Portugal Road Trip: Vila Nova de Milfontes

We saved some of the best accommodations for last! At this point we were nearing the end of the tip and kind of tired from changing locations every 2-3 nights. We knew we wanted to check out Vila Nova de Milfontes based on the surf forecast, but all the places left to stay were looking like duds. I probably would have given up and stayed anywhere at that point. But Bryan never gives up. He kept checking and refreshing booking websites until a diamond appeared in the rough. Apparently, someone had canceled last minute and there was an opening at a beautiful house called Casa do Lado.

We left the tiny streets of Alvor and headed back to the west coast, stopping at a nice beach bar for lunch on the way.

After about a two hour total drive, we made it to Milfontes. I had to work right away (are you sensing a theme here?), but the room was luxurious. It was nice on its own, but it was extra nice after coming from a journey of shared bathrooms and kitchens and sometimes single beds. There was a fruit bowl, tea, and glass water bottle in the room, for goodness sake. It felt like all of our needs had been accounted for.

In the morning, Thomas the owner (with his sister Mariana) served us an amazing breakfast in the garden.

It was a lot to eat before surfing, but we were not about to pass up such a wonderful breakfast! Then we got lucky and found some fun waves.

It was a Saturday, so we spent the rest of the day exploring some nearby surf spots and the town of Porto Covo.

We surfed a couple days, and the one day there weren’t any waves, we went for a coastal hike to a secret beach.

At night, we found a few nice places to eat—a really good vegan spot, a casual pub, and, on our last night, a highly recommended seafood restaurant.

One night, walking back through the town, everyone was out and about and we came across both a clown show and a musical performance in the streets. It was fun to see everyone out and about on a summer night.

I definitely started to feel like Milfontes should be added to the list of places we could stay longer term. I hope to make it back again someday!

Portugal Road Trip: Alvor

The next stop on our southern Portugal portion of the road trip took us even further into the Algarve. We left Sally’s guest house and peaceful patio for the great unknown of European tourism in August.

And we stopped for a bifana (pork sandwich) on the way:

We arrived in Alvor and navigated the tiny narrow streets up to our next guest house. It was a tight squeeze, but we were blessed by the parking gods and unloading the car wasn’t too difficult.

I had to work right away, but later we took a break for dinner in town. Alvor is definitely a heavily vacationed town with a busy strip of restaurants and souvenir shops. We grabbed sushi and walked down to the water just in time for sunset.

I’m in the midst of planning a work event in Australia, so there were some late night calls that week, but the work view wasn’t too bad:

One of the main reasons we wanted to stay in Alvor was to be close to the Benagil cave. And since we were so close, we decided to wake up early one morning for a cave kayaking tour.

How cool! We went into the most well-known Benagil cave with its circular skylight, then paddled around a few other darker caves. And we stopped on a nice beach.

A lot of other tourists were doing the same thing at the same time, so it was quite busy! But overall, kayaking was a nice way to spend the morning.

Afterwards we found a really great spot for breakfast (Earth Shop & Cafe), headed back to work, and at night went out for Portuguese-Mexican food.

That was all for our short and sweet time in Alvor.

Portugal Road Trip: Burgau & Praia da Luz

At this point in the trip, we were flying by the seats of our pants when it came to accommodation. We thought about taking a flight to another European country when we were back in Lisbon exchanging the car, but flights were expensive and that would have meant another trip to plan and missing out on a lot of southern Portugal.

So, we decided to stay and dive deeper into the Algarve.

We got extremely lucky and found an amazing place to stay. It was a bed and breakfast in Praia da Luz owned by a friendly and funny British woman (Salsalito Guest House).

The property was gorgeous and came with a lovely breakfast every morning. We knew there wouldn’t be any chance of waves for surfing, so it was the perfect place to relax and recharge.

Of course I was missing my puppy back home, and as a bonus, the B&B had two very nice dogs.

During the days we worked on the patio, I did some yoga by the pool, and we got the most incredible massages.

At night, we walked into the quaint fishing village of Burgau and found two great restaurants (Miam & A Barraca.)

We also took one night to go into Lagos for an outdoor cinema event. We watched Forrest Gump with wine and popcorn at the marina.

As it turns out, sometimes not planning is the best plan. It leaves room for wonderful surprises of where you might end up.

Portugal Road Trip: Sagres

If we were going to stay longer term in Portugal, Sagres would definitely be a top contender of location for me.

It’s a small town, but it’s one where we could have a not-too-different life full of the things we enjoy. This time, we went to yoga, visited our favorite coffee shop (Laundry Lounge), and even made a friend.

For surf, we’d have access to the south and west coasts. The south coast is flat this time of year, but we drove less than 30 minutes back up to Carrapateira for a few waves.

We also visited the “end of the old world”:

And found a seagull eating a sausage!

