The Adventures of Ben and Liya

Getting ready to go!

2011-07-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

Terracotta Warriors in Xian: June 20th-22nd

2008-06-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, the 21st, we did a full-day excursion of the Terracotta Warriors Museum. As part of every Chinese tour, we made the usual stop at a factory. At this factory we went to yesterday morning, clay models of Terracotta Warriors and its horses of all sizes were being made and sold. Following the factory stop was the Terracotta Warriors Museum.

Story behind the Terracotta Warriors: The first emperor of China was man of immense power and was a bit crazy in the head. He was ruthless against his enemies and his own people. He united the different provinces by building the Great Wall of China, to protect China from enemies in the North. He ordered a mausoleum to built for him in a mountain and an underground army to protect him in the afterlife. Every single Terracotta soldier has a unique face which is extraordinary since there are thousands and thousands of them! The Emperor ordered the craftsmen to write their name as well as the soldier they were making a model after. If he found any two to be the same, he would have the craftsman executed. The Warriors and the mausoleum were built at the bottom of the Li Shan Mountains and next to the Yellow and Yangtze River due to the great Fung Shue. In 1974, a few farmers who were trying to dig up a well at the bottom of Li Shan Mountain discovered stone fragments of a Terracotta Warrior. Only a small portion of the King’s underground haven has been excavated. The Chinese have put a hold on further excavating for at least another several years due to inefficient equipment and technologies.

At the museum, there are 3 pits. Pit #1 is the largest with over 8,000 warriors excavated. Pit #2 is much smaller and is of a waiting room for the generals and officials. Workers are starting to excavate in Pit #3, only a few sections for exposed for the public to see.

The Terracotta Warriors definitely belong in the TOP 7 Man-made Wonders of the World.

We got back to Xian late afternoon and spent the rest of the day perusing through the Muslim Quarter. The Quarter is made of up several blocks that are lined with hole-in-the-wall-type restaurants, street vendors selling various snacks and trinkets, and a number of souvenir shops. Ben’s favorite food in Xian was the “Chinese stuffing.” It was cooked with lamb meat and had tremendous flavor. Liya’s favorite were the Xian soup noodles for only 5 RMB ($1 ~ 7RMB). After a few hours of walking through the Muslim Quarter, we headed for East Street. On the way, we stopped to enjoy the Drum and Bell Towers.

Overall, we really enjoyed Xian. It was better than we expected it to be. The city has a great personality to it. A bit of charm as well. It’s amazing that the city wall (30km all around) is still intact. We appreciated the architecture which was a mix of old and new. Oh, and we got to see a bit of blue sky :) which is rare in these big Chinese cities. We would love to return to Xian in the future.

Next stop, Beijing!

Yangshou: June 17th-20th

2008-06-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Guilin, located in the Guanxi Provence, via plane late night on Monday, the 16th. Tuesday morning, we took the bus to the small town of Yangshou, also in the Guangxi Provence. What’s unique about the Guangxi region are the limestone formations, which make all the cities and rural towns in the area beautiful. In Yangshou, there are 2 main streets and the Li River. One of the main streets is West Street, a touristy street that has a number of souvenir shops and restaurants. We rented a couple of 1-speed road bikes and spent the day riding around in the countryside. We trekked up 880 steps (phew!) to the top of Moon Hill where we took in spectacular views of limestone karsts and small villages. On our bike ride, we rode past many rice paddy fields, lotus flower plants, caves, lush green fields, farming villages, and the Li River.

In town, we took a bamboo raft ride up and down the Li River. We enjoyed the ride --the weather was favorable (finally!) and the scenery was beautiful. We mentioned how mainland China is very "bootlegged". In Yangshou, we noticed a crowd of locals outside of a "Nike" Store. Fake shoes were being sold (we didn't know for how much) but the price tag resembled prices you see in the States. The sad thing is that many of these locals probably don't know that these are fake Nikes and are being taken.
For dinner, we enjoyed beer fish, a specialty of Yangshou, and a variety of Sichuan dishes such as spicy Mapo tofu and braised eggplant.

We took the bus back into Guilin on the 19th and stayed a night in the city. Guilin isn't anything spectacular. Although there are beautiful limestone hills surrounding the city, the city itself is bleak, grey and polluted. But we had a great day anyways because it was Ben's 24th Birthday!!! We enjoyed a tasty and very spicy Sichuan dinner and not to mention the $0.25 beers!

Next stop, the Terracota Warriors in Xian!

Shanghai: June 11th-15th

2008-06-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Shanghai Wednesday evening from Hong Kong and were greeted by a familiar face, Cejih Yung (a.k.a. CG)! CG went to UW with us and was a former teammate on Liya’s UW swim team. CG took us out to dinner at Blue Frog, a popular joint for Expats. It was great to have western food again! Liya enjoyed a juicy bacon burger and Ben devoured his chicken fajitas.

On Thursday, we went with CG to visit his office in downtown in a district known as Puxi. While CG was at work, we walked along the main shopping road, Nanjing Lu, and enjoyed steamed dumplings and Shanghai noodles on a side street. In the afternoon, we went with CG to Pudong Maritime University where he taught an English class. The students loved Ben! In the evening, we spent it at a KTV (Karoake bar) for CG’s farewell party. Asians love their karaoke! We were impressed with CG’s boss, Tony, when he belted out “Everything I do, I do it for you” by Bryan Adams. It was a bit harsh on the ears, but we had to give it to him, he knew Bryan Adams!

Friday was spent searching for domestic flights and visiting the Urban Planning Museum located in downtown Shanghai. The 3rd floor in the museum was really impressive. A urban planning model took over the entire level and the attention to detail for every street, every building, every district, was hard to believe. Can’t imagine how long and how many people it took to construct such a model! CG’s girlfriend, Katie, flew in from Seattle that evening. It was nice to see another familiar face!

Highlights from our last two days in Shanghai were the delicious steamed dumplings at the famous restaurant located in the Yu Gardens, the Bund and its bars, the boutiques and great brunch in the French Concession, and People’s Park.

Hong Kong - Definitely One of Our Top 5 Favorite Cities in the World: June 4th- June 10th

2008-06-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Wow. Beautiful. Amazing. Crazy. These were few of the many words we used to describe the city of Hong Kong. The skyline was one of a kind. The shopping…OMG, ALL THE SHOPPING!!! It was incredible. The amount of high-end brand retail spaces, the shopping centers, and the street markets were outrageous! The international cuisine that was offered in this city would be comparable to a big metropolis like Sydney and New York City. The HK night life is rockin’ - heaps of bars, clubs, and exclusive clubs in sky rises, underground and hidden. The party never ends in this city. The light show every night at 8pm is spectacular.

On our first day in Hong Kong (HK), the first thing we did was eat dim sum (Chinese tapas basically)! We were expecting carts to be pushed around from all sorts of directions but saw none in sight! Unfortunately, we learned that HK no longer does the traditional dim sum push-cart (where you point at what you’d like to eat). That evening, we spent a few hours walking through the famous night market, the Temple Street Night Market, in Kowloon. The market stretched for miles and miles it seemed! It sold mostly clothes, souvenirs, jewelry, and knock-off items such as purses, luggage, and watches. For dinner, we enjoyed Thai food at Sawaisdee Thai. Bob’s choice of Thai fried rice in a grilled pineapple and Carol’s eggplant with minced meat were our favorites!

The 2nd day we participated in a half-day tour of HK City. First stop of the tour was Victoria Peak. We took a tram up a steep hill up to one of HK’s tallest mountains on the island, where we enjoyed panoramic views of the city. Following Victoria Peak was a stop at Stanley Market. Located on the backside of HK Island, Stanley Market is a much smaller and quaint market in comparison to Temple Street. It sold mostly antiques, jewelry, silk fabric, cashmere and calligraphy artwork. On our drive to Stanley Market, we got to see where Jackie Chan lived! Last tour activity was a ride through Aberdeen Harbor on a junk boat. Many families still live on junk boats, some on fishing and house boats, and majority of Government housing (300 s.q.f. ‘family’ apartments- tiny!) are located in Aberdeen. We drove past the famous JUMBO floating seafood restaurant as well. After the tour, we had a late lunch at Serenade Restaurant which had a great view of HK Island’s magnificent skyline. Next was a walk along the water and some window shopping. We enjoyed Happy Hour in our room - some bubbly and red vino - then enjoyed a nice dip in the hot tub and swimming pool on the 9th floor, which had a great view of the city. We had a late night dinner in the Japanese restaurant upstairs: California, spider, spicy tuna and salmon rolls, and katsu don. We walked out of the restaurant very happy customers.

The 3rd day was a day tour in mainland China. Unfortunately for us, it rained pretty much all morning which caused a lot of traffic and flooding in Guangzhou. We only were able to see a wet market and a kindergarten. The kindergarten visit was interesting. It was a nice school and only the richest families in the city could afford to send their kids to this institution. They had us walk by classrooms and take pictures of these well-behaved kids who ‘didn’t notice’ we were watching them through the windows. It was like looking at well-behaved monkeys in a cage which made us slightly uncomfortable. It all just seemed like a façade…We got back into HK late, but that didn’t stop us from going out with our friend, Landy Joe, to enjoy HK nightlife! We had a few drinks at Lux in Central, an international district. Following Lux was Pi, a super exclusive club/lounge up on the 28th floor in one of the sky rises in Central. We were incredibly underdressed as most of the young crowd were wearing dolled up in prom-like dresses and suits.

On our 4th day, Landy showed us many of the local spots in town. He took us up to the Ladies’ Market, similar to Temple St. but much longer, where Liya and Carol enjoyed all the cute girley clothing, jewelry, scarves, shoes, and purses. Following Ladies’ Market was the Ladies’ Mall, 4 stories of retail spaces, all for us ladies! It was fabulous! Next was the footwear street, then the fish market street (where numerous of exotic fishes and turtles were sold in plastic bags), and finally another local street market to end our shopping adventure.

5th day was a day tour on Macau Island. That morning, we woke up to rain and it was still raining when we went to bed. A record was set in HK Island - it poured for 24 hours and 12” of rain was the result! On Macau, we visited the museum, an old Buddhist temple, a food shop where we bought the BEST egg tarts from, the Babylon Casino where we enjoyed a Chinese buffet and some small wins against the casino, and Macau Tower where we witnessed Mother Nature’s power (lightning struck the needle on top of the 99th floor, scared us silly for a few seconds!)

On our 6th day, we took the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor to HK Island. We walked through HK’s largest shopping center, IFC, then took the mid-level escalators up to Soho (really cool). We browsed through a few antique shops on Hollywood Street then had a glass of vino at Enoteca in quaint Soho. For dinner, we took a boat to Lamma Island to eat at the famous Rainbow Seafood Restaurant. We ordered steamed scallops with garlic sauce, lobster in butter and garlic sauce, salt & peppered squid, Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce and seafood fried rice. The scallops were our favorite! Probably the best scallops we have ever tried. On our last day in the city, we went shopping-crazy! And to end our great day in this great city, we had a fabulous dinner in an Italian restaurant.

We said our goodbyes the next afternoon at the HK International Airport :( Bob and Carol flew back to Boise and we flew to Shanghai, Mainland China.

Tapei, Taiwan: June 1st - 3rd

2008-06-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Taipei late afternoon and were greeted by Ben’s parents (Bob and Carol) and Chung-Li (Bob’s co-worker at Boise Inc.) It was so great to see them! :) We had a traditional Taiwanese dinner in downtown Taipei. It was very delicious and boy were we beyond-full when we walked out of the restaurant. The rest of the evening was spent walking through the largest outdoor market in Taiwan. The market wasn’t so much street vendors like we have seen all throughout Thailand, but just hundreds and hundreds of retail stores located in narrow streets with thousands of locals and tourists navigating their way through the chaos.

Our first full day in Taiwan was spent visiting Old Taipei where a quaint street and beautiful Buddhist temple were located, the 2nd tallest high-rise in the world, and at a tea garden restaurant located up in the hills of Taipei. We had an amazing experience up at the tea garden. We enjoyed ‘old’ tea and dinner there. Most of the dishes were cooked with tea leaves or in tea - superb! The view from the restaurant was of the downtown skyline with Taipei 101 being the dominant figure.

On our last full day in Taiwan, we visited the National Palace Museum where most of China’s treasures were on showcase, we enjoyed the amazing view of Taipei from the top of Taipei 101, we were spoiled with a relaxing afternoon at the hot springs spa, and stuffed ourselves silly (again) at a wonderful dinner up in the hills with family and friends.

Overall, we really enjoyed Taipei and look forward to coming back someday to do more sightseeing, especially in the south. The people were friendly, the food was delicious, the shopping and markets were great, and the modern structures were impressive.

Following Taipei would be a fabulous week in Hong Kong.

Last day in Thailand: May 31st

2008-06-21T03:25:00.000-07:00

We flew back into Bangkok from Phuket late morning on the 31st. Most of the day was spent at the tailor shop where Nick was fitted. The shop made some minor adjustments and in the end, the final products (suits, shirts, pants) turned out really well.

In the evening, we enjoyed the amazing city view and a cocktail at the swanky Sky Bar, located on the 66th floor. To end the day, we did plenty of shopping at the night market in the Silom District.

It was an amazing week with Nick. We were so happy to see a familiar face and spend quality time together.

The three of us departed Thailand on June 1st- Nick back to NYC, Ben and Liya to Tapei, Taiwan, to meet up with more family! :)

Paradise Vacation in Phuket: May 28th-30th

2008-06-21T03:06:00.001-07:00

We flew into Phuket Wednesday morning from Chiang Mai. We went straight to Patong Beach where enjoyed body surfing till the sun set. And what a beautiful sunset it was! We had a savory seafood dinner at the famous Patong Seafood Restaurant: pepper & garlic fried squid, fried rice w/fresh crab meat, panaeng curry with chicken, veggie-cashew w/prawns stir-fry, and real fish cakes. After dinner, we took a stroll down a wide street known for its wild nightlife. Bars and clubs lined up the whole street, neon lights lit up the sky and lady boys were everywhere! For dessert, we enjoyed a gigantic sundae called the Chocolate Earthquake at Swenson’s. YUM.

The next day, we rented motos and rode along the west side of the island. We enjoyed the great panoramic view of Phuket Island on one of the island’s highest peaks. A large marble sitting-Buddha was being constructed on the peak we were on. Next scenic point was Prothep Cape, the most southern tip on Phuket Island. It supposedly has the best sunset viewpoint. Following the Cape was a stop at the small beach, Kata Noi. There was great surf and hardly any tourists. The sunset was AMAZING.
We had dinner at one of the restaurants located in the seafood night market: chili-paste squid, steamed clams with chili oyster sauce, fried rice w/shrimp, veggie stir-fry, and plenty of beer Chang to go around. We enjoyed watching Patong Nightlife and the Boston-Pistons Eastern Conference game over a few beers to cap off the day.

We rented motos again on Friday. This time, we went to explore the east side of the island. We drove into Phuket town and had lunch. Next was the Port of Phuket where we were mesmerized by the various blues of the ocean. We did some swimming at Kata Beach but left early and found better surf at Karong Beach just north of Kata. Our best surf of the trip was found at Karong Beach . We enjoyed the huge waves, super warm water and the sunset. Dinner at the same seafood restaurant from the previous night. We ate more than a kilo’s worth of Squid. The cook prepared the squid three ways for us: fried w/pepper & garlic; tom yum style with ginger; stir-fried in chili paste. We also ordered fried rice and pad siew (one of Ben’s favorite Thai noodle dishes). For dessert, Ben bought 10lbs worth of fresh fruit: mangosteens, rambuttans, and durian (much to Nick’s dismay!).

We had a wonderful time in paradise. Our last day together and in Thailand would be spent back in Bangkok.

Cooking classes and Elephant Riding in Chiang Mai! May 26th-27th

2008-06-21T02:41:00.000-07:00

We had a super early morning flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (6:45am). When we arrived, we were taken straight to our all-day cooking course. First stop was the fresh produce and meat market, where the instructor bought several different items for the class. Following the market was to the cooking course which was conducted at the home of the instructor’s.

For our cooking course, each individual had the opportunity to cook 6 dishes of their choice as well as making a curry paste. It was a great experience and we look forward to trying out the recipes back home for our family and friends to try! Later in the day, we ran into our old travel buddies, Amy and Erin, who just arrived after spend 3 days traveling on boat and bus from Laos to come meet up with us. We all went to the Night Bazaar and enjoyed a few beers and market shopping. The day ended with a relaxing 1-hour foot massage :)

On Tuesday, we enjoyed a full-day tour out in the Chiang Mai countryside. First on the agenda was a 1-hour-plus elephant riding at a beautiful conservation. What an amazing experience that was! We each had the chance to ride on our elephant’s head! Ban Ya, our 35-year-old elephant, had a nice patch of coarse hair on his head which would rub our legs. He loved his bananas so we ended up feeding him 3 large bunches of them. Next on the agenda was a 40-minute trek through the jungle to a modest-size waterfall. Following the jungle was a visit to a minority hill tribe where the Nick & Ben bought a handmade purple & gold silk scarf. There were kitties and piglets everywhere! It was a funny sight to see all the piglets follow Nick around. We enjoyed a huge feast for lunch at a nearby village restaurant- ka pow chicken, vegetable soup, stir-fried veggies, and heaps of steam rice and fresh pineapple.
Huge lunch feast at a nearby village restaurant - ka pow, soup, veggies and heaps of steam rice and fresh, cold pineapple. For our last activity of our tour, we went on a 1-hour bamboo rafting ride down a narrow river - definitely a unique experience.

Next stop, paradise.

In Bangkok with Nick! May 24th-25th

2008-06-21T02:31:00.000-07:00

After 24 hours of traveling, Nick finally arrived in Bangkok! We spent three jam-packed days in Bangkok before flying out to Chiang Mai early morning on the 26th.

On Saturday, we got up early and took a river boat cruise up to the Grand Palace where the King and Queen used to call their residence. It was a large estate which included the massive Green Emerald Buddha Wat. After the Grand Palace was a visit to the impressive and very massive Lying Buddha nearby. The rest of the evening was spent getting Nick a couple of nice tailored suits and partying it up on Khao San Road.

On Sunday, we enjoyed half of the day at the large weekend JJ market up north in Bangkok. Nick met his match when he tried a super spicy dish of Thai noodles from a small vendor in the market. Panthip Plaza was the next stop. Ben found himself some chap computer accessories and Nick treated himself to a nice webcam. For dinner, we enjoyed a large hot pot of Tom Yum soup at a popular outdoor seafood restaurant in Chinatown. It was the best Tom Yum soup Liya has ever tried! The rest of the evening was spent relaxing at the hotel pool and catching up with family back home via Skype. It was Liya’s Momma’s birthday on the 25th so it was great to wish her a great one via video chat.

Next city, Chiang Mai.

New Pictures Posted!

2008-06-04T10:02:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone,

We apologize for being REALLY behind on this travel blog. We will try to update the blog over the next week or so with a few entries summarizing our week with Nick in Thailand and the few days we have spent in Taipei, Taiwan.

For now, please enjoy our photos from the past 2 weeks. There are 3 links total:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2272510&l=686fd&id=10708181
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2272505&l=b760a&id=10708181
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2272495&l=ce199&id=10708181

Have a wonderful day! :)

LL & BW

Hua Hin: May 20th-22nd

2008-05-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

This resort town is well known for being the place locals from Bangkok go to get away from the city and enjoy the beach. A three hour bus ride and 250km later we arrived in the center of Hua Hin. A stop at the tourist information center and we were off and pointed in the right direction to find reasonable accommodation. We checked a few guesthouses, some good and some bad, and then ran into a fellow American (Lindsay from Santa Cruz) who suggested the “funky” place she was staying at on the pier. Mode Guest House was definitely funky and then some. Literally located on the pier you could hear the waves crashing below your feet and out the window. For 200 baht ($6.25) a night we decided to go for it and make it our last ‘roughing it’ accommodation before splurging over the next three weeks when some of Ben’s family will join us on the road. A quick cold shower to cool us down and we were out the door to see the town. Lindsay joined us as we walked through the evening market that was set up in the heart of town. We picked up some of the usual - fresh fruit, small corn cakes, and soy milk. Seafood stands and restaurants were plentiful in the market, so we decided to go over budget and try some of the local catch. The first course was a standard favorite of Liya‘s, a hot pot of Tom Yum Kung (spicy soup). This particular version had fresh prawns and fish and probably wins the award for most spicy soup we’ve had. Course two was a big mixed plate of crab, clams, squid, and prawns all grilled on the open fire. Our favorites were the squid and clams while the dipping sauce that accompanied was full of aromatics and spice. A cold beer and Pepsi followed by fresh pineapple for desert and that was it. A fresh seafood dinner for two and less than $15 - did we mention we love Thailand? The remained of the evening was spent walking the night market. Lots of shopping, snacking here and there on some of our favorite foods or trying something new.

