Category: travel
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Wow, I had not expected this of Calgary, Canada. The new Central library is a must see for anyone who loves public libraries.
- The architecture from the outside and the curved ceilings outside draws you in.
- The large community spaces when you walk in
- Then taking a tour, I realized the incredible amount of details in the design of every aspect of the library really pushed the limits of what a public library could be.
- The library creates a space for a book lover to meet with their community, read books, hang out and look out.
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I was visiting this jewelry store in Rome by a very famous jewelry maker Diego Percossi Papi (exibition). The shop is tiny and I was a bit intimidated since the jewelry were all well over $1,000. I looked into the shop for a good 5 minutes until the owner/designer buzzed me in and told me to look around.
We got talking about jewelry and he pulled out his custom jewelry that he was making for his clients. He told me he’s been making jewelry for 40 years. He usually takes a sentimental piece of stone from a client and he’ll design something custom. Each piece takes him about 1 hour to sketch and 18 hours to make. I ended up asking him to take a photo with me.. I was in love with a $1,600 diamond/ruby ring. Maybe next time I go back to Rome, I’ll have something made for me.
Passion plus longevity is such a rare thing. I think it must be such a gift to have passion for something and be able to do it for 40 years. I hope my little fingers and eyes can survive for another 30 years so that I can still type for Y!
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I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world!
I get to spend a day in Malaysia just to watch the Badminton Super Series in Kuala Lumpur before traveling to Bangalore, India to work remotely for a week.
Off to New Delhi and Agra on the weekend and visited one of the seven wonders of the world — the Taj Mahal.
Some highlights of the trip:
- My flight arrived at 12:40pm in Malysia and went straight to the stadium to watch 7 hours of world class badminton matches.
- While eating in Malysia, I watched a rat scuttle around the dish washing bowl while I was eating my food… really need to just put that out of my mind as I eat :-)
- Taj Mahal is amazing from afar, but not so much when you get close.
- India still has a lot of work to do to get health, garbage and poverty problems solved.
- People working in the IT industry live like kings; they have their own drivers, maids and personal cooks, by paying only 5% of their salary, because so many people are desperate for jobs.
- Train traveling is quite pleasant by paying less than US $5 for a 3-hour journey.
- Better to travel with a companion who is local. Traveling alone at night is a definite no-no.
- Be prepared to stay in some dirty hotels.
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I’m usually not good at resolving conflicts. In the dating environment, I would just run away. At work, we’ll try to figure out the ‘right’ way and usually, the ‘right’ way wins.
With Cate, usually, the only way that wins is to compromise
Last night I was trying to convince Cate to fall asleep sooner as she complains that she can’t fall asleep.
Tony: “If you fall asleep, tomorrow we’ll head to the trampoline right after breakfast” and..
Cate: 5 minutes later she is asleep.Tony: After the trampoline, I want to head to my favorite French restaurant, Petite Pontoise but
Cate wants to head home and rest afterwardTony wants to walk around Sacre Cour but
Cate wants to help Tony cook and film the entire session and pretend the moose and kitty finger puppets are actually cookingA long day..
Cate will be meeting her babysitter in Paris tomorrow, she falls asleep in 5 minutes after her head hits the pillows and..
Tony sitting in bed and staring out at the beautiful night view of Sacre Cour, I am the luckiest guy in the world! Perspectives!
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I’m in Malaysia watching the 2008 Badminton Super Series (I’m an addict)
I noticed that older women in Malaysia and Bangalore often would cut in front of lines to the bathroom. It almost seems like they think it’s their right.
At first I was going to ask them to get in line, but then I thought why shouldn’t elders get some special privileges? In the US we try to treat everyone as equals, with no special consideration for elders. I think this shows a lack of respect and consideration for the needs of children and elders.
Next time in the US, try to give up your space not just on the bus, but also in a line to the grocery store, or to the bathroom. Try not to think you are being taken advantage of, but instead think of it as showing respect and special consideration to an elder.
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Kate and I are heading for Paris tomorrow afternoon. She is super excited about it. She tells me she is looking forward to time with only Dad and no one else. She is looking forward to the crepes, and going up to the Eifel Tower when we first get there.
I admit that I thrive on being in uncomfortable situations. But going to Paris is like coming home in a way. I don’t speak a word of French, but the shop owners are friendly when I try a few words. I feel like I know the city very well now but there are also areas I would like to explore more.
I have my own agenda for going. I would like Kate to think of Paris like a second home for her. I’m preparing for the day when I would be living in Paris and she won’t feel like anything is odd about that. So, unless something doesn’t work out, I’ll be in Paris every summer with Kate.
For those who have not made it there yet or just miss Paris, please go and watch this movie Paris Je T’Aime. It’s 13 short films set in Paris. After watching it, it’ll make you long to be in Paris.
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(red sign says ‘Remember To Eat’)
On my business trip to Bangalore, I got to stop over in Singapore for 7 hours. I think it was intentional of Singapore airlines.. To bring some tourism money to the country.
First observations of this country is of course it’s clean, and modern. Then I noticed there are a lot of tall Asian women here, and super skinny almost in an unhealthy way. I found that I immediately fit in pretty well. I spoke Mandarin, Cantonese and English to them when I felt whichever language would work best for me.
I took the metro system from the airport into the city. Of course it was clean and efficient.
I hired a man on a bike (don’t know the name of it) to get me to Chinatown and visit the temples and get some good food. That’s usually the only thing I care about when I get to a new place.
Of course I had my share of goodies.
1) fish balls on a stick
2) yams on a stick
3) black herbal jelly
4) milk with melon
5) frog congee
Other kind of interesting things
Death if you are caught with drugs
pretty crowded metro system
10 minute hair cut
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I was playing tourist again in San Francisco and saw this Alamo Square Park Shoe Garden. It’s amazing how many little things I still have not seen in this greatest city (next to Paris) in the world.
