Over the past 4 years, I have been an intern or part-time employee of STA Design. I say part time because while I was working, I was completing my bachelors of science in Interior Design and right after, my Masters of Architecture. Through 6 years of school with full trimester schedules, there was little room where I could take time and travel!
I had always dreamed of traveling and experiencing more than New England had to offer. After I completed school, I had the opportunity to go 17,000+ miles around the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom.
I started with a week-long trip with my nana to San Diego, California.
Then, I went on a two week-long cruise with my mom that stopped in Germany, Ireland and Scotland.
After that, I went on a week-long trip with my boyfriend’s family in Colorado.
CALIFORNIA
The first stop on my trip was to San Diego, California. My mom is originally from there, and my brother currently lives there, so this place has special importance to my family. I’ve been to San Diego a couple times in my life, but this particular trip was to visit my brother Tyler. Tyler is my older brother, we are 17 months apart and have always (basically) done life together. We went to the same camp, the same elementary, middle, high school and even college. I’ve always been a few steps behind, but we have recently been farther apart than ever! This trip was a chance for me to experience how my brother lives and what his life has become in California.
We started off our trip at the San Diego Zoo. As a family of animal lovers, the zoo was a great place to start. Tyler brought us around to one of his favorite exhibits, which was a large bird cage that housed hundreds of little birds. His favorite was a small yellow bird which is called a Ploceidae. The Ploceidae are considered to be expert weavers – and will take time to pick the perfect piece of grass for their nest. They then would fly up to their nest and start weaving the blade of grass into the existing pieces. A very clever way of building! The nest then would hang from a branch, holding a small family of birds. This area was cool to see, especially seeing that birds are in fact their own designers.
The next day we went to The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA, a short drive from San Diego. This field was filled with rows of colorful flowers, which was perfect place for some family photos and new bouquets. We then stopped by my brothers apartment to meet his own animals, and shortly after we set up to watch my brother play rec baseball. At night, we went to watch the San Diego Wave (Women’s Soccer Team) play at Snapdragon Stadium. Overall, this trip started to consist of animals and sports! Not too different from our childhood on the East Coast.
On the last day, we wandered into Old Town, San Diego to have lunch and do some shopping. We ate at a Mexican restaurant called Casa de Reyes which was nestled in between local artists, food and souvenir shops. We didn’t spent a lot of time here, but it was nice to stroll and enjoy the sun and the music. Later that night, we packed up our things and went to see the Hotel de Coronado. Hotel De Coronado has a intense and rich history and had been in operation since 1888. Although we were not staying here, we were able to walk around and into the common rooms that were open. My main goal was to see the crown room not only because of its architectural achievements at the time – being a 160 x 60 ft room, with no columns and massive chandeliers – it was also a place where my mom visited and even had her prom! The architecture was amazing to see especially since I personally love Victorian architecture. The mix of dark woods and patterns made the hotel feel homey & knowing that my mom was there made it feel even more special.
GERMANY, SCOTLAND, IRELAND – MSC CRUISE
This was a trip of a lifetime. Especially because I got to spend it with my mom. On any trip we would normally go on, my dad would be right by our side, holding the map, looking at another map, talking to strangers, getting the rental car, getting us on the right flight. But on this trip, my mom and I were all on our own. This new scenario was exciting if you ask me.
We departed from Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, and flew to Dublin Airport where we had a small layover. We then flew to Hamburg, Germany. Everything in Germany seemed… similar. Cars were on the right side of the road, the foliage was relatively the same and there were small cottages or apartment buildings on every abiding street. It was a beautiful small city that we were in, and not so much of a culture shock as we originally expected. The only shock was the converter plug we forgot to pack, which brought us out to the nearby city center. We had “dinner” in downtown Hamburg, strolled by and then went to bed at 3pm. Then we woke up at 4am.
Well, what do we do now? We read. Some things that stayed consistent through the trip was that we had no idea what time it actually was and that in any downtime we had, my mom and I were going to read. Some days, we just enjoyed the scenery and read. We didn’t feel the need to go see everything and do everything. A perfect travel pair – in our own eyes.
The next day was our cruise embarkation day. Filled with crazy taxi drivers, a stress free check ins, boat tours and lots of vacation starter drinks! Our first day on board consisted of relaxing in the lounge, learning about the different excursions we would be taking in the next 14 days, walking around the ship and lots of down time for reading.
Our first stop was in Cobh, Ireland. We cruised along the shore, docked and then started our first excursion to Lismore Castle Gardens. The gardens were breathtaking, filled with winding trees, and flowers I had never seen before. We wandered through manicured gardens and lush forests, stumbling upon castle ruins and sculptures. A perfect spot to sit and read! Unfortunately we had little time in this area and had to quickly get back to the ship, but It was a great place to start noticing how green Ireland actually is.
The next day, our excursion was to Edinburgh, Scotland. I was very excited about visiting Edinburgh because it was one of my favorite places that I have ever stayed in. I spent a lot of time in this city & based a school project around one of the sites. Visiting this city became a pivotal point in my life & I was excited to share it with my mom. We took a quick bus tour around the city and then ended up at the Royal Mile. We went into Edinburgh Castle, walked the streets and went into small shops, ate some traditional Scottish food for lunch and quickly got back on the bus back to the cruise ship. There is so much to see and learn surrounding Edinburgh’s history, this short trip was just not enough! Given another opportunity, I would spend more than a few short hours in this city. Even choosing only 3 pictures was difficult!
From Boston to California – California to Boston – Boston to Connecticut – Connecticut to Ireland – Ireland to Germany – Germany to Ireland – Ireland to Scotland… I still had half of my travels to complete! Many memories already made and more to uncover.
Come back for part 2 of 17,227.40 Miles & Countless Memories to see where I went next!
Lindsey
