Archive for the ‘Travels’ Category

Tokyo Day Three (Monday)

Posted in Travels on Tuesday, 10 April, 2007| 7 Comments »

We braved the subway system and made our way to the Ginza District which is a very vibrant area of Tokyo. Our first stop was the Sony building to gawk at all the newest tech toys. It didn’t take long to realized we’re woefully behind in the tech world except for my new digital camera ~ thanks, Mom.

A sidenote about the metro (subway) in Tokyo: it’s very clean, efficient and extremely QUIET even though it’s full of people! No one talks and cell phones are prohibited. I noticed more than a few passengers would nod off to nap. Just when I was wondering how many people missed their stops because they were sleeping, the woman sitting across from me woke up with a start and jumped out of her chair and ran out the exit. Too funny.

At the park, we caught a cruise boat for an hour ride to the Asakusa District. We walked to the Senso-ji shrine and the five level pagoda. The Senso-ji shrine has a golden image of Kannon (the buddist goddess of Mercy) but, unfortunately, it’s not on public display. There was lots to do at the temple including checking FG’s ‘fortune’ and bathing ourselves in the burning incense so as to encourage good health.

Tomorrow we head to Mt. Fuji and Hakone areas.

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Tokyo Day Two (Sunday)

Posted in Travels on Monday, 9 April, 2007| 2 Comments »

At the Meiji Shrine

We enjoyed another full day in Tokyo. I’m certainly getting some great excercise with all the walking I’ve been doing.

We went to Easter mass at a Franciscan Chapel. The friars were very nice and after the mass, all visitors were asked to stand, give their name and state where they lived. There were people from all over including: from Ireland, Zambia, Australia, Singapore and more than a couple from the U.S.

After a delicious champagne brunch at the New Sanno, it was time to tackle the “metro”. The subway here is clean, efficient and comfortable but it does take a lot of concentration to get the hang of it. We caught the subway to an area calledShibuya-Ku where we found the Meiji Jingu Shrine which is located in a beautiful park called Yoyogi Park. Harajuku is at the entrance to the park and there are strange looking characters all dressed up ~ mostly young teenage girls in Gothic wear (and other fun costumes). It all seems to be in good fun and they don’t mind if you take their photos. They actually pose for you.

We had another gorgeous day. Hopefully it will continue for our trip to Mt. Fuji and Disneyland.

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Spring in Tokyo

Posted in Travels, tagged , on Saturday, 7 April, 2007| 3 Comments »

Tokyo Tower

We arrived last night in Tokyo! We’re loving all the sights and sounds the big city of 12 million has to offer.

It was an hour and 15 minute drive from Narita Airport to The New Sanno Hotel ~ FG was sleeping on the bus before we left the terminal. The New Sanno is an Armed Forces Recreation Center run by the Navy. It’s a good deal if you’re an ID card holder. Great location and inexpensive. They were sold out for tonight so we moved to the ANA Intercontinental Hotel which is especially luxurious. It’s a fun one night splurge. We’re back to the New Sanno tomororw.We managed to get in a full day of sight seeing. We walked from The New Sanno to a beautiful park named Arisugawa. The cherry blossom trees are blooming everywhere in Tokyo and the park was no exception.

After we moved to ANA Intercontinental, we walked around the Roppongi area. Lots of shops and restaurants. We then went to the top of the Tokyo Tower which is the tallest free standing iron structure in the world. It’s 13m higher then the Eiffel Tower. The view from the top was spectacular but we couldn’t see Mt. Fugi due to low lying clouds. The tower opened in 1958 and is lit up in orange lights in the winter/spring and then in incandescent white lights in summer. We have a direct view of the tower from our room at the ANA hotel. Perhaps that’s why the beer at the rooftop bar on the 36th floor is $10.00 a bottle.

FG got to choose the dinner location and she went with ~ Hard Rock Tokyo. She added yet another HR t-shirt to her collection. After dinner, we stumbled on to a Lush store. Very expensive but I was running low so I couldn’t resist a bath bomb or three. For those who don’t know, Lush is an all-natural soap/body care company. They smell wonderful so I stock up when ever I’m in a location that has a Lush store.

