Summer of Travel: Part 2
After I finish the Camino, I will have a few days back home to prepare for my next epic adventure— Thailand. There I will study Buddhism and conservation through a graduate program called Earth Expeditions. Read more
May 27
Summer of Travel: Part I
When I am 80 (and fabulous), I surely won’t look back and say, “you know, I really wasted all those teacher summers when I was single and free.” No, no, not me. I will say that I have completely stressed myself out the past two months since I returned from my solo Spring Break trip to Spain (which I have yet to finish writing about), but it has all been for the adventures that await me Summer 2013. First up: The Camino de Santiago. Read more
The Rain in Spain… Falls Mainly in Salamanca
I have been back from my whirlwind, emphasis on wind trip to my dear España for nearly two weeks and finally I am sitting down to share some details. Even now my mind can barely focus on the task at hand before I am thinking about the lesson planning and grading I should be doing, the data I still have yet to analyze from a first semester grad school project, a new graduate class I am just starting that is totally outside the box for me (details to come), and my Camino, Part II that I need to be training for, among other things. Shoot! Back to Salamanca… Read more
SB’13 in Spain
Shocking, right? I’m going back to Spain. There is just always more to see in this beautiful country that completely stole my heart during my semester abroad. And three seasons have already passed since I returned from walking The Camino de Santiago. This time, Segovia and Salamanca are first on the itinerary, two towns north of Madrid that have been on my list for a while now. I will end the week with a few days in my dear Sevilla and a quick stop back in Madrid before I fly back on Easter. Read more
On Learning to go with the Flo in Rome
Just days before The Vatican ignited in the media, I watched Woody Allen’s, “To Rome With Love” and although I wouldn’t give the film two thumbs up, the golden scenes of the Eternal City made me yearn for the Rome I missed out on. The budget-friendly Italy trip I painstakingly orchestrated during my semester abroad unfortunately left me with a lack-luster impression of the Italian capital. The travel lesson was clear; not all trips are paved in perfection, but one should always search for the silver lining. Read more
Standby to St. Thomas
Today winter is not quite ready to part with Ohio, but as a teacher I’m not complaining. It’s a Snow Day! What juxtaposition in scenery to my birthday weekend getaway to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Read more
Standby to Dublin
Living for years near Dublin, Ohio, it was time to experience the real deal in Ireland. With a week to spare after finishing my masters and starting another year of teaching, I knew this travel-charged chica could fit in another trip. A mere light bulb-over-the-head idea a few weeks prior, it all came to fruition when I was snuggled in my first class seat to Dublin, feeling really lucky. Read more
My Second Date with Paris
It was the perfect prologue to the Camino de Santiago and to the start of the great adventure that is solo travel; less than 24 hours in Paris. My mom and I spent four days in The City of Lights just over a year before, but I never imagined I would be back so soon. Paris flirted with me then, and this time I flirted back. Read more
Córdoba: Third Time’s the Charm
A traveler only sees a slice of a city. And often, when that slice is rushed, it doesn’t resonate like it should. That is precisely how my first two visits to Córdoba, Spain panned out. For me, Córdoba was always that quick stop on the way to Sevilla, where I spent one sun-soaked semester, and felt more like a Sevillana than a traveler. Read more
Third Wheel on The Ring of Kerry
When you’re single, there is no other choice but to embrace being the “third wheel.” I’d say I’m pretty comfortable, even content rolling with couples. Luck of the Irish on my side, this past summer, I had the chance to play “plus one” to a pair of Texas natives new to the expat scene in Dublin, Ireland. Read more
