blog/life update we moved to austin!

Hey! So did you know Brian and I were living in Austin for a month an a half!? Probably not,  huh? So i'll rewind...after the road trip ended and we went to visit family in Seattle/ Idaho for a few weeks, we concluded that we could not endure another cold and wet winter. We decided to spend a month and a half trying out a new city and since we loved Austin so much on our road trip, it seemed like the most logical choice.

We rented a little apartment on Air BnB, that happened to be a few blocks from the river, and armed with four suitcases and one bike, we managed to settle into Austin quite nicely. We spent our time eating (a lot) and biking around the city. The weather was great and it was awesome to have enough time to really explore a new place. 

The apartment building:

We ended up securing a bike for me from friends and decided to sign up for Car2Go for days when a bicycle wouldn't get us as far as we wanted. 

Running path a few blocks down from our apartment:

It was our first time moving to just one destination for an extended period of time, without the goal of traveling around. 

 

Have you ever decided to pick up and try somewhere new? 

Wander In: Sienna, Italy

Today, i'm so exited to share with you all Taylor's wonderful take on Sienna, Italy. Taylor is the blogger behind the amazing blog, Anticipation and you absolutely have to check out her incredible watercolors on her Etsy store... (she's really cool!).  

1.Upon arrival, this is the first stop:

As soon as you drop off your bags, you should head back out to the Piazza del Campo! Not only is it the perfect setting to grab an evening apertivi, but you will be at the center of all of Siena's action. The Campo is the best meeting place, and you will undoubtedly meet friendly and curious locals who are just as into you as you are into them. The Campo is a great frame of reference to get familiar with as you explore Siena more frequently, and it's the perfect first step into immersing yourself into the city. After relaxing on the warm brick floor of the Campo, grab some gelato right off the Banchi di Sopra, Siena's main "street." My favorite gelateria is Super Panna, which has a big variety of gelato and generous sizing options! Super Panna Gelateria, Via Banchi di Sotto, Siena IT

2.To get a taste of the local culture, this is essential:

The best restaurants I found were accidents, and not planned. One of which was La Tellina on Via Delle Terme. The whole menu was in Italian, and that’s when I realized that this was not a touristy place. It was a small trattoria, which is not the same as a ristorante: the former is a small, family-owned business, while the latter is usually a higher-end, upscale business that isn’t necessarily family-owned. Another “accident” was a favorite of mine because of the kind, friendly and funny wait staff – and I could kick myself because I don’t remember the name of it, but I do remember that it was located on Via Galluzza in Siena. The waiter was entertaining and spoiled us with free desserts like crema catalana (it came out on fire!) and a delicious, crispy garlic bread made from scratch. The best restaurants are always the ones no one knows about.

3.To ride in style like this locals, I recommend this form of transport:

In Siena, the rapido bus may not be the sleekest or chicest form of transport, but it is certainly the most effective and fastest. Take the rapido bus to Florence, and boom! One hour later you're at a major hub. If you don't decide to take the bus, you can always choose to travel by train. I always liked TrenItalia's system, despite their (sometimes too frequent) train strikes. Nevertheless, I loved the routine of boarding a train, anticipating a new place to explore. You can't go wrong with public transport ation in Europe. Just pack light!

4.You will sleep like a baby here:

My favorite B&B was Al Mercato, right behind the Campo. It's a 30 second walk to the heart of Siena, and yet it is tucked away enough in a safe and quiet location. Al Mercato is located in what used to be the high-rent district of Siena, so there is a sophisticated flair to the bed and breakfast. The windows look out to a public square behind the Campo, where weekly markets are held. You can find the freshest Tuscan produce here. Al Mercato B&B, Via Giovanni Dupre, Siena IT

5.Want a souvenir, take this home:

One of the coolest things I brought home, amidst the boxes of pasta and fine leather goods, was a Contrada flag! Siena is split up into seventeen contradas, or neighborhoods. Every year, these contradas compete in an age-old bareback horserace called il Palio, which takes place in the heart of the city - il Campo itself. Find out which contrada is yours, and take home your flag! It's virtually weightless and easy to pack into a bag.

