🤗

We happily and lazily stroll down the quaint streets in search of the imposing monestary. We pass by a botanical garden, one of many we’d stumble upon. As we round the corner, we get our first glimpses of the monestary. We hurry across the street and make it to the front where we are delighted by its majesty. We both agreed it would be amazing to check out the interior, but 1) we wanted to stay outside in the perfect 75-degree weather, and 2) the line was insanely long. So, perhaps next time we’ll venture to do the inside activities. 😊

We walk through a little park towards the main road, where, just in front of it, stands a large monument: The Discovery Monument, which celebrates the age of discovery in Portugal, when ships would leave a nearby port to explore the West Indies and the East. It was quite impressive and worth a visit. 🙂

We also got incredible views of a bridge very similar to the Golden Gate Bridge. We followed a path along the water towards the Belem Tower, an iconic and picturesque fortification dating to the 16th century. The sun was starting to hang lower in the sky, and the golden light was beginning to hit this beautiful tower as we walked the perimeter :). We did a small photoshoot and decided it was time for food.

We look for the hop on hop off pickup spot, and we see a bus that looks like it could be ours pulling up. Let’s gooooo! We scurry over, and when we confirm it’s the bus we want, we turn it up a notch and break out into a run, only to be nearly thwarted by a metal railing….but nothing will stop us from getting our nourishment, so we both gingerly but expertly launch over the railings and flag down the bus driver as she closes the door and is about to drive away. We made it! A bit ruffled, but we made it! Haha 🤪

We decided to get off the bus near the popular Time Out Market, but due to the route of the bus, we had to go past the market and get out at a lovely Cathedral. It’s so fun to see the spontaneous little things you come across while traveling. Even with a set plan, it doesn’t always go perfectly, and I’d say more often than not, there are interruptions or distractions, hehe. Anyways, we call for an Uber since Heather is nursing her blistered toes, and we just want to get there and put food in our bellies ASAP.

First up on our food tour/tapas snack at the market was the infamous pastel de nata; a delicious egg custard that is difficult to pass up. Next up was a traditional sour cherry liquor served in a chocolate shot glass! Tasty, but also a fun way to do a shot, hehe. 🤗 Heather tried a regular chocolate and a white chocolate shot glass. Get it! Haha. I’m a purist and don’t consider white chocolate chocolate, so I went with the OG stuff 🤪. We sat for a minute, enjoying some short-lived but much needed downtime. We soon stumbled upon a stall selling bacalao; a fried Salty Cod pastry. When I say salty….I mean Salty, lol. Not my favorite, but it’s worth trying 😊. Next up: Croquettes! Fried balls of delicious goodness, hehe. I got a traditional one with meat, and one with goat cheese and caramelized onions. Both were soooo amazing, I wanted more! Hehe. But we were filling up, and we still wanted to have a sit-down dinner later. So onwards we went! 🙂

We make our way back to what I call the central area, where all the restaurants and pedestrian streets are. I take Heather past the “pink street” because it’s just too cute not to see. 🤗 The road is painted pink, and there are tons of umbrellas up above, and the street is lined with little bars and cafes.

We continue towards Commerce Square, another iconic site in Lisbon. Set right along the water, it is a huge square lined with beautiful colonial buildings. They must’ve been setting up for an event or graduation of some sort, as they were setting up big lighting rigs and a stage, so some of the charm was obstructed, but it was beautiful anyways.:)

We cross the busy street that separates Commerce Square from the water and slip and slide our way down the wet and slimy stone blocks that make up a little pier. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of the 25 de Abril bridge and a nearly setting sun.

I’m always trying to get my feet in the water, so I decide I must head over to the small beach area, kick off my sandals, and enjoy the feeling of the cool lapping waves around my ankles. It was so refreshing! And I always get such a calming sensation when near or in the water. I feel grounded and at peace, and 100% in the moment. Ahhhh :). I spent a few minutes here in my glory and decided to hunt for some sea glass, a favorite beach activity of mine :). I was very successful and found all different colors! Hooray! 😁

As we were leaving the beach area, we saw some crazy sand sculptures, so that was quite a fun surprise, hehe. Next we were headed to the Elevador de Santa Justa, an old elevator built in the 1800s to bring people up to the higher level of streets (45m), without needing to walk the whole way. It’s a beautiful sight and is extremely intricately designed. We take our pictures and take it in before heading to Rossio Square. The square is large and wide open with a beautiful design in the small tiles adorning the center.

At this point, we’re starting to slow down significantly, hehe, and begin to look for a place to eat. But, that’s when I see on the map that the infamous tram 28 is just a bit further. I convinced Heather to go. Hehe. 😅 On our way over there, Heather’s feet nearly get run over by a huge double-deckerer bus, taking a corner very tightly, lol. Thank God it was a near miss! 😅🤣

We arrive at the tram stop in hopes of catching number 28, just to see it. As we are walking around the corner, it begins to pull away! Noooo! Haha. But hey! That’s when we notice outdoor escalators! 🤣🤔 Wow! How cool is that?! I thought the only place that had those was in Medellin, Colombia! Maybe they were the first to implement that in a city? But here before us was a long stretch of up escalators, headed towards the castle. So, naturally, we have to take a joy ride, haha. It was so fun! We made it to the top, and I was pushing to go to the castle since we were closer now….hehe….I was shot down 😅. We’ll save that for another day…we are getting dangerously close to a hanger situation 🤪.

Back down the stairs we go….they only put in up escatlors, none to go down. 🤣 Womp womp. As we step off the last of the endlessly long stairs, we notice a yellow tram at the stop! Could it be?! We walk a bit closer….and…….it IS! It’s THE Tram 28! Haha, awesome! 😄 We snag a few pictures and finally agree that dinner is next….or is it? 🤪

We pass a grocery store and decide we must investigate. And boy, oh boy, were we glad we did! We were absolutely stunned to see chilled wine selling for 1 euro! What?!?!?! 🤯 Are we reading the prices wrong? So we talk ourselves down and find the larger wine section, and again, we are seeing most bottles priced under 5 euro! Even a small cardboard adult juice box of wine for 75 cents! Ahhhhh-freaking-mazing! Haha. I had to know for sure, so I pick out the top shelf 5 euro bottle of green wine, a Portugal specialty, and headed to the checkout. It rings up for the price it was listed for…no wayyyy! Haha I’m just simply blown away, and find it hard to believe I could’ve bought a bottle of wine for 1 euro, but am happy to have spent an extra 4 for a “top shelf” wine, lol. Two Buck Chuck, you got another thing coming! 🤪🤣

After our incredulous and amazing find, we actually do start walking towards dinner, lol. After walking what seemed like forever and doing a few laps to read and re-read menus, we eventually pick a place and get a table. We ordered a yummy brie like cheese for an appetizer, and we quickly demolished it, lol. Heather had a nice order of garlic prawns, and I had a paella. Yum! Just what we needed to replenish all the energy spent traipsing around Lisbon. 🥰

And just like that, our second layover adventure is wrapped up! Can’t wait for the next one! 🤗

It’s here! The first work trip that I have brought somebody with me! Hehe. Heather is super excited to join me, and I can’t wait to see all that we accomplish together! Heather is a super planner and has a mental map of Amsterdam already, and basically has our entire day planned for sightseeing. Perfect! 

We get to the hotel and try to get to our rooms, and if you know this hotel, then you know just how hard it can be to find your room. I try to explain this to people, but it’s not easy to portray the oddness and frustrations, but today, Heather was in for a treat. We go up the normal elevators and start looking for our room number. As soon as we see the first signage, I knew we were in for it, haha. Our number was much higher than the ones we were seeing in the hall. And as I was describing how sometimes you have to go through a fire door, and it feels like you shouldn’t because they’re closed, but that’s the route to the other side of the building. So today, that was exactly our fate, and we open said fire door, and what awaits us on the other side is not a mirror image of the hall of we’re about to leave, but rather a downhill ramp floating above a large sitting area. Hahah, what?! So we both have a laugh at this, and we decide to have Heather hold the one door, juuuusssst in case the door at the other end doesn’t open, and the one we’re going through locks itself. Doubtful, but why risk it when there are two of us? So I roll myself and my suitcase down the ramp and open the door successfully. Great! Now, back to the normal hallways of this hotel. We’re getting closer to our room, right? HA! We see all the numbers except for ours and theb a small range of other rooms on a sign, and it says 3B with a down arrow. Ummm…what? We’re on floor 3, presumably where our room is, but now this sign is telling us to take the elevator down to floor 3B? Hahah….welll, alrighty……here we go! Haha. Turns out, this section of the hotel has an extra floor squeezed in somewhere when compared to the other half’s 3 floors. Okay, totally bizarre, but this side tends to have the larger rooms, and ours doesn’t disappoint! Sweeeet!

We take about an hour and a half to regroup from the sleepless night and start organizing ourselves for the long day ahead. We wanted to try and get tickets to the Anne Frank house, which is notoriously difficult, but we learned that more tickets are released at 9 am the day of. So we logged on and attempted to snag any tickets but were unsuccessful. At least we tried! Hehe.

We decided to take a trip to the grocery store to grab a light breakfast and to stock pile some goodies. Mostly for me, haha. I love to get a sea-salt chunk butter, which is also readily available in Paris, some cheese, and sometimes frozen bitterballen and croquettes. Of course, the chocolate stroopwafels, but I’ve been having a hard time finding those in the grocery stores and having better luck in the airport. 

