We met up with Danielle at her place in Berlin on Monday morning around noon for more Berlin sight-seeing. It is always so great to meet up with close friends in a foreign city especially when they know where to take you for the best and less crowded sites! Jim, Danielle, and I, chatted, walked, rested, drank, trained, and visited Check Point Charlie, sections of the Berlin Wall, and the Topography of Terror. The sites were mostly by where the Berlin Wall once stood and where it once divided Germany into the east and the west. We saw various sections of the remaining wall, the guard tower, the documentation of the Nazi ruling, and the history of the division of the Berlin Wall. The sites were extremely intriguing and it was hard to imagine that the Berlin Wall which divided Germany into the east and west stood and fell both in my life time in our generation. These sites took us about three to four hours to walk through and we ended up in Potsdamer Platz for deserts, snacks, coffee, and drinks. It feels like one moment we were in the midst of the divide between the east and west of Berlin and the next moment we were in a completely different century. When the wall fell, the Eastern Germans must feel the same way, it must be hard to adapt to the schizophrenic changes.
For all this time that we have been in Germany, we almost always ate at traditional German restaurants. Since Jim and I can no longer have more sausages and pork dishes, Danille and her Italian friends took us to La Batea for some familiar and tasty Spanish / Mexican cuisine! It seems to me that the conversations with Italians over dinner and wine are always so pleasant! We talked about Rome (I just can’t help myself), Italian and American culture differences, Italian outlet stores, Berlin lifestyle, and it just went on and on… Before we know it, we just had a four hour Italian dinner in a Spanish restaurant in Berlin! I love meeting new people with different backgrounds! If it wasn’t 11:30pm at night, I am sure we can continue our inquisitions into our differences for several more hours.
I love the diversity that Berlin offers, there is so much to do, so many different people to cross path with, and so much history, culture, and burden… Berlin is not a lover like Rome but it is definitely a city for the curious – a city that is thought provoking, mysterious, modern, and all-encompassing.
Berlin I
We arrived in Berlin at midnight on Friday evening after our visit to the historic Nurnberg. The taxi ride from the Hauptbahnhof to our hotel was a long ride (the taxi driver circled around for no good reason) and the evening of former Eastern Berlin was a little somber, eerie, and estranged from the rest of the European cities that we have visited.
We read up on the US government bailout news the next morning. Ever since Italy, my addiction over the financial market kicked in with a vengeance, we have been buying FT and watching international edition of CNN every morning on our Germany trip. Outraged with the bailout plan, we decided to start our first morning in Berlin a little later and we walked to the Alexanderplatz after we pealed ourselves out of the hotel room. On our way to Unter den Linden, we unexpectedly ran into the Berlin Marathon crowd. Many of the runners were bow-legged walking down the streets and subway stations and others had finished the race and were enjoying their beers and relaxing on the grass by Brandenburg Gate. This was my first time seeing a large group of marathon runners gathered in one spot, it was interesting to see people with medals on their necks, fans and family cheering besides the runners, and seeing the competitors crowd the street of Berlin. We did not realize that the Berlin Marathon had taken place and ended by the Brandenburg Gate but it was fun to watch the party after the run. The serious and solemn Berlin morning suddenly got washed away by the runners’ festive energies!
After our stroll through the Brandenburg Gate and a nearby park, we stopped at the Holocaust Memorial designed by the American architect - Peter Eisenman that was funded by the German government. The memorial looked like nothing but blocks of fake tombs at first, but after walking through the memorial, the blocks have different heights that can go as high as four meters! The information center for the Holocaust Memorial is a must-see if you visit Berlin. The center is well put-together and the information collected is thorough and extremely interesting. The Memorial was dedicated to the Jewish community that was murdered in all of Europe under the Nazi rule. The exhibit at the museum was extremely disturbing and I can’t help but wonder, “How is it that humans can bring such atrocity to one another?” and “Will we ever learn our lessons from history?” The Memorial was established to remind us that the tragedy has happened in the past and that it is possible that it will happen again if we don’t remember history. With the reminder of the Memorial, I really hope that all of us, including the Jewish community, do not repeat our mistakes again as in the early 1940s…
Yes, the Holocaust Memorial really made an impression on me. Berlin has the history and culture to flex and test your emotional barometers, so be ready for it! After the Holocaust Memorial, we visited the Reichstag (Parliament Building) that is around the corner from the Brandenburg Gate. Reichstag was presumably burnt down by Hitler in 1933 so that he can blame the Communist Party to gain power. Each tour to the Reichstag took about 30 tourists and the guides herded us to the roof of the Parliament for an amazing night view of Berlin. The top of the Reichstag was a glass dome with an upside down cone composed by thousands of mirrors to capture natural light into the legislative chamber. At the very top of the upside down cone, it opens into the sky with stars shining through its opening in the evening. We walked around the open air area and this looks like the alien welcoming platform in the movie Independence Day! No kidding! The reason that the top of the legislative chamber was built by glass is so that the process of the government is transparent and accountable to the people of Germany. Maybe this is what we need in Washington DC?
