Krystynn's VirtualTourist Home Page

EUROPE. Europe (in my eyes) is the most beautiful continent on this earth... oozing with culture and old world charm.

It had been my lifelong dream to visit the major capitals and cities of Europe and hold residence in one of their most exciting fashion capitals.... Feast on their exquisite nouvelle cuisine; sleep on the most comfortable beds in the different exotic first class European hotels (I daren't say "the best" because of my limited cash reserves!)... and basically immerse myself into the many fascinating and delightful aspects of each European culture.

A trip to Europe involves a lot of decisions. I'm sure you'll ask yourself questions like - "Which countries should I visit?", "What is there to see?", "What should we not miss?", "What should be done before, during, and after a trip?" etc. Questions. Questions. Questions.

No other continents on this Earth can even be compared to the extreme popularity of Europe as a travel destination. I'm sure even for its residents, the cultural density and diversity of this continent offers virtually limitless travel opportunities for exploration and discovery. In the last decade, the entire European continent has gone through a period of enormous and unprecedented change. The unification of Germany with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The end of the Soviet Union etc are just a handful of memorable events that has occured in the last couple of years.

Yes, Europe makes an exciting travel destination. And it is my personal #1 continent in the world.
:-))

TRAVEL TO FARAWAY PLACES!
I love to travel (yeah, who doesn't). And I strongly believe there's no better way to learn about the world around us than to travel. I have always enjoyed the adrenaline rush of traveling and being on the road. I remembered when I was in my late teens, instead of staying put in the Far East, I would pack my bags and head off to Australia to see my favorite aunt/uncle during my school vacations. When I finally got a full time job (my first job!) with a little cash to play around with.... Guess what my favorite activity was?

Yes, exploring new places and discovering new ideas! I try to visit as many places as time and money permit(s)... and hopefully one day, I can collect countries like others collect stamps, silver spoons or postcards. I try to take lots of photos but what I enjoy most is actually meeting new people, learning their culture and penning down my personal experiences into my travel journal...oops, palm pilot, I mean. Learning how these people live and trying to understand their culture certainly helped me understand myself better. Writing about the adventures of my previous vacations extends my pleasure over many months! It is also a good discipline that forces me to study and to research the facts that can either confirm, astound or cause me to modify the impressions I come home with.

Needless to say, building my travel website on Virtual Tourist has taken up a considerable amount of my personal time but hey, the fact that my efforts have been well rewarded by a better understanding of what life is all about is certainly worth it! I will continue to develop this site on a regular basis for the pleasure of sharing the joys of DISCOVERY with you. Wouldn't it be great if there were 36 hours in a day for us to play around with?

After all, young travelers like us (armed with a heightened sense of adventure... ahem!) are starting to bypass the usual vacation spots... & instead, we DARE to explore the furthest, funkiest, most exotic destinations on planet Earth.

The creed we swear by?

"The more difficult it is to get there... the more we wanna go!"

So, what you waiting for? Start by e-Traveling around the VT travel site first... and then pack up your bags/ luggage and GO!

My favorite places list tends to change constantly. This is expected as I continue to discover new places and unique off-the-beaten-path villages/towns dotted along our beautiful planet.

FAVE PLACE TO REST & RELAX:
- the isle of CAPRI, Italy
- POSITANO, Italy
- AMALFI, Italy
- LAKE COMO, Italy
- SURFERS PARADISE, Australia
- CAPE TOWN, South Africa
- INVERNESS, Scotland
- THE COTSWOLDS, England
- TASMANIA, Australia
- SAN FRANCISCO, USA
- BALI, Indonesia
- SANTORINI, Greece

FAVE CITIES FOR SHOPPING - for European-sized clothings
- MILAN & ROME, Italy
- SINGAPORE (Asia)
- SAN FRANCISCO, USA
- CAPE TOWN, South Africa
- MELBOURNE & SYDNEY, Australia

