We liked Tokyo despite being sick, fighting the crowds everywhere and having less than perfect weather. There is something about this city, which pulls you in and leaves the warm feeling inside. The food is amazing, and this is a big part of it. There is also so much to do for all moods and tastes. The location of our hotel, Courtyard Marriot Tokyo Station made exploring the city (as well as the day trips) very easy.
Continue reading “Tokyo in a Day Itinerary (Autumn Highlights)”
Kamakura is a small city on the coast, a short train ride from Tokyo. It is a popular and easy day-trip destination. Tanya was still weak from her illness, so the short distance was a big plus. This was our second day in Japan (see our main Japan travel post here), and we were jet-lagged.
Continue reading “Kamakura Day Trip from Tokyo”
We’ve been pretty lucky with our travel, which I think made us a bit cocky. When we lived in the UK, I remember thinking about how we always had good weather while taking our weekend trips to different European destinations.
Our luck has run out, it seems. The trip to Japan was full of various misfortunes. I’d like to think that these adventures made the trip more memorable (we definitely have stories to tell our friends and relatives), but I hope that we’ve suffered enough setbacks to buy us some luck in the next couple of vacations. The world has to maintain balance.
Continue reading “Top 10 Things that Went Wrong on Our Trip to Japan”
When people ask us how we liked our vacation in Japan, we say, “it was interesting”. We also use words and phrases like “educational”, “culture shock”, “takes getting used to”. Tanya and I debated how we would describe our experience to others for the entire 2 weeks. We finally agreed that it was one of the most unusual trips and a true adventure.
Continue reading “Autumn Trip to Japan (Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto): 2 Weeks Itinerary”
Kyoto is famous for its temples (over 1000) and shrines (more than 400). Clearly, there is no way to visit all of them, but here is the good news: you can always find a temple or a shrine off the beaten path and enjoy it all by yourself.
Of course, when you come to Kyoto in November during the peak of the fall foliage season, this task becomes much harder. This was our experience, and we lived to tell you all about it.
Continue reading “How to Spend 4 Days in Kyoto in November (Foilage, Kurama, Uji)”
We love Europe. Maybe because we grew up there (Russia). Maybe because we lived in the UK for 2 years and used that time to explore nearby countries on the short weekend trips. Maybe because we swear by Rick Steves’ travel guides, which taught us so much about traveling.
There are many “best destinations in Europe” lists online, and every one of them is different. The “best” depends on what you are looking for, what gets you excited, what makes you go “wow”. For us, it is finding places where history, nature and good food don’t come with crowds and super-high credit card bills. The rankings below are based on our own experiences, so your mileage, as they say, may vary. If you have similar tastes, however then read on.
Continue reading “10 Best Places to Visit in Europe”