The sites in former Eastern Germany were fascinating. It will take your emotions and thoughts through various times in history with great opportunities to reflect upon our current political and international affairs. So far, I have enjoyed Berlin and can’t wait to meet up with Danille for further exploration of this conflicted city that bears such historical significance! Stay tuned!
We read up on the US government bailout news the next morning. Ever since Italy, my addiction over the financial market kicked in with a vengeance, we have been buying FT and watching international edition of CNN every morning on our Germany trip. Outraged with the bailout plan, we decided to start our first morning in Berlin a little later and we walked to the Alexanderplatz after we pealed ourselves out of the hotel room. On our way to Unter den Linden, we unexpectedly ran into the Berlin Marathon crowd. Many of the runners were bow-legged walking down the streets and subway stations and others had finished the race and were enjoying their beers and relaxing on the grass by Brandenburg Gate. This was my first time seeing a large group of marathon runners gathered in one spot, it was interesting to see people with medals on their necks, fans and family cheering besides the runners, and seeing the competitors crowd the street of Berlin. We did not realize that the Berlin Marathon had taken place and ended by the Brandenburg Gate but it was fun to watch the party after the run. The serious and solemn Berlin morning suddenly got washed away by the runners’ festive energies!
After our stroll through the Brandenburg Gate and a nearby park, we stopped at the Holocaust Memorial designed by the American architect - Peter Eisenman that was funded by the German government. The memorial looked like nothing but blocks of fake tombs at first, but after walking through the memorial, the blocks have different heights that can go as high as four meters! The information center for the Holocaust Memorial is a must-see if you visit Berlin. The center is well put-together and the information collected is thorough and extremely interesting. The Memorial was dedicated to the Jewish community that was murdered in all of Europe under the Nazi rule. The exhibit at the museum was extremely disturbing and I can’t help but wonder, “How is it that humans can bring such atrocity to one another?” and “Will we ever learn our lessons from history?” The Memorial was established to remind us that the tragedy has happened in the past and that it is possible that it will happen again if we don’t remember history. With the reminder of the Memorial, I really hope that all of us, including the Jewish community, do not repeat our mistakes again as in the early 1940s…
Yes, the Holocaust Memorial really made an impression on me. Berlin has the history and culture to flex and test your emotional barometers, so be ready for it! After the Holocaust Memorial, we visited the Reichstag (Parliament Building) that is around the corner from the Brandenburg Gate. Reichstag was presumably burnt down by Hitler in 1933 so that he can blame the Communist Party to gain power. Each tour to the Reichstag took about 30 tourists and the guides herded us to the roof of the Parliament for an amazing night view of Berlin. The top of the Reichstag was a glass dome with an upside down cone composed by thousands of mirrors to capture natural light into the legislative chamber. At the very top of the upside down cone, it opens into the sky with stars shining through its opening in the evening. We walked around the open air area and this looks like the alien welcoming platform in the movie Independence Day! No kidding! The reason that the top of the legislative chamber was built by glass is so that the process of the government is transparent and accountable to the people of Germany. Maybe this is what we need in Washington DC?
The sites in former Eastern Germany were fascinating. It will take your emotions and thoughts through various times in history with great opportunities to reflect upon our current political and international affairs. So far, I have enjoyed Berlin and can’t wait to meet up with Danille for further exploration of this conflicted city that bears such historical significance! Stay tuned!
Oktoberfest
It was almost ceremonial that Jim and I decided to go have our brunch before heading to Oktoberfest so that we have some “awake” time before the beer fest overwhelmed us. We decided to have our brunch at Glockenspiel Café that is across the street from Marienplatz on the fourth floor. I was surprised that the Café was so packed with Germans eating full breakfasts on a Thursday morning like this. We sat closed to the window with a view overlooking Marienplatz , the drizzle, and the busy tourists snapping photos.
