day trip diaries: Sintra Portugal

 Whether at home or far away, I love a good day trip because it's the perfect way to explore. While doing a long layover in Lisbon, we decided to take a day trip out to Sintra-the city of fairytale castles. You could easily spend a week in Sintra and not have enough time to tour all the palaces. 

It definitely took a bit of effort to make it to Sintra using public transport. We walked from our hostel to the train station, did an hour long train ride, and then shared a 30 minute taxi before finally arriving at the famed colorful Instagram worthy Pena Palace.

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg

When we moved to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area a little over a year ago, I immediately made a list of things to do and try. And a day trip to Colonial Williamsburg has been at the top of that list. The timing just never quite worked out until now, which turned out to be a good thing, because visiting during the holiday season was extra magical. Every year the city has a wreath decorating contest. And it is beyond intense. 

If you live in the area, you are required to put up a wreath for the contest and there is an entire published manual on rules and regulations for what can and cannot be used in the wreath. Basically, it has to be all natural items, similar to colonial times. A community where tasteful holiday decorations are required, is definitely my kind of place. And while, it's a little crazy to think about, it makes for the best holiday visit to tour the wreaths with all the neighbors competing for the blue ribbon and bragging rights for the year. 

day trip diaries: Phoenix

Visiting Phoenix, Arizona was a sweet unexpected treat during our Southwest Road Trip. After our time in Joshua Tree, we had planned to leave California and cross over into Arizona to spend a few days at the Grand Canyon before flying back home through Phoenix. So initially, our itinerary included nothing beyond a brief tour of the Phoenix airport.

But there was a change in the weather for the worst that made our plans to camp at the Grand Canyon not the best idea. Also, it felt like we were trying to squeeze the Grand Canyon in and this is not something that you want to rush through. Ultimately, we decided to save it for another trip and just head into Phoenix a little sooner since we were already booked with flights and a hotel there. We simply extended our hotel stay and spent 2 nights and 1 full day exploring the Phoenix area. It's not like us to change our travel plans last minute like this and be so spontaneous, but I'm glad that we did. 

day trip diaries: Las Vegas

Las Vegas Baby! 

This city is known for its glitz and glam, its exorbitant flash, and pricey party lifestyle. Basically, it's everything that we are not. 

But it felt like we should do Vegas as part of a last hoorah while we're still in our twenties! 

day trip diaries: juneau

Of all our port stops, we had the longest day in Juneau, but it flew right by with everything we packed in. I must have been exhausted in the moment, but when you're in a new place for such a short period of time, you really learn to appreciate every second of it and really soak in all in. 

  We kicked off our day at Mendenhall Glacier; standing on a beach....at the base of a waterfall...with ice glaciers in view, I'm a fan!

hello ice glacier!

day trip diaries : Seattle

We’re just back from an Alaskan Cruise celebrating our four-year anniversary. Our cruise left out of Seattle, which gave us a great opportunity to visit the Pacific Northwest again and reminisce about our time Wandering Washington last Fall.

We landed in Seattle late Saturday night, then had a few hours to spare Sunday morning before our cruise took off. We wanted to make the most of our time on the West Coast, especially in the PNW, so we ditched our luggage and headed downtown. Last time we were here, we had the chance to visit Pike Place Market, go rock climbing at the REI flagship store, see the Space Needle, explore the arts area of Fremont, and our favorite with exploring the Japanese Garden in the rain. Since we only had a few hours to spare this time around, we had to pick just one thing to do. Too many great options, but we ultimately chose to visit Seattle’s Chihuly Garden & Glass House. 

day trip diaries: key west

The Florida Keys and Key West in particular have been on our radar for years, so I'm glad to say that we finally made it happen. 

day trip diaries: Nashville

Tom and I took the quickest Southern Road Trip during my spring break, we ended up passing through Tennessee with exactly 24hours spent in Nashville. To be honest, I thought Nashville might be lost on us since we aren't exactly country music fans. We could care less about cowboy hats and the grand ole opry. But as it turns out, Nashville is more hipster than it is cowboy. And we couldn't get enough of our time here. 

