yours truly!

When you think of the Netherlands, you picture wooden windmills, delicious cheese and perhaps the hope that the locals still wear wooden clogs. One of the best parts about visiting the Netherlands is getting to explore beyond just Amsterdam and truly experience what it was like to live in a little Dutch settlement. Zaanse Schans is an easy day trip from Amsterdam and offers so much more than just windmills! Today, you can see traditional Dutch homes, barns, windmills and even enjoy a glimpse into the life of a clog & cheese making!

It seems like it is becoming more popular to visit the #2 or #3 cities of a country instead of heading straight for the capital city which is over priced, over crowded and a tad too dirty. While Amsterdam is incredibly beautiful and should not be missed while traveling through Holland, it might be more beneficial to just skip all the crowds and head straight for Amsterdam’s little brother, Utrecht.

Beloved by many, Amsterdam has found its place on Pinterest by millions of people all trying to showcase the best of the best, so how can I compete? Nonetheless, I too have fallen for the city’s charm and romance while strolling the canals and taking in the culture and share with you some of the best things to do in Amsterdam in a day!

Every year, the small town on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, Furth im Wald, holds their yearly centuries old Festspiele, or play in the city center. The play, Drachenstich or “Spearing the Dragon” takes place for two weeks at the end of July to mid-August, where the whole town partakes in the play! The town turns the small city center into an outdoor theater for about two weeks.

Little did I know prior to arriving that Zagreb would be so much more than just a wham-bam-thank-you ma’am one night stand on our road trip through Croatia. While the capital is in a perfect position for breaking up a long drive, this capital is both youthful and loaded with a long and interesting history! […]

Situated at the very southernmost tip of Croatia, sits the ancient city town of Dubrovnik which is still fortified by massive grey stone city walls. The stunning blue green waters of the Adriatic Sea hug its walls adding to the beauty of a place which seems more like a dream than a reality. It’s no wonder then that this beautiful part of Croatia is considered to be the “Pearl of the Adriatic!”

Mention the name “Bosnia-Herzegovina” to many older adults and their first instinct is to react with horror and remember the gruesome images that flooded their TVs during the 90s from the Balkan War. I’ve seen the images myself and heard the stories and grew up under the impression the country still wasn’t safe. Well, it’s been 20+ years, and times have changed. The country is still just starting to blossom into an up & coming travel destination still very much off the travel mainstream but loaded with treasures waiting to be explored and I wanted to go!

Set on a peninsula jutting into the Adriatic Sea, Split is the home to one of the largest and best preserved Roman palaces in the world. In 295 AD the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered an enormous palace to be built here, where one day he intended to retire. Diocletian was an unlikely Emperor as he was born into a family with a low status. He worked his way up through the military ranks and eventually became a cavalry commander under Emperor Carus.

Upon deciding which National park to visit, Plitvice Lakes or Krka, I could not possibly decide which one I wanted to visit the most. So we visited both. And for good reason: they are both stunningly beautiful.

Zadar is one of Croatia’s many small town peninsulas that date back to the Roman era which hugs the coast of Dalmatia along the Adriatic Sea. Surprisingly, this little peninsula (and the surrounding modern town) is Croatia’s 5th largest town with a rich history and many historic buildings.