From My Home to Yours... And Everywhere In Between

Have you ever wanted something for years but been unable to get it? Have you ever tried to convince your parents to let you do something… but with no success?

 

I’ve been in this position since middle school: I’ve wanted to go to Spain since I started learning Spanish. Like most kids in my area, I started taking a language in elementary school as prescribed by the curriculum. While other schools around me taught latin and french, my school taught Spanish. Then, in middle school, we were given the opportunity to switch languages; however, I decided to stick with Spanish. And again, in high school, while my friends from elementary school switched to languages like Japanese, I listened to the gut inside of me and kept learning Spanish.

 

Spain has always had my interest, though I’m not sure why and I have wanted to travel there for many years. Unfortunately, traveling 3,656 miles isn’t exactly the easiest task – the planning that needs to go into it, the expenses of traveling, and the art of finding the perfect time to travel all create complications for traveling to Spain.

 

Despite all of this, I am determined to get to spain sooner than later. And when I do, I’ve already planned a list of things I need to do! These might not be the typical ‘top 10 tourist attractions to do while in Spain,’ but that’s what would make the trip more unique! I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about these, so if you’re ever in Spain, take a look!

 

“Running of the Bulls”: I’m sure we’ve all seen movies with the cliche ‘bull running after the red cape’ scene, or know about it from learning about spanish culture sometime or another, but this actually happens in Pamplona. Although, I’d have to plan my trip perfectly if I wanted to see this live – since this only happens during a festival held from July 6th to the 14th. But, perfect travel opportunity since it’d be summer vacation!

La Concha (in San Sebastian): Three of my best friends went to Spain during my high school’s spring break one year and visited San Sebastian and said it was beautiful. This beach known for having a beautiful ocean and perfect conditions for surfing – I’m not exactly the ‘pro’ surfer but I have been surfing for a few years every summer at the beach and would love to do this.

Wine Tasting in La Roja: I know typically you’d think of France when thinking about wine tasting, but I learned in my spanish class in high school that La Roja, historically, produces some of Spain’s finest wines. Obviously, I’d need a tour guide to guide me through the winery, but I would love to develop my taste palate and understand how to really ‘taste’ wine.

 

Eat Churros and chocolate: Yes, this is a bit cliche – if you’ve ever taken any type of spanish course or learned about the culture at all, it is more than predictable that ‘churros con chocolate’ was a topic of discussion. As much of chocolate lover as I am, I have to try this authentic dish in Spain sometime!

Think of that state alllllllll the way in the right hand corner on a map of the United States… The one that kind of looks like an oven mitt (but not Michigan!) and you think of moose when you think of this state…

 

Yes, I’m thinking of Maine too! Compared to the other places I have been blogging about, this one is a bit differently – certainly not as exotic, but definitely more nature-y and down to earth. The colors of the outdoors in every season are beautiful. When I was younger, each summer, my family friends and I would rent a small, picturesque cottage near the mountains and spend a week doing all the various “Maine activities.” If you love the outdoors like I do, this place is a must see – I’ve only ever been in the summer, but from pictures I’ve seen, the fall and winter have amazing scenery, despite the coldness!

 

Designate a day of your trip to hiking the mountains. Cadillac Mountain is a huge mountain that should keep you occupied all day as you hike! Wear athletic clothing since for the majority you’ll be climbing rocks, but when you get to the top of certain trails, you look out over the huge lakes. The water in the summer was relatively warm, but feels so nice anyway after a long day of climbing. The best part is at the top, there are a bunch of small bushes on top of the rocks… with blueberries! We always loved filling empty plastic water bottles with as many fresh blueberries we could find – perfect for a midday snack.

While the trails are open to all ages, some are trickier than others! I have two older siblings, so naturally, as a kid, I was always trying to copy what they did. They decided to hike a trail called “Beehive Peak,” which of course, I wanted to hike too. Long story short, once we got up, it was too steep for my twin and I to climb down (we were 6 at the time) so we had to be lowered down by a rope from two random hikers who happened to be climbing at the same time we were. Moral of the story – be prepared to have difficulties here and there! Take caution if you are bringing younger, less experienced climbers.

Why is lobster “famous” in Maine? To be honest, I’m really not sure. All I know is that it sure lives up to its reputation! Oddly enough, I don’t like much seafood anymore – basically only fish – but I used to looove lobster. Going to Bob’s Clam Hut is a destination you won’t want to miss. I’m obsessed with the food network, and this restaurant was once featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives! You know that show with the guy with the white spiky hair who wears sunglasses on the back of his head… if you know the food network, you’ll know who I’m talking about. If not, take a look at this food network website for some clarification! 

 

Warm sun, squawking seagulls, crashing waves.

