When London Calls. . .

London, England is definitely in my top ten on my travel bucket list.  The sights, history and attractions of that city make it almost irresistible.  Seeing Big Ben and those iconic red telephone booths in pictures doesn't do it for me.  I want to be able to see them for myself, not through a screen.  London has to be one of those places that you could stay for months and not fully discover everything that it has to offer.  Museums, parks, historic landmarks, architecture, and of course, the royalty are just the surface layer of London.

When (because someday, I will!) I go to London, there are a few things on my must-see and do list.  

• The London Bridge: One of the first things that comes to mind when I think London is the London Bridge.  Yes, I know that the original is in Arizona, but a trip to London cannot be complete without seeing the bridge, even if it isn't the famous one from the nursery rhyme.  

Reason for Return to Grand Rapids

Last summer, my family, two friends, and I went on a weekend trip to the amazing Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The few days that we visited were out of the ordinary as thousands more people than those who usually occupied the city piled in for the same reason we did - The Color Run! If you've never heard of this colorific 5K before, you can check it out here, and definitely be sure to sign up for the next one coming your way! The run was Sunday morning, and since we arrived early in the day on Saturday, we had some time to spare.

The first adventure that we embarked on, was the Frederik Meijer Gardens.  All 132 acres are filled with beautiful and exotic flowers and trees.  Dozens of sculptures, small and huge, are scattered throughout the site.  It was a nice place to wander around for a couple hours and literally, stop and smell the flowers.  A scorching day kept our visit short, however.

Three Decisions from St. Croix

After visiting St. Croix in December of 2011, I decided three things:

1) Every single part of St. Croix is beautiful.  Every part.  The white-sand beaches, the busy streets, the cheap, touristy jewelry, and even the back alleys with graffiti.  Beautiful, all of it.  The fact that those are all normal, everyday parts to a culture so different than mine is what makes it all beautiful in my eyes.  Something new, something fresh, something different. I like that.

St. Thomas - Take Me Back!

St. Thomas, in my opinion, is the most beautiful of the three U.S. Virgin Islands.  Though I was only on each one for a small period of time, St. Thomas left me with the best first impression.  I went over Christmas break of 2011 on a Caribbean cruise.   The day that I spent on St. Thomas seemed to fly as every moment of it was an unforgettable experience.  The first thing we did, once we got our land legs back, was hop into a tour bus and take a short tour on our way to Magen's Bay.  The tropical island was, to sum it up, green and gorgeous.  We got off the bus for a quick photo op above Magen's Bay.  The bay was so many different shades of brilliant blue, it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life.

Magen's Bay from above.  

Two Weekends in Houston

"Houston" and "hot" go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Of course, this is Texas we're talking about here, so why any of you would be surprised, I don't know.

I have been to Houston twice now.  Both times I enjoyed spectacular weather and amazing sights.  However, being a Michigander, it doesn't take too much to impress me weather-wise - anything above 60 degrees works for me!

Weekend #1: October, 2011
The first time I visited was in October of 2011.  Coming from 40 degrees to 80+ degrees was a most welcome change.  The hotel we stayed in, The Houstonian, was also where my cousins' wedding reception was held.   Complete with restaurants, an award-winning spa, beautiful grounds, pools, extensive gyms and luxurious rooms, this was easily the most fantastic place I have ever stayed in my life.  Being surrounded by gorgeous woods made it feel as though you were miles away from the city, not right in the heart of it.

Houstonian Lobby

Welcome!

Aloha!
My name is Allison and I love to travel.  Despite my greeting, I have not actually been to Hawaii.  It's on my bucket list though! Although my travel adventures have been few, my travel bucket list continues to grow day by day.  The places I want to go, things I want to see and people I want to meet keep me wondering and longing to wander.  You could call it an extreme case of wanderlust.  I love reading and many of the places that I want to travel to come from scenarios that I read about in books.  I want to use this blog to share the places that I go and will go in the future.  Exploring, discovering and seeing as many new things as I possibly can is my life goal.  I hope you enjoy following my traveling adventures and welcome to my blog!