I'm honored to have been nominated for the Liebster Award by Kirstie from
Venga, Vale, Vamos and Betty from
The Pumpkin's Head!
"Liebster", which means "dear" or "loved" in German, is an award given to bloggers by bloggers. Once you get the Liebster Award, you have to pass it on to other blogs that you admire!
The Rules:
- Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you
- Answer their 10 questions for you
- Nominate 5-10 blogs that you think deserve the award
- Create a set of 10 new questions for them to answer
- Notify your nominees!
Questions from Kirstie:
1. If you were limited to only visiting home plus one other destination for the rest of your life, what destination would you choose?
My instinct is to say Madrid, but since Madrid is
technically one of my homes, my answer would have to be Paris. Paris was the first city I ever fell in love with, and to this day it remains my favorite city in the world. I'll always keep coming back.
2. What languages do you speak? Have you found them to be useful while traveling?
I speak Spanish and a little bit of French, and I'm currently attempting to learn German. (Ich will ein Glas Rotwein bitte!) Speaking Spanish has allowed me to experience the cultures of Spain and South America in a much deeper way, and knowing bits and pieces of French and German has made my travels through France, Germany and Austria
so much easier.
3. What's the best deal you've ever found while traveling?
A RyanAir flight from Madrid to Budapest for 40€!
A roundtrip ticket for only 80€? Yes please.
4. What's one travel destination everyone seems to love but you just don't understand?
Call me crazy, but I really don't like New York City. The hustle and bustle stresses me out, the people are rude (at least to my West Coast standards), and everything about the city seems oppressive to me. Surely I'm generalizing, but I get the impression that not a lot of people take time to slow down and enjoy life.
5. What travel goals would you like to accomplish in the next five years?
I'd really like to go to southeast Asia, become conversationally fluent in third language, and take a vacation entirely devoted to relaxing on a beach.
6. Who is the most interesting person you met while traveling?
Once I met a homeless poet named Johnny. He proposed to me.
I said yes.
7. If you could do any job in any part of the world, regardless of visa restrictions, language barriers, etc., what would you do?
I would be a professional macaron taster at Ladurée in Paris. I don't know if that position actually exists, but it's my dream job.
Hi Ladurée. Hire me.
8. How long is the longest trip you've ever taken?
In October 2012 I spent a little over two weeks in South America with my mom and stepdad. We traveled through Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. I wish we could have stayed longer, because there are still so many places in South America that I want to explore!
9. What is the coolest hostel or hotel you've stayed in?
Definitely
La Aldea de la Selva in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina! We had our own bungalow in the middle of the jungle, and I felt like I was staying in an enchanted treehouse. Sipping caipirinhas in the pool didn't suck either.
Jungle paradise in Argentina
10. What's your favorite part of having a travel blog?
Connecting with other travel bloggers! I've made so many new friends through the travel blogging community, and getting together with fellow foodies/adventure junkies/wanderlust victims always results in a good time. I love hearing everyone's stories and having conversations with people who understand the insatiable thirst for travel and adventure.
11. Are there any blogs that really inspire you?
My favorite blog is
Cupcakes & Cashmere, because I secretly aspire to be a modern Martha Stewart just like Emily. Some other favorites that never fail to inspire me are
True Colours,
Curiosity Travels and
Guten Blog Ya'll.
Questions from Betty:
1. What places are you dying to see within the next five years?
Istanbul, Copenhagen, Croatia, Thailand, Bali, Israel, the south of France, almost everywhere in Italy... the list goes on (and on, and on, and on...)
2. If you could live in another country/city that you haven't before, where would it be?
When I'm ready to come back to America for good, I want to live in southern California. I need to live somewhere with at least 300 days of sunshine per year, and I'd love to live in a state where I'm not socially ostracized for my NFL preferences. (Go Niners!)
3. When did you first catch the wonderful illness that is wanderlust?
I began obsessively dreaming about traveling the world when I was about 8 or 9 years old. When I studied abroad in Spain in 2010 and began traveling through Europe, my wanderlust started to peak. From there it's grown exponentially, and I'm afraid there's no turning back now.
Studying abroad in Cádiz sparked my wanderlust.
4. What's the one thing you cannot travel without?
My Canon Rebel T2i and Sigma f/1.4 30mm lens (along with spare memory cards and batteries!)
5. What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?
Getting stranded in Africa and sleeping outside of a bus station. Fun times!
6. What are your preferred lodgings: hotel, hostel, or vacation rental?
I'm a sucker for nice hotels. I wish I were one of those travelers who could say, "I only stay at Airbnb's because I want a more authentic experience", but let's be real: homegirl wants 500 thread count sheets and complimentary continental breakfasts.
7. Have you been somewhere that turned out to be completely different to what you imagined?
I was honestly surprised by how much I loved London. I thought it would feel just like any other big city, but I was truly charmed by its personality. One week definitely wasn't enough to fully experience it, so I can't wait to return someday.
I truly didn't expect to fall in love with London.
8. What's the best airline you've ever flown with so far, and why?
RyanAir! HAH, just kidding. Probably British Airways - because the first and only time I've flown with them, I used my miles to fly business class. It was a hard transition going back to coach after having a bed, gourmet meals and free champagne!
9. What was the best night out you've ever had while traveling?
I'm not a big partier when I travel, mostly because getting up early and sight-seeing all day really takes it out of me. But living in Spain, there are too many "best night out's" to count! Get me to a rooftop bar with some
vino tinto and a good group of friends, and I'm set.
10. What quote best surmises your attitude towards travel?
My Nominees:
Liebster rules vary online, but most specify that you must nominate blogs with less than 500 or 200 followers. I'm nominating six blogs that I love reading who (to the best of my knowledge) haven't posted about the Liebster Award yet!
-
Food, Love & Life
-
The Wanderlustress
-
The One with Wanderlust
-
Seoul Tapper
-
La Vida Laura
-
Route Words
My Questions:
1. If teleportation were suddenly discovered, where would be the first place you'd go?
2. Out of all the places you've traveled to, which country had the best cuisine? Which had the worst?
3. If you could live in one city anywhere in the world for the rest of your life, where would you live?
4. Is there a city or country that some people are crazy about, but you're
not interested in visiting?
5. Do you have a go-to playlist for long-haul flights? If so, what does it include?
6. What are three things that you can't travel without?
7. What's your biggest pet peeve on airplanes?
8. What foreign language do you wish you could speak?
9. What is your favorite movie about travel?
10. What's one destination that you are dying to get back to?
Thanks again for sharing the Liebster love,
Betty and
Kirstie!
