February 10, 2017

8 Day Itinerary for the Czech Republic

February 10, 2017/ Meghan Oaks

I like to think of the czech Republic as the gateway to Eastern Europe. It borders Germany, Austria, Poland, and Slovakia, and is the western-most of the former Eastern Bloc countries (well, with the exception of parts of Germany that were under USSR control). The small country has a unique blend of eastern and western European influences and makes for a perfect place to visit, especially if you want to get your feet wet in eastern Europe for the first time! They don't use the Euro and their currency has a very favorable exchange rate. That could change soon as they are bound to join the Eurozone and switch over to the Euro, so head there before that happens for the best deals! Anywho, here is a great itinerary for a week in beautiful Czech!

December 23, 2016

The Genoa Aquarium

December 23, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Most of our Italian road trip was planned on the fly. We booked hotels/AirBnB's as we went and found things to do along the way. We didn't stop at a lot of popular tourist attractions like the Tower of Pisa (although we did see it from the road as we drove past!), but rather just enjoyed seeing the beautiful Italian scenery. The east side and the west side are so completely different from each other too! Around Venice, it's pretty flat, with some rolling hills. Tuscany is hilly, but dry. And the Italian Riviera has towering hills covered in lush greenery and steep cliffs plunging into the Mediterranean. On our way north from Tuscany, we made a pit stop in Genoa after learning it's home to Europe's largest aquarium. See, we have a little one who loves to watch the fish - good news for her scuba diving addicted parents! So until she's old enough to snorkel, and then dive, with us, we spend time at aquariums in an attempt to foster her love of the underwater world.

December 06, 2016

5 Things You Must Do in Prague

December 06, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Prague is at the top of a lot of people's travel bucket lists, and for good reason! It's relatively cheap, easy to get to, the city is beautiful, and the people are some of the friendliest you'll meet. There is a ton to do in the Bohemian city, but here are 5 that you shouldn't miss out on!

November 16, 2016

6 Things to Do in Bergen, Norway

November 16, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

As the second largest city in Norway, there is a ton to do in and around Bergen. Back in May, Aaron and I spent 3 days there before we sailed off to a dive resort for a few days, and then my sister and I spent a couple more days there before heading off to Oslo. Since I had so much time in Bergen, I made sure to find a ton of stuff to do. Thankfully, this was really easy. One of the best resources I found was to stop in at the Visitor's Center, right across from the world-famous Bryggen. They had tons and tons of brochures - from horse back riding to hiking to fjord cruises to museums and tours. There really is something for everyone, whether your idea of a vacation is shopping or hiking or somewhere in between. Read on to learn about things to do in Bergen!

June 14, 2016

3 Days in Rome - Sample Itinerary

June 14, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Rome is one of the most visited cities in Europe. It's, quite literally, ancient, with the current city built directly on top of Roman ruins thousands of years old. The city has seen everything from the growth, and collapse of one of the greatest empires in history, plagues, near abandonment, followed by regrowth. It;s often called the Eternal City, and for good reason. Rome is big like Paris and to fully explore the city would take weeks, if not months or even years. Most people don't have that kind of time though and spend only a few days in the city (we did). If you're planning to visit Rome, here is a sample itinerary to see the most of the city in a short amount of time.

April 14, 2016

6 Things to do in Bruges, Belgium

April 14, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Bruges, a small, midevil city in Belgium, not far from the North Atlantic, is a charming little city to spend a weekend in. There are canals, reminiscent of the ones in Amsterdam, that run through the city, a stunning center square watched over by a giant clock tower, twisting and winding cobblestone streets lined with houses hundreds of years old, lots of old, beautiful churches. All of this is accented with hundreds of chocolate shops, small cafes serving waffles or french fries (or both!), and pubs where the bar is lined with taps pouring fresh, but strong, Belgian beer.

March 30, 2016

De Halve Maan Brewery Tour in Bruges

March 30, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

People often think of four things when they think of Belgium - waffles, fries, chocolate, and, of course, beer. We ate plenty of the first three while in Bruges, and toured a brewery to make sure we got the full experience for the latter. In Bruges, there is a 150 year old, family owned, brewery that offers multiple tours a day in multiple languages. It's called De Halve Maan, which means crescent moon in Dutch. We opted for their "XL" tour which lasts twice as long as their normal tour and includes a sampling of not one of their beers, but four. It was an easy decision :)