After spending a few days in Cusco, we moved on to Machu Picchu, one of the most famous archaeological ruins in the world. To make the most of the trip, we decided to spend two days there, staying overnight at a cheap hostel in Aguas Calientes. Top Tips for Visiting Machu Picchu – The rules are always changing at Machu Picchu, so be sure to … Continue reading Peru: Machu Picchu
We started our trip to Peru in the Andes. We stayed in Cusco and visited several other towns and Inca ruins around the Sacred Valley (including, of course, Machu Picchu!). Top Tips and Advice for Visiting Cusco and the Sacred Valley – Altitude sickness is for real, so plan to take it easy for at least your first day or so! Cusco is at an … Continue reading Peru: Cusco & Sacred Valley
After Paris and London, we continued on to Amsterdam, ready to see the Van Gogh Museum, works by the Dutch Golden Age masters, and the famous canals. I’d never been to this city before, and I was excited to scope it out for the first time with Rebecca! Day 1: Museum Van Loon & the Van Gogh Museum We left Hotel Esmeralda bright and early, … Continue reading Amsterdam for Art Lovers
After a nice introduction to Europe in London, Rebecca and I journeyed on to the artistic capital of Europe – Paris! We had five days there to see all the major attractions and art museums, and we also took day trips to Giverny and Versailles. I didn’t completely enjoy my first trip to Paris, so I was excited to give it a second chance! Day 1: … Continue reading Paris for Art Lovers
Where does one start an art-themed tour of Europe? Rebecca and I chose London. This was my second visit to this cosmopolitan city, and I was excited to introduce all of my favorite places to my sister and check out quite a few highlights that I missed on the last trip. London (and the UK in general) is closer to the US geographically, culturally, and … Continue reading London for Art Lovers
This November, my husband and I were fortunate enough to visit one of the countries I’ve always wanted to experience – Greece! We spent 10 days in the country, exploring four very different regions – the museums and ruins of Athens, the monasteries of Meteora, the archaeological site at Delphi, and the picturesque island of Santorini. November is definitely the off season in Greece, but we … Continue reading Greece
Day 1 We woke very early at our hotel in Athens so we could get to the airport with enough time before our flight to Santorini. While we waited for our cab, the hotel clerk at the front desk asked us about our plans and promised that we would love Santorini. The taxi ride went fairly quickly, and it was strange to see the streets … Continue reading Santorini, Greece
Day 1 The first part of the drive to Delphi – from Meteora to Lamia – was rather uneventful except for our stop at the Jumbo store. The countryside there isn’t very scenic, except for a few mountainous bits, and those we had driven just two days earlier. What is a Jumbo store, you may ask. In our hotel rooms we’d noticed some very creepy … Continue reading Delphi & Sounio, Greece
Day 1 The drive from Athens to Meteora wasn’t too exciting, besides having to pay nearly €20 in tolls and getting a bit lost. The GPS we’d rented with the car was probably a solid eight years old and didn’t work very well, so we ended up taking a wrong turn and ending up in Rachos before we turned around. Our map was all in Greek … Continue reading Meteora, Greece
Day 1 Our trip to Greece began in the birthplace of democracy, the cradle of Western civilization, and the capital of the country – Athens. The first thing we noticed about the country as we left the airport was the landscape. This part of Greece is rocky, but the grey color of the rock is punctuated by plenty of shrubs and trees, including the really … Continue reading Athens, Greece