Our little breakfast was a ham and cheese croissant, and we added more cheese…mustard flavor! It was delicious! We scarfed these down and washed it down with some extremely hot coffee…. Caffeinating to the best of our abilities, hehe.

First up: the Brouwersgracht canal, and a walk past the Anne Frank House. There were tons of people already there, and there was a small line of folks waiting for a picture with the small plaque. We smiled on autopilot for our picture, but afterward realized that in a place like this, with such a sinister history, maybe it’s not always appropriate to smile. I think I’d like to re-read her story. 

We continue our morning, strolling around the canals, chasing amazing views, and discovering fun shops in the Jordaan area. We eventually realize we’re getting hungry and are in need of a bathroom, hehe. So, as we were walking, we kept an eye out for an appropriate establishment to suit our needs. For a good while now, we have been seeing tons of restaurants with pancakes, and Heather read how that is a must do in Amsterdam. So, we narrowed our search to some sort of pancake-ery. We found one in no time and settled in for a small snack and a coffee. 

Refreshed a second time, we make our way to the floating flower market! I was hunting for tulip bulbs that were USDA approved but couldn’t find any. Someday, I’d like to bring some back, but today wouldn’t be the day, lol. Instead, we enjoyed looking at all the displays and seeing buckets upon buckets of a variety of bulbs. 

We were distracted by a cheese shop across the way and had to go in. We wanted to sample all the different flavors. Heather ended up buying a truffle cheese, and I was left undecided, wishing I could have tasted the coconut cheese. I love coconut, and I love cheese….though that combination had me wondering, haha. It’ll now be my mission to try it! 😁

We left the flower market area and headed towards the infamous Dam Square. A bustling city square surrounded by beautiful buildings, including the national palace. Heather and I did a few 360s in awe of our surroundings, and we decided to test out my new selfie stick. Success! It’s never glamorous to pull out a retractable selfie stick, but hey, it makes for a great picture without depending on others to do it for you. 🙂

From here, we walked all the way back towards the Museumplein, where all the museums are located. We decided we didn’t want to try and visit any museums, not that we’d be able to get entry tickets on a Sunday anyways, but we wanted to go see the area, and a special feature that is 100% instagramable. The “IAMSTERDAM” sign. If you’ve been, you know what I’m talking about, and they have one at the airport as you exit. We wanted to get our picture by the sign, and rather than have the crew wait for us while we did it at the airport, we decided to do it at this other location. Welp. Let this be a lesson to take advantage of things in the moment, because that sign is no longer at the museums! It’s gone. We missed our opportunity. Hehe. Heather snagged a shot of the sign as we were leaving Amsterdam, but still…would’ve been neat, and probably THE most touristy thing we could’ve done. Hehe. 

Next up, one of my personal faves, the Albert Cuyp Market. I was taken here by another flight attendant a while back, and it was here, in this bustling pedestrian street lined with vendors of all kinds, that I sampled my first taste of heaven, a freshly made stroopwafel the size of a personal pizza, complete with dripping caramel. Now, I had obviously tried the delectable stroopwafel before, but never hot off the press, and let me be the first to tell you, the packaged ones do not hold a candle to the fresh ones. Not by a long shot. But by the time I had finished eating said stroopwafel, I had caramel running down my chin, both hands, and all over my toes and Birkenstocks, haha. The messier, the better, right?

It was also here that I was introduced to a Birkenstock store, and my heart was never so full. 🙂 If you know me well, you know that I live in my birks almost year round. I had heard tell of this Birkenstock store and having different inventory that in the US. I was pleasantly surprised by the validity of this statement and found myself a pair of silvery birks that are very different from my go-to hippie brown-leather ones. They had a red leather pair that I still regret not buying to this day. Haha. I will be back, and I hope they have something like that because I will buy them up in a heartbeat. 

I digress…. Hehe. Heather and I show up, and I cannot wait to be reacquainted with the drippingly sweet caramel stroopwafel of my dreams, and to maybe treat myself to new birks, but as we rounded the corner, my heart dropped and my head fell to my chest in one of the greatest disappointments of my life. There were zero vendor stalls, zero food carts, nothing! It was deserted! And on a Sunday, nonetheless!! I never thought to check how often it was open, I just assumed it was a permanent fixture. HUGE fail. We were super bummed, but I guess not everything can go according to plan, hehe. So, we pivoted, said adieu to the sometimes glorious Albert Cuyp Market, and worked our way for a drive-by sighting of the Heineken Brewery. We snapped our pictures and continued on our way. 

By this point, with no stroopwafel to fuel the next segment of our arduous yet beautiful tour of the city, I was in need of sustenance. We looked at the menu of a cute outdoor patio place, and it was essentially just pancakes. Ummm… been there, done that, and I need something a bit more substantial. The search continues! 

The next stop was a cute little bar/cafe with sidewalk seating. We snagged a tiny table and looked at the menu. Not much here, but they do have bitterballen! A Dutch classic and a necessity to try when visiting Amsterdam. Heather and I shared an order of these, and I also grabbed a fancy grilled cheese, essentially, oh, and how could I forget! A pint of Heineken. I need carbs for the walk, hehe. Also, I can’t help but indulge when taking advantage of my ridiculously amazing job, especially with a new travel companion like Heather. 🙂 She ordered an Aperol Spritz, and we happily took a few minutes to sit and relax our tired legs. The sun was beating down on us, but it also felt so lovely. Sun kissed with a drink in our hands, eating bitterballen. Yum! Can life get any better than this? Hehe

Once we had our fill, we quickly decided it’s the perfect time for our canal cruise. We saw some different companies while walking around all day, and we picked our favorite, based on the small boats they had, well, and the wine and cheese we could see the passengers enjoying, hehe. 

We buy our tickets and have to hoof it back towards the Anne Frank House, about a 20-minute walk. We had trouble finding the spot to pick up the boat, as the company was set up on either side of the Anne Frank House, so the first stop was incorrect, but we were graciously guided to the other side, where our VERY fancy boat awaited us. Now, we did pay for the “luxury” cruise, as it included wine and cheese. Well, we were expecting an open-air little boat with a 15-person capacity, 20 max. What we got was the “Titanic,” literally, that was the boat’s name. Haha. Or Uh-oh? 😅😂It was a long covered wooden boat, with seating around the edge, complete with cushions, and down the middle were tables covered in little cheese boats, hehe. Plus, the wine bar 🙂 As we get settled in, the guides come around offering us our wine choices…fill ‘er up! Haha. The cheese was to die for and served with mustard, and I had to control myself and not eat it all in one go, hehe. 

We learned so much on our cruise! I had taken one before and heard different facts and tidbits, but this was far more detailed. I even took notes on my phone! Hehe. And now, as if this blog post wasn’t long enough already, you’ll get to learn some of what we did! 🙂

• Canals and bridges built in 16th/17th centuries
• Dutch East India Company is still considered one of the richest, most successful in history
• Stole spices from Asia, black pepper was SUPER important
• Could purchase a house for a cup of black pepper (wish that were the case now, hehe)
• Canals dug for transport of said plunder from the Trading company
• 1.5 million for a one floor apartment on the canal 
• Canals are 10 feet deep
• Houses tilted forward so when hauling things up by rope/pulley, the goods wouldn’t smack into the house. That’s how people get furniture in to this day because all homes have tiny and steep “Dutch staircases,” and no furniture will fit up those
• Black houses are a remnant from the days of the black plague where giant black “X’s” were painted on to alert others of a black plague case, now the houses are a UNESCO heritage deal and cannot be repainted
• There is a city job thats only purpose is to dig out bikes that have fallen in the canals, 12,000-15,000 bikes/year are pulled out! 

Overall, our wine and cheese canal cruise was totally worth it, and we did our best to get our money’s worth of wine, hehe. And cheese. Not a single cube of cheese was left by the time I was done, lol. As we were getting ready to get off the boat, we noticed a bunch of people using the bathroom on board. Heather and I look at each other and, without saying a word, somehow go against the sage advice of a long-term traveler friend, Dana…..to never miss the chance to use a bathroom, hehe. We figured we could wait until the next stop, which would be a food festival! The guides on the boat told us about it, and we both love trying new foods, so that became our next mission. 

My dear friend, Josie, a fellow flight attendant, had already suggested we go there, but I had forgotten about the tip, and was gonna check in on that if we ran out of things to do. Well, it just so happens, it was the same food festival! Score! 

On our way over to the park, Heather starts mentioning how she needs to pee. Grrrreat. Why didn’t we just pee on the boat?! Idiots. Amateurs. Lol. 😂We’re having a grand time walking the streets, happily buzzed on our canal wine, and the joke arises to pee in an abandoned looking park over yonder. I draw the line here, as there is no way I’m getting arrested for peeing in public while on a layover, lol. So we soldier on, keeping a keen eye for a little coffee shop, or anything. And then, in the distance, the neon orange glow of a row of port-a-potties glistened and beckoned us closer. I’m super doubtful that they’ll be open, as in my running experience, when nature calls, these portable toilets are typically padlocked for use only by the construction workers, or whoever they’re meant for, and that’s definitely not tourists who didn’t take advantage of a paid-for bathroom. 😂 But, I’ve learned to never leave a stone unturned, so towards the toilets we go! And what luck! At least one of them is open and padlock free! OMG! AND! It’s impeccably clean! What?! Haha. What is this? Dropped down from heaven itself? Lol. So we take care of business and are quite tickled  with our fortune and continue on to the food festival. 

