I initially thought I could pull off making this a daily blog, but work responsibilities got the best of me and convinced me that this wasn't going to work! So, here I am, on a Saturday evening, writing on my blog...
BUT I'm excited!
I've just secured accommodation (on a houseboat with a lady named Rose) and booked 3 flights for myself, my mom and my aunt to visit Amsterdam in April. My mom and aunt arrive here in Munich next Sunday and will be with me for a month. We've got a lot to look forward to during the time they're here and I'm getting pretty pumped! We've booked a 12 day tour of Turkey and Greece that begins on March 29th and lasts until April 11th - I'm so excited to see Turkey and have this European-Asia bridge experience with my mom and aunt as I'm hoping it'll be a totally different world for them! What's a little frustrating, though, is some of the advice that random people at home are giving to my mom to "help" her prepare for her trip...things like, "Make sure you bring your own toilet paper." and "I really hope none of you are blonde because that makes you a target for Turkish men." REALLY PEOPLE?! I've lived in the places where you need to have toilet paper and by default, always have some...but in Europe, this isn't necessary. And the blonde thing...well...don't get me started! :)
We'll begin our trip in Istanbul, continue on to Cappadocia where I'm hopeful I can convince my mom and aunt to do the hot air balloon experience...of course they're hesitant because of the accident in Egypt with hot air balloon (if it makes the news at all, it's probably safe to say it rarely happens!)...but, I'm hopeful! After that, we head to Konya and Pamukkale then Hierapolis, Aphrodisias and Kusadasi followed by Ephesus. We then fly to Athens, spend a day there and then we're off to Santorini for some sun and beautiful weather, if my plan pans out! :) I'm really looking forward to the trip, seeing some new places and having my mind blown as I do with most travel experiences I have. Although I've been to Athens for a chaperoning trip (see, awesome job perk!), I'm excited about visiting it again, taking my time and having a sense of where things are to guide my mom and aunt around! SO, lots to look forward to on this trip! The weekend after we arrive, we're then off to the Netherlands (it'll be my 4th trip) to see tulips, windmills, canals and some really awesome architecture. I know that my mom and aunt will love it and I'm looking forward to the houseboat experience as it was really neat to stay on a houseboat on one of my previous visits. Since I know the city pretty well now, I'm looking forward to showing the ladies around with confidence here and I also hope to finally see the Anne Frank House as I've missed it on all of my previous visits.
I absolutely love travelling. I live for it.
Living in Europe is expensive but you can't afford NOT to travel when you're here because everything's so close and internal European flights aren't so bad...well not bad at all compared to flying in from outside of Europe.
This is Lake Starnberg with the German Alps in back...barely visible is the Zugspitz which is the tallest mountain in Germany. This is a five minute walk from where I live...and hence why this is probably such an expensive area to live. This is also the lake where King Ludwig II was found dead...he's the man that built Neuschwanstein Castle (among many others - he had a castle obsession) which is the inspiration for Disney's castle. I took this photo this morning.
These are the woods behind my school...after having lived in a busy place like China, it's nice to escape into the wilderness and complete quiet tranquility within a 10 minute walk of where I live. Bliss! This was taken yesterday afternoon.
I'm totally taking advantage of my geographic location in Europe by seeing as much as I can while I'm here...even if it means broke pockets. I am so grateful for my recent trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina as I had my mind completely blown with what I saw and what I learned. To me, travel is unlike any education you could ever have elsewhere or otherwise. I actually called my high school history teacher while on this trip because I wanted to share my experiences with her...and thank her for opening the door to travel for me. I learned so much from her (more about history than from any other teacher ever) and I love going to new places and seeing the things she taught me about. This was especially true in Jerusalem, Rome, Moscow and Sarajevo. As an educator, you have so much power to influence the future of your students and she has done this to an extent that I'm not sure she'll ever comprehend. I've taken what she's given me and just flown with it and now, I'm addicted to seeing and learning about the world. I wish I could go on a trip to a new place with her and I hope she's seen all of these places where the iconic events she taught us about actually took place because it's such a powerful feeling...like having things come full circle. People who don't travel so much can't understand this feeling but all of those who do, can easily relate. In fact, one of the reasons for starting this blog is because I feel so many conversations are impossible to have because when I talk about my experiences (or start to), I feel awkward or uncomfortable because I'm not sure how people are taking me...but I NEED TO SHARE! You can't keep these things all bottled up inside forever because, well, the world is too awesome to NOT talk about it. I'm looking forward to doing travel updates here, from now on, as they happen! My only regret is that I didn't have this blog while I was in Sarajevo, but when I'm feeling REALLY type happy, I'll do a flashback about that trip. A trip to Sarajevo is something I would highly recommend you do in your lifetime, especially if you're in your late 20s or early 30s because it'll really hit home how lucky you are to have had a childhood free of war. Of course, I realize that many other places are still at war and could offer the same feeling/experience but the guides in Sarajevo were stellar and the information I left with was, I'll say it again, mind blowing! But, I'll blog on more about that later!