From sfgate.com:
Alamo Square Park: One of the most photographed spots in San Francisco, thanks to the breathtaking views of the City and the row of six beautifully restored Victorians nicknamed the Painted Ladies. The west side of the park allows dogs off-leash. Between Fulton, Hayes, Steiner and Scott streets.
Don’t miss the mysterious “shoe garden” on one side of the gardeners’ shed in the middle of the park. It was created by the park’s gardener, who kept finding shoes among the park trash and hated to throw them out. He arranged them on top of logs and placed the logs around a flower bed, then planted the shoes with flowers. Now people drop off pairs of shoes with hopes of finding them sprouting later. (-SF Chronicle and SF Gate)” -
I overheard a young 20 something dude talking at Ritual Coffee.
“I don’t ever leave the Mission, maybe someday I’ll explore Berkeley”
It reminds me of a Sex and City episode where the Manhattan Guy says to Carrie or Maranda that he ‘never leaves the island because everything is available in Manhattan, why do we need to leave?’
Could the SF Mission area be a mini-Manhattan?
sfgate.com (SF Chronicle) has very insightful guys to the neighborhoods of SF
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(you can click on the photo enlarge)
I love the night scene in large cities. It feels so alive, filled with the energy of human beings, full of lights and cars. I’m on my bike over to the SF Metreon and looking at the sureal lights of the SF MOMA.
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Positano and the Amalfi Coast, it’s an amazing place. Carved out of the mountain side these houses look over the most beautiful waters in Europe. On your next visit to Italy, stop over -
I was in Barcelona for 4 days and finally am back at the mothership in Paris. If you thought SF was pretty crazy about food, Barcelona kicks everyone’s butt when it comes to food (even NY). The people here love to eat and it shows. There are restaurants that are named ‘White’, places that have fresh seafood and you pick what you want and how you want to cook them, places that open at 5am serving Tapas, chocolate bars that puts anything I’ve seen to shame.
The one that beats them all is this place called Foodball (check their website, it’s pretty funky)
1) menu is all ‘balls’ of rice wrapped with different surprises inside
2) you seat on mats on top of concrete steps
3) they let people post little ads on the walls and it’s all for yoga, health foods, spiritual stuff
4) The utensils are biodegradableThe healthy menu
The combination
The seating
The really healthy one
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I’ve been late getting on the Battlestar Galactica bandwagen. Awsome shows btw, downloaded via iTunes.
I’ve come to accept the fact that humans make mistakes and it has helped me several times during this trip in Europe.
1) I wanted a ticket from Paris to Nice and this man said they are fully booked. I went to the electronic ticket machine (where I can’t use non-france visa) and verified that they indee had available seats. Got in line again and booked a ticket with another agent.
2) In Naples, we wanted to take the ferry from Naples to Positano, the friendly lady at the information booth said there was no afternoon ferry, but I remember they had it and pointed it out to her on her own schedule of the ferry.
Lesson learned, everyone makes mistakes, sometimes due diligence pays off. Especially those positions where humans are doing repetitive tasks like the tourist information office, doctors who are expected to do diagnosis in a few minutes, airline security..
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Taking a 2 week trip in Tuscany this week, a few ramblings.
1) Cappuccino is first in the world here in Italy, sweet necter of espresso with the right amount of milk makes a smooth drink that none can rival. There is no pretentious baristas, they just plain know to do it right.
2) Straight shots of espresso are second only to Bluebottle coffee in SF. I have not had a good shot here yet. I suspect it’s the robusta beans they add here.
3) Having 5 shots of espresso everyday does not affect my body for now, so I bettet enjoy it while it lasts
4) Not every place makes good pasta, but when you find one that makes it by hand, order paparedelle, super wide with shaved truffles
5) Italians are very warm people, who enjoy conversations. Flirting a little bit is fun. They just seem to know how to have fun. Yeah, Italian men are pretty damn hot looking. They got the chiesel body, dark skin, unshaven look that most women swoon over. Women in Tuscany are average.
6) Learn to wait for restaurant service, don’t demand it. They will get to you when they are ready. Sit tight and enjoy the company you are with. Eat the plain bread with olive oil and basalmic vinegar.
7) Stop and soak up the moment. Certain unforgettable moments should be seared into your brain. Take the time to absorb the it, remember the visual, remember the sounds, remember your thoughts, the air and breath in the smell and the movement of the air around you. I had one moment while visiting a fortress when a lady was singing Tuscany folk songs and I had to sit under a small tree, close my eyes and burn everything on my brain.
8) Most of all, learn to relax and be flexible with the itinerary. Roll with the punches. Missing a train ride is not a big deal. Waiting in line is another time to take self portraits.
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Mission accomplished:
1) kate and I survived Paris and she was happy and content to have been
with me for 2 1/2 weeks. Her mom said she has been very sweet. For all
dads out there, leaving your 5 year old for 2 months, leaves them missing
you a lot.2) My house in Castro Valley was sold while I was in paris, my sister had
power of attorney and dealt with all the paper work for me while I was
eating crepes.3) I found an apartment right across from SBC park and signed the deal
today. 1 block from Caltrain.Now I’m in SFO heading to Paris and Italy for a 3 week vacation. Thank you
mystery forces out there for a wonderful summer. Iife is full of changes,
I’m looking forward to every step. -
kate loves crepes, almost every weekend she helps me make them and we talk about lumps <br>
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http://www.youtube.com/v/avZdr8UxMA4 -
This shop so far has the best French pastries and best coffee I’ve had in Paris and it’s created by a Japanese chef http://www.sadaharuaoki.com/
My favorite is all the pastries filled with mocha powder giving it a nice Japanese flavor to the classic French pastries. The photo above is macha flavored madelline
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Eiffel Tower, Seine River, Louvre Museum: from 5 year old’s perpective, she can care less.
