Travel inspiration: London

I spent most of my Sunday watching the Olympics and it made me really excited for my upcoming Europe vacation that includes several nights in England. This will be my fourth trip to London and I'm excited to experience some new things, including my first Premier League soccer game. Sebastian is currently trying to convince me to ride the London Eye with him, but I'm not yet convinced. Shopping at Harrods and strolling through the Tate Modern? Absolutely. The tallest Ferris wheel in Europe? Not so sure.

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Breakfast at Wimbledon

Made a delicious breakfast and now back in bed to watch Andy Roddick play at Wimbledon. Someday, my mother and I will make it to this famed tennis tournament. Bring on the strawberries and cream!

Photo by Sanchom

Family Fiascos: Germany - Part I

Our family did not joke around with vacations. Over the years, we had an eclectic mix of adventures (one of the many bi-products of having parents who are artists). When my friends were heading to the Jersey Shore or Disney World, we took off to St. Johns, Newfoundland to go whale-watching or to trace our family history in Brixham, England (plenty of stories to come about these National Lampoon-style family vacations).

When I was studying abroad in Madrid, my brother gave me the best birthday gift I've ever recieved - a week-long trip to Germany. This time is was just the two of us - no strict itineraries to follow, no wake-up calls, just a couple of guidebooks and some pre-set hotel reservations.

Craig was planning to fly into Madrid in the afternoon, and we'd leave for Munich bright and early the next morning. "So when you get here, we'll just go out to dinner and get a good night's sleep before we fly. My friends are going out, but I don't think that's a good idea for us," I warned him.

Famous last words. At 5 a.m., he approaches me at the dance club and tells me, "Okay, it's time to go!"

The guy I'm talking to turns and asks him, "Oh, where are you going?"

"Germany."

We ran out of the club and flagged separate taxis. Craig rushed back to his hotel on Gran Via and completed the fastest check-out in the history of the property, practically throwing his room key across the desk - while I flew back to my Senora's apartment, grabbed my bags, took a seat on the park bench outside her building and waited for my brother to arrive. Suddenly, a yellow taxi came to a screeching halt in front of me and Craig jumped out of the car, and practically threw both me and my bag into the vehicle. We sped towards the airport, holding our breath as the sun rose outside.

The ticket agent asked if we spoke Spanish. I nodded vigorously and she told me with wide eyes, "Your plane is boarding in 15 minutes." We grabbed our bags and sprinted across the airport towards security.

[to be continued...]

World's top 10 art museums

TripAdvisor recently named its list of the world's Top 10 art museums. I reviewed the list and discovered I've visited 7 of the 10 so far in my life. Not too shabby!

1) Musee du Louvre (Paris, France)

2) Vatican Museums (Vatican City, Rome, Italy)

3) Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY)

4) J. Paul Getty Center (Los Angeles, CA)

5) Musee d'Orsee (Paris, France)

6) Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)

7) Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)

8) Tate Modern (London, England)

9) Prado Museum (Madrid, Spain)

10) National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)

My personal opinion: Great list, but could also see the British Museum, MoMA, and Guggenheim(s) as other possible contenders.

More than a fairweather fan

Watching Six Nations Rugby is our favorite new Saturday afternoon pastime. Each weekend, teams from Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Italy and France suit up to compete for the coveted championship trophy.

Photo by Éamonn 

Yes, being a loyal fan requires hanging out with British men for several hours and partaking in a pint or two of Guinness. A tough job...but somebody's gotta do it.

Next Matches: Saturday, March 15
Italy v. Scotland (1:00pm)
England v. Ireland (3:00pm)

[Note: I recommend watching at the Red Lion on Bleecker St. or at Mulligans in Hoboken]

Bit by the travel bug

My first international trip was a family vacation to London when I was 11.

Afternoon tea, where I sampled clotted cream for the first time... Shopping in Harrod's world-famous Food Hall, browsing the shortbread and Cadbury chocolates...Long dinners followed by late-night theater excursions where I fell asleep in my velvet-lined chair...Concentrating on the high and low notes of the fabulous accent, then practicing it myself back in the hotel room.

I was in love.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net