Booked My Flights Today!!

I'm so excited!

My flights to Europe are booked! (Go Ahead Tours booked them for me!)

I'll be flying out directly from San Francisco to Paris. 

I had wanted to fly out of Sacramento because not only is the airport nicer and less crowded, it's also so much easier to get there and back. San Francisco takes twice as long to get home than to get there with all the crazy Bay Area traffic. Finding someone who's willing to drive you is a lot to ask for.

However, the only flight to Paris that I could get for that day was to fly me from Sacramento to San Francisco and then to Paris. Now, that's just silly. My Go Ahead Tour contact and I decided to just fly out of SF. BART (Bay Area's subway) goes directly to SFO, so I am planning on taking that to the airport so I won't be hassled with needing a ride. I won't have much luggage, so that won't be too annoying. 

My flight home is gonna be an adventure!

I'm flying out of Vienna 11 days later. I'm flying to Zurich, Switzerland for a 4 hour layover to San Francisco. 

I have no problem spending 4 hours in Switzerland! I will buy a magnet from there for sure. My flight looks like it's going to be 3 hours with all the time zone changes. 

I figure I'll take Lyft to get home or take BART home again. I'm not sure what would be better. BART would be crowded but it would avoid the traffic and maybe be quicker. And after all the flying around the world, maybe I want to just get on a train and sit for an hour. I can do that. 

I am so excited. Booking flights is one step closer to going. My trip is almost all paid off and in a few months, they will book the hotels for me. My last trip had very nice hotels, nothing fancy but still very nice and with some great locations. 

I have a referral link if you are interested in checking out Go Ahead Tours for any trips in your future. Clicking on that link will give you $100 from Go Ahead to put on your trip with them and I get credits to use on my next tour!

I hope everyone had a great holiday and I'll see you in the next post!

Coming Summer 2018!

I'm not in a reflective sort of mood today, so I wanted to write about my next upcoming trip this summer: I'm going to Paris, Venice, & Vienna!

I never thought I'd be going back to Paris but I am so glad that I am! There were things that I didn't see or do that I plan on fixing that this time. When I was in Paris, I kept thinking, "I need to come back here one day." And while part of me knew that would happen, another part of me never believed it. 

But it's true!

I'm not going back to the Palace of Versailles because I was there last time and instead, I'm going to spend the day in the city. I had set the bar so low the first time, just being happy to see the Eiffel Tower that as long as I did that, I would be content. This time, I've got more plans. (BTW: I totally cried when my lifetime dream of seeing the Eiffel Tower became real. Totally cried.)

So here's the itinerary and my booked excursions:

An emotional moment in Paris!

Paris:

The 1st real day I'm taking a guided tour of the city! Here's what I'll see:

• Drive down the sycamore-lined Champs-Élysées to view the Arc de Triomphe
• Pass Pont Neuf and the legendary Notre-Dame Cathedral, located on an island in the Seine River
• See the Eiffel Tower, the Palais Garnier opera house and Place de la Concorde, the city’s grandest square
• Marvel at the iconic architecture of the Louvre and Hôtel des Invalides

Then, my afternoon will be free to do whatever so I'm thinking a visit to the Eiffel Tower will take a large portion of my time. I am going to touch the Eiffel Tower and actually go up this time. 

The 2nd day, I have most of the day free, so I'd like to explore Notre Dame and the Louvre. Then I booked an evening cruise down the Seine River. I did this cruise last time and it was one of my favorite experiences in Paris. 

I see now that I'll have to write about what I actually did last time in Paris. I had a great time and saw a burlesque show....I didn't exactly go the PG route. More on that in the next post.

Venice:

Venice, Italy

This is a bucket list city for me. I cannot wait to see Venice. I'll probably cry.

My first day is a travel day where I'll be flying from Paris to Venice.

