Part of traveling with other people is knowing what would appeal to the masses [in this case, a mass of two].  I’ve seen so many pictures of St Emilion, an easy day trip from Bordeaux, that I just knew that my photographer/artsy-fartsy friend Sao would just love shooting/wallowing in the rich colors of the city.

St Emilion, located about 20 miles away from Bordeaux City, is a World Heritage Site that has its beginnings when a traveling monk named Emilion decided to settle into a Hermitage carved into the rocks. His followers started the wine production in this region.  Wine and ancient beauty. What more could we ask for?

It was a quick 40 minute train ride from Bordeaux St Jean.  We almost missed our stop because it wasn’t well marked and the entirety of the train station was an empty platform.  We could barely even find the sign that said, “St Emilion”.  We jumped off the train and crossed our fingers that we were in the right location.  We were relieved that we had already bought our return tickets since there was no one around to ask when the last train was back to Bordeaux!

We walked out to the empty parking lot in hopes of finding a taxi [no dice as the parking lot was empty] or map of some sort.  Although there was a general overview of the town map, we couldn’t figure out which direction we were supposed to head or how far it was. Luckily, I had my tep wireless with me so I fired it up and launched my maps to help guide us on our 20 minute walk into town!

I try to add a “rural” town to my trips, if at all possible.  The pace is just so much more relaxed.  The environment is so much more soothing.  The best part is that it’s usually free from obnoxious tourists [like me].  While St Emilion is a tourist destination, we were lucky enough to be there during a quiet lull.  There’s something charming about a medieval city that is nearly deserted.  Most of the ruins are free to view.  Or we forgot to pay.

La Porte et La Maison De La Cadene

Since we only had 3 hours to tour the city [we got to Bordeaux later than we had anticipated, hence pushing back our time in St Emilion], we decided to just meander through the town and step into the places that caught our fancy.  I thought I’d share some images with you of the lovely town…

St Emilion Monolithic Church

Cloister Cordeliers

Interior of St Emilion Church

St Emilion Church Courtyard

We made sure that we allotted enough time for wine tasting.  There were many wine shops in town that we could choose from.  We meandered our way, stopping in to check out shops along the way.  It wasn’t until we saw Les Delices du Roy Cave-Bar a Vins that we felt like we found our spot.  The one selling point of this bar was the availability of food items.  Per normal, we were hungry.

We enjoyed our plate of various cured meats & cheeses varying from Roquefort salami, and cheeses from all over France.  The wine was great but the meats & cheese plate really had our attention! The proprietor kept trying to make us guess what types of meats we were eating.  We were clueless but enjoyed our food & drink too much to really care.

I like this picture. I look so tall.

I wish we had more time in St Emilion, but I guess that’s what I get for planning my schedule a little too tight.  I’ll be sure to allow for more time in Bordeaux as well as adding a trip to Dordogne Valley so I can paddle the river!

I’ve included the map below that we picked up [scanned for me by Aya. thanks, aya!] at the tourist information center so that you’ll know exactly where you need to visit!  There were so many places that we didn’t have a chance to see.  This is definitely worth at least 5 – 6 leisurely hours to explore and discover…more if you can handle it!

Until next time, St Emilion! I’m not done with you yet!

Saint Emilion official site

From the train station, make a right and follow the road up to town.  It’s about a 20 minute walk into town.

“So I just need to know…where exactly are we eating lunch at when we get to Paris?” Aya asked as we sat on the tarmac at LAX.  Hmmm.  Lunch was about 20 hours away.  I was ill prepared to answer that question at that precise moment as so many factors would need to be weighed.  I had a huge list of Paris restaurants that would take us a month to get through but I wasn’t really ready to make a final decision for a meal that was still 20 hours away.  I smiled…this was going to be a great trip – like minded individuals who’s main goal was to eat their way through France.

