Granada

February 28, 2019 by Savannah Herring

Granada, Spain
October 13th-17th
2016

Our Hostel in Granada was a private two bedroom - we even had our own bathroom. This is a luxury. We were living it up on a budget. We did not spend much time in here but it is an added comfort knowing we had a quiet place to come back to.. and a locked room for all of our belongings.

We brought our wine from Barcelona with us to drink while in Granada.

The common area inside our hostel was adorable and serene.

In honor of Taylor being back in Granada, we HAD to stop in and get CHURROs from the place she used to frequent from the days she used to live there.

We went on a walk though town and ended up at the Alhambra. Both of us had already visited the Alhambra (Taylor had multiple times) so we decided to hop on the little tram and listen to the tour guide remind us of its history before making our way back to town.

Once back in the city, we walked up and down the streets while deciding on a place to eat. There is always something happening around every corner. The building are so large and so close to each other, you can hear echos of music and chatter long before you happen to walk by.

For days and days before we made it to Granada, all Taylor and I could think about was Tapas Tapas Tapas. Granada serves food with every beverage you purchase - for the most part. It is amazing.

Poe ended up being our go to spot. We tried every option they had and made friends with the bartender.

Taylor and I had one last package we were sending back to the states. This packaging experience was one for the books. We walked into the post office with bags full of clothes and gifts ready to be packaged into a box and sent on its way. The woman helping us didn’t have a box to fit our things so she cut down a larger box into a smaller one. I took this picture before we walked out just in case we never saw our things again. *The box arrived a couple months after we returned to the states!!

We went on a walk to see a couple places Tay spent a lot of time in the past. We stopped for a photo with this beautiful view of the Alhambra behind us. We then walked past the school Tay used to attend and got signs with our names written on them. Of course we ended the journey with sangria and tortilla española.

We spent a little time at the hostel planning out the next couple days of our trip before we made it out for a drink.

We found an Irish Pub on our walk home and decided to have a pint. I wanted to see if it tasted any different than it did in Ireland. It tastes the same.

We spent most of the next day roaming the streets. This town is something special. Maybe because Taylor had lived here and I had visited it before. It was one of the most relaxing places of our trip. We weren’t constantly on the go trying to see what we could before we were leaving out again. We went with the flow and ended up having a great day and even better night!

Because you can NEVER have too many churros.

On this walk - we walked by a mural Taylor and I took a picture at 5 years ago. Too bad we both couldn’t recreate the picture from the past.

It seemed like we constantly ran into protests. We walked through this one the whole way back to our hostel.

After a little rest at the hostel, we headed back out for one last walk through the city and a quick bite to eat before our evening plans. We were SO excited to see Flamenco! The performance itself was beautiful and full of passion. A few people sitting at the table next to us ended up coming back to our favorite little tapas place for a nightcap.

This night was the perfect way to end our time in Granada. We needed a good nights sleep before our journey to Marseille!

Barcelona

February 28, 2018 by Savannah Herring

Barcelona, Spain
October 9th-13th

In Waterford we headed to the bus station so we could get back to the airport in Dublin. From Dublin we flew to Barcelona. We eventually made it to our hostel pretty late at night. It was dark outside and we were exhausted from the day of traveling. Taylor and I decided to call it a night and start fresh in the morning. Our little hostel room had a balcony and two beds that filled the entire room. It was cramped but a cozy place to sleep.

In the morning, Taylor and I walked around the city. We were in no particular rush and wanted to leisurely explore our surroundings. I had never been to Barcelona before so it was nice to not have any obligations right off the bat.

We were hungry for breakfast and stopped into a little corner shop. The tables were adorable and had different spices/grains inside the glass table top. And.. YES, I ate cake for breakfast.

We ended up heading towards the water and walked along its beach for quite a while. The town was busy but you could find quiet areas here and there to really take in the moment. The water is so close to the city. The art and history that filled the city was mesmerizing. This little art nut was more than excited.

Along the beach, we stopped at El Pacifico to have Paella! I did not realize we were in for such a presentation. It was very good... but I did learn that Paella isn't my favorite. Our server was so generous and brought us Limoncello at the end to top off our meal.

After lunch we walked to a mall that was halfway across the harbor. We crossed over a bridge that closed often throughout the day as sailboats were constantly arriving or leaving. This was definitely not the place to be stuck if you were in a hurry. Each side of the bridge filled up quickly as we waited for the boat to pass. Once it did, swarms of people carried on their way to the other side. It was more interesting that it sounds in the blog.

Later that evening, we found a little tapas spot to have some dinner. We really grew to love the self serve toothpick tapas restaurants. The wine was VERY cheap and the tapas were enjoyable. The place was crowded and we were lucky to have a little seat.

Later that night, Taylor found a restaurant where the entire inside was decorated as if you were outside. Trees had tables attached to them with little ponds with running water collecting along side. The restaurant further surprised us as there was a small area set up as if you were in an old time haunted house. I didn't get pictures.. but there was a mirror where if you looked long enough you would see a mans reflection appear... with child's bed frame and old toys laying on the ground next to it. A doll house. You get the picture. We were glad to have stopped by this place!

