I HEART PARIS

Bonjour, Paris!

It's been two years since TravelingJules last stepped foot off of US soil. As you can imagine, I was feeling the itch to pack my bags and fly far away, even if it was only for a short week. TravelingJules has an office job now, and she hardly gets 6 weeks off like the lucky Europeans, let alone a PAID day off. There's little time to flee off to foreign countries and that is a shame.

The clock was ticking, and I had exactly 8 days to get from Denver - Chicago, Chicago - Paris, Paris - Nimes, Nimes - Marseille, Marseilles - London, London - Boston, Boston - Denver. (I guess it didn't hurt to fly first class the whole way to Paris. There were no regular class frequent flyer awards left!)

With what little time was left, I wanted to climb the Eiffel Tower, saunter down the Champs Elysee, munch on creme brulee, and gaze at the Mona Lisa before heading south to attend a very special wedding.

I had my week cut out for me, but in true hardcore traveler style, I got it done. And it was fun!

To my great surprise, my dear friend Chiara (my first friend from Vail) booked a ticket from Lugano, Switzerland to Paris with just two days notice (Even I had only booked my ticket three days in advance). It had been 4 years since our last travel excursion to Budapest (for the Best Hungarian Experience Ever) and Oktoberfest (for one hell of a blurry time), but it didn't feel like that much time had passed. She was still the same great Chiara and it was so cool to see her again! I wish we lived a little closer!

We covered a lot of ground, stopping at the Lourve, the Orsay, and the Pompidou for a quick look in and out (one can only handle so much museum at a time).

We sang the French lyrics of "Champs Elysees" while skipping down the Champs Elysee. These are the only French words I know, apart from an unnatural amount of French cuss words, both of which I credit to my friend Laurent, the groom to be!

We climbed up the Arc de Triumph and down the Eiffel Tower.


It was pretty spectacular to see the Eiffel Tower with my own two eyes. Sure, it's a world famous icon that everyone has seen a million times on TV and in books. But seeing it in person is nothing to be modest about. It was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic, especially on a warm summer's night.


And while I'm not a huge fan of French food, it was pretty wonderful to enjoy my meals sitting in open air cafes that spilled straight onto the streets of Paris.





Au revoir, Paris! It's time to head down South...

Special to Metromix: Brew Fest

A schmorgous board of brews for big beer enthusiasts
By Juliana Broste
Special to Metromix
Published on Metromix.com on July 23, 2010

At the height of summer, you can’t go wrong with more than 90 brews all under one roof. Thirty-four breweries served more than 1,500 thirsty fans on Friday night at the Summer Brew Fest 2010 at Mile High Station. Great beers and great company were high in supply.

Click here to read the full article: Knockin' them back at Summer Brew Fest
http://denver.metromix.com/events/photogallery/knockin-them-back-at/2085888/content

New Camera

I bought a new camera! Sony NEX-5. It shoots 1080/60i HD video and performs really well in low light.

Great little point & shoot / SLR combo that still fits in my purse! :) Pretty sweet, eh?

Goodbye point and shoot, hello SONY NEX-5!

Had a fun little test run on my trip to France...Read on!

Special to Metromix: Metromix gets a Mouthful at Lodo Bites

Lodo Bites
By Juliana Broste
Special to Metromix
Published on Metromix.com on June 30, 2010

Step by step, bite by bite, Denverites toured up to 20 LoDo restaurants at the 2^nd annual LoDo Bites event on Tuesday, June 29. Participants sampled select wines, desserts, and tons of tasty nibblies along the walking tour. Popular stops included a wide range of Denver hotspots, everything from The Wine Loft, to Wynkoop Brewery and even Kuulture Frozen Yogurt!



Click here to read the full article: Metromix gets a Mouthful at Lodo Bites
http://denver.metromix.com/events/photogallery/metromix-gets-a-mouthful/2039909/content

Memories of Korea

Summer 2005
This was my first summer in Korea. This was the year I sat next to Young Oh and Kie Sup Shim on the airplane, a retired couple who spoke just a hint of English. They kindly took me home after I'd missed the last bus to my final destination, and we became fast friends. I later spent an entire week at their home, and they showed me all things Korean: how to make kimchi, the traditional Korean village, the statue of the guy on the 10,000 Won bill, and the Korean Disneyland: Everland!

This was the year I worked at KBS iBEST Summer Camp, a total disorganized mess but great fun anyways. I made great friends like Justin, Graham, Logan, Candice, Sarah, Noel, Sarah, Marc, and many many other well traveled souls, some of whom I would later travel to Thailand with, or meet up with in Ireland or the USA! Many a mack-ju shared at Bleu or GS Mart...and many memories made in Itaewon.






Summer 2006
This was my first year living in Seoul, also the year of the last World Cup Soccer Championship. Korea. Team. Fighting. It was so cool to see Korea's nationalistic pride. Six lane streets were filled with red-shirted fans at 4 in the morning, cheering on their team in unison until dawn. It was incredible. Paul & Haejin, Jenny & Cheryl were my right-hand friends, as we worked ourselves to the bone teaching full time at Hoyah. We also fought for our fun. We explored the city, shopped like maniacs, and danced up a storm. I also met my Korean friend Robin this summer, who has been an incredible resource and friend.





I even placed 3rd in a spontaneous dance contest at Seoul's biggest nightclub, NB!


Summer 2007
This was the year I lived in Dreamville, an apartment sitting at the top a mini-mountain behind my work, just above the National Taekwondo Center. I woke up to make huhs and hi-yaaahs that year. I spent a lot of time with Robin that year, plus my Hoyah crew, Paul, Karim, who is so delicious, and Frank. Haej was with us half the summer, and my brother Mark visited at the end of summer. My brother and I toured Seoul, trying hard to find something he could eat, but we could always count on milkshake in a bag. We also celebrated Korean Independence Day with my Korean friends Young Oh and Kie Sup.




Mud wrestling at the Annual Mud Festival. Hell yeah!



Summer 2008
This was the year I could not sing norebang and was banned from eating spicy food, as I had an unshakable sore throat. It was a bit of a struggle, living in Korea. Still, there was hard work to be done and fun to be had. Amanda Shii, Kelly Shii and I took Korean language classes and scratched the surface of a mysterious language. Paul and I shared a tiny but fabulous one room apartment, and had a memorable time dressing for Circle. We formed a lunch bunch with Christine, Justin and Ryan to escape the concrete walls of work, and even ate when we weren't at norebang.






Summer 2009
No trip to Korea. Trip around the USA instead.

2010
No trip to Korea. Hard working gal at the office.

I want some Kogi Kogi! Red Mango! Kyo Chon! and Pot Bing Su!