Bean around the world:
Fresh travel content right to your inbox

Chasing Travel: A travel blog fuelled by Culture & Coffee

Unique Stays

Two Day Buddhist Meditation Retreat

Two days seemed like an eternity. To sit in complete silence. In my own thoughts. With no conversation with the outside world. This is the girl that can’t sit still (or quiet) for very long. I wasn’t confident I could pass a meditation retreat in Thailand. But we were committed. In Chiang Mai, Dan and I decided […]

Spending a Night in Jail

In a past life, Ottawa was the most dangerous place in Canada and in 1862 the Carlton County Jail was built to house criminals with minor infractions like robbery as well as some of the worst criminals on death row waiting their ultimate fate, mostly by hanging (yup, at the time Canada had capital punishment). Today, […]

Where to Stay in Amsterdam

Between the Red Light District, its romantic canals, and historic sights, it’s not easy to narrow down where to stay in Amsterdam. The city is broken up into seven districts or stadsdelen, each having their own character. In this quick guide I break down four of the best neighbourhoods and squares to stay in while in […]

Instagram

  • My favourite day of the year. Can coffee be a comfort food? Happy #NationalCoffeeDay #karmacoffee
  • This must be one of the hardest places I have ever visited. There's no good feeling about being here. Auschwitz is where some of the worst human atrocities of our time took place. These railway tracks led 1.3 million Jews to so-called imitation showers and their final moments. So why visit a place so symbolic of torture, genocide and sadness? George Santayana said it best: "those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it". To ensure this never happens again. I took a guided tour to the camp with @jaywaytravel (which, by the way, I think is the best way to get the most out of the visit). Photos of my visit to #Auschwitz on the blog. Link in my bio. Our guide says she meets people who still believe these atrocities never happened. Others also believe places like Auschwitz are an exploitation for profit and a disrespect to the victims who perished here. But Auschwitz is proof this history is very real and an unfortunate reality that millions of people had to endure. It stands today, not as a tourist attraction but as a memorial and one of its goals is to educate, inform, and ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. It's also a place where survivors actually return to grieve and find some sort of closure. In fact, just 2 weeks before my visit, an 80-year-old Auschwitz survivor, who was just 10 years old at the time, returned to the camp to visit the place she was tortured as a child and her family murdered. Even after all her suffering, our guide says this same survivor makes a point to return twice a year. If I had been there a couple of weeks earlier I think I would have given her a big warm hug, told her how courageous she is, and that I was sorry about what had happened. If it was me, I don’t think I would ever have the strength to return. If this place is important even for just one survivor then that's all that matters. . . . . . . #JayWayPoland #visitPoland #traveltopoland #krakowpoland #daytripfromkrakow #neverforget #unescoworldheritagesite #oswiecim #wheretotravel #wheretogo #transformativetravel #toppolandphoto #igerspoland #explorepoland #discoverpoland #polandphotos #wheretonext #polandsights #visit_europe #visiteurope
  • Old Town #Warsaw #visitpoland🇵🇱 #visitwarsaw #viewspot This shot taken just after an amazing Behind the Scenes walking tour with #JayWayPoland. While this spot in the Castle Square is certainly on the tourist track, much of Warsaw's unique character and contrasts are still less known. More coming soon about my off beaten path experience with @JayWayTravel and uncovering this fascinating city! . . . . . #traveltopoland #visitpoland🇵🇱 #europegram #poland_insta #bestofPoland #madeinPoland #polandtravel #wheretotravel #streetphotography #warsawlife #warsawoldtown #igerswarsaw #warsawstreets #warsawgram #slowtravel #oldtownwarsaw #oldtownwarsawpoland #cityscapes