(Unlike most Asian girls who are generally small and petite, I am 5ft 7 inches tall and big boned i.e. I wear Euro size 40 clothes and size 39 shoes. I can NEVER get anything in my size in countries like Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand! So exasperating..!). One good thing is that I know with the genes I have, my future kids will not be midgets or petite! :-)

MY PERSONAL FAVE HOTELS IN THE WORLD THAT I'VE STAYED IN
(in terms of room size, value for money, first class service, location)
- THE BULGARI HOTEL, Milan-Italy
- GRAND HYATT ERAWAN HOTEL, Bangkok-Thailand
- INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, Sydney-Australia
- THE RITZ CARLTON HOTEL, San Francisco-USA
- MARK HOPKINS HOTEL, San Francisco-USA
- THE PALACE OF THE LOST CITY RESORT HOTEL, Sun City-South Africa
- THE RITZ CARLTON HOTEL, Singapore
- THE ISLAND SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, Hongkong-China
- PALAZZO VERSACE HOTEL, Gold Coast-Australia
- HOTEL ARTS, Barcelona-Spain
- THE WESTIN PALACE HOTEL, Madrid-Spain
- HOTEL RITZ, Madrid-Spain
- FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, Bali-Indonesia

FAVE CITIES TO GO CLUB-HOPPING & MEET COOL/CLASSY PEOPLE
- ROME & MILAN, Italy
- PARIS/ ST TROPEZ & CANNES (in summer), France
- BARCELONA & MADRID, Spain
- MELBOURNE & SYDNEY, Australia
- SINGAPORE (Asia)
- HONG KONG (Asia)
- LONDON, England

I am going to concentrate on food/drinks/entertainment only in this mini section - instead of the usual sightseeing stuff. Surely you must have wondered what is the one thing a foreigner must do in these cities or... live to regret, right? So, here goes Krystynn's personal recommendations!

- MILAN (ITALY): Dine/Shop at the most fashionable place in the entire universe - the uber chic CORSO COMO 10. You'll bump into celebrities, VIPs and your everyday tourists. My fave place to window-shop and do lunch with my gal pals. And then go clubbing later at Milan's #1 nightspot for the uber chic - HOLLYWOOD CLUB. Again, my fave place to unwind.

- SINGAPORE: Go for drinks at THE LONG BAR inside the historic and uber prestigious RAFFLES HOTEL. This was where the world famous cocktail drink - Singapore Sling was invented/created. Famous celebrities/VIPs and poets/writers (both alive and passed on) have visited this unique bar. Don't worry. It won't burn a hole in your pocket. Then head over to (a) the world's only NIGHT SAFARI and rub shoulders with your favorite animals... and/or (b) visit THE ESPLANADE for supper/drinks or attend a musical/play.

- SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA): Dine in one of the many fancy restaurants dotting THE ROCKS. My fave place to hangout is the Italian restaurant there where we got to meet the owner (nice gentleman!). My SYDNEY TRAVEL PAGE HAS MORE INFO ON THIS RESTAURANT. Then hop over to watch a play/concert at THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE... or just take a romantic stroll along THE ROCKS and soak in the moonlight.

More to come.... on
- PARIS (France)
- BARCELONA (Spain)
- MADRID (Spain)
- HONG KONG (China)
- ROME (Italy)
- CAPE TOWN (South Africa)
- BANGKOK (Thailand)
- VENICE (Italy)
- VERONA (Italy)
- EDINBURGH (Scotland)

I hope you'll enjoy these places just as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you.

** For those who have sent me emails requesting for hot tips et al: My deepest apologies if I can't reply to every single email due to shortage of time. Most of my pages are written from a personal viewpoint and they may differ from your regular guidebooks. If you can't find what you're looking for, it's probably because I have not yet visited that place or have not stayed in that hotel (yet)... or eaten that in particular eaterie. So, in this respect, I won't be able to help you out - much as I would love to. Please feel free to surf on to other travel pages here on VT or to other travel sites for more hot tips.