 

If you enjoy relaxing as much as I do, I’m sure you go to your nearest beach in the summer for a nice, inexpensive vacation – either for the day or the week. I’ve heard some people think there’s ‘not much to do’ at the beach for extended periods of time, aside from going to the beach everyday, which some people might believe gets boring. Contrary to this belief, I’m always entertained when traveling to the beach – having a shore house in Avalon, New Jersey makes me a very experienced beach-goer and I’ve spent most of my summers here.

Being from Philadelphia, the beaches near me are all in New Jersey – and there’s a variety to choose from – Atlantic city, avalon, long beach island, Cape may, ocean city, stone harbor, sea isle city, etc. If you’re looking for a smaller, less commercial beach town, I would definitely tell you to visit Avalon (and not just because of personal bias!)

 

What I encourage you to do and where I encourage you to go while you’re in Avalon certainly depends on how long your stay will be.

Staying for a couple days?

 

Definitely hit the beach ASAP! Grab a boogie board from ‘Hoys 5&10’ (a small shop in the middle of town – sells everything from items for the beach and toys to clothing, accessories, and souvenirs) and spend the day in the sun.

Want a really good breakfast with locally grown fruit? Go to “The fishin’ pier” on 32th street! After, take a nice stroll down the boardwalk.

 

If anything… Stop by Sundae’s Best Ice Cream parlor on 29th street for dessert. I’ve spent my last four summers working there. The ice cream is made right in the back, and the flavors range from the basics – cookies n’ cream or mint chocolate chip, to the originals – ‘avalon mud’ (vanilla ice cream with caramel, chocolate shavings, and chocolate chunks), salted caramel, and peanut butter chocolate covered pretzel!

 

Staying for longer? If it happens to be a bit cloudy on one of your planned beach days, hit the town! The Pirate Island Mini Golf has some pretty creative mini golf – perfect for any age! Or, walk around the shops and boutiques and buy some Avalon apparel, jewelry, house decorations, and fudge! Looking for an interesting night out? Head to Ocean City or Wildwood boardwalk (only about a 25 minute drive) for a fun night of thrilling rides, fried oreos, and caramel popcorn!

 

I’ve spent a majority of my life at the beach and it’s always been one of my favorite places to travel to – I hope you have the same positive experiences as I do!

STOP what you’re doing and think of the coolest place you’ve ever been to – and now multiply that by 10x – you’ve arrived at The Galapagos islands.

I know I talked about Ecuador in my last blog (if you have been reading, you’ll remember – but if not, go take a look!) but I just had to have a separate post for my trip to The Galapagos.

 

The giant tortoises. Probably the first thing you think of when someone mentions the galapagos because that’s one of the island’s’ biggest claim to fame – but it’s true! Go see them. When you step off the boat that gets you from the airport to the island, the drive to one of the natural reserves (where the tortoises are) is less than a half hour. Get some cool pictures with them, but don’t get too close because you’ll scare them, they’ll go into their huge shells, and you’ll be forever regretful that you weren’t able to get a picture with these creatures. 919 pounds of pure tortoise – you sure don’t want to miss this opportunity!

Next stop: La Isla Santa Cruz.

Don’t forget your dramamine pills because the boat ride from the Galapagos to this smaller island is roughly (haha, get it – like when the ocean is rough?) 2 hours – each way. Fun fact: Isla Santa Cruz island is actually a large, dormant volcano – estimated that the last eruptions from this volcano were about a million and a half years ago. It’s extremely common to see the sea lions sunbathing on benches or beached across the slippery rocks in the shallows – often ‘barking’ to welcome other sea lions to socialize. Just a heads up – even though they’re classified as a ‘fairly social’ species, this doesn’t always mean with humans – they can be vicious! Don’t get too close because they’ll snap before you have a chance to blink, but do take some fun pictures as close as you can get without putting yourself in danger.

If you’re feeling amazingly adventurous, go swimming with the sea lions – they’ll mind their own business as long as you mind yours. You’ll probably see a few sea turtles gently gliding through the water – bring an underwater camera and try to snap the perfect picture!

Look out for all the local stands and restaurants along the stone streets of La Isla Santa Cruz. In the stands you’ll find the most delicious homemade chocolate fudgsicles and drink sweet milk from coconuts. If you’re not a fan of potatoes, I’d suggest learning to like them before going on this trip! Nearly every meal I ate while in Ecuador and the Galapagos was served with a potato-like food called yuca – whether baked, sautéed, or fried – it was served daily.

I would strongly encourage you to pack lightly – traveling by boat for the majority of the trip made it difficult to lug around huge bags or suitcases – only bring the essentials! Some t-shirts and shorts, comfortable walking shoes, a camera, money (Ecuador and The Galapagos use United States currency!) and, of course, a bathing suit.

 

“You’ve taken Spanish for… how many years?!”

