Aruba Adventures: The Butterfly Farm

I'm going to get a little bit real here today: traveling with family can be tough. Especially when you stick three adult siblings with very different personalities into one tiny hotel room for the week. There were definitely some sharp pointy words thrown around and lots of built up tension, which is always a little bit disappointing on a beautiful vacation where all you want to do is enjoy! But c'est la vie, right?

That being said, because Aruba is so safe, I was able to wander off and get a little bit of space by walking to the Butterfly Farm all on my lonesome! The reason I bring up the drama at all, is because the Butterfly Farm was the exact healing, calming, and restorative thing I needed. It had a really big impact on me because I needed that and I want to share how magical it felt.

I walked in a bit timidly - I'm still not one of those people who boldly does new things alone, especially in foreign countries. I do so timidly, though, so that's a start! The people working there were so incredibly friendly and cheerful that I felt very at ease around them and better about going alone.

The tour was wonderful and funny, I learned so much about the life cycles and habits of butterflies. Did you know that rainforest butterflies adapted to get their nourishment from fallen fruits, which inevitably are fermented. Ergo, drunk rainforest butterflies, at all times! The tour guide was really kind and we chatted. I think he sensed that I was a bit awkward being there on my own and he helped me get an owl butterfly to eat some orange off of my finger! It was the best.

I also just walked around the relatively small, enclosed butterfly garden and spent time sitting on the benches in quiet corners, green foliage tickling my shoulders and butterflies fluttering around me (and sometimes, the drunk ones, swooping dangerously close to my face!), birds in the distance singing songs and water trickling in the garden's little ponds. It was really peaceful. My only regret is that I went at the end of my trip, because they give you a ticket for re-entry throughout the rest of your trip!

At the end of my visit, the staff chatted with me and helped me pick which souvenir I wanted: a choice between earrings made of butterfly wings enclosed in glass, or a necklace. One asked me why I was all covered up and not working on my tan. I told him I was from Canada and therefore would simply burn. He got really excited and asked if I'd ever been to the Butterfly Conservatory we have in Niagara falls, which I have been to! So we chatted about that and he said it was on his bucket list. They were all very fun people to be around with great spirits and kindness.

I walked back to the resort hugging my little souvenir to my chest, just filled to the brim with hopefulness and renewed peace. Man, is nature ever the healing and magical thing. Nature and sunshine; though I guess the sun falls under the umbrella of nature doesn't it?


ps. it was SO HARD to get good photos of the butterflies! Most of my film ones turned out super blurry, except these two at the end.

Aruba Adventures: Horseback riding through Arikok

I finally got the film from my trip to Aruba developed, so I'm ready to share some beautiful memories from a beautiful island.

I had forgotten how beautiful and, as cheesy as it is to say, majestic, horses are. They're such incredible animals and have such force, intuition, and personality. It was a really special experience to witness the beautiful North coast of Aruba with such incredible creatures.

Aruba was a really cool island. It has your typical resort and tourist beaches on the one side, and then protected natural land on the North side. This is partly because the waves that come crashing into the island on the North side are quite gloriously forceful. Of course, it's hard to actually capture one of the big ones on camera since they never seem to happen when you're at the ready to click your shutter ;)

It's also a very dry island - lots of cacti (which I don't actually have a picture of in this post - oops!) and dry shrubbery. I loved the impressive cacti double my size, wonky and weird and perfect.

We stopped at the natural pools, seen behind me here, and normally visitors have a chance to go for a dip in them, but with the winds of that specific day it was too wavy and dangerous. I was ok with that though - going back on horseback in wet clothes is no fun..... yes, that's foreshadowing...

On our way back, we got to the peak of Arikok park, and a windy storm blew in. It became a precarious act of balancing on the horses, who decided they weren't gonna casually stroll while they got bombarded with sideways rain and strong winds and began galloping down the hills, holding onto the reins, holding onto our hats, and getting totally soaked.

