On The Road – Page 6 – Darkk Horse Travel

Rome, Italy : Day 1

Published on April 11, 2015April 11, 2015 by Emilee6 Comments

(Written last week, but I didn’t have time to edit it – oops!)

Day one of Rome started with me flying into the airport, missing buses because of the enormous demand (due to Easter) and then ultimately getting into the city! When we drove in, the bus went past some of the southern monuments, including the Colosseum. My first thought, honestly, when arriving there was “Whoa. That looks just like the Colosseum.” Sleep deprivation does things to you, and I don’t think my mind had quite figured out I wasn’t in France anymore.

Obviously, I figured it out a split second later, and whipped out my phone to snap some pictures as we sped by. The bus took me pretty close to my hostel, which was so nice! The name of the hostel where I was staying was called The Freedom Traveler Hostel and I really really enjoyed my time there. The staff was just so extremely helpful and so incredibly nice. When I checked in, the staff woman pulled out a map that showed Rome and circled all the “must see” places. Basically it was every highlighted attraction. Which meant I needed to get started right away, despite being barely able to walk straight due to my 4am wake up time.

So I dropped my stuff off and headed straight back out the door. The thing to remember about Rome is that there are only two subway lines and neither goes near anything you’ll want to see, with the exception of The Vatican. The reason, as you can probably guess, is because it would endanger so many of the ruins and monuments to have tunnels running underground near them. But it does make transportation (other than by bus) a little more tricky. The good thing is, a lot of things are clustered together, and there are beautiful structures to see that aren’t even on the maps for your walk to in between places.

Day one I decided to head back down south of where I was staying, BACK to the Colosseum. The great thing about traveling on Easter weekend was a lot of monuments were FREE! The bad thing was that there seemed to be the whole of Europe there to visit.

When I walked up to the Colosseum the line was impressively long stretching out farther than I could really see. It was at this moment that for some weird reason the movie Big Hero 6 came to mind, and I started looking at the insanity in a different way. I started walking around the building and found another line to the side that apparently no one knew existed except for the 10 people in front of me – so I got into the building in about 15 minutes (in comparison to waiting hours). Getting in so quickly, and not having to pay made the experience all that much better and I got to savor the guided tours that I joined up inside. I honestly spent so much time in there just in awe and wonder at the magnitude and history that made up the Colosseum. Absolutely crazy.

After the Colosseum it was pretty late for museums, due to the fact that I didn’t get into the city until almost 3pm and they closed at 6pm. So I walked across the street to the Roman Forum where there are just ruins for as far as the eye can see. I also discovered, while walking around, that Italy has doughnuts – which was one of the best moment I’ve had in months. I don’t even know why, but I’ve been craving doughnuts for months and to finally get a real fried doughnut (France has them, but they’re baked – gross) was just heaven.

Even though it rained the first day, the overall mood of the city was on fire. Everyone was having such a good time and you could tell. That’s something I really miss from Paris. As weird as it sounds, happy people are not in an abundance there and it starts to rub off on you after a while.

Italians are loud and expressive and sarcastic and fun. Italian couples, not matter what age, were my favorite to people to watch because they are hilarious – so much teasing but in a I’m going-to-play slap-you-and-then-kiss-you romantic way. It actually really reminded me of Ireland and the Irish sense of humor. Which is saying a lot, because Ireland is my absolute favorite place ever.

After all the walking I went back to my hostel and got to chat with my hostel roommates – Pat and Kat. Which is just awesome that those were their names. One was a student from The Philippines, who was studying in Denmark and the other was a single mom from Hawaii who just decided to go to Rome on a whim. They both were just so incredible.

That really is so much of the experience of travel. Yes the sights and the ruins are amazing. I love museums and paintings and castles and churches. But what really makes a trip a good one is the people you meet. I absolutely love bing able to hang out with other travelers and swap stories and ideas – they really are my favorite kind of people.

Easter Sunday: Rome, Italy

Published on April 5, 2015April 11, 2015 by Emilee2 Comments

They say that to truly feel alive you should do things that scare you. Today is my day.
I’ve been pretty terrified to go to Rome for a while. Big cities in general terrify me, but with other cities like LA, London or Paris I’ve always felt a little more at ease since I speak the language of each of those places.
I don’t speak a word of Italian. In fact, I can barely spell Italian (I keep writing it the French way). When I was in the airport I actually had to stop and mind swap over because the people boarding with me were (of course) speaking Italian and I seriously had to stop and think about what Italian sounded like. When was the last time I heard actual (not 9th generation Italian-American, sorry guys) Italian? I honestly can’t think of a time. Which kind of makes me sad, because I really like Italian as a language. It just really isn’t that prominent in the past of the US where I’m from, but I never realized that until today.