Our Airbnb guest house was nice— another fairly private apartment with its own terrace and a shared kitchen. The owner had a cat that he kept on a leash after it had escaped and gotten hurt too many times. Here’s Gato:

One night, we were driving home from dinner and stumbled upon a band playing rock music on a big stage. We parked the car and walked over, and it turned out to be a free concert in the park with Xutos & Pentapes, a famous Portuguese rock band from the 80s. We didn’t know the words, but everyone was singing along and we were very impressed!

It was a short visit, but just like last time, I think I’ll see Sagres again.

Portugal Road Trip: Heating Up in Aljezur

On a Monday, we headed back to Lisbon to drop off one rental car and pick up the next. It went smoother than we expected with having to possibly illegally park, get the new car, switch over the luggage, and drop the old car at a different location.

We got through it without hassles, then we headed south to Aljezur.

It was about a three hour drive to our next guest house. As expected, it was slim pickings for finding last-minute accommodation in Southern Portugal in August. We found a private room, but this was definitely our most “hostel-y” experience (shared bathroom, community kitchen, lots of people in and out), which can be fun, but isn’t always the best for digital nomad life.

Things might have been fine on a normal day, but the day we arrived was a 95 degree heat wave with no AC or fan. At night, it was way too hot to sleep. I went out and jumped in the pool at 1am to cool off— and saw that other guests had also gone out to sleep in the cooler living room and outdoor patio.

The moonlit dip actually worked, and I dozed off for a few hours. The next day, they brought us two fans and the heat broke, so all was well.

There were waves that week, so we surfed at Carrapateira, Monte Clérigo, and Amoreira. I think the heat and tiredness got to me, because I had a struggle with surfing a few of the days. Plus the conditions were sometimes shore break close outs that I don’t really know what to do with. Anyway, afterwards there was açaí (Sea You Surf Cafe):

And we found a couple of multi-cultural restaurants, including Indonesian (Maxi’s Warung) and Middle Eastern (The Hummus Kitchen):

Back at the guest house, it was still stuffy, buggy, and hard to work in the communal spaces. We weren’t too sad to say goodbye to that place.

So, it’s not always fun and games on the travel road. But it’s still pretty good.

Portugal Road Trip: Cascais

It was a long and hot two days drive back through the middle of Spain, but things cooled off once we got back to the coast of Portugal. We’ve both been to Lisbon a couple of times, so we decided to change it up and stay in nearby Cascais for this quick visit.

A lot of Americans have been moving to Portugal in general over the last few years and many of them to Lisbon and Cascais. Our guest house hostess didn’t seem too happy about her town being overrun with American expats, but she was still very nice to us visitors. And lucky for us, her house was a very cool place to stay. It was a three-story, old Portuguese home with seven bedrooms, but we didn’t run into too many other guests.

When we first arrived, the weather conditions were extremely windy. You can tell from the number of kite surfers:

But on the second day, the winds calmed down a little and we were able to surf a bit at Praia do Guincho. It was really foggy and—I discovered—rocky, but we had a pretty good time.

At night, we ventured into downtown Cascais, which sort of has a vibe like it could be plucked from southern California. There were certainly a lot of expats and English speakers from all over. The second night we stayed more local and closer to our guest house and had some really delicious tapas and spareribs at Pateo do Petisco Torre.

Next, it was off to return the rental car and commence the second part of our trip.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Stopping in Salamanca

At this point in the Portugal-Spain-France road trip, we had to get back to Lisbon to return the rental car. We use rental car insurance through a Chase credit card, which has a limit of 31 days. That meant we’d either need to make a 12-hour drive straight through or stop somewhere in Spain.

I’ve always heard great things about Salamanca. I studied abroad in Spain twice during college and grad school years ago, but never made it there. We decided to stop as a halfway point to break up the drive.

After we unloaded into our Airbnb (another apartment of our own— what luxury!), our first stop was the Plaza Mayor. We had a quintessentially Spanish first dinner of paella and cochinillo (roasted suckling pig) with patatas bravas as an appetizer (Meson Cervantes). All that plus a tinto de verano summer wine spritzer instantly brought me back to my college study abroad days!

For the next morning, I booked us on a free walking tour, but upon arrival we realized that the tour was in Spanish. It was definitely a dumb American error to assume that the world would cater to English speakers! We tried to keep up with the guide but quickly decided to hop off the tour and create our own.

The city is so impressive that it was easy to find sights to see! This blog was also a big help to me in figuring out where to stop.

We passed by the Casa de las Conchas on our way to the Cathedral. All the architecture is completely awe-inspiring, and the Cathedral (actually two cathedrals—old and new) is massive.

We thought of going on a tour inside, but we read some reviews that visiting the Ieronimus Towers of the Cathedral might provide more interesting views with less of a crowd.

