China Beijing/Chengdu

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In 2013 my family took a trip to China to visit my great grandma. We toured around China for about three weeks over the summer and within that time we spent about a week with my great grandma. The places that we visited were Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Hong Kong. For each country that we visited, we were lucky to have a tour guide to help show us historical and interesting landmarks in China. In this blog, I will be sharing about my experience in Beijing and Chengdu following this blog I will talk about the rest of our trip.

In Beijing we visited the Forbidden City and we walked along the Great Wall of China. At the Forbidden City, we got to see the palace where the emperor lived. It was truly amazing and I learned so much about the history there. At the Great wall of China we walk about three miles along the wall. We took a ski life like ride up to the wall and after we walked along the wall we took a toboggan down. The toboggan was like a mix between a rollercoaster and a slide. We had really great food in Beijing and it was a great experience.

In Chengdu, we got to see pandas and we had really great food. We got to pretend like we were “panda keepers” and we got to bathe them, feed them, and clean their cages. We did not get to hold a baby panda because that was very expensive, but it was still really cool to be a “panda zoo keeper.” In Chengdu the food was really good and I got to try a lot of new things.

This trip was super fun and it was very cool to learn about the culture and the way people live in China! Image result for great wall of china Image result for china pandas

Hawaii

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As you may be able to tell, I love the beach. Another place that I have yet to visit is Hawaii. Hawaii would be such an awesome trip to take!

Once again, I have seen so many videos and pictures of other people’s vacations in Hawaii that have made me interested in going there. The water is so clear and it would be an awesome opportunity for snorkeling. The food in Hawaii looks amazing and I really want to try and Acai bowl and a Poke bowl in Hawaii.

The excursions and activities look super fun! I would love to hike, swim, go on a boat ride, bike, and try to surf. Hawaii seems like a fun experience and I would love to take a trip there sometime! Related image

Bora Bora

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Bora Bora has been a place that I have always wanted to visit. The water looks absolutely amazing and the view is beautiful! I would love to go there with friends or family in the future.

I have seen so many pictures and reviews on Bora Bora and it seems like an awesome once in a lifetime opportunity. It would be so cool to stay at one of the hotels in the water. It looks like such an a amazing experience being able to stay on the water and being able to have the freedom to snorkel or swim whenever you want.

Not only is the view amazing, but I have read that the food is also amazing! I feel like this trip would be so relaxing and calming. I enjoy lounging around the beach so this type of vacation would be something that I would really enjoy!

I hope to go to Bora Bora in the future and it is towards the top of my bucket list of vacations!

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Greece

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Greece has always been a place that I want to visit. In the future I hope to travel along the Greek Isle on either a cruise or on a private tour. Greece would be an amazing and an unreal trip to experience. I am so interested in the environment and the culture there. As you may be able to tell I love the beach and I would be so ecstatic to take a trip to Greece.

I have seen so many pictures and videos of the places that I would like to visit. Many youtubers post videos of their trips and it looks absolutely amazing!

The islands in Greece that I would like to visit are Santorini, Mykonos,  Oia, and many more. I would also like to visit Athens and a couple places more inland. On the trip I would take tours to learn more about the history of Greece. Particularly I would visit the Parthenon, The Acropolis, and The Temple of Poseidon.

I would love to Visit greece and I hope to do so in the future!

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Utah

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Over the four day weekend in January, my family and I took a trip to Utah. On our trip, we went skiing at Deer Valley and Park City. We stayed at the Lodges hotel in Deer Valley.

Deer Valley is an all skiers ski resort which is very uncommon, but very nice. Deer Valley seems more safe and less chaotic due to it being strictly a skiers resort. During our trip my brother and I skied together. We decided to challenge ourselves so we went on the harder runs on the slope. We went on almost every run on the mountain. We spent two days skiing at Deer Valley and one day at Park city.

Park City was really fun, but the lines were much longer there. Park City allows both skiers and snowboarders. It took longer to get up to the mountain, but it was overall a good ski resort and super fun.

The last day my mom and I decided to go to the spa. We went to the Stein Lodge and the spa was super nice. The women’s area had a sauna, a hot tub, and cold tub, a steam room, and a nice lounge area. My mom and I both got a 60 minute massage, a facial, and a pedicure. The service there was really good and our day was super relaxing!

