On the road! Tulsa -> Fort Worth

Meet Guppy!

Dylan & I share this little fish we won at Incredible pizza one time! We pass it on when one of us is having a hard time or doing something exciting. Guppy will be featured a lot at all of my random places around the world!🐠

Sam & Jane’s House (5/11)

Off to NYC!🗽

WE MADE IT!!

Erin and I united at the Newark airport! Had a fun longgg adventure commuting to NYC in some crazy traffic. Listened to a podcast and walked lots then made it to sissy & Margaret!

The City! View from the bus!

Cozy Dinner & Wine!

Sissy & Maragret had pasta, salad, charcuterie, and wine waiting for us. The best hosts! They have the cutest little apartment!

The Met!

Adventured to the Met! About 20 minutes before closing… we ran to see the rooftop evening view!

The Met! Pt 2!

The Roof View @ The Met!

Pretty Erin on Roof!

Me on Roof!

Ice Cream!

I got brown sugar cookie dough brownie… it was SO GOOD!!!

Cheers!

That’s all for today! I’ll update tomorrow!

Breakfast & Coffee!

Our first bagels of NYC! Bagel Bob’s, pretty good but was told our bagel spot for tomorrow if even better. Coffee at Variety coffee! Super cute but tbh would not recommend. Very milk heavy🥛

Variety Coffee!

Cute Sis @ Flower Shop!

Cute Erin @ French Embasy!

@ The Met Again!

Erin @ The Met Again!

My Fav Art @ The Met!

More Cool Art!

Tulip Wall!

This one made me think of my mama… happy Mother’s Day!!!🌷

GUPPY @ THE MET

Thrift Store!

Empanadas & Tacos!

Cute Erin & Sissy @ Lunch!

GUPPY @ LUNCH

Show Time!

We saw “Sign of the Times”! It was pretty cute! Very much a feel good, happy little play. It was off broadway but had some super cool people in it that seem like they’ll go far!

GUPPY @ SHOW!

Pretty Mirror!

Silly Mirror!

Big Fat Buildings

Had Ourselves a Time in The Square!!

Opposite Outfits!

Dinner @ Juniors!

Planned to go to Ellen’s Stardust Diner but the line was sooooo long! Stumbled upon this place instead and it was delish! Super fast too!

Ended the night RUNNING to catch the bus back to the apartment! Laughed alot and didn’t roll any ankles! We also got there with 3 minutes to spare so I call that a win! Bus activities consisted of NY Times games & guessing the most common baby names of 2023 (10/10 recommend it was so fun)!

Blue Bottle Coffee!

Central Park!

Central Park + Me!

Bathroom Message!

Subway!

Cafe!

Quick Selfie on Taylor Street!

Cornelia Street Old Home!

Swiftie Dreams Come True!

NYU Park!

Doomsday Clock 😭

Central Park Walk to Dinner!

Central Park with Sis!

All together!

Today had its ups and downs… started with bagels and coffee! Ended with Erin’s ice cream on the floor!😭

We were all definitely really tired but we walked 10 miles… so makes sense…

Didn’t have luck getting into a jazz show, everywhere was sold out or had a long wait… ended up getting ice cream and heading home! Ready for a cozy restful day tomorrow before we fly out of the country in the evening!!!!

Breakfast @ The Met!

Ate some yummy bagels and said goodbye to sissy 😭 She had to go to work for the day and didn’t get home until after our flight!

Cute Coffee Shop!

Bag Coffee!

The people were so friendly & then put us on their insta story! Fun friendly experience! Yummy coffee!

Subway to Airport!

Took the day to chilllll! We needed a BREAK after walking about 10 miles each day for the last 3. After breakfast/coffee we showered, packed up, and rested. Headed to Target for plane snacks & got some pizza! Then had to venture with our HEAVY bags to the plane 🤭

Made It!✈️

Felt braver than the marines when we finally got on the plane! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Virgin Atlantic! The food was yummy, seats were comfy, people were so sweet! Loved it all! (Would have definitely loved to get more sleep but it is what it is)

Guppy on Plane!

Gifts from VA!

Flight attendants brought around candy as we landed, it was so adorable!

Now we’re headed to our hostel & brunch with Lala! I’ll update soon!

