Welcome to Amsterdam
Travel blogger Ioannis Gkioulekas curates his adventure in Amsterdam, Netherlands
By Ioannis Gkioulekas, September 30, 2020
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Ioannis Gkioulekas is from Greece and loves to travel. He feels that the world is a book and those who don't travel read only one page. For Ioannis, to travel is to live. Everything started for him 8 years ago when he met a few people with the same mindset. Together they started traveling from one country to another. Ioannis has been to more than 10 countries, such as Ireland, France and USA, and walked around in more than 18 cities.
One of the most mind blowing trips for Ioannis was to Amsterdam, Netherlands, in November of 2019. He felt a huge difference from the other cities immediately after getting out of the plane. Amsterdam was very organized, multicultural, colorful and of course overcrowded. The city is well known for its freedom when it comes to weed. Marijuana is legal and available all day long, in every corner at places called "Coffee Shops''. A memorable part of Amsterdam is the "Red Light District", right in the center of the city with tens of bordellos. There you'll see girls standing behind glass doors showing off their beauty. Ioannis personally wanted to see further than all the touristic attractions. For four days he walked around the streets, visiting areas and places which were least suggested, yet interesting. Adam tower with the swings on the edge of the very top of the building and the Science Museum "Nemo" with the outstanding view of the city are only two examples of many interesting locations. Ioannis took a ride through the canals, which was a must! Locals were warm, welcoming and helpful. His answer to anyone that asked him about this trip was "you should be there!" Follow more of Ioannis Gkioulekas adventure @john_gkioul |
Meet Tyler King
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Tyler King is a personal chef and a caterer in Nashville. His typical weekend night involves showing up to someone’s home and preparing fresh, made-from-scratch food for celebrations, visitors coming from out of town, or just because! This is a passion that he has been pursuing for a few years. In 2018, King was managing a kitchen at a restaurant in downtown Nashville. Everyday on his way to work, he would listen to Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain on Audible. He would show up to work excited to face big challenges, only to be shot down by the day-to-day reality of restaurants. He decided it was time for a change and took a leap of faith to follow his dream and start a business! He gave up a stable job so that he could chase his dream of preparing fabulous foods.
The first two years especially were very challenging because he faced many obstacles. He hardly made any money and made a lot of mistakes. He worked two other jobs just to make ends meet. It seemed like the months of November 2018 - April 2020 were full of nothing but obstacles. Nevertheless, he kept his head down and worked as hard as he could. He relied heavily on other entrepreneurial friends that had gone through or were facing similar obstacles. King’s patience has paid off. He confesses that everyday is a new food challenge, and that makes him happy, fulfilled. Interaction with customers, preparing great food, watching people learn how to cook, and being a part of people's major life celebrations is what brings him joy. King is deeply motivated by his goal to create a better life for himself. He does not only want to be a talented personal chef, he is working to be the best at what he does and this drive has always kept him afloat. King hopes to one day take a step back and create opportunities for other young men and women to follow their dreams, not to become another product of the corporate handbook. He leads by example and shows that he is valiant. When asked what valiance meant to him, King stated that it is bravery to stand up for what you believe in. Bravery to not give excuses when opportunities present themselves, bravery to trust your gut. Bravery to be honest and vulnerable with yourself. He is encouraged that each time he practiced valiance, he took a step in the direction of drastically improving his quality of life. See more of Tyler King's work @tastifyfood and at tastifyfood.com |
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