Travel

I love love love to travel, and have been lucky enough that my family likes to too, so I have gotten to travel a fair amount. So below I'm going to talk about some of my favorite trips, and I've included pictures where I can (unfortunately, my dad had an obsession with slides for the longest time, so there are no actual pictures of some of the earlier trips.) For pictures from most of the trips, go to my pictures page.

Denmark

This was my first trip out of the country, when I was nine. My mom took me and my sister to Denmark for two weeks, followed by a week in Germany with my dad. We went to Viborg, Denmark because my cousin, who was in the Navy and had been stationed there, was getting married. It was a really wonderful trip. Viborg was a great place to go as a kid--it's a small, safe town, and there was all kinds of cool stuff there and around there--a great public pool, Legoland not too far away (though an adventure to get there), Somerland (which was a great amusement park), and all kinds of other stuff. I really loved our trip there. When we left Denmark, we met my Dad in Dusseldorf (I think), and then spent a week driving around Germany. That part of the trip wasn't quite as great, because I really hated driving when I was nine, and we saw way too many "Berg"s. I did become very adept at looking for Zimmer Freis, though.

Ireland

I already mentioned this on another page, but we went to Ireland for the first time when I was eleven, and it was just incredible. My mom, sister and I flew into Limerick, and spent a few days at this horrible B&B run by Mrs. O'Toole--it was called something like Glen Eagle, don't stay there if you ever go to Limerick. Unless you like to get your breakfast thrown at you. We went to Bunratty castle our third day there, which was incredible--my favorite place in Ireland. After my dad got there, we started driving around--we went all around Western Ireland--to Tralee, Kilarney, and Blarney, and various other places. Again, I was not such a fan of the driving around, since I still hated driving around, and I thought the bog (which we spent a lot of time in) was incredibly boring. We also visited some of my mom's relatives, some of whom were still living in the same farmhouse my great-grandmother had been born in. We ended up in Galway, where we spent a few days at a wonderful B&B (Avondue, I think was the name), and then rented a house in a smallish suburb of Galway. That was my favorite part of the trip--we were in a small neighborhood not too far from the city itself, and the neighborhood was full of kids. We spent all of our time playing with them--soccer, wall-ball, and tons of varients thereof (it was the World Cup, and Ireland had reached the quarter-finals for the first time ever.) It was just a wonderful experience--we got to meet a whole lot of Irish kids, and Galway is a wonderful small city.

Greece

This was probably my least favorite trip--I think was probably too young (13) to really appreciate it or anything--I found it fairly tiring, I guess. We started out in Athens, and spent a few days there, in a small hotel on the Plaka. We then struck off, and went north, to where a family friend was staying in a small town, on an archeological dig, which was really interesting. Then we drove to Delphi, where we stayed right outside of Delphi in a small town. We then headed further south to Olympia, and then spent about a week in Astros, which was a really nice seaside town. Then we went down to the Pelopónnisos, where we rented a studio apartment in Drepano, outside of Napflio, for two weeks. Napflio was a great city--I loved all the twisting side-streets and stairs and courtyards, and the huge Venetian castle which was on a hill above the city. We were close to the ocean, too, and spent a lot of time on the beach--especially since it was so incredibly hot there.  (Above, my sister at the Parthenon, to the left, my parents at the theatre at Delphi; for more pictures from the trip, go here)

Germany

The year after Greece, we went to Germany and France for most of the summer. This was a really great trip, one of my favorites. We spent the first week in France--two days in Alsace, in a town called St. Hippolyte, and the rest of the week in Belfort, where my dad was doing some work. We got to have dinner with a few French families while we were there--a family with whom Dad was working, and also, the family of a doctor my mom had to see (she was having awful lung problems before, during, and after that trip.) After we left France, we went to Bavaria for two weeks. We stayed in Oberstaufen, a small "Kur" town, in a Ferienwohnung that belonged to some friends' of friends. I loved Oberstaufen--it was a tiny town, and while it was touristy, the tourists were mostly German and Austrian, and it was really interesting. And Bavaria is absolutely beautiful. Consistent with our family's bad luck with weather, however, our second week there, it got so cold that it snowed on one of the mountains we had climbed the previous week (see picture, pre-snow!), and we ended up spending the rest of the summer in jeans and sweaters. After Obserstaufen, we (now just my mom sister and I) went up to Hannover, where we had family friends. We spent three weeks in Hannover--the first week, we were in their apartment while they were in America (staying at our house!), and for the next two weeks, we were all there. It was really wonderful--my sister and I got to hang out with Merve, who had been our friend when they were in America, and to go to school with her and that kind of stuff. We also went to Berlin for a few days, which was pretty cool.