Here's a building along the main street in Sarajevo...scars of the war continue to haunt the city as so much was destroyed and money to restore buildings is obviously limited.
Now it's time for bed with my lovely canine sleepover buddy, Pancia, who I'm taking care of for the night. Life's good and I hope it is with you too! :)
BUT I'm excited!
I've just secured accommodation (on a houseboat with a lady named Rose) and booked 3 flights for myself, my mom and my aunt to visit Amsterdam in April. My mom and aunt arrive here in Munich next Sunday and will be with me for a month. We've got a lot to look forward to during the time they're here and I'm getting pretty pumped! We've booked a 12 day tour of Turkey and Greece that begins on March 29th and lasts until April 11th - I'm so excited to see Turkey and have this European-Asia bridge experience with my mom and aunt as I'm hoping it'll be a totally different world for them! What's a little frustrating, though, is some of the advice that random people at home are giving to my mom to "help" her prepare for her trip...things like, "Make sure you bring your own toilet paper." and "I really hope none of you are blonde because that makes you a target for Turkish men." REALLY PEOPLE?! I've lived in the places where you need to have toilet paper and by default, always have some...but in Europe, this isn't necessary. And the blonde thing...well...don't get me started! :)
We'll begin our trip in Istanbul, continue on to Cappadocia where I'm hopeful I can convince my mom and aunt to do the hot air balloon experience...of course they're hesitant because of the accident in Egypt with hot air balloon (if it makes the news at all, it's probably safe to say it rarely happens!)...but, I'm hopeful! After that, we head to Konya and Pamukkale then Hierapolis, Aphrodisias and Kusadasi followed by Ephesus. We then fly to Athens, spend a day there and then we're off to Santorini for some sun and beautiful weather, if my plan pans out! :) I'm really looking forward to the trip, seeing some new places and having my mind blown as I do with most travel experiences I have. Although I've been to Athens for a chaperoning trip (see, awesome job perk!), I'm excited about visiting it again, taking my time and having a sense of where things are to guide my mom and aunt around! SO, lots to look forward to on this trip! The weekend after we arrive, we're then off to the Netherlands (it'll be my 4th trip) to see tulips, windmills, canals and some really awesome architecture. I know that my mom and aunt will love it and I'm looking forward to the houseboat experience as it was really neat to stay on a houseboat on one of my previous visits. Since I know the city pretty well now, I'm looking forward to showing the ladies around with confidence here and I also hope to finally see the Anne Frank House as I've missed it on all of my previous visits.
I absolutely love travelling. I live for it.
Living in Europe is expensive but you can't afford NOT to travel when you're here because everything's so close and internal European flights aren't so bad...well not bad at all compared to flying in from outside of Europe.
I'm totally taking advantage of my geographic location in Europe by seeing as much as I can while I'm here...even if it means broke pockets. I am so grateful for my recent trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina as I had my mind completely blown with what I saw and what I learned. To me, travel is unlike any education you could ever have elsewhere or otherwise. I actually called my high school history teacher while on this trip because I wanted to share my experiences with her...and thank her for opening the door to travel for me. I learned so much from her (more about history than from any other teacher ever) and I love going to new places and seeing the things she taught me about. This was especially true in Jerusalem, Rome, Moscow and Sarajevo. As an educator, you have so much power to influence the future of your students and she has done this to an extent that I'm not sure she'll ever comprehend. I've taken what she's given me and just flown with it and now, I'm addicted to seeing and learning about the world. I wish I could go on a trip to a new place with her and I hope she's seen all of these places where the iconic events she taught us about actually took place because it's such a powerful feeling...like having things come full circle. People who don't travel so much can't understand this feeling but all of those who do, can easily relate. In fact, one of the reasons for starting this blog is because I feel so many conversations are impossible to have because when I talk about my experiences (or start to), I feel awkward or uncomfortable because I'm not sure how people are taking me...but I NEED TO SHARE! You can't keep these things all bottled up inside forever because, well, the world is too awesome to NOT talk about it. I'm looking forward to doing travel updates here, from now on, as they happen! My only regret is that I didn't have this blog while I was in Sarajevo, but when I'm feeling REALLY type happy, I'll do a flashback about that trip. A trip to Sarajevo is something I would highly recommend you do in your lifetime, especially if you're in your late 20s or early 30s because it'll really hit home how lucky you are to have had a childhood free of war. Of course, I realize that many other places are still at war and could offer the same feeling/experience but the guides in Sarajevo were stellar and the information I left with was, I'll say it again, mind blowing! But, I'll blog on more about that later!
Now it's time for bed with my lovely canine sleepover buddy, Pancia, who I'm taking care of for the night. Life's good and I hope it is with you too! :)
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