Tag Archives: Day Trip

Hiking in Mount Takao Outside of Tokyo

30 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Asia, Japan, Tokyo

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The gym that Mr. Selfish and I found in Tokyo was closed on Mondays, so we decided to take a day trip to Mount Takao on a Monday for some easy hiking. It takes about 50 minutes and 370 yen to reach Mount Takao (aka Takaosan) from Shinjuku. On a clear day, you can see Tokyo, Mount Fuji, and Yokohama from the top.

Mount Takao has seven clearly marked trails. Mr. Selfish and I decided to hike up the Biwa Waterfall trail and down trail #1, which passes the monkey forest and the Yakuoin temple.

Mount Takao 01

The Biwa Waterfall trail takes you along the limpid waters of the Biwataki Stream through a forest of low cedars. We saw the Biwa Waterfall from a distance but weren’t too compelled to come closer since it seemed quite small.

HikingMount Takao 06Mount Takao 07

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Day Trip from Shanghai to Lovely Hangzhou

05 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Aside from Suzhou, Mr. Selfish and I decided to take another day trip to Hangzhou. It is about 100 miles away from Shanghai and is famous for its scenic West Lake. Apparently, there are 10 scenes of West Lake that you are supposed to see. We didn’t look for these 10 scenes. Instead, Mr. Selfish and I basically just walked around the West Lake, which is about 9.3 miles in circumference.

Hangzhou 01Hangzhou 02Hangzhou 05Hangzhou 08

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Day Trip from Shanghai to Beautiful Suzhou

29 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Mr. Selfish and I decided to take a couple of day trips from Shanghai. While on my study abroad program in 2002, we took a day trip to Suzhou, which I remembered to be stunningly beautiful, so we decided to venture there again.

The train ride from Shanghai to Suzhou took less than half an hour. We walked from the train station to the North Temple Pagoda, also known as the Beisi Pagoda. Admission was 25 yuan per person and completely worth it.

Suzhou 01Jumping

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The Non-Gambling Side of Macau

13 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by in Asia, China, Food & Drinks

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As I’ve noted previously, Mr. Selfish and I didn’t gamble much at Macau. Instead, we mostly wandered around looking for Portuguese similarities. We had found Lisbon to be quite charming (although cold and rainy).

The first thing I knew that I wanted was Portuguese egg tarts. The ones that we devoured from Pastéis de Belém in December made a lasting impression on me. Through my research, I learned that the ones from Lord Stow’s Bakery were supposed to be the best. After much searching, it ended up being inside the Venetian. They were very good but not as fresh, warm, and gooey as the ones from Belém. The turnaround in Belém was intense, and you could see them baking the new egg tarts in the back. At Lord Stow’s, it seemed just like a storefront. Nevertheless, they fulfilled my craving at the time for egg tarts.

Other Macau 510Egg TartsOther Macau 513

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Exploring the Casinos in Macau

12 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by in Asia, China

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Mr. Selfish and I took a day trip from Hong Kong to Macau. We had recently learned that Macau has far surpassed Las Vegas in terms of casino revenues and braced ourselves for hoards of Chinese tour groups. I am not much of a gambler, and Mr. Selfish only dabbles in black jack, so we didn’t really gamble any in Macau. It was still fun to visit these beautiful casinos and enjoy the free transportation that they provide.

We took the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau, which only takes about an hour. It is a very comfortable ferry and cost about 652 Hong Kong dollars ($85 USD) for both of us round trip. We showed up around 10am to take the 11am ferry but it had been cancelled due to visibility issues. As a result, we had to take the 12:30pm ferry instead. We therefore bought our return ticket then and there since we didn’t want to chance an evening ferry selling out.

Macau Casinos 01

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Day Trip to Nantes, France

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Europe, France

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My aunt graciously invited me to visit her in Nantes, France. I gladly took the two hour train from Paris to get to know my aunt better and see the beautiful city of Nantes.

Nantes is located in the Brittany area of France, which is the western corner of France. In 2004, Nantes was rated as the “most liveable city in Europe” by Times magazine. It was indeed a very liveable and lovely city.