The next day we had plans to go to an afternoon wine tasting. We decided to walk around and see portions of the city we weren't able to see the day before. We did a lot of walking before we decided to stop for a ham and cheese sandwich. For some reason, this sandwich was very satisfying.

Once we finished lunch we had to figure out how to get to the meeting spot for our wine tasting. We walked a long way to be where we needed to be at the right time. We made it to metro station and there were quite a few people around.. we didn't know which on was our tasting guide. After a few confusing moments, we found who we were looking for and were on our way.

This tasting was much different than the ones we had been on before. We were told that we were going to stay in one place and the wine (along with meats and cheeses) were going to be brought to us. Two thumbs up. We had a great time getting to try many different types of wine from an organically produced facility. Thank you Hallie and Patrick for the suggestion! It was well worth every minute.

All their wine had taps like a beer bar. We ended up getting a bottle each that we could fill up with whatever we chose and brought them home with us.

Overall, it was a great time with great wine, and great cheese. After our tour was over, we asked our guide what we should do next. He mentioned a French restaurant that his friend owned and suggested if we go there to tell him he said hi. Well, that is exactly what Tay and I did. We walked our way to this little French restaurant where we stayed the remainder of the night. We had a blast!

After all of this time around wine and food, Taylor and I were ready to head home and call it a night. We walked back to our hostel and immediately hit the sheets. We had booked a city walking tour early the next morning and did not want to miss the opportunity to learn about the city!

We met our tour guide and were split up into groups. I was beyond excited that I was going to be able to see the works of Gaudi in person!

Casa Batlló

While on our walking tour, there was a parade through the streets. It happened to be National Hispanic Day in Spain. It was such a beautiful, colorful surprise.

On our walk back home, Tay and I got a pizza from a little shop up the street from our hostel. A quiet night in was needed before we got ready to head out to Granada the next day. Granada holds a special place in my sisters heart.

Limerick / Waterford

March 10, 2017 by Savannah Herring

Limerick, Ireland
October 6th-8th

Taylor and I hopped on a bus early in the morning and were on our way to limerick. We really didn't know what to expect but we knew we wanted to experience another side of Ireland. We arrived at the bus station and had about a 20 minute walk to our hotel. Any time we stayed in a hotel was a treat for us. Hostels are great, it is just really nice to have the luxury of soap, shampoo, and cable here and there. We dropped our things off and walked out to see what Limerick was all about. We were hungry, go figure, so our first stop was at a restaurant. We walked a little ways to a pub around the corner. I had the special, which was some sort of burrito and Taylor got soup.. again!

Back in Amsterdam, Tay and I went to the Heineken Brewery and got two bottles of beer each with our names on them. Knowing we were about to have to fly soon, we decided this would be the place to drink them. We only had one problem.. we had nothing to open them with. Goodness, this was such a task for the both of us, I still cannot believe we succeeded. We used just about anything we could find to get these bottles open, her purse, a ledge, a door frame, keys, etc. Eventually we got the darn bottles open and enjoyed the beer!

We walked around the city a bit but it got dark sooner than we were expecting. We ended up hanging around the hotel until it was time for dinner. Limerick is a small city with little to do besides go to a pub. We looked up a good place nearby and were off. The city was pretty at night time with a river running through the center. We ended up at The Locke and got seated by a fireplace. It was a small seat but considering there was Irish dancing going on in the main room, we were lucky to have a place at all. The food was ridiculously good and the atmosphere was fun! TAYLOR DIDNT GET SOUP! It was my first time seeing Irish dancing in Ireland as well! Unfortunately, I did not gat any pictures of the dancing! :(

After dinner, we called it a night. We had plans for the next day.

We researched a bit the night before and realized there isn't much to the town of Limerick. We wanted to be sure that we didn't miss an inch of history so we explored the city a bit before making it to the King John's Castle.

We made it to the 13th century King John's Castle after a nice walk through the town. We didn't have much time to research the castle before we entered. This was no problem as the entire place was full of interactive stations that we got so much information from. There weren't many people there with us and it felt as if we had the entire place to ourselves. There were beautiful views at the top of the watch tower as well.

After a few hours exploring every inch of this place we wandered our way back through the city towards the hotel. Of course we were hungry for lunch so we stopped in a place before heading back to the room. Yes, Taylor got soup again.

We made it back to our hotel to rest a bit before exploring the city later that evening. While in our room we drank the last of our beer from Amsterdam. I had bought a little bottle opener while at the castle earlier that day to make the task a bit easier.

We ended up eating Chinese food for dinner. There weren't many places for us to venture to and this restaurant was basically in our hotel. It was actually very good!

