I love waffles-I love Bruges :). Belgium- Bruges and Brussels



So Belgium, we were only there for a day but I'll never forget the amazing taste of the truest Belgian/Nutella/powdered sugar waffle I have ever consumed. It was literally a piece of heaven (comparable to my amazing large and in charge pancake in Amsterdam) ! Bruges so beauuuutiful!! It's actually a very popular honeymoon destination and looks virtually untouched since 1709--or just really old. There were lace shops everywhere, so delicate and beautiful--and super expensive. So I just stuck to my waffles, I was quite satisfied with that :). 

Divinity, in physical form. My Belgian Waffle.



Bruges (photo credit Alana)

Photo Credit Alana

Gorgeous Gothic. Photo credit Alana

Bruges Famous "Markt"



I love canal cities. Photo Credit Alana

 

 Brussels is a very important European "Business" city. However, after seeing Bruges, I didn't really care for Brussels (eh), plus it was rainy and we were only there for a day. So we didn't have much time to do anything in Brussels except hate our hostel and frolick about the city at night, get stuck in the rain and eat. All in all we made the most of our time there. :)







I love them





How can I emphasize this enough..? do NOT stay here, I repeat do NOT stay at Brussel's youth hostel. period. No towels, who knows what was on the floor, and the floor got flooded when we showered so we had to use their cardboard sheets as towels, utter ew, just ew! We even put the sheets in the shower b/c the tile was too questionable.. but definitely made for a memorable experience. ;P



It was rainy, it was gross but it was fun



No umbrella? No worries. Naturally we used our mysterious Hostel sheets.

 


Brussels Cathedral. Photo Credit Adam C

 Again, we were only there for a day, we did as much exploring as we could. I'd definitely love to return to Bruges. Very beautiful and untouched. 



The Amazing Austrian White Water Rafting Adventure-Innsbruck

Oh Austria, how I miss your pristine beautiful self :).

The grass actually was greener on that side :) and the air was so fresh and crisp-tasty!
After departing Venezia/Venice we were off to Austria!! It was absolutely freezing! We arrived in a village outside of Innsbruck and it was one of the most quaint little towns I've ever stayed in. Our accommodations were very homely and cozy :) very comfortable.

But we wouldn't be true Americans if we didn't stop at McDonalds FIRST. Oh my gosh. Alana and I had many authentic European meals (split of course, balling on a budget) but when we weren't we were living off the dollar euro menu! Observe:

Chick Fila Waffle fries? It's true. And Mozzarella sticks, Americas really missing out. ;P



We also had fun in this Austrian McDonalds, impeccably decorated, obviously and with an amazing playplace!

Slidinggg. We were having so much fun we didn't realize our group had been waiting for the two of us on the bus (just like every country we went to, Alana and I-always late!)

 But the Austrian McDonald's actually wasn't the highlight of Austria ;P .

First Glimpse-gorgeous

Spiros, our European Guide, our "fearless" leader ;)..not this day :))) hehe,

Claire and I in our rafting gear/wet suited up and ready for some rapids!

 

Group shot :). They made us get acclimated to the coldest water my body has ever felt!

Then they told us to fall straight back! It was soooo cold, never forget that sensation. Alana and I are in the middle. Alana's the one screaming haha.

So our tour guide assured us that, the rapids were easy going, around a level 3. AND he also assured us after he made each of us jump out of the raft then try to get back on w/ the help of our raft mates (to see if we could get back in, in CASE we flipped) that his rafts never flip. PLEASE within the first five minutes our raft was the first to flip. It was a horrifying/hilarious moment. Our raft when completely vertical on its side, called "dump trucking". It was a titanic moment, people were holding on, some had already fallen off, and our guide is yelling at us to jump, jump back into the knife-feeling cold water. Pandemonium ensued, we were swimming after gear, paddles and trying to catch up to the raft. It was still amazing. Our guide was literally grabbing each of us by the life jacket and throwing us back in on top of each other. It was crazzzzy! Crazyfun!
We hit a couple of fast paced rapids (SO FUN, i LOVE rafting :) ) and towards a calmer part he said if we wanted to jump out again we could for a light swim. At first I was like please the water was freezing and strong but then British Bradley, an amazing friend we made on the trip just jumped out- I told Alana we had to do it, when were we going to be in Austria again white water rafting looking at the Tirolean Alps and be able to jump into this European water?! So we did it! And I had never felt more alive, it was the biggest rush, just swimming in this powerful cold beautiful water laughing/smiling and looking up and seeing tall gorgeous mountains (not abundant in my flathomeland of Fla!).

