Liebster Award Nomination

I am grateful for my work to be recognized by Alexander from The Art of Not Sitting Still – thank you for nominating me for the Liebster Award!

“Liebster is a word with German origins meaning dearest, sweetest, kindest, and beloved. The Liebster Award exists only on the internet, and is an award given to bloggers by bloggers. The award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers. The purpose of the Liebster Award is to recognize and discover upcoming talent in the blogosphere through a Pay it Forward initiative.”

Isn’t that nice! I love a good Pay It Forward.

There are some rules involved with this award:

You must link back to the person who nominated you (but cannot nominate them)
You must answer the 10 questions given to the nominee before you.
You must select 10 blogs with under 200 followers to answer your 10 questions.

Here are Alexander’s questions:

1) Favorite Airline? I love planes and everything about them so this is important!

I’ve only flown to one of my destinations, Rome, once. I traveled with RyanAir, which is a common airline for European college students. RyanAir is fairly inexpensive, you do not pick your seat, and flies into a decent amount of cities throughout Europe.

I typically travel by train though and love it! I know you are interested in flying, but if you have the opportunity to travel by train you should try it.

2) Best travel novel you’ve ever read and why?

The Masters by C.P. Snow.

I have been reading this novel for the past few weeks during my daily metro commute and I am really enjoying it.

I picked it up at Shakespeare and Company, a bookstore located on the left bank in Paris. I was meeting a friend outside of the store to go to lunch and decided to go inside while I was waiting for her. I was instantly overwhelmed with the large quantity of books in such a cramp space that I actually had to leave the store. While sitting on a bench outside I noticed a bin that said in small letters “escompter” which is French for “discount”. I shuffled through the bin of neglected books when a thick, plain red book caught my attention. The pages were browned and the binding softened with age. I flipped through the first few pages, noted that it was only 3 euros, so I thought “eh, why not”. This has been one of my best purchases in Paris.

3) Best travel quote that you’ve HEARD! Not read. If you haven’t heard any good ones, come up with your own!

This is not truly a “travel” quote, but this is a reason why I love traveling:

“You’re the first American girl that I have actually sat down and was able to get to know personally. You really make me like Americans”.

– This quote is from my this past weekend while I was in Germany. I was visiting an old friend in Cologne and met his friends. I spent a lot of time with one of his best childhood friends and at the end of the weekend he told me this.

4) Favorite meal from around the world?

As a food fanatic all I can think of is “what kind of question is this?!”

Honestly, it depends what mood I am in. So, as of right now I am craving Swiss hot chocolate, the best hot chocolate in the ENTIRE world- hands down.

Or fried calamari from Colilioure in the south of France. I love seafood and since Colliioure is a small town located on top of the Mediterranean Sea, the fried calamari tasted as if it was caught that morning.

5) Of all the places you’ve been, where would you most want to go back?

Cologne, Germany.

6) You’re sitting on a beach reading a novel with a drink in your hand. What is the drink?

Rosé wine from a vineyard in the South of France. Or a Mojito

7) Worst travel experience?

I was not a fan of Zurich, Switzerland. It was way to over priced and did not offer much except for shopping. Coming from a girl who loves shopping, that says something. Thankfully, I was in good company.

8) Best travel experience! Either a moment or a trip overall.

Living in Paris. Need I say more?

9) Why do you travel?

I love learning new cultures. With each new experience that I encounter I grow more as a person in ways that one cannot achieve by living in the same city their entire lives.

10) If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be?

Maybe eating at a cafe now, but I am going in a few hours with a few friends.

Honestly, I never want to leave Paris.

Now, my questions for my lovely nominees:

1. If you can only bring one item (not clothing/toiletry) on your next trip, what would it be?

2. Do you ever feel homesick? If so, how do you reverse this feeling?

3. What does your favorite country have to offer that your home country does not have?

4. Will you be spending your holidays traveling or in your home country? How does this make you feel?

5. What is your favorite dessert that you have had during your travels?

6. Have you met your significant other while traveling?

7. Is there a coffee shop in your host country that you find yourself constantly going to?

8. Where is your next trip?