Where’s the ice cream place, crepes? tired of walking, not the metro again, are we there yet? Kate is a pretty good traveler, but thinking from her perspective, I can understand.
My days with her here in Paris is not ambitious. We hit the pastries shop early AM, sit at the cafe for an espresso and a glass of rosé. Plan for only one outing for her like a park or amusement park and a boat ride. Then lunch at a cool place we should both like. By the time we are done, it’s time to plan a healthy dinner at home to make up for all the sweets during the day. No one seems to bring their kids out for dinner here.
The days are long, with only about 1 hour of break when I play a Japanese show for her. Today I really appreciate the 40 min nap she got on the metro line #1 as we ride from the depot from one end to the other while the conductor and passenger eye me curiously when we are the only ones on the metro while he switches directions in the repair dock.
We will be at the amusement park in 20 mins, kate would have gotten an hour long nap, I’m exprecting a Kate in much better mood.
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Slow and steady, just concentrate, I’m sweating like a dog, have not needed to pee in 8 hours, all my liquids are sweated out.
There is 10 more miles to go before I hit Monaco. I cursed every downhill because I have to bike up the same hill again in reverse. I reveled in the pain of going slowly uphill. A fellow biker is resting with her head in her lap and I offer her water. I see her later on the hill and she acknowledges me.
I told myself to soak up the intense moment of heat, sweat, world’s best bike experience of climbing hills, most beautiful Mediterranean sea on my right, and the feeling of intense fear. The fear is that I don’t have my helmet (lost on train). I’m biking along this speedway where cars often pass by me by what feels like inches from my knee. Sometimes I just give up and hide on the shoulder until the cars pass by
For bike lovers, you have got to take this trail, rest for a large beer then do the final route to Monaco
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Having a bike always with me in Europe has totally changed the way I travel. I used to think I can just run anywhere since I like slow jogging, but can’t really do that when I’ve got a 20 lbs bag with me.
This is my current thoughts on travel by bike- I don’t take taxis anymore when I get to a city.
- I don’t carry a backpack, just use my Brompton bag which hooks on to the bike
- I caculate whether I really need every object in my bag to get rid of the weight
- I’m never underground waiting, always moving
- With a GPS, I’m never lost and always open to intentionally getting lost and bumping into new things
- I don’t have to plan ahead as much since I can predict where I can be within a 5 mile radius
- I feel the freedom of travel that I always thought I had, but I never really truely did when I had to walk
- Hotel->Bike->Train Station (buy tickets) -> Bike -> Office -> bike to dinner -> bike and get lost -> bike home
Thanks to Jeff for sending me this story
Little A-Bike unfolds to tackle the urban jungle
LONDON (AFP) – In the dog-eat-dog world of cutting-edge bicycle design, the A-Bike wants to be the Jack Russell terrier — small, cute as a button, but as tough as they come.
No bigger than a piece of carry-on luggage when folded, it opens up in just 10 seconds into an A-frame bicycle — hence its name — ready for use as an urban get-around vehicle.Conceived in Britain, built in Malaysia and sold via the Internet, it’s the latest — and potentially one of the most successful — ideas to come out of the mind of prolific inventor Sir Clive Sinclair.It weighs a mere 5.6 kilogrammes (12.5 pounds), thanks to its aluminum and polymer frame, telescopic internal brake cables, an enclosed dual chain drive and 15-centimetre (six-inch) wheels seemingly pinched off a baby buggy.
Purists may sniff, and some did at the A-Bike’s official launch in London on Wednesday. But Sinclair makes no excuses for what he calls the first radical rethink of bicycle design in 120 years.
“I went right back to the past,” he told reporters at the Design Museum alongside the River Thames as prototype A-Bikes were put through their paces against the backdrop of Tower Bridge.
“The A-Bike is about half the weight and three times smaller” than the lightest and smallest conventional folding bikes now on the market, he said. “Never in the history of bikes has there been anything like such a feat.”
Sinclair is famous in his native Britain for a host of inventions, from the world’s first truly portable pocket calculator in 1972 to the pocket television in 1977 and, in 1980, the Sinclair ZX80, one of the world’s first home computers.
Other inventions have fared less well in sales terms, notably the C5 one-seat battery-powered tricycle, unveiled in 1985 to heaps of ridicule. Only 17,000 were sold — enough only to make them cult objects amongst eBay collectors.
Mayhem UK, the A-Bike’s distributor in Britain and the rest of Europe, predicts that Sinclair’s new design will sell as many as 25,000 units in the coming 12 months.
It’s priced at 199.99 pounds (290 euros, 375 dollars) plus delivery, and currently available only on the Internet (www.a-bike.co.uk), though Mayhem hopes to have it in airport duty-free shops as well.
Unlike its main rival, the British-built Brompton folding bicycle, hailed as the “smallest, cleverest fold” in a recent Business Week magazine survey, the A-Bike is assembled in Malaysia, at a “commercially sensitive” site.
Distribution in Asia and the United States has been licensed to a Hong Kong firm, Zata.
Test-ridden by an AFP reporter, the A-Bike certainly can zip along, its plastic pedals are as smooth as silk.
But its tiny wheels render it less stable than conventional bikes — ruling out tight turns and slalom runs through traffic jams.
There’s also no place to put baggage, though chief design engineer Alex Kalogroulis said a handlebar-mounted pannier is in the pipeline.
And while the A-Bike should hold up to the rigours of inner-city cycling, its instructions are rather emphatic in stating the obvious — that this sure ain’t no mountain bike.
