The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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How to Spend 48 Hours in Rome, Italy

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Do you recognize this famous icon? 48 hours in Rome was plenty to ensure I saw all the major sights.

Despite having lived in Europe for more than a year, and despite having visited Italy three times, I’d never been to Rome before. For some reason, I just hadn’t made it over to “The Eternal City.” Well… after my first visit, I decided I officially blamed all my friends who had been and never told me how amazing it was. I went for the first time in July 2019, and it was MAGICAL, even though I was only able to spend 48 hours in Rome.

My parents and sister ventured to Europe for the first time, stopping in Madrid to see me before heading on to visit our exchange student from last year, Gaia, in Sardinia. Then, they continued to Venice, Florence, and Rome. I met up with them in Rome, where we spent two days all together at the conclusion of their trip.

Anyway, though my time in Rome was short, I felt like I really got to see most of the things that Rome is famous for. So even if you only have 48 hours — like me — you can still check out these 7 must-visits and 3 bonus items!

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Day Trip: Madrid to San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

If you go from Madrid to El Escorial, you’ll be rewarded with this view

During my first visit to Spain in 2016, San Lorenzo de El Escorial was one of my three day trips from Madrid. (Segovia and Toledo were the other ones.) If you’re interested in Spanish or European history — history that certainly goes back further than the United States’ 200-something years — San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a good place to visit. It’s also the starting point for the journey to the Valle de los Caídos, or Valley of the Fallen, if you’re planning to make that trip independent of a tour group.

Learn everything you need to know about this popular — if slightly underrated — day trip. Here’s how to get from Madrid to El Escorial. [Read more…]

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The 7 Best European Summer Drinks

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It may have only been “officially” summer for a week, but here in Spain and most of Western Europe, we’re already in the middle of a bad heatwave. Temperatures of 102°F (39°C) for days on end may be normal in Missouri and other parts of the U.S., but it’s so much worse without one key American luxury: home air conditioning.

With a high of 109°F, I’ve spent the last 5 days bouncing from one air-conditioned cafe to another, chugging iced coffee by the gallon where I could find it and trying to avoid my stifling 4th-floor piso. Iced coffee isn’t a particularly Spanish drink, though. But it got me thinking about the summer drinks that are popular throughout different European countries. So if you’re visiting Europe this summer, hopefully these European summer drinks can help keep you cool — air conditioning or not. [Read more…]

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Day Trip: Madrid to Segovia, Spain

Segovia Cathedral

Segovia Cathedral crowning the city

I actually can’t believe I hadn’t written this post yet! The first time I visited Madrid — back in 2016 — Segovia was my first day trip I took out of the capital. I’d learned about this impressive city during one of my college Spanish classes, and I knew I had to see it for myself. Once I moved here in the fall, it was again the first day trip I took. I couldn’t wait to see it again. When Matt came to visit, I took him. And I’m planning to bring some of my future visitors there as well!

Along with Toledo, Segovia is actually one of the fastest and easiest day trips from Madrid. So if you want to plan your own trip from Madrid to Segovia, here’s everything you need to know! [Read more…]

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7 Best Things To See in Madrid, Spain

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Puerta del Sol at puesta de sol (sunset)

In the first nine months that I lived in Madrid, I had my fair share of visitors. First was Carson and Natalie, then Matt, then Morgan, then Matt again! After all that, I felt like I had a formula down when it came to knowing all the best things to see in Madrid. I knew exactly where to take my tourists so that they had the opportunity to really experience the city.

So I put it all together into a list. Some of these are “duh” items; some of them are just my personal opinion of things that make Madrid special and interesting. This list also is great for anyone planning a visit to Madrid, even if you’re not showing tourists around!

Here are the seven best things to see in Madrid.
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Side Trip: Madrid to Valladolid, Spain

side street madrid to valladolid spain

A bright side street I saw during my trip from Madrid to Valladolid

Valladolid was a city I’d been hoping to visit, sooner or later. It’s the city where my favorite Spanish professor, Heidi — the one who had the greatest impact on my Spanish history, culture, and language education — had studied abroad during college, and she’d always talked about it during class.

Well, guess what? Heidi’s husband, Tony, also a Spanish professor, is leading a study abroad group in Valladolid this summer! Which meant that Heidi, Tony, and their 5-year-old daughter Rosalie would only be a few hours away from me for the entire month of July. I hadn’t seen Heidi since my graduation 4 years ago, so I knew we needed to meet up. Also, I’d been telling my friend Sarah — who is about to start a Master’s program to become a Spanish teacher — about Heidi all year. Heidi told me she’d be happy to meet the two of us in Valladolid and give us a tour! [Read more…]

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Going Back “Home”: A Weekend in London

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The London Eye and River Thames from Westminster Bridge

Five and a half years ago (!!!!), I spent a fall semester of college studying abroad in London. It was one of the most important experiences in a long chain of events that contributed to me eventually living in Spain. During that semester, I had more fun than I’d ever had in my life. I met some of my very best friends, I was able to jet off to different countries over the weekends, and I got to live a lifestyle unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Most importantly, I learned that I could do it. I could adjust to life in a foreign country, away from everyone/everything I knew and was comfortable with, and thrive while doing it. [Read more…]

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5 Things to Know Before Visiting Palma de Mallorca

Passeig del Born / Paseo del Borne

After almost 8 months of living in Spain, I’ve finally taken my first trip off the mainland. (Yes — in case you didn’t know, Spain has lots of islands!) During Semana Santa, or Holy Week, my friend Morgan came to visit and we went to Valencia and Palma de Mallorca. Palma is the largest city on Spain’s largest island, Mallorca, also known as “Majorca” in English.

We spent about two full days there, and even though I’ve visited 10+ other cities in Spain, Palma was very different than anywhere else I’ve been. Here are some important things to know if you’re planning a visit yourself! [Read more…]

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Berlin Underground: Berliner Unterwelten Bunker Tours

berlin underground tour office

My last day in Berlin called for rain. Since I’d been to the city before, six years before, I’d already done a lot of the indoor tourist sights like museums and the Reichstag building. But as I browsed through the results of my Google search — “things to do in berlin indoors” — one particular thing caught my eye. “Berliner Unterwelten,” or Berlin underground bunker tours.

All of the reviews were positive, so I thought I’d give it a shot. [Read more…]

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How to Get to Valle de los Caídos, Spain

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A view of Valle de los Caídos

Funny story: a half-baked version of this article about Valle de los Caídos has been sitting in my “drafts” folder since April 29, 2017. That was only a week or two after I started this blog. I knew it was a topic I wanted to cover — it fits well with my theme of independent, intentional travel — but I couldn’t remember all the necessary details from my trip to write the article that I wanted.

So, now that I’m in Spain full-time, I recently had the opportunity to go back to this interesting place. Since I was bringing friends with me this time, I was wishing I’d finished the article two years ago so I could go back and read it. (Didn’t want to get us lost.) But once again, the trip was successful.
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