After a good sleep in we set out for our full day in Hua Hin. After some internet time catching up on email and calling family on Skype we headed to the beach for some sun. The walkway there was lined with vendors selling everything anyone needs to make it a great day on the sand. We bought a fresh coconut to make ours a cool one and continued on our way. To our surprise Thai men mounted on horseback awaited us with shouts on the beach. We weren’t in trouble, they just wanted to know if we were in the mood for some horseback riding. Liya said she was not about to get on a pony no taller than her, so we decided to use our own two feet. The tide was way out so heaps of beach was bare and all of the clam/mussel diggers were out to load up for that night‘s supper. Tiny sand crabs littered the beach with small balls of sand. Strange looking coiled piles of sand were all over the beach so we tried to come up with some educated guesses on what makes them and how. That resulted in us not feeling or sounding very educated…We sat under a balm tree and watched the world go by for awhile. We then carried on and walked with our feet in the water for about a mile. We made our way through construction site after construction site to the main road back into town. We stopped along the way and had brunch - pad thai for Liya and pad see eww for Ben, both were very good. Another great $3 meal! The walk back took us past a pasta factory, more construction sites and eventually to a big shopping mall. With A/C as the main attraction we walked in carrying a snack we picked up just outside. Fried bananas are a local favorite throughout Thailand and have become a favorite of Ben’s. This vendor had taro fries as well, so he couldn’t resist trying something new - 50 cent bag of goodies. The mall was big and beautiful with all of the big name brand retail shops. We looked at the list of movies playing at the theater and decided to wait for the new Indiana Jones film that opened the next day. Back outside in the hot weather we walked towards our guesthouse and decided to stop at the beach for a quick swim. The tide had come back in and Ben jumped in the warm water to do some laps. Liya stayed out and took some pictures as the sun began to set.

Showered up and refreshed we headed out for another evening in the night market. We scouted out some of the vendors that were popular choices among the locals during the previous evening, so our minds where made up on what to have for dinner that night. Stop one was at a stand where Ben has a bowl of jow (rice soup) with pork and tofu. He claims it is some of the best 20 baht (65 cents) he has spent in Thailand and was very very pleased with it. Liya has a bowl of noodle soup with chicken from a popular stand just next door - not too bad was the verdict. After some shopping only done with the eyes (no more room in the suitcases) we stopped at another stand where locals were eating the pad thai and chicken skewers with satay sauce. We had a plate of each and were pleased for the most part. If his stomach had the room for it, Ben said he would have gone back for more rice soup! More strolling and shopping took us past stands filled with: food, hats, colorful flowers hand made from soap, pirated DVDs and Cds, scarves and pashminas, more food, fresh fruit, counterfit wallets, sunglasses, and handbags. Just another night in the Thai life.

For a night cap we decided to splurge at the ubiquitous ice cream shop, Swensens. Wanting to order one of everything form the menu we finally chose ‘chocolate millionaire.’ Four scoops of ice cream, fresh banana, ice cream truffles, fresh whipped cream and hot fudge to dump on top. Wow! we were in heaven! It was a perfect way to end a great time spent in Hua Hin.

The following morning we made our way to the bus station for our 9:20am departure back to Bangkok. We grabbed some fresh pineapple from a vendor on the street and some cold water from good ol’ 7-11 (which, by the way, are located on every block in each Thai town we have visited - 60 cent Slurpees!).

It’s back to Bangkok, and this time around the special occasion is Ben’s brother, Nick, joining us from NYC!

Jatujak Market, Northern Bangkok: May 18th

2008-05-18T23:06:00.001-07:00

The largest and most crowded weekend market is the Jatujak Market (aka “JJ”) in northern Bangkok. We took the BTS Sky train all the way from where Liya’s great uncle lives to the market (25-minute ride). We decided that every major metropolis in the world should have a system like Bangkok’s Skytrain. It’s amazing - it’s clean, fast, and very convenient. Seattle needs one for sure!

We have never seen a market of that size. JJ’s the world’s largest outdoor market apparently and there was no doubt about that! The market was organized into different sections to make it easier for the consumer to find his/her way around the ‘mini-city’. Everything you could think of was being sold at this market: Boos & magazines, ice cream, Thai food, clothing, illegal DVD/CDs, tattoos, furniture, coffee, Thai massages, stolen Adidas/Nike apparel, accessories, and the list goes on. We were only able to browse through the main street and that took us nearly 3 hours!

Our favorite thing to do at markets is to eat and boy did we eat at the massive JJ market! We had way too much ice cream, assorted drinks (coffee, a black jelly drink, fruit smoothies), irresistible mini-cream puffs, a Thai chicken & rice dish, and plenty of fresh fruit with our favorite salt & chili seasoning to dip in.

We left the market around 3:30pm and headed down to the Silom District downtown to meet up with Liya’s family. We had a fabulous dinner at a famous hot pot restaurant in Silom, a favorite of the family’s. The specialty hot pot was the tom yum soup with fish. Not only did we order two of those, we ordered pork skewers with satay sauce (Ben’s favorite kind of sauce - it’s basically peanut sauce), crab in a hollandaise sauce, an oyster with bean sprouts omelet, a tasty vegetable dish, and ice cream to end the night. We were incredibly full after our dinner and knew that we would all sleep well that night!

Another great weekend with the family :)

Damnoen Saduak (Floating Market) - May 16th

2008-05-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

The highlight of this town was the local floating market. We followed the signs down a long road as we walked toward the big market on the water. 2km later we still hadn’t found our way there yet, but luckily we were picked up by two locals that dropped us off at the entrance. Such a big help, thank you!

Within seconds of arriving we could feel the energy of the market around us. Buyers, sellers, and those there simply for the experience were all around. The main canal that plays host to this market is at most 40 feet wide. With both edges of the water and platforms on either side covered with vendors, this little market packs a big punch. We wandered one section to get a feel for what was available and the prices being offered. We took a relaxing break to the tune of freshly peeled pomelo (similar to grapefruit) and a big coconut with straw and all. We watched in amazement how business on the floating market carries out. Boats are filled with big pots full of soup or piles of fresh fruit Lunch was a delight as we had a great bowl of guey theu right next to the water. The women that prepared ours and all the other customers dishes sat in her boat on the water and worked as efficiently as anyone in a state of the art kitchen. Half way into lunch, rush hour began on the water - a total traffic jam. Ben mentioned a few times how happy he was to be on solid ground eating a great bowl of noodle soup and not stuck in the middle of the canal not moving. 15 minutes or so later and the applause began as boats started moving.
We bought plenty of fresh fruit to enjoy for the rest of the day, and Ben couldn't help himself and bought one of his favorite Thai treats off a boat - fried bananas covered in coconut meat. We left the floating market a little before noon to check out of our hotel and head back to Bangkok to spend time with Liya’s family for the rest of the weekend.

We took bus #78 back to Bangkok from Damnoen Saduak. We passed through Nakhon Pathom on our 2-hour drive. When we arrived in Bangkok, we changed buses at the Southern Bus Terminal and took #511 local bus all the way back to the family’s home. Even though we were already in the city of Bangkok, it took us a good 1.5 hours to drive through the massive concrete city to the house. We didn’t mind because we got to ride like locals and enjoyed watching city life from our seats.

That evening, we enjoyed a feast at home with the family. We were spoiled with tom yum soup, grilled pork, papaya salad, spicy chicken ka pow, sticky rice and of course, fresh durian for dessert. The rest of the night was spent catching up with Liya’s 2nd cousin, Oh, and watching the movie “Knocked Up.”

Nakhon Pathon- Home to the World‘s Largest Chedi: May 15th

2008-05-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Two bus rides took us from Pattaya in the gulf of Thailand all the way NW of Bangkok to a town called Nakhon Pathon. The bus driver was nice enough to drop us off right in front of the hotel we were looking to stay at, and we walked in just as the rain began. To our disappointment, the blogger that recommended this place was way off on his/her description. Our room ranked very high on our current list of ‘jail cell’ style hotel rooms. With the only choice in town and the rain falling, we went for it anyways. We quickly got settled in and headed out to see the town. Luckily we entered the streets to find the rain had subsided for the time being.

Our first stop was at a very popular food stand packed with locals. There were about 15 different dishes in big silver pots that people were choosing to eat over rice. We choose two: one was the spicy kao pao with chicken and the other was a bamboo vegetable dish. Not the best we’ve tried, but a great 66 cent snack! We continued down the road and walked along a market that seemed to go on forever. Both sides of the street had fresh goods of all sort available. This road eventually took us by the train station with the typical circle of tuk tuk and taxi drivers waiting. Liya grabbed her daily supply of soy milk along the way. Around the next block we walked past a noodle soup stand that stood on its own. The three people working there must have been Father and two daughters. Our ‘eye test’ passed as the wontons and pork looked fresh and very nice. The eldest daughter (probably in her late teens) told us in well spoken English what was being served. We decided to give it a try and were happy to help out the nice family. The noodle soup was solid, and made for another great 66 cent treat.

Next we walked toward the center landmark that stretches high into the air. The Chedi in Nakhon Pathon is the largest in the world. We were very impressed with the size and beauty of this impressive chedi. Marble stairs took us up to courtyard that wraps all the way around the chedi. At the top of the stairs was a large, golden Buddha with flowers, candles and gifts that presented all colors of the rainbow. We enjoyed a lovely walk around the outside of the chedi where we gazed at trees with ultra colorful flowers and said “sawaisdee kaa” (aka hello) to the monks that passed by. Finishing full circle, we walked to the parking lot where a big night market was happening.

In usual fashion we walked up and down the long isles to scout out what was being offered and note what the locals seemed to be drawn towards. We walked back to one noodle stand where a family of four were pumping out noodle soup dishes at a feverish pace. We sat down at an empty table and watched the process unfold. About five minutes of waiting and we wanted to get our order in. We got the attention of the man in charge, he looked at Ben, then looked directly at Liya and starting speaking in Thai (just as most do, everyone thinks Liya is Thai or knows the language). We pointed at a gentleman’s dish nearby and got a simple response. The man who was eating the dish we wanted to order stood up, came to our table and told us, “he said you will have to wait 30 minutes for your dish.” Not sure why we asked the man and he told us, “he’s having really good business.” So to our surprise, the family working at such a fast pace were doing so because so many people were ordering the dish that ours would take 30 minutes to arrive. What is this, the Olive Garden? 30 minute wait for a noodle soup dish that takes less than 40 seconds to prepare? Wow, the locals must love this stuff! In no hurry, we were happy to wait. Luckily, the stand right next door was serving one of our favorite dishes. A simple dish, steamed rice with boiled chicken on top with a side of vegetable soup. Super simple, great flavor, and consistently good. By the time we finished that favorite, the noodle soup had arrived. Egg noodle, a good broth, bacon, wontons, and fish balls made up this popular dish. Long story short, it was pretty good, but not the best we’ve had. Two dishes for two dollars, we love Thailand!

Now in search of dessert we were able to get some fresh jackfruit (one of Ben’s favorites) and a new item we had not seen yet. It was essentially a big thick round waffle folded over with fresh coconut shaving and coconut milk in the middle. Pretty good! The walk home took us by a stand serving Liya’s favorite dessert, so we had to stop for one more treat. Super full, we watched a movie (There Will Be Blood - pretty strange film) and let our food digest before heading to bed. Oh yea, the blogger forgot to mention the pet bird that swaks and yelps all night long…

Next morning we got up, packed up, and walked around another part of the town before check out. We made our way to the area where a large university is and one of the royal palaces. We crossed a bridge that took us by a mini zoo with all kinds of animals in cages. We saw tons of tropical birds, crocodiles, a leopard, bears, monkeys, deer, rabbits, turtles, and a few others. We were very disappointed with the quality and upkeep of the pens that the animals were kept in. Being so close to the royal palace we expected higher standards of care. Pretty sad to see…On we went through town and we walked by a small restaurant that seemed like a good place for a quick meal. The A/C was a welcome extra while we ordered from a menu with no english to a waitress that spoke only thai. We said a few of our favorite dishes - kao pao, guay thiew, and pad si ew - and she was able to understand. It was quite an experience. The three dishes were good and reasonably priced, a good way to start the day. We then made our way back to the hotel via a new stretch of town that we hadn’t see yet and checked out. A short walk to the police station where all of the buses stop just outside of the gates is where we found our #78 bus to Damnoen Saduak.

Check out our pictures!

2008-05-14T11:48:00.001-07:00

www.benandliya.shutterfly.com/action/

Click on the link above and it will take you to our Shutterfly collection of photos from our Asia trip thus far. Recently added "Rest of Vietnam", "We LOVE Thailand", and "Laos". Enjoy!

Pattaya: May 14th -15th

2008-05-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

An adult circus. That is what comes to our mind when we think of Pattaya, Thailand.

We arrived into the beach town of Pattaya from Bangkok yesterday afternoon. We immediately noticed how touristy it was, and in a bad way. There is hardly anything throughout the city of Pattaya that is authentic-Thai which we found to be disappointing. All we noticed were the many old Caucasian men fondling young Thai women all around us. We witnessed an older man at the beach negotiating prices with two Thai women out loud in public - it was something.

A lot of Thai people mistake Liya to be one of the locals, so throughout Thailand and especially in Pattaya, she has had to speak English out loud randomly to let others know that she is not an escort and that Ben is not a sleezy man. Otherwise, we receive a lot of looks. We're just tourists! :)

Today, we enjoyed a nice long sleep-in. We walked a few kilometers up to Buddha Hill to get a nice panoramic view of Pattaya City. At the vantage view point on Buddha Hill, there was a small Wat (Buddhist Temple). Cool thing we saw at the temple was a marble table with "Liu's Family" written on it - they must have donated money to the temple. Go Liu's! Afterwards, we walked down south to Jomtiem Beach where we thought the beach would be nicer than the one in central Pattaya. Unfortunately, it wasn't. It was a thin strip of gravel-like sand with hundreds of umbrellas lining up all along the water. It was a spectacle! We saw a lot of European men in their tight speedos (not the most pleasant sight) do their best to find themselves a Thai girl. The Thai girls would lay out under the umbrellas and make flirtatious comments while these men would walk up and down the beach figuring who they would want to spend the day(s) with. Let's just say we didn't stay long at Jomtiem Beach.

We took the taxi back to central Pattaya in the evening and enjoyed a delicious bowl of wonton noodle soup with BBQ pork and steamed chicken w/rice for dinner. And of course, we bought a nice big order of mango with sweet sticky rice for dessert! YUM!

Tomorrow, we will take a bus back to Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal, then take a bus either to Hua Hin along the Gulf or N.W. to Nakhom Pathom.

Sawaidee!

In Bangkok with Family: May 9th -11th

2008-05-10T22:51:00.001-07:00

We arrived in Bangkok late evening on Friday, the 9th. A taxi drove us outside the city center to where Liya’s great-uncle and his family lived. They were so happy to have us with them for the weekend. We were welcomed with an abundance of fresh fruit: mangosteens, durian, and mangos. Ben was loving all the fresh durian - the best we have had thus far!

This was a great occasion for Liya - she has now met all of her ‘great-family’ on her mother’s side. She met her grandmother’s youngest sister and older brother in Can Tho, Vietnam, and has finally met her younger brother in Bangkok. Her other two great-aunts are currently living in Portland, Oregon.

Liya and the rest of her family are so lucky to have such a loving great family. To continue to receive the warm and loving embrace from family she has never met before has been amazing. The language barrier at times provides problems but actions speak much louder than words. These experiences have shown us the importance of family and love despite language barriers, despite living thousands of miles from one another, and despite never meeting each other.

On Saturday morning (10th), the whole family sat around the dining table and ate fresh fruit - lychees, mangosteens, mangos, durian, and a few other exotic fruits we don’t know the name of! We were spoiled-rotten!

For lunch, Liya’s 2nd cousin, Oh, took us out to eat at her favorite Guey Thiew (Thai noodles) street stall near her home. It was mighty tasty! Following our filling lunch was a trip to a Buddhist temple along the river near the city center where we prayed and paid our respects to our loved ones who have died. Later was a trip to the mall where we were both treated to a 1-hour foot and shoulder massage. We had such a great experience eating with our eyes in the food court on the bottom floor before our massage. It was filled a bunch of vendors making and selling all sorts of fresh food. We bought a kilo of lemongrass-flavored fresh mussels for 40 baht (<$2!); if only they were that cheap back home!

For dinner, we all went out to eat sukiyaki, Thai’s version of hot pot, at a famous restaurant chain called MK. We were so stuffed by the end of dinner - the amount of food we ate was ridiculous! Ben really enjoyed the roasted duck which came with the most amazing dipping sauce made from the duck drippings.

It was a mighty fine day with the family. :)

Back in Thailand

2008-05-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

Ubon Ratchathani: May 5th-6th
We spent 2 days in the far Northeastern city of Ubon Ratchathani relaxing and resting. There, we found our favorite sticky rice with mango combo! It was heavenly…

There wasn’t much to do in Ubon - just a big concrete city that lacked much character, unlike Bangkok.

On Wednesday, we rode on a train for 6 hours to our next big N.E. Thailand city, Khorat.

Khorat & Phimai: May 7th-8th

The main attraction to staying in this city was the nearby town of Phimai, an ancient city with a series of wats dating back pre-Angkor Wat.

In Phimai, we explored the main ancient Wat site which contained a series of pagodas, galleries and courtyards. Following our wat exploration, we enjoyed walking through the evening market eating plenty of fresh mangosteens, mangoes with sticky rice, pad thai and Thai granola.

Back in Khorat later in the evening, we walked to the Night Bazaar and had Chinese noodles w/BBQ pork on a nearby street - the most tasty Chinese noodles we’ve had thus far throughout S.E. Asia!

We would return to Bangkok on the 9th to visit Liya’s relatives.

Heading back to Thailand: May 5th

2008-05-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

After having a disappointing week in Laos, we have decided to head back west to Thailand. We will cross the border this afternoon from Paske and arrive in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, this evening.

We have opted to skip the 4000 Islands down south in Loas and Siem Riep/Angkor Wat, Cambodia, to spend more time in Thailand. We are having a hard time justifying spending so much time on the road and money to just see Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We plan to visit the famous site sometime in the future when we have the time and money.

Paske and Bolaven Plateau: May 3rd -4th

2008-05-04T22:09:00.002-07:00

We arrived early morning in Paske, a town of 66,000 people. We would make this town our home base for our Bolaven Plateau experience. When we arrived at the bus station, we were overwhelmed by the numerous tuk-tuk drivers offering their services. It was laughable at first in our travels but after a while, you get irritated by the irrational prices tuk-tuk drivers want for their service. Out of all the S.E. countries we have visited thus far, collusion is at its best in Laos. Everything from moto hires to admission fees to accommodation to food are all set at the same ridiculously high prices. Being a less developed country with a weaker economy compared to Thailand and Vietnam, the prices for Laos’ services and goods are much more expensive while the quality of service is under par. Not the best combination one could ask for…

For the rest of the day, we took it easy and did some research for our adventure on the plateau the next day. We had duck foe, similar to Vietnamese’s pho (noodle soup). However, unlike pho, it lacked the savory rich flavors. With the exception of Lao’s traditional ping paa, we have found Laos food to be under par in comparison to its neighboring countries. The food in Laos has been terrible and incredibly expensive that we have turned to Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants to satisfy our tummies. We took a brief walk around the city center which turned out to be only a few blocks before enjoying a nice afternoon nap. For dinner, we ate seafood hot pot at an open-sided Vietnamese restaurant. The family who ran it were very friendly and were very good cooks. It was nice to use Vietnamese to converse with locals again.

We had an early start the next morning. We rented a moto and set off for the small village of Paksong in the Bolaven Plateau 50-km away. Bolaven is famous and popular for its cool climate, greenery, national parks, minority villages, impressive waterfalls and COFFEE. According to Lonely Planet, Laos apparently grows some of the world’s best coffee beans. After having a few cups of Laos coffee in the region, we agreed with the book*s statement. The coffee we had was the real deal. There is a Bolaven free-trade coffee co-op; Starbucks should look into brewing Bolaven Plateau coffee!

Before arriving in Paksong, we visited one of Lao’s famous waterfalls, Tat Fan. It was a very impressive 120-m waterfall. Following Paksong was another impressive waterfall (40-m), Tat Yuang, which we were able to view at close range. With our 100-cc motos and rough roads, it took us close to two hours to make it back to Paske. To make the best of our very expensive moto hire, we rode our moto all around the city and along the river till the gas tank read “E”. On our evening ride, we enjoyed watching brilliant lightning storms in the distance.

More pictures from Laos: www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2261846&l=b2d39&id=10708181

Vientiane: May 1st-2nd

2008-05-04T22:09:00.001-07:00

This was the first capital city where we didn’t need to spend more than two days to be satisfied! Exhausted from our ride from Vang Vien, we spent only a few hours out enjoying dinner in Chinatown and walking along the river. Dinner was a hit but overly priced in our opinion. We enjoyed baked pork balls with lettuce and thinly slices of raw beef cooked in coconut juice.

The next day we rented cycles and visited the most important National monument in Laos, the golden Pha That Luang. Vientiane isn’t really a large city so we covered most of it by bike in a matter of hours. For dinner, we ate at one of the many outdoor ‘restaurant’ stalls along the Mekong River. Along with our large Beer Lao, we enjoyed ping paa, a large fresh tilapia that was rubbed with sea salt and stuffed with lemon grass then grilled over charcoal. The fish was so moist and fresh and the lemongrass was a wonderful touch. Sadly, that meal was the best part of Vientiane in our opinion. We weren’t really impressed with the overly priced goods and services offered and the people weren’t as friendly as we were told by others.

We took an overnight bus down south to Paske, a small town outside of the large Bolaven Plateau.

Vang Vien - April 30th-31st

2008-05-04T22:08:00.002-07:00

A very interesting town. We arrived off the bus in the early evening and quickly found a decent place to stay. We noticed that this small northern town was overrun by backpackers and most amenities are suited towards them. It was difficult to enjoy an authentic Laos experience in Vang Vien.