Our raft!! Best. Day. Ever. -Coldest.Water. Ever too.

rafting while seeing the Swiss Alps was jaw dropping and just magic!



I think that's British Bradley getting back into our raft, he jumped out voluntarily a few times

YAY we survived ;). I'm pretty sure this was one of everyone's favorite days. We all had an amazing experience and a ridiculous amount of fun together!

(Photos: Alana Bevan, Adam Carroll via Alana B.'s FB) 

We were only in Austria for a day and a half and the full day was spent on the River. I definitely want to go back to Austria, back to Innsbruck because there is a lot we did not do and also go to the beautiful Vienna.

MUST DOs:

White Water Rafting!

La Isla Encantada Puerto Rico!

Momma and Me

Puerto Rico, will always hold a special place in my heart. My mom grew up there/went to college there and found my dad there, and my nani and papi lived there. Plus it is a tropical paradise with overgrown lizards and breathtaking views.
The last trip I took to PR was with friends I had made in Europe the Summer before with EF College Break. We all clicked so fast and I really met the greatest, most random group of people. We are all from Pennsylvania to Texas to Florida etc.
Four of our Europe amigos are actually from Puerto Rico. We were able to hang out on their turf, I had been to PR before but never quite like this. We found that one of our friends, Jessie, was actually quite talented and was in an improv group in Old San Juan. Her show was hilarious, really fantastic, earlier we were told to write something on a sheet of paper because it might be picked to be a "topic", I wrote midgets and it was used! It was on the floor laughing funny. The whole production was in Spanish but the actors were so good, if you couldn't speak the language you understood the nuances.

My friends Juan, Jesus, Jessie and Mari took us on a grand adventure to one of the most breathtaking and surreal views I have ever seen, that will forever be imprinted into my memory as an exciting adventure and that was to "la ventana" (the window) cave. We drove about an hour out from old San Juan, passing thousands of Puerto Rico's beautiful flowers, their "flamoboyans", getting to a seemingly random gas station parking lot. Most of us are in flip flops and we begin a steep hike up a nearby hill. It then begins to pour. Through the laughing and almost tripping for fifteen minutes, while also seeing an old abandoned truck on the side of this mountain, we stumble upon a gapping hole in the earth, some people came out with flashlights in hand. We did not have any :). It is a good twenty feet down maneuvering yourself around rocks to get to the bottom to walk, then it was complete and utter darkness, as in that horror film the descent. It was such a creepy exhilarating feeling! We listened for the bats that were on top of us and tried not to step into their dung. After trying to find our way we see the light and it was breathtaking:

La Ventana Cave!

My mom was already going to PR with my little bro, so I stayed with them at the Caribe Hilton in Old San Juan. It is in a great location, private beach, beautiful views and a very nice compound. It was my favorite resort for PR until I saw El Conquistador by the El Yunque Rainforest, which had such a hidden opulence.


I digress but this year we went back and stayed at El Conquistador (will post later), amazing is an understatement!

no big deal, just a beautiful peacock walking around!

An old fort adjacent to the Caribe Hilton ( I went in there once, quite intrepid of me ;)

The Group looking out, we were so HIGH up, at least 200 feet, no sudden movements lol

the BEST Mofongo ever. ever.

Jessie and her improv group. So talented!

Me inside of el morro, my dress matched the paint :)

My bro, me and my lovely mommy and axelle and scott. We went out for Mother's day :) It was a great night!

Senor Frogs, of course :) Me, Angie and Alana

My Brother climbed a half fallen tree in El Yunque

Me and my mommy by an El Yunque waterfall, should have jumped in!

