Puff, Puff, Give: Smoking Cigars in Vinales Valley, Cuba’s World-Renowned Tobacco Region
The second installment of my Top 50 Travel Experiences of All Time series, and while selecting the ten for this volume proved to be much more challenging than my prior post, the real challenge lied in how to go about ranking them. Depending on the day, the order of these ten experiences vastly changed. How do I begin to compare, for example, the unparalleled dramatic beauty of Lake Louise with the bustling and diverse city of London? Well, to be honest, this task turned out to be much more difficult than I had originally anticipated.
Standing in awe of Lake Louise’s vivid turquoise waters
So please know this: while this post serves as my final attempt to rank my favorite travel experiences #31-40, please know that I must have modified the order of these selections at least a dozen times, and I’m not entirely sure this ranking would hold its stance if I allowed myself to continue editing, even for one more minute.
London: In all of its illuminated splendor
Fishing in Belize’s Diverse and Prolific Barrier Reef
Holland’s incredible flower gardens in all of its glory
Tango in Buenos Aires’ seedy, but colorful, La Boca neighborhood
Welcome Home: The piercing-blue coast of Santo Stefano, Sicily
So here it is, the next tier: My final ranking of my all-time top travel 50 experiences: #31-40.
#40: Wake Up & Smell The Tulips: Flower Power In Holland’s Flower Gardens
The sole reason we visited the Netherlands during the spring season as opposed to summertime was because of its glorious flower gardens. And boy, am I so glad we did! Visiting the largest flower garden in the world and seeing the tulips and other flowers in all of their brilliant bloom was easily one of the highlights of our trip to Amsterdam [plus all of the other things you go to Amsterdam for, but I’m choosing to keep this blog post series as PG-rated as humanly possible].
A radiant rainbow of colors permeate the extensive collection of gardens and fields making for a stunning display. The dazzling hues of red, pink and yellow are overwhelmingly striking; a bright sumptuous feast for both the eyes and nose. If you’re flexible in terms of when you can travel to the Netherlands, try your best to time it with its resplendent blooming season. You won’t regret it!
To read more about Holland’s spectacular flower gardens and their magical healing powers, click here.
To read about all of the other things that we saw, ate, drank, and experienced in Amsterdam [or at least the things I’m allowed to put in print], click here.
#39: Blue Crush: Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canada
You know those amazing photos of Canada’s Banff National Park that you’ve seen in travel magazines and on your Instagram feed? They are the real deal, people. Few places live up to the remarkable perfection that’s often depicted in photos due to modern-day editing and filtering tools, but let me tell you, Banff does. Its incomparable natural beauty lives up to all of its astounding hype and then some.
These amazing photos that continuously dominate my Instagram feed [I follow a lot of fellow travel bloggers, by the way] played a major role in my decision to visit Banff this summer. And I am thrilled to report that my ridiculously high expectations were not only met, but completely exceeded!
Encircled by towering snow-capped mountains, the glistening crystal-clear turquoise-sometimes-emerald lake is a sight to be seen. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen a lake so lustrous and spectacular in person. The fantastic day we spent here was comprised of exploring its meticulously-kept and pristine grounds and trails, sipping on [delicious, I should add] Canadian wine at the iconic Fairmont Lake Louise Hotel while surrounded by staggering scenery, and canoeing along its tranquil and luminous waters.
Me, just chillin’, after losing my oar in Lake Louise…more about that in a future blog post.
Easily our favorite day of our trip to Alberta, as well as our favorite experience of all of our 5 various trips to Canada. Simply put, our northern neighbor is absolutely gorgeous.
Stay tuned for a detailed travel guide on how to visit heavenly Banff.
Click here to read an unrelated, but a Canadian trip blog post nonetheless, if you find that you have some extra time on your hands.
#38: Soaking It All In: Budapest’s Thermal Baths
If you’ve been to Budapest, then you know just how majestic and spellbinding it truly is. The city encompasses a magical merge of striking allure, historical grandeur, and cutting-edge grittiness.