After dinner we headed to a pub called Cobble Stones which was right around the corner. We sat at the bar for a bit as the crowd began to grow. It was interesting because the staff came in and took all of the tables and bar stools (where we were sitting) away. There was a local band playing and we assumed it must get pretty busy later in the night. We didn't stay for too long. We wanted to get a good breakfast in before traveling to Waterford the next morning.

Waterford, Ireland
October 8th-9th

We hopped on a bus to Waterford. I think we were pretty bussed out at this point. We walked to our hotel and found that we were a bit too early to check in. They allowed us to drop our packs for a few hours and we decided to walk around the city. Close friends of ours suggested we go to the Waterford House of Crystal. We booked tickets online and headed straight that way. Neither of us really knew what to expect but were excited to be seeing one of the things Waterford was well known for.

Once we arrived (we barely made our tour time) we hopped in at the beginning of our tour. We saw the evolution of crystal styles and trends, massive custom pieces, the place where everything was made, and the people who worked so meticulously to make a flawless product. It really was amazing. Thanks Hallie and Patrick!

We finished the tour satisfied that we had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We were very hungry by this point and stopped at a pub on the corner by our hotel. Taylor had more soup. This was our last day in Ireland so I can see why she made sure to get her last bowls of soup in. I made sure to get a Guinness for this very reason.

After our little lunch, we were able to get into our hotel room. We showered and relaxed for a while. Once we were ready, we went out to see what was around. We walked for a while in search of a restaurant that Taylor had looked up online. We walked quite a while to get there only to find out they stopped serving food around 6pm. We thought this was odd but apparently it was common? So here we are again, hungry and in search for a restaurant to eat at. We chose another restaurant near where we were staying just thankful they had food. We were some of the only people in the restaurant. There was a DJ setting up for some late night music and dance.

Once finished, we walked back to the hotel and called it a night. We were excited to head to Barcelona the next day!

Peace & Love,
Savannah

Doolin

December 28, 2016 by Savannah Herring

Doolin, Ireland
October 3rd-6th

Taylor and I ate breakfast at the hostel before we went to catch the bus to Doolin. Once we got on the bus, it was three hours before we made it to Gallway. It was here that Tay and I had to figure out how to get to Doolin. We were dropped off at a bus station but after asking a few locals, we figured out we had to go to a different bus station to get to Doolin. We saw a bus in the distance (the last bus in a long line of coaches) that was labeled Doolin and we started to run.. literally. We didn't want to miss it knowing there wouldn't be another bus for a long time. Once we made it, the bus driver was clever (rude) and charged us much more than he should have. We chose to let it go because we really wanted to make this bus. A few bumpy hours later mixed with a couple of close call collisions we were in the tiny town.

Once we made it, we immediately checked in with our hostel and got settled into our room. We had a lot of space and decent WiFi so we were happy. Its the little things. We called the family to let them know we arrived and then headed out to see what this little town had to offer. When I say little, I mean VERY little. There are 4 bars/restaurants, 0 stop lights, and a lot of open land. This place is definitely one of my favorite places of our entire trip. It was cold and a little rainy as we walked to one of the nearest restaurants for a bite to eat. Again we were thanking ourselves for getting those jackets back in Dublin. Unfortunately, once we walked into the restaurant, they had just finished serving lunch and it was going to be a while before dinner. Originally we were going to wait it out but we were too hungry. We headed back to our hostel and got ham and cheese croissants to hold us over. Once we were back in our room, we began to make a plan for the next few days.

Eventually we were hungry enough for dinner and ventured back out into the elements. Our hostel recommended a restaurant called McDurmotts because they had the best live music on that particular night. We set out on the mile long walk and took in the peaceful serenity of our surroundings. This place has more shades of green than I knew existed. It is very beautiful. We made it to the bar and found a seat right away. Apparently we were early because the place filled up shortly after we arrived. We both ordered a beer and looked over the menu. I decided to get the lamb shank special and Taylor got soup and soda bread. My meal probably could have comfortably fed three people it was so huge. Of course it was okay because it was so delicious.

We eventually gave up our table and moved to the bar so another party could sit and enjoy a meal. The music hadn't started yet so we got another beer and waited. My sister and I aren't very good with our timing we figured out. We were getting sleepy and eventually paid for our meal and drinks all before anyone started playing music (music was to start at 9:30 pm). We told ourselves we would do better the next day and called it a night. Walking home in the dark in a town with little to no streetlights while cars drive on the opposite side of the road was an intense experience. The cars were fast and blinding. It wasn't until later that we realized they are used to people walking on the streets and it became a little less intimidating.

We made it in our rooms and got our clothes ready to drop off the next morning. We saw a place on the way to the restaurants that advertised washing laundry for very cheap! This was a plus since the last time we washed clothes was in Paris.. Eventually we hung up our wet clothes to dry and hit the sheets. Traveling is tiring.

When we got up the following morning, we got ready to drop our laundry off on the way to see the caves of Doolin. We chose this day to see the caves because we knew it was going to be cloudy and rainy. According to the map, the caves were 4km away. We were a little ambitious and decided this would be a good morning walk. After about 30 minutes of walking up and down the hills, around the winding roads, and dodging traffic, we found this to be a little more than we bargained for. We toughed it out and made it, dreading the walk back the entire time.

