Is Pisa Worth the Trip?

Every trip through Italy seems to include a classic "Holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa" picture (Guilty). But is it really worth it?

The long and short of it is - It's an iconic landmark, but a pain to get to! If you have a spare day to take the train out and back from Florence, I say go for it! I had a great time, but there's honestly not much to it. You get off the train, look at the worn map and follow the faded line to the tower. It is pretty incredible and definitely leaning! I just waited until I heard someone speaking english and asked if they would mind taking my picture. They were sweet, and I got a great picture out of it!

That said, there wasn't much to do beyond take a cool picture. You could pay to go up the tower, but I opted not to. I just didn't want to spend the money and wait in line - I was trying to still get back to Florence in time to do a few more things. While I waited for my return train, I sat in a cafe with a beautiful view of the tower, enjoyed an EPIC cup of hot chocolate and used their free wifi. It was a really nice way to kill time!

For me, it was worth it. I got to slow down for a little bit and relax, both on the train and at the restaurant. It was on my bucket list, so I'm glad I got to tick that off too. Honestly, take a look at your schedule. If you have a spare half a day, go for it! If you are more pressed for time and the picture isn't too important to you, you may want to skip it.

City Highlights - Rome

Continuing on in my city highlights series, today, I'm going to talk about my favorite places in Rome! Rome was my last stop on my solo backpacking adventure through Italy, and boy, was it fun!

The Spanish Steps

This may not seem like the biggest and fanciest attraction, but it was probably my favorite place! I found myself returning time and time again to rest, people watch and enjoy the sunset. I would post up along the steps (along the side, out of the way) and read my book at the end of each day. It was so fun to just be a part of the hustle and bustle of the city and unwind after a long day of exploring.

Enjoy this sub-par selfie in front of the Spanish Steps

The Coliseum

The Coliseum is obviously a must see! I highly recommend taking the time to go inside and not just settle for looking at the outside. The history is amazing, and I really enjoyed it! It is, of course, packed with tourists, so I recommend you go early and beat the rush!

Also, pro tip - your ticket for the coliseum will also get you into the Roman Forum right next door! Don't buy the additional ticket without asking if your coliseum ticket is still good! This may change year - to year, but it worked for me!

The Trevi Fountain

Anyone who has seen the Lizzie McGuire movie knows you HAVE to visit the Trevi fountain! Unfortunately for me, the Trevi fountain was hardcore under construction while I was there. Womp womp. It was a bit underwhelming, but I can still say I've been there!

The Villa Borghese

Finally, I highly recommend checking out the Roman gardens, the Villa Borghese! It was a very relaxing way to get away from the crowds and just enjoy myself. I spent the day walking around, exploring and enjoying the locals.

I found this mini Globe Theater for local theater productions! How cool!

These guys were amazing! It was a crew of guys rollerblading doing all kinds of fun stunts

Oh and did I mention the views?!?! 

Rome is an amazingly beautiful city with so much to see! These are just a few highlights from my time there. If you want help planning your Roman adventure, visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com!

Why I Travel

People travel for all kinds of reasons - personal discovery, a change of pace and so many others. For me, it's always been about seeing new places, challenging myself and learning about far-off cultures. I've been lucky enough to get to travel quite a bit in recent years - to over 20 countries in fact - but it seems like that urge to travel is never fully satisfied! I'm always planning my next trip, regardless of how recently I've traveled. Luckily, I get to venture abroad fairly often for work! I own a travel company (MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com), and so I often get to help others realize their dreams as well! Anyway, here are my top 3 reasons that I travel:

I Travel for Adventure

Somewhere in my soul is a need to see new places and try new things. I want to go everywhere and try (just about) everything! So far, I've gone bungee jumping in South Africa, swimming with elephants in Thailand and hiking up a mountain in New Mexico. Going out and trying something new is very fulfilling for me, and I find I am at my happiest while on an adventure.

