jp2005's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member jp2005 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jp2005 en-us Copyright ©2012 TravelPod.com Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:13:39 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Driving from Victoria, BC to San Francisco — Tokyo, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1215841140/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1215841140/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1215841140/tpod.html Sun, 26 Jun 2011 01:13:39 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Tokyo, Japan

Where I stayed
Andersen House
Lake Quinault Lodge
(Tokyo hotels)


Planes, Boats, and Cars - or how we went from Japan to Canada to the USA. The planning started a few weeks before the actual trip (as usual) with some basic research on Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and the (mainly) coastal route from there to San Francisco. We determined that the best route for us was to fly from Tokyo to Seattle, where we picked up our rental car at the airport, and headed north on Interstate 5 to the Canadian border. Fortunately, the heavy vacation season had not started yet so our wait for immigration was only about 45 minutes. From there we had a short drive to Tsawassen to catch our ferry to Victoria. Reservations for the ferry are available, but probably not necessary since this boat holds something like 2500 vehicles as I recall. They set sail just about once per hour so if one is full you can get the next one. One word of caution - don't eat the soup from the ship's cafeteria - unless you like the taste of boiled and slightly flavored (who knows what flavor) sludge. Probably the worst soup I have even eaten anywhere, anytime. Landing in Swartz Bay we drove off the ferry & headed down route 17 to our accommodations. We had reservations for a wonderful B&B, The Andersen House (www.andersenhouse.com) which has been owned & operated by Max & Janet for 20 years. Would we stay there again? You bet! Do we recommend it? Definitely! And, if you are lucky, you'll be there the day they serve those wonderful orange & ricotta pancakes for breakfast. But, no matter what they serve you are certainly going to enjoy it! Victoria is a charming city, but somewhat sleepy by Tokyo standards. The shops & restaurants seem to close up quite early and unless you go off onto some of the side streets - which I highly recommend - you will be hard pressed to find a decent place to eat dinner. Of course, if you are staying at The Andersen House B&B you will find plenty of great choices from Max's list of recommended restaurants. We tried Santiago's and had excellent Victoria style tapas (don't expect those tasty little tidbits like you get in Spain, these are some major dishes so sharing is recommended). Do give the lemon mussels a try. It was our first time to have mussels cooked in lemons and it sure won't be our last. Now, if we could just find those thin skinned mild lemons they use at Santiago's it would be great. They told us they get them from Mexico. Night two found us having a late dinner at the Blue Crab- also on Max's list - and the cold beer from the tap went down nicely with my clam chowder and the bowl of mussels we shared. No lemons this time - more traditional with tomatoes and garlic - and also worth giving a try if you are there. We just wanted a light dinner so we sat in the bar & that was an excellent choice as we had a table by the window, overlooking the bay, watching the little water taxis head up & down bay and we were the only customers in the bar; very peaceful. Starting our sightseeing drive we headed along the coast enjoying the ocean views and the lovely homes along the roads north. Roads because the road does change names and direction a few times, but just keep the ocean to your right & you should find your way up to Douglas Park where we drove to the top & walked up a few meters to have a panoramic view of the island. From there we headed on up to Bouchart Gardens, which is a must see for anyone visiting Victoria. We were in luck as they had the spring special on which included entrance to the gardens and lunch for a reasonable $39. That's about an $8 savings per person. Good deal! For lunch, eat in the Bouchart family home and do try the salmon and the crème brulee. Oh yeah! Leaving Victoria on a Saturday we had very fortunately made a reservation for the ferry to Port Angeles, Washington. This ferry is a lot smaller than the ferries from Tsawassen and only runs about 3 times a day, so if you are using it I do recommend making a reservation on line. And, yes, you really do have to be there 90 minutes before sailing or run the risk of losing your reservation. Make sure you have a book or something to enjoy in the car as you sit in line waiting for the ferry to set sail after you have completed customs & immigration. You are like to have at least an hour to kill there. Of course, some prefer to take the ferry to Anacortes, Washington to enjoy the sail through the San Juan Islands. I have been told by friends who have done it that it is quite a lovely trip. Maybe next time! From Port Angeles we headed into the Olympic National Park with a drive up to the top of Hurricane Ridge to get the park experience started. Nice drive, good views, and still some snow on top in early June. From there we headed on down Route 101 towards our accommodations in the Lake Quinault Lodge. We did stop to visit a beach along the way for a bit of a leg stretch and it is pretty amazing to see the size of the drift wood (drift logs) that have blown ashore during those ferocious northwest Washington storms. The Lake Quinault Lodge was another great choice. The rooms are pretty average, but the lake is very pretty and the lodge is quite picturesque. Dinner isn't up there with the great gourmet dining of the world, but it is pretty good and again, portions are quite large to sharing is recommended unless you have a huge appetite. For breakfast, give the French toast a try, either with the maple syrup or the local berries; both are good. Actually, the chipotle chicken sausage is pretty good too. Now, if they could just teach those weekend wait staff how to smile..... We took the free guided nature hike and our guide, Mary, was very knowledgeable and made the 2 hour trek most interesting. Now I know the names of trees, a few different ferns, and I learned that you can actually eat shamrocks! They taste a bit like green apples. We lucked out once again and it was just the two of us on the hike with Mary. Oh yes, you can and should tip her after your hike! Believe me, she earns it. After a drive around the lake (about 1 1/2 hours) we decided to do some more hiking. We covered about 1/2 the trail that Mary had taken us on (30 minutes or less since we didn't need to stop & learn tree and fern names) and we continued on to cover the rest of the open trails; about 4 miles or so in all and about 2 hours of total hiking time. This is a pretty easy hike and even the out of shape can do it without too much strain; just don't push it too hard up the hills and it is a good idea to wear some sturdy hiking shoes and to carry one of the lodge's loaner hiking sticks. There are some areas where huge root beds of the trees have left some major holes when hundreds of the National Park's trees blew down during the severe winter wind storms. The mission of the park is to leave the trees as nature places them and the rangers only cut away the parts of the trees that are blocking the hiking trails. In fact, some trails are still closed due to damage. It