gifs {part two}

i could NOT help myself. i spent my saturday morning laughing my head off. honestly. these are so great. {especially preston's}. my apologies everyone. 

 blenheim palace, england. 

 blenheim palace, england.

hyde park, london.

 portobello road, london.

 cliffs of moher, ireland.

 cliffs of moher, ireland. 

 some garden, ireland. 

edinburgh, scotland.

rome, italy.

 florence, italy.

amboise, france. 

 chiang mai, thailand.

 chiang rai, thailand.

chiang rai, thailand. 

Travel Guide {Edition I}

well here it is. some of you have asked specifically for it so this is my attempt at rating the places i have been thus far in my nineteen years of life. why edition one? well i figure there will be more added for each year i travel. enjoy and keep in mind that this is my opinion and i have talked with many others who would differ depending on their experiences. {also, i would like to note how incredibly hard this was to do because i like each place for different reasons and it is hard to say one is better than the other}.

COUNTRIES:

12. Burma {Myanmar}

It was definitely a very interesting and insightful experience but I would not want to go again. It is war-torn and extremely poor, but the countryside is beautiful. {see the post here}

11. Grand Cayman Islands

I went here as a part of a Caribbean cruise I went on. Pretty but since we spent most of our time at Sting Ray City I did not enjoy it too much. {i mean who wants hundreds of sting rays swarming them and rubbing all over their body? how do you think steve irwin died?!}

10. Canada

I haven't been to Canada in a while, but I do remember that is can be gorgeous, green, and great for people who like nature. Last time I was there we went to Niagara Falls, which is cold and wet and magnificent.  

 9. Ireland

Part of my time spent in Ireland was awesome and part of it not so awesome, but it was an adventure that's for sure. If you want to see the Ireland they show you in the movies you need to get far away from civilization and plan on getting lost because tourism information is not Ireland's forte. But once you get out into the green rolling countryside it really is breathtaking. 

{posts one, two, three, and four from ireland}

8. Mexico

Mexico is great for many reasons. First and most important of which being the food. Mexican food is a gift from God. REAL Mexican food...nothing is better. And now I am hungry. I have been to Mexico a couple of times I think, but more recently on a cruise where we stopped in Cozumel and Costa Maya. The snorkeling was the best I have had so far (comparing to Florida and Thailand), souvenirs are cheap, there are ancient ruins just waiting to be explored, and the people are generally nice and humble. 

7. Belize

Man, Belize was so much fun. It was also part of the cruise and while we were there we went cave tubing in the rainforest. Dream come true? Yes. At that point in life I was obsessed with rainforests so this was perfect. We saw a lot of wildlife and got to float down a river, in and out of caves, on an inner tube. So awesome. The people in Belize were also nice and we got some good food there too. 

6. Scotland

My trip to Scotland was perfect, but too short. We only got to go to Edinburgh for a day and a half but we did a lot in that time. Including hiking to the top of an inactive volcano for sunrise at 3:30 in the morning, where I got to be the highest person in Scotland for just long enough to have one of the more incredible experiences of my life. We went on a ghost tour at night and visited the cafe that J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series in. Bonus: Scotland is gorgeous. {posts one and two} 

5. Costa Rica

One word: amazing. Loved every moment of Costa Rica. I convinced my parents to do a trip here during my rainforest phase. We were there for two weeks in the town of Jaco {a major surfer destination} and stayed in an awesome hotel complete with a private beach, huge pools, and hammocks. Our days consisted of horseback riding to waterfalls, kayaking, zip-lining, rainforests, national parks, beaches, and lots of monkeys. Oh and really really good food. Plus I loved the people there, they even sang me happy birthday at one of the dinners. GO TO COSTA RICA. Can I emphasize it enough? They are also one of the countries that are preserving their surroundings instead of destroying precious and rare life, and by doing so they make all their money through tourism. 

{some of the pictures are in this flickr photo album}

4. England

Oh England, what can I say to some you up? Well I spent about two months in this country and I have my likes and dislikes, but mostly fond memories. Six of those weeks were spent in lovely London on my theatre study abroad through BYU, where I also went to Dover, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon. And the other two were spent in Harrogate with my sister and her family, enjoying the countryside, during which time we went to Bath on the way to France. England is simply beautiful. It looks just like it does in all the movies- green, rolling, and full of sheep. Combine their accents, their sophistication, their history, and their wonderful array of sporting events and you have a must-see. Plus the weather was quite enjoyable whilst I was there. Oh and it doesn't help that I am a Jane Austen addict either. {I am not about to link every post about England because there would be like a hundred but here are some of the posts on my side trips: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And if you want to read about London you will just have to dig through the archives or my facebook pictures}. 

