PARIS!

I think it's rare that a 22 year old can go on a 2 week European vacation with her dad and have an absolutely fantastic time, but that's exactly what I just did! As all of you (the 5 people who probably read this blog) know, I just moved to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Before settling down in my new city though, my Dad and I decided to leave 2 weeks early and travel through France and northern Spain before arriving at my final destination. These past two weeks have been an absolute blast and I am so thankful that I have parents who are cool enough to travel with me! (My Mom and I went to China in January of this year). Our trip was filled with lots of laughs, great food and wine, plenty of cultural misunderstandings, and a hell of a lot of good memories. It seems like a ridiculous task to try and recount all that we did, but I will do my best.

Standing atop the Arc de Triomphe

We started our journey in one of the world's most iconic and well known cities: Paris. There are an innumerable amount of things to see and do in the city, but since it was my first time, I stuck to the typical tourist route. That being said, I also take after my mother and made sure that we made the absolute most out of our days and saw everything that we wanted to see. I warned my dad, I was going to crack the whip in Paris, but after that we could take it easy. We were there for 4 days, and for 4 whole days we ran all over the city. We had purchased a Paris Pass in advance and it gave us access to all of the top attractions in Paris. I highly recommend getting one if it's within your budget. Aside from granting you entry into the best museums, galleries and attractions, you get to bypass all the lines! This place was worse than Disneyland, the lines were insane everywhere. I could list all of the things we saw and did, but I'll show you pictures instead :)

THE Eiffel Tower! I never really realized
how huge it was until I was an ant standing
underneath it.

Notre Dame Cathedral. The
architecture of this building
is out of control.

Inside Notre Dame. Look that that
Rose Window!

Sainte Chapelle boasts some of the
world's best stained glass. It was
breathtaking

Musee d'Orsay. The museum is housed in
a converted train station. It's
Impressionism collection is phenomenal.

Musee Rodin. The gounds of this mansion were more
interesting to me than the works inside. The sculptures in
the gardens though are very impressive.

Arc de Triomphe. The only way to
get to the top is by a narrow
spiraling staircase. We climbed
a lot of steps.

Sunset view of Paris from the 59th floor of the
Monparnasse Tower.

We ate ridiculous amounts of cheese.
But we walked it all off. Right?

The Lourve! I have never seen such an extensive art
collection. The size of the museum was
overwhelming.

Pont Alexandre III. Of all of Paris' many
bridges, this one is the most ornate, complete
with gold statues and nymphs.

River cruise along the Seine

THE CATACOMBS! Easily the most interesting
and unique of the attractions that we saw. These
are real human bones.

Luxembourg Gardens. This is such a great park right
in the heart of the city!

The Bastille, or rather, the plaza where the
famous prison once stood.

Versaille's Hall of Mirrors

Palace of Versailles. The true embodiment of the
extravagance of French Royalty.

Paris was an all around good experience. The entire city is so dang picturesque! From the cobblestone streets to the countless cafes to the fashionable people that walk the streets, it's no surprise why so many people have fallen in love with the city. I loved it too, but it was also extremely busy and chaotic. By the time our 4 days were up, I was ready to escape the hustle and bustle and dive into the French countryside.

Thoughts on Organized Tours

When anyone wants to go travel and explore a new place, the question is always there: should I do an organized tour or try to do it solo (or accompanied by friends)? Well, I think each has its own pros and cons. Here's a list of some of the pros and cons about structured/organized tours:

Pros

• Everything is done for you. Literally all you have to do is show up.
• There's no need to worry about a language barrier. Typically if you book a tour from the US, an English-speaking guide is part of the whole shebang.
• Budgeting is a lot easier. Most tours that you book are going to provide you with a list of what is included, so you have a better idea of what you will have to pay when you're there. There are less surprises that would compromise your budget.
• You learn a lot about the history of the place you're visiting. Every time you hop on the tour bus, your guide will use that time to provide you with information about the next place you're stopping or the place you just came from. 
• Fancy digs. Usually, tours put you up in nice hotels and you eat at nice restaurants. But, keep in mind that this will factor into the price of the tour. 