It did not disappoint on either front, and I’m so glad we chose that route. We saw the insides of both old and new Cathedral, and we saw some amazing views of the outer towers.

We tired ourselves out in the hot sun and fully understood the need for a Spanish siesta. Later, once the heat of the day had cooled off a bit, we headed back out for tapas. Our server convinced us to try the city’s famous pork cheeks (tasty, but not something I need to eat regularly.) For dinner, we ended up grabbing takeaway of another local delicacy—hornazo, a pork/ham concoction baked in pie dough (forgot to take a photo, but you can see one here.)

And we capped it off with some gelato back in the Plaza Mayor at the Heladeria Bico de Xeado.

It was a surprising and spectacular stop! If you ever find yourself passing through the middle of Spain, I can highly recommend spending a day or two in this stunning city.

Chasing Waves in Capbreton

The only thing better than France in a city, like Paris or Bordeaux, is France with a beach! Our next stop on this Portugal, Spain, and France road trip was Capbreton. It ended up being a favorite for both of us.

We stayed for three nights and surfed at Santocha bay. The surf was very crowded, but one day was clean and fun, and I managed to catch a perfect wave between the crowds.

The break was really neat because there are leftover WWII bunkers on the beach. On the last day, my leash broke while paddling out, so I got the feeling of arriving on shore like I was going to war.

Capbreton was probably the best place to break a leash, because there are a ton of surf shops near Hossegor, including the coolest one I’ve ever seen, with its own coffee and barber shop and a revolving display of boards:

The town was also really lovely. Our guesthouse (a slightly grown up hostel with private rooms and friendly owners) backed up to the main street with a summer night market. We walked along the river into town for dinners and to the beach.

We found a healthy vegan restaurant (Monkey Mood) and a yummy fish fry (SO’FISH).

On our last night, we ate a massive bowl of mussels at a beachfront restaurant (Nina Cafe) and I forgot to take a photo, but the view was impeccable:

We got our fix of American-style breakfast tacos & burritos at the Pacific Coast Cafe in Hossegor, and on our last day I got another taste of my favorite pastry. I think I might try my hand at making them when I get home.

As we were heading out, I popped my head into the cutest bookstore and cafe in town.

We were sad to leave France, but our time in Capbreton was both memorable and delicious!

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

A Perfect Two Days in Bordeaux & Saint Emilion

The next stop on our Portugal, Spain, and now France roadtrip took us across another border and all the way to Bordeaux! This magical city would be the northwesternmost stop on our trip.

We stayed in an entire Airbnb apartment this time, which felt relaxing and refreshing after a streak of hotel rooms and guest houses.

We headed right out into the city to see and do… and eat! We were so excited to be around french food. Our first stop was a restaurant right on the river. The wine (Bordeaux, naturally) and meals were all delicious.

At night we walked along the water to take in the beauty of the city. And we stopped for dessert in the Place du Parlement.

We didn’t have much planned in advance, so that night Bryan put together an excellent wine tasting itinerary for the next day in Saint-Emilión.

We started the day by stopping at a bakery (not pictured) where we had an amazing quiche lorraine and I discovered my new favorite french pastry (oranais aux apricots.) Then we went for a tour and tasting at the Chateau de Pressac.

We actually arrived 15 mins late for our tour because Google took us to a different Chateau de Pressac, which is an abandoned castle many miles away! It took some speed driving to get us back on track, but we made it without missing too much.

The tasting was really enjoyable, seated at a table with a few samples and charcuterie snacks.

Our next vineyard was Chateau de Cándale. We had a break before the tour, so there was time for lunch. This lentil and hummus salad and the stuffed shells were so good!

The tour and tasting here were also very nicely done. We spent more time near the fields to see the grapes and learn about the crops.

In the late afternoon, we made one more stop at Chateau La Croizille, a small Belgian-owned vineyard. They didn’t have a tour or tasting at the time, but we ordered a glass of wine. We still had a baguette from the morning bakery and took it outside for a mini picnic with a view.

We came back to the Airbnb (there may have been a nap at this point.) But we only had two days to squeeze in all our Bordeaux experiences, and steak frites were on the list.

There was a long line when we arrived at L’Entrecôte, but we found out that it moves fast. The only things on the menu are salad, steak, and frites. So, what you see is what you get, and it’s worth the wait!

The next day we needed some non-eating and drinking activity, so we signed up for a bike tour (with Bacchus Bike Tours.) It was an excellent way to learn some history and explore different parts of the city!

Bordeaux is very bike-friendly, and the route was perfect for seeing samples from ancient ruins to modern times. Our guides were both really kind and entertaining.

Some highlights were trying cannelés and coming across a secondhand market in the hip Darwin neighborhood.

