Category: Destinations

A Visit to Jeonju and Korea’s Largest Hanok Village: Things to Do & Travel Guide

For my trip to Korea, Jeonju really stood out as a place to visit for its beautiful old town or hanok village, which is the largest in the country. It is a lovely as laid-back city and I enjoyed spending the day there. It makes an excellent day trip from Seoul!

A Brief History of Jeonju

The history of Jeonju officially goes back tens of thousands of years and started as a small town during the Silla kingdom. In more recently millennia, the city had already been established and growing by the 7th-9th centuries. But the history of Jeonju as … Continue reading

Visiting Takayama, one of Japan’s Most Beautiful Cities: Things to Do & Travel Guide

With its large historic district, Takayama’s a popular place to visit – and it was the main draw for me, as well. Wanting to spend time in a smaller city, I ended up spending a few days in Takayama and it was absolutely lovely. There’s a lot to see and the city is absolutely lovely.

Some of Takayama’s History

Takayama has been inhabited for thousands of years. Traditionally, Takayama is part of the “Hida providence” which is why you’ll commonly see “Hida Takayama” and some other town names with “Hida” in front. Its most modern form came around 1600. This … Continue reading

Stepping into Korea’s Past in Gyeongju: Things to Do & Travel Guide

With its ancient history, Gyeongju was a place I put on my list for my first trip to South Korea. It did not disappoint! As a day trip, it was a bit of a long day, but it was lovely to see so many beautiful places and explore another side of Korea. It was one of my favorite places I visited on my trip!

A Brief History of Gyeongju

One of the main draws of Gyeongju is its incredibly rich history. It was under Silla rule, which reigned all the way from 57 BC to 935 AD, and what’s remarkable … Continue reading

A Look at Seoul, the Soul of South Korea: Things to Do & Travel Guide

For my first trip to Korea, Seoul was obviously my first stop. The country’s lively capital is a place not to be missed whether you love history or living in the modern era. It’s such a lovely city!

A Brief History of Seoul

On the outside, Seoul is a modern marvel but it has such a long and rich history. The area of Seoul has been inhabited for thousands of years and it got its start as a central city early. A few years BC, the area was a place called Baekje and it’s believed that their capital of 500 … Continue reading

What to Expect at Drottningholm Palace

If you’re planning a trip to Stockholm, you may have come across Drottningholm Palace. Not to the confused with the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan, Drottningholm Palace is a royal palace near Stockholm that is also open for tourists. I was originally just going to say it’s a place you can visit when you’re in Sweden’s capital but during my visit, I made way too many notes to be condensed to a paragraph in my post on Stockholm.

So, here’s a full blog post on Drottningholm Palace!

A Brief History of Drottningholm Palace

The origins of Drottningholm Palace date … Continue reading

A Peek Inside Gripsholm Castle, one of Sweden’s Most Historic Sites

From its beautiful exterior to its lengthy history, Gripsholm Castle has been towards the top of my Sweden bucket list for a while. Just a little while away from Stockholm, it made an easy day trip and is quite a lovely place.

A Brief History of Gripsholm Castle

You may have heard of the Vasa ship, which is named after the Vasa dynasty of Sweden. That same dynasty built Gripsholm Castle. It was first constructed by King Gustav Vasa in 1537 on Lake Malaren, surrounded by hunting grounds. It was built to be a home but also a defensive structure, … Continue reading

Seeing Sigtuna, Sweden’s Charming First Town

Just a hop and a skip from Stockholm, Sigtuna is a popular day trip and also a historic destination. I was initially drawn to its quaint look and long history, so going on a day trip there was a no brainer for me. It was a nice little trip through several eras of time.

A Brief History of Sigtuna

Sigtuna was founded during the Viking age in 980 by Erik the Victorious, Sweden’s first king, and is considered Sweden’s first town. It was a trading town and a main center of power, and held that role from the end of … Continue reading

Visiting Visby, a Stunning Swedish City on the Baltic Sea

Gotland and its city Visby are both names you’re probably familiar with if you’ve studied medieval, particularly viking, history. The area is filled with artefacts from the viking and medieval ages that have made their way to museums and the Battle of Visby in 1361 is notorious in Swedish history. Being a history lover, Visby was at the top of my list for places to visit in Sweden. And it did not disappoint!

Here’s my overview of things to see and do in Visby.

A Brief History of Visby

On the ancient island of Gotland, Visby has a relatively more … Continue reading

Seeing the 12 Medieval Visby Church Ruins

It’s easy to see the medieval Visby church ruins have such a strong presence in the old city. Aside from the Gotland Museum and a handful of other things to do, they’re one of the main attractions – particularly for medieval loves as me. While seeing the medieval churches of Visby was something on my list, I didn’t think much about it because most are in a ruined state.

A lot of maps in Gotland are in Swedish only, so I’ve put the Swedish names in parenthesis. Some other helpful words include Sankt or Sankta for “saint,” Kyrk or Kyrka… Continue reading

15+ Stunning Sites to See in Gotland (Outside Visby)

Many people visiting Gotland visit Visby, which is a lovely city, but there’s way more to see on the Baltic Sea’s largest island. To be honest, I had a difficult time finding about things to do and see because Visby was always listed as “the” Gotland attraction. Many lists will have maybe 5 things to do on the island and it took a bit of research to finally get a decent list of things to see. And then… the list just kept growing and growing!

Here’s a list of some things I got to see on the island – and … Continue reading