is really kind of sad to see some of these magnificent giants that have lived in the forest for hundreds of years laying torn and broken on the ground. But, that is how nature intended it to be and these trees will become "nurse logs" for the future generations. Nurse logs are all over this rain forest and it is quite amazing to see giant root structures that have grown down and around these fallen logs to reach the earth to provide more nourishment for the tree that is now growing on top of the nurse logs. From Lake Quinault we headed on south on Route 101 until we had to turn east for our next stop, Portland. In Portland we were able to catch up with some old friends, the Gerbers, who we hadn't seen for 38 years when we all lived in Chitose, Hokkaido. Dinner with the Gerbers at Jake's, a great seafood restaurant that has been a Portland landmark for over 100 years, made for a nice evening. If you get to Jake's I recommend the stuffed flounder. The second day found us winding our way along the old Columbia River Gorge Highway where we stopped and saw just about all the waterfalls that make up part of the fantastic scenery along this route. We even managed to do the one mile hike to the top of Multomah Falls. A mile doesn't sound like much, but when it is uphill - REALLY uphill for the entire walk - that mile sure seems mighty long. Coming back down is easier, but puts a lot of pressure on the feet, so make sure you have sturdy and comfortable shoes for this climb too. Leaving the falls we continued on around the "loop" that took us around Mt. Hood (which the Japanese guidebook told us is called Oregon's Mt. Fuji by the many Japanese who are living in the area) and on back down to Portland. For the second night in Portland we enjoyed a superb dinner at Higgins'. This is a definite recommendation and if they have them on the menu try the baked oysters with garlic whistles. The rhubarb pie with lovage ice cream is also a treat. Heading southwest from Portland we decided that stops at a couple of the wineries around Dundee, the gateway to the Oregon Pinot Noir region, were in order. Our first stop was the best choice and we wound up taking a couple of bottle of Rex Hill Pinot along for the rest of the ride to San Francisco. From there we headed down to Corvallis to have a look around since that is the hometown of some friends who live in Tokyo and it's also the home of Oregon State University. A pleasant town, but not a must do on the drive south. After that it was on to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival where we saw Othello. No fine dining experience this night since we just made it in time to get checked in to our hotel and take the short walk over to the theater. Dinner was beer for me, wine for the spouse, and a bag of popcorn and Odwallah bars for each. I expect that Ashland would be a nice town to visit during the day when the town folk are dressed in Shakespeare period costumes, but we were due in San Francisco for a dinner reservation with our children so we decided to head straight on over to the Redwood Forests area of Route 101. We decided to head back north on I-5 and then west to catch 101 again, but having done that my recommendation would be to head South on I-5 out of Ashland until you can cut across at the southern end of the Redwood Forest park(s). This will give you a chance to see the redwoods and even take the $5 drive through the hole in the giant redwood in Leggit, California. Unfortunately, we had to forego that experience this trip as time was catching up with us. The drive down highway 101 is very pleasant and the vineyard views of Sonoma were pleasing to the eyes. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge we pulled into San Francisco in time to get our suitcases out of the car and make a quick change before heading downtown for a Greek dinner at Karakatos. The food is on the okay side, nothing memorable, and the noise level can be quite high, but if you want to eat Greek food then it is not a bad choice. Since San Francisco is our "second home" and there are plenty of articles about this great city on the Internet I'll let you do your own research for things to see, places to go, etc. If you are looking for a recommendation or two on where to eat then I will recommend the Spanish tapas restaurant on the corner of Hyde & Union, Zarzuela (415-346-0800 ). For fine dining we enjoyed a very good dinner at Quince (415-775-8500), but be prepared to spend anything from $100 each on up, depending on your wine selection. In fact, if you decide to go with the chef's tasting, paired with wines, figure on $200+ per person. If budget is not an issue then definitely give Coi (www.coirestaurant.com) - (415) 393-9000 - a try. A variety of dishes served Kaiseki style, paired with some excellent wine choices, and the owner / chef gets his fish in fresh from the famous Tokyo fish market in Tsukiji every day. San Francisco has so many great places to eat though that it's pretty hard to go wrong. I personally like many of the restaurants along Fillmore Street & if you are there in early July you'll get a chance to enjoy the Fillmore Street Jazz Festival, which takes place on July 5th & 6th this year (2008). If you like Jazz you'll probably also enjoy a night at Yoshi's which after many years over in Oakland now has a restaurant & jazz club on Fillmore Street down by Japan Town (which I believe is officially known as Little Osaka). With a fond farewell to our children we headed west once again and deplaned in Honolulu. We've been to Hawaii so many times that we have lost count, but we were really fortunate this time to be able to stay in our friends' fabulous home on the bay in Kaneohe. Built with a breath taking view of the shimmering Kaneohe Bay we were truly in the Hawaiin Paradise. Waking to the calls of the many birds that live on the island in front of their house we spent the days golfing, lazing about, and even kayaking for the first time. We kind of overdid it on the kayaking with nearly 4 hours out on the bay, but surprisingly enough we didn't wake up sore & stiff the next day. Maybe the cold beers and relaxing in the pool after the rowing kept the stiff shoulders at bay. Dining (yep, we do like to eat) in Oahu can be a good experience if you know where to go. If you get a chance try the local restaurants - get away from the tourist spots - and try real Hawaiin food. You'll spend a lot less money and you'll come away full. Of course, Honolulu also has some excellent restaurants and in the past we have been to David Wong's, which I hear is now getting to be very "touristy" since the Japanese guidebooks have picked it up. My friend told me that unless you reserve very far ahead your choices for dinner time are going to be 5:00 or 9:00 P.M. We opted this time for a nice dinner at Chef Mavro (www.chefmavro.com) where we went for the four-course dinner menu. Very good food, but the chef could lighten up a bit on the salt. Not overly salty, but we found that restaurants on the US mainland these days seem to have gone for the lighter less salty taste so maybe Oahu just hasn't quite caught up with that trend yet. Now, it's back to Japan time where the rainy season has just finished. So till next time, aloha & happy travels to you too!
]]> Know Your Ice From A Hole In The Ground..... — Narusawa, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1292792173/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1292792173/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1292792173/tpod.html Sun, 19 Dec 2010 11:58:08 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Narusawa, Japan

