Chow Fun Tours Travel Blog - Chow Fun Tours, LLC

San Sebastian

5/19/2020

San Sebastian is often touted as a favorite of travelers to Spain because it has just about the best of everything in Spain. The small Basque city is called the gastronomic capital of the country and I can attest that some of the best food I have eaten in Spain was during my stays in this city. In fact, I read that per capita, the city has more Michelin stars than any other city in the world.

San Sebastian also boasts beautiful beaches with white sand and turquoise waters. Trip Advisor users voted La Concha beach in San Sebastian as the best in Europe.

Old town is home to some of the greatest cafes, entertainment and shops. From the city, you can walk up Monte Urgull and, after a short hike, arrive at Mote Caste where you can see the entire city and surrounding area. There are several churches and cathedrals in the city at which you can marvel at the architecture and stained glass artistry.

Visit San Sebastian for a little of everything Spain has to offer!

Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao

5/9/2020

The Guggenheim Museum in Blibao was designed by famous Canadian-American architect, Frank Gehry. Gehry is known worldwide as an innovator in the world of architecture. The structure is a sculpture itself.

The most iconic works in the museum are those of Jeff Koons. One is "Puppy" which towers above patrons as they enter the building. "With puppy, Koons engaged

both past and present, employing sophisticated computer modeling to create a work that references the 18th-century formal European garden. A behemoth West Highland terrier carpeted in bedding plants, Puppy [is] mposing in scale, its size both tightly contained and seemingly out of control (it is both literally and figuratively still growing), and juxtaposing elite and mass-cultural references (topiary and dog breeding, Chia Pets and Hallmark greeting cards), the work may be read as an allegory of contemporary culture."

Visit "Puppy" and "Tulips," Koons' other iconic piece, as well as the works of other artists in the permanent collection such as Rothko, Basquiat, Warhol, Holtzer and Kiefer.

Siguenza, Spain

4/29/2020

The parador of Siguenza is a medieval in an Arab fortress. A parador is a hotel owned and run by the Spanish government. The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated.

The village itself is a walk back in time. The cathedral is a short walk from the hotel, down a hill. Take some of the side streets and get a taste of village life.

The castle was built after the 8th century Arab invasion. Significant parts of the wall are preserved, whose gates and towers begin at the castle. The Romanesque cathedral began construction in 1130. The exterior resembles a medieval fortress, and has Romanesque towers and portico.

The Plaza Mayor is the center of the city and is also known as Plaza del Mercado. The square is Renaissance-style. Other interesting spots include the seminary and several churches.

Siguenza

4/19/2020

One of the most beautiful villages in Spain is Siguenza and it is only about one and a half hours from Madrid. The place to stay in Siguenza is the parador which is actually a medieval castle in a former fortress at the top of the hill in the village. The views are spectacular and the rooms in the castle are spacious and impeccably decorated. Down the hill from the parador is the early Gothic-style cathedral, from the 12th century.

The best meal we had in Spain was in Siguenza at Nola Restaurant. Every dish was impeccably presented and a treat for all the senses. We ate on the outside patio on a cool summer evening.

During our night in Siguenza, we felt as if we had traveled back in time a few centuries. It was one of the most memorable nights of our trip.

Churros Con Chocolate

4/9/2020

Chocolateria San Gines is Madrid's most famous, and oldest chocolate shop. The establishment has been serving churros and chocolate since 1894, 24 hours a day. It is one of the most famous churros and chocolate spots in Madrid and if you don't time it right, you could be in line for an hour or more.

Churros are made from a dough of water, salt and flour. The dough is piped into a vat of hot oil. After frying, they are sprinkled with sugar and served with a hot liquid chocolate. San Gines also serves delicious coffee and tea and is a fun place to pick up a souvenir or two.

The churros and chocolate are delicious, but there are plenty of other places in the city, and all over Spain, that serve this iconic dish.

Madid: Retiro Park

3/29/2020

Note: I am organizing trips to Spain and Portugal. Please let me know if you would like to hear about upcoming trips or if you would like me to help you customize your own trip.

Today's topic: Parque del Retiro. The gardens here are about as beautiful as any I have seen with exquisitely pruned trees and landscaped green spaces. In the center of the park is the Palacio de Cristal (built in 1887) which was originally built as a winter garden, but which now houses art exhibits. In the summer of 2019 when I was last there, the was a sculpture exhibit.

In the 17th century, King Felipe IV laid out the park as a space for kings and queens to relax and enjoy. In 1868, the park was opened to the public and has been a space for all residents and visitors to enjoy. In addition to enjoying the beauty of the gardens, including lots of peacocks and other birds, the manmade lake is a lovely place to sit, have coffee and rent a rowboat.

"Overlanding" Through China

3/24/2020

Photo from: https://overlandsite.com

Are you interested in learning about OVERLANDING? Here is a description of overlanding from overlandsite.com: "Overlanding often takes you through rough terrains and off-road trails, but tackling a steep hill which resembles a wall is not a primary objective when overlanding. Overlanding can go straight through cities as well...A road trip has a destination, whereas overlanding is about the journey itself. Besides that, the primary mode of accommodation for overlanders is camping with all of its fun and challenge."

The people at overlandsite.com had an amazing journey through China. If you want to read about it, check out their blog which "...[focuses] on traveling through China from an overlander perspective."

Check out the blog post, including a cool video, here: https://overlandsite.com/blog/overlanding-through-china/

Running Panda

3/19/2020

The words "running" and "panda" are not generally seen together in the same blog post, let alone sentence. Nevertheless, the last time I was in Chengdu, one of the adolescent pandas put on quite a performance, as evidenced above. The above 10 seconds are just a snippet of the more than ten minutes of this panda's running in circles. It was fascinating because I have been to the research bases five other times and on every occasion, every panda was laying down and eating or sleeping!

Pandas of Chengdu

3/9/2020

There is not much to write that cannot be understood from looking at pictures of pandas. They are beautiful creatures. Lazy, sleepy roly-poly furry friends. They do have big teeth. They are bears after all. But they are vegetarian for the most part, with a diet that consists of bamboo. Lots and lots of bamboo...over 50 pounds each day. Basically their days consist of eating and sleeping.

For many years, pandas were one of the most endangered creatures in the world. Thanks to the breeding programs at several panda research bases in China, however, their numbers are increasing. There are still fewer than 2,000 pandas in the world.

Although there are some zoos in the US where we can visit pandas, there is nothing like the research bases of the Chengdu area in Sichuan Province. Join me on a Chow Fun Tour or let me help you plan your own customized adventure, including some up close and personal time with pandas!

Danba

2/29/2020

Danba is located in far western China, high on the Tibetan Plateau. The area has three villages that are worthy of serious exploration: Zhonglu, Jiaju and Suopo. One gets the feeling that the people who live there have lived the same way for hundreds of years...because they have. This part of China is spectacular. In addition to the inspiring beauty of the landscape, the architecture is different from anywhere else in the country. The trapezoid-shaped windows, the white-washed walls, the colorful paintings and checked patterns create an almost fairytale-like feeling.

The food in this part of the country is also different from much of China. Sichuan cuisine is generally some of the spiciest in China. It is similar with most of the country, however, in terms of the farm-to-table vegetables and meat. And yes, they do kill the chicken as soon as you order it. It's the freshest chicken you'll ever eat.

Lauren Drazen

I have traveled all over the world, including adventures in China, Uganda, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Argentina, Vietnam, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, England, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Netherlands, Canada and Mexico! My greatest love is introducing Americans to the sites, traditions and people of China. My hope is to give travelers a new lens through which to see the world.

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