Wanderlust : Spain 2007 - Tarragona

Confession:  I have an obsession with seeing the world.  I read blogs daily written by expats or those two travel constantly.  I am jealous of them and their opportunities to travel this amazing planet.  Therefore I am starting a series that will document my travels.  Some are exciting, some are not.  I intend to make a life of it and will continue to add to this as I go.

Our travel group took a day trip to Tarragona by train from Barcelona and took in the sites.  I was unaware what I would see on this excursion, and was blown away by the Roman ruins, including the amphitheatre.  It literally took my breath away.  As you have all guessed by now, I am not the writer of my family so let's let the photos do the talking, shall we?

Up next, Valencia (our last stop in Spain)!

Wanderlust: Spain 2007 - Tibidabo & Montserrat

Confession:  I have an obsession with seeing the world.  I read blogs daily written by expats or those two travel constantly.  I am jealous of them and their opportunities to travel this amazing planet.  Therefore I am starting a series that will document my travels.  Some are exciting, some are not.  I intend to make a life of it and will continue to add to this as I go.

While in Barcelona, we decided to spend the last half of a day on Tibidabo, which is a mountain overlooking Barcelona.  On top of the mountain, there is a beautiful cathedral named the Temple de Sagrat Cor, which we took the time to explore.   By the time the sun began to set, the air was more than a little chilly.  While we had worn long sleeves, we hadn't actually prepared for that temperature so we were frigid by the time we made it back down the mountain.  Definitely a worthwhile venture, though.  Check it out.

But wait, there's more! On a separate day, we also explored Monserratt, which is a multi-peaked mountain just outside of Barcelona.  It is the site of a Benedictine monastery and the home of one of Europe's black Madonna's.  It is a placed steeped in fascinating history that I can't do justice by telling it.  Just take my word for it - go experience this place!  We took a cable car to get there.  Now, I am terrified of heights so let's just say I was hanging on to the center pole of the cable car for dear life.  Why would I do that when it would do me no good if the cable snapped, you ask?  I have no idea.  I was just white-knuckled and praying.  It was definitely worth the ride though.

Can you see now why I was terrified?!

One word of advice though.  Do buy some fresh honey while on the mountain.  Do NOT try to get it back to the states even in your checked baggage.  It will get thrown away, even if it was a gift for you father.  (Sorry, Dad!)

Up next, Tarragona and Valencia!

Wanderlust: Spain 2007 - Barcelona

Confession:  I have an obsession with seeing the world.  I read blogs daily written by expats or those two travel constantly.  I am jealous of them and their opportunities to travel this amazing planet.  Therefore I am starting a series that will document my travels.  Some are exciting, some are not.  I intend to make a life of it and will continue to add to this as I go.

**I am making changes to my blog.  Please be patient with me as I get it just right!**

 When my fiance (now husband) was in school to finish his second round of architecture school, we were given the opportunity to take a 10-day trip to Spain as a part of his studies.  We were lucky enough to be able to visit Barcelona, Tarragona, and Valencia during that time.  This was, of course, before I received my first DSLR, but it was on this trip that I discovered my love for photography.  Coincidentally, it is also where my husband discovered his love of painting.  What can I say?  Europe is a very inspirational place.

We stayed in Barcelona, where we visited most of the landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudi.


Guell Pavilions Dragon Gate

Casa Mila

La Sagrada Familia

Park Guell

Um, yes please...

Overlooking Barcelona

I will be back with more Spain to explore, so get ready to travel!

Wanderlust : Study Abroad Summer 2004

Confession:  I have an obsession with seeing the world.  I read blogs daily written by expats or those two travel constantly.  I am jealous of them and their opportunities to travel this amazing planet.  Therefore I am starting a series that will document my travels.  Some are exciting, some are not.  I intend to make a life of it and will continue to add to this as I go.

It all started one day when, in the middle of my English literature class during the last semester of my senior year of college, a man walked in and announced this program.  We had the opportunity to travel to Oxford, England and study abroad for the summer.  I didn't even have to think twice.  I signed up immediately. During that trip, I was able to visit the Lake District, Ireland, England, Scotland, and Paris.  That's when the travel bug bit me.

Of course, I was ill-prepared in the photo documentation department for this trip.  I can't remember if I actually had a point-and-shoot or if I used disposable cameras (for shame) - complete with time stamp right on the image.  Regardless, here is a very small taste of what I saw and did.

Edinbourgh, Scotland

Blenheim Palace - England

Ireland

Paris, France

Obviously, I took waaaay more pictures than what I am showing here.  These are the only photos out of 565 that I am not completely embarrassed to post.  I will give you one guess as to why it is imperative that I return to these places.

In any case, this is where it all started for me.  My unquenchable thirst for travel.  Ah, fond memories.

Wanderlust : Blue Ridge Mountains

My husband's father and brother both live pretty far away from us (and in opposite directions) so 2-3 times a year we meet together to spend long weekends together.  This generally falls on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.  For Memorial Day 2011, we met in Blue Ridge, GA at a cabin and stayed for a long weekend with my father-in-law, his girlfriend, my brother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law.  What follows is a short excerpt of my photos from that mini-vacation.

Little man couldn't stay awake for the whole hike through the woods.

Blue Ridge is an absolutely gorgeous area, complete with train rides and hikes through the woods.  We thoroughly enjoyed all of the scenery and fresh air.  Evenings were spent on the porch of our cabin, drinks in hand, just spending time together.  I couldn't have asked for a better gathering for our family.  Definitely a must-see for your list if you enjoy peaceful tranquility of nature. Unless you have a toddler, in which case there is never peaceful tranquility - until they fall asleep.  :)