This summer I took a quick getaway to the Hudson Valley with my mom for a girls weekend. There’s a tranquility about escaping New York City for the quiet, leafy beauty of upstate New York, especially in the summer, and I’ve shared my tips for camping in the Hudson Valley before. This was the first time that I visited the Hudson Valley without roughing it—instead of hiking and canoeing, we enjoyed an artistic weekend that included shopping in …
Gava, Spain
We’re finally on the last installment of my recap of our honeymoon in Spain, and this will be a quick one. We spent our final day in Spain in the seaside area of the small town of Gavà, right outside Barcelona. We were only there for 24 hours, so you might wonder why I’m taking the time to devote a whole post to Gavà. Well, I felt it deserved it since Gava really surprised us! …
Granada, Spain
After our two days in Ronda, we jumped in our rental car and headed for Granada. We decided to drop off our rental car at the airport right away and just take a taxi into the city. We were planning to stay in Granada central for the next two days, so we figured it would be a waste of money to let our car just sit in a parking garage until we were ready to fly …
Ronda, Spain
The small town of Ronda in Andalusia was my favorite destination in Spain. It’s the kind of town that makes the tour bus schedule as a photo op and lunch spot, but I found Ronda to be well worth a two-day stay. Reason 1: You will need at least a full day to explore everything this gorgeous city on a hill has to offer. Ronda has a completely unique geography; the city is built atop …
Cordoba, Spain
After our three days in Barcelona, we took a short flight from Barcelona to Seville on Vueling, a very affordable regional Spanish air carrier, then rented a car at the Seville airport. Many people were surprised that we didn’t choose to stay in Seville, and I’d love to see the city someday, but I really wanted to spend more time in Córdoba, so we decided to skip Seville on this trip. Tip: If you need an …
Barcelona, Spain
Andrew and I took a two-part honeymoon: We traveled to Scotland right after our wedding in October of 2016 and then saved up our vacation days to travel to Spain for 10 days in May of 2017, starting with three days in Barcelona. I have been wanting to visit Spain for over a decade. It all started with a missed flight. In college, I studied abroad in London and my girlfriends and I would often take …
My Favorite Books of 2016
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I had a book review blog. And while I don’t blog there anymore, I certainly didn’t stop reading and I definitely didn’t stop having opinions about what I read. So once a year I like to share my favorite books, the ones I’d recommend you pick up as well. Let me know what you’re reading and loving, too! If you have a macabre fascination with cults (like me), …
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Our last stop on our trip to Scotland (after a stay in Edinburgh and Glencoe) was two days in the Isle of Skye. This island has an otherworldly charm and so many natural wonders to explore. On our way there, we stopped at Eilean Donan castle. We splurged a bit and decided to stay at the Kinloch Lodge on Skye. The hotel reminded me of a classic English hunting lodge and they maintain some traditions that might …
Glencoe, Scotland
After our days in Edinburgh, we drove north into the highlands. We decided to stay in Glencoe, but I wanted to make a stop in the Loch Lomond region to hike. This region is known for its spectacular lochs (or lakes, as we say) and beautiful green rolling hills. We parked at a trailhead in the village of Balmaha and did a short hike to the top of Conic Hill. P.S. This is the best website I …
Edinburgh, Scotland
Andrew and I are actually going on two honeymoon trips. I know, I know, but are you really surprised? After all, travel has been very important to our relationship—we even included it in our wedding design by naming each table after a destination we had visited together. We were married in October and decided to wait until the next calendar year to go on our long honeymoon so we would have enough vacation time to spend a full two …
Caitlin Kenney Smith 