Highlights included: Cycling out to the famous cave overlooking the city and tubing down the Mekong River for half of the day. The latter event is an inner tube ride down a river on steroids! Bars on stilts lined the river banks on each side with locals throwing sticks and rope to reel you in. Loud music and signs for free ‘lao-lao’ (terrible cheap whisky) act to entice backpackers. Ben’s favorite part of the floating experience were the extreme rope swings all along the river. Aside from the tourist jargon, the views of the surrounding greenery and limestone karsts were spectacular. We unfortunately were unable to capture these views on camera. We did enjoy playing volleyball with an international group at one of the bar spots. All was good until Liya was bitten by red ants in five different spots - ouch!

Only after a couple of nights, we felt it was time to move onto the next destination - the capital city, Vientiane.

Travel Day - April 28th -29th

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20 hours devoted to nothing but travel. Overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Thailand/Laos friendship bridge border (12 hours), bus to Vientiane, bus to Veng Viane. A very long, long day.

Chiang Mai - April 25th-27th

2008-05-03T07:59:00.002-07:00

An early morning arrival to Chiang Mai brought the typical crowd and questions, but this time we met the self-titled ‘Momma Honey’ from the Royal Guesthouse who took us to our place to stay. Hundreds of steps and seven floors later, we found ourselves moved in to our room. A good strong fan, clean room and facilities for $5 per night made the workout to get up there worth it. A refreshing dip in the pool followed by a quick shower and we were ready to hit the town. We walked along Chiang Mai’s old town that is surrounded by tall stone walls and moats. With no particular agenda we wandered the city and enjoyed seeing daily life in Thailand. Chiang Mai has markets everywhere - outdoors, street-side, undercover, inside, rooftop markets markets and markets! It brought Ben great joy to run into a mobile shaved-ice cart. Five baht (17 cents) for a cup full with two flavors, yes! A walk through Chinatown was uneventful, but we did find fresh-made Thai style macaroons that were a hit. A bowl of local favorite kay soi was sadly a disappointment but we remained optimistic. We bought what we thought was going to be a sauage on a stick, but ended up being rice-stuffed sausage on a stick. We almost felt like they were playing a trick on us. Lots of walking and too much food was day one’s theme in Chiang Mai.

Day two: we rented a motorbike, set our bearings, and headed towards the hills. A large temple set atop the city was the first destination. Steep steps outlined by handrails in the design of a continuous dragon’s tail led the way up and up. A golden temple with a surrounding view of the city was our prize once at the apex. Various fruit trees, ringing bells, and Buddhas made up the overall grounds. Back down and down the steps we hopped on the moto and continued up the hill where we rode by the Royal winter home of the King and Queen of Thailand. Since we weren’t invited in for supper or a game of cards we rode back down the hill and into town. We stopped by a large shopping mall where there was something for everyone - even a Sizzler! We opted to pass on the salad bar for the local food court that was set up outside. We enjoyed a cup of fresh coconut ice cream as walked around and ate everything else with our eyes.

We took an evening stroll through the popular Night Bazaar nearby and enjoyed an array of Thai food - pad thai, banana and honey rotti, mango with sticky rice, Thai ice tea, and Thai multiple-colored dessert which consisted mung bean, sweet kidney beans, water chesnuts, tapioca and coconut milk.

Day two: We rented a motorbike, set our bearings, and headed towards the hills. A large temple set atop the city was the first destination. Steep steps outlined by handrails in the design of a continuous dragon’s tail led the way up and up. A golden temple with a surrounding view of the city was our prize once at the apex. Various fruit trees, ringing bells, and Buddhas made up the overall grounds. Back down and down the steps we hopped on the moto and continued up the hill where we rode by the Royal winter home of the King and Queen of Thailand. Since we weren’t invited in for supper or a game of cards we rode back down the hill and into town. We stopped by a large shopping mall where there was something for everyone - even a Sizzler! We opted to pass on the salad bar for the local food court that was set up outside. We enjoyed a cup of fresh coconut ice cream as walked around and ate everything else with our eyes. That evening, we enjoyed the Chiang Mai City Gate Market, Saturday’s most popular market. For dinner, we enjoyed a delicious bowl of thai noodle soup with chicken and pork at a street stall next to the city gate. We walked around the market for the rest of the evening, enjoying all the different colors of products offered and of course, the selection of desserts (mango with sticky rice, fresh coconut juice with young coconut meat, three-colored dessert, etc.)!!!

Day three: We took it easy on our third day in Chiang Mai. We enjoyed brunch at our favorite Chiang Mai restaurant where our palates were satisfied by savory panang curry and spicy tom yum kung soup! We rented a moto for another day and rode it all through and around the city. We rode as long as we could along the river and up through the hills once again. Butts and backs sore from hours on the bike, we indulged ourselves with an hour-long Thai body massage - heavenly and only for $4! In the evening, we spent over three hours walking through the very crowded Sunday street market in the middle of old town. It was definitely overwhelming! Plenty of food, paintings, hand crafts, clothes, foot and body massages, and Thai souvenirs were offered on the 2-km stretch.

Lop Buri - April 24th

2008-05-03T07:59:00.001-07:00

A quick day trip took us around Lop Buri to experience a little of rural Thailand had to offer. To our surprise it had monkeys to offer, and lots of them. Like pigeons to NYC and Venice, or squirrels to Seattle, Lop Buri has tons of monkeys simply running a muck around town. On power lines, tops of buildings, squatting on street signs, dodging cars (sometimes riding on them as well), the monkeys were everywhere and certainly to our amazement. The two of us probably seemed strange to some of the locals as we walked, jaw dropped and taking photos, of Lop Buri’s monkeys - I would imagine we were not the first, however.

Enough with the monkey business…we wandered the town and found that there wasn’t much to see or do. So as we knew best we found the street that was lined with food carts and started sampling. Liya was finally able to find a bowl of Tum Yum Soup (a spicy shrimp soup with lemongrass), and she and her palate were pleased with the results. One dessert stand had traditional Vietnamese three color dessert that was so good that we returned later to have it again. The remainder of the evening was more walking and sampling of the local goods. At 9pm we boarded our overnight train (always an adventure) and started the course north to Chiang Mai.

Ayutthaya - April 23rd & 24th

2008-05-03T07:58:00.001-07:00

A two hour, third-class train ride took us from Bangkok to the ancient capital city of Ayutthaya in the north. Visualize a 100 mile trip shared with locals, all the windows down, a consistent line of vendors prowling the aisles with food and drink for sale, and wooden benches for your personal comfort. It was a true Thai experience - all for just shy of $1 for the two of us. The views outside were sun-soaked countryside littered with palm trees and bamboo huts.

Hopping off of the train brought the typical questions from awaiting locals, “tuk tuk ride?” and “where you going?” We decided find a place by foot and ran into a solid guesthouse just down the road. We rented a couple of bicycles and headed out to pedal around town. We immediately found Ayutthaya to be a unique mix of ancient and modern. The first big avenue we rode down had ancient 1,000 year old temples on the right and ‘college of international business‘ and ‘college of manufacturing and technology‘ on the left. Continuing towards the center of town we approached elephants walking on and along side the road. Tourists were perched on top with cameras while locals were at the helm with one hand on elephant ear and one had on whip. It was new adventure navigating a bicycle around elephants in the middle of the city.

Stop one was to an beautiful temple where a 12m tall sitting Buddha rests. Monks, both young and old, in their traditional and colorful robes added to the magic of the moment. Next door were the grounds to an old wat. We walked around to take in the sight of the old temples and enjoyed the view from high on the stairs. The skyline lacked high rise buildings, but showcased tall temples that have dominated Ayutthaya’s city and sky for centuries. Back on the bikes we rode past more temples on our way to check out the local markets and get a taste for the local food. The spicy papaya salad was a hit, noodle soup was solid, and fresh corn on the cob made Ben feel like he was back on the farm in Madras. The went down with a dramatic display of color and quickly brought the thundershowers. The ten minute bike ride home was a legitimate replacement for an evening shower - not!

The following morning began by breaking the fast with a local bowl of noodle soup and a thai iced tea. We jumped on the local ferry that takes you across the river on a two minute ride. We wandered the markets and purchased fresh fruit and snacks for the train ride north to Lop Buri.

Bangkok - April 21-23

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Our original plan was to leave Hanoi and head west over the border and into Laos. After mixed reviews of the border crossing we decided to bite the bullet and fly into Bangkok and save Laos for a later date.

The quick flight was well worth the price and peace of mind. We split a taxi into the city center with two fellow travelers (both teachers from New Zealand) and began the search for places to stay. We found a great little guesthouse, set up shop, and headed out to see the town by foot at early evening. Kao San is a very popular strip loaded with tourists and shops to suit all kinds of needs and wants. We bought 30 baht ($1) pad thai from one of the various carts serving it fresh on the spot. Fresh fruit, deserts, and shopping till you drop line this ‘Hollywood Blvd. meets ‘ street. Fresh squeezed orange juice for 20 baht ended the night on a high note and made the walk home refreshing.

For our first full day in this big metropolis we began by taking the public river boat (similar to Venice’s) south through the city. Along the way we enjoyed seeing the impressive temples that line the banks on either side. Next it was off the boat at Central Port and up the stairs to the sky train. This super-clean elevated metro train took us through the city to take in the view of what the city had to offer. Big buildings, both residential and commercial, local markets, big highways, traffic congestion, public and private sports parks were all in sight. Coming from Vietnam we both agreed that Thailand seemed to be much farther along in terms of development and standard of living - we were very impressed, but we hadn’t seem anything yet…

Our stop came quickly and smoothly and we went down one floor and noticed an entrance to a shopping mall on our left. With no assumptions we walked in to quickly check it out. The floor we walked into was filled with up-scale retail shops (Gucci, Cavali, D&G, and every other high-end brand you can imagine). With jaws dropped we made our way down a floor where we spotted a food court. This was no ordinary food court, but an expansive area with every kind of food you can imagine, but beautifully prepared and presented. We walked around to take it all in and there ended up being a supermarket on the same floor so we wandered in. Hands down, most impressive supermarket we have ever been in - both in terms of choice of products and aesthetics. Every bag of chips was perfectly placed and organized. The wine selection covered every corner of the globe. Every kind of fresh fruit was peeled in front of you, packaged neatly, and ready for you to eat. Baked goods, dried fruits, freshly prepared food of all kinds - this was not your ordinary Safeway or Albertsons.

Next stop was to the electronic mecca of Thailand - the Panthip Plaza. Imagine a six story mall selling exclusively electronic goods. A man’s heaven, indeed. After our heads stopped spinning from spending hours in this place we headed towards Chinatown to see what was happening. Open markets and fresh food carts lined the streets that made up this area. We found a great place to eat where we had chicken skewers with vegetables and satay (peanut) sauce. Very cheap and delicious. For dessert we found our daily choice of soi with mango. This dish of sweet sticky rice covered with coconut milk and topped with fresh mango slices is like having a piece of heaven in Thailand. In Italy it’s daily gelato, but in Thailand it’s daily soi with mango. Yum-o, Rachel Ray.

Thailand Pics & Heading to Laos

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We are leaving this evening via overnight bus from Chiang Mai, Thailand, to Vientiane, Laos. We are looking forward to our quick 2-week trip through Laos.

For our first week in Thailand, we visited: Bangkok, where we got ourselves acclimated to the refreshing Thai culture - very friendly and helpful people and amazing food; The ancient capital of Ayutthaya where we enjoyed a day of bicycling to the ancient wats (temples)and different street markets; Lop Buri where monkeys roamed around freely; and finally Chiang Mai, where we enjoyed the many vibrantand very crowded street markets, a Thai massage and amazing Thai food!

You can view our Thai pics at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2260396&l=e0881&id=10708181

Sapa, Vietnam: April 18 - 20

2008-04-28T02:13:00.000-07:00

We came back to Hanoi from Halong Bay and spent a couple of nights in the bustling capital before heading to the mountain village of Sapa, which is located in NW Vietnam.

We really enjoyed what the small hill town of Sapa and its nearby villages had to offer - the rice paddy steps and fields, the mountains in the clouds, sunsets, great trekking, cute piglets, the colorful clothing of the different minority hill tribes, and the beautiful & innocent children running around in the hills.

Sapa and Halong Bay are probably the only prettiest sights in North Vietnam. If you are interested in visiting Vietnam in the future, be sure to make stops in these two places.

You can view pics of Sapa at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258065&l=10134&id=10708181

Halong Bay: April 13-15

2008-04-28T01:48:00.000-07:00

A minibus took us SW from Hanoi to Halong Bay. This picturesque Bay is filled with 1,969 ‘sea stacks’ or ‘islands’ that are covered with lush vegetation. We were lucky enough to have our friends Amy and Erin join us for this adventure in the Bay.

Low season provided the four with just about a private boat (Fred and Mike from Copenhagen were also on board) to see Halong Bay. The ‘junk boat,’ as they are called in Vietnam, was our wooden floating home for two days and one night. Our first stop in the Bay was to ‘Amazing Cave’ where we walked deep into cavernous chambers that were lit up with various colors reminiscent of Disneyland. The walk back to the boat had women in medium-sized row boats filled to the brim with snacks, cold drinks, and souvenirs. Fishing nets on long poles collected money and sent back the purchase from the water below - an interesting niche indeed.

Kayaking was next on the itinerary and provided some lovely scenery and a good amount of exercise. We were disappointed with the quality and cleanliness of the water, however. Thousands of boats, tourism, and a local culture that lacks incentive to recycle or properly dispose of waste poses a serious risk to the health of this natural site. Back on the boat and showered up, it was dinner time! A family-style setting for the six of us provided the opportunity to share a meal and good conversation as the sun went down. Various seafood, vegetable, and rice dishes were on the menu. The remainder of the evening was spent sitting on the deck with Amy and Erin for drinks, chatting, and a touch of martial arts lessons from Erin, who is a second-degree black belt! Hi Yah!

Breakfast and a quick boat ride through the islands dropped the four of us off at Cat Ba Island. A 30-minute bus ride took us to a small village where we began our trek through the hills of Cat Ba. Up and down through hills, farmlands, trails and valleys was a great way to enjoy a hot sunny day with friends. The stop for lunch was a wonderful experience. The four of us sat and enjoyed a flavorful meal prepared by a family who lives in a humble home in a remote valley. The man of house let us try the home made honey wine that will quicken the step of even the most experienced drinkers. With full bellies we sat back and took in the moment and then enjoyed the views from the roof of the concrete home. A short walk through more farmland and rice patties took us to where we caught the bus to Cat Ba town. We checked into the hotel where we would stay for one night and then set off to see the local beaches and wander through town. A thriving resort town, Cat Ba was a good place to kick the feet up and enjoy the mixture of tourism and local lifestyle. We sat on the street and had a pitcher of the infamously cheap ‘bia hoi’ (fresh beer) and watched life go by. To remind ourselves of how real beer tastes and to make Amy feel at home, we then stopped at a New Zealand style bar on the main drive.

The following day was spent making our way back to Hanoi. The long boat ride back to the main port in Halong Bay let us snap photos and take in the beauty of the islands of the bay. We made it safely back to busy Hanoi where it was next stop Sapa!

View pics from Halong Bay at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258065&l=10134&id=10708181

To view more pictures of our Vietnam trip...

2008-04-16T23:28:00.001-07:00

http://benandliya.shutterfly.com/action/

The above link will take you to our Shutterfly collection of photos. It consists of only one photo album for Vietnam thus far. We will update the collection as we travel through Asia so be sure to bookmark the page as your favorite! :) Enjoy!

Also, more pictures on our Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2260387&l=a36d0&id=10708181

Ben and Liya

We're back online!

2008-04-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hello again to everyone! After a long period of not being able to access our blog for unknown reason, here we are again! We are currently finishing up our time in Vietnam and plan cross the border into Laos in the next few days. The big capital, Hanoi, is our home-base as we write this message. A trip northwest to the mountain town of Sapa will complete our journeys through Vietnam. Here is a quick recap of our time in Vietnam:

Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City)- The two of us spent just over two weeks in the biggest city in Vietnam. Day trips took us to Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, Can Tho, and O Mon. We were able to live like the locals do with the help of Liya's relatives in all of these cities. The day trips were very special experiences because we were able to visit the hometowns of Liya's parents. Our time in and around Saigon was a wonderful way to begin our tour through Vietnam!

Dalat- Home to the large university that Liya's father attended. This town serves as a vacation destination for large numbers of Vietnamese and French. The higher elevation brings a cooler climate and lovely scenery. Our big highlight of Dalat was enjoying a countryside tour with a local man named Rot. We covered 75 miles on a scooter to take in all of the sights and sounds, including: silk worm factory, beautiful waterfall, minority people villages, vietnamese farmland, and local life. Not only was the tour incredible, but this is where we met our future friends and travel companions, Erin and Amy!

Nha Trang- Down from the mountains of Dalat we welcomed the beautiful blue beaches of Nha Trang. This is a town where resort meets local Vietnamese living. Highlights included renting scooters and finding unoccupied prestine beaches, eating at the same local-filled restaurant for fried noodles with fresh squid, 30 cent draught beers (bia hoi), and pure relaxation with Amy and Erin. We did enjoy a boat trip that took us to various islands just off of the coast of the city. This city ranked #1 with Ben.

Hoi An- An overnight bus ride took us to Hoi An, a town infamous for custom made clothing. Just the right thing for two shop-aholics, over 300 shops that are eager to make you anything and everything that is desired. After the damage was done we were able to enjoy the beautiful beach outside of the city, and stroll the markets and old town within the city limits. We again found a great local resturant that made a good and cheap version of the local specialty, cao lau. 60 cent tasty noodle heaven! To put a cheery on top, Amy and Erin joined us for a few days in the city of shopping.

Hue- The old capital of Vietnam was a quick stop that, in our opinion, offically placed us in north Vietnam. A big city with a old, old, old city center filled with markets, parks, moats, and motorbikes. In Hue we enjoyed cheap accomadation with all of the amenities ($6), a great local specialy dish (bahn beo), and becoming acclimated to the personalities of north Vietnam. Our conclusion, people in the south are much, much happier to see you. Nontheless, Hue was a good experience in many ways.

Hanoi- One more overnight bus took us all the way up to the capital city where we currently sit. Like the capital of the south, this big city moves fast with anything, everything and in every direction. The pollution and personalities are difficult at times, but the food is amazing! Street stands, markets, cafes, restaurants galor! We truly think it is the one thing keeping us sane in this crazy city.

More to come soon!

Whitsunday Islands and Airlie Beach: March 8th - 12th

2008-03-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

Following Fraser Island was a trip up to the Whitsunday Islands. Once we got back to Hervey Bay from Fraser Island on the 7th, we took an overnight bus (13 hours) north up to Airlie Beach, and departed for the Whitsundays a few hours after our arrival - pretty rough at first!

We left early afternoon on the 8th from Airlie Beach, a touristy beach town consisting of one main strip, heaps of souvenir and beach retail shops, hostels and resorts, and of course a McDonald's! Our 'Pride of Airlie' group had 54 people total, which made it a crowded boat! On our first day, we sailed for 2 hours before arriving at our resort on South Molle Island, one of 74 islands in the Whitsundays.
The South Molle Resort had everything from a small 9-hole golf course (which Ben really enjoyed), a large swimming pool and hot tub, a spa, a couple of bars, volleyball and tennis courts, and beach-view rooms.

Unfortunately, the weather was rainy and windy the next morning and that made sailing very difficult to Whitehaven Beach. Many people, including us, got very sea sick. For all those who drank heaps the night before, we felt really bad for them! We FINALLY arrived at Whitehaven (3 hours later) and to our benefit, the weather cleared us which gave us the opportunity to soak up some rays and do some snorkeling. Whitehaven is considered one of the world's top 5 most prettiest beaches. However, we were disappointed with snorkeling due to the poor visibility (the rainy season apparently churned up the sand in the sea). As a result of poor visibility, Ben gashed up his toe accidentally on some coral. Nothing serious but it was a good cut.

We enjoyed our last day in the Whitsundays - the sun was out, it was hot out, and the boat ride was tolerable! The main goal for the day was to find good snorkeling spots which we unfortunately didn't find. It was good to get in the water and swim around though.

Our last couple of nights before flying back down to Sydney were spent in Airlie Beach. We hung out with several other backpackers we met on our trip - really nice girls studying wine at University of Adelaide (attend Cal Poly in the States) and a couple of gals from Paris.

We can't believe that we've spent an entire month in Australia. It has gone by so quickly and we haven't seen nearly everything. We really wish we would've seen more of the Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand. Oh well, there's always next time! It's been great fun but we are really looking forward to our adventures in Asia. Should be a good time! We fly out of Sydney in a few hours to Saigon, Vietnam, where we will be greeted by Liya's relatives.

Love love!!!

Brisbane, Hervey Bay, & Fraser Island: March 2nd - 7th

2008-03-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

After visiting the super laid back town of Byron Bay, we took an hour bus ride north up to Brisbane. We only spent a night in Brisbane. There wasn't much to do or see in Brisbane relative to the other cities we've visited but it did remind of us Portland, OR. There is a river running along the city, a beautiful bridge, botanical gardens, a medium-sized city business district, a University, a Chinatown, and plenty of shopping.

The next day, we rode the bus for 7 hours north up to Hervey Bay, the jump-off town for Fraser Island. We spent a couple of nights in Hervey Bay before arriving onto Fraser. The day before we left for Fraser, we were put into groups of 11 at our hostel. Our group consisted of 4 North Americans (3 from the NW, and 1 from Vancouver Island in Canada), the rest were from England. We left early the next morning.