For our last dinner, we had a very french french onion soup at Michel’s bistro. Sadly, I ate it all before taking a photo (you can see one here), but here’s the homemade snickers bar that was dessert:

Yum. Then a walk back along the river was a lovely finale for our weekend in Bordeaux.

Portugal/Spain Road Trip: San Sebastián

After Salinas, we headed west for about four hours to the coastal city of San Sebastián. This was our most stressful unpacking of the car adventure yet, since our accommodation was right in the city with lots of traffic and no stopping zones all around. We managed to quickly unload the bags (giant board bag included) and navigate the check-in instructions in the pitch dark hallway of an old apartment building. We were in!

San Sebastián is a foodie town, and you know when we’re not surfing, we’re eating! These few days, the waves were small and messy, so we decided not to do the work of unpacking the boards and carrying them down from the apartment, but it would’ve been fun just to play around.

Instead, we embraced the local culture of “pinchos” (what they call tapas) and stopped at different bars and restaurants getting yummy little snacks with our drinks.

On Thursday nights, some of the bars in our neighborhood do Pintxo Pote, which gives you a combination of drink + poncho for extra cheap. That took us on a fun food tour around town.

Unfortunately, this week I had a few very late night calls, because I’m planning a work event in Australia. So I had to head back to work after pinchos (though not after Pintxo Pote luckily!) The basque cheesecake made it a bit easier to be on Teams at midnight:

And in case you’re worried about our health (I am, to be honest!), in the mornings we walked it off. One day, we went to the nearby town of Zarautz for a coastal walk.

Even without surfing, this was one of my favorite stops on the trip! I loved the little beach city, and I hope to return someday to enjoy it more.

Portugal/Spain Road Trip: Salinas

At this point, our Portugal road trip started to transition into a Spain road trip. The next stop was another city where I had no idea what to expect.

Salinas is a little town in the Asturias region of northern Spain. From what I read, I thought we’d land in a sleepy, old-fashioned village, with a few families enjoying their local beach.

But we arrived to something totally different. The beaches and parking spots were jam-packed, even more than the usual European summer crowds. That’s when we put the pieces together that we’d arrived on the last day of the Salinas International Longboard Festival, a popular surf competition!

It was nearing the end of the day, so we scored a lucky parking spot and went out to surf. Salinas is a big beach break, so there was plenty of space to spread out away from the competition. The waves were too big for me that first day (like they are most days), but I paddled out and managed to survive long enough to ride on my belly back in.

Our room had a view of the ocean, in a nearby part of town. The Asturias region is also known for its food (of course.) We tried some new things, like cachopo, which is two thin slices of meat with cheese and ham in between (La Sidreria had so many varieties to choose from.) Plus a big crepe filled with whipped cream for dessert (not pictured!) And one of my favorite breakfasts that Bryan tried for the first time, Spanish tortilla, which is made of eggs and more like a frittata.

By the third day, most of the pro long boarders had left, and I think I worked up my courage enough to catch a couple of waves.

We also stumbled upon a cool-looking campground area at Xago beach:

Then it was time to carry on our journey across Spain.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Porto

After our stay in Praia de Mira, we made a pit stop for a windy surf session over the dunes in Aveiro, then headed north to Porto. It was about an hour and a half drive for the day.

Porto is a stunning city! We arrived to our Airbnb and had some trouble connecting to the wifi, so I headed right out into the city to find a coffee shop for work (this one was great.) I was instantly wowed by the street markets and this church:

It seems like Lisbon gets all the attention, and I’d only thought of Porto as a wine stop on river cruises. But it’s an artsy and thriving city with so much to see and do!

Since we’ve been keeping US east coast hours, the mornings were free for sightseeing. There were loads of great restaurants, and we went on a free walking tour to learn some of the history of the city.

After the walking tour, we took a cable car out to the coast. It was a totally different scene, and also very nice.

There are lots of gardens to sit in and take in views of the city. We found one with peacocks roaming freely (Jardins do Palacio de Cristal):

On our last night, we went on a mission to watch the sunset from the bridge over the Douro River. Don’t judge me, but I like trying the unique McDonald’s items in other countries! So we ordered some just-OK fast food, but we were excited to learn Mickey D’s serves beer in Portugal!

We carried our beers to the bridge where we were wow-ed once again! The sunset over the bridge was beautiful, and it was the perfect ending to our time in Porto.

Portugal Road Trip: Nazaré & Praia de Mira

It was hard to leave Peniche and Baleal, because it was such a nice area, and there was almost always somewhere to catch a little wave every day (and probably because of the pasteis de nata every morning at our guest house!) But we were headed north and looking to explore more coastal towns along the way.

We decided to stop to check out Nazaré, not knowing what we’d find at this time of year when the famous big wave spot isn’t active.

We found that A LOT of other people had the same idea! The town was packed, with a mass pilgrimage of visitors making their way down the walking road to the surf museum and vantage point. We parked at the top of the hill and joined them.

