In a whirlwind decision at Urth Cafe in Tokyo, we decided to change our flights to Colombia so that we could head to San Marino for four days in order to celebrate Noelle's grandpa's 90th birthday with the whole Abbott family! Think only young folks can throw a raging party? Well, you can ask the cops what they thought of Gubba's fiesta! And, bonus, while we were home we also got to meet three month old Ava Noelle, first born to Noelle's Matron of Honor, Abby. Read all about our perfect vacation from our vacation!
We continued our journey through Japan by moving north. In the capital city of Tokyo, we had the best beef we've ever eaten. In Sapporo, we had the best sushi of our entire lives. With two amazing meals like those, what could be tastier? You'll have to read the post to see what earned the top spot for our favorite, most delicious meals EVER. Japan won us over by means of our stomachs, and we want to share every morsel with you!
We finished our Asian Adventure with three weeks in Japan, starting with Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. We had no idea when we landed in Osaka that we were about to explore our favorite country on the whole trip! The food, the people, the architectural and natural beauty - Japan is truly amazing! In this post, read about the first half of our time in Japan, including a very special lunch with a family friend who I haven't seen in over 20 years!
My high school friend, and founder of life and business coaching company Reina + Co, Reina Pomeroy, interviewed me for a special series she's publishing on her company's blog. In the series, Reina shows the similarities between our decision to travel the world and entrepreneurship.
In Hong Kong, we chowed down on dim sum almost every day, found out just how spicy Dan Dan noodles really can be (spoiler alert: REALLY REALLY SPICY), and even got to spend a day with our hosts from Warsaw, Nelly and Lukasz!
During our five days in Cambodia, we explored the many temples of Angkor, ate mystery meat at a Khmer BBQ joint with our British buddies, Charlotte and James, grilled up some crocodile for dinner, tasted as much ice cream as we could find, and enjoyed how nice, polite, and calm the Cambodian people are.
After dealing with the scams of Hanoi and the tourist factories that are Sapa and Halong Bay in the north, we started to enjoy ourselves as we explored Southern Vietnam. Hoi An's Lantern Festival and beaches along with Ho Chi Minh's happy and helpful locals gave us the Vietnamese experience we had been hoping for. Read on to learn about where we had the best banh mi, what it was like to crawl through the famous Cu Chi Tunnels of the Vietcong, and how we fared negotiating in the markets!
With so many people telling us, "You HAVE to go to Sapa and Halong Bay!", we expected big things out of both side trips from Hanoi, Vietnam. Unfortunately, neither destination lived up to our inflated expectations. Read on to find out why!
Hanoi, Vietnam, is the most challenging and frustrating place that we experienced on our trip around the world. From the constant noise, the ever-crowded streets and sidewalks, the unwavering heat and humidity, and the persistent scams and disrespect from the local people, we had a tough time enjoying ourselves. The food, however, was downright delicious! Check out our time in Hanoi, our first stop in three weeks of travel around Vietnam.
We let our new friends, Charlotte and James, ask us any five questions they want, and we promised to answer honestly! Read on to see what they were curious about!
In Luang Prabang, we got brave and ate dinner from buffet tables in a dirty alley, watched the Morning Alms ceremony, visited a beautiful waterfall with our new adventurous friends from Britain, and learned that the US bombed Laos more than any other country during the Vietnam War. Read about our eye opening experience in the former French Colony.
We're halfway through our trip! To reflect on what we've learned so far and how were' doing, we asked ourselves some thought-provoking questions. See what's on our minds in this post!
In Chiang Mai, we finally fell in love with Thailand! Find out why in today's post!
Most blogs and reviews of the islands of Thailand described them as "magical". We didn't get it, and certainly didn't love our time there as much as we had hoped. What did we love, though? Getting SCUBA certified! Read on to see our take on these "magical" places!
Our first stop in Asia was Bangkok, Thailand! We stepped off the plane into a place that was so different, so unfamiliar, so hot! Bangkok was an attack on all of the senses! See how we adjusted in today's post!
In today's Lessons Learned, we find out what happens when you leave your cellphone on the bus that brought you to the airport! Jake's phone was heading back to Stockholm while we were clearing security for our flight to Bangkok! Read on to find out what happened!
The Schaals joined us for a quick visit to Berlin where we searched for the best biergartens in the city, and ate all the currywurst we could find! And, before closing the book on our European adventure and heading to Asia, we spent a fun (and expensive) 24 hours in Stockholm where we had one of our favorite European meals!
We started our exploration of Prague with Jake's parents, and ended it with the Schaals! For Beth's birthday, she and Tom decided to join us in Prague and Berlin! Read all about our beer-filled adventures around the City of 100 Spires!
Jake's parents, Joan and Al, joined us on our European Adventure to explore Krakow! And double bonus, we even got to meet up with cousin Adam on his summer abroad program! Read on to learn about our exploration of the "Royal Heart" of Poland, the Salt Mines, and Auschwitz.
We loved Warsaw so much that it's one of our favorite cities in Europe! Find out what made it so incredible in today's post!
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