While on Fraser, we saw and enjoyed amazing sights - Lake McKenzie, Lake Wabby, Champagne Pools, and Indian Head. The pictures speak for themselves! (check facebook pictures from entry below). We absolutely loved Lake McKenzie. The water was so pure and that it was completely fine to drink it while relaxing in the lake - it was very refreshing! The Champagne Pools were great to experience. They are rock pools in the ocean and are the only places where we can swim in salt-water (we're prohibited to swim in the ocean due to rough waves, tiger sharks, stingrays and mean jelly fishes). Lake Wabby was a lake surrounded by huge sand dunes and it was where we could hand feed the catfish in the lake.

We had a humble campsite and had some interesting cooking sessions with our horrible cooking tools. It was all fun though - we had Alex on the guitar, a great ocean view, GOON (box wine) and great company. We met some wonderful people (Alex, Brittany, Annie, Anthony and Jenna) on this trip and will be sure to stay in touch with them. One gal, Annie, is from Redmond, WA, so we will be sure to reunite when we return to the States and take her to the Duchess! :)

The 4WD driving was an experience! Ben drove for a few hours during the trip. Imagine driving 9 other strangers with different personalities, on the other side of the car and road, on the beach, over tree stumps and streams, and in crazy deep sand (which we all had to get out of the vehicle to help push the SUV).

Following Fraser Island was a 2 day, 2 night trip to Whitsunday Islands and a couple of nights in the touristy beach town of Airlie Beach.

Ben in Brisbane

Lake McKenzie

Ben floating in the natural cola-colored Lake Boominjin

More pictures in Australia

2008-03-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2236846&l=3333e&id=10708181

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244493&l=e0d89&id=10708181

Surfer's Paradise and Byron Bay: February 27th - March 2nd

2008-03-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

We flew into the Coolangata on the beautiful Gold Coast from Adelaide on Wednesday, the 27th of February. We rode the local bus for about and hour to Surfer's Paradise, a small city north (also part of the Gold Coast). All along the coastal drive, we spotted locals testing the big waves of the Gold Coast. Despite the name, Surfer's Paradise isn't where the best surf is located unfortunately. We stayed in Surfer's for about 2 nights and found it relaxing, but a bit touristy. It had an atmosphere and appearance close to San Diego. We were lucky because when we arrived in the evening the first night, we had the chance to browse through the beach market (only Wednesdays and Fridays) which offered all sorts of goodies and merchandise. We had pizza and gelato to finish the evening. Crazy thing of the night was finding huge black bats flying through town and hanging down from palm tree branches!

On Thursday, we spent most of the day at the beach reading, swimming and body surfing. It was a gorgeous & sunny day and we made sure we took advantage of it. Following the beach were 2 scoops of delicious gelato :) The rest of the day was spent walking around the town and enjoying some cold beers.

On Friday morning, we took the bus south to Byron Bay (1.5 hours). When we arrived at our hostel, we immediately rented two boogie boards and headed towards the beach closest to our hostel. It was a good walk but when we arrived we found that conditions were too harsh to board (really windy, big waves, fast breaks), so we headed back the other direction towards the main beach in town. Unfortunately, we didn't find conditions that much better. Ben got in a couple of good rides but Liya had a much tougher time! We got back to the hostel close to dinner time. In exchange for a free meal, Ben and I offered to help grill the hamburgers and hot dogs at the all-you-can-eat-and-drink-BBQ at our hostel. The sangria and the Toohey's beer weren't that good but hey, it was free - can't complain! We stayed up late meeting backpackers from all over. Overall, a very nice day.

Yesterday, we got up early in the morning and rented bikes to ride into town. We grabbed a couple of muffins and iced coffees (which BTW in Oz is coffee w/vanilla ice cream - no ice!) and headed to the main beach to watch some good surfing. Afterwards, we walked through town and browsed through all the boutiques and cafes. Byron Bay is a very laid-back town with very nice people. There are a lot of hippies, surfers, musicians, artists, and happy-go-lucky people here...overall, just really nice & free-spirited souls here in Byron.

Following our ride through town, we participated in a 4-hour surf lesson about 30km outside of Byron. We learned to surf in a bay since the waves along the coast were too big to take on for most. We did really well right from the beginning. They were just hoping for a bit bigger waves...maybe next time! Our arms were tired nevertheless from all the paddling!!! We knew we would sleep well... Following our lesson and return to the hostel, we rode our bikes back into town to see what night life in Byron had to offer. We came across a lot of live music at various bars which we stopped by for a few minutes each. We grabbed some vino and fresh-baked bread and took that back to the hostel to enjoy.

This morning, we checked out of our hostel and headed back into town where we enjoyed the big and diverse Sunday market. There, we found a lot of organic products and produce, live music, clothes, bags, cafe kiosks, etc. We bought some lychees, plums, passion fruit, bananas, and apples. For lunch, we enjoyed a cone of shaved ice and a bratwurst.

We leave tonight for Brisbane on a bus. We'll spend one night there and a bus in the afternoon for 7 hours to Hervey Bay, the jump-off town for Frasier Island. We'll spend a couple of nights there before embarking Frasier Island. We'll do a self-guided tour w/6 other backpackers for 3 days & 2 nights. That means we'll be sharing a 4WD vehicle, camping gear and food, and having the freedom to explore wherever we want on the island (sand dunes, the pristine lakes, jungles, etc). After Frasier Island, we will take an overnight bus up to Airie Beach, the jump-off town for Whitsunday Islands. We will sail with 30-40 others out to explore the many islands and do plenty of snorkeling/diving and see the beautiful Great Barrier Reef of course! Following Whitsunday, we will fly back to Sydney and then it's on to Vietnam!

Hope all is well back home! Cheers!

Barossa Valley: February 26th

2008-02-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we spent the whole day wine-touring the Barossa Valley (located about 70km outside of Adelaide). Our tour included 5 different wineries and a lunch. We definitely had our month's share of wine, especially Shiraz!

Our first stop was at Wolf Blass Winery. There, we enjoyed 6 different tastings - a couple of whites and the rest reds. Our favorites were the Muscat and the Platinum Shiraz.

Our second stop was Maggie Beer's Farm Shop where we enjoyed 4 varietals (sparkling chardonnay, Shiraz, cab-sauv, and a Tokay [port-like]) as well as food tastings (chutney, olive oil, different pates,jams, glazes, preserved lemons...) We really enjoyed the Tokay.

Third stop was Barossa Valley Estate Winery. This was the least favorite wine-tasting experience of them all because we were ridiculously rushed through our tastings - 11 different wines in 14 minutes. We didn't have the opportunity to really enjoy and observe each of the wines given. We tried everything: sparkling reds and whites, a sweet rose, a few different blends (red wines), and Shiraz. We enjoyed a regional platter for lunch at the same venue - olives, pate, ham, cured chicken, pickles, onions, bread, and different cheeses.

Fourth stop was our favorite of them all - Langmeil. Our winery host was fabulous. She explained the history of the company, briefed us on the process of wine-making and growing grapes, showed us how they pressed wine, and showed us different vines including the 160-year old vines on the estate. Our wine tasting included many Shiraz and some whites. The muscat and the Orphan Bank Shiraz were our favorites.

Final stop was Chateau Tanunda, a beautiful estate in Barossa Valley. We tried nearly 15 different wines. Ben really enjoyed the Chateau Cab-sauv, while Liya enjoyed the Barossa Shiraz and Semillion.

Overall, it was a fabulous day in wine country.

Melbourne, The Great Ocean Road, and Adelaide...

2008-02-23T21:14:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone! Sorry for the late update! We will try to sum up the past week or so in this entry...

Following Sydney, we flew to Melbourne - the best city in Australia according to Virgin Blue flight attendants :) The weather was incredible - sunny and hot everyday! We spent 3 nights in Melbourne; stayed in hostel located in the Central Business District, in close proximity to everything - Queen Victoria Market, Federation Square, St. Kilda Beach, street and alley cafes, Chinatown, city parks, shopping, etc. We really enjoyed the culture the city had to offer. Melbourne is a very diverse city and it shows - through the variety of cuisines offered; the various art, architecture and modern structures and museums; the culture at St. Kilda Beach; and the variety of people who've come to live the Melbourne-lifestyle. We really enjoyed the food that Melbourne had to offer, especially Chinese food! Our favorite restaurant was this simple Noodle house, a hole-in-the-wall-type, located near Chinatown. The noodles were freshly-made everyday and the sauces/soups were savory - Hong Kong and Shanghai style at its best! The cheap prices didn't hurt either ;)

Next was the Great Ocean Road. We thought it would be fun to rent a car for a couple of days and drive along this famous and scenic route (200 km southwest of Melbourne). What an adventure it was to drive on the other side of the road and on the other side of the car! Ben did a fabulous job driving. On our first day, we stopped in the surf towns of Torquay, Lourne, and Apollo Beach to soak up some rays and window-shop. At Lourne, we ventured into the Otway National Park and hiked a few hundred yards to a waterfall. At the end of the day, we stopped to see the 12 Apostles, twelve beautiful rock formations along the shore, before stopping in the town of Port Campbell for the evening. The next day, we drove back east towards Melbourne, stopped by Apollo Beach, Lourne and Split Point to see the Lighthouse. Our evening was spent in Geelong, a small city 60km outside of Melbourne.

The next day, we flew out to Adelaide, located in South Australia. We have been here for the past 3 days and will stay another three. We have enjoyed everything from Rundal Street with it's many retail shops, restaurants and cafes, the Fringe Music Festival that is going on this week, the Central Market, Chinatown, Gouger Street with its diverse selection of restaurants and bar scene, and the beautiful Botanical Gardens. The Central Market here is the largest indoor market apparently in the world. We bought some produce and kangaroo fillets which we grilled up the other night - deliciously lean and very red meat! We plan to visit the wine country and the beach over the next couple of days before flying out to the Gold Coast on Wednesday, the 27th. The famous Barossa and McClaren Valley are located outside of Adelaide - wineries include Jacob's Creek and Penfold's.

Hope all is well back home...We think of all our loved ones and friends back home all the time! We miss you!

Down Under: Sydney

2008-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

18 hours later...we arrived in Sydney, Australia, at 7:30am on Wednesday, the 13th. We were fortunate to be picked up at the airport by lovely Adele Buchanan, a friend who we went to high school with and is now living in Sydney working for Dell.

Sydney is a beautiful city with an abundance of greenery, water, quaint precincts, and 'heaps' (as our friend Adele likes to say) of classy high-rise condos and skyscrapers.

For Valentine's Day (which we celebrated a day before the States since Australia is 18 hours ahead), we visited the city business district (CBD), Darling Harbor, The Rocks, and Manly Beach. It was a wonderful day - the sun was out, the temp was in the upper 70s and we came across many wonderful sites and friendly people.

We started the day by taking the tram down to the Central Train Station in the CBD. We ventured into Chinatown during lunchtime and came across many dim sum and noodle houses. We ended up ordering a few chinese pastries at a popular bakery (yum!). Afterwards, we walked through the large open-air flea market, Paddy's Market, which is located right next to Darling Harbor. Darling Harbor is absolutely beautiful - the harbor is lined up with museums, condos, office buildings, shopping centers, restaurants and cafes - reminded us of Seattle. A monorail runs through it as well. From Darling Harbor, we walked towards the Harbor Bridge to The Rocks, an old historic precinct of Sydney. There, we came across many art galleries, cafes, historic pubs and upscale resturants. We took great pictures of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge from The Rocks and witnessed 3 groups of bridge climbers (crazy people!).

The latter of the day was spent at Manly Beach. We took the 30-minute ferry from Circular Quay (located in b/w The Rocks and the Opera House) to Manly Beach. We really enjoyed Manly Beach because it reminded us of a quaint beach town you would find in southern California (i.e. Newport) and even the Oregon coast. The main road in Manly is called Corso Rd. Discounted shops selling all sorts of goods, take away food joints, and retail shops specializing in surfing goods were lined up along Corso. The beach was located at the end of Corso. There were surfers and sunbathers everywhere. We ended up having our Valentine's Dinner at Manly Beach - take away fresh fish and chips from Manly Fish Cafe (a fresh fish market and a take away food joint in one). We took the ferry back to the city at dusk - a lovely end to a lovely day.

The next day, we were pretty drained from all the sun so we took it easy and ventured in the nearby town, Chatswood. There, we walked through the shopping district which had two large malls (including Westfield Shopping Center!) and heaps of discounted shops and restaurants. The interesting thing we came across was the fresh meat markets located INSIDE the mall - haha. Interesting.

Next stop, Melbourne!

Leaving on a jet plane....once again :)

2008-02-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

On February 11th, we'll be leaving the Couve to travel the world once again. We are extremely excited for our second 'round-the-world' trip.

Tentative schedule:
-Fly into Sydney, Australia, on February 13th. Spend a month in Australia
-Fly into Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on March 13th. Spend 2-4 weeks traveling through Vietnam - meet family, get used to the intense humidity, eats tons of good food, and enjoy the beauty that is Vietnam
-Travel through Cambodia and Laos over a span of 2 weeks, more or less
-For a good month, we'll explore exotic Thailand
-On to Hong Kong and China, perhaps Taiwan, over a 2-3 month period
-In August, we plan to be Beijing, China, for the Summer Olympic Games

We look forward to be immersed in many different cultures, meet new people, discover new foods, learn new languages, and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Thanks again to our family and friends for their wonderful support!

We will do our best to keep this blog up to date - so stay tuned ... :)

London: December 17th-20th

2007-12-20T03:15:00.000-08:00

Three days in London was just not enough time to enjoy this wonderful and vibrant city to the fullest!

We arrived in London late evening on Monday, so for the rest of the evening, we relaxed and browsed the area near our hostel in South Kensington. The South Kensington neighborhood (near the tube station: Gloucester) was very nice and posh. The town homes in the area were very classy. Right from the start, we loved the architecture and building facades of London. Right across the street from our hostel were two of London's largest museums, The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science & Natural History Museums, with the Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Gardens just a couple blocks away.

We woke up early Tuesday morning, enjoyed the all-you-can-eat breakfast at our hostel, and prepared for our first full day in the City...

-We started at Leicester Square near the Convent Garden to find us a couple of tickets to the musical, Wicked.
-After purchasing our tickets to the show, we walked a couple streets north up to Soho where Chinatown was located. We had lunch at a soup noodle house where rows of roasted duck and BBQ pork were hanging in the windows. Ben had soup noodles with BBQ pork and Liya had soup noodles with roasted duck - delicious and cheap, HURRAY!
-After lunch, we took the tube (underground) to Temple where the Somerset House was located. In the courtyard of Somerset, there was a large Christmas tree and an ice rink. It was a warming sight to see - there were high spirits and it certainly felt like Christmas! We returned later in the evening to see the courtyard at night which was lit up beautifully.
-We walked across Waterloo Bridge to the Waterloo Train Station (massive!). From the bridge, we had great views of the London Eye (huge Ferris wheel) and Big Ben. We then took the tube to St. Paul's Cathedral (2nd largest basilica in the world behind St. Peter's in the Vatican). We didn't go inside but Liya managed to take a picture of Ben jumping in front of it :)
-We walked across Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern Museum. The works inside the museum was very similar to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. We loved the fact that most of the museums in London were free to the public - that's how it should be everywhere!
-From the Tate, we walked alongside the Thames River on the Southbank. We passed by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark Cathedral, and the London Bridge. It was dark by the time we got to the London Bridge so we had a nice clear night view of the Tower Bridge.
-We took the tube back to Trafalgar Square to have see Big Ben and the London Eye at night.
-We went to Lyceum Theater and saw The Lion King, a last-minute decision. The set and costumes were amazing. The acting and some of the singers were under-par in our opinion. Nevertheless, it was a great experience to see a West End musical during the holiday season.

Wednesday, our last full day in London...

We went on a walking tour of London at 11am.
-We started at Wellington Arch where we saw the #1 House in London in the Mayfair District, owned by the Duke of Wellington. We walked through the Arch and through Green Park towards Buckingham Palace where we saw the Changing of the Guards. Since the Royal flag was up and there were 4 Royal Guards instead of two in front of the palace, that meant the Queen was home. Following the ceremony, we walked to St. Jame's Palace, the official residence of the Prince of Wales (Charles) and his sons, Prince William and Harry, and took pictures with one of the Guards.
-Following St. James, we walked up to Piccadilly Street (really expensive street) and walked towards Piccadilly Circus. Along the way, we saw where the Queen shops (hat and leather shoe shops) and where she occasionally has her afternoon tea. Piccadilly Circus is London's version of Time's Square. From the Circus, we walked through Leicester Square and a couple of alleys which were filmed in the Harry Potter movies (Diagon Alley) to Convent Garden, a huge market.
-We visited Trafalgar Square where the National Gallery was located.
-Our last stop of the walking tour was the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

Following the walking tour, we had traditional British meals at the Lyceum Tavern for a late lunch. Ben had steak & ale pie as well as a pint of home-made ale and Liya had the traditional fish & chips - both were very good. Happy and full, we made our way back to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. It was dusk by the time we arrived - the view of Big Ben in the distance from the steps of the Gallery was nice. We walked through the Gallery and enjoyed works from Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Raphael. It was great to walk through the many galleries and for FREE! Another reason why we love London!

To end our perfect day, we saw Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theater. The show was AMAZING! Everything was spectacular - the set, the costumes, the band, the actors, the music. It lived up to our expectations and we were 100% satisfied! We will have to visit Nick in NYC and see how Wicked compares there!

We were all smiles for the rest of the evening! Although we wish we could spend a few more days in London because there are still so many places to see (i.e. Greenwich; Notting Hill; Kensington Palace, Harrods, Portobello Road, Camden, and Borough Markets; Brick Lane and its curry houses; and the many more FREE museums!), we are excited to fly back home today and spend the holidays with our loved ones and friends.

London makes our list as one of our favorite cities in Europe - We will return for sure! Cheers!

Please use the link below to see our pictures from London and Corfu, Greece:
http://washington.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2218928&l=d4a12&id=10708181

Corfu, Greece: December 9th-15th

2007-12-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

We were looking forward to the warm weather & relaxing at the Pink Palace Hostel (pretty much a resort hostel) for the last leg of our trip in Corfu, Greece; however, when we arrived via ferry Sunday morning, we were welcomed with rain, cold and grey skies(The weather cleared up for us later in the week). Fortunately, there were 12 other fabulous guests to make it a fun stay for us. Shout out to Dave, Kyle, Bryan, Tracy, Tess, Catherine, Kristen, Brad, Chris, Andy, Rebecca, and Colin! Thanks for the good times and many laughs!

While at the Pink Palace...

-We had a hot breakfast consisting of fried eggs, toast, tea and coffee, and bacon every morning. We had a different 3-course meal each night (delicious soup, Greek salad and main course)every night. Great deal.
-We had great drinks made by the fabulous bartender, Andy (from London), every night (happy hour was from 6-11pm!). We were introduced to the Greek liquor, Ouzo - definitely not our favorite but sure had a kick! YAMAS!
-We had a pink toga party the first night....many ouzo shots, singing and dancing!
-We went 4-wheeling' on two different days. First day was rainy and cold, the roads were slick, and Liya fell into a ditch...HARD. Fortunately, there were no broken bones, just some scratches and bruises and some really nice goose eggs on her left leg. Liya 'got back on the horse' the second day we went out. It was the nicest day of the week so we spent all day on the quads.
-We played tons of charades which were hilarious, especially after happy hour :)
-We had a Secret Santa Exchange - some interesting gifts :)
-We enjoyed the beautiful sunsets every night.
-We went swimming in the freezing cold sea - easy to float in though!
-Ben played tons of frisbee which made him a very happy boy :)
-We saw the first snow fall in 5 years in Corfu on our last day! Snow on palm trees - crazy!

***Most importantly, we made many memories and friends from Canada, New Zealand, the States and England during our stay.

Brindisi, Bari, & Lecce, Italy: December 6th-7th

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We spent a couple of nights in Brindisi. Since it was low season, not much was going on in the city so we took day trips to Bari and Lecce.

Bari is a large port city with many high-end shops such as Louis Vutton, Max Mara, Gucci, etc. Saint Nicholas (yes, Santa Claus) was buried in one of the old churces in Bari. We took an overnight ferry from Bari to Greece on the 8th.

Napoli: December 5th

2007-12-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

Our original plan for the 5th was to ride the train down to Sicily from Naples. We were really looking forward to visiting Taorimina, Palermo and Catania; however, the slow ten hour train ride, limited availability, and a scheduled ferry leaving Bari on the 8th forced the decision to skip Sicily.

For the day, we ended up booking another night at the hostel we stayed in previously in Naples, Hostel of the Sun. Being back in this welcoming environment allowed us to unwind and relax with the other travelers for the evening. We were even treated to a free pasta dinner on behalf of the hostel – penne with ricotta cheese and smoked mozzarella. We had the benefit of meeting a fellow American from Texas, Sloan. Just the previous day he completed his final exams in Barcelona where he had been studying architecture for the semester (Senior from Texas A&M). Since the pasta didn’t satisfy our hunger completely, the three of us set out for some late-night pizzas at Pizzeria di Michele where we each enjoyed a delicious margherita pizza, Naples style!

Forio and Ischia: December 3rd – 4th

2007-12-05T09:28:00.001-08:00

We left Sorrento early Monday morning. Since ferries no longer go directly from Sorrento to the island of Ischia, we had to take a ferry all the way back to Napoli then take another ferry to Ischia. When we arrived in Ischia, we took the CS bus to the town we were staying in about 10 km away, Forio, the largest town on the island. The town was pretty and colorful but not much going on since it’s currently the low season. I imagine this island is a happening spot in the summer with all the tourists visiting and sunbathing on the many beaches. Ischians take their siesta period seriously too - the whole town shuts down for 3.5 hours!