Germany (again!)

The summer I was 15, the year after the first big trip to Germany, my mom and I went back for another few weeks. We spent the first week driving up to Hannover from Frankfurt, stopping along the way in Kassel and a few other cities. We then spent another two weeks in Hannover, which was wonderful as well. (Me at a castle in Kassel, Merve and Kai, our friends, on their roof terrace in Hannover.)

Phillips

OK, so this wasn't really a "trip", per se, but I kind of classify it in the same way, because it was one of my summer adventures. The summer before my senior year in high school, I went to Phillips Andover for their Summer Session, and it was one of my best summers ever. It was a six-week program, and I took Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Human Dimensions of Medicine. I loved my classes, even though they were a ton of work. I had one roommate, Linda, who was from Ireland, and we got along incredibly well (in fact, see the next trip!) I also made a lot of other friends, and just had a wonderful summer in general. It was just a really great experience. I had never really gone to any kind of summer camp before, and had also always wanted to go to boarding school, so this was a perfect synthesis. (Above left, Paul, Linda and Gill outside Commons, above right Tim and Mary on the train into Boston.)

Ireland (again!)

The summer after Phillips, before I started Wellesley, my mom and I returned to Ireland. This was also a really great trip, though it was quite different from our first trip. As before, we flew into Limerick, though this time we stayed in a really nice little B&B. After a few days (during which we, of course, went to Bunratty), my mom and I split up, and I went up to Dublin to spend a few weeks with Linda. I had a really great time--we just kind of hung around Dublin--went out, saw movies, just had a great time. My mom, meanwhile, stayed with our cousin John in Brosna. My mom and I then met up again in Galway, and spent a few days there--staying again at Avondu. We then kind of drove around, and went to see the Rock of Cashel, and also spent a couple of days in Kilkenny (where there is an awesome castle). Then we went back to Brosna, and spent the rest of the time with John. While we were there, we went to Kilarney, and to Tralee, where we saw Seasma, which is a traditional Irish theatre.

England

Right after my sophomore year in college, my family and I went to England for a few weeks. This wasn't a completely random trip: my sister, who rowed for William Smith College, was rowing in the Henley. So we formed a trip around seeing her row. My dad, mom and I flew into London, and spent a few days there--we stayed at this great Quaker hotel in Russell square, which was really nice. We did all the London things--the Tower of London, Herrod's, and so on. We then rented a car, and struck off. We ended up in a small town, Bridgnorth, where we spent a couple of days. We then went on to Aberwrystwyth, which is on the Welsh coast--I really liked Aberwrystwyth (I'm sure I'm misspelling it), and we had a great time there. We then headed back into England, and arrived in Henley, where we had rented a really wonderful little cottage in town. We spent about two weeks in Henley, watching races, doing things with my sister and her crew team, hanging around Henley, and doing day trips. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick Castle (which was really awesome) and to Oxford, which was really interesting. It was a really good trip, and I really enjoyed English food--I am a big fan of pasties and soft ice cream, especially 99s. (Left, Mom, me, and my sister at Hampton Court Palace; right, my dad at Hampton Court Palace.)

Holland/France/Germany

My junior year in college, I received an e-mail advertising low fares to Europe. So I called my parents, and we decided to go over my Wintersession. We flew into Amsterdam, and spent two nights in Haarlem, right outside of Amsterdam. Then we drove to Paris, where we were going to stay in an apartment in the city, but that didn't work out at all, so we ended up staying in a hotel in Versailles for a week. I really enjoyed Paris--I did all the tourist things--Versailles, the tomb of Napoleon, the Louvre, and so on. We then left Paris, and went to visit Cochem, where my dad had been stationed in the 1960s. That would have been great, except apparently the Mosel River valley is a big SUMMER tourist destination, and was largely closed while we were there--all of the castles, many of the restaurants and hotels, and so on. I wandered around while we were there incessantly repeating "Scade, aber Deutschland ist heute geschlossen." We then went to Köln for a night, and then to visit the family of our exchange student, Sonja, in Bochum, Germany for a few days. That was really wonderful--her family is great, and it was nice to get the opportunity to see her again, and to see her home. After that, we went back up to Hannover for another few days, which was also great. (Left, Sonja (our exchange student), Mom, Monika (Sonja's mom) and I about to have dessert at Sonja's house; right, Mom and Dad in front of the altar at Napolean's Tomb)

