Courtney Mara

Minot, North Dakota

Courtney Mara — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:00:04 +0000

Matt and I spent Thanksgiving in Minot, North Dakota. We spent most of our time just relaxing, but we were still able to see a few attractions. Below is a list of some of the attractions in Minot, ND.

Scandinavian Heritage Park

Shop in downtown Minot

State Fair grounds. There seems to be a market, fair, or some sort of expo there quite frequently. Check out the schedule here. However, if you are in Minot, ND in July, make sure to visit the North Dakota State Fair! This year the fair is scheduled for July 19-27, 2013.
Dakota Square Mall, which features 4 department stores, many more stores, and an indoor water park!
Eat at Sakura – Japanese Steak House. If it is your birthday, the restaurant has a fun song for you! If you like sake, well, get ready to drink!

For a listing of more attractions in Minot, ND, go to TripAdvisor.com.

Enjoy Minot!

One Week in Italy

Courtney Mara — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:00:06 +0000

In November of 2012, Matt and I spent 8 days in Italy. I have already posted our recommended TO DOs for each city (Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany), but below is our detailed itinerary. I hope that it shows that you can really see a lot in Italy in just 8 days!

Friday: We had a 9:05pm flight to Rome.

Saturday: We arrived around 2pm in Rome. We took the train from the airport to the main train station. We walked straight to the hotel (Hotel de Monti) and dropped off our luggage. We then changed into running clothes and ran around the town to explore. In particular, we ran to the Colosseum and Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II. Afterwards, we got dressed up and decided to walk around more on the way to get dinner. We walked to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and then got dinner on the way to the Pantheon. After dinner we walked to the Pantheon and then back over to the Colosseum. Seeing the Colosseum at night is a MUST.

Sunday: We ran in the morning and then went inside the Pantheon. Afterwards, we had our scheduled Colosseum tour. Our tickets included admission to the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill. We then had gelato at Giolitti and then went to the hotel and rested. Later that evening we went to dinner at the best pizza place I have ever been to, Pizzeria Baffetto, and then went to an Irish pub, Scholars Lounge, to watch American football.

Monday: We had a morning Vatican tour. Afterwards, we had pizza and gelato outside the Vatican wall. The gelato place is a MUST and is called Old Bridge. It was so good and cheap(er)! At night, we had dinner outside the Pantheon at Scusati il Ritardo. Great food and amazing view! After dinner we went to visit the Trevi Fountain again since it is just so magical.

Tuesday. We spent our last day in Rome visiting the Aventine Key Hole (MUST) and getting a tour of the main synagogue in Rome and the Jewish ghetto. We took a 7:20pm train to Florence and arrived in Florence by 9:25pm. We checked into our hotel, Botticelli Hotel, and then went to have pizza. We still had time to see the Duoma (from the outside), ride the carousel at the Piazza della Repubblica, see the Ponte Vecchio, and see the David replica.

Wednesday: We spent this day exploring Tuscany with WalkAbout Tours, which we booked through Viator.com. I posted information about our tour here. Afterwards, we came back to Florence. We ate dinner, walked around some more, and went back to the hotel.

Thursday: We took a 9:25am train from Florence to Venice that arrived in Venice at 11:33am. We checked into our hotel, Abbazia Hotel, and then did our normal routine – ran around to see as much as possible. We got lost a bunch of times, but we were just awe struck by the beauty. Afterwards, we continued to explore and ate a lot! This town is really great for walking, exploring, window shopping, and eating. We ended our evening having prosecco and tiramisu next to the water and Piazza San Marco.

Friday: We spent all day in Venice. We rode a gondola, saw the Jewish ghetto, visited Piazza San Marco again, shopped, and ate, ate, ate! We had a great dinner at Hosteria al Vecio Bragosso.

Saturday: We left Venice for the United States at 7:40am. We arrived back in the U.S. that same day.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

Because our time in each city was short, we stayed near the train stations.
Literally run around the city to see as much as possible.
Don’t waste money on hotels in Italy, instead, “waste” the money on food!
Bring good walking shoes.
Pack light so that you can travel around easily.

Enjoy Italy!

The Essential Travel Guide to Perth

Courtney Mara — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:00:04 +0000

Perth, in Western Australia, is one of the most modern and fastest growing cities in the developed world. Despite this, it is still what would be considered a ‘hidden gem’ when it comes to taking a holiday in Australia. Most tourism in the country centres on the huge coastal cities in the south and east, that everyone around the world knows about. If not there, then the ‘Red Centre,’ with Uluru, Alice Springs, and thousands of miles of outback, tends to enjoy much attention.

