We landed in Milan around midday (of course, flying Ryanair, in Milan Bergamo Airport, the airport 45 km away from the city) and took the bus into city center. Milan is a beautiful, very pleasant city. However, compared to the other places we saw, it felt like we ran out of sights to see in just half of a day. Nevertheless, the Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Sforzesco Castle were gorgeous, and I’m glad I got the chance to see them. The Duomo was grand and stunning and the Galleria a shopping lover’s dream. The Sforzesco Castle, on the other hand, is definitely skippable, especially if you get to appreciate the architecture in Tuscany or Florence. We joked that it definitely was a “humble” castle, as it really was old and simple. We had hoped to go into the cathedral in the Duomo, but timing unfortunately did not work out, as it is only open until 7 pm with tickets sales often closing earlier.

We enjoyed dinner at Miscusi, an affordable and customizable pasta spot with adorable marketing and branding, walked around the city a bit more, and returned to our hotel to crash before an early morning day trip to Lake Como the next day.

Day 2 (Lake Como)

The next morning we arose bright and early to take a 10 euro round trip train ride to Lake Como. Italy’s train system is truly impressive and affordable. The train only took one hour each way, and the Italian landscapes that we saw through the window - filled with fields and soft hills - were so serene.

We got off at Como city and were surprised that while the weather was gorgeous, the breeze made it feel a bit chilly despite it being April. (Nerhertip: Bring a shawl or light jacket in April, as variations in wind can change how the temperature feels). Our first stop, of course, was to get breakfast. We wound up eating delicious fruit tarts with cafe lattes from Il Pane di Tina Beretta. The crust was buttery, the fruit fresh, and the custard perfectly smooth. We then boarded the ferry to Argegno with the intent of taking a boat cruise that we unfortunately had to cancel since I was feeling a bit under the weather. However, this was only a little bit disappointing, as the views from the ferry ride were gorgeous, and we still got the boat feel without swimming in what I’m sure was cold water given the temperature last April.

I’m sure there are plenty of amazing things to do in Argegno if you do a bit more research ahead of time, but the water fronts are definitely not as impressive as Como or Bellagio. Still, we walked around a bit and ended up eating pizza at Hotel Argegno. It looked just okay, but tasted incredible (quickly making me realize that when in Italy, most, if not all, pizza is good despite appearance). Post lunch, we were ready to depart to Bellagio, and we got extremely lucky that a ferry was leaving in 15 minutes. Some cities around Lake Como are less frequented than others, including Argegno, so you have to be aware of boat departure times. Else, you can wait up to an hour for a boat.

In Bellagio, we headed one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to for drinks and cheesecake: the seaside terrace at Hotel Florence Bellagio. The outdoor seating overlooks the lake and is adorned with canopies of purple flowers that make you feel as if you are in a fairy tale. The views are not only so peaceful, but the drinks and cheesecake were delicious and made our time there all the more enjoyable.

After walking around a bit more, we headed back to Como to grab a quick bite before catching our train back to Milan.

Day 3 - 3.5 (Venice)

The next day we woke up bright and early to take the train to Venice. While I absolutely adore how widespread and efficient Italian train system is, this was the first time I actually had a pretty miserable experience. I’m not sure if high school students had a field trip of some sort or if the train was simply overbooked, but there were so many people on this 2-3 hour journey, that most of us were standing cramped next to each other for the whole train ride. It was pretty exhausting and uncomfortable, but luckily we didn’t experience anything like that for the rest of the trip.

We arrived in Venice Mestre, which is the part of Venice that extends onto the mainland. Our hostel was here, and to get to the island, we had to take a short train in. Because we were starving, we dropped off our suitcases at the hostel, and ended up eating a quick meal in Mestre itself - some gnocchi and caprese - before taking the train into the city. (Unrelated, but while in Mestre we passed a barbershop with a picture of Shah Rukh Khan in the window, which was both funny and amazing - he’s truly a global icon).

This was the second time I had been to Venice in my life, and some things were more impressive than I remembered while others were not. Venice has a distinct smell in the warmer months - the creation of polluted water and small living quarters - that is not so pleasant. It is also full of extremely tiny and dark alleyways that can be somewhat unnerving to walk through. However, the city is still so unique in its structure, history, and architecture, that you can’t help but be amazed. You truly do feel like you can imagine scenes from the Merchant of Venice as you walk through those aforementioned twists and turns throughout the city, passing rich masquerade shops and Venetian glass boutiques.

Despite the cons, I would still encourage you to visit this beautiful city if you get the chance, before it sinks by 2100. I count myself lucky to have seen the impressive St. Mark’s Basilica and Square, Doge’s Palace, and Rialto Bridge not once but twice now.

Of course, while we did all of this sight seeing, we indulged in some delicious gelato. (Nerhertip: Never go for the gelato that is overflowing and looks instagram perfect. It is usually not good quality. Go for gelato shops that have half empty tubs and simple flavors - you will walk away with a 10x better experience). We also got some souvenirs for friends and family - much of which was jewelry made from Murano glass, before grabbing dinner, and training back to Mestre. Back at our hostel, we booked a gondola ride online for the next morning (we had half a day before we needed to go to the airport), and called it a night.

Bright and early the next morning, we returned to the city, grabbing some pastries and cafe lattes at Rosa Salva, and then made our way to St. Mark’s Basilica for our gondola ride. This was one of my highlights of Venice. Learning about the traditional and familial history of gondoliers and the meaningful ways in which gondolas are passed down from father to son (and now father to daughter in some cases), made me understand that there was a lot more depth to these boats we associate with Venice. Seeing the city from the water was also such a unique experience, particularly when we rowed through the Grand Canal. You could see so many gondolas glistening in the water, hear the community of gondoliers talking to each other from their respective boats, and appreciate gorgeous architecture on both sides of the canal.

The gondola ride was the perfect way to end our time in Italy. As we made our way to the airport after this long Spring Break trip, I felt so grateful to have seen so many beautiful places in such a short span of time. While this post is a year late (oops), Italy’s beautiful culture, nature, and cities still remain vibrant in my mind and my heart.

Nerhertips:

• Bring shawls or layers: Italy has a very pleasant climate, but, as a result, slight changes in temperature throughout the day can feel more drastic. Be prepared with a shawl or light jacket.

• Pick your gelato carefully: never go for the instagram-able, overflowing gelato places for really good authentic gelato. Sometimes more simple is better.

• Utilize the train system: when in Italy, research train routes and utilize the vast train system the country has. It will likely be the cheapest, most effective way of transportation.

• Research ferry routes at Lake Como: while we figured it out, I would recommend researching the ferry routes a Lake Como, creating a general plan, and noting down how long the rides take. A lot of your time at Lake Como will be spent traveling from one location to the other. If you have reservations or tours booked, I would highly recommend this.

• Note the time things close: this might feel obvious, but, for example, we would have prioritized reaching the Duomo di Milano a bit earlier if we knew when final ticket sales were. This is particularly important when you have such a short amount of time in cities.

• Book a gondola ride online (Venice): you are often being ripped off if you buy last minute Gondola rides with rates changing every time you ask. I would recommend buying online, even if it’s last minute.

Links:

Milan (Milano)

• Duomo di Milano

• Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

• Sforzesco Castle

• Miscusi (really good pasta, really affordable, and really cute)

Lake Como (Lago di Como)

• Lake Como

• Como

• Argegno

• Hotel Argegno

• Bellagio

• Hotel Florence Bellagio (the most beautiful place I went to in Lake Como 10/10)

Venice (Venezia)

• Venice Mestre (mainland Venice)

• Shah Rukh Khan (Bollywood icon)

• Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare play)

• Venice Sinking

• St. Mark’s Basilica

• Piazza San Marco

• Doge’s Palace

• Rialto Bridge

• Murano Glass

• Rosa Salva

• Gondoliers/Gondolas

• Grand Canal

When researching what to do in Budapest, one thing is clear - you must go to a thermal bath. These baths were popularized centuries ago during Turkish rule. They use mineral water from springs that are prominent in the general geographical region. We chose to go to the Széchenyi Baths which were built more recently in the 20th century. The bath house itself is beautiful, built in a neo-baroque style; you feel as if you are in the pools of a palace. However, the Széchenyi Baths, in particular, are well known by tourists, so it is recommended that you come early in the morning to avoid crowded pools (pun not intended) of visitors. As a result, we started our day bright and early at 6:00 am to take the metro over. (nerhertip: There are schedules for when the pools are open for public, co-ed use, which you should definitely check beforehand. You should also bring a pair of flip-flips and a towel, or you will have to rent them.)