Ireland

Also my junior year, my parents decided to go to Ireland to visit John again. When they decided to go, however, coincided with my spring break, so I decided to tag along. This was obviously a short trip for me (they got to stay longer though, grr to school!), but it was really good. We went straight to John's this time, and spent about four days with him in Brosna. While we were there, we went to Kilarney again, and also went to Muckross House (near Kilarney), and did a really beautiful, albeit scary, drive in the hills around Kilarney. We left John's after about four or so days, and went to West Cork. We were really lucky to find a wonderful cottage in Glengariff, right near the sea. The place we rented from was on the grounds of an old manor house, and had the most incredible grounds I had ever seen. It was absolutely beautiful, and I really want to go back. We then went to Limerick for just two days, during which we (of course) went to Bunratty, and also went to the medieval banquet at Knappoque, which was really cool. (Above--me on the grounds of where in stayed in Glengariff; for the rest of the pictures from the trip, go here.)

Israel

The Wintersession of my senior year, my mom and I went to Israel for a few weeks. It was, to say the least, one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I went to Isreal with a lot of preconceived notions about what I'd be experiencing and seeing--and most of those were smashed. For me, being an entirely non-religious person, seeing the holy sites of the three major western religions was an incredibly fascinating experience. Anyways, it's difficult to explain here, but it was a really incredible trip. And I'm really glad I got to go with my Mom. To give a brief overview, we started out the trip in Jerusalem, where we spent about 5 days. The we went out to the Dead Sea and Massada (where there was a sand and wind storm!), and then headed north to the Galilee, where we saw a lot of the Christian sights (e.g. Paul's House, Nazareth, etc.) All in all, it was a really fascinating trip. (To the left, me and my mom at the Western Wall; to the right, me at Massada--in the windstorm; for the rest of the pictures from the trip, go here.)

Spain

For Spring Break of my senior year, Lindsay and I went to Spain. It was a really excellent trip; it was both of our first times there, and we traveled really well together, and Lindsay spoke Spanish, which was quite useful. We were there for about 10 days, and had a great time. We spent our first night in Barcelona, and then flew down to Seville. We spent a night there, then went to Cordoba. Then went down to Algerciras, where we spent two nights--and the day in between on a day trip to Morocco. Then it was back up to Seville, where we met our friends Jessie and Carrie for the night (which was a whole lot of fun.) We spent the rest of our trip back in Barcelona. It was a really fun trip, we saw a lot of interesting and cool stuff, and just had a really good time. (Left, me in Gibralter; right, Lindsay, Carrie, and Jessie in Seville)

Italy

For Spring Break of my first year at RPI, I went to Italy with Cathy, Francesca, and Jill. It was a really awesome trip; Italy was one of the last western-European countries I really wanted to go to, and I was Very Excited. We flew into Rome, and stayed in a pension near the Vatican for the first few days. While in Rome, we went to the Colliseum, the Forum, the Vatican Museum, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Then we went to Venice, where we spent another 3 days. I loved Venice--I think it was the most beautiful city I've ever seen--I couldn't even believe that something so beautiful and ephemeral could really exist. After Venice, we spent a few days in Florence, which was cool because that's my dad's favorite city--he spent a lot of time there for work--so it was nice to see it. Then we spent a night in Siena, which we particularly went to because Francesca went to Siena College, and Siena is the home of St. Catherine, Cathy's namesake. We then returned to Rome for a night, and went back. It was a really fun trip, and Italy was very cool. (Cathy, Me, Jill, and Francesca in front of Ponte Vecchio in Florence; Cathy, Francesca, and Jill playing over a canal in Venice; for the rest of the pictures from the trip, go here.)

Japan

Not too long after Italy, I got to go to Japan for a month for work. The project I was working on was for a Japanese company, so once my semester ended, I went over to Tokyo and spent a month working on-site there. It was especially cool, because when my dad worked for GE, he went to Japan constantly, and stayed at the hotel next to the one I stayed at, and did all kinds of similar things. He was even able to recommend a good yakitori restaurant for me to go to near the hotel! Anyways, during the month I was there, besides working, I was able to do a fair amount of site-seeing in and around Tokyo. The first thing I did was go to Tokyo Disney, which was awesome. I also went out to Kamakura to see the Great Buddha and to the Hakone region to attempt to see Mt. Fuji, which was rather a disappointment because it was totally covered in clouds. I did a lot of sightseeing in Tokyo, like the Meiji Shrine, and also did a huge amount of shopping--I think I carried home like 80 pounds of luggage! (Left, Great Buddha of Kamakura; right, me at Yasukuni-jinja Shrine)