“No wheelies! No stunt riding! Do not cycle into potholes!” they exclaim. Or as Kalogroulis acknowledged: “If you go into a deep hole, then yes, you’ll have a problem.”
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After a very fillilng meal of traditional German food of fatty pork and dumplings for lunch, I’m up for some sushi.
It’s 9:58 and I’m trying to find some good food here in Munich, a search for ‘munich late night dining’ found me this CNN article
http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/restaurants/weissmann/world/munich.html#ASIAN
Tonight’s gamble:Sho-ya-Sushi—Though the city offers a bounty of Japanese retaurants, many are little more than loud, trendy yuppie hangouts. That is not the case at this restaurant. A pub atmosphere and handwritten wall-mounted menus set the stage for excellent sushi and such cooked delicacies as exquisite, lightly battered jumbo shrimp. Open daily 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 6-11 pm. $$-$$$. Most major credit cards. Gabelsbergerstrasse 85. Phone 523-6249.
It’s 12:10am, the sushi place moved, and the new sushi place is closed. Biked over to another place that was suppose to open til 1:00am, no luck. I ended up eating at McDonalds!! oh well, haven’t had those chicken nuggets in 4 years. Then biked 2.5 in the dark back and got to take some night scenes of beautiful Munich
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I arrived at the train station on the Brompton (flickr photos) 10 minutes before the train took off. The conductor looked at my bike and said I needed a reservation for it. I folded it up in 30 secs and he said I didn’t need reservations.Today’s sleeper is a 4 bed and oddly they put a women in the same sleeper as 3 other men, how odd. Maybe they don’t do that if it’s a 2 bed.
There is one guy from Mexico who said he spent $25,000 euro chasing the world cups games for 31 days, crazy! I think he regrets it. :-( But he is going to the finals in Berlin at least.
The women is traveling by herself, she is an opera singer from San Mateo, coolness. She said she can’t read maps, I showed her the killer TomTom loaded up with European maps.. Another customer for TomTom.
Another asian women, spacey, works in aerospace for a German company in Munich for a one year stint.
Funny moment when spacey asked me why Yahoo! even has offices? Don’t we all just kind of work virtually? Why do we need an office? Yeah, that’s true, Yahoo! managers: can I work from Tokyo next year?
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As I get ready to leave for Munich for a short one week trip, I’m 2 hours away from the train leaving and as I get ready to pack I thought I write down the list of things so I remember to bring them. Might as well share it here, why not, it helps me organize
The gorrilla tripod let’s me take pictures of myself by attaching it to anything
Brompton bike, with helmet, lock and hooked on bag to carry my 17″ powerbook
Hat to cover bad morning hair and bad helmet hairunlocked GSM tri band phone from ebay for $35 with 35 euro sim card bought in Paris
http://tomtom .com/ GPS with the map of country I’m going to and the Treo 650 to navigate
Power: extra battery for laptop, powerstrip to charge everything, all of the plugs for the gadgets
A European electric and phone plug set for every country, pick the one for the country I’m heading to
A handwritten set of addresses and phone number in case my electronic gadgets run out of batteriesA shoe bag to carry an extra visa card in case my things get stolen
ipod shuffle filled with unheard podcasts and a few highly rated songs, ear phones will be used for Skype as well
Clothes are the hardest, someone told me to just bring a day’s worth and just buy clothes when I arrive, I still have not gotten used to this.
Lastly, train tickets, wallet, passport, keys (take a photo of the passport and upload it to a private area, just in case)
Ok, 1 1/2 hour away time for dinner, drink some wine and off
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So the common theory goes that there are basic humans needs like food and shelter and once you fulfill these needs then there is love, follow by spiritual needs and I don’t remember what other higher callings there are.
For my parents’ generation they struggled for 40-50 years for basic survival and the focus is simple, earn enough money to feed your family and perhaps send their children (me and my sis) to college and maybe help us out with our first house. My parents are thankfully beyond the first stage now and are retired and enjoying spoiling Kate and Martin (my sister’s son)
For my generation, I argue that we have satisfied our basic needs a lot earlier in life. Most of the 30-40 men or women are working in good jobs, living pretty decently and can eat out 2-3 times a week with no problems. So the basic needs of food and shelter is satisfied very early. Most of us have dated, have had long term relationships, and have satisfied the basic ‘love’ aspects.
I have known many people, myself included, who are going through an early mid-life crisis now and are asking ourselves is there more to life? Is my life going to be like this 5, 10 years from now? What will change?
yeah some of us have kids and they will be a big part of our lives, but kids cannot be my identiy in life. It’s unfair to the child and to me.
I don’t have the answers for those who are going through this struggle and all I can tell myself is to always think critically, question your life, question your decision and be your own worst critic. Am I doing the right things right now? Am I treating those around me the right way? What is my plan for the next 5 years, the next 10 years the next 15 years? Am I taking small steps each day, each week to reach that goal?
Someone said to me recently that life is about Work and Love. I’ll add one more to that. Life is about Work, Love and Hope
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After reading http://seat61.com/ and watching the movie Before Sunrise, I had a very romantic notion of traveling by train. My first trip on the Eurorail from Paris to Copenhagen took me 15 hours and tor·tur·ous moments where I’m telling myself to get some sleep or I’ll be hallucinating in the bike train.
Hmm, I still have 9 more trips on this Eurorail pass, gotta to use it up. Not looking forward to it.
Then on the trip back to Paris, I decided to get a sleeper car instead. The trip from Copenhagen to Hamburg was in a first class cabine with free tea and coffee. Very comfortable 5 hours. And I got to chat with 2 fellow travelers. 2 sisters from Korea and the time passed by very fast as we talked nothing specific and the hours flew by as they talked about boyfriends, life in Korea, doritos, lack of sleep.
