While I Am On The Topic....

...I want to show you a few of my all time favorite things/places we have seen on our travels! Now, just as a little caveat: You should know I am not one to be crazy about ancient ruins. I like to see them and check them off the list, but for me it is usually hard to spend 3 hours looking at (what I refer to as) "a pile of rocks." So while I have seen some very incredible, historical things, I'll let you call my dad if you want to hear about them and I will focus on the "fun" (playing,talking,eating) stuff!  

While reading about a place is never the same as visiting it, I hope you enjoy the details. Who knows, maybe this will even inspire a trip or two!

Below is a video of the Magic Fountains of Montjuic in Barcelona. When I graduated from college last year dad and I jetted off to Spain for a father daughter trip, spending time in both Barcelona and Madrid. This was one of my favorite highlights. I, of course, included a video segment featuring Disney music, but they had everything from classical to pop - appeasing all types of tourists from around the globe. I loved it so much Dad had to tear me away after nearly 45 minutes of water watching and music listening. It is hard to capture the true beauty of water in a video, but it is worth a shot - enjoy!

My next favorite, Longtable in Istanbul, unfortunately has been replaced by a restaurant called Supermarket by Longtable - but since they are run by the same people I have high hopes! Usually people wouldn't consider restaurants in there best-of-trips highlights but this is by far the best restaurant I have been to anywhere in the world. I mean just look at the whimsical decor below! The food was equally impressive (mom and I had an appetizer of green shrimp...they were really green) and it was absolutely delicious! Perhaps the most outstanding part about this restaurant to me was that we never would have known about it if it wasn't for the ad in a magazine at our hotel in Istanbul. We had just arrived, utterly exhausted,  and I saw the beautiful images portrayed in the ad. I knew I had to see the decor for myself and spent the next hour begging Mom to come with me (since Dad and Katie wanted room service). A few hundred, "please please pleaseeeee it looks so incredible"'s later we were in a cab and on our way to one of the best dinners of our lives.

Our green shrimp appetizer

One other food-related favorite was when we got to have dinner in front of the library at Ephesus- also in Turkey. Now I know I mentioned the "pile of rocks" thing above, but this time I really loved seeing this beautiful structure. When you took away the hustle and bustle of the crowds, it was incredible to really sit and enjoy the ruins. Talk about really stepping into history, I think the picture speaks well for the incredibly rare experience so I will let it do its justice.

Jon, Katie, Jeremy and I at Ephesus




Ephesus Library at night

 
As for a little about people: I know I have talked a lot about Africa recently, but Tanzania was truly my favorite trip and part of that was due to the Masai tribe. We visited the tribe on one of our days off from safari-ing. Little did I know our day off would perhaps have the most impact of the entire trip. We went in their huts, laid on their bed (after being invited of course), and met the most wonderful and grateful people I have ever met, especially the children. The children did not complain or beg, instead they were inquisitive- asking us what level of school we were in and telling us about their education. Every single one of them mentioned how they hoped to continue and hope that school was available for them as they advanced. Their determination, resilience, and curiosity was incredible, and also made me realize how much we take for granted. Now we did have lots of fun while we were there - dancing with the women and playing with the amazing children. It was truly the opportunity of a lifetime.

Sweetest children I have ever met

The boys wanted to see their picture on the digital camera



Us with the Masai



I'll end this post with a little bit of animal fun. While we were in Thailand we had the opportunity to visit an Elephant Sanctuary in Chang Mai. We not only got to interact with the Elephants, but we also got to ride them over the hills and through a river in order to see the beautiful surroundings that would have gone undiscovered by car. And I, of course, left wanting a pet elephant...I guess there is always next Christmas?

Katie and I riding through the river

I am only touching on about 1/10th of my favorite things so Mom and Dad don't worry when you read this I did not forget about the "incredible experience we had when _____" (insert what your thinking). Who knows, maybe I'll blog about those a little later!