National Park Roundup: 2016

**Edited: In light of recent events, go check out Alt National Park Service for hard facts about our land**

Hi, hello, are you still there? I’m baaaackkkk.

Blogging was becoming more of a chore than a thrill, so I took a break. But, I’m back and here to talk about the THIRTEEN national parks we were lucky enough to visit in 2016! I have already written about several of the parks, so I quickly reviewed those and added the links to my original post about each park/trip. The rest of this post will be allllll about Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Sequoia, and King’s Canyon!

1. Our national park journey began in southern Florida, at beautiful Biscayne Bay.

2. The same day, we zipped on over to the Everglades, to enjoy the placid water and quiet charm.

3. Our third park together is one that is near and dear to my heart – Acadia. I had already been a few times with my parents and it was just as tranquil as I remembered. Tucked up in the woods and bordered by the ocean, Acadia is will always be one of my favorites.

4-8. In July, we drove 3,500 miles from New Hampshire to California, and checked five wonderful and diverse parks off our list: Cuyahoga Valley, Rocky Mountain, Arches, Canyonlands, Great Basin!

Okay, if you’re still with me THANK YOU! …and I’ll give a more in depth review of the remaining five below.

9. Lassen Volcanic

In August, we headed to Lassen Volcanic, our first park in California. This time we were accompanied by our new (…new at the time) friends Kelsey and Matt! As the name suggests, this park is known for its volcanic activity. Most popular is Lassen Peak, but there are also several different active hydrothermal areas.

We went the riskier route (for me at least) and didn’t book a campsite ahead of time. The only campsites left were at Warner Valley, which is in a less popular area of the park, but it actually suited our needs perfectly.

After checking in at the visitor center, we headed to our campsite, set up our tents, and then, hiking! The Pacific Crest Trail was directly adjacent to our campsite, which was pretty freaking cool.

We hiked first to boiling springs lake (pictured above) and then to terminal geyser. The weather was cooler and much more enjoyable than the 100+ temperatures we had been experiencing in Sacramento – everyone was thrilled.

The next day we set our eyes back on the main part of the park. There were several areas of interest including bubbling pots, sulfur springs, an Emerald Lake, and a view of Lassen Peak.

We decided to do the hike to King’s Creek Falls and we were greatly rewarded.

After our hike, we sat by Summit Lake South and ate lunch. Eventually, we finished wandering through the rest of the park, and headed back home.

10.Crater Lake

In September we headed north to Oregon, home to Crater Lake. Neither of us had been to Oregon before, and it was our first camping trip with Shay – we were SO excited!

To split up the drive, we stopped in Northern California the first night at Castle Crags State Park. We arrived after dark, but woke up to this beauty of a view!

After a quick breakfast, we set our sights on Oregon. We arrived mid-morning, before most of the weekend traffic, quickly checked in, and went to set up our tent.

As the name suggests, as the result of volcanic activity, there is now a crater filled with water, making it a lake. There is a road that follows the curve of the lake with many stopping points.

The unbelievably blue waters are out of this world!

After driving around the lake we headed back to our campsite for dinner, accompanied of course by some local beer and s’mores.

What we didn’t expect, was how terribly cold it would be. I do quite a bit of research before trips, but I had not anticipated below freezing temperatures. It felt extra cold coming from 90+ degree heat in Sacramento. Our original plan was to stay in Oregon for two nights, but after one night we decided we simply weren’t well enough prepared for the cold. We woke up in the morning to frost on our tent and frozen bodies. Luckily, as the sun came up (+Cody started a fire), our bodies started to thaw.

However, we still made the most of our second day before heading back to California! We zipped down to see the Pinnacles, which are an unexpected sight after spending the previous day in awe of the blue water.

Probably our favorite part of the trip was seeing the joy on our pup’s face throughout the entire trip. She adores camping and exploring – it couldn’t be a better fit. And for one of the funniest moments of our trip – Cody asked me to take a picture of the FJ, when all of the sudden Shay pops up and sticks her head out the window. We’re a little bias, but she is the cutest little nature dog.

Since we had already reserved the campsite for Sunday night, we utilized the fire pit for a little barbecue dinner before heading home. While not everything went according to plan, Oregon was still such a dream.

 

11. Yosemite

In the end of October, we made it to Yosemite, finally. After doing quite a bit of research online, some fellow adventurers mentioned the potential for snow, while others excitedly shared what they described as a golden season. Well! A golden weekend it was! We arrived late in the night, set up our tent, and awoke to the most awe-inspiring scene.

After a little campfire breakfast, which included spilled dog food, seven bold crows, and a barking dog at 7am, we went out to explore. (Also, please appreciate how we both unintentionally brought our Maine sweatshirts).

We spent most of our time in Yosemite Valley, since many of the roads at higher elevations are closed as soon as the weather gets cold.