Namibia

To round out the most exciting several months of traveling I’ve ever had, my mom and I went to Namibia in the middle of the summer. I had saved some vacation from the previous year, so we were able to go for a little over two weeks. It was a really incredible trip—both of our first time to Africa (well, unless you count the day in Morocco), and just unbelievable. Namibia was under the control of South Africa—and thus apartheid—till only ten years ago. The discrepancy, the unbelievable poverty under which black people lived and the total luxury in which white people lived—it was horrible, unbelievable. Anyways. We spent our first few days in Windhoek, and then went up to Etosha, which is a huge—and incredible—nature reserve. We spent three days in the park, where we basically drove around seeing every imaginable type of African animal (well, except for lions—there are relatively few of those in Etosha.) We almost got killed by an elephant—I guess we got too close to one of the elephants in the herd, and the guarding elephant charged our car. We had to drive backwards—on gravel roads on the wrong side—for two or three kilometers until he gave up. It was quite easily one of the scariest moments of my life. After Etosha, we spent a few days in a town south of Etosha called Otjiwarongo, where we also went to the Cheetah Conservancy. We then went down to Hardap Dam, which was an incredible dam—it formed a huge lake, which was amazing to see after having seen so little water the whole time we were there. Next we went into Soussevlei, to see the free-standing dunes there. We then had a rather strenuous drive out of Soussevlei, and then spent another few days in Windhoek. Finally, we went out to Swakopmund, on the coast, where we spent another few days. Then we returned to Windhoek, where we spent some time driving around Katatura, the township of Windhoek. Finally, we came back home. It really was an incredible trip. (Left, elephants in Etosha shortly after almost being killed by one of them; right, me on Dune 45 in Soussevlei)

Greece (Again!)

For my last spring break ever (yea for school being done!), my friends and I went to Greece for ten days. I was looking forward to going back, and seeing it through adult eyes. It was a really good trip—despite some horrible travel problems—our flight to Greece being delayed 12 hours, and our flight from Santorini did not exist. But anyways, I went again with some friends from work—Cathy L. (who went to Italy last year), Cathy C., and Jenny W.—so basically, it was the trip of the Jennieys and the Cathys. We flew into Athens, but drove straight out, and spent our first night in Thebes. We then went up to the Delphi region. We went to the ruins at Delphi first, and then spent the night in Arahova (the same town in which we stayed previously), which was a lot of fun to see again. The following day we went down to Nafplio, which was so much fun to see again. We stayed in a really nice pension in the old town of Nafplio, and spent a few days wandering around the city, and site-seeing, including going to the ruins at Mycenae. We also went out to Drepano, and found the place where I stayed before. Then we went to back up to Athens, and flew out to Santorini, which was a really beautiful island, though very very touristy. We did a lovely hike there, on the rim of a mountain, and also visited some of the towns in the island. Finally, we returned to Athens, where we did the Parthenon and the National Museum. We were unfortunately there during a Carnival, in which the main goal seemed to be hitting people with plastic bats, but we escaped it as the night went on. Overall, it was a really good trip, and I’m glad I went back. (Left, me in front of a church in Fira, on Santorini; right, Cathy L., Jenny, I, and Cathy C. in Nafplio, with the Palamidi Fortress behind us; for more pictures from the trip, go here.)

Croatia and Bosnia

The summer after going to Greece, I went on what I have been instructed to call the "best vacation ever" (hi, Aida!)--to Croatia and Bosnia with my friend and Bosnian Refugee Extraordinaire, Aida. It really was a great vacation, though, despite what I've been instructed to say. Aida left about a week before I did, so she met me (kind of) in the airport at Dubrovnik, in Croatia, upon my arrival. We spent about 5 or so days in Dubrovnik, staying with her aunt, cousin, and parents, in her aunt's apartment. Then Aida, her mom, and I went up to Sarajevo for 3 or so days, where we stayed in her cousin's apartment (for when he's at school.) Then we headed back down to Dubrovnik for the remainder of the trip. It was overall a great time; a very nice balance of interesting experience and very relaxing. In Dubrovnik, we spent most of our time on the beach or in the Old Town--which is gorgeous. In Sarajevo, we did a lot of shopping and wandering around. Sarajevo--and driving through Bosnia--was a very interesting experience, I had never been in a so-clearly former war zone and the extent of destruction that still exists now, 7 years after Dayton, is just unbelievable. Besides that, though, Bosnia was beautiful--the drive up was just gorgeous, and Sarajevo's Old Town is very cool. The food we had on this trip was incredible--Aida's aunt is an excellent cook, and she just kept feeding us (I learned how to say "Eat eat" in Bosnian very rapidly!)--and in Sarajevo we had some great cevapici and other stuff. It really was a great trip, and I'm so glad I have such a cool Bosnian refugee friend with whom to have gone. (Left, Aida with the Old Town of Dubrovnik behind her; right, me in the Old Town of Sarajevo; for the rest of the pictures from the trip, go here.)

