My FAV EuroEats…Hello, delicious!

August 21, 2016August 22, 2016TravelingLoveBug

I don’t know about you guys, but one of my favorite things about traveling is having the opportunity to EAT my way through a new country. Who else gets super excited when they think about all of the yumminess they are about to experience before going on vacation, or traveling throughout a new country? Grabbing drinks and bites is the best way to meet new people, and probably one of my favorites. Whether we speak to someone who works in a restaurant, or the table directly besides us, I have found it is one of the best ways to meet new friends, and discover fun things to do in a new area.

SO, without further ado, (this list was very hard to consolidate), my must haves and FAVORITES in EUROPE, in no particular order, as they are all very equal.

#1 PIZZA

These slices are coming to you from Nice, France, and Florence, Italy. We found that pizza changed throughout Europe, and our favorite slices varied greatly. We were shocked to find the most delicious pizza, and our favorite in Nice. We met many friendly locals in Nice who educated us on “French food.” They told us specifically that there is NO such thing, and the French adopt recipes from their neighboring countries. Naturally, Nice had great pizza, since it boarders the Italian Riviera. We were also told that consuming your own personal pizza is a right of passage in Italy. Families order their own pizzas, rather than share. Seriously?! That is my kind of place! I was in heaven.

3 of the slices are thin & crispy, from Nice, and the other 3 slices are simply perfection from Florence, where the sauce is sweet, and the mozzarella is fresh and decadent.

My LOVE/HATE relationship with Barcelona, Spain.

July 31, 2016July 31, 2016TravelingLoveBug

There is no doubt that Barcelona is an absolutely gorgeous city! I mean Gaudi did wonders to the culture, look and feel of the city. To be honest, I really did like my time there. However, when you visit so many other gorgeous cities in Europe (like Amsterdam, Paris, Santorini, Venice, for example) Barcelona (to me personally) falls short. Perhaps I would have liked it more if I visited the busy city prior to hitting up so many other places in Europe? In fact, I wouldn’t visit Barcelona again unless I went FOR FREE (if it’s free, it’s for me). It was unfortunately disappointing, and left us underwhelmed beyond belief. There are simply way too many beautiful places in the world I need to visit before I ever even think of going back to Barcelona.

5 things I absolutely LOVED about Barcelona (in no particular order):

1) The ARCHITECTURE

2) Gaudi Gaudi Gaudi. Did I mention GAUDI? I mean did you see Parc Guell?

3. Barceloneta Beach

4. La Boqueria

5. FC Barcelona Futbol

5 things I absolutely HATED about Barcelona (in no particular order):

Split, Croatia: Extreme Canyoning on the Cetina River

September 19, 2014June 21, 2016TravelingLoveBug

Split, Croatia is an adventurer’s dream. Not only does it give you the ability to marvel at nature’s beauty, but you literally have the opportunity to do anything from hiking, zip-lining, kayaking, cliff jumping, rock-climbing to canyoning. Sean and I wanted to do something completely and utterly awesome while in Split…something out of the norm. While researching Trip Advisor and reading reviews, I stumbled across Adventure Omis , and I am so glad that I did. Ivan, our tour guide and one of the owners of the company took very good care of us. He was knowledgeable, down to earth, accommodating, and never once made us feel unsafe. While reading about the activities they had to offer, I knew Extreme Canyoning was for us. We had SOO much fun canyoning on the Cetina River. We swam through crystal clear natural pools and rapids. We cliff jumped into various lakes and waterfalls. We abseiled 164.5 feet along the side of the great Gubavica waterfall. It was fabulous! Words cannot describe the beauty we witnessed, or how crystal clear the water was as it rippled with each step. Pictures simply do not do it justice.

Chateau de Versailles, Paris, France

August 22, 2014June 21, 2016TravelingLoveBug

Versailles is the most beautiful chateau/castle/home I have ever seen. The amount of gold around the house, fountains, gardens, etc. is truly remarkable. The time that it must have taken to landscape and grow those gardens the way it is today is unimaginable. I can only wish to have something half as beautiful as that one day, and that is a far fetched wish! The line to get into the Chateau is extremely long. If possible, pre-order your tickets or schedule a guided tour. I personally do not like guided tours because you don’t have the freedom to go at your own pace, but who knows it might be worth it to see inside the chateau, something I wish I could have done. Sean and I took the train to Versailles mid-afternoon to avoid lines as indicated on the website and we could still only get into the gardens. The line to buy tickets to get into the chateau must have had 500 or more people in it so we thought the gardens would be just fine, and they were absolutely perfect. Read more →

