Why Do We Travel

Get out of your comfort zone and travel the world, and you will achieve more than just experience. Life is too short to live in one country.IMG_2111First of all, Personal Growth. You question about other people’s lives, culture, language, economy and history, and learn..Europe2Courage. You get lost, find your way, overcome the fear of meeting new people, improve your communication skills (well..body language)EuropeYour palate. You can try local food and wine, visit farmer’s markets, engage with ordinary local people, be exposed to different smells, taste, produce and culture. Best part!Europe3The pleasure of discovery, appreciating, respecting and embracing your life! At the end of the day you will learn to appreciate what you’ve got and have different values in your life.Europe1Emotions that feed every cell in your body with all the goodness. Exhilarating, exciting, breathtaking, jaw-dropping, magical, busting, relaxing..I have moments now and then doubting myself, dealing with anxiety, not good enough, frustrating, yes – inner turmoil. A get away gives me a good opportunity to reset myself and replace negative thoughts with positives. Europe5Now it’s your turn. What is your reasons for travelling?

Switzerland

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Sweiss is one of my favorite countries to visit in Europe. It is a small country though has so many different colours since it is surrounded by 6 different countries.
You can experience Germany, France and Italy all in one. It also doesn’t require too much traveling time from one city to the other unlike other countries in Europe, e.g. Greece or Spain.

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J’aime boir the cafe noir! I find coffees in Switzerland never failed me even when I had this little black coffee on the river cruise. I didn’t expect much from it though a nice coffee with a petite chocolate for a couple of euros is not too bad at all.
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We had a lunch at this fondue house which has got popular for Koreans since it was on reality TV show.
Food was average though I liked that kind of old style restaurant where waiters are friendly and is full of old furniture.
A bad habit I had while traveling was having a snack or sweets on the bus. I justify myself it is okay to try local snacks and reach towards a bag of chips.
I made a good choice though of course like yogurt and cheese (I have to admit they have pretty amazing dairy products!!).
That apple chips were so yummy, just dehydrated green apples pretty much. Munching on them pretty much everyday lol

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You never get sick of looking outside while being on the bus. Greens after greens..mountains after mountains.. Il est beaucoup belle!I wish I learned more of German, French and Italian just for a basic conversation when buying, ordering and getting around.
I felt quite rude speaking English to them and not trying their language. They were still friendly enough though you can understand why a tourism is so big in Switzerland.

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Beautiful Swiss Alps.. breathtaking scenery.. crisp unpolluted fresh air.. stillness.. quietness..

We only had a short walk about an hour in the mountains, but I made a promise to myself that I will definitely go back.I would love to try those hang gliding and hiking Alps. Well I will have to get over my fear of height first >.<
My mum also enjoyed Switzerland, first time for her and second for me. Living in a busy city in Korea, working long hours, looking after other people, etc.
She definitely deserves a good break and needs to get away from that life. I’m so fortunate I can go back home to see her and travel with her as well.
Nothing more valuable than that! You realise how important your family is when you live far far away from them. I’m looking forward to our next trip already:)

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Budapest, Hungary

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When I arrived in Budapest, it was already late afternoon. We had a pub dinner near the Budapest parliament, which lightened up when it got dark. Such an amazing neo-gothic architecture that makes you feel so small in front. We took a river cruise to have a look at a beautiful night view of Budapest. Parliament building, chain bridge, castle hill, etc.

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We also went to Heroes square which is located at the end of Andrassy Avenue. The monument was erected to commemorate the 1000 year old history of the Magyars.
After a couple of wines on the river cruise, I was so ready for bed since I was still jet-lagged (well..I don’t think I never got out of it until I left Europe…I’m so bad with time difference!)

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I was not a big fan of local foods in Europe. From my experience, they seem to have quite heavy salty foods with lots of meats and potatoes.
Best meal of the day for me was a hotel breakfast unfortunately. Fresh fruits, vegetables and some protein! A couple of plates lasted me almost all day 🙂

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Fishermen’s Bastion.. Apparently there was a fish market nearby in medieval times, and this bastion was built to commemorate the fishermen who protected this part of the city.
There is a lookout at the top. The view from there in the morning was quite different to the night before. Then we took a walk through the Castle hill that has old citizen houses and narrow streets. The best aspect of the building that I was very fascinated by was the intricate design on the balustrading. This design was on many monuments when we were exploring the place. This is also something that I was very fascinated by and was a design that I would apply for my home.

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Beautiful Autumn colour trees covering up the hill. It was only late September though Autumn here seemed a bit early. My favorite season of the year!
You can find a lot of ittle souvenir shops had paprika (chillies) hung up to dry in the sun. Apparently a person who discovered vitamins in this chillies won the Novel prize.
After a only short walk we arrived in the Royal Palace, which was build in the 13th century after the Mongolian invasion. It’s used as the national gallery and history museum now.

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Last meal in Budapest was pork, potatoes and rice (where is my greens?), then we headed to Wien, Austria.
It was a short stay in Hungary and definitely didn’t have enough time to get around the city and park area. I would love to go back there and stay a little longer next time to go to the parks, museums and local bistros and brasseries, too.
So many things to do in so little time in Europe:)

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Prague

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I went to Eastern Europe in the end of September this year.

Well..I haven’t been able to travel as much as I want since I moved to Australia. Going back home once or twice a year was all for me until last year.

Then I quit my job this April and went back home for a couple of months, which gave me a chance to travel again with my mum and also on my own.

I only went to France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and England about 10 years ago >.< So I was pretty excited about this trip.

Prague and Budapest is my favorite places to visit again. Such a beautiful city!

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Although it was September ( Autumn in Korea ), Praha was freezing cold!

I had to wear 4-5 layers of clothes, still freezing. Thankfully there was stalls selling a nice and warm mulled wine on the street. I think it was only a couple of euros.

I was a little naughty having coffees and wines everyday but couldn’t resist! It was seriously good wherever I went.

 

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We had ribs and apple strudel at this local pub just before we left.

It was so tender and succulent, went down really well with a beer :p

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Although I spent only a few days in Prague and had to move to another city, I fell in love with this city so quick.

It would be nice to visit there again and wander around all back streets.

Maybe going to local markets (Yes, I like food shopping more than clothes shopping haha) and trying nice cafes and restaurants.

Wow..I cannot wait for my next holiday already:)