Weekend Blitz

Everyone wants to travel light these days, avoiding the hassle of checking bags. Just the other day, Jeffrey’s bags were accidentally loaded onto the next plane, so we had to wait at our destination airport for the next plane from Charleston to arrive. If you’re on a quick weekend getaway, I think you can pack just in a carry-on… with room to spare! This way, you’ll avoid waiting at baggage claim and star your adventure sooner!

Whenever Jeffrey and I travel during the spring and summer months, I am always reminded that I need better walking shoes when my feet start hurting because of my flip flops or flats with no support.

I just picked up a great pair of cognac sandals on sale at Gap (they’re completely sold out online, but a similar style is listed below) and it feels like I’ve been walking on air. The walk-ability of your shoes is super important when traveling, so I’ve found a couple other shoes that may fit the bill… and still look cute in your pictures.

These T-strap sandals are the perfect summer shoe. And, they have the same sole as my new Gap sandals, so I can [...]

After a few days in France (see our walking tours of Bordeaux and Nantes, then see how we got engaged in Paris!), we headed over to Italy. Siena, Italy is home to the oldest bank in the world. But it was also home to me for a semester when I studied abroad back in 2009 and lived with a family who has become my family. So, when I got the chance to go visit them when we visited Jeffrey’s sister in Nantes, France, recently, I jumped at it. Why I chose Siena as the city to study abroad, I’m not quite sure. Probably how I make most other important life decisions: a bit on a whim. I liked the movie Under the Tuscan Sun and Siena was the only city in the region of Tuscany with a [...]

After planning our honeymoon for months, we were totally shocked when we found out that we’d be spending our 24 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany instead of New York to begin our trip because of the snow storm hitting the North East. Luckily, we’d packed heavy coats for New York, so we were all prepared and excited to begin our honeymoon exploring a brand new town (and, bonus:  we got to check out Lufthansa’s First Class Lounge at JFK and Lufthansa First Class).

Although we were excited, every German person we met who found out we were spending a night in Frankfurt was shocked that we’d actually be staying there and not immediately taking the first [...]

Oak is, allegedly, a Charleston staple. You won’t hear this from everyone, however.

Oak is part of the Indigo Road group of restaurants, along with the likes of O-Ku, the Macintosh, etc., and, with a track record like that (all of these restaurants, we’ve tried and loved), how could Oak be bad? In fact, Oak was the first restaurant in the Indigo Road, so surely it’s fantastic?

I made the reservation this time, and Oak is never easy to just glide into last minute. About a week out, we had to settle for a reservation close to 9pm. Jeffrey didn’t know where we were headed when we left home and, though I tried to get him not to, he [...]

Happy July 4th!

‘MERICA! Although the U.S. team might not have pulled it off, we all know that it’s more American to not be good at soccer.

Feature Image Source:  http://bit.ly/1iXVcYW

Istanbul is a huge city filled with never-ending passageways to explore. No matter which part of the city you’re in, there’s an intriguing little store just around the corner filled with real-life treasures. The tricky part is just deciding what to take home with you.

If you’re in the market for a rug, good:  there’s no shortage of men trying to cat call you into their shop just to sell you a very expensive rug. Turns out, I didn’t have the #fancy budget for a rug, can you believe it? So, I focused on more attainable souvenirs – and what I could actually pack in my suitcase.

Without further ado, here are my top areas for shopping in [...]

Florence, Italy was next up on our trip and I was psyched! I studied abroad in Siena, Italy while in college and was so happy to go back to visit the family I lived with while there. But, before heading to Siena (about an hour’s train ride from Florence), we wanted to hit one or two highlights in Tuscany’s most famous city.

With appx. 1.5 million people in the metropolitan area, Florence is also the most populous city in Tuscany and a must-visit on any trip to the area. Most visitors stay in Florence and then day-trip to other Tuscan towns. Not that I would suggest that plan… but, then again, I’m biased:  Florence and Siena were equal in size and power [...]

Bereketzade Mh., Galata Kulesi, Beyoğlu, Turkey 18.5 TL (~$8.90 US) Hours: 9am to 8pm everyday

After lunch at another outdoor cafe (…because Charleston has exactly 0 fun outdoor streetside cafes), we walked over the Golden Horn to the more modern side of Istanbul. Trying to get our tourism on, we headed to a must-see site: the Galata Tower.

View of the Galata Tower from across the water

In the context of Istanbul, the Galata Tower is brand spanking new at 650+ years old. This is especially evident in the context of the Hagia Sofia, built in 537, whereas the Galata Tower was completed in [...]