I have a hard time trying to find restaurants where I want to eat.  There are so many options out there, I just hate picking the wrong one.  In cities like Paris, it’s almost impossible to find a truly bad/horrible place to eat – but that’s not what I’m after.  I want to eat at the most enjoyable.  With the countless amounts of information on the internet, we’re lucky to have access to a lot of resources, including suggestions from my trusted friends.  It’s the weeding out that becomes the challenge.

3 diners, one really red from the wine. That may or may not be me.

A La Biche Au Bois was the perfect first night dinner since it was only a block away from our hotel and we were completely exhausted from our travels.  My only notes on this place was that it was known for it’s game dishes.  My friends, Aya & Sao, were up to trying anything during our week in France.  They make the perfect travel companions.

We ordered the Set menu [4 courses] for about 30 euros per person.  I ordered the duck while my travel companions had the Coq Au Vin.  I loved dipping my bread into their Coq Au Vin sauce – such an excellent flavor!  I loved how my duck was perfectly cooked – too often my duck is over cooked, rendering it a bit too chewy for my tastes.  The cheese course was excellent!! I could’ve consumed the entire plate but I was saving myself for dessert, which happened to be one of the best desserts we had with any of our dinners.

Le Chateaubriand came highly recommended by my friends, Dylan at Eat Drink & Be Merry and his wife, Jeni at Oishii Eats.  Since we were reservationless we decided to get to the restaurant a little early for the 2nd seating at 9:30pm. We were lucky enough to grab a table right away for a late 1st seating due to a cancellation!

At 55 euros per person, it was a little pricier than our previous night’s dinner but we enjoyed the incredibly inventive menu! Our favorite was a toss up between the beef and the asparagus dish.  So perfectly cooked and freshly seasoned.  I was especially happy to have been able to get into the restaurant when I saw the huge long line for the 2nd seating!

Our meal at Le Comptoir du Relais was solid. Since we didn’t have a reservation, we waited in line for the lunch service, about 45 minutes.  Since we were a party of 3, it did take us longer to be seated than the couples that were in back of us.  When we were finally seated, we opened the all French menu.  Instead of panicking or pulling out our non-existent dictionary [we're really lazy travelers], we just started looking at everyone else’s plates.  Luckily, the couple next to us took pity upon us and gave their tips on what was good and what should be avoided.  We had the seared Tuna on a bed of roasted seasonal vegetables, a jambon plate [pictured above], and escargot.  And wine, of course.

One of my favorite meals in Paris was at L’Avant Comptoir, located right next to Comptoir du Relais.  While I enjoyed my meal at Comptoir, I LOVED my meal at L’Avant Comptoir!  The charged atmosphere, the delicious food choices, and reasonable prices [we got out of there for about 45 euros for the 3 of us which included about 10-12 dishes, a chocolate crepe and 4 glasses of wine] made it the obvious choice.  If I had more time, I would have loved to go back!

The one time we had time for a leisurely breakfast, I took my friends to Le Preau which I discovered on my last trip to Paris.  I had been pleasantly surprised by the nice crunch to the croissant as well as the creamy goodness of the Cafe au Lait.  It was located close to our hotel so we didn’t have to go out of our way.  I’ve read some negative reviews on this place but my experiences have been nothing but positive! They were a lot of fun and joked with us. [I guess I'm easy that way].

One of the cheapie lunches we had was a head to head comparison of L’As du Fallafel and Mi-Va-Mi Shwarma at about 7 – 8 euros each.  Dylan had mentioned that if the lines were too long at L’As du Fallafel, I might want to give Mi-Va-Mi a try and that it was different but still good.  That obviously had spurred the need to do a head to head comparison.

I tried a sample of the Mi-Va-Mi falafel and didn’t really care too much for the flavor or the dried out texture so I opted to try the Shwarma instead.  I was glad I did. It had a nice cumin/curry flavor to the meat.  I requested it to be spicy with everything.  I loved the eggplant included in the shwarma.

The L’As du Fallafel was stuffed full of vegetables.  I loved the pickled crunchy vegetables that gave it a fresh flavor and a good counterpoint to the soft falafel.  The falafels were wonderfully seasoned as well.