It was hectic and a little uncomfortable after, but kind of a cool adrenaline rush and our guide was super great at making sure we were safe and not overly concerned. I highly recommend the Rancho Loco folks if you're ever in Aruba and want to go Horseback riding through Aruba's nature!

Have you been to Aruba before? What was your fav part?

Stay tuned for a few more Aruba posts with photos!

Travel Photo Capsule: Copenhagen!

I've been to Copenhagen before this trip, but being there again gave me a whole new perspective on it! We actually took the time to really see things, go places, do things. Whatever little time we had, anyway.

Our first happy stumbled-upon discovery was the Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket, which I mentioned in my Thrifty Travel Tips post as it was free on the day we went (a Tuesday)! The Glyptoteket is a sculpture museum, with the biggest most beautiful collection of statues and forms. The building itself was also incredible - as seen on these two pictures on the right. Half the time I spent there was me looking up at the ornate ceilings and columns! I've never had an appreciation for ancient sculpture like I now have, thanks to this place! It also had tons of information about how various sculptures were made, which we really enjoyed learning about!

We stopped by Freetown Christiania for an afternoon and had yummy shawarma and a pleasant walk through the neighbourhood. The homes there are so fantastic - literally, as though out of a fairy tale.  Tiny little doorways and DIY construction. There is one home that is made entirely out of recycled windows! We finished our little self-directed tour of Christiania at the art gallery, Staden Museum for Kunst, where we had a lovely chat with the lady running it and enjoyed some fun art.

On our last day in Copenhagen we checked out the Botanical Gardens! We actually made a point of visiting the botanical gardens everywhere we went, if we could. The Copenhagen one was most definitely my favourite. You walk in and there's this magical little spiral staircase that takes you up to the top of the green-house dome where you can walk around a small platform that goes all the way around! It was so sweet to be able to look down upon the giant palm leaves and various other plants, then also see them back at ground level! Multiple perspectives, real cooool.

Our short little stay in Copenhagen was quite nice, if only we had had more time to explore...

Check out some photos from the first stop in my Europe trip, in Edinburgh!

xo

11 Tips for Thrifty Traveling!

Traveling is expensive - there is no doubt about it. But, if you make it a priority to go and see the world and are smart with your money, it is more than do-able on a budget! Today I thought I would share the tricks I learned on my trip. Some were 'you live and you learn' type of lessons (oops) and others were accidental discoveries (yay)!

1. Make meals at home. Don't have a kitchen? Buying pre-made food at the local supermarket is still cheaper than going out to restaurants for every meal. We intentionally tried to get Airbnb's with functional kitchens so we could cook as often as possible! Extra tip: Buy snacks for the plane/train/bus at the supermarket too, much cheaper than buying at the airport or station!

2. Find free museum days! Or reduced price days. The best is when these fall on a rainy day and you can escape to a museum for the afternoon, for free!

(We stumbled upon the Ny Carlsberg Gylptoteket in Copenhagen on a rainy Tuesday. When we went to the ticket booth, we were told there was a 100% discount that day! Score! We spent the entire afternoon there checking out the vast sculpture collection & beautiful building!)

3. Bring a reusable water bottle! Fill it up, remember to bring it out with you. Water is not often free while traveling, even at restaurants. I used a Platypus 'hydration pack' which flattens nicely when it isn't full, and the plastic is all BPA free and good and stuff. This also cuts down on disposable water bottle waste, which is a bonus!

4. Take public transit (and walk!) everywhere that you can. Both are fantastic ways to see more of the city and discover things you might not have before! It's also kind of fun to check out another city's public transit system and compare with your own back home ;)

(Taking a double decker bus for the first time in Edinburgh!)

5. Give up your ideas of 'luxury', it's OK if the bed is squeeky and the jacuzzi is right next to the fridge. Sometimes the best deal is the best idea - so long as the place is clean, bug free, and functional, which, if you read reviews, is easy to figure out. Which brings me to the next point:

6. Always read the worst reviews. For restaurants, attractions, and places to stay! Usually they are more telling than the positive ones (and sometimes you just find something really outrageous and funny from a negative nancy). The negative reviews often tell you whether the prices were fair, too.