This morning I woke up at 5am with birds chirping and a full moon outside my window. It was eerie, but also kind of nice to get to watch the Easter sunrise. HE IS RISEN!
I love Easter so much because it’s just a huge party – it is hard not to be with my family this year because this is one of the three times per year that I usually get to see everyone. What I wouldn’t give for a plate of Morehouse deviled eggs. Yum.

But this is the year of doing things a little different. So I’m currently sitting on an airplane to Rome, Italy. Which is insane. The trip was pretty sporadic because I just found out earlier this week that I had a three day weekend off. While I was looking up places to go I knew Italy was next on my list of places to visit, but I was torn between Venice, Florence or Rome (or Milan just because it’s close and cheap) but after thinking it over, and looking up each city, I realized I would never forgive myself if I didn’t go to Rome.

So I bought the hefty ticket (everything was overpriced for the holiday weekend, but in comparison to traveling from the US obviously it’s like nothing no matter how high you buy flying from Paris) and I immediately knew it was the right choice. The hostel situation in Rome this weekend is madness. It took me two hours of sifting through every possible place before I finally found a hostel that fit what I was looking for. It was the last bed in the place, and I can only imagine what the city itself is going to be like when I actually get there. It’s funny, but I already feel like I want to go back to Italy and I’m not even there, yet.

About the airline I’m flying: This time I decided to try out the Spanish owned airline Vueling. I honestly had no idea what to expect since the airline is fairly new and there wasn’t a lot about them online, yet. But I love it (especially in comparison to RyanAir). The staff is so nice, and they actually seem to like their jobs. The atmosphere of the plane is great, hipster approved music is playing and everyone seems to be having a great time. The one warning I would state is that, if you’re on the taller side, make sure you have an aisle seat – the leg room is the only not so impressive aspect of this airline. If you’re smaller, though, you’re good to go. The nice thing to remember, also, is that the flights are only around 1-2 hours long. So if you do end up feeling cramped, it will only be for a short while. I lucked out this trip, though, because both of the seats next to me are open, so I’m the queen of row 29 A-C (also window seat – eeeeee! 🙂 )

The one downside of this trip is that Paris is gorgeously sunny today, and Rome has supposedly inherited the rain we’ve had all this week for today. But it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow, so I think it will still be a great trip! Ciao!

Normandy, France: Bayeux, Arromanches-les-bains

Published on March 28, 2015March 31, 2015 by EmileeLeave a comment

We had such a great time in Normandy last weekend, that it’s hard to sum it all up. But they say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so hopefully this will give you a taste of the good time we had!

Normandy: Part 2

Published on March 28, 2015March 28, 2015 by Emilee2 Comments

Wow, I can’t even believe that it has already been a week since I wrote my last post! Where did the week go? I certainly don’t remember it.

Since I was so horribly neglectful of Day 2 of our Normandy trip I’ll fill you all in with the charming details, now. Getting back on a Sunday night meant jumping straight into the work week, so I haven’t felt like I’ve had any time to sit down and write it out before now. Shame on me. Anyway:

We stayed with a French couple through the website Airbnb, so our day started off with sitting down to a traditional French breakfast: croissants, baguettes, orange juice, tea, coffee and some jams and jellies. It was lovely, although a part of me can’t ever be fully satisfied with French breakfasts. There’s always a little American voice in my mind screaming out for bacon and eggs.

But we had fun trying out our French on the couple, since they didn’t speak English, and then we packed up our backpacks (I had my Batman backpack, that’s important to note) and headed out with our maps and a stubborn desire to see the DDay beaches we were told were “too far” for us to reach.

First stop? A bike shop. It would have been a lot easier for us to take a bus or to take a taxi on this venture but a) It was Sunday so there weren’t any buses and b) The taxi would have been around 60 euro each way *choke*. So off to one of the little bike shops we went, remembering that they opened at 9am.

We arrived at 9:15am ready to get an early start on our day. But as we walked up to the shop we noticed something. It was dark. It was empty. And it was closed.

Awesome.

Rather than sit on the sidewalk, crying (everything in France being closed on Sundays is a HUGE struggle as Americans who are used to everything being open always), we called up another shop and asked if they could deliver bikes – which they could…30 minutes later. We were not amused.

