A year in review: 2015

2015 has been really fun! So sad to see it end because I feel like it went by too quickly. This year was exceptionally fast paced and it seemed like I never had time to do every thing I wanted to do. Maybe I should sleep less next year to get more things done.

I took a leave from winter to visit Huatulco, Mexico. It was sunny and incredibly beautiful. I got to spend my birthday there too but with a small hiccup of food poisoning. 

I still had an incredible time and ate way too much. Walked around the La Crucecita town and shopped. 

In July, I took another beach vacation to Varadero, Cuba for some rest and relaxation. I did absolutely nothing but relax for one week. 

The rest of summer was spent camping with friends, a trip to Niagara Falls, watching a Blue Jays game and going to the cottage.

Spent Thanksgiving hiking this year. 

And then the best thing happened this fall, I went to Italy. More update will be coming next year but Rome and Naples was absolutely amazing!!!

See my previous year in review here.

This year has been really good and I am so thankful for all of it. The good and the bad is always there but overall it was an amazing year full of eating (as usual), some drinking, and lots of travel.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Christmas Market 2015

This is my third time visiting the Christmas Market at the Distillery District (see previous times here). I love that some things stay the same like the giant Christmas tree, the lights, and the shopping while adding new things like installations and more shopping! 

I can't get enough walking around here for the holiday season. I like shopping for goodies I can't find in the mall by local artisans. Also, the food is always amazing! 

And it's instagram heaven! Every nook is perfect for photos especially at night when everything is lit up.

What I Ate: Ginseng Chicken (Samgyetang) at Tosokchon

We received a list of restaurants to visit while in Seoul from a friend and on our last day, we could not pass up the opportunity to go to Tosokchon for their famous ginseng chicken soup. It was a 10 minute walk from our apartment so it was very convenient for us to visit. 

We got there early enough to snag a table and eat with a lot of older people. They know the secret ;). 

I have never tried ginseng chicken before and I know they have in menu's at Korean restaurants in Toronto but I usually order korean bbq, bibimbap, or soups. I don't know why I never bothered to try this dish because I was seriously missing out. Or maybe it was good that I tried it at the very best restaurant for it. 

We ordered the Samgyetang of course! So it's essentially chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, herbs, seeds, and other special ingredients. It is very heart warming and a great comfort food. I wish I could have this every time I'm sick because I think it will cure just about everything.  That broth is so magical! It is amazing!! Really amazing!!

By the time we ate every last scoop of that soup and paid. We noticed that a line has formed and it was super long! It is really worth the line up though but you know I hate lining up so I suggest coming early so you don't have to line up. 

Don't miss this restaurant if you're in Seoul!

Seoul Lantern Festival

I didn't know that the lantern festival was about to take place before we left Seoul. It was a happy surprise to realize it was taking place the day before our departure and of course we had to go check it out!

The Seoul Lantern Festival took place at Cheonggyecheon river. We already know where it was so we walked there from our apartment. It was packed with people!

It was so nice to finally see all the lantern lit up. I love anything with lights so I went a little crazy! We saw the floats during the day but now it looks even more amazing!

Seoul Coffee Shops

I still can't believe it's December 1st tomorrow. The holidays is going to creep up really fast so I started my Christmas shopping this weekend. I tried to buy as much as I can because I will be very busy at work before the holidays. No time to shop so I have to get myself very organized. I have a big family so Christmas is always hectic for us. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

I'm still trying to finish up my posts from Seoul before I jump on to my Italian adventures...

Cafe's and coffee shops is huge in Seoul. It is literally everywhere. Every street has one or two at least. I don't personally drink coffee but it was nice to go inside cafe's because each one is unique. My friend Jess took us to this cafe in Insadong. I loved the ambiance of this coffee shop. It felt so cozy. 

I ordered tea and Jess ordered us snacks. I have no idea what they are called but they were really good. I understand why people in Seoul are caffeinated. They work really hard in South Korea and a lot of workers work long hours so I guess they need to fuel up with caffeine. Most of the coffee shops that I saw were packed with business people all the time.

Cheonggyecheon river

The Cheonggyecheon river is a modern recreation space that spans about 10km in the heart of Seoul. It took 2 year to build this project and lots of $$$. 

While walking around one afternoon, I noticed installations scattered around the river. I remembered that the lantern festival was scheduled to begin that weekend but I didn't know when the start of it was. I thought we were going to miss it. More on that later... 

While walking around, we saw a lot more installations and also art works dotted along the Cheonggyecheon. I think it's a great idea to use this urban renewal project for art not just for tourists but for local residents. I wish we can do the same for our Gardiner. 

I enjoyed walking along the river. It's very peaceful and you can get your exercise too!