Hangzhou Global Tour - Mike's Road Trip

Epic 39,702 mile trip around the world

Mike Shubic May 17th, 2016 1 Comment

Trip around the world: 39,702 miles by planes, trains, automobiles and feet During a two month period last summer I calculated I traveled 39,702 miles on a trip around the world. It was an exhilarating time, I saw amazing things and met some fascinating people, but that amount of travel...

Hangzhou Global Tour highlights

Mike Shubic January 27th, 2016 Comments Off

This past summer I was fortunate enough to be selected as a storyteller for the 2015 Hangzhou Global tour. This was a cultural immersion campaign by the Hangzhou Tourism Commission (HTC) in which ambassadors from the U.S. and China were selected , along with two storytellers to travel around the...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 31 in NYC

Mike Shubic August 26th, 2015 1 Comment

Many of the great cities around the world have water running through them…from Prague, Chicago, Paris to Hangzhou and New York City to name a few. I have always been a fan of water tours as you can really get a different perspective of a city. This morning we boarded...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 30

Mike Shubic August 24th, 2015 Comments Off

I scream. You scream. We all scream, for ice cream! Organizers of the Global Tour had a large ice cream truck wrapped in the tour logo colors and insignia. Parked at 5th Avenue and 20th Street in the shadow of the iconic Flatiron Building, the entire team, along with some...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 29

Mike Shubic August 23rd, 2015 1 Comment

As we’ve traveled around the world, the people in every destination have been so kind and helpful, that organizers thought it would be nice if we gave back a little by doing some volunteer work. Bright and early on our first day in New York we met up with a...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 28

Mike Shubic August 22nd, 2015 2 Comments

Today we toured the State Capital (aka State House), located here in Boston, which happens to be one of the most significant and historic buildings in the U.S. Built in 1798 by none other than Paul Revere, the State House is located across from Boston Common at the top of...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 27

Mike Shubic August 21st, 2015 Comments Off

It was a beautiful day in Boston. First up on our agenda was a tour of the Harvard University campus, which was led by a highly informed student. We learned some fascinating facts about Harvard during the tour…for starters, the university dates all the way back to 1636, well before...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 26

Mike Shubic August 20th, 2015 1 Comment

This morning we had a bit of free time to ourselves, but most of mine was spent packing for the last major leg of this Global Tour. Today we’ll board an Air France flight to Boston, which happens to be a sister city to Hangzhou. After one last walk around...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 25

Mike Shubic August 19th, 2015 Comments Off

This morning we went to a local Parisian farmers market to pick up a few things to prepare a picnic. As a foodie photography enthusiast, I was thrilled to capture some close-up shots of the vibrant produce and other edible goodness on display. Unfortunately, I learned many of the vendors...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 23

Mike Shubic August 17th, 2015 Comments Off

Since we arrived so late to the hotel here in Paris due to our canceled flight from Geneva and long train ride, we didn’t get out of the hotel to sightsee until 11am. We arranged a local tour guide to show us around the Notre Dame area, which reminded me...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 22

Mike Shubic August 16th, 2015 1 Comment

After breakfast in a rooftop atrium of our hotel overlooking Geneva, with a glimpse of Lake Geneva in the background, we boarded a bus to take us to the UN headquarters for a tour. I found the grounds and tour of the UN quite fascinating, more than I thought I...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 21

Mike Shubic August 15th, 2015 2 Comments

Today was a travel day and started out with a bit of a challenge. Three water taxis had been scheduled to take our crew and large quantity of luggage to the train station where we were to travel to Geneva. Unfortunately, our taxis were late and our film crew did...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 16

Mike Shubic August 11th, 2015 2 Comments

At sea on Costa Deliziosa...first time on a cruise The past two weeks has been a whirlwind of non-stop travels and activities, so it was incredibly nice to be aboard the Costa Deliziosa with some free time to rest, relax and enjoy all the amenities aboard the ship. This has...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 15

Mike Shubic August 9th, 2015 2 Comments

I found the Greek Island of Santorini to be so inviting and quite different from Mykonos. Santorini is more laid back, even rural, while Mykonos is more about the party scene while basking on its sun-drenched beaches. When we first arrived on Santorini via our cruise ship tender, I was...

Hangzhou Global Tour: Day nine

Mike Shubic July 31st, 2015 1 Comment

Tea is highly coveted in Hangzhou, from its cultivation, to the art of making the perfect cup. Today we enjoyed a tea ceremony at one of the most exclusive teahouses in all of Hangzhou, Hu Pan Ju (or Lakeside Teahouse). The Hu Pan Ju Teahouse is located right on the...