In contrast to the chilly morning air, the warmth of the pools felt wonderful. There were different jets and fountains in the pool and a sauna that added to the spa like feel. There really weren’t many other people there at the time - most seemed to be respectful frequenters. Although a bit painful to wake up that early, it ended up being well worth it.

After the swimming and lounging for a bit, we returned to the hostels, showered, and got ready for the day. We were starving when we left the hostel - why do pools always do that? We had reservations for a late brunch around noon at a Lebanese restaurant called Mozata, but our thermal bath-induced hunger was no joke, and since we had some time to spare, we first stopped at a cafe called Madal Cafe. There are a few locations around the city. The one we went to had a little area for outdoor seating, where we sat, chatted, and observed the city. The shining sun and our hot coffees made sitting outside pleasant, regardless of the cold. With our hunger temporarily at bay, we walked around for a bit, and then made our way to brunch.

Mozata was a gorgeous restaurant, and one of my favorite finds of all of Spring Break. For slightly over $10 USD each we ate so much food, that we weren’t sure how we would be able to eat dinner later that day. Our meal consisted of a complimentary appetizer, with soft breadsticks, olives, and a tangy dip; a “Lebanese platter” with olives, labneh, feta, and apricot jam; eggs and halloumi; enough falafel to feed 3; and a free side of pita (which was not really a side - there were 8 pieces of bread). We were clearly American tourists, who had no idea about how price correlated with portion size here. The restaurant was so pretty on the inside, we couldn’t possibly understand how such filling portions would come our way. I ended the meal with my second coffee of the day, and we headed out to get started on seeing some more sights.

Our next stop was Fisherman’s Bastion, a monument with a gorgeous viewpoint of the city near Budapest Castle’s entrance. Understandably, this area exists quite high up, but unfortunately for us, we didn’t really think about that. We embarked on our journey, full and energetic from our previous meal, but soon were panting as we climbed up a seemingly never-ending, upward slope and several flights of stairs.

Eventually though, after paying a few euros to enter the lookout, when we did reach the top, we were struck with a truly beautiful view of the city. You could Budapest for miles packed with domed and pointed rooftops and sturdy bridges, split by the winding river. Although a journey to get up to, Fisherman’s Bastion was definitely worth it.

We then began our decent and used the metro to return to the Pest side of the city for our free walking tour. Now, if you read my Prague post, you already know how wonderful of a concept I think these are, and this one definitely did not disappoint.. We learned the correct pronunciation of different Hungarian letters (sz is pronounced “s” while s is pronounced “sh” for example), saw St. Stephan’s Basilica from the outside, and listened to a lot of impressive and interesting history about Budapest.

We did have to leave a bit early to catch our sunset boat ride on the Danube River, but the tour was a great way to see more of the city. After we boarded our cruise, we watched the stunning sunset and saw incredible views of the city through the boat’s long glass windows. This indoor cruise allowed for a level of warmth that was quickly being lost outside. The Danube sparkled, and as the sky turned dark, and the large, intricate buildings that lined the river became even more impressive.

After the boat tour, we were starving - it had been quite a long day after all. We made our way over to a Thai place we had researched before called Qui. This was another food highlight over spring break. We did have to wait a bit to get seated (nerhertip: make a reservation ahead of time for this one), but it was worth it. The restaurant was beautiful on the inside, and the food was the best Thai food that I had in Europe. The Green Curry we ordered was aromatic, rich, and flavorful, and the Pad Thai was perfectly chewy, sour, sweet, and nutty.

We ended our evening at Noa Mixology, a bar in front of St. Stephan’s Basilica (that boasts incredible views, but has just okay ones), and headed back to our hostel for a well-deserved night of sleep. Budapest was one of my favorite places I visited over Spring Break, and was an exciting new place to see. Next and last on our Spring Break itinerary: Italy.

Nerhertips:

• Check the Széchenyi Bath schedule before you go: there are schedules for when the pools are open for public, co-ed use, which you should definitely check beforehand. You should also bring a pair of flip-flips and a towel, or you will have to rent them

• Make reservations for popular restaurants: we had to wait quite some time to be seated at Qui, for example, but did not have to wait for Mozata, since we went right when it opened

• Plan out your trip on both sides of the river and think about transportation: the Buda side felt a lot more difficult to navigate, since it has quite a bit of an upward trek and less metro stops, but the Pest side was flatter and better connected

Links:

• Buda and Pest (some history about Budapest)

• Danube River

• Thermal Baths

• Széchenyi Baths

• Madal Cafe (coffee)

• Mozata (lebanese restaurant)

• Fisherman’s Bastion (viewpoint)

• St. Stephan’s Basilica

• Qui (thai restaurant)

• Noa Mixology (bar in front of st. stephan’s basilica)

Day 0.5

My friend and I arrived in Prague on a Friday afternoon. We took the bus into the city and hiked up to our hostal, Luma Terra. This hostel was the most beautiful one we stayed in during spring break - I definitely recommend if looking for cheap, but nice options in the city.

We then freshened up and of course had to start exploring immediately. We made our way to old town to check out the Astronomical Clock attached to Old Town Hall in Old Town Square. On the way, I realized that my thin jacket was not going to cut it. Prague’s weather, even nearing late Spring, can be quite unpredictable. You should definitely prepare for cold wind and rain, even if the weather app says that there is only a low chance of it. Thankfully, near the beautiful Národní Museum, are a variety of stores and restaurants. We stopped in a store and picked up a sweater and some other essentials. When we exited, we noticed a large number of stands, many of which were decorated beautifully for Easter, in the center of the street. Vendors were selling classic Czech foods, drinks, and desserts. We decided to stop by and try some treats out.

Our food haul consisted of the following: honey and apple mulled wine, a chimney cake (traditionally called Trdelník), and regular mulled wine. The honey and apple mulled wine was personally not for me. Although the warmth of it was nice in the freezing weather, the drink was extremely sweet, bordering on syrupy (and this is coming from a sweet tooth). The regular mulled wine was a bit better, but still a tad too sweet for my preference. The chimney cake, however, was delicious. The hollowed out treat, was soft and pillowy with a crunch from the cinnamon-sugar it was rolled in. You can find Trdelník everywhere in Prague. While we enjoyed the traditional version, most stands and stores sell versions filled with Nutella and/or ice cream.

With our bellies full, we made our way over to Old Town Square. Something about how the square is lit up during dusk makes you feel like you are in a storybook. There is a magical quality about the giant stone buildings with intricate and ornate decorations. We hung out here for quite some time, took some pictures, and walked around and explored a bit, before heading to Lidl to pick up some groceries for dinner (college kids on a budget and all). Back at our hostel, we made some delicious mozzarella, tomato, and sun-dried tomato pesto sandwiches, and planned our next day.

Day 1

The next morning we had plans to grab breakfast at the Tree Sisters, a small coffee shop and bakery with a few breakfast items on their menu. It didn’t open until 10am, so with time to fill, we walked to nearby cathedral Bazilika sv. Ludmily, where there were locals setting up more colorful Easter stalls for the day. It was still quite chilly, but the walk helped us to warm up a bit outdoors. A bit later, we made our way back to our breakfast spot, and grabbed a smoothie bowl, porridge bowl, and two lattes to start our day.

Upon leaving the cafe, I began to really realize just how poorly I packed for the cold - the sweater I had bought earlier was not enough. Madrid weather had me fooled into believing the rest of Europe would be warming up as well. In that same square of shops as before, we stopped by a store to get me an even thicker sweater, before we continued on with our day. This sweater genuinely made walking around the city for the rest of the day so much more enjoyable. It’s amazing how much of a difference being warm can make.

We had then planned to walk around a bit, and check out the narrowest streets of Prague. (This was the only real request my friend had for the trip). I didn’t know what to expect, but upon arrival, there was nothing really shocking about it - it really was just a short, narrow street. There was, however, a traffic light, indicating when to walk and when not to. We walked through, and at the very end, the short street opens up into a beautiful little space, where there is even a small restaurant.