My 2nd day in Venice, I will be taking a guided tour. Here's what I'll see:

• Step into the iconic St. Mark’s Square and enter St. Mark’s Basilica
• View the stately Doge’s Palace, built in the Venetian Gothic style in 1340
• Marvel at the Bridge of Sighs, the link between Doge’s Palace and the New Prison
• See a glassblowing demonstration to learn about the city’s most celebrated art

Then, after much personal debate with myself and my fear of tiny boats, I've booked a gondola canal cruise. I figured, when you go to Venice, it's something you just need to do.

My next day in Venice is actually not a whole day, I've booked an excursion to visit Verona, and see Juliet's Balcony. I hate Shakespeare and that play in particular but when you get the chance to visit another historic city in Italy, you go.

Ljubljana, Slovenia:

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Woah! There's another city on this trip! 

We are going to be crossing over into Slovenia and spending the night in Ljubljana, which is known for it's love of dragons. I'll be taking a walking tour here and this is what I'll see:

• Stop in Prešeren Square to see the France Prešeren Monument 
• Pass by the Triple Bridge, Town Hall and Baroque Robba Fountain
• View Ljubljana Cathedral, the Dragon Bridge and the famed open-air market

Graz:

Wait, another city? 

Yes, this one is a quick stop over to this World Heritage city. I have no idea what we will be doing here. But I'm down for what ever!

Vienna: 

So my first real day in Vienna will start with a guided tour of the city. Here's what I'll see:

Vienna, Austria

• Visit Schönbrunn Palace, the Rococo Hapsburg home with impressive gardens
• Travel down the Ringstrasse, Vienna’s tree-lines thoroughfare

• See the Parliament building, the Vienna State Opera and the grand Hofburg Palace, the Hapsburg’s preferred winter residence

Then that evening, I've booked a dinner and opera in Vienna excursion. I'm not sure if I will like opera but hearing it in Vienna, which is considered the capital of classical music, if I don't like it in Vienna, I won't like opera anywhere else on the planet.

My second day in Vienna will consist of a Danube River Cruise! This the website's description of my excursion: Travel to Melk for a visit to one of Europe’s most beautiful Baroque monasteries, an architectural wonder perched high atop a cliff. Then, enjoy some free time in the charming, red-roofed town before embarking on a leisurely cruise down the Danube River. Your ship will take you by age-old castles and picturesque villages. Disembark in Dürnstein, where Richard the Lionheart was held captive, and enjoy free time for lunch. En route to Vienna, stop in the Wachau Valley for a wine tasting of regional vintages.

The next day will be my return flight home. There was a Prague extension that I debated taking but there's another tour that involves Budapest and Prague and I want to take that tour one day. So I decided that 12 days would be enough for this trip. I'll be stopping in 3 countries, 6+ cities and I think that's going to be well worth my time and money. 

Let me just say, I cannot wait for this summer!

Travel: The Hows & The Why

On a helicopter ride outside of Anchorage, Alaska

Why travel the world?

My first reason for traveling is simply that I wanted to see beautiful sights for myself. It wasn't enough to see Iceland through pictures or movies filmed there. I wanted to stand in front of these majestic sights and let my senses go wild. 

But I experienced something I hadn't counted on, which gave me more reasons to travel.

The biggest new insight I had was that outside of my little world, my body size didn't really matter. People don't look me in the face here. They see past me. It's not something I really notice until people started looking me in the face. I said in one of my videos that I thought it was a US thing, but then I went to New York City and found that sadly, it's a California thing. People acknowledge other people in the world. They look you in the eye and smile. People talk to you. I don't feel self conscious when I travel. I feel beautiful.

There's so much you can learn by experiencing another culture. Seeing how people live differently around the world is such an eye opening experience. After growing up in suburbia, seeing life in a rural community is a shock to the system or even comparing it to life in the city. 