Plain and simple, we were surrounded by beauty.

After reveling in sun-kissed fields of the valley, we drove toward glacier point, of course, stopping at Tunnel View. Of all of the beautiful views in the national park system, this must be one of the most famous. We stood off to the side away from the crowds of people for quite a while, just taking it all in.

The road to Glacier Point is beautiful, but nothing prepares you for the beauty when you arrive. There were three waterfalls within view, in addition to the magnificent half dome. We spent quite a while just enjoying the view before eventually heading back to our campsite for another meal around the campfire.

Sunday morning we woke up to the peaceful sound of rain pattering on the top of our tent. We packed up our wet camping gear and took our time driving back to Sacramento, stopping several times to admire the mountains surrounded by fog. Yosemite, despite the large crowds, lived up to my high expectations of serenity and beauty.

12 and 13. Sequoia and King’s Canyon

For Thanksgiving, we knew we wouldn’t be able to afford to fly home, so we planned a trip to Sequoia and King’s Canyon! What I hadn’t originally planned on, was Cody’s brother Barry being there to adventure with us! Our last two parks of the year came in a set – Sequoia and King’s Canyon.

We stayed at Kirk Creek Campground, outside of the parks and kind of in between the two.  I would recommend staying in one of the parks (or national forest) if you can, but because the temperatures drop quite low in the winter months, our campsite fit our needs better because of the lower elevation.

After setting up camp, we set off first to Sequoia.

After stopping in at the visitor center we wound up the curvy roads and to the famous General Sherman tree. It is a short walk down a paved road, making is fairly easy to access. Which of course, meant it was super crowded. After admiring the tree, we wandered around, taking lots of photos for trees.

We were fortunate enough to see this beauty of a sunset as we left the park in the evening. California sunsets never disappoint!

…Shay also loves viewing a good sunset!

The next morning we took a rather desolate road from our campground to King’s Canyon.

Similar to Sequoia, there are areas in King’s Canyon that highlight the “most famous” aka biggest trees, as well as other interesting features.

To reach this view, it was only a short little hike, and much less crowded than the other parts of the park. SUCCESS!

We considered going down into the valley of the Canyon, but decided against it because of the waning sunlight.

Due to a prediction of multiple feet of snow Saturday night into Sunday, we decided to head out Saturday night after exploring Sequoia one more time.

*obligatory photo driving through a tree*

We stopped at Moro Rock and were not disappointed. There is a long and unexpectedly strenuous stairway up the side of this rock feature. You can see the winding roadway below, but because of the fog, not a whole lot else was visible.

It was so much fun having Barry along for these parks and another adventure, before he heads to help serve the people of Cambodia for the next year (more about that here)!

Our National Park journey is long from over, but we feel both thrilled and proud that we were able to make it to thirteen this year. Looking forward to what is to come, but hoping we never forget these sweet memories!

 

NH to CA Roadtrip: Part 2

Part two of our road trip! Starting with our beloved travels through Colorado and Utah, and then on to Nevada and California.  Check out part 1, of our trip from New Hampshire to arriving in Colorado.

DAY FIVE // We slept in until 8am (!!!), and then headed north, with my sister, to the Rockies.

For miles and miles you see these grand mountains, and finally, you start driving into and through them. We entered the national park like a bunch of tourists, stopped the car, leaped out, and started snapping photos.

 

Once we paid our visit to the visitor center, we followed the flow of traffic along Trail Ridge Road, the main road through the park.

Top left: Elk scattered around, only a dozen feet from our car!

Right: A couple moose in the field next to a picnic area

We wound up and around the mountains, through the vast green forest. It was all so absolutely beautiful.

After a day at the park, we stopped to have dinner with our uncle and his family, and we are fairly sure this is the only photo that exists of us in at least a decade.

One more night hanging out with these people, and sleeping in a comfy bed, until we were off again.

 

DAY SIX // The day finally came for my sister and I to say goodbye until Christmas, and I have to say, it was rough. BUT! Cody and I were in for one of the most beautiful parts of our drive. Seriously, if you ever have the chance to take I-70 west from Denver to Utah. DO IT. DO IT NOW.

After getting out of the city, we found ourselves surrounded by stunning view after stunning view. But really, Glenwood Canyon takes the prize. Incredible.

As we continued west toward Grand Junction, CO and Utah, the beauty continued.

And then, UTAH. *Insert all positive, beautiful, wonderful adjectives here* Go to Utah. Spend a lifetime there. I will come visit.

Narrowing Utah down to just a few days was hard, but we decided on going to both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, because of their relative proximity to one another. Moab, is the town between them, and is also known as a mecca for off-roading. National parks, I was thrilled. Off-roading, Cody was thrilled. YAY. We stayed at Archview Campground, which was centrally located and served its purpose, but as a campground, we were less than thrilled. The campsites were squished together, and at night, among the most star-filled sky I had ever seen, was a giant shining Chevron sign. Luckily, the view was great compensation.