...especially if the ice in the hole was once sent to government
officials at the Edo Castle during the Edo period (1603-1867). The hole
in this instance is actually a 21 meter deep cave near Mount Fuji known
as the Narusawa Ice Cave.

Below is an English version of the above "map" courtesy of this website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maynard/26 9269763/



With
a beautiful autumn day beckoning us last Sunday (Nov. 7, 2010) we
headed out for a visit to this cave, as well as the nearby Wind Cave,
and Lake Sai (Saiko).
The temperature in the cave on this sunny day was 0C (32F). That's
enough to preserve a little of the ice that builds up in the cave over
the winter months, but I expect it will be more interesting when the
dripping water builds up the ice pillars that grow to 3 feet or more in
height.
Entering the cave requires a bit of caution as the steps are wet and
slippery, but there are thick bamboo handrails to hold on to so it's not
a problem for most people. In fact, many of the kids who came out of
the cave were begging their parents to let them go in again. There is
one part that requires a low duck-walk and do be careful of your head as
the ceiling is low in a few places (ouch! personal experience). It's
actually a pretty small cave and the walk through it can be done in
about 10 minutes.
The ice cave (Hyouketsu in Japanese) was formed in the year 864 when
Mt. Nagaoyama erupted. As the lava cooled the cave was carved out by hot
gasses and molten lava flowing out. In the winter the underground water
freezes creating the ice pillars that sometimes connect the ceiling and
floor. These pillars usually grow from February to March and the nature
guide for the area says the best month to see them is in April. On the
day we visited, even after an especially hot summer in Japan, there was
still a bit of ice in the cave.
Entrance to the cave costs 280 yen for adults (130 for children), but
you can buy a 500 yen ticket that also includes entrance to the Fugaku
Wind Cave (Lave Cave). Having bought the multi-ticket we left the ice
cave and drove a couple of minutes down the road to the Wind Cave (on
the Japanese website it is also called "Lave Cave"). You can also walk through the forest from the Ice Cave to the Wind Cave (about 15-20 minutes).
The trail from the parking lot to the Wind Cave is a 2 or 3 minute
walk, but take time to have a look at the tree roots to see how
tenacious these trees were to have grown in the magma from the lava
flow. The roots grow along the magma and seek all the crevices to
establish their hold on the rocks.
This cave is a bit longer and about halfway through the cave you'll
come to the ice pond. At this time of the year there is only a tiny bit
of ice in the pond, but I expect it will be like a mini skating rink
come winter. Just past the ice pond are racks holding cans full of
acorns and other seeds. The cave was used to store these seeds for
periods of 2 years or more. There are also cans of silkworm cocoons,
which were kept in the cool cave to keep the silkworms from maturing
into moths, thus producing silk for a longer time.
Leaving the caves we headed down Route 710 for Saiko (Lake Sai). This
is a small lake, but on the day we were there the lake was dotted with
small boats full of people fishing. The trees were just beginning to
wear their autumn outfits and within the next week or two the sides of
the mountains surrounding the lake should be bursting with autumn
colors. Driving past the lake we make a short stop at the bird
sanctuary, but we left that for another day since we weren't prepared
for the longer hike necessary to see the park and birds. Continuing
along the north shore of the lake we came to Cafe M,
which I definitely recommend for a lunch stop. Sitting out on their
open deck, with a view of the lake and some nicely colored momiji
(Japanese maple) trees beside the deck, we enjoyed the warm fall day as
well as Cafe M's great food. I had their homemade Chinese style pork
sandwich in pita bread while my wife had their salmon cream sauce pasta.
Both were excellent and I suspect their homemade desserts would be just
as good, but the portions were generous and we were full enough -
another thing for "next time." The ladies at the next table were
enjoying the homemade (see a trend here?) ginger ale. I missed that on
the menu so that's also for next time.
Departing Saiko we headed for Kawaguchiko (Lake Kawaguchi). With the
maple trees in full autum splendor, and hundreds of people walking the
sidewalks and crossing the road, the traffic around this lake inched
along, but given the beauty of the trees we enjoyed the (very slow)
ride. From Kawaguchiko you can return to Tokyo or do as we did and make
your way to another of the 5 lakes, Lake Yamanaka and from there drive
back to Tokyo via the backroads through Doshimura and either go past
Lake Sagami and catch the Chuo Expressway back to Tokyo; or avoid the
Sunday expressway traffic and follow the regular highways back to Tokyo.
Getting there: From Tokyo take the Chuo Expressway until you come to
the Kawaguchiko branch (to your left). Follow this branch of the
expressway to the Kawaguchiko exit and follow highway 139 to the cave's
entrance (it's clearly marked). A map is available here: http://fujigoko.info/icecave/ice-access .html

If you're not driving take the JR Chuo Line to Otsuki Station (one
hour by limited express from Shinjuku). Chagne to the Fujikyuko Line and
go to Kawaguchiko Station (55 minutes) then take a bus to the cave (25
minutes).
]]> Days 1 and 2 in Paris — Paris, France http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1114656000/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1114656000/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1114656000/tpod.html Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:29:18 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Paris, France

Where I stayed
La Tremoille Paris
(Paris hotels)


Arrived in Paris - 12 hours after leaving Tokyo - and landed safely at Charles De Gaulle airport. It's raining!! But, our luggage arrived all safe and sound with us.

Took a 45 minute taxi ride to our hotel - La Tremoille - which is a couple of blocks from the famous Champs Elysee.

Decided to take a little nap before going out for dinner since it's still raining - big mistake. Nap time lasted from 7:00 P.M. to about midnight. Managed to sleep on & off & finally gave up on the sleep time and decided to get up & check the email at 5:00 in the morning.

Thus began day 2.

After having breakfast in a cafe down the street from our hotel we got on the Metro (subway) and headed for the Musee Marmottan Monet where the largest collection of Monet's beautiful paintings are on display.

Having seen Monet's paintings we thought it would be nice to visit his home in Giverney, but after we got to the train station we found out it was too late to get there today. Ah well, there's always next time.

Since we couldn't make it to Monet's home we headed for the Museum D'Orsay, which is a renovated former train station devoted to 19th and 20th century art. They were holding a special exhibition of several impressionists including more of Monet's paintings. What a huge museum - we were there for about 4 hours and by the end we were sort of cruising through the displays - jet lag was taking its toll.

Back to the hotel for a brief respite, but of course, a little libation (red wine, naturally) on the way helped perk us up as we watched the traffic & had a great view of the Eiffel Tower from our wine perches.

Finally, dinner at a nice restaurant across from our hotel brought the day to a close and this updated posting.

Tomorrow we'll wander around the Champs Elysee for a couple of hours before heading to the Gare de Lyon train station to catch our train to Lausanne, Switzerland.
]]> Hiking, driving, eating our way through Italy — Tokyo, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1256455790/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1256455790/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1256455790/tpod.html Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:00:29 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Tokyo, Japan

Where I stayed
Milan, Rio Maggiore, Trani, Puglia, Rome
(Tokyo hotels)


Departure Airport: Narita.

Airline: Austria Air (where the food is great & the service is good)

Destination #1: Milan (after a plane change in Vienna)

We've been to Milan before and this time we just wanted to spend a couple of nights there before meeting our daughter (Stephanie) & son-in-law (Greg). They had been there a couple of days before us and they were over in Venice, but they had found a good restaurant & recommended we give it a try. Being good obeying parents, of course we tried it! And, they were right - it was very good. RistoranteTimé (pronounced Teemay). We first wandered around the area of the restaurant on Saturday morning where we saw the Saturday Market.

Everything from vegetables, to cheese & meats, to bags, to shoes!




Milan's a wonderful city - much to see & do and plenty has been written about it so no need to go into more details here. My advice - wear good walking shoes & walk - you'll see more things close up & you'll have plenty of opportunities to stop for refreshments - especially gelato!

Meeting Greg & Steph at the Milan station we headed off for 4 nights in Rio Maggiore. 1st class on the train - and still no power in our train car - meant no air conditioning & no lights in the tunnels. About 15 minutes from our destination, after we had been through 99% of the dark tunnels, the conductor came along & told us we had to move to the next car as it was "too dangerous" in our car. What? Those other areas with no lights were safe? Ah well, at least we had a/c for the last few minutes of the journey.

We stayed in the Cinque Terre Residence (http://www.cinqueterreresidence.it/eng /index.php). Fantastic! Do take the little bus up to the top of the hill & send your luggage down on the special luggage elevator.



