• Germany

    Dachau Concentration Camp

    February 19, 2016 - By 

    As Americans who had the atrocious history of WWII and Nazi Germany burned into their education since grade school, we knew that a visit to a former concentration camp was a must during our visit in Germany.  However harrowing and heart wrenching the experience may be, we knew that this brutal past time was crucial in shaping the country and the world today. Visiting a country isn’t all about enjoying its beauty, culture, and gastronomy.  Like how the Hiroshima Peace Memorial is to Japan, or the Civil Rights Museum of Memphis is to the U.S., the Dachau Concentration Camp and Memorial is a scar to Germany,…

  • Czech Republic

    Pilsen

    February 18, 2016 - By 

    What lies between Prague and Munich? Pilsen, apparently. Non-alcoholic me didn’t blink twice when Chris exclaimed, “Pilsen! We gotta make a quick stop to Pilsen.” Pilsen is the 4th most populated city in Czech Republic.  It is also known worldwide for Pilsner beer.  I’m not a beer drinker, so I don’t really know what that means, but if you drink beer, I’m sure you know.  Chris found his happy place. =) Although the heart of the city did house beautiful Bavarian structures worth stopping for, we only had time to make a quick detour to the Pilsner restaurant and visitor center.…

  • Czech Republic

    Prague

    February 17, 2016 - By 

    Prague fulfills what I imagined to be THE picturesque European city. From every intimate encounter with a street corner to the broad views from one of many overlooks, I often exhaled a wistful sigh as my eyes laid upon what fell before them. Up until the moment I entered the historic city of Prague, San Francisco was the only city with views that could take my breath away at any time. But now there is Prague. And with Prague entails a sprawling fairytale city, adorned with edifices from before the time Christopher Columbus set sail to discover the New World, sprinkled with diverse and…

  • Germany

    Berlin

    February 14, 2016 - By 

    All my friends told me Berlin was edgy, hip, and grungy.  Other than the murals and scribbles of graffiti sprayed every few meters throughout the city, I didn’t think it was that at all.  Maybe that thought will change when I see the rest of Europe, but for now I’ll say Berlin was incredibly clean and pleasant.  Even slumming it on the sidewalk waiting for a spätkauf, or convenience store, to open upon our arrival wasn’t too bad of an experience. Graffiti like this could be found EVERYWHERE.  Seriously, I had never seen so much graffiti in my life. Major U.S. cities…

  • Uncategorized

    SF to Berlin (Air Berlin)

    February 11, 2016 - By 

    In previous years we used United miles to travel.  This time around we used American AAdvantage miles to fly business international from San Francisco to Berlin, Germany. Although American Airlines devalued their entire AAdvantage program for 2016, we were traveling early enough (February) to avoid the devalued award chart changes.  Only flights booked on March 22, 2016 and after were affected.  Whew. Before I dive into our flight experience, I must say how horrible it was to book tickets using AAdvantage Awards.  First of all, award travel was scarce.  Second, almost all flights had three legs with awfully long layovers.  Third, all but…

  • California

    Touring The City

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    As of February 2016, I’ve lived in San Francisco for 7.5 years.  Before that I lived in Berkeley for a couple of years, and before that I spent most of my life in San Jose, where I was born and raised.  Unlike many residents in the area, I am actually a native to the Bay Area.  This world-famous, innovative, leading hub of tech and development is my home, and San Francisco has played a huge role in my life from childhood to adulthood.  It began with quick weekend day trips with the family as a child (Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square, the Ferry Building,…

  • Wyoming

    Devil’s Tower

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    One hell of an interesting rock formation is Devil’s Tower, located in northeastern Wyoming.  Rising 1,267 ft. over its surrounding terrain, Devil’s Tower isn’t difficult to spot from the approaching roads. It is worth the quick stop and walk-around for a closer look at the rock details and columns. In addition to the short trail, there are a number of interpretive signs encircling the rock tower that lay out the history of spiritual use by Native Americans. Had I been a rock climber, I probably would have found Devil’s Tower to be more interesting. But other than that, what you see…

  • California

    Yosemite and Mono Lake

    January 28, 2016 - By 

    Note: This post has two sections.  The first tells the story of my ridiculous chain of events and misadventure during my first visit to a national park, and the second shares useful information about hiking Half Dome, cycling Tioga Pass, and visiting Mono Lake.  I encourage you to read this entire post since the first section is entertaining, but if you’d rather skip the misadventure and only read the useful bits then scroll down until you see a bunch of photos. Labor Day weekend 2010 was when I made my first visit to a national park. An acquaintance/friend asked me if…

  • California

    Pinnacles National Park

    January 25, 2016 - By 

    We knew we had to take Scromp out one last time before tucking him away for 6 months as we tour Europe. The question was where? California is spoiled with state and national parks and recreational areas. Three days before the weekend I had my heart set on Redwoods National Park but a friend mentioned Pinnacles National Park. I had never heard of it, so I casually looked it up. And WOW. Despite the millions of people who live in Silicon Valley, only a small percentage of people know of this new national park just a couple hours drive south…

  • Tips

    Our Must-Haves

    January 14, 2016 - By 

    We’ve found ourselves gratefully jotting down tips from other travelers and sharing these tips with friends and other travelers we meet during our adventures.  Rather than trying to recall our favorite services or phone applications (apps) from memory, I’m going to lay out all our favorite money tools, apps, services, and websites here.  These are more than just our favorite tools; I can’t imagine traveling without them!  Thanks to all the modern technology of the 21st century, traveling has become a piece of cake.  Sort of.   Plastic Money My go-to credit card for international travel is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.  Many…