We arrived in the middle of the afternoon, to the sight of looming dark clouds. Our plan was to go to Arches first, but as we started driving toward the park, it started down pouring. We took our chances and went first for food at the Moab Brewery and then to Arches.

It hadn’t completely cleared by the time we were done eating, but it had stopped raining!

There were beautiful rock formations and arches everywhere I turned. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in the east.

The only true downfall to getting food first, was that in a sense, we wasted some of our daylight. We shorted ourselves on time, and didn’t make it all the way through the park (leaving with a promise to make it back someday). Mostly because we didn’t want to rush ourselves.

We found ourselves at a good stopping place, and jumped atop the FJ to watch the sunset.

DAY 7 // We slept in a little later than planned, but still left our campsite around 8am.

The drive into the park was beautiful, but just the beginning of what will go down as one of the best days of our lives.

There are three distinct parts of Canyonlands, and after a lot of research, we decided to spend our day at ‘Island in the Sky.’ After stopping at the visitor center, we made our way into the park.  We followed the road along the canyon and to all of the viewpoints

Surprisingly enough, on the road in the center between the canyons, were these large expanses of grassland

It was a blazing 103 degrees for most of the day, so we kept our hikes to a minimum. However, there were several short ones that provided incredible views. One in particular was Whale Rock. It was only about 30 minutes, but gave us an even better view than we expected.

 I mean, UNREAL.

Eventually we grew hungry, threw together some sandwiches from our cooler, grabbed some chips, and sat at this casual lunch spot shown below. Just your average day in Utah, I suppose.

And then! My friends, we began down White Rim Road. There are so many options for off-roading in Moab, it is a little bit overwhelming. However, we knew going to national parks was super important to us, and we realized we had the opportunity to drive off-road, through the park. SOLD!

We began down the road, and then down the inside of a canyon. I hope I never ever forget those moments.

A short little walk off the dirt road, and BAM! This overlook that I can’t believe people actually pass by.

As much as we wanted to continue down White Rim Road, we still had a lot of road ahead of us in order to make it back to Moab by nightfall, so we eventually had to turn around and we exited the park via Potash Road.

We headed back in to town, poked around in the stores for a bit, and then after a long, exhausting, wonderful day, we slept.

We left our campsite as the sun rose the next morning, and headed for Nevada. We stopped in this tiny town with Mom’s Cafe. We had a hearty breakfast, and then headed west once again.

Western Utah was a barren. There were rolling hills, rock formations, and small mountains.

And then, it was flat.

After an uneventful morning of driving, we made it to Great Basin National Park, our fifth and final park of the trip.

We had a wonderful time touring this little park, windows down, singing to some old Kenny Chesney songs. However, the park was unexpectly busy. We saw so few people our entire drive from Moab, and then there they all were, buying all the tickets to the cave tour. Leaving none for us! For once, I failed to plan effectively.

As we left the park, we stopped at this random pavilion right outside the gate. Quaint and charming, just as I like life.

Then, suddenly, we found ourselves at our final campsite. With a couple thousand miles behind us and some of the best memories, we pulled into Ward Mountain Campground. We were at the perfect elevation for the sunset, and so we dragged out our cooler, sat, and enjoyed.

Finally, we were on our last day of the trip. We spent hours driving along the Loneliest Road, named properly so. And yet, we found ourselves in an hour of traffic as a result of a semi truck accident, which covered both lanes of the road.

We made it to California in the middle of the afternoon. Something we had talked about for so long, and we were there, in our new home, just like that.

I dreamed of this trip for months, we did it, and now it all feels like a dream. We trekked across this country, through beautiful state after state, adventuring in national parks, and enjoying every minute. If you actually made it this far, thanks for reading! And, the hope is, there will be another great roadtrip in summer 2017! #cassandcodycoast2coast

NH to CA Roadtrip: Part 1

I have been dreaming of a multi-day, cross-country road trip for YEARS. When Cody and I decided to move to California, I knew this was what I had been waiting for! I spent endless hours planning our route, stops, and even restaurants to chow down at. We spent 10 days traversing this beautiful country, and I can’t wait to share allll of my favorite details with you! This post includes photos and stories from New Hampshire to Colorado, as I decided to break the trip up into a few posts.

DAY ONE // On a cool July morning, I woke up with the sun, and did some last minute packing. A couple hours later Cody and I said our final goodbyes before we drove away from my childhood home, and left New Hampshire. It was such a beautiful and bittersweet day to leave New England. The sun was out, there was a crisp breeze, and clouds were dancing through the sky.

We spent the first several minutes inquiring about our shaky trailer dragging behind, but eventually settled into a new state of comfortability.

