KEY WEST BABY

I'm a Florida girl, born and raised and had never gone to Key West until last summer!
Traveling to Key West was trrrrrrrrullly the highlight of my summer in Florida. My LOVE Michael and I hit the road for a 7 hour road trip through Florida, past Miami to the beauuuutifully clear waters of the Conch Republic aka KEY WEST :). First off, driving itself got very interesting about 2 hours before we arrived to the southernmost point of the United States. We drove over countless bridges surrounded by so much water that seemed to go on forever. We got to see some spectacular views around sunset that made the water reflect orange and pink from the sun and clouds-it was absolutely breathtaking and romantic. I could go on forever about this trip, it was one of the most fun packed four days ever! Check out my MUST dos and the pictures :)

(yup those colors are real 100% genuine beauty)

 (up top being intrepid!)

 (Parrot FISHHH!!!)

 (a perfect reflection) you feel like you're floating in the clouds)

(there it is Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas, a part of a small
 island clusters surrounded by the vast open ocean-what a site!!)

 

So clear so BEAUTIFUL!!

right next to Fort Jefferson is a famous bird sanctuary island, so close you could 

easily swim, I wanted to but they are endangered and protected. Only people

with certain approvals can do so. :(

me being intrepid!

 

(Duval St. is ALIVE w/beautiful murals and paintings

and most notably murals by Wylan & Harvey)

 

(A cuban refugee boat, the Dry Tortugas is not just history, for some

people it can be a whole new future, if they can get to the sand with our

Dry foot policy)

Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas

(Star Gazing Cruise w/ Gary Galaxy :). SO FUN)

 

MUST DOs: Smather's Beach (countless people have gotten married on this beautiful beach). Look for a conch they are everywhere, I stepped on one.

It is the "conch republic", you must eat Conch Fritters served in any genuine restaurant. KEY LIME PIE (helllo), try it frozen dipped in chocolate on a stick, you won't regret it. 

We learned on our Dry Tortugas tour that lime was used to cure many diseases such as scurvy that swept through the once notorious prison.

DRY TORTUGAS. Spectacular. I cannot emphasize how you must go there, besides the rich history about Abraham Lincoln's assassins' helper Dr. Mudd, you learn that history is still very much alive as you see recent Cuban refugee boats that make it to the island and are granted amnesty. You also need to snorkel in the most CRYSTAL clear water you will ever swim in. The boat ride is 2 hours there but WORTH it.

Star Gazing Cruise, you sail away from the lights into the open ocean and learn about a lot of the constellations/satellites/stars in the beautiful night sky

Walk up and down Duval Street, go into all the amazing art galleries, marvel at their uniqueness. If you're an art aficionado be sure to bring a fat wallet, many of these art pieces are well into the thousands

Eat at the famous Sloppy Joe's where Ernest Hemingway was a regular

See Ernest Hemingway's house and the creepy cats with six toes!

Take a Ghost Tour

ENJOY the Conch Republic. You really feel like you are not in the US anymore, rather another country/way of life

Spanish Photo Shoot

My friends Alana and Claire decided we had to do a pseudo photo shoot in Spain-(cause we're girls). The one I was writing about in my last post. I wanted to show some pics from it. Our amazingly talented Adam was the photographer. It was a ton of fun and Claire (who's a model) did our fierce makeup. :)

(Alana and Claire being graffiti fierce!)

(Me and trashcan "Art". by Adam Carroll)

(hahaha goofing off w/graffiti)

(Claire and Alana, getting their trashcan "Art" on!)

(All Three of us. By Adam Carroll)

(Alana & I @ a Barcelona Bus Stop)

MUST DOs: photo shoot with your friends in any city you travel to. It will be a fun/memorable experience! <3

BARCELONA, Espana O Spain

(Alana and I in Barcelona)

Barcelona felt like home. The weather was nice and humid-the polar opposite of Amsterdam. Our first night a group of us explored the Barcelona near our hotel. We wound up at this really cute restaurant but smoking was rampant so Alana and I decided to go to another restaurant. I wanted to use my spanish so bad but they speak Cataloynian anyways in Barcelona and when I tried the adorable Spanish man saved me the trouble and spoke to us in English haha. We ended up at a Chinese restaurant :). AND it was delicious. We split a huge pitcher of Sangria ( I will miss this aspect of Europe greatly until I am 21 in the US) which was absolutely deliciously divine. We had a good meal and were ready for the next day which was jammed packed. We toured Barcelona by bus and stopped at the Gaudi Gardens (where Gaudi resided) which were=magic, we all had a lot of fun taking great pics and just soaking all of his art in. Then we headed to his famed cathedral which has been under construction for forever and I still don't know its completion date.

(Gaudi's Cathedral, breathtaking in person)

(typical colorful graffiti dispersed throughout the city, fun for girly photoshoots, which is what we did :) ) 

 

(In Figueres @ the Dali Ticket Kiosk!)

(where Dali grew up :) )

(a Downtown Barcelona alleyway)

(one of the many Gaudi buildings throughout Barcelona)

MUST DOs: brush up on your Catalonian :), experience the Barcelona market!, Antoni Gaudi home/gardens, Gaudi Cathedral, Spanish Bull Arena, Drink Sangria!, Eat Tapas, Dali Museum (Figueres), walk around and get lost, buy a Spanish bag

(alana modeling my cartera (purse) purchase (E15=15 euros, a steal!) 

ATLANTA. HOTlanta, Georgia

As my friend Niel would always say, "hotlanta" instead of Atlanta, Ga.

(blurrrry Atlanta sign! We arrived!)