Holy food festival! Haha. We get close and witness the sea of bicycles that sums up Amsterdam in a nutshell. Then we could hear music, and we let our legs lead the way, winding through a short path in the woods, and then our noses picked up the lovely scent of BBQ, and we drifted forwards, in search of the holy land that was the food festival. We see a barrier and inside all kinds of tents and music, and it’s a big ole tease…there doesn’t appear to be an entrance this way! Haha. We love to explore and see where things lead us, so onwards we go, circling the food festival and enjoying the golden light of the setting sun.

Eventually, we make our way back to the front area and find the entry point. In we go! We made it! We did a lap to get the lay of the land and to check out what options we might have for dinner. Honestly, at this point in our day, we’re feeling exhausted, and it’s almost too overwhelming to decide on a place. I was sort of hankering for Asian food, but the lines! Oh, the lines were so long! Haha. So we agreed to find the place with the shortest lines and grab food there. Empanadas, it is! Now, with the shortest line, my expectations on the quality of the food were quite low…but I was pleasantly surprised! The empanadas were freaking delicious! Hehe. After we finish our light dinner, we peel ourselves off the bench we found, and start to head back towards downtown. But not before using the bathrooms, haha.. We won’t be making that mistake again! 😂

We still have one more site to check off the list, and we’d been waiting for nightfall to do it. Something to note here is that the sun doesn’t set until 10 PM! Haha, and we’d been going since 9 AM, and I didn’t sleep all night on the flight….so….we were pretty tuckered out at this point, lol. 

We use what little calories the empanadas filled us with to slowly walk towards the red light district because, when in Rome, *ahem,* Amsterdam, lol. The Red Light District is just something that you gotta see. Whether you choose to indulge in any of it or not, it’s a sight to behold. Scantily clad women in full-length glass doors, advertising the goods and beckoning you in for a closer look, sex shops and shows galore. While potentially uncomfortable for some to walk through this area, I truly appreciate its existence. It seems anything and everything in regards to intimacy is taboo to talk about, to see, etc. Although, listening to some popular songs, lyrics can be quite sultry and forward. 🤔 It’s interesting to me that something that is so fundamentally human could have become so taboo. Maybe it’s the anthropologist in me speaking, but I wonder how we became socialized into hiding this side of our human nature?

After perusing what was to offer the passerby on the streets, we began making a weary attempt to head back towards the hotel. But not without first sampling some frites! Basically, they’re the best French fries ever, with a wide range of dipping sauces! We tried curry, sweet chili, and mayo. Soooooo delicious, fresh, hot fries with a fairly good-sized container of sauce. I’d say a Nana-approved amount of condiments, but honestly, there are not enough condiments on this beautiful green and blue marble to satiate her needs, hehe. Love you! ❤️🤪

After pausing for a moment and snacking, we looked up an Uber back to the hotel, but eventually found some energy hidden amongst the sauces and potatoes, and agreed to take the 35-minute walk back. Here we go….haha. It was nice to finish our walking tour the way we started it, but let me just say. We were BEAT. We clocked in about 17 miles on our watches, and that is a record for me. Haha. 10 miles is a fairly average amount for walking around and sightseeing, but 17 is just plain reckless, haha. I mean, that’s longer than a half-marathon! 

Back at the hotel, Heather jumped in the shower, and I was lights out before she was done, hehe. I slept solid and awoke, ready to tackle the day….though admittedly, quite sore. 😂

Heather got a seat in Delta One, our lay-flat seat cabin….and how fitting it was! It was her first time getting those seats, and it was her birthday! 😁 Happy Birthday! I’m so happy she made it there, and what a fabulous end to our first layover together! The first of many! 😁🤗 

Where to next? 😁🤔

Friday:

1:30 AM wake-up call. Yep. The story of the “non-rev” life: aiming for the first flight of the day, and if not, having all day to make hopeful attempts for any and all subsequent flights. This would be my friend Heather’s first time traveling standby, and first time to New Orleans! So, not even the dreadfully early hour could get us down :).

Well, we knew well enough not to bank on making it to the Big Easy, and we were happy to know that if we ended up somewhere completely different, we would be just as happy and make the most of it. Our other options ranged from Nassau, Bahamas to Austin, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona. As a standby passenger, you hope to make it to your first choice destination, but you have to be flexible to go where the seats allow you to. Hehe.

So, in typical non-rev fashion, we missed the first two flights to Atlanta and decided to test our luck on the direct flight from Boston to New Orleans, which was only looking slightly better. Score! We made it on and got a row to ourselves! Nice! 

3 hours later, we were landing in New Orleans, and we were ready to hit the ground running, despite operating on just a couple hours of sleep. We grabbed a cab and got dropped off on the outskirts of the French Quarter, as many of the streets were closed to traffic due to the French Quarter Festival that was happening that weekend. We walked several blocks to our beautiful little hotel, the French Market Inn on Decatur Street. We were so extremely pleased with this place; a beautiful historic building, perfect location, and very friendly staff. My favorite part was how slanted everything was, from the floors to the window sills, and yes, even the toilet, it seemed. Haha. It was almost like an attraction at a carnival or fun house, hehe. No room for OCD when hanging the curtains over a crooked window frame here, hehe. After exploring our new home, we quickly changed our clothes, regrouped, and began our NOLA adventures. 

First up: food! I knew a great spot for a local sandwich called a Muffaleta. Essentially, it is an Italian sandwich, but with a delicious olive spread. The sandwiches are huge, so Heather and I shared a half, and we walked across the street to the river walk to enjoy our lunch with a view. As we devoured the Muffaletas, we listened to the rushing muddy brown waters of the Mississippi and observed the festival crowds, complete with wild festival clothing, strutting their stuff on the catwalk-like sidewalk in front of us. 

Feeling rejuvenated, we decided to tackle tourist destination #1: Bourbon Street. What insanity! If you’ve been, you know, haha. It’s bar after bar, and each has loud booming music, whether it’s a DJ, live music, or just thumping music coming from the speakers. It’s almost hard to walk and talk because of how loud it is. Almost every locale is serving some sort of adult beverage to-go, the infamous slushies, in a multitude of flavors, or the iconic “hand grenade.” I opted for a mango slushee, as I had never tried one of these “staples” before. I can say it was tasty and boozy, but not worth the $15 I paid for it, haha. 

We strolled around a bit more through the delightful streeets of the French Quarter, oogling at the iron filigree balconies on nearly every building. We eventually make our way past a restaurant that literally stopped us in our tracks with how good it smelled. We immediately did a double take to make sure we knew where that delicious and inviting scent was coming from. We didn’t even need to check with each other before we decided to eat there for the evening. This would turn out to be our favorite restaurant and favorite food from our weekend in New Orleans. 

We ordered charbroiled oysters, my aboslute favorite! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on those babies, haha. I’ve never had raw oysters, and honestly, after experiencing the delectable charred flavors embedded in the herb and Parmesan cheese aioli that graced the tops of these oysters, I’m not sure I need to, haha. We also ordered the “Swamp Platter,” and let’s just take a quick moment to appreciate the name. :). This came with three different dishes: shrimp creole, which was my favorite of the three, and will be trying to make it at home, blackened alligator, which I never had before, and despite sounding cliche, it did taste like chicken, hehe, and maque choux, the least favorite of the three. But overall, we were so completely enamored by this meal and the delicious smells permeating the restaurant. A perfect end to a long day! 🙂

Saturday:

The next morning, we woke up and had a quick snack for breakfast in our hotel room before heading to a cemetery tour. Most of the cemeteries require a guide to get in, so this was definitely the right choice. We walked a ways to the meeting point and met our guide across the street from the St. Louis Cemetary #1.

We learned how the above ground burials were a Spanish influence, when the city was under Spanish colonial rule, and NOT because the bodies buried in the ground would float up to the top due to such low elevation. The French worked around this by burying people and placing bricks on top of the graves. The rich were buried in the cemetery proper, and there could be one family mausoleum with up to 3 different tombs, or more, but that didn’t mean only 3 family members could be buried there. In the heat of the summer, the remains would essentially break down to nothing inside the cement tombs, making room for more family bodies to be added. One 3-tomb site could hold up to 80 family members’ remains! Wow! If there wasn’t enough space yet for a new body to be added, you could be buried in a tomb in the wall of the cemetery, as a holding position, before you could be placed in your familial tomb.

The richest of the rich would have marble tombs or name plates. At the time the cemetery was constructed, there were no marble mines in the US, so the marble would’ve been imported from Europe, so you can imagine just how expensive that might’ve been. The poorest of the poor were buried in the largest tombs in the cemetery; communal tombs paid for by societies. These organizations did charity work for the communities and gave the poor a place to be buried.

Some families pay for perpetual care, and the hefty sum allows caretakers to expertly maintain the tombs; some we saw were in nearly immaculate condition. The others were left to the owners to upkeep, and were little more than a pile of bricks. 

Two notable tombs found in this cemetary were the Madam Laveau tomb and a pyramid tomb belonging to none other than Nicholas Cage. Yup, you read that correctly, haha. Before I get to good ‘ole Cage, lets chat about Madam Laveau. She was one of the most infamous voodoo queens of New Orleans. She played a vital role in treating people naturally during a yellow fever epidemic, and dedicated her life to helping anyone who walked thorugh her doors. Hollywood has made quite a spectacle of Voodoo, but all is not as it seems. Later that day we visited the Voodoo Museum and learned much more than either of us knew about it. More on this later, and back to a quick Nicholas Cage fun fact. He is from New Orleans and wanted to purchase a slot in this cemetary and what better shape to build than that of the iconic pyramid? And apparently at one point or another he got involved with the Madoff Ponzi schemes, and the IRS took the two mansions Cage owned in New Orleans as a result of the failed scheme…which are also known as…….. can you name it? Yep, pyramid schemes, haha. And guess what asset the IRS let Cage keep? Right again! The pyramid tomb. Haha. I hope this was one IRS agent’s idea of the ultimate play on words. 

