Tag Archives: Trips

I Can Dream Big, Right?

Busy, busy, busy week. Busy. Swamped. Too much to do. Too little time.

Alright, I’m done complaining. Just like college, days leading up to Thanksgiving bring you lots of stress and forces you into a panic mode, so I’m going to keep this post short and sweet. And frankly, quite appropriate for my mood.

Five places I would love to travel to RIGHT. NOW.

1. London, UK

I know, I know… I lived there for five months last year, and I had the most amazing time of my life. I, however, have fallen in love with that city and would do anything to go back, explore Brick Lane and go to my favorite Chinese restaurant, Hing Loon. Not to mention, an afternoon tea at the Muffin Man, a stroll around Hyde Park, a shopping trip to Harrods, a hearty meal of fish & chips and a pint at a pub, a lovely Thai dinner at Churchill Arms… My list goes on.

2. Hong Kong or Shanghai or both

Fact: I was born in Seoul, South Korea. Fact: I haven’t been back since I was 10. Fact: I’ve never been to China. Especially when the Chinese economy seems to be a rising powerhouse, I feel the need to go see what the hype is all about. One day… I’ll make it over there.

3. Lisbon, Portugal

I still regret not devoting a weekend to visit Portugal during my study abroad semester. I made it to Sicily, but not Lisbon. What was I thinking?

4. Cairo, Egypt

Arab Spring occurred and spread from Cairo. Sure, Tahrir Square seems to be the site of yet another uprising, but like China, I feel this country is a must-see. Things are changing, and it’s starting here with young people. I want to witness what it’s all about.

5. Seattle, Washington

The only U.S. city on this list… an ugly ducking? I like to consider myself fairly well-traveled, but unfortunately, I’ve never been to the Pacific Northwest. Northern most point on the other coast I logged in my travel book? San Francisco. Sooner or later, I just have to see first-hand why my friends from Seattle are so obsessed with their city.

A Picture Diary? Only Because I Can't Spell ANY of the Spanish Names…

Madrid, Spain: Mid-Semester Break! What a great vacation. Jack and I left at the crack of dawn to catch a bus to Liverpool St. station, then to get on the Stansted Express, and finally to hop on a plane to Madrid, Spain. But the whole week was absolutely worth all that trouble.

I have to say, I definitely enjoyed fratting out with my favorite bro/friend, Alex, and not having to worry about waking up early. In fact, almost every day, we slept in till 2 p.m. – and no one frowned at us, enjoyed lunch till about 4 p.m., took a nap at 8 p.m., and woke up at 10 p.m. for dinner, annnnnnd the nightlife began at around midnight. FANTASTIC!!!

Despite not being able to communicate at all, thanks to Jack, we got around just fine. It did make me a bit sad to find that though I speak English & Korean fluently and can hold basic conversations in German, it was as if I was a total alien. Does that mean now I need to go learn some Spanish? Anyways…

Here is my 5 days in Madrid picture diary:

Day 1

– Here we are… Madrid!

– Velazquez @ Prado Museum

– Look what I found at Plaza de Mayor!

– Paella and Mussels at an AWESOME restaurant whose name ended in …Volcano. 6 euro Paella, can’t beat it

– Hard to explain… Went to this cave bar and they had some sort of a milk-type drink from its ceiling. Didn’t have the guts to try it though.

Day 2

– Visited the Royal Palace of Madrid and Cathedral

– Unfortunately, no photographs allowed inside the Palace. Also, the royal family does not live there anymore. Nevertheless, very pretty!

– Possibly one of the best finds in this city. The biggest pick & mix store I have ever encountered.

– A big blurry, but Plaza de Espana.

– At Kapital. A club with seven floors (with the top flooring being this wonderful lounge). You can find anything from a crazy dance to karaoke. Of course we dominated by singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Win.

– Just to give you an idea of what the dance floor was like… Yeah?

Day 3

– A GORGEOUS day out by the park by Arguelles metro stop

– Look what we found on our way to Reina Sofia! Obviously I HAD to get an iced coffee… Yum!

– One example of some interesting, rather weird, modern art at Sofia.

Day 4

– A day trip to TOLEDO! A quaint Spanish town with great food, plenty of sunshine and wonderful sangria.

– A 2-hour long lunch with sangria. Do not regret it.

– Could spend hours and hours wandering around these narrow streets.

Day 5

– Last day in Madrid… Managed to get by with 20 euro left between Jack and me, all thanks to this wonderful place with 60 cent sandwiches!

– And let’s not forget, 50 cent wine boxes. They also come in forms of small juice boxes! Great portability!

– Of course, ended the trip with a bag of Haribo candies and headed to the airport at 3 a.m.

Overall, I loved spending time in Madrid. I have to say, though, staying there for a long period of time might not be too suitable for me. It was fantastic for a week when I definitely needed some break from London and classes. Now, I am so happy to be back in London. 🙂

Next up, my stories from Notting Hill Arts Club.

-Yoojin