Heartwarming

My flight is early from Copenhagen airport and Rachie was so kind to drive me. It was great to spend time with the family and see how well they were doing. Much love to them and hope to see them soon overseas or back stateside - the kiddos seem excited about the possibility of crashing on my couch someday!

The airport isn’t large but I definitely arrived later than I usually would. Luckily, the lines were manageable and I wasn’t checking a bag. I enjoyed more Swedish pop music at the gate and as I try to run down my Airalo balance.

Scandinavia in the summer was calming and delightful and I enjoyed the solo time. The weather was colder or warmer than the forecast advised or it would randomly rain, but luckily it was not that heavy.

Look forward to more trips to explore Northern Europe and as I continue to wanderlust and take advantage of a heartwarming home base in Copenhagen!

D1, Baby

Second time flying Delta One, but first time out of JFK and got to enjoy the lounge after a long line at check-in. They were almost too attentive and the Europeans were afraid to speak up when entitled Americans cut ahead. But alas, the private security screening, massage chair, and food were all a nice and civil experience as I wait for my flight to Sweden.

Here’s a photo of my champs on the terrace with some snacks including a fried chicken drumstick, because why not? Every corner had donuts, specialized snacks, and bubbly everywhere….



Just boarded for Stockholm while watching “Fisk” on Netflix on my phone. I look forward to solo wandering and respite and then making my way to Denmark to hang with bestie, Rachie and her family!

Grazie Mille

So it has been 10 years since I last came to Italy and 33 since we all came here together. In my desire to do one big family vacation a year, we had a wonderful time exploring new regions and revisiting the past.

I look forward to my next trip to Italy as I continue to build more knowledge and consider other cities, museums, and sites. There’s so much to do in Rome alone and I think due to the popularity and continued over-tourism, will need to consider coming during more of an off-season instead of the shoulder which I prefer to do. I’ll miss the covers of the American songs we heard throughout every single hotel and restaurant and definitely need to diet when I get back due to all the pasta!

Rome is and always will be special to me as it was my first international destination outside of Korea and I have vivid memories thanks to my wonderful Aunt who used to live in Rome. I also remember my first foodie memory being amazing on how fresh and delicious a dish could be. Some more throwback photos below as we remember the heavy camera and massive camcorder bag that we lugged around. We don’t how we did it without GPS and smart phones, but we managed in 1992. Also special thanks to big brother Justin for all the driving, luggage carrying, and always being a trooper!





I have some ideas for our next family vacation, but haven’t solidified yet. What I do know is that Oprah and Gayle were in Japan about a week before us last year and in Rome when the new Pope had his first mass a few weeks ago. I now consider them my advance team for vacationing!

After breakfast this morning, our SunTransfer van arrived and we were at Fiumucino airport in about 35 minutes. We also managed to pass the real Coliseum this time!



Security and the airport process was a breeze, and we are currently enjoying the airport lounge. I surprised the family with Delta One upgrades to give everyone a relaxing ride back home after our Italian adventures! Grazie mille to Italy, the family, and all those who were keeping tabs on us! Arrivederci!

Back from London

I woke up early this morning and ordered a Bolt (an overseas Uber) and arrived at Heathrow and went through their security with no issue. I had a British breakfast at the American Express lounge and our flight left on time and arrived an hour early despite the storm over the weekend. We were cautioned about strong winds and although cold upon arrival, the air was refreshing.

What a wonderful long weekend in London! It might seem nutty to go to Europe just for a weekend, but like my trip to Prague last year, it’s a great way to see and spend time with friends!

Thank you again Jessica and Nixon for hosting me as I enjoyed the quality time and seeing your life across the pond!

Stonehenge

I arrived in London this morning! It’s the 4th time I’ve been here and as part of killing time and completing a bucket list item, I headed out to Stonehenge. It’s about 90 minutes west of Heathrow airport which is also west of London.

