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Where in the world is Brianna Marie?

Category: North America

March 3, 2019March 6, 2019

California – Los Angeles

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March 3, 2019March 3, 2019

California – San Luis Obispo

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February 23, 2019February 23, 2019

Utah

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October 21, 2018October 21, 2018

California – San Diego

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October 4, 2018October 4, 2018

Arizona

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September 27, 2018March 23, 2019

New York

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September 27, 2018September 27, 2018

California – San Francisco

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September 16, 2018September 16, 2018

Vineyard Goat Yoga

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September 4, 2018March 3, 2019

Colorado

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That’s a wrap on China, and what a learning experience we had. Culture Shock is real; the way of life here is so different than the “western” lifestyle. The differences were frustrating at first (cutting lines/pushing/spitting/yelling/not obeying traffic signals), but it made me think about the “why”. Why are so many people acting the way they they are (i.e. rude by western standards)? We learned from our guide that there is a lack of education in many parts of the country; most people are not aware of how their actions are so different than the rest of the world. You quickly learn that it is not their fault, and it’s the way of life here. . Once we quickly got over the shock, we saw a few of the main attractions in Shanghai, but we mostly focused on food and went on two food tours to learn all about traditional Chinese cuisine. Mike was much more adventurous than I was, and he tried some very interesting dishes (I.e. frog legs, jellyfish, rabbit, fish bones). We will remember this trip for a lifetime. 🇨🇳🥢🥟🐷🐸🐲 #shanghai #thebund #leroyalmeridien #yugarden #jadebuddha #foodtour #baijiu

What an experience we had climbing the Great Wall of China (and riding down in the toboggans) as well as learning how the royal emperors worked and lived at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We were also treated like royals and surprised by our hotel with many wonderful touches! 🎏🗻🏮🇨🇳🐲 #Mutianyu #greatwallofchina #tiananmensquare #forbiddencity #waldorfastoria

On our final day in Japan, we participated in two special historical ceremonies. 👘 First, we participated in a traditional tea ceremony with a Maiko, which is a Geisha in training to perform all of the traditional Japanese arts. We learned about the kakejiku (hanging scroll in every tea ceremony that is a reminder of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility), the cleansing process, the tea making process, and the tea enjoying process. It was fun to be able to ask the Maikoya anything we wanted. 📿Second, we had just arrived at the Shitennō-ji Temple, and a Buddhist monk invited us to join a ceremony (we couldn’t say no to a monk!). The ceremony was a short and sweet 15 minute chant/meditation under the Sakura trees; the energy from the ceremony was awesome. This temple is said to be Japans oldest temple and the first ever built by the state of Japan. 🏯 Finally, we visited the beautiful Osaka Castle and surrounding gardens, which was a great end to our cherry blossom tour around Japan. 🇯🇵👘🌸🏮🥢🏯📿🎏 #osaka #teaceremony #maiko #geisha #shitennoji #osakacastle

Not all travel days are happy days. During our day trip to Miyajima and Hiroshima, we were able to stream the end of the MSU basketball game through a VPN routed via San Francisco, but what a bummer that game was. Miyajima was a beautiful island with a floating shrine and a ropeway into Jurassic Park looking mountains, however, after we got back to the hotel tonight, I found a tick in my belly button (and I freaked out / every black dot I see I think it’s a tick). Then we visited Hiroshima and saw where the atomic bomb was dropped, which was moving. Hiroshima now has a peace park memorial to show how important it is to remember to peacefully resolve conflict without death. “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” ~ Albert Einstein 😢⛩🗻🇯🇵 #miyajima #hiroshima #hiroshimapeacememorial

Started the day off meditating in a beautiful Buddhist temple with a zen garden, and then visited a great Buddha in Nara. It’s fascinating to learn more about other cultures and religions! “Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives. - Brené Brown“ 🧘🏻‍♀️✨🏮#kyoto #nara #greatbuddha #spirituality

Kyoto is the perfect place to immerse yourself in traditional Japanese culture. We are staying at the cutest traditional Ryokan house. Kyoto has over 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines; Mike and I visited some of the biggest and most popular, and they were all fantastic. We also participated in a tea ceremony at one of them. Besides the temples and shrines, Kyoto is full of cherry blossoms everywhere you look. We had plans to see more, but my body needed a rest today. I hope to come back someday! P.S. check out the butterfly that flew into the frame of the last photo 💕🌸⛩🏮👘🇯🇵 #Kyoto #ryokan #temples #shrines

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