Along the path there was a minstrel playing Ed Sheeran songs and this half-man, half-deer surfing statue.

Then we made it to the overlook. Even though it was only 4-6 ft that day and not surfable, you could feel the power in the shore break. It’s wild to imagine that the waves can come all the way up to this platform, but the photos and videos in the museum told the full story.

We spent a while in the small museum, which was very well done. It showcased surfers, photographers, and videographers with impressive images of waves and storms.

Big wave surfers must either be insane or existing on a higher level of reality. It’s incredible to see what they do. Don’t let the calm day fool you - there’s a lot lurking underneath!

After a two-hour driving day, we stayed in Praia de Mira. There wasn’t much surf combined with a lot of wind, so that created not-so-great conditions.

But we made the most of our visit, did windy workouts on the roof of our guest house, and went into town for meals and pretty sunsets.

If there had been waves, Praia de Mira might have been a more fun stop, but otherwise after three nights, we were ready to continue our on journey!

**Whether you’re big wave surfing or small wave surfing (like me), play it safe abroad with travel medical insurance. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Peniche

On our last night in Ericeira, we overlapped with their Portuguese Surf Film Festival. It was a really nice event, with a blue carpet, artwork from local artists, and some free food and drinks. We enjoyed the first film, about a surf trip from France to Senegal. The second one was a miss for us, but the event overall was great to see. It seemed like everyone in the town came out to participate.

Our next stop was another surfing hotspot, about an hour north, near the Peniche Peninsula. We decided to stay in the nearby Baleal area for quieter crowds, though of course everywhere was still busy as can be expected in Europe in August.

We found another lovely guest house (with a private bath and balcony this time!) and spent the weekend looking for waves, watching sunsets, and eating fresh pasteis de nata pastries every morning.

I surprised myself by catching some good waves at Supertubos, which is a pretty quick and steep wave. Lucky for me it was very small when we were there.

We were also celebrating the third anniversary of our first date! We enjoyed a bottle of wine out on the beach at sunset while we waited for our table. Then we had a delicious meal of steak and fish in a small Portuguese restaurant (Taberna do Ganhao). It was the perfect place for a special occasion!

There were even more spots to explore! With the wind and conditions, we hardly scratched the surface. But Portugal continued to deliver fun waves, amazing meals, and beautiful views.

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Portugal Road Trip: Ericeira

Olá! Happy about halfway point through summer (or winter, if you’re reading this from the Southern Hemisphere!) I hope your days have been long, relaxing, and full of sunshine and fun. We’re off on another journey, this time to Portugal and beyond.

It was a bit challenging getting here. Well, not actually that challenging since we’re semi-young, flexible, and can work from anywhere. But the deciding when and where to go took some time. We knew a Portugal summer was in the cards for us, but I had to stay in the NJ area for a family reunion and a last-minute work trip. Bryan wanted to leave earlier and tack onto a European work trip. But we planned to fly together so that we could bring my dog, Bailey. All that considered, we booked our flights.

But it all fell through about two weeks out when I realized that Bailey didn’t have the right shots for travel. The EU has different rules for the rabies vaccine and doesn’t accept the US 3-year booster. According to the customs powers that be, she was unvaccinated. I got her a shot, but it wasn’t 100% certain whether she’d be cleared by our arrival date. I decided not to chance it, and Bryan’s parents kindly agreed to watch her for an extended staycation. It’s never easy to leave a fur baby behind, but we were back on track to leave mid-July.

We packed up the surfboard bag and flew American Airlines to Lisbon. The flight was uneventful, but I tried to sleep as much as possible with my new neck pillow, eye mask, and ear plugs, and we arrived as well rested as you could expect for a red-eye to Europe.

Our first stay was a lovely guest house that I think I could’ve lived in, even with a shared kitchen and bathroom. I’ll make trade offs for a patio and sea view in a quaint fishing village.

Ericeira delivered steep strolls down into the little town, gorgeous sunsets, cobblestone streets, and tiny, outstanding restaurants. The one that stands out most in my memory was Caminito with its most flavorful tapas plates and chocolate mousse!

The coast of Portugal is often very windy, but there’s a very protected, nice surf spot in Ericeira. The reddish, rocky cliffs provide a picturesque contrast with the teal blue waters and there’s a built up board walk with a cool, dog-friendly cafe.

Our surfing was cut a day short by some rental car troubles. It’s only a blip in the rearview now, but it was a tough and long day waiting in the surf parking lot for Hertz roadside assistance to answer our call, send maintenance, then send a tow truck and a taxi. It was about a 9 hour waiting endeavor that eventually brought us back to Lisbon to get a new rental car. All in all, it wasn’t the best start, but it could’ve been a lot worse of a stranding, and the trip could only go up from there!

