Tag: adventures

Exploring New Places Virtually: So Close, Yet So Far Away

Published on by jychen3Leave a comment

I’m not very big on Valentine’s Day and would usually prefer a nice dinner, and that’s it. But, I got the best surprise for Valentine’s Day this year.

One of my best friends reached out to my husband to tell him about Amazon Explore and urged him to purchase a virtual city tour for Valentine’s Day for me. Obviously, I learned these details afterwards. I suppose it’s evident that I’ve been struggling with not being able to travel internationally due to the pandemic, but it makes me smile that my friends and my husband understands me completely.

So what is Amazon Explore? It is a site where you can sign up for a live, virtual one-on-one sightseeing and/or cooking experience from all over the world. Each session is booked directly with a local tour guide who lives in the city and is about $10-$100+ depending on the location. You can see and interact (audio) with the tour guide, but they can only hear you and they cannot see you. You can even take screen shots and interact with other locals onsite virtually if you wanted to.

The one my husband booked on Amazon Explore was the ‘Royal Berlin: a virtual visit to two of Berlin’s most famous squares’ through the tour company Essence of Berlin. This was a 1-hour tour with our guide Sam who virtually walked us through the neighboring Gendarmenmarkt and Bebelplatz squares while pointing out the landmarks and explaining their significance. Sam actually grew up in Scotland and relocated to Berlin to study at the Humboldt University of Berlin. One of the things I’ve missed about traveling was meeting and talking with locals, so we took the opportunity to get to know Sam better.

Konzerthaus Berlin

We started our virtual tour in the Gendarmenmarkt square in front of the Konzerthaus concert hall. Sam pointed out the German cathedral on our left and the Huguenots (French) cathedral to our right. The Friedrick Schiller statue was standing in the middle of the square. Sam explained that this square and the cathedrals were built back in the 1700s under King Friedrick William after issuing the Edict of Potsdam to allow French Protestants to relocate and flee from religious persecution in France.

Next, Sam strolled across the street and into another one of Berlin’s most attractive squares, Babelplatz. My mouth dropped in awe as I gazed into my computer screen of the beautiful buildings and their architecture. Several well-known buildings such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera House), Alte Bibliothek (library) and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral were located in this square. When Friedrick the Great expanded the Prussia empire, he decided to build St. Hedwig’s Cathedral for the people to express religious tolerance in the land.

The most memorable (and unforgettable) landmark we saw was the Book Burning Memorial in the center of Bebelplatz. On May 10th, 1933, a group of the Nazi German Student Union and their professors burnt books that were written by authors that they believed the ideologies were against Nazism. Sam also pointed out a glass plate in the ground; he said to look closely and see what was underground. There was a white empty bookshelf underground beneath the glass plate. I immediately felt the emotion and stood stunned while I processed the symbolism of this memorial. There were also two bronze plates on the ground with the following inscription in German:

That was but a prelude;
where they burn books,
they will ultimately burn people as well.
Heinrich Heine 1820

As we near the end of our virtual city tour, Sam pointed out the German royal palace shining brightly in front our view. He said that this was a reconstructed building of the royal palace and has now been made into a museum. The reconstruction was completed in 2020 and was supposed to open to the public last year. Unfortunately it was not able to due to the pandemic, but we could take a virtual tour online.

Finally, we had to say goodbye and give Sam our thanks for taking us through this tour. Maybe I’m a bit deprived from travel, but this has been one of the best experiences I’ve had for the past year! It really made me feel like I was there in Berlin and walking through the city squares with Sam.

This experience was the breath of fresh air that I needed and I hope to see Berlin in person someday.

Travel Tip: Sign Up For a Local Food Tour

Published on by jychen3Leave a comment

I’m an amateur traveler. I began my international travels in my mid-twenties which led me to crave an appetite for more adventures and a pursuit of my happiness. I do not have much advice to give when it comes to traveling as I continue to learn myself, but I’ve picked up a few tips from my experienced travel acquaintances or stumbled across some on the way.

I believe that the gateway to all cultures is through food. I mean, who doesn’t love food? In my personal experience, local food tours are the best way to learn about the city and meet locals or other travelers in the area. My husband and I have booked local food tours in our last three international destinations and the experiences have been unforgettable. We usually book our tours through Expedia, Musement and/or Urban Adventures. These websites have a diverse selection of food and/or wine tours and with diverse itineraries to choose from. The tours usually takes 2-3 hours with a local tour guide and 6-8 other tourists. Cost can vary; I would say it is about $100-$180 USD per person.

Why do I love these local food tours? Here are my thoughts about the benefits of booking a local food tour in your travel destination:

Discover the best local restaurants and shops to explore during your stay

Our first local food tour was in Barcelona back in 2018. We met our tour guide, Jane, at the meeting point along with 6 other tourists. We started our tour with a glass of Cava, a Spanish sparking wine. Jane led us through a zig zag of narrow passageways through the heart of Barcelona, the La Boqueria, the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas neighborhoods, while giving us a brief history through a local’s perspective. We were introduced to local family restaurants and larger restaurant chains in the city; we were served with a variety of authentic Spanish tapa dishes and tasted dishes that was only unique to their restaurant. Some of my favorite tapas are: Patatas Bravas, Jamon Iberico, Manchego cheese, Calamari, Catalan bread & tomato and various selection of coquettes. I’ll never forget about the infamous Tinto de Verano, which was a mixture of Spanish Rioja wine and Italian lemon soda, and could be ordered at any restaurant and/or bar in Barcelona or you could make it yourself at home! One of my favorite local family shops was the Torrons Vicens which was hidden in the heart of the city led to through a narrow sidewalk off the main streets. Torrons Vicens sold a variety of delicious sweets to locals and tourists that pass along the way.