To add to its impressive resume, Budapest is also known as the City of Baths, due to its location on a fault line, and its thermal baths are naturally fed by 120 hot springs. One of the highlights of our trip was spending an afternoon at Gellert Spa and Bath, one of the city’s oldest and most famous bathhouses, and soaking in its luxurious and therapeutic thermal baths.
With its mosaic walls and floors, stained glass windows and Roman-style columns, the building’s interior is ornate and lavish. Sitting in hundred-degree water enraptured by opulence, I felt my body begin to melt as I enjoyed some of Europe’s most intriguing people-watching to date. Hungarians of all shapes and sizes were spilling out of their teeny-tiny swimsuits, without a care in the world, while blithely floating in the warm soothing waters. The scene here will forever be etched in my memory.
Rounding out our day with an aggressive [kind of the opposite of those gentle calming waters I mentioned] Hungarian massage where we were essentially beaten up in a chaotic and steamy room by very strong [and maybe just a tad bit hostile] masseuses further contributed to this incredibly unforgettable day.
Click here to read more about our stellar trip to Budapest.
#37: Raise A Glass: The Perfect Drinking Trifecta
Full transparency here: this particular entry is a total cheat. Basically, I’m counting three separate experiences as one, and wrapping it up with a pretty little self-serving bow by calling it the perfect trifecta.
Here’s the thing, as I began writing this post, it dawned on me that I completely forgot about two amazing experiences which absolutely could not be omitted, so I got a little bit creative and consolidated several different experiences, resulting in one sole clever feature. Genius, or what?
Wine-tasting is more fun with friends: Gloria Ferrer Vineyards in Sonoma
It’s no secret that T and I spend many of our days eating and drinking–give us a day of feasting on multi-coursed meals, winery-hopping, distillery-visiting, and/or brewery-touring, and we are one happy couple.
Here are our three all-time favorite drinking experiences in the States: wine-tasting in Napa and Sonoma Valleys, bourbon-sampling along Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail, and winery-hopping in Oregon’s Willamette Valley [and cheers to the fact that I succeeded in sneaking in Oregon, previously a locale that was sadly excluded!].
First-timers at Sonoma’s lovely Cuvaison Estate Wines
California’s Wine Country includes all of the things that we tend to love: grand estates dotting tranquil country roads, cozy family-owned establishments where you learn about the wine from the actual owners and producers, bold and velvety reds, crisp and refreshing whites, and the freshest of produce and quite possibly the epitome of the farm-to-table approach. There is just so much to love about this region.
Quite possibly our favorite Sonoma County vineyard: Lunch with wine pairings and tastings at the amazing Scribe Winery
Click here to read about our first trip to California’s Wine Country.
A future blog post describing our most recent trip is forthcoming.
Sipping and sampling at Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co
Exploring and imbibing along Whisky Row, the heart of Kentucky’s Urban Bourbon Trail
If you would have told me that the state of Kentucky would make my all-time top 50 travel experiences prior to venturing out on its Bourbon Trail, I would have laughed and accused you of being completely insane.
But here we are.
The distilleries here are fantastic–I would put many of them on the same level (or even higher) as many wineries we’ve visited in California, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia.
Touring Angel’s Envy, our favorite distillery of the trip
Our three-day weekend was filled with bourbon tastings and tours, resulting in the perfect marriage of deliciousness and debauchery, along with surprisingly innovative and delicious meals at hip and eclectic Louisville eateries. Similar to how Idaho shockingly blew us away, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was an equally delightful surprise.
Evan Williams Distillery
To read more about our long weekend getaway to Louisville and Kentucky’s Urban Bourbon Trail, click here.
Dear Oregon’s Willamette Valley, please forgive me for previously omitting you from this travel list, I have recently corrected my ways [read: cheated my way through] and found my path back to you.