7. Don't go shopping. Straight up. There's no need for it if you're traveling on a budget and your hope is to see more of the world. I found most stores around the world are the same anyway. H&M in Europe won't be that different from H&M back home!

8. Get as much cash as you can back home, and pay with credit when you can. I was charged a 5$ fee every time I needed to take out cash. No fun!

9. Try to give up your daily habits (*cough* coffee *cough*). It'll be easier, as not every hostel or Airbnb has coffee. It's also cheaper and saves you time if you don't need to find a cafe for your coffee every morning (I only sort of managed to do this...).

10. Find free fun. Sometimes sitting in the park with an icecream and enjoying a sunny day, almost falling asleep in the grass, and people watching makes for a better memory than lining up for hours at the theme park or paying tons of money for an over-packed tourist attraction.

(Hanging out by the Seine in Paris on a sunny afternoon with a baguette to snack on! Ps. This outfit? Entirely second hand! Woo!)

11. Stand up for yourself. Do not let yourself be ripped off by people preying on tourists. Negotiate terms of payment with taxi drivers before you get in the car. Don't fall into tourist traps, speak up and walk away if you feel someone is trying to scam you.

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These are my best 11 tips, tried and tested! I hope they are helpful for you if you are dreaming of traveling on a budget anytime in the future.

What are your best thrifty, budget-friendly travel tips?

xo

Travel Photo Capsule: Edinburgh!

I'm back! It has been so hard to even know where to start every time someone asks me how my trip was. So many places and so many experiences, so quickly! So to make it easy, I've decided to start with the first stop - Edinburgh!

My good friend Meg lives in Edinburgh, so we got to visit her and some of my other friends that I met when I lived in Europe! This was one of the highlights of the entire trip - Meg and the gang are so fun, and we got an amazing tour of Edinburgh and a day trip to St. Andrews, home of golf.

I loved Edinburgh - what an amazing city! We saw the botanical gardens, Calton Hill, Dean Village, the National Museum of Modern Art, and many cute little cafes and restaurants. We went to a soul music night at a really great club, some funky bars. The landscapes in Scotland are beautiful, as are the old buildings and bridges and castles and all. A good long weekend in Scotland and an amazing jump start to our trip!

So now I am home back in Canada! Looking to work and figure things out now that I am also a graduate (ouu, ahhh.) and just getting settled back here. It's good to be home and comfortable, back with my family and all. Looking forward to getting back to blogging and catching up on all your blogs too!

xo

ps. Meg: I miss you! You're the best hostess ever!

Follow my Adventure on Instagram!

Off I go! As I will be 'backpacking' and won't have a laptop or anything, the most in-touch I will be will be through instagram! Follow if you like traveling and pictures of cool things.

Follow me on instagram @katiaengell_ !

I'll be back in June!
xo

A Year Ago: Moving to Paris

A year ago today I was packing my giant suitcase, headed to the airport, jumping onto a plane, and flying away to Paris for 5 months. It's so overwhelming to look back; part of me can't believe it was only a year ago, other parts of me can't believe it has already been a year! 

Moving to Paris was the first time I was truly away from my friends and family, since I study in the city I grew up in. I never really left. It was 5 hard but wonderful months of learning to live alone, but more importantly learning to BE alone and to be OK with it.

I remember the nerves; the good and bad kind. I remember the first time I stepped into my studio apartment I would be living in for the next 5 months, with the tiny kitchen and pink floral wall paper. I remember the novelty of being able to walk 15 minutes from my new home to Notre-Dame. I remember exploring the neighbourhoods and finding little gems; vintage shops, adorable cafés, street art, little parks, museums, etc. etc. I remember the laughs with friends and Seine-side evenings.

Since coming back to Toronto, everything has been up up up. Paris gave me the confidence to know I can pull myself together and get things done, to get through whatever I want to get through. I am thankful for the friends, the memories, and just everything!

If you want to read more about my Paris experience, I blogged about it on my personal/art blog HERE throughout the trip and shared more photos!

xo