Tag: travel

Bucket List: Travel

paris22Leave a comment

I love traveling, experiencing new cultures, and sightseeing. So, of course, I have a Pinterest board filled with places I want to go, and things I want to see (and, of course, food I want to try). Without further ado, here are the five most amazing places I want to visit before I die.

Bali

Photo Credit: matadornetwork.com

Bali was introduced into my Pinterest board after I read Eat, Pray, Love. And I fell in love with Bali through Elizabeth Gilbert’s recounting of it.

Prague

Photo Credit: Bloglovin’

The dark, gothic architecture set against the bright golden street lights during the evening and night are enough to make me want to go there. But they also have amazing libraries, food, and other attractions.

The Orient Express

Photo Credit: Flickr

Technically, this isn’t a destination I want to go to, but a vessel that will take me to an amazing destination. The Orient Express is so reminiscent of old glamour and it’s gorgeous.

The French Alps

Photo Credit: Architectural Digest

This place could come straight out of a Christmas movie it’s that amazing looking. The snow-covered trees, the lodges, and mountains all seem so perfect, almost artificial. But the best part is, it’s not.

Vienna

Photo Credit: Flickr

Vienna is absolutely gorgeous. The food looks amazing, the buildings are beautiful, and (usually) what’s inside the buildings are even better.

A comparison of two ages

frog3Leave a comment

frfrfrfrf

The Americas were discovered in 1492,a little over five hundred years ago, much has changed since then. Living in the United States and looking around it is hard to imagine that the journey to the Americas was once a voyage filled with hardship guaranteeing nothing but hardship and possible death. However the periods between 1492 and 1750 were one of the most explorative periods in human history. Humanity still has at least one more massive exploration opportunity ahead in the foreseeable future. That opportunity is the settling of Mars.

Dream Catcher

enternity1030Leave a comment

The first time I knew about dream catcher was from a TV show and I was totally amazed by the beauty and meaning of it. However, I would never expect to really see it in real life.

During this break, we went to the Old Town in San Diego, where I finally met the dream catchers. There are lots of stores selling dream catchers in different colors and sizes.

Dream catchers are one of the most fascinating traditions of Native Americans. It was intended to protect the sleeping individual from bad dreams and let the good dreams go through. They are made with strings into a web and the good dreams would slip through the hole in the center of the dream catcher, and glide down the feathers to the sleeping person below.

Using a hoop of willow, and decorating it with findings, bits and pieces of everyday life, (feathers, arrow heads, beads, etc) the dream catcher is believed to have the power to catch all of a person’s dreams, trapping the bad ones, and letting only the good dreams pass through the dream catcher.

I bought one dream catcher and I hang it right next to my bed.
And I think it works pretty well!

So if you want to have a nice dream when you sleep, get a dream catcher and enjoy your lovely dreams!

San Diego, the Sleeping Beauty.

enternity10301 Comment

Over the break, I headed to one of the most beautiful places – San Diego for a week.
I’ve heard of how attractive and magical the city is so I finally had a chance to discover this “dream place.”

Before we launched out journey, my dear friend Emmy made a three-page list including all the “must-go places” and “must-do things” in San Diego. She said, “you would never get bored in that city. There’s always so much things to do.” After all, I would say that she was completely correct.

We followed Emmy’s list to plan our schedules and each day we discovered something new about San Diego. We went to the USS Midway Museum to explore the history of Aircraft Carriers and got a chance to see the famous “Kissing Statue.” We went to the Coronado Island by the water taxi and visited the famous Hotel Del Coronado.

We also went to the strawberry lands to pick up our own strawberries. They were huge and super sweet strawberries and honestly I’ve never tasted that fresh strawberries! They were just amazing.

The next day we went to Balboa Park, where numerous museums are located. It was extremely sunny and warm. We walked around the park and visited some Spanish historical galleries.

Later in the afternoon we headed to the Old Town, which became my favorite site in San Diego. Old Town is like a small community full of culture and history. It is considered as the birthplace of California, where the first Europeans settled. The whole little town was filled with laughter and music. There were lots of stores and museums as well and mostly about the old European or Indian things.