Cons

• You loose interaction with the locals. When you arrive and depart in a big group, it's difficult to interact with the locals and learn about them and from them. 
• There's always that person/ group of people. You know, the ones who you don't care to talk to at all, or find incredibly annoying. There's almost always at least 1 and you're stuck with them for the duration of the tour. 
• Not a whole lot of alone time. It's hard to escape the group and have a moment to yourself to really soak in the experience.
• Tours are expensive! I've found that tours, even when they include most things in their list price, are pricier than doing everything yourself (staying in hostels, eating cheap, figuring out what days museums are free, etc.) Of course, the exception is when you find incredible deals through Groupon or Living Social!

Those are more of less the main points I consider when I'm traveling to a new place. On my first trip to China, I think an organized tour was a smart move. I had never been to Asia and China is such a huge country, it seemed overwhelming to tackle. Also, I was really worried about the language barrier and my ability to get around. To be honest, my China tour just kind of fell in my lap. I think it would have taken a lot more time for me to make my way to China on my own, so I chose to book the tour that screamed ease and convenience. I also think the tour granted me entrance into museums and special events that I probably would not have found on my own. Thinking forward though, I could return to Shanghai sans-tour and navigate just fine on my own. Rural China is still on my list, but that is a whole different ballgame.

All in all I think I am more of a solo traveler than one who will repeatedly go on tours. I personally like having to research how I am going to get from place to place. Doing the little leg-work doesn't bother me when it comes to travel. The biggest draw for me though, is the ability to interact with the people who live in the place I am visiting. The day in Shanghai where I got to explore solo, without the rest of the tour group, was the highlight of the whole trip. Human interactions across the globe are what really interest me, and I'm not willing to give that up for the ease and convenience of a tour.

Rapid Fire China: Part 2

The time has come, or rather the time has been found, for me to write another blog about China! So, here we go:

Day 5- Beijing to Shanghai

It was hard to believe that we were already half way through the trip. It seriously seemed like we had just arrived in Beijing and it was already time to fly to Shanghai. If there was one thing that I wished was included in our Beijing itinerary, it was a visit to the Olympic Park. Luckily, our tour guide arranged for us to at least swing by and admire the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, aka where Michael Phelps owned everything in 2008.

After a brief 2 hour flight, we were in Shanghai, arguably China's most international city. At the airport we were greeted by our new tour guide, Peter Wu. Freaking Peter. He was just the greatest. We hopped right back on another tour bus and headed downtown. Within minutes of being on the bus, Peter was cracking sex jokes and I knew it was going to be a fun few days. Driving on the freeway, there was a distinct and noticeable difference from Beijing: trees. I didn't really realize it when we were in the capital, but there were hardly any trees! It makes sense since Beijing is so far north and has a really intense winter, but it was still refreshing to see some green. Something else really noticeable about the Shanghai skyline was that every building looked different, it was so cool! Beijing definitely had the more communist, square box building feel.

Driving along the immense network of freeways, we made it to Old Town Shanghai. I think Old Town was my favorite place that I visited in China. When we arrived, I was a little taken aback by the amount of people there, it was SO crowded! Our tour guide was pretty fearless and just dove right into the mob and kept waving his little flag, hoping that all 24 of us would at some point be able to make our way to it. I think we were the only Americans there, which was pretty cool, but also the cause of lots of stares and picture taking. It was so hilarious because people were just snapping photos of us left and right; iPads, camera phones, actual cameras, it felt like the paparazzi. In between picture taking, we made our way through the crowded streets and lantern covered alleyways.

Of course, food pictures

So. cool.

Jesus chillin with Adam and Eve

This kid was just so cute

Pictures of people taking pictures

After our somewhat chaotic tour of the old streets and wandering through the market, we were off to The Bund. If you look for pictures of Shanghai's skyline, this is most likely what you will see. The Bund is the walkway along the Huangpu River that offers phenomenal views of Putong, Shanghai's new financial center. If you are remotely interested in cutting edge design and unique perspectives on buildings, go here. There is so much to look at and the view is unmistakeable. We spent some time admiring the sights before going to dinner and then getting back on the bus to drive to Suzhou. It was a long travel day for sure, but Shangahi had made a positive first impression.

