Madrid

1. Visit the bustling area of Plaza de la Puerta del Sol. This is equivalent to Times Square of New York City. This city center is bustling with people, music, art, shopping, transportation, and lights!

2. Start in Plaza Mayor and walk down to Calle Mayor passing Plaza de la Villa. Head over to Palacio Real (a sight you do not want to miss). 

3. Eat! Make sure you have jamon (ham) everyday along with tapas! They had amazing seafood and every restaurant I visited and the flavors were amazing. A few tapas you have to try are shrimp in garlic sauce, fried peppers, and croquettes. We were walking on Gran Via (shopping street) we stopped into eat at a local restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised with a 3 course meal (and only had to pay for one!). The food was amazing and very well priced. Also, many locals were eating here so that's a good sign. 

4. Visit the Parque del buen Retiro (Park)! The flowers are absolutely stunning! The garden goes on for miles and miles- great for a perfect peaceful walk. There is also a gorgeous pond where you can rent a boat and paddle around. The views are just amazing. 

5. Go view at the amazing historic art at Prado Museum. This museum is huge and there is a lot to see! If you are into art- this is a must see. If you arrive at the end of the day (an hour before closing) they let you in for free! This was a nice surprise I learned there. Obviously, I couldn't tour the whole museum but I got a good chunk done. Museum is open 10am-8pm; €14- free on Monday- Saturday between 6-8pm

6. Take a break and have a coffee at Plaza de Oriente. It's a great place to people watch and take in the beautiful architecture. 

7. Shop on Gran Via. It is the fifth avenue of Spain and is by far the best affordable shopping I did in all of Spain. Make sure to stop in at Zara, Primark, Mango, and Bershka for all the hottest trends.

8. Make sure to stop in Mercado de San Miguel. It's a huge food market where you can buy a little something each vendor and sit to have a quick bite. There are endless amounts of fresh olives, homemade desserts, rich wines, and savory jamon.

9. Take a day trip to Segovia! It is absolutely stunning! The city is filled with castles, cathedrals, little alley ways, and rich history!

10. Take public transportation! It is very simple and cheap! Depending on where you go, it cost about 2 euros. I recommend getting a map and having a data plan on your cellphone to track your location. 

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was an incredible experience that I will NEVER forget!! I wanted to share my experience and share a ton of tips for anyone who is interested in going themselves one day!

Day 5 October 5

We arrived in the city of Machu Picchu/ Aguas Calientes after a wonderful ride on the Peru Rail. The views of the train ride were spectacular and ride was only a quick 2 hours from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu. We got roundtrip tickets from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu that cost $135. When we got off the train it we went straight to our hotel- Gringo Bills. It was walkable distance and pretty easy to find since all of the hotels are in the same area. The local Peruvian people were very helpful as well and most seemed to know the hotel. The town is very small and is made for tourists- filled with restaurants that served American food and souvenir shops. 

After settling into the hotel, we decided to walk around the town and have dinner. We had an AMAZING dinner at Treehouse Cafe. I had the alpaca burger which was so good! It tasted like beef and turkey mix. The burger was layered with cheese, bacon, fried egg, arugula, and had the most delicious herb/ olive oil mixture to add for extra flavor!! My friend had ribs with a tangy orange flavored glaze which was equally delicious! 

TIP: Buy your bus ticket to take you up to Machu Picchu a day in advance to save a lot of time and hassle!! If you don't, you will have to wait in an incredibly long line the next day for buses. Place to buy tickets is right by the water by the bus station. It is a little wooden booth. Cost about $25 roundtrip.

We went to sleep quite early as we had to get up at 3:30am to get ready for Machu Picchu and the climb next day. 

Day 6 October 6 

Wake up call 3:30 AM. We got ready and packed our bags for Machu Picchu and Waynapicchu hike! I recommend packing the following items:

1. Granola Bar/ snacks

2. Water- at least 32-48 oz. I also recommend putting Cocoa leaves in the water to help with altitude sickness.

3. Cocoa leaves/ cocoa candy

4. Sunscreen- the sun can get very hot and powerful midday

5. Bug spray!

6. Sunglasses

7. Camera

8. Sweatshirt- I wore mine in the morning and by midday I was only wearing a tank top. The temperatures change so wear layers

9. TICKETS & Passport! This is your entry in so don't forget it!! Also, when you leave Machu Picchu, you can get your passport stamped!  

We arrived at the bus station (bus that takes us up to the entrance of Machu Picchu) around 4:30 AM. There was already a LONG line! About 150-200 people long. The ticket was actually for the 5:30AM bus (which is the first bus up). Close to departing time about 10 buses pulled up- we were able easily get in the first group up the mountain. It was a windy rocky road up but the view were amazing! 

We arrived at the entrance of Machu Picchu in about 30 minutes and went straight to use the bathroom. TIP: use the bathroom before entering because there is no bathroom inside! It costs 1 sol. 