So how did I narrow down my choices for restaurants?  I didn’t.  I just mapped all the restaurants on Google Map’s “My Places”.  I had fairly good access to internet, even when I was away from the hotel so all I needed to do was pull up “My Places” app and check out the restaurants that were close to where I was.  From there, I just went on my merry way to yet another amazing meal.  If you haven’t used it yet for your travel planning, I highly recommend it!  [Incidentally, I also had one called, "Paris Shopping" & "Paris Patisseries". Don't leave home without it.]

I don’t do a lot of sightseeing when I’m in Paris.  My travelmate said it best, “I only see stuff to occupy the time between our meals.”  I’ve been to France a few times and there are 2 places that I still haven’t visited that most everyone makes a priority:  the Louvre and Versailles.  I can now say that I’ve visited Versailles.  Being the uncultured gal that I am, I may never actually make it into the Louvre.  I don’t think my poor little brain could handle that much art at any given time.

Versailles actually houses art in a way that my short attention span can handle – throughout the palace and its gardens.  My eyes will only take in about 10% of the art around me which is as much [or maybe even much more] than my mind can absorb.

I absolutely loved the Hall of Mirrors.  I would’ve loved it more had it been completely empty from tourists.  I’d like to go back just to see this place deserted.  I had to photograph the chandeliers.  I actually would love a chandelier in my bedroom but if I put one in, I wouldn’t have any room for an actual bed, thus defeating the purpose of said room.  But really, think how spectacular[ly ridiculous] it would look.  I warm up to this idea more and more as the years go by.

I stare in awe at the ceilings in these palaces and wonder how anyone could paint that many hours in such an uncomfortable position.  I can barely paint my ceilings a flat white using a roller without giving myself a sore neck!  I’d even admit that I got a crick in my neck after shooting some of these photos.

Of course, every home should come with its own chapel right??  The opulence and sheer decadence is absolutely breathtaking.  My teeny little brain can’t even wrap around the idea of how much this would cost in today’s day and age!

I think my favorite part of Versailles were the outdoor gardens.  Everything was so precisely trimmed and trained.  I loved the perfect symmetry in everything.

If it wasn’t for the fact that we were there after having traveled for more than 19 hours and it was pouring rain, I would have enjoyed it even more!

The area that caught my attention in the Gardens was Marie-Antoinette’s Le Hameau [Hamlet]. I think it was funny that she used this area [functioned as a working farm] as her own personal play area where she dressed up as a peasant to get away from the restrictions of court life.  Saucy Minx.

I’m glad I made the trek out to Versailles, although I definitely could have done without the crowds.  Getting there earlier in the day would definitely help.

Also, be sure to pick up food supplies beforehand to enjoy a picnic in the gardens [sans the rain like we had]!  We picked up sandwiches at Versailles out of necessity – it was expensive and not really tasty.

By the end of the day, my feet were dog tired.  If I ever go back again, I would rent a golf cart [rentals available at 30 euros for an hour] to get around the grounds.

I hate flying.  I’m not afraid of it, I just hate sitting on a plane being told when I can get up, when I can’t get up; what I can bring on, what I can’t bring on board.  Unreasonable, I know.  The problem is that I love the destination to wherever that plane lands, so I had to figure out a good compromise.

There are small ways that I can make the act of flying a little better.  I make up a little kit that I have quick access to.  I don’t want to have to dig around for stuff so I like to have everything in one place with easy access to it.

This is the little bag that I store in the seat pocket in front of me for long haul flights.

In it, I’ve got some magic items that I need for my flight:

• Hairband, socks & eye mask [I try to sleep as much as possible]
• Advil, lotion, lipgloss, eyedrops
• Credit card, pen, passport, flight information for immigration papers
• iPhone, headphones
• Gum, mints, glucose tabs [My bloodsugar tanks and it helps prevent me from passing out]

Outside of my kit, I keep my iPad in the seat pocket…something I am now completely dependent upon to keep me entertained during my waking hours of the trip!