The next day, we took the bus to the town of Panzana where we walked down to the hot springs in Sorgeto Bay. The tide was higher than expected which prevented us from sitting peacefully in the rock pools where the hot springs came up through. Liya tried her best but got blasted by the waves a few times. Nevertheless, the time spent at the bay was pleasant. The bay was only occupied by a couple of other sunbathers, the sun was out, the skies were blue, the wind was subtle and the sound of the sea was soothing. After soaking up some Vitamin D at Sorgeto, we took the CS bus all around the island of Ischia (1.5 hours) which was a beautiful ride.

The term ‘low season’ really hit home when we were staying in Ischia. First, we were on the only two backpackers staying at our hostel. Second, it was a pain in the butt and expensive to reach and to leave the island. Third, there wasn’t much activity – open stores were hard to find, locals were on holiday, and everything was running at a much slower pace. We arrived in Ischia with high expectations and, instead, we left somewhat disappointed.

S’Agnello di Sorrento and the Almafi Coast: December 1st – 2nd

2007-12-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a half-day in Napoli before taking the Circumvesuviana train to S’Agnello, a small town of Sorrento, our home base for the Almafi Coast. We spent the morning walking around the harbor and the port of Napoli before having lunch at the city’s famous pizzeria, Gino Sorbillo. Gino’s Pizzeria claims that they were the inventors of the classic pizza calzone. Fortunately for us, we were able to grab a table right when the doors opened at noon, because 10 minutes after opening all two stories of the restaurant were full. Ben ordered the Ripieno classic calzone – salami, ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and basil. Liya had the Paguele pizza – toppings included prosciutto, special mushrooms, basil, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Tasty, tasty!

After lunch, we set off for Sorrento. We stayed at Mami Camilla B&B/Hostel, a lovely place out by the sea. Surrounding the villa were clementine, orange, and lemon trees. On the roof terrace, we enjoyed the views of the surrounding hills till it was time for dinner. For dinner, we ate at a family restaurant in our town and boy was it AMAZING (and cheap might we add)! Ben had the house special, Gnocchi di Sorrentina (fresh gnocchi, sauce: tomatoes, garlic, awesome parma. cheese) and Liya had the Spaghetti con Vongole (fresh clams with white wine sauce). Both were delicious and fresh-tasting. Outside the restaurant was a large rotisserie of chickens so we had to try a half of a chicken, a great decision! The chicken was seasoned perfectly and the meat was extremely moist – the best rotisserie chicken we’ve had!

FYI – The B&B’s breakfast was amazing! Both mornings, we enjoyed a breakfast of warm croissants and rolls with homemade marmalade and kiwi jam, prosciutto and cheese, assorted sweet pastries, clementines, granola and yogurt, and a nice hot cup of cappuccino made by the mother. After breakfast on Sunday, we set off for the Almafi Coast.

We bought a couple of SITA bus tickets and enjoyed the 1.5-hour ride from the town of S’Agnello to the last town along the Almafi Coast, Almafi. It was raining for half of the ride and the weather was overcast, but we still loved the coastal views from our warm seat. We enjoyed seeing all the villas and homes perched on cliff sides and up in the mountains, the grape vines, the orange and lemon trees, and the different blues of the Sea. The drive along the coast was also like a rollercoaster ride –our heart rate was higher than usual, most of the turns were extremely sharp, the space between our bus and the cars/buses passing us on the other side of the lane was just inches, and when we looked outside our windows, the roaring sea and the jagged rocks were right below us. We had to shut our eyes for a few seconds here and there!

We walked around the town of Almafi for a couple of hours window-shopping and partaking in some free limoncello tastings. At one shop, we tried all sorts of liquors such as basil, chocolate-chili, straight-up chili pepper, crema di limoncello, crema di melon, and of course, the original limoncello made with Almafi’s young lemons. Next, we hopped on the bus and headed to Postiano, the 2nd largest town along the coast. The sunset there was beautiful and the city had beautiful ceramics and mosaics everywhere. After the sun set, we headed back into S’Agnello and held our breath for parts of our ride back (as it was dark out and there were no lights on the road!).

Back in S’Agnello, we decided to have dinner at the family restaurant we ate the night before because A) it was damn good and B) it was the only restaurant open on Sunday, lucky us! Ben ordered a margherita pizza with chips (French fries on top, a local thing to do apparently) and Liya had farfalle with salmon. We shared a half of a rotisserie chicken again – delicious once again! The pizza was alright but the salmon dish was beautiful. The sauce was amazing and the salmon had a great smoky flavor to it.

Overall, it was a pleasant trip to the Almafi Coast. Next stop, Ischia Island.

Napoli: November 29th – 30th

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We were welcomed to Napoli with a torrential downpour yesterday afternoon. It rained all day in Napoli which was a bummer. We had a difficult time finding our hostel but when we finally arrived at Hostel at the Sun, we were content. We received a very warm welcome from Carla, the host of the hostel, and instantly felt like we were at home. The hostel was a flat with a few dorm rooms and colorful common areas. We enjoyed the rest of the day staying warm inside the hostel and getting to know the other travelers.

This morning, we woke up early and got ready for our day trip to Pompeii. Italy’s main train lines were on strike so we had to take the Circumvesuviana line (30-minute trip). When we arrived in Pompeii, it was rainy but that didn’t stop us from enjoying a day in this historic site. We saw a variety of villas, famous houses, theaters, bakeries, and temples. Walking on the rough cobble stone was the best reminder of how ancient this town really is (dating back over 2000 years ago).

When we got back to Naples this afternoon, we had the BEST pizza at Pizzeria Michel. It's been around for over 100 years and they only make two kinds, margherita and marinera. We got both and enjoyed every bite of each! We walked down one of their main streets and ordered a smaller pizza, served fresh and hot straight from the oven, from Pizzeria Matteo, the 2nd best pizzeria in Napoli! We walked around some more around town and were happy to see all the Christmas decorations and goods being sold in many stores and on the streets.

We head to Sorrento tomorrow where we will spend a couple of nights at. We plan to explore the city and the rest of the Almafi Coast. And of course, enjoy limoncello!

Updated Pictures

2007-11-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Please copy and paste the links to see the updated pictures of our trip! Thanks!

http://washington.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2201460&l=26ca2&id=10708181

http://washington.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2209010&l=4431a&id=10708181

http://washington.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2213425&l=98e67&id=10708181

More pictures from Rome!

2007-11-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

Walking all over Rome: November 28th

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We had a long day of walking in store for us so we slept in a bit and got energized with a yummy Italian meal of fresh pasta and a caprese salad we made ourselves in the hostel kitchen.

After lunch, we set off to see our first site of the day, the Pantheon, a very impressive structure that has withstood the test of time. Architects can’t seem to figure out how the dome is still standing after all these years (there are no support columns, arches or braces) – the Pantheon is simply a cement dome. Following the Pantheon, we walked a few streets over to Piazza Navona. It was a piazza filled with colorful buildings, bars, cafes, craft and food vendors, and three large fountains. Unfortunately, the middle fountain was under renovation.
We then walked towards the Vatican City to see Castel Saint Angelo. From there, we had a great view of St. Peter’s Basilica. We walked a couple more kilometers down to the Trastevere area where we had a nice view of the Basilica at dusk from one of the bridges over the Tiber River. Above us were swarms of small black birds flying all around, forming different shapes like a school of fish would. We witnessed this event the night before and were intrigued with the collective behavior of these birds. In one of the Trastevere piazzas we had the best pizza in Rome! It was the San Calisto Pizza: olives, eggplant, tomatoes, mozzarella, and mushrooms. YUM! Following our dinner we visited the Santa Maria Church that was located in the same piazza that we ate our pizza in. Santa Maria was another massive church with gold mosaic work on the back wall and above the altar.

We left Trastevere and headed towards the Vittorio Emmanuel II Monument and the Coliseum for some nice night pictures. When we got there, lo and behold, there was a taxi strike. All of Rome’s taxis were stationed around the Monument and all along Rome’s busiest and oldest road (parallel to the Roman Forum), preventing traffic from entering and allowing pedestrians to walk in the middle of the street towards the Coliseum.

After seven hours of walking we finally returned to our hostel. Who knows how many miles we logged today?!? As large of a city that Rome is, it is definitely walkable. Just remember to stretch your legs and hip flexors in the morning!

We head to Napoli next!

More Pictures from the Vatican City

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Vatican City: November 27th

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We got up bright and early to prepare for our full day in the Vatican City.

Our first visit was the Vatican Museum. We were fascinated with the old sculptures, marble head busts, as well with the vast and colorful wall and ceiling paintings located in many of the rooms and halls. The best part of the Vatican Museum was the Sistine Chapel. It is here where the Conclave takes place, a very important church ceremony. This traditional meeting of the Cardinals is aimed at electing the new Pope. The painters involved in this sublime work of pictorial decoration included the most respected names in the world of Italian painting, first and foremost Michelangelo. There were two frescoes starting from the altar and running along the walls on the left and right. The fresco of the ceiling was done by Michelangelo and was completed in just three years. The central part of the ceiling, divided into panels, represented scenes from Genesis including The Creation of Adam and The Creation of Eve. Around the lower part of the ceiling, 12 huge figures of Prophets were depicted. The best part of the Chapel was the amazing wall behind the altar painted by Michelangelo, The Last Judgment.

After spending a few hours at the museum, we made our way to St. Peter’s Square and Basilica. At the center of the square stood an Egyptian obelisk and it was flanked by two fountains. So you know how we mentioned that Santa Maria Major from Monday was enormous? Well…the size of St. Peter Basilica was incomprehensible. Simply put, there’s nothing like it! St. Peter must have been one HECK of a guy!

We immediately realized that we entered the largest and most grandiose sacred building in existence: a building vast in scale, décor, and inspirational effect. The Basilica displayed wonderful works of art in a splendid fusion of the Renaissance and Baroque Era. In the central nave, the venerated bronze statue of St. Peter stood (13th Century). A series of chapels opened up along the aisles. They included the Chapel of Pieta, with its famous Michelangelo statue of the dead body of Christ lying in the lap of his Mother, the Pieta (Michelangelo sculpted this at the age of 24). Up high above, we admired Michelangelo’s massive dome (120m high).
After exploring inside the Basilica, we decided to walk up the 521 steps up to the top of dome in hopes to find breathtaking views of the city. And boy were they breathtaking! The view from the top was amazing! The long and narrow trek to the top was well worth it. We had a remarkable view of St. Peter‘s Square and the Vatican Museum. In the distance we could see Villa Borghese, the Vittorio Emanuel II Monument, the Palatine, the Coliseum and the Roman Forum.

We had a late lunch at a local bar which was recommended in our guide book. We both shared a caprese salad, lasagna and pork. We thought the tomatoes in the salad and with the pork were interesting - they were green and we debated if they were ripe or not. After our late lunch, we crossed the Tiber River and had the best espresso and cappuccino (with a free splash of Bailey’s liquor) at Café Peru. We also had a nice glass of freshly-squeezed O.J. there. We walked back to the Trevi Fountain which was fortunately less crowded than our first experience. After Trevi, we returned to our favorite gelateria in Rome, Il Gelatone, and had two scoops each on a cone! Ben had pistachio and hazelnut topped with cream. Liya had tiramisu and amaretto. All were delicious!

Overall, it was a wonderful day spent in the Vatican City. Rome has definitely made our list of top cities in Europe, even with much remaining to be seen!

Rome: November 25th-26th

2007-11-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

When we arrived in Rome early Sunday afternoon, we were immediately amazed with the size of the Termini Train Station. Anything and everything was situated in the station – grocery store, a Nike store, Sephora, Post Office, a UPIM Department Store, restaurants, bars, Tabacchi mini mart stores, etc. For our first day in Rome, we started at Piazza della Repubblica and Santa Maria degli Angeli. We’ve seen massive churches in Europe over the past two months but this was MASSIVE. Gosh…we won’t know how to describe St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican later! After Santa Maria, we made our way to the Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna. Even with the damp weather the Steps were packed with tourists. It was a sight to see! The sky was a gorgeous dark purple and pink color at dusk. To follow was the Trevi Fountain, also another huge tourist site. At the fountain, we made our wishes and threw coins from over our shoulders. Following the fountain, we enjoyed small cups of gelato from the famous Gelateria San Crispino. Liya had honey and cinnamon-ginger flavors while Ben had his usual, Pistacio and Hazelnut. We walked around the city for a while longer and came across another gelateria called Il Gelatone and there, we concluded, had the BEST gelato. The lady working behind the counter was kind and generous. She gave us two incredibly large scoops of gelato each on a cone for 2 Euros each (one heck of a deal!) and we were in HEAVEN. Ben had biscotti and chocolate while Liya had coconut and banana. Il Gelatone was the real deal! We went to bed that evening, two very full (of gelato) and happy travelers!

On Monday (day two) we visited Santa Maria Major, the Roman Forum, the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument and the Coliseum. We started at Santa Maria Major which was located near our hostel. Now we know we mentioned that Santa Maria degli Angeli from yesterday’s visit was massive, but Santa Maria Major was enormous and awe-inspiring! Following the cathedral was the Roman Forum. We walked for another 10 minutes and were instantly impressed with the former center of Rome. There were Roman ruins everywhere. To the left we saw the massive Coliseum and the Palatine and to the right was the towering white structure and monument dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II. For lunch, we had a couple of tasty pizza slices at Pizza Art where pizza was priced by the kilogram. On the way back to the Forum we made our way into the Jewish Ghetto where Ben bought a few pastries, including warm challah. Back at the Forum, we were amazed with the grandeur of what ancient Rome and its civilization used to be like. Next stop of the day was at the Coliseum. Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to go inside because the lines were too long but our views of the structure from the outside were just fine. One could imagine what took place inside the Coliseum during the ancient times. For dinner, we had a free pasta dinner at the hostel which was convenient; however, it was not the best pasta. But what can we say? It was free! For the rest of the evening, we enjoyed hanging out at the hostel with other travelers and keeping it low key.

Pisa, Cortona, Perugia: November 23rd-24th

2007-11-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

Pisa and Cortona: November 23rd

We left Lucca early Friday morning and made our way down to Pisa via train. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the Duomo and the Leaning Tower. Like all of the other tourists, we took silly pictures while holding up the Leaning Tower. From Pisa, we hopped on a train heading south towards Cortona. Ben read in one of our guide books that 2/3 of Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed in this beautiful hill town. Not only was it filmed there, but the story originated from this small town. We enjoyed the evening strolling around the streets and piazzas. We had dinner at a small ristorante where we shared vegetable soup, Ben had pasta with truffle oil and mushrooms, and Liya had pasta with wild boar sauce. It wasn’t the best pasta we’ve had but it was something new and different. The next morning we enjoyed sunny views of the country surrounding Cortona from the hill top. It was Saturday morning so that meant Market Day in the town’s main piazza.
Next stop, Perugia!

Perugia: November 24th
We arrived in Perugia early afternoon only to find that our hostel was not open until 4pm. So we situated ourselves on the steps of the Duomo, snacked on some tasty foccacia bread and drank some delicious 1997 Tuscan wine (only 6 Euros!). We still had some time to spare before checking in, so we read our books in a nearby tea room. After having some tea, we were welcomed to a ‘lovely’ downpour. We haven’t seen rain like this since last winter in Seattle! For the remainder of the evening, we strolled around the streets of Perugia and admired the old medieval buildings and arches of this lively hill town. Fortunately for us, the rain stopped and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Liya stopped in one of the many bakeries and bought several different pastries. Her favorite was the creamed-filled brioche – sweet, soft, and heavenly! For dinner, we cooked up a large batch of pesto rigatoni and enjoyed some nice red wine. Perugia was a lovely town with a young spirit to it. We wish we had a few more days to enjoy but…

Next stop, Roma!

Lucca: Nov. 21st and 22nd

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We enjoyed a two night stay in the small medieval-walled town of Lucca. Our first afternoon in town was spent walking around the whole wall (4.2 km). This provided us great views of both inside and outside the walls of Lucca. We enjoyed the mountains surrounding the city and the colorful trees lining the walking paths. For dinner, we enjoyed a supermarket meal of apples, two kinds of pecirino cheese, parmagiano reggiano, prosciutto and green olives. Later in the evening we ventured around the city and ran into a nice fellow at a bar. Blaise (from L.A.) has been living in Lucca for the past five weeks and is an opera singer. We asked for his recommendation on a place to find good tiramisu and he brought us to his friends’ restaurant, Trattoria de Leo. The restaurant has been owned and managed by the same family for the past 28 years. Parents and children work at this fabulous Trattoria and proudly post pictures on the wall. Blaise recommended just about everything on the menu and we ended up trying their two zuppas (soups) – Ben had the fagioli (bean) soup and Liya had the verdure (vegetable) soup. Both were delicious and very hearty. For dessert, we enjoyed the homemade tiramisu. One word - WOW. The lady fingers were soaked with goodness!!! Next, we were treated to a bowl of melon and chili pepper sorbet, a very interesting but tasty combination, and small glasses of grappa and lemoncello. It was such a great meal and place to be that we promised to return the next day for a Thanksgiving feast! After our meal we enjoyed a beer at the local Irish Pub with Blaise.

For our last day in Lucca, we enjoyed window-shopping down its many shop-lined streets. For lunch, we returned to Trattoria de Leo as promised. We were sad to miss our first Thanksgiving away from home and all of the delicious food made by our wonderful family. So instead of a traditional Thanksgiving feast, we decided to do huge traditional Italian feast at the Trattoria. We don’t know how the Italians eat so much in one sitting! A traditional meal would go as follows: Vino, Bread and Antipasto, Primi Plato, Secondi Plato, Side of Veggies or Potatoes, Dolce and an expresso or a liquor to finish. OK, so we didn’t do a full traditional meal but this was the first time in Italy that we both ordered first and second courses with side dishes (we honestly felt satisfied after the first course!!!)To start, Ben enjoyed a savory dish of fresh pasta mixed with greens and sausage and Liya enjoyed a dish of risotto with pumpkin cream sauce. For our second and main course, Liya had bistecca (grilled beef steak), a dish one must apparently eat in the Tuscan region. The grill taste was very nice but she has had better steaks in the States! Ben enjoyed spare ribs with roasted potatoes in olive oil. The meat was so tender and the potatoes were to die for! For our side dishes, we ordered a slice of Vegetable pie (similar to quiche) and a plate of oven-roasted vegetables. After all of that food, we definitely did not have room for dessert! After our huge meal, we went back to our hostel for a siesta! (Just like on Thanksgiving!) The evening was ended on a high note – we had the opportunity to talk to our loved ones back home to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cinque Terre: November 18th-20th

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**DISCLAIMER** The authors of this blog would like to mention the difficultly they experienced while attempting to describe the visual treat that Cinque Terre provides the viewer. Words, and even most pictures, do not do justice in depicting what this Italian paradise has to offer. At your next convenience, please book your tickets to visit Cinque Terre.

The two hour train ride from Siena to Cinque Terre was smooth and easy. The train dropped us off at town number one, Riomaggiorre, which was our home base for the “5 lands.” Even the train station had a fabulous view of the vast and brilliantly blue Mediterranean.

A 100 meter walking tunnel took us from the train station and through the mountain to our small, colorful and humble town. Without directions we managed to easily find our hostel. Riomaggiorre has only one Via that runs uphill from the port to the top of the town. We dropped our packs off at our place and made our way up the road to see what the town had to offer. Looking down on the town from the top of the street was amazing. On either side were colorful houses jetting out of the cliffside and grape vines covering the land above. The colors of the grape leaves gave away the current season was fall. We walked towards the sea on a road that ended with a small castle that sat above the town. The view in each direction was grand. Our way down to sea level took us through ‘streets’ that are better described as steep walkways and alleys that eventually lead to doorsteps of homes. Not your conventional streets by a long shot. The port of the town was humble and made of concrete. All of the boats were wooden with no hint of the modern and wild world. The rock beach provided a lovely spot for us to watch the sun go down. Switching strokes from left to right, a local man paddled his boat with one hand while the other guided his fishing line. The ease in which he went through the water made it seem as if he had been fishing this way his entire life off of the coast of Riomaggiore.

We were glad to find out that the town did have a market to purchase groceries. We enjoyed a good meal of pasta with fresh pesto and a good bottle of wine. Some of our new roommates walked in while we were eating and this marked the beginning of a long evening with good company and conversation. While this small town is not particularly known for its nightlife, we did manage to close down the local pub. We headed home for a night of rest before the long day ahead.

The Cinque Terre hike is a total of 9km (5.5 miles) from town one to five. With our carb load from dinner the night before, we departed Riomaggiorre with our minds set on Monterosso. The first leg of the trip, from Riomaggiorre to Manorolla, is appropriately called the “walkway of love.” Smooth and flat concrete made the 20 minute stroll very easy and one to remember. As for the remainder of our hike it was not as easy, but very memorable. We saw all types of paths; concrete, dirt, rock, wide, narrow, steep and flat. Wonderful views were a constant, whether it was high above the Mediterranean, deep inside the coves with vineyards abound, or through the colorful towns themselves. Switchbacks of 286 steps got us to the hilltop town of Corniglia where a gelato reward awaited us. The local miele (honey) flavor was a fantastic treat after our journey to the top. Our travels to the next two towns (Vernezza and Monterosso) were the most demanding and intense. A new view of the surroundings from the next hill top or around the precarious bend was always incentive enough for us to continue. With an hour to go we met a couple from Olympia, WA on the trail and had a great time finishing the hike through Cinque Terre. When it was all said and done, it took five hours and 12 minutes for us to reach Monterosso. We pondered how long it would take us if we really wanted to make a race out of it. We weren’t as impressed when we thought what Lance Armstrong or even our two mountaineer friends from Issaquah could make it in. Nonetheless our hike was full of great times, great exercise, great views and most importantly, great company.

