FollowA. Age you went on your first international trip:
I really don’t think crossing the border from South Padre to Matamoros, Mexico for tequila shots & beer at 19 can count! So it has to be when I was 26 and went on a 2 month European Eurail adventure alone.
B. Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where:
The MANY lagers I threw back while being “ashed-in” in Budapest & Vienna in 2010 due to the Icelandic Volcano airspace shut down. Lola’s best-tasting vacation evahhh!!
prost!
C. Cuisine (favorite):
Mexican – remember I’m a Texas girl at heart! 2nd favorite is French – YUM, YUM, YUMMY!
D. Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why:
Favorite: So hard to pick just one but if forced to do it at this point in life I’d pick St. Bart’s in the French West Indies, Caribbean. OMG everything about it is delicious – the people, the water, the beaches, the weather, the food…definitely Lola’s speed.
Least Favorite: Berlin. I know, I know, SO many people love it dearly. I guess Lola needs to go back to Berlin with you!
E. Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”:
Many acts of kindness from strangers – it restores my faith in human kind!
F. Favorite mode of transportation:
Airplane – not that I’m flying in a cushy class, mind you. It just gets me to the far off destinations I wish to travel the fastest! Then BOOM, Lola’s out there discovering!
lola's puddle jumper to St. Barts
G. Greatest feeling while traveling:
Besides being incredibly lucky – FREEDOM! That’s an overwhelming feeling I get from traveling AND I love how we as humans are really not all that different. We are all connected in some way. Lola loves this!
H. Hottest place you’ve traveled to:
I grew up in TEXAS – so, hellooo, TEXAS!!
I. Incredible service you’ve experienced and where:
Villa Galicci in Aix en Provence – it’s a Relais & Chateaux property. Their staff was beyond amazing! Other properties have come close but this one remains on the top!!
J. Journey that took the longest:
Up to now, traveling to Hawaii or Greece but soon I’ll be taking a MUCH longer one! Very excited about this longer journey – stay tuned!
K. Keepsake from your travels:
My favorite keepsake from my travels is my gold charm bracelet. I don’t get charms everywhere I go but I do have one for most and when I wear it – it takes me back to the wonderful places in the world I’ve gone. Lola wears this almost daily!
lola's travel charms
L. Let-down sight, why and where:
At this point, I guess I’d say the Berlin Wall. Beyond happy it’s gone but it was hard to really grasp the magnitude in my short visit to Berlin.
M. Moment where you fell in love with travel:
I’ve always enjoyed traveling but I think I really caught the bug my first visit to NYC. You know NYC has an allure about it. I got such a rush from walking the streets, hailing the cabs, doing it on my own that I decided to move there during that trip. Haven’t looked back since! Now I’m always trying to find ways to replicate that “rush” feeling and I get it every time I go somewhere new and undiscovered for Lola.
N. Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in:
Probably the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat. It wasn’t Lola’s favorite but it was probably the nicest. Got up graded to the penthouse! Talk about fancy pants!!!
O. Obsession – what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?:
Don’t judge me but when I look at my photos the thing I seem to take the most photos of are Lola’s legs. A close 2nd are cocktails. This must be because Lola’s likes to travel to places that are warm and involve beach & pool time. AND, what can I say, Lola likes a good cocktail!
Curacao legs
Miami legs
NYC cucumber martini
Vegas dark n stormy
P. Passport stamps, how many and from where?:
3 passports later – I have 28 stamps. So many are repeats: the US, Canada, Bahamas, St. Martin, St. Barts, Curacao, Bermuda, Ireland, England, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands. (technically the US, Switzerland and the Netherlands shouldn’t count as they were just points of entry) Places not listed that should be are Hungary, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece. Soon to be added: Monaco!
passports
Q. Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where:
The Wax Museum in Dublin. I H.A.T.E. Wax Museums in theory and this one proved my theory was correct!
R. Recommended sight, event or experience:
The Acropolis in Athens! I feel everyone should see this once in their life. It is overwhelming and pictures DO NOT do it justice!!
The Parthenon - Acropolis - Athens, Greece
S. Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling:
My gold charms for my charm bracelet – duh!
T. Touristy thing you’ve done:
I pretty much always end up doing some of the “touristy” things when I travel. I am sorry but I think that’s probably part of why you are visiting the place you’ve gone…am I right?!
U. Unforgettable travel memory:
When traveling in Europe for those 2 months alone I had many unforgettable moments.
In Italy: After taking an overnight train to Rome where there was a strike taking place upon arrival, an Italian man in my car took pity on me, bought me a coffee, gave me correct money and sent me on my way with directions to Rome!
In Barcelona: At the pensione where I stayed that the owners didn’t speak a lick of English, when I left, they hugged me goodbye! (maybe this was out of pity too?)
In Vienna: A cabbie picked us up to go to our train but we had failed to realize daylight savings had occurred. nevertheless, he rushed us there probably breaking all kinds of laws and when we didn’t have enough money he said to go on anyhow and RUN!
V. Visas, how many and for where?:
No visas needed as of yet but i have a BIG trip this year where I’ll need 3!!
W. Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?
At the Chateau de la Chevre d’Or in Eze – the French Riveria. If you’ve had the good fortune of also going there, I think your answer is exactly the same!
X. eXcellent view and from where?
So hard to answer, I have several…I guess top two would be from The Caesar Augustus Hotel in Capri and from the Acropolis looking out over Athens.
Capri
Athens
Y. Years spent traveling?:
What are you getting at? Is this a trick question so I confess my age? Cumulatively or, as in, since I started traveling, how many years has it been? Without giving too much away let’s just say it’s been awhile!
Z. Zealous sports fans and where?:
Barcelona, Spain. Football. During the World Cup. Really, need I say more?!
This was a fun exercise, I must say! Thanks, The Lazy Travelers for tagging me to play! I can’t wait to read what my travel friends and idols write whom I’m tagging next. You’ll want to read their ABC’s too!
Leah of Leah Travels
Rease of Travelated
Lindsay of The Traveller World Guide
Kirsten Alana of Aviators and a Camera
Angie Orth of Angie Away
OK ladies…take it away! TAG!! You are IT!
Thanks for tagging me! I can’t wait to do my ABCs. By the way, that photo does not do that bracelet justice! It’s such a pretty and cool thing to have. And that upcoming trip, sounds fascinating.
I was ashed-in in Sofia, Bulgaria!
being ashed-in in was a blast – pun completely intended!
LOVE! Will get to mine one of these days… thanks for tagging me =)
So fun!! Thank you for tagging me!!
Looks like you have fun where ever you go! I enjoyed reading it. Like i said on Leah’s someday, I hope, I will have enough travels to be able to fill out something like this. 😀
Loved the part about unforgettable memories! Lola = damsel in distress, who would have thought? 😀 Great pic from Vienna!
pola, it seems that i sometimes get myself into kooky situations! the good news is i have made the best of these times and have had the kindness of strangers to help me out! vienna/budapest were a BLAST!
Those crazy situations make for some of the best memories!
It was fun reading your answers. I’m sorry Berlin was such a disappointment. I visited as a kid before the wall came down so I saw the stark difference between the East side and West side. The travel charm bracelet is a great idea! I had one as a child when I lived overseas, but have since lost it in the 20 something moves since then. I’m very excited to hear about your next adventure!
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Hey!! It took me a while but I finally did mine: http://www.aviatorsandacamera.com/personal/my-abcs-of-travel/ Thank you again for tagging me 🙂 🙂