travel
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Oh Seoul. Seoul, South Korea, where your morning doughnut will cost 10,000 won and omnipresent couples wear matching outfits. Home to the Dr. Fish and English teachers from America. Neighbor to Kim Jong-Il and Northern Korea.
An altogether fascinating place, I was fortunate enough to explore in the hands of a semi-local. A close friend teaches English to groups of 5 and 6 years olds in a hogwan (English school) in Seoul. Visiting her at school was an experience in and of itself with the adorable youngsters being made to learn the order of the planets in our solar system. Did you know it takes Mercury 88 days to orbit the sun? These kids did and could shout it at the top of their lungs.
Korea had more adventures for me though. We attended a breakdancing marionette show, performed to the soundtrack of Amelie and visually stunning. Afterwards a trip to Dr. Fish. An innovative coffee shop where once you finish your latte, $3USD extra will get you 15 minutes in the fish tank. Your feet that is, hungry fish are anxiously awaiting your fleshy footsies arrival so they can nibble away at your dead skin.
Other magical finds included an old style teahouse with actual birds flying around in the rafters and singing, A fish market with sea curiousities galore and Artbox my new favorite stationary store.
If you dont find yourself taking a few years off to go teaching English in Korea, at least it can be reccommended as an interesting stopover during Asian travels. Sandwiched between China and Japan makes jumping around very easy & Seoul is a charming treat, just the place for a long weekend.
—Stephanie Hauk
Ms. Hauk is a native Clevelander, but is guest bloging from Hong Honk. She is obsessed with all things beautiful. See her blog HERE.
Tags: dr. fish, english as a second language, seoul, south korea, stephanie hauk, travel, travel in asia, travel photography, visual inspiration
Graffiti in Paris. I’m a fan of street art & everything I know on the topic I owe to my good friend & artist Zachary. I really enjoyed what I saw on the streets of Paris. Since I had no background knowledge of the names, crews or even the language my brain viewed it as abstract art. I was drawn to the color combinations & juxtaposition of bright edgy designs and classically elegant architecture.
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Tags: art, DeAnna Domino, design, France, graffiti, paris, paris graffiti, see below, tagging, travel, travel photography, visual inspiration
Chez Amélie. Most of you will recognize the Café des 2 Moulins from the film Amélie, or the sign outside telling you that you should. This being said, one would think it would be a very touristy spot, especially since it is located in such proximity to the Moulin Rouge. Au contraire, my friend & I found a budget friendly menu & even friendlier service. We went in for esspresso & just to say that we went to Chez Amélie, but we stayed after the waitress informed us (in English) that it was happy hour, 1/2 price drinks. Actually, the way happy hour is performed is you order one size & they bring double that for the same price. My kind of place! We enjoyed a few glasses of Kronenbourg 1664 & pear flavored beers. I would make this a regular hangout if I lived in the area, it’s just that kind of place. I suppose that is why they chose it for the film. Visit the Café des 2 Moulin at the junction of Rue Lepic and Rue Cauchois near the quintessential Parisian area of Paris, Montmarte.
+ 1 movie still
Tags: Amelie, Café des 2 Moulin, Chez Amélie, France, Kronenbourg 1664, Montmarte, Moulin Rouge, outdoor inspiration, paris, paris on a budget, see below, travel, travel photography, visual inspiration
Bonjour! Tomorrow I leave for Paris to visit my friend Jieming. My travel plans include ice skating, visiting the legendary flea markets, & drinking lots of espresso. The two of us will then head to Barcelona where it is a warm 50 degrees to admire the celebrated architecture. I will return home on the 21st with many, many blog posts. So don’t forget about *see below & check back January 21-ish for fresh posts about my trip, including the trials & tribulations of a vegan in Paris. I know the only thing I will miss more than my earth balance is my Jeff! Though I am excited I know I be wondering what is going on in Cleveland. Keep me updated via facebook friends. Au revoir.
Tags: budget travel, DeAnna Domino, Earth Balance, europe travel, european trip 2010, paris, paris trip 2010, see below, travel, travel photography, vegan, vegan in paris, vegan lifestyle, vegan travel
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! This is my response to television. Since I haven’t owned a tv since 2005 I don’t know what I’m missing. I have been content with this until I heard about this show called Man Shops Globe. It combines two of my favorite hobbies: travel & shopping (yes, as cliche as that sounds, shopping). Keith Johnson, buyer-at large for Anthropologie, searches all over the world for unique pieces for the store & this show chronicles his journeys. I was devastated to find out it was only on the Sundance Channel, but I was determined to watch it for free on my computer monitor! I was 50% successful & found that the entire season is available at the itunes store for a mere $13.99. No need to call the cable company folks! Even though, it wasn’t free, I more than got my money’s worth. Despite the fact it rests in the “reality tv” genre, it has zero crying & cast member spats. It’s quite grown up. In fact, Keith is almost borderline boring at times, but I really don’t mind. I am too busy coveting the merchandise as he strolls through the French flea markets & Turkish bazaars. Best of all, each episode wraps up with a blurb of how each product was incorporated into Anthropologie. I guess I’m still not missing out as long as I have friends who keep me informed!