 

Yes, that’s the reaction I get when I tell people I’ve been learning Spanish since 1st grade. 13 years of learning a second language – which means I’ve learned everything about the language. Unfortunately, I haven’t mastered the speaking aspect – which was why I could not have been more excited to take a service trip to Ecuador (predominantly a Spanish speaking country) with students from my High School – so I could speak with locals and try to perfect my abilities. Coincidentally, my best friends and I all signed up to go on the trip – so June of 2015 could not have come soon enough.

Side note! Yes, I completely understand that not everyone has the chance to spontaneously travel across the world to Ecuador, and by all means, I didn’t think I did either – but the summer before my senior year could not have been a more perfect opportunity: right before dedicating countless hours to writing applications and deciding where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. In my opinion, there is no “perfect” age to travel – stereotypically, traveling the year before you go to college or right after you graduate is the best time – but every age has it’s pros and cons, so go whenever you feel is best. Yolo. If you ever get the opportunity to travel to somewhere like Ecuador, I would greatly encourage it.

My first piece of advice to traveling somewhere like Ecuador: Take it all in. Ecuador was a foreign place to me – certainly, my hometown was nothing to compare – everything is so different. While many of the artfully designed buildings reminded me of Philadelphia, everything else was very different: the streets were narrower, stray dogs and cats wandered between crowds, houses often looked run down. Realizing the difference in the two countries is certainly an eye-opening experience and truly makes you grateful for the type of resources you have at home. 

Don’t forget to appreciate the culture! It was one of the things I enjoyed most about being in Ecuador. One of the biggest cultural differences is clothing – I seemed to notice the locals, for the majority, all had looser fitting clothing rather than fitted. From someone who is in leggings or Nike athletic shorts 90% of the time, this was quite a change! Being a Spanish-speaking country, we had to “adapt” to speaking Spanish on a daily basis rather than speaking english – this was one of my favorite aspects of the trip.

The most important thing I would tell you before leaving for a trip like this is to be prepared! Basically, anything can happen. Is it raining cats and dogs the day you planned to walk around the local town and shops? No problem – just pack a small poncho in your backpack or purse for easy access in case Mother Nature decides to try to ruin your plans! Get caught in a landslide while trying to travel to a nearby city? Pack card games or movies to be entertained in the event of being stuck on a bus for 4 hours! Yes, these situations are all coming from my experience – which was what made my trip so unique.

All in all – take any opportunity to travel somewhere new! “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

Are you one of the… 8 million people in the United States who travel each and every day? Are you one of the millions of people who, together, spent $650.8 billion on leisurely travel in 2015? I could go on and on about statistics of people who love to travel – the point is, I’m one of the millions. And it’s possible that if you’re reading this blog, you are too.

My name is Sophia and I am currently a freshman in college at Penn State University. I certainly didn’t travel far to get here – it’s under a 3-hour drive from where I live (a suburb shortly outside of Philadelphia) – but I would’ve loved to travel farther. I’ve already begun making my bucket list of places I have to visit in my lifetime. If you’re from somewhere around Philly, you already know about the soft pretzels, cheesesteaks and the city’s history. I admit, I don’t spend too much time in Philadelphia apart from going out to dinner at night or a baseball game at the Phillies stadium in the summer – but I do know the secrets of how to have an amusing afternoon around the under-appreciated spots in Philly. So, if you’re not from around Philadelphia, I would certainly take the next few minutes to read about Philly’s hidden treasures, and if you are, go ahead and read them too, I assure you’ll learn something!

I know the history of Philadelphia is truly one of a kind, but in all honesty, I’ve never really been a museum-type girl. (If you are and would like to read about them – check out the franklin institute, Philadelphia Museum of Art, or the Constitution Center Website for more info! You can find the links at the bottom of this post.) I’ve always been drawn to touristy-attractions that are more for the aesthetic, like…

A late-night picnic in Spruce Street Harbor Park –  a Delaware river waterfront park featuring everything from floating gardens, colorful hammocks above the water, food and drinks! Bring some friends and have a nice, relaxing night on the water. Plus, it’s dog-friendly (on leashes)… what more could you really want?!

A stroll through boathouse row along the sidewalk of the river in the evening for a peaceful walk with beautiful scenery.

A visit to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens – an outdoor gallery space with colorful mosaics and other type of folk art – a splendid opportunity to capture that perfect Instagram post!

And if you’re anything like me when you experience a day (or even a few hours) in the city – you’re relatively concerned about how much money you’re going to spend. Life hack: planning out your day ahead of time will ensure you spend what you want and don’t go overboard!
Being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have fun – especially in Philadelphia! I’ve lived in near Philadelphia for 18 years and I’ve never been bored while in the city. Go exploring – you don’t have to go by what the “popular” attractions are. Make your own adventures by walking around and seeing what interests you!

Franklin Institute of Philadelphia

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Constitution Center of Philadelphia

Welcome to Sites At Penn State. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!