Je’taime Paris

August 21, 2014June 21, 2016TravelingLoveBug

Can I just start off by saying, I love Paris! Like, I seriously love Paris. I know, I know, everyone says they love Paris; however, recently before leaving, I had multiple people tell me they were disappointed by Paris, they had bad experiences, the Parisians were not helpful, they hate Americans, blah blah. The list goes on. I just want to take a second to thank everyone who told me this because I went to Paris with an open mind, and because of this my expectations were not outrageously high like others might have been. I think this actually made Paris better for me. The city is so perfect with its wonderfully decorated Parisian style, its buttery and extremely flakey croissants, and don’t even get me started on the macaroons and baguettes. Almost every single person (besides 2 🙂 ) that Sean and I crossed paths with were extremely nice and helpful. We even had someone in the subway completely stop what they were doing, take off their headphones, and ask us if we needed help. I guess the extremely perplexed looks on our faces staring at the daunting subway map not only made us anxious, but made others around us anxious as well! lol. This really nice guy went out of his way to speak to us in broken English. He asked us-not the other way around. He ended up saving us 20 minutes, and a bunch of frustration by notifying us the line we wanted to take to Notre Dame stopped running at 5:00pm. It was then 6:30pm. Overall, we met really great people who gave us wonderful suggestions.

Sean and I did so many things in Paris. We were non-stop from the second we got there, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. On our first night out in Paris, we did a Viator Tour that took us to the Eiffel Tower for dinner, than an evening 1-hour Seine River Cruise tour, than tickets to the Moulin Rouge with complimentary champagne, which was amazing. Sean and I are STILL talking about that night. It was a little over 5 1/2 hours, and we were exhausted after, but it checked everything off our list. It also included transportation, and we got to chat with other couples around the world. We met a couple from Australia and a couple from Scotland, and both were wonderful! All in all it made for a great Parisian night out. Read more →

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

August 18, 2014August 18, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs! I am currently blogging to you from a train en route to Paris! Oui Oui! We spent two amazing days exploring Amsterdam, and let me tell you–I absolutely loved it. The city is gorgeous. I 100% believe the world has judged Amsterdam too quickly. I am guilty of it myself. The city is surrounded by canals, beautiful row houses, and wonderful shops with so much character and beautiful architecture overflowing into the streets. Before landing in Amsterdam, three words popped into my head about the city…what are they you ask? Well here, it goes: 1) Weed 2) Prostitutes in the Red Light District, 3) Canals. I owe an apology to the city of Amsterdam. I am sorry and I love you! Those words will never pop into my head again. My list has changed to: 1) Bikes on Bikes on Bikes 2) Pancakes and French fries, 3) Cute neighborhoods and the world’s most friendliest people. SO that was more than 4, but I have so many great things to say about Amsterdam. Dutch people are wonderful, and so willing to help. We harp too much on the negative when it comes to Amsterdam. To be perfectly honest, I never once felt threatened while walking around at night. We walked along the Red Light District, went into some Coffee Shops, and honestly enjoyed our time being in the moment. We took the train, and walked around the city at midnight. Never once were we scared. I have felt more scared walking around my hometown of West Palm Beach at night over Amsterdam. Amsterdam is an amazing city, and I highly recommend everyone make a trip to see how charming it truly is.

Is it just me or does this look like a theme from a Disney movie? It is so pretty! — Is it just me or does this look like a scene from a Disney movie? So charming and beautiful

Dream Chasers: Sean and Christina take Europe!

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs–boy do I have some amazing news for you…

Sean and I are taking on Europe! We are following our dreams, and paving our own path.

These 2 fun loving goofballs are ready to explore 18 cities in 8 AMAZING countries all within 32 DAYS! Wait, what!? YEP, it is really happening. There is a big bad world out there, and I am dying to live it, breath it, and see it. Travel awakens our soul, and we plan on taking full advantage of everything this wonderful life has to offer.

There is NOTHING in this world that makes me happier than knowing I am traveling the world with the love of my life. Saying I can’t wait is a serious understatement. I can’t imagine embarking on this journey with any one else. I love you, Sean Michael Campbell. AHHH I CANT WAIT to walk this world hand in hand with you! ❤