As the days went on, we got some fun waves and some small, still enjoyable waves at the busy break of Ribeira D’Ilhas. We saw amazing sunsets, ate at delicious restaurants, and I even tried my hand at cooking a Portuguese soup called caldo verde with chorizo, potatoes, and collard greens. It was tasty and I’d definitely make it again.

The 2-10pm work schedule was different, but not too difficult to adjust to. And totally worth it for mornings free to surf and eat brunch!

Even with rental car struggles, Portugal is always a 10/10 for me!

**It’s always a privilege getting to surf in other countries. I make sure I’m always covered with affordable and reliable travel medical insurance in case anything goes wrong. I choose SafetyWing because their Nomad Insurance policy covers activities, including surfing, in 185+ countries. To sign up, visit this link.

Top Things To Do in & Around Fukuoka, Japan

This past winter, I spent two weeks in Fukuoka, Japan. It’s probably uncommon for a tourist to spend two weeks in Fukuoka, because there aren’t a ton of touristy things to do, but I was there for a language learning program. It was a special experience, and I enjoyed my time in the city. I also happened to be there right before Christmas, which made it extra fun! If you’re visiting, I would recommend spending three days in the area.

These were my favorite things to do in and around Fukuoka:

1. Eat Ramen: Fukuoka is known for being the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen. It’s a ramen with a pork-based broth that knocked the socks off anything I’ve ever had in the US. I learned that in Japan, you can select the level of hardness of your noodles, and of course I always add a perfectly-cooked egg. It was winter, so I could’ve eaten ramen every day, and I very nearly did.

2. Eat at a Yatai: Yatai’s are street food stalls that used to be popular all over Japan, but now they are pretty much limited to Fukuoka. The stalls have stools around them, and you’re expected to move in and out pretty quickly, passing to different yatais to try other food and drink beer. It was intimidating at first; I definitely picked one that had more foreigners and an English menu, but during my second visit, I gained more courage and even ordered my yakitori and Asahi beer in broken Japanese!

3. Spend a Day in Dazaifu: Dazaifu is a city near Fukuoka that’s home to Dazaifu Tenmangu, a large shinto shrine. On a Saturday, our host mom drove us there, and it was such a beautiful day. There are also stores where you can go shopping or grab something to eat (you’ll definitely want to try ichigo daifuku, a type of mochi with strawberry.) It takes about 30 minutes from Hakata station in Fukuoka to get to Dazaifu. If you’re visiting the shrine, arrive early to avoid the crowds.

4. Go Shopping: Fukuoka seems to be well-known for its shopping experiences. Hakata Station, Canal City, and Tenjin Station all have crazy huge malls with tons of stores. It’s great for gift giving, window shopping, and enjoying Japanese design. My personal favorite was the Studio Ghibli shop in Canal City.

5. See the Itoshima Couple Stones: Although Fukuoka is on the coast, it’s more of a port city than a beach city. But nearby Itoshima will satisfy any beach cravings. I took the bus from downtown Fukuoka, and it was about a 30 minute ride on the West Coast Liner bus. It was a bit pricey for a bus ride, but it was worth it to me for the views. The couple stones (pictured below) represent Izanagi and Izanami, the creator gods of Japan, and each year they have a ceremony to replace the ribbon that bonds their marriage.

6. Visit Nanzoin Temple: This buddhist temple is an easy 20 minute train ride from Fukuoka. The reclining Buddha statue is said to be the longest bronze Buddha statue in the world. It’s really impressive to stand next to, and you can also go inside the statue. The surrounding area is also very pretty and peaceful to walk around. Definitely worth the trip!

I squeezed a lot into my two weeks in Fukuoka. But since I was in class most days, I would say you could cover everything in a three-day itinerary: one day for Nanzoin temple, followed by eating and shopping; one day for Dazaifu; and one day for Itoshima, plus more eating and shopping. Fukuoka might be a city of malls, but it has its gems!

Learning Japanese in Fukuoka

This past December, I finally had the chance to use my AmeriCorps education grant to do something exciting. I’d been holding onto the grant for years – you have seven years since completing your service term to use the money – and I wanted to apply it to something special. It took some time and a lot of research investigating options, but I knew I’d found the right thing when I landed on IPSL. The IPSL program allows you to design custom learning and volunteer experiences abroad. Over the course of several months, I worked with the team at IPSL to land on the right program. I would study Japanese for two weeks in Fukuoka, Japan at a local language school and live with a host family.

I chose Fukuoka because I thought it would be less crowded than the more touristy destinations of Tokyo or Kyoto and because it’s close to the sea. I communicated a few times via email with my language program advisor and host mom before leaving, but I had no idea what I was getting into. There was a mix of thrill and nerves about the complete unknown. Right before the trip, I visited my dad in New York for Thanksgiving, and the next day he dropped me off at the train station to head to the airport. He probably thought he was done with the whole study abroad drop-off thing after college and grad school, but not so.

