After a cruising through a polar vortex with my sister-in-law, Jen, we arrived to sunshine in Miami.  Chris flew down from Boston and met us at our hotel in Doral - Hyatt at the Blue - and we spent Friday by the pool.  That night we checked out Ocean Drive in South Beach which proved to be a massive tourist trap. While I enjoyed seeing the neon lights and art deco buildings, the strip was teaming with tourists drinking Beeritas (also known as Mexican Bulldogs).  Needless to say, it was a bit sloppy, not to mention way overpriced for food that looked barely edible. 

So we moved on, and found this nice little Peruvian restaurant two blocks in from the beach called Chalan on the Beach. The staff was super friendly, the food was tasty (especially the ceviche) and the portions were huge. 

The next day was a fantastic sunny day! We arrived at South Beach early and  spent the day people watching and swimming in the waves.  After a week of stormy weather this was just what we needed.

Later that night we went out in the Brickell neighborhood, which I much preferred to South Beach. We had a few drinks & apps at a restaurant/bar called Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita.  Everyone was out that night - decked-out college kids, ladies night groups, NY snowbirds and older Cuban couples.  We had delicious apps and particularly enjoyed the Cuban quesadillas on the bar menu!

The next morning we dropped Jen off at the airport and then Chris and I set out to explore Little Havana. That day, the community was preparing for a parade down the main drag, Calle Ocho, so we walked around and stopped at a little restaurant for Cuban sandwiches and cafe con leche. It was interesting to see Little Havana one month after being in Havana, Cuba.  While there are some similarities - the weather, music playing in the streets, artwork everywhere - much of Little Havana is the antithesis of Havana, Cuba, at least from a political standpoint.  Little Havana's heroes are Havana, Cuba's enemies and vice versa. In Miami, you see paintings of Celia Cruz and memorials to those men who fought against the revolution.  In Cuba, the revolutionaries are celebrated national heroes and we never heard Celia's voice in the streets because she left Cuba and spoke publicly against the revolution. Little Havana was fun to see, because it was a festival day and we were interested in drawing comparisons to our experience in Cuba. However, you don't need to go to Little Havana to get a flavor of the Cuban culture in Miami.  It's prevalent all over the city! 

Later we drove through Coconut Grove and Coral Gables before heading to Key Biscayne to enjoy the beach.  While the water was very calm at Key Biscayne, both of us much preferred South Beach/ Miami Beach, simply because there is more to do there and the beach is much bigger.

All in all we both loved Miami and look forward to returning soon.  It makes a great little weekend getaway from Boston!

After eight months of travel, Chris and I moved back into our place on December 31st. That night we had a fantastic New Years with friends in Boston and spent our first days home catching up with people and surviving our first blizzard of the year. Winter was already taking its toll on me, and five days after moving back to Boston I was flying to sunny Florida.  My sister-in-law, Jen, and I booked a last minute four-night Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean leaving from Miami.  I was thrilled to be back on the road and in the warm weather again!  

We boarded the ship early on Monday and sat on the deck soaking up the sun, which lasted about an hour.  Then, a few intimidating clouds rolled in, but we ordered another round of piña coladas and willed the sun to come back out.  Apparently our willing didn't work.  In fact, it had the opposite effect, because the sun didn't come back out until we stepped off the ship five days later.  We spent four full days stuck on a boat packed with people bobbing through the tumultuous Caribbean Sea.  We later discovered there was a giant polar vortex over the country which caused the blustery, cold weather.

So what do you do on a boat amidst a squall?  You have a heck of a good time! 

Royal Caribbean, not quite as regal as it once was...
As you can see, the weather was a BIG bust, and Royal Caribbean wasn't quite equipped to handle all the people stuck inside the boat. Their service was definitely underwhelming. We have been on two other cruises together as an entire family - most recently several years back - and remember their service being wonderful.  Perhaps that was because we had nice weather and weren't stuck on the boat the entire time.  The company is also way behind the times in terms of technology - you have to pay for internet per minute and when I asked them about changing my rewards number to my married name they told me I'd need to send a FAX to their Crown & Anchor club.  Not an email with a scanned attachment but a freaking 1990's style paper fax.  I told the guy that I haven't seen a fax machine in about 10 years and asked why I couldn't settle this there in person since I had my passport and he apparently had access to a fax machine. Nope, that wasn't his job and I'd have to call later and find a fax machine. First I need to find a time machine to take me back to 1998.  

It's not where but who...
Despite the polar vortex, mild seasickness, miniature room, and lack of technology we still had fun.  Sometimes it really isn't about where you are but who you are with.  And there are very few people I'd prefer to be stuck with on a boat in the middle of a storm. Luckily for me, Jen is one of those people!  We laughed A LOT and I think we'll continue to laugh about this trip for many years to come. 