Day 1 - hiked to Vernazza. Three hours of hiking put us four towns up the trail in Vernazza after we hiked through the burned vineyards. Seems someone had a grudge & set fire to the vineyards around Corniglia. Our B&B owner told us they knew who it was so hopefully, the perpetrator was caught. Along the way we climbed the 400 steps to Corniglia before heading on to Vernazza where some mighty nice cold beers, good sardines (a famous dish of the region) and pasta awaited us, to be topped off with yet another gelato before catching the boat back to Rio Maggiore.





Dinner that night was on the harbor and more of those sardines I mentioned. Oh yes! Definitely worth ordering.

Day two - decided to do the Porto Venere (at the other end) hike. Not part of the Cinque Terre, but a nice town to visit. We elected to take the little bus to the top of the mountain - Telegrafo - and begin our hike from there. That saved us about 2 1/2 hours of climbing up that mountain. The trail from the top to PV is pretty well marked, but there are times when you need to search carefully for the green/white/red stripes painted on trees, rocks, etc. to avoid taking the wrong trail. We took 3 1/2 hours to do this hike. A late lunch in PV - cold beer & wine for sure - and then the 30 minute boat ride back to Rio Maggiore.




Day 3 - tired legs so we took the boat to the end of the Cinque Terre, Monterosso, & hiked back to
Vernazza. Only about 1 1/2 hours this day, but still a couple of hundred steps to climb before hitting the trail at the top of the mountain. Part way through a group of young American college students (all young ladies) caught up with us. We decided to let them pass since we heard enough "like" to last us, like, a lifetime, like, you know?

Back in Vernazza & a light lunch of pizza and - guess what - gelato (hey, good guess!) and we were on the boat back to Rio Maggiore. Greg & Steph hit the beach (okay, the rocks by the ocean) where they enjoyed a swim in the amazingly clear ocean. We sat on our veranda, read, and enjoyed some nice wine and the beautiful view of Rio Maggiore.


Leaving Rio Maggiore we hopped on the train for a very short ride to La Spezia where we picked up the rental car & hit the highway for an 850 km. drive to Trani. Driving in Italy? Sure! In fact, the highways (tollways) are great & there are plenty of rest stops along the way for fuel - human & car.

In Tani we spent the night in the Hotel Regia, which we booked through Venere (http://www.venere.com/hotels/trani/hot el-regia/).

It's a nice little hotel, modern, clean, and on the water. The next morning we wandered through the church that is just across from the hotel, passed by the castle, and wandered around the neighborhood of stone-pavement streets and wonderful old buildings. The night before this area had been abustle with many people out for Saturday dinner & drinks, but this Sunday morning it was peaceful and very nice to walk through.

Leaving Trani we headed for our next home away from home, the 500 year old olive farm B&B, Masseria Il Frantoio (http://www.masseriailfrantoio.it/). If you go to Puglia this place is most definitely worth the money! Nice rooms, a wonderful courtyard where you can sit & have a drink and some snacks and read & relax. When we returned in the evenings after our day drives around Puglia we were greeted like old family friends. Drinks were offered along with some light snacks for refreshment and then dinner at the B&B for 2 nights - wonderful! The other 2 nights the dining room was closed, but the staff will gladly make reservations for you in Ostuni or you can do as we did one night; stop in a market & buy some cheese, bread, and fruit and sit outside & enjoy your own "home picnic" - the staff will provide you with utensils, plates, wine glasses, etc. & even wine in case you forget to buy any.




Along the way we ran low on fuel for the car, but we found self service gas / diesel stations all along the way. However, be forewarned! The pumps in these places may not take your credit card. They will take cash, but they don't give change! I didn't know that & I put in 50 Euros and filled up the tank. It only took 33 Euros. There was an attendant in the snack bar, but she told me that her operation is separate from the fuel & I would have to come back tomorrow to get my change. One of the customers took pity on me & gave me the change from his own wallet since he said he could come back there tomorrow & get the change from the receipt I handed him. Nice fellow! Actually, as it turned out, we did go back close to that town in our wandering about, but we didn't have to stop & pick up our change thanks to him.

There are so many places to see in the Puglia region and most have been written about all over the Internet. Still, places to check out are Alberdobello to see the Trulli (here's a photo of an abandoned one we found along the way):



The sassi in Matera are certainly worth a visit too. Walk the area - get a feel for how the cave dwellers lived & see some of the homes that are now being renovated as artisans move back into the village.

Leaving Puglia, back on the highway, for the 6 hour drive to Rome. Dropping off the car at the main train station was a relief actually. As I mentioned, driving in Italy is not that difficult, but Rome traffic? Oh yeah - I was glad to get rid of that car!

Here's a tip. If you're going to the Vatican Museum you'll be "accosted" (all friendly & courteous) by the young people selling tours & telling you that you can avoid the 2 1/2 hour line to get into the museum. TIP - go check it out first - if there truly is a long line you can always walk back the 3 blocks or so & join a tour. We checked it out & the 2 1/2 hour line had somehow (magic, perhaps?) disappeared. We walked right up to the doors, in to the ticket counter, and entered immediately.

There are so many sights to see in Rome, of course, and most have been well documented & written about, so I won't go into those here. But, if you've gone to the Vatican Museum, my advice is to skip the Borghese Gallery - pretty much the same paintings & statues, but hey, that's just me!

Where to eat in Rome? Best advice I can give you is to get Rick Steve's book & follow his recommendations. We didn't the first night; regretfully! We did the 2nd night - much better!

Finally, remember I mentioned going into the supermarket to get some picnic foods? Here's how the shopping baskets work in the market we went to. Pretty neat, I thought!



Leaving Rome we decided to skip the train to the airport & have the hotel get a car for us. For 50 Euros - it's worth it (see how free I am with my advice!).

Now, back in Japan & dreaming / planning the next trip. Till then, Ciao!