In Central Park, NYC

As an educator, it's really changed me for the better on how I relate to children and what I think they are capable of. Here's a simple story: in New York and other cities, children show up to a basketball court with a basketball and some friends. They don't have referees or even adults watching them. In Alaska, basketball is the sport every child and adult plays. They bring a ball and show up. Again, no referees because they know the rules. So there I am at yard duty, and I'm told I really need to watch the basketball games cause they don't know what they are doing. But I don't. I glance over to check that they aren't fouling each other left and right but I don't need to watch them like a hawk. I've even given them compliments on their sportsmanship. Children all over this country play basketball. I trust the students here to do the same. If they don't, then we have a problem. 

I also realize that not everyone has the same life experience as me. It makes me less judgmental as a person. Life is not confined to my tiny bubble.

Actually, travel has increased my tiny bubble.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Myth: You need a lot of money to travel

I used to believe that. I surrounded my tiny house in Alaska with black & white posters from Paris, Venice, and New York. I figured that I would never go to those places because I didn't make a whole lot of money, and you need money to travel.

I dreamed of one day going to Paris. It was more than simply a bucket list item. I loved everything about Paris, the glamour, the sophistication, the elegance...etc. But my life was never heading in that direction. Or so I thought.

In Iceland

My travels started in Iceland. I had a crazy idea to just go after watching a movie filmed in Iceland. I had been saving my money for my move back to California. I decided to give myself the trip of a lifetime since I would never be able to afford something like that again. I booked my own flight, hotel, and day trips based around Reykjavik. I paid for the trip upfront. Because that's what I thought you did to travel.

I went by myself and had a great time. 

The only thing that I didn't like was I would be looking at something amazing...and I'd have the urge to turn to someone next to me and say, "Oh my god! Did you see that!?!" but strangers don't really like that....especially if you don't speak the same language.

And that was the extent of my travels. I had a really amazing adventure and I figured that was it. The highlight of my life.

Then my uncle died. He was married to my aunt who was a travel agent. My uncle left me some money. I figured I would be responsible with the money.

In front of the Trevi Fountain, Rome

Then I changed my mind. I figured what better way to honor my aunt than to see Paris. Minutes later, I booked a trip for London, Paris, and Rome. Then I called my sister-in-law and burst into tears. Because it wasn't real. I wasn't really going to Paris...but I was.

Again, I had the money.

I chose a tour group because I wanted to be with a group this time. That way, I could have a connection with my fellow travelers. Granted, I did no research into the group until after I booked with them. Turns out, they've been in the business for the last 50 years and the price was pretty good. I based it on my gut and my gut lead me in the right direction. 

But my tour group accepted payments. I didn't need the money up front. I didn't need to save up and then book. I could book the trip and then make monthly payments. 

In London

I DON'T NEED A LOT OF MONEY TO TRAVEL ~ I just need to budget the payments and set up the automatic payments. 

It was hard at first to readjust my budget but since I wanted to travel more, I had to make it a priority. So I did. That's the secret: if you want to travel, you have to make it a priority.

I booked a trip for this summer: I'm going to Paris, Venice, & Vienna. My trip will be paid off in May. It will take me about 18 months to pay it off but that's how I am able to go. A little patience goes a long way on this one. And I will be able to go on a big trip every other year.

Except next year, cause one of my big debts will be paid off in the next couple of months, so I'm celebrating with a trip to Portugal, Spain, & Morocco. Cause priorities. 

Since I'm using the same tour group, I've gotten discounts and they have a referral program! Here's the link if you wanna check them out: http://www.goaheadtours.com/account/create?referrer=c04df340-a886-4674-8d61-4a3c5389607f

So that's my hows & whys of traveling. It's taken me a bit to figure out how to make it happen, but now there's no stopping me!

In front of the Eiffel Tower, Paris

Keeping Up With the Adventures

I have made several attempts to reestablish this blog but none have taken hold. I start one direction and then I lose interest.

So, the question at the heart of the matter is: what do I want to blog about?