One of my most treasured times during this trip besides La Ventana with my friends was going Bioluminescent kayaking at night. It was pure magic and if you can do it you have to do it. My momma who can't swim did it, I was so proud of her :) It's not scary because you are in a large group with competent guides. You kayak through a long canopy of trees that almost cocoon the way but you have the moonlight and the backs of the other kayaks with lights to see where you're going. Jake and I hit the sides of the waterways a million times and kayaked in circles for a good while before we can get our rhythm down, it was hysterical. I was laughing so hard with a little frustration that he and I just could not kayak or get it together lol but when we did it was golden. After about 30 minutes of making your way through the canopy in divine warm water you see a large opening and before you know it you're smack dab in the middle of a wide bay. You wait for a little bit and then they tell you if you swish the water around you'll see the agitated organisms in the water light up. It was amazing. Everyone was splashing and having the best time. It was nighttime but the water was bright blue, you have to experience it! I wish I had a waterproof camera...-next time!

I <3 PR

MUST DOs:
Go Horseback riding eh.(though I find it absolutely horrifying YET I am always forced by my family to do so)
El Yunque (explore, jump in, have a blast)
El Morro
Explore Old San Juan (so colorful and Vibrant!!)
Eat a Mofongo (que delicioso) so delish!
Go to Utuado to the 'La Ventana' Cave/ cueva
Check out Latin Roots (Old San Juan) for some divine daiquiris and coladas and Salsa Lessons!
Bioluminescent Kayaking Fajardo, Puerto Rico (Incredible a MUST MUST do!!!) you'll feel like you're in Avatar because the water turns bright blue when agitated!

Checkin' it in the Czech Republic! Praha- Prague!

PRAHA

Leaving Germany was so sad because Munich had been spectacular. I was starting to feel like a local since our hotel (hotel Maria) was smack dab in the hustle and bustle (truly German) part of town.

Some Krons, you'd think I was rich! but sadly this is the equivalent of about $20 lol but you get around nicely with this.

Me at one of the many Gothic style Cathedrals

The sadness faded away when we realized the fairytale-esque town we were going to be staying in. Now, I can only speak for Prague because that's where we stayed but it was beauuuutiful and also a lot darker than the other cities-literally. It was significantly more cloudy and most of the buildings were very haunting in old town Praha. 

Alana and I about to see a movie in Prague (we saw Angels and  Demons-complete with subtitles lol that we didn't need)

on the Bridge, touching the golden dog will make your wish come true or bring good luck, one of those! (Alana Bevan photo)

The city is fairly large and can be sort of maze-y. Alana and I had the best gnocchi EVER better than in Italy then leaving the restaurant we got lost, i mean LOST. Separated from our group, no knowledge of Czech or the name of our hotel, no phone-nothing. After about 2 hours of walking late at night in and out of streets/dark alleys/and a mcdonald's (to seek help/refuge)/getting into a fight lol we hailed down a random cab and we happened to have the hotel card in our pocket (but we couldn't read it) and handed it to the driver. The tab ended up being around $20 but it was worth it! We made it back safely. 

Charles Bridge Prague

We visited the Daliborka Museum/ Prague Castle (old torture location for prisoners) there we found a curious surprise: 

Vin Diesel?! You decide. (Alana Bevan photo)

The next night after exploring the heart of Prague, the astrological clock, walking the bridge, going into even more cathedrals (not helping my chandelier obsession!) we went out, and BIG. :) After taking the subway to another part of the city we arrived at the coolest club ever complete with cheap beer lol called 

>Karlovy Lazne night club, a FIVE story club with a different theme on each floor. We all had an amazzzzing time!

The Disco Floor!!!

Starbucks, we will always find you! located in the main square, by the Astrological Clock :) (Alana Bevan  photo)

A beautiful Glimpse of the city, you have to remind yourself you're in the 21st century! (Alana Bevan Photo)

Givin' some Czech attitude (Alana Bevan photo)

Praha at night <3

A couple holding hands on the Bridge :)

MUST Dos:


>Karlovy Lazne

Astrological Clock

Prague Castle

Try their Gnocchi

Get lost for a bit

Horse and Carriage ride through the city

See a movie (they'll have English subtitles lol)

Send a postcard

Walk the Charles Bridge

there's alot to do....!

ENJOY!