Chris and Allyson Vs. ...

My wife and I take vacations, and when I can I write way too much about them. Here are the notes from our travels, presented for anyone plotting out their own adventures.

... Australia (2012)

For anyone visiting our friends in the Southern Hemisphere.

Day One: Arrival in Sydney. The Rocks. Exploring the Circle Quay. The Opera House.
Day Two: Sydney Harbor Bridge. Royal Botanic Gardens. Meeting a friend.
Day Three: Swimming with sharks in Manly. A visit to Bondi Beach.
Day Four: The Blue Mountains. The Three Sisters. Katoomba. Norman Lindsay.
Day Five: Jogging tourism. Modern art. Hyde Park Barracks. Darling Harbor. Goodbye to Sydney.
Day Six: Welcome to Cairns. Kuranda Scenic Railway. Koala gardens. Cableway. Karaoke.
Day Seven: The Great Barrier Reef.
Day Eight: An ATV ride. The Cairns Lagoon. Walking the waterfront. Night Markets.
Day Nine: Goodbye to Cairns. Hello to Melbourne. Eureka Skydeck. Melbourne at Night.
Day Ten: Meeting the Hees. Mornington Peninsula. Birdwatching. Dinner with friends.
Day Eleven: Kangaroos up close. The Dandenongs. The Immigration Museum. A comedy show. Young and Jackson's.
Day Twelve: Melbourne's street art. Cook's Cottage. The Old Treasury. Queen Victoria Market. Old Melbourne Gaol. Australian rules football. Goodbye to Australia.

... The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Austria (2013)

A practical travel guide to Europe's hot spots.

Amsterdam Day One: The Cheese Museum. Science Center NEMO. Scheepvaartmuseum. Natura Artis Magistra. Portuguese Synagogue. Leidseplein.
Amsterdam Day Two: Vondelpark. A canal cruise. Brown cafes. Central Amsterdam. The Sea Palace. The Melkweg.
Amsterdam Day Three: Anne Frank House. Bloemenmarkt. Albert Cuypmarkt. Rijksmuseum. Diamond Museum. Houseboat Museum.
Amsterdam Day Four: Cheese in Volendam. Shoes in Markham. Windmills. The Red Light District.
Dusseldorf: A business city. The Rheinturm. Apollo cabaret. Benrath Castle. Depeche Mode.
Switzerland: Zurichfest. Journey to Jungfraujoch. The Dolder Grand. Zurich's Old Town. Lucerne attractions. Lake Lucerne.
Vienna Day One: Schonbrunn Palace. A walk to Stephansdom.
Vienna Day Two: Morning jog. Opera House. The Hofburg complex. Habsburg crypt. Stephansdom. Viennese cafes. Concert at the Kursalon.
Vienna Day Three: Mauthausen.
Vienna Day Four: Sigmund Freud Museum. The Belvedere. A flea market. The Prater and the Wurstelprater.

... California (2014)

California, there we went. A visit to San Francisco and L.A., with stops in between.

Day One: Introduction. Arrival in San Francisco. The Palace Hotel.
Day Two: Golden Gate. Muir Woods. Haight-Ashbury. Lombard Street. The Punchline.
Day Three: Alcatraz. Fisherman's Wharf. Oakland and the USS Potomac. Tragedy and fine dining.
Day Four: The Winchester Mystery House. California 1. Seals at San Simeon.
Day Five: Hearst Castle. More driving. A surprise at Ventura Pier. Santa Monica.
Day Six: Venice Beach. Arrival in Hollywood. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" A paparazzi moment.
Day Seven: The Warner Brothers Studio tour. The Hollywood Sign. Dodger Stadium.
Day Eight: The Reagan Library. The Nixon Library. Downtown Brea. A visit to the Improv.
Day Nine: Sunset Boulevard. The Dearly Departed tour. High-end shopping. The Hollywood Improv.

... Alaska (2016)

The Last Frontier, explored by sea, land and air. Well, some of the Last Frontier. It's friggin' huge.

