Win a Day Bike Tour of Paris For Two!

"Paris is always a good idea" - Audrey Hepburn

There was a time when I thought that statement might not hold any truth. Before ever visiting Paris, I always assumed it was just one giant tourist trap. I had little desire to go there, but went just to get that coveted check mark on my bucket list. After our trip there in 2012, I all but ache to go back. I pegged this famous French city so, so wrong for too many years! There's truly something magical about Paris. Not sure if it's the tasty food, the architecture, the romance culture, or all the iconic landmarks, but there seems to be a common theme found among travelers...Paris totally captures your heart. You want to hate it, but all its wonderfulness bleeds right in and takes hold of you, whether you expected it to or not. I often look back on our time there and think fondly of picnic dinners on the Champ de Mars, the macarons at Lauduree, the way I felt the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle against the moonlight...all things that just scratch the surface of why our time there was so lovely. You may come into a Paris visit with reservations, but you'll come out of it with more than just an appreciation for art and French champagne. You leave with an insatiable urge to go right back and do it all over again. Guess Audrey is on to something after all? ;)

Speaking of Paris and making memories...do you live in Paris? Have a trip planned to the 'City of Lights' soon? Love riding bikes and eating baguettes? If so, this is one giveaway you'll surely want to enter. One lucky blog reader will win a day bike tour for two courtesy of the lovely people at Fat Tire Tours-Paris (airfare and accommodations in Paris NOT INCLUDED--giveaway for day bike tour only). All you have to do is follow the prompts via the Rafflecopter widget below and boom...you're entered! Good luck, travelers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Winner will be selected on October 10th and notified on October 11th. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway open to those 18 and older. Winner receives a voucher for day bike tour for 2 in Paris from Fat Tire Tours. Airfare/accommodations to Paris NOT INCLUDED.**

STAY | Gaylord Palms Resort Orlando

Last August, D and I were just beginning to get settled into our new lives in the Sunshine State. We'd been in Florida for almost 2 months and were finally living in the home we'd bought prior to leaving Germany. Unfortunately, those blissful two months of new home ownership were clouded by the fact that we were still missing all of our belongings. Not a pot or pan to our name. As the military goes, they're not the promptest with shipping household goods across the ocean, so we were sleeping on rental mattresses (weird, I know) and doing a lot of microwave cooking. After our mattress rentals were up, we still had 1 month of air mattress sleeping before we were slated to be reunited with our own comfy bed. We were ok with that for a couple weeks...but one Tuesday morning we woke up both aching and sore from the uncomfortable sleep conditions. At that point, I'd had it. A few tears were shed (all mine, of course) and D suggested we do what we do best when faced with less than desirable life situations...go on vacation! 

It was a stay-cation, to be honest. Orlando (and a few uninterrupted days at Disney) was the only place that seemed to shed any light on our discouraged, mattress-less attitudes. We'd just got our Disney annual passes and hadn't really gotten to use them to their full potential, so I powered up the laptop and searched for a nice place to recoup our exhausted bodies. Last minute Disney Resort hotels were slightly over the budget we wanted to pay just to sleep well, so I looked into our Marriott points account and realized we'd racked up quite a slurry of them during our time overseas. A few clicks later, we booked a weekend stay at a resort I'd only ever heard amazing things about...the Gaylord Palms Orlando.

Upon arriving, we knew we were in for a treat...this place was massive! The resort doubles as a conference center, but even so, the property still wow'd us with acreage (63 of them--you can see it from the interstate) and its beautiful tropical landscaping. After our super smooth check-in process (and being upgraded to an atrium view room, eek!) we decided to check out our room and take a wander around the resort. I think the most notable architectural feature of the Gaylord Palms is the hotel's massive 4.5 acre glass-enclosed atrium. Inside the atrium, guests can discover a variety of themed environments based on popular Florida destinations like Key West, the Everglades, and St. Augustine. It's really a sight to behold! So much lush greenery, it feels like you're entering into a secret oasis the moment you walk through the door.

Our over-sized Emerald Bay Atrium View guest room mirrored the ambiance of a private residence with French door terraces (our room had two!), luxurious decor, and plush linens. Each of our terraces overlooked the expansive atrium which filled with ethereal light from the sun each morning. The room decor, well, it was right within my style profile. Clean, modern, and with an air of fun sophistication--not something all resort accommodations can boast! I was slightly obsessed with the carpet...it was insanely comfortable for hotel flooring. Almost comfy enough to sleep on! We also loved the thoughtful little details (like the granite vanities, the deluxe bathroom toiletries, and video check-out). The Gaylord Palms really showcased its dedication to world-class amenities and service throughout every moment of our stay.

