Travel and Food

November 2015 Inspirations

November 2, 2015 Leave a Comment

On a scale of 1 to Vain, how bad do you think it is that I’m about to include myself in this post when I talk about fashion? Like I’m some awesome fashion muse? Yeah. I’m going to go with Super Vain, but you can choose your own measurement.

November is great. Because Food. And Thankfulness.

Why? Hello, Food. I’m such a food lover. I joke that my mind is always about 5 seconds from food. It’s my favorite topic, and I can be most easily distracted by food. Ask any of my friends. Does Barbara look sad? Feed her. She’ll be happier.

Favorite Make-Up Moment:

Someone in my office decided we needed to dress up like ninjas. Well, I don’t really know ninjas so instead I went crazy with my make-up. And the lips? Yeah, I used black eyeliner for that. I think you’d call that a “hack”.

Favorite Outfit Insanity:

This summer, I decided I wanted a crazy one-piece. Usually, I stick to black. I look good in black, but I decided that if I was going to wear a one-piece swimsuit that it had to be bold. As a curvy individual, finding a good swimsuit is hard. Super hard. Enter swimsuitsforall. But with the cooling temperatures, I was bummed to put the suit away. BUT WHY? Why must I conform?

I paired the swimsuit with a pair of skinny black pants and my favorite gray cardigan.

A Recent Deep Thought:

We are all so hung up on “No Regrets”, but I think sometimes there will be decisions that we will regret. But then, once again, it comes down to perception. A regret is simply a learning experience. Every learning experience offers personal growth that makes you a more intriguing individual (notice I didn’t say a “better person”). So choose wisely and bravely, but when you mess up, be thankful for the experience anyway.

Current Favorite Jam:

If you haven’t heard Adele’s newest single, you better click play right this second or I’ll be mad at you. Her newest album, 25, will be coming out this month! November 20. Put a reminder in your phone.

That voice. Those lyrics.

Current Favorite Food:

Okay. There is this restaurant in Vienna called 1516 Brewing Company, and they have these cravings-worthy wings. Like, I was reading a story the other day and it mentioned food…and suddenly, I was daydreaming about these wings. For under 10 euros, these are just the bomb-degitty-delicious.

Current Favorite Person Obsession:

Erm, is it okay for me to be obsessed with a fictional person? Let’s go with yes.

Allow me to introduce you to Mark Watney, a gutsy botanist stranded alone on Mars with far too much time ahead and not enough food. He is in a true struggle for physical life. We’ve all been there (whether internal or external), where we’re faced with something so big and life-altering, that we have two options: give up or struggle on.

Watch just the first 30 seconds of this trailer. Or the entire thing!

What’s the Book in my purse?

I don’t remember specifically why I picked up The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert from Amazon. A title like that just hints at fun, right? I appreciate an author who writes a fictional story that takes the main characters to some of the deepest, darkest places emotionally. We all go there, but so often we just fairytale up the event and try to make it magical rather than dwell on the raw loss.

I’ve gotten a bit carried away in sharing thoughts, fashions, and obsessions for this post. I hope you don’t mind! There have been so many thoughts bopping around my head recently, but I guess that’s actually not that unusual. Perhaps a few more of them are shareable this time around!

Now for something funny. Are you just dying to participate in No-shave November? If you’re like me and your mustache only comes in sparsely, I’ve found this to help us out!

And because I never have enough Pinterest quotes, I want to share this one with you. They say that we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to others or allowing others to define us or influence our self-worth. And yet, let’s be honest. The opinions of others do matter to us.

And our opinion matters to someone else, too. Even if it’s the stupidest opinion ever.

As you walk into this November, may you be aware of your community. May you have the ability to see people truly and to keep pace with them quietly in the alleyways that they find themselves.

Next Destination: Prague

October 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

When I first started talking about living in Austria, a friend of mine told me, “You have to go to Prague.”

“Really, why? Have you been there?” Now, I don’t really need a reason to visit another country, but I always like to know a person’s reasoning when they’re throwing the phrase “you have to” in with their statement.

“Nope, I haven’t!” He was still excited. “But you have to go because it’s awesome!”

Well, I’m not going to say that this friend’s excitement over this old city made me more interested in visiting it since he wasn’t really able to support his excitement with any interesting facts or enthralling experiences, but I must admit that when the opportunity arose to plan a trip, I was in.