This turned out to be a shorter excursion than expected, so we spent the next hour hopping in and out of different stores, and then settled on a grabbing a drink at at the Slivovitz Museum which houses a Czech distillery for the brand R. Jelínek. It was really cool on the inside - the ceiling was made of barrels, but the space itself was very modern and a great place to rest. They had some unique drinks and alcohols and even some more in depth tours for those who were interested.

Once we were rested, our next stop was to meet at the entrance of Charles Bridge for the free walking tour we had booked. Free walking tours in European cities are an incredible concept. They are led by passionate history teachers and enthusiasts. You learn so much about the city, and it is definitely something that I highly recommend doing in cities that you don’t know much about. We walked across the entire Charles Bridge, while learning about the various statues that lined it, and made our way into the older part of Prague, where it is said that beer is cheaper than water. Here, we passed St. Nicholas Church, made a note to visit it before leaving the next day, and walked up to the Old Royal Palace. As we neared the palace, we saw houses that were once owned by nobility and aristocracy. Each had a crest above their house, so that, years ago, the large illiterate population would know which house to go to if need be. For example, rather than going to a house on a certain street, they would go to the “rose house,” if the crest depicted a rose.

Outside of the royal palace, there exists one of the most beautiful Starbucks in the world. I know it sounds a bit strange that such a widespread, mass-consumerist chain could be beautiful in such a historic location, but the Starbucks itself blends in perfectly with its surroundings. It maintains the old brick surroundings, and has one of the best viewpoints of the city.

After taking note of the vast array of orangey-red rooftops and glittering river that splits the city, we watched the changing of the guard in front of Prague Castle. We then toured the castle itself, and got to see a visual representation of how old things truly were. Construction of the castle began in 870 and was completed in 1929. Over the course of its construction, many different head architects took creative control, and changed the castle’s architectural form. You can see the darker, older stone in a completely different style on one side of the castle, and the less aged version on the opposite side.

After making our way back down and across the bridge to Old Town, we were famished, so we went to Thai Station. The restaurant was cozy and cute, but the food here was just alright. We then continued our night by going to one of the coolest speakeasies I have ever been to, AnonymouS Shrink’s Office. We had to wait a while to get in - reservations go fast, so we weren’t able to get one ahead of time -, but because it was just two of us, they managed to seat us after about an hour or so.

The concept of this speakeasy is so cool. You are allowed into the bar through a secret door, and are given colorful inkblots, as your “menu.” You choose whichever inkblot speaks to you most, and a unique drink is brought out to you. They even sprinkled some cinnamon on mine which they lit on fire with a small torch.

To top off the night, we went to the rooftop bar, Teresa U Prince. It is in the heart of Old Town Square, and has a truly beautiful view of the Astronomical Clock. Finally, we returned to our hostel, exhausted, and ready to sleep.

Day 2

The next day is when I began to feel a little sick - not ideal in the middle of a hectic Spring Break trip. We decided to take it easy, and only had a few items on our agenda before heading to Budapest later that evening: brunch, St. Nicholas Church, and the Dancing House. We heard good things about this spot called Venue, but because they didn’t take reservations and it was the weekend, the line to grab brunch was very long. However, the food ended up being really good, so it was worth it in the end. We got coffees, two savory dishes - avocado toast with eggs, and a farmers plate and then banana caramel pancakes to split. Everything was not only beautiful, but so indulgent and satisfying.

We wrapped up our leisurely brunch, and then made our way to St. Nicholas Church. The church is smaller than some others, but ornately decorated in art and gold. It was a sight to see, and a nice place to sit and just look at the ceiling for a bit. Finally, we decided to head to our last stop: the Dancing House. This unique, and appropriately named building is oddly lopsided and wavy. It’s amazing how such interesting modern architecture can coexist with extremely old buildings as well.

A bit of walk later, we were back at our hostel, and out the door to the bus and train station nearby. We took a fifty-ish minute bus back to the airport, grabbed some food at a Costa Coffee inside the terminal, and boarded our plane to Budapest.

Nerhertips:

• Be aware of the weather: the weather app might say Prague is chilly, but depending on the wind and sun it can be really cold, so pack accordingly

• Book a free walking tour: I stand by the fact that it is one of the best ways to see and learn about European cities. Remember to bring $5-10 as tip for your tour guide.

• Make reservations to AnonymouS Shrink’s Office: This is by far one of the coolest places to go to, but it is also widely known as one of the coolest places by tourists, so make sure you get a reservation in advanced.

• Know which places are cash only: Most of Prague takes credit card, but I’ve heard certain areas only take cash. Prague’s currency is not the Euro, but instead the Czech Koruna.

Links:

Day 0.5

• Luma Terra (hostel)

• Astronomical Clock

• Old Town Square

• Národní Museum (the National Museum)

• Trdelník (chimney cakes)

Day 1

• Tree Sisters (cafe)

• Bazilika sv. Ludmily (church)

• The narrowest street (in Prague)

• Slivovitz Museum (distillery)

• Charles Bridge

• Old Royal Palace

• Thai Station

• AnonymouS Shrink’s Office (coolest speakeasy)

• Teresa U Prince

Day 2

• Venue (brunch)

• St. Nicholas Church

• Dancing House

After taking the train into the city from Brussels Airport, I was pretty hungry. My friend had arrived a little earlier, and so we met up to grab a bite as our first task of the day. Of course, when in Belgium, you have to try Belgian waffles, so we stopped at the famous chocolatier and waffle-maker, Maison Dandoy. We ordered one plain Liège waffle, one Brussels waffle with toppings, and some coffees - a plain cappuccino for me, and a speculoos or Biscoff/cookie iced coffee for my friend (he spoke very highly of it). Now, these waffles might be on the pricier side compared to how much you can usually get them for in Belgium, but it was so worth it - they were phenomenal.

Unlike the waffles we get in America, Liège waffles are denser and have a crisp sugar coating on the outside. The one we ordered was crunchy, chewy, and sweet with a similar texture to mochi. I highly recommend ordering this version plain. Like a glazed donut from Krispy Kreme, they are truly special in their most basic form. The Brussels waffle, on the other hand, is the waffle we are more used to in The States - light, crispy, and fluffy. The toppings we chose - jammy strawberries, a sprinkling of hazelnuts, and fresh whipped cream - added incredible flavor and texture. We devoured both, and left Maison Dandoy incredibly satiated.

After dropping off our suitcases at our hostel and freshening up, we headed out to start our day. Our first stop was to see The Grand Place, the central square of Brussels. This historical square was stunning. The buildings surrounding it, including the Town Hall, and King’s House, were detailed and ornate, and the square itself was bustling with locals and tourists alike. This was also a landmark for us that we used when we were figuring out directions - while the T-mobile international plan works pretty well in most places I have traveled to, Apple and Google Maps would not load on our phones in Brussels. We were pretty reliant on wifi and our memory, but I guess that is a good skill to learn.

While exploring the areas around the square, we saw several people caring paper cones full of Belgian fries. Tempted one too many times, we decided to grab some from a corner shop. We ordered our thick cut Belgian fries with Andalouse sauce which is a Belgian condiment, that contains mayo, ketchup, and peppers. The fries were fresh and crispy and the sauce was the perfect compliment - tangy, creamy, and rich.

Full and content, we headed to Brussels Park to sight-see some more. Brussels Park was pretty; it was well-kept and neatly trimmed. Within it, we were surprised to see these huge, funny statues of Le Chat, a cartoon character from the Belgian comic strip, Le Chat, by Philippe Geluck. We perused through the statues in the exhibit, laughed at our favorite ones, and walked around the park a little more, catching sights of various embassies and buildings like the Vauxhall of Brussels. The Royal Palace was undergoing construction at the time, but we were still able to admire it from the outside, before wandering around a bit more.

We then made our way to the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gadula. The cathedral is beautiful from both the outside and inside, with ornate decorations, intricate stained-glass windows, and a stunning organ. After appreciating the cathedral’s beauty, we made our way to Cinquantenaire Park, which was in my opinion even more gorgeous than Brussels Park. First, however, we stopped at an Irish pub for a quick refreshment, to charge our phones, and of course, connect to wifi.

