One of our families’ hobbies is traveling. Before COVID, we would travel to a new country every year and visit at least one city there. Fortunately, we’re starting to travel more as COVID is beginning to subside.
There is still a lot more for me to explore, though. I personally have never been to any place in Oceania or South America. I feel like so many people think of Europe when going on a trip, and this is true for our family because we have been to so many European nations.
While I love Europe a lot, there are many places that have my heart. I chose to do this in city format because there are specific places I love within certain countries. The first four cities I am about to list are in random order because I love them all equally, except for the very last one.
#5: Tokyo (july 2019)
This was the last city I had been to before COVID. We stayed for roughly two weeks, and yet there was still so much we did not cover. We got crepes in Harajuku, took photos in kimonos, and rode the Shinkansen “bullet train” going south. Something I clearly remember in Tokyo was the widespread popularity of matcha. There were matcha drinks, sweets and ice cream. My dad fell in love with it instantly, and he was disappointed in the lack of matcha items once we were back home. In Tokyo, there were obviously so many people. I remember the metro station filled with people going in every direction, especially students. I remember seeing a lot of people in school uniforms. I was not quite sure why that was. I remember the bright lights at night, with many signs popping in your face from all directions. I feel Tokyo would be a very good place for nightlife! I also crossed one of the biggest streets within a massive intersection.
This trip also influenced my take on food. I tried eel for the first time and fell in love with it. I was a bit intimidated by the conveyor belt of sushi, but ended up eating 14 small plates. Cafes also served milk, with a choice between hot and cold. I discovered my love for cold milk, and I started drinking it frequently at home (just add ice). Yet, despite the fun we had, there’s one memory that stuck out to me the most. Since Tokyo was supposed to hold the Summer Olympics in 2020, there was merchandise available the year before. Everyone in our family bought a Tokyo 2020 Olympics shirt. As we all know, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until 2021 I still have the shirt.
#4: Cozumel (june 2015)
I have been to this island twice, but the second time, I was older and I remember much more. We stayed in this pretty resort on the beach. At the beach, there were schools of small fish that would nibble on your skin, which felt really good for some reason. There were iguanas here and there lounging by pools. There was a main plaza area where people would dance each night. From Cozumel, it was easy to get to other places such as Chitchen Itza and Playa del Carmen. I remember being fascinated by a supermarket chain because it was very large and carried all kinds of stuff (including sweet pastries).
In fact, a memory from Cozumel is still impacting me to this day: you may have heard of Emily Henry’s book People We Meet on Vacation. It is funny to me because I did meet people on that vacation, one of which I am still in contact with on Instagram!
#3: Cape town (june 2018)
Our family went here because my mom had a conference, so she took us all with her. While she was at her conference, the rest of the family took time exploring Cape Town. Since we went during the summer, it was supposed to be wintertime, but Cape Town felt nothing like winter. Instead, all that I noticed was a nice chill breeze. I bought two small bracelets with beads the color of the South African flag. I still have these bracelets and wear them pretty much every day as a reminder of a lovely souvenir from a lovely city. My mom also has at least one of these bracelets for herself.
This city is environmentally-conscious, because at the time I was there, there was a bit of a water shortage. In the hotel we stayed at, showers were capped at 5 minutes, and hot water was limited. Cape Town is still the only place I have been in the Southern Hemisphere. I would love to visit this place again, or visit a different place in the Southern Hemisphere. I even went on my first safari, where we saw animals like rhinos, zebras and lions. We got so close at one point that I stood just a few feet away from a sleeping cheetah (we were supervised so do not try this at home!).
#2: Venice (july 2016)
I have been taking trains to get through three Italian cities, one of which was Venice. It was not fun on the first day. The sun was shining too bright, and we had to get to our hotel, but there were many bridges to pass through. At least there were public water fountains to cool us down! Since Venice is a city built on water, all the buildings had stilts underwater for stabilization.
After we learned about how the city worked, we had fun exploring the nooks and crannies! I remember buying an eye mask people wear during the carnival season (Venice is one of the most festive cities for the Carnival!), and I remember riding a gondola with the driver in his red and white striped shirt. Boats were the most prevalent modes of transportation, so water taxis were common. I also remember discovering new foods I like, such as green-apple-flavored-gelato and squid ink spaghetti. The gelato might sound generic, but I have never seen another place that serves squid ink spaghetti, which makes the pasta completely black.
Finally, for the city that has the biggest piece of my heart…
#1: Barcelona (July 2017)
One of the first things I noticed about Barcelona was its physical appearance. In Barcelona, like many other cities, garage doors are used as an exterior barrier from the restaurant or store or whichever public establishment. Most of the time, they were covered in street art or vandalism (much more of the latter). I despised the amount of graffiti in places where it should not have been. I saw it on the walls of public businesses. I saw it on apartment doors. I saw it on metro trains. I even saw some on the side of a church.
Aside from that, the pros outweigh the cons! The people were super friendly (same as for the other four places I mentioned), and I loved Barcelona’s geographic location: right on the Mediterranean Sea. I wish I could get another chance to visit Antoní Gaudí’s architecture again. I wish I could ride the metro again (I have an obsession with trains). I wish I could walk on La Rambla again. It has been almost seven years and I still miss this place as much as I did when the plane landed home. I will never forget how we reached over 12,000 steps on-foot exploring the city. I will also never forget riding bikes on the waterfront. If I could, I would love to relive this experience another time. I know that people in Barcelona mainly speak Catalan, but Spanish is also widespread. I have taken Spanish lessons in school for years, and I hope to learn more. My goal is to study abroad in a few years, and if my program of study allows, I will definitely be studying abroad right here!
one final word
If you are on the fence wondering if traveling is actually worth it, I definitely recommend doing so! Getting to a new place, a new island, a new city, whatever. Traveling can open your mind to new perspectives. You get to meet unforgettable people. You also get to try new experiences that were not available back home. As Nike’s slogan goes, “just do it.”