A huge city and well on course to become a global business hub in recent years, Perth offers just as much as the other areas mentioned.

To prove it, we looked at some of the great things to see, at places to eat, and at where to stay when you travel there.

Getting to Perth

Before experiencing such a great place, you need to get there first. While Perth has a major international airport taking flights from cities around the world, look to add a touch of adventure to your trip.

Travel into another major city by aeroplane, and then use a company such as Transfercar to enjoy cheap or free car hire across the country to Perth. Yes, such a journey will take a few days, but it will give you the opportunity to add another experience to your break.

Some free time will also allow you to plan what to do when you get to Perth.

Getting Your Head Down

If you are looking at the higher end of accommodation yet do not want to pay a fortune, consider somewhere like the Metro Hotel. Four stars and close to the city centre, it is clean, tidy, and comfortable, with great transport links out of and around Perth.

Alternatively, the Underground Backpackers Hostel is almost in the dead centre of the city. This location will give you great comfort at even more of a bargain price.

Finding a Bite to Eat

With hundreds of bars and restaurants, finding the best can be a chore. Depending on your tastes, Perth offers something for every palate.

The Red Cray Seafood Restaurant offers great tasting fresh dishes for lovers of fish, crab, and a range of exotic seafood. Saowanee’s Place is one of the better Thai restaurants in Perth. Sawanee’s has won awards in each of the last five years if you need any more convincing.

What to Do

As with every Australian city, Perth is a culture and heritage rich place with so much to see and do.

Outside of the city, head south to the popular town and wine region of Margaret River, where you will find great shops and restaurants.
Back in Perth, take a tour of the once notorious Fremantle Prison, a former Australian convict site now on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Sea life lovers have to visit the Aquarium of Western Australia, home to the country’s largest single aquarium and one of the best such centres in the country.

There will be even more to discover when you get to Perth. Print out and keep this list for those annoying occasions when your mind draws a blank.

This article is written by Transfercar, a car rental Australia service, providing travellers free transport for major cities in Australia.

The MUST SEEs of Rome

Courtney Mara — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:03:15 +0000

Matt and I only had a few days in Rome, but we were able to see A LOT. Below are some of our MUST SEEs of Rome! And, make sure to stay tuned to CourtneyMara.com for the post containing our full Italy itinerary, which will show how we really saw so much of Italy in just 8 days!

Visit the Trevi Fountain

Tour the Colosseum. Book your tickets in advance (DO DO DO). This saves you from waiting in the line that goes on forever! Also, I highly recommend the tickets that include the upper level and dungeons. The photo taken below was from the upper level. You can only go there with a tour. We booked our tickets through TickItaly.com.

Visit the Vatican. Again, I recommend booking your tickets in advance to skip the huge line and I highly recommend a tour. We bought our tickets through the Vatican’s website.

Eat a lot of gelato! I recommend Old Bridge, which is next to the Vatican, and Giolitti.

Visit the Aventine Key Hole. Amazing view of St. Peter’s Basilica. The picture below is of Matt looking through the key hole.

Eat, eat and eat. Our favorite restaurants were Pizzeria Baffetto (see below) and Scusati il Ritardo.

Go inside the Pantheon! It’s free and just incredible.

Enjoy Rome!

Ski Resorts for Beginners

Courtney Mara — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:34:51 +0000

A couple weeks ago someone I know went on a ski vacation in Colorado at a resort called Steamboat Ski & Resort. I had never really wanted to go on a ski vacation before, but, after seeing his pictures, I have been doing some research on where the best ski resorts are for beginners like me. This research is in hopes that next winter Matt and I will be able to take a true ski vacation.

Below I have listed some of the ski resorts that I found that are said to be good for beginners, some of which may be luxury ski resorts. Now, I will fully admit that I have not done thorough research just yet, but I thought I would put out the list on CourtneyMara.com and next year do some follow-up research. So, without further ado, below is a list of ski resorts that I found through research I conducted through Google that are said to be good for beginners. Please let me know in the comments section if you are familiar with any of these destinations!

CALIFORNIA

Alpine Meadows

Heavenly Mountain Resort

CANADA

COLORADO:

IDAHO

MAINE

NEVADA

OREGON

UTAH

VERMONT

Stratton Mountain Ski Resort

Mount Snow

Do you have a recommendation for a great ski resort for beginners? Please share your tips on CourtneyMara.com!