And the answer was: nothing.

I had even attempted a YouTube channel. You can see the videos, I'm not taking them down. But I lost interest in that as well. 

So I let everything just sit. I did nothing.

And then a random notification came up that someone had left a comment on one of my videos. Specifically, my video about traveling to Europe when you're plus sized. 

The comment read, "Thanks for posting this. I am going to Europe in a few months and am having crazy anxiety about it being plus size myself. I feel a bit more confident after watching this." 

And all of a sudden, I realized that I had done some good with my silly little YouTube experiment. Someone felt better after listening to what I had to say. I could not have been more flattered about that.

Which got me thinking, maybe I should keep using my voice and sharing my experiences. I'm not saying that I could change the world or anything, BUT I've already made a tiny difference, who's to say I can't do more?

This blog was at it's best when I wrote about my adventures. So I am bringing the focus back to where it used to be. I'm talking weekly updates, either looking to future adventures or ones I never wrote about. 

And there's so much to say!

Here's a look to the past:
*Hawaii
*moving to rural Alaska
*driving the Alaska Highway to move back
*Iceland
*the teardrop trailer experiment
*Disneyland
*Santa Monica/UCLA
*London
*Paris 
*Rome
*Las Vegas
*Stanford University area
*New York City/Columbia University

My upcoming adventures:
*Paris 2018
*Venice 2018
*Ljubljana, Slovenia 2018
*Vienna 2018
*Portugal 2019
*Spain 2019
*Morocco 2019

There might even be a Mexico trip slated for 2018 with my family but that is still in development. 

I'm not going to cover all of these adventures, as some of the colleges involved professional development for my teaching career and not that exciting but I am excited to bring my blog back to what it was originally designed to be...that feels good.

If you are interested in the video that started this post, you can view it here:




It's good to be back! Check for my updates on Sundays, starting this Sunday!

London

Lara in London

As I sit on the edge between summer and back to school, my inspirations are mixed...my trip, back to school, my trip, kindergarten....it's as it should be.

But I want to pay homage to my trip, as well I should. It was amazing. It really was once in a lifetime because I really don't care to go back to Rome again....but more about that in another post (don't worry, it was okay but I didn't LOVE it.)

So, London.....

I flew directly to London from San Francisco. I was nervous that I would need to ask for a seat belt extender which at that time, I thought would be the worst part of my trip. 

And I was mistaken...oh, not because I didn't need a seat belt extender, I was too large by an inch (but only an inch) but the universe chose to give me a lesson: being fat is not the worst thing can happen happen on a flight! 

Because these things can happen:

1) you can sit by a crying baby/toddler

2) you can sit next to a mansprawler (a man who sits with his knees spread wide apart)

3) you can sit next to a loud snorer

4) you can sit next to someone who twitches in his sleep

5) the plane can hit turbulence 

Or if you need a lesson in humility, ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. I tried and I tried, but I got no sleep on that flight, despite my exhaustion.

Lesson learned, the next flight I needed an extender and it really didn't bother me. It became the least of my worries.

My hotel: Hilton Kensington

But I arrived in London and got to my hotel (Hilton Kensington) and after a quick nap, was ready to meet my tour group.

My tour directer's name was Pascal. He met my car wearing a linen suit and looking very much like a British professor. He seemed kind so I figured it would be a good and instructional trip.

At dinner, I met my groupmates. Most of the people were from Texas, a few were from Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey...I was the furtherest west from California. 

Everyone seemed pleasant and there were 3 teachers including me in the group.

My hotel was right by Notting Hill a few blocks away from a very wealthy part of London (William and Kate live there). London is pretty flat and it was easy to walk around my neighborhood. 

I had to wear an earpiece during my tours.