]]> Walking for the 7 Lucky Gods — Tokyo, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1199631600/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1199631600/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1199631600/tpod.html Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:47:08 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Tokyo, Japan

January 6, 2008. The day dawned bright & clean in old Edo (Tokyo) - well, I assume the dawn was bright & clear because that's how it was when I awoke at 07:30 to begin preparations for our pilgrimage to the six different shrines & temples we need to visit today to gather our collection of the 7 lucky gods. 90 minutes & three trains after leaving home we met our friends, Michael & Chikako, at Horikiri train station, which is waaayyy over on the other side of Tokyo from where we live. From there we set off on our course along the Sumida River to find our seven little friends who are going to bring us all good fortune & good luck in this new year. The pilgrimage trail we chose to follow was devised in 1804 by Sawara Kiku, a retired curio dealer & a man who liked to dabble in Chinese culture. Sawara owned land in the vicinity that he had turned into a garden, Hyakkaen. He installed a small statue of the Chinese deity Fukurokuju. Once this task was completed he searched the temples and shrines in the vicinity to complete the set of the lucky seven gods and so the pilgrimage was born. Stop one was at the Tamon Temple (Tamonji). Tamon is another name for Bishamon, the Lucky Deity of this temple. Bishamon/Tamon is known as a protector of Buddhism from evil forces and he also serves as the guardian of the other six Deities of Good Fortune. Tamonji Temple stands in the northern part of Mukojima, which means the "Side Yonder of the River," and therefore acts as the protector of the area. The temple sports a nice thatched gate, the only one left in the whole of the metropolis. Before we got to the next stop we spotted what must be the original JC Penney - can't be anything but, right, given the locale & the age of some of these temples? Not sure what they sell since they were closed (it was Sunday), but gotta wonder about that name! Next stop, Shirahige (White Whiskers) Jinja (Shrine), where we bought (yep, they actually do NOT give these little statues away) Jurojin, the deity of longevity. Shirhige is a deity of Korean origin. However, he is not one of the 7 gods of good fortune, but like Jurojin he sports a long white beard so the two are easily associated with each other. Jurojin was originally a Chinese god of longevity and he also carries a long staff and is dressed in the clothes of a scholar. From there we headed for Hyakkaen (of Mr. Sawara Kiku fame, noted above). The garden area covers about 3 acres and the plants and flowers of the garden were all selected based on association with Chinese literature. This is because of the Chinese centered interests during the Edo period, which was the era when this garden was completed. There is a small shrine in the garden dedicated to Fukurokuju, the Chinese deity of Good Luck, Fortune and Long Life. Out of Hyakkaen we spotted this baby (doll) in a glass case (see the pictures). We figured they probably were not selling babies there, but we had to walk around the corner to find out that the place is actually for maternity yoga and baby massage courses. Ah well, at least it is an eye catching display! On to Chomeiji, the temple of long life and the home of Benten, the only female of the 7 lucky gods. Benten is the deity of music and fine arts. She is not of Chinese origin, but harks back to an Indian water sprite. Chomeiji also has a link with water and there is a sacred spring on the grounds. It is purported that the water from this spring cured Iemitsu, who was the third Tokugawa Shogun (war lord) of a stomach ailment. Yep, we drank the water, so the old tummies should be in great shape for this new year of the rat (according to the Chinese Zodiac). A short 50 meters from Chomeiji put us at Kofukuji, a Chinese style temple that was founded in 1673 although the present day buildings were done in 1933 after the destruction of the 1923 earthquake. This temple houses Hotei, the jolly Chinese priest with a huge belly and a big smile. Hotei is the god of happiness and contentment. He dispenses gifts from his treasure bag - sort of the Chinese Santa Claus! We're almost there - the last stop on the pilgrimage - which is Mimeguri Jinja. Mimeguri was founded in the 14th century, but its history goes even further back. However, the central structure that stands there today was built in 1850. This shrine possesses two of the 7 lucky gods. Ebisu is the patron of fishermen, commerce, and good fortune and carries a fishing rod as well as his catch, a large sea bream. Daikoku, the god of wealth, farmers, and the kitchen is a mingling of an Indian god and the Japanese Okuninushi. He stands on rice bales and carries a mallet that he uses to scatter money around. Both gods are very cheerful and extremely popular in Japan. Now we have our 7 gods and we even have the boat, their treasure craft, that they sail into the harbor every New Year's eve. Finishing off our tour we decided to take a different route home so we boarded the water taxi in Asakusa and floated (powered of course) on down the Sumida River to Hinode Pier which is at the mouth of the river. From there a couple of trains rides later we were back home & putting our 7 lucky gods into their treasure craft where they are working hard to bring their treasures of health, wealth, good fortune, and happiness to us and all of our friends throughout this year.
]]> Kichijoji, Inokashira Park, and Asakusa — Tokyo, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1216562400/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1216562400/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1216562400/tpod.html Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:11:11 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Tokyo, Japan

Our daughter's friend was visiting Tokyo so we decided to play tourist for the day with visits to Kichijouji, Inokashira Park, and Asakusa. We started or "trip" with a walk around the small lake (a pond really) in Inokashira Park. Established in 1918, at 70 years of age this park is a favorite of many Tokyoites and their families for a Sunday outing. The park is located a short walk from Kichijouji Train Station (Keio-Inokashira Line & JR Chuo Line), or an even shorter walk from Inokashira Koen Station (Keio-Inokashira Line). The park has a small temple which is dedicated to Benzaiten, a vengeful goddess of love. Benzaiten is purported to have cast a spell on courting couples, bringing love affairs to an untimely finish. This spell is rumored to particularly take effect on couples which venture out on the pond in one of the row boats, paddle boats, or swan boats that are available to rent. We saw a young fellow, paddling along with his mother, and he was doing a pretty good job of weaving in & out of the supports for the old Sakura trees that lean out far over the pond's banks and rest on metal supports to support the trees' weight. There is also a petting zoo and a small aquarium at the north end of the park. Walking around the park one can see vendors selling hand-made jewelry, original design hats, postcards, paintings, and there is even a lady who will "read" your eyes and write what she see in Japanese characters on a framable piece of canvas. There are also musicians, baloon artists and and other performers who spend the day entertaining the crowds (and it IS crowded on a Sunday afternoon). On the southwest end of the park you can find the Ghibli Museum, a popular destination dedicated to the animated productions of Studio Ghibli. Leaving the park it's a short stroll over to the eclectic town of Kichijouji. Kichijouji is outside Tokyo's 23 wards, but is still well located and easy to get to from almost anywhere in Tokoy. Its an interesting place with lots of little boutiques and a few large department stores. The variety of restaurants ranges from small stalls selling yakitori (skewered and barbecued chicken), Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, German, Italian,American, fast-food - and Japanese of course. You won't go hungry in Kichijouji! Have a wander through Harmonica Yokochō (Alley) on the north side of the station. It's a maze of narrow, bustling laneways just across the road from Kichijoji Station, full of cozy little bars and restaurants, interesting shops, and great sounds and smells From Kichijouji we headed across the city to have a look at the Asakusa Kannon Temple. Heading from the Kaminari Mon (Thunder and Lightning Gate) you will pass dozens of small shops selling everything from souvenier keychains, to yukata (summer wear kimono), to senbei (Japanese rice crackers). Don't just stick to this street though - wander off onto the side streets and get a taste for the real Asakusa which is truly the heart of Tokyo - the "sh'tamachi" (old downtown). The temple itself is one of Tokyo's most famous tourist sites and there is enough written about it on various websites that I won't go into detail here. We finished the day with dinner at Gonpachi over in Nishi-Azabu. Read all about Gonpaci at www.gonpachi.jp/en/casual/home/welcome
]]> Sawara, Japan — Tokyo, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1129643340/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1129643340/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1129643340/tpod.html Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:51:46 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Tokyo, Japan

