Bienvenidos a Punta Cana

My vacation to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was probably one of my favorites. Everyone enjoys some fun in the sun and this is the place to do so!

My dad’s side of the family decided to go back to our roots in the Dominican Republic, but go somewhere we felt we were truly on vacation. We chose Punta Cana because it has some great resorts on the island, and it also has a bunch of locations to go on excursions to discover other parts of the island.

Arriving at the airport, I was shocked to see we had arrived in what looked like a bunch of tiki huts put together. It wasn’t even a building. It was a few roofs with ceiling fans for the heat – and I loved it! It’s all you need when you’re on a tropical getaway. I wish I had a better picture of it.

We stayed a resort called the Meliá Caribe Tropical and it was wonderful. It’s an all inclusive so we had access to their two huge pools, the beach in the backyard, golf, entertainment, all-you-can-eat buffets, as well as their fancy restaurants. Being Dominican, I was most excited for the food. There is nothing like some fine Dominican food and I was not disappointed.

This is usually the time in my post where I would write all of the “must-sees” in Punta Cana, but since it’s a small tropical island, the recommended places to visit while there are beaches and private islands. When going on my trip, I used TripAdvisor to show me the top places to go. I found it very helpful. The Isla Saona was my favorite!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g147293-Activities-Punta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

A suggestion I would make to future Punta Cana visitors is to bring a lot of sunscreen! We were dabbing sun screen onto ourselves repeatedly throughout the day and a few people in the family got heat rashes while the rest got sun burned. I was one to get a heat rash and it was no fun. Neosporin helped a little!

Going to a tropical island, you’re gonna be in the pool everyday and in the sun constantly. Probably more than your body is used to and it can react in different ways. I would rather be safe than sorry.

I also suggest to look at companies such as Expedia, where you can purchase vacation packages. They usually include the flight and resort stay for a much cheaper price! We got a huge deal when we booked our trips.

Other than that, I only suggest to have fun! It should be easy on the glorious island of Punta Cana.

Safe travels!

Welcome to New York City

In this post I decided to talk about a place outside of Europe, and in the great United States. It’s a little cliche to say that New York City is one of the greatest cities in the world, but it is. The architecture, the scenery, the people and the environment in NYC is not like any other city. I’ve visited it numerous times now, and every time I leave, I can’t wait to go back.

In the summer of 2012 I went to New York on a trip with my family and it was a trip to remember. We were staying with relatives in the Bronx, NY so we would make the 30 minute commute to the city for a few days. What I found most fascinating about New York were the buildings.

Some major sites to see:

• The Statute of Liberty
• Empire State Building
• Grand Central Terminal
• Times Square
• Central Park
• Chinatown
• Rockefeller Center
• Brooklyn Bridge
• Broadway
• Yankee Stadium

There are about 15 other sites I would say would be cool to visit, but these are the main tourist attractions. I’ve myself only seen about half on this list because there is so much to see. It’s kind of fun to not see everything all at once because it gives you an excuse to go back someday, and you can take your time at each site.

Central Park is a must see. If you’re going in the summertime I recommend bringing water and some sort of fan. It get hot. Enough said. There’s usually a good crowd there, mixed of locals and tourists. You never know what you might see at Central Park.

The highlights of my past NYC trip were Time Square and the new 9/11 Memorial. Times Square is best to see during the night because of all the lights. Everything is lit up and there are so many people walking around. There are a ton of shops, entertainers and music to give you the full NYC experience.

The 9/11 Memorial was something I made sure to visit during my time in the city. When I was there, they were still building the new World Trade Center, but in place of the old buildings, they made a site of where they once stood and created a beautiful memorial.

The names of every person who died in the terrorist attacks of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001 are inscribed around the twin memorial pools. It was sad seeing all the names of the victims and being in the actual location where the attacks occurred, but I recommend that every person who visits NYC to go see the site. It really puts things in perspective. It was beautiful.

