independent, intentional travel
While I spent two years living in Madrid, one of the things that excited me the most about moving to Alicante, sight unseen, was all the new things I’d get to experience by living somewhere new. It turns out that a lot of the things I thought were “Spain things” were actually just Madrid things. And day by day, I’m learning what things are Alicante things — especially in regards to food!
So here are just a few of the special foods to try in Alicante during your next visit. [Read more…]
Settling back into our lives in Spain after 6 weeks in the U.S. was always going to be a little bit tricky — we had to conquer jet lag, adjust to working different hours, and get back into routines like going to Spanish class. But one city-wide celebration made the whole thing so much more chaotic. (And meant that things didn’t officially go back to “normal” for us until about 10 days after we got back to Spain.) This celebration, the Hogueras de Alicante, is the city’s biggest annual festival, and I’m so glad we didn’t miss it! [Read more…]
The famous lifeguard stations say Alicante Beach, but they’re really at Playa San Juan.
We are finally back in Alicante after six weeks in the U.S., and the city is buzzing with excitement thanks to the annual Hogueras festival. (Look for my next post on that… I’m still figuring out what all it entails.) In the meantime, my little sister Carrie is here visiting, and we wanted to take her to the beach. Alicante actually has its very own beach, Playa del Postiguet, and it’s only a 20-minute walk from here! But it’s not our beach of choice. Instead, when we want to go to the beach, we head out of the city to a smaller town named San Juan.
We’ve now been to San Juan twice, and each was a slightly different experience, but both have been amazing beach days that left me very happy that we decided to go there instead of Postiguet.
So here are 5 reasons why you should visit Playa San Juan. [Read more…]
You can’t miss the famous windmill during your day trip from Amsterdam to Haarlem!
Last month, when I visited Amsterdam, I did something different from my previous two visits: Instead of staying in Amsterdam’s center, we stayed in a smaller city called Haarlem. While we originally started looking at Haarlem because finding a hotel/Airbnb there was cheaper than in Amsterdam, we actually felt excited about getting the chance to explore a new city And it turns out that getting from Amsterdam to Haarlem and back is really easy!
If you’re spending time in Amsterdam and are interested in checking out another nearby city, even if you only have a day, I’d really recommend Haarlem. It is smaller and quieter than Amsterdam, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to do or see there! And some people find it even more beautiful than Amsterdam. So here’s what you need to know about taking a day trip from Amsterdam to Haarlem, the Netherlands. [Read more…]
In April, Matt and I took our first big trip outside of Spain after becoming Spanish residents — to Amsterdam! We spent about a week exploring the city and its surroundings, and of course we checked out Holland’s famous tulips. While it was my third visit to Amsterdam, it was my first time staying for more than just a couple of days, and it was also my first time visiting in a month other than October. I was hoping to enjoy some warm spring weather, but it was not to be. 😅 But we still had an amazing time.
Without further ado, here’s my city review of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. [Read more…]
Tulips in Amsterdam… but you’ll need to go outside Amsterdam to see the tulip fields!
Amsterdam may be most famous for its charming canals, legal weed, and Red Light District, but there was something else that I didn’t expect during my first visit: Tulips are a huge part of Amsterdam and the Netherlands’ culture. Despite the fact that I had visited during October in the past, tulips in Amsterdam had been everywhere — from the Tulip Museum, to the “floating flower market,” to the magnets in every souvenir shop.
When we moved to Alicante, Spain, last January, I decided I wanted to take the opportunity to see the real tulips in Amsterdam, during tulip season! We booked our flights with Transavia Airlines and anxiously awaited our trip to the Netherlands. So here’s everything you need to know about seeing the tulips in Amsterdam and booking your very own Amsterdam tulip tour. [Read more…]
After three months living in Alicante and a couple of very quick weekend trips, we finally had the opportunity to take a longer trip: We spent the week in Amsterdam! The main purpose of the trip was to see the famous Amsterdam tulip fields (more on that later), but I was excited to come back to the Netherlands for the third time, and Matt got to check another country off the list. Luckily, it was very easy to fly from Alicante to Amsterdam with Transavia Airlines.
I had never heard of Transavia before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it caught my eye for a couple of reasons: first, we didn’t have to pay extra to bring a carry-on bag; second, it wasn’t RyanAir.
Keep reading to learn more about flying with Transavia and my review of the experience. [Read more…]
We’ve been residents of Alicante for just over two months now, and we’ve even had our first visitors! My best friend Hanna came to visit for about 10 days, and then immediately afterwards, Matt’s parents came for a week. Which means we’ve had a good reason to keep exploring our new city and find ways to entertain our guests. Luckily, there are lots of museums in Alicante — many of which cost only €5 or less.
While Alicante may be a typical Costa Blanca beach town for many tourists, the museums are a great way to spend a rainy day, escape the heat or cold, and learn something new. And when the museums are so cheap, what’s not to like?! With that in mind, here are 5 museums in Alicante you can visit for €5 or less. [Read more…]
Two weekends ago, we got to partake in one of Spain’s most exciting traditions for the first time: Carnaval! While Americans may be more familiar with Mardi Gras celebrations, the concept is similar. With the Christian season of Lent starting on Ash Wednesday, Carnaval is typically celebrated in the time leading up, though the exact duration varies from city to city. Here in Alicante, the main celebration was held on Saturday night. And it turns out that Carnaval is Alicante’s second-biggest holiday, so we were really excited to get to experience it all. [Read more…]
You can visit so many amazing cities by taking day trips from Madrid
As of three weeks ago, I’m officially a resident of Alicante, Spain! Which I think means I’m an “Alicantina” now. 🙂 But I’m still working on getting to know the city, especially now that the matter of finding an apartment is settled, so more to come about my life in Alicante. For today’s blog post, I wanted to share a topic that I’ve been meaning to write about for a while, from my days as a “Madrileña” — the 9 best day trips from Madrid, Spain.
All of these are day trips that I actually took while living in Madrid. Some of them are so quick and easy that you could be back in Madrid in less than an hour, while others are probably better suited to being a two-day trip or more. However, all of them are absolutely doable as day trips! So, here are the 9 best day trips from Madrid, Spain. (Listed in order of shortest to longest distance.)