Cinquantenaire Park is a lush, sprawling park that looks as if it belongs in Washington DC. The giant, neoclassical Cinquantenaire Arch hugs the greenery and creates a boundary for the area. We enjoyed our time here, noting how, instead of ice cream trucks, there were Belgian waffle trucks for children (and, of course, adults) to enjoy.

We then decided to take the metro to the Atomium, a giant, futuristic, structure with a cool exhibition and great views of the city. However, the universe had other plans for us, as the metro line to get there stopped working right as we reached the Grand Place station. We got off at this stop, and then walked around the area, window shopped, and scouted out a Belgian chocolate store.

We ended up finding Elisabeth Chocolatier, a shop that collects and sells Belgium’s best chocolate from across the country. We tried some decadent and delicious truffles, and a marshmallow treat covered in dark chocolate. I loved this spot, and wish I could have tried even more of their unique flavors and creations.

Finally, having only eaten treats all day, we made our way to get some dinner at Rosita’s Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in the city. Rosita’s Cantina has such a cool vibe - its walls are covered in gorgeous tiles, the music is upbeat, and the restaurant is bustling with lively groups of both the young and old people. We ordered the nachos, the cauliflower tacos, a strawberry margarita, and a drink called Rosita’s Spritz. While the food was not comparable to the Californian Mexican food we grew up eating, it was pretty good for Europe. The guacamole on the nachos was fresh, the cauliflower was flavorful, and the drinks were sweet and tangy. More importantly, our server was incredibly kind and gave us complimentary shots at the end of our dinner (we were sitting next too a pretty rowdy table, which we didn’t mind, but our server felt bad).

We ended our night in Brussels by going to the Grand Place once again. The buildings surrounding the square, illuminated in the nighttime, were stunning - I felt as if I were in the palace from the Disney movie, Frozen. I highly recommend seeing the Grand Place both during the day and once it is dark; the experiences are uniquely beautiful.

The next morning, we packed our bags, grabbed coffee, quickly saw Manneken Pis, and took the train to the Brussels Airport. We arrived an hour and a half early and were confused when we couldn’t find our flight on the departures list. We rechecked our boarding passes, when suddenly our hearts dropped: RyanAir does not fly out of Brussels Airport. It flies out of Brussels Charleroi Airport, and Brussels Charleroi was an hour drive away. My friend and I ran to a taxi, hopped in the first one we say, and begged our very frustrating taxi driver to get us there in time. Somehow, (and we both don’t know how) we got there just in time and boarded our flight to Prague - a truly chaotic end to a wonderful trip.

All in all, Brussels was a fantastic place to visit, although we were humbled in the end (please check your boarding passes carefully, especially if you are taking RyanAir). We learned how to navigate a city like our parents once did - without data -, ate the best waffles I have ever had in my life, and enjoyed some truly beautiful sights.

Nerhertips

• Buy a map or a sim card if you are prone to getting lost: T-mobile really just did not work in Belgium. If you are not good at navigating in a city, just plan ahead of time or know pitstops where you can connect to wifi.

• Utilize scooters/bikes: If we had data, we would have definitely downloaded apps to use the rental scooters and bikes scattered around the city to get to places that were further away, like Cinquentenaire Park.

• Make reservations for dinner: Although we had a reservation at Rosita’s Cantina, we arrived a little bit early, and still had to wait quite a while. Because Brussels is smaller, a lot of popular restaurants are really well known and wait times can be long.

• Know which airport you are going to!!!: Brussels, contrary to what I originally thought has more than one airport. If you are flying RyanAir, triple check which airport you are flying out of.

• Lastly, try both Liège and Brussels waffles: You are in Belgium! You must try both.

Links

• Maison Dandoy (best waffles: a nerher-highlight)

• Speculoos

• The Grand Place

  • Town Hall

  • King’s House

• Belgian fries (with Andalouse sauce)

• Brussels Park

  • Le Chat Exhibit

  • Vauxhall of Brussels

• The Royal Palace

• Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gadula

• Cinquantenaire Park

• Cinquantenaire Arch

• Atomium

• Elisabeth Chocolatier (Belgian Chocolate)

• Rosita’s Cantina (Vibe-y Mexican Restaurant)

• Manneken Pis

• Brussels Airport (Where we thought we were flying out of)

• Brussels Charleroi Airport (Where we were actually flying out of)

Day 1

I traveled to Amsterdam with three of my close childhood friends. As a result, even the lows of the trip were still fun memories to make - which was good because this trip started off a bit stressfully. We were all supposed to arrive to our hotel by mid-afternoon, but while three of us did exactly that, one of my friends got stuck in London due to pilot strikes at the airport. His flight got canceled, but luckily, he was able to rebook and join us later that night.

Upon arrival to our hotel, the three of us who were in Amsterdam were a bit hungry, so we ventured out into the city for our first meal at Foodhallen, a popular food hall with cuisines from all over the world. I shouldn’t have been surprised, given Amsterdam’s network of canals, that this city does not have any underground transportation. This is not that big of a deal, but its above ground tram and bus system does, resultantly, take a bit longer and provides no refuge from the cold - which we quickly learned is intense in the Netherlands. As soon as we stepped out of our hotel, it began to snow quite heavily, so we were incredibly grateful that Foodhallen was indoors and well heated. Once we arrived, we walked around and were tempted by dim sum, bahn mi, and burrito stalls, but eventually settled on a Mediterranean sharing plate from Maza, unique nachos from Fento, and drinks from the bar. We chatted, caught up, and enjoyed some incredible falafel and heavily feta-topped nachos, before venturing out into the city to explore a bit more.

Unfortunately, the early closing time of many shops, and the heavy snow made it pretty hard to do so. We ended up getting some really expensive and sweet hot chocolate from a tourist-trap store, Crepes & Waffles, and then escaped the cold by going into a New Balance - one of the only open stores at the time.

While we were browsing in New Balance, our fourth friend finally reached our hotel, so we left and stopped by a grocery store to pick up some snacks - mini stroopwafels, chips, and a bag of Tony’s Chocoloney tiny chocolates, before embarking on the 45 minute trek back to our place.

Once finally back at our hotel, we enjoyed a proper reunion, sat, talked, and tried some chocolate before exploring the area near us a bit. We headed to a restaurant-bar called Limon where we were able to more properly catch up. This was definitely one of the highlights of the day. Morale was higher and the aesthetic of this place was livelier and cooler than the other places we were finding near us. We hung out more at our hotel when we got back, and then headed off to sleep, so that we could properly enjoy our next day.

Day 2

We began our day with breakfast at one of the cutest places we went to on our entire trip: Rainbowls. Maybe it was the California in all of us (all of us are from northern CA), but the menu, adorably written on the wall, the fun selection of teas and coffees, and the incredibly aesthetic smoothie bowls made us all excitedly happy. The smoothie bowls themselves were delicious and filling as well. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone stopping by.

After eating, we made our way to the Rijksmuseum, the most popular museum in Amsterdam. Nerhertip: book museum reservations in advance. I really wanted to go the Van Gogh Museum but it was booked for the entire weekend, and they did not sell tickets at the door. Luckily, although we did not buy tickets before, we were still able to go the the Rijks and see some historical art, before heading through a main shopping area (which I believe is called Kalverstraat) on our way to the Royal Palace.

The main shopping area was filled with popular stores like Uniqlo and Urban Outfitters. We made pitstops at Captain Candy (which I’m now sadly realizing is not a Dutch brand) to try some sweets popular in Amsterdam and at McDonalds to try fries with fritessaus. The sweets were very licorice heavy, and the McDonalds fritessaus was relish-y and strong. I opted not to try the licorice as it isn’t my favorite, but we picked up other chocolates and fruit candies and enjoyed the McDonalds fries and sauce. However, we hadn’t expected for the McDonalds in the Netherlands to be as expensive as it was. A large fries with sauce was almost 6 euros and burgers were on average, 6-8 euros - definitely not your typical American fast food pricing.

We then saw the Royal Palace from the outside, a grand building next to Dam Square, the bustling, main plaza of Amsterdam, before heading to Tony’s Chocoloney Super Store. This Dutch chocolate company is known for their funky and colorful packaging, as well as their fair-trade chocolate practices. We went with the intent of getting some hot chocolate at their cafe, but found out that the cafe has been closed since December 2022. Luckily the store itself was still a fun experience. They had a machine through which you could create and design your own chocolate, and little empty egg cartons that you could fill with different colored chocolate eggs for Easter.

