Nevadagirlamber

Portugal has been on my must visit list since I was a child reading Robinson Crusoe. I was obsessed with being a pirate and this country has plenty of seafaring history to draw me in and that might be what set me up for major culture shock when I arrived. My hotel is located within the “Bombay” area as my taxi driver stated, which makes sense (now) given the colonial legacy of the Portuguese in Southeast Asia. I can much easier find Indian food than traditional Portuguese food, though I did the best I could as far as finding local foods. Portugal is different and perhaps that is purely because of my expectations for coming to this place - after all, how do you visit a seafaring nation? I joined a hop-on-hop-off bus tour and took ... read more

After another sleepless night in Granada, I caught the train to Cordoba, where in staying for less than 24 hours. I've already squeezed quite a bit into my stay here at my hotel is centrally located and I hopped on one of the tourist busses to do a tour of the city's sites which you can see in the pictures. Cordoba is known for leather products, olive plantations, and its incredible mix of Roman, Visigoth, Vandals, Muslim, Spanish (and more) history. The Mezquita is the only Mosque-Cathedral of its kind and speaks to that varied history. I checked out out this morning and it is a unique combination of obviously Muslim and Catholic design. This city feels different than the previous two, though the Castilian accent still takes something to get used to. Spanish in Mexico ... read more

While other cities have art interwoven throughout them, Barcelona is truly in a class of its own with artistic elements to be found throughout nearly every street you find. This morning started with a lovely local breakfast of mushrooms, avocado, eggs, and chorizo. It was likely the best omelette I have ever had. Then on to getting a small tattoo souvenir before visiting Gaudi’s Park Guell. Originally designed as a housing complex, the park has become a municipal garden and tourist Mecca. The viaducts throughout are visually interesting and you’ll see in my pictures the lovely lizard at the entrance! You could spend a couple hours at the park - definitely get your tickets beforehand. Heading back, I ran into a large farmer‘s market that appeared to only consist of various honeys, teas, and herbs. After ... read more

Today we utilized our trusty JR Rail Passes and went to Osaka, the second largest city in Japan. Osaka is the site of the Osaka Castle, a beautifully rebuilt castle filled with a lovely museum and a great view of the city. afterwards we enjoyed some regional food before coming back to Kyoto to find the WW2 memorial, a temple, and an interesting shopping area. It’s been a long day - the sites here are largely spread out so while it might take a bit to get where you are going , it’s worth it. Tomorrow back to Tokyo and then back to the US.... read more

Such a fun day! Today we first participated in a tea ceremony where we were dressed in kimonos and had traditional matcha tea. Even though I am very much not the typical size (both height and width) of a woman here they were extremely accommodating and made it a truly memorable experience. We walked through Nishiki Market, a market for all sorts of local foods and the place where I was able to eat my must have, octopus stuffed with a quail egg. It was so good! Lunch was filled with squid, more octopus and dumplings. Then! You all will love this- we enjoyed coffee while petting cats in the Fluffy cafe and then played with otters at a different site. I understand that we must consider the ethical implications of these sorts of visits, but ... read more