Where Have I Been?
Italy
In March of 2023, my family went to Italy along with my Aunt. We began the trip by spending a few nights in Rome, after which we flew to Syracuse, Sicily where we spent another week.
Rome
Rome was a really cool city. The hotel where we stayed was just a few blocks away from the Colosseum, and we walked past it every day. It was amazing to see how everyday life just went on around this missive historical structure, which reminded you just how ancient the city is.
Sicily
Sicily was also really cool and beautiful. Throughout the week we really got to know our area of the city, where we spent time in the market, the temple of Apollo--which the city is built around--and got to make an authentic Italian pasta dish with tomato sauce and sausage.
Spain
In March 2022, my family went to Spain, with my cousin and aunt. We flew into Madrid, and then took another flight to Sevilla, where we stayed for the week, with day trips to places like Grenada and Cádiz.
Favorites
The Alhambra
The Alhambra is a fortress in Grenada, built in 1238 when the Iberian peninsula was controlled by Muslims, and is one of the most iconic instances of historic Islamic architecture. We went on a four hour tour that stayed interesting the whole way through, which says a lot about how cool it really was.
Setas de Sevilla
Translating to "Mushrooms of Seville," this is a wonder of architecture located in the center of downtown Seville, with museums and shops underneath the platform it sits on.
La Catedral de Sevilla
Unsurprisingly translating to "The Cathedral of Seville," this is the largest cathedral in the world, according to most. It was originally a mosque in 1172, but due to the city changing hands between Christians and Muslims many times, it was converted and added-on-to frequently to become what it is today.
Plaza de España
The "Palace of Spain" was very cool to see. We mostly walked around the courtyard, the fountain, and under the arches. It was built in 1928, just before the 1929 Worlds Fair was hosted in Seville.
Panama
For our Panama trip, we had a fantastic tour guide who showed us around Panama City, the Panama Canal, and a beautiful hike up Ancón Hill overlooking the city.
Views from Ancón Hill:
F&F Tower
Panama Canal
Panama City
More from Panama City:
England
In March of 2018 my family took a trip to England, which was my second time traveling internationally. We spent the first few days in London, and then spent the rest of the week in the countryside.
London
In London we saw Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and more. We also ate some classic British food which really wasn't very exciting.
Roman Baths
We also took a day trip to the city of Bath, adequately named for the Ancient Roman bathhouses built there under natural hot springs.
Countryside
After this we stayed in the countryside with some family friends, and I got to attend a British school for a day, which was very cool.
Galapagos
In the Galapagos, we stayed in a beautiful boutique hotel located on a 60 acre coffee farm. We would take day trips to other parts of Santa Cruz, and to other islands like Santiago, Santa Fé, and Cristóbal. We got to see lots of interesting animals indigenous to the islands, like Frigate birds, Galapagos giant tortoises, Galapagos Land and Marine iguanas, and more. In our final few days of the trip we stayed in Guayaquil, a city on mainland Ecuador, where we took a beautiful train ride to a cocoa farm to learn how chocolate is made.