I returned to the US after spending the summer in Poland and posted on a Vietnamese forum about my trip; from this forum, I met two Vietnamese who lived in Paris. After a year resettling in US, I got antsy again and decided to go back to Europe. My obvious stop was then Paris.
Vietnamese don’t travel much, but if given the option, they likely choose France for the obvious reason that France is the only Western culture which is closest to Vietnam. 100-year colony must have counted for something. Many things which we encounter in our daily lives: food, vocabulary, ritual, etc. are taken from the French.
4/8/2011
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This article is written by Isabelle, a culture expert of all thing Dutch. She hails from the tulip, Heineken, and cheese nation, a real Dutch. When she’s not busy with school, work and contemplate about what it’s like to be Dutch, she jumps on any adventures to places further East.
This might be the most common stereotype about Dutch people, or at least something they are infamous for. However, the fact that soft drugs are more or less legalized in the Netherlands actually contributes to the lower numbers of addicts and users compared to the high percentage, almost twice as high, of soft drug users in the USA.
Recently I had a chat with my 22-year-old cousin about traveling and exploring the world. My cousin is of the same age as I was when I started developing this urge to see the world far beyond my front door. We are both immigrants from a developing country, and America was supposed to be that world. But after a while, even America gets a bit small. Like many 20-something Americans who followed the rite of passage from the New World to the Old World by taking a gap year backpacking around Europe or living in Europe for a year, I, too, wanted the same opportunities to explore Europe.
Depends…
Take it lightly; the jokes doesn’t mean to be culturally offensive.
Belgium: 14
1 Fleming + 1 Walloon to fix it. 1 interpreter to translate between Dutch and French. 10 to debate which language will be the printed in the manual guide. The King to intervene.
What does a backpacker do when he/she visits a country which has the highest GDP per capita? What does he/she do in a country known only for its gambling business boasting the casino for which to enter one has to dress like James Bond or his girls?
Easy. He/she stays in France, sleeps in French beds, and takes a 1-euro-fare bus to Monaco for a day trip.
Taking the 1-euro bus ride from the French Riviera to Monaco is a travel experience on its own. The bus takes you through some of the most beautiful coastline views in the world.
If you’re a backpacker, chances are you did or will do all of the above. You don’t have the kind of income that needs to be wired off to hide in Monaco’s treasury. You might gamble in the Grand Casino, but you might not stay in the hotel offered by them. Just because you entertained the idea of entering Monaco’s famous casino doesn’t mean you will do it. Instead, to save the entrance fee and the effort of dressing up, you decide that the second-class American casino next door will do justice.
What else?
Very good stuff. Simple explanation for a highly complicated subject. I wish I watched this video before my trip to Iceland as I would have understood more my surrounding.
Even if you’re not fond of natural science (I’m not), you should still watch it if you plan a visit Iceland. Nature is a big part of Iceland. Chances are you’ll emerge in it during your entire time there. The earth, the volcanoes, and others will be your main experiences.
[slickr-flickr tag=”tj-iceland” captions=”on” descriptions=”on” type=”galeria”]
It’s a long time since I feel truly satisfied during my traveling. To remind those who don’t know what I’ve been doing at the moment, I’m currently trying to finish off Europe; that is to visit every official country in Europe. The first 5, great. The next 10, also cool. But after seeing 40 some countries, there wasn’t much to discover anymore. I felt I had seen and known it all: the similar architecture, food, people and even the routine at the airport.
1. Sight-seeing in Reykjavik, visit museums and galleries, people watching, sample Iceland seafood
2. Do the Golden Circle to Pingvellir National Park (Iceland’s most important historical site, world’s oldest parliament), Geysir (geyser field) and Gullfoss (the golden waterfall)
I usually don’t say this about men, but I’m in awe by the like of this man ;-). Ironically, it was my boyfriend who “introduced” us by showing me youtube videos of Bear Grylls and gushing about this guy.
Seeing these videos pumps me up a bit although there is no chance I’m going to attempt any of these survive tricks.