The Liebster Award

I am excited to announce that I have been nominated for the Liebster Award! This award is meant to help newer blogs connect with others. So far, in my nearly five months of blogging, reaching out to other travelers and having them reach out to me has been a wonderful experience. It is always a delight to see that someone relates to one of my posts, or to find a post by someone else that inspires me in a new way, which is why I am excited to answer this nomination and then hand out some of my own!

The rules of the Liebster Award are as follows:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog.
• Display the award graphic on your blog.
• Answer the eleven questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
• Nominate five to eleven bloggers and post eleven questions for your nominees.
• Publish the full post on your blog.
• And finally, notify your nominees by posting on their blog.

I was nominated by Anna at Wayfarers! Here are my answers to the eleven questions she asked me.

What has been your most memorable travel experience so far?

Oh my, so many to choose from! Getting engaged in the Swiss Alps and celebrating my 21st birthday at a Schnapps Brewery in Austria are probably tops on the list. Bungee jumping in Ireland is up there too, as well as visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Have you traveled alone? If yes, when and where?

Completely 100% on my own: a day in Edinburgh, Scotland, 2010; a day in Berlin, Germany, 2010; and a day in Orlando, Florida, 2015. I was technically a solo traveler but part of a tour group when I visited the Scottish Highlands, Slovenia, Austria, and the Czech Republic during my time abroad.

What is the strangest food you have eaten?

On account of my PKU, I really haven’t had the chance to try very many different foods. I suppose some of the weirdest are not things I ate while traveling but instead things I cook with in my kitchen all the time, like celeriac, jicama, and Konjac Shirataki noodles.

What’s your weirdest, most unusual cultural experience?

The first time I visited Paris with two friends in 2010, we stayed in a ten bed dorm room at a hostel. Our seven roommates included Canadians, Colombians, Australians, and Frenchmen, and everyone had different ideas about party times, bedtimes, personal space, hygiene habits, and appropriate attire. It was certainly an interesting weekend!

What is one destination you felt overrated?

While I loved the city of Munich as a whole, I was pretty disappointed in the famous Hofbrauhaus. We had been expecting self-service like we’d seen at beer halls in Austria, but this place has a wait staff- and our waitress was rude, snippy, and slow. The food wasn’t good at all, with one exception. The huge pretzel was fabulous, and we did enjoy the traditional music. But everyone had talked up this place so much and it let us down.

Where would you go for an adventure of your lifetime?

Maybe this is cheating because I already have plans to go there, but my answer is Australia! It seems to have all of the different kinds of adventure I’m looking for and I can’t wait to experience its cities, reefs, deserts, rainforests, and everything else in between. Plus, the fact that it is physically so far away from my home that it has different seasons and nearly opposite time zones gives it an extra adventurous feeling.

Which is your happy place?

Disney World is definitely my happy place. Being there is like being in a fairy tale. I love forgetting the problems of the real world for a little while and just acting like a kid again. Plus, I love rides and rollercoasters and musicals and 3D shows and shopping and eating and all that other silly stuff you can do there!

What is your favorite cuisine?

Italian food is definitely my favorite! Collectively I have spent about 8 days in Italy, and I think I ate the same exact meal- pasta with red sauce and a glass of wine- at least two times a day, sometimes three!

Which is the place you have recently heard of that you didn’t know about?

While planning the New Zealand portion of my honeymoon, I came across a place called Milford Sound that looks absolutely breathtaking in all the photos I have seen of it. I had never heard of it before but we quickly added it to our itinerary. If it is half as beautiful in person as it seems to be from the photos, we are in for a treat.

Why do you blog?

I love connecting with other travelers to get ideas about new places to visit and new experiences to have. I also use my blog as a bookshelf for all of the many memories that I have made over the years. It is such a fun way to look back on and remember all the great trips that I have taken.

Totally how many countries have you visited? Flight layovers/changes and work-travel do not count.

I have visited the United States, Canada, The Bahamas, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, Vatican City, Slovenia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Egypt, Switzerland, and Jamaica. That brings me to a total of 17.

Here are the questions for my nominees:

1. Money is no object- where do you go and what do you do there?
2. What is a destination that surprised you and why?
3. How did you first become interested in travel?
4. Do you collect any souvenirs/mementos?
5. Which do you prefer- websites and apps or books and maps?
6. If someone wanted to be a tourist in the town where you grew up, what sorts of things would they be doing and seeing?
7. You are going on a long flight- what is in your carry-on?
8. What does the word “adventure” mean to you?
9. Is there any destination you could visit over and over again and never get tired of it?
10. Who are your favorite travel buddies?
11. Why did you decide to start a blog?

And here are my nominees- I can’t wait to see your answers!

That Samantha Girl https://samanthafaloon.wordpress.com/

Sweater Giraffe https://sweatergiraffetravels.wordpress.com/

Happy Travels https://sammyturnbull.wordpress.com/

Everywhere Bucket List https://everywherebucketlist.wordpress.com/

Jonin Marie Gargoles https://joninmariegargoles.wordpress.com/

Wanderfully Wondering https://wanderfullywondering.wordpress.com/