- travelrambles
It’s a bit strange to be writing about a trip from 2008 in 2021 but, it makes me really appreciate the adventures had during my earlier years.
In 2008, with my newfound “freedom” and some limited cash flows, I set off to discover Taiwan with 2 close friends (incl 1: local). I had applied to do an exchange abroad to Taipei later that year so I wanted to learn as much as possible before setting off on my own.
Thanks to my discount with AC, the trip was moreorless FREE (nominal flight cost & free accommodations). Looking back, we really DIDNT do VERY much for that week. But, everything was so new and shiny, even the most mundane activity was life altering for a young 19 year old Sarah.
Big memories:
Falling in love with the Taiwanese Breakfast joints (still can’t pronounce DanBing / Bin? )
Falling even more in love with the ridiculous number of night markets. Life altering.
Eric kicking us out of his grandma’s place last minute and sticking us in a nearby hotel across the street. It was clean & cheap = no complaints. He also offered to stay with us to watch over us (phew). Years later, we found it was a love hotel of sorts. So, while cramming 3 teenagers in 1 bed, I recall being sandwiched in the middle (why!?) and houdini-ing out of the blankets during the night. Yet, dear Eric would think I’m cold and bundle me back. Life’s challenges.
Discovering the ridiculous number of night clubs (free for girls / all you can drink). Later on, we discovered they were all duds but poor 19 year old Sarah loved the concept at the time.
Lastly, visiting my future school at NCCU. At this particular moment, I believe this is when I realized my dear Eric did NOT put too much attention into my initial inquiries when applying for my exchange semester. I believe it went something like this:
S: Which school should I go to? This NTU or NCCU?
E: NCCU, that’s the best one! Super local. IT’s great!
Months later…..
S: Eric…. You sent me to the SFU of Taipei. NTU is the UBC/central school.
E: .....
More months later…
@ the physical school in the middle of nowhere
S: I will kill you.
E: errrr….
Despite such carelessness, I am still so grateful to have gone to NCCU (hope dear Eric never see this). The school was much smaller in comparison to NTU. The cohort was less than 40 international students and made for a much better experience.
I've since visited Taipei at least 5 times in 10 years. It will forever hold a special place in my heart.
- travelrambles
Dubrovnik had always been HUGE on my bucket list. Ideally, island hopping between the little towns. But whenever I went to Europe in 2011-2015, visiting Croatia always seemed a little troublesome in terms of getting to/from & around. I could never pair it with my grittiness without a huge inconvenience (or time wasted).
So, when we found a good deal with Celebrity Cruise that paired Italy with Dubrovnik, I was sold. Two days in the city!
Overall, I was a tad disappointed with Dubrovnik. I blame the following:
- we only visited Dubrovnik and not the neighbouring islands like Split
- the crowds were ridiculous. I blame the hype from Game of Thrones
- the city was very expensive and definitely felt like a tourist trap (again, blaming GoT here)
Nonetheless, I was still happy to finally visit a place I've longed to see for so many years. We spent the first day exploring and the second day doing a kayaking trip. The latter turned out to be a bit of a disaster. My husband and I soon learned we will never share a kayak again (much better off going solo). Don't worry, 4.5 years later we are still happily married despite said discovery.
Next time: I've heard amazing things about booking a catamaran for a few days and sailing around the area. THAT will be my next visit to Croatia ;) One day!
- travelrambles
Next stop on our honeymoon cruise throughout Italy was to Rome (that is, Civitavecchia). The husband and I had both already visited Rome previously (and were not big fans). I do think I need to give the city another try but I'm still suffering PTSD since my last visit in 2011. Further, the train from Civitavecchia to Rome was a few hours and just didn't seem worth the effort.
So, we asked the Cruise (or moreso informed them) that we would be disembarking and would meet the ship again at Pisa. It turned out to be a little more troublesome than anticipated but at the end of the day, they approved.
We rented a car near Civitavecchia and off we went! The ABSOLUTE best decision ever. No itinerary, no big plans. Just driving through the magical rolling hills of Tuscany. Visiting random castles along the way, trying to check out wineries (very different in Italy in comparison to our local wineries in the Okanagan). We stayed the night in Siena (a rather large town) with some great dinner and great sights.
On the way back to our ship, we stopped in Florence (dropped off the car) and explored the city. I had previously been to Florence in 2012 and it was (and still is) among my absolute favourite cities. The charm was slightly different in 2016 in comparison to 2012 but i was still able to bring my new husband to some of my favourite spots.
After watching the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo, off we went via train to Pisa. Quickly showed the husband the leaning tower (literally 10 minutes) and raced back to meet our boat.
Tuscany, we will definitely be back!