We arrived at our campsite in New York around dinnertime, and were pleasantly surprised. It was at the top of a hill, overlooking an amusement park. We were one of the only campers, and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We set up our campsite, made ham sandwiches (which we would grow VERY accustomed to eating over the next several days), and then wandered out to watch the sunset.

DAY TWO // The weather report predicted rain around 7am, but unfortunately, around 4:30am, we woke to the sound of booming thunder and intense lightening accompanied by pouring rain. We scrambled around cleaning up our campsite and then headed an hour west to Niagara Falls. I had been to the Canadian side as a child with my family, but the American side was just as wonderful.

We wandered around for a couple hours, enjoying the emptiness of an early morning visit, and then set our sights on Ohio. Before reaching our final destination for the day, we stopped at White Turkey, THE MOST darling drive-in diner.

Only about an hour further and we were arrived at our campsite (a Christmas tree farm) in Peninsula, Ohio, in the middle of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Before we could stake down our tent, the wind picked it up and floated it up over our heads and down the hill, adding a good laugh to our day. It was wicked hot and humid, but we spent the rest of the day in the woods, enjoying the park.

 

DAY THREE // Our longest day, and somehow one of the days I hold most dear. We left Ohio before the sun rose, around 5am. We drove 15 hours that day, stopping like clockwork every three hours to get gas and switch driving. We drove west along I-80 all day long, and encountered more construction than I would like to remember.

A blurry early morning scene from I-80 W / Ohio

Our first stop was for gas and snacks in Indiana. Then we stopped in Illinois and indulged in some greasy Steak ‘n Shake before continuing along to Iowa.

After making it across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, we escaped most of the HORRIBLE construction and stress!! We stopped in Le Claire, Iowa, the first town over the border, right along the Mississippi River. We wandered into Antique Archaeology, the store from the show American Pickers. We absolutely fell in love with this sweet little town on the river.

We spent the rest of our day driving through the rolling green hills of Iowa, scattered with windmills. SO LOVELY. We stopped once more in Iowa before arriving at Lake Anita State Park, just before sunset.

DAY FOUR // Relief was in sight as we set off to our friends house in Colorado. We continued through Iowa along I-80, to Nebraska, and eventually to Colorado.

What we didn’t expect, was that eastern Colorado was flat and scattered with livestock. A few hours deep in Colorado, and we finally caught sight of the Rocky Mountains, just before it started to get stormy.

 

We arrived at our friends house to be greeted by their two adorable children AND my beautiful sister! We spent many hours chatting, followed by the comfort of a real bed. A wonderful day, indeed.

Andddd, that is all for now friends!

South Florida

In the beginning of June Cody and I jetted down to Florida for the week. We stayed at a friends house in North Miami Beach, but adventured our little hearts out, all around Southern Florida.

We arrived in the middle of the afternoon, spent some time by the pool, and then strolled around to find some food

 

The next morning we headed straight for Sunny Isles Beach, and spent much of our day lounging by the beautiful blue-green ocean

Eventually, we walked down to the Pier, grabbed some food, and savored that beautiful water

Friday morning headed for Key West, a day that we will always remember as one of our best. We followed one-lane Route 1 from Key Largo to the Key West, with a handful of stops along the way.

 

Eventually, we landed in Key West, a place I have been dreaming about visiting for quite a long time (Bucket List, here)!

Hunger doesn’t wait and we immediately made our way toward Southernmost Beach Cafe. This entire restaurant was a covered porch overlooking the water and open to the cooling breeze. I indulged in a sweet key lime margarita to accompany my salad, and a tired Cody devoured an entire pound of shrimp.

After fueling up, we wandered around this colorful little beach town.

Eventually, we had to head back to Miami, but we made a few more stops along the way, including Islamorada to see the sunset. Oh, and we also got engaged there, more on that, here.

We woke up Saturday morning, engaged, and happier than I ever knew I could be. Full of joy, we set out for the Art District in downtown Miami, known as Wynwood. We wandered around in the sweltering heat, through the graffiti graced walls. My ring was glowing in the sun, and naturally I took a million pictures of it in front of all of the colorful walls.

After a hot, humid morning, we headed to Bayside Marketplace for a late lunch and some live music!

The next morning we headed South again for a full day filled with Biscayne National Park AND Everglades National Park. We had initially hoped to have an entire day for each park, but this worked out just as great. We headed to Biscayne first, where unlike any other national park in the United States, it is 95% water. We signed up for a guided boat tour that is organized through the park service to a little island called Boca Chita Key.

 

Back at the visitors center, we found this darling little book that contains a map of each of the 59 national parks. We can stamp it at each park we go to, and read more information about the park in the back of the book. This has since become one of our most treasured possessions, with nine stamps (aka nine parks)!