The nine minute train ride back to Riomaggiorre made us appreciate even more the technology we so frequently rely on throughout this trip. Since the pesto was so good the night before, we decided to enjoy the same again. This time we teamed up with a roommate, Kalie from L.A. and Barcelona, to make a big meal of pasta, fried potatoes, eggplant and tomatos, and vino from Montepulciano.

Day three was dedicated to seeing more of each town. With slightly sore legs we took the train to all five towns to get a better feel for what each had to offer. We stopped in Manorola to have lunch at a Trattoria that one of our roommates highly recommended to us the night before. Liya enjoyed a big plate of Batti Batti (linguinni with lobster) and Ben had a ravioli dish with a salmon sauce. Both were outrageously delicious and very reasonably priced. To close our stomachs, we had a tiramisu that made our heads spin it was so good. The remainder of the day was spent walking off our great meal through the unique towns of Cinque Terre.

Siena: November 15th – 17th

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Siena – the amazing hill town where Ben’s older brother, Nick, studied for a few months as a senior at the University of Washington. We arrived early afternoon and took the bus to the outskirts of the city where our hostel was located (the only hostel in Siena too!) After checking in, we headed back down to the city center.

Once we arrived in Centro, we walked to Il Campo, a large shell-shaped piazza. Each year, on the 2nd of July and the 16th of August, the Palio horse races take place in this famous square. What a great spectacle that would be! After taking several pictures at Il Campo, we walked to the Duomo di Siena. It dominates the square with its covering of white-black marble and its Romanesque-Gothic façade. The building is decorated with statues of kings and prophets. Even the inside is a masterpiece! The floors, walls and ceilings are covered with colorful marble and the top is lined with the faces of different Popes throughout history. We really enjoyed walking through this beautiful hill town. Liya loved all the colorful shutters on the windows, the narrow and steep roads, the flowers on the window sills, and the network of colorful clothes hanging to dry from building to building.

For dinner, we enjoyed a Happy Hour (drink and buffet) at Nannini, a popular bar and bakery in town. We had a large glass of Chianti – perfecto! From the buffet, we enjoyed traditional Italian and Sienese dishes. The following were offered: Seafood mixed in vinegar and olive oil; Sautéed zucchini and mushrooms and drenched in olive oil; Proschetto-stuffed croissant rolls; Salmon and salty-cod served with large mushrooms; Coleslaw Italian-style; Pork tenderloin; Omelet; roasted red and yellow peppers with mushrooms, also drenched in olive oil. We definitely got our money’s worth- we were stuffed silly by the end of the night! This amazing HH was only 5.50 euro each! To close our stomachs (dessert) we had a couple pieces of the traditional panforte at Nannini – imagine a supped-up version of fruit cake. The original one (candied fruits, honey, almonds) had very good flavor and a chewy consistency, while the chocolate and nuts version was lacking a bit. Either would be wonderful with a good cup of tea.

Our second day in Siena was dedicated to experiencing more of Il Centro. We began our day at Nannini with a sweet brioche and a cappuccino. From there we simply wandered the streets of Siena, getting lost, then found and repeating that process. One of our highlights of the day was at a wine shop near Il Campo. The older gentleman that owned and operated this good-sized shop was friendly and welcoming. He introduced us to three of the traditional wines of the local Tuscan region – Chianti, Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montelcino. Tastings included a great Chianti Reserva and a full bodied Montepulchiano. He must have been saving the Brunello (the primo of the three) for that night’s supper or the next holiday. We also had the opportunity to taste freshly pressed olive oil from this year’s harvest – Wow! Talk about knock one of your socks off. The flavor was intense and made the bottles used at home seem like child’s play. Then came the fancy basalmic vinegar, another Chianti, and to finish….drum roll please…lemoncello! Liya’s first taste of Italy’s infamous lemon liqueur went as follows: puckered lips, open mouth to let the heat out (60 proof), and then it was all smiles. This stuff will easily knock the other sock off!

We had a late lunch at a tiny place nearby that had hand-written menus on old pieces of paper. La Chaccherio served local dishes to the locals themselves. Some vini rossi opened up our stomachs for the fresh pici with mushroom sauce (Liya’s choice), and the fresh farfalle with a squash sauce (Ben’s choice). Both dishes were light and pretty good. We enjoyed using our Spanish again with the couple from Madrid that joined us at our round table of four. We walked off our lunch and saw more of the hill town and the surrounds views it had to offer.

While our supermarket dinner was nothing fancy, it was definitely very tasty. A fresh baguette provided the foundation for fresh ricotta cheese, two local pecorino cheese, fresh pesto, fresh vine ripened tomatoes, and prosciutto. We also ordered a small wood oven pizza to share from a local and very popular pizzeria down the street. Ben said he would be satisfied with this flavorful meal any day of the week – Liya added gelato to complete our menu.

A good night of rest prepared us for the exciting days to come. Our next destination was one of high importance to visit from the beginning of our European adventure.

Cross it off of the list – we made it to Cinque Terre!

Florence: November 13th-15th

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The trip from Venice was a short two hours. We arrived in the late afternoon on Tuesday. Once we stepped out of the train station we realized that we will have a really cold month in Italy. Temperature and wind-wise, Florence was just as bad as Venice! For our first night, we stayed in and hung out with other travelers and backpackers staying at the hostel. We befriended several Canadians, a Brit, an Argentinean, and a couple of fellow Americans. One was from Seattle – Hi Dylan! The hostel provided a great environment for everyone to relax and enjoy the company of fellow travelers. The only thing that irked us was one of the flags the owners proudly had hanging up in the kitchen – the Confederate Flag! We asked them if they knew the history behind the flag and their reply was “yes, and we think the design is very cool.” Well, one of the Americans and the Brit took the flag, soaked it in water and put it in the freezer - should be a lovely surprise in a few days.

The next day, we woke up to rain! NOOOOOO! It was only the 2nd time we had rain this whole trip! The temperature was in the upper 30s! Brrrrr! We spent half of the day walking through and around the Central Market. We ended the day at the Duomo which was a spectacular structure. Inside the Duomo, we were in awe of the massive painting within the dome. For dinner, we ate pasta at a local favorite, Trattoria Guelfa. It was packed with locals and had a great ambiance. We ordered a caprese salad to start. The mozzarella was delicious and this one was served with basil. The olive oil was unique – it was green and delicious – and the real deal as Ben likes to put it. For our main course, Ben had fresh rigatoni smothered with mushroom, ham and truffle sauce. Liya had risotto with porcini mushrooms and tomatoes. Both were rich in flavor and incredibly delicious. We were really impressed with our meal, finally!

For our last day in Florence, we headed into old town Florence. Fortunately for us, the weather cleared up. We walked to the large Piazza Signoria where we saw a number of sculptures, including a marble copy of Michelangelo’s David. We had lunch at another local favorite, Trattoria Anita, a hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurant. We each had the menu of the day: Ben started with the house lasagna (amazing!) and for his second course, he had a caprese salad (the mozzarella was even better than what we had for dinner the night before); Liya started with a penne with spicy tomato and garlic sauce and for her second course, she had bistecca (flank steak pretty much, a traditional Florence plate). Ben gave two thumbs up for his plates, and Liya gave one up and one down. After lunch, we headed down to Old Bridge, a creative name for Florence’s oldest bridge. It was a great sight to see the old homes build into the side of this old bridge. After making it across we trekked up to Piazza Michelangelo where we had a great panoramic view of the city. The setting sun and light at dusk turned the great view into an amazing one. Since we were still pretty full from lunch, we stopped by the grocery store to grab some delicious bottles of Spumanti Champagne (1 euro each!) and Asiago cheese. We went back to the hostel and had a great evening hanging out and drinking with the other backpackers.

Goodbye flag in the freezer. Hello, Siena!

Venice: November 11th-13t

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Venice was our first stop in Italy. We left Barcelona early the morning of the 10th and arrived in Nice, France around 7:30 p.m. We had a great time catching up with family back home on the phone while waiting for our next train. We hopped on a night-train to Venice at 9:30 p.m., closed our eyes for awhile, and woke up in the lagoon city. In total we spent 22 hours on a train from Barcelona to Venice, but who’s counting anyway? Yuck!

The first thing we noticed upon our arrival was the change in weather. The temperature was in the upper 30s, so we gave our official goodbyes to the warm weather (we were spoiled in Spain). We stayed at a comfortable hotel on Lido, a small island about 2 km southeast of central Venice. Lido was quiet in comparison to Venice and there were hardly any tourists staying on the island. This turned out to be really nice for us.

Our first day in Venice started at San Marco Square. The square was packed with tourists from all around the world. And you wouldn’t believe how many pigeons were in and around the square! It was unbelievable – thousands of fat pigeons on statues, walking around, on buildings, always eating, fighting other pigeons for territory, standing on tourists’ arms and heads. You name it, a pigeon was on it. We enjoyed seeing the cafes that lined sections of the square with live bands playing relaxing music for the clientele – very unique! We ventured away from San Marco and had a great time getting lost on the different islands that comprise of Venice. We enjoyed crossing the many canals and bridges as well as running into little piazzas here and there.

We ended the evening at the Rialto Bridge where we had a lovely view of the canal at dusk. For dinner, we headed back to Lido to eat at a pizzeria, a favorite among the Lido locals. To start, we both had glasses of the house wine and prosecco with our caprese salad (arugula was used instead of basil). For the main course, Ben ordered the Sicilian pizza because it sounded exotic, tasty and different from anything he’s had before. He obviously couldn’t read the ingredients in Italian because to his surprise, the toppings included anchovies, big capers, onions, and olives. The anchovies and capers were overpowering, but the taste was quickly acquired! Liya had the house lasagna which was good but not spectacular. We are still waiting to be ‘WOW-ed’ with Italian food. Good thing we have a few more weeks in Italy!

For our last day in Venice, we spent an hour floating through the Grand Canal on the vaporetto. We really admired the old and colorful buildings along the canal. We got off at Rialto and had some fun window shopping and bargaining with the local market vendors. It was amazing to see all the Murano glass being sold in hundreds of stores. All of the tents sold pretty much the same items – talk about competition! Unfortunately, we didn’t make it out to Murano to see the live glass blowing. Liya bought a bag of large-sized spicy corn nuts and boy were they delicious! They were about three-times the size of regular corn nuts from back in The States. For lunch, we ate at a local pizzeria. The pizza slice we had there was amazing – feta cheese, roasted tomatoes and spinach on thick foccacia bread – YUM! For a post-lunch treat, we had nice big scoops of gelato. Ben stuck to his two flavors, nocciola (hazelnut) and pistachio, and was satisfied. Liya wanted to taste something new so she ordered blueberry and strawberry; however, the gelato tasted really sugary and it just wasn’t the right consistency for her. Better luck next time! We ended the evening by having dinner at a trattoria near our new favorite vaporetto stop - Rialto. To start we shared a delicious caprese salad. Liya had spaghetti con vongale (with clams – the taste was really fishy) and Ben and had spaghetti Bolognese (tasted like Chef Bouradee). We still weren’t impressed with the Italian food so far.

Hopefully we will have better luck at our next stop, Firenze (Florence)!

More pictures from Barcelona...

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Barcelona: November 6th-9th

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Key words to describe Barcelona: Awesome architecture, busy, diverse, loud, and great gelato.

We arrived late afternoon in Barcelona and took the metro to where we would stay for the next 4 nights, in the heart of the city and specifically, the Gothic district. We took a stroll down to the Sea which was just a few blocks from our hostel. There were numerous of beautiful yachts and sailboats in the harbor and with the World Race (sailing) occurring that weekend, we expected more to arrive to either participate or view the grand event.

Another big event going on during our stay was the Champions League match on the 7th between the top-ranked teams, Barcelona FC and Scotland’s Rangers. There were tons of Ranger fans that flew in for the weekend to attend the game. It was an insane and nonstop tailgate all over – the Scots and their crazy drinking have taken over the city! It was very entertaining to be surrounded by all of the hype, hoopla, singing and crazy shenanigans. Unfortunately, we only wished the visitors would be more respectful and not trash the host city.

The next day, we participated in a walking tour which took us around the Gothic district. We saw the grand gothic cathedral, many of Gaudi’s and Picasso’s work, and structures from medieval and Roman times. After the tour, Ben and I walked for several hours around the center and north of the city center. We stopped by a local Churroteria to have Spanish hot chocolate (had the consistency of a melted Hershey’s bar but didn’t taste as good as a Hershey bar!) and churros. Afterwards, we walked to several of Gaudi’s famous architectural pieces (i.e. Casa Batlio, Casa Milia, and Sagrada Familia). It was amazing to see his work and know that he thought of these particular designs over 100 years ago.

For our 3rd day in Barcelona, we decided to venture through the city’s largest open-air market, Mercado Boguileria. There, we enjoyed freshly-made smoothies (Liya had coconut-strawberry, Ben had pintaya-kiwi). After the market, we walked to the Royal Palace where we had a great view of the city. We continued walking up the largest hill in Barcelona and had an amazing view of the city and harbor at sunset.

For our last day in Barcelona, we decided to walk along the beach and visit one of the largest parks near the city center. The beach was pleasant and stretched for miles. The park featured different buildings, Gaudi sculptures, ponds and fountains. For dinner, we enjoyed eating tapas for the last time in Spain. We ordered Catalan sausage, pan con tomate (toasted bread with rubbed garlic and tomato), pork covered in blue cheese with a grilled green jalapeño on top, and proschetto with green jalapeno. To drink, Ben had a lovely Spanish Rioja and Liya enjoyed Cava, Catalan champagne.

Looking back – we really enjoyed what Spain had to offer. The only disappointment was the train system – so for all of you visiting Spain in the near future, think bus or plane, not train! We loved the culture, the people, the architecture, the lifestyle, tapas, sangria, beaches, and the Mediterrenean. Our favorite cities in Spain were Seville, Barcelona, Salamanca, San Sebastian and Valencia.

Valencia: November 3rd-5th

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After a very long 9-hour train ride, we arrived in Valencia, the birthplace of Spanish paella! Immediately upon arrival, we were in awe of the city. Beautiful buildings, streets, squares, and parks were all around us – much different than Madrid. We admired the unique facades of each building – it seemed like each structure had its own story. There were many churches and squares through the city. Unlike many of the churches we’ve seen throughout Europe, Valencia’s were smaller, older and humble.

We enjoyed our 3-night stay at the Red Nest Hostel – friendly staff, clean rooms and bathrooms, and the best part of our stay was our access to the hostel’s large kitchen. For our first night, we decided to relax and cook a huge dinner. For dinner, we made bruschetta, spinach salad with tomatoes, onions, and lemon dressing, vino, and chicken cooked in white wine, mushrooms, and onions. Content after a delicious and fulfilling dinner, we took a night stroll around the city center. Many bars and restaurants were open late for tapas and all serving Spanish wines and of course, Agua de la Valencia (champagne, local orange liquor and orange juice).

The next day, we made it out to El Mar, Valencia’s beach (about 10km outside the city center). There, we enjoyed the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and the large stretch of soft, white sand. The weather wasn’t too bad either (70 degrees) but the wind made it a bit chilly once the sun started to set. Liya enjoyed sunbathing with the fellow Spaniards in their teeny-weeny Speedos and Ben enjoyed body-surfing with Colin for a couple of hours. Later that evening, we enjoyed some tapas – patata bravas (spicy sliced fried potatoes) and vegetable tempura – with the accompaniment of Spanish Rioja of course.

For our last day in Valencia, we took our time walking around the city center and wandering through the different streets. We ventured into a large open-air market where we bought some Valencia oranges. Apparently, they are supposed to be the best, but they tasted like regular Satsuma oranges to us! We also bought a bottle of Aqua de la Valencia, but we learned later that it wasn’t anything special – tasted like Fanta with champagne! Later in the afternoon, the two of us enjoyed an hour-long run through Valencia’s largest park, which stretches like a belt around the city center. After our workout, we enjoyed climbing up a vast and very tall spider web-like Jungle Gym (constructed using rope only). No way would that exist in the States – there would be too many lawsuits!

That evening, the four of us went to a restaurant recommended by many locals for their great paella called El Rall. For dinner, we ordered a bottle of house Rioja and paella de la Valencia for four. The paella was made with rice, saffron, onions, string beans, small artichoke hearts, rabbit and chicken.

The next morning, we hopped on the train and made our way to our last stop in Spain, Barcelona…

Seville: November 1st-3rd

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With the company of fellow backpackers and friends from Calgary, Rebecca and Colin, we arrived in Seville after a scenic 4-hour train ride from Madrid and many card games of “Asshole and Presidents”. The four of us decided to travel together through Spain and go our separate ways afterwards until we meet again in Corfu, Greece, for the last week of our big Europe trip.

We really enjoyed Seville and what the city had to offer. Seville was the first city in Spain where we really noticed the locals taking advantage of their siesta. For most of the morning and throughout the evening, the city was always filled with noise, activity, drinking, laughing, and music; however, from 1 to 4 p.m. the streets would be empty and the city stayed quiet.

The narrow streets of Seville were fun for us to wander through. Most of them would lead to large open squares which were always packed with locals. We enjoyed taking walks on the boardwalk which were lined with palm trees and having picnics by the river. The famous bullfighting arena was located right next to the river and was a beautiful Spanish sight to see. Unfortunately, the bullfighting season just ended in October so we were unable to enter the arena and watch this particular Spanish tradition. We also came across the 3rd largest cathedral (behind St. Paul’s in London and St. Peter’s in the Vatican City) in the world in the city center which was an incredible structure. Right next to the cathedral was the medieval royal palace. Inside the palace’s courtyard were a number of orange trees.

For one of our evenings in Seville, we enjoyed pitchers of whisky sangria and a free flamenco performance at a crowded local bar. The flamenco show featured a female dancer, 2 guitarists and vocalists and a flute player. Although it was an amateur flamenco presentation, we enjoyed the passion and spirit these performers conveyed through this specific Spanish art form.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay in Seville. The city’s character, art, people, sangria, architecture, streets and squares made Seville one of our favorite cities for Europe!

Next stop, Valencia (9-hour train ride)!!!

Madrid: Oct 29th-31st

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Three days in Madrid was enough time to get a good feel for this big city. The roads are small and crowded, concrete dominates well beyond any sort of green, and the train station has a jungle in it.

Our first full day in Madrid included a self-guided walking tour that took us by the Royal Palace, an impressive Spanish church, and the bustling Grand Via street. Lunch at a local restaurant gave us our first taste of Spanish paella and more of the tortilla Espanola (potato omelet). Our evening was spent at the hostel meeting other travelers, playing pool, happy hour sangria and relaxing.

The following day was spent seeing more of the city. The downhill walk to the train station found stores selling all types of goods (mostly Asian imports such as cheap jewelry, toys, clothing and watches) and food – even an American style hotdog place (we decided to wait for our next stop in Chicago). We made it to the train station to make plans for our next stop and surprisingly found an indoor jungle dominating the interior of the train station. The humidity was there and so were the turtles, tons of turtles in the pond surrounding the jungle, inside of a train station. It was a pretty wild sight to see.

Our next stop was at the Prado museum were we spent a few hours admiring the art from Godi, Rembrant, and Valesquez. Our entrance to the museum was made special by the classical music of a Spanish quartet.

Next stop, Sevilla!

Bilbao and Salamanca: Oct 26th-28th

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We arrived in Bilbao on Saturday and immediately took off for the famous Guggenheim Museum. The Museum had two main exhibitions: One was called “Art in the U.S.A.: 300 Years of Innovation”; The other featured art pieces created by young Basque artists. We had a great time walking through the museum. Not only was the interior a work of art, the building exterior was …

We had seafood tapas (brie with anchovies; crab bruschetta; green olives, peppercinis and anchovies) and vino in the Grand Platz. We stopped in another bar for more tapas and vino. For this second round we had a bocadilla (small sandwich) and a tortilla espanola (Spanish potato omelet).

The next day, we walked along the Gran Via. Since it was siesta time for the locals, many of the shops were closed temporarily. We stopped by a bar for a late lunch. There, we ordered Sangria which was very delicious, red wine, home-made tortilla espanola, and ham and squid croquettes (fried cheese balls basically). The squid croquettes were interesting because they actually used black ink for color and flavor.

From Bilbao we made it Salamanca in five hours on a single car train. Via the scenic route we saw some of the countryside of north and central Spain. With perfectly blue skies, the fields, grass, hills, houses, windmills, livestock and anything else along the way seemed to shine with an aura of gold that must only be endemic to Spain.

We arrived in Salamanca around 8 P.M. We enjoyed a late night walk around the city center. The city was absolutely beautiful because all of the famous monuments and cathedrals were lit up perfectly for all to see. The Plaza Mayor was a sight to see! There were lights, people, and bars everywhere. Next stop, Madrid!

San Sebastian, Spain: Oct. 24th & 25th

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With hind sight being 20/20, we concluded that our time in San Sebastian was a vacation from traveling – just the thing we needed after more than one month on the road.