This was our last city trek in our road trip and I was beyond excited to arrive. We got there at night just in time to see Atlanta in all of its lit up glory from all of the city's buildings. We first went to the World Famous and renowned Georgia Aquarium. Best known for harboring WHALE SHARKS!! The shark is one of my favorite animals, so I was pretty excited. However, the whale shark isn't really a "shark".

(the WHALE shark! One of two @ the GA Aquarium)

(awesome poisonous jellies) 

Anyway, we were both so excited to get there. We arrived about an hour and half before the Aquarium closed so we had to be a little hasty. We still had time though just to watch all the aquatic life do their thing. The Georgia Aquarium was amazingggg EXCEPT when we went the beluga whales were gone and so were the precious penguins. So that was a bummer but we loved watching the sharks and jellies. It was a great time. We stayed for a night at the Hyatt Regency, which was a really nice hotel smack in the middle of Downtown Hotlanta and a short drive away from the GA Aquarium.

The next day we went to the Zoo Atlanta (using your student ID you get a discount). We genuinely enjoyed this zoo it was great. From gators, to rhinos to HUGE elephants and eerily looking-like-human gorillas and of course PANDAS!-what's not to love there?

Entrance of Zoo Atlanta

(sneaky pic of the Giant Panda!)

Atlanta was so much fun. We did a lot in the time alloted, we would definitely go back (especially for Six Flags :) ) 

MUST DOs: we weren't there for long but of course the Georgia Aquarium is a MUST and the Zoo Atlanta. Civil War museum (right next to the zoo). And the Centennial Olympic Park (next to the GA Aquarium). Coca Cola Factory. The underground Mall. Six Flags. 

NASHVILLE, our Road Trip Continued

The next city on our five day road trip was Nashville, Tennessee. It was still so cold even further south! We arrived at night and we stayed at the Holiday Inn right next to Nashville's Parthenon and Vanderbilt University's football stadium (which Michael loved). That night we wanted to experience Nashville's famed Broadway Street where all the upcoming hopeful country stars sing at the local bars and restaurants. We had a great southern meal and listened to some live country.

(Broadway Street)

 Later that night we decided to search for some genuine "made in Tennessee" cowboy boots. We were very successful. Michael and I found a pair! After that we drove to the Parthenon. An exact replica of the one in Greece. So I've been to two parthenons'. It was righteous!

(The Parthenon, literally a minute away from our hotel and Vanderbilt University)

(Michael and I ready to go out, to Broadway St. <3)

Nashville's style: button down casual chic shirts, jeans and their staple: cowboy boots :) and you'll fit right in!

The next day we toured Belle Meade Plantation, which has a very long history and evolution in Nashville, such as; it held slaves, famed priceless horses i.e. Seabiscuit-then it didn't. Michael and I loved walking around the plantation, the main house, slave quarters etc., seeing and experiencing how it would have looked from the outside in, during its "height" in the 1800's. It was neat. Right after we went to the Opry Land Mall which was insane and ginormous. The Mall is right by the famous Opry Land country opera house. Which is also conveniently by the GayLord Hotel. 

(a pic of my nashy boots!)

(pic. of Belle Meade Plantation)

(GayLord, outside)

Michael paid a ridiculous amount in parking so that we could just walk through the HUGE GayLord hotel. It was pretty amazing inside, as it was entirely Christmas themed. It was also a ton of fun looking at all of the beautiful trees and lights.

Nashville was a great place to visit during the Holiday season. Everything was festive. We will definitely go back.

MUST DOs: Broadway Street, Vanderbilt University, Parthenon, Grand Ole Oprey, GayLord's Oprey Land, Belle Meade Plantation, Cowboy Boot Shopping, explore. 

ST.LOUIS. Start of An American Road Trip

My lovey love and I decided to take a road trip together from St. Louis, Missouri back to Florida, stopping in Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia. It was quite the frigid but amazing experience during a very cold Continental US December :). He graduated a semester early and is officially a degree holder in History and Art History (I'm SO proud of him :) ) Anyway, I flew in to meet him in St. Louis, home of many things like the Gateway Arch (the Gateway to the West).

(A representation of St. Louis in the Union Station)

We only stayed for a night, but we definitely took advantage of our time in a different city.
In my opinion we stayed at one of the most unique hotels I have ever stayed in, as well as in the area: The Union Station. It was formerly a train station but now it is an amazing hotel :).

We walked through downtown St. Louis to go to the Gateway Arch, and stopped at some adorable open parks/nature areas that are smack in the middle of the downtown area, which was gigantic! We weren't there for long and decided not to go up (although that's an option for about 10 dollars) because it was beyond cold. In our hotel we went to some restaurants. We had the best hummus of our lives in the Union's cafe. The station has several different shops and restaurants..

The next day (sans a heater!) we went to the City Museum which was the most unique place I have ever been to. It is basically a much more classier and eclectic "Chuckie Cheeses'" but for children and adults alike. EVERYTHING in the "museum" has had a "life" before it entered. So everything is recycled. For instance they have a whale replica made out of who knows what that you can go into. It has a 7 STORY SLIDE which Michael and I slid down, it was awesome! It was pretty unbelievable.

(a whole other section outside, here we are several stories up)

 You had to pay attention to where you went because there were secret nooks and crannies you could crawl in or under, like this hidden underground (and very narrow) tunnel. Which I just about had claustrophobic attack, but I crawled through it! You definitely need to wear sneakers, I was in boots that definitely got torn up.  We spent about 2 and a half hours there but you can easily spend the whole day, we just didn't have the time but it is definitely a MUST. There were also some historic museums near the hotel we wanted to go to but we were out of time...Nashyville was our next adventure stop! :)


(some) MUST DOs: Union Station Hotel, Gateway Arch, City Museum. 
City Museum (Website)