Hello friends, and welcome to this month’s Joyinmovement newsletter.
First, before I jump into today’s content, I have a quick announcement.
I am releasing a course called “How to Travel the World for Free.”
Subscribers of this newsletter, in honor of my age, will get 59% off by using the coupon code SHELLITRAVEL until Wednesday.
Get the details at http://fredericpatenaude.com/travel/
Last month I once again took my Joyinmovement lifestyle overseas. My trusty pedometer and I headed west, traveling around the world! I love to travel, to explore new places, meet new friends, sample local treats, and explore places on foot. And I like sharing my adventures with you.
My first stop was Seoul, South Korea. I’d been to Seoul in 1988 for the Summer Olympics, and now that they’ll be hosting the Winter Olympics in 2018, I wanted to go back and see the city again. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the area where the Olympics will be held, as it’s 105 miles east of Seoul and still being developed.
I did, however, have a great time in Seoul and enjoyed lots of walking, including one day when I walked 11 miles and found these incredible stairs. The woman at the tourist bureau told me the stairs were a short-cut from the Itaewon-dong area to the top of the hill. By the time I came upon the stairs I had already walked about 7 miles, and to call these stairs a “short-cut” is surely hilarious. They were quite a feat for my feet!
My favorite meal in Seoul was the most amazing dumplings I’ve ever had. A friend recommended this tiny restaurant and how I found this dumpling shop amidst all the other eateries on the streets, I’ll never know. But that’s part of the fun of being an explorer.
After Seoul, I flew to Amsterdam and then took the train to Brussels. I had never been to either city, so this was very exciting for me. Besides taking in the museums and the historical and cultural offerings, both of these places were incredible cities for walking and eating!
One beverage that was popular in both cities, and that I really enjoyed, was fresh mint tea. At home, after dinner, I usually have a cup of either mint or chamomile tea. But I must admit, I don’t make the mint tea from fresh mint. But I will starting now! Mint tea from fresh mint is absolutely delicious. And it’s beautiful to look at.
I’m not a huge fan of apples, but when local people recommend a certain food, I usually trust them. And indeed, this Amsterdam apple pie was the best! Filled with not only apples, but berries and other fruit, it was naturally sweet and the perfect treat for me.
After hearing so much about the canals in Amsterdam, it was amazing to see them in person. If you ever get to Amsterdam, take the canal cruise. You not only get to see the whole canal system, but it will help orient you to the entire city. Amsterdam was a great place to walk, and I averaged no less than 8 miles a day taking in the sites.
Of course watch out for all those bicycles! Just watching the bike scene was one of the highlights of my trip. I’ll admit to not having the nerve to rent a bike for myself. I’ll save trying to negotiate my way around the city by bike for next time!
My favorite salad of the whole trip was this one because it was topped with delicious chunks of goat cheese. I’ll be duplicating this goat cheese salad at home!
When I asked a Dutchman about the local food to try, he asked, “Will you eat herring?” To which I replied, “Yes of course I will. I love herring.” He was astonished! Amsterdam gets much of its fish from the North Sea, and herring, eaten like sashimi with pickles and onions, is a local treat. It’s sold at fish stands, and eaten usually at brunch time. While I don’t think we’ll get anything like this in the states anytime soon, if I lived in Amsterdam, I’d be like the locals and eat this three times a week. It was great!
Brussels presented me with opportunities for logging lots of long walks, and many great meals and treats. Brussels is hilly, so even the shorter walks felt like great exercise. And my favorite museum there, the Musical Instrument Museum, has ten floors. And you know me, never take the elevator if I can walk. Besides, the tenth floor had a stunning rooftop view of Brussels, so my efforts were well rewarded.
Brussels is known for waffles, beer, chocolate, and fish from the North Sea.
I ate a waffle, how could I not?
This photo says it all about enjoying the chocolate.
And though the mussels season had just ended, I ate the freshest razor clams, grilled to perfection.
This trip was so much fun, and once again I am beyond grateful for my healthy body that allows me to travel around the world and have so many incredible experiences.
But there’s also something else that allows me to enjoy and indulge my travel hobby. A few years ago, a friend of mine asked me how was it that I was able to travel so often, usually flying in business class, and staying at so many great hotels. We started talking, and I began teaching him the strategies I was using to travel more, spend less, and see the world on an affordable budget. He had been to many more countries than I had, but was spending a fortune, way more money than I was, on his travels.
He had great success when he started implementing what I was teaching him. And then much to my surprise, he asked if we could create a product together and teach others. Given that my niche is health and fitness, it never occurred to me to do this. But his enthusiasm won me over, so last year we created a course. We’ve been selling it online. It’s been well received, and we’ve sold almost 1,000 copies already.
And now I want you to know about it, too.
If you’d like to travel more, or even just keep traveling as often as you currently do, but spend way less, please take a look at our course, “How to Travel the World for Free.” Go to http://fredericpatenaude.com/travel and save 59% until Wednesday by using the coupon code SHELLITRAVEL
My motto has become, explore more and spend less. And it’s very exciting to take my Joyinmovement with me, as I continue fulfilling my dreams of traveling around the world.
Until next month,
shelli
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