Luckily, just as we were about to finalize the order the owners of the bike shop we were standing in front of, drove up – ready to open – 30 minutes late. France.

But we got our bikes and we headed out on the open streets. It took us a little while to get our bearings, but the advantage of French life shutting down on Sundays, is that there are hardly any cars on the roads. Once we finally found the right direction, we were good to go and we made our way across the 11 km that it would take to get to the beach (we went to Arromanches-Les-bains).

The best part about biking around in Normandy is that it isn’t Paris. Don’t get me wrong, Paris has beautiful buildings and beautiful museums, but there is something forever missing from my heart – nature. I don’t think we understand how lucky we are in Seattle to be in a city, but to be surrounded by so much natural beauty. And breathable air. That too.

Riding through the countryside was just the absolute best. Over the hills and through the woods we saw cows, horses, fields and pastures (and a bike race that had like 200 bikers randomly riding on the same road as us).

When we finally reached the beach (it took us a little under 2 hours, but we were definitely taking our time), I felt weirdly refreshed from the exersion. And it was then that I realized how much I missed my bike. Going from 6 miles, 5-6 days a week, to 0 miles 0 days per week has been rough, and honestly, really sad. Bike rides are definitely going to be happening more once I get back to Seattle.

Anyhoo. Once we got to the beach we locked up our bikes and explored the museum that was right next to the ocean. A really great tip for anyone who is planning on traveling through France is to MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE TIMES that things are open. A lot of businesses close whenever they want to, and it can be really frustrating to know you could have seen an exhibit or gone to a store, but now you have to wait two hours for it to reopen. That’s right. Lunch breaks in France are two hours long. Good luck.

Post museum we headed over to get lunch and ran into another American couple (and by “ran into” I mean the waiter made us share a four person table because they were swamped, and apparently Americans should sit together). We all ordered fish and chips and we helped them practice their French. We also warned them about their next stop, Paris. “Get ready,” was all I could say when they noted how friendly the French people at Arromanches were. And they were friendly! I didn’t want to leave. But the key was they were NOT Parisian.

After our little lunch adventure it was time for a photo shoot! Luckily I had come prepared with my camera and the American “flag” that I normally have hanging in my room. The pictures couldn’t have turned out more perfect. I love them so so so so much.

After that I grabbed a quick crepe (because I’m an addict) and we rode our bicycles back over the hills and past the cows. Once we got back to Bayeux we headed back over to the Irish-French pub we had dinner at the night before, for a bit of a dessert treat, and it was just as lovely as dinner had been before. Such a great place, if you’re ever in Bayeux I would HIGHLY suggest going there. The service and the food were sublime both times. And they had Wifi! Score.

Our return journey included two trains to get back to Paris and we both had packed Jane Austen with us, so the train ride back was about as tranquil (despite us being exhausted) as we could have asked for.

All in all, the trip was such a huge success. I was so happy to have had my first non solo travel adventure in 6 years. Crazy. I was so proud of us for fitting so much into such a relatively short amount of time. But in the end, stubbornness wins. Normandy has won my heart for my favorite French location (so far!). Stay tuned for some photos from our trip!

Normandy: Part 1

Published on March 21, 2015March 21, 2015 by Emilee1 Comment

This morning I woke up at 4am…and it was almost intentional.
5am was the actual intended time to rise and shine, but my body, filled with subconscious adrenaline, decided to get up an hour early.

Luckily, the reason for waking up that early was more than worth it. See, this weekend is girls weekend (away from kids!!) nd this morning we jumped on a train to a bus to another train, landing us in Bayeux, France (Normandy!).

Why Normandy, you may ask? Well, I can’t actually remember what inspired the decision, but one of my Paris comrades had the weekend off and so we decided to go visit the coast and learn a little bit more about a different part of our current home country.

Such a good decision. Although we started out our day with an all too early train ride, and ticket machines that just would not spit out our train tickets, we eventually climbed aboard the train and headed west, to the coast.

After a five hour journey we landed in Bayeux, a small but chic little town that has a vibe as different from Paris as you possibly can get. Our first stop was our Airbnb reserved house (or rather a room in the house) and our hosts were lovely enough to give us a lift from the train station! Although Couchsurfing will always be my first option, I’m really loving my Airbnb experiences so far and would definitely suggest trying it out if you’re looking for a less expensive way to travel within Europe.