The first day, I walked with a family to a small grocery store a few blocks away. And I saw a woman who looked familiar. It was Julianne Moore. And it wasn't, "Oh, that looks like her." It WAS her! She was shopping with her family and at one point, I was in her way and she said "Excuse me." to me. She was dressed casually in a denim jacket and wearing a hat, but she was still beautiful. And oh so tiny. I mean height wise. I wanted to respect her privacy, so I pretended that I didn't recognize her. I did run to my travel companions for a "ohmygod! isawjuliannemoore! andshe'srightoverthere!" moment. 

My neighborhood

When I booked my tour, I didn't realize just how much free time I would have. The mornings were for tours and excursions but the afternoons were totally up to you. Which was good and kinda eh at the same time. 

I didn't really want to be alone that much. Not in a city. 

Don't worry, I had a good time, but I didn't feel like wondering around that much. I did a little bit, after my city tour of London, I was the first to venture away from my tour group (they went to Windsor Castle and I didn't want to, so Pascal took me aside to ask what I wanted to do and then told me how to do it.) So with Pascal's direction, I walked from Buckingham Palace to The London Eye as my excursion had been cancelled. I got to walk past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben on my way. The streets were super crowded with tourists but it was an easy walk. I also stopped in the Sea Life aquarium right by the London Eye. I got a deal on the price of the tickets. 

View of the Houses of Parliament from the London Eye

The London Underground

I took the Underground back to the hotel. The stop I had planned on taking was closed, so I took the one before it. I didn't realize that the stop after the closed one was a half block from my hotel but that's okay. I don't think my sense of direction was up to par with that one just yet. I just had to walk more that day, but it was a straight shoot from the station to the hotel. 

St. Paul's Cathedral

The next day, I took a tour of St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside but the day was beautiful and between churches, I stopped and had a snack at this little square where they had set up ping pong tables and people working in the nearby buildings started playing each other. 

One thing kinda bugged me about the tour. My local tour guide (not Pascal) for the day had another tour booked for Westminster Abbey later that day. Which would have been fine, but our bus driver got a little lost and she was running late. So she rushed Westminster. Hey fine, but after we saw Queen Elizabeth & and her sister, Queen Mary (known in history as Bloody Mary) burial spots, she rushed us to the Poet's Corner....right past Mary Queen of Scots, but not letting us go in. 

Westminster Abbey

Mary, Queen of Scots

If you've known me awhile, you'd know that I know my Tudor history, after all, thanks to Ancestory.com, I know that I am descended from the Tudor line (and the Woodville one too!). So to walk by such a figure of history (and a strong Queen at that) and not pay my respects, well, that was just not happening! What would my mother think!?! So before she had a chance to rush us out the door, I told her that I wanted to go back and see Mary, Queen of Scots. The tour guide laughed and asked if I was a Tudor history fan. I replied, "Oh yes, and my mother will kill me if I don't see her!" I wasn't joking though. I was determined.

You better believed I paid my respects.

Platform 9 3/4

After that, I took the underground to King's Cross. Harry Potter fans will recognize that station as the one with Platform 9 3/4 to the Hogwarts Express. I went to the store there and picked out items for my family.

Before I left, I made everyone take the sorting quiz on Pottermore.com to find their Hogwarts House. My plan was then to get a little something with their house on it. (Which actually caused some drama with not everyone liking their house ~ my mom got Slytherin!!)

I went back to my hotel and wanted to get something for dinner. I started walking around and I ran into a couple from my tour group. They invited me to join them for dinner and I was happy to do so. We had some amazing pizza.

The next day, we left London to take the EuroStar to Paris. 

I like London but I wasn't charmed by it like I was so many years ago. It's a city, with a lot of new skyscrapers and I felt the mismatch of the buildings made it hard for me to get a sense of London's vibe. Plus, there were so many tourists. I didn't walk around a lot and maybe if I wasn't alone, I would have. 

I'd like to go back again but with a travel buddy to really explore the city.

Next time: Paris was all I dreamed it would be and more!