Next, we headed for the Everglades. Like Biscayne, the Everglades are also unusual in the context of the national park system. But unlike Biscayne, it is because the Everglades are often not recognized for the beauty, but instead because of the unique plant and animal life that exists in the region. In its’ own way though, the park was still spectacularly beautiful!

Most importantly, we saw an alligator, quite close to our walking path!

The next day, we had great hopes for another beach day, filled with blue skys and sunshine. Unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky. We arrived at the beach, hopeful, but unlike our first beach day, it was cloudy and the winds were super strong. Eventually we gave up on the beach, and hung out at the house, playing games by the pool.

We did venture out to a little Middle Eastern restaurant, which I can’t seem to find the name of.

Tuesday morning we headed home, filled with joy, because after all, we got engaged and spent a week adventuring!

Acadia

In our second to last week in New England, Cody and I headed to Maine! We took our time driving up to Acadia National Park, stopping to grab breakfast with our friends near Belfast, at scenic spots, and then for a fresh serving of strawberries

We checked into our campsite at Seawall Campground, in Southwest Harbor, and were greeted with a couple of deer. We were  also able to buy our National Park Pass, which I highly recommend if you ever plan to visit several parks in one year.

After checking in, we threw together a few sandwiches, and headed for the main part of the park. As with many of the parks, there is a scenic drive. It had been several years since I had been to Acadia, but the drive along park loop road, following the coast, was as magical as ever before.

After wandering through the park, our hunger drove us into town. We landed at Side Street Cafe (thanks to a rec from my friend Anne Marie!) and had the MOST DELICIOUS mac and cheese…and blueberry beer too!

The next morning I woke Cody up at 3:30am and dragged him to the top of Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise, because it is always worth it! The fog was so thick we actually had to wait about half an hour after the sun technically rose to see it pop up over the fog line, which was just as magical

After stopping a handful of times as we drove down the mountain, and while I had high hopes of going hiking straight after the sunrise, we headed straight back to our campground in Southwest Harbor…for naps!

Rested and fed, we headed back to the main part of the park in search of a hike.

We had great hopes to the Precipice Trail, but unfortunately, it was closed. Then, we decided the Beehive Trail would be a great alternative. This time, we encountered an unbelievably long parking line by the trailhead, because it is right across from the one and only beach in the park. So, eventually we settled for the Gorham Mountain Trail, and were more than pleased!

The hike was relatively easy, and the views were incredible!

After our descent, we stopped at Sand Beach, and a few more places along Park Loop road, and then headed to The Quietside Cafe for some sweet treats

I had hoped we would get to catch the sunset at Bass Harbor Lighthouse, but we landed there around 6pm and it was a beautiful end to our day, just the same

The next morning we unfortunately woke up to dense fog and rain, and headed inland to Sebec Lake, after the best few days on the coast. Maine, I miss you already!

**In the past I have also done whale watch trips and rode bicycles in the park with my family, which I would also highly recommend!

Martha’s Vineyard

A couple of months ago, my sister and I took a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard. The weather was beautiful and we had the best time.

With our bikes in tow, we headed south, toward the ferry in Wood’s Hole. But first! We stopped at the Nobska Lighthouse. The weather hadn’t quite cleared yet, and it was still a little overcast.

We caught the ferry just in time, and were off! Once the ferry docked, we jumped on our bikes and set off to find some lunch. We landed at the Black Dog Dockside Cafe, which was super cute and had adorable donuts. Unfortunately, we had very limited selections for sandwiches because they were out of more than half of the items on their menu!

 

After fueling up, we biked about thirty minutes to Joseph Sylvia State Beach

The water was a beautiful blue-green color, that we couldn’t get enough of. We spent much of the afternoon reading books on the beach and soaking up the sun.

Eventually we got a little restless, and set off further south, toward Edgartown. While the beach was beautiful, Edgartown takes the prize. It was so dang charming there, I think I immediately fell in love. The streets were narrow and all of the houses were super cute.

We wandered around, and eventually found ourselves at another lighthouse. It is the only lighthouse I’ve been to where you walk across the sand to reach it.

Eventually, we biked back to Oak Bluffs, grabbed a few scoops at Vineyard’s Best Ice Cream and Coffee, and then jumped on the ferry home. Missing my sister, New England, and this wonderful little place already. Until next time, Martha’s Vineyard!

 

 

 

 

Cape Cod

About a month ago Cody and I went to Cape Cod and had the absolute best time! Because of my work schedule, we weren’t able to leave New Hampshire until about 3pm, which would have been fine, but it was the Friday night of Memorial Day Weekend, and we found ourselves in traffic nearly the entire drive.

After about five hours in the car (instead of 2.5), we stopped at the beach right across from our campground to catch the sunset.

We stayed at Nickerson State Park, and had a great experience. It was super clean, well organized, and of course, beautiful! This was also our first time camping together, and a great trial run for our trip to California this summer!