Then off to the Paris sleeper and the moment I got into the cabin I felt asleep. very comfortable! wow, this is nice. In the morning, they set an alarm to wake me up at 7:30, I went next door and eat next to my roomie and we had an hour worth of very personal chatter and I felt a connection (as most travelers do I’m sure) with this 50 year old film producer from Copenhagen.
wow.. I was telling him about my dissapointment with train travel and he told me he always enjoyed the slow travel and it’s the best way to meet new and interesting people.. I was looking at him, thinking this through and YEAH, that is true.. I would have never talked with anyone on the plane. hmm, that’s not so bad.. This train travel business is pretty cool, even though it burns aways all my hours (but while sleeping).. hmm, that’s not so bad. I got off the train in Paris, unfolded my Brompton and in 15 mins I’m back in the Paris apartment.. hmm, that’s not so bad.
I think I’ll put this 35 year old through another train ride all the way to Dublin end of August. A former co-worker from Y! invited me over. I think I met her only once, Emi and her husband are willing to show me around, let’s see how that goes.
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Well I could safely say that I understand Parisian life a little bit more after running through to 140 metro stations, getting a hair cut, buying food at the local markets, going to shop at their farmer’s open air markets, biking around town on my bike for 30 days.
Here is the recap and sorry if I’m not my positive self today, I’m lacking sleep and I’m really grumpy
- Parisians love MacDonalds just as much as us Americans.
- Parisians love Starbucks probably more than Americans, there are 18 stores in Paris
- Parisians are just as loud and disruptive as Americans when they have a reason to be.. right now it’s 1:24am and they are non stop here on the streets disrupting my sleep
- Even though there have been many myths around French women don’t get fat, I suspect it has more to do with smoking than diet and exercise. It’s difficult to find a older French woman and man who is not fat. They probably stopped smoking
- On a positive note, they do obey traffic light much better than Americans..
Now please let me get some sleep tonight.
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The photo is of Reg Barber tampers I saw in Risterit in Denmark.. ooooo.. soo cool. I’ve been hearing about these babies on coffeegeek all week.
Ok, I’ve been obssessed with coffee lately. Listening to coffeegeek and http://www.portafilter.net podcasts talking about professional baristas, bean roasting, barista competitions. The 2006 barista champion actually works in Copenhagen. So I contacted a blogger I found when I was in Copenhagen and got recommendations for great espresso and off I went with my Brompton. I didn’t do any sightseeing, just hunting down espresso.
First on the list was Risteriet (www.risteriet.dk). The store is small but very coffee serious looking. It sold high end espresso machines, books on history of coffee, $70+ tampers, french presses. So I order a cappuccino to start.. it was bitter.. so I thought I’ll give it another chance. Order a latte, no art drawing and the taste was really average. Hmm, dissapointing. But my blogger contact was surprised I didn’t like it, I’ll revisit again for a straight shot of espresso. 3 stars out of 5
Second shop I visited was not on the list, just a place that looked interesting with a big M as the logo. The cappuccino was served in a huge glass, already a big warning sign.. and the coffee was just average, stale tasting with no good foam. 2 stars out of 5
By this time I’m on my forth cup of coffee and I arrived at Estate Coffee (www.estatecoffee.dk). The signs outside is bragging about the 2006 Barista champion works there. But he was not working at the counter. This place is a roaster as well as a cafe. I ordered a cappuccino and it was served with latte art. The coffee and milk was very sweet and smooth. I was reminded very much of Rituals Coffee right in San Francisco. Makes me realize how good we have it in SF with bluebottle and cafe organica and now Rituals. 4 stars out of 5. Why not 5 out of 5? The atmosphere is so so, very quiet, no music.. no coffee culture.
If you know me a little, you know I obsess over food and coffee. *I* didn’t even know how bad it could get. I’m basically ignoring the sights of the city of Copenhagen in search for coffee :-) Ok 2 more cafes to check out tomorrow, then I’ll do the tourist thing, but not before I put another 15 miles on my Brompton.
Ciao!
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This weekend I was planning to head over to Barcelona for some bike riding and tapas, but of course the train was fill. Then I asked the ticket person Madid? No. Lisbon? No. uhh, Denmark? where? What’s the capital of Denmark? Copenhagen? OK, I’m going to Copenhagen then.
So, my Brompton and I are on a 15 hour train ride from Paris to København. I have this romantic notion of saving money and not get a sleeper train and just ride on a regular chair. 2 hours before I catch the train, I book a hotel room online. 30 minutes before the train leaves I bike over to Gard Nord and hop on the train.While not being able to get more than 1 hour of continuous sleep, the insomnia is making me have dreams. I don’t remember having a dream for the last 8 years. That was really cool!
Most memorable moments. Sticking my head out on a 160 mph train, drinking non-alcoholic beer in the bike train sleeping on the floor with other student backpackers
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I been having a hard time finding Italian quality coffee in Paris. Most places that serve coffee in Paris serve very mediocure cafe creme and cappucino. While in Paris, I’ve been listening to the http://coffeegeek.com/ podcast and making myself long for a good cup of capuccino.
Until one day I stumbled on urbietorbi le bar italien. Their capuccino has very nutty and sweet flavors and the coffee actually reminds me of the quality and freshness of Italian coffee! Also their space is very inviting with ultra modern chairs and a comfortable bean bag sofa that let’s me just lie down and be lazy and read my travel books.
My new love in Paris!
I found one forum explaining why coffee in France is subpar. Another blog with some comments about where to find good coffee.