I never expected to a) see a pyramid tomb in the historic cemetaries of New Orleans, and b) never imagined it would belong to Nicholas Cage. Makes me think immediately of National Treasure…hehe. 

After our trivia packed cemetary tour, we made our way to a highly recommended brunch spot called Toast. They are known for their delicious and specialty french toast. On our way, we stumbled across this amazing jazz group. Check out the video below! For brunch, Heather and I opted to share meals, so we ordered a coconut cream filled French toast and a savory crepe, along with some perfectly made grits. Of course, we had to treat ourselves to a Bloody Mary and a Mimosa, because why not! Hehe. We were delighted with the food and savored every last morsel. As we were finishing up, we realized how dark it was becoming. Uh-oh. The rain is moving in. Hehe. We knew it would rain in the afternoon, and now it was almost upon us. 

We were right across the street from the French Market, so we decided to walk through. There were so many food stalls! Too bad we just ate, because we really could’ve done some damage trying all the different dishes, but we were very satisfied with our brunch, and just enjoyed reading all the menus. There were artisan vendor stalls as well, and we enjoyed exploring all that was for sale. All of a sudden, a huge burst of wind blew in some of the siding of the market, and we poked our heads out, and instantly, the rain began pouring down. Some people were stuck out in it, and once they found shelter in the market, they were 100% drenched! Heather and I were lucky to have found ourselves inside at the onset of the storm. 

Once we walked through as much as we could, we decided it was time to brave the wild rain, thunder, and lightning and cross over to the other side of the market. We put on our raincoats, tried to get our backpacks inside the coats, and we made a run for it. What we didn’t expect was the street to be flooded! We not only were concerned about the sideways rain pelting us, now we were wondering how to wade across the pond that sat between us and our destination, hehe. Heather had on plastic sandals and just walked through. I brought my waterproof sneakers and thought I was a genius for doing so, but I quickly realized they are no match for a New Orleans storm, haha. The puddles were well above the top of the sneaker, so once the water gets in, their lovely waterproof quality becomes just a tad less functional, hehe. We were all laughs, enjoying the raging storm, and we witnessed just how quickly the streets could flood. We imagined for a moment what it looked like when Katrina barreled through. It is impossible to imagine, especially being from a place that doesn’t get hit by hurricanes. This particular storm was a simple thunderstorm, nothing more, and water was rushing down the steps in the park, and the puddles were deeper than the tops of my sneakers! Wild! 

So what better way to wait out a storm than to buy a drink? So we did just that and walked around this section of the market, sipping our fruity cocktails in plastic cups and listening to some music playing. We continued walking a bit and found a street band performing awesome jazz music. Everyone was gathered around, sheltering from the storm in the best possible way. All huddled around the band, rocking out some upbeat and catchy jazz tunes. I’m always amazed at the musicians who can play so freely and easily, with no music in front of them, everything memorized or improvised. Such a beautiful gift, and such a wonderful one to share with others. Thank you! 

Once they finished playing and the rain calmed down, we walked over to the Voodoo Museum. It was quite a small space, and there were quite a few people trying to get in. No surprise, given the weather conditions outside….it was the perfect time to go inside and warm up while learning something new. 

We learned that Voodoo was brought to New Orleans by West African Slaves, and was hybridized with the most popular religion at the time, Catholicism. Loas are spirits in inanimate things that practitioners would pray to for favors of good fortune or protection. Voodoo dolls were mainly used for inflicting positive things on the person in question; improved health, success, etc. We also learned about Gris-gris bags and how they can be created specially for your personal needs and what you are trying to bring into your life. 

We learned a bit more about Madam Laveau, who helped a lot of people during a yellow fever epidemic, adopted kids, and did a lot of charity work for the community. She was born a free person and helped anyone who came to her, despite social differences outside of her home. Voodoo Queens were the top dog in voodoo, followed by male priests. I love how the women are the powerful here. 🙂

After the museum visit, we rushed back to the hotel because we had to pee so badly, hehe. We spent some time regrouping there and, once again, headed back out to walk around and enjoy the scenery of the French Quarter. We stopped in a voodoo shop, as Heather was after a personalized Gris-Gris bag. She ended up not getting one but bought me a beautiful little voodoo doll that is for safe travels. My heart was so warmed with this thoughtful gift. I will be finding a home for it in my suitcase, and will take it with me wherever I go. 🙂 Thank you, Heather! We walked past the location where Marie Laveau’s house once stood and to Congo Park, where the slaves would gather on the weekends for a market and to play music and dance. The music was a huge influence on the birth of New Orleans Jazz. We continued our self-guided tour with a trip to Canal Street, which is a big contrast to the French Quarter. Lined with modern high rises, filled with traffic, and the best part: a cute street car that goes right down the middle. 

We attempted to get beignets, but the store was closing. Bummer! We continued walking towards the Sazerac Distillery. We had briefly discovered Sazerac when looking at the cocktail menu for the carousel bar…a whopping $90 for the cocktail! Haha. Naturally, we had to know why this was such a delicacy. As it turns out, Sazerac is a rye whiskey with a nearly 400-year history in New Orleans. The original Sazerac was made with a cognac, and this $90 cocktail is made with just that. Okay, okay, I guesssss that makes sense. But I won’t be trying this anytime soon, hehe. Back to the distillery, it’s free to take the tour, and we decided to go for it since we were there. During the tour, we got to sample 4 tiny cocktails, and by the time we walked out of there, we felt it, haha. We are not whiskey/bourbon people, that’s for sure. Haha.

On our way back towards the French Quarter, Heather spots a funky clothing store with the style of dress I’ve been looking at, and I realize this shop is one I’ve been wanting to go to, since I first walked past it on a layover a while back. Naturally, we had to go in, and long story short, I walked out with a gorgeous flapper dress! I’m so excited, and I don’t really have a place to wear it, but I’m gonna wear it whenever I want, because it’s beautiful and I love it! Hehe. After our fast-paced city tour and shopping spree, we decided it was time for dinner. We wanted to go back to the same place as last night, but agreed we should try something new.

We stumbled upon Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar and Fish House, which had rave reviews, and we made our way there. We had to wait outside quite a while before securing a seat inside….it has to be good with people waiting to get in, right? Wrong. We were so disappointed by the food here. I guess nothing compares to the meal we had last night. Not one of the dishes we tried even came close to the flavors and quality of the French Market Restuarant. Dissapointed, but happy we tried something new, we walked back to the hotel. We have another long day tomorrow! 🙂

Sunday:

Sunday is Swamp Day! Woohoo! Heather and I both really wanted to do this, and we couldn’t wait to get started! It would be a long tour, so we decided to fuel up with a good breakfast at Fleur de Lis. We ordered salmon Benedict, an avocado, goat cheese crepe, and indulged in a Bloody Mary and a Bellini. Yum! We were seated on the second floor, and this cute place had an adorable balcony seating area. I went outside to check that out, of course! Of all the times I’ve been to NOLA, I’ve never sat on a balcony…guess I’ll just have to keep coming back, hehe! 

After breakfast, we strolled over to the pickup point for the tour, where we would meet a large group of swamp goers, excited and hopeful to spot some alligators. We hopped on a big tour bus, and we drove 40 minutes to a town called Slidel, where the Honey Island Swamp is located. 

Before we knew it, we were being called to a small boat that fits about 20 people and meeting our boat captain and guide, Zander. He grew up in that area and kept us entertained for the 2 hour boat tour. The Pearl River was a muddy and, at times, brackish water. It seems all the bodies of water we’ve seen are muddy and brown. 

Zander took us around to several spots, and by the end of the tour we had seen a total of 7 gators, one named Elvis, and he was the largest we saw; about 12 feet in length! We were hoping to see AN alligator, I didn’t expect to see 7! Hehe It was awesome! We also were lucky enough to see a ton of turtles, drying themselves on floating logs, 1 snake hiding in the branches of a bush, an owl that flew right across he river, a heron, a nutria rat, and about 6 raccoons! The raccoons were quite feisty and territorial over some food Zander gave them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a raccoon up close and personal. On our way back to the starting point, we passed by some local fisherman, and they showed us a catfish and another fish that people eat. That was a fun show and tell, and those fish did not like being on display, and caused some splashing that reached the edges of our boat, hehe. I have to say, I don’t think I’d appreciate that either, and would probably put up a fuss. 

We learned that Tupelo Honey comes from this swamp, and it is the only honey that doesn’t crystallize. I had no idea! There was a restuarant in Asheville, near where I went to college with that name, and I knew it was a southern honey, but I never knew where it came from. I love learning new trivia facts and piecing different experiences together. 🙂

We also learned the difference between a swamp and a bayou: A swamp has flowing, moving water, and a bayou has stagnant water. When the river water encroaches the swamp area, that is called backwater, and that is where most of the crawfish are caught. We learned that Spanish moss was named for the long grey beards the Spanish colonizers had, as the native populations didn’t have much facial hair. 

One we were back at the Cajun Encounters headquarters, we were given the opportunity to hold a baby gator! This little guy’s name was Mojo-Jojo or Jojo-Mojo…I can’t remember exactly, hehe. 