Chapter One: Vancouver and Boarding
Chapter Two: Ketchikan
Chapter Three: Icy Strait Point
Chapter Four: Juneau
Chapter Five: Skagway and Hubbard Glacier
Chapter Six: Seward and the Kenai Peninsula
Chapter Seven: Anchorage
Chapter Eight: Denali
Chapter Nine: Farewell

... Budapest and Portugal (2017)

Eastern Europe and Western Europe, all on one vacation? It can be done.

Budapest Day One: Vaci Utca. Erzsebet Square. Danube river cruise.
Budapest Day Two: Castle Hill and the Funicular. Matyas Church and Fisherman's Bastion. Hospital in the Rock. National Gallery. Budapest Eye.
Budapest Day Three: Gellert Spa. Parliament. Depeche Mode.
Budapest Day Four: City Park. Terror Museum. Dohany Street Synagogue. Great Market Hall.
Portugal Day One: Shopping at El Corte Ingles. Santa Justa Lift. Bairro Alto. Se Cathedral. Castelo de Sao Jorge and Alfama.
Portugal Day Two: Belem. Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. Monument to the Discoveries. Tower of Belem. Maritime Museum. Tropical Botanical Garden. Alfama at night.
Portugal Day Three: Sintra. National Palace. Palacio da Pena. Castle of the Moors. Praia da Adraga.
Portugal Day Four: Peniche. Braga. Bom Jesus do Monte. Castle of Guimaraes. Porto's fire festival.
Portugal Day Five: Douro Valley by car. Regua and a detour. Pinhao. Quinta do Bomfim and port wine.
Portugal Day Six: Vila Nova de Gaia and Croft Cellars. Bussaco.

... Oregon (2018)

Lewis and Clark eat your hearts out.

Day One: Old Town Portland. Washington Park: International Rose Test Garden, Japanese Garden and Oregon Zoo.
Day Two: Portland: Saturday Market and Powell's Books. Newberg: Hoover-Minthorn House and Rex Hill Winery. Multnomah Falls. Belmont Fermentorium.
Day Three: Cannon Beach. Astoria: Oregon Film Museum, sea lions and Astoria Column. Portland: The Peculiarium and Pearl District.
Day Four: Salem: Oregon Capitol and Oregon State Fair. Drive to Crater Lake.
Day Five: Crater Lake: Cleetwood Cove Trail, a lake cruise, hiking Wizard Island, Crater Lake Lodge.
Day Six: Newberry National Volcanic Monument and Lava Butte. Lava River Cave. Portland: Timbers game and a McMenamins.

... Italy and Croatia (2019)

Rome, Pompeii, the full Croatian experience and a bonus day in London.

Italy Day One: Arrival in Rome, a stroll on the Capitoline Hill, a peek at the Forum, the Colosseum at night.
Italy Day Two: Forum and Palatine, Circus Maximus, Jewish Ghetto, Great Synagogue, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, On the Tiber
Italy Day Three: Rome's Capitoline Museums, Pompeii, Trevi Fountain
Italy Day Four: The Vactican, The Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, Da Tonino
Croatia Day One: Arrival in Dubrovnik, exploring Old Town
Croatia Day Two: Lokrum, a vegan dinner and night in Dubrovnik
Croatia Day Three: A scenic drive to Split, touring Diocletian's Palace, Froggyland
Croatia Day Four: Island hopping to Zlatni Rat, Hvar and the Pakleni islands
Croatia Day Five: Ivan Mestrovic in Split, the fortress of Klis, a detour to Zadar
Croatia Day Six: Plitvice Lakes National Park
Croatia Day Seven: Slunj, the case of the missing winery, arrival in Zagreb, the Museum of Broken Relationships
Croatia Day Eight: Zagreb '80s Museum, Naive Art Museum, Homeland War walking tour, urban beach party
London: St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason, Trafalgar Square, London Eye, Underbelly Festival, Westminster Abbey