A few hours in Florence

Courtney Mara — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:00:11 +0000

Matt and I only spent two evenings in Florence. We arrived on a Tuesday night, spent Wednesday exploring Tuscany, and then had another evening in Florence before leaving early Thursday morning. From our short time period there, the following are my Florence recommendations:

Take a ride on the carousel at Piazza della Republica

Eat, eat and eat. It’s Italy so you have to eat, eat and eat! We went to two restaurants while in Florence. I HIGHLY recommend Ristorante del Fagioli (see first picture below), but remember to bring cash. They do not take credit cards. The food was amazing. We also ate at the place where the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore worked in Florence, Pizzeria Napoletana O’Vesuvio (see second picture below). Matt loved this place. I think I just picked the wrong pizza.

See where Michelangelo’s David originally stood outside the Palazzo della Signoria and where there is now a replica

See the Duoma

See and shop on Ponte Vecchio (the bridge in the photo below)

There is obviously a ton more to do in Florence if you are there during the daytime. If we had been there during the daytime, my top picks would have been:

Climb the Duoma’s dome
Bike to Piazzale Michelangelo for the terrific views
Walk through the Uffizi Gallery
See the original David at the Galleria dell’Accademia

Enjoy Florence!

Valentine’s Day in the District

Courtney Mara — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:00:40 +0000

Are you still looking for Valentine’s Day ideas? Well, below are some of my favorite Valentine’s Day activities in the DC area:

Bring a picnic to Gravelly Point (VA) and watch the planes take off and land.

Want to feel relaxed? Visit a spa. To make it more “coupley” – get a couples massage. Matt and I had a couples massage at M3 in Georgetown.
Do you want to do the dinner and a movie? Well, I would recommend dinner at Filomena in Georgetown and then a romantic movie at AMC Loews Georgetown.
Like to ice skate? Go ice skating in Georgetown and then follow it up with dinner and, more importantly, dessert at Serendipity 3.

If you prefer to go ice skating in downtown DC, skate at the Sculpture Garden ice rink and then have dinner at Fogo de Chao.
Want to try something different? The National Crime & Punishment Museum is holding a Valentine’s Day event called Crimes of Passion. I adore this museum and did a post about it a year ago (click here).

If you love chocolate & wine, you must try Coco Sala. They have a special Valentine’s Day menu for $120 per person with wine pairings.
Something I have never done, but would LOVE to do is an Odyssey or Spirit of Washington cruise. Spirit‘s Valentine’s Day packages start at $99.90 per person. Odyssey‘s prices start at $129.90 per person.
Another great option is to take a cooking class together at Sur La Table in Arlington, VA (click here). The price for the class is $79pp and includes the dinner menu you will be able to eat afterwards.

For a list of restaurants with Valentine’s Day offers, check out OpenTable.com.

What are your DC Valentine’s Day plans?

Great activities around Mürren, Switzerland

Courtney Mara — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:53:20 +0000

Reblogged from Wyman Stocks:

Mürren is one of the most peaceful places we visited in Switzerland. There are so many great things to do in the area it is hard to pick. Here's a list of things we did on our trip and loved each one.

Walk down to Gimmelwald - About mid-way through Mürren there is a path going down to Gimmelwald. It winds slowly down the mountain past a couple houses, a stream, a cow pasture, and finally into the village.

Freiburg, Germany

Courtney Mara — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:58:22 +0000

Reblogged from My Europe Album:

Freiburg City in South west of Germany was visited on 25th Jun 2011. From Basel, Switzerland we took a train at about 1045am. An ICE Basel to Freiburg takes just over 1/2 hours, whereas a local train about an hour. We were 4 persons with a infant of 1 yr. old, we took the Baden-Württemberg ticket which costs only 53 CHF (for up to 5 people), which was valid for the entire day on local trains in all of Baden-Württemberg and also on trams in Freiburg.

A Couple Days in Venice

Courtney Mara — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:56:13 +0000

Matt and I spent a couple days in Venice in November 2012. Venice is a MUST DO sometime in your life. It is incredible. Venice is made up of 144 islands. We spent our two days there just walking, walking and walking. We tried to explore as many islands as possible. Below are some of our recommendations:

Eat, eat and eat! We loved dinner at Hosteria Al Vecio Bragosso (see picture below).

Take a ride in a gondola. MUST MUST MUST.

Visit the Venetian/Jewish Ghetto. There is a very interesting history that can be read about here.

Drink Prosecco and eat tiramisu near Piazza San Marco. It is totally touristy and over priced, but the area is so romantic and iconic.

Have a great trip to Venice!

Please post your recommendations in the comments section below.