Dublin, Ireland: Jameson Distillery Tour

Jameson always brings me back to the good ‘ol college days when I would buy alcohol in immensely large containers. Okay, I still do. But what I did not know is that Dublin has a Jameson Distillery right next to my hostel! It’s both a convenient and terribly awesome idea…

Beaches to Check Out in St. Maarten

St. Maarten is an island in the Caribbean with absolutely stunning views and sights. If staying on the island, grab a rental car and explore many of their beaches to see what makes this island so special.

Dublin, Ireland: Guinness Storehouse Tour

One popular drink that Ireland is proudly known for is the GUINNESS! I am already missing that lovely, malty beverage as I write this post. For anyone who is interested in how Guinness is made, there is a museum/storehouse to check out in Dublin, Ireland known as the Guinness Storehouse.

Tullamore, Ireland: Tullamore Dew Distillery Tour

It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that I stopped at the Tullamore Dew distillery on my trip. I mean it is alcohol. Who can refuse that? And the chance to learn about making alcohol? I can’t pass that one up at all!

Cannon Beach, Oregon: Oregon’s Wonderful Beaches

I’ve been told that Oregon has some wonderful beaches. As a proud Californian, I set the bar on beaches to be quite high. The warmer weather and sunny year-round conditions sometimes make it hard to compare. Of course it’s always worth checking out a beach no matter which state it’s in.

Astoria, Oregon: Exploring Downtown Astoria

Astoria, Oregon is a small port down that I had stopped by on my mini-road trip in Oregon. The town is on the smaller side but does have a down town area along with some sights along the port.

Cute Neighborhoods to Explore in the Silicon Valley

Living in the Silicon Valley can be quite different from San Francisco. The south bay population is more spread out and is home to some of the larger tech companies such as Google, Apple, and Facebook. As it is more spread it out and more family-oriented, the abundance of clubs, bars, and nightlife is far from what exists in San Francisco. However don’t let the quietness of the south bay stop you from exploring it!

Guide to Portland, Oregon

After having stayed in Portland for nearly a year, I guess it’s about time I write up a Portland travel series! I’ve had an interesting relationship with Portland as it is a place where I’ve lived the past year and beyond but also a place where I feel sometimes distant from the local life as work hours have extended long into the night. However in between my free time I have dabbled with checking out some awesome places and highly recommend visiting the town. There’s honestly a lot to offer here in its own special, Portland way.

Carlton, Oregon: Wine Tasting in Soter Vineyards

Despite living in Portland, Oregon for a year, my knowledge of the area is still unfortunately limited. The extent of my knowledge stops at the locations of the bars in downtown. I work late hours most days so it's hard to find time to visit a museum or see things that close at a regular time. However, Ben and I stayed for a weekend in Portland and went out to explore the vineyards.

Munich, Germany: Oktoberfest

Taking place just once a year in Munich, Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival in the world. I, of course, like to consider it to be the world’s largest multi-day German beer rager, but that’s just me. This awesome festival lasts 16 days long starting in September and ending at the first weekend of October. Millions of people from around the world come to feast, dance, and enjoy the rides and games.

Munich, Germany: Test Driving BMWs with BMW On Demand

Ever wanted to drive a higher end BMW without going to a dealership and feeling awkward about test-driving a luxury car you’d never really buy? Besides, it’s not a real test drive if the salesman is trying to sell you the car every single minute of your dinky 10-15 minute ride. I’m sure a lot of you have been in this situation, and I have been especially. You want to test a nice car but the salesman either lets you drive it and harasses you about its features every minute of the drive, or they think you’re too broke because you look like you’re in college and just totally denies you a test run.

Baiersbronn-Tonbach, Germany: Dining at a Three Michelin Star Restaurant in the Black Forest

Back in the bay area (I would even say the United States in general), restaurants rated with a Michelin star have become a bigger and bigger deal among friends. These are a small number of selected restaurants that have been awarded stars in the Michelin Red Guide. A restaurant can be given anywhere from 1 to 3 Michelin stars with 1 being the lowest on the scale and 3 being extraordinarily good. The funny thing is that this started with the tire manufacturer, Michelin. The guide was intended to boost tire sales by convincing the public to take road trips and burn through the tires of their cars (to buy more tires) while dining at these recommended establishments.

Fuerteventura, Spain: Golf Lessons in Spain

One perk of going to Fuerteventura is that golfing is significantly cheaper over there! Heck, I live in the Silicon Valley so by those standards I guess everything in the world is just cheaper. Having never really played golf or know how to hit a ball with a long metal stick, a bunch of us on the family trip took golf lessons.

Fuerteventura, Spain: Camel Riding at Oasis Park

Ever wanted to ride a camel? I sure do! One thing on my to-do list was ride the camels at Oasis Park while in Fuerteventura. Oasis Park is a great place to spend the day with family and friends. It functions as a large zoo but also has some interactive parts which make it livelier and well worth the visit.

Fuerteventura, Spain: ATVing in the Canary Islands

One fun activity that I tried out on Fuerteventura was ATVing and it was wonderful to be able to see the different terrains of the island up close. I highly recommend this if staying on the island even if it is something you’ve done in the states or elsewhere in the world, as the rules are a little different. 

Storkow, Germany: A German Wedding in the Countryside

After globe trotting around Europe for nearly 2.5 weeks, it feels great to be back in the states! These past weeks have been full of fun memories and new adventures, which I will be sharing on this blog in small pieces.

Anaheim, California: Anaheim Packing District

Recently I went back to Los Angeles with my brother and decided to explore newer areas. I wanted to see something different, something beyond the itinerary of a typical tourist and found myself enjoying a day out in Anaheim. As a young child, the only time I ever visited Anaheim was to go to Disneyland and walk along downtown Disney. This time I went to check out the Anaheim Packing District, a small neighborhood of bars and restaurants.

Gilroy, California: Gilroy Garlic Festival

Over the weekend Ben mentioned that there was a garlic festival in Gilroy, California so we decided to drive down to check it out. Surprisingly there were a lot of people attending and the festival was huge! There was garlic everywhere and we definitely got our fair share of garlic.

Livermore, California: Peach Picking

On my girls weekend with Charlotte we visited the Smith Family Farm for peach picking. That's right! We wandered into a giant peach forest and brought back about 14 pounds of peaches. We spent about an hour or so picking sun crest and white peaches off the trees and eating a handful of them.

Lake Lopez: 4th of July Celebrations

I spent the 4th of July this year void of technology. Ben and I went camping with friends for the weekend and indulged ourselves in the simpler times of enjoying nature, sleeping in tents, relaxing on pontoon boats, building camp fires, and riding bikes. It was one of the most relaxing times I've had in awhile with being unplugged from electronics.