Our next stop was a church we could see from the train station. It was HUGE! And once we were inside the cathedral we realized just how much history this city holds, even beyond its famous part in WWII and the historic Dday operations that happens not too far from here (and here in the city!) on the beaches. The artistry in the cathedral was just breathtaking! (I’ll post pictures as soon as I am able!)

When people first heard that I was coming to this city they made a huge point of advising me to go see some kind of tapestry. Which sounded about as exciting to me hearing it, as it probably just did for you to read. Tapestry? I wasn’t too sure. But we decided to give it a go, and marched up the museum steps determined to find out what all the talk was about.

It turns out, you all were right. The tapestry was amazing as predicted and it turns out looking at a tapestry that is 70 meters long is one of the coolest ways you can spend your weekend! Like I said, more pictures to come, but I would definitely suggest the venture (and at the student price on 4 euro, it was hard to beat!).

Afterward we went across the street to an Irish/French pub called Le Conquerant, which boldly had the sign “ENGLISH SPEAKING” painted above the door, and enjoyed probably my best ever plate of fish and chips and some drinks. We were also lucky enough to land there right when an English vs. France rugby game was starting and we stayed to watch the super exciting game on the screen, and the equally exciting fans (both British and French) who were in the pub.

Overall it has been an amazingly fun jam day and now I kind of feel like passing out. Tomorrow morning the plan is to bike to the Normandy war memorials and beaches and then jump back on a train back to Paris. A quick trip, but if it keeps up this way I think we’ll have just the right amount of time for awesome memories!

French Alps 2015

Published on March 3, 2015March 3, 2015 by EmileeLeave a comment

Last week I spent some time with my au pair family in a ski resort in the French Alps. It was a wild time, to say the least. But I loved being able to see mountains again. The week was filled with skiing (them, not me – ha) hockey games, bowling and lots of art. There were definitely some fun moments, but overall my little introvert self was more exhausted than anything else by the time I got back. My first night back in Paris I slept 14 hours straight (after a 3 hour nap on the drive back). But overall, regardless of whether I would do it again, I was happy I went and had a fun time.

Iron Sharpens Iron

Published on February 26, 2015February 26, 2015 by EmileeLeave a comment

Where am I // short-film from David Dang on Vimeo.

There’s a saying that goes “Iron Sharpens Iron” and it’s so incredibly true when it comes to travel. When I hear stories from other women who pack it all in and travel the world, it really helps push me into planning my next big adventures. Which is why today I sat down and planned out my next escapade for spring break in April! I can’t wait to visit some favorite places and some new places as well on the whole two week crazy adventure. More details to come! In the meantime, I love this video so much and it’s exactly how I feel every time I visit Ireland. 🙂

French Alps 2015: Part 1

Published on February 25, 2015February 25, 2015 by Emilee1 Comment

The last few days have been such a whirlwind that I haven’t had any time to post an update of where I am, what I’m doing etc. Right now I’m on holiday with my au pair family (although, I’m working so I’m not sure how “on holiday” it is haha) and we’re staying a ski resort in the French Alps!
My daily schedule is watching the youngest kid, and then getting some drawing in before everyone comes back. The apartment is pretty small, so it’s kind of crazy to have us all crammed in here, but it’s so beautiful outside that it makes up for it. The youngest and I have been marathoning Disney classics like 101 Dalmations and Aristocats, so it has been pretty chill (pun intended) overall.

Last night I got to go to a hockey game, and that was pretty fun! There was a lot of profanity, including the goalie flipping off the crowd so it was definitely entertaining. I’m pretty sure I’m going to another one on Saturday night, too. Hopefully it’s a better opposing team because the end score was 10-2. Hardly a fair match. I kind of felt sorry for the goalie. Here are some pictures, so far!

Review: Cafe De La Place Talloirres

Published on February 25, 2015April 11, 2015 by EmileeLeave a comment

10487181_10205235233973808_8195224856455238382_n — Location: Tailloires, France

On our way to the ski resort, last weekend, we stopped in this little restaurant which was just so incredible that I had to share. I’ll be honest – at first I was pretty skeptical. When we first pulled up, the building seemed small and not as overbearingly fancy as restaurants in Paris (when did I become such a snob, huh?).

But a good restaurant mainly needs good food and good service, and this was a great example of how you should never judge a book (or restaurant) by it’s cover. Details:

When we went: February 21st, 2015

Who I went with: My au pair mom and host brother

What I ordered: Traditional French Stew

Wifi: Yes. Just ask!