Since the cafe at Tony’s was closed, we got our afternoon coffee fix elsewhere, at Quartier Putain, and then made our way to the Jordaan district, one of the oldest districts in Amsterdam, to walk around and explore. We then continued to De 9 Straatjes, a street full of unique shops; however, by 6:00 pm most of them were closed. Because we didn’t have a proper lunch, we were pretty exhausted and hungry by this point, so instead of walking around more, we put our names down at Fou Fow, a popular ramen spot in the city. This was another highlight of the trip. They did not take reservations here, so we did have to wait a bit. However, this fueled our appetites and made the meal even more satiating and satisfying. If ramen is not your favorite, Fou Fow has recently opened a unique spot for udon nearby as well.

Once full, we headed back to our hotel to change and get ready for an ice bar experience we had booked in advance. The concept is as follows: you get a drink - alcoholic or non-alcoholic - at the bar/waiting area, prior to entering a sub freezing room with snow on the walls, a bar made out of ice, and frosted covered glasses. The room temperature is kept at -9.4 degrees Celcius or 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and is simply not an experience you can do for long. They cap the ice bar part at 45 minutes, but we genuinely couldn’t stay for the whole time, as it was just too cold even with the extra jackets and gloves they gave us. Although this experience was pretty intense, and not my usual idea of fun, it was unique memory to make with friends.

We then walked around a bit, seeing the city at night, heard a lot of techno music streaming out of bars, and ended our night with some okay 4 euro pizza at New York Pizza.

Day 3

We were really tired from walking around so much, so we slept in a bit, and as a result got brunch rather than breakfast. We ate at Bakers and Roasters, which had a long wait, but was totally worth it. The food here looked unreal - the hollandaise on the eggs was perfectly glossy, the eggs themselves were silky smooth, and the bread, fruit, and vegetables all looked like the fake food I used to play with in the play kitchen I had when I was a kid - vibrant and perfect. The food tasted incredible too - my only criticism, and take this with a grain of salt (pun intended) - is that I think everything needed a bit more salt and pepper, but I usually always do.

We were full after this brunch, so we needed to walk. We originally had a whole tour planned through Albert Cuyp Market later that day, a street food market filled with shops and stalls, but it ended up being closed on Sunday. We had also wanted to see the famous tulip fields, but the season does not open for a few weeks, so we settled for Amsterdam’s famous street market of flowers instead: Bloemenmarkt. This street is fulled with covered outdoor stalls with souvenirs, seeds for planting, and wooden and real flowers. It’s known to be a tourist attraction, but, regardless, it was a fun area to walk through. We picked up some post cards, magnets, and other trinkets to take back. After, grabbing our souvenirs, we stopped by a bakery to try fresh stroopwafels, but I would say stick with the famous ones at Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels at Albert Cuyp or Van Stapele Koekmakerij - the place we tried was not that good, and the man serving them to us was not the kindest.

We then popped into various stores and stalls, including a natural peanut butter store, De Pindakaaswinkel, as we made our way over to a cafe near the start of the canal tour we had booked later that day. We rested and recharged at this corner cafe with tea for some and wine for others, before lining up for our boat tour through Flagship Amsterdam. This was by far my favorite thing that we did in the city. We got mini history lessons on the architecture and history of different areas in the city, while munching on and drinking unlimited gouda and wine. The company we chose for this is a relatively young one, with funny and kind staff who are also knowledgeable story tellers. While I love when any of my recommendations are used, I would really urge you to go with Flagship or another small company, if you are seriously considering a canal cruise.

Laughing, eating, drinking, we watched the sun escape the city, and the canals become illuminated by city lights. Amsterdam looked beautiful from the water - my most positive and memorable picture of the city was definitely from this time.

After debarking the boat, we took a 30 minute pitstop at The Pancake Bakery. I had really wanted to try poffertjes, and because Albert Cuyp was closed we chose to quickly get some in here before our reservation at the Anne Frank House. These fluffy mini pancakes topped traditionally with powdered sugar, syrup, and non-traditionally with chocolate sauce or other toppings, are incredibly delicious. I definitely recommend trying them if in Amsterdam.

We then made the short walk over to the Anne Frank House. This was a truly impactful and sobering experience. The ticket includes an audio-guided tour which helps detail Anne Frank’s history and the impact of Nazi Germany on Amsterdam as a whole. I never had read The Diary of a Young Girl, but it is definitely on my list of books to read now. I knew so little going into the museum - I did not realize that that house was in fact the one she and her family had hidden in for two years during Nazi occupation, nor that she had died so young in a concentration camp, but I’m grateful to have been reminded of this history in such a humanizing and serious way. It is easy to experience a city without being grounded in the past atrocities and inequalities that took place there, but these reminders are important as we travel, explore, and try to understand a place and a people.

We ended our time at the museum around 9:30 pm, and unfortunately missed our reservation at Italian restaurant, Eddy Spaghetti. If anyone goes here, please let me know how it is - the menu had some delicious looking pasta on it. Instead, we walked over to an Indian restaurant, Koh-I-Noor, that was open late to grab dinner. The food was welcome surprise - it was spicy and flavorful - and we were satisfied before heading back to our hotel.

Back at our hotel, we packed up our suitcases, and prepared to leave for the airport early in the morning. Amsterdam was full of highs and lows, but all in all it was a memorable trip - hopefully, the first of many that I get to experience with some of my best friends.

Nerhertips

• Book reservations in advance: Many places - restaurants, bar experiences, and museums alike - require reservations. The Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House in particular get booked weeks in advance especially on weekends. You will not get tickets day of.

• Biking requires renting or downloading apps: If you want to bike like a local, Amsterdam doesn’t have an extensive network of rental bikes like other cities do. Their versions of Citybike only cover small parts of the city. Look up bike information ahead of time, or rent a bike through a proper rental company for the weekend.

• Use the tram system: The bus system can become a little bit confusing, but the above ground tram system definitely comes in handy since Ubers are a bit unreliable. You can use your phone or credit card to tap to pay.

• Plan out your route of the day and key locations: I always thought that Amsterdam was a much smaller and much more walkable city than it is. It takes a really long time to get from place to place, so I would recommend creating a path with key locations to hit - especially if you are visiting when it is cold like we did.

• Check opening-hours: Many places close really early or are closed on random days. Check before you go - even tourist attractions can be closed if you don’t check which can be really disappointing day of.

Links

Day 1

• Foodhallen (food hall with food from around the world)

  • Maza

  • Fento

• Tony’s Chocoloney (fair trade chocolate)

• Limon (restaurant and bar in south amsterdam)

Day 2

• Rainbowls (smoothie bowls: a nerher-highlight)

• Rijksmuseum

• Van Gogh Museum

• Royal Palace

• McDonalds Fritessaus

• Dam Square (main plaza in Amsterdam)

• Tony’s Chocoloney Super Store (fair trade chocolate, flagship store)

• Quartier Putain (coffee shop)

• Jordaan district (one of the oldest neighborhoods in Amsterdam)

• De 9 Straatjes (shopping area)

• Fou Fow (ramen: a nerher-highlight)

• Xtra Cold Ice Bar

• New York Pizza

Day 3

• Bakers and Roasters (brunch spot: a nerher-highlight)

• Albert Cuyp Market

  • Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels at Albert Cuyp

  • Poffertjes Albert Cuyp

• Bloemenmarkt

• Van Stapele Koekmakerij (other famous stroopwafel place)

• De Pindakaaswinkel (natural peanut butter)

• Flagship Amsterdam (canal cruise: a nerher-highlight)

• The Pancake Bakery (place to try poffertjes)

• The Anne Frank House

• Eddy Spaghetti (Italian food)

• Koh-I-Noor (Indian food)

Although we couldn’t possibly explore everything in one day - London is far too big for that - I would say that, 40,000 steps later, my friend and I did a pretty good job doing as much as we possibly could.

I landed in Heathrow at 8:30 am and took the Elizabeth train to reach the city. By 10:30 am, we were on our way to our first stop: Borough Market. Everything in Borough Market looked incredible, from the freshly baked goods and pasta, artisanal cheeses, and indulgent desserts.

