30/07/2026
🗺️ 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻: 𝗔 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
How do you find something new in a place everyone already knows?
Since most people in our Taipei community have been to Yuanshan and Maji Square, that was exactly the challenge for our latest Language Walk.
As my co-organizer Fulan and I often agree: no matter how familiar a city seems, there are always hidden corners left to explore. We’ve seen this across our events in Taipei. And not even talking about the four walks in Kaohsiung that I organized with Annie (and the last with Oli), or mapping out entirely fresh routes in Taichung, Tainan (with Sophie), Chiayi (with Josh), and even Dresden!
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 & 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁
After scouting via Google Maps and an in-person walkthrough, I found the perfect route to balance the outdoors with the 30°C summer heat.
𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 & 𝗔𝗿𝘁: We kicked off at the MRT, snapped some great photos at a local Buddhist temple, and transitioned through Maji Square straight into the glorious A/C of the Art Museum! Here, we broke into small groups to chat in French, Spanish, Chinese, and English.
𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 & 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: We then wandered towards the Rose Garden, passing some massive Banyan trees and then global rose varieties, before heading into the Botanical Garden.
𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗢𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 & 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
The absolute highlight? Stepping into the Botanical Garden's alpine zone. Swapping the 30°C outdoor heat for a comfortable 18°C was the perfect environment for some 1-on-1 language practice.
Linguistically, this walk was incredibly diverse. We had a good group of Japanese speakers. We also hosted an intensive language session around the tables for German and Spanish practice before heading back out into the midday heat.
𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹
Our final stretch took us to the beautiful Lin An Tai historical building (a big thanks to Petr and Su for the amazing photos!).
We wrapped up with our traditional session: "What have you learned today, and do you have anything to promote?" It is always so inspiring to see the incredible activities that community members are building around health, fitness, and languages. I’m really looking forward to attending some of them!
We also practiced a ritual introduced by Lex a few walks ago: The synchronized one clap of gratitude. 👏 It’s such a simple, grounding element to end our walks.
Finally, we cooled off again at Taipei Story House / Maison ACME. It was incredibly rewarding to hear that spots like the alpine area were brand new to almost everyone.
(And a quick apology to Mischa—I know you prefer our more challenging hikes, but I hope you still enjoyed this "simple stroll" 😉).
Thank you to everyone who joined! Where should we explore next in Taipei?
