Hey Everyone,
As we all know, I LOVE to travel, and thankfully, my new job has allowed me to do just that! Some of my journeys have been with the santuary of the Euro-Rail others by flight, but, i am not complaining, because i have been able to inform you all of all the amazing places throughout the world and i have been able to edit many of the videos i have taken. Granted, some were from my adventures in 2007 but most of them are from this past year.
Enjoy and love always,
Rachel
Barcelona, Spain
Galway, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
London, UK
Prague, Czech
Salzburg, Austria
Santiago, Spain
Zorbing, Switzerland
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Malaga & Marbella, Spain
IN HONOR OF MY DEAR FRIEND LAURA'S MOM, SIRKKA MAIRE HAIKONEN.
Hello my dear trusty followers,
Just before i headed to Nuremberg for work, my friend Laura's mom passed away suddenly. It was heartbreaking and after being down that road before with the passing of my own mother, i knew i had to be there for her, as it is not an experience one wants to face alone.
With that, I flew from Nuremberg to Malaga, Spain, where Laura grew up. Ironically i have always wanted to go there and maybe this was Sirkka's way of getting me there, as she knew that i wanted to go there, too!! She was a very sweet lady with a big heart. So I am glad i was there with her friends and family to say good bye, but i am also glad i was able to experience Malaga with such a great family and friends.
Seeing a city through a "local's" eyes makes that city that much more interesting and exciting and fun. I saw this beautiful park with a playground on one of our walks around town and Laura and her sister told me that they used to hang out there all the time as kids, but only on one side and the other side was for "the other kids." the way it was said made me think: LOST or West Side Story. I couldn't quite put my finger on it and i think the girls saw that and explained... needless to say, it was more West Side Story! :-)
So, Malaga is beautiful and simple and not very touristy, granted i was there in February and not prime season where i can imagine it gets crazy, but i really liked it. It felt like home.
I don't know how many of you know where Malaga is, but it is the Southeast coast of Spain on the Meditterranean Sea. The water was a bit chilly but clear and amazing anyway. The Shells on ths beach, gosh, EVERY SINGLE ONE was beautiful and in perfect condition. It was so hard to decide which ones to keep, that i think i kept them all!!
And the kids there were adorable and outdoorsy. Instead of taking to drinking and drugs, these kids were doing flips on the beach and encouraging each other to get better or to try a different technique. It was amazing.
I highly suggest a trip to Malaga.
In addition to Malaga, Laura took me and her boyfriend to Marbella, Spain. Picture Malaga was kind of like Venice Beach, CA and Marbella is like Newport or Laguna Beach, CA. Both are amazing, yet Marbella clearly has a bit more "investors." ... everywhere we turned were massive yachts and sailboats, it was gorgeous but almost too much. but i still loved it!
I think in my next life, i am going to come back as a Spainard. I LOVE SPAIN!!!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the videos and pics... although i just noticed i don't have pics of Marbella, so refer to the video! :-).
There is more to come as i am in Paris right now!! :0) and WOW, i forgot how amazing this city is!!!
Stay tuned and lots of love.
Hello my dear trusty followers,
Just before i headed to Nuremberg for work, my friend Laura's mom passed away suddenly. It was heartbreaking and after being down that road before with the passing of my own mother, i knew i had to be there for her, as it is not an experience one wants to face alone.
With that, I flew from Nuremberg to Malaga, Spain, where Laura grew up. Ironically i have always wanted to go there and maybe this was Sirkka's way of getting me there, as she knew that i wanted to go there, too!! She was a very sweet lady with a big heart. So I am glad i was there with her friends and family to say good bye, but i am also glad i was able to experience Malaga with such a great family and friends.