Stonehenge is iconic as a symbol of English heritage - it’s a prehistoric structure of stones that has been recreated with large lintels. It also aligns with the sunrise on the solstice and equinox. Apparently, it was constructed starting 3100 BC and they also believe it may have been a burial ground as excavations discovered remains. Some photos of my visit which started right when the site opened at 9:30 am:













There were lots of sheep on the various earth mounds:



Here’s the famous heel stone that leads up to Stonehenge Avenue which also is the path of the sunlight on the solstice as the arrow indicates:





I enjoyed listening to the audio guide downloaded on my phone and through my headphones under my earmuffs. It was a bit chilly, but not as cold as New York. I also didn’t do any sort of hippie dance which is apparently popular at Stonehenge:





At the visitor center, there were exhibits, stones, and recreations of the Neolithic villages:







Originally, I had thought about joining a tour group from the city, but that would be time-consuming. There were two Korean tour groups today and as I left, more coach buses were arriving of young students. I did find tour options to visit from Heathrow, but the drop off would be at the cruise terminal in Southampton. As such, I decided to rent a car and return to Heathrow (a one way return in the city was too pricey). I was upgraded to this yellow Mercedes and I was reminded to drive on the left in my third ever country in doing so - photos below:





My rental experience was uneventful and I was very cautious in my driving as I didn’t have anyone as a second set of eyes or coaching me - I did forget though when I was getting into the car to go to the right side! After my return to Heathrow, I hopped on the shuttle to the terminal and boarded the London subway called the tube - I even had an old Oyster card which I topped off. I was in downtown in about 35 minutes and saw many finance and insurance bros while transferring to the 100 bus to Shadwell which is where my friend Jessica lives. I had been texting with Jessica’s dog walker who had keys to the apartment, and Nixon went bananas when he saw me. He cuddled with me after my shower and as I napped:



Jessica arrived from work and we caught up, split a bottle of white wine, and cooked dinner. Nixon continued to give me snuggles:



What an active day as I return to London, see the sites, and spend time with friends! I’m really looking forward to the next few days!

Leaving El Paraiso

This morning’s view from the lobby as we left…



We had our last breakfast which included excellent Mexican hot chocolate. Also our waiter knew we needed hot water for my mom and chamomile tea for me without us asking - he obviously knew our routine!

Today, we are returning to mid-20 degree weather back on the east coast. It was mid-70 degrees as we left Tulum and folks were saying it was cold with which I agreed as my travel outfit felt very comfortable. Oh, the irony…

Our hotel arranged our airport transfer and the less than 90 minute ride was filled with Spanish music and our driver spoke to us through his Google translate app Bluetooth-ed through the car speakers. It was pretty comical and reminded me of my mom using the same app at the beginning of the trip.

At the airport, we saw lots of Koreans and our flight time was just about 3 hours due to a tailwind. My brother picked us up and we headed to Flushing for Korean food which is a family routine when we return from a trip.

What a great trip and my first extended resort vacation. I had so much fun with my mom and Anne - I can’t wait for more in the future!

Restorative

Today is Memorial Day in the US and I was glad to take advantage of the long weekend to join everyone in Prague. We had our usual breakfast and then I called an Uber to the airport which took less than 30 minutes. My flight was a little delayed, but the airport was easy in the sense that we go through immigration first and then security at the gate.

At the gate, I probably had the most exhaustive screening of my life. For whatever reason, my stuff was flagged and my items had to go through the machine several times. They separated my umbrella, sunglasses, and of course all my electronics. Actually my electronics went through several times as I had taken them out, but not realizing I was getting another screen, had put them back in the bags to only have them segregated and screened again. I had a detailed pat down and waited while all my items were scrutinized. They even fanned my books as I sat along the wall.

For someone who travels all the time, it was a bit of a surprise, but I just sat and admired my own packing skills and how easily I was able to repack all my belongings across 6 trays from the re-screens. I also think the screener was new as someone was coaching her.

