I mentioned a couple weeks ago in an update on my current state of life that big travel plans are on the horizon – I am finally getting to travel to Europe for the first time come June! Y’all. I cannot wait. The travel bug has got me good and I can’t wait to embark on this big month long adventure!
Eric and I will be traveling together and have the chance to meet up with some friends, including my roomie Morgan, along the way in different cities. I’m so excited to explore with him and have the chance to make some memories with people I love.
The current line up of stops on our trip consists of Dublin, London, Paris, Nice, Barcelona, and Madrid. We are also looking at near-by places of those cities, so we can make day excursions or stops along the way. We’ve heard a trip out to the Cliffs of Moor while in Ireland is a must, as well as the short trip out to Palace of Versailles while in Paris.
In addition to our plane tickets awhile back, we have also purchased and recently received our backpacks that will be our trip BFFs. What a beaut!
I know so many of you have traveled Western Europe and probably have tons of tips and tricks from your experiences, as well as must haves for when it comes to packing – pretty please pass any and all of it along! I have been reading lots of travel blogs lately and have had friends mention they have some good suggestions, so I want to finally gather all this information together and soak it up.
Feel free to shoot me an email, FB message, or leave a comment below – I would love to hear about your experiences and helpful insights as I prepare for my European adventure!
I’ve been to all of these cities except Nice and they’re wonderful!!
Dublin
– KC Peaches is a healthy, fast restaurant that’s so so good with multiple locations around the city (one by Trinity College)
– If you want to do pubs besides the super touristy ones in Temple Bar go to Davy Byrnes or The Duke
London
– Go to Borough Market: best and cheapest food in the city
– Shoreditch is a really fun (hipster) pub area and the the Camden pub crawl is awesome too
Paris
– Fat Tire Bike tour is the easiest way to see the whole city quickly, do it when you first get there!
– not sure when you’ll be there but the Louvre is free Thursday nights for students and is an easy way to save money!!
– Berthilion ice cream will change your life
– It’s worth the subway ride to Montmartre to explore, and the view of the city from the Sacre Couer is beautiful (there’s also a restaurant in the neighborhood where you can get wine in baby bottles)
– Eggs & Co near the Latin Quarter is an awesome brunch spot
Madrid
– Nothing opens until 10 and everything is closed from like 3-5 for siesta— its real (I would check online for the hours of anywhere you’re planning on going to make sure its open)
– Juanalaloca was my favorite tapas
– If you like art museums, they’re all awesome!
– Parc Buen Retiro is great, they also have concerts in the parks during the summer, some are free
Barcelona
– Even though the line is long, Sagrada Familia is a must see, you can get tickets online to cut down on the wait time!
– the other Gaudi architecture isn’t worth paying to go inside, you can see enough from the street
– El Quart Gats is a cool little coffee shop that Picasso use to hang out at
– Picasso Museum is super hard to find, but really cool
– Fountain show at Montjuic is awesome
– Cerveceria Catalana for tapas!
– pickpocketing is super real… don’t take your phone if you go to a club and be careful on Las Ramblas
— Side note: most people from Barcelona would rather practice their English than talk to you in Spanish so don’t be surprised if they only speak to you in English lol
Have so much fun!!!! 🙂
Hello Miss Beautiful Dayna,
This summer if you are sitting in a sidewalk cafe in Paris, or soaking up the sun in Nice, or eating paella in Barcelona, and you see someone you think you know from The Woodlands – run to give them a hug. Just do it! Because it just may be Cali or I. I would love to get a hug from you anytime, anywhere, but to get a hug from you in France would rock my world!
Cali and I are walking the Camino de Santiago (French Way) in Spain for three weeks (May 20-June 8). It’s our epic mother-daughter trip. We will also be in Paris (June 8), meeting Steve; then Cali flies off to join friends in Budapest, Rome, Barcelona, etc., and Steve and I meet friends in Nice (June 9-15). We all end our travel in Copenhagen to visit Christina (remember “Christina from Denmark”?) returning June 24. If by some small chance our paths may cross, please let me know.
And CONGRATULATIONS on graduating! So proud of you!!!
Ah yes once our travel schedule is finalized for the cities I will let you guys know! I would love love love to see you and Cali! I am so happy you guys are taking an awesome trip together 🙂