Trip Across the Pond

Toronto

2011-07-21T11:47:00.001-05:00

Justin, Jeff, Andrew and I are going to try the mini-Spingold again this year. We suffered a heart breaking loss in this even in 2008, losing in the semifinals by 3 imps after leading every session until this one. I leave for Toronto on Saturday.

Resolute!

2009-12-24T12:38:00.001-06:00

We haven't posted much this year as our travel has been necessarily curtailed a bit with two kids under two. I hope to post more in the new year!

Lots of Fish

2007-11-12T23:38:00.000-06:00

Thursday 11/8/2007

Today we started out by heading North to Nago and the large aquarium theme park they have there. The aquarium is one of the biggest in the world and has some HUGE fish. Take a look at some of the awesome pictures on Flickr. We all agreed it was the greatest aquarium we had ever seen. The walls of the aquarium were 2 feet thick clear acrylic. The park also had a neat Ryukyu island style village with Okinawa style houses. At one of the houses they had three old ladies dressed in Okinawan kimonos. They offered us refreshments and we chatted a bit about Okinawan ancestor worship. One of the ladies was showing some girls from mainland how to play the Okinawan shamisen that is like a 3 string guitar.

When we were finished in Nago we headed toward Yomitan and its famous look out spot. When we got there we immediately saw the giant lighthouse. The view was cool and we saw some ppeople surfing. The shore looked treacherous with dried sharp coral but no one appeared to get hurt. We drove a little ways into Okinawa city and Amber had Wendy's for dinner. I decided on the beef bowl from the Japanese fast food place next door. Afterwards, we walked down Gate 2 street and then headed back to the hotel. This was to be our last night in Onna village.

Beach and Barbecue

2007-11-12T23:34:00.000-06:00

Wednesday 11/7/2007

Today we started the day out with a mostly Japanese style breakfast. Amber was glad she preate some cereal in the room. We went for a short walk along the beach and then decided it was time to do some laundry. For the most part the Japanese washers did a good job but the driers were not as up to the job. We had to dry must things twice. While the machines did most of the work we sat on the cloud covered beach and alternated between watching the waves, reading, and looking at the Japanese riding jet skis. I couldn't convince Amber to rent a jet ski. I guess I scarred her for life in Utah when I dumped us in the lake after promising her she wouldn't get wet.

After finishing the laundry we drove through Yomitan village where I had lived and had lunch at Shakey's all you can eat and drink pizza buffet. We spent the afternoon on the cloudy beach. The water was warm and the wind didn't blow much until after we finished swimming. I really enjoyed the day and I'm pretty determined to go to the beach sometime when its sunny. We concluded our day with a tour of Okinawa City. We finished at the all you can eat Ghengis Kahn restaurant where one gets all you can eat style Mongolian barbecue. It was fabulous.

There and back again

2007-11-09T07:06:00.000-06:00

Tuesday 11/6/2007

We started the day by checking out of our hotel in Shuri. We drove up the east side of Okinawa using the back roads. We stopped briefly at the Nakagusku castle ruins where one can see the Pacific Ocean on the right and the China Sea on the left. Our trip up the island took us from sandy coastal beaches through tiny mountain passes and back again. We eventually arrived at point Hedo. This tip-top northern most point of the island has amazing cliffs and gorgeous, violent surf. Even though we were hundreds of feet above the water, we could feel the icey, salty spray as the waves dashed into the bottom of the cliffs. We enjoyed a lunch of Okinawan soba with a little rack of ribs on top.

We then drove down the west side of Okinawa until we reached our hotels in Onna village. I was really impressed with the gorgeous ocean view from our hotel room. Amber was less impressed with the tiny roach n the bathroom. The room ended up being o.k. and we didn't see any more of Mr. Roaches freinds. The room was part western and part japanese. Amber and I even tried on the kimono like yugata (sleeping robes).

We concluded the evening with a great Chinese meal of fried rice, peppers and beef, spring rolls, pot stickers, and stir fried vegetables with shrimp and noodles. It was a fun day, but we spent too much time in the car. The Okinawans always say driving that much (2 hours each way) requires several breaks for rest and snacks. I guess they could never drive 10 hours to Gillette.

A Descent Into Okinawan Culture

2007-11-09T06:58:00.000-06:00

Monday 11/5/2007

We started out by visiting Shuri castle. I once saw Japan's two grand champion sumo wrestlers do a kind of exhibition at Shuri castle. Today, the only sumo like visitors were Ian and I. The castle was the capital of the independent kingdom of the Ryukyu islands until it was taken over by the Japanese in the late 19th century. We then traveled to the Souther most parts of Okinawa, driving on the left hand side of the road (most of the time). We visited Gokusendo a large underground cave about a quarter of a mile long. There were stalagtites wider than me and stalagmites taller than Amber. We visited several exhibitions of Okinawan arts and crafts. Glass blowing, sugar making, beer brewing, fruit growing, and pot kilning were all viewable. We tried a sample of the many fruits of Okinawa including starfruit, dragon fruit, oranges, pineapple, mango, passion fruit, and bananas. We did not sample, however, the strong liquor with snake venom additives.

The last exhibition was a snake museum with a focus on Okinawa's world renowned venomous snake, the Habu. In on demonstration the presenter bumped a Habu with a balloon filled with cold water. It did not react. When he bumped it next with a balloon with warm water, it struck it fast and the balloon popped. Amber jumped! The snakes speed was impressive.