UPDATE TIME! Planned to rest but apparently we don’t know how! Writing this as we have a lovely 11pm bed time to hit the city hard tomorrow!

Wombat’s Hostel Cafe

First Cappuccinos of Europe

First of many European coffees!🤭 The cappuccino at the hostel was surprisingly pretty good but kinda milky.

Lunch with Lala!

Can’t remember what it’s called but Lala room is to a nice lunch in a historical hotel building! It was STUNNING and DELICIOUS! The airplane food wasn’t bad but this was MUCH better!

Rosè & Prosecco

Lala’s Terrace

Got to see Lala’s work place and her stunning outdoor garden/terrace area. Beautiful view of tower bridge & so much more!

Camden Market!

I remember LOVING this place when I came as a wee 5th grader… can’t say it lived up to my previous expectations but it was fun!

Sat Here!

My fav part of the market was sitting at this coffee shop haha! Out of the busy zone

Dinner Time!

Took some quick naps/phone time and were ready to go back out!

Obligatory Booth Pic

Dickens Inn

At on the top balcony restaurant at the Dickens Inn! It was SO YUMMY! The most gorgeous time of evening too!

Drinks & Cards @ Cute Bar!

Now off to an “early” bed time! Hoping to wake up recharged and ready to take on the rest of the trip!

Pastry Parlour!

I have been DREAMING of this breakfast since we left!!! 10/10!

Uber Boat!!!

London Eye!

High Tea!

Buckingham Palace!

Sky Garden Bar!

Stunning 360 Views of London!

Shandys at a Pub!

Some new friends from our hostel met up with us here! From there we went to different bars/clubs! It was fun to talk to people and see new places!

A random man on the street gave Paityn a hat haha! It was kind of scary in the moment… being approached by a big man but then he just set the hat on her and walked on!

No pictures from this but we sat at our hostel bar talking until 4am! Met some French guys who taught us alot about their culture and helped us learn some survival French for Paris! It was super cool to hear about lives from all over :)

Heading to our Train!

Pulled an all nighter and went straight to our 6am train! We were definitely exhausted but it was so worth it!! We had a nice LONG nap in Paris!

$4 Breakfast!

At this DELICIOUS pastry and orange juice from a grocery store before we took a FAT nap

Alive & Well! Time for Lunch!

Headed to the Palace of Versailles and needed lunch sooo bad! Thankfully their cafe was cheap and delicious! We felt very French with our baguette sandwiches and cappuccinos 🥖☕️

Beautiful Views in the Palace’

The Gates!

The Gardens!

I loved the gardens more than I even thought I would! Not usually one for statues of random people but they were stunning against the hedges! Royal type music started playing and it felt like a movie! We stopped to do a little dance haha!

I <3 horse statues

Cute Street!

Cute Street 2!

Bridgerton vibes!!!!!

Charcuterie!

We were in much need of a restful evening, got charcuterie supplies at the grocery store and had an evening in! Making the board was so relaxing, we played some smooth jazz then watched The Great! We needed something with a royal vibe :)

Walk to Breakfast!

Walked to meet our new friend Paityn for the day! We met her at our hostel in London and happened to be staying in the same area of Paris! We all got to hang out all day before we headed to separate cities :) She’s from Texas so hopefully we can see her again!!

Sacré Coeur Bascilica

In the Montmarte neighborhood of Paris!

Breakfast!

Found a super cute cafe near(ish) the Eiffel Tower!

Me & Paityn!

The Spread!

Honestly wasn’t vibing with the food but it looked pretty and my macchiato was incredible! The cappuccinos in France reminded me much more of lattes, I found I preferred the taste of the macchiatos!

Unsure what this is! But pretty!

Lots of pretty architecture and stops on our walk to the tower!!! We did LOTS of walking this day!

Tower!

I’m not gonna lie the Eiffel Tower has been pretty underwhelming to me both times I’ve seen it… definitely cool but after a quick glance it’s like… ok?

Secret Pic!

The man at this shop said no photos but I was sly and got some of Erin trying this on haha! Very paparazzi, I think it’s funny

Endless Hallway Mural!

Beautiful alleyway recommended by Lala to see the tower from! Absolutely zero people there and an adorable street to snap pics! We got to sit and rest for a second too

Rest Stop!

The Mural View!

Lunch!