We walked along the road and forget the time till we met the sunset.
The golden sunshine poured on the street and I believe I just saw one of the most gorgeous moments in the world. Then the lights became alive. I picked up my camera and saved the natural beauty. By the way, Old Town has the best Mexican food in the world.

Anyways, eight days are obviously not enough so I need to go to San Diego again to finish Emmy’s list.

I would describe San Diego as the sleeping beauty. She lies there, quiet but charming.

It is nearly impossible to not fall in love with her because once you awaken her, she would invade your heart gently and never leave again.

The Three Beasts

frog3Leave a comment

dfefef

On an iron beast that does not smoke.
Where it goes I do not know.

The ride took quite a bit of time.
I waited for the awful chime.

To signal where the ride would end.
Waiting for the Judas friend.

The friend was large and quite a whale.
He told us all to go to hell.

Lurching but staying on the same path.
Not wanting to face realities wrath.

Soon I and another got up and off.
On the last treacherous stop.

Another stopped once we were done.
And ended our terrible mechanical wrong.

A nice steed large and white.
Carried us into the night.

Green Tea Ice Cream

indigoshellLeave a comment

The following is a fictional story.

Our first kiss was on Christmas.

A few days after I had flown to China I went to dinner with some family friends. I had wine with them but I was definitely not drunk.

His phone had no reception, so he called me using his friend’s phone and asked me to go hang out with him.

We had ice cream together. I think we were both nervous about it because it was technically our first date, not to mention the fact that we were both going through jet lag.

Everything was so wintry and Christmassy around us, behind that real fancy mall, with the real whiny lights. That’s all I could remember, even though I had closed my eyes.

Yes, it was freezing on the street but we still had ice cream. Well, he did, but I was too full from dinner.

He had green tea ice cream, which is my favorite.

There weren’t many cabs around, so we stood around waiting for a while. Then, all of a sudden he kissed me.

It was the little one, the little kind of kiss, and I remember he had his eyes closed. He had glasses, so it was difficult to see, but I think he had his eyes closed.

It was just there, the taste of the ice cream on my lips, and I could feel it even though I didn’t see it.

I’m even jealous of myself of that kiss. He’s so tall that he had to bend down to kiss me, and his jacket was open, so it’s like I was literally surrounded by him. It was freezing on the street, and he was warm.

But his friend was there too, but he probably didn’t pay attention to us. And we didn’t feel he was there.

It was 9:30 at night. To me, it felt like my first kiss. I felt the green tea ice cream.

I was nervous and didn’t know how to react, so I just closed my eyes. I think I was thinking, “ahh, we finally kissed.” And all I knew was that he was there, bringing me warmth in this freezing winter.

And our kiss, ok, it was on the 29th.

A Little Change in Scenery

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

This summer, I was lucky enough to go to South Africa for five weeks. Because I was there for so long, I feel like I can’t just write about it in one blog post. So I’ll write about one part of it now, and another part later, and eventually you guys will get the whole story.

That’s the idea at least.

A couple months before school ended, my dad and I scrambled to pull together this trip for me. I wanted to go visit my old babysitter, who I hadn’t seen in about ten years.

Only thing is, she lives in Cape Town, South Africa. Somehow we pulled it off, and I found myself on an 18-hour plane ride a couple days after school let out for the summer.

My dad warned me before I left that it would be winter there, and that it would be cold. I basically told him he was being silly. I mean it’s Africa right? No way it could be cold.

Wrong.

It was freezing. I optimistically brought my shorts and sandals with me (along with jeans and boots, thankfully), and I definitely could have saved myself the extra weight. I never even put them on.

I lived in jeans, boots, sweatshirts, and down vests. It was freezing, and made even worse by the fact that there was no central heating. The only way to escape the cold was to take a nice long bath. Nevertheless, we still got out and explored.

The scenery in Cape Town is stunning. I’ve never seen anything like it. You look one direction and see mountains, and you look the other way and see nothing but blue ocean.

The mountains aren’t the same as they are here – there are less trees and more rocks and flowers. The views it allows of the city are breathtaking. Every direction you look there is something new to see, something beautiful and different from anything you could find in the states.

It’s absolutely amazing to see.