Click the link below to watch the show’s promo
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Tags: anthropologie, antiques, buyer, holiday shopping, inspiration, interior design, itunes, Keith Johnson, man shops globe, Paris flea markets, sundance channel, travel, travel shopping, turkish bazars, vintage, visual inspiration
Delicious photos. Above are photos from photographer Penny De Los Santos. She is an award winning artist who has worked for National Geographic & Time magazine. I find her combination of food and travel to be not only charming, but culturally insightful. These images could go straight into any cook book, but are actually taken from real life, not a prop filled set. I am also very fond of her night photography. The images are a perfect marriage between light and dark. The rich black & deep vibrant colors are punctuated with pops of white light. They are a veritable visual feast!
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Tags: food, food styling, inspiration, Penny De Los Santos, photography, travel, travel photography, visual inspiration
China celebrated its 60th anniversary a few weekends ago. So I took a long weekend and celebrated by journeying into mainland China…to CHENGDU, in the heart of Sichuan Province (about 3 hours from HK by plane).
Sichuan/Szechuan is famous for its SPICY FOOD. The kind of intense in your nostrils, teary eyed HOT that numbs your whole mouth. They also still practice some of the most elaborate rituals surrounding tea drinking customs in all of China … and are you ready?? Most importantly, Sichuan is home to China’s PANDAS.
Eight year old Stephanie has been waiting for this moment all her life. They are so CUDDLY and HUGGABLE and LOVEABLE! I laughed, I cried, I took over 400 pictures, I could have stayed for days, I fell in love. I had to be torn away. I bought a panda costume from the gift shop, and now am going to be cuddly and huggable and loveable for Halloween. hahaha. Its True.
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Tags: adventure, bamboo, chengdu, china, chinese, holiday, honk kong, outdoor inspiration, pandas, photography, rural china, stephanie hauk, travel, travel guide, vacation photos, visual inspiration
On my recent trip to Amsterdam I was very inspired by the picturesque city.
Wooden shoes: the precursor to the steel-toed boot.
One of the many political charged slogans near the University.
The beautiful terra-cotta rooftops.
The Dutch love their cheese …
but not as much as their bikes!
Tags: amsterdam, bikes, biking in amsterdam, cheese, cycling, DeAnna Domino, design, Dutch, europe, graffiti, outdoor inspiration, see below, tagging, The Netherlands, travel, travel photography, trips, vacation, visual inspiration, wooden shoes
Living in small city apartments has always inspried creative uses for conserving and creating more space. The best method I believe is converting rooftops into patios and outdoor living areas. In Hong Kong, an apartment with roof access is usually considered the crown jewel of real estate. With warmer temperatures all year long, a great rooftop is a wonderful place to entertain friends and familys, hold bbqs and just step away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded city streets. Out of my bedroom window I can view my neighbors rooftop (see below) which is absolutely breathtaking.
(For the record, I have never ONCE seen them use said rooftop which is just a shame). Note the built in stone bench, the Large Potted plants. The enclosed space to shield from rain (as Hong Kong is also known for its overcast skys during typhoon season), is made out of bamboo a favorite building material in this country. If I were the owner of this rooftop not only would I be throwing a lot more rooftop parties and all out shindigs, I would also spice up the plants with more color. On my own rooftop I have a beautiful bougainvillea bush which is easy to maintain and blooms with these spectacular pink blossoms all summer long. Sunflowers, daisies, or a lilac bush are also great ideas for some cheerful color. For the green thumb, a small garden is also an idea, even if it is just herbs. Or for the un-green thumb, maybe a rock garden. Most importantly these ideas don’t require a rooftop and can easily be translated to a more suburban tradition of a patio. No matter what you choose … Happy Roofing!
—Stephanie Hauk
Ms. Hauk is a native Clevelander, but is guest bloging from Hong Honk. She is obsessed with all things beautiful. See her blog here http://vicioushawk.blogspot.com/
Tags: cleveland, decorating, Entertaining, flowers, Hong Kong, interior design, outdoor inspiration, patio, rooftop, stephanie hauk, summer fun, travel