The people here were so sweet and patient with us not knowing French! The language barrier was pretty tricky. Most people were really sweet but some were not so patient and definitely hated tourists 😭 A good perspective/place to be put in thinking of people in that position in America to a way greater extent. Definitely exhausting and uncomfortable! The patient people and those who helped were much appreciated

Escargot!

One of Erin’s goals for the trip was trying Escargot! 🐌 I tried it once before and liked it but wasn’t sure if I’d like it again. This was REALLY good!!!! So glad she brought up trying it!

Walk to Louvre!

Took about an hour scenic walk to the Louvre! We got to walk past some pretty domes, across bridges, and along a river. We were pretty exhausted but definitely so glad we opted to walk instead of bus. We would have missed out on so many sights!

The Louvre!!

We didn’t buy tickets before but got lucky because the line wasn’t long!! To get in we had to wait, but so did everyone with reservations! The ticket booths were open and you could purchase yourself!

Loved this room so much! It was GORGEOUS!

The florals on this were STUNNING!

I can’t even comprehend how someone could make these things… stunning and shocking!

Mona Lisa!

Another sight to see that I find a bit underwhelming… grateful to see her but kind of confused on why she’s so popular and special! If anyone knows please tell me haha!

Louvre Gardens!

From here we walked to a pastry shop, chocolatier, and grocery store to get dinner! Our train back to our area was an ADVENTURE! Closing due to someone being ill, no ticket purchasing booth in some stops, and getting on the wrong one 🤦‍♀️ But we made it home earlier than the day before and had another cozy evening in! Said goodbye k Paityn on the train and walked to our place. Grabbed $3 sandwiches at a grocery shop and ate leftovers from our board the night before + our pastries!! Watched more of The Great and just rested. We were both so content, it’s nice to sprinkle some down time in especially after walking 10+ miles most days!

Train Station Cafe!

Left our place at 7:30 to head to the train station for Barcelona! Got to the station way early for our 9:40 train and so we grabbed a bite to eat! They had lots of cute cafes since this is the main station in Paris. The croissants and coffees were delicious!

Train Cafe!

Got to our seats on the train and had some drama… thankfully we met a nice guy from Belgium who was able to translate for us! Basically the way to use the passes wasn’t clear and Erin had to pay an additional fee. The employee was pretty rude about it plus the language barrier. Belgium boy translated and told us that it’s such a confusing system and is nothing personal! We later saw the lady lowkey yelling at someone else so I think she’s just grumpy haha! Only the 2nd person we’ve met who actually fills the angry French stereotype!

The train is HUGE and has a cafe car! Got some yogurt, coffee, and water in a fun little box bottle! For a 6 hour ride, it has gone SUPER fast!

We talked to the man from Belgium for a long time about the similarities in the political climate between Europe and America. I’ve always thought Europe was to be idolized but it definitely isn’t. We had noticed and read about some racial injustices in France and it was fun to ask him questions and learn more. He’s studying anthropology and is very passionate about climate change and other social activism issues. He also speaks 5 languages and has just picked them up throughout undergrad and graduate programs. Inspiring to hear and makes me want to learn!! Erin and I both love when we can just freely ask questions and learn about all these different cultures!

Local Beer!

Didn’t take pics from settling in to the hostel… we grabbed empanadas, went to vintage shops, then headed out to grab a drink! Came home to shower and KNOCKED OUT. We both slept so so good

Hostel Friend!

Hostel!

Cute Street

Coffee Stop on Cute Street!

Cool printing press looking table that we both BANGED our knee on somehow

Casa Batlló!

Lunch @ Honest Greens!

Carolina recommended this from her semester sent here and it was PHENOMINAL! Tasted like the salad I got 4x a week freshman year that I have missed so much! Already craving it again…

Beach Walk!

Shops!

Ice Cream/Coffee Stop!

I just <3 it here!

Cathedral of Barcelona!

Moon!!

It was so nice to wander aimlessly through cute little streets :) Now we are taking advantage of the siesta lifestyle before we try to experience some Barcelona night life!

Had wine & talking time in our room then headed to the hostel bar! After that we went to a little bar for dinner and got YUMMY burgers! Then we headed to a club for a bit & home for bed! Lots of fun with fun people!

Smiley Boys!