We finished of our souther sight seeing with a visit to peace memorial park and war museum. The grounds were beautiful and the marble slabs with the names of civilians and military mebers that gave there lives lent a somber note to the air. The ocean view was spectacular.
We went to dinner at CoCo Curry a restaurant both Ian and I had enjoyed while missionaries. The food was better than the memory. Amber was a new CoCo Curry convert. The mission is over, but the work continues.

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

2007-11-09T06:51:00.000-06:00

Sunday 11/4/2007

We woke up just before the crack of dawn to prepare to get to our flight on time. We have been staying in Kyoto. Our Flight from the US flew into Osaka, and we need to be in Kobe, Japan by 9:30 A.M. for our flight to Okinawa. We planned everything out and it looked doable, but the timing was tight. We woke up at 5:30, checked out of our hotel, and caught the shinkaisetsu, or rapid train, to the Kobe Sanomiya station. We took ab above ground “portline” monorail to the Kobe Airport. We arrived about 8:30 A.M. And the airport was empty. It took some time getting checked in as the airport staff weren't familiar with the necessary steps to get their computer to acknowledge United's ticketless travel.

Security was a breeze compared to the US. No shoe removal, clear bag for liquids, or long tedious waits were necessary. Security was frindly and appeared, at least, happy to be there. We sat down to wait to board and by 9:00 A.M there were about 4 people including us waiting for the plane. By 9:15 there were over a 100 people. The Japanese clearly do not arrive an hour ahead of time. The flight to Okinawa was smooth but the island was mostly cloud covered.
When we deplaned the humidity and temperature increase was immediately noticeable. We took a cab to our hotel and I got my first sight of Okinawa in over ten years. There were a lot of changes but as we went from the airport through two of my old areas I saw some apartments the doors of which I remember knocking. The Miyako hotel is where my parents stayed when they picked me up ten years ago. Nothing has been changed since and its feeling its age a bit.

We went down to the international street called Kokusai Dori and had makudonarudo for lunch. Amber thought it tasted the same in Japan as it does in the U.S. We wondered the markets a bit and saw everything for sale from tourists trinkets to pig heads, to blue lobsters, to skinned fish. We met Ian at the hotel at 6 P.M. We walked the Shuri area looking for an Okinawa noodle shop i remembered. We couldn't find it, and ended up taking the monorail back down to Kokusai Dori and ate at a taco rice shop.

When we were in the market a shopkeeper lady asked if we ate pig's ears in America. I said I didn't think so, and she laughed exclaiming, “Hah, all you probably eat in America is steak.” I hope you all enjoy your steak tonight!

15

2007-11-09T06:38:00.000-06:00

Saturday 11/3/2007

Today we woke up before the dawn and enjoyed watching the sun rise over Kyoto. Amber really wanted some cornflakes, so we decided to try the hotels buffet breakfast. They had great American style eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, fruit, and....CEREAL. They also had some Japanese breakfast, but I couldn't tell you how that tasted. Not even the Japanese were eating it. Everything was great but the fruit was REALLY great. I've never had melon that tasted so good. Amber didn't think she ate quite twenty-five dollars worth of cereal, but close enough. The view was from our hotels 15th floor and it was spectacular.

We started our sight seeing at Nijo castle. It had a tall stone wall, parapets, and even a mote. In the castles garden they were having a large gathering for the tea ceremony. It was fun to see all of the people in their traditional garb, including kimono. Inside the castle was a “nightingale” floor. It was so named because it chirps like a bird when people walk on it. This allowed the shogun (ruler of Japan) or his comrades to hear any intruders or assassins before they reached the royal rooms. Next we took a taxi to Kinkaku-ji, the temple of the golden pavilion, where we were impressed by the golden exterior and its pretty location in the middle of a zen pond and garden. On our way out we saw some delicious looking soft serve ice cream, but had to pass on it when we found out it was green tea and vanilla swirl. We decided to walk to the next temple. It was quite a little trek.

Ryoan-ji was next on the list. It is a world famous zen rock garden contained inside a temple and flanked by a sitting area on one side, and walls on the others. There are fifteen large rocks amidst a sea of tiny pebbles. From any spot looking into the garden one can see only 14 rocks. It is only with a view from above that one would be able to see all 15 rocks. In Buddhism the number 15 signifies completeness. The garden seems to be a metaphor indicating that, in this life, one may never fully see the meaning of all things. The rocks were all slightly different in color and texture. The tiny pebbles were raked in perfect rows from one side to the other. It had a very meditative atmosphere. We were happy to be able to sit down for a little while. We finished off our sight seeing by walking to Ninna-ji, a temple with a five story pagoda. By this time, we were all more than a little tired and templed-out.

We left the ancient world for the modern, returning to our hotel. We spend some time exploring the train station, shopping center, public gathering space, and restaurants located in the 15 stories below our hotel and comprising the train station area. We decided on ramen for dinner. More than just one, we had an entire floor dedicated to ramen-yas to choose from. The menu was also a vending machine. One inserted money, pressed the picture of the food desired, and gave the jettisoned ticket to the counter girl before being sat to wait for ones supper. The ramen noodles included slices of pork, Japanese pickles called tskemono, and vegetables. For soda refills we had to exit the eating area and repurchase a new ticket from the electric menu.

We finished the day by trying to play Japanese pachinko. One buys several hundred little silver balls and tries to shoot them into the right spots with a machine: think pinball on steroids. If one gets enough balls into the right spot they can win even more balls. Eventually these can be traded for extra cash. In essence it is Japan's main form of legalized gambling. When we entered the pachinko parlor the noise was deafening. Our ears actually hurt when we left 5 minutes later, and 1000 yen poorer.