Our first stop was The Colombian Coffee Company, which supports fair trade and sustainable coffee harvesting in Colombia. Their coffee was strong and delicious, and was the perfect counterpart to the incredible praline donut we tried from Bread Ahead Bakery. Bread Ahead is a bakery and school that started in Borough Market and became famous for their unique and delicious donuts. The one we tried was creamy, delicious, and not too sweet - definitely a must-try. We still wanted a bit more to hold us down for our busy day ahead, so we ended up visiting Olivier’s Bakery, to grab a fresh loaf of rosemary and olive oil focaccia, and munched on it as we walked to the London Bridge.

London, although a bit chilly, was not windy that day, which made our walk along the Thames from London Bridge to the Big Ben extremely pleasant. We ended up seeing some sights that we were not expecting to see like St. Paul’s Cathedral, and some that we were like the Tower Bridge and the London Eye. We continued our tour of the city through Westminster Abbey, Number 12 Downing St., and Trafalgar Square.

From Trafalgar Square, we had planned to tube over to Soho, but it turned out to be a fifteen minute walk, so we chose to do the latter. This turned out to be a nice surprise, as we got to walk through Chinatown along the way. It made me happy to see Chinatown bustling with people and long lines outside of various dim sum restaurants, bakeries, and dessert shops. We then finally reached Soho. Everywhere you looked there was another incredible looking restaurant or shop. I wish I had a bottomless stomach so that I could have tried it all. We walked through Carnaby Street to enjoy its sparkling lights and innovative fixtures, and ended up wandering into the Kingly Court - a food hall within Carnaby Street itself. So many of the restaurants I have been wanting to try were here - Darjeeling Express, Asma Khan’s restaurant with a women-run kitchen and its world famous biryani; and Le Bab, a fresh kebab place with mouth watering items on their menu like the Legendary Paneer Kebab.

Seeing all this food was making us a bit peckish, but we had afternoon tea reservations quite soon so we decided to eat something smaller at Creme London. I’ve tried a few different famous cookie spots now - Levain, Maman, Maz-e-dahr, Crumbl, Batch22Bakery - and Creme just might be the best yet. The texture of the white chocolate miso cookie we got was incredible. It was crunchy on the outside with melt-in-your-mouth goodness on the inside. It had a depth of flavor created by the miso, unlike anything I’ve ever had, and was rich and delicious.

We continued to walk around a bit in the area, checking out Oxford Street and The Food Hall at Selfridges, all while making note of restaurants to try one day in the future. After exploring a bit, we headed to the Wallace for afternoon tea. The Wallace Collection contains beautiful art exhibits, art courses, and a gorgeous pink courtyard which houses their restaurant and afternoon tea. The courtyard ceiling is entirely glass, so although warm and inside, you feel as if you are enjoying the outdoors. It was reminiscent of Jaipur to me - the pink walls, courtyard, and sunlight didn’t feel particularly like London. However, the afternoon tea spread, of course, did. They were able to make their finger sandwiches vegetarian for me and my friend, had a variety of little desserts including a delicious orange mini cake and carrot cake, and some buttery, rich, and delicious scones. Moreover, their array of loose leaf teas all looked lovely, and the jasmine and earl grey we got were incredibly fragrant and flavorful. We were entirely stuffed by the end of our afternoon at the Wallace, and needed to walk off the delicious, but heavy meal we had consumed.

While enjoying some fresh air after a filling tea, we made our way our next stop: Covent Garden. Covent Garden is also a beautiful area, and the converted train station within it, with shops and restaurants, was so much fun to peruse through. We then needed to charge our phones for a bit, so we headed to the UCL campus, where my friend is a student, to rest and recharge for a bit. We sat there until it was dark, and then ended up passing the British Museum, truly stunning from the outside (and I’m sure from the inside as well), on our way to Dishoom at King’s Cross.

Dishoom has been on my bucket list for a long time. It is known as one of the best Indian restaurants in the world, and the hype is not only understandable but legitimate. They take very limited reservations so you likely will have to wait to be seated. However, the wait is not even upsetting, because a friendly staff member will offer you complementary sweetened chai, mint tea, or sherry in line. I had the sweet and gingery chai which warmed me up as we chatted in line outside. Once you get inside, you sometimes have to wait for a bit at the bar before being seated properly. We ordered a couple of drinks: the Cyrus Irani and Meenakshi’s Mojito, both of which were delicious, and then were quickly seated. The inside of Dishoom at King’s Cross is inspired by an old-school train station in India. It has a dark and vibrant aesthetic made lively by groups of people of all ages, indulging in the incredible food they offer.

We ordered the bhel, paneer tikka, house daal, naan, and rice, all of which were bursting with flavor. The bhel was sweet, spicy, and tart as good bhel should be. The paneer tikka was grilled to perfection yet still juicy, and the house daal was buttery and rich. If in London, this spot is a must.

We walked around Granary Square for a bit after this, which is a beautiful, high-tech, and more relaxed spot. It houses the giant Google office, other work places, and great restaurants. We then headed over to Clays Bar for our reservation for virtual pigeon shooting. When we booked this, we did so as a somewhat of a joke. 10 pounds on a Saturday night for an arcade like experience would be a fun and funny memory. Before entering, we thought it would be a Dave & Buster’s type of experience, but were we surprised. The bar was nice on the inside, and the game was a lot of fun. This is definitely a spot I would recommend enjoying with friends for a fun and different night out.

Finally, we ended the night at the Alchemist, a bar with a really cool selection of drinks which they pour in beakers, light on fire, and add dry ice to for a cool show of “alchemy.” They played great music here, and it ended up being a fun spot to end our day. We caught gorgeous views of the Tower Bridge lit up at night and then headed home, before I made my way to the airport for my flight back to Madrid.

From a 6:30 am flight from Madrid to a 6:30 am return flight, my 24 hours in London was a true success.

Nerhertips

• Create a walking path: like in any city, if you create a loop or a path between key spots that you must go to like restaurants you have reservations at, you will save yourself a lot of back and forth, and be traveling the most optimally. I recommend this in any city, but especially London - it is huge.

• Map how long it will take to walk places: I bought a day pass for the tube (about 15 pounds), but I probably did not need to with how much we ended up walking. I could have done the pay-as-I-went option instead.

• Know which terminal you are flying out of: The free trains that connect you directly from different terminals at Heathrow are closed till about 6:00 am. I went to the wrong terminal (terminal 4), and it took me a good 45 minutes to take buses to get to the right one (terminal 3).

• Understand the public transportation: The tickets for the train are separate from the tickets for the underground. The way it was explained to me was a bit confusing, but the ticket for the Elizabeth line is different than that of any Underground tickets.

• Check opening hours, whether or not you need reservations/tickets, etc.: London isn’t a city you can just do casually in 24 hours. There is simply too much to do. Sometimes things you plan to do won’t be available because of early closing, reservations for far in advance, etc. Be prepared!

Links

• Borough Market

  • The Colombian Coffee Company

  • Bread Ahead Bakery

  • Olivier’s Bakery

• St. Paul’s Cathedral

• Tower Bridge

• London Eye

• Westminster Abbey

• Number 12 Downing St.

• Trafalgar Square

• Darjeeling Express by Asma Khan, famous for its biryani

• Creme London (best cookies ever)

  • Other great cookie spots in the USA: Levain, Maman, Maz-e-dahr, Crumbl, Batch22Bakery

• Afternoon Tea at the Wallace

• Covent Garden

• British Museum (closes quite early, around 5 pm - check hours)

• Dishoom

• King’s Cross (the only thing I didn’t get to check out here was the Harry Potter store, and platform 9 3/4)

• Granary Square

• Clays Bar (virtual pigeon shooting)

• The Alchemist

Day 1 (or more like 0.5)

I arrived in the city around 2 pm, settled in, and was ready to grab some lunch. Luckily, we had a reservation prepared at Le Potager du Marais, a vegan French restaurant in the fourth arrondissement. While some things were a hit, such as the french onion soup and the mushroom pate, other things felt a little average or odd - the vegan cheese on top of the french onion soup for example. Regardless, we ended the meal with full stomachs and decided to walk along the Sienne for a bit, before taking the metro to the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful sight, but exhausted from walking around and traveling, we decided to call it an early night. We got pizza in the eleventh district, from a place called Ammazza, which turned out to be an incredible surprise. The dough was perfectly soft and chewy, and the sauce and vegetables were fresh and filling - it was the perfect way to end day 1.