Traffic in NYC is crazy. Be prepared to do a lot of walking. My suggestion is to find a location to park, and leave your vehicle there. New Yorkers do a lot of walking and with good reason. Parking, the traffic and cabs are all insane and don’t expect anything else when visiting the Big Apple.

Last suggestion, buy some “I heart NY” apparel!

New York City is great and a must see place before you die. There is no place like it and you will enjoy it.

Thank you for reading, folks!

Benvenuti a Roma

My next go to location is Rome, Italy. This post will be a little shorter than my previous ones since this is a city I have yet to visit.

Italy is said to be one of the most romantic places ever, but Rome alone comes with so much history. With so many museums and sites, visiting Rome would be a very educational trip that would leave you wanting more.

Must sees in Rome:

• The Spanish steps
• The Trevi Fountain
• Ostia Antica
• The Colosseum
• Roman Forum
• Vatican City
• The villas

I’ve seen a lot of these sites in films and they are beautiful. The Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and the Spanish steps are what I’m most looking forward to seeing because they are such big tourist attractions and are sort of what Rome is known for.

I can’t forget to mention the food. My favorite food ever is Italian – sorry Mom, I said it – and there is nothing like going to the place where such delicious food originated from. Some of my favorites are the pastas, pizzas, gelato and we can’t forget the wine. There is nothing like some fine wine and pasta!

Since Rome brings such a huge tourist draw, it’s best to plan ahead and visit the city in one of it’s less busy months. Try to avoid going in the summer. During the summer there are bigger crowds, it’s hotter and airfare prices sky rocket.

Another helpful tip is from aside all of the huge tourist attractions, leave yourself enough time to grab a cup of coffee at a local cafe or get some gelato. The best traveler’s experience is when one finds the little things to enjoy. Plan out your trip so that you have time to experience Rome like the locals would.

I hope this gives you all some insight on the city of Rome and maybe made you think, “Oh, maybe I want to go there.”

I’ve heard nothing but great about the city. Who knows, maybe I’ll visit it while I’m in Spain this summer!

Bye amici! (bye friends)

Welcome to London

The best insight about a topic is when it comes from a direct source. This is why I chose London as my next destination – I’ve been there. London is one of the greatest cities I’ve ever visited. The history, people and royalty of it all was beautiful.

As I was walking through the airport and heard some of the locals speaking, I said, “I feel like I’m in a Harry Potter movie!” I’m very fascinated by the British accent, and to hear it firsthand – everywhere – was enchanting. Believe it or not, it was difficult to understand at times, even though we spoke the same language.

Speaking of Harry Potter, I went to the Harry Potter Studio Set Tour in England (I’m a huge fan of the series) and I would recommend it to anyone else who loves the books or movies. We got to walk around parts of the set where the actual actors filmed some of the scenes!

My favorite thing about London was probably the infamous red buses. They go quite fast. Most people in the city use the buses as modes of transportation. We purchased these “Oyster” cards, which were prepaid cards for the buses. You don’t really get the London experience without riding a red bus.

Must sees in London:

• Buckingham Palace
• Big Ben
• The London Eye (you don’t necessarily have to ride it unless you have a lot of time!)
• Changing the Guard
• Tower Bridge
• The Shard
• British Museum
• Shakespeare’s Globe
• St. Paul’s Cathedral
• Tower of London
• Westminster Abbey
• Shopping on Oxford Street
• The red phone booths
• And all of their wonderful parks!

There was so much to see in London! I was only there for four days and it was not enough time. We got to see a lot because of the hop-on-hop-off tour, thankfully. I can’t wait to go back to be able to explore the one’s I wasn’t able to see.

My favorite tourist attractions were Big Ben (hence my header) and Buckingham Palace. We missed Changing the Guard, but we did catch a guard walking through the courtyard which was exciting!

I found this trip very educational. I learned a lot about the royals and the history of London – and I loved every minute of it. I almost considered studying abroad there this summer because I loved it so much!

Maybe not this time, but I will definitely return soon.

Safe travels!