We arrived to San Sebastian with Colin and Rebecca after a four hour train ride filled with conversation, card games, drinking wine, snacking, and a few of the ‘can you eat four crackers in one minute’ challenges. Ben completed the cracker challenge, no problem…

The four of us shared a room in a great hostel in the heart of town. It is owned and operated by a gentleman from Dublin named David. The hostel has hardwood floors, full kitchen for guest use, clean bathrooms, tons of DVDs to watch, free internet, breakfast all day for free, all the tea and coffee you can drink, and the beach is 80m (250ft) from the front door. David’s place was one of the best hostels we have stayed at during our time in Europe, no doubt about it. Our first evening in town was spent walking through Parte Viejo (Old Town) and taking in the beach view. Old town was a mixture of retail shops and bars serving tapas, sangria, vino and beer. We stopped in for a happy hour and enjoyed a taste of the local culture – and sangria! To our surprise the night life was not very strong in this Basque town, so the rest of our evening was spent making burritos and soup in the kitchen and watching movies.

Wednesday morning was completely dedicated to a good sleep in. A big breakfast of eggs, cereal and toast fueled us for the day. Colin joined us for the hour walk up a nearby hill to see the city and surrounding area. On the way up it we saw tons of wild cats living in the woods. At the hill’s apex was a huge statue of Jesus that guided our way to the top. From the hill top we had a 360 degree view of the area: the massive Atlantic Ocean took up the north while San Sebastian and other towns were to the south. Our descent was quick and was followed by a stop at the market to grab supplies for dinner that evening. The four of us spent the evening relaxing, watching movies, eating, drinking and meeting other hostel-mates from around the world.

The following morning we said our ‘hasta luegos’ to Colin and Rebecca and it was next stop, Bilbao.

Salud!

Bordeaux: Oct. 21st-23rd

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We arrived safely early evening in Bordeaux after a five hour train ride from Nantes. We kept things low key Sunday evening – we walked around the area and closed the evening with a good meal at a family run Chinese restaurant. Liya has a big bowl of soup and Ben ordered a ‘menu’ that included soup, a curry entrée, and a bowl of mango and strawberry ice cream.

On Monday, we walked around Bordeaux’s city center and along the river. The majority of the city is beautiful and kept very clean. The architecture and streets reminded us of Vienna, Austria with a twist of French flavor. There were a lot of retail clothing stores lining the streets as well as wine shops. We had the opportunity to walk into St. Andrew which had a vast gothic exterior. Inside, it was absolutely beautiful. There were stone carvings everywhere and the organ above the entrance was the largest of its kind that we have seen in Europe! We decided to make it a supermarket dinner night and inside the massive market, what do you know, we ran into our fellow backpacker friends from Canada, Rebecca and Colin. It was great seeing them once again and we all shared a good laugh of how strange the coincidence was, again! The two of us returned to our hotel and enjoyed a meal of ham, chorizo, brie and gouda cheeses, fresh cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh baguette, a delicious coos coos, gala apples, and a good bottle of the local vino. While it was not your traditional French meal with all of the pizzazz, it was a delicious meal shared with the best of company.

Tuesday was a day like we have never had before. With Colin and Rebecca we traveled east to the St. Emilion region to see the county, vines, and taste the local drink. From the train station we walked 20 minutes up the hill to the medieval town of St. Emilion. Along the way were rows of vines after rows of vines. Beyond those, more vines. A few vineyard estates before the entrance to town were an enjoyable sight of homesteads and businesses with their personal and unique character. The age of the old town of St. Emilion is inescapably shown by its cobblestone roads. Much of our trip has been paved by cobblestone, but this was the real deal cobblestone – deep grooves with uneven rock. If you were not careful, you could lose a foot!

Within the town our uphill climb continued. Three out of four stores were wine shops selling all of the surrounding region’s best, and each one was proud and darn sure to advertise “we ship wines worldwide!” Ben joked at the time that he had some family members that those signs were made for knowing they would definitely not leave without sending a case or two home. Our first stop was in a ‘vino haus’ or wine house to see a large selection of wines from all around the St. Emilion region. People with the shallowest or the deepest pockets could view and purchase wine. We picked up a bottle for lunch and proceeded to enjoy our meal nearby and people watch. With our stomachs full, we climbed a tower that placed us at the highest point in the town where we soaked in the bird’s eye view of the region. The small medieval town was a small island in a sea of green hills covered in grape vines and sprinkled with homes and estates. It was definitely a Kodak moment.

Our next stop was to a winery/estate inside of the town with a main attraction of wine cellar caves. Not knowing what to expect we were blown away by the underground fortress of tunnels and nooks simply stuffed with wines that were perfectly stacked by the thousands. 2005, 1984, 2000, 1994, 1967, 1971, regular sized bottles, barrels, magnum sized bottles, private reserve, non-private reserve (I forgot what they called it, woops) was all there in this place of wine hibernation. At a closer look all of the bottles were without a label and could only be identified by looking at the cork. The older vintages were beyond covered in dust, dirt, moss, etc. Back above ground we enjoyed a tasting of the estates’ 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2005 Bordeaux. Each vintage had an individual taste, smell, color and experience. It was a terrific treat.

We finished our time in St. Emilion with a walk through more of the town and a stop to purchase a few bottles to take back with us. The walk downhill to the train was along the same path, but this time under a sun beginning to set. It was a wonderful sight and a perfect finish to our day in the wine country of Bordeaux.

The following day we left as big fans of Bordeaux and headed down the coast for Spain and the Basque city of San Sebastian.

Mont-Saint-Michel: Oct. 19th-20th

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Friday, Oct. 19th:

We got up early and headed to the train station, hoping to catch an early train to Mont St. Michel. Unfortunately, the France train transportation system decided to have yet another day of striking. Most lines weren’t funning with exception of a few late in the afternoon or early evening. So, we waited all day (10:00-5:25) for a train which only took us 15 km where we then had to transfer to a bus to ‘enjoy’ a 2.5-hour ride to the town of Pontorson (right outside Mont St. Michel).

Fortunately for us, we had great company while waiting at the station all day. We befriended a couple of Americans, an Aussie, a Kiwi (New Zealand) and a Canadian. The Kiwi, Ben, ended up traveling with us to Mont St. Michel. We got into town close to 7 p.m. and checked into a 3-bedroom hotel room which we were glad to share for only 14 Euros each! We enjoyed a dinner in the restaurant downstairs: Kiwi Ben and I had pretty much the same meal – we started with French fish soup, had steak and fries for our main dish, and he had meringue and I had pistachio and French vanilla ice cream for dessert; Ben had pate to start, grilled ham with gravy and rice for his main course and apple sorbet with apple brandy for dessert. Our dinners were only 11 Euros each - pretty good deal for a huge dinner!

We walked our full selves upstairs and enjoyed some wine and beer while we watched the 3rd place World Cup Rugby match between France and Argentina – Argentina won!

Saturday, Oct. 20th:

Bonjour!

This morning, the three of us got up early and headed to the market to buy a picnic lunch (baguette, juice, ham, and cheese – same old, same old) for our Mont St. Michel excursion. We met a fellow American (Portland, Maine), Allison, at the train station who joined us on the bus ride and excursion.

So a little about Mont-Saint-Michel…its history dates back to 704 when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, had a sanctuary built on a Mont in honor of the Archangel (Angel of Battle). In the 10th century, an abbey was built and by the 14th century, the town extended as far as the foot of the rock. The greatest part of it is that at high tide, the sea crawls all the way up to the lower rock, surrounding Mont St. Michel with water. Unfortunately, there is no public transportation going out of Mont Saint Michel at night so we were unable to witness unique event.

While driving up to the Mont, we were immediately impressed with its grandeur. Along the way, we saw herds of sheep eating along the meadows leading up to the Mont. When we arrived, we walked back down the road for a few minutes to take some pictures of the sheep and the Mont. Afterwards; we started trekking up the Mont towards the Abbey where we enjoyed a self-guided tour. The Abbey, interestingly, was pretty bare-bones compared to the other churches we’ve visited around Europe but still impressive.

Although we were frustrated at the French for striking (and they get 6-weeks paid vacation – not bad I say) and for waiting all day to get out here, it was definitely worth it. If any of you plan to make a trip out to France in the near future, be sure to make Mont – Saint –Michel one of your stops!

We got back into town just in time to take the afternoon train to Nantes – a town south of Normandy. We will stay here for the evening and head for Bordeaux tomorrow morning where we plan to spend a couple days in.

Till then- AU REVOIR!!!

American Cemetery, Omaha Beach: Oct. 18th

2007-10-21T02:47:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed sleeping in Thursday morning. Ben was sweet enough to run to the grocery market and buy a baguette, brie and Gouda cheese, ham, mustard, chips and juice for our picnic lunch at Omaha Beach. We took the 12:00 bus out to the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. It was a beautiful day to visit the Cemetery. We spent a couple of hours browsing around the Visitor’s Center which featured a couple short films on D-Day, large displays of military supplies, uniforms and letters, short biographies of the many heroes that fought on that historic day, and numerous of insightful facts and stories for our benefit.

We exited the center and walked towards the memorial and cemetery grounds which were absolutely beautiful. Behind the memorial was a vast wall honoring those bodies still missing from the Normandy beaches. The Memorial featured a beautiful statue facing the West and at every hour, “God Bless America” would play. In front of the memorial were the rows and rows of beautiful white marble Crosses and Stars of David – all facing the United States in the West. In the middle of the cemetery was a chapel. Omaha Beach and the vast English Channel were just north of the cemetery.
We felt an array of emotions that day at the American Cemetery. It was hard to believe that millions of young brave men of the free world sacrificed their lives to fight for the very freedoms we are fortunate to enjoy today. These men were our age, my brother’s age! We couldn’t imagine the thoughts that were going through their minds when they embarked on the shores of Normandy. We are so thankful for their courage, sacrifice and competence. We are so proud to be Americans – God Bless the U.S.A! We are also very thankful for the other liberators of Normandy – England, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. For 11 hours – they fought for our freedom, for everything the free world stood for.

An elder local French woman was kind enough to give us a ride back into town. She spoke some English and was a delight to talk to. She had kind smile and a warm voice. She was 18-years-old when D-Day happened. She told us that many French families tried to help the Liberators during that horrific time. She said almost all Normandy towns were destroyed and flattened during WWII. We could hear the sadness in her voice as she recalled these painful memories. But at the same time, she was so thankful for the Liberators. Without them, who knows what life would be like for her and fellow French people. We quote her, “Without Liberators, I most likely no live today. They saved us. Americans saved us. We probably would not be having this conversation today. I’m so happy to have met you.” That very moment, we understood how D-Day and the liberation of France have had an incredible impact on her life.

That evening, we headed out to one of the pubs in Bayeux. There, we were greeted by two friendly Maoris, Ivan and James, from New Zealand. They have been traveling around Europe following the All Blacks rugby team. Unfortunately, their team didn’t make it as far as they thought but it didn’t stop them from having a great time in France! We had a great time talking with them. They were big Bob Marley fans so we asked the bartender to play some of his songs which he kindly did; hence, we enjoyed the rest of the evening slamming down a few rounds of beers and jamming to good ol’ Bob. They reminded us of Ben’s Polynesian football teammates – they were loud, funny, ate a lot, loyal, very close and protective of their families and friends, and proud of their roots.

An awesome day :)

Bayeux: Oct. 17th

2007-10-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

We checked out of our hotel in Caen late morning and headed to the train station to catch a ride to Bayeux, a small Normandy town. We got in late afternoon and checked into a family-run hotel, Hotel de la Ville, located right next to the beautiful and grand St. Sacrament Cathedral (similar appearance to the Notre Dame). After checking in, we strolled around the city center. We enjoyed window shopping at all the French bakeries. Liya had to stop in the Haribo candy shop to buy a bag full of different gummies, which was almost empty by the time we returned to the hotel. We stopped by the local market and bought water, apples and bananas, wine, beer and chips – that was our dinner  We ended the evening with several phone calls to our loved ones back in the States! Unfortunately, we had to leave a few VM’s for some of our family members; however, we were elated to connect with Liya’s dad, Luther, Ben’s momma, Sweet Sally, and Ben’s Grandpa and Grandma Lundy who are holding the fort down in good ol’ Madras, Oregon.

Versailles: Oct. 16th

2007-10-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

We woke up early and set off for Versailles with our friends Colin and Rebecca. It was a quick 30-minute train ride from Paris. We arrived at the station and realized there were no lockers available to store our backpacks. Fortunately, clever Ben found a grocery cart in the station. It was funny spectacle – Ben rolling the cart clumsily down the stairs to the exit, then placing all of our bags in the cart and rolling it down the street towards Chateau de Versailles!

We arrived at the castle and were instantly impressed with the size and appearance of it. There were 3 large wings to the castle – each at least the length of a football field. Behind the castle were the royal gardens which stretched for miles! Down the middle of the gardens were beautiful fountains and a man-made pond which rowers enjoyed. Tucked away in one corner of the estate was Queen Marie Antoinette’s getaway villa and estate. We didn’t have the opportunity to make it out there. Inside the chateau, there were 2-story high rooms with beautiful paintings all around – on most of the walls and all over the ceilings. In addition, there was an abundance of gold in every single room we ventured into and large mirrors in many of the rooms. There was one hall called the Hall of Mirrors. There were mirrors lined up along the walls for the entire hall – pretty interesting. Ben’s favorite room was the Hall of Battles – featuring 2-story high paintings of French battles from 700 to the late 1800s.

After Versailles, the four of us decided to partake in happy hour at the Tex Mex restaurant right next to the train station. That’s right. TEX MEX – in France!!! Each one of us ordered mojitos and we enjoyed nachos and queso fundido.

We took a late train back to Paris and then went our separate ways at one of the stops. Ben and I took a late train to Caen (Normandy) and finally arrived at our hotel at midnight! What a day!

Paris: Oct. 15th

2007-10-21T02:17:00.000-07:00

In the morning, we ran into our backpacking buddies, Rebecca and Colin (from Canada). They ended up staying at the same hostel as us – making this the 4th coincidence of us! It was nice to see familiar faces.

We spent the first half of the day at the Louvre Museum. There are three wings (Denon, Sully and Richelieu) to the Louvre and we tackled all 3! Of course we didn’t see everything but we made sure to see the main attractions: The Winged Victory of Samothrace (Goddess of Victory), Mona Lisa, The Wedding Feast at Cana, The Raft of the Medusa, Tomb of Philippe Pot, Aphrodite, the Apollo Gallery, and Napoleon III’s Apartments. The museum is a great work of art in itself. The inverted and upright glass pyramids were unique structures of the Louvre.

After the Louvre, we took a 2-hour Batobus canal ride along the Seine River. Along our ride, we had great views of Notre Dame, Louvre Museum, beautiful Paris bridges, the Eiffel Tower, various museums and palaces, and the famous Hotel de Ville.
We ended the night with a market dinner. We bought some eggs, ham and cheese which Ben managed to put together a decent egg scramble. Of course, no dinner is complete without some French wine (2 Euros!) We enjoyed the rest of the evening hanging out with our fellow backpackers, Colin and Rebecca.

More pictures from our 2nd day in Paris

2007-10-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

Paris: Oct. 14th

2007-10-21T02:06:00.001-07:00

Today, we celebrated our 3-year anniversary, and what a great city to celebrate in!

We started the day off with a visit to the gothic Notre Dame Cathedral. They knew we were coming because rows of beautiful purple and gold flowers were laid out in front of the cathedral!  GO UW! We admired the exterior of the church which was detailed with a number of items including goblins as well as the interior which had a huge alter, carved and massive pillars, a large organ, beautiful stained windows and statues. Sunday mass was being conducted while we were inside walking around. We felt odd to be there during the large service – there were hundreds of tourists piling in and out of the church taking pictures (without turning off their flash!), talking and having their cell phones go off – but the service continued on as if there were no tourists watching. Liya felt uncomfortable at times taking pictures but it was hard not to in this beautiful church!

After Notre Dame, we walked across the bridge to the island where the famous Berthillon sorbet was founded. We enjoyed two scoops each of this deliciousness! Liya had mango and red peach, Ben had caramel and chocolate cake. YUM!

We hopped on a Batobus, a canal boat, which dropped us off at Pont Alexander Bridge near the Champs Elysees. The bridge was beautiful and featured a number of statues. From the bridge, we had a great view of the Eiffel Tower. We walked towards the grand avenue of Champs Elysees, passing the Grand and Petite Palace where the French Royals used to live (now used as museums). When we arrived at the Champs, we were immediately aware at how long the road stretched and how far the Arc de Triomphe was at the end of it. We took our time walking down the street, doing some window shopping and venturing into Sephora, the flagship store which was absolutely HUGE, Nike Paris and Adidas, and the cool automobile exhibits of Toyota and Citroen. Toyota featured a futuristic silver car, an all-chrome car, and a dry-erase car where many had fun leaving their mark on it. Citroen featured a car on each level of the building – 6 in total – where visitors walk up a large spiral staircase around each car. We had no idea how they managed to get the cars in and on each level – an awesome visual concept indeed.

We finally made it down to the Arc de Triomphe and were greeted by hundreds of Argentineans. England beat France the night before and Argentina was in town to play England on the 15th. They were proud and loud, stopping traffic while crossing over to celebrate at the Arc. We climbed 284 steps to the top of the Arc where we enjoyed panoramic views of the city. It was crazy to watch traffic circling around us down below. We were amazed that no one ended up in a car accident with their lack of lane lines and ‘dangerous’ traffic rules (the car on the right always has the right-of-way when entering traffic – opposite to the States). From the top, we had great views of La Defense, Sacre Coeur, Louvre Museum, and the Eiffel Tower. It was great to watch the sun set from atop the Arc – it was absolutely beautiful. After the Arc, we headed to Chez Clement for dinner.

Chez Clement was a smaller restaurant along one of Paris’ main streets. We wanted to have a traditional French dinner so we started with a plate of French pâté which came with salad, bread and pickles. For our main course, Ben had the Grand Rotisserie plate which featured duck, chicken, beef, pork spare ribs and a generous serving of mashed potatoes. I had a similar plate minus the duck. For dessert, we enjoyed home-made crème brulee. Overall, it was a great dinner and within our budget – perfecto! It was great ending to a great day!

Paris: Oct. 13th

2007-10-21T01:59:00.000-07:00

We got up early Saturday morning and Jeff was gracious enough to drop us off at the Brussels-Midi Train Station. We took the high-speed train, TGV, to Paris, which only took us about an hour and a half to arrive in the great city of Paris. Our hostel was located in the 18th District near famous sites such as the Moulin Rouge and the Sacre Coeur Basilica. Since we arrived in the afternoon and with Paris being so large, we decided to spend the rest of the day at Sacre Coeur and down at the Eiffel Tower.

Sacre Coeur is an amazing structure. It stands on top of Paris’ highest hill and lures millions of tourists every year to its steps to take in the grand view of Paris. Since it was the weekend, a number of street vendors were lined up along the streets surrounding Sacre. Vendors were selling everything from French wines to cheeses to cured meats to Haribo candies to fresh seafood. In front of the Sacre, we enjoyed two young men playing music and singing American classics to the large crowd resting on the steps.

After visiting Sacre Coeur, we took the metro and headed down to the Tracedora to have a great view of the Eiffel Tower at night. When we arrived, we noticed hundreds of French and English rugby fans piling out of the metro and heading towards the grounds behind the Eiffel Tower. We arrived in Paris at a great time. That night, France and England were playing against each other in the Rugby World Cup Semifinals. Thousands of rugby fans were in the City of Lights to watch their team play in the World Cup. We spent a couple of hours at the Tracedora where we enjoyed a full-length view of the Eiffel Tower which the top half of it was lit in yellow and the bottom half was lit in green. At every hour, the tower would give the crowd a great light show by sparkling for a good 10 minutes. After enjoying the tower, we followed the large crowd to the gardens located right behind the Eiffel. There, a huge TV screen was playing the match. The gardens were completely packed with excited fans. There were UK flags and French flags, red flares and fog horns to get this crazy crowd pumped.

We ended the evening with a late-night kebab sandwich near our hostel…perfecto!

Brussels, Belgium: Oct. 11th - 12th

2007-10-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Similar to our times in Basel and Hamburg, Brussels taught us a valuable lesson in hospitality. We spent two nights in the town of beer and chocolate with two ex-patriots that we met a few weeks previous in Oktoberfest. Jeff and Joanne, who are originally from Pennsylvania, were exceptional hosts that made our time in Brussels extra special. A special ‘Prost’ to Jeff and Joanne!

Our first night included a great meal at a local Vietnamese restaurant where we feasted on soups, hearty entrees of rice and noodles, rose wine, and great conversation. We retired at a decent hour to recharge our batteries for the full day ahead.

A cup of coffee started our morning on the right foot and Jeff graciously directed us to the must see sights that the city had to offer. A short ride on a tram similar to those found in San Francisco dropped us just north of the main attraction for the day, the Grand Place. The walk down the hill to the infamous square was a great build up. Brilliant architecture, beautiful gardens, and a vivacious street market were all stops along the way. We wish our walk into the Grand Place could have been captured on video from all different angles. Close up to see our expressions, 300 feet above from the Town Hall spire for a bird’s eye view, and across the square from one of the many cafes. We walked the perimeter to window shop the multiple gourmet chocolate stores that line the square. There is nothing like Godiva from the source. With museums, chocolate, cafes and people from all around the world we concluded that the Grand Place is exactly that, grand!

Making our way out of the square, we followed the crowds to see the Manikin Piss. On our way, we stopped by a waffle stand where we had a true Belgium waffle which was absolutely delicious. It was crispy on the outside and gooey in the inside  YUM. We arrived at the Manikin Pis at the end of the block and were surprised to see that he wasn’t as big as we expected him to be. He was dressed in one of his 700+ outfits made by visitors from all around the world.

We walked back down to the square to continue window shopping and stopped by to browse what the street market vendors had to offer. To end our day in the Grand Platz, we each enjoyed a Belgium beer at Le Cirio, a 1880s pub that has kept its environment the same.