Day 2

My second day in Paris was one of my favorites. Perhaps because it was full of good food and pretty places or maybe because the weather was one to two degrees warmer than the rest of the weekend. My sister and I started off our day with crepes. Unfortunately we didn’t find any street vendors near us, and because we were starving, we settled for the first place that sold some, Glace Room, next to Bastille in the eleventh. Although not the most traditional place, our cappuccinos and warm, Nutella-filled crepes hit the spot, and filled us up before we started our day.

We then took the metro to Galeries Lafayette, a gorgeous and bougie department store - think Macy’s but replace Nine West with Prada. Aside from every brand you can imagine, the inside also includes second hand sections, artisanal products (and an Urban Outfitters?), and a beautiful view from the rooftop that added to the already gorgeous interior. We checked out as many floors as possible before speed walking over to our reservation at Le Galerie Dior, the Christian Dior and Dior brand exhibition in the eighth near Champs Elysees. If you like fashion, I highly recommend buying a ticket. Not only do you learn about Christian Dior’s background and beginnings, but get to see beautifully displayed dresses, including some worn by Princess Diana, Rihanna, and more.

Afterwards, we were starving, so we headed over to Angelina Paris in the first arrondissement. While this place gets a bad rep by local Parisians for being extremely touristy, I still loved it. The inside was beautiful and the food was delicious. We ordered the truffle ravioli with a side salad and matchstick fries. The ravioli was savory and cheesy, and the salad was so simple but the vinaigrette made it one of the best side salads I’ve ever had. Although we were stuffed, we got a hot chocolate to share with mini croissants. I don’t recommend getting a hot chocolate per person, because it is so rich and thick - although delicious, I’m not sure that I could drink one whole on my own. However, dipping a croissant in it and having a few sips is the perfect way to enjoy this indulgence.

Full of cheese and chocolate, we crossed the street to visit the Musée de L’Orangerie to see Monet’s Water Lilies (stunning), then walked through and sat for a moment in the Tuileries Garden, and finally visited Mona at the Louvre. Exhausted we took the metro home, rested for a bit, and headed out for dinner.

Dinner in the tenth was an incredibly fun experience. We ate at Baranaan, and Indian restaurant designed to look like an Indian train on the inside. We hung our coats on hooks and place our belongings on luggage shelves above our heads. Not only was the food delicious, but the drinks were super fun - some with jeera (cumin), some with mango, etc. We danced in our seats to the mixture of Bollywood and Western music that was being played throughout our entire dinner, and ended the night full and happy.

Day 3

We decided to include a little health and wellness in our diets for breakfast, and went to the Acai & You in the ninth. The smoothie bowls and toasts here were delicious. As a self-proclaimed peanut butter fiend, my favorite part was definitely the thick drizzle of peanut butter on my mango acai bowl. After eating, we took the short, but freezing uphill walk to Montmartre, a gorgeous cathedral in the eighteenth. The view from Montmartre is incredible, and the area the Cathedral is in feels as if it is an entirely different part of Paris, almost frozen from another time period.

We walked around a bit, and then headed to another incredible viewpoint, the top of the Arc de Triomphe in the eighth. From the top of this historical building, you can see several distinct roads leading out into different parts of the city. You get crystal clear views of the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, and more. Although you are not, it almost feels as if you are at the center of Paris.

While the view was amazing, it was of course a freezing day, so after our descent, we decided to warm up with an afternoon pastry and coffee. We originally oriented ourselves closer to Sainte Chapelle, by going to Merci Jerome Pont-Neuf in the first. Some coffee, one mille-feuille, strawberry fruit tart, and a slice of cake later, we realized that Sainte Chapelle had closed, but full and ready to explore more, we opted to enjoy the sunshine that was peaking out by walking along the Sienne all the way to the Eiffel Tower. We wanted to catch it sparkling after sunset. While some think the Eiffel Tower is an eye-sore, I think that it is beautiful, especially when softly lit in warm yellow light.

Having been outside for so long, we headed back to our apartment to warm up, and then got hot pot at XiaoLongKan in the second for dinner. This was one of my favorite meals of the entire trip. There is nothing like some steaming hot pot on a freezing cold day. Everything was so flavorful and the decor on the inside was gorgeous. I would 10/10 recommend this spot if ever in Paris.

Day 4

Now, I still hadn’t had a pain au chocolat yet, so on my last day in the city, we, of course, made that a priority. For breakfast we headed to Terroirs d’Avenir in the eleventh. The pain au chocolat was flaky, buttery, and indescribably delicious. We then made our way to finally see Saint Chapelle, known for its stunning and intricate stain glass windows. Paris is a city with truly gorgeous art in many forms, and the windows in Saint Chapelle were not an exception.

After, we grabbed a quick bite at a bagel place nearby (which wasn’t my favorite) and then headed to the Palace of Versailles for the second half of the day. The palace is stunning from the outside, with huge gold plated fences and beautiful gardens. It is hard to capture the opulence inside certain rooms with words. Although not a place I would visit over and over, I would definitely recommend seeing the palace at least once in your lifetime. The grounds are huge, and you could easily spend a full day exploring the tennis court, the gardens, and the inside. After uber-ing back to the city (the train to Versailles was not running that day) we ended our night with pho and rice plates from Asia Bo Bun in the eleventh. I packed away all my stuff, extremely content with everything I saw, did, and of course, ate in this beautiful city.

Nerhertips:

• Buy your metro tickets and keep them organized: In some cities (NYC I’m looking at you), many people don’t pay for the subway or public transportation, but Paris has random controllers at exits who will ask for your metro pass or ticket. Make sure you don’t throw away the one time ticket you just used to enter the metro, or you can be fined pretty heavily.

• Organize your trip by arrondissement: The Paris metro is efficient, but expensive compared to other cities like Madrid. Save yourself a few metro rides by planning your trip by area or arrondissement for optimal touring.

• Buy tickets in advance: We were able to visit a few places much more quickly, like Sainte Chapelle and the Le Galerie Dior, by buying tickets in advance. It is a huge time save, and prevents you from waiting outside in the cold for longer.

• Do your research: There are so many restaurants in Paris, many of which look incredible from the outside, but use TripAdvisor, Google, and Yelp to make sure that you are eating the best!

Links:

Day 1

• Le Potager du Marais (vegan French food)

• Ammazza (incredible pizza)

Day 2

• Glace Room (ice cream spot that sells crepes)

• Galeries Lafayette (bougie department store)

• Le Galerie Dior

• Champs Elysees (main street full of nice stores, touristy spot so beware of pick pockets)

• Angelina Paris (famous hot chocolate)

• Musée de L’Orangerie (Claude Monet paintings)

• Tuileries Garden

• Louvre

• Baranaan

Day 3

• Acai & You

• Montmartre (cathedral with gorgeous viewpoint)

• Arc de Triomphe

• Merci Jerome Pont-Neuf

• Eiffel Tower

• XiaoLongKan (amazing hot pot)

Day 4

• Terroirs d’Avenir (the bakery! they have other types of stores as well)

• Saint Chapelle (stain glass windows)

• Palace of Versailles

• Asia Bo Bun (Vietnamese food)

We got to DC around 8pm on Friday, but that did not stop us from exploring a bit!

We began our trip with a late dinner at the beautiful Szechuan restaurant (located between Dupont Circle and Logan Circle) called Astoria, . They started off our meal with complementary goldfish (already a +1 in my books), made us some custom cocktails, and served us food that we could not stop talking about for the rest of the weekend. As a vegetarian, I am always prepared for a limited set of options when I eat out, but this place has an entirely separate vegan menu. Menu highlights include the basil eggplant and the vegan hand pulled noodles. We then headed to Alias, which played some great music, before heading home for the night.

Day 2

Day 2 was packed, but definitely my favorite by far. We started off our morning with the coolest lattes at Cafe Georgetown. If you spend a little bit extra, you can get an image, including any from your phone, printed on top of your drink. Who knew I would one day drink a latte with my own face on it?