Learn about the city through a local’s eyes

Venice (Italy) is a popular touristy location for travelers. We’re all familiar with the images of the Bridge of Sighs, Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Saint Mark’s square, and have read about the Italian culture that we feel we could get around ourselves. These popular historical structures is just the tip of the iceberg; and I believe the best way to experience this beautiful city of Venice is through a local’s perspective and learn from their knowledge. Our tour guide, Clara, who originally grew up in France and then moved to Venice for college, and had rooted her life in Venice ever since then. She led our tour group through a series of hidden walkways that the local Venetians take to go about their day without getting mingled with the tourists visiting the city. It was amazing to explore these pathways without any crowds and we were able to walk freely without bumping into the next person. We walked through the Mercato di Rialto where we saw vendors lined up selling fresh produce, vegetables and seafood. The local cooks/chefs and residents living in Venice will come by in the mornings to stock up on their kitchens for the day. Another significant stop we made was at the oldest bacaro (traditional wine bar), Cantina Do Mori, originally founded in 1462 located near the Rialto Bridge. We also made stops at other local taverns and Osterias that were tucked away from the main streets in Venice on the tour and spent our time snacking on delicious Cicchetti (small snacks which are similar to Spanish tapas), and with glasses of wine as we discussed architecture and the history of the city.

Opportunity to meet other adventurous tourists from other parts of the world

Our most memorable local food tour group was in Vienna (Austria). Vienna is a beautiful city with streets filled with the locals and tourists from around the world. We stayed at a hotel across from the Vienna State Opera House near the Ringstrasse road. The Innere Stadt district of Vienna was where the famous Hofburg palace and other historical buildings were located. The city is rich with the Hapsburg culture and musical legacy where famous composers such as Beethoven and Mozart called Vienna home. We met our tour guide, Will, in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral with two other international couples attending the tour. We got to know the other two couples; one was a middle-aged Israeli couple and the other was a young South African couple. Not only was the food tour amazing, but getting the opportunity to learn about the other couples’ travel experiences and their stories about their country. We also learned that our tour guide, Will, is British descent born in Germany and later relocated to Vienna when he started college. The South African couple in our tour was previously job training in Germany and they stopped by Vienna for vacation before the husband went back to Germany for training. One fascinating story was that our Israeli tourist told us that her grandmother lived in Vienna in the 1930-1940s and fled to Israel when WWII started, and that she HAD to find her grandmother’s home in Vienna. With a lot of walking and searching for the street name, we finally found her grandmother’s home! This was the best adventure I’ve had and I will never forget this experience. It’s silly, but once in awhile, I still think about them and wonder how they’re doing.

If you’re convinced and looking to book a local food tour on your next trip, I recommend checking for tours on Expedia, Musement and Urban Adventures as I had mentioned above. If you’re passing through Vienna, Barcelona or Venice and you’re interested in the tours I’ve described above, here are the website links for those local food tours:

https://www.urbanadventures.com/Venice-tour-Cicchetti-and-wine-tour-of-venice

https://www.urbanadventures.com/Vienna-tour-vienna-food-coffee-and-market-tour

https://www.musement.com/us/barcelona/barcelona-tapas-evening-walking-tour-673/

I would definitely rate 5 stars for all my food tour experiences! If you have any questions about these food tours, please feel free to reach out to me in the comments below or email me directly at jenniechen2013@gmail.com.

Until next time!

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Published on by jychen31 Comment
Tower of London

2020 hasn’t been easy; from Covid-19 to shut downs to racial injustice, it has tremendously affected my mental health. I’ve never been very good about prioritizing my mental health until these last few years. Traveling is my therapist; it’s helped me to be proud of my true self, to stand up to opposition that threaten my mental stability, gave me courage to proclaim my child-free lifestyle, and allowed me to dream and discover what sparks joy.

So, saying ‘I miss traveling’ is an understatement. I have hope that I will be able to travel very soon again. But in the meantime, I flip through my travel photos to give me that dose of therapy and motivation to keep pushing at achieving my current goals.

My current dose of therapy: My husband and I decided to spend a week in London for our honeymoon and the second week in Paris. This is a picture of me standing in front of the entrance to the Tower of London for the first time. I can still smell the cool London air, hear the chatter of the other tourists and feel the energy of excitement around me. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.

I was the happiest person in the entire world in THAT moment. Visiting the Tower of London was my childhood dream. Growing up, I was obsessed with British history (and I still am!); fascinated by England’s monarchy, William the Conqueror, the War of the Roses, King Richard and England’s lost boys, the infamous King Henry VIII and the tragic story about Anne Boleyn. The Tower of London was the central figure that brought those events together and kept the British monarchy strong!

My visit to the Tower of London motivated me to search for what sparks joy and opened the doors to discover other cultures/viewpoints. Ever since that trip to London, I’ve experienced true happiness, discovered what I am passionate for and that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. I began to prioritize my mental health, started to use silence in the place of angry words and became more open-minded to others who are different from me. I have traveled to other destinations since then, and each destination has taught me their culture and has also taught me something new about myself.

Today, I am proud of myself and what I have been able to overcome personally. Traveling is my therapy and I have hope that I’ll be able to explore again very soon.