I was sad to learn, although I had purchased Comfort Plus, my flight wasn’t upgradable. But the flight home was smooth, and I took public transit from the airport fearful of the holiday weekend traffic and hit my transfers perfectly. From runway to apartment, it was just about 80 minutes. 

These last 4 nights were restorative as we had wonderful quality time enjoying meals and relaxing in the apartment. It was a great weekend and I’m so grateful to have been invited and by friends who know me so well. So until next time, look forward to more adventures for us all as I continue to be the youngest!

Fourth Continent of the Year

Today was a hectic day working from home. Due to my mind being elsewhere and with AirPods in, I managed to not realize the E train was running on the F line. I had to hop out in Jamaica and get an Uber for 10 minutes to JFK.

But I made it into the Delta Lounge and my first row Comfort Plus seat, so oodles of legroom for my flight to Prague!

Last year, Mikey and William told me they were going on a grand adventure for several months in Europe. They shared their Wanderlog itinerary and said, “what parts do you want to join for?”

With 2 two week vacations within the first 4 months of the year, I could not swing a big trip. But I saw they planned to be in Prague for Memorial Day weekend, and my jet-setting “fear of missing out” self decided to make it a long weekend. I really wanted to join for the Poland leg, but I would need more time.

So I’m on to my fourth continent of the year as I was in Africa (South Africa) in January, Mexico in February (which kind of counts), Asia (Japan & Korea) in April, and now Europe (Czech Republic) in May!

But after this I’m done for awhile and look forward to relaxing back in the states and during the summer.

This rendezvous in Prague will bring back the awesome foursome as Rachel joins on Friday from Denmark. Some throwback photos from Copenhagen in 2022:





And then from Mikey and William’s epic wedding in DC in 2011! (Papa Kim even thought the wedding photos were the most beautiful he’s ever seen!)



So I can’t wait to see this crew and relax with more giggles, sarcasm, and celebrate decades of friendship…

Prestige

After packing and checking out of our hotel, we headed to the popular Myeong Dong (명동) neighborhood. We walked up and down busy shopping streets and you can see Namsan (남산) tower:



A lot of foreigners come here to shop for their favorite K-Pop merchandise:



We also came to attend mass at the cathedral in Myeong Dong (명동) which is where my parents and all my mom’s siblings got married:





I don’t get to attend mass in Korean often anymore, so it was quite comforting. I also wanted to come and see the panels painted by my beloved Priest, Father Chang’s father - he had been the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University and an accomplished painter:



As I left, I took a selfie with the cathedral and my new pin from my aunt:



For lunch, we visited my cousin Soon Hyup’s (순협) new apartment and his sweet wife is an excellent cook:







She baked these cookies and we brought some Japanese treats:



I enjoyed chatting with my nephews, Hyun Jin (현진) and Seong Jin (성진). We tried to walk off the calories by exploring the grounds of the new apartment complex that was replete with amenities:







Then we were off to the airport. On the way, we made our calls and rounds of goodbyes as that’s also the Korean etiquette to our elders. But at the airport, we had one more goodbye. A cousin surprised us and with some recent family drama, the two rendezvous at the tail end of our trip have been both a surprise, but has brought a sense of closure. I am so glad for my mom and my family overall.

While trying to look for three seats in the Prestige Lounge, someone was trying to flag us down. I thought it was my brother’s friend we saw in the security line, but it was an old church friend and excellent opera singer. He was in town visiting his mom and we took this selfie:



Although my mom and brother flew business class on the way here and using my dad’s family pooled miles, the three of us have never flown business together. So I forced Justin to take this family selfie:



I’ve always been grateful for my family and have felt blessed by their warmth and hospitality throughout my childhood. And the extra efforts by my cousins and the surprise rendezvous reinforces the special bonds we share. I definitely don’t need an airplane ticket to tell me that, but am feeling super special today and for this special trip my brother and I were able to coordinate. So good night and see you back stateside!