One last thing I like to do is put my carry on under the seat in front of me.  I’m short so it helps me to have something to rest my feet up on – it’s like an instant leg rest.

These little things help make a torturous journey a little more bearable for me.  Do you have any tips or tricks to get as comfortable as possible for long haul flights?

I don’t know if there’s anything more stunning than a sunset in Hawaii.  This one was taken from the balcony of The Modern Hotel in Honolulu.

I have this not-so-secret obsession with Kitchen Supplies.  Yes, with a capital “K” and “S”. Most of my travels revolve around what I can pick up that is local and unique to shove into my overly crammed kitchen.  Imagine my surprise and pleasure when I was lucky enough to be invited to a KitchenAid Lunch hosted by my friends, Todd & Diane of White on Rice Couple.

Most of my Kitchen Electronics are from KitchenAid. I researched the hell out of the benefits of owning a stand mixer because it was such a big expense and took up so much counter space.  Ultimately, I decided that it was worth every inch of counter space that it took up just to have my hands free.  I try to use my mixer enough to have justified the purchase of it so imagine my surprise when I found out that they had a juicer attachment for my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. I’ve been wanting a juicer but I just didn’t have room for anything that served only one function.  I spent the greater part of the party juicing and having a blast.  I started dreaming of all the fresh cocktails I could make with that thing.  Except I really suck at mixing drinks.  I kinda hoped that Alex [who makes some awesome drinks] would spontaneously offer to make me a margarita or something.

For those of you who have gone to a party hosted by Todd & Diane, you know that you will be well fed and you’ll have a blast.  The people they invite to their parties are always interesting and engaging; the food that they serve is fresh and flavorful; and the atmosphere is always hopping.  It’s the kind of party that hosts/hostesses try to achieve. I was thrilled when I received an invitation to party with Todd & Diane and their guests for a KitchenAid gathering.  We even had Rachel from KitchenAid who flew all the way out from New York to attend.

If you’ve never been to a blogger event before, one of the funniest thing is watching the mass of people above break out their cameras at the same time and turn into paparazzi.  Loser that I am, I missed the shot because I was too busy being a paparazzi.   You can’t blame me for that, though. I mean, how many of you used to watch Cristina Ferrare on the Home Show? I absolutely adored her on there.  Can I tell you she’s even greater in person?  She makes the most amazing chocolate chip cookies and this smashed yukon potatoes that I still dream about. Alex, her daughter on the right, is the master mixologist and super Gluten-Free chef, who made this cucumber and zucchini carpaccio that was so fresh and tasty.

After a wonderful lunch that consisted of an amazing Vietnamese Chicken Salad of which I may have indulged in 3 or 4 servings, Joy The Baker share with us her amazing Swiss Cream Recipe [that I could not stop eating straight up sans cupcake].

But I have to say the best part of the day for me was when I won this hot little KitchenAid 13 cup Food Processor.  I shed a few tears of joy when I heard my name called…right before I knocked people out of my way to grab the box.  I’ve got so much to make and so little free time to play with it.  Thank you so much, Rachel, Todd, & Diane.

I’ve been very busy at work.  My creative side had been clamoring for attention.  That’s when I saw my friend’s Instagram photo of her amazing Woodworking Kitchen Utensil project at Knowhow Shop LA taught by designer, Linda Hsiao.  The Shop is housed in an unmarked industrial building tucked away in a residential neighborhood located off the 110 Freeway in Highland Park, less than a 10 minute drive from Downtown Los Angeles. I passed it twice before I figured out where it was.

As my friend shared updates on her utensils, I tweeted her a ton of questions. By the end of her 2nd day of class, I was signed up for the very next woodworking class offering. I laughed at my own enthusiasm in light of the fact that I was forced to take woodshop in Junior High School. My clearest memory of the class was when I sanded down my pinkie on the belt sander.  I struggled through my mental list of safety measures….that’s when I realized that it all came down to common sense.

