katenian

WOW. We have definitely made the most out of our last 4 days here in beautiful Costa Rica!! A few days ago, we took a Hanging Bridges tour which was basically 6 or 7 suspension bridges that spanned across the top of the jungle. The highest bridge was SO ridiculously high, but it was SO awesome to get a great view of the rainforest and Arenal Volcano. Our guide, Walter, was awesome too! The next day, we took a boat tour to Canyo Negro, right on the Nicaraguan border. Our tour guide found a baby sloth...SO CUTE!! We were so excited to finally see a sloth in the wild. And he was seriously the cutest thing ever. Then on the boat we saw howler monkeys (also SO cute), caymans (little crocodiles basically), turtles, iguanas, lizards, birds, ... read more

Helloooo!! We have had an awesome few days here!! Sunday was our last day in Puerto Viejo. Ian and I went on a botanical garden walk in the morning which was pretty cool... saw lots of red poison dart frogs and learned how many different foods are produced. We saw raw cacao, sugarcane, black pepper, pineapple, guava, etc. It was cool seeing what these foods look like before they get to us. Then we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed our last plate of nachos from Banana Azul...seriously the best thing ever. I think we had nachos at least once a day. Everything (chips included) is made fresh at the hotel so the taste is phenomenal. The chips arent like the ones you get in the US... they are super light and crispy and amazing! ... read more

Helloooo!! This entry will likely be short due to the difficult computer paired with the 3 or so glasses of an amazing Malbec wine. Last night we went into Puerto Viejo for the first time... grabbed a few souveniers *the obligatory pin and some playing cards since Ian left ours in his boardshorts while we swam yesterday...whoops!* The town is really laid back and very Rastafarian...lots of the Caribbean vibe. We went to a well raved about restaurant, Loco Natural, and it was AMAZING. Lots of Indian inspired curries paired with amazing Costa Rican food. YUM! Today we went on a tour with another honeymooning couple *they got married on April 2* and a family of four from Boston. We started at the Animal Rescue Center where we got to see sloths and play with monkeys... ... read more

Hello again!! Another relaxsing day here at Banana Azul. I felt kinda sick over the past couple of days but am much better now! Today consisted of lots of swimming and chilling out. We woke up and had breakfast and headed down to the water for some swimming in the Caribbean. The water is so warm it's a welcome change from San Diego! Ian built a sand castle while I waded in a bit and we had tons of fun. We came back to the hotel *like a 30 second walk, lol* for some Pina Coladas next to the pool. Even while overcast *and sometimes raining* its still nice and warm here so we have been dipping in the pool every day. We read, drank, and relaxed all day until we decided to take naps... I ... read more

Ahhhh! Time for another blog post.... this time from beautiful Costa Rica!! Our wedding was everything we could have EVER hoped for... thank you again to everyone who came, helped, and made it so beautiful and FUN!!! We can't stop talking about it. Best day of my life so far by FAR. After almost 24 hours of traveling between trains, planes, and automobiles, we are in Puerto Viejo, a gorgeous town in the middle of the rainforest. We had to drive over 4 hours *on rather scary roads in a rather scary van* from the city of San Jose to get here and it was well worth it. We are right on the beach and the sounds of birds *and bugs....shiver* fill the air. Everything is so green and bright. We spent our first night ever ... read more

Hey all!! We just landed in Lisbon this morning & are hanging out at our hotel in Estoril overlooking the beautiful ocean! We had a great cruise, with some hiccups, but were able to see sights we only dreamed we'd see!! Here's a quick recap. Upon boarding, we were handed a health notification stating that people had gotten sick with gastro enteritis the cruise prior to ours. Cruise staff sanitized our hands EVERYWHERE. We were getting sprayed left and right with the stuff, and there were sanitizer stands set up all over the ship & in every elevator. Even the buffet was sanitized regularly & staff was onhand to give your food to you at the buffet instead of serving ourselves. It was a pain but we got over it because we figured it'd keep us ... read more

We're engaged!!!! Ian proposed today & of COURSE I said YES!!! Wanna hear the story? We have a little time. My family is going to love this one! :) So a few years ago, my uncle traveled to Rome a little while before my cousin did (hi Uncle Neal & Natalie!!!) & he hid a coin in the Colosseum & drew a little map for her to find it! She left a coin too & since then, many friends & family member have visited & left coins!! So of course, we had to find this nook & leave a coin too! It's raining here in Rome but we arrived at the Colosseum & started looking at the little treasure map & clues to find the nook with the coins. I'm short, & the nook is a ... read more

Hola! Estoy en Barcelona (prounced BarTHelona here...lol). We´re actually writing you from the same restaurant we wrote at in 08. Remember the entry about our hellish trip from Interlaken, Switzerland to Barcelona? Yep, that was written in this very seat! This restaurant is amazing. It´s called Ovni & is basically a Soup Plantation, but for cheap! We paid 6€ each for all you can eat salad, pasta, pizza, & dessert. Yes please!! Today we started walking around 10 AM and just pretty much never stopped. We stumbled upon La Citadella & Gaudi Cascada which were two things we somehow missed the last time we were here. We plan on walking around a little more tomorrow, maybe taking the train somewhere, we don´t know yet. Ship will be here on Sunday!!! Spanish people are much more laid ... read more

Just a quick stop-over in London before heading on to Barcelona. My sole purpose here is to get cought up on the jet lag and find Kopparberg Pear Cider. I have managed to do both and am very content with my cider induced buzz waiting to go back to Heathrow. Kate and I are beginning to become very good at this travelling thing. As a team there is not anything we can't manage, I think. We forgot directions to our hotel and managed to find it without a map and only a metrostop from and unsure person. Did luck come into play? Why sure, but who said that wasn't a part of travelling? Anyways, the darkness here is insane, the brightest so far looks like twilight back home. We are looking forward to an extremely relaxing ... read more

Well we arrived safe & sound here in London!! Our pilot sounded like Hugh Grant. Not just the accent...the voice, the intonation...everything! Made the trip very amusing for me as I definitely pretended Hugh Grant was flying our plane. The seats were VERY uncomfortable & we are pretty much going on 30 minutes of sleep. Food was pretty blah too, but the glass of wine at LAX was nice! We just arrived at our hotel here. The weather was a chilly 3 degrees celsius when we landed & it's pretty wet (although not raining...weird) & cold! We can't wait to fall asleep tonight. We're pretty tired! We're ready to eat & turn in for the night. We leave tomorrow evening for Barcelona!! :)... read more