We made our way back to town and strolled down Bourbon Street again, hoping to grab some Beigneits at Cafe Beinget, which apparently always has live jazz music! Along the way, we saw a Darth Vader lip syncing and doing the most dramatic interpretive dance to “My Heart Will Go On,” haha. The things you see….. 

We successfully got our beignets after several previous failed attempts, and we did our best to eat them without the powdered sugar blowing around on our black clothes…..but it was no to avail, haha. The table had small holes in it, and the sugar redesigned our pants to have cute white polka dot patterns, hehe.

Next up, we had to try a hurricane from Pat O’Briens, as I guess that’s the number one place to try the drink. We didn’t know it then, but the hurricane drink originated in New Orleans. It was yummy! We walked up to the bar, and they already had about 10 made, so we quickly paid and took our giant to go cups and continued our wandering. We found ourselves right in the heart of the French Quarter Festival, listening to some live jazz music, and we went inside a park area where there was a big stage set up. I love how you can take your drink and go wherever…such a fun and novel experience, lol.

We strolled past some local artists and their treasures, and Heather and I were almost convinced to purchase something, but there wasn’t a single item that truly called to us; we just LOVED the styles of the artists, so we decided to hold off until we found something we knew we had to have (like my flapper dress, hehe).

We found ourselves back at the hotel for a refresh, including the debut of my new, incredible flapper dress! Seemed almost silly to wear it, but I LOVE the dress, and I wanted to wear it. So on it went, uniquely paired with my Birkenstocks, haha. Fancy up top, hippie on the bottom? Party in the back, business in the front? Am I a fashion mullet?? Hahah, #fashionmullet. Hey, at least I was comfortable! Haha

Our cemetary guide from yesterday told us he was bartending at a super dive bar and that he brings fresh mint from his garden to make mojitos. Ummmm… we’re in! We thought the name of this place was something like “Antiquities,” which seemed weird, but we confirmed the name with our guide, Carlos, and he said yes! Haha.. okay, well, now it’s time to figure out just exactly where it’s located, and we can’t find it for nothing! So I just look at google maps for bars on the street we know it’s on, and I see one called “Aunt Tiki’s,” and the light bulb goes off. Haha. Apparently, we couldn’t decipher the NOLA accent and have been dead wrong about what this bar is called. Hahah. 

We eventually made it to the bar, but our guide, Carlos, was no longer working. Bummer! His shift ended an hour earlier, but he was still there hanging out, so we went inside and were served by Corinne, who made a mean mojito. Fashion designer, and super fun. We scrolled through her instagram, admiring her work. And we met an interesting couple, Clara and Eric, who we talked to for a while. Clara is a pinup girl, and her photos were amazing and ignited an interest in retro outfits…must be partly to blame on my newly acquired 1920’s flapper dress, hehe. Eric grew up in NOLA and was displaced by Katrina, living in Michigan for several years. While at Aunt Tiki’s, we learned why there are no locks on the bathroom doors and no mirrors in the bathrooms….drugs! Haha. We were too naive to put 2 and 2 together, but this bar is known as one of the “diviest” dive bars, and well, I guess now we know why, lol.

After two mojitos, Heather and I decide to continue our night elsewhere, and it turns out, Clara and Eric had given us some places to check out near Frenchman Street, where I really wanted to go. As we were leaving, they said they were headed that way and would walk us over. How cool! Well, it was until we talked enough to learn that one of them was a coke dealer! Haha. We think they were just trying to make a sale or possibly get us to go home with them….the more they talked, the weirder things got. We very clearly said “no thanks,” to all the above, and soon they both walked out, as if they were going to smoke outside… but we figured they were ditching us, after realizing we weren’t what they were looking for, haha. Okay…..byyyyyeee! Hehe

We continued on to Frenchmen Street…amazing!! It was almost like the difference between the Las Vegas strip and old Vegas. I loved it here! Jazz clubs and bars lined the street, and there were two small, quaint street markets going on. We tried to get into one club, but it was a $10 cover, and the jazz was a slow and calm jazz…easy listening. I wanted a boisterous, loud, horns galore, dancing jazz. So we popped into a place for some late night nourishment and enjoyed some tacos and Jamaican beef patties while listening to jazz playing in what seemed like the next room over. So naturally, after eating, we meandered in and were rewarded with 2 songs before the band was finished for the evening. I had a delicious caipirinha, essentially a Brazilian margarita, and we waited a while for the next band to start, but were too impatient, so we decided to head back to Pat O’Briens for the dueling pianos… which were amazing! With a name like “dueling pianos,” I expected there to be some competition and fighting over the songs being played, but it was much more relaxed, and the two pianists took turns playing requests from the rather large audience. There was standing room only by the time we showed up. And we kept saying we’d just stay for one more, one more, one more…..until we closed the place down around midnight, hehe. My favorite by far was Paradise By The Dashboard Lights. Gotta be one of my favorite songs of all times…I just love it! Haha. A tad risqué, but I appreciate a good word play, and the story telling is wonderful and cheeky. I’d say that was a fantastic end to the night! 🙂

Go-home Day:

We decided to try for the direct flight back to Boston, which left around 2pm, I believe? This way we’d have time to go back and have one last meal at our favorite restaurant. And a meal we had both been craving to try, although I think Heather was MUCH more inspired than I was. Any guesses? Maybe the number one thing to order in New Orleans? Yep! Crawfish! Neither of had ever had them, and now that was about to change in a matter of hours, lol. 

We packed up and got organized for our journey home, and had the hotel keep our bags for us while we went down to the French Market Restaurant, and we ordered all our favorites: charbroiled oysters, the Swamp Platter, with a portion of Jambalaya instead of the other dish we didn’t like, and a half boat of crawfish. OMG. They were SO FREAKING DELCIOUS! Probably has a bit to do with the seasoning on them, which was just the Zattarans Creole Seasoning….who knew? Haha. But, DANG! Seriously, delicious. And I was pleased we weren’t expected to try and suck out what minuscule amount of meat was in the claws, haha. Our waiter gave us a great demonstration right at our table. You just pull apart the body, suck out the juices from the head, and then peel off the shell on the tail and savor it all. Yummmm! Sorry for any vegetarians or non-seafood eaters…hehe. 

Feelings oh so satisfied with our decisions in life, we head to the airport to see what’s good with our flight back to Boston. It’s rare to have a non-rev trip be hassle free, so I guess we were due when we realized we didn’t make the flight. Okay, so what are our options? We can try a million times for Atlanta, where non-revs go to die, OR, we could attempt going through Detroit or Minneapolis. The Minneapolis flight left first, so we tried it! Got on, okay, awesome! But…that meant we’d be spending the night there since there were no other flights out to Boston that night. 😂 Alright, so Heather was getting the FULL non-rev experience, hehe. And she was a champ! Even after a flight in the friendship seat with less-than-kind neighbors….we rallied and found our way out of the maze that the MSP airport is, and got our hotel shuttle to a rinky-dink podunk airport hotel. We were cracking up at the difference between this hotel and our lovely historic hotel in New Orleans. We had a late night dinner at Culver’s, a new fast food restaurant for each of us. Not ideal, but honestly, the food was great! They had warm sandwiches, so we each got a pastrami, and they had CHEESE CURDS. So I couldn’t resist, hehe. 

We didn’t get much sleep, and we were back at the airport, and we made the flight back to Boston without any hassles. Overall, it was a wonderful trip to kickstart our travels together! Can’t wait to see where we go! Cheers, Heather! 

The next day would be a sailing day, as we made our way up the Nile towards our final destination: Luxor. Though, we did have one stop scheduled along the way: the incredible Edfu Temple.

Our cruise ships docked, and we wove our way between several ships before exiting onto the pier. Our guide carefully and expertly flagged down a horse-drawn rickshaw that would take us to the temple. How fun! The town is full of these and are essentially the taxis that locals and tourists alike use to get around. There are so many it looks like the crowded streets of NYC, but instead of the yellow cabs, there are horses and carts being drawn every which way. No apparent road rules or guidance to follow, just a chaotic free for all, haha. We do make it to the temple, but the entrance line is sooo long! It’s easily the longest line we’ve seen thus far. We’re only given about an hour or so for the stop, and we’re worried we won’t get tickets in time to go in and enjoy the temple before needing to leave and head back to the ship. Yikes!

Our guide gets lucky and grabs some tickets for us, and away we go, feeling rushed but trying to take in the intensity of this temple. This one is by far the largest we have seen, and it’s overwhelming. It’s just so big. Simply incredible! I’d say this was my favorite temple that we visited. There was so much visible paint left on the ruins, you really could start to imagine what it would’ve looked like in its prime; fully vibrant with colorful images wall to wall. This temple was so grand, it was hard to believe it was ancient at all. I found it amazing how well preserved these temples are, I guess that’s all thanks to the desert sands.

We make our way back to the ship, and now it’s time to chill. I’d been ready for a day to just hang out, as we’d been on the go right since we landed in Cairo. And now, finally, I would be able to lounge out by the pool and enjoy watching the world pass us by while sailing down the Nile. How lucky am I? Hehe.

We arrived in Luxor, and we’re supposed to go see another temple by night, but our guide’s ship was delayed, and he won’t make it until later. So Jaimee and I head out on our own and wander about. It was nice to get a moment without a guide, just to go at our own pace and casually stroll about. What a lovely relaxing day…just in time for our busiest day yet, lol.

And just like that, our last day and our busiest day begins. We have a tight schedule filled with sight seeing, and then a late night flight back to Cairo, beginning our long journey back to the States.