My personal advice about coffee in France (and in Paris in particular) would be to pick coffee-oriented chains like Illy or Segafreddo, or places like Café de Colombie, where you’ll be served only pure arabica coffee. We French have a problem with our coffee supply. Most of what you get in “troquets” (average cafes and brasseries) is brewed from robusta beans, because of our privileged commercial relationships with our former African colonies (Ivory Coast, Cameroun) that grow mostly robusta. This is a unique situation ; most European countries (with a stress on Italy) and America prefer arabica. Now, though some robustas may be drinkable, most of the time they’re terribly bitter, acidic and rich in caffeine. This accounts for the characteristic (and, to me, horrid) taste of the French “petit noir”. And when the espresso machine isn’t properly maintained, the taste is even worse.
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I’ve been eating really late (like 11:30pm) here and I sometimes like to just step outside and pick up some take out from this Chinese place right downstairs.
A few days ago, the owner of the place was speaking Madarin then I also starting speaking to them in Mandarin. The husband and wife both came to Paris to live when they were around 8 years old, just like me coming to the states. And ever since then, I would sit there and drink some Sing Tao beer and wait until they close the shop until 12am, 12:30am and we just shoot the breeze.
Some funny perspectives from them
- They are sick of Paris and doesn’t think there’s much to see in Europe, I said I can’t imagine that, but I could see that happening if I lived in NY for 15 years.
- They have no inclination to visit the US. “There is no history there, it’s only a 200 year old country, what’s there to see?”
- The have noticed a dramatic drop in U.S. tourists mainly because of the strong Euro
- A lot less Korean, a lot less Japanese.. More mainland Chinese, Spanish, Geman, Russian tourists
- Even to them earning Euros, things in Paris are expensive
- Don’t believe what you read in the papers about the riots in paris last year, it’s all hyped up by the papers
My own perspectives
- I envy them, a simple life managing this food place and just living right upstairs
- They get to be together and see each other every day (good and bad)
- It’s still a pretty good life, interacting with lots of new people. Being in a busy street of Rue Lepic, lots of tourist and pretty much guranteed revenue
- It’s a hard life of course because they work from 11:00am to 12:00am, closing the store often at 1:30am
- I envy them mostly because they are happy, content, respect each other and they are building a good life here.
Will the 3 of us still be friends a year from now? Let me write this down and maybe it’ll come true
林錦亮, 張盈盈, 譚立志 will still remain friends a year from June 27, 2006
Tony
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I love the cosmopolitain cities like Paris, SF, NY, Tokyo, HK, Taiwan and whenever I can, I buy this series of books call the StyleCity guides. These books recommend places to live, eat and shop but with a focus on style and chic.
Today I used the guide StyleCity Paris
First Pierre Hermé, apparently, he is famous, but I never heard of him. This small little pastry shop is filled with little gems of pastries and the line is always out the door. I bought 3 of each type of little macaroons and took it on my Brompton bike to eat at the Tuileries garden with a cup of cafe creme.
Then this wonderful and chic boulangerie: be boulangépicier. I love this place because it has a chic seating area (rare for a boulangerie), they also serve coffee (another rare attribute). I sat down with my Bompton and throughly enjoyed myself planning for my next exporation. Style, modern, chic!
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I saw this really neat parc in Paris and these kids were just runing around in circles while I myself was running the Paris Metro! Neato so I decided to run them down 3 times over and and over.
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Today’s run was a bit shorter, 10 down, 8.01 miles and only 251 stations to go
No tagzania map today, maybe I’ll update later. Check out the pics of the Paris city life.
Run #5: 13.87 miles june 13th
Run #4: 12.58 miles june 10th
Run #3: 12.85 miles june 8th
Run #2: 10.56 miles june 6th
Run #1: 10 miles june 4th -
.. is when it’s raining outside, my apartment is filled with bright day light at 6:00am. I open up the windows and smell clean air and hear the shops getting ready to open up. I walk 5 minutes to pick up the best pain au chocolate and bring them home to eat with coffee.
So far the most memorable moments/facts in Paris, most of the adventures are in not knowing how to speak the language and trying to get everyday things taken care of.
- I’ve gotten my first hair cut in Paris, trying to tell the lady that I wanted short, layered hair. Cheveux coupes en degrade, court, superposé. It turned out just as good or bad as the ones I get in the states. I won’t take a picture until it grows out -)
- Riding my bike everywhere, I have not taken the metro in 2 weeks. Paris is very friendly to walkers, runner and especially bikes. Bus/Taxi/Bikes get special lanes pretty much everywhere
- At 11:30pm, I could still find lots of places to eat, not necessarily the best, but hey I am in Paris, I could get a capucino and a crou monsieur, I’m happy
- Me trying to speak French to a Chinese waitress while she speaks English to me until I realize that I should speak English after 5 exchanges
- I was in Chinatown and just started speaking Chinese to the vendors. Realizing that Chinese is the common language for me and not English.
- I’ve gotten my first hair cut in Paris, trying to tell the lady that I wanted short, layered hair. Cheveux coupes en degrade, court, superposé. It turned out just as good or bad as the ones I get in the states. I won’t take a picture until it grows out -)
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Finally made it to 13.3 miles today. I’m getting slightly tired with only 4-5 hours of sleep and this running, but I promised myself to sleep a bit more.
Today’s run covered 18 stations for 13.87 miles . Highlights were the 2 farmers markets that ‘forced’ me to stop and eat some fruits
Run #4: 12.58 miles june 10th
Run #3: 12.85 miles june 8th
Run #2: 10.56 miles june 6th
Run #1: 10 miles june 4thFor 200 photos of the metro city life
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When dining in the U.S, I have the misconception that whatever the special of the day is something that the restaurant is trying to give rid of.
Here in Paris, the ‘eating’ books recommend that I always order the plat du jour because it’s almost made from what’s fresh at the market.
So I ventured out last night at 11:00pm with my Brompton and visited Crêperie de Joselin.