First, my aunt took me to the Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany). It was the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Château des ducs de BretagneInside the ChateauMrs. Selfish and AuntLeaving the Chateau Continue reading →

Day Trip to Versailles

25 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by in Europe, France, Paris

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Mr. Selfish and I had both been to the Palace of Versailles previously but we couldn’t resist seeing the opulence again. We waited for a sunny day and embarked. It was indeed as lovely as I remembered. Unfortunately, because the weather had turned cold, the fountains were turned off. It was nevertheless still beautiful.

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England Has Trashy Beaches Too – Brighton

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Europe, London, United Kingdom

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Mr. Selfish hadn’t traveled much around England, so he was happy to do most day trips.  However, I had done quite a few day trips, so I wanted to go somewhere I hadn’t been before.  I discovered that Brighton was a beach town that was only about an hour train ride from London.  Mr. Selfish saw the photos and was skeptical.  He’s not much of a beach guy and always claim that beach towns are trashy.  I convinced him to go anyway, but unfortunately, this time – he was right.

Oddly, Brighton doesn’t have sand but has pebbles instead.  I couldn’t imagine actually lying on the pebbles but people were doing it.  They were also pretty drunk so that may have been a contributing factor.

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Day Trip to Arundel Castle

23 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in Europe, London, United Kingdom

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Mr. Selfish and I wanted to take a day trip to a castle that wasn’t too popular.  After some searching online, I came across Arundel Castle, which is about an hour and a half by train from London.  The castle was founded on Christmas Day in 1067. Beginning in 1787, serious renovations on the castle began, and in 1846, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Arundel and stayed at the castle.  It was recently used in the filming of “Young Victoria” starring Emily Blunt, whom I adore.

We took a tour of the inside of the castle, including the Keep.  No photography was allowed inside the castle, which has been magnificently restored, but we were allowed to take photographs of the Keep.

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The Other University – Oxford

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Europe, London, United Kingdom

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I took a day trip to Oxford while I was studying at Cambridge.  Because that day was unusually cold, I purchased a long-sleeved Oxford t-shirt to warm up.  One day when I was wearing that Oxford t-shirt back at Cambridge, someone screamed at me, “No, Cambridge is better!”  This was my first introduction to the rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford.

Admittedly, Oxford is older than Cambridge.  In fact, disgruntled faculty from Oxford left and formed Cambridge.  However, Cambridge consistently ranks higher in the list of world universities.  This year, Cambridge was ranked #2 (with MIT as #1) while Oxford was ranked #5.

Biased as I am, I also think that Cambridge is prettier than Oxford.  But you can judge for yourself…

Mr. Selfish and I started at Radcliffe Square.  We admired the Radcliffe Camera and climbed the tower in the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin to enjoy the fabulous view.

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Downton Abbey

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Mr. Selfish and I adore Downton Abbey so when we learned that the exterior and interior shots were filmed at Highclere Castle, we knew we had to take a day trip there.  Unfortunately, we used up all of good weather karma in Ireland and London. It was raining the entire time and extremely chilly.

Highclere Castle was still magnificent.  It was built in the 1830’s in the same style as the Houses of Parliament in London.  The Earl of Carnarvon and his wife currently reside in Highclere Castle.

We weren’t allowed to take photographs inside but I snuck a couple of Lady Edith’s room and the servant’s board.  As we toured the other many rooms, such as the saloon and the dining room, we could imagine the Dowager Countess of Grantham, as played by Maggie Smith, making snippy and disparaging remarks.

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Back to Cambridge

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Europe, London, United Kingdom

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I spent the summer of 2000 at Christ College in Cambridge University.  It was the summer between my junior and senior year, and I had won a scholarship to study British literature.  The trip to Cambridge was the first time I had ever traveled on my own.  Somehow, I managed the flight, the train, and the bus required to get to Cambridge.  It was a magical summer – I discovered cider for the first time, studied Jane Austen in Bath, and made wonderful friends.

Mr. Selfish and I went to Cambridge as our first day trip from London.  Of course, we started at my old stomping grounds – Christ College.

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