Taylor carrying our laundry to the buildings you see on the right.

Taylor walks much faster than me.  I am always trying to keep up! — Taylor walks much faster than me. I am always trying to keep up!

Once inside, we immediately bought tickets and waited for the tour guide. We walked around the little gift shop and familiarized ourselves with a little history of the caves. They were discovered in the 1950's by two young college students who spent a lot of time digging their way to the center. Our tour guide showed up and we started our tour. We wore hard hats and got to see the largest stalactite in the Northern Hemisphere. It is over 30 feet long. CRAZY!

Our tour guide overheard Taylor and I telling some people in our group that we had walked to the caves from Doolin. After the tour, he offered to drive us back to Doolin which was on his way home. I know my mom is screaming at me while reading this.. The people in this town were so nice and this is just one example of many more that we encountered. He dropped us off at the restaurant we wanted to eat at and wouldn't take a cent that we offered (for the tour or the ride). The people in this town were like no others. We walked inside McGann's Pub and were the only people here. Both of us got the soup and shared some nachos. It was SO good. We made plans to come back to this restaurant that night for dinner.

I walked to the drivers side forgetting they drove on the opposite side of the road.  He laughed at me and asked me to go to the other side. — I walked to the drivers side forgetting they drove on the opposite side of the road. He laughed at me and asked me to go to the other side.

When we arrived back at our hostel we took the opportunity to rest. The morning walk we really took it out of us. Eventually we made it back out to McGann's and had a great dinner. According to the locals, this was the place for music tonight. The pub filled up quickly and the music started playing. We ended up sharing a table with a couple and left shortly after we were finished. It was crowded and there were many people looking for a place to sit. The food was great as well. We ended up walking back to the bar we ate at the night before to see what was going on there. We got a seat at the bar and ordered a drink. They had music as well but it wasn't nearly as crowded as McGanns.

Taylor and I aren't considered night owls, that's for sure. We always seem to make it to bed by 10 o'clock. Of course we were fine with this considering tomorrow was a big day for us. It is the thing I was most excited to do in Ireland! We needed a good nights sleep before we were going to head to the Cliffs of Moher!

The next morning I was so excited I couldn't stand it. We walked all the way to the end of the pier to catch a bus that would take us to the cliffs. The weather was very windy but very beautiful considering the gloomy weather we had the day before. We took our time and couldn't help but take pictures of our surroundings. My words and our photos do not do this place justice.

We caught the bus right in time and made our way to the cliffs. This was a short ride. We were told we had a few hours before the driver would be back to pick us up. Once we got to the cliffs, you couldn't really see how magnificent they were right off the bat. We walked up to see the light house first. As we got closer, we definitely realized we were in a beautiful place.

After spending some time at the lighthouse, we decided to grab a bite to eat before making the journey to the cliffs. There was a cute little restaurant where I got a salad and Taylor got a soup. She really is obsessed. It was unique being inside the restaurant because it was built into the side of the hill. It was very efficient and overall a really neat place to look out at the scenery.

It is impossible to describe the feeling while being on the edge of these cliffs. The wind was so strong it felt like it could lift you right off the top. The view literally takes the breath right from your lungs. Taylor and I walked as far as we could along the edge of thes cliffs until we had no choice but to turn back to make our bus. Eventually we were the only people left to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. It was so hard for us to walk back. This quickly became my favorite part of the trip. I am truly blessed.

The lighthouse we were standing at in the previous pictures.

It was so windy.  This is a little pathway that we could walk along for part of the way. — It was so windy. This is a little pathway that we could walk along for part of the way.

Again, no photo will do this justice. Hands down the most incredible moment I have ever experienced up to this point. When we were finished visiting the cliffs, we rode the bus back to Doolin. Taylor and I picked up our laundry and made our way back to the hostel. We decided to go to the only restaurant left that we hadn't eaten at. We had a nice little dinner and walked the mile back to McGann's for a night cap. We enjoyed a beer and listened to some more Irish music.

We walked back slowly knowing it was our last night in this little town. We had plans to leave relatively early in the morning to head out to Limerick. Doolin was a success.

Peace & Love,
Savannah

Dublin

December 06, 2016 by Savannah Herring

Dublin, Ireland
September 30th - October 3rd

Once Taylor and I landed in Dublin, we went in search of public transportation. We found the bus we were looking for and hopped on. In case you are wondering, many of the hostels we book give us decent directions from wherever we arrive. It is very helpful and saves us time once we get there. That being said, this is one of the times we had to rely on google to get us there. Unless you are a local, its hard and sometimes impossible to figure out which stop you need to get off at. There aren't signs, overhead notifications, or a screen to tell you this is where you get off. It took about 45 minutes to get to our stop. We were greeted at our hostel by a lovely staff and brought our things up to the room. It was cute and simple.