• Wear Safety Goggles to protect your eyes,
• Wear a face mask as it gets very dusty when you’re working with sanders,
• Tie your hair back so it doesn’t get caught in machinery,
• Don’t wear flowy clothes/scarves that can get caught in machinery,
• Always wear closed toed shoes in any shop environment,
• Pay attention when you’re working, don’t let yourself get distracted,
• Keep your fingers away from the blades/sanders
• Did I mention that you should keep fingers away from blades and sanders? Yeah, I managed to be the only one to sand down my fingers on the Belt Sander…again.

My first day of class, I was filled with apprehension and hesitation just before my first cut at the bandsaw. As Kegan, one of the instructors said, “You’ve taken woodshop before? Don’t worry, it’s like riding a bike.” After my first cut, I realized that he was right.  After my 5th cut, I realized that I still sucked at using the bandsaw.

The computerized milling machine that bore out the curves of our spoons

I fell in love with the artsy style and how different everyone’s projects were.  You follow one of several basic milling cuts for spoons and you can cut away the rest of the wood block to form your spoon.  Scrap pieces are great for butter knives, stirrers, & chopsticks. Use everything.

As I began the sanding portion of my class, I got into a deep rhythm.  I was so blissed out that I was confused and a little shocked to discover that the end of the four hours had come.  I had been sucked into a time vortex.  My apprehension to attend class had quickly turned into disappointment at being forced to leave class.

These are only a few of my finished projects!

By the end of my 2nd day, I was so thrilled about my finished projects, I was making plans with others in the class to partner up at the shop so we get some Christmas gifts knocked out.  It was that good.

Tips for class:

• Bring a sample of a piece that you really like
• Bring some water, it’s easy to get dehydrated
• Bring a towel to dust yourself off
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with swirls & curves [unlike all of MY straight lines]
• Be conservative on your first cut/sand, you can always go back again to cut/sand it down
• Bring your sense of adventure!

There are so many things I love about this photo of a Japanese wedding couple in Miyajima, Japan.  I love the old traditional style of Japanese wedding garb – the extremely heavy bride’s dress [furisode kimono] and groom’s lighter but still confining hakama. I also love the big dSLR camera that the groom has in his lap that represents the new.

What amazed me the most was how hot and humid it was that day.  The Japanese wig [katsura] that the bride is wearing is extremely heavy and unless it is custom fit to your head is ridiculously uncomfortable. The weight of the multiple layers of kimono, along with the confining sash [Obi] sometimes makes it hard to breathe if you’re not used to it [which most modern young couples are not].  Yet she’s still glowing and smiling.

Happy marriage, lovely couple!

7 Hills. That’s what Petek, our landlady told us. There are 7 hills in Istanbul, Turkey.  That explains why we were walking uphill both ways wherever we went, all we were missing was the snow to make our treks complete. We were situated in a charming 2 bedroom apartment in Beyoglu, which is in the “new town” or Pera, meaning “across”, from the Old City.

Despite my laziness and being incredibly out of shape, I loved the location of where we were staying. It was the perfect place for us to start and end our day.  It was close to everything we needed and convenient to everywhere we needed to be. And it had a view.  It had a gorgeous view that I loved staring at regardless of how miserable it became in the torrential downpours that we were experiencing.  It didn’t matter – I was finally in ISTANBUL!!

Petek was a great hostess and was kind enough to provide us with maps, suggestions on places to eat, drink, have our laundry done, and where we can pick up common necessities.  She also arranged for our transportation to and from the apartment, which turned out to be the best thing since the apartment was tucked away – I don’t know if I’ll ever find it again!

I have to admit that when I first arrived at our apartment building the neighborhood had me a little nervous…Ok, it actually had me a lot nervous.  I really wasn’t sure if it was safe or not.

As we walked around our neighborhood, we began to realize the magic that was Beyoglu.  It was a neighborhood that could really only be explored by walking up and down the streets & alleys aimlessly, and sometimes [many times in our case] getting lost in order to discover some new gem.  Our neighborhood was incredibly family friendly with a host of antique shops.  I must have picked out a dozen couches, carpets, and tables that I wanted to stuff into my 22″ suitcase.