Overall , our trip was really good and I would recommend going to Deer Valley and Park City if you ever want to take a ski trip in Utah.

Cayman Islands Trip

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Over winter break, my family and I have a yearly tradition. We go to the Cayman Islands every year to celebrate my brother and I’s birthday and Christmas. We have held this tradition since we were about two years old, and my cousins started to tag along on this trip when we were eleven years old. We have so many memories and fun activities that we do every time we go. In this blog, I want to share my vacation this past winter break and I want to share all the fun and interesting things that we have done during our trips.

To begin with, the Cayman Islands are located in the Caribbean. The island is located next to Cuba and a little ways from Jamaica.

During our vacation, we went to our favorite local spots. They include, Rum Point, Starfish Point, Tukka, Yoshi’s, Stingray City, Cemetary beach, Mrs. Ivy’s fresh market, and Spots beach. Our house is located on the Northside which is the more quiet area of the island. There is a public beach called Rum Point that is about a five minute walk from our place. Rum Point is really nice because the water is super clear, calm, and it is not very crowded. The ocean water is so warm and sparkly and the food there is amazing. Everytime we go I order the jerk pork which is to die for. It comes with coleslaw, corn, and rice and beans. Jerk pork is my favorite food on the island.

Another place that we usually visit is Starfish Point. Starfish Point is a little public beach where you can hold starfish and take pictures. Starfish Point is usually super calm and quiet when we go. It is fun to hold the starfish, but you have to hold it in the water to keep the alive.

The next beach that we go to is Cemetery beach. The beach is located next to the biggest cemetery on the westside of the island. The beach is part of 7 mile beach, the most popular touristy beach. The water is so warm and clear. The water is perfect for snorkeling and the scenery there is gorgeous! We also go to a beach called Spots beach. At Spots it is a more quiet and reserved public beach. It is located on the east end. At the beach you can see sea turtles and other cool fish when you snorkel.

The next place we go is Tukka. Every sunday they have an all you can eat brunch. Tukka is one f my favorite restaurants and the people there know us. I always get the chicken skewers which is my favorite at this restaurant. We usually sit outside and the view there is so pretty. For my birthday, we always go to this restaurant called Yoshi’s. Yoshi’s is a japanese restaurant with the best scallops and the awesome udon noodles. The restaurant is  smaller, but it is super popular. This trip, we tried a new restaurant called saltwater Grill. This restaurant was really good! I got a seafood pasta and I shared a tuna tartare appetizer. We sat outside and the restaurant was really nice.

Another place that we go is Stingray city. To get to Stingray City, you have to take a boat out to the sandbar. At Stingray City, you can bring your own squid bait to feed the stingray and you have the opportunity to take pictures with them. The experience is really fun, but the first time I went I was very scared. I remember the first time I went very clearly. I was about five years old and I was super scared, so I grabbed onto my dad the whole time. Later on my dad convinced me to take a picture with the stingrays and from there we have gone every year.

The last place that we usually go to is Mrs. Ivy’s fresh market. On the west end near Caymana Bay, our friend Mrs. Ivy has a little stand at the fresh market. We visit her every year and we always buy her hot sauce and her mango jam. Every year she gives us a piece of her daughters artwork and we always hang it up in our house. Mrs. Ivy is so sweet, her mango jam and hot sauce is amazing!

Lastly, to end our trip, we usually spent most of the day near our house. In our backyard we have the most amazing spot for snorkeling. The water is clear and there are many things to see. Over the years we have seen many spinney lobsters, colorful fish, lionfish, moray eels, stingray, sea turtles, and even a nurse shark. My brother and I usually swim in our backyard and snorkel to Rum Point.

Overall, our vacation was amazing and I couldn’t imagine winter break anywhere else. I love spending time with my family and cousins at the beach over the holidays. It is a great was to get our minds off of school and work and I am so thankful I have the opportunity to go to this amazing place. I would definitely recommend visiting the Cayman Islands if you ever get the chance, and I recommend doing many excursions!

   

Myrtle Beach Tourney

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To add on to mt Summer Rundown segment, I want to share my experience in Myrtle over the summer.