6.The locals and tourists like to get tipsy here:

One of my most memorable nights began at the Tea Room in Siena, which is located behind the Campo as well. It's a locally owned, upscale room that overlooks the beautiful gardens behind the city. My favorite drink was a strawberry daiquiri, which was topped with fresh seasonal fruits. Get dressed up to go to the tea room and make a night out of it! The Tea Room, Porta Giustizia, Siena IT

7. The culture here is unique because:

Each contrada or neighborhood in Siena is passionately competitve. Their contrada is their identity from birth until death. You will find that the rivalry is no joke, and you are to treat it with respect and sincerity because it truly dates back to the Middle Ages - I'm talking the 1500's. Il Palio has religious ties to the city, and the tradition remains strong. You will find that members of each contrade are fiercely protective of their heritage and will do anything to win il Palio, which is a one-of-a-kind banner-like tapestry depicting the event(s). Winner takes the banner!

8. If I had 24 hours here, I would spend it this way:

Wake up early, take a hot shower, grab a croissant from the kitchen nook upstairs, and then finally  head to the mercato (in the summer, Fridays are the fresh food and produce; Wednesdays you can head up to la fortezza and peruse clothing and other souvenir-like trinkets from another market).

On the way home, grab a cappucino at Nuovo Caffe Greco, and be sure to stand at the bar like a real Italian. If you're lucky the handsome barista who made your cappuccino will talk with you and give you butterflies in your stomach (sigh!). This happened to me, true story! Rookie mistake, though: don’t even think about ordering espresso after 10am.

By mid-morning, it's nearly impossible to walk along the Banchi di Sopra without popping in a few stores. Before the stores open, go window shopping and make a mental map of the stores you want to visit later!  ! A few memorable purchases that I made included gourmet pasta, a leather-bound notebook, and real Italian clothing from boutiques lined up the main via.

It’s almost the early afternoon and you’ve got to drop off all of your bags at your B&B! And all of this walking around is surely working up your appetite. Freshen up before lunch – I’m thinking pizza. La Pizzeria di Nonno Mede has the best pizza margherita I’ve found in Siena. The ambience is perfect for a daytime meal and overlooks all of Siena’s beautiful scenery, including the Duomo and St. Catherine’s church. You can even spot the Torre di Mangia in the Campo if you look hard enough. The pizza here is divine, Tuscan simplicity. You’ve been warned, though: you get a whole pizza all to yourself. Better finish it!

You’re going to feel like you need a nap, so head to the Fortress (aka La fortezza) , a true Sienese landmark. The fortezza is a gigantic, sprawling park with lots of grass and many benches to relax. Bring a blanket and doze off, or frolick in the fort’s grass and wildflowers. If you get a second wind, there is a nice bar in the fortress that you can visit for an afternoon drink. Besides that, enjoy the songs of the birds around you and take in an unbeatable view of the city from above. You won’t regret visitng the fort.

By the time you’ve made your way back to the city, it’s almost evening – and it’s time to get ready for apertivi! While you head back to the Campo, take a street you’ve never been on before and try to get lost on purpose. The Sienese will appreciate your attempts to get to know their city! Once you find your way back to the Campo, choose a restaurant or bar for apertivi – you can’t choose wrong.

Dinner is at my favorite restaurant in Siena,  La Finestra. It is conveniently located right behind the Campo and right next to your B&B! It is located in Piazza del Mercato, so you’re ending your day right where you began. La Finestra is quality, delicious Italian cuisine. My favorite dish is the pollo allo griglio that is grilled to perfection; pair it with roasted vegetables or a delicious zuppa of your choice.

The rest of your night is a toss up: you can hit the bar scene or begin your night in the Campo early. If you choose to go to the bars, I recommend Ristorante Guido for their fun drink specials and partial-outdoors seating. I have fond memories of dancing both in and outdoors of Guido with my friends! If you choose to make it more of a bar crawl, go to the Barone Rosso and perhaps il Cambio for a more nightlife-y, dance scene. My favorite nights ended not with the clubs, but with the Campo. You simply cannot go wrong by bringing a bottle of vino rosso and sitting out in the Campo, people-watching and conversing with true Sienese.

Thanks Taylor!

Wander In: Tokyo

Hi you all. I'm starting a new series of travel interviews called Wander In, and I am so excited to feature Taryn from The Wanderista! She has been to some amazing places and her blog will definitely make you want to quit your day job and buy a ticket anywhere!  I highly recommend heading over to her site!

So this is Taryn's take on Tokyo:

DESTINATION: Tokyo, Japan

1. Upon arrival, this is the first stop:

After a long flight, there's nothing like a hot bowl of Tonkotsu pork bone broth ramen. Luckily the nearest nearest noodle shop is never far in Japan--I gravitate towards the smaller, side-street spots.

