May 14, 2019

Outer Banks, NC

May 14, 2019/ Brandy C.

(Please scroll down for English translation.)

終於在離開維吉尼亞前兩個月和我們小台灣一起來北卡玩！

北卡有很強的魔力讓大家都愛這。有朋友愛北卡愛到婚禮在這辦，也有朋友希望能在北卡定居。每個愛北卡的人都推薦Outer Banks (OBX)！

原先天氣預報顯示下雨打雷，擔心無法出去玩，但在OBX那幾天完全大太陽。UN還因此大曬傷，整個辦公室的人都知道他去玩了！值得一提，小台灣超台超厲害，準備非常好吃的台式早餐。

P.S. 我們Airbnb旁邊就是萊特兄弟第一次試飛飛機的地點。

We finally visited Outer Banks (OBX) with Little Taiwan 2-month before we leave Virginia!!! North Carolina has special magic. People who visited NC always rave about this place! We have friends who love NC, and had their wedding here. We also have a couple of friends who want to settle down in NC after they retire! Everyone who loves North Carolina all recommend OBX, so here we are!

In the beginning, we were worried about a thunder storm in OBX, but it happened to be sunny and warm. UN even got sunburn from our fishing trip. Worthy of mention, my friends also prepared Taiwanese breakfast every morning! So delicious!

P.S. Wright’s Brother first flight trial was next to our Airbnb!

April 27, 2019

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary | 捷克，斯洛伐克，匈牙利

April 27, 2019/ Brandy C.

(Please scroll down for English translation.)

如果我說這次旅行超棒超好玩，我應該在騙你！在布達佩斯時，朋友C的皮包被偷，裡面有護照和信用卡，還有Aeroflot沒把我們的行李準時送到轉機機場。

從這兩件事，我學到

護照不見：馬上到當地警局報案，聯絡美國大使館（或持有護照國家的辦事處或大使館），並與航空公司聯絡。朋友Ｃ發現皮包不見時剛好是在耶穌受難日當天，美國大使館沒開（許多店家也關了），需要等到星期二才開。所以朋友C在我們離開那天，直接到在飛機場裡的航空公司辦事處求幫助！航空公司聯絡在莫斯科的美國大使館，幫C拿到能回美國的允許證。好險證件沒丟，能確認是朋友C。而且警局報案的那份報告超強，讓朋友C順利回家！下次出去玩，記得把全部重要證件照相，儲存在安全又自己能拿到的地方。（還有，我的破西班牙文很有用！）
遺失行李箱：我知道已經坐超久飛機，行李沒到感覺很瞎！問附近工作人員全部行李是不是已經出來了，他們有名單是行李箱沒抵達的乘客名字。去航空公司辦公室處理，拿”file reference”單子（要好好收好）。之後，聯絡信用卡公司和保險公司，詢問你能怎麼做。我們的信用卡有提供五百元美金買生活用品，但需要留好發票以便請款。之後行李箱一到，航空公司會把行李送到你家或指定地點。

布拉格捷克

布拉提斯拉瓦斯洛伐克

布達佩斯匈牙利

別問我最愛哪個國家，因為到處都好有特色（我知道很官方)，但每個城市的歷史都好值得去欣賞和學習。雖然旅途發生一些狀況，我很開心也很感謝能和朋友們一起出去玩。也很感謝神我們很平安與安全回家。

特別感謝：

超好心超級高（大約200公分吧）住在Brno的俄羅斯男子！謝謝他在我超迷路時幫助我，還教我幾句俄羅斯話（但我只記得謝謝）。
謝謝達美航空，兩趟來回都免費幫我升等到頭等艙。

English Translation

If I say this is the best trip ever, I would be sugar coating it. My friend C’s purse was stolen in Budapest, which had her passport and wallet in it. As for Mama S and I, Aeroflot delayed our luggage, didn’t make it back home!

From all these incidents, I learned that

Lost passport: get a police report from local police department. Contact U.S. Embassy and airline company. Our situation happened to be during Good Friday. U.S. Embassy was closed until the following Tuesday, so C went to airline office at the airport. Aeroflot contacted U.S. Embassy in Moscow, and got the permission for C to travel back to U.S.. Thank God, my friend C still has her ID to identify herself. Next time, take pictures of all the important document before your trip and store it somewhere accessible and safe.
Luggage missing: it’s not the best feeling after a long flight, but the process wasn’t too crazy. Ask around airport staff to get the updates if the luggage got placed somewhere else or didn’t arrive on the same flight. If the luggage didn’t arrive on time, go to airline office to get the file reference and ask what you can do. Contact credit card company to see if you are eligible to buy daily necessities and get reimbursement. My credit card company offers up to $500 reimbursement. Contact insurance company (if you purchased before the trip) to see how you can file the claim. Credit card and insurance company will need your file reference number to start the process. Once the luggage arrives at the destination, airline company will contact you and you have the option to either pick up at the airport or have it delivered to your house.

Prague, Czech Republic

Bratislava, Slovakia

Budapest, Hungary

I wouldn’t put favor in any country. They all have special history in their cities, and I got to appreciate and learn every detail in this trip. Even though the trip had some hiccups, I’m so grateful I could go on this trip with my friends. Thank God we were safe despite these incidents, and got to see so many things on this trip.

Special thanks to

A super friendly and tall Russian guy who lives in Brno, Czech for helping me when I got lost. He also taught me how to say thank you in Russian!
Thanks Delta for upgrading my seat to first class this trip!

March 26, 2019

George Washington's Mount Vernon | 華盛頓總統家

March 26, 2019/ Brandy C.

Living in Virginia satisfied UN’s passion for American history. We visited Montecello, home of Thomas Jefferson in the beginning of the year. This time we are visiting Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. I like Jefferson’s home, it was the OG smart home before Alexa. He installed a switch that allowed him to open his bedroom doors from his bed, an elevator that delivers wine from his cellar to the living room, and many other automated things.

But I also adore the beautiful view of the Potomac river from Washington’s back porch, his farm and petting zoo. They said sometimes there are pigs on the property because Martha Washington enjoyed ham, but we didn’t see any pigs that day.

At the end of the guided tour, I wanted to ask where is the cherry tree chopped down by George Washington, but UN and fellow visitors in our tour group asked many questions regarding Mount Vernon’s architecture and history. Next time you guys go, can you find out for me where the cherry tree is please?

住維吉尼亞滿足UN對美國歷史的熱情。年初參觀Thomas Jefferson的家，這次參觀美國第一位總統華盛頓家。我愛Jefferson家，像是當時Alexa在家。房門直接能在床上打開，酒從酒庫運送到食堂，完全無需人傳遞。但我很愛Washington家外那片超美風景，後院有小型農場能和動物互動。園區人員說有時會有豬，但那天沒看到。

導覽人員解釋完，問我們有沒有問題時，我超想問華盛頓砍的那棵櫻桃樹在哪？UN跟同隊人問好多有關建築和歷史的問題，害我說不出口！你們有機會去時，可以幫我問一下嗎？謝謝！