In July, I was asked to guest play for the Titan Elite 18u softball team. I went with two other friends who were also asked to guest play. The team was super nice and it was great experience for us to play at a higher level. We got to learn new speeds and how higher level teams play. We got to gain experience and more confidence for going into our next softball season.

We played in Myrtle because that was where the tournament was located. When we played softball, we played about eight games in total. We made in to the semi finals, but we lost the last game by two runs. It was great experience, but it was also a learning time for us.

We stayed at a hotel on the beach so in our free time my two friends and I got to relax and have fun on the beach. We took many pictures and the beach and swam in the 0cean. We had a blast at the beach and it was a fun trip! We went to the board walk a few times and that was fun.

Overall the trip was fun, but Myrtle beach does not compare to the other beaches that I have been to. It is a nice beach here for a quick summer trip and we all had a good trip!

Rome

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Lastly, to finish of my Europe segment on my summer rundown, I want to talk about my Rome trip.

When we were landing in Rome, the scenery was so beautiful from the airplane window. It was nice because the flight was super short from Paris to Rome. The flight took about an hour and a half, to two hours. We flew on a local commercial airliner. When we landed the airport was similar to the airport in Pairs. We found a cab, but this time we did not get scammed like we did in Paris.

In Rome we tried many restaurants and gelato shops. The first restaurant we went to was a random place that we decided to go to. The restaurant was overall pretty good, but the carbonara in Rome is very different from the carbonara here. The next restaurant we went to was a small local pizza shop the was really good. They had many different toppings options and the food was really quick to come out. The next restaurant that we went to was really good and I got to try gnocchi. After each meal we would go to a new gelato shop. I got flavors like chocolate, vanilla, lemon, strawberry, and more. Gelato in Rome tastes ten times better than the gelato here. If you ever go to Rome in the future I highly recommend trying gelato!

During our trip, we went on many sightseeing tours. The first place that we visited was the Colosseum. The Colosseum was cool because it was the original structure. We got to go inside the Colosseum and we had a tour guide wh0 explained everything and walked us through the tour.  The next thing we saw was the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. St. Peter’s Basilica was so interesting and the artwork in the building was beautiful. The Vatican was such an amazing experience! We also went to the Pantheon. The building structure was very cool. The last place that we went to was the Borghese house. The artwork was so intricate and amazing. The house had every room filled with many amazing sculptures and paintings. If you ever go to Rome, I recommend doing a lot of sightseeing if you are interested in history and art.

We also went to the Spanish steps. We went during the sunset and it was really pretty. The steps overlooked part of the city and all the little shops around there were lit up. Lastly, we went to the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was beautiful and very crowded. My dad told me that when he was younger he came to the fountain and threw a coin into the water so he told me to throw one in for good luck and to ensure that I would come back to Rome one day.

Lastly to end our vacation, we had a long eight hour flight home, which felt like forever. The trip was worth it and I would definitely recommend exploring Europe in the future!

Paris trip

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To add on to my Summer Rundown post, I want to share my second part of my Europe trip. The second country that we went to was France. In France we went to Paris and we explored the city.

When we first landed in France, it was interesting because the airport was surrounded by a lot of farmland. When we got into the airport it was somewhat small and it was very crowded. As we were leaving the airport, we had to find a taxi driver, but it was extremely hard due to the language barrier. It was hard to understand the native people because no one family could speak or understand french except for my dad. Once we got the directions to the taxi area, we found a driver, but the whole situation seemed a little sketchy. When we got in the car my parents asked the driver if he took credit cards and he said no. At that point my dad knew something was wrong, but by that time we were already on our way to the hotel. The driver ended up scamming us and we paid double from what the usual price is for a cab ride.

Once we got to our hotel, we dropped our stuff in our rooms and went out to explore the city. As you walk up the roads there are many high end stores, boutiques, and restaurants. The food was really good at the little cafes and coffee shops there was amazing. The buildings in Paris were interesting and different from the buildings here.

