jenni

go to stingray city!

gorgeous. didn’t have enough time here. it makes me want to learn to scuba-dive!

we stopped in key west on our most recent cruise. though we were only there for the day, i fell in love. it’s just a laid-back town. i want to go back and spend time on the beach.

we stopped in san juan on a recent cruise. we only spent the evening there, but i loved wandering around old san juan, and just hanging out in town. i’d like to go back and have more time to see the forts, and more of the island beyond that small area.

i’ve always been a city person, but alaska has become one of my favorite places on earth. it’s remote and practically untouched. everything is so expansive and gorgeous. even the people are great.

i can’t wait to go back.

we went to nassau for 4 days in january. while i loved it, i wouldn’t have wanted to spend more time than than in the bahamas unless i was island-hopping. you can see bay street and the straw market in one morning, and paradise island in a day. atlantis is fun, but you’re excluded from much of it if you’re not staying at the resort.

my favorite thing was the day-long trip to rose island. we went snorkeling, swimming in the ocean, laid in hammocks, and had lunch. it was gorgeous.

we were here the day after thanksgiving, right as the christmas festival opened. it was one of my very favorite moments on the trip. there are booths with food and crafts/souvenirs. they have a huge christmas tree, a choir, and an overlook from which you can see the whole thing. go at night when it’s all lit up. it’s beautiful.

the cathedral is gorgeous. it’s worth it to pay for the tour that includes the crypt. very cool.

one of the things i was most excited to do in budapest was go to one of the mineral baths. the gellert baths aren’t turkish, but they’re insanely opulent and worth the cost (which, at 2400 ft with the budapest card, wasn’t expensive at all).

the mineral baths are separate for men and women, and the pool and whirlpool are co-ed. there are two large, warm mineral baths, an extremely hot sauna, and a very cool dunking pool (for post-sauna). you can swim (slow) laps in the swimming pool, and the shallow end of it turns into a giant jacuzzi.

this place is unbelievable and shouldn’t be missed if you’re going to be in budapest.

it was worth going to budapest in the winter despite the cold. the city is gorgeous, and not overrun with tourists.

it’s very easy to get around on the public transit. people are generally helpful; the language is very unique and therefore hard to understand. the food we had there was EXCELLENT, and i had no trouble finding plenty of vegetarian options. shopping is good, too. count on carrying lots of cash; not as many stores take credit cards as the travel guides like to suggest. the only restaurants where you can use credit cards are the extremely touristy ones.