All rooms at the Gaylord Palms Resort Orlando include:

• Wireless high speed internet access 
• Mini-refrigerators with daily replenishment of 2 bottles of water
• Safes with laptop charging ability
• Ceiling fans and in-room coffee maker
• Complimentary transportation to and from Walt Disney World parks and Disney Springs each day

 I couldn't think of a more peaceful way to start the day than enjoying my coffee (fresh from the on-site coffee shop downstairs) on our private balcony each morning. You could hear the trickle of the natural area waterfalls in the distance, adding serenity to an already luxurious Florida escape. Every day we spent at the Gaylord Palms had me wishing we had just one more to savor. Plus, the property had so many unique areas to explore, you need more than a short weekend to experience everything this resort has to offer.

One of my most favorite resort features was the adults-only South Beach pool. D and I spent a half-day ordering poolside cocktails and reveling in the Miami-inspired pool deck lined with palm trees. We felt just like we'd been transported to the white sands of South Beach! And if you've got kiddos in tow, I'm positive they'll find Cyprus Springs Family Water Park as a splash-worthy way to end a long day of Disney adventuring.

With just a 5-minute drive to Walt Disney World and showcasing a plethora of resort amenities like restaurants, lounges, unique shops, a full-service spa, on-site child-care center and entertainment venues, it's easy to see why the Gaylord Palms Resort Orlando is a prime destination for Disney and Orlando lovers alike. Two BIG thumbs up from Team Cote! We can't wait for our next stay!

Want to experience the luxury of Gaylord Palms Orlando for yourself? Email me at Casey@destinationstoexplore.com and we can get you booked today!

Salzburg, Austria: Part 2

I just spent the morning going through all the photos I have from our Salzburg weekend (all 802 of them!) and I love way too many of them just to share two posts. Old Town is gorgeous and full of such incredible history, but the mountainous landscape surrounding the city is simply breathtaking. The Austrian Alps are truly an item that should be on everyone's bucket list. If you can ski the Alps, that's the ideal way to go, but experiencing the views of such an iconic city juxtaposed against snow capped mountains is a great compromise. I went photo crazy our morning at Salzburg Castle. It was so hard not to! The clouds and fog from the early morning were still lingering along the base of the mountain range when we got to the castle's vista. As the day progressed, the fog dissipated and we got totally different Alpine views. It was unbelievable (I'll share more in my next post). Until then...here are a few more photos of the Old Town leading up to our funicular ride.

 I have to admit, aside from watching the mountain scenery change with the day, one of the coolest things we did while in Salzburg was ride the funicular from Old Town up to Fortress Hohensalzburg (Salzburg Castle). We are big fans of "getting high" and seeing cities from the highest vantage point we can easily get to. I always recommend taking this approach when visiting a new city. Such a great way to get your bearings and be wowed at the same time! You can take the funicular round-trip for 8 euro, or you can combine your ride with a castle tour (what we did) for 11.30 euro. Such a perfect way to spend half a day in Salzburg!

More from Salzburg Castle to come...

Miss any of my Salzburg recaps? Catch up here!

The Hills Are Alive: Salzburg Part 1

This time last year, D and I hopped in a car with two of our friends and made our way to Salzburg for a totally Austrian weekend. Austria was one of those countries we always kind of forgot about. Even though its borders were just 6 short hours away from our home in Wiesbaden, Austria is so similar to Germany that we often chose to venture off to other destinations around Germany. When the time to leave our life abroad started to creep closer, we knew there were a few iconic cities we needed to check off our bucket list before leaving Europe. Salzburg was high on our list.

As the birthplace of Mozart and Rodgers and Hammerstein's cinematic treasure, The Sound of Music, Salzburg runs no shortage of historic sights and beautiful landscapes. Our weekend was chock full of "wow!" moments and diving straight into the pages of my college art history textbook. We decided to stay just across the river from historic Salzburg, placing our home-base at a hotel with a view of the Mirabell Garden & Palace gates. After checking in late on a Friday night, we woke early Saturday morning, drank cappucinos at the bakery below the hotel, and started our tour of Salzburg with Mirabellgarten (open year-round). None of the boys were interested in doing the whole Sound of Music bus tour, so us gals settled for strolling around the gardens singing and pretending we were part of the Von Trapp family. Really a surreal start to our day of sight-seeing.

After strolling the gardens, we made our way across the Salzach River to wander around historic Salzburg. Along our walk, you could see Fortress Hohensalzburg towering over the city, and gorgeous mountain-scapes hovering over every ounce of visible skyline. To live in a city completely surrounding by beautiful mountains? That's the dream. 

Baroque architecture reins supreme in Salzburg and the city oozes a fun blend of opulence and kitsch as you wander along its narrow streets. I'm a sucker for wrought iron signage and elaborate facades, so Getreidegasse (popular shopping street) was a total dream to me. We spent quite a lot of time going in and out of shops, tasting marzipan, trying on traditional dirndls/lederhosen, and tasting local schnapps at Sporer (highly recommend a pop in--smooth as buttah, that stuff!). It was so easy to lose track of time there! Salzburg is such a friendly city, the locals really embraced us and made us all feel welcome (especially where schnapps and beer were involved!). After getting our fill of shopping, we decided we needed to "get high"...so off to the castle we went!

More from gorgeous Salzburg to come!