Bienvenidos a Barcelona

I am particularly excited for Barcelona, Spain because this summer I will be living there for seven weeks. I am doing the UF in Barcelona study abroad program for Summer A, so I’m excited to share with you guys the fun and exciting places I will be seeing!

The main attractions and activities I’m looking forward to are:

• La Sagrada Familia church
• The Magic Fountain of Montjuic music and light show
• The Picasso Museum
• Visiting Las Ramblas (Barcelona’s most famous walking street)
• FC Barcelona Camp Nou Stadium and Barça museum
• Barrio Gotico (Gothic neighborhood in the medieval city)
• Park Guell
• The Spanish villages

I interviewed 20-year-old UF Student, Katherine Arellano, who visited Barcelona with her grandparents when she was 11 years old.

“I loved it,” Arellano said. “The history, the buildings, the food, everything about the city was beautiful.”

Even though she was young, she recommends that future travelers should plan ahead. There’s a lot of tourists, especially during the summer, so you don’t want to get stuck in long lines or huge crowds.

Another thing that Arellano told me was that even though she speaks Spanish, she found it difficult to communicate with the locals.

“Their Spanish was different from mine, so it was a lot harder to understand them than I thought,” Arellano said.

Arellano says that she was so young when she went, that she would return “in a heartbeat.”

“I feel like I didn’t soak up enough about the city as I would have if I were to go now,” Arellano said. “At that age, all I could think about was finding the nearest pool.”

I’m most excited about exploring the Spanish villages. The major tourist attractions are fun and historic, but the way to get to know a culture is to explore how the locals live.

Barcelona, according to Arellano, is an incredible city. I would recommend my readers to visit this city if they are interested in the Spanish culture, art and history.

I’m sure it will be great time.

Adios!

Bienvenue à Paris

Greetings!

So for my first location, I wanted to talk about Paris! This city is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. There is so much history and culture in every turn.

I stayed in one of the smaller hotels in Paris, which was a block away from the Eiffel Tower. The place we stayed at was so cute and French like. I’ve never stayed in a place like that before – it made me feel like I was truly in France! I recommend this type of stay rather than a huge, over-the-top hotel.

(Picture of our room – Four of us stayed in there!)

To make sure we saw everything we wanted to see in Paris, we went on one of those hop-on-hop-off buses. For two days, we rode around in a bus around the city and were able to get off and back on whenever we pleased. This made our transportation around the city so much easier! The traffic was crazy, so I’m glad we had that taken cared of.

Must sees:

• EIFFEL TOWER – for obvious reasons
• Notre Dame
• Arc de Triomphe
• Musee du Louvre
• Shakespeare and Company Bookshop
• The Love Lock Bridge
• and if you have time, visit the Versailles Palace!

Everything in Paris is pricey because it’s a touristy place. But it’s certainly worth the money. This was my first time in Europe and it exceeded my expectations. I was mesmerized by the french language, the buildings, the cars, the food – everything. And Versailles was magical. If you’re deciding on where to take a trip next, make it Paris!

You won’t regret it.

Welcome!

I am Natasha Zapata. I’m a 21-year-old junior who just transferred to the University of Florida to study journalism.

This blog, “Oh, the Sites to See”, was created for my Multimedia Writing course. When I was introduced with the assignment to create a blog, I thought, “What do I love?”, then I remembered the trip I took last summer to Europe.

My best friend who studies at FSU was studying abroad in London, England. She mentioned to me that I should go visit her while she was there, and I never looked back at the idea.

We planned the trip so that I would go to London her last week of classes, and then we would go Paris, France! Talk about a dream. I would get to see Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower! (The header picture is one I took from the trip!)

Travel is what I love; It’s what gets me excited. Seeing the sights and exploring the different cultures is thrilling. That’s why writing about travel was a no-brainer for my blog.

In this blog, I will discuss some great places to see around the world! I will do my fair share of research to find the must-see’s of each location, will discuss how to travel on a budget and will even interview people who have been to some of these places.

I love to write and I hope to excite my readers about traveling with my blog.

Until next time friends!