So, tall and mathematical friend who may or may not read this website, I’m going to Prague.

— — —

In the mean time, I’m doing some fun research in preparation of this trip! Check out the below pictures and websites for more about Prague!

4 Must-Try Experiences for Young Travelers in Prague

I must admit that I’d die a little bit to see the library in Prague, and I think it would be equally cool to spray paint the John Lennon wall, too. But, here’s to not planning and enjoying the adventure!

Check back in to read about my experiences in Prague.

Three Days in Salzburg, Austria

October 19, 2015 1 Comment

The hills are alive, right? With the sound of music? Anyone?

If you’re from Austria or Germany, you’ve probably been asked about the Sound of Music from a someone who’s not from either country. Appropriately, the German speakers find it very strange that a musical has been made about German speakers but the entire film is in English. I’m ashamed that I’ve never considered that before! I’ve learned to hide my love of this film, but I’m about to indulge this love in this post.

As an American, I’m used to people saying, “Oh, you live in Austria? Like the Sound of Music?” That musical movie is about 5 seconds away from being spoken any time anyone says Austria in the USA.

It’s basically a fact.

When my parents came to visit me a couple of weeks ago, my mom had one request: Salzburg and Sound of Music.

Together, we perused the web for train tickets and then a hostel. Then, we were ready for our grand adventure. I didn’t research Salzburg because I thought my parents would. They didn’t research it because they thought their “European” daughter would. So let’s just say that the entire event became a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type trip.

Maria and the children run through this while singing "Do Re Mi" — **Maria and the children run through this while singing “Do Re Mi”**

We stayed at the Eduard-Heinrich-Haus for two nights, and we were pleased with the space. It was a bit difficult to find, but we, of course, decided to walk all the way from the train station to the hostel. The hostel is basically set back from the rest of the street in a bunch of trees and greenery, which is nice once you’ve located the building. Walking was a great way to explore Salzburg; however, my feet weren’t so thankful and neither was my mother. We used the bus from then on.

Our first day in Salzburg we were wanderers, taking in the sights and relishing the sunshine and the oldness of the town. We stopped for coffee (a wonderful tradition of the Austrians) at an outdoor cafe. We took some selfies to send to my sister and brother who were USA-bound due to different schooling commitments (whether being teacher or student).

We may have bought some "proper tea" here...Tetley Black Tea. — We may have bought some “proper tea” here…Tetley Black Tea.

The second day, we were picked up at our hostel for the Sound of Music bus tour (just so you know, you can purchase the tickets and set up the pick-up at your hotel/hostel at the train station’s tourist office). While waiting to be picked up, I made friends with an awesome adventurer from Australia. She and I stuck together for most of the 4-hour tour (yes, it’s four hours, but it’s so worth it).

Remember the scene where Maria and the children fall from the boat to the water? Yes! That happened here!

Honestly, I was a bit nervous about this bus tour. In my head, I totally expected a bunch of grannies and gramps wheazing (singing along) to the Sound of Music soundtrack. Not at all. We had all the ages on our bus (from littles to oldies).

Antonio, our Spanish tour guide, shared facts not only about the Sound of Music but also about Salzburg, the city. And this man was funny. He made singing along to the Sound of Music soundtrack seem cool.

This is the church that the marriage ceremony was filmed in. It's actually located in a town outside of Salzburg. — This is the church that the marriage ceremony was filmed in. It’s actually located in a town outside of Salzburg.

And you know, it may seem lame, but I was pretty thrilled to be standing in the same areas where the Sound of Music was filmed. Crazier yet is the fact that the film has just reached its 50th anniversary! Julie Andrews is definitely one of my cultural idols or icons. She’s just amazing.

My parents and I finished out our day by climbing up to the Fortress Hohensalzburg. We saw the most beautiful view because we miraculously were in Salzburg for 3 days that it wasn’t raining (our friendly guide, Antonio, had informed us earlier that it rains half the year in Salzburg). The weather was gorgeous our entire visit.

The main trick to enjoying a short stay in such a quaint and spectacular city as Salzburg is to pinpoint the 1-3 items that you Absolutely Must Do. Having a short list means accomplishing it, and anything extra is makes your trip even better!

And now my absolute favorite picture from the trip!