It was on Montparnasse, famous for Breton crepes and has more than 15 of them on one single street. Some are tourist traps, but this place was supposedly very good and cheap.I parked my Brompton at a seat and ask for Gallette du Jour (zucchini, oeuf, cheese, bacon crepe), vin rouge, un cafe. I butchered it a bit but they all understood what I wanted. The crepe was very good, I think I’ve found my favorite dining area, but gotta get out of the comfort zone and try other places :-)
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Gallette du Jour: ?? of the day courgette: zucchini
oeuf: egg
fromage: cheese
lard: bacon
un petite vin rouge: small glass of house red wine
un cafe: espresso -
I think au num de la rose is a franchise store, but their presentation is really unique. With rose petals all over the front of the store and every store painted this nice mellow green. I just can’t help myself taking photos with the woman inside looking at my kinda funny
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My current vacation to Paris is the 6th time for me, but this trip will be different in length as well as how I plan to explore the city. First, my Brompton bike will be with me all the time and I plan to run and bike everywhere in Paris.
My first test was when I stopped over in Iceland for 14 hours, I took my Brompton out and rode it around town and bought groceries to carried back. Instead of taxi or walking, I was able to see parts of the city that I couldn’t if I were just walking.
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Lunch conversation started around retirement and what would we do if we were able to retire right now? The gut reaction I had was obviously stop working.. then on further thought, what would I do with my free time? I still had Kate to take care of, she goes to school, I can’t just pack my bags and live in Paris. I actually think I’ll still work at Yahoo!
On further thought, if I was 50 years old, the story would be totally different. Kate would be 18 years old, she will be off to college and I’ll be a free man :-) YES! 50 is the magic number, at 50 I could be a bum without responsibilities and live like a bum (with money) and hang out in Paris for Spring and Summer and Positano, Italy for Fall and Winter.
It’s really not a lofty goal, very doable, very attainable, very Tony! Look for me in Europe at 50
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Oh you must come to ino for the best Panino, Panini, Fritata. open til 2am.
I’m here nowHere is the starter for this AM.
Glass of Italian wine, an assorted bruschetta (asparagus, white bean,
mozarella, pesto) -
Last day of this Paris trip and I wanted to hunt down some really dark, high concentrated cocoa beans dark chocolates. This was the shop I visited Denis Acabo/A L’etoile D’orThis shop has all the high end chocolates from all over France. I just had to try and speak a lilttle bit of French and let my love of chocolates flow through.. “Chocolat Noir, please”, “Do you speak English?”, “I love Chocolates” and I ended with about 5 lbs of dark chocolate bars of every flavor.
Well, in the photo was Karen from http://chezkarine.com/ who was a friend of George who also prepared a wonderful holiday dessert menu for me 3 weeks ago . Karen was in the shop in 2003, I was just there this evening, and met the shop owner in pigtails :-) We had as much conversation as possible with my less than 20 French word vocabulary but I was expressive enough with my hands to let her know I love love chocolates.
Man! Talk about 360 degrees of separation
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My parents are too old for me to try to change them so I go with flow.
They wanted to eat Chinese food in Paris, so I bought them to Chinatown where I’ve never ever been to after 8 times in Paris. I bumped into a Chinese chef of 30 years in Paris and he recommended the only good Chinese place to eat and the only good Vietnamese place in Paris.
My parents had a blast at both places, one for dinner and one for lunch.
Since this trip *is* for them and not for me I’m letting go of my usual bias of never eating Chinese food in Paris and enjoying every moment with my parents while playing tour guide.
Tonight they bought Chinese soap operas on VCD to watch all night long, no complaints from me. I’m going to my favorite creperie to stuff myself full of sweet and savory crepes on the little island of Ile de la Cite
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- Find a really good air fare from http://travel.yahoo.com/
- Rent an apartment from these folks http://parisvacationapartments.com/ , this is the apartment I’m staying, right on Rue Lepic where all the food markets are. They’ve got a full kitchen, with washer and dryer and very chic apartments
- Plan your eating itinery with this book Food Lover’s Guide to Paris
- Visit the best bakery every morning with the best pain au chocolat
- Buy some good coffee beans from New York and bring them with you to Paris from http://portorico.com/
- Take a batobus around Paris not a tourist boat, it’s much more affortable and less tourists
- Plan on doing a bit of walking and taking the metro around town.
- Learn a few very simple French words and they will love you because you tried. words like 1-2-3, hello, thank you, pain au chocolat, excuse me, I’m sorry, goodbye, good night, please, do you speak French, I do not speak French, help me!
- Visit Sacre Cour and the top of Eiffel Tower for a breathtaking view of the entire city
- Every 3 hours, stop by a crepe stand where they are making it from a fresh batter mixture and get a nutella+banana crepe or a lemon+suger (citron+sucre)
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Yes I’m off to Paris again, this time just with my parents. I think I’ve lost count, but this should be my 8th time to the most beautiful city in the world.
We have a 12 hour lay over in NY because I wasn’t thinking when I booked the flight. We are making the best out of the situation, so they are meeting some friends in NY while I go and explore East Village.
My plan is to have some unique breakfast panini and bruschette at the fabulous ‘ino for and a glass of Italian red wine, then of course over to Dumpling Man for a bit of research, finally off to some Chinese dim sum with a dear old friend of my parents.
Wish my stomach luck with 3 meals before 2:00pm :-D
‘ino (from new york metro )
Price Range: InexpensiveBefore New York was a town with a panino in every presser, there was ‘ino, the first and still the best of all the tiny Italian sandwich bars that have spread like parmesan foam in recent years. The owners have that whole Italian between-meals-snacking aesthetic down to a tee. Their panini, tramezzini, and bruschette are little masterpieces of bold flavor and superb texture, and the tiny room is a lovely place to linger over a carafe or bottle of wine provided you’re able to commandeer a seat.