Like I said, this little restaurant is known for having amazing food, but what I loved even more was the ambiance of the place. It’s a mixture of the vibe of an indie coffee shop with the food of an upscale restaurant.

My meal was a traditional French stew, which wasn’t really a stew (by American standards) at all. It was more of a pot roast, but the meat was cooked to absolute perfection, falling apart beautifully. My au pair mom ordered a rabbit dish, which meant that I got to taste rabbit for the first time! I honestly was terrified, but it turned out to pretty much taste like a tougher version of chicken. Not that exciting. My host brother ordered the classic steak tartare and fries, which was masterfully and beautifully mixed and presented in front of us. It was pretty incredible how fast our waiter mixed together eight different ingredients with exact (and very French) precision, while we were all sitting there, watching. I felt the need to clap when he was done, but apparently it’s more French so simply smile and nod at the waiter.

Overall great experience, buzzing vibe and our waiters and service was lovely. Definitely a recommendation if you’re in the area!

P.s. This place wins for coolest business cards!

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World

Published on February 24, 2015February 24, 2015 by Emilee1 Comment

Tonight, when I first sat down to write a blog post, I thought I would be writing about the adventures I’m having right now while on holiday. I thought I would tell you guys all about the wonders of being in snow-covered mountains, or about how beautiful today was. But when I sat down at my computer, staring at the blank white document page, all I could think about was home.

You’ve all heard of homesickness before, and I know it’s not the first time I’ve written about it on my blog, but it wasn’t really on that level that I was thinking. Being in a ski resort there is beauty all around me: beautiful mountains, beautiful snow, beautiful shops and buildings. But what I find the most beautiful are the people. See, normally people come to resorts with their closest friends, family etc. so the relationships that you get to see around you are ones built on familiarity – something I can barely remember the taste of.

Today I was walking around some of the streets and I couldn’t help but think about the people I would bring here, were it up to me. Who would be among my crew of miscreants? Who would I be walking these streets with?

Moving away from your country can leave a pretty colossal hole in your heart. While I know there are some people who move and never want to return, that hasn’t been the case for me. In fact, I think it has been the exact opposite experience. Note: This does not mean I hate my life, I’m not having fun or that I want to run away.

Having lived these past six months in France has really taught me a lot about the people in my life, though. I’ve ranted and raved about my friends, before. But I think I’m starting to understand just how lucky I truly am. When I think back over the past six months I can say with certainty that, without these beautiful people, I wouldn’t have made it.

True and honest friendship is not something you encounter every day, although there are many impersonations of it. But, you see, friendship isn’t about the people who smile and ask you how your day was every time you see them. Anyone can ask you questions. It’s about the people who are actually listening when you answer – the people who aren’t looking over your shoulder for the next person to talk to. Friendship is about people caring because actually do, not because they feel like they’re under obligation to. And it took me most of my life to stop settling for the latter version.

But somehow, though the past few years, I seem to have won the lottery when it comes to friends. I have the absolute best support system a girl could ask for, but I’m okay admitting I took it for granted when I was living a phone call away from them.

And now, living a galaxy away, we can’t phone call. Now we have to strategically adjust and stretch our schedules just to talk for a precious hour between time zones. Now we have to sit down and take the time to write letters and then mail them. We have to work for our friendship, and the reality is that it isn’t always convenient.

Which is why I know how lucky I am.

When I first moved to France the biggest fear I had was of being forgotten. I know that sounds kind of weird, but it has been a really real fear throughout his whole process. Would people remember who I was? Would they see me again after a year and see a friend or a stranger? The reality is that either is possible. Some friendships are tested and don’t make it.

But some do.

And to those of you who have sacrificed time, effort, postage and kind words to help me through this wild adventure I’m on, I want to say a sincere “thank you.” I love you guys, and you will probably never know how much these “little” things mean to me.

This crazy thing called my current life would never have been able to be possible without you all! And throughout the shifting, stretching, crazy, awkward, ridiculously miraculous adventure, I finally understand how rich my life truly is. The beauty that is you people is just so much bigger than I ever could have imagined.

And while homesick is a feeling I’m more than a little familiar with, that’s not how I feel right now. I feel blessed. I feel overwhelmed by the people who have worked so hard to support and love me, even from 5000 miles away.

I’m the luckiest girl alive and I don’t think I ever fully realized it before.

Thank you all so much, and enormous hugs! We’re gonna do this thing together: Walk, run or crawl.

Thank you for being there to support me, all the way to the finish line.