ABCs

Guys, I just found out I can track which search terms lead people to my blog. My favorites? "Uruk hai crossbow" and "pretty lichen".  Excellent.  Also, apparently some weight loss website has led people here... how? I sincerely hope they didn't commandeer one of my pictures for a "before" shot or anything.  Anyway, the videos from the dance show and wedding refuse to load, so I'll have to hold off on that for awhile.  It's been an uneventful couple of days due to some unforeseen cancellations, so I thought I'd do a slightly different post this time.  Travel blogs have become one of my guilty pleasures when I'm feeling restless (or want to procrastinate).  A while ago the "ABCs of Travel" made the rounds, and I thought it'd be fun to fill them out here.  Also one of the cancellations was a literacy class (the teacher was sick), so it's kind of appropriate.

Age you went on your first international trip: Probably shortly after being born? Born and raised on the Canadian border.

Best foreign beer you have had and where: Hoegaarden, even though I've mostly had it in the states.  The ones I've had here in the Congo have been very good as well, I must say.

Cuisine (favorite): probably Indian or Ethiopian.  I love pretty much all food though.

Destinations- favorite, least favorite, and why: Least favorite probably Houston.  While I enjoyed going to the museums, as a city it was kind of a dud.  Favorite is way harder!  There are so many I like for different reasons.  Overall though, probably Spain.

Event that you experienced abroad that made you say wow: Carnivale in Venice in the more specific sense, snorkeling in the South Pacific in the general sense.  Also, if we're talking "wow" in all its tones, maybe Comic-Con (well, technically Expocómic) in Madrid.

Favorite mode of transportation: Boats! Of any kind. I love all things nautical.

Greatest feeling while traveling: That moment after the plane lands and the motion sickness dissipates when the excitement of being in a new (or old!) place hits.

Hottest place you've traveled to: Temperature-wise, Spain in the summer.  Perceived heat-wise, here in the Congo.  The humidity kills.

Incredible service you have experienced and where: Air Tahiti! Best flight I've ever been on, ever.  And considering how often I fly, that's saying something!  Also, Princess Cruises.

Journey that took the longest: Well getting here was about 27 hours of travel total.  That's certainly in the running.  Tahiti, China, and Japan all took quite awhile too.

Keepsake from your travels: Tons of pictures, usually jewelry too.

Let-down site- why and where: Toronto. While the distillery district was fun, it just seemed like a city made entirely of condos and construction (of more condos, of course).  

Moment when you fell in love with travel: Always, I can never remember not liking it.

Nicest hotel you've stayed in: While I've stayed in some truly fancy hotels (thanks to conferences, mostly), my favorite was probably the one we stayed in on Capri.  I don't remember the name, but it was so wonderfully Mediterranean with whitewashed walls, cozy and elegant at the same time.

Obsession- what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?:  Landscapes in general, and more specifically water.  Rivers, lakes, oceans, whatever, I'll probably have a thousand pictures of them, a bunch of which look the same.

Passport stamps- how many and where from: Impossible to keep track of, as I have several passports and the best one was stolen :(  A lot, though.

Quirkiest attraction you have visited and where: Maybe the Ciudad Encantada (enchanted city) near Cuenca, Spain.  It's a park with a bunch of interesting rock formations with names like "elephant fighting a crocodile". Also, Parc Guell in Barcelona was pretty quirky, but that's just kind of how Gaudí rolls...

Recommended site, event, or experience: Croatia. Go there. Now.  Emily and I went to Rovinj for a few days and it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.  We rented a sketchy room from an old woman, ate a ton of calamari, and enjoyed the sun, sea, and spectacular scenery (yeah alliteration).  Also, you can take a ferry to/from Venice if the weather's calm enough (it wasn't for us, sadly).  Also, Manarola in the Cinque Terre (Italy).  Eat at Trattoria da Billy!  The food and views are both fantastic.

Splurge, something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling: Food. I love it and, as my mom is always bugging me about, I tend to order elaborate things.  Also experiences I deem worth it in general.

Touristy thing you have done:  Well I usually see the main touristy sights and museums and stuff when I go somewhere, so I've done quite a bit.  Most recently, probably walking down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, though walking down it was the entirety of that experience, so it probably doesn't count.

Unforgettable travel memory: So many, but one of my favorites is walking in the pouring rain for hours with my mom over lava fields in Hawaii, looking for where the lava flowed into the ocean.  We ended up turning back, and later heard all about how idiot tourists die every year doing the same thing we were trying to.  Lucky us!  Another one for good measure- taking a cable car through the rainforest in Costa Rica and seeing nothing but birds and lizards (and leaf-cutter ants, which are awesome), then seeing four sloths (including a baby!) in a tree at the gas station after our bus broke down.

Visas- how many and where: China, Spain, Italy, and the DRC so far.

Wine, best glass while traveling and where: I was a big fan of the ice wine in the Niagara Falls area.  Also, sangiovese around Bologna is one of my favorites.

eXcellent view and from where: San Marino- the whole country is pretty much on the top of a mountain.  Also taking the high trail from Manarola to Corniglia has amazing views of the Ligurian coastline.

Years spent traveling: My whole life, so 22 +

Zealous sports fans and where: probably Notre Dame, actually.  Abroad, well, a friend's host sister in Spain injured her knee celebrating after they won the World Cup!