Tomorrow is Easter and we think we found an English speaking mass. After mass, we’re heading to the New Sanno Easter Brunch extravaganza and we might even see the Easter Bunny.

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Been There…

Posted in Travels on Friday, 30 March, 2007| 2 Comments »

Life on the Run thought my “Where I’ve Been” map might have a higher percentage of countries than I actually have which is 11%. WordPress does not allow embedded items so if you want to see my map, go to:

Patti’s Map

I’ve got the United States covered and was disappointed the Republic of Palau and Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands weren’t on the list. Those map folks need to update their country checklist. 😉

I’ll add FM’s once I get him to sit down and go through the checklist. I imagine his map will be close to 20% since he did a lot of foreign travel in the late 90’s.

I’ll be able to add another country next week ~ we’re going to Japan!

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International Language Fusion

Posted in Miscellaneous, Travels on Thursday, 29 March, 2007| 4 Comments »

With all our travels, FM, FG and I have developed our own way of speaking which includes a smattering of foreign words infused into our conversations. Some words seem more meaningful and descriptive in another language.  For example, we use the German word “stau” for traffic jam, Ciao (Italian) or Tschuss (German) for goodbye and a whole host of Spanish and Hawaiian words.  The cell phone will forever be known as a “handy.”Now that we’re here in Guam, we’ve picked up a few new terms such as “waterblaster” for power washer and “zorries” for flip-flops.  I knew something was really different when FG got in the car the other day and said “konichi-wa” which is good afternoon in Japanese.

We usually speak this way only amongst ourselves but, once in awhile, we forget when we’re with other people and get some mightly strange looks. I know a lot of people who speak a mix of two languages. In Hawaii, there is always a little English mixed with Hawaiian words. And then there is Spanglish. But we seem to use a multitude of languages. Is it just us or do other people speak “fusion” language as well?

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Accidental Visitors

Posted in Miscellaneous, Travels on Monday, 26 March, 2007| 1 Comment »

About three weeks ago, I received an e-mail from FM’s former neighbor, Cheryl, in Ohio. She and her husband were coming to Guam for a visit and had heard from FM’s mom that we lived here. Unfortunately, last week while they were here, FM was so busy with his boss, who flew in on the same flight as Cheryl and Jerry. We were able to have them over for a cook-out and met them at the Fish Eye on Sunday after the Marathon Awards luncheon.

 

They seem like adventurous souls and headed out for Pohnpei today. After that, it’s on to Palau. It’s always great to meet fellow travelers and compare stories.

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Flashback Friday: Amish Dinner 2006

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Saturday, 24 March, 2007| 3 Comments »

Last March, we made an unplanned trip from Germany to Ohio to attend FM’s grandmother’s funeral. It was a sad event but it was a good chance to see many family members FM hadn’t seen in years and FG & I had never met.  

While we were in Ohio, FM’s Uncle Paul invited us to attend an Amish dinner with him, his girlfriend (now wife) Barbara, and other family members. Some Amish have started opening their homes to small parties to augment their income. I think it was actually FM’s Aunt Linda who had the connections for this particular Amish home. I was thrilled we were invited since I’ve always been curious about Amish living (ever since seeing the movie ‘Witness’) and it was a great chance to see inside an Amish home.

We drove to Middlefield, Ohio and were treated to a very tasty meal in a wonderful peaceful atmosphere. We were seated and served  family style at a long farmers table:

I was very impressed with the meal, especially since it was cooked without electricity! The mashed potatoes were so delicious and SMOOTH ~ I secretly think the cook must have used an electric mixer. Just kidding. I don’t doubt she was true to her Amish roots.

If you look closely at the plates in the photo, we’re done with the meal and the plates look as though we’ve licked them clean. That’s how good the meal was ~ FG & I are enjoying dessert of fresh fruit cocktail. Yummy.

The other thing I notice about the photo, besides the “Just take the photo, I’m eating” look on my face,  is how PALE FG & I look. Hmm…guess we’ll have that look again next winter 😉

If you ever find yourself in Middlefield, Ohio, I highly recommend dinner at an Amish home. I plan to go again when we return for a visit.  It was truly a memorable time. Thanks, Uncle Paul!