One of the first things we discovered in our neighborhood were the breathtaking views.  We made our way to the Galata Tower [after a fun uphill climb], up the elevator and onto the deck when our dry weather respite gave out to a torrential downpour.  Apparently, people weren’t as inclined to enjoy the view in gusty winds while cold rain lashed out at you.  It was amazing to be able to walk around the circumference of Galata Tower and see all of Istanbul without having to climb over too many people. I recommend coming to this site just to get a stunning overview of the city.  I can only imagine how far you can see on a clear day.

View of Eminonu in the Old City

One of the best things about coming home to an apartment after an exhausting day of walking around seeing the sights, was being able to unwind in the living room, or the family room, or if we needed, our respective rooms. A few hours later when we I finally unearthed myself from my cocoon, we found the close proximity of a lot of great restaurants, cafe and bars made it more bearable than having to trek across the river to the Old town for a bite to eat.  If we had to do that, we probably would’ve starved to death.  Luckily, Beyoglu was the nightlife central so everything was open late…every night we were there!

After the sun went down, Istiklal, a main shopping thoroughfare, became the hub for thousands of locals and tourists alike.  It was easy to get swept up into the flow of traffic, which we struggled against to search the side streets for the perfect place to eat.  We found a little cafe called Hayvore which had the best Bean Stew and Hamsi [anchovies] and Rice.  That place earned itself a repeat visit from us.

We also tried wonderful desserts in the form of baklava, quince and Turkish Ice cream called Dordurma.  Just when I thought I couldn’t possible stuff myself any more, I always seemed to find more room.  I loved how the Turks managed to elevate desserts to an art form and how readily available all these luscious desserts were!!

One of the places that we had wanted to visit was Pera Palace.  It had the first elevator in Turkey, the 2nd in all of Europe.  Earnest Hemingway, Agatha Christie and a host of other dignitaries were guests of the hotel.  I wanted to have a drink at the bar that Hemingway frequented.  Carrie wanted to see the inspiration for Christie’s books.

I loved how dark & sexy this bar was.  They had ridiculously overpriced mediocre drinks.  There was a hodge podge of the very young hipsters to the elderly who looked like they’d been in the bar since it’s inception.  And us…somewhere in between the young and the old.  I looked around the bar and imagined it as a place of international intrigue.  What a rich and gorgeous backdrop it was.

We liked the look and feel of Pera Palace so much that we came back on another day just so that we could get in a tour of the Pera Palace Museum and hitch a ride up in that old elevator!  We even enjoyed an afternoon high tea at Pera, although in retrospect, I think we would’ve rather have eaten our way through the dessert shops in Beyoglu while sipping some tea.  I don’t think I could ever get tired of eating my way through this town.

After all of our touring, shopping, eating, and drinking it was always great to come home.  Every day we had this wonderful view to look forward to…

Debbie from European Travelista invited me to share my Travel ABC’s.  I was so excited by this invitation because these questions were things I actually knew the answer to…well for the most part.

A: Age you went on your first international trip: The first one I remember is when I was 4 years old and my mom took me to Japan to meet my Ojiichan [grandpa] for the first time.  I remember having to get vaccinations and how I howled in pain – Melodramatic then…melodramatic now. 

B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where: MMMM…honestly, it’s a toss up between the un-named beer I had in Salzburg and the multitudes of excellent beer I had in Belgium.  I had more variety of good beer in Belgium but I had the best pour in Salzburg.

C: Cuisine (favorite): Japanese. Italian. Greek. Turkish. French. Mexican. Chinese. Korean. Thai…*SIGH*…I love them alllllll.

D: Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why: Favorite is probably France. I just feel so comfortable in spite of the language barrier there – the food, the wine, the climate – what’s not to love?  My least favorite was Slovakia. I didn’t care for how much I was hated there…I mean, I can understand the people I know hating me but complete strangers?? Thankfully, we met a fellow American who was just as lost as we were and he took everything in stride.  He was our “muscle”.

