Galway, Ireland: Galway City Hostel Review

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Galway is a small town right on the Irish coast. My travels landed me in Galway for a couple of days where I stayed in a charming and warm hostel called the Galway City Hostel. If you’re thinking of staying here as a budget-friendly option during your visit, I suggest you read on!

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…

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.

Killarney, Ireland: Review of the Fairview Hotel

My trip to Ireland involved a brief stay at the Fairview Hotel. It’s a boutique hotel in the town center of Killarney in Ireland and boasts a small town charm. There are about 2 main streets in town full of shops, bars, and hotels. It makes for a great, couple of days stay!

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!

Dingle, Ireland: Review of the Dingle Harbour Lodge

Dingle is a small coastal town in Ireland towards the west. It is full of nature, beautiful views, and small hotels and bed & breakfasts (B&B). My travel adventures in Dingle took me to the Dingle Harbour Lodge, across the street from the water.

Dublin, Ireland: Review of the Generator Hostel

During my stay in Dublin, I wanted to aim for a budget friendly getaway and stayed for a few nights at the Generator Hostel. For those of you who have Dublin on your list of places to see, here’s a review of the hostel for future travels.

Munich, Germany: Oktoberfest Travel Tips and Advice

Headed to Oktoberfest sometime in the future? Perhaps planning a trip but not sure how to get there? What is even there? Well this travel guide will hopefully answer all those questions and then some!

Munich, Germany: Oktoberfest for the Gluten Free and Wheat Free

Ah, Oktoberfest! The smell of beer and pretzel just absolutely radiates the air! The cookies at the stands look colorful and delicious enough to eat, though you probably shouldn’t since they’re hard as rocks. The food at every stand looks wonderful and smells amazing. However wonderful everything can seem, this can entirely be a stressful situation if you have wheat or gluten sensitivities.

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. 

Fuerteventura, Spain: Sheraton Fuerteventura Beach, Golf & Spa Resort Review

One major stop on my European trip was one of the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura. Although it’s owned by Spain, the island is actually located of the coast of the northern part of Africa, giving it a very interesting terrain. The island was formed due to volcanic eruptions, which created the land. The volcanic eruptions along with a lack of water inside the island makes the land mostly desert. However as it is an island, there is a plethora of beaches and sand dunes created from sands carried over from the nearby continent.

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.

Hamburg, Germany: Celebrating the last of 2014

For New Years, Ben and I decided to celebrate with friends in Hamburg. We drove over from Mannheim, making a short stop in Cologne before reaching our destination. Since everyone had plans on New Year’s Eve, we figured it would be a good idea to have two celebrations- the day before New Year’s Eve and the day of.

Salzburg, Austria: Christmas Holiday in Old Town

For Christmas, Ben thought it would be a good idea if we went with his family to another city. This is how our adventures in Salzburg, Austria started. We drove from Germany over there and settled into our hotel before walking around. Having never traveled to Salzburg (or anywhere in Austria for that matter), I was blown away at how romantic this town could be! We strolled through the cobblestone lined streets of old town, explored the castle, and eyed the festive decorations that lined each shop window.

The Yacht Week Greece

Awhile back (ok, many months back) I went on an infamous little trip called The Yacht Week and had been meaning to write about my travels to Athens and the Greek Islands. I’ve just been extremely lazy until now. The Yacht Week was an awesome experience and I couldn’t let the experiences linger without writing a proper review of my trip. But where do I start? There are not enough words I can use to describe how amazing this trip was!