We had a great time with Joanne and Jeff at their home for our last night in Brussels. They were so generous to make a delicious dinner for all four of us to enjoy. We started dinner with a yummy salad (greens, garbanzo beans, sliced green olives, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and slivers of red hot chili peppers in mine – thanks Jeff!). Also, Jeff made awesome sangria to accompany our dinner. The main course was a large portion of mussels served in two different broths/sauces. One was prepared the traditional Belgium style – leeks, white wine, garlic, and a fresh sprig of thyme. The other was prepared Italian style – roma tomatoes, diced onions and garlic, basil and red wine. We were stuffed silly by the end of the night. What a great and fulfilling meal and evening!

A special thank you goes to Jeff and Joanne for a wonderful time in Brussels!

Amsterdam & Noordwijk: Oct 8th – 10th

2007-10-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam was our first stop in The Netherlands, or Holland as the Dutch prefer to call it. The train ride there brought continuous green fields with a combination of livestock, crops and the occasional windmill.

Night one was spent locating the hostel and finding our bearings in the new surroundings. We immediately took notice of the city’s distinct architecture, convenient bike lanes, and its many canals. We read that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and as many bicycles as they have people (pop. >700,000). The city is packed with each and we especially admire how the city is built for riding a bike anywhere you want to go. As the sun went down a quick walk through the Red Light District gave us a glimpse into the diverse culture Amsterdam houses within its borders.

The next day began with a modest breakfast and good conversation with our four roommates who were traveling from Korea. Soon after, we headed to the city square where we participated in a walking tour around the city. Our guide led about 40 of us to all of the major sights: The National Monument, the Waag, the Red Light District, Anne Frank’s House, the infamous coffee shops, etc. Aside from seeing what the city had to offer, our guide provided some historical information about Amsterdam and answered some of the popular questions from the crowd. Some of these included: “am I wrong, or are most of the buildings leaning over?” and “what is the deal with all of the women in the windows?” and “is marijuana legal in Amsterdam?” Answers: Yes they are purposefully leaning; prostitution is legal, and not legal but tolerated. We definitely learned that Amsterdam is a town of tolerance, except when it comes to tourists walking in the bike lanes… LOOK OUT!

Feeling fulfilled from our Amsterdam experience, we booked a hostel in small coastal town called Noordwijk and took a late night shuttle out toward the North Sea. A small hostel crammed with backpackers from all around the world awaited us upon arrival.

The next morning we decided that walking around Europe with a backpack on was not enough exercise to keep us in the shape that we desired. So taking steps the right direction, we jogged down the road to the beach, took off the shoes and socks, and enjoyed a run along the North Sea. The bright sun and powerful crashing waves were a welcoming accompaniment to our exercise for the day. The remainder of the day was spent walking through the shopping district and enjoying a supermarket dinner of cheeses from Holland, a baguette, meat, apples and red wine. Perfecto!

The following morning we took the bus to the train station where outside was the largest parking lot we have ever seen – for bicycles of course. We were confident that there were over 1,000 bicycles squeezed into every space available. It was an amazing sight. We hopped on the train and it was next stop Brussels.

Hamburg: October 4th - 7th

2007-10-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a four day stay in Hamburg with Liya’s relatives. They live ten miles outside the city center in a quiet neighborhood. The husband, Chi, built his family’s home from the ground up – 4 stories tall – everything from laying the brick to installing all of the appliances. Pretty impressive.

We arrived in Hamburg Thursday afternoon and decided to relax, rest, watch movies and catch-up with our hosts for the evening. On Friday, Liya’s Aunt and Uncle showed us around the city – lots of walking. First stop was at the harbor and port. Hamburg has a huge port – probably one of the largest in Germany. Here we had the opportunity to go underground and visit the Elb Tunnel which connects both shores of the harbor. Cars, bikes and pedestrians frequently use the quarter-mile passage and oversized elevators to complete their commute. Afterwards, we headed into downtown where we marveled at Hamburg’s beautiful and grand Town Hall and surrounding square. We had fun people watching and taking lots of pictures to capture the sights. Next, we headed to a small Chinese restaurant where we had noodles with roasted duck – yummy! After lunch, we walked for another hour or two around town and treated ourselves to a cone of delicious gelato at one of the malls. Mango for Liya, caramel for Ben.

The next morning, we joined David (the son), his girlfriend and cousin downtown where we explored and visited more of the sights. We first participated in a tour at the Rathaus (Town Hall). Highlights included painted photos of 17th century senators and lavish conference rooms with beyond-impressive decor. Afterwards, we had lunch at a Turkish restaurant where they grilled different kebobs of meat on an open charcoal grill. David introduced us to Germany’s Fritz-Cola – apparently, Germany invented Cola and sold the rights to the States. It was nice and refreshing but our first choice will remain Coca-Cola. We walked in old town for a couple of miles then had an afternoon coffee break at the ubiquitous Balzac Café – an environment and coffee offerings comparable to Starbucks. Germans like their coffee sweet – too sweet for Liya’s liking. After coffee, we walked around downtown and admired the beautiful and luxurious automobiles going through a popular boulevard. We saw everything from BMW to Bentleys to Lamborghinis. Without one of our own, we indulged ourselves in something more fitting to the budget and similar appeal – gelato. Yes, more gelato. Choices this time around were Kiwi for Liya, and a double scoop for Ben with pinnapple and raspberry. We gave it a `Yumm-o’ a la Rachel Ray. With our sweet tooth satisfied, we hopped on the metro to catch a movie a few miles down the road. We decided to see what Matt Damon could do in Bourne Ultimatum, and we are happy to report back that we enjoyed it. Being one of the only forms of media seen or heard in English aside from CNN might have played a role in our satisfaction of the film, but who knows. Following the movie, we headed the bar to have a cocktail to complete our full day in Hamburg.

After a short night of rest, we got up early to experience Hamburg’s famous Sunday market. Similar to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, vendors showcased seafood, fruit, flowers, clothing, candy, traditional pastries, and other goods. If you were in the market for pet rabbits or pigeons, this place could accommodate you as well. Hamburg’s market is HUGE and full of life, activity and character. We enjoyed Germany’s version of the donut and fresh pineapple under a sky of blue.

We found Hamburg to be a comfortable city. We accredit this to its similarity to our beloved Portland and Seattle – weather, harbor, market, love for sport, shopping and coffee. This made us realize how much we appreciate the Pacific NW and everyone there. So this is a shout out to all of our friends in Portland and Seattle - love you guys!

On our way to Amsterdam, one of the rail lines was closed temporarily due to “Police discovering a WWII bomb on the railroad track ”. Haha – kinda. So instead of a 5 hour trip, it was a 7-hour trip to Amsterdam from Hamburg! AHHHHH!

Berlin: Oct. 2nd - 4th

2007-10-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

After a 5-hour train ride, we arrived safely in Berlin, the capital of Germany. We arrived in the Main Hbf (central train station) and was instantly in awe of its architecture and size. All main lines ran through this station (U-bahn, S-bahn, and the high-speed trains). Our hostel was located in East Berlin which was located by many of the city's popular sites. After checking in, we walked around on the main street, Friedstrasse. We browsed around in the Dussman, a 3-story book and music store and where Liya ended up buying a book, The Traveler's Wife.

This morning, we got up and had an all-you-can-eat breakfast in our hostel. We relaxed for a couple of hours before participating in a 4-hour free walking tour of Berlin. It was great tour. Our tour guide, Theo, was born and raised in Australia but has lived in East Berlin for the past 4 years. Theo was a very passionate guide. You could tell how much he loved this city, the art, and the history. The tour was very insightful and we ended up seeing most of the major sites. The major sites we visited were the following: Remnants of the Berlin Wall; Berliner Dom (Great Protestant Church); Museum Island; The Memoriam for Fallen Victims of War; a University where 29 Nobel Prize Winners taught or were educated at); Hitler's Bunker; Berlinger Tor (The Gate); The book-burning square where Hitler burned 20,000 books that weren't acceptable in his eyes; The Holocaust Memorial which took up a whole square block (an amazing piece of work...we both had an overwhelming feeling in our chest when walking through it); Opera and Concert Halls; Check Point Charlie, and the Soviet TV Tower. We also came across Hotel Adlon near the Berlinger Tor where Michael Jackson famously dangled his baby, Blanket, off the balcony.

Berlin is an amazing city. It is full of tremendous history. Many great intellectuals, artists and architects have influenced this city and its people.

Tomorrow, we head to Hamburg (another big German city) where we will stay with family friends through the weekend. We hope all is well back in the States! We are always thinking of our loved ones back home! Cheers!

Rothenburg: Sept. 30th - Oct. 2nd

2007-10-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

Our time in the medieval town of Rothenburg was quiet and fun. Our first night was spent wandering the town and enjoying the sights within the walled-city. We had dinner at a traditional restaurant where three generations of family were present. In keeping consistent with much of the town, this family owned the restaurant on the main floor and hotel in the floors above. For such a small town, we certainly noticed the entrepreneurial spirit. For dinner, Ben had a traditional feast of bratwurst, sauerkraut and bread. Liya, on the other hand, was happy to steer in another direction and enjoyed a plate of spaghetti. Dessert was a highlight for the day. A small dessert parlor helped us close our stomachs for the evening with a slice of tiramisu and a bowl of gelato (hazelnut, amaretto, & pistachio) - totally delicious!

The next morning, another breakfast of rolls, jam, honey, meats and cheeses prepared us for another day to see the town. We began our day by browsing the small boutiques and souvenir shops scattered throughout. Much of the stores sold similar items - porcelain dolls, Christmas decorations and ornaments, schneeballs (traditional Rothenburg pastry), local jewelry, and stuffed animals. After lots of walking and picture taking, we returned to the hotel for a short siesta.

Our search for a good place to eat dinner brought us all the way back to our own hotel, The Golden Rose. Again, the owner of the hotel also ran the restaurant below where we enjoyed a meal with chicken, schnitzel, french fries, soup and salad. After dinner, we walked to the main town square and participated in the "Night Watchman's Tour." Us and 90 other tourists walked the town at night with the "Night Watchman" dressed and talking the part. He took us through the town and explained the history of Rothenburg - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It was a good stay in Rothenburg overall. This quaint town has a lot of character, a rich history, and now is strongly dependent on tourism. We felt it was similar to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, a previous stop for us.

Next stop will bring the polar opposite - Berlin.

Rhine River & Koln: Sept. 29th

2007-10-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

From Frankfurt we took the train to Bacharach, a small town along the Rhine River. We hopped on a ferry and enjoyed the small towns, castles, and crops lining the hills along the way. After of few hours of crusing we exited at Boppard. We boarded the train to Koln where we stayed for the evening. One of our dorm mates, Kyle, was from Brazil. He joined us for dinner across the street at a humble restaurant where we all enjoyed a traditional German meal, Schnitzel and potatoes. Ben was adventurous and tried a specialty of Koln, blutwurst (blood sausage). According to Ben, it was very flavorful. After dinner, we enjoyed relaxing in the room and casual conversation with our new friend.

The next day began early to make the train from Koln to our next stop in the south - Rothenburg on the infamous romantic road.

Frankfurt, Koln (Cologne), Bonn: Sept. 27th-29th

2007-10-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

Frankfurt was our hub for the next 2 days (Thursday, Friday). We stayed with Liya’s parents in a hotel right across from the main train station. We didn’t explore Frankfurt much but enjoyed its convenience.

The next morning, the 4 of us headed for Koln (a.k.a. Cologne) and Bonn. We arrived in Koln around 1 p.m. Soon as we walked outside the main station, the horizon was filled with the grand Dom Cathedral. It was absolutely marvelous. Pictures don’t do justice. We read that the Dom was build over 6 centuries. During WWII, 90% of Koln was destroyed; however, the cathedral remained standing strong. Outside the Dom, we enjoyed the performance of a Chinese street entertainer. He performed many talents and skills that earned him lots of applause and tips from the crowd.

We spent 2 hours enjoying the Dom and then moved through the city of the Shockoladen (Chocolate) Museum. There, we learned the whole process of producing chocolate—from the cocoa plants in the tropics to the history of chocolate production to seeing the final product being made. We enjoyed free samples of Lindt milk chocolate from the 7-ft tall chocolate fountain. Ben and Luther were sure to get in line a few times for free chocolate samples. We also enjoyed hot chocolate and chocolate cake at the museum. Afterwards, we walked along the Rhine River and headed back to the Hbf (central train station) to take a quick train ride south to Bonn.

We really enjoyed the small city of Bonn which is also along the Rhine River. Beethoven, the great composer and musician, was born in this town. We spent about an hour in the city walking through the town center and visiting Beethoven’s Haus (house).

After a long day of being tourists, we headed back to Frankfurt. We had drink vouchers from our hotel so we enjoyed some red wine once we arrived back in town. Luther and Ping were really missing Chinese food after traveling around Eastern Europe/Russia for the past month, so we tried a Chinese restaurant near our hotel called “New Chinatown”. The food was delicious and we went to bed that evening happy and full.

The next morning (Saturday 29th), we went to the airport with Luther and Ping to see them off. They were heading back to the States. It was so wonderful to spend the week with them. We will miss them very much.

Basel, Titisee, Stuggart: Sept. 24th-26th

2007-10-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

Monday, the 24th, was a long day of traveling. The six of us (Liya’s parents and their two family friends from Hamburg) took several trains to reach the small city of Basel. We finally arrived early evening. We were fortunate to stay with relatives of family friends. They were very hospitable, generous, and a pleasure to be around. Their house was five stories high with three generations of family living together under the same roof.

The next morning, we drove to the Black Forest, about an hour away from Basel. We stopped at one of the highest hills in the Black Forest and had a wonderful panoramic view of countryside. We departed the Black Forest and headed for a very small town near a lake called Titisee. There, we walked around and browsed in a variety of shops, all of which sold similar items (cuckoo clocks, porcelain dolls, souvenir items, clothes, etc.). We ended up having lunch at one of the shops: pork and potatoes of course. Afterwards, we walked down to the lake and took in the great view. We also enjoyed a hot cup of hot chocolate, cappuccino, and a latte macchiato. Luther experienced his first hot wine drink—very interesting and probably not a drink he would order again.

We left Titisee and headed for Basel, Switzerland. Not much to see. We just noticed how expensive it was for everything. Many high-end retail shops were located in the city center.

The next morning, we departed Basel and said goodbye to our wonderful hosts. We took a couple of trains and arrived in the city of Stuggart early afternoon. There, the 6 of us walked around the city center. We came across the shopping district, parks, the opera building, a few museums, and a number of fountains. We hopped on a train in the evening and headed for Frankfurt where we would stay for the next 3 nights.

Munich & Oktoberfest: Sept. 21st-24th

2007-09-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Many good times have been had since our last blog entry. We apologize for not keeping you up to date on our recent adventures.

September 21-24 was spent in Munich, Germany. While Oktoberfest was the main attraction, other sites were enjoyed as well.

To begin, let’s just say opening day of Oktoberfest (this year 9-22-07) is unbelievably busy and crowded. Our day began early with a five minute walk from the hostel to the festival grounds. Along the way were many other early birds dressed in traditional attire, eager to get the day started. We arrived and began the wait in line at Schottenhammel tent – this is where the mayor of Munich taps the first keg to officially begin Oktoberfest. Lines were long, people were shoving, cigarettes were smoking, all in anticipation to rush inside and find a table. Once the tents opened at 10am the crowd intensified and the race was on. We continued to wait… and wait with the eventual result of no table. The tent was full in a matter of 30 minutes. We headed across the way to another tent where we found a table outside in the sun. We enjoyed brunch to the tune of sausages, pretzels, soup and water. From here was got up from our table (big mistake) and watched the opening day parade. It was a wonderful experience full of horses, carriages, marching bands and more.

With the parade over we attempted to find another table and wait for 12 o’clock to strike so beer could be served. No tables, beer tents were full – it was a sea of crowds with no place to get a beer. The thought of returning to our hostel beerless and sober was beginning to creep into our minds.
But not so fast!

After a couple hours of searching for seats we stumbled upon a group that welcomed us to join their table. Our spot was outside of the Lowenbrau tent and under the warm sun. From here our true Oktoberfest dreams were lived out. We met people from all around the world, drank cold beer one liter at a time, marveled at the beer servers carrying 8-12 steins – it was just the experience we were looking for and more! It was a long day that ended early in the evening. This gave us plenty of rest for the next day of touring Munich.

Day two was spent covering the city – first stop was outside of Munich to a place in the hills called Andechs. This is an infamous site where monastery meets brewery, if you can believe it. We enjoyed a lovely lunch in a beer garden area where we feasted on pork knuckle, ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, two styles of potatoes, pretzels, and of course a few servings of the local brew. The weather continued to be sunny and clear to make our time even better.

It was back to inner city where we walked through the English Gardens. This is one of the largest inner-city parks in the world – bigger than Central Park in NY. The park includes nude sunbathing areas, horseback riding trails, a Chinese pagoda, acres of grass to throw the frisbee, and Ben’s personal favorite – surfing. The river that flows through Munich and into the park has a section where a standing wave is created. Young kids full of courage were entertaining the crowds with their best moves on the wave. It was amazing to see surfing on the river in the middle of Munich.

We headed back to the hostel for a quick siesta and geared up to go back to Oktoberfest. On our way to beer tents we spotted a large ride called EuroStar – a roller coaster with loops, corkscrews and all the thrills. We gathered enough confidence and gave it a try. The end result was Liya with her eyes closed and constant screams from Ben. All in all it was a great way to get our blood going before the beer starting flowing. We made it to the tent we originally tried to get a seat in the day before, this time with success and a stein of Spaten Pils as our reward.

Munich is a great city, Oktoberfest brings loads of experiences – from chaos to joy. From Munich we traveled south to the border of Germany, France and Switzerland to the city of Basel.

Salzburg, Austria

2007-09-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

The train ride to Salzburg from Vienna was smooth as silk. Along the way were small towns sprinkled throughout the countryside. Corn seems to be the crop of choice for farmers in Austria. Not sure what it is harvested for - maybe seed or biofuel purposes. Nonetheless, Austria certainly does not have a shortage of corn.

Our first night was spent settling into our place to stay and briefly touring the city center. Our hostel is a very small private room with a bunk bed (rest easy parents) and a small table. The name of the place is St. Sebastian and it is part of a church. The best part of the room is the view of the main street from three floors up. From here we can see the various shops and markets with a constant stream of foot and bicycle traffic moving through. Night one was a quick and friendly introduction to Salzburg. Highlights included: visiting Mozart's birthplace, seeing the most beautiful McDonald's sign we've seen anywhere, debating how fast the water in Salzach river flows (scary fast), an a yummy blow of curry to warm us on a cold night.

Day two, a full day in Salzburg, began the traditional European way with a small breakfast that consisted of one roll, jam, and cup of coffee or tea. We enjoyed ourselves and discussed which will be the best option for tomorrow morning - sleeping in or breakfast. We will probably decide the latter, for we ran into some of the folks we met in Vienna, as well as two couples traveling from Gresham, OR. Neither couple knew each other previous to breakfast, so it was one more reminder of how small the world is.

An afternoon in Salzburg, what a time! Once more, it was a full day on our feet walking, wandering, becoming lost then found, and enjoying the sights. Our first stop was close to our hostel but a steep climb for a view of the city. We agreed from high above that Salzburg should be nick-named the 'City of Bells'. It was high noon and it seemed that the entire city was ringing and singing. The view was wonderful.

From there we walked into the city center and enjoyed the central market, the Dom Cathedral, and St. Peter's Cathedral and Catacombs. After a brief lunch which included a couple of small seafood dishes we decided to taste test two gelato places. The second place won. Liya had banana then tiramisu and Ben had his favorite - hazelnut. A perfect was to enjoy a sunny day!

After a short siesta we decided to walk to Mirabellgarten, a small but well-kept garden with a wonderful backdrop of churches and castles. On the way we walked by what soon after became the coolest park we have ever played at. This park was not your ordinary 'let's take a swing park.' The 25 foot tall slide was a thrill ride and the giant basket swings were second to none. Be sure to take the kids!

Salzburg has been a great time, but we are overly excited for Munich and Oktoberfest. Liya's parents will be joining us from their travels of Eastern Europe and this will be a great treat. We look forward to making many memories at Oktoberfest, and hoping to remember a few ;)

Prost!

Vienna, Austria

2007-09-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

After an hour long shuttle bus trip that felt like a roller coaster ride, we made it safely to Linz, Austria. We got our Eurail passes validated and had a short wait before boarding the train for Vienna. The train was smooth and short, all you can ask for on a day of travel.

The first day in Vienna (Monday 9/18) was spent getting settled in the hostel and then walking to Schönnbrunn castle to the west. This was an amazing sight to see as well as a great work getting to and from.

The night began with good eats at a traditional Austrian restaurant called Mozart Stube. Afterward, we joined a large group of fellow travelers for the 'Backpacker's Party Night' that took us to local pubs around town. It was a wonderful experience that brought people from all around the world together for a night of celebration. Each person in attendance had a name tag with their national flag showing - it was really a great time.

Day two was a walking tour day. We finally rolled out of bed and made it out of the door and headed east. Walking toward the city center we followed a main street that took us by retail shops, outdoor markets, and people watching hot spots. The museum center was a great sight and well enjoyed. By far the highlight of the day was attending an event at a building in the city center where Mozart performed his first concert at the age of six. While Mozart was not headlining, a wonderful eight member orchestra performed the classical classics with accompaniments from singers and dancers. It was an experience that will remembered for a lifetime!

Tomorrow will bring the next city - Salzburg.