But first! A trip to Valley of the Kings! The time has finally come! Hehe 😁

Driving up the road towards the entrance to the Valley of the Kings was ethereal; tall sandy mountains on either side of the small road, looming over us as if they were the guardians of the buried treasure that lay beneath our feet. We walk through the entrance, which has a model of the tomb system, showing just how far down some of the tombs go and how intricately built they are. We buy our tickets, and I opt to pay a bit extra to see King Tut’s tomb, I mean…when in Rome, right? *ahem, Egypt* lol. There were so many other tombs that were an extra cost, either due to their fame or their pristine conditions… I’d love to come back and explore more of those. 🙂

Our guide showed us one particular mountain in the distance that looks like a natural pyramid, so this was one of the reasons this area was selected for the most important tombs. And also because it was far away from the bustling metropolis. Walking around and seeing the entrances to various tombs had me feeling a bit like Indiana Jones and also an archaeologist…I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to first discover this cultural treasure trove. 🤗

We went into a couple of tombs, and they were, without a doubt, breathtaking! And not only due to the fact it was a nearly sealed off hot vacuum buried deep beneath the mountains with little to no air flow 😅…..but because of how intact the carvings, colors, and depictions were! I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I took far too many photos, but I just couldn’t help my trigger happy fingers, lol. I tried to imagine, as I walked down the corridors to the chamber of the sarcophagus, what it must have been like to be a worker on these intricate tombs, carving all of this by hand, in the desert heat…what an undertaking!

King Tut’s tomb was so tiny compared to the rest, and easily the best preserved I saw that day. Walking down there gave me an eerie sense, as if his spirit was still there. I spent a good amount of time there, thinking about his story and the different variations I’ve read about. Who knows what truly happened to him, but despite being a short-lived ruler and perhaps not the most popular, he sure has become the most famous with his unperturbed tomb. Imagine gaining that much fame after your death and traveling the world in your sarcophagus, ha! That’s one way to do it! Haha. 😅

Our next stop was the temple of Hatshepsut, an iconic building in honor of one of the female Pharohs. How cool is that? I love that in ancient Egypt, some women were taking control and leading in powerful positions. However, not everyone agreed with that, and her successor attempted to erase her name from the temple and claim it as his own. It was incredible, standing in a place designed for a powerful female Pharoah, knowing women have such a long way to go even in this modern day and age. Throughout history, there have been women who have taken command, despite the societal difficulties, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to pay my respects to one of the greatest. 🙂

As if our morning wasn’t full enough, we stopped by the Colossi of Memnon, two gigantic statues of the Pharoah Amenhotep, which used to guard the entrance to his funerary temple, which has all but crumbled into rubble. Besides these enormous states, there wasn’t much else to see right here, but dang! Standing right next to them made you feel so tiny! I can’t imagine these being created, carved, and hoisted into position, haha.

We had a magnificent lunch at this point, all the food we’ve had so far has been amazing, but this lunch was one of my favorites. We had a table near an open balcony, looking over at a very green farm, with a slight breeze in the air. Ahhhh, how we need this break, haha.

Next up was Karnak Temple, back on the east bank of the Nile. This was yet again another stunning temple complex that is difficult to even describe. It is a series of different temples all in the same area, like a mall for temples and worshipping different gods. Multiple Pharaohs contributed to the construction of this site.

This entire complex was so large that we barely saw everything. Truly a sight to behold, this entryway was lined with ram head sphinx statues and once inside, the temple opened up to a few side temples and heading straight back was the infamous Hypostyle Hall, with the biggest columns I have ever seen! It was amazing walking amongst them and staring up towards the tops of them, as they seemed to reach for the sky. The colors on the columns were also striking, and I tried to imagine how it must have been to walk this hall in its prime. It must have invoked quite the grand spiritual sensation, standing amongst the immense columns and temples. We spent until sunset here, roaming the ruins of the temples…I was in a dream. 🙂

Our last official stop of the night was the Luxor Temple, and we’d have the luck to see it beautifully lit up at night. It was gorgeous! I really loved seeing some of the temples at night; it made them appear even more mystical than in daylight. Before we went into the temple, we walked for a bit on “Sphinx Way,” a road adorned with sphinxes on each side, leading all the way from the Luxor Temple to the Karnak Temple Complex. How incredible! It looked as though these statues had been built recently, but it was just as old as these temples, and I bet it was quite the spectacle when used for festivities.

Back to the Luxor Temple…we didn’t know it beforehand, but some really fancy dinner and event was to take place there later in the evening. The interior was filled with workers setting up big monitors and lights, carefully adjusting the placements of the plates and silverware on the finely adorned tables, and even what appeared to be a news crew preparing to report on the evening’s event. While it thwarted our attempts to look at the temple and imagine the past, it was a truly unique perspective to see a modern event celebrating in such a fabulous location. I find it intriguing when ancient structures can be incorporated into the modern world and taken care of and utilized. I wonder, though, what would the ancient Egyptians think about a dinner party happening in the middle of a temple? Hehe.

Before wrapping up our trip in Egypt, we stopped by a hookah cafe for one last hookah and mint tea. We relaxed with our guide and driver, reminiscing about the last couple of days and enjoying our view of the Luxor Temple. All good things must come to an end, and soon we had to leave for the airport. Tonight we’d be flying to Cairo, arriving around 11 pm, and waiting there for our flight to Paris, leaving around 1 or 2 am. Then, from Paris, Jaimee and I would part ways and head to our east and west coast homes :).

Egypt was as incredible as one can imagine. I was blown away by the ancient history encompassing 4,000 years as opposed to the 2,000 years of some of the greatest Latin American civilizations, of which I’m supremely interested in. 4,000 years is difficult to comprehend and makes it all the more fascinating and incredible. The time we spent in the desert was our favorite and provided us with moments of silent reflection in the stillness of the sprawling sand and rocks. I will always prefer a lush green landscape, but it was unforgettable, driving through the dry sandy landscapes and imagining what a life out here looked like thousands of years ago.

The next morning, we had an early flight from Cairo to Aswan, a city in southern Egypt. Our first stop was the huge Aswan High Dam, which was built along the Nile. The construction of the dam created one of the largest man-made reservoirs, Lake Nasser. This project was completed with help from the Russians, and there is a beautiful monument that highlights and commemorates this cooperative project. While largely considered a success, there is always an opposing perspective; a group of Nubian immigrants were uprooted from their riverside homes for the creation of the dam and the subsequent flooding of the area. The displaced Nubian community was relocated to another area of Aswan and a place we’d be visiting in the evening.

Next stop, and the one I was most excited for was the Philae Temple….our first Egyptian Temple! To get to this temple, we had to make our way down to a concrete dock where we had to get a single boat’s attention and clamor our way on. It was pure chaos, lol. And it was blisteringly hot. This place was already super crowded and filled with huge buses filled to the brim of tourists. If I wasn’t already grateful to have a guide, I sure was now, seeing how our guide, Mohammed, expertly manurvered the swarms of people to get our entry tickets and then to quickly snag a boat for us. I don’t think I’d have the patience or where-with-all to deal with the disorganized mass of people. 😅 It sure was nice having someone else do all the leg work. Thank you, Mohammed!

We make it to the island temple, and I’m instantly in awe. It was MASSIVE! And it wouldn’t be the biggest one we’d see, either. The carvings were so vibrant and clearly visible, with the exception of where some Christians etched out the images. We learned that back in the day, refugee Christians would make small, secret churches inside the temples. They would chisel away the Egyptian carvings and add crosses to their make-shift sancutaries. They’d also cook inside, and many of the temples have blackened ceilings.

By the time we were finished walking around, I felt absolutely exhausted and dehydrated. I don’t think I ever felt like I had enough water while in Egypt. My body would just soak it up and want more.

Our next stop was to see the unfinished obelisk. This was wicked cool, at least for me, hehe. We visited one of the old granite mines the Ancient Egyptians would use to cut a single obelisk out, and eventually extract it by using water ways that led to the Nile, and eventually guiding it to it’s final resting place. This particular unfinished obelisk was nearly carved out, and it suffered a big crack, so it was left abandoned. I cannot imagine spending so much time carving this giant monument by hand, only to leave it because of a crack.

We also stopped by a perfume shop, and I couldn’t help but buy more of the oils..I’m in love with them! If I’m ever lucky enough to go back to Egypt, I’ll be buying more of those, without a doubt! It was a fun experience, too, as they bring you to a small room, offer you refreshments, and then explain the different types of oils and what they’re used for.

We then made our way to a cruise ship, which would be our home for the next 3 nights! Couldn’t believe we’d be going on a Nile cruise!  I wanted to do a cruise on the smaller boats, a felucca, but we ended up on a big cruise ship, complete with a pool deck, dining hall, and a spa. This is gonna be gooood. 🙂 We check in, get our cabin, refresh ourselves, and head right back out again. If I haven’t mentioned it before, this was planned on being a whirlwind trip, fitting in as much as possible in 9 days. 😅

We’d be taking a smaller boat down the Nile to a Nubian village for sunset. Talk about another incredible ending to a beautiful day….sailing down the Nile at sunset, the colorful golden sun shining brightly on the desert sand, only to be complemented by the lush fertile banks of the Nile River. Soon, the colorful Nubian houses were visible from the boat, and the excitement of exploring a new place quickly chased away my exhaustion. We arrive and walk around the colorful streets, checking out some of the shops, and our guide takes us to one in particular, where we buy some tea and incense. This is some of the best smelling incense I’ve ever smelt, and I am so excited to bring it home! 🤗

We go to an infamous house that has alligators as pets. What? But why? Lol. I couldn’t imagine why they would have alligators living in the house with them, but then I saw that it’s a way to draw in tourists. Many people visit this traditional Nubian house, where they offer almost any drink you would like, and they have several seating areas over looking the rushing Nile. It was nice to have a relaxing moment after quite a long day.

