Stephenie Harrison

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Steph25

Where to Eat in La Peñita

If you’re looking for authentic Mexican food at authentic Mexican prices, La Peñita is the place for you. For a coastal town, it’s very affordable and, near as we could tell, the food really hasn’t been gussied up or altered for gringo palates… largely because most tourists tend to...
FoodMexico
Steph12

Getting the Last Laugh at Bryce Canyon

Iyanla Vanzant famously said that if you want to hear God laugh, then you only need to tell Him your plans. Within hours of announcing that we would be leaving Minnesota for Mexico at the end of the week, foreboding weather forecasts inundated the local tv stations, heralding a...
USA
Steph28

This Mexican Life: Reflections on our First Month in Mexico

This week marked two big milestones for us: We celebrated the eight year anniversary of the day we met, and we also happened to do it while marking one full month of location independence in Mexico. As we quaffed icy cold beers and watched the sky bleed from cotton...
MexicoMusings
Steph24

Minds Blown in Moab

One of my favorite things about traveling is when we find ourselves somewhere that defies all attempts to describe it. Often these places are impossibly beautiful, but they also tend to be incredibly foreign and unabashedly unique as well. I always hold a special place in my heart for...
AdventuresUSA
Steph16

Just Wait

My obsession began within seconds of seeing the “Welcome to Colorado” sign. “So, we’re definitely going to see some mountains today, right?” I asked. “Yup. Just wait,” Tony replied. “OK,” I said, squirming around in my seat as I craned my neck to and fro, hoping a little extra...
USA
Steph34

That GOB Bluth Moment

Fans of Arrested Development know the moment I’m talking about, but even if you’ve (wrongly) never watched the show, I’m betting you’re still familiar with what I mean. It’s that moment that comes after you’ve made a big decision or change, that moment when you feel like everything you’ve...
MexicoMusings
Steph46

On Not Writing

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? In my mind, I’ve written this post a hundred times. In reality, I’ve written it four times, trying to figure out where to begin, what to say to fill the space that has elapsed since I last wrote. It was never my intention...
Musings
Steph37

Guided by our Guts in Madrid

Metaphorically speaking, it was our guts that lead us to Madrid instead of Barcelona. That worked out pretty well for us, so it is only fitting that once there, we continued to let our stomachs guide us, and in doing so, did our level best to eat our way...
FoodSpain
Steph33

Buenos Días in Madrid

Upon announcing that we would be visiting Madrid instead of Barcelona when heading to Spain, we were warned many times over that we were making a huge mistake: It had no sights or attractions of any real interest and was boring; the people were unfriendly; the food wasn’t great;...
Spain
Steph23

How Much It Costs to Travel in Italy* (& Other Handy Advice)

*Caveat: Italy is a very large country and costs can fluctuate dramatically based on where you go. Thus, although we saw more than just its capital city, it feels a bit disingenuous to claim that this is a comprehensive budget guide to all of Italy. Really, it’s more an...
BudgetingItalyResources
Steph27

Back to Basics in Bologna

Looking back, Tony & I did an embarrassing number of things wrong with regards to the European portion of our trip. For the most part, we moved too fast, were too tightly scheduled, and pinched our pennies too hard—we managed to stay under budget in a lot of places,...
FoodItaly
Steph37

Confessions of a Foodie in Rome

If you read our desultory food interview, Chewing the Fat, Italy is by far the most popular answer when we ask people to name their favorite food country from their travels. It’s a carb-lovers paradise—the home of pizza and pasta!—and we intended to eat very well during our two...
FoodItaly
Steph14

Roman Ramblings

I think the need for stories is hardcoded into our DNA. Stories don’t just capture our imaginations—the very best ones help us make sense of the world as well as our place within it. Stories impart meaning, and our desire for order and answers can sometimes cause us to...
Italy
Steph48

Hello I Must Be Going

When last I posted, I was writing from Toronto, Canada about our adventures in Italy. That was a little over two weeks ago, and although I didn’t intend for it to happen, writing blog posts swiftly plummeted to the very bottom of my list of things to do. Perhaps...
Musings
Steph41

Melancholic Musings on Florence

Whoever says that Americans don’t travel outside of their own country has clearly never been to Florence in June. I promise I’m not exaggerating when I say that literally every corner, every alleyway, every piazza, every museum, and every bridge was teeming with Americans. Generally packs of them, likely...
Italy