Getting ready for my bungee jump off Bloukran's Bridge in South Africa

I Travel For Personal Growth

When I travel, and particularly when I travel solo, I've found that I come back with a different, more open perspective on the world. I learn things about myself that I don't think I ever would have discovered while at home in my safe zone. I'm so much more capable than I ever realized - I even backpacked by myself for 10 days through Italy, a few years back. I researched the trip, booked everything and navigated my way through foreign cities in a country where I don't speak the language  - and what's more? I had a blast! I was independent, brave and above all, capable! That was incredibly empowering and an experience I'll never forget.

On my solo trip through Italy

I Travel to Learn About the World In Person

I love to learn, but I find that the lessons stick far better when I experience them first-hand. Reading about the history and architecture of say, Barcelona for example, will never do the beautiful work of Gaudi justice. Gaudi was an incredible artist and his work is truly inspiring. I had seen photos of Park Guell and some truly amazing paintings, but it completely dulled when compared to the real thing. Some things you just have to experience.

Me hanging out at sunset in Park Guell in Barcelona

The long and the short of it is traveling is amazing and life-changing. I encourage you to travel as often as possible.  Just get out and go!

My Favorite Hostel in Florence

I've stayed in hostels all over the world, but the one that sticks out the most is the Hostel David Inn Florence in Florence, Italy. Florence itself was beautiful and my experience was made even better by staying at this particular hostel. Nadia greeted me by name with cookies at the ready. She was very welcoming, the beds were clean, the people were nice and there was a kitchen available for my use. I personally like to have a kitsch available so I can save some money and cook my own dinner

I really connected with the other guests and actually wound up going out to eat with people from Canada, Japan and Korea too! It was a really amazing experience. It almost felt more like staying at grandma's house than a hostel.

Here I am (right) with Nadia (center) and a new Canadian friend!

The hostel was much smaller and intimate than most hostels I've stayed at. I actually found that I liked it! The only downside was there weren't any lockers available and I tend to like to lock up my bag before heading out for the day. Other than that, it was great! It definitely helped that I was staying with a great group of travelers, but Nadia (the host) was very sweet and even offered to do my laundry at no charge because it rained and I got soaked! I ended up just line drying my clothes, but it was a very genuine and kind gesture.

The hostel was also remarkably close to several must-see sights! It was a short walk away from the legendary Duomo and it was literal steps away from the museum where the Statue of David was housed. Nadia was always ready to offer advice on where to go, what to see and of course, help us find the best gelato!

All in all, Florence was a wonderful experience, and I'm lucky to have found such a welcoming and affordable place to stay. If you'd like to plan your own adventure to Florence (hostels or hotels) I'd be happy to help! MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

I Have a Thing for Bookstores

Everywhere I go I find myself being drawn to bookshops. I can't help myself - if I see a cute shop or I hear of a unique bookstore I have to find it and go in. Here are some of my favorites:

This picture I am literally planning on putting on a canvas to hang in my house. I just absolutely love it. It's rustic and authentic and represents an amazing memory.

This first three pictures in this post are from Aqua Alta Book Store in Venice. It's off the beaten path but someone I met at the hostel  tipped me off about it. It was so totally worth the venture out past the tourist stops in Venice near St. Mark's Basilica.

This is from a library museum in Venice!

I stumbled on this beautiful little shop in the middle of a walking lane. I love little gems like this. 

That tiny bookshop had books that were hundreds of years old. 

There's beauty everywhere you look, you just need to keep your eyes open.

Malena

New Adventures!

Hello again everyone!

I know I haven't been updating this lately, but that's because I have had so much going on! Not the best excuse, I know, but there it is.

Anyway, back to the point of this post - I am going on an adventure! I will be taking a very last minute work trip to Europe for 5 weeks! 5 weeks. Dude, I know. 