We were hungry but had no idea where to go. Also, it was raining so we wanted to stay close. We asked the front desk of the hostel where we should go for dinner. He recommended a spot that was close by and we were on our way. We were about 5 minutes into our walk when the rain picked up. This is when we realized our rain jackets weren't exactly rain proof. We were soaked and cold when we made it to the restaurant. When we got here, we walked in and saw it was completely packed. Not a single space for us to sit. We were tired, wet, and hungry by now and had no intentions of battling anyone for a table. We set back out into the weather. Occasionally we had to stop under a few awnings to make sure our phones were dry enough to keep working. Finally we made it to another restaurant and the staff was kind enough to direct us to a table upstairs. Most restaurants we found out were pubs first and restaurants second. The restaurant was called the Bankers and turned out to be pretty good.

Taylor ordered vegetable soup with mashed potatoes and I got Fish N Chips.

Once we finished with dinner we put on our soggy jackets and headed to the Temple Bar area. We found a bar, The Horseman, playing live music and headed inside. We knew every song. Taylor and I bought a couple beers and felt like we fit right in. We met some nice people and had a fun time. Its interesting how hard it is to understand English with an Irish accent.

After a few beers we headed back to the hostel. It had stopped raining by then and we couldn't have been more thankful.

The next morning Tay and I had two goals: 1.) find warmer jackets 2.) find a post office to figure out how to send some things home. The longer we traveled, the more we realized there were many things we wish we didn't have to carry with us. We decided to look for jackets first. There is a store named Pennys we spent too much time in. Its huge and full of deals. We ended up getting jackets here for a very cheap. I think Taylor's was 15 Euros. Nuts! Once we finished shopping we went in search of a restaurant Taylor had done research on. It was called The Lotts Cafe Bar. We got a cute little table upstairs next to a Grand Piano. There was a Gaelic Football match on later this afternoon so most of the tables were reserved. We each got a local craft brew and settled in. Taylor got beef stew and I got Bangers N Mash. Its safe to say this was the best meal I had while staying in Dublin. SO GOOD.

After our delicious lunch, we ventured to the post office. The guy behind the counter was very helpful. He told us to go grab all of the things we wished to send and bring it back to the post office. He was going to help us from there. So, that's what we did. We walked home, assessed our belongings, packed up what we wanted to send, and headed back to the post office. The man we spoke to before held true to his word. He helped us figure out which packaging to use along with what the cheapest way to get it back home would be. Taylor ended up sending two bags home and I sent three. (These ended up making it home within a week!)

We went back to the hostel feeling like a giant weight had been lifted off our shoulders. Believe it or not, dropping a few pieces of clothing gave us more room in our bags along with making our packs feel much lighter. Mom and dad were at Grammy's house this weekend so we got to chat with her of Facetime. Moments like these were so special.

Tay and I hung around our hostel until it was time for dinner. We headed to another restaurant Tay had researched. It is called Merchants Arch and was right on the edge of the Temple Bar area but still on the river. Again, we ate upstairs while listening to Irish music downstairs. I had a Caesar salad (Irish food is heavy and I needed a break for the night). Taylor got soup and soda bread. All I heard her say before we got to Ireland was "I can't wait for soup and soda bread." She wasn't kidding. She got this at every meal, you will see. We went back to the hostel as we had two tours planned for the next day.

The next morning we planned on going on the "hop on hop off" tour. We didn't plan on hopping off though. We just wanted to hear about the highlights of the city that we knew we wouldn't be able to make it to. We sat on the top level and got a lot of wind in our faces. It was a good tour for what we paid.

Once we got off the tour, we searched for yet another great place Taylor looked up. It was called Queen Of Tarts. We waited a short while before getting seated. The food was absolutely worth it. I got an Irish coffee, soup, and a sandwich. Taylor got hot chocolate and soup. Because this was a dessert place, I had to try something and ended up getting a chocolate Guinness cake.

Occasionally, Taylor and I felt the need to get some extra walking in and this was one of those times. At first we were looking for a place we were supposed to get a free Guinness offered to us by our tour.. never found the place. We gave up on that plan and decided to walk to the Guinness Storehouse. The tour was interactive and kept our attention the entire time. We took some photos in a photo booth which put our faces into old Guinness adds. It was a fun time. If anyone knows me, they know I love Guinness. I was in heaven.

We walked home in the dark. The city is pretty, especially at night. We knew we would need to get some food before the night was over so we went in search of noodles in a box. We were successful! Tay ended up getting a burrito at the place next door. We brought it back to the hostel and ate it up before heading to bed. We had a bus to catch the next morning!

Peace & Love,
Savannah

Amsterdam

November 08, 2016 by Savannah Herring

Amsterdam, Netherlands
September 27th-30th

We arrived in Amsterdam at a decent hour. We walked a short distance to our hostel. This hostel was on a boat! We quickly realized how small a houseboat hostel room would be. We had just enough room for the both of is to stand, or one of us to twirl in a circle. Of course, this didn't bother us as we were really excited to get out and enjoy the city.

