➸ Beach recommendation in PORTUGAL - Praia da Cordoama 🌊

Hey guys :) How are ya doing?? In the first time in forever i haven't booked or planned a holiday! Because I will graduate within the next months from university I have sooo much stuff to do and there are so many things I cannot plan, because I just don't know how my future will turn out - definitely terrifying, but also exciting!!! 

But just because I don't go on holiday anytime soon, it doesn't mean you will stay at home, too! And I know in many countries the summer break will began very soon - YEAH for that! So, I thought, maybe you need a little beach inspiration. Life is better at the beach, right?! Therefore, I wanna share with you one of my favourite beaches in Portugal: Praia da Cordoama. 

This beauty you will find at the Atlantic coast, 5km away from Vila do Bispo (in the south of Portugal) and only 13km away from Sagres. So when you wanna combine the beach with some culture, like the Fortaleza de Sagres - it's a perfect day trip. 

The beach is a surfers' paradise, so keep your eyes peeled for some hot surfers ;) ... or try surfing yourself, there are many surf schools around! When you're not up to surf, then bring a blanket, a picnic and some other fun stuff to have the perfect beach day (... please don't forget to bring your sunscreen!). And when you're tired of chilling in the sun, you can climb up the cliff to have a beautiful view or even watch the sunset from there! 

The only drawback: you can reach the beach only by car and be prepared, it's an adventurous road with a beautiful outlook! But totally worth it. 

➸ Grand Canyon, Arizona

Have you ever been to a place which didn't even look real in reality? When I've visited the Grand Canyon i exactly felt like this. Till today I can't believe it wasn't a reeeeaally big wallpaper! 

But let's start from the beginning. I definitely need to share a little bit of advice I wish I had back than! My friend and I booked a typical touristy bus tour departing from Las Vegas. And let me tell you: PLEASE never ever book a bus tour to the Grand Canyon. Except from the Grand Canyon itself it was a horrible experience. Just rent a car and drive out there. 

We were picked up at 6am and we were really excited because we got two front row seats at the upper deck of a double-decker bus. Unfortunately this excitement didn't last long. Half an hour later everybody had to get out of the bus and had to walk into a big storage building, where we were sorted into different groups. There were a lot people coming from different hotels - it was nuts and nobody knew what was going on. Nobody told us, that we just needed to change bus. But happily we got a really nice and funny bus driver. 

Our first stop was the Hoover Dam - a really big dam - but nothing too special. We didn't really catch the excitement about it.

After a 4 hours long drive and 2 wee-wee breaks we stopped at the National Geographic Center. Where we had 1 hours to get lunch and to wait for some people who were watching a 3D movie at the National Geographic Center. It was 2pm and we still haven't seen anything of the Grand Canyon. It was a little bit frustrating.
Half an hour later we finally arrived at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center (South Rim). We had 2 hours to explore this little area. Despite from people being everywhere it was wonderful! The view is just incredible, no words needed. We walked around, took a lot pictures, had a picnic and just enjoyed this stunning landscape. 

Unfortunately, I can't give you any advice on different places around the Grand Canyon, because we've just been to the South Rim. 

After the 2 hours we all got back on the bus and were dropped off at our hotel in Las Vegas at half past 10pm.

So if you don't want to feel like a cow pushed around by so many other cows, just rent a car. And explore the Great Canyon by yourself. It is really worth it! 

Actually I can't remember the name of the company we went with, maybe there are some which are really good  - but ours wasn't. I know it's along drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, but this whole trip was so unorganised and chaotic. The view was worth the money, but the journey really wasn't (I think we payed around 80$ each).

➸ Ponta da Piedade, Lagos, Portugal

Hello my name is Stephanie and I'm addicted to Portugal. Guess what?! Our trip to Portugal was just a dream... again. We stayed at the same hotel like two years ago (Pestana Dom João II) in Alvor, but this time we got a rental car. Therefore we could explore a lot of new places. One of them is the Ponta da Piedade in Lagos. You're at the top of the cliffs and have a more than an amazing view at the landscape around you: cliffs, lonely rocks in the ocean, the ocean, people... eh i mean birds :P. 

But what makes this place so special? Maybe you already saw on Pinterest (my page you will find here - cheeky little self promo :P) a picture of the famous stairs going directly down to the water:

You can get really close to the water and at the end of the platform you find a pool ladder going down in the ocean. But I don't really recommend going for a swim, the water is wild and the drift strong - the chance are pretty high to end up hitting the cliffs very hard.

Funny story, by the way: we've met a very sweet grandma, who was so into getting THAT shot of the ocean with all of the cliffs, she really didn't mind getting wet (we're talking about head to toe wet) caused by a few big waves down there. Hilarious! She had the time of her life. I really hope she got a few good pictures to show back at home! 

This stunning view is totally free and you can go there by bike, car, walking or tourbus. But when you're not with a tourbus, i would highly recommend to check this place out later in the afternoon, when the tourbus tourists are gone and the place isn't that crowded anymore. A lot of parking spaces are available and one or two little restaurants. When you want to experience this area with all its rocks a little more, you can go on a kayak tour. There a lot of companies who offer a 2hours to a day trip at the harbour in Lagos. 

➸ Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park

Today I wanna show you the most stunning and beautiful sunrise I've ever experienced in my life! At 6am we drove all the way up to the top of Cadillac Mountain at the Acadia National Park. And let me tell you, we weren't alone - I would guess that there were about 400 people waiting for the sunset. But except from the cars it wasn't crowded at all. Everyone got cozy with blankets, coffee and of course a camera. When the sun finally came up it was breathtaking. Looking over the sea with the little islands (...hearing a woman shout: Finally we hit gold!") it was so peaceful and just a perfect moment. Even when you're not a morning person, I highly recommend it - get up and drive up there - it's a lifetime experience you will never forget. For me this was my favorite moment of this whole trip! 
Fun fact: the Cadillac Mountain is the highest point at the East Coast of the States, so that means it is also the very first point which is touched by the sun in the US! 

So enjoy the picture overload :P