2. To get a taste of the local culture, this is essential:

Strip down and spend some time soaking at an authentic onsen. The hot spring bathhouses are ideal for relaxing, observing tradition and bonding with locals.

3. To ride in style like locals, I recommend this form of transport:

The fast, sleek bullet train is a must--take it to Kyoto for a glimpse of Mount Fuji.

4.You will sleep like a baby here:

The Prince Park Tower is one of the top-rated hotels for a reason: It's conveniently located, incredibly luxe and offers stunning skyline views with its namesake landmark in the forefront.

5. Want a souvenir, take this home:

Green Tea Kit Kats make a delicious, inexpensive gift. 

6. The locals and tourists like to get tipsy here:

Locals and tourists alike flock to Karaoke Kan, the scene of Bill Murray's Lost in Translation rendition of "Peace, Love and Understanding"; Golden Gai is another must: Two hundred small, cramped bars (some with just five seats) crowd the alley ways that make up this nostalgic nightlife destination.

7. The culture here is unique because:

It's got all the vibrancy, hustle and convenience of a big city with the sense of community and charm more often found in small towns.

8. If I had 24 hours here, I would spend it this way:

I know it's crazy, but starting your day at 4am is worth it to be one of the few tourists granted entry to the Tsukiji Fish Market tuna auction; watch the frenzy over monstrous frozen tunas, then head down the street to enjoy the world-famous omakase at Sushi Dai; Next hightail it to Harajuku to shop and catch a glimpse of the eponymous girls in costume congregating on Takeashite street. Make time for a bowl of ramen, a relaxing onsen and a stroll through the impeccably manicured Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Finish with a delicious dinner at Gonpachi, famous for its food and Kill Bill cameo.

All photos by Taryn Adler, www.wanderista.com

Iphoneography/ Travel Tips and Tidbits with Amy

I hope you all had a fantastic long weekend and soaked up the last bit of summer! Around here you can already feel the chill creeping into the air. My weekend was wonderful, I was able to share it with close friends and my fiance! We were so glad that his boat made it into Seattle in time,  so that he could spend the whole weekend relaxing with his friends and working on his tan! I will share with you his photos from Alaska soon! As for now, here are some photos from our weekend: 

And without much further ado...I have a quirky little interview from Amy, of Don't Feed the Birds, Please. She is a student in England, and it is always nice to get the English perspective on travel:

1. Tell us a little about yourself:

Hullo! I’m AmyBird and I run the blog Don’t Feed The Birds, Please. I’m a student in England. Also, I’m a little too obsessed with birds, comics and Batman (who is my ultimate hero by the way; I do plan to hold a job as a masked vigilante sometime in the near future). Yep, I’m a nerd.

2. When/Why did you start blogging:

I started blogging because I wanted a little place separate from the rest of my life where I could share my writings, poetry and musings with other fauna. I needed a space where I could express my weird and random feathered self.

3. What is your dream trip:

National Geographic do some amazing expeditions/trips. The one that I really lusted over was a photography trip in the Galapagos. It looked amazing. Plus I’d be able to say hullo to Darwin’s non-finch fake finches (those guys are such phonies).

4.. Where is favorite place in the world:

My favourite place in the world….. well, I would say it would have to be Great Yarmouth. It’s a seaside town on Britain’s east coast and I fly down there at least once a year. Yep, it’s the typical seaside place that you see on the old postcards. There are lots of fish and chips, ice-cream and donuts that get thrown on the floor which I then have to fight for with the seagulls (I win of course). Then I can hop down the piers or take a perch on a donkey. I have being going there ever since I was a hatchling. In fact, even my granddad has been going since he was a hatchling! So I suppose over years of HarrisonBird evolution it has become an instinct to dwell in Norfolk for a week or two every so often.

5. Favorite food/ where do you find it:

Did you know that birds love brownies? AmyBird certainly does. It doesn’t really matter what type or where they are from (FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED MEEEEEEEEE!) You may be surprised that a bird has a love of chocolate brownies but then again you’d be surprised at some of the other stuff they eat…

6. Any great travel tips/ secrets?

Don’t hold back and don’t plan too much. The whole point of travel is to experience and enjoy. If everything is planned to the last little detail, scheduled and programmed, maybe your trips will be a little robotic, a little monotonous. You’ve got to ask yourself this: do I want to live every second of life as I planned? I got to say, it will be probably get very tedious very rapidly.