I sat under this monument and ate a snack

Trafalgar Square

Tower Bridge

Big Ben

City street with view of the London Eye

Buckingham Palace

Statue of Boudicca with the London Eye - she was an ancient queen who burnt the city to the ground

This Isn't Real....

And yet it is! 

I'm talking about my trip to Europe this summer.

Remember when I was going to Iceland, how all I could talk about was Iceland...I'm seeing THIS! and THIS! I even showed videos about Iceland to my students.

But this trip is such a dream come true, not only did I burst into tears when I booked it that I haven't been able to even talk about it that much. Because it doesn't seem real....like it's not really going to ever happen. 

But everything is book and paid for....so I've decided to bask in the amazingness that is this trip.

First of all, I would have never booked this trip if it hadn't been for my Uncle Denny passing away. He was married to my Aunt Kim, who was a travel agent and together they traveled the world. My aunt passed away several years ago and my uncle soon followed. Not having any children of their own, they left money to their niece, nephews, and extended cousins. I was going to be super smart about my money, but I felt what better way to honor their memory was to do something amazing with it.

So I booked a trip to London, Paris, and Rome for this summer. I decided to travel with a group this time, instead of by myself like I did when I went to Iceland. 

London, England

So here is my dream trip!

Day One: 

Overnight flight to London 

Day Two:

Arrive in London!

Group dinner to meet everyone in my tour group

Day Three: 

Sightseeing Tour of London:

*Pass the grand Trafalgar Square and Baroque-style St. Paul's Cathedral

*See Westminster Abbey

*View Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Tower of London

Enjoy a free afternoon of London (and trust me, I WILL!)

Westminster Abbey

Day Four:

Free Day in London BUT I booked these excursions:

-St. Paul's Cathedral & Westminster Abbey

-London Eye and Pub Dinner

**Note on London: given my love of Tudor History, you might find it odd that I will NOT be visiting the Tower of London. The reason is that I was there when I was 16 years old and my mother let me run around the Tower all on my own and I had such a blast and it was one of my favorite experiences ever. Since I will never recreate that feeling, I thought, why bother? It's not like they've changed it and there's more I would like to see.**

Day Five:

Train trip to Paris (on the high-speed Eurostar Train that goes under the English Channel to Gare du Nord in Paris)

Day Six: 

Paris, France

Sightseeing Tour of Paris:

*Drive down the Champs-Élysées  in view of the Arc de Triomphe

*Pass Pont Neuf and Notre-Dame Cathedral

*See the Eiffel Tower, the Palais Garnier Opera House and Place de la Concorde

*See the Louvre and Hotel des Invalides

Excursion: The Palace of Versailles and Gardens

Day Seven:

Free Day in Paris BUT I booked these excursions:

-Luxembourg Gardens and Notre-Dame Cathedral

-Dinner in Paris and Seine River Cruise (with Paris all lit up!!!)

Day Eight: 

Flight from Paris to Rome

Coloseeum

Day Nine:

Free Day in Rome BUT I booked this excursion:

-Iconic sights: Vatican City (I'll see the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel)

Day Ten:

Sightseeing Tour of Rome:

*Pass by Trajan's Column and Piazza Venezia

*Stop at the ruins of the ancient Roman Forum

*View the Arch of Constantine, the Arch of Titus and the Temple of Venus and Roma

*Enter the Colosseum (there I can explore on my own)

Enjoy a free afternoon in Rome

Farewell Dinner with tour group

I think this is the Forum

Day Eleven:

Flight back home

And there you have it! It's exactly what I wanted. It's a quick stop to see places I've always wanted to see. And now that I know I can pay off a trip a little each month, it's opened up a world of travel that I didn't know was open to me. So I can come back and explore areas more in depth another time. It's super exciting and it is still not real that I am going on this trip! It makes me so happy!

To quote Jane Austen: "How shall I bear so much happiness!" (Pride and Prejudice)

It's still a dream......