Fukuoka

With our one day in Fukuoka, we had options for a day trip or hanging in the city. I had weighed heading south to Kumamoto Castle which is another premier castle and known for being a prime cherry blossoms location, but since it’s past peak bloom and we were tired, we stayed in the city.

We slept in and stayed in the rooms until the last possible minute. When we left the hotel, we walked along the canal where you can see the cherry blossom leaves starting to fall:



For lunch, the hotel recommended Karen which is a sukiyaki restaurant in the basement of Panorama Square. Justin had wanted sukiyaki this entire trip, so we squeezed it in on our last day. We had the lunch set in a relaxing setting:



We then took the #8 bus to Iwataya department store. The hotel concierge had called all the high-end grocery stores as my mom had been on a mission to buy fermented sea cucumber intestines which is one of Japan’s “rare tastes”. My mom had memories from her childhood and wanted to bring back this delicacy as gifts to her friends. A photo of the shopping area with throngs of Korean tourists buying luxury goods:



We then got on the same bus back to Canal City which coincidentally is the same stop for Kushida Shrine:





This shrine is special to Fukuoka as it is the sponsor of the famous Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival celebrated in July and over 770 years old. Floats that weigh about one ton called Kakiyama, are carried and raced around the city by men. Here’s the front and back of one of the intricate floats in front of the shrine:





On a flagpole nearby were Koinobori, meaning “carp streamer” which are windsocks flown to celebrate Children’s Day on May 5th. They are flown in April and May leading up to the holiday wishing children a good future, health, and strength:



We walked by the city’s shopping arcade as they all have them - this one is called Kawabata:



I had researched a massage parlor that was across from the Grand Hyatt and they specialized in Thai and Balinese massage. I convinced the family to get one to refresh ourselves after all the walking and soreness from traveling. I had done something similar in Osaka in 2017. Japan is a heavy walking country and we needed the stretching, relaxation, and acupressure. Afterwards they offer tea, and I picked roobois which reminds me of South Africa!

We then walked around the corner to Nakasu which is known for their food stalls. They are set up each night on top of push carts and serving famous Fukuoka dishes. Nakasu means “island in the middle” as it’s between two rivers. It’s also the red light district, but the stalls, also known as Yantai, are on the canal walk. Here’s Justin posing with my beer as the sun starts to set:



The bustling food stalls:



We had a cheese omelette with the local famous fish roe, gyoza, ramen with mustard greens or tanaka, oden, beef, and a yakitori medley:



En route to the hotel to pick up our bags, I stopped in a Family Mart to clear out my mom’s Suica balance and buy Choco Monako Jumbos - the last of our trip!

It was a short ride to the airport which was swarming with Koreans. I guess it’s a good transition. For one thing, I kept saying the word for fireworks which sounds like cherry blossoms in Korean and my mom kept being like “we’re seeing fireworks?” We chased Sakura throughout Japan across 8 cities and it was a fun family road trip. My brother and mom delighted in the various pajamas offered by each hotel and Justin joking that they bought the vermillion orange paint from Home Depot for all the torii gates.

We also benefited from the strong dollar as Justin remarked, we were experiencing Japan on a discount. To the point we thought about loading up our Pasmo / Suica cards for next time. I would love to return and explore the north in Hokkaido, the south in Okinawa, and the famous museum island of Naoshima. So as my brother quoted my mother when she spoke in Japanenglish asking for more rice: “more gohan please!”

The flight to Seoul was about 90 minutes and our Suntransfer driver was waiting to drive us to our hotel, Ibis Styles Ambassador Gangnam. For the next 5 days, it will all be family time, but nothing that I have to really plan or lead.

My mom said it feels right we’re together for our first trip back to Korea as the 3 of us hadn’t been in Korea together since 1999 - we were last back for my maternal grandmother’s funeral. Here’s a photo of the entire family with the only Catholic cardinal at the time who said mass in my grandmother’s honor. We all look so young…