Before setting off for Provincetown, we took the half mile walk from our campsite to this darling little pond.

It was about a 40 minute drive from Nickerson to Provincetown, and we were hoping for a cute little pit stop. I quite randomly found the Marconi Site on the map, but it is a MUST SEE. The early morning sunlight on the water was absolutely magical. My pictures don’t come close to doing this place justice.

After stopping again to pick up some last minute supplies, we made it to the Vehicle Permit Station by about 10am, to pick up our Off-Road Vehicle Pass. You can get a week pass for $50, but even if you are only there for the day like we were, it is worth EVERY PENNY. It is all through the National Park Service and super well organized.

There is something so charming about this little device!

After airing down the tires, we were on our way!

The weather was predicted to be beautiful, it was a Saturday, and the unofficial first weekend of summer – the parking lot was PACKED. I feared a little that we had picked a bad day, but even with all the people, the sand roads still felt just as magical and not over crowed at all! There was such a happy vibe – everyone was waving at each other and enjoying the day.

Before long, we were driving along the blue-green ocean. Every part of this day was breathtakingly beautiful. It really is as dreamy as I imagined it.

Race Point Lighthouse

After driving around the trails for a bit, we found ourselves a little slice of the beach, set up our chairs, and broke out the snacks!

Later in the afternoon, we reluctantly left the beach and headed to downtown Provincetown to find our stomachs a real meal…

We landed at The Canteen and it was perfect. You order inside, and they have space outside, with a view of the water.

And then ended the day with ice cream, of course.

Truly one of the best days, until next time, Cape Cod!

 

Cape Ann

I haven’t taken any time to write the last couple of months because I’ve been pretty focused on graduating and volleyball, but a few weekends ago, Cody and I escaped to Cape Ann. We spent the afternoon and into the evening adventuring and it was absolutely delightful! It was his first time visiting and my first time in a couple years!

Cape Ann is technically an island, home to the towns of Rockport and Gloucester. Gloucester definitely accounts for more of the island, but there are also small village towns within it (at least the way I understand it).

We made a pit stop at a little store called Willow Rest, and I highly recommend it. We grabbed a few goodies for the road, including THE MOST AMAZING salted caramels, which Cody discovered.

Our first stop was at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport. Even if you don’t go to the state park and go straight to downtown Rockport, I highly suggest taking Washington Street/Route 127 in, as it is more scenic and brings you along the cutest little roads.

The state park itself is one of my favorites. It is small, but there is a lighthouse overlooking both a quarry and the ocean. The lighthouse wasn’t open when we were there (I’m not sure if it was too late in the day or too early in the season), but it’s a fun little site. There are a few paths around the quarry and to the ocean. It is easy to navigate and the view is beautiful from just about every vantage point.

From the state park, it only takes about ten minutes to get to downtown Rockport.

I had never been in the off season, and it was kinda fun to wander around without masses of people all around.

First, we headed to Top Dog for dinner – specialty hog dogs, like you’ve never eaten (or heard of) before. SO GOOD.

After a bit more wandering, we had worked up an appetite for dessert, so we stopped at Rockin’ Cupcakes, because they carry Gifford’s ice cream! Unfortunately, it was getting chilly, so we ate our ice cream in the car.

On our last stop of the day we headed to Good Harbor Beach. There were people scattered across the sand with their dogs, only feeding our puppy fever! It was about an hour before sunset and the dunes looking magical in that late afternoon light.

 

 

Wanderlust Wednesday: Spain

In February of 2011 I embarked on my first international trip – to Spain! I went with five other students from Exeter High School, through a program called Students Love Travel. It was my first time out of the country (excluding Canada) and the teachers on the trip  ensured my first international trip went off without a hitch. They also encouraged us to keep a travel journal, a practice I am ever so grateful I got into the habit of.

(For more about my bucket list click here)

“Our flight left Boston at 7pm Saturday and we arrived in Madrid around 7:30am Sunday morning. Those were possibly some of the most miserable hours.” OH! How far I have come, being comfortable on planes and overnight flights. Anyway, the airport in Madrid was architecturally stunning.

After nearly an hour of underground train travel, emerging from the Metro station to feel the sunlight on my face was glorious. We entered one of the best known and busiest squares in Madrid, Puerto del Sol. After dropping our bags at the hotel, we grabbed breakfast at La Mallorquina, an incredible little pastry shop.

Next, we set off for this large street market, that is held every Sunday. One of my biggest travel regrets, is not purchasing a piece of artwork from one of the street vendors. After wandering around for a bit, we found ourselves at Plaza Mayor, another main square, this one more enclosed than the other. We grabbed some food, soaked up the sun, and watched the street performers. For dinner, we ate at an authentic tapas restaurant, the name of which I neglected to jot down.