Sawara is an historic city located on the Ono River in Chiba Prefecture. From the center of Tokyo it's about 99 kilometers and on a clear traffic day, which is what we lucked out with on the Sunday we drove out there in May, you can make it to Sawara in about an hour + 15 minutes. You can also get there by train on the JR Line from Tokyo Station (limited express, Tokyo-Sawara, 1 hour 30 mins.) or on the Keisei Line from Ueno. If you're transiting through Narita airport and have a few hours to kill you can get out there in about 25 minutes. For more on this nice day-trip see the blog at: http://tokyoandbeyond.typepad.com/tokyo blog/2005/06/day_trip_to_saw.html
]]> update as of May 6 — Lauseanne to Murren to Zermatt to Lake Maggiore to Venice, Italy http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1115394360/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1115394360/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1115394360/tpod.html Sun, 15 May 2005 14:48:32 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Lauseanne to Murren to Zermatt to Lake Maggiore to Venice, Italy

April 29 - time to leave Lausanne, but first, a walk through the old city. Dropped our bags off at Hertz for safe keeping while we walked around for a couple of hours. Not a lot to see in Lausanne's old city - the walk along the lake was the best part of staying here. We figured we would need about 3 or 4 hours, but about 1 ½ hours later we were on the road in our rental car on highway 62, which parallels the lake (Lake Leman, or Lake Geneva, as we call it in English) for quite a ways. We drove up into the mountains through several small villages while enjoying the clean and green countryside. Once we arrived in Stechelberg we parked the car at the cable car starting point and road two cable cars up to Murren, which is located about halfway up the mountain at 5,381 feet above sea level. We decided to stay here for two nights so we could spend a full day walking around the villages of this side of the mountain and so we could take another cable car (2 cars again) up to the top to the Shorthorn. April 30 - here in Murren we stayed in the Hotel Alpenruh where we have a fantastic view from out little balcony (where I'm sitting with a glass of wine as I write this update) of the 3 famous mountains of this area - the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jugenfrau (the Ogre, the Monk, and the Young Maiden, with the monk protecting the young maiden from the ogre). It's a gloriously blue-sky day and the temperature has been in the low 20s (Celsius) today. We took those 2 cable cars up to the top of the Schilthorn Mountain this morning and at 9,748 feet we had fantastic views of the mountains all around and even down to Interlaken where we could see the lake. There's still too much snow on the mountain to hike down - they had about 7 meters this winter - so we made it a round trip on the cable car. Once we got back down to Murren we rode the one-car train to Grutschalp - about a 15-minute ride. From there we made the easy 1 ¼ hour hike back to our hotel for a late lunch of Swiss style macaroni & cheese (a gratin with potatoes & ham). Lunch was on the restaurant's terrace where had that same great view of the mountains and we were entertained by watching two paragliders making their way down from high above the Eiger. These mountains are a popular starting point for the paragliders to start their sail down to the lake. They have tandem glides for beginners - the beginner strapped into a double seat with the instructor - next time I think I'll give it a try. Bellies full we decided that a walk downhill was in order so we headed off for Gimmelwald, which is about a 40 minute walk from our hotel. Along the way we had spectacular views of several waterfalls made from the melting snow. As we were walking we heard what sounded like a train going by, but when we look across the valley we saw that it was actually a small rock avalanche. Glad we were on this side of the valley! As we were walking down we also saw a small farm that raises Shetland ponies. A couple of little girls who lived there took off on their bikes and we wondered how their little legs were going to get them back up that steep mountain road. Once we got to the bottom we found out that they didn't have to worry about that - they and their bikes were on the cable car riding back up the mountain with us - along with several other people and two dogs. That about sums up our day on the mountain in Murren and now it's time to sit back, enjoy the rest of that wine in my glass, and watch the sun shine on those mountains. May 1 - and it's time to say goodbye to Murren. On the way out of the valley we stopped to take the tour of Trummelbach Falls. Spectacular!! only begins to describe these 10 waterfalls, which are mainly seen from inside the mountain. We took the funicular up to the end and climbed the steps up to the highest possible point (all still within the mountain cavern) stopping along the way - both up & down - to see the falls. 52,000 gallons of water per second rushing down from the melting glacier. This is a definite must for anyone visiting this part of Switzerland and it certainly is worth the 10 Swiss Francs admission fee. After leaving the valley we headed for Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn. Since Zermatt is a car free city (just like Murren) we left the car at the parking lot at the Tasch train station and took the 12 minute train ride over to the village of Zermatt, which is situated in the valley at the base of the Matterhorn. We arrived here with no hotel reservation and since it's the low season many of the hotels aren't open. Never fear - a few phone calls from the handy phones by the hotel list board in the train station and we found a room in the Hotel Julen where we had a little bit of view of the Matterhorn from our balcony. We spent a couple of hours walking around the town and up by the gondola where we watched the skiers and snowboarders heading back from their day on the mountain, then enjoyed a drink at a small hotel bar that has great views of the Matterhorn, and finally down through the old village. I know what you're thinking .... "they sure walk a lot" ..... and you are right, we do - we enjoy it and it's great for our health and makes for some nice sightseeing. Finally, back to the hotel for a dinner of Swiss style veal stroganoff and early to bed tonight (all that walking does tire one out, too). May 2 - we took the 42 minute train ride up the mountain to the Gornergratt. It's just a bit over 10,000 feet up there and the views of the Matterhorn along the way are superb. Once you're up there, there isn't much to do, except to wander around & admire the views and wait for the next train going down. Of course, if the ski trails are open you can ski back down t Zermatt, but at this time of the year the snow is soft & icy in spots, so the ski runs on that side of the mountain are all closed - only those on the other side are still open. You could also hike back down once the snow melts, but for now the snow is still too deep for that. Once we got back down to Zermatt we hopped back on the train for Tasch to pick up the car & head up & over the Alps on our way to Italy. After that beautiful drive over the Alps, and a brief stop at the Italian border to get our passports stamped (where I wasn't allowed to take a photo of the police station - don't know why) we arrived in Baveno, Italy, a small town that sits on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Once again we lucked out & found a small hotel right on the lake with a little balcony overlooking the 3 islands of the lake - Isola (Isle) Madre, Isola Bella, and Isola Pescatori. We walked around this small town - covered most of it in about an hour - and stopped along the way at a supermarket to buy a nice bottle of Barbaresco red - which we're enjoying (of course) as we sit here on the balcony watching the ducks on the lake. One of those ducks dived under the water a while ago & I was beginning to think he was the world champion of breath holding duck divers since he didn't come back up for a long time. Maybe he found a good bottle of Barbaresco down there too. Ah well, time to sign off for today and head downstairs for the hotel's dinner - it smelled great when we came back from our walk and the desserts in the cabinet looked really tempting - so without further ado, off we go and until tomorrow's update, we'll just say "ciao!" May 3 - after having our breakfast outside in the hotel's garden, while enjoying the view of the lake and the cool morning air, we took the boat over to Isola Bella and had a tour of the castle, which was built starting in the mid-1500s. We even saw the room where Napoleon slept (yes, there really is such a place) and the room where Mussolini attended a last-attempt meeting for avoiding WWII. Guess that meeting didn't go so well since the war started soon after. The grotto rooms were amazing with thousands upon thousands of little stones covering the floor, the walls, and even the ceilings. From Baveno we headed for Venice (Venezia) and 400 kilometers later (at about 140 kilometers per hour) we arrived in Venice where we rode the vaporetto (water taxi) to St. Angelo station. Sabrina, from Venice Views, our landlord for the next 5 nights met us at the water-taxi station and walked us to the apartment. We have rented a one-bedroom apartment in Venice and over the next few days we'll wander about and see how many times we can get lost as we explore this magnificent city. We found a nice little restaurant (Rosa Rossa) near out apartment for tonight's dinner where we managed to polish off a whole bottle of good Pinot Grigio - despite our good intentions to bring half of it back to the apartment. And so, life in Venice begins... May 4 - hmm, they didn't tell us about the construction next door when we reserved this apartment. Those guys start pretty early with their saws & hammers - around 08:30, but guess that means they'll finish early too (they do). We've figured out how to operate the washing machine and the clothesline that is just outside the window (we're on the 3rd floor), and the blue sky - bright sun - day is drying that laundry pretty quickly. I managed to make my way over the canal & through one of the campos (a field, to the ancient Venetians which are all named after a different saint and generally located by a church), this morning to find the fruit shop and the bakery that Sabrina told us about to buy our breakfast. Back "home" again we've figured out how to use the espresso pot (not a "maker" - a real pot for the stove) and made our first cups of coffee. Not too bad. Now it's time to head off & begin our explorations of this city of canals. We wandered out and about for several hours and after one day we've gotten pretty familiar with our own little neighborhood here where we are just next to Campo Saint Stefano and a stone throw away from the huge Piazza St. Marco where the Palazzo (Palace) Ducale is also located. Wandering over one of the canals we were treated to a gondola going by with what must be one of the few remaining gondola singers in Venice and he had a great voice as he sang Santa Lucia with his music resonating off the walls of the buildings lining the canal. We saw a billboard for a concert at a church and after a quick dinner of pizza and vino rosso (red wine) we enjoyed the concert by a group of 8 playing Vivaldi. It was raining a bit as we left the church (our first wet day), but since we were only about a 5 minute quick-walk to the apartment we weren't too wet - luckily. May 5 - it's still cloudy, and we needed the umbrella for a few minutes, but today we set off to explore the area on the other side of the Grand Canal. We walked over the Ponte dell' Accademia (Academia Bridge) and began a walking tour I downloaded from an Internet site. Along the way we stopped in a little wine and Italian style "tapas" shop that Ta had located the day before when she was doing a bit of wandering as I checked the Internet email. They serve a great variety of one or two bite-sized tapas and after munching on a few of these, along with a glass of vino, we were off again and wandering the streets along the canals and through the campos. We eventually made our way over to St. Lucia train station where we used the automatic ticket dispenser to pick up our tickets, which I had reserved over the Internet before leaving Japan, for the trip to Milan. That done we headed back over the Ponte (bridge) degli Scalzi to continue our exploring. We found a small printer who prints from the etchings of one of the local artists. I imagine we'll head back there before we leave to buy one of the prints that Ta likes. The owner's daughter, who must be about 10 years old, took a liking to us and gave Ta a self-portrait, which is mainly of her curly hair, as a souvenir. From there we followed the signs for St. Marco (hard to get lost when those signs are around) and stopped along the way to buy some cheese, and some Speck (smoked ham), olives, fresh white asparagus, fruit and bread for tonight's dinner. Sounds like snacking, but makes for a nice dinner. Of course, we still had some great Chianti red that we had purchased the day before from a local wine shop to help the dinner go down. For our evening entertainment we headed back over the Ponte dell' Accademia to the Scuola Grande Dei Carmini, which is about a 20 minute walk from our apartment, to see Mozart's opera, Cosi Fan Tutte ("All Women Are Like That"). Hard to believe that only 6 actors & actresses can do so much and the orchestra 5 did a fine job with the music. When they are all singing it makes for quite a sound. The Scuola, which is a society, was founded to help the poor and sick of Venice. Their building houses some very nice artwork and we were treated to a tour and explanation of the art before the opera started. May 6 - the rain is gone and the sky is a perfect blue. Ta is off to explore a bit on her own while I find an Internet spot to check the email. We'll meet up later and start our walking tour of the Castello area, another tour I downloaded from the Internet. More on that tour later.
]]> Milan — Milan, Italy http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1116211440/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1116211440/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1116211440/tpod.html Sun, 15 May 2005 14:45:04 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Milan, Italy

