Category: Destinations

What to Expect at Drottningholm Palace

If you’re planning a trip to Stockholm, you may have come across Drottningholm Palace. Not to the confused with the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan, Drottningholm Palace is a royal palace near Stockholm that is also open for tourists. I was originally just going to say it’s a place you can visit when you’re in Sweden’s capital but during my visit, I made way too many notes to be condensed to a paragraph in my post on Stockholm.

So, here’s a full blog post on Drottningholm Palace!

A Brief History of Drottningholm Palace

The origins of Drottningholm Palace date … Continue reading

A Peek Inside Gripsholm Castle, one of Sweden’s Most Historic Sites

From its beautiful exterior to its lengthy history, Gripsholm Castle has been towards the top of my Sweden bucket list for a while. Just a little while away from Stockholm, it made an easy day trip and is quite a lovely place.

A Brief History of Gripsholm Castle

You may have heard of the Vasa ship, which is named after the Vasa dynasty of Sweden. That same dynasty built Gripsholm Castle. It was first constructed by King Gustav Vasa in 1537 on Lake Malaren, surrounded by hunting grounds. It was built to be a home but also a defensive structure, … Continue reading

Seeing Sigtuna, Sweden’s Charming First Town

Just a hop and a skip from Stockholm, Sigtuna is a popular day trip and also a historic destination. I was initially drawn to its quaint look and long history, so going on a day trip there was a no brainer for me. It was a nice little trip through several eras of time.

A Brief History of Sigtuna

Sigtuna was founded during the Viking age in 980 by Erik the Victorious, Sweden’s first king, and is considered Sweden’s first town. It was a trading town and a main center of power, and held that role from the end of … Continue reading

Visiting Visby, a Stunning Swedish City on the Baltic Sea

Gotland and its city Visby are both names you’re probably familiar with if you’ve studied medieval, particularly viking, history. The area is filled with artefacts from the viking and medieval ages that have made their way to museums and the Battle of Visby in 1361 is notorious in Swedish history. Being a history lover, Visby was at the top of my list for places to visit in Sweden. And it did not disappoint!

Here’s my overview of things to see and do in Visby.

A Brief History of Visby

On the ancient island of Gotland, Visby has a relatively more … Continue reading

Seeing the 12 Medieval Visby Church Ruins

It’s easy to see the medieval Visby church ruins have such a strong presence in the old city. Aside from the Gotland Museum and a handful of other things to do, they’re one of the main attractions – particularly for medieval loves as me. While seeing the medieval churches of Visby was something on my list, I didn’t think much about it because most are in a ruined state.

A lot of maps in Gotland are in Swedish only, so I’ve put the Swedish names in parenthesis. Some other helpful words include Sankt or Sankta for “saint,” Kyrk or Kyrka… Continue reading

15+ Stunning Sites to See in Gotland (Outside Visby)

Many people visiting Gotland visit Visby, which is a lovely city, but there’s way more to see on the Baltic Sea’s largest island. To be honest, I had a difficult time finding about things to do and see because Visby was always listed as “the” Gotland attraction. Many lists will have maybe 5 things to do on the island and it took a bit of research to finally get a decent list of things to see. And then… the list just kept growing and growing!

Here’s a list of some things I got to see on the island – and … Continue reading

Whale Watching & Spotting Other Marine Life in Monterey Bay, CA

I have to be honest: when we booked a trip to Carmel, Monterey somehow looked too busy for my tastes. But after going there for a whale watching tour, I firstly saw that it definitely feels like a busy town but a town all the same – even going 4th of July weekend. And secondly, I really enjoyed it because of all the marine life. It was actually a major highlight of our trip and that alone made me fall in love with Monterey.

What’s up with all the marine animals in Monterey?

As someone who lives on the coast, … Continue reading

Visiting San Simeon: the town of Hearst Castle and Elephant Seals

For our road trip in California, Hearst Castle in San Simeon was high on my mom’s list. She’d been there several years ago and loved it. I didn’t know much about it before visiting, but it was a pleasant surprise to visit such a lovely home with the added bonus of seeing elephant seals in their natural habitat.

A Brief History of Hearst Castle

William Randolph (WR Hearst) was the son and heir of a miner, George Hearst, who became a millionaire after discovering a silver mine on his bought property. George had bought some land near the coast in … Continue reading

18 Gifts of Experience in the Baltimore Area (For All Budgets)

Gifts of experience are becoming increasingly popular, and it’s easy to understand why. A “thing” can be nice but nothing really tops learning a skill or making a new memory. Since experiences vary by location, I’ve compiled a list of gifts of experience available in the Baltimore area. Some I’ve tried, some I haven’t but every place has good reviews. I hope this curated list with multiple price points helps you find something to give.

For this post, the “Baltimore area” means you can get to the event by car within an hour from central Baltimore.

How do you “gift”

A Trip to Obidos, a Beautiful Medieval Portuguese Gem

The medieval town of Obidos comes highly recommended, so it’s a place I absolutely had to visit while in Portugal. About an hour or two from Lisbon, it made a lovely day trip, and I had a nice time exploring this gem of a town.

A Short History of Obidos

Though it’s known for its medieval heritage, the area of Obidos has been inhabited since prehistory and was a Roman outpost. When the Moors and the Mozarabs came in the 8th century, it was converted to a city with a castle – much like it is today. In 1148, when … Continue reading