The next day we took a tour of the  Catholic Church, and then the Royal Palace, which were built facing one another. The Royal Palace is probably the most impressive building I have ever set foot in, and I have no interior pictures as proof, only postcards I bought at the gift shop!

After the tours, we wandered to a large indoor food market for lunch. “You stood up while you ate and everything was so tasty. I had a mini pizza, some fresh fruit, two chocolate truffles, and a huge ‘cone’ of homemade chips.” After lunch we had a little time to independently shop/wander and then a traditional paella dinner

The next morning, we walked to the Prado Art Museum, which filled with famous oil paintings. For lunch, we ate at a sandwich shop, with bread I still find myself dreaming of. Then we went to Parque del Retiro, one of the largest parks in the city. There was a large pond in the center with rowboats, a Glass Palace, countless sculptures, and other things of interest. The plan was to spend a few hours wandering through the park, but it was quite cold, so we did an abbreviated tour.

On our fourth day, we took a day trip via train to the cutest little city, Toledo. It was cloudy the entire day, and quite chilly, but still totally magical. The streets were narrow and everything was so old and so beautiful.

We had the chance to visit one of the last handmade sword factories in Spain, run by the sweetest old man (pictured below). We walked into his tiny shop and then he brought us out back and showed us how to weld a bit. SO FUN.

After grabbing a light lunch, we went to the Cathedral in Toldeo – it was magnificent. Everything was extravagant, there was beautiful stained glass, tall pillars, and ornate …everything! After a little more wandering, we found some churros (SO YUMMY) and then headed back to Madrid for the night.

The next morning we woke up early and were on a train to Segovia (another small city about an hour from Madrid) by 7:30am. When you get close to the city, you immediately see the massive Aqueduct. We began to wander around, and I bought some fresh fruit from a market, when it began to snow. We spent most of the morning poking through the little shops, exploring.

After lunch, we went to another large and impressive Cathedral.

Then, we finally went to see the Alcazar, a famous castle+fort on the edge of the city. It is said to be one of Walt Disney’s inspirations for Cinderella’s Castle! We got to take a tour of part of it and then we walked along the Acqueduct before heading back to Madrid.

Late that evening, we went to a flamenco dance

On our last full day, we grabbed breakfast and then walked to the Reina Sofia. We ate lunch at the cutest little sandwich shop. We had planned on spending the afternoon walking around the city, but after lunch we walked outside and it was pouring rain! We decided to go visit the soccer stadium instead. Initially I wasn’t all that excited, but it turned out to be pretty darn cool – we got to tour the entire stadium, locker rooms, press room, and a historical gallery.

On our last morning in Madrid, after going to breakfast we went back to the La Mallorquina bakery to stock up on pastries for the plane ride. After that, we were off to grab our luggage and heading back to Boston.

This trip awakened a deep love for travel in me. I learned how to embrace my nerves and open my arms to an adventure. In the last few years I have had more opportunities to travel, and I’m so excited to see where I go in the future!

Greece Part 2: Mainland

During my last week in Greece, Ilias took us on a week long road trip! It was exhausting, but mostly wonderful. Early Monday morning, we bid goodbye to Kostas and set off for Athens on a 6:30am flight! During our short, one hour flight we were treated to a chocolatey breakfast snack and the view of the sunrise over the Aegean. After an hour long bus ride, we arrived at our first hotel of the week.

Vanessa and I quickly learned the elevators in the mainland were less than spacious.

The weather was quite overcast and cloudy, but our first stop was the Greek Parliament building, where we saw a changing of the guard ceremony, similar to the one at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Next, we ventured to the Acropolis! Walking around parts of Athens, it was easy to forget the grand importance of this city, until you see the Acropolis. We existed the subway and could see the massive structure a top the hill. On our way up there was a mini theatre, so Ilias made sure to squeeze in a small lesson.

*group photo, Paideia*

Indicative of my new found bread/olive oil obsession

We ate breakfast at the hotel (greek yogurt+honey, of course!) and then set off for the day. First, to the Ancient Theater at Epidaurus (more info here).

Ilias insisted we climb to the top, so we could hear/see for the incredible acoustics for ourselves. It is hard to see in this photo, but he was standing on a small center stone at the center of the theater and we could hear him perfectly!

On our way to Mycenae, we stopped at Nafplion, a small port, and then at this random restaurant for lunch. There were olive trees as far as you could see!

Mycenae – an ancient Greek city with incredible views, rich history, and massive tombs. There is now a museum on site with an unbelievable number of artifacts, as seen below.

Walking into one of the honeycomb shaped tombs

Next, we stopped in Nemea, another ancient city with a museum

Temple of Zeus

A quick stop at a wine store (not sure if it was a winery or not??) before arriving in Argos (one of the oldest cities in Europe!!) for the night.

