Mexico

Mexico City

Four days in Mexico City—GO! We stayed at a condo in Roma Norte through Airbnb. It was right above a local coffee shop and near an adorable dog filled park. There were so many cute neighborhoods in Mexico City. Even though our Airbnb was pretty walkable, we did have to take a few Ubers to check out some restaurants (Ubers were easy to get).

There were free street art exhibits going on while we were there (November).

The historic center of Mexico City hosts the Museo del Temple Mayor. At only about 4 USD, this is a must see. There is an indoor museum and also archaeological grounds with excavated pyramid ruins. Be sure to check it out!

La Bodega

Pujol—Click right for for pics!

Street Eats—as you can imagine, we ate every chance we could. For Adam, that was every street corner.

Of course our trip would not be complete without Lucha Libre! We went to the main ticket office when they opened (11am) to purchase our seats (definitely buy the tickets ahead of time if you can). The event is super crowded and they sell everything from popcorn to masks. If you are into wrestling, you don’t want to miss this!

Quintonil

One of my favorite things to do in Mexico City was to visit the local markets. They had a variety of street markets selling local goods, handcrafted items, food and so much more (food).

Animal adoption event—if we could only bring home another dog!

Mexico City has a plethora of stunning parks. They were beautifully manicured and some even had adorable well trained puppies in puppy school!

Although I may have had enough guac to last a lifetime, Nicos by far had the best chips and guac. The Lavender pepitas and homemade flan was also a must try on the dessert menu.

We ran into bakeries on every corner—and of course we stopped in EVERY ONE. One thing we ate quite a few of, conchas. Conchas are Mexican sweet rolls—they are simple and delicious.

Coffee Class through Airbnb experience— I finally learned how to properly use our Chemex!

Israel

Jerusalem

We made it to Israel! We stayed with Nathan and Iris in Rishon LeZion (outside of Tel Aviv). It was a great little neighborhood (seemed similar to Brookline) where you could walk about the Main Street and their were cute shops/restaurants.

We went to the Jerusalem Museum where they had an Ai Weiwei exhibit and also the old scrolls.

We stopped at a local joint to grab some lunch in Abu Gosh- o.m.g. it was so good. I could eat this for every meal.

We drove through the Negev Desert on our way to the Dead Sea. The road we were originally going to take was closed due to flooding as the weather changed by the minute.

The Dead Sea was VERY blue and it’s true, you float instantly with zero effort. The water was heavy, milky, and your skin feels silky and dry at the same time. The salt scrub sea floor was great as an exfoliant.

You can see the country of Jordan from across the water.

We drove a little further to Masada. Instead of taking the cable car up, we decided to hike up al the stairs. Well, the weather changed very quickly.

By the time we reached the top, it had been pouring for half of the hike up and we were covered in muddy water. We were not able to get to the plateau as they closed the park due to inclement weather. Luckily we caught the last cable car down. We had to hurry back to Rishon as the roads were starting to close again!

The next day we made our way to Caesarea Beach. Here you can go for a swim and also see some ancient ruins!

Next up, Haifa and the Bahá'í Gardens. They are sacred grounds with beautifully symmetrical gardens. Not to mention over 700 steps. They do tours throughout the day, so we sure to look up the times before you come.

Afterwards we explored the town of Acre (Akko). It was an old port town with beautifully preserved old city walls.

We went to bakeries and had Kanafeh and baklava. We also visited a street market to view the abundant selection of spices.

Our last stop for the day was Rosh HaNikra to catch the beautiful sunset. The border to Lebanon was also right there.

Our last stop of the journey was Jerusalem.

Takeaways

• Very healthy lifestyle

• Everything closed Friday to Saturday at sunset for Shabbat

Mainland Portugal

Porto

Australia

Sydney 

Here it is in all it's glory, the Sydney Opera House!

After a long flight from India, I finally made it to Sydney! I hopped in an uber to Surry Hills and immediately fell in love with the beautiful tree lined streets that I would call home for a few days. 

I stayed by Bourke Street at an airbnb. It was conveniently located parallel to Crowne Street, which was hopping with cafes, pubs, and cute independent boutiques. 

The little backyard area was my favorite place to chill!

Cup Half Full was my morning spot to grab coffee, a treat and just relax. The staff were super friendly and made me feel at home (not to mention they made a killer flat white)!

DASH! Dash was the adorable dog who lived at the airbnb. We hung out quite a bit and I fell in love with him! 

My first day in Sydney I made the trek to to the Opera House. The walk from Surry Hills was just about 40 minutes, but I found it easier than figuring out the public transit. Spring had just begun so I found myself dodging pollen the size of golf balls!

The Royal Botanic Garden was unlike anything I had ever seen. The bamboo in the botanic garden sounded like a wind chime, creaking and hitting together. The smell of fresh flowers, the sound of bees buzzing, it was the most beautiful place, right in the heart of Sydney. 

Not to mention, the Sydney Opera was right in the center of all the beauty!

If you're wondering, I did purchase a selfie stick for my solo trip!

View from the Taronga Zoo! The coolest part was taking the ferry over and then the lift up to the zoo! The views were out of this world, and we even saw seals! 

Melbourne

I took the overnight train to Melbourne which cost around $75. It took about 10 hours so that was my “accommodation” for the night.

Of course there is the ongoing feud of whether Sydney or Melbourne is better, and that may be up to you. While Sydney has the iconic tourist spots (that are amazing), Melbourne has a bustling art vibe and better culture (in my opinion).

It seemed every street I turned onto there was another amazing piece of art to discover.

Okay, I had to try Vegemite. It is not for me - way too salty.

Phillip's Island

I did the Phillip Island one day tour (which costs around $120) to maximize my few days in Melbourne. The tour is a chock full ten hours that starts at the Koala reserve.

The drive was absolutely beautiful and I was able to snap a few photos while we were on the go!

The Nobbies, below, is an island known for the largest colony of fur seals. We made a stop here and there is a very pretty boardwalk/beach you can explore.

The Penguin Parade! The final stop was at Summerland beach to watch these magical little penguins make their nightly trek. There are no actual pictures of the penguins as this is very distracting as they journey from sea to land.

Great Ocean Road

Another full day experiencing this 12 hour Great Ocean Road tour. It cost about $100 and you were able to see quite a bit in a short amount of time. The road itself is gorgeous - you can gaze out at the coastal scenery and potentially spot wild koalas!

The Loch Ard Gorge (above and below) is one of that stops and is part of the Port Campbell National Park. It is home to one of the most famous shipwrecks.

The Twelve Apostles (above and below) are beautiful limestone rock formations that, even on a cloudy day, are incredible to gaze at.

We stopped in Apollo Bay for lunch (I had some pad Thai at a small family run place) to walk around. It was a cute little town that had amazing panoramic views of the ocean.

We saw some wild koalas along the way - sleeping, of course.