Had we known how much we would fall in love with this town, we definitely would have planned to spend more time there, but we made the most of the 24 hours we did get. Managed to visit Nashville's most popular areas...the Gulch, 5th street, the District. 

Loved every aspect of music city!

day trip diaries: the north cascades

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 31

After our time in Seattle, the next stop along our anniversary PNW Road Trip was North Cascades National Park. We originally excluded it from our itinerary, but at the last minute, we realized that we had to go. Because how could we be so close to a national park and not visit it? I knew we would regret it if we didn't stop by, so we ditched our last day in the city and took a day trip out to the north cascades instead. So glad that we did. 

day trip diaries: Portland Maine

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 25

Recently, Tom and I took a day trip out to Portland Maine, which was made even better by the fact that we took the pup along. I can without a doubt say that Maine is my favorite New England state and I totally picture us settling down there permanently one day. Portland definitely solidified that. 

day trip diaries: block island RI

This past weekend had just the right dose of relaxation and adventure. One of the best parts of being in the northeast is that all these states have great little island escapes. New York has Long Island. Massachusetts has Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and Cape Cod. And Rhode Island has Block Island. 

I was feeling under the weather, but I'm leaving Boston (and husband) soon to return to grad school, so we couldn't miss out on an opportunity to spend a bit of time together. We quickly skimmed our summer wish list and decided on a day trip to Block Island.

From Boston, it takes a bit of effort to get to Block Island, but was so worth it. We drove into Port Judith Rhode Island to catch the ferry from there. After a couple of hours in the car and another hour on the ferry, we finally made it to the island. 

day trip diaries: GLOUCESTER MA

new england has the best beaches!

there are lighthouses and whale watching 

sandy dunes and giant granite boulders covered in moss

sea kayaking & lobster traps galore

I don't think that anyone can argue with me when I say 

that new england has the best beaches 

day trip diaries: ROCKPORT MA

It almost never works to just take a week off when I need a break, but no matter how busy life gets or how low funds may be, day trips always seem so doable. Am I right? We have several coming up and I wanted a space dedicated to sharing them so it seemed right to start a new series…the day trip diaries. Be prepared for a total photo overload because first up is 

CAPE ANN 

When it comes to Massachusetts, everyone knows about the South Shore of Cape Cod, but Cape Ann along the North Shore is less known and I'm not sure why. It's beyond picturesque.

We've spent the past few weekends hiking, sightseeing, and beaching it along Cape Ann. And right along the tip of the cape, sits the favorite town of Rockport. Three guaranteed ways to have a good day in Rockport...

1.) stroll through Bearskin Neck 

this is the main area to see with the peninsula connecting right into the harbor

2.) feel the ocean spray along the breakwater…

the breakwater is a granite stone bridge that's meant to anchor boats and protect against storms, but it also happens to be the best spot for eating lobstah rolls and drinking ice cold lemonade with a view!

3.) visit Dock Square Wharf

Lobster traps and buoys right up close…it's classic New England 

travel tip #278: the best way to make friends in a new place is to take along an adorable pup. We had 17 people {before I lost count} stop us to talk about PJ, and another 4 wanted photos with him. I can't blame them, since he's certainly stolen our hearts. 

every nook and cranny of this coastal town offered a different view and more seafood...

I seriously could not handle this scene. We visited early in the season, so I can't imagine how gorgeous this seascape town will be surrounded by blooming flowers and green trees.

loved that this boat was named the "the bucket list" since Cape Ann was on our bucket list 

Whenever I picture coastal new england, I will forever think of Cape Ann, especially Rockport. Thankfully, it's less than an hour away from Boston by car or via the commuter rail. If you're ever in the Boston area, this place is a must visit. I for one can't wait to return again. 

linking up with blovedboston//