That evening Vanessa, Nancy, and I poked through some of the shops before meeting up with the group for dinner. I can’t remember much about that meal, but I do remember Ilias ordered for us and the serving sizes were HUGE.

In the morning, before departing the city, we had the chance to meet with the Mayor in his office. He spoke in Greek to Ilias and I caught about four words of the entire conversation. Soon enough, we set off on a drive to Olympia, the site of Olympic Games during classical times!

Before exploring the Olympic Village, we walked through this beautiful museum. At this point, I had been to over a dozen Greek museums, and it easy for them to all blend together. BUT THIS ONE! The building itself was filled with light, illuminating gorgeous wooden beams, and the museum was small enough to keep my attention the entire time!

The Olympic Village was quite big, but mostly filled with ruins of buildings and structures. Winding through the old pathways on this warm, blue sky day was absolutely beautiful.

At the entrance to the stadium. Below, Ilias encouraged us to participate in a race, because for goodness sake, we were at THE Olympic Stadium! Unfortunately, I was wearing a dress…bad choice for this particular day!

A second museum at Olympia

We arrived in Nafpaktos just after the sunset, to the cutest hotel, ever. It was so cozy and full of charm! We spent very little time in Nafpaktos, but I can only imagine how lively this little city must be in the summertime!

The next morning, we set off for Delphi, which included our longest bus right yet, a whopping 3.5 hours. BUT! It was accompanied by the most beautiful views of the ocean, mountains, and blue skies.

The closer we got to Delphi, the sharper the turns became and the higher up the mountains we climbed.

We started at Tholos Temple, where Ilias talked for quite a long time, but I think most of us were distracted by the view.

Next, we walked along a road wedged between two green mountains, to the entrance of the museum and proceeded to wander through Delphi

We ended our trip to Delphi with a museum and then a stop at a corner store for snacks (probably included a twix bar, pringles, and cashews)

Next, we stopped in Thermopylae, at this statue for King Leonidas (Remember the movie 300? Yeah, him), and a neat little interactive museum including 3D films.

Quick stop at this hot spring, including one naked, middle-aged, Greek man frolicking around…intentionally left out just to the left of this photo

A late lunch, but I mostly just ate gelato. oops.

Made it to Kalambaka, another squeezed elevator photo.

Vanessa, Seth, Nancy, and I went shopping in this sweet little town. I found a beautiful oil painting of Athens for only 25 Euros (that I still have yet to frame), unique food stores, AND half of a store devoted to LEFTIES!

The next morning, we visited Meteora, which I already wrote an entire blog post about here !

THEN! If any of you have doubted how freaking awesome Ilias is, listen up. We walk up to a museum (in the mainland, far away from Rhodes, his home) and it looks closed. Ilias whips out his phone, says “Paideia just one moment, I will make phone call,” and then a magic man appears. The man apologizes for the museum being closed but explains there is a ceremony downstairs, and proceeds to bring us! Ilias is ushered to front to sit next to a Greek bishop. No big deal. Following the ceremony, we get a special tour of the museum! Moral of the story, Ilias is the man.

We arrived in Katerini mid afternoon and checked into Hotel Olympion before wandering around another charming little city

I try to keep a travel log, especially when I go abroad, so I can remember all of the little details that are easy to forget. I reference my entries when writing this blog. I laughed a little when I saw this picture and then read the entry “ps. I bought THE PERFECT strawberries and then took a picture :)”

On our last day, we started in Dion, a village at the foot of Mount Olympus. It was the coldest morning yet, foggy, with frost covering all of the delicate leaves sprinkled across the ground. I have to admit, I wasn’t dressed warm enough, but the fog and frost made this place so magical.

fun fact! My Greek professor at UNH, owns this museum!

By this point in the trip, we were all fairly tired from the constant state of travel, but Ilias insisted we visit Vergina. TOTALLY WORTH IT. We visited the *underground* tomb museum, which contained the tomb for Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. As a super nerdy history major, this made me weirdly emotional. Standing in front of the tomb, of the father of one of the most influential men in history, I have to admit, I shed a few tears. The museum was super strict, so I have no pictures of the inside. But the entrance is pictured below.

We arrived at our final destination, Thessaloniki, in the middle of the afternoon, allowing us time to walk through the bustling streets filled with markets. MY FAVORITE!

We were super fortunate to have a room with a balcony at almost every hotel during our road trip!

That night we hung out with the UCONN guys, packed, and said our goodbyes. We were all departing at different times, so that was our last time together! After about four hours of sleep, I woke up at 4am set off for the airport, after what is sure to be, one of the most memorable trips of my life!

Fun last note – I have to say, I doubted the fight crew when they announced we were about to land while flying over these rugged mountains, but in a matter of minutes were landed safely on the ground in Munich, Germany!

Thanks to everyone who followed along with my Greek posts, I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did reminiscing!