May 8. Sabrina came to see us off at 08:15 and as it turned out Diego (from above) is her good friend and was her "go between" for he wedding. He even prepared prints for her to give out to her wedding guests. Small world - too bad we didn't know it yesterday - may have gotten a little more discount:-). We pulled our suitcases over the 2 bridges and back down to the St. Angelo vaporetto stop for the trip up the Grand Canal to the train station. We had a 1st class seat, but for some reason the first class car was the one furthest down the line of rail cars. We took our seats in the 6 passenger compartment and off we went to Milan, about a 2½ hour train ride. Once in Milan we had to wait about 45 minutes for a taxi to show up at the taxi queue at the train station. Guess Sunday is a tougher day to catch a taxi there. Milan is definitely the fashion capital of Italy. Our hotel was located close to the fashion district and we did a couple of hours of window shopping that afternoon. If there's a name brand you want in fashion, shoes, or bags then Milan is the place to go. We were also close to the Duomo, which is one of the largest churches in the world. It has 135 spires and 3,400 statues. It was commissioned in 1836, but it wasn't finished until the early 1800s. It's very lofty inside, but also quite gloomy, especially compared to the outside. Entering the Duomo is free except for the museum of the treasury in the basement, which costs 1 Euro. There is a Duomo museum next door, which we saw a couple of days later, but half of it is closed for renovations at this time. On top there is a statue of the Madonna which was completed in 1774. We had a great view of the roof and the Madonna from our hotel window. May 9. Since most of the museums are closed on Monday in Milan we decided to take the tram tour. It is on a tram the was built in 1820 and has been renovated for tour rides. It starts near the palace and goes all round the city for about 90 minutes (cost, 20 Euros). Headsets are provided with a choice of several languages and the narrator explains the sights along the route. Once we completed that tour we had a walk through the Castello (Castle) Sforzesco and the park behind the castle. This castle was built by Francesco Sforza as his residence and fortress in 1450 (nope, he doesn't live there anymore). The castle has a museum, but since it was Monday, it was closed. Ah well, next time. Meanwhile, to see what it looks like have a visit to http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~lbianco/proj ect/home.html. We were able to get tickets for the Milan Philharmonic at La Scala theater for a superb performance. I made one small mistake - we bought tickets for 12 Euros rather than 20 and although we could hear the performance just fine we could not see the orchestra, other than the timpani section since we were way up in the top tier. If you go, spend the extra 8 Euros if you want to see the orchestra, and if you go for an opera get the best seats you can afford - the opera definitely requires a good view. May 10. A cloudy and cool day, but fortunately no rain, so off we went on our walking tour again. We walked over to the Cenacolo Venciano where Leonardo Da Vinci's famous masterpiece, which he completed in 1498, is housed. Unfortunately there were no open slots for visits as the museum only allows 25 visitors at a time and then for only 15 minutes per group. The museum was booked solid - through the end of May they told us - so we weren't able to get in. Next time we'll book ahead (be sure you do that if you're going to Milan). From there we walked on over to the Science & Technical museum where we saw models of some of Da Vinci's inventions - or the improvements on items already in existence during his lifetime. From the museum we decided to continue walking through the city and went to see the Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore, which was built between the 4th & 5th centuries. In front of this church stand 16 columns made of marble, which are the most important remains of Mediolanum, capital of the Roman Empire of the West, and belonged to a Roman building of the late Imperial period (2nd or 3rd century B.C.), either baths, a temple or a palace. Then, in the IVth century they were brought here and lined up to form the front of the portico of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, which was at the time under construction. Pictures and history can be seen at http://www.discountmilano.com/tour/Giub ileo/SanLorenzo/ Dinner tonight was at the restaurant Stendhal (http://www.osteriastendhal.it/index.ht ml) which was recommended by the hotel's concierge. The food was good, but the ambiance was spoiled by a group of very lous American tourists having a celebration of some type. Having fun is great, but spoiling the evening for every other diner in the restaurant brings the phrase "ugly American" to mind (and I'm an American). In fact, 3 other American tourists at another table apologized to the waiter after that noisy group had left for the behavior of our fellow Americans. Anyhow, getting there was also an interesting walk as we walked up the street beside La Scala and that's where many Thai (we think) and North African vendors have their stalls set up for the night selling a variety of trinkets. Only one was selling the fake designer bags, unlike Venice, where there were fake bag vendors on almost every other corner - some even right next to the shops selling the original goods!
]]> Venice - May 6 thru 8 — Venice, Italy http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1116210780/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1116210780/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jp2005/europe_2005/1116210780/tpod.html Sun, 15 May 2005 14:40:48 +0000 Our travels in and around - as well as to and from - Japan.
Venice, Italy