Cape Town

Rainy Chicago.

eternity1030Leave a comment

During this Spring break I headed to Chicago for my very first time.

However, I didn’t expect it to be rainy all week. But thanks to the rain, I had such a precious chance to enjoy a different Chicago.

The most rainy day was the day I went to the Millennium Park for the “Big Bean” sculpture. Its actual name is “Cloud Gate,” a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed “The Bean” because of its bean-like shape. “Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.”

It was inconvenient to visit under a rainy but when I got closer to the “Bean,” i realized that it could be a good opportunity for me to see the city in another way. The shiny silver bean became more vivid surrounded by the gloomy air, which made it more lonely somehow. The water drops slide down from the smoothy sphere as if it is crying.

Read More »

Happily Lost In Any Light

equestri vitam3 Comments

Traditions, history dates, stories, new tastes, new smells, sounds, words, phrases, feelings, memoirs, happiness, sadness, nostalgia, the joy of going home, the fear of going home, are all the things that I experience every single day while living abroad. The adventure I’m living is taking me places I’ve never been to, neither mentally, nor physically.  With only three months left in this beautiful country there is an abundance of thoughts and feelings racing through my mind.

On occasion I look behind at the person I was when I stepped off that plane, five months ago, in a completely new environment, on the crisp morning of the 31st of August and notice all that has changed. I was scared, oblivious to what would come next, afraid of the unknown, and nervous. When I take the time to analyze who I am now, I see someone who has grown immensely, and continues to make countless new discoveries about herself everyday.

I’ve recognized that I no longer need to keep my guard up for what lays ahead of me or behind me. As long as I remember to take a deep breath when confronted with difficulties, keep true to who I am, and set my mind to what I aspire to do, I can and will achieve it. I’ve discovered that the fact of the matter is: I wanted fresh air, a new surrounding, and I attained it all because I ventured outside my comfort zone and took a leap.

This whole Italy gig has done a great amount to my psyche. It’s allowed me to pinpoint my true persona, toss out the clutter I carried which invaded my mind and untie everything that dragged behind me. The new acquired space allows me to trust, gain, and learn in greater quantities.

I feel lighter like there is nothing I can’t do, I can get lost in any light and still sense happiness and peace. Having had a stressful sophomore year due to personal issues at home, this year is acts as a retreat and cleanse.

This year serves for me to let go, enjoy and find myself through learning, new friends and new experiences. I’ve learned from being in Italy that it is completely okay to break down and show what you are feeling. It’s normal and only human to crack and carry a sad face rather than a constant happy one. I’ve learned to allow myself these days. My psyche grows everyday with every single moment.

Although one small thing haunts me as time goes by, how will my psyche change when I return to America? How will I react to the immediate switch? There is a large chance that the quick alteration of setting will disrupt my new psyche I’ve reached while living here. I’ll be forced to face reality and go on with life without the coliseum practically in my backyard. It’s a scary thought but in the end, I will adjust and trudge on with the fond memories of the best nine months of my life.

(Taken and slightly altered from an english essay I was assigned in my english class)

Image

Sleepless San Francisco.

eternity10301 Comment

Last week for our English 11 Honors class, Mrs. Wilson asked us to write a personal essay about the site we wanna live. And all of the sudden San Francisco came out of my mind. I’ve been there only once, but I just couldn’t help myself thinking about it all the time. I want to live there.

Sleepless San Francisco

There is a place that I would love to leave my heart there without hesitation. My sleepless San Francisco would be the dream I want to keep even when I am awake.

Located on a peninsula between the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean, San Francisco has its own definition of city – compact, busy, but scenic and comfortable as well. I would first arrive into San Francisco from the north via the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, the place for a good start. I would be the first one to watch the born of sun, and enjoy the amazement of the golden sunshine.

Then my journey would start. When there came the noisy bells, the yellow cable cars would be on their way heading to me. I would choose to stand on the edge of the car and hold on to the handrail. “Ding-dong, ding-dong” – as the car drove, my hair would swing with the wind and the views would greet me as I passed by. Built on several hills, the roads are steep but also well-organized in a grid. The most exciting moment would be the downhill part, where I could experience a gentle roller-coaster.

Read More »