Walked to breakfast before catching our train! Saw these donuts on the way, they made me so happy so we had to stop by after to get some ;) honestly weren’t the best but I got a smile out of it

Best Breakfast!

Went to Carolina’s favorite coffee shop in Barcelona and we approve! The panini type croissant was soooo good!

The Bubbles 🥹🫧

Airport!

Took a train to the Girona airport! Getting from Barcelona to Cinque Terre area is HARD and def not for the faint of heart… we took a metro to the station, train to the Girona airport, plane to Pisa, stayed at an Airbnb, train from Pisa to Spieza, Bus from Spieza to Biasa… then a taxi/bus/train to Cinque Terre from Biasa…. it was wild

This at the Burger King made us laugh so hard for some reason! Felt funny that our only option was a Burger King at an airport in Spain… and even funnier that it was one of our most expensive meals! Also Vegetal

Walk On Plane!

I was really anxious on this flight… but it was also one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen!!! These pictures don’t even do it justice! I wish I hadn’t been panicking and I could have fully enjoyed it but I’m glad I took the time to take a pic!

Took no pictures but we made it to our airbnb after a nice 10 minute walk! Our host was kind and it was very cozy! A much better place to sleep than the airport. Glad we opted for the airbnb option instead of waiting for the next trains to run at the station or airport all night!

This day Derek also flew to china! Cool to see us spread out on the globe!

Breakfast by Railroad!

Ate our breakfast and coffee while waiting for our train! These were sooo delicious and like $2… it’s crazy

Tiny tiny!

Train Views!

The ride from Pisa to Biassa was stunning! I took so many pictures and videos for mama and now I’m happy to have them for myself too!

Biasa!

It felt like we lived 12 days trying to find our little mountain town and host who doesn’t speak English… but we did it! Found her and our place!

Riomaggiore!

After we came to terms with the chaos that was our travel day, we decided to pay for a taxi into Riomaggiore. It was definitely worth the money to see the town!

We took pictures, enjoyed pasta and wine, then got gelato!

After that we found a little take away bar called Trogi and had some lemon spritzers on the rocks of Riomaggiore! It was such a peaceful lovely experience!

Cute Tiles!

Biasa View!

Headed back to Biasa and grabbed pizza at 1 of the 2 restaurants in town. It was pretty good! Not my favorite but definitely fresh and $7 which was delightful after spending tooo much on cabs. We also got to enjoy it with the best view in the comfort of “our own” home!

Cute home that we could see from our patio! I love seeing all the clothes lines and little bits of loca life :)

Bridgerton, Wine, Goodnight!

Got cozy watching some Bridgerton and then headed to bed! We NEEDED some GOOD sleep!

On the Bus!

(Not the first thing we did but wanted this to be the cover photo 🙃)

Flower Wall!

Biassa Market!

This was Piera’s store! One of the women who own our airbnb. It is run by the two sisters. We met Piera the day before and although she does not speak much English, and I do not speak much Italian, she was very sweet and fun be around!

Breakfast Bread!

Manarola Cafe!

We got cappuccinos and played cards! It was such a good time! Erin also taught me about some history and politics haha! It is fun to learn about things that other people are passionate about :) We have had no shortage of good conversations this trip, we never run out of things to yap about :)

Guppy Drinks Coffee!

Lunch Time!

Ate lunch at a yummy restaurant! We got bruschetta, pasta, water, and wine for $20!! The prices here will never not amaze me — and this was expensive since it’s a tourist town!

My Favorite Pic :)

We thought it would be cold and were bummed we didn’t bring our swimsuits… but we had fun taking pics and walking around!

A Literal Postcard!

Had to wait for our bus in La Spezia! Since Biassa is up in the mountains, commute is hard. We have to take a bus to La Spezia then a train from there and back the other way around. The schedule is rigid and only comes a few times per day. We had an hour to kill waiting for our bus and stumbles upon a church fundraiser market! Met a kind family who was running the market and spoke a bit of English. They were so kind and fun to talk to!

Dinner!

Got dinner supplies at a grocery store in Spezia! The name of this pasta made me happy :) we didn’t have enough sauce so it ended up being kinda gross… but we tried!

Goodnight!

Ended the night with more wine and Bridgerton! Hopefully we can wake up bright and early for our morning train to Florence!

Ready for Mallorca!