May 6th continued - email done and after meeting Ta in San Marco (St. Mark) Plaza (what a crowd of people! And the pigeons - those rats with wings creatures!), where she had gone to see the Doge's Palace Museum, we began our exploration of the Cannaregio section of Venice. This area was once home to Jacopo Robusti, called Tintoretto-the "little dyer"-because his father was a dyer by trade. See a bit more about him at http://www.italiamia.com/art_tintoretto .html. We wandered up and down lots of small streets, maps in hand, and just happened upon what turned out to be the best meal we had in Venice in a small restaurant in one of the side streets. By the way, if you want to get an idea of where we went (all over Venice!) here's a website with an interactive map: http://venicexplorer.net/map/maps_venez ia/ and I imagine you can find others with a quick web search. May 7th - Our last day in Venice. First, a quick few steps down our little street (it's about wide enough for 2 people - depending on size - to walk side by side) to buy our tickets for the tour of the Teatro (Theater) Fenice. They only had one English language tour today so we got our tickets early and then headed over to cross the Ponte (bridge) dell'Accademia to see the museum, Gallerie dell'Academia. We rented headsets there for the self-guided tour of about 2 hours. We cut it just a little short so we could get back to the theater for our 12:30 tour. The theater had a ballet on for tonight, but the only tickets available were on the deep sides where we wouldn't have been able to see much of the stage so we gave that a pass. During the tour we learned a bit about the history of this theater. In 1996 the Teatro burned to the ground when, according to our tour guide's story, two workmen who were late for work decided to create an excuse for being late. They set a small fire in the upper gallery, but since the theater was very old, and made of wood, that fire soon spread. The fire boats weren't able to get close enough to the theater because the canal behind it had been pumped dry for repairs. Therefore, they couldn't get water to get the fire extinguished and they actually had to wait for the roof to cave in before they could get enough water into the theater to put out the fire. The theater now has a modern sprinkler system and even something like 250,000 liters of water stored in a special tank in the basement for fire fighting, if needed. We sat in the Royal Box for a few minutes, which was built for Napoleon when he was staying in Venice. Now it's used by the prime minister and dignitaries when they visit Venice. After the fire the theater took 8 years to be rebuilt and it was redone right down to the Rococo gilding and paintings that beautify the five tiers of boxes. They used 5 kilos of gold for the gilding. When the theater reopened it was with the opera, La Traviata, which was written by Giuseppe Verdi especially for this theater. After the tour we headed over the Ponte de Rialto and made our way back to the printing shop of Diego Cattarin to purchase that engraving (we actually wound up with two as it was hard to choose) that we had admired a couple of days ago. Between his basic English, and my rudimentary Italian, and with the help of a dictionary we were able to learn a bit more about the artist. The engravings are done by Renato Tonietto. You can see his site (in Italian, but you can use the Google translation to get an idea) at www.renatotonietto.it). You can get an idea of what his art looks like at http://www.renatotonietto.it/Opera_graf ica.htm. After a couple of hours there talking with Diego we decided a boat ride to view the sites along the canal was in order. We hopped on the #82 vaporetto at the dell'Accademia stop and off we went up the Canale Grande (Grand Canal), the main waterway of Venice. We stayed on the vaporetto to complete the circle with stops at the islands of Della Giudecca and San Giorgio Maggiore. Once we got past the Piazzale Roma stop I think we were the only tourists on the boat. Everyone else appeared to live in Venice as they had shopping carts and/or children with them. The whole trip took about 75 minutes and after getting off at the San Marco station we started to make our way back through Piazza San Marco. On our way through San Marco we chanced upon a Vivaldi concerto, being held in a small church, that was just about to begin. If you've never listened to Vivaldi give it a try - his music is pretty relaxing. His most famous work is "The Four Seasons" and the chamber orchestra we listened to (6 people) played some of that work's music. Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and although he studied for the priesthood he decided to go into music instead and he was appointed maestro di violino at the Ospedale della Pietà, one of the Venetian girls' orphanages. If you would like to read more about him see this site: http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxvivaldi. html And, if you would like to hear a few music samples (search the page for Vivaldi) go to: http://www.baroquecds.com/musamples.htm l Concert over we headed back towards "home" to finish off our final night in Venice, but first we made a stop back at the first restaurant we had been to, Rosa Rossa for another good meal and some more (surprise) great wine. From there, home to pack and get ready for our 08:15 departure on Sunday.
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