Travel Tips and Tidbits w/ Jay

I am delighted to share with you all the adventures of Jay, of the blog From There to Here. She blogs about her life as an expat and writes a great series called Expatriated, where she interviews other expat bloggers. 
Without much further ado,

1. Tell us a little about yourself:

Hi!  I'm Jay and I blog over at From There To Here about our life overseas.  Originally a teacher from Canada, my husband and I packed up our lives to move abroad for his job.  We started off in Gabon, a country on the West coast of Africa, where we were challenged beyond belief yet learned more than I could ever explain.  Currently, we're in Norway and although our future here is a bit uncertain, our fingers are crossed that we get to stay and experience a few years of life in Scandinavia.

Seville, Spain

2. When/Why did you start blogging:

I started my first blog, Into West Africa, in the spring of 2010 as a way of keeping in touch with family and friends as we lived overseas.  Beforehand, I had been sending out mass emails and blogging seemed like a good alternative.  As time went on, my readership grew beyond my family and I realised that I really loved writing it.  Our time in Gabon was coming to a close and we weren't going to be 'Into West Africa' anymore so From There To Here was born.

3. What is your dream trip:

When in Gabon, my dream trip was anywhere that had stable electricity, hot, running water and good food.  Now that I'm in Europe, I think I'd have to say the Maldives.

via

A hut perched on stilts over clear, blue water, cocktail in hand, spa treatments booked - it all sounds like paradise to me.  (We've been talking about booking this trip in 2013 to celebrate the year we turn 30.)

4. Where is your favorite place in the world:

This one is really difficult for me and I don't really have a clear winner.  I love our university town, Edmonton, Alberta.  It's where I met my husband and some of my best friends and I identify it as 'home' more than any other place.  Abroad, I love Cape Town.  The city is stunning.  There are so many funky little areas to explore, the history is rich, wine country is around the corner - both my husband and I fell in love with that city and I yearn to return.

Chapman's Peak Drive, South Africa

5. Favorite food/ where do you find it:

I have to start with my favourite drink - if I could sustain my body on it, I would.  It's called a "Caesar" and it's the Canadian version of the bloody mary.  I've been in love with this drink since elementary school (yes, while my brother & sister were ordering Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers, I was ordering a virgin caesar, extra spicy.)  Unfortunately, it's near impossible to find outside of Canada and it's the one thing I miss the most from home (and the first thing I order when I step foot in a Canadian airport.)

As for 'real' food, I love a spicy, vegetable Pad Thai.  Unfortunately, I've never been to Thailand but I long for the day where I can eat it every day and I will make it my personal mission to find 'the best' pad thai out there!

6. Any great travel tips/ secrets?

I'm a researcher.  When planning a trip, I'm a TripAdvisor addict.  While I take the reviews with a grain of salt, I love hearing others first hand experiences.  It helps me to know what to expect and occasionally, you find some great advice to help plan the trip.

Most importantly...

Don't procrastinate - if there's a trip you want to do, save, research and book it.  I can't imagine ever regretting spending money on a trip because the experience will always be invaluable.  

Paris, France

Thank you Jay! 

*I have a little guest post/interview on travel over @ HM if you want to pop on over! *

Photo Friday

Any big plans for the weekend? We are still trying to come up with something for St. Patricks day,  but if it stops raining, I might try and do a last minute 5k run. I also really want to see The Descendants this weekend! I just finished the book, and now I can't wait to see the movie (even though movies are usually way worse than the books). It is still in theaters here, but i'm pretty sure it is coming out on video soon?

Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend and send some sunshine our way!

Link Love

We are getting married here!

Un happy Hipsters blog; hilarious!

Things made from Swiss army blankets (I want it all)

Well Traveled Woman: best Tumblr ever

Another great travel blog

House Hunters International

Do you ever watch House Hunters International? It's one of my guilty pleasures. I can't help but watch episode after episode of people shopping for new houses/new lives in foreign countries (while secretly plotting how I am going to do the same). 

You can also watch full episodes online over at HGTV.

Last night we caught an episode of a young couple, Kate and Rob, moving to Florence. Kate has a delightful blog over at La Vita e Bella, which is all about expat life,  you can even find an Italian citizenship guide. 

I've already started digging into my family tree for some Italians (no luck), but thank god my fiance is part Italian, we might stand a chance at citizenship!

 They even moved their dog with them to Italy! I'm officially jealous...

Click here to read La Vita e Bella