On the very long flight over, I realized how unprepared I was when I noticed for the first time that Japanese magazines are backwards (at least compared to Western books.) It made sense, but I probably should’ve figured that out earlier in life and definitely before I decided to commit myself to this period of language learning. Other than memorizing my alphabet flashcards and a bit of Duolingo, I didn’t speak any Japanese.

But when I landed in Tokyo, this was my first view, so I still felt pretty good about my choices:

I ate my first salmon onigiri while I waited for the next flight to Fukuoka.

Once I landed, my host mom found me right away. She spoke a bit of English from when she lived abroad in England many years ago, so that made things easy. We waited to pick up my roommate, whom I learned would be a 65-year-old woman from Belgium who had recently retired and was going off on adventures around the world. Very cool!

Our host mom drove us home, then showed us the walk to the train station and how to get IC cards that we’d use to pay for transportation.

We lived in a large (very large by Japanese standards!) suburban house in a quiet neighborhood outside the city of Fukuoka. it was about a 15 minute walk and a 30 minute train ride to school. The school was Genki Japanese and Culture School (called Genki-JACS), which is very close to the landmark Hakata Station in downtown Fukuoka.

On our first day, one of the teachers took us on tour of the station and pointed out different options for lunch. I tried my first authentic (and amazing!) ramen and met some of my classmates. I was surprised to find that most of them were travelers in their mid-30’s, like me. I was expecting college students, but there were also moms, retirees, teachers on holiday, and even a few teenagers. The classes were short, 50-minute sessions with breaks in between and a different teacher for each session. There were sessions focused on reading, writing, grammar, and conversation, and everything took place completely in Japanese. It was quite rigorous, especially while trying to work my normal job in the mornings and late at night, but I guess that’s what you get when you sign up for an intensive language program.

The day ran from about 11 to 4pm, which was probably my only disappointment about the program. We didn’t have much time off to explore the city and our commute was pretty long. But we had some time for fun excursions on the weekends, and I wouldn’t have traded the opportunity for staying in dorm or apartment, which was an option some of the other students chose.

I learned a ton during the two week period, not only from the language classes, but also from unmatched Japanese hospitality. Our host mom introduced us to different foods and put together some new, delicious dishes every single night. I learned how to make and sleep on a futon bed and experimented with all the magical functions of Japanese toilets. I remembered how to study and eventually picked up enough of the language to introduce myself, order at restaurants, and ask a few important questions that would come in handy for the next part of the trip (road trip!)

Overall, I’m really grateful for the experience and glad I was able to find the space between life and work for it to happen. I hope to return to Japan again someday and I’ll always have very special memories from this particular learning experience.

Sayonara for now! I will share some more about our Japan road trip in a future post.

East Coast Summer

It’s almost time for another summer as I’m writing this, but in 2024, after we came back from Costa Rica, I got a sweet little taste of summer and “local summer” in New Jersey and New York. Bailey and I landed in New York City to meet Bryan, collect ourselves, and stroll in Bryant Park before heading back to Jersey.

Summer is the best time of year to be in New York, in my opinion. It’s an even better time to be at the shore, and that’s where we were off to next.

We squeezed in a few of our favorite things, like surfing, playing volleyball with friends, one summer concert on the beach, and the best garlic clams from Polly’s.

LBI is always a wonderful place to come “home” to. A couple weeks later, I visited my real home in Poughkeepsie, NY to dog sit for my dad and stepmom.

Bailey got to play with her cousin, and I got to try some new and old Poughkeepsie favorites. I picked up cider donuts from Adam’s and took a lovely outdoor yoga class at Fishkill Farms with Red Tail Power Yoga. I tried stuffed bagels from Moonrise Bagels and Detroit-style pizza from Hudson & Packard (delicious but not pictured.)

The Hudson Valley has become a hotspot for city folk, but (for the most part) it still feels like home to me.

That’s all for now as we gear up for another summer. Don’t worry, it will be here soon!

Costa Rica Road Trip

After spending a month in Avellanas, Costa Rica, we were ready to hit the road and explore more of the Pacific coast. We spent our second month—August—traveling in our 4WD rental around the west side of the country. Our first stop was about two hours away from Playa Avellanas in Playa Guiones, in the very popular area of Nosara.

The waves and walks through the jungle to the beach were quite magical. I can see why so many people love Nosara and have chosen to visit or even move there. It felt crowded to us in August, but I’m glad I got a chance to see what the hype is all about.

We enjoyed breakfast at Rosi’s Soda Tica most mornings.

Our next stop was Santa Teresa, another popular area for yoga and surf travelers to Costa Rica. This ended up being my favorite spot for food—there are a ton of great restaurants for such a small town.

