Of all the things I wanted to see on my trip to Bulgaria, I really had my heart set on just one: the Rila Monastery. I’d seen photos of it everywhere, this magnificent monastery complex nestled in the mountains. And it definitely didn’t disappoint. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the largest Eastern Orthodox… Read More Visiting The Rila Monastery, One Place You Can’t Miss In Bulgaria
I finally visited the Lake District for the first time last month! This national park has been on my list for years, but due to lack of gear, and the amount of time it would take to get there when I lived in Nottingham, it just never happened. And despite spending lots of time in… Read More Hiking The Old Man Of Coniston In The Lake District
Having fallen head over heels in love with the Balkans last year, I was determined to get to Bulgaria this year (and conveniently visit my friend living in Sofia). I was based in Sofia for my trip, but definitely didn’t have quite as much time to explore the city as I would have liked! I’d… Read More A Quick Guide To Sofia
Having spent large chunks of time living and traveling in Europe over the last few years, I’ve learned a whole lot of lessons. The US is so different from Europe, and there’s lots of basic information Americans should know before traveling to make their experience less stressful. Some of these may be natural for Europeans,… Read More 12 Things Every American NEEDS to Know About Europe
Now that I’m permanently living in England, I’m slowly but surely making my way through my local bucket list—seeing as much of Yorkshire as possible! So on a beautiful sunny day, I set off for the sea, to see the coastal town of Scarborough (and yes, I did sing the Simon and Garfunkel song “Scarborough… Read More A Sunny Day In Scarborough
Let me say it loud and clear: Vilnius is awesome and the Lithuanian capital surprised me in the best ways. Vilnius is a city that isn’t on the radar for lots of people traveling to Europe. But that means that it’s not inundated with tourists, and will give you more breathing room to explore. The… Read More What To Do In Vilnius, A Hidden Baltic Gem
York is one of the most popular places to visit in England (outside of London, of course). The city’s history goes back millennia: Romans, Vikings, medieval times—you can see remnants of them all! York is also a beautiful city, and one that I’m lucky enough to call home. I haven’t written much on the blog… Read More 15 Photos to Convince You to Visit York in Spring
Europe is an incredibly diverse continent. There are so many different countries, languages, religions, and ethnicities in a relatively compact area, and border hopping is so easy! Catholicism is the official religion of many different countries, and the Catholic holidays are just as important as other national holidays. But traveling during Easter in Catholic countries… Read More 8 Tips for Traveling In Catholic Europe During Easter
If you know me at all, you’ll know that I’m fascinated by history. I studied Russian in college, and 20th-century Soviet history is one of my main specialties. So when I found out about this open-air museum housing old statues from Soviet times in Lithuania, I knew I had to visit. And same as the… Read More Grutas Park: The Soviet Sculpture Park In Lithuania
The Peak District National Park is one of my favorite places in England. I had an amazing time on my weekend in the Peaks last November, and was so excited to go back and explore more of this area! For this trip, I was based in Edale, and spent my time in the Hope Valley… Read More Postcards From The Peak District, Part 2
The Hill of Crosses is awe-inspiring and simply stunning. Made up of well over 200,000 crosses, this monument is one of Lithuania’s most popular sites and one place you absolutely must visit in Lithuania. It’s located 12km north of Šiauliai, in the northwestern region of Lithuania. People began planting crosses here since at least the… Read More Amazing Sights: Visiting The Hill Of Crosses In Lithuania
The last few weeks have definitely been busy. But I’ve been working on a project from my trip to Lithuania, and today is finally the day to share it all with you! Introducing… my first ever vlog! For those who don’t know, a vlog is a video blog—more like a visual recap. I did and… Read More My First Ever Vlog!
My first trip to Lithuania was one for the books! This Eastern European gem in the Baltics definitely has a lot to see. I only spent 4 days in the country, and it definitely wasn’t long enough! There is so much to do and see in this small country: beautiful architecture, sandy beaches, dense forests,… Read More 7 Places You Need to Visit in Lithuania
Warning: super personal post alert! It’s been exactly one year since I eloped and got married in Gibraltar, so I thought on my first wedding anniversary I’d do a post all about it! Gibraltar is located on the very southern tip of Spain, and a United Kingdom territory. Gibraltar itself is worth visiting for a… Read More Eloping In Europe: How (And Why) To Get Married In Gibraltar
Krakow. This Polish city is one of my favorites in Europe. It is stunningly beautiful, with magnificent old architecture, has a fascinating (albeit sometimes dark) history, and is wonderfully affordable. There’s a lot of things you should know about Poland. On my most recent trip to Krakow, I put my finger on one of the… Read More Krakow: The Perfect Gateway City
My trip to Lviv was short but sweet—I had just a few days in the country before heading back to Poland, this time to Krakow. I’ve already written about taking the Warsaw-Lviv night train, but wanted to do another post on the Lviv-Krakow night train, in case anyone is traveling that direction and is wondering… Read More The Lviv-Krakow Night Train
This past Christmas was different from previous Christmases for me in a lot of ways. Mainly because I spent the holiday season traveling, on the road in Poland! But after spending three out of the last four Christmases away from Minnesota, my home (wow that sounds bad, sorry everyone I’ll be there next year!), I… Read More Spending Christmas Away From Home
One of the things that I use travel blogs for the most is for transportation advice—and especially overnight transportation. I recently took the night train from Warsaw, Poland to Lviv, Ukraine, and wanted to do a full write-up of the journey. You can read all about my best safety tips for night trains here! To… Read More The Warsaw-Lviv Night Train
My real question planning my trip to Lviv, Ukraine: would it be worth two night trains? Because of transportation schedules, visiting Lviv meant that I would be taking two night trains (to and from Poland) in a period of four nights…which is a lot for me, who struggles to get a good night’s sleep. But… Read More Off The Beaten Path: Lviv, Ukraine
Warsaw is an interesting city with an incredibly complex history. I’ve visited twice, and both of my visits fell over important religious holidays: Easter Monday and Christmas—which are big holidays for super Catholic Poland. I was unprepared for this on my first visit—I didn’t know Easter Monday was a thing, and literally everything was closed.… Read More A Guide to Warsaw