The weather was ncie. Warm during the day, and cool enough to at night to bring a light sweater. By the time we had finished getting settled into our room, the sun was setting. The sky was absolutely breathtaking. We set out to find some food to eat. We didnt know where to go and didnt have much WiFi so we did what we normally do and followed the people. We each had a glass of wine and shared an appetizer plate. We got ribs, chorizo, onion rings, chicken wings, and cucumbers, It wasn't what we normally would order but it was so good. We also shared tomato soup. When you are eating out all the time you have to change it up a bit. After another glass of wine we decided to walk around town. The city seemed pretty alive and we could tell it was just getting started. Unfortunately, we wereexhausted and headed back to our houseboat for a good nights sleep.

The next morning we decided it was going to be a busy day. We got up early and rushed to join a bike tour. We made it just in time to grab a quick croissant and hop on a bike. We joined the city in their extremely efficient biking system. It was a bit intimidating considering I haven't been on a bike in a few years. After a few minutes of getting used to riding, It was a blast! We rode by the Anne Frank House, the I Amsterdam sign, through the Red Light District, and all of the place in-between.

Once we were finished with the bike tour, Taylor and I chose to head towards the Heineken Experience. Usually, I am not a fan of Heineken beer but we were told this is something we shouldn't miss. I am not going to lie, it was awesome. We learned all about the history of the beer all the while feeling like we were inside a video game. At the end of the tour, we enjoyed two glasses of Heineken before picking up our personalized Heineken Beer Bottles. We each got two designs and had our names put on them.

By this time, we were hungry. We walked the 45 minutes back to our houseboat to drop off the things we had bought. We saw a pizza restaurant earlier in the day and agreed that would be our meal. In true Herring style, we each ordered our own pizza and a glass of wine. There was a table sitting near us who stared at us the entire time we ate. This is not an exaggeration. Regardless, we stared back while eating every last bit of our pizza. It was so good!

We had a little time to kill before heading to our next destination so we walked through the city for a while and found a little bar with happy hour specials. We got little beers and little glasses of vine. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the Ice Bar. We already had tickets at got in line. We didn't have to wait long. With the tickets we got a few free drinks. One before you entered and two in the cups made of ice! I haven't been in an Ice Bar before so it was a fun experience. It was cold so we weren't in there for very long.

On out way home we stopped in a little bar to have a nightcap before walking home. Tay and I had a blast just the two of us. We sang songs and danced then called it a night. Once we got home we hit the sack and got ready for the next day!

The next morning was a rainy one. There was a Starbucks around the corner from our boat so we stopped in to dry off, have a coffee, and plan our day. Because I know you are judging me, YES I got a pumpkin spice latte and I am okay with it. I am going to miss PSL season at home. Anyways, we planned our day as follows: shop a bit, walk back to Heineken to get the hat Tay should have bought the day before, eat pancakes recommended by our hostel, and then visit the Ann Frank House.

After a little shopping and walking to the Heineken house, we decided to add in a visit to the I Amsterdam sign. It was closer than we expected so we had to walk over. It was raining so there weren't many people around. While our pictures didn't turn out as great as we would have liked, it was nice to be there without a giant crowd.

Next we went to the pancake place recommended by hour hostel manager. We were glad to stop by here because we were both hungry and soaked from walking in the rain. This place had pancake filling options with anything you could think of. They were so good and filled us up.

After eating pancakes, it was time to head to the Anne Frank House. We figured the line would be short considering the weather was so bad. While we were right, we did have to wait about an hour in line outside in the rain. We chatted with the people in line, and before we knew it we were in! This was a surreal experience. It was so heavy but very interesting getting to stand in the rooms the Frank family hid for so long. Both Taylor and I were very grateful to have been able to experience this.

On our walk home, we stopped by to get some Chinese food from Amsterdam's China Town. Once we made it back to the hostel we decided to hang out by the river. While we didn't get WiFi in hour hostel, Amsterdam has free WiFi and it works if you sit in the right place. So we posted up for a little bit an watch a little show. The weather was a little chilly which made for a perfect night by the river.

The next morning we set out to find a place to print our plane tickets. This is always something we were lucky with in the past. Our hostels usually are able to print for us. Because our hostel couldn't print this time, we had to find a way to do so. Luckily we were close to a "library". It was at least 9 stories of knowledge (books, computers, instruments, exhibits, etc..). We walked in thinking it would be simple. It ended up taking us a while to figure our their system. Buy a passcode with a credit card only. Use code to get signed on to the computer. Once signed on, find the printer and figure out how to make it work. We got it eventually. Also, this is the first place we came in contact with escalators that speed up once you step on them. Otherwise they move very slow in order to save energy. Very cool.

We left the library and were off to Dublin!