The Bund

Two guys on our tour haha. The only word this
Chinese woman could muster was "basketball"

Day 6- Suzhou

All in all Suzhou was pretty uneventful and I think China Tours could forgo this step of the trip and spend another day in any of the other 3 locations. Suzhou is considered a "small city" with a population of 11 million people... While there, we went to a traditional Chinese Garden and then had some free time to walk around the canals of the city. On our itinerary, Suzhou was labeled "The Venice of the East". In my humble opinion, it was nothing of the sort, but there were some canals. I think part of my lack of interest in this city was just because I was hitting that point in the tour: I was really tired of constantly moving and hearing what seemed like constant, yet unnecessary, information about China and it's history. This almost always happens to me when I travel, there is a point when I am just too tired to care or be interested. Luckily, those spells usually only last me a day or two. As night fell, we loaded back onto the bus and made our way to Hangzhou.

Traditional garden in Suzhou

Peter! The best tour guide ever

Bonzai Trees that are hundreds of years old

Walking along the canals was actually really
interesting to me. I felt like I got a glimpse into
daily life for some of the locals.

Day 7- Hangzhou 

We were only in Hangzhou for a day and a half, but I really wish we could have spent more time there. The city was really pretty and I was eager to explore. I guess the "main attraction" is West Lake. It's a giant lake right in the middle of the city around which there is constant activity. You can walk around the whole lake, take a boat ride across it, or stroll along the walkway that jets out toward the center of the lake. I always like when big cities have a major central park because it serves as an escape from the constant hustle and bustle of the metropolitan life. We spent the majority of the day on and around the lake until we headed out to do some tea tasting. Hangzhou is known for it's green tea, and even though I'm not a huge green tea drinker, I impulsively bought a ton of it. It's pretty good, and it's health benefits make me want to drink more of it, but I think I now have a lifetime supply of green tea. On the plus side you can freeze it so it won't go bad.

West Lake

I wish we could have ridden on the golden dragon boat

Boats on a misty lake

Momma

Tea bushes everywhere

Day 8/9- Back to Shanghai

After spending the day in Hangzhou, we drove back to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai, we changed really quick and then headed out to see the world famous Shanghai acrobats. I'm really glad we decided to go and we even got seated in the VIP section! The show was incredible and left me awestruck. We got to our hotel pretty late and after a quick drink at the bar, retired to our rooms. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, because we had the entire day free and could do whatever we wanted. Mom and I were really excited for this day to come because we were gonna get to travel like we normally do, sans tour guide and a large bus. We planned out our whole day and after a relaxing morning (surprisingly not-common on structured tours) headed out to take on Shangahi!

We were armed with a metro pass, a map, and some phrases in Chinese that Peter wrote down for us. That was all we really needed to get around and it ended up being an amazing day. First stop was the Jade Buddha temple. Finding the temple was a bit of a struggle, especially when your map isn't to scale and 3 blocks turns out to be 7, but we finally made it. We played lots of charades, pointed at the map and to the phrases that Peter wrote down and eventually made it! Navigating Shanghai without speaking the language is a lot harder without a tour guide, but Mom and I really loved the challenge. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the Jade Buddha, but she was beautiful! Absolutely enormous and an incredible piece of handiwork, she was a breathtaking site to see.

Jade Buddha aside, it was really neat to see the
Buddhist temple and all the worshipers.

After the temple we made our way across town to the MAGLEV, the world's first high speed train! I don't know what I was expecting, and yeah it went really fast, but unless you're using it to actually get to a destination, it wasn't worth the trek out to see it. Maybe I missed something, but looking back, I think I would forgo high speed train, especially with such little time.

Next up on the agenda was an arts and crafts museum.Once we got out of the metro, we asked several people which direction we needed to walk (again, our tourist map was not the best for navigating small and curvy streets). A young couple was really really nice and helped us out. At first, they had no idea where we were trying to go, so they busted out their translator and were working between English and Chinese to try to give us directions. One of them was a university student and spoke basic English, but it was, essentially, a game of charades. With a little help from google maps on their smart phone, we said our thanks and headed out in the right direction. Along the way we stumbled upon a vegan restaurant called Cafe Maya. It was a sign; we had to eat there. So we did and it was amazing! We had real coffee and fantastic Asian fusion food. Then something even more incredible happened. We saw the girl of the couple that helped us with directions briskly walking past the window of the restaurant. Both my mom and I recognized her and smiled and waved. Upon seeing us she suddenly stopped and walked into the restaurant. To be honest, at this point, I had no idea what she was doing or what she was going to say to us. She walked right up to our table, and slightly out of breath, told us that the museum we were looking for was closed due to Chinese New Year and we shouldn't waste our time. She then proceeded to give us a list of other museums in the area that we might like and told us the hours that they were open. Faith in humanity completely restored!!! I could not get over how nice that was. She tracked us down and was genuinely concerned with how we were getting along. It's interactions like this that you miss out on when on such a structured tour. Personal connections and communication is such a vital part to travel and getting to know the place that you're visiting, and it's something that absolutely shapes your experience in a foreign place.