Seeing a city through a "local's" eyes makes that city that much more interesting and exciting and fun. I saw this beautiful park with a playground on one of our walks around town and Laura and her sister told me that they used to hang out there all the time as kids, but only on one side and the other side was for "the other kids." the way it was said made me think: LOST or West Side Story. I couldn't quite put my finger on it and i think the girls saw that and explained... needless to say, it was more West Side Story! :-)
So, Malaga is beautiful and simple and not very touristy, granted i was there in February and not prime season where i can imagine it gets crazy, but i really liked it. It felt like home.
I don't know how many of you know where Malaga is, but it is the Southeast coast of Spain on the Meditterranean Sea. The water was a bit chilly but clear and amazing anyway. The Shells on ths beach, gosh, EVERY SINGLE ONE was beautiful and in perfect condition. It was so hard to decide which ones to keep, that i think i kept them all!!
And the kids there were adorable and outdoorsy. Instead of taking to drinking and drugs, these kids were doing flips on the beach and encouraging each other to get better or to try a different technique. It was amazing.
I highly suggest a trip to Malaga.
In addition to Malaga, Laura took me and her boyfriend to Marbella, Spain. Picture Malaga was kind of like Venice Beach, CA and Marbella is like Newport or Laguna Beach, CA. Both are amazing, yet Marbella clearly has a bit more "investors." ... everywhere we turned were massive yachts and sailboats, it was gorgeous but almost too much. but i still loved it!
I think in my next life, i am going to come back as a Spainard. I LOVE SPAIN!!!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the videos and pics... although i just noticed i don't have pics of Marbella, so refer to the video! :-).
There is more to come as i am in Paris right now!! :0) and WOW, i forgot how amazing this city is!!!
Stay tuned and lots of love.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Nuremberg, Germany
So... In early February, i found my way to Nuremberg, Germany for work.
Surprisingly, it was actually fun and the city is quite magnificent. The trade show was not your typical show, in fact, if you have ever been to the Javitts Center in NYC and thought that was big, think again! The Nuremberg International Toy Fair consists of 12 Javitts!! Unreal!! Thank god my internal GPS was working because that could have been a nightmare!
Anyway... in between meetings, my colleague and I took in the city. It was snowing, but not an obnoxious amount of snow. It was actually quite peaceful and inviting, if snow can be inviting. I think it also helped that despite it being freezing, there was no wind, so it wasn't actually too cold, so I thoroughly enjoyed being outside.
The city is breathtaking. There is this massive church that sits on this equally massive square. i imagine in the summer it is rammed with farmer's markets and tourist stands and all that funness!
Anyway... we walked around the city and over the canals that runs through it and up to the castle and took in the amazing view.
The rooftops reminded me a little of Prague, but still fantastic non-the-less.
Anyway... Nuremberg is a great city. Part of it is completely updated. I think we counted 6 Starbucks in 2 block radius, but i still enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, work dominated this visit, so i wasn't able to take in the sites, but i will be sure to next time!
Enjoy the video and pics!
Rach
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Bath, UK
I am extremely late with this entry and for that, I apologize.
Bath, UK is an absolute amazing town. It is known for its Natural Hot Springs and great history and architecture. And i must tell you, the visit exceeds its reputation!
i highly suggest making a weekend trip to Bath.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to spend a fantastic Sunday in Bath. Unfortunately, it wasn't longer!! But i will definitely be back!
My friend Laura and my cousin Martyn joined me on this fun-filled day. We walked through the Roman Baths and the checked out the sites and of course enjoyed a Tea with Jane Austin... OK.. obviously not the REAL Jane Austin but in the Jan Austin "Museum" which was basically a tribute to the MOVIE Jane Austin... not the book... with actual paintings of Colin Firth and Kiera Knightly! it was actually hysterical!! But to be fair the tea and dessert were amazing!
Did i mention that we enjoyed a delicious Sunday Lunch at the Smallest Pub in the World! Which was really quite cozy... the only HUGE downer with that Pub smoke/fire alarm went off the ENTIRE time we were there... and it was NOT pleasant!
The architecture and the river that ran through the city was breathtaking and the company of course made all the difference!
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