Ireland (Again)

The Thanksgiving after going to Bosnia, the whole family and I went to Ireland for the holiday. This trip was rather sadder than the earlier ones; John, our cousin, had died in April. Losing John was very hard; the idea of losing all that he and Brosna represented was so difficult. Being there without John was very sad, but it was also really good to be back there, and spend time with everyone else there, and still feel like we had a place there—it seemed like everyone really tried to make us feel as at-home as John would have, which was wonderful. Also, our family is going to buy John's house, which makes me so happy—I’m so glad that his house will stay in the family, and that’ll we keep that connection to Brosna. Anyways, while we were there, we basically hung around Brosna—went up to the pub a few times, visited people, and so on. We also did some shopping in Tralee and Kilarney, and even managed a Thanksgiving dinner. Liz and Dad did a bit of driving around because she hadn’t been back to Ireland since we were little, and of course, we ended the trip by mom and I going to Bunratty, the best castle ever. Overall, it was a very good Thanksgiving, and I’m hoping we make it a family tradition to have Thanksgiving there. (Left, me in front of the Brosna sign at the top of the town; right, Dad, Liz, and Mom at our "Thanksgiving Dinner" at John’s house; for the rest of the pictures from the trip, see: Ireland Pictures)

The March after Ireland, even though we’d finished school, I went on another "Spring Break" trip with Jenny and Cathy L. from work. This year we went to an entirely new country and continent for all of us: Chile. We were there for about 10 days, and spent about half in the north and half in the middle. Our first five days we spent up in San Pedro de Atacama, which was a really interesting small town in the middle of the Atacama desert. While up there, we went to a huge salar, drove around in the altiplano of the Andes, visited a pre-Incan fortress, and even went horseback riding and exploring in an old copper mine. We then flew back down to Santiago, where we spent a few days, including a tour of the Concha y Toro vineyard and some shopping. Finally, we went out to the coast, where we spent some time in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. We were right on the Pacific, which was gorgeous, and just did some shopping and wandering around out there. Overall it was a great trip: the food was excellent, the wine was great, and it was really interesting. (Left, Cathy and Jenny in front of a cave at the copper mine; right, Cathy, me and Jenny in front of the "Casillero del Diablo" at Concha y Toro; for the rest of the pictures from the trip, go here.)

The Memorial Day after Chile, Aida and I found an excellent deal on airfare and hotel in London, and decided to go for the long weekend--just a weekend in London, sweetie darling. Needless to state, it was the Best Weekend Ever. We got in at the ass-crack of dawn on Saturday (literally: our flight arrived at 5 am), and managed to haul ourselves around for a few hours, went to St. Paul's and Hyde Park (across from our hotel) until we were finally able to check in to our room. After sleeping a few hours, we were rejuvenated and headed out to see The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Abridged, which was hilarious, I highly recommend anyone go see it. Next day we hit the National Gallery, wandered by Big Ben and Westminster, and then went out for some more clubbing. That night though, we entirely randomly ran into our friend Jess from Wellesley, walking down a street in Soho, which was so cool, and we ended up all hanging out that night. On Monday we went to Kensington Palace and Harrods, and then met up with a friend of Aida's who lives in London. Overall, it was a great weekend: some culture, some bars, and gads of fun. We're trying to plan our next weekened excursion as soon as we can. (Left, Aida in front of Big Ben, right, me at the Notting Hill Gate Tube station; for the rest of the pictures from the weekend, go here.)

The summer after London, my Mom and I found some good fares to Thailand (which were made even better after we took a bump on the way over), and decided to go to Thailand for two weeks. It was a really great trip, albeit extremely hot and humid. We spent our first several days in Bangkok, staying on the Khao San Road. While there, we went to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, Jim Thompson's House, and Wat Pho. We also did day trips to the floating market in Damnoen Saduak and Ayutthaya, which was incredible. After Bangkok we headed out to Kanchanaburi, where the Bridge over the River Kwai is. We saw Hellfire Pass and a few POW museums there, took the Death Railway, and even did a brief elephant trek. Next we went to Phetchaburi, a smaller city in which we appeared to be the only tourists. We saw several temples there, and also visited a very impressive former royal palace. Then we went down to Hua Hin, a beach town, and spent a few days there. Finally, we returned to Bangkok for some shopping, and then back home. We had a great time overall--lots of interesting stuff to see and do, incredible food, and just overall really good. (Left, Mom and I at Phra Sri Sanphet in Ayutthaya; right, me at the palace in Phetchaburi)

Portugal

Cape Cod

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