islaazul's VirtualTourist Home Page

Barcelona has it all--churches, museums, beautiful views, amazing food, great shopping, and professional crooks. We had a wonderful time there, except for one afternoon when a thief took my bag. Other than that, it is a unique and amazing city.

Had the best time in Costa Rica--met up with old friends for a road trip, had some good food and great laughs...

This is the kind of business travel I actually look forward to--a few days in Munich during beautiful weather. Although it was hectic and the stay was short, I had a chance to walk around, do some sightseeing, and have some tasty food. This is the Kartoffelsuppe at Spatenhaus, across the Opera House. Mmmm...

That's Weissbier in the background. Also mmm....

See my Munich page.

I was in Chicago for a business trip in May, and was delighted to find tulips planted everywhere in the city--quite beautiful. The majority were planted along the Magnificent Mile. Apparently others found them beautiful as well because I saw people pick handfuls of them. I really wanted to tell them to stop but I didn't want to get beat-up.

Some of the best shopping in Taipei can be found in the night markets. You can buy anything from local food specialties to luggage...and it's fun to bargain for the lowest price. The one pictured here is the Linjiang St. Night Market, and it's one of the smaller ones. This page has a list of all the night markets.

Up close & personal with Stonehenge--we took a "special access" tour that departed at dawn, and arrived before all the tour buses. This works out well with jet-lag, so do it early in your trip.

It was great being able to get pictures without the usual throngs in the background. This photo was taken with a Holga and Kodak Tri-X film.

Because of its medieval setting, Rothenburg's Reiterlesmarkt has a magical atmosphere. Many people say that it was better ten years ago before tourists descended on the city, but I was there ten years ago, and when I went back in 2003, it still felt magical. I think it managed to keep its atmosphere because it is not as commercialized as the Munich or Nürnberg Christmas Markets (there is no huge, lit, "Müller" sign above the stalls).

It is a treat to wander around the small town with its cobblestone roads and medieval buildings (and of course the famous wall that surrounds the city), and drop by the Christmas Market for a bratwurst.

See my Rothenburg page.

Although I was born in Taiwan, I'm basically a California girl. I get depressed if it's not warm enough for tank tops, and I was 12 when I first saw snow. I caught the travel bug at 17, on a class trip to Germany (left, climbing the Ulm Cathedral). Having grown up in a small, insular suburb of Los Angeles, the trip turned out to be quite an eye-opener.

Since then, I've tried to travel whenever I can (any excuse to get away from my desk job is great). Although, every time I travel I'm reminded that I need to work in order to travel--oh well. I find that traveling excites, inspires, and amuses me. Some more facts about me:

- I prefer city trips and beach trips. I'm definitely not the type to strap on a backpack and go with no shower for two weeks, though I do pack light (even by guy standards).

- Sometimes I find researching a trip to be almost as fun as being on the trip. It's probably the anticipation. I do prefer to be well-informed of a place before I go though, because I don't like to miss things.

- I love trying out local foods when I travel. However, I also crave variety because I've been spoiled in California, where there is such a ready availability of all types of ethnic foods. This poses a problem sometimes, say, in Italy, when after two weeks of traveling the sight of a tomato makes me sick and I just want a big bowl of Pho noodles. I'm not the cheese-and-bread-for-two-weeks type.

- I prefer personal travel to business travel (as is probably the case for most), though sometimes business travel can be fun. The best place I went to for business was Munich, the worst was Las Vegas.