We got tickets to climb mountain Waynapicchu (also spelled Huaynapicchu on the website) 7-8am entrance. TIP: Get tickets a couple months in advance as they only allow 400 people up Waynapicchu a day and tickets sell out fast! Also, have someone who speaks/ reads Spanish fluently with you when purchasing tickets online because the site runs much better in Spanish from my experience. Waynapicchu overlooks Machu Picchu (it is the very large mountain in the back in the picture below). It is a 1 hour climb up old Incan stone steps almost 1000 feet up. It sounds really tough but surprisingly is quite manageable. There were people of all ages doing this climb so don't feel defeated by reading the description. We were blown away by the natural beauty of Machu Picchu the minute we entered in. Everything is so green and fresh!! It felt so peaceful there in the morning when the mist was just lifting up and the sun was rising!

We followed the signs for Waynapicchu and also listened to other tourists going the same way.

Major Tips: I recommend doing the climb up Waynapicchu first before discovering the rest of Machu Picchu for several reasons: 

1: Save the energy you have to climb up Waynapicchu because you are climbing hundreds of rocky stairs 1000ft up!

2. The weather is much cooler in the morning so it will feel better. Trust me! We were making our down around 10am and we could already feel the change of heat, especially during the parts of the trek that weren't shaded by trees. 

3. It's not as busy in the morning and you won't have people climbing down the mountain while you are on your way up! 

4. Put on tons of bug spray before you start the climb

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We started at 7969.13 feet and climbed the mountain Waynapicchu up to the highest peak at 8788.16 feet! We made in up to the top in under an hour (54 minutes to be exact after a lot of heavy breathing and multiple stops along the way LOL). The feeling of accomplishment was unbelievable! I am not a big hiker but after this experience, I can totally understand why people love hiking!! We stayed up at the top for amount an hour just admiring the view, soaking it all up! I've never seen anything like this ever before and the pictures don't do this landmark justice. 

We went back down Waynapicchu (which only took us about 35 minutes) and went to the popular spot to look at the Machu Picchu ruins. Note that you need to fully exit the site and re-enter because of the way they have it set up. Don't forget to get your passport stamped!!

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After a day of climbing, we had great 3 course dinner at El Indio Feliz. I got  onion soup, fettuccine with mushrooms, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and other sauce Peruvian sauces. Last but not least, apple pie and ice cream for dessert. 

We were beat from the climb so we went back to the hotel and lights were out by 4pm.

Day 7 October 7

I woke up tired and sore but ready to take the day on!

We went to Aguas Calientes (hot springs) in the morning. TIP: go in the morning when there is fresh water. We arrived there around 5AM. Cost is about $5-6. Once we got over the greenish tinted mineral water, we really enjoyed soaking in the hot water. It's a great way to relax the sore muscles. 

We then went to the train station to exchange our tickets for an earlier train back to Ollantaytambo. We left Machu Picchu/ Aguas Calientes at 11AM. The city itself does not have much to do and the mosquitos ate me alive so I was ready to move on to the next city. I think 2 days in Machu Picchu is a good amount.

Off to explore Cusco! Stay tuned for the next post!

Read more about other cities I visited in Peru: Lima and Ollantaytambo

Photography by Ashley Gallerani

XOXO!

14 Packing Tips

I've been traveling since I was 11 months old and weirdly enough I love to pack for vacations. Over the years, I've learned a few things that I'm going to share with you. 

1. Never wait till the last minute. The chances of forgetting something is very high

2. Make an on going list on you phone when you remember something like those special pair of earrings that will go with a certain dress you're dying to wear

3. Pack the basics like your favorite white tshirt, little black dress, comfortable walking shoes, and a great pair of pants. 

4. Wear your heaviest clothes so you can fit more in your luggage while staying under the weight requirement. Things like jeans, coats, sweatshirts, and sneakers are the heaviest

5. Plan outfits by days or events. These outfits don't need to be set indefinitely but it's good to have an idea of what you want to wear. 

6. Pack more than enough underwear/ undergarments. Who knows if you'll get a chance to get them washed so plan ahead. 

7. Buy traveling containers so you can travel with you favorite beauty products. Most traveling containers are made to size requirements where as original packaging on your favorite face lotion might be a few ounces over weight to fit into your carry on

8. Don't forget the bug spray, sunblock, umbrella, or second coat depending on where you're going to vacation. These little things go a long way. It's also great when you don't have to pay double or even triple the prices in a foreign place. 

9. This goes back to tip 5. When creating outfits to wear.  Make sure that piece of clothing can be worn with multiple other things. 

10. Pack a few extra plastic bags. This is great for putting dirty laundry in, a way to cover up a bag on a rainy day, nausea, wet clothes, shoes, etc. 

11. Roll don't fold. Rolling up your clothes takes up much less room than folding does. 

12. Write a name tag with your address on the luggage just in case it gets lost. Also keep the check in barcode with you until you pick up your luggage. Taking a picture of your suitcase can also come in handy 

13. Put jewelry or any breakable items in the center of the suitcase and wrap it with clothes

14. If your traveling during a rainy or winter months there's a chance of water leaking into your bag. I sometimes put a large plastic sheet inside the suitcase before I start putting other items in.