  • Discovering the Old Town in Warsaw with @jaywaytravel #jaywaypoland. This brightly coloured avenue is one of many in this part of the city that is a reconstruction of a past city. A place entirely destroyed during WWII, Old Town Warsaw was rebuilt to look and feel like it once did before the war. So you could say it's a newish old town. It's hard to imagine grayer, gloomy skies and tanks rolling in onto these cobblestone streets . . . . . . #traveltopoland #visitpoland🇵🇱 #europegram #poland_insta #bestofPoland #madeinPoland #polandtravel #wheretotravel #streetphotography #warsawlife #warsawoldtown #igerswarsaw #warsawstreets #warsawgram #slowtravel #oldtownwarsaw #oldtownwarsawpoland #worldphotographyday #polandtravel #beautifuldestinations #visitEurope #visit_europe #wheretogo #toppolandphoto #igerspoland #explorepoland #discoverpoland #polandphotos #wheretonext #polandsights
  • Streets of #Warsaw #JayWayPoland @jaywaytravel . . . . . . . #traveltopoland #visitpoland🇵🇱 #europegram #poland_insta #bestofPoland #madeinPoland #polandtravel #wheretotravel #streetphotography #warsawlife #warsawoldtown #igerswarsaw #warsawstreets #warsawgram #slowtravel
  • Streets of #Poland. This is taken in Kazimierz, the lively Jewish quarter of #Krakow. I discovered this area only because of a @jaywaytravel walking tour. The area was long neglected since the second world war until the end of the 1980s under Communism. Today it's home to a vibrant cafe culture, nightlife and the oldest standing synagogue in Poland. Our guide says the city's best Zapiekanka Polish pizza is here (also true. From the vendor through a little window in the main square). If you're a movie fan this very neighbourhood is also where Steven Spielberg shot Schindler's List. The Jewish quarter is a must when you visit Krakow. #JayWayPoland #streetphotography #polandtravel #worldphotographyday #wheretotravel #beautifuldestinations #visitEurope #krakowpoland #wheretotravel #wheretogo #toppolandphoto #igerspoland #explorepoland #discoverpoland #polandphotos #wheretonext #polandsights
  • Colourful views over Market Square in #Krakow. This is just steps from my stay @hotelamber. If you're looking for a place to stay on your next trip to Krakow I highly recommend it. In the middle of a bustling city it offers a relaxing sauna and a picturesque garden! Plus you're only 5 mins to this view! (Check out my recent #insta story for a tour). Everyone here have been so lovely and helpful. I leave Krakow today and my comfortable level is about to change. I'm headed to Auschwitz with @jaywaytravel for a tour of one of the most tragic concentration camps. I'm not sure how my day will go but I'm sure it will be an emotional one #JayWayPoland . . . . . . . . #traveltopoland #explorekrakow #visitpoland🇵🇱 #visitkrakow #europegram #poland_insta #krakow_gram #bestofPoland #poland_insta #madeinPoland #Krakowgram #colourfulstreets #krakowcity #colorfulcities #polandtravel #wheretotravel #beautifuldestinations #visitEurope #visit_europe #krakowpoland #wheretotravel #wheretogo #toppolandphoto #igerspoland #explorepoland #discoverpoland #polandphotos #wheretonext #polandsights
  • View from the Town Hall Tower in the Old Town. Krakow is full of colourful buildings like these ones. The tower is only 110 steps but the spiraling route to the top is a bit uneasy. The stairs are tiny, narrow and kinda claustrophobic. Where was the last viewpoint you climbed to? . . . . . . . . . #traveltopoland #JayWayPoland #explorekrakow #visitpoland🇵🇱 #visitkrakow #europegram #poland_insta #krakow_gram #bestofPoland #polandtravel #madeinPoland #Krakowgram #colourfulstreets #krakowcity @jaywaytravel #polandtravel #wheretotravel #beautifuldestinations #visitEurope #visit_europe #krakowpoland #wheretotravel #wheretogo #toppolandphoto #igerspoland #explorepoland #discoverpoland #polandphotos #wheretonext #polandsights #colourfulcities #colorfulcities
  • Cześć from #Poland! I'm exploring the city of #Krakow with @jaywaytravel today. Every street we turn to is as historical and colourful as the next. Straight ahead you can see St.Mary's Basilica, one of 150 churches in Krakow and where a trumpeteer appears at the top window every hour to play the national melody. But don't expect to hear the full song. Legend has it the melody was used by watchmen to alert the city of invasion in the 13th century. The city gates were closed before attack but the trumpeteer was shot in the throat by bow & arrow before he could finish so the melody ended abruptly. I wonder if anyone in Krakow today knows how the song is actually supposed to end? . . . . . . . . #traveltopoland #JayWayPoland #explorekrakow #visitpoland🇵🇱 #visitkrakow #europegram #poland_insta #krakow_gram #bestofPoland #polandtravel #madeinPoland #Krakowgram #krakowcity #visiteurope #visit_europe