Reconnected

2007-11-09T06:37:00.000-06:00

As you may have noticed we have had some trouble connecting to the internet but our new hotel is outfitted with a very nice ethernet connection. Enjoy the last few days we have been recording off line. All the new pictures will appear on Flickr as well.

Communications Down

2007-11-07T18:14:00.000-06:00

Ｗｅ　ｈａｖｅ　ｎｏｔ　ｈａｄ　ｉｎｔｅｒｎｅｔ　ａｃｃｅｓｓ　ｓｉｎｃｅ　ａｒｒｉｖｉｎｇ　ｉｎ　Ｏｋｉｎａｗａ．　　Ｗｅ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｔｒｙ　ａｎｄ　ｐｏｓｔ　ａｌｌ　ｏｕｒ　ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅｓ　ａｎｄ　ｎｏｔｅｓ　ａ．ｓ．ａ．ｐ．　

Sit back and Relax

2007-11-02T07:34:00.000-05:00

2007-11-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Imperial Mountain Retreat

2007-11-02T07:27:00.000-05:00

Today we woke up and headed out for a quick breakfast at a boulangerie in the bus stop by our hotel. The Japanese bread was cheap and tasty. Amber had some chocolate bread and I had a little cream filled pastry. We then met up with Ian and headed off for our first site of the day, Ginkaku-ji. The temple of the silver pavilion was on beautiful grounds butting up to the mountains of Kyoto. It dates form the 1400s and we really enjoyed the sand garden. On flickr you can see a picture of a Cohn by a cone. Japan is amazing in that you can be in a high rise downtown train station hotel one minute and the next a zen mountain temple retreat. Chion-in was next. Its giant gate entry and imposing steps made for a winded climb unless you were a 4 year old Japanese kid. Check out the picture of the kids running up the steps. Chion-in's bell was made in the 1600s and is the largest bell in Japan.

After Chion-in we grabbed some lunch at a little store. I had the shrimp and rice bowl. Amber had the chicken bowl. We then walked around the Gion area where one can see real life Geisha's preparing for their evening of entertainment. Then we went to Shoren-in, a temple with a neat house where one could sit on the tatami and listen to the trickle of a small stream feed into the picturesque pool. We saw a grove of bamboo, some tall, some small, and some cut down and curing for next fall. From the top of the hill we could see a large orange gate. We headed that direction and discovered Heian Jingu, an 1890s ¾ replica of the imperial palace built over a 100 years ago to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of Kyoto: and I used to be impressed by Nebraska's sesquicentennial.

We concluded our sight seeing at the huge Kiyomizudera or clean, beautiful, water temple. The giant wood truss supported temple is built on the side of a mountain. Tradition has it that drinking the water from the stream at its base will make one healthy, wise, and rich. Naturally, we all stood in line to get a drink. Amber was drinking for two. We went for dinner and had shabushabu, a meal one cooks themselves in a boiling pot with prepared vegetables and beef. The waitress had some costumes for tourists to wear for pictures. How did she know we were tourists? My accent must have given it away. A minor in Japanese isn't worth what it used to be. We took the subway back to the hotel, ending our first day in Kyoto. In the spirit of our host country, let us end with a haiku.

Cool grey breezy day
Mountainous Kyoto Shrines
Feeling natures peace

Kyoto made, Dekta!

2007-11-02T07:25:00.001-05:00

We made it! The airplane travel was great. Amber and I had three seats to ourselves all the way from San Francisco to Kansai in Japan. The food on the plane wasn't the best, but it was fine. Amber was mostly nausea free. After landing, we bought train tickets and took the 75 minute direct from Kansai/Osaka to Kyoto. Our hotel is the Granvia and it is literally on top of the Kyoto train station. Our room is very nice and has a high tech “Darth Vader” style Japanese toilet seat. It warms, washes, oscillates, dries, deodorizes, and practically powders you when your finished. Check out the pictures of it on flickr.

On the Road Again

2007-11-01T18:26:00.001-05:00

We hit the road and after only 25 hours of travel and flying half-way around the world we mad it to Japan. This picture was taken, however, in the first class lounge of the San Francisco airport. More pictures and info to come. It is 8:30 A.M. here and we're ready to take off for the day.

Thinking of Far off Japan

2007-10-25T03:13:00.000-05:00

Friends and Family,

As most of you know Amber and I will be taking off for Japan on Wednesday. We fly from Sioux Falls to Denver, to San Francisco, to Osaka, Japan. We will try and post tales of our travels and pictures at the same site we used for our Europe blog. Its available at:

http://www.tripacrossthepond.blogspot.com/

It is unclear how often we will be able to update that site as information about Internet access is difficult to come by. We will also try and check our email if possible and maybe phone you with Skype. We will be 14 hours ahead of central time. i.e. if it is 4 P.M. in Omaha it is 6 A.M. in Osaka or Okinawa. You can check out our photos at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanandamber/

If there is an emergency you can try and contact us by mobile phone at +81-90-1721-0494. You could also try to email the phone at rent0494@softbank.ne.jp . I'm not sure how much this would cost us though, so use sparingly ;-). We're excited to do some traveling again. Amber wanted to have Brod along, but I convinced her the mission is more important. Its a good thing we're not flying through Fresno.

Sayonara,

Jonathan & Amber

p.s. I took the picture above of Amber at a Sushi bar in Portland last year. Can't you tell she loves sushi?