3. Italy

Three cities, two days each, six days of jam-packed tourism. I loved Italy, and I think I would have loved it even more if I had gotten to take it slow and spend some time in the country too. Rome was perfect to us the first day, and the second day was a bit interesting hahaha. Florence was breathtaking and full of art {most of which I didn't get to see}. Venice was sunny complete with clear blue waters, fascinating architecture, and slow times riding bikes to the beach on a quaint little island. And the best part of Italy? Food, of course, but mostly GELATO. And it helps that there are lots of good looking men with great fashion taste and excellent glasses.

 {see the posts for all three cities here: one, two, three, four, five}. 

2. Thailand

Six weeks in Thailand, and it only took one day to fall in love. Riding elephants and ostriches, playing with adult and baby tigers, lighting thai floating lanterns, side trip to the beaches in the south, temples, and lots and lots of rain. However, my favorite aspect of this was the children we taught at the orphanage through HELP International. Northern Thailand is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, the skys are gorgeous, the hills are a perfect shade of green, and it is almost always sunny. The food is delicious, the markets have everything you could want and it is incredibly inexpensive, and the people are the most friendly of all. {again, to read more you'll need to search past posts because there are a lot of them}

1. France

Been there twice and it is still my favorite country so far. I love everything about French culture- the language, the food, the pastries, the lifestyle, the art, the architecture, and the countryside. What more is there to say? Paris, Loire Valley, and Normandy. C'est bon. 

{see the posts here: one, two, and three}

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!

And now for some less detailed lists:

CITIES:

1. London

everything you could ever want at your fingertips: culture, music, theatre, art, food- and all in an incredibly quiet, clean, and efficient city of its size.

2. The cities of the Loire Valley in France {Amboise, Beaune, Blois, Chinon, Tours}

3. Florence

4. Venice

5. Rome

6. Paris

7. Chiang Mai, Thailand

8. The Normandy Region of France

9. Edinburgh

10. Jaco, Costa Rica

11. Harrogate, UK

12. Chiang Rai, Thailand

13. Phuket, Thailand

14. Tachileik, Myanmar

100,000,000. Dublin, Ireland

PEOPLE:

1. Thai

2. Costa Ricans

3. Italians

4. Scottish

5. British

6. Burmese

7. Irish

8. all the other ones i will not list because i have no opinion slash too much bias

PLAYLIST {the italian edition}

When I go to new places I make a playlist on itunes for them, especially for Italy because we were on trains so much. I couldn't possibly put all the songs I chose on here but I will put some of my favorites that the rest of it revolved around. Also if you were wondering why the previous posts were titled "Postcards from Italy" it is based of a song from Beirut titled the same exact thing. Sit back and enjoy the music I listened to as a train took me through the country side of Italy from Rome to Florence and finally to Venice. 

St. Peter's Cathedral by Death Cab for Cutie

Myriad Harbour by The New Pornographers

You and I by Ingrid Michaelson

Mykonos by Fleet Foxes

Rome by Phoenix

Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles

Mirando by Ratatat

We No Speak Americano by Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup

Academia by Sia

You Are a Tourist by Death Cab for Cutie

Dan and Marie Final Theme by Sondre Lerche

The Canals of Our City by Beirut

World News by Local Natives

Boy With a Coin by Iron & Wine

Gatekeeper [Do Right Mix] by Feist

Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson

Airplanes by Local Natives

The Well and the Lighthouse by Arcade Fire

http://www.flickr.com/photos/holgarolga/2183219072/

VENEZIA continued...

