A Pit Stop at Hoover Dam

After a brief visit to Las Vegas we embarked on our four hour drive to the Grand Canyon! Fun fact -  about a half an hour into the drive, we run right into the Hoover Dam! It was definitely worth a pit stop for some beautiful pictures. If you do this trip yourself, pro tip - drive past the first three pay-to-park lots. If you drive across the dam, there is FREE parking available there! After we parked (for free!) we hopped out of our car and made our way out on the dam. It was absolutely beautiful!

It was a bit of a trek to reach the main area, but it was definitely worth it! There are even bathrooms out on the dam. They are up in these little towers and everything! 

The views were spectacular, and I'm glad that we took the time to check out this piece of Americana. 

I will say the sun was absolutely brutal. Definitely load up on sunscreen, grab a hat and brace yourself. The desert sun is no joke! It didn't take us a long time to check it out, so we were all glad we took the time to check it out. 

If you ever want help planning your own adventure, let me know! Check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com, or send me an email at Malena@MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

A Magical Day in Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is a beautiful city, and one that we were very excited to visit on our honeymoon! We originally planned to visit some of the museums but our schedule got bumped a day due to a delayed flight, resulting in us visiting the city on a Monday. Pro tip - don't visit Lisbon on a Monday. Pretty much everything is closed. Luckily, we were able to do a bit of research in our hotel room and come up with a new plan!

First up was our visit to the World's Oldest Bookstore!!! SO COOL. I have a whole blog post about our wonderful stop by this store, but to recap: it was beautiful, go visit if you can!!

Next up we decided to hike through the Alfama district to check out Castelo de Sao Jorge. It was a bit of a hike, but we didn't need directions. We just kept our eye on the castle and explored along the way. We weren't disappointed!

We had such a fun time exploring the castle! We got to walk along the parapets and explore the different areas within the castle. There was even a nice little cafe where we sat and enjoyed the scenery. There were even stray kitties and peacocks wandering about! Right next to our table! So fun!

And of course, we got an AWESOME view of the city. It was breathtaking and possibly my favorite part of the day. It was truly memorable standing above the city with my new husband just taking it all in.

Our final stop of the day was to the Oceanarium. It was really neat! I wasn't too excited about this stop initially, but my husband insisted. And of course, he was right. It was pretty fabulous and definitely worth the visit!

 Finally, just a note about Lisbon - don't expect prompt food service. We loved the city, culture and views, but man! It took forever to place an order, get served and PAY at every restaurant we went to. We waited 45 minutes just to hand them our credit card, despite asking the waiter for it twice! So weird! 

All in all, we had a tremendous time exploring the city, even if we didn't make it to the Carriage Museum like we originally planned. If you'd like us to arrange a tour of Portugal for you and your family or group, check out MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com. 

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!