The next morning I’d be taking a solo trip, as Jaimee wanted to stay on the boat and relax, and also go walk around and explore the bustling city of Aswan. So I set my alarm for something like 3 am, to leave by 4 am for a long car ride to just about the southern most point in Egypt: Abu Simbel. I knew I wanted to do this, as I was highly encouraged to visit by anyone I knew who had gone to Egypt.

These two temples were carefully deconstructed and moved inland to avoid being flooded by the formation of Lake Nasser, the result of building the Aswan High Dam. Pharaoh Ramesses II built the temples here, and the smaller temple was to honor his wife, Nefertari, and the goddess Hathor. Not only did I love the fact that Ramesses built this for his wife, but also that Hathor is the goddess of fertility, beauty, love, and music, among other things. One of her images is that of a cow, symbolizing fertility, which was another reason I felt connected to her (I milked cows for quite a while and loved every minute of it, so cows have become one of my favorite things 😊). I was also starting to have a crush on Ramesses II….he was in power for so long and did so much for Egypt….although all good things come at a price. He was far from a perfect ruler, but I’m amazed at how much he influenced Ancient Egypt and perhaps even the current borders of the country.

The temples at Abu Simbel were so striking I never wanted to leave. Absolutely enormous! The sheer size of the statues was staggering. There were pieces that had fallen, and even those were gigantic. I spent a long time outside the temple before heading inside. Once inside, I found myself amazed at the sheer quantity of carvings…every square inch of this pace was covered. I explored every nook and cranny that I could, suffering from the sweltering heat and lack of air movement inside. I finally emerge back out into the bright, hot sunlight and make my way to the smaller temple of Nefertari. The small temple was just as impressive as the larger one: every wall had some sort of carving or heiroglypic inscription on it.

Once I got my fill of these incredible temples inside and out, we headed back to the car for our journey back to the cruise ship. We get back before sunset, and I go find Jaimee, and we recount our days for each other while enjoying the views as the cruise ship began to make it’s journey up the Nile.

Another long day, right? Yep! And we’re not finished yet! Haha. One more stop for the evening, the Kom Ombo Temple. I was so exhausted at this point, but I can always rally for something amazing. All the cruise ships parked next to each other, and to get off the ship, we had to walk through 3 or 4 of them to get to the pier. That was an experience in and of itself, lol. The temple was a short walk up the hill, and the first views of it lit up at night were stunning!

We make our way there, and our guide tells us the history of the place, and we learn that he can read the hieroglyphs! How cool is that? This temple is dedicated to Horas and Sobek, which is a rare find to have one temple dedicated to more than one God. Sobek is the crocodile God, and the Ancient Egyptians would pray to him to hopefully avoid any dangerous run-ins with the crocodiles in the river. Today, there are no crocodiles, but I can imagine how nerve-wracking it would have been to travel down the river, or live along the banks, knowing that at any moment a crocodile could be waiting for its next meal. Yikes! I’d be praying to the crocodile God, too! Lol

We finally make it back to the ship and call it a night. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings! 🙂

After two nights in Cairo, we hit the ground running to a desert adventure! We were picked up early for a 5 hour drive out into the middle of the desert, where we would spend the next 24 hours. Our guide, Mohammed, would become our driver, desert expert, sandboarding guru, and chef extradoinaire. We met up with him in a small town, the Bahariya Oasis, in an otherwise Martian landscape. In his town, there were plenty of green trees, and we found out later that the majority of our food for that trip came from straight from his town. 

Before we left with Mohammed on our grand adventure, we had a lovely lunch at a little restaurant. We were seated all the way in the back, in a stucco room with tall ceilings that helped keep us cool in the heat. There were cushions all around the perimeter of the room, with tables just a foot or so off the ground. We took off our shoes (I wasn’t sure and had to be told 😅) and found a comfy spot. Next, we were brought an assortment of plates of food. My favorite was a delicious chilled eggplant doused in olive oil and herbs. I would soon become the world’s biggest eggplant fan…at least the way the Egyptians prepare it. Heavenly! Just as we thought we couldn’t eat any more, another round of food comes out, with huge portions of rice and salad. This looked like a meal for a family! Haha, Jaimee and I did our best, but much was left untouched. 

To polish off our lovely meal, we had a cup of mint tea….also becoming one of my favorites…especially after dinner. It just felt so..right! 

After lunch, we met with Mohammed, and we jumped into a 4 wheel drive car, and we were off! First stop, the black desert, named for the dark black sand that is all that is left from the volcanoes that once populated the landscape. Once we reached the entrance, Mohammed gunned it through the sand, and most of it felt nearly as packed as the pavement, but there were times we were fish tailing and sailing through the sand. We make it to the stopping point, where we can get out and explore, so we layer up on the sunscreen and start to really take in our surroundings. Mohammed left the windows down, and I guess that was the open invitation for the flies…..apparently the only living thing in the desert, as far as I can see, lol. So when it was time to go, we had to shoo the flies from the car, and I’m quite sure we looked like maniacs driving down the road, haha. 

It was at that stop we also realized our bags weren’t with us. They were supposed to have been loaded into the Jeep before we left, but somehow, that was overlooked. When we had arrived, someone took them for us while we had lunch, and we trusted they would get them where they needed to go. But silly us, we didn’t double check, haha. Whooops! But Mohammed called back and was able to have another car bring them to us. Thank you!!

We stopped at one more place, a tall hill worth climbing to see a 360 view of the black desert. How could we resist? Hehe. We get out into the scorching heat, both of us in sandals, but we begin our jaunt up the loose, sandy trail. It’s kicking our butt, but we persevere, and it’s totally worth it! The views from the top are amazing, and it’s so quiet with the exception of the wind, nearly blowing us over. It was just incredible to be in ths landscape to see it as far as the eye would reach. 

Next stop was the Crystal Mountain, which is an area of the white desert where everywhere you turn are sparkly, shimmering crystals imbedded in the rocks. It was beautiful! Here, the sand was more white and reminded me of the beach sand, and naturally, I kicked off my sandals and walked around barefoot, connecting with the land. Dorky, yes, I know, hehe. We only spent a short time here, as we realized there was a caravan of Jeeps with tons of tourists, so we wanted to stay ahead of them, hehe. 

Back in the car, and off we go to Aqabat Mountain, another series of incredible formations in the white desert. This place was one of my favorites and truly felt otherworldly. Again, I took advantage of the deep warm sand and took my sandals off, and took a stroll down the hill, taking in all that I was seeing. Being in the desert has got me feeling magical. I still wouldn’t say the desert is my favorite landscape, but being here made me feel so grounded to the earth and in awe of the millions of years of change the earth goes through. Knowing that at one time, this giant swarth of desert was a lush land with volcanoes and oceans truly puts into perspective the age of the earth and how finite our time on it is. 

Next stop: sand boarding! I have done this before, when I was in Leon, Nicaragua, and we hiked up a young volcano and sat on our wooden tobagons and tore through the sharp volcanic rock. It was exhilarating and a bit terrifying, and I’d do it again any day. So, I’m very excited to try sand boarding on a big sand dune. Because, of course! Hehe. We get ready to slide down, and I’m thinking I’m an expert because of my volcano experience. How wrong was I? Haha. Very wrong. Jaimee went down and had a grand time, and I’m ready to use my learned techniques and fly down even faster, but, as it turns out, sand boarding down volcanic sand versus desert sand is quite different. On the volcano, leaning back makes you go much faster, whereas on the sand dune, if you lean back, you lose balance and flip over. So guess what happened to me? Haha. Yup. I ate it. And I ate it hard, lol. Determined to do it correctly, we hike back up the sand dune, and I confer with our guide, Mohammed, and he gives me instructions on how to do it properly…and I go successfully! Hoooray! Now I’m satisfied, having made it down the sand dune in one piece. 

Our next stop would be our campsite for the night, in the middle of the white desert! I couldn’t wait for this, as I never got around to camping last year… And to camp in the desert would be a different and unique experience! While driving thought the white desert, we saw so many funky rock formations, and we wanted to spend more time there, but our guide had a goal in mind: a picture perfect sunset from the perfect spot. So, we hurry along and get there as soon as we can, hopefully arriving before the other tourist Jeeps. We climbed up this giant rock, and we were rewarded with 360 views of the white desert, which used to be an ocean, and most of the sand and structures are a white-sand, beachy color. The setting sun cast pastel color rays all around us, and the pink and purple reflected off the white. It was certainly a sight to behold. It was mesmerizing to watch and to pause and take a few deep breaths of gratitude and absolute senereity. A beautiful way to end the day. 

We finally make it to our campsite, and there is already a fabric tent there, and for a moment, we think we’ll be sleeping in there. It was so beautiful and colorful, and was tall enough to have standing room in the middle. Well, it turns out, that’s where our guide would sleep, and also the tent is the storage unit for the overnight equipment. Our pop-up tent was in there, along with some mattresses and sleeping bags, and of course, cooking equipment. 