A Quick Jaunt

2007-07-03T01:53:00.000-05:00

It looks like traveling days are soon to be upon us. We have tentatively planned trips to China and Japan in November and February respectively. Prepare for new notes from across a new pond. She-shay and Arigato for checking out our blog.

Jonathan and Amber

McNab Grand National Team Blog

2006-07-12T12:27:00.000-05:00

Please take a look at my blog covering the Summer national and the event I'm competing in, the McNab Grand National Teams. You can find all the info over at:

http://www.playingthespotsoff.blogspot.com/

Top 10 Reasons We Are Glad to Be Back in the USA

2006-07-12T02:52:00.000-05:00

10. Toilet paper in public bathrooms.
9. Cars. Close parking. Less walking. Please, please, no more walking!
8. Elevators. Elevators that hold more than one person.
7. A language we can understand, even in Atlanta, kinda.
6. Air conditioning. AIR CONDITIONING.
5. Being someplace where the dollar can buy something.
4. Our own washer and drier.
3. Our Cell Phones will work!
2. Widespread use of deodorant.
1. Soda-pop, free refills, free water, ice ice baby. The USA is the super power of
beverages. Big Gulp. Supersize. Biggie size. Grande.

Homeword Bound

2006-07-12T02:46:00.000-05:00

The trip to the airport was uneventful. We arrived early and were disappointed to find that Delta doesn’t have any outlets in their passenger waiting are, so we decided to save the movie for the plane. Once we boarded, we waited an hour and a half because of a computer problem the terminal was having that prevented them from distributing luggage correctly and from load balancing it. The wait was not fun, but I figured the rest of the trip should be smooth. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

We arrived in Atlanta, or over Atlanta I should say, when the Pilot came on the speaker and announced they were having problems controlling the wing flaps and that they had contacted maintenance on the ground. They were unable to solve the issue just yet, so he asked us to sit tight while they worked on it. Now, I am a bit afraid of flying anyway. It doesn’t keep me from flying, and I never worry about it, but I do pray every time I step on a plane. I always think of death when I step on a plane. The captains announcement had us all a bit worried, but I thought I was handling it well. After circling for an hour and a half, the captain informed us the co-pilot was coming back into the cabin to do a visual inspection of the flaps. Now I was really worried.

I kept remembering that plane that landed in LA with no landing gear, the one in Canada where they overshot the runway, the one that crashed into the Potomac. All the while we circled and circled and circled. Amber was getting nauseous (whether from the circling or her prawns the night before, she couldn’t decide) and I was wondering what was really going on. I checked how many miles we’d flown verses how far the in-flight magazine said we had for a fuel reserve and it was getting close, well, within a thousand miles. The pilot next came on and told us they thought things were ok, and the flap gauge was all that was broken. He told us we were going to land. We did and all was fine. I figured the rest of the trip should be smooth.

We were originally scheduled to have a 4 hour layover in Atlanta, but because of all the delays we had about an hour to get through customs, get some dinner, change concourses, and find our gate. We were fast and efficient and ready to board with some time to spare. Once we boarded the aircraft we taxied out to the runway and waited. After about 45 minutes we were told there was an electrical problem. After another 30 minutes they sent us all back to the terminal and said they were bringing a new plane. Craziness. We finally got to Omaha about 11 P.M., 2 hours late and 25 hours after our return trip began in Rome.

Leaving Europe is bitter sweet. When we return to Omaha it will only be for one night. Amber will be heading to spend a week with her family and I am off to Chicago to compete in the Grand National Teams portion of the National Bridge Tournament. I am excited to go back to the US, and to try to win a national event, but I am sad to leave Amber for a week. I am also coming to realize I will be leaving Omaha for Sioux Falls only 1 day after the National is over. When I returned to Omaha from BYU, I thought it would be my town forever more. Sure, I might do a short sojourn or vacation elsewhere but Omaha would be my city. Maybe she still will be. My family is here. Many friends are here. I have history here. The realization, however, is that I am Sioux Falls bound for at least three years. Exciting new opportunities perhaps, but today it makes this homecoming bittersweet.

Our Last Super in Rome

2006-07-12T01:51:00.000-05:00

Rome Day 4

Today we saw a few more things. We were all supposed to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine chapel, but the line was over 5 hours long! Brodie and I elected to go and see some ruins we hadn't seen yet and Amber paid for an expensive private tour that let her skip the line. She loved it and I was glad she went but my feet enjoyed the lesiurely day instead. Amber couldn't take any pictures of the chapel ceiling because the Japanese bought the rights. I borrowed these from the web.

Brodie and I had some great pizza by the slice. You point out the kind you want and how big a slice you'd like and then you pay based on the weight of the pizza. We tried ham and cheese, peppers, and some kind we couldn't identify. The pizza was fabulous.

We planned on meeting Amber at the Spanish steps at 3, 5, 7, or 9 depending on how long it took her. We weren't sure she'd be able to skip the line. Nevertheless she made the first rendezvous at 3. We wondered a bit and Amber and I decided to try a sicilian restaurant her guidebook recomended and Brodie wanted to go see the Italian Soccer team get some metals by the Italian president. All indications were that there would be a million people attending the party. Our shuttle bus driver in the morning was still humming the team song to himself, and we over heard him muttering under his breath, "Champions de le mondo." Champions of the world!

The Sicilian food was great. We had 3 courses and were too stufed for dessert. This was our last night in Rome. Tomorrow we are on our way home. I think we are ready. Its been a long fun, interesting, exausting, delightfull, sometimes frustrating, trip. Amber and I have decided we'd like to come back to Europe in, perhaps, 4 years for the next world cup.