Less than an hour away from Portland, Willamette Valley makes for a perfect day trip. Think California Wine Country with a fraction of the crowds and commercialism, resulting in a more low-key and relaxed environment. Willamette’s simplicity and charm is evident throughout the region and it certainly won us over. If we could only revisit one place from our trip to Oregon, it would undoubtedly be here.
Read here for more about our wonderful trip to Oregon, one of our all-time U.S. trips.
#36: London
For the life of me I could not seem to narrow down our fantastic trip to London to one single site or experience, so, as you’ve seen in some other selections–including the aforementioned Trifecta listing, I decided to be a little flexible here with my definition of “travel experience”.
From its iconic sites like Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Kensington Palace, and St. Paul’s Cathedral, to its convivial pub scene, to seeing a musical in its world-renowned theater district, to devouring some of the best Indian food we’ve had outside of India, we truly loved London.
High Tea at the Ritz
Celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Cinnamon Club, an outstanding fine dining Indian establishment in Westminster, London
Stay tuned for a future London blog post!
Click here to read a related guide to Bath.
#35: Soaring Above The Mysterious Nazca Lines in Peru
Mention the country of Peru, and images of Machu Picchu are most likely conjured up. And of course, that’s completely understandable–I’m sure it’s no surprise that our visit to Machu Picchu easily landed on my top 10 list. But just like there is SO much more to the United States than dazzling cities like New York and San Francisco, there is SOOOO much more to the amazing nation of Peru than its famous Inca citadel.
Carved into the Inca desert of southern Peru, lies a fascinating and mysterious collection of enormous geoglyphs known around the world as the Nazca Lines. While the exact date of these carvings is unknown, it is believed that they originated between 500 BC and 500 AD from the Nazca Culture that existed during that time. There are hundreds of intricately carved designs [many being animals and birds] etched into the dry desert lands that are best seeing while flying above them. The aerial views of the lines are absolutely incredible and their remote location only adds to their mystique.
These enigmatic geoglyphs blew our minds–nearly fifteen years after soaring above them and they remain as some of the most mesmerizing and mystifying sites we’ve ever seen. Similar to mysterious sites like the Pyramids of Giza and Moai on Easter Island, we couldn’t stop asking ourselves, “How on Earth did this ancient civilization with limited tools and technology create something so impressively massive and precise? Talk about minds blown.
This unique and intriguing experience is one for the memory books!
Stay tuned for a guide on how to visit Peru’s enthralling Nazca Lines.
#34: Go Fish: Exploring Belize’s Diverse Barrier Reef
Holding the title of largest barrier reef system in the northern hemisphere, Belize’s Barrier Reef is as astounding as it is extensive. The two highlights of our week-long trip to Belize both centered around its outstanding reef: snorkeling with nurse sharks and coral reef fishing.
Belize is proof that not all snorkeling is created equally and is home to our second all-time best snorkeling excursion [stay tuned for our all-time favorite snorkeling adventure in a future post of this series].
We sailed around Ambergris Caye aboard a catamaran and snorkeled Hol Chan marine reserve and Shark Ray Alley where we swam alongside countless species of sea life, including nurse sharks, which was so very cool, and maybe just a tad bit scary [one of us was terrified–care to take a guess who?].
So many nurse sharks!
We ventured upon a private fishing excursion at the reef, where we bottom-fished with live sardines for snapper, mackerel, barracuda, and grouper.
It’s worth noting that this fishing adventure has inevitably ruined all other fishing expeditions for us as between the two of us, we caught a dozen fish! The abundance of marine life near the reef is astonishing–fish here are practically waiting to be caught here.
A fisherman’s / fisherwoman’s dream
Upon returning from our amazing day of reef fishing, we brought our freshly caught fish to where we were staying where they prepared it for our dinner that evening. And it was divine.
Such an outstanding day!
Feasting on the red snapper that we caught earlier in the day
Read more about our fabulous time in Belize here.
