入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú) – When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Raising of Tiananmen flag at dawn Chinese flock from far and wide to see the spectacle of the raising of the flag. This tourist attraction requires … Continue reading Five Unique Ways to Experience Beijing
心旷神怡，事事顺利 (xīn kuàng shén yí, shì shì shùn lì) – “A merry heart goes all the way” One nine-hour sleeper train later, we arrived in Qingdao … Continue reading Nihao Qingdao!
一寸光阴一寸金, 寸金难买寸光阴 yí cùn guāng yīn yí cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn – An inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time. I’m trying to use my summer time wisely, and so I’m spending as … Continue reading Back in Beijing
上有天堂，下有苏杭 （Shàng yǒu tiāntáng, xià yǒu sū háng）- the beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou is comparable with heaven Hangzhou is a beautiful, lush city … Continue reading From Palatinate to Zhejiang: Durham Reunion in Hangzhou
Thanks to my Dad’s work travel, I found myself in Japan again in May, and once again reunited with my parents. The trip started in beautiful Fukuoka, a relatively small seaside city in the south of Japan, famous for its … Continue reading Five Days in Fukuoka and Osaka
忍一时之气，免百日之忧 (Rěn yīshí zhī qì, miǎn bǎi rì zhī yōu) – If you are patient in one moment of anger you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. (My philosophy … Continue reading A Dali-ghtful Holiday
北京欢迎你! (Běijīng huānyíng nǐ!) – Beijing welcomes you! I fell in love with Beijing all over again when my family came to stay and had the most wonderful week as their tour guide, showing them the best that Beijing has … Continue reading How to spend a week in Beijing (feat. the Finch family)
桂林山水甲天下 (Guìlín shānshuǐ jiǎ tiānxià) – Guilin’s mountain and water scenery is the best under heaven. Our first travelling adventure this term took us to the … Continue reading A Weekend in Guilin and Yangshuo
Feeling melancholy about an especially unseasonal Christmas, we decided to bring the festivity of the Alps to Beijing, and go on a little skiing trip to Yunfoshan on the outskirts of Beijing. Thanks to a serendipitous introduction the night prior … Continue reading Kung Powder – Skiing in China
“The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again” – Charles Dickens About six weeks ago, the news broke in Beijing that the … Continue reading Japan: A Tale of Three Cities
From Palatinate to Peking 