Gladiators and the 2006 Champions of the World

2006-07-12T01:47:00.000-05:00

Rome Day 3: Part 2 – the World Cup

Many of you may have noticed that when we were in France the French soccer team won as a huge underdog against Brazil to earn a spot in the semi-finals against Portugal, whom they beat. Then when we were in Venice, the Italian team beat Germany and set the stage for a final between France and Italy for the 2006 World Cup Championship. While we were in Rome they played the game in Germany. Italian soccer fans are insane. EVERYTHING closed for the game. Not one restaurant was open outside of our hotel. Fans had been honking horns and waiving flags all around town during the day. When we had taken a taxi earlier in the day, the driver didn’t speak much English, so I asked him if he spoke French. He responded with a chuckle and said, “Definitely not today.” The Cup was on everyone’s mind.

The game was a nail biter, but Italy won in a shoot out after the score was tied following overtime at 1 to 1. The whole area we were in went crazy. We could hear horns, fireworks, gun shots, people shouting, and more. The Circus Maximus site in Rome had over 500, 000 people. Brodie took a walk and snagged some photos of the revelry. Way to go Big Red, white, and green.

Wasn't Built in a Day

2006-07-12T01:22:00.000-05:00

Rome: Day 3

Today we woke up and headed to the Coliseum to buy entry tickets. We had heard the line can be really long so we wanted to purchase tickets, go to church, and come back and see the Coliseum. We only waited 45 minutes or so, and then we caught an underground metro to the termini station where we took a taxi to church. The church was a bit tricky to find but it was great meeting some of the members and missionaries. After seeing so many catholic churches here, it felt nice (like coming home) to go to an LDS ward. It had a family atmosphere and we could understand everything as the missionaries translated into radio headsets. We made our way back to the Coliseum by taking a bus, the metro, and, of course, our feet.

As an aside, I’d just like to mention how much we have walked on this vacation. It has been a lot. You know its been a lot when even Amber and Brodie are tired of walking. I wish we had brought along a pedometer when we came. I made sure I came with good shoes but I still have blisters on both feet.

The Coliseum is truly incredible. There is a saying that goes, “As long as the Coliseum stands, so does Rome.” This sentiment really expresses a lot about the coliseum. Its huge. Its old. It has a presence that can be felt. Its amazing to think its been there for nearly 2000 years and could hold 50,000 people! The ruins in Rome are the best. Amber may like the churches and the art, but I love looking at the old stuff. It puts things in perspective. It was here long before me, and will be here long after my body has turned to dust. You don’t have to hurry to Rome to see it, but I’d suggest you go someday.

Roming Rome

2006-07-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

Rome Day 2

We began at the Pantheon. This large dome was originally a temple to some Roman Gods. It has since been converted to a catholic church. The Pantheon’s dome was the largest dome in the world until the 1960s: it is as wide as it is tall. Next we trekked over to the Vatican. The line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica was daunting, but didn’t take too long. Once inside, we were awed by the grandeur. I liked seeing Michelangelo’s Pieta statue and Bernini’s decorative work. The line to the Vatican Museum was in the three hour range, so we opted for Rome Chinese food instead. The food was good, but it does not beat Grand Fortune in Omaha.

Because there are so many sites to see in Rome, we decided to do a Metro-guided tour. We got off at each stop and saw the sites. These included many fountains, a church with the bones of thousands of monks arranged in an artistic manner, the Spanish stairs which is a very popular meeting site in a great shopping district, and stairs supposedly the original ones from the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. People are allowed to go up these stairs, but only on their knees.

Rome is full of interesting places to visit. There are museums, churches, libraries, plazas, ruins, ancient buildings, and fountains. This doesn’t even begin to list the other things to watch: the crazy people, the beggars, the scam artists, the tourists from all over the world, and, especially today, the soccer fans. We have only been here one day, but it is obvious to us that we won’t see it all. Nevertheless, we have drunk of the essence of Rome and found her fountains cool and sweet.

On the Mediterranean Sea

2006-07-08T17:08:00.000-05:00

Rome Day 1: A half day

We then took the train to Rome. It was a challenge finding our hotel. We had to go through the train station, take another train to the airport, and then find our hotel shuttle. For some reason we still can’t understand, the taxis would not take us to our hotel – maybe it was because of Brodie’s goatee. The journey might have been worth it. Our Rome hotel is nice. There is a pool, the rooms and bathrooms are large, and the air conditioning works well. The €36 price to ride the hotel shuttle into Rome proper is a bit steep, though.

We finished the day by walking toward the ocean. We thought we could get close enough based on a map we had looked at on the internet. Sure enough, we were able to see the Mediterranean sea, watch some fisherman, take some fine photographs, and snag a great dinner at a little sea side restaurant. Even a little thunderstorm squall couldn’t dampen our mood, and the day ended well for all.

Treasure New and Old

2006-07-08T17:03:00.000-05:00

Florence Day 3: A half day

We had a change of plans today. Instead of going to Pisa, we stayed in Florence for the morning and went to the National Museum and the Bridge of Gold. The National Museum has a lot of sculptures with pieces from Michelangelo to Raphael. We liked looking at the original bronze door designs which were entered into a contest in the late 1300’s for the baptistery. The Bridge of Gold is an actual bridge which is lined on both sides with jewelry stores. Per our guide book, leather makers used to line that bridge, but the smell was so bad, that the local leaders moved them to another area of town replacing them with silver and goldsmiths.

Museum Mania: Are we done yet?