#33: Tango In Buenos Aires: Love At First Sight
Sultry. Seductive. Sexy. Sensual. The sensational city of Buenos Aires and its tantalizing tango left us reeling. The alluring dance seems to be everywhere you turn: from performances in the middle of the streets and at outdoor markets, to historic warehouses converted into modern-day venues, there’s really no escaping it, and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
This ubiquitous dance dominates Buenos Aires and is an essential part of the city’s culture and history. We fell head over heels for Argentina, and even nearly 15 years later, it remains as one of our top ten favorite countries. The vivacious and intricate dance of tango was one of the shining stars of our time in Buenos Aires. Each performance left us completely enamored and enraptured by its provocativeness, nostalgia, and melancholy. Its passion and enchantment is palpable; truly a dance like no other.
Read more here about our infatuation with Buenos Aires and tango.
A comprehensive guide to visiting Buenos Aires is forthcoming.
#32: Visiting Family In Sicily With T
Of course no travel list would be complete without an homage to the motherland, Italy. I have been traveling intermittently to my family’s homeland since I was seven years old. Of course I love Italy’s arresting landscapes, sublime cuisine, culturally and historically-rich cities, and prestigious art scene. While destinations like Florence, Capri, Rome, and Sorrento are among my favorites in Italy, if I have to narrow down all of my trips to Italy to one sole experience, then my choice is clear: visiting family in Sicily with T. The last time I traveled to Italy, which sadly is more than a decade ago, was the very first time that the majority of my relatives met T, and it was so incredibly heart-warming and gratifying.
Yes, language was a barrier for T [I spent a good portion of our time translating –but also practicing my Italian! –which sadly is not nearly as smooth and fluent as it was ten years ago], and I’m pretty sure most residents of my family’s small Sicilian village had never seen and/or interacted with an African-American prior to our visit, but our time spent with family and showing T around my parents’ hometown meant so much to me. My family could not have been more hospitable, kind, thoughtful, and excited to have us there. T and I are planning to return next summer and can’t wait to reunite with la mia famiglia!
For a related blog post featuring Venice [and why it’s probably my least favorite place that I’ve ever visited in Italy], read here.
#31: Light It Up: Smoking Cigars With My Dad in Cuba
Cuba. There’s really no place like it. A true step back into time and an utterly fascinating country that left us simultaneously amazed and bewildered. About a year prior to our trip to Cuba, T and I asked my dad, “If you could travel anywhere, regardless of time or money, where would you want to go?” Without hesitation, my dad answered, CUBA. Not long after that discussion, we eagerly booked our trip.
From its dynamic culture, pulsing music and dancing scenes that radiate throughout the streets, time-warped atmosphere (so obsessed with those vintage cars), and resistance and lack of outside influence, we became smitten with Cuba. While it was difficult to narrow down our terrific time in this enthralling country, when I think about my favorite day of our week-long trip, it has to be the day we spent smoking cigars and touring the verdant tobacco fields in Cuba’s Vinales Valley. The valley’s unique landscape is enveloped by jagged mountains and interspersed with dramatic rocky formations and majestic palm trees.
Dipping our cigars in honey and rum while puffing away in the fertile tobacco fields with immaculate vintage cars in the background was the quintessential Cuban experience. Add on the fact that we experienced it with one of our favorite humans, my awesome dad, made it all the more meaningful and fulfilling.
Stay tuned for a future blog post featuring the Vinales Valley!
Click here for a comprehensive guide on how to travel to Cuba.
So there you have it: #31-40 on the list of my top 50 all-time travel experiences.
Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll share my favorite travel experiences #21-30.
Seriously. How cute is my dad?
Happy Traveling, All!
To read about my selections #41-50 of the list, click here.
Related Blog Posts: Top Travel Experiences of 2018, Top Travel Experiences of 2017,
Top Travel Experiences of 2016