I will fly out Wednesday evening, stop in Copenhagen Thursday morning before making my way to Manchester. I have some business there, then I'm off to Dublin to meet up with the team! The first part will be training, so I'm only around for half a tour. I will be with the team in Dublin, Manchester and London but then I'm off to Barcelona. 

I did not think I would be back in Barca so soon, but hey! I'm not complaining. From there I'm off to Lake Como, Venice and Milan in Italy. 

I close out my trip bopping back and forth between Barca and Madrid. Craziness.

This trip is coming up so fast and I still have a lot I need to do. I worked a ton at the radio station this weekend and its my last weekend with my boyfriend for a good long while so I've been trying to find a balance. Ah! Oh well. I know it will all come together soon. 

I am currently trying to figure out if I want to pack in carry-on only or if I should just bite the bullet and bring a bigger bag. It is 5 weeks after all.  My plan is to just figure out what I need to bring and then pick a bag based on that. I want to be comfortable, but not overloaded because goodness knows I won't be in one spot for any length of time.

Malena

Roman Recap

My time in Rome flew by! I had no trouble navigating the trains but I had one heck of a time finding my hostel. I don't know what it is about Rome but I found it quite hard to navigate the city. I can find my way around just about anywhere but I don't know if it's because I was tired or what, but eventually I found my hostel.

The hostel was rather small and unremarkable. It had a kitchen which is always a plus in my book. I saved quite a bit of money by packing my lunch and cooking my own dinners. I basically just bought gelato food-wise.

I hit pretty much all the major attractions in Rome - The Spanish Steps, The Trevvi Fountain, The Roman Forum, The Coliseum, The Vatican City among others.

The Spanish Steps were far and away my favorite spot to visit. I loved to find a nice perch and read my book and watch the sun set over the city. I went back there three different days just because I absolutely enjoyed my time there. Reading in a new environment, especially in a fulfilling cultural space, is something that I absolutely love to do. I think its important to not just tick the boxes when you travel, but take the time to stop and appreciate the culture and the atmosphere.

The Trevvi fountain was under construction so that was very underwhelming. I'll need to go  back for sure.

The Coliseum was so cool! I had managed to go the whole trip without waiting more than 10 minutes for an attraction, but alas the Coliseum got the better of me. I had to wait a whole 30 minutes. It was packed and not very well organized outside, but once you get inside it was quite amazing. I opted for the audio guide just to try to be able to understand what I was looking at a little bit better. It definitely was worth it, though the stops weren't well marked so that got confusing sometimes. I spent the better part of the day wandering through the Coliseum and the Roman Forums. It turns out my ticket for the Coliseum also got me into the Forums! Sweet!

Another notable stop was of course The Vatican City. I toured through the museum with an audio guide (again, very useful) and had a lovely morning just exploring. I ended up coming back later to see St. Peter's Basilica. I must say it was totally worth coming back for. That is probably my favorite church I've ever been to. I had a great time just taking it all in.

Anyway, I will probably go through eventually and up date all my recent posts with pictures one of these days!

Lots of love,
Malena

Florence Fun

I had a blast in Florence. I think if I did it again I would leave more time. I was already cramming four cities into a little over a week so I only stayed in Florence for two days. One of those days I actually spent the afternoon out in Pisa!

I stayed at the most adorable little hostel called The David Inn. It's run by this lovely woman called Nadia. She really takes care of everyone who comes through. She was there to greet me by name with a plate of cookies. She is so sweet and personable. I highly recommend the hostel for anyone staying Florence! 

The first night I just tried to get a feel for the city and ended up buying myself a lovely leather jacket. I'm very  happy with my "big souvenir" of the trip! It is so soft and fits me perfectly. I went back to the hostels and met some very nice people. One was from Canada and two were from South Korea. We had a great time getting to know eachother.

The next day I got up early and went and saw the Statue of David! It was really pretty incredile. I learned about it in depth in middle school and I always wanted to go see it for myself. 

