I arrived in Portugal just before Christmas, preparing myself for a lonely holiday season away from my family and friends. Lucky for me, I ended up at the most friendly and adorable hostel in Lisbon! Home Lisbon Hostel was packed with at least 50 travelers. It was a warm and cozy place decorated festively for the holidays, Christmas music filling the air. Thoughtful touches made to make us all feel a little less lonely for our loved ones and homelands. "Mama", th...

Spain! Land of tapas, jamon, and sangria. I had finally arrived in the country that inspired my wanderlust after reading Michener's "The Drifters" when I was 17. Took a bus from Avignon to Barcelona and ended up in a great little hostel off of noisy Las Ramblas and was quickly introduced to "Spanish Time"... eating, drinking, and merrymaking every night until the early hours. I felt positively decrepit retiring at midnight. I hit Sagrada Familia and the rest of t...

Nice was nice. I was so happy to be there after that horrible night I spent in Ventimiglia that I didn't mind waiting a few hours to check in. Next day I walked the entire boardwalk along the beach. It was sunny and warm and people were out jogging, skating, strolling. I spread a towell on the beach and caught some rays. The beach wasn't sand but instead tiny pebbles that "tinkled" as the waves washed over them and then pulled them back out to sea. It was the mos...

Long story, but I was now on my way back to Italy to meet up with my dear friend Melanie for a whirlwind tour of Northern Italy since she only had ten days to travel. My flight from Edinburgh didn't start off well as either something about me alerted security or I was just randomly selected to endure a very personal and thorough body search in front of my fellow passengers. At the gate, we were held up by a sweet Italian teenage boy on his knees with his flute ca...

The instinctive feeling I get about a place when I get off the ferry, bus, or train usually sticks. Sometimes it changes fractionally while I travel through but usually not. I LOVED Ireland from the moment I stepped off the ferry! As I stepped onto my first bus in the port city of Rosslare, realizing with misgiving that I had forgotten to change my Pounds to Euros on the ferry and promptly holding up the line of tired passengers behind me, the bus driver purred ...