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14. VENICE {PART 2}.
We went back to the city to find a ride on the cheaper version of the gondola called a traghetto but none of them were open and running, so we wandered around the city for the rest of the morning and then had lunch near the water. We then returned to Lido (the island we were staying on) and rented bikes. We rode down the whole coast of the island and stopped at a beach called Bagni Alberoni. The beaches in here are a dark gold color and because it is so hot in Venice the sand will burn your feet if you don't wear shoes. We got popsicles and walked in the water to cool off. The sky was a perfect shade of blue that day and even though it was so hot, it was a beautiful summer day. We rode back into town, got some gelato, took the bus back to our hostel to check out, and then took the bus-boat to the train station. We ate some dinner, walked around for a little bit to say goodbye to Venice and I got my last (and 14th) gelato in Italy. We took a bus to take us to the airport. We boarded our flight to back to London and said goodbye to Italy.

recognize this building? this is where they filmed part of the movie The Tourist.

spaaaaghetti

you see that sky? TALK ABOUT BLUE! {ten points if you caught that emperor's new groove reference}

because the beach is so hot they have little huts you can rent out. also notice the extremely tan old guy in a speedo...welcome to italian beaches. 

there were dead jellyfish all over the beach

lifeguarddd 

i heart bike rides. a lot. 

GELATO #13 banana & melon 

where we were staying 

the plaza outside our door 

bus. stop. 

andddd GELATO #14 chocolate {of course}

{THE END}

thanks for everything italy.

Postcards from Italy: VENEZIA {parte uno}

TUESDAY, JUNE 13TH. VENICE {PART 1}. 

We hadn’t purchased our tickets for a train to Venice yet but we had checked the times the day before and made it to the station to catch the earliest train and we were there early, but it was completely sold out. But we talked to the ticket guy and he had us go on a different train that was heading towards Milan, so we changed in Bologna and then hopped on another one to Venezia (Venice). On the train I planned out our time in Venice and we got there around noon. In Venice there are no cars because there are no roads and certainly not ones big enough for cars. Venice is a manmade city that is built upon stilts in the water, and it is slowly sinking. To get anywhere you have to take a boat or foot. There are only three major bridges across the Grand Canal so mostly you take their “bus-boats” to get to the different sites. 

you get off the train...

and this is what you hop onto^

Venice is made up of hundreds of islands, waterways, and bridges and we were staying off the main island on the next little island called Lido. We took the vaporetti (bus-boat) down the Grand Canal and to get there and it was amazing as soon as you get out of the train station. You are immediately bombarded with gorgeous views of old architecture, boats, and tiny winding alley and waterways. The water is a beautiful and clear shade of blue and you can hear Italian men singing on Gondolas in the background. It doesn’t even feel like Italy but a unique breed of its own. It reminded me a lot of a mixture of Florida- where I live in Naples, Key West, and some of the cities north of where we live. But it is completely different at the same time- it has a ton of history, breathtaking architecture, and a feeling that is all its own. 

BAM. that's what venice hits you with as soon as you get there. picture perfect. 

all the men on the gondolas wear striped shirts, i guess it must be their uniform... 

We got to Lido and were hungry so we got gelato again. On Lido island they have cars and buses, so we took the bus to Malamocco Village where our “hostel” was. We got lost along the way because their bus system is different and had to ask for help but unfortunately Lauren took the Italian book with her and the women we asked got mad at us since we didn’t speak Italian. We finally made it there and checked in. Venice is really hot (not as humid as Florida) but the hottest place I had been in a while since living in England and none of the places in Italy (or Europe) have air conditioning. You just have to open your windows and hope no bugs get in because they don’t have screens either. 

GELATO #11 canteloupe and watermelon. BEST THING EVER. 

We went back into the city to check out the sites and wander through the alleyways and get lost as much as possible, because that it the best way too explore Venice. We went to San Marco Square to check out the cathedral, went into Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church that had famous artists’ paintings in it (including Assumption by Titian), and then grabbed more gelato and then dinner. After we ate we went back to San Marco Square to enjoy the ambiance. They had live orchestras playing (around four or five) at the outdoor seating for the restaurants, the cathedral was lit up, and the full moon glittered over the water. Because Venice is sinking and so close to the water at night during high tide the water actually floods the city through the grates and covers the square (not completely though). We sat down on a little “island” that wasn’t wet and listened to the music while talking to a father and daughter from the US for a while, mostly about ourselves and when they found out we went to BYU they asked questions about Mormons and were really nice the whole time. They left us eventually, we kept talking, and by the time we left and took the boat and bus back to our place it was around midnight. 

St. Mark's Basilica 

pictures left at the saint statue's feet

Assumption by Titian in Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church

GELATO #12 strawberry 

pizza. really good pizza too.

if you look closely you can see the water on the ground that flooded the square from high tide.

playing vivaldi of course. 

okay this is blurry but i feel it is an important piece to accomplishing the feel of venice at night. full moon, a row of gondolas, and churches in the background. venice is a magical place my friends.