It’s a one (main) road town with trucks, ATVs, and dirt bikes buzzing around, so it felt busy and bustling while we were there. But the place we stayed (Surf Vista Villas) was tucked away into the hills with a very steep driveway and gorgeous views. I highly recommend it if you find yourself in the area.

My favorite breakfast in Santa Teresa were from El Patio Cafe. I’m still dreaming about this smoothie bowl:

From Santa Teresa, we took a little detour north to visit one of Bryan’s favorite spots. We’ve both been to Monteverde before, but since the cloud forests are disappearing, he wants to make it a point to visit every time, and I was happy to oblige. After weeks at the beach, it was a nice change to head into the lush forest and the mountains.

One of the best things we did was visit an organic farm. We had a solo tour of a fully operational family farm (Finca El Paraiso) where we got to meet some of the cows and pigs. We even milked a cow and made homemade cheese and tortillas… and got to sample some delicious Costa Rican coffee.

After Monteverde, it was time to head back to the beach. We landed in Uvita— It’s a small town; easy to walk around and not far from many of the things we wanted to do.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about Uvita because they’ve fenced in their entire beach, and you need to pay a daily fee to access it. At $6/day, it wasn’t too expensive for us, but it definitely wasn’t the free and easy access we were used to. We were also put off because our Airbnb promised a 5 minute walk to the beach, and it turned out not to be walkable at all. Luckily, it was a quick drive in our rental car.

Oh well, the beach fee keeps the area quiet and clean. And we were able to visit Dominical for surfing and Quepos for white water rafting.

I’d say all the places we stopped were the best in their own way, but we really saved the best of the best for last. Matapalo is all the way south on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. It is not easy to get to, but that’s part of what makes it so special. We saw so many birds and animals that I’ve never seen before and may never see anywhere else. It was completely worth any amount of driving on bumpy roads.

We stayed in luxuriously rustic eco tents at the Four Monkeys Eco Lodge. I was hesitant about staying in a tent with a dog in a place with so much wildlife, but it worked out just fine. We saw all four types of monkey (howler, spider, white-faces, and squirrel.) Our hosts were very kind and hospitable. I would definitely recommend it and hope to return someday.

After our time in Matapalo, we drove about 30 minutes north to stay in Puerto Jimenez for a couple of nights. That gave us easier access to visit Corcovado National Park. We saw whales, coatis, agutis, wild boar, more monkeys, anteaters, and two tapirs! Corcovado Hiking Tours led an incredible experience that I won’t soon forget.

Our actual last stop was in San Jose. We were pretty tired by that point, and only planned to stay for two nights to dry out our clothes from the rainy national park visit. We returned to city life normalcy and went to dinner and a movie theatre:

That would’ve been the end of our trip, but I ended up making a mistake with the vet paperwork for Bailey and had to stay an extra night! There was mixed information between the requirements to enter the US and to leave Costa Rica. The US has new, more lenient rules, but Costa Rica was following their own rules, so if you’re bringing a (US) dog back to the US from Costa Rica, make sure you visit a vet and get the screw worm clearance. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress!

But Bailey and I found a last-minute hotel very close to the airport and were lucky to find the most wonderful vet (AlbaVets.) Dr. Alejandra was the best and really went above and beyond to help me.

It took an extra 24 hours, but I made it back to the US with Bailey safe and sound!

A Month in Avellanas, Costa Rica

Hi there! Nice to see you here in 2025. I haven’t written much lately, but I still like to use this blog to document my travels, so it’s time to catch up…

We spent the months of July and August in Avellanas, Costa Rica. It’s a tiny town with dirt roads where the main thing to do is surf! It was the rainy season, so the first two weeks of July were a bit wet. It actually didn’t rain so much later in the month and in August. We were able to explore quite a bit. 

We rented an Airbnb with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a little space to work:

We enjoyed the ~2-minute walk to the beach every morning to catch some waves. We surfed just about every day of the month. I finally started to actually get the hang of it.

After surfing, we’d come back to the Airbnb to eat breakfast and work remotely. At night, there were a few restaurants in Avellanas to try. We ate a lot of wood-fired pizza at Il Rustico and típicos, the traditional Costa Rican meal – your choice of meat, rice and beans, salad, and sweet plantains – just about everywhere. Our big ventures out were to nearby Tamarindo, which is a bit more of a bustling town.

It was a peaceful month. I loved see new parts of nature—bright blue and green butterflies and colorful crabs.

Bailey was more into the monkeys.

Since it was the rainy season, there weren’t too many sunsets, but the ones we saw were pretty magnificent. Especially this one on a walk through the mangroves:

Overall, it was a beautiful, quiet month. Nice to take it slow and appreciate the connection to nature. I can see why so many people have fallen in love with Costa Rica!