Peace & Love,
avannah

Munich / Stuttgart

November 04, 2016 by Savannah Herring

Munich, Germany
September 21st-26th

Taylor and I left Sam's place and headed towards the bus station. We got there in time and settled into our seats. It was supposed to be an 8 hour ride to Munich. The ride was fine. We had WiFi and our bus driver stopped so we could eat some lunch. He wasn't as helpful as other drivers but we managed.

Unfortunately, we were arriving to the city during the beginning of a huge match and our driver did not want to take us all the way to the correct stop. Not to mention we were over an hour late at this point and about an hour from where we were supposed to be. Taylor and I were left at a train station and had to wing it from here on out. After some investigation, we figured out which way we were to be going. We were tired, hungry, and a bit agitated by the time we arrived at our AirBNB. Luckily, our host was welcoming and very kind. Her name is Kornelia. She welcomed us much later than anticipated and instantly made us feel at home. She showed us our room and recommended a place nearby to eat. It was really good.

The next morning we were on a mission to eat a good German meal and to find Oktoberfest outfits. We found a pretty popular restaurant and had lunch. I got white sausage and Taylor got Currywurst. Apparently, I ate my sausage all wrong. After looking around I realized everyone peeled it out of its clear casing.. I did not do this. It explains the weird looks I was receiving. I learned quickly.

Then we went shop to shop to find outfits. We were unaware of the magnitude that everyone gets dressed up. Our host let us know we would probably be the only ones not wearing an outfit. She was right! We found a little shop, tried the outfits on, and ended up walking out with them on. Everyone on the streets were already wearing them.

We walked back to our AirBNB and got ready to explore the festival. We really didn't know what to expect. We followed the crowds of people in their dresses and lederhosens. We must have missed a parade because we saw many horses dressed up as we were walking over.

Once we got inside we were so surprised! There were rides and food everywhere. It was like an amusement park! There were many beer tents as well. Tay and I walked around looking at all of the options we had. We ended up walking into a tent and had a seat. We each ordered a beer which came in one size only, 1 liter. There was a band playing songs and people were singing along with them. It was such a fun thing to see.

After a while and a couple more beers, people were starting to get up on their seats to sing and dance! It was cool.

We decided to go check out another tent. Little did we know in the time we left one tent and got to another the party would have picked up! Everyone was up on their seats singing and cheering. There are many songs telling you to "prost".

We squeezed our way into a table and joined the party. The people we joined were nice and showed us what to do when. We were surprised how many songs we knew!

After and eventful and tiring day we headed back to the apartment and called it a night. The next morning we were definitely feeling all the fun we had the night before. We ended up taking it easy. We made an adventure out of our simple day. We walked to the center for some exercise and fresh air. We walked to Aldi in search of soup and breakfast items. While there we ended up getting much more than planned. Because Tay and I grew up eating Vienetta ice cream with Grammy, we were STOKED to find it in Germany!! We never see it anymore at home and trust me, we have searched. Naturally we bought the XL PARTY SIZE along with the rest of our things. While out on our walk we passed by a burrito restaurant and knew we had to add it to our easy day. We bought burritos to eat for lunch and made our way back home. Luckily, the day was a bit gloomy so we watched a movie. Later that evening, Kornelia made it home from work and we all met each other in the kitchen. We ended up chatting for a while and eventually made soup. It was nice having such a friendly host. We all ate the soup and enjoyed our time together.

The next morning we were ready for another day of Oktoberfest activities. We woke up feeling refreshed. We got up, ate breakfast, showered and got dressed in our outfits again. We walked to the festival with everyone else on the streets. The weather was much nicer. Because we only made it in a few tents a couple nights before, we decided to walk into the rest to see all the decorations. We also had our hearts set on enjoying at least one rollercoaster. There was one that reminded us of the "Mouse Trap" ride we used to ride in Myrtle Beach while visiting Grammy and Grampa. Of course, we got in line with all of the kiddos and their parents to have our chance at nostalgia. It was much more frightening than we remembered. I can't wait to see what Taylor's GoPro video looks like!

After the rollercoaster, we realized many of the tents were filling up and decided to park it for a while. We were lucky to get sat at a table outside. Eventually we had the table to ourselves after the people we were sharing with left. This did not last long. A group of 6 people joined us shortly after. Little did we know we would be hanging with some of them the rest of the night! Selina quickly became a friend. She explained many songs and traditions to us. This was helpful because they play a few select songs over and over again. It is definitely more fun knowing the lyrics and singing along with everyone.

A few beers and a lot of laughs later, we decided to head to another tent. We were told this one was called the international tent. This was a totally different experience. The inside was at capacity so naturally there was a line outside to get in. Apparently, if you are German, it is much easier to get inside. This is what we heard anyway. Needless to say, Selina walked up to the front of the line, worked some magic and told them we were all German. We walked right in. The line we passed wasn't to happy, but what can you do? We walked inside and saw that it was a mad house! We worked our way to the center, got a beer, and joined the crowd in singing until the night was over! Selina left a little early to meet up with her sister. Tay and I followed the crowd to an area with a few bars. We hung out for a bit but eventually made our way back to the apartment. We were very tired and needed a good nights sleep.

