Off Topic Thursday: Europe Trip

30 Aug

I’ve been building up to this for eight months not but it finally happened! My husband and I took a two-week trip to Europe last month. Some called it a second honeymoon, others a 5-year anniversary trip and I thought of it as an early graduation present to myself. This was my third time traveling in Europe but it was only my husband’s first!

Our first stop was Amsterdam. A friend of mine from high school swimming now lives there so we were able to stay at his place. I really fell in love with the city and if I was going to return to any of our destinations, it would be Amsterdam. Some of our highlights include a bike tour of the countryside, the Anne Frank House, and the MOCO Museum.

Next, we went to Belfast. I planned this stop just to see the Titanic Museum. We spent 7 hours there, completely missing our lunch that day and it was SO WORTH IT! My inner Titanic nerd was well served and I give the museum my highest recommendation. We spent the second day on a Paddywagon tour to see Giant’s Causeway which was beautiful.

From there we moved on to Barcelona and all the paella I could eat. We enjoyed Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia immensely. I wanted to see the church before it’s finished (fingers crossed for 2026!) and I want to see it again when it’s done. We also took a day to relax on the beach and explore the Gothic Quarter.

We went to Belgium and met with a friend of mine from high school. He’s German and had been an exchange student at my high school and we kept in touch since. The last time we saw each other was for our wedding so it really felt like an anniversary trip here. We toured the Parlamentarium building, saw the Antonium and the Mannekin Pis. Really, we drank a lot of good beer and had waffles. The city was really beautiful and I was amazed by the history packed into the center of town that we ended up walking through to get anywhere.

Our last stop was Reykjavik. We got to see puffins and whales which was one of the things I was most looking forward to on that leg of the trip. The city is quite small so we got to see everything we wanted to and more. If you ever go stop in Icelandic Street Food for some amazing soup and the best hospitality I’ve ever experienced.

That’s my quick overview but I have a ton of pictures on Instagram that I haven’t included here. Please consider following me if you don’t already and check out some other great moments from my trip. It was incredible and something I won’t soon forget. I’m already planning something for my next vacation so stay tuned for more!

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

9 Responses to “Off Topic Thursday: Europe Trip”

  1. Laila@BigReadingLife August 30, 2018 at 2:42 PM #

    How wonderful! Thanks for sharing your fun pictures!

    Like

    • Sam August 30, 2018 at 4:54 PM #

      Thanks! It was a joy to travel and I’m glad to share. Happy traveling!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Whimsically Meghan August 30, 2018 at 4:53 PM #

    Wow, it sounds like you had a blast! You got to quite a few places in two weeks! That makes me feel better when I set off to the UK for two weeks sometime next year! 🙂

    Like

    • Sam August 30, 2018 at 5:46 PM #

      There’s a very different dynamic when you spend a long time in one place. You’ll have an amazing trip!! Happy traveling.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Whimsically Meghan August 31, 2018 at 4:11 PM #

        This is true! Thank you, I’m looking forward to it (even though nothing has been planned yet)!

        Like

  3. carhicks August 31, 2018 at 8:41 PM #

    Wow, that is quite the trip, it sounds amazing. So glad you had a good time and were able to reconnect with some friends. BTW, you and your husband make a cute couple.

    Like

    • Sam September 1, 2018 at 10:22 AM #

      Thank you! We had a blast and I’m already thinking of how we can do it again. Happy travels!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Rae Longest September 1, 2018 at 6:30 AM #

    WOW! What a wonderful post. Thanks for taking me along with you!

    Like

    • Sam September 1, 2018 at 10:22 AM #

      Glad you could come! I love sharing it on Instagram. Happy travels!

      Liked by 1 person

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