In Paris we visited a few famous buildings and tourist attractions. The first famous building that we went to was The Louvre. The Louvre was huge and it had many amazing paintings. I got to see the Mona Lisa, but the line was so long we had to push our way into the crowd to take a decent picture of it. We also got to see some famous paintings by Raphael, Michelangelo, and many more amazing artist. We did not go through every room there because the museum is extremely big. The next famous building that we went to was The Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles was really interesting to me because the gold accents all over the palace was real gold. The building was huge and it had over four hundred rooms. I wish I had been more educated about the building itself before I went, but it was cool to learn about everything first hand and seeing the real model rather than a replica.

The last tourist attraction that we visited was the Eiffel Tower. We walked past it a few times when we were walking to other destinations, but when you saw it up close it was so cool. My family and I had dinner in the Eiffel Tower which was such an amazing experience. We had dinner on the second floor, and the tower is a lot higher than I originally thought it was. I was super amazed at how nice the restaurant looked and I was amazed with the view looking out to the city. For dinner, we had a six course meal and I got to try new foods like Pigeon, Foie gras, and escargot. The dinner took almost three hours, but it was worth it! We got to see the sunset while we were inside the tower and we got to see the tower at night when all the lights were lit up. It was an awesome experience and I would 10/10 recommend going to the Eiffel tower for dinner if you ever take a trip to Paris.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend visiting Paris if you enjoy history, pastries, shopping, and of course macaroons.

 

Splendid Spain Trip

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Going back to my Summer Rundown blog, I want to share the first third of my Europe trip. I will be sharing my experience in Spain. Spain was an incredible trip and I would 10/10 recommend taking a vacation there sometime in the future. I got to visit many historical sites and I got to learn more about the history and the culture in Spain. It was such an eye opening experience for me and I got to learn more about the lifestyle in different foreign countries.

When we first landed, the scenery was so beautiful and it seemed very calm and relaxed. The airport was very different from the airports in the US, but they were easy to maneuver in. It was a little hard to speak to the native people because of the language barrier, but since I take Spanish four I was able to understand most of the questions and conversations that we had to hold with others during our trip. When we got into our taxi we asked the driver to take us to our hotel, but it took us a few times to get the Spanish speaking right for him to understand us. This happened many times over the span of our trip, but we were still able to make it to the correct destinations.

The architectural aspect of Barcelona was beautiful. The buildings were so unique from what I have seen and the streets were so interesting to me. the streets of Barcelona were all different sizes. Some were small, some were wide, and some were very long. I loved visiting the little side vendors on the streets and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the fresh farmers markets. There were many different exotic food choices there and there were various fruits, vegetables, meats, and flavored drinks that you could sample or buy. I loved visiting the street Las Ramblas (the oldest street and considered the city central) because the buildings were different compared to the more modern ones throughout the city. It was so cool to visit and walk down the street because of the history that it holds.

During our trip, we got to visit the major historical structures. We got to visit the Sagrada Familia which is the tallest  cathedral in Barcelona and is still in the making. It was absolutely amazing because it was so vibrant with beautiful colors and it shows the main stages in the birth of Jesus. The outside of the building had many statues and complex details to show the hard work and quality time spent in making this beautiful cathedral. Next, we visited the Picasso museum. It was so intriguing because it had most of his famous art work and many of his other pieces that should have more credit due to how amazing they were. I enjoy looking at past art because it shows so much depth and meaning. The next excursion that we went on was a chocolate tour around the heart of Barcelona. We had a small group of people which held my family and another family of five. The tour took about two hours, but we were able to visit the most well known chocolate shops in Barcelona. The chocolate was simple and tasted amazing. We also had the opportunity to try homemade churros which were delicious! Lastly, we visited to local beach in Barcelona. The sea water was so clear and so shimmery. The sand was soft, but had many intricate shells. The water was somewhat cold, but it was easy to get used to. I love the beach and I believe that this beach was one of my favorites that I have been to.

The lifestyle in Barcelona is so different from the lifestyle here. Everything is so relaxed and calm there, but here it seems that we rush around more. The main transportation used in Barcelona was either biking or walking. It was interesting to see the amount of people walking the streets during the day because you do not usually see that here in Virginia. It was interesting to see how people live in Spain and it was cool to be a part of their lifestyle for a few days.

To conclude my trip, I would 10/10 recommend taking a trip to Barcelona. It is such an amazing and beautiful country to visit. I would recommend taking lots of pictures and exploring all around the city. It was such an amazing experience and I learned so much from this trip!