Miami Surprise!
Go figure, when we got off the ship in Miami the sun came out.  We were psyched because, thanks to Chris and his Dad, our vacation was extended through the weekend. Chris came down to meet us in Miami and the sunshine followed him. More about Miami in the next post...

Imagine waking up every day to a new adventure in a new place. No routines, no expectations, no schedules. The day is completely yours to fill as you please.  That was how we lived for eight months and it was fantastic.  We traveled to 22 countries, 80 cities/towns and took 45 flights between May and December. We saw the world from new perspectives, learned about different histories and customs,  met many kind people, tried really odd (and delicious) food and discovered a lot about ourselves and each other.  

When we set out for our trip around the world in May, we were a little nervous about taking time off from work but it turns out, there was nothing to be nervous about.  We did so much planning and saving before our trip that we came in right on budget.  While we prepared to come home to a soft job market, we've found it has been quite the opposite. We have been so blessed this year and will forever be thankful for these past eight months.  


Below is a recap of our trip.  Click on the map image to see the interactive Google map. 

Mark Twain was one of many who inspired me to embark on this voyage with this quote:

Apologies for the tardiness of this post, but I went on an impromptu jaunt last week that resulted in minimal internet access. But as they say, better late than never! 

As I've previously mentioned on this blog, Chris and I are lucky to call several places home. One of our homes, is Chris' parents' house in central Massachusetts and that is where the Barbier family gathered for Christmas this year.  We had a quintessential Christmas - family, snow, fireplace and lots of food! We spent our days talking, playing games, cooking, eating and watching movies (I finally got to see The Thornbirds mini series after reading the book while traveling in Australia).  We embraced the slower pace of home, savored every delicious bite of food, and laughed like we always do when we get together!

After Puerto Rico, we decided to make a quick stop in Florida before heading back to snowy Massachusetts for Christmas.  We really wanted to check out Universal Studios after hearing rave reviews from several people. Since we were going to be in Orlando anyway, we had to go to Disney World, opting to see the most classic theme park - The Magic Kingdom.  We dodged the insane daytime crowds in favor of the moderate evening crowds by purchasing passes to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party which gives you park access from 4pm-midnight. The longest we waited in line for anything was about 10 minutes, which was a a nice change from some longer lines at Universal the day before.  Check out the bottom of this entry to see our favorite rides at both parks. 

We had a lot of fun being kids again at Universal and the Magic Kingdom, however after two days of being surrounded by crowds, kids and endless chain restaurants we had to get out. We drove east to Palm Beach where we hung out with my old roommate Krista.  She is a competitive paddle board surfer, sponsored by a surf shop called 27 North.  She took us out for our very first paddle board lesson. Despite the windy day, we both learned pretty quickly and really enjoyed it!  Krista showed us around town taking us out to this great outdoor restaurant called Guanabanas in Jupiter.  The atmosphere at this place can't be beat - white lights, palm trees, a big banyon tree, sand, stars and live music. The food was great and the manager was super friendly. I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area!

Here are some pictures from our time in Florida:

Our Favorite Rides at Universal:
1. Harry Potter 3D ride
2. Incredible Hulk
3. Transformers
4. Big Harry Potter roller coaster
5. The Mummy
6. Rock & Roll roller coaster
7. Despicable Me

Our Favorite Rides at Magic Kingdom:
1. Space Mountain
2. Big Thunder Mountain
3. Splash Mountain
We also gained a greater appreciation for It's a Small World! 

After an amazing trip to Cuba, we traveled to Puerto Rico, excited to share stories and pictures with our family. We made our way home via Mexico City, spending the night near the international airport. Our flight left the next morning out of Toluca airport which was about an hour away from the Mexico City airport.  We thought we could take a shuttle from the airport to Toluca but it only left three times per day and the departure times were not convenient for us. So we took a taxi and while it was a lot more expensive, it got us there on time and once we left the city the drive was really beautiful. The countryside right outside of Mexico City is stunning, complete with rolling mountains, hiking trails, and lots of delicious looking restaurants.  

It was a long trip traveling back to San Juan but we were happy to be home in Puerto Rico. We spent the next couple of days catching up with my grandparents, showing them pictures of family and places from Cuba.  We also showed them pictures of what we thought were their former homes in Cuba. Turns out we took pictures of the wrong houses!  That was a little disappointing, but now we know what to look for (or not look for) the next time we go back.

The rest of our time in PR was really relaxing. One night we celebrated my birthday with my uncle, aunt and cousins. Then my parents came down from Connecticut and we spent some time catching up with them and enjoying the beach.  It was a great visit and we can't wait to go back! 

Puerto Rico is a fantastic vacation destination, offering everything from stunning beaches, awesome surfing, beautiful hikes, delicious food and lots of culture. Plus it's really easy to get to if you are traveling from the US (no passport necessary).  If you are looking for a Caribbean getaway, check out Beyond Voyage's Puerto Rico page to see our favorite spots on the island!