Right afterwards I found the grocery store (finally!) and bought myself some food for the next few days. I sort of followed this sweet old italian lady around and picked the brands of pasta and sauce she did... slightly creepy but it totally worked! They are delicious! And both the Florence and Rome hostels have kitchens so I'm set :)

I then hoofed it to the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the Michelangelo square for a pretty view and some shopping. The bridge was a little pricey for me and it turned out there was a crane in the way and a BILLION steps so I ended up just going halfway to the Michelangelo square, but it was still beautiful.

I then booked it across town to catch my train to the leaning tower of Pisa. It was pretty wonderful. I took some funny pictures ( I mean you have to right?) and then I went to a cafe that had a lovely view and ordered a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was so so good. Basically they just melted a chocolate bar in a cup and served it. Hey man, no problem here.

I caught my train back to Florence and wandered back to my hostel. We ended up going out as a group for the world's biggest pizza! It was so delicious We ordered some pasta for the table as well. It was a good authentic Italian meal and I got to share it with some new friends I met in the hostel. It's been great so far with hostels!

This morning I got up early and me and a girl from the hostel went to the Iffuzi museum. It was beautiful and I enjoyed just soaking up the atmosphere. We made a quick stop back at the Ponte Vecchio bridge for some perusing then I went back to my hostel to grab my bags and hug Nadia goodbye.

I made it to the train station and had an easy ride to Roma! The walk to the hostel wasn't my favorite. I got turned around a bit and was too stubborn to catch a cab. I got here eventually, but boy am I tired.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Vatican!

Lots of love,

Malena

Venice to Florence 1/5

Today was the greatest. I managed to navigate my way through the city and find the most beautiful bookstore I have ever seen. It was just absolutely unbelievable. I can't believe how many books there were! They were stacked all over the place! They were stored in random things like bathtubs and gondolas! This may be my favorite part of my whole trip. I grabbed me a beautiful old book by Sinclair Lewis as the perfect souvenir. When I went to cehck out there was a cat eating breakfast where you should pay and a very Italian man smoking away. He told me "If women are flowers, you are a bouquet." Craziness! There was also a weird erotica section... It was quite the experience and probably my favorite part. It was quirky and literary! There was even a staircase built of books out back so you could climb up and watch the gondolas go by! BEAUTIFUL. You could also watch the gondolas from the best reading nook in the world...

Anyway, afterwards I husteld back to my hostel and grabbed my stuff and headed off to Florence! I got to the train station alright and boarded with no trouble at all - except apparently I left my toiletry bag... Womp Womp. I have everything else including my makeup and liquids. I'm really just out my shampoo bar (Which wasn't all that great actually - I don't think I like this variety as much as the green kind), my deoderant, tooth brush and toothpaste, and my hairbrush. All in all less than $10 worth of stuff. Hey if I have to lose something that's the bag I would choose to lose. I must have missed packing it in my bag. You can bet I'll be triple checking when I pack up from Florence!

Once I was in Florence I got to my hostel, no problem. My first stop was a grocery store to stock up! Now I won't have to buy breakfast, lunch or dinner for several days. That will save me a ton! I wandered about the Duomo and even bought myself a nice fancy leather jacket! I'm so excited about it. I have been trying to figure out what I want my big souvenir to be and I think I found the perfect. one ;)

Anyway, I go to see the statue of David first thing tomorrow morning so it's bed time for me!

Lots of love,
Malena

Venice Day 2

 Today was a pretty great day. I started off on the right foot by going up the Campanile Tower with hardly any wait. I got some pretty phenomenal photos! Afterwards I headed over to Doge's Palace and again had no wait because I booked online. I had a wonderful time. I just went my own pace and took in the beautiful art. On top of that I got to go to 3 more museums for the cost of the one! And even then it was discounted because I'm under 26. SCORE! One of the bonus museums was even a historical library which is pretty darn awesome in my book. I definitely enjoyed today. I came back to the hostel for dinner and ran into some nice girls from South Korea and Michigan. The Korean girl had had her entire luggage stolen! But from the street, not the hostel. She left it for just a few minutes to get a coffee and it wasn't there when she came back. I felt bad for her, but hopefully she learned not to trust cities! She still had her passport and she has a friend in Milan who speaks Italian so she has some help in filing police reports. 