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Flashback Friday: Wild West Winters

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Friday, 16 March, 2007| 3 Comments »

Several people have expressed concern that I may not fair well in Upstate New York due to the harsh winters. They obviously aren’t aware of my two winters spent in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. I worked at a lodge which only opens during the summer months and has a skeleton staff during the winter; much like “The Shining”, but thankfully minus the Jack Nicholson character. Lots of snow and cold. One winter we had two days of -42 degrees. Really, NEGATIVE forty two degrees.

In the photo below, I’m standing in front of my house and any white you see in the photo is snow!

We always used to say Jackson Hole had two seasons: Winter and August. One summer, it snowed on the 4th of July! The photo below was taken in May and we were thrilled to see the blacktop of the road. We drove on snowpacked roads the entire winter. It was an interesting place to live and I have great memories of fun people, lots of outdoor activities and, yes, enjoying the snow. 

 

Can you tell by the puffy jacket and tight jeans that it was the mid-eighties?! I hear those jackets are coming back ~ can it be?

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Flashback Friday: Rome 2006

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Friday, 9 March, 2007| 2 Comments »

Our last ‘big’ trip we took before moving from Germany was a trip to Rome at the end of March 2006. We had 5 days to see thousands of years of history. It’s not called the “Eternal City” for nothing.

Our first stop after getting to the hotel and meeting up with our good friend, Heidi, was to go to Trevi Fountain.  It was so good to see Heidi and I was thrilled she’d be spending a few days touring around with us. I still think we would make a good “Amazing Race” team.

 

Heidi was the one who found the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at and the Daphne Inn was a great choice. The staff was excellent and it was in a fabulous location. I highly recommend it should you find yourself in Rome.  

During our stay, we did our best to see as much of the city as we could. The best thing we did was opt for a ‘private’ tour of the Vatican. Basically, it got us into the Sistine Chapel prior to the hoards of tour buses arrived. It was pure joy to be in the Sistine Chapel with all but 10 people. I was so in awe that I have NO photos of our tour of the Vatican. Our tour guide, Luana, was such a wealth of information and it was all we could do to keep up with her. After the Sistine Chapel, we toured the Vatican Museum. I was completely overwhelmed. 

After the morning tour of the Vatican, we toured Rome with a guide/driver named Ugo. I was very impressed with his ability to park in the tiniest of parking spots 😉 He took us to the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the St. Peter in Chains church.

On our last day in Rome, FM ran the marathon. Since the roads around Rome were closed for the marathon, FG and I wandered the streets with very little traffic. This particular marathon allowed us to track FM’s run byt using runners at certain intervals. They had runners with balloons who were running a 3 hour marathon, 3 hours 15 minutes and so on. Since we knew FM runs about a 4 hour marathon, we waited for the person with the 4 hour balloons and, low and behold, FM was not far behind.  

It was a wonderful way to end our travels around Europe. Now we know where we want to return to and Rome is definitely on the return list.

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Palau Wrap-up

Posted in Micronesia, Palau, Travel, Travels, tagged , , , , on Sunday, 25 February, 2007| 2 Comments »

Sunset at Palau Pacific Resort

None of us wanted to say goodbye to Palau ~ we still had a few things we wanted to do and see. On our last night, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset dinner.At the end of our trips, we like to recap a list of highlights, top five and what surprised us the most. For me, I didn’t expect quite so many eastern European tourists. We also ran into quite a few German visitors but I expected that since the website for Palau had the choice of English, Japanese or German.Another thing that was a little unexpected was that they drive on the left side of the road but most of their cars come from Japan so the steering wheel is on the RIGHT. The roads were pretty narrow,and more than once, I held my breath thinking we were going to hit someone walking/running on the road. It was a little crazy.We decided on our own top THREE favorites:
FG:
3) Milky Way and the white goop
2) Kayaking and snorkeling at Risong Bay
1) Dolphin Encounter

FM:
3) Snorkeling at the Big Drop-Off (seeing the shark)
2) Dolphin Encounter
1) Breakfast on the beach each morning with the family

Me:
3) Giant Clam snorkel
2) Big Drop-Off snorkel (seeing the sea turtle)
1) Dolphin Encounter

We will definitely go back to see the Dolphin when we return. I say “when” and not “if” because this place is so special and I’m already trying to plan a return visit.

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