2006-07-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

Florence 2

The day started with a long line at the Accademia. Jonathan was good enough to be the line-holder while Brodie and I went to a nearby museum which was a former cloister. All of the rooms were painted with religious scenes by Frior Angelico. Once we rejoined Jonathan, (and interrupted his discussion with some Belgians) the line went quickly and soon we were standing at the feet of the statue of David. The replications do not do it justice. Then we had a tour of one of the Medici’s Palaces that contained a collection of statues and a storybook like depiction of the Adoration of the Magi. The colorful painting was in a very stuffy chapel with its own guard. We were glad our sacrament meetings don’t get that stuffy.

The Uffizi museum was the next stop. It holds a significant and priceless collection, but the building is all stairs and no air conditioning. I was so excited to see Botticelli’s work up close that I did not mind. His ethereal scenes have been a favorite of mine since I first studied his work in high school. We ended the day by seeing the cathedral where Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and others are buried.

On Top of the World (or just Florence)

2006-07-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

Florence: Day 1

We left Venice for Florence on a Eurastar fast train. Once we arrived in Florence, we managed to find our hotel after a few wrong turns down narrow streets. We ate lunch at an outside café near the Uffizi Museum. This same square has been here since the time of Michelangelo. For the first time in Europe we had a good size American style cola with ice. When we saw the bill, we were surprised to see each was €8 – about $10. Jonathan thought it was worth it.

We then went and saw the Duomo – a huge dome build in the 1400’s. We got in line to see the inside of the church, but found out it was actually the line to walk to the top of the dome. 497 steps later we found ourselves at the top level of the inside of the dome. Brodie wanted to continue on outside, but Amber and Jonathan headed 497 steps down. Brodie got some great pictures from the top.

We finished the day by eating at a nice restaurant that was recommended in the guide book. It was enjoyable and took us across the river. Jonathan tried a local hot been dish with spinach. We took some nice night shots of Florence on the way back.

Italy 2, Germany 0 (Brodie 1, Pigeons 0)

2006-07-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

We began today at the major tourist site in Venice – Piazza San Marco. While we were waiting in line to see the Basilica di San Marco, Brodie entertained us by catching pigeons. The Basilica was amazing – we were impressed by the Byzantine mosaics as well as by the history – legend has it that the body of St. Mark was smuggled from Alexandria to Venice in a barrel of pickled pork in the 800’s and now is here in this basilica.

The Palazza Ducale was right next to the Basilica and it was our next stop. We toured this palace which was home to the rulers of Venice and was the major government building – combining ornate senate halls with an armory and a dungeon. Next we took pictures in front of the church where Vivaldi was chorus master. Here he composed and played The Four Seasons and other masterpieces. We rounded out the afternoon by seeing the Byzantine and early Renaissance work at the Accademia and toured two more churches with awe-inspiring paintings and architecture. Near two of the churches is a gelato (ice cream but a little thicker) stand which we visited twice and wanted to visit a third time.

After an Italian dinner with two courses, we watched Italy and Germany in the semi-finale World Cup game. This was televised in a big square – we watched it with about 200 other people on five screens. The Italian victory, which was achieved in the last few minutes of double over-time, was jubilantly celebrated, but was not as outrageous as the French victory celebration we witnessed earlier in the week. If the French win tomorrow in their semi-final match, we hope to see Italy versus France in the championship while we are in Rome.

River City Roundup

2006-07-04T10:19:00.000-05:00

Venice Day 1

We reached Venice about 9:30 A.M. We had all been served a roll and orange juice and had an opportunity to hand wash a bit in our couchettes sink. Needless to say, we didn’t feel very fresh and our official hotel check in time wasn’t until 2 P.M. The hotel was right across the Grand Canal from the train station, so we only had to get the luggage over one large bridge. We reached the hotel and the staff was great. When I asked if we could leave our bags until check in, they said of course and then asked us our names. Shockingly, they then said our room was ready and we were welcome to check in early! Unheard of service. We all took showers and were ready to see the city. The hotel staff recommended a boat ride from near the hotel that would take us all the way down the Grand Canal to the Basilica and the famous square.

The ride was nice and the water bus was surprisingly reasonable in price. We ate lunch at a little place near the tower. The calamari was great. We took a few photos, saw the square, the Rialto Bridge, and explored Venice. We saw an area here in Venice called the Ghetto where many Jewish people lived, and thus the area originated the word Ghetto. After walking there for awhile and seeing a few churches, we looked for a restaurant recommended by our guide book. It was on the Adriatic Sea and the wind was nice and cool. We had a great meal with cheeses, pasta, antipasti, and pizza. Oh, and some Coca-Cola too! Vino Americano.

Amber and I walked a bit along the canal in the late evening and watched the crowd. Venice is an amazing town. I used to think Paris was the most romantic city in the world, but Venice with its winding canals may surpass it.

Gold, Brass, and Iron

2006-07-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

Paris Day 4

We woke up today a bit tired. Brodie got home from le disco about 4 A.M. He had a little trouble because the metro was closed and none of the taxis would pick him up. With the aid if some helpful Parisiennes he meandered the bus lines until he was close enough to walk back to the hotel in St. Michel. Along the way he encountered many French soccer fans still celebrating their surprise victory over Brazil, sorry Jeff. It appeared that clothes were optional for those celebrating in the fountains of St. Michel. I downloaded all of Brodie’s photos and have added them to our own, on their respective days. If you search diligently, you may find his fountain photos.

We rode out to the Chateau de Versailles and explored the country palace of the French kings. It was a stunning example of their largesse and we enjoyed gazing at the splendor. Amber was ready to join the revolution thinking of how much of the French people’s wealth it must have taken to build.