We then headed to one of two very popular cupcake places in DC called Baked and Wired (the second being Georgetown Cupcake). You are supposedly supposed to like one cupcake shop or the other and remain loyal for life. I guess I'll have to make another trip to make my final decision. We got the flavors "chocolate doom" and "vanilla vanilla,” and while I am usually a chocolate person, I have to give this one to their vanilla flavor. It's super rich and and sweet - reminiscent of home-baked birthday cakes with thick buttercream frosting.

Next, we went to possibly my favorite place of the whole trip, Chaia, a vegan taco spot in Georgetown. These were incredible. These unique, filling, and delicious tacos were only made better by the handmade corn tortillas that enveloped them. This is a nerhermust - if you are in the area, you must make the trip to get some. Pictured below are the mushroom ones (hidden in the center) and the creamy potato ones (outer tacos). The creamy potato ones are so good.

After resting a bit, we then took advantage of the incredible weather we were having that weekend to go to an outdoor beer garden called Dacha in Navy Yard. The place is gorgeous with an abundance of foliage and trees inside the outdoor structure. It's a great spot to enjoy with a large group.

Finally, we ended our day by devouring some Italian food at Lupo Marino at the Wharf. The wood-fired pizza was soft, chewy, and crispy - the perfect bite. While the handmade pasta in the cacio e pepe was incredibly delicious as well, just a warning that the dish itself is pretty small.

Day 3

Sunday was short, but still so much fun. We got DC's famous Call Your Mother bagels and then walked to the Kennedy Center terrace to enjoy them with a view. The honey sriracha bagel was so unique and so delicious - sweet and spicy flavors were not only present, but they complimented each other so well. However, my favorite had to be the z'atar bagel with smoked veggie cream cheese. It was herby, flavorful, and the perfect savory bite.

DC was most definitely a surprise. Maybe it was the weather or maybe it was the company and the food, but I didn't expect it to so quickly become one of my favorite places on the East coast. I absolutely loved my weekend biking through Georgetown, eating tacos besides the Potomac River, and drinking a latte with (once again) my face on it! I hope this guide helps you fall in love with this beautiful city too. Message me to let me know if there are any other DC spots I should visit on my next trip!

Links

Day 1

• Astoria

• Alias

Day 2

• Cafe Georgetown

• Baked and Wired

• Georgetown Cupcake

• Chaia (a nerhermust)

• Dacha

• Lupo Marino

Day 3

• Call Your Mother

We landed in Lisbon early - 7:00 am. On a regular day, that is far too early in morning to get out of the house, let alone function, but when traveling, I think that an early start allows you to properly seize the day.

We couldn’t check into our Airbnb until 3:00 pm, but Lisbon is built for travelers! The city contains luggage lockers in different metro stations and other areas. So, after purchasing a day-pass metro/bus card for under 10 euros, we headed to City Lockers at the Rossio station. For about 6 to 10 euros, you can lock your carry-on suitcase or backpacks in these lockers for up to 24 hours, and explore Lisbon, weight-free.

We then took the train to Belém to get some breakfast at Lisbon’s famous Pastéis de Belém. Called Pastel de Nata everywhere else in Lisbon, these Portuguese egg tarts/custard tarts can only be called Pastel de Belém at this specific location. Developed in the Jerónimos Monastery in 1837, this centuries-old recipe is a well-guarded secret. Now, I have had some good desserts in my life, but these are incredible. The flaky, buttery crust complements the custardy, sweet, and rich-but-light inside perfectly - and my cappuccino, topped with thick whipped cream and dusting of chocolate, paired amazingly as well.

We then went to the Jerónimos Monastery (go inside! this is worth a see), and then the Belém Tower (your choice to go inside, personally found the exterior more impressive), both of which are walking distance away.

After sight-seeing a bit, we had built up an appetite again, so we took the train back to Mercado da Ribeira aka Timeout Market Lisboa. This food hall has several vendors selling trendy or traditional options of food, drinks, and desserts. Although slightly more expensive than eating local, I think that this is a really exciting way to understand what a country is known for food-wise. My friends tried an octopus sub and cod bowl, two seafood items that are popular in Portugal. As a vegetarian, it was a bit more difficult to find options, but I ended up being satisfied with a margherita pizza that I drizzled some chili oil on top of. However, what cemented my opinion that this market is a must, were the donuts we tried from Crush Donuts, one of the food stalls inside. We had difficulty choosing between the Nutella, Biscoff, and banana cream pie flavors, but we ended up settling on red velvet and crème brûlée. (although I genuinely don’t think you can go wrong.)

After we took the metro to Baixa Chiado, the popular shopping district, to check out the Santa Justa lift. It provides you with a beautiful viewpoint of the city. (nerhertip: Walk up the stairs and to the left. Across from the H&M there is another set of stairs. Walk up those and a few more sets to access the viewpoint for free!)

Finally we shopped around a little bit, and then went to our Airbnb to charge our phones and get ready for dinner. We ended up choosing an all you can eat sushi place for dinner, random, but hit the spot, and then headed to the rooftop at Hotel Mundial to try vinho verde and enjoy a nice view of the city at night. Vinho verde wine is made from grapes that come from the Vinho Verde region in Portugal. The one we tried was sparkling, tart, and crisp. After, we tried another glass at another bar, and called it a night.

Day 2

Exhausted from our early morning flight and full day of activity, we slept in a little bit the next day. While I could have started my morning off with another pastel de nata, we opted to try Maria Limão for breakfast. This cute breakfast spot has a variety of delicious looking pancakes, but I chose to get an açaí bowl that morning. The açaí portion was like sorbet and all the toppings were fresh and delicious.

We then headed to Feira da Ladra, a huge flea market that Lisbon is known for. People were selling a ton of knick-knacks, vintage items, clothing, and more. My friend got some Veja shoes (beat up, but with potential to be cleaned), for 3 euros. After, we headed to the Alfama district, where we walked around, and then made our way to the Santa Luzia viewpoint.

This was one of my favorite spots in Lisbon. The sea of the orange-red rooftops and the view of the water is incredible and when the weather is nice, this spot gets a ton of sunshine. We chose to grab some snacks and drinks at the rooftop bar right next to this rooftop to soak up the sun and appreciate the scenery.

After shopping for some gifts at the most aesthetic stores, Ceramics Na Linha and A Vida Portuguesa (thanks for the recommendations), we headed to the coast to board our sunset boat tour. Seeing Lisbon from the water as the sun sets is another experience. You get unparalleled views of their copies of the Golden Gate Bridge and Christ the Redeemer, and the Belém Tower looks even more impressive from the water.

Although sad to disembark, we were ready for an early dinner after all the walking around we did this day. We chose to eat at the first place that offered vegetarian options and looked satisfying. This happened to be a spot called Pizzeria, Tapas La Casa. Then, we headed towards Ginjinja Sem Rival, a ginja liqueur bar, so that we could try Portuguese ginja (sour cherry liqueur that, contrary to its name, is very sweet and warm tasting) and to say our final cheers to a wonderful weekend in Lisbon.

Nerhertips

• Free Santa Justa Lift Access: Walk up the stairs and to the left. Across from the H&M there is another set of stairs. Walk up those and a few more sets to access the viewpoint for free!

• Transportation:

  • Metro: The day pass for the metro is under 10 euros. If you want to go to Belém, you will have to take a train that costs less than 5 euros round trip.

  • Walking: We did not get a metro card, but chose to walk on day 2. If you plan it out well, and wear comfortable shoes, Lisbon is extremely walkable.

  • Trolleys: Lisbon, like San Francisco, has trolleys running throughout the city. If you don’t buy a metro card, but want a break on your feet, this is a fun, aesthetic way to get around.

  • Uber Alternatives: Bolt is an Uber Alternative that is usually cheaper, and super reliable in Spain and Portugal.

• More Lisbon Recs: Check out for more itinerary recommendations. Her blog is what inspired mine!

Links:

Day 1

• City Lockers at the Rossio Metro

• Pastéis de Belém

• Jerónimos Monastery

• Belém Tower

• Timeout Market Lisboa (Mercado da Ribeira)

• Crush Donuts

• Baixa Chiado

• Santa Justa lift

• Rooftop at Hotel Mundial

Day 2

• Maria Limão

• Feira da Ladra

• Alfama district

• Santa Luzia viewpoint

• Sunset Boat Tours

• Pizzeria, Tapas La Casa

• Ginjinja Sem Rival