The next morning, Taylor and I ate some leftover soup and set out to do a little bit of shopping. We knew we would be sending a package home soon which means we would have a little more space in our packs for souvenirs. We always have fun when we have no real plan for the day. We are open to any and all ideas. This day of random shopping and wandering ended up being quite nice. We got everything we set out for. It is safe to say it was a successful day. We topped it off by sharing some pizza and headed home. We had to pack up and get ready for our journey to Stuttgart the next day.

Stuttgart, Germany
September 26th-27th

When we woke up on our last morning, our normal routine took place. We showered, packed, scarfed some food and were ready for our next adventure. On our way out, we noticed a note written by Kornelia. She had laid out a map with directions on how to get to the train station. She knew she would be at yoga when we had to leave in the morning.

Tay and I had planned to grab another burrito on our walk to the train station. Yes, these burritos were very good. We made it to the train station in about 30 minutes. This was a little confusing for us because there were 2 trains right next to each other on the same track to the same place. Luckily, we figured it out with a little bit of help and were on our way to Stuttgart. In about three hours, we were there! After navigating to the hostel and getting everything situated we set out for dinner. We ended up eating "American" food at a restaurant next door and it was good! I also got a German IPA. Our waiter was constantly joking with us and it make the experience that much better. Taylor also ended up giving him a USD because he didn't have one. He was very happy and it made us happy.

We ended the night with a beer in our hostel and then went to bed.

Peace & Love,
Savannah

Berlin

October 24, 2016 by Savannah Herring

Berlin, Germany
September 18th-21st

Taylor and I arrived in Berlin pretty late at around 10:00 pm. Sam and her husband Marco were so sweet to pick us up from the airport! For those of you who don’t know, Samantha has been a life long friend of ours. We have known her since we were little and spent many summers hanging out in Ohio. Since it was so late we took some time to catch up and then headed to bed.

The next morning, Sam had to work but was going to be odd relatively early. She gave us directions to the city center (hand drawn I might add) and wished us luck! Taylor and I figured out their public transportation and made it to see her a little later than planned. We made it, at least. Once meeting up with Sam, she played tour guide and did a great job at it. We saw Charlie Checkpoint, remains of the Berlin wall, Berlin Cathedral Church, and the Spire! She also took us to eat some of her favorite local food!

There are bricks on the ground showing you where the Berlin wall once stood.

A portion of the wall that was left standing.

Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe.

It was built on a slope so some of the structures were over 10ft tall.

From the outside, they all appear to be relatively the same size.

The hotel Michael Jackson dangled his baby from.

Sam accidentally swatted this guy into my beer! She promptly removed it moments later. :)

After seeing much of Berlin, Sam took us to an electronic store in hopes for us to find me a computer. We originally brought an iPad to update the blog. Once we made it to Europe, we quickly found out the iPad wasn't going to work. Then, our parents brought Taylor's MacBook. We immediately found out it was going to be too heavy to lug around. Thus, I bought a computer in Germany. It has a German keyboard and an operating system in German but it is working! Marco helped get most of it switched to English and I couldn't be more grateful!

We hopped onto a bus and headed back to her apartment! Once we arrived, Sam informed us she would be making us a nice home cooked meal. Taylor and I couldn't have been more excited. For the record, IT WAS DELICIOUS! Shortly after we finished dinner, us girls curled up on the couch to watch the movie Colonia. It was a very intense movie but it was so good.

The next morning, Taylor and I had a scheduled tour of the Reichstag Building around 11am. We figured out our way there and were on the move. The tour was informative and self guided. The dome was beautifully constructed and very cool to see. We had a great time.

We had our minds set on enjoying a boat tour through Berlin. Tay and I set off on our comparison journey. We walked up and down the canal looking for the tours that were longer than an hour, decently priced, served drinks, and finished in time for us to meet up at Sam's restaurant when she got off. After about an hour, we found the tour. We had about an hour to kill before we needed to be on the boat so naturally, we found a place to eat. Tay and I learned our lesson early in our travels to go where the people are. We did just that here. The Vietnamese restaurant we chose was nothing short of amazing. We definitely enjoyed ourselves.

This picture does not do justice on just how close our heads are to this bridge.

Another portion of the Berlin wall covered in graffiti.

The tour finished and we headed to meet Sam at her restaurant. Our timing was almost perfect. We left her restaurant and went on a walk through the city. We saw the beautiful sunset while walking to a place to eat dinner. Again, the food was really good! We walked to a bar that was in an old pharmacy for a night cap and had a nice time catching up.

Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to head back home and prepare for our early travels the next morning. It is very cool for all of us to have gotten the opportunity to hang out in Germany after all this time. It seemed like no time had passed. Not to mention, Sam and Marco were great hosts! We had a good nights rest and were ready to begin our journey to Munich!

Peace & Love,
Savannah