On our way back to Paris, Brodie got off at the Eiffel Tower stop. He was able to take the elevators all the way to the top and got some great pictures and a video on the way down. Amber and I went on to the Rodin museum. The statues were placed in a large garden and in an old hotel-turned museum. Many of his statues appeared to grow out from the rocks he carved.

We hurried back to the hotel to pick up our luggage, meet Brodie, and grab a taxi to the Bercy train station. We had pre-reserved a couchette, which is a space big enough to seat three that converts to three bunk beds. We watched a DVD on my laptop and the porter came about 10:30 to “turn the beds down.” The bunk beds worked fine and we slept most of the 13 hours it took the train to get from Paris to Venice.

Impressionism, Monuments, and Couscous

2006-07-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

Paris Day 3
Today began at the Musee D’Orsay. It is an old, elaborate train station which was converted to a museum dedicated to Impressionism. We saw paintings from Monet to Seurat. Some favorites were Monet and Van Gogh. The view from the top of the museum gave a great overview of North Paris.
For lunch Brodie and I ordered pizza at a local restaurant and took it back to Jonathan at the hotel. He slept late after his night adventure. We are getting pretty good at ordering in French.

Eiffel Tower
After the Musee D’Orsay, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. The line to go to the top was a three hour wait, so we took our pictures at the base and decided to walk around the area. We went through a tree lined park which led from the Eiffel Tower to the National Military Academy (Napolean trained here). Then we went past the Hotel d’ Invalides – originally built by Louis XIV as a home for wounded and old war veterans – the first VA! We took pictures around the empty moat which surrounds it and wandered through the gardens.

Red Light District
We next took the Metro to the Monmarte district – the infamous Moulon Rouge is first sight one sees when emerging from the Metro. We checked out the discotech – La Locamotive – which is right next door to Moulon Rouge. Brodie is going to scope out the disco tonight.
For dinner we found a great Moroccan restaurant. The couscous was suppose to be the best in Paris and we agree.

Phantom of the Opera
Our next adventure was looking at the Old Opera House. We took the Metro to it and were impressed. After getting some water and donuts at a Starbucks nearby which looks like it is a refurbished hotel lobby, we headed back to the room.

World Cup
Our hotel is near a popular hang-out area and the noise from the streets drifted up to our room. Large crowds gathered at the cafes to watch the world cup game of France and some other team. We didn’t need to watch the game – we could hear what was going on by the sound of the crowd. France won and we are still hearing the victory celebration three hours after the game.

An Interesting Evening

2006-07-01T15:52:00.000-05:00

After going to the Musee de Picasso we found the Bridge club where I was to play with a partner of mine from Bridge Base Online. There was a nearby store where Amber, Brodey, and I got a quick dinner of quiche and soda-pop. Amber and Brodey went to see X-Men and I stayed to play bridge.

WARNING: ESOTERIC BRIDGE INFO

The game was a once a week IMP pairs game. The sign up process was a bit different than in Omaha, but that changes a bit wherever one goes. The biggest difference was THE CARDS. I just didn’t think about the fact that they would use different letters, symbols, etc. The first 10 boards I was in a daze. R for king, 1 for A, D for Queen, V for Jack may not seem tuff, but I kept getting the V and the K confused. Part of this is because the French bridge table is larger than the ones we use at the Omaha clubs, and part is because my vision is blurrier than I realized. (Note to self: See Dr. Ramsel) I was a little amazed that most everyone at the table could understand the alerts whether I gave them in French or English: clearly they are skilled at both English and very poor French.

The standard of play was somewhat weaker than a Bridge Studio Thursday but probably close to a Saturday or slow Tuesday at the Center Mall. The French convention card is larger than the ACBL’s and uses normal 8.5 x 11 inch paper (or the European Equivalent) and contains similar sections but with more white space for specific methods and less check boxes. Hardly anyone came to the table with a filled out card because they all played French standard. It is similar to Standard American but Micheals is a bit different and both 2§ and 2¨ are strong bids. My partner informed me that I needed to alert game forcing 2/1 bids and 1NT forcing.

The playing sight was awesome. It was near La Place de Victor Hugo and had a full service bar with a mixologist. One could order a beverage (Un Coca-Cola Light si vous plait!) and take it to the table. The ceilings were like 15 feet with French style crown moldings. There were huge windows that they had open during the game that provided a nice, slight, breeze. I sat at the table thinking, “I’m in Paris playing bridge, talking to French people, while I enjoy a nice breeze. Life doesn’t get better than this.” I wish I could end this story by telling you my partner and I won, but a misunderstanding that lead to a grand slam hurt us pretty bad. My partner and I were close to average ;-). Sigh.

NORMAL POST CONTINUES

The trip home was crazy. The game started at 8:30 P.M. and we didn’t get finished until almost 12:20 A.M. The play was slow, and the director didn’t push much. Where is Jim Nash when you need him? The last Metro train leaves every given station at 12:30 so I was hurrying to the station before they started closing. I made two transfers before I got stuck. I still wasn’t too worried as I was now within a 30 minute walk to the hotel and I planned to hail a cab if possible. Now things took a turn for the worse. The road I was on that was supposed to take me right by the Louvre either didn’t, or I didn’t recognize it in the dark. I realized the neighborhood was getting sparse of people, checked my bearings, and found I must not be where I thought I was. At this point it was 1:10 or so. I didn’t panic but I was worried Amber would be getting nervous back at the hotel. I finally found my bearings and was on a trick I knew well back to the hotel. It was 2:00 or so and I hoped Am wasn’t frantic. I got to the room about 2:45 A.M. An adventure to be sure!