E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”: Ziplining in Monte Verde. I am TERRIFIED of heights but as I was gliding across the tree tops, I had that moment of realization that I was actually flying where the birds played and frolicked.  It was the most exhilarating experience I’ve ever had.

F: Favorite mode of transportation: Flying. I’m not good at enjoying the journey – I just want to GET there.

G: Greatest feeling while traveling: FREEEEEEDOM!! My curiosity for all things new can be satisfied to my heart’s content.

H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to: Japan in August. It’s Obon season then so I do like to go and pay my respects to my ancestors and visit with my family but not at the expense of nearly dying in that heat.  It’s this suffocating sensation that never goes away.  Especially if you live in the country like my family does and YOU DON’T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING.

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where: Wow.  That’s a tough one. I’m pretty fortunate that I’ve had a lot of opportunities for great service – Four Seasons Palm Beach, Fairmont Kea Lani, InterContinental New Orleans to name a few.

Lufthansa First Class is incomparable. I don’t think I’ve ever been as pampered as I was on the flight. Caviar….I had CAVIAR….and they had a car waiting for me to take me to the 1st class lounge and take me to my connecting flight.  It was the best flight and service EVER.  I only dream of being able to fly with them in First again.

J: Journey that took the longest: When I first started traveling as an adult, I had this insane need to find the cheapest flight.  My longest journey took me about 26 hours to get to Prague. We were unspeakably wiped out.

K: Keepsake from your travels: I’d have to say that the thing I’ve kept the longest are my photos.  I have all kinds of keepsakes but nothing that’s stood the test of time.

L: Let-down sight, why and where: Ummm…Ephesus.  It was the crowds that killed it for me.

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel: I’ve always loved travel.  I don’t actually ever remember NOT loving to travel. My parents were instrumental in the development of my lust for travel - from road trips to trips to Japan.  My parent even made sure that I was able to join my best friend’s family in Hawaii, even though money was tight.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in: Fairmont Kea Lani…I stayed in a 2 bedroom Villa with a full kitchen and barbecue. 

O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?: I don’t know what it is but I love taking photos of doors…and bridges…and animals.

P: Passport stamps, how many and from where? I’ll just refer to my current passport because I have no idea where my expired passports are.  45 stamps from [I couldn't read some of them so I'm guessing]: Japan, Austria, Bahamas, Canada, Netherlands, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Spain, Netherland Antilles, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria, France, Belgium, Costa Rica.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where: The Hair Museum in Avanos, Turkey [Cappadocia area].

R: Recommended sight, event or experience: Visiting an Onsen [Japanese Hot Spring] in the winter when it’s snowing.  It’s the most refreshing experience you can ever have!!!

S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling: Food.  Always food.

T: Touristy thing you’ve done: Ugh. I’ve been up the Empire State Building more times than I care to admit.

U: Unforgettable travel memory: I forget.

V: Visas, how many and for where? 1 for turkey…i had to buy it from the window next to Immigrations…does that count?

W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where? Best glass of wine was at a Wine Spectator show in Las Vegas. I got to sample a glass of Screaming Eagle.  Twice. *SIGH*

X: eXcellent view and from where?: I would say Haleakala in Maui just as the sun is rising but I’m still a bit bitter that the clouds came up just as the sun started to peak.  Otherwise it would’ve been perfect. Locally, I love hiking up in the Santa Monica mountains and staring out into the Pacific Ocean from Inspiration Point like I used to do with my grandpa was I was a kid. 

Y: Years spent traveling?: All my life, non consecutively. I know that’s more years than most of you guys have been alive.  Yikes.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?: Not zealous but I love a good basketball game [I'm a big LA Clippers fan]. Unless we are now including shopping as a sport.  I’ve got that nailed. 

And now it’s MY turn to invite 5 Travel Bloggers to share their ABC’s of travel:

Erin from A Sense of Place

Hannah from Further Bound

Gerard & Kieu from GQ Trippin

Keryn from Walking On Travels

Kristina from Wired 2 the World