Let's Shop Around the World!

On Takeshita Street in Tokyo

From Tokyo's trendy Takeshita Street to Amsterdam's Flower Market and across Europe and the Americas then back to Southeast Asia, shopping is a journey of discovery, retail therapy for some and bittersweet parting with hard earned "dinero" for most of us. Here are some irresistible finds and incredibly beautiful shopping meccas.

Flower Market

In the tulip capital of the world, you can find a variety of bulbs in Amsterdam's Flower Market on the Singel.

Galeries Lafayette

I like to stand in the center underneath the glass dome for the best view of these balconies at the Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Then I go upstairs to get a birds eye view of the ground floor with its perfume and cosmetic counters. O la la.

Ponte Vecchio

At the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, fine jewelry glitter from shop windows lining the bridge. It's a feast for the eyes and a treat just to see the beautiful pieces on display and imagine it could be yours. Dreaming is free.

La Boqueria

How sweet it is to find this colorful selection of bonbons in La Boqueria, along the famous La Rambla. There are more treats to find in this market where fruit stalls, deli, bread and pastries, fresh seafoods, and wine shops compete for space and shoppers' attention.

Tlaquepaque

Guadalajara is famous for two things, among others: its tequila and its colorful pottery. In Tlaquepaque, you can buy from an array of dishes in stalls like this. When you're through shopping, there are a number of restaurants with mariachi music and tequila, por supuesto!

Cowgirl Creamery Artisan Artisan Shop

Say "fromage, please" at the Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Cowgirl sells its own cheeses made from organic milk as well as "artisan farmstead" cheese from famous cheesemakers in the U.S. and Europe.

Bikini shopping

Four important things to take with you to Hawaii: swimsuit, suntan lotion, slippers, and sunglasses. But if you forget any of the above, no worries. Waikiki has some of the best shopping streets in the world.

HongKong Market

Shopping in one of HongKong's outdoor markets is still a thrill with the possibility of a good bargain. If you're up to jostling with the hordes of shoppers on the eve of Chinese New Year, then prepare to be tempted to buy stuff you hadn't planned to and be completely entertained.

Dried Fish Market, Lantau Island

Locals and tourists come to this unique island not only to see the houses on stilts but to pick up some dried fish.

Sutukil on Mactan Island

And speaking of fish, diners in Cebu can check the availability of fresh fish and other seafoods for their main entrée before picking a restaurant. Or take home a pompano for dinner. Sarap (delish)!

Greenhills Tiangge

You can find just about anything at Greenhills Mall in Metro Manila. In a previous article I had written about my shopping experience at Greenhills where I bought a woodcarving in the Balinese style, a Manny Pacquiao jacket for a friend, necklaces and bracelets for my family and friends, keychains for the two dozen keys I have at home. For my next visit, I'm planning to buy a painting to hang in my guest bedroom. In the photo above, traditional Philippine parol or lantern is a Christmas decoration staple.

Happy shopping!

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Photos by TravelswithCharie

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and...

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the ...

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