Recommended Dishes: Panino with soppressata, fontina, and rucola, $8; panino with rucola, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, and fontina, $8; nutella panino, $5
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It was not an easy trip for her. Jet lag, grumpy parents, long walks during metro transfer, parents who want to walk thru Amsterdam without a stroller.. but I think she had a blast eating her way thru both Paris and Amsterdam.
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Hobbled on a bad foot over to the Eifel Tower, had a crepe, stood in the
rain and soaked up Paris. Then walked along the Seine to Place de Concord,
and watched Star Wars. hee, wonderful end to the vacationHobble Log: 3 miles
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My new favorite city to live is now Amsterdam
- Everyone rides their bicycles here, the ratio is close to 1-to-1
- I can almost run as fast as bikes so I can be in the bike lanes most of the time running. I scared this dad riding his daughter today when I chased him
- The city is small enough that I can run anywhere
- The people here are super fit looking
- Everyone speaks English
- The people are super friendly
- Food is very diverse and ethnic
- Great classical music and opera
- Lots of water everywhere, better than Venice (no snobbishness)
- Chocolates and ice cream
- Best espresso drinks outside of Italy
- Legalized drugs
- A lot of night life, music
- Very high tech and modern public transportation system
- Pleasant sounding language
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Guys and gals, for a sinful week of fun and food, you must come to Amsterdam.
This city is lively, everyone speaks English, it’s a very relaxed and opened environment (open prostitution, open gay marriages, legalized drugs).When we got to Amsterdam from Paris, it was only an hour’s flight. We got some fresh juice, shots of espresso at the very modern and ultra-design savvy fruit stand and Kate had a blast watching ultra-designed 30 secs ads at the Airport.
We followed the StyleGuide to Amsterdam book and found a very cool clown shop named the Juggle Storewhere I bought 4 swede juggling balls and kate found her favorite bubble solution and large wand. We then jumped 4 houses over to Puccini Bomboni for the best chocolate I’ve ever had. Everything pales in comparison to the delicate flavors of these exquisite nuggets. Then we walked over and bumped into the a very hip ice cream parlor from Austria and found very ultra-design candy containers and chic chocolates there were average, but who cares, they looked cool.
A few more steps away, a cafe serving the tastiest bitterlemon drinks and ice tea with tonic water. I had a focaccia bread sandwich, kate had a small little cheese, advocado sandwich. That kid of mine had 3 servings of ice cream, play with bubbles in front of the hotel in 85 degree weather. What a life.
After 9:00pm we took the tram to the red light district and saw the spectical of the women prostitutes in the little door ways. I have to say, after seeing them I had these feelings
1) They are not as pretty as I thought they would be
2) If you want to go in, there is a small bed right behind the girl, the room is probably 4 feet by 8 feet. The woman just pulls the curtains, you do your thing for 15 mins and she tells you to leave
3) I’m actually very intimidated by the women
4) very funny when they are eating popsicles and laughing, they seem to be enjoying their work.. whatever that means
5) funny paraphrase from a guide book, “if you ever get violent with these girls, they have a panic button and you better hope the police gets there soon. Or else you will meet the acquaintance of the biggest man you’ve ever met in your life”
6) except that it’s legalized, and the women are safer, it’s really no different than streetwalkers (which is actually illegal in Amsterdam)After the redlight district, went to Cafe de Jaren had a late dinner and beer and taxi back.. Awesome city to live when you are young at heart or just plain young and want to smoke weed and relax.
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I’m getting ready to leave for Amsterdam and the Let’s go Amsterdam guide book has a section named Only in Amsterdam
- Commercial Sex
“Window prostituion, which grew out of the practice of prostitutes showing off their goods from the front windows of private houses, was officially legalized in 1911 and in 2000, the law outlawing brothels was taken off the books, making informal streetwalking the only prohibited form of prostituion” - Coffee Shops
“Places calling themselves coffeeshops sell pot or hash or will let you buy a drink and smoke your own stuff” “ - Smart Shops
“Smart shops are also legal and peddle a variety of herbal enhancers as well as hallucinogens that walk the fine line between soft and hard drugs”
Now a few thoughts
- Prostitution:
Because it’s legalized, prostitutes have to pay taxes, but there is still stigma, health insurance is still a problem and borrowing money is also a problem when the bank finds out what they do for a living. If women choose to sell their body for money, what’s wrong with it? If they are not being exploited by pimps, they set their own prices and earn a living like anyone else.
Could this model work here in the US? Legalize prostituton: control the spread of STD, crimes associated with pimping, drug use, give women who want this profession a way to make money. I’m sure I’m being naive, but if we accept the fact that you can’t stop it, why not contain it? - Marijuana: I don’t get it, why smoke something that is just bad for you.. I really don’t get the big deal. It’s almost like saying, we have free cigarrettes for a year, come and smoke it
- Hallucinogens: I don’t get this either, big deal if it’s legalized, why put drugs into your body
3 Comments
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Yahoo! User Yahoo! User
commented
05/29/2005 09:09 am
It would actually be a good idea to legalize everything – from prostitution to ciggarettes, to alcohol to heroin. That way all the ‘induh’viduals in this planet would have a way out, and the rest of mankind would be able to continue with evolution…
Does this make sense? Or am I just feeling too sleepy?
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Yahoo! User Yahoo! User
commented
05/26/2005 02:10 pm
I think it should all be legal and controlled. Hey, if the two worst drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, are legal, why not make the rest legal? I would give you a better argument with more supporting evidence but I’m too lazy.
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Yahoo! User Yahoo! User
commented
05/26/2005 01:49 pm
“Could this model work here in the US? Legalize prostituton: control the spread of STD, crimes associated with pimping, drug use, give women who want this profession a way to make money.”We have this just a few short hours to the east. Nevada.
- Commercial Sex