The lotus root carrot curry was delectable

With the Craft Museum no longer an option, we proceeded to the next item on our drawn-up itinerary: The Shanghai Museum. The line to get it was pretty insane, but it was worth the wait. Time passed with the help of two adorable kids in front of us. They had just met in line but had already become the best of friends. My mom and I are convinced that one day they will be married, they were that adorable (Also, the line was that long that I had the time to formulate the idea in my head). From textiles to pottery and furniture to paintings, the museum had an incredible collection of artifacts. I highly recommended going if you find yourself in Shanghai. Potentially the best museum I've ever been to and, get ready, it's free.

The Shanghai Museum (notice the line on the right)

This is a "pillow". The woodwork is amazing though!

Indigenous textiles. Obsessed. I would have worn this.

By the time we came out of the museum, the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees and dusk was settling in. There was still so much to do though! The Nanjing Shopping district was within walking distance of the museum and it was highly recommended that we visit. So we did. It kinda felt like Vegas, all the bright lights and hustle and bustle everywhere. We discovered that we could walk, though it was a long walk, the entire street until we reached the Bund on the river bank. As we strolled along, I just tried to take in all the sights, and keep my hands warm. We later heard on the news that a bizarre cold front hit Shanghai and dropped the temperatures to below freezing. We finally arrived at the Bund and decided that we should take a night river cruise. Mom was dying to do it and I'm really glad she convinced me. We bought our tickets and then set off in search of food before our boat left the dock. That turned out to be another grand adventure.

Nanjing Shopping Area

Who would have though that looking for food along one of the most popular destinations in Shanghai would have been so difficult? We looked at the address of where our dock was and decided to walk in that direction since it was several block away. To be noted: if all the addresses are going to be for boat docks, there's probably not going to be a ton of restaurants wedged between them. It was getting darker and darker and we just kept walking and walking and not seeing anything. Plus, we were running out of time. After what felt like ages, I saw some blue lights, illuminating a sign that read "King Dragon". We had found food.

 As we entered the restaurant we quickly realized that we were in over our heads. Our host escorted us, dressed in a full suit, down a hall of mirrors to an elevator, complete with a red velvet interior. Oh shit, did we enter a high-end strip club? Turns out we didn't, but this restaurant was something else. I like to think that it's where diplomats and famous people eat on their visits to China. The dining room was beautiful! Giant chandeliers and gorgeous place settings made me question my wardrobe choices of a snow jacket and hiking boots. There were even multiple chopsticks lined up as though they were salad, entree, and dessert forks! We were seated and given a menu. Momentarily, Mom and I both thought we weren't going to be able to afford anything on the menu. Choice meats, fresh fish, and abalone caught earlier that day were priced in the hundreds (USD!). After a brief look of panic between us, we found the back of the menu: fried rice, dumplings, and some other vegetable dishes. When we ordered, we could tell that the waiters were chuckling at our choices of all the cheap peasant food, but all that was on my mind was the food itself. The meal was absolutely to die for. It was the best food I had in China, after the home-cooked meal at the professional cricket fighter's house.

With our pockets a little emptier but our bellies a lot fuller, we made our way to the dock and boarded the ship for our night cruise on the Bund. Seeing the magnificent architecture during the day was amazing, but at night, the cityscape was transformed. It was unlike anything I've seen before and it was a perfect closing to our trip in China.

The Bund at night

 We eventually made our way back to our hotel and were both pretty exhausted. We did it though. We navigated the extremely large, and modern yet traditional city of Shanghai without speaking a lick of Chinese. I slept like a baby that night and the next morning we boarded a plane and headed back to SFO.

I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to take this trip with my Mom. Not many people get to travel with their parents, but for me, it's always been a really great experience. My Mom was the first person who took me on an international trip and her desire to travel has definitely been instilled in me. Even though it was a structured tour and I didn't have to do a lot of planning, it felt really great to be able to invite my mom to join me on a trip, especially to a place neither of us had ever been before.

Coming Up: The pros and cons of tours