Mohammed got a fire going, and while Jaimee and I relaxed and looked up in awe at the biggest sky I’ve ever seen, he began preparing our dinner. That dinner would end up being our favorite meal of the entire trip and ranks quite high in the lifetime of meals we’ve both enjoyed. All the ingredients were super fresh and from Mohammed’s town, all organic and grown with love. And the flavors of the food were off the chart! We must have thanked Mohammed a million times! And while eating dinner, we realized for the first time that Mohammed speaks fluent English! We had no idea! Haha. He was being shy, I guess, and when we had asked him questions, he would reply with short answers, never really engaging us in conversation, until now.

With our new knowledge of Mohammed’s English and our happy, full bellys, we all went to lay around the fire and chatted for a good while. Mohammed brought over some of the best tea I have ever had. It’s common to have tea after dinner in Egypt, a nice fresh cup of mint tea. Egypt is definitely turning me into a tea drinker. I’ve always loved coffee, so when given the option of coffee or tea, I’d always choose coffee, but I’m learning to indulge in the after dinner tea as it helps digest the food and ease the full belly syndrome. We enjoyed the crackling fire next to us and the sparkling stars above us. I was dying to see a shooting star, and after a near constant gazing of the dark sky, only illuminated by the moon, I was rewarded! I didn’t want to sleep at all, I just wanted to continue watching for the magnificent shooting starts, but I knew I’d be better off if I got some sleep. So I crawl into the tent and get comfortable. 

We woke up the next morning, and the cool desert air greeted us, helping to wake us from our dreamy states. Mohammed was busy preparing a breakfast for us and cleaning up the camp site a bit. What an amazing experience! We walked around the area, taking in our surroundings and being absolutely tickled with the fact we were standing in the middle of the Egpytian desert. 

We took our time, meandering our way back to the main road, that would eventually take us back to where we began the desert trip. Along the wa, we saw some camels just strolling through the desert…how cool! On our way back, we stopped by a natural cold spring, which was surprisingly busy, and dipped our toes into the cool waters. We had a quick coffee, and off we went to the hot spring. While at the hot spring, we realized the car had a flat tire. So Mohammed jumped out, grabbed a tool kit from the back, and immediately began changing the tire. We offered to help him in any way we could, but he wouldn’t accept it. I don’t blame him, as I certainly know next to nothing when it comes to changing a tire, lol.

Before we knew it, we were on our way back to the Oasis and then back to Cairo. We made it back before sunset and went to another rooftop area that had hookah and a view of the pyramids, although, this time, they weren’t lit up, and were just looming dark shadows on the horizon. It was a lovely night, and another perfect end to a perfect day.

First trip post covid = a whirlwind 10 days in Egypt! My friend Jaimee and I decided to travel somewhere together as is our tradition. We’ve visited Prague and Rome, and we met up in Hawaii, and now we had to decide our next destination. As usual, we threw around several ideas, but we eventually landed on Egypt! Wow! Hehe.

So, we began our research and ended up finding a recommended guide through a travel facebook group. Everyone we reached out to suggested we do a tour since there is so much to see and learn. We typically choose to do our own thing, but I am so glad we did the tour! Can’t recommend that enough! Hehe.

We met in Montreal to take a direct flight to Cairo…on the 787 Dreamliner! Cool! 😎. A short 9.5 hours and we’d be in the land of the Pharoahs.

We landed around 10 am, and our guide was at the airport, ready to take us to our airbnb for the first couple of nights. But, with so much time left in the day, we did a short city tour before heading to our home in Cairo.

We visited one of the oldest mosques in town, which was also used for a school. It was a beautiful building, and the large open atrium allowed cool air to fill the space and was a much needed respite from the heat. I love going into spiritual buildings because I often get a sense of the divine. We were lucky enough to watch an imam perform a call to prayer. It was amazing to watch how he used his hands as a way to amplify his voice or to quiet it.

Next up was a visit to the national museum, where there house the mummies! The city was building a new museum, so the artifacts were divided between two different museums, so we missed out on seeing King Tut’s golden funerary mask, but we did see several mummies! That was a surreal experience, seeing the mummified Pharaohs and feeling an eerie presence in the dark, low lit maze of the exhibition. To think these remains are 4,000 years old is hard to comprehend.

We also visited the “hanging church,” which was built on top of an old Roman fortress. It turns out that Egypt is a blend of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Though mostly Muslim, Egypt is a religious melting pot, and after reflecting on it for a bit, I’m not too surprised, given its geographical location. I grew up in the church, and I found it fascinating to learn about several of the Pharaohs, and one in particular, who was most likely to be the one that enslaved the Israelites.

We had an amazing meal at the end of the day… plates of hummus and yogurt dips, fresh pita, a delicious soup, and lamb and chicken served atop a small grill, complete with smoking embers keeping the meat nice and toasty. Wowza! I can get used to this! Lol.

The next morning, we visited Saqqara, once home to the necropolis of Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt. The big attraction here is the first pyramid to be built around 2630 BCE. Unlike the infamous Giza pyramids, the Djoser Pyramid is stepped. While visiting this complex, we were able to enter a rather dilapidated pyramid, but one that held a beautiful secret: the first hieroglyphs! We were already drenched with sweat in the Egyptian desert, and now we’re getting ready to enter a small chamber with little fresh air. So worth it! I know we’ll be seeing more hieroglyphs, but this was so amazing! We climbed around, doubled over in order to fit through the corridor, only standing up in the chambers where the tomb was.

Our already epic day was just getting started, as we were booked for a tour of the Giza Pyramids…..on camels! Now, as amazing as this was, I must say, the health of the camels and houses used for tourism was shocking. Clearly, these animals are malnourished and mistreated. The guides who take tourists on these tours make a living from the meager cost of the tour and tips. I’m sure there is a debate that human welfare is more important than animal welfare, but I would strive for a system that does no harm to a living being, animal or otherwise. Perhaps there needs to be a conscious effort to either avoid this type of tourism or to have fair prices that are sufficient to care properly for the gorgeous horses and camels and other animals employed in tourism.

That being said, I enjoyed my Camel ride, but the next time, I would opt out. I couldn’t help but feel guilty half the time. My poor Camel would grunt and moan everything we got up or down.

Back to the fun stuff; the Giza pyramids were breathtaking…absolutely enormous! I’m a sucker for ancient history, and I’m fascinated with the Mayans, but the Ancient Egyptians stole my heart….I mean, this civilization is 4,000 years old, and they maintained themselves for thousands of years! That’s absolutely jaw-dropping to me. Being right up next to these giant pyramids made me feel so small, and just in complete awe of the engineering feats required to build these structures. I always try to envision how things would’ve looked like in their prime, and these pyramids must’ve been mesmerizing and terrifying all the same.

To end our day, we spent some time on the rooftop of a nearby hotel, with a view of the Great Pyramids. They were lit up with some lights, and let me tell you, there couldn’t have been a better view than what we were graced with, hehe. I absolutely recommend a trip to a rooftop bar or restaurant to see the pyramids. Amazing!

Well, it’s officially over, my first full month of traveling! I suppose it’s just shy of a month, but who’s counting? Hehe. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to travel and see different parts of the world, and to someday be a “backpacker.” I never knew how to make it work, or perhaps I was unwilling to take on the risks it involves? Either way, I’m proud to say I made it work this time. I knew I wanted to travel with Dana and Hayden, and I had been talking about it for a long while, but this time, I was determined to make it happen. I picked up extra work trips in January, I planned my paid time off to be used for an entire week in February, and I was able to move one of my work trips into January, freeing up even more time for the big holiday. 😁

This month was a dream, bouncing around from place to place, hustling like a true backpacker, and staying in nice airbnbs, like a “flash packer,” a new vocab word for me, hehe. Traveling at such a fast pace is exhausting but has its merits. We were able to hit 4 countries in 26 days! That’s pretty epic, if you ask me. 😁 I scored two new countries, and am officially at 22! I’ve never been super invested in reaching a certain number of countries, but after traveling with Dana and Hayden, I am now, hehe. I hope to work some fun routes this summer and to see a few new places. And I hope to be able to go away for a few days here and there to explore new cities. 

Backpacking teaches one how little is necessary to survive, and it exposes the finer luxuries in life that we take for granted, such as fresh coffee in the morning, a comfortable bed, and hot water. Traveling teaches patience and problem solving skills, how to react to sudden changes, and how to think on your toes. To say there are multiple dimensions of growth and learning when it comes to traveling would be an understatement, hehe.

I am forever grateful for this experience and for Dana and Hayden for inviting me to tag along for such a long time. We had never traveled together before, and if you’re also a traveler, you’ll know you just can’t take anyone, lol. There needs to be a certain level of flexibility, openness, and tons of communication. I’ve heard it said before that if you’re dating someone, a great way to test the relationship is to travel somewhere with that person. How do you enjoy the vacation together? How do you problem-solve when things don’t go according to plan? How do you deal with each other when the “hanger” sets it? My last relationship, one I thought was for the long term, ended days after a cruise. Coincidence? I don’t think so, haha. It was a long time coming, but that trip pushed us over the edge. Good riddance, lol. 

I would travel with Dana and Hayden again, any time, anywhere. It felt so natural, and our little crew got along so well. 26 days passed far too quickly, hehe. 

Since covid stopped time and forced us to live a new normal, I haven’t traveled much. But the world is open now, and I’m ready to explore again. I had a fabulous first post-covid trip to Egypt back in October with my roommate from flight attendant training, Jaimee. We have such a blast with each other, and we’ve gone to some incredible places together. I’m always looking forward to a new trip! 🙂 Where to, Jaimee?

My goal for this year is to try and visit a new place every month. It could be near or far, but I have the ability to design my schedule in a way that allows me to take advantage of the travel bug, and I plan on doing just that. 

Stay tuned for more travel adventures!