Enough about yesterday. A post about today coming up. You can view todays pictures at Flickr.

Le Louvre et Le Muse de Picasso

2006-06-30T20:35:00.000-05:00

Our day started with a European style breakfast at a boulangerie bakery that had wonderful bread and pastries. We then began consuming the art of the Louvre. The Louvre is not just a museum it’s The museum. I took lots of pictures of things I found interesting. Of course we saw the Mona Lisa or La Jacond. She looked the same as when I saw her last, but had an even bigger crowd. Notice that it is hard to tell the difference between my wife in the picture above and the famous sculpture of the Venus de Milo. We spent about 4 hours at the Louvre and then we went to a large church in Northern Paris called Sacre Coeur. The view was spectacular and we were able to ride a neat tram to the top of the hill instead of walking the thousands of steps. The view was great, although it did highlight the slight haze over Paris.

We used the Metro to get around today and I still think it’s the best city underground in the world. Next we went to the Musee de Picasso. I find Picasso interesting and I loved this museum when I was in Paris before, but I found the selection a bit disappointing this time. We bought some prints at both museums that we are anxious to frame for places in our new house!

Well it must be close to 3AM Paris time ad I need to go to bed. Tomorrow, I'll try and finish telling you about my session of Bridge and getting lost on the way home. New pictures are available. Bye all.

Candle Lit Dinner in Paris

2006-06-30T20:29:00.000-05:00

We finished out day one with a boat ride tour of the Seine and great views of all the major buildings and riverside bridges. The guide was great and, I’ll admit, I was ready to sit down for a bit. I think I was up for 30 hours straight. That didn’t beat my record of 42, but it’s the closest I’ve come in 15 years! We had dinner at a pleasant little restaurant, which was “style francais” called Le Jardin. Our food was decent and seemed gourmet to us. The price was also gourmet, pampered chef gourmet. The picture above is Amber and I lit by candle light at the restaurant. Check out all the Flickr photos!

We Made It!

2006-06-29T08:47:00.000-05:00

Nous sommes arrives! Paris is great! The city is more charming then I remember it, but I am getting ahead of myself. We left at 3 P’M. Omaha time and arrived here in Paris via Cincinnati at about 9:30 A.M. local time. Our total trip time about 12 hours or so. The flight went smoothly but we didn’t really sleep much. Amber is napping a bit now.

We took the train in to Paris and came up from the Metro, literally, right in front of Notre Dame. We found our hotel quickly and then set of for a quick walking tour of Notre Dame and the Quartier Latin. We stopped for a break at a quaint little café and had some sodas, and Berthillon ice cream. Berthillon is only sold on the islands where Notre Dame is located and it is fabulous! Then we saw the Luxembourg gardens (ok, I admit I went there to play a few games of chess and remember my prior glory days in Paris, but the gardens were nice too) and Amber thought the flowers, etc. were pretty.

We then headed back to the hotel to check in. Our room is very nice or a European hotel. The desk stuff was friendly and even tolerated my poor French. The room is decent sized, is on a corner, and has a nice walk out balcony. The room was also VERY cool, which was a pleasant treat after walking all day. It may be the best European air conditioning I have ever encountered, but I was poor when I was here as a student. The only bad thing about the hotel was that the wireless internet access must be bout in blocks of 75 minutes for 12 euros.

I hope you all are well. We are going to take a boat tour down the Seine tonight. Pictures of all the above can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanandamber/

Rainy Day

2006-06-25T02:25:00.000-05:00

IMG_6025
Originally uploaded by Jonathan and Amber.

When we were in Portland the sun never shone through the clouds. I am hoping we have better luck this trip. The above picture was one of my favorite fromPortland. It was a dreary day but light enough to make the water glisten a bit.

Need to chat?

2006-06-25T02:06:00.000-05:00

You can drop us a line by email, but if you need something faster you can try and catch us online on Skype. Skype lets people talk over the internet for no fee. My Skype address is jonathan_cohn or you can email to jonathan.cohn@gmail.com. The time is seven hours later in Europe: when its 3 P.M. in Omaha, it is 10P.M. in Paris. I'll leave Skype on and open when at the hotel. Download it at http://www.skype.com/helloagain.html.

Feel free to cruise on over to Flickr and check out our pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanandamber. I uploaded a few days of our Portland trip so you would have something to look at while you wait for our photos of France!

Picture Posting Practice

2006-06-25T00:57:00.000-05:00

Well. This is a little test on posting photos. I hope to have some great shots for you later in the weak. They will be of better looking things, like churches, and the Louvre, and stuff.

It Begins!

2006-06-25T00:34:00.000-05:00

The final packing and preparations have begun. It will all kick off tomorrow night with a quick drive to Kansas City, a night sleep at the Motel 8, and Amber's test on Monday. While she is taking her board exams, i will be trying my hand at duplicate bridge in the Overland Park Bridge Studio. I am playing with someone referred by a Nebraska player and I am really looking forward to it. We'll be back in Omaha on Monday and leave for the other side of the Atlantic on Wednesday. We start in Paris and will then visit Venice, Florence, Pisa, and Rome.

Amber and I have been looking forward to going to Europe for a long time. She has worked very hard the last 14 years and I think this will be the beginnings of a nice pay-off. Please join us for our little adventure. I hope you enjoy the trip log. Wish us a Bon Voyage! See you all soon.