Greetings from New Zealand! I’ve had trouble finding reliable wifi so unfortunately I haven’t been able to write a blog post. This past week has been incredible! I’ve done a lot of adventous activities. So far my favorite has been a 10 mile hike on the Tongariro Alpine Trek. The views from the trek were breath taking. I’ve never seen anything like it before, it felt like another world.
I was fortunate enough to travel a lot this summer and recently I’ve been thinking about all of the experiences and memories I had. Everywhere I went was special but there are certain places that make me feel happiest when I look back on the pictures. I decided to share a list of my top 5 favorite travel destinations from this summer:
I recently spent two days in Orlando, Florida’s Universal Studios. Universal is a huge amusement park but I was most interested in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. My family and I have always been big fans of J.K. Rowling’s books and films. There are two parts of the Harry Potter World in Universal Studios. One is Diagon Alley and has multiple stores and restaurants featured in the books and movies. The second section is the small town Hogsmeade which has more stores and restaurants featured in the books and movies. And of course, visitors can stare at the amazing castle of Hogwarts which is just outside of Hogsmeade. Both sections are connected by none other than the Hogwarts express train. Visitors can ride the train and feel like a Hogwarts student along the way. There are also three roller coasters based off of the Harry Potter books and movies. Even if you aren’t a fan, I would still recommend visiting the Harry Potter World if you are ever in Orlando, Florida. I was highly impressed with how real and accurate everything was compared to the movies.
P.S. Don’t forget to try a cup of butterbeer, which is the drink featured in the movies. It’s non-alcoholic, only sweet and delicious!
NEW YORK CITY. Out of all the cities I have been to, especially in the last two months, New York City will always hold a special place in my heart. I have been many times and every time I go back, there is always something new and exciting to see and do–which has to be my favorite part about NYC. I was there for the past four days visiting design centers and the New York School of Interior Design. I will be sharing my experience in the NYC design world in another post. For now, here are some of my favorite pictures I took while in the city.
Verona was one of the last cities in Italy I wanted to make sure I visited before heading back home. I’m sure many of you first heard of this small town in Northern Italy from the movie, Letters to Juliet…or maybe that was just me. Verona is home to Juliet from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Although, apparently this may not have actually been her home but since her family lived in Verona, this quickly became a tourist destination. In the courtyard there is a statue of Juliet and small gift shops. Tourists are allowed to take a tour inside the home and go out onto the balcony that is attached to Juliet’s bedroom. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to walk through the home but spending time in the courtyard was enjoyable. I made sure to write a letter to Juliet and leave it in the mailbox. Other tourists leave small notes in the walkway in unique ways…some are written on bandaids!
With the short amount of time I had, I also made sure to hike to the top of Castel San Pietro. The view from the top is stunning!
If I had to describe Prague in one word it would be magical. I was only able to visit Prague for about 24 hours but the whole time I felt like I was in a fairy tale. The architecture of the buildings give such an enchanting feeling and of course the Prague castle was enough to sweep me off my feet. Surprisingly, I was able to see a lot of Prague in a day. My favorite sites were the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the John Lennon Wall, and Old Town Square. Also, for food I recommended trying a glass of beer and one of their desserts…my favorite was the donut with ice cream inside.
As I mentioned in my previous post on Amsterdam, I had some amazing food throughout my entire visit. Therefore, I thought a separate post dedicated to all of the delicious cafes I found was necessary.
Pluk
I could not get enough of Pluk. It was SO good. Not only was the food and coffee delicious, the interior of the cafe was so cute, it made me want to stay all day. They also sell products such as small decor things and stationary items. My favorite meal to order was their smoothie bowls, they were amazing…so much so that I went back multiple times during my two days in Amsterdam.
COTTONCAKE
COTTONCAKE also sells products inside similar to Pluk, but they also sell clothes. The shop is downstairs and the cafe sit down area is upstairs. The atmosphere here was so calm it was a nice stop to relax at after a morning full of walking. COTTONCAKE also uses organic products and everything is made fresh everyday. I tried their fresh orange juice, avocado toast, and banana bread. It was all so yummy.
Pancakes Amsterdam
Pancakes Amsterdam was right next to the Anne Frank house so I decided to try it for dinner after my visit. They give you the option of ordering typical American pancakes or Dutch pancakes. I wanted to see what a traditional Dutch pancake was like. As you can see, they are huge! I wasn’t expecting it. I added bananas inside mine and it was so great. It was filling but the good news is Dutch pancakes are very thin so it is possible to finish the entire plate without feeling sick.
Stach
Stach is located all over Amsterdam, there are multiple especially in the center of the city. It’s an easy stop to grab coffee and a pastry to go. Their coffee was so smooth, I loved it.
Some other coffee cafes I loved:
Il Momento
Screaming Beans
Sweet Cup
Kessens
Amsterdam…the city of bikes. For the longest time I have always wanted to visit Amsterdam and I’m so thrilled I was finally able to. Amsterdam had so much to offer. Some of my favorite things to do were visiting the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, and walking down the canals admiring all of the houses. I was also pleasantly surprised at how amazing the food was. I don’t think I had one bad meal! Definitely a trip to remember.
I’ve spent the last two days in Dublin, Ireland and have loved every moment. Dublin is a beautiful city with great people, great food, and great things to do. I highly recommend visiting the Book of Kells exhibit located on Trinity College’s campus. Also, try a Guinness…I honestly did not think I would enjoy the taste at all but with a good burger I actually enjoyed it. Can’t go wrong with an Irish pub!
skylarbeck.com 