Me and the girl from Michigan tried to help her out a little - she had just been in Australia and South Africa or something so she had a skirt and flip flops in her purse which she had with her. So she has that and what she was wearing and that's it. The other girl gave her some pants and a flannel and the hostel even let her dig through their lost and found so that was really sweet of them. I luckily had an unopened toothbrush that I gave her so I'm glad I could help at least a little bit!I felt so bad for her. At least she had her passport in her purse. That would have been a disaster.

She also had her phone and charger so that's good! The Michigan girl told us about this beautiful bookstore in Venice so I think tomorrow we are going to try and go find it!!

I need to leave the hostel for the train station by 11am so hopefully we can make it!

Hostels are really a wonderful place.

Malena

Planning Our Backpacking Trip Through Italy

Things are starting to seem real! This December I will be going to Barcelona and likely London. After the work portion of my trip I will be backpacking through Italy with a friend. I can't wait.
We started sketching a rough outline of our Italy trip! It's shaping up to be about 8 days of taking the Euro rail from the North to the South of Italy. We think we want to fly into Milan stay there for a day, head over to Venice the next morning and hang out there. Then we might go to Florence and combine cities that day and hit up Pisa the same day. After that we are Rome bound! After a few days in Rome we want to visit Naples for a day before going back to Rome for one last Italian day before heading home.
It is quite a packed agenda and is very rough at the moment but I'm glad we have started the planning process! We originally were toying with the idea of having a friend drive us through Italy, but it looks like we may just stick to trains for this trip. We will be staying in hostels which I am all for, so that should be fun and interesting. I have really been liking hostelworld.com for research and ratings. The hostel I stayed in, in London was only OK but other than that I have been happy with the hostels I've booked off that site.
I plan international trips for a living so this is just more of the same - except I have full control (with my friend's input of course) over what cities and sites we see :) I'm so excited!
I'll keep updating my blog more as I get ready for what is shaping up to be a month- long euro trip.

Malena

Disney and What's Next?

The past two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind - we just finished up a tournament in Disney World! It was a lot of hard work, but was so much fun.

The best part was that the tournament ended the day before my birthday! I spent my birthday celebrating with my coworkers in Universal Studios. We were pretty excited to visit Harry Potter World.

While I loved the location (minus the humidity!), my favorite part of the trip was networking and learning more about what could be in store next - Asia, Australia, London, Paris, Wales, Italy?? I can't wait! Bring on.

One thing is for sure -This December, Barcelona here I come! After that on to backpacking Italy then who knows!?

I'm going to Germany and London!

Now that the tickets are bought, I am officially going to Germany in April! I am going to be near Bonn for 7 days for work, then I am sneaking in a quick vacation in London for a few days before I come back home. I am currently planning out what I want to squeeze into my London trip. I know I will be staying at a hostel but I want to try to hit as many big ticket items as I can while I'm there. Some ideas are Big Ben, the Palace, the London Eye, and maybe a bike tour and/or a Jack the Ripper tour. I'm open to suggestions!
After that I'm home for a week or two and then its off to see my sister graduate from vet school in Iowa. We will be stopping by Cincinnati on our way there so that's a nice little trip. I'm also toying with the idea of taking a weekend trip to New Mexico later this summer, and I know I'll be headed to Florida for a week for work in August (Disney World!!!). There is also a slight chance I'll be heading to Brazil and Ireland this year. So many possibilities! I should also be heading back to Barcelona this December (for work), then I will probably backpack Italy in January (for fun!). As I've said, I love to travel. Anyway, I'll keep this updated as things start to finalize, but get excited for some posts about Germany and London coming your way soon!