Tuesday, September 27, 2011 We visit a place full of tourists.  It seems everyone around has a reason to be there.  We walk by the monument after monument, landmark after landmark.  We stop and read what happened here and what has inspired people to keep coming back. So that's where we went.  Boston, where the Boston Masscre, the Buncker Hill's battle, and the Paul Rivere's ride happened, is a charming city.  We followed the Freedom Trail like kids tracking down the parents' footprint...  Of course, we had to take several breaks for yummy Italian cuisin for lunch, investigating where the Cannoli box everyone was carring came from and tasted the best Cannoli ever wit coffee.  Definitely, I had to visit Paul Rivere's house again (been here in the late 90s).  And finally we crossed the bridge over the Charles River.  It was not just our bodies had a great workout, but also our minds were well stimulated by events took place over two hundred years ago. Oh, when you are in Boston, Harvard University and MIT should be also in your visit list.  Intellectual inspiration is always good for your little grey cells and your kids too... 8:53 am pdt  Thursday, September 24, 2009 The outhouse collection I am starting... 3:12 pm pdt  Reading and traveling This is the day after the Fall Equinox.  The days will get shorter and nigts grow longer.  That means we get to sleep longer.  Or more time for my bedtimes stories.  I am currently starting "Bella Tuscany" by Frances Mayes.  However, "The Black Tower" by P.D. James I started last Monday is getting more distracting.  Well, after my school reading, I hope I can escape into the two different worlds in these books. This spring and summer, my family had a several camping trips, locations were from neighborhood towns to Lake Tahoe and Santa Barbara areas.  I have found that children are naturally attacted by the variety of things and phenomenon in the nature.  It's such a wonderful place for them to have a first hand experiences with future biology, chemistry and phisics classes.  The bugs, animals,shrubs, plants, fish, microorganism in water, etc. are their first best teachers.   Oh, did I mention the Stargazing party? Well, that will be next time.   3:04 pm pdt

2011.09.01 | 2009.09.01

***Travel in more than one language...*** Welcome to Sarah (Sophia) Europe Travel Journal! This website is a collage of my travel journal in Europe. In my book, Visit Europe with Me, I would show you my detailed personal experiences, and interesting and unusual encountering which always provoked my deep thinking. In addition, I'd also like to share with you some of the gorgeous pictures I took. 這個網站是我歐洲自助旅遊手記的剪貼簿。在我的書，跟我來歐洲玩裏，我寫出個人詳細的經歷，以及教我日後一再思考、有趣與不尋常的境遇。同時，也與你分享一些我拍的美麗照片。

有人問我：『為什麼要寫這本書？』 對這麼簡短的問題，我卻有個纏腳布長的答覆。 這本書一開始是收集我第一次獨自旅行時，寫給我保護天使的信。之後，在泡了數不盡的咖啡館後才完成。這原先是敘述一些我有趣與不尋常境遇的個人手記。逐漸地，隨著故事的發展，我的思考擴張到包括我對『台灣年輕一代未來』的關心。尤其是在歐鐵過夜列車上，那位法國車掌因為我持用的台灣護照而對我刁難。這種經驗教我醒悟到台灣的年輕一代是多麼容易地被傷害。  I was asked: “Why did you write this book?” So here is my long answer to such a short question. It started as a collection of letters that I wrote to my guardian angel in my first solo trip, and was completed during my frequent visits to various cafes. In the beginning, this was to be a personal journal of a young woman's traveling experiences. As the stories unfolded, my thinking expanded to include concerns for the Taiwanese younger generation. My own experience with a French train conductor over the validity of my Taiwanese passport made me slowly realize how vulnerable these youth would be. (See On the way to Paris).

Equipped with a good pair of walking shoes, I walked into the locales of books I had read. I was first dazzled by the beautiful scenes and architecture of these storied cities and regions.  Then, something inside me would demand to know more.   How were these cities developed and progressed this way?  Who were the people who created them?  Subsequently I would study the history of the region, the customs, the social structures and the religions of the people.  I wanted to learn the How and the Why, these places existed.  A good habit grew from these experiences and my expectation.  I would prepare for my next adventure by reading in advance the history of the site.  Behind the glamorous surfaces, the culture, customs and religion of a region are in fact the framework that supports the phenomenon that we admire. At the end of a trip, other than memories of beautiful scenery, have we acquired a deeper understanding of the world? 穿著一雙好的走路鞋，我走入了讀過書中的許多景象。看到一個地方美麗的景色與書中描述的城市和地區建築設計時，我會感到眼花撩亂。然後，心中有個意念慫恿著自己去了解多些。這些城市是如何發展與進步到現在的模樣呢？是怎樣的人們創造這些城市呢？接著，我會研讀有關當地的歷史、習俗，社會結構與當地人的宗教等。我想了解是如何與為什麼這些地方如此存在著。由這些經驗與自己的期許，我養成了一個好習慣。每次旅行之前，我會事先閱讀要去地方的歷史。在那些迷人外觀的後面，事實上，一個地方的文化、習俗、和宗教是支持我們羨慕現象的架構。  在每個美好旅行後，除了沉溺於漂亮風景回憶外，我們是否更深一層地去了解這個世界呢？

You can order this book here. Just click the link. Visit Europe with Me , Have fun reading and traveling! How to contact us? 如何與我們連絡？ email address: Hsioutean@yahoo.com