We took the S and then U Bahn and exited Goetheplatz, then followed a bunch of people in costumes to reach our destination – Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest is really something else! It is an American Halloween, July 4th celebration, and the California State Fair on a lot of alcohol that happens every year in Munich, Germany! We got in to the best tent (according to the German students) around 11:30 in the morning, and the tent was packed with tourists and Germans in Oktoberfest outfits – the boys are in lederhosen and the girls were in country maiden dresses. Jim and I joined some German university students that were waiting for their friends for some beer, food, and conversation… The German students that we met, Jenny, Robin, and Sebastian, started drinking around 10:45 in the morning and their friends are in other tents saving seats for possible tent rotations. Talk about dedication!
Jim and I sat by them from 11am through almost 6pm at night. The crowd started flowing around 5pm and the singing, drinking, shouting, and all the craziness associated with drinking beers started right around then also. We met more people that we couldn’t keep up with the names, but we’ll be sending them their pictures… According to the students, the tents reach full capacity around 5-6pm and no one is allowed into the tents. I had three one-liter beers (two of them radlers – ½ beer and ½ lemonade) and I am not sure how many Jim had but I had to carry him back to the taxi and then to the hotel…
We were surprised to find out that the legal drinking age for Germans is 16 years old and that parents take kids to Oktoberfest when they are little. Many students that we sat by had around 10 years of Oktoberfest experience under their belts already! The drinking feast was more of a festival than I expected. If you have kids and family, bring them here, Oktoberfest truly is a festival of everyone!!! Another item off of our bucket list - Oktoberfest was truly an experience of a life time!
We took the S and then U Bahn and exited Goetheplatz, then followed a bunch of people in costumes to reach our destination – Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest is really something else! It is an American Halloween, July 4th celebration, and the California State Fair on a lot of alcohol that happens every year in Munich, Germany! We got in to the best tent (according to the German students) around 11:30 in the morning, and the tent was packed with tourists and Germans in Oktoberfest outfits – the boys are in lederhosen and the girls were in country maiden dresses. Jim and I joined some German university students that were waiting for their friends for some beer, food, and conversation… The German students that we met, Jenny, Robin, and Sebastian, started drinking around 10:45 in the morning and their friends are in other tents saving seats for possible tent rotations. Talk about dedication!
Jim and I sat by them from 11am through almost 6pm at night. The crowd started flowing around 5pm and the singing, drinking, shouting, and all the craziness associated with drinking beers started right around then also. We met more people that we couldn’t keep up with the names, but we’ll be sending them their pictures… According to the students, the tents reach full capacity around 5-6pm and no one is allowed into the tents. I had three one-liter beers (two of them radlers – ½ beer and ½ lemonade) and I am not sure how many Jim had but I had to carry him back to the taxi and then to the hotel…
We were surprised to find out that the legal drinking age for Germans is 16 years old and that parents take kids to Oktoberfest when they are little. Many students that we sat by had around 10 years of Oktoberfest experience under their belts already! The drinking feast was more of a festival than I expected. If you have kids and family, bring them here, Oktoberfest truly is a festival of everyone!!! Another item off of our bucket list - Oktoberfest was truly an experience of a life time!
Bucket List
After the Bisori wedding, Jim and I decided to head up north to Fussen to climb up to the Tegelberg which is approximately 1800 meters high. Jim had this in mind three years ago when we visited Fussen and couldn’t get out of his head, so here we go…
The train ride from Florence, Italy to Innsbruck, Austria was a gruesome eight hour long ride. We fed ourselves a good Italian pizza meal and walked up the Giatto’s tower (414 steps for 6 euros) before we headed back to the train station in Florence. This is our second time in Florence and coming back here was strangely familiar to both of us. Florence was just as busy as the last time we visited, the food was as good as we remembered, the view from top of the Giatto’s tower was just as breath-taking as we have captured in our camera from the last trip. We stopped in Florence only briefly this time and we were on our train to Innsbruck, Austria.
As we started heading towards the border of Italy, the landscape changed from hilly Tuscany cities to little villages next to mountains with steep rocky cliffs. The closer we got to Austria, the higher the train had to climb, the colder we got. I was excited to visit Innsbruck because last time, we only had time to see the Innsbruck train station! This year, we’ll at least have one evening and a short morning to see Innsbruck! We stayed at Hotel Maximiliar by old town Innsbruck this time. Our walk to old town Innsbruck was just around the corner from the hotel. Buildings in the old town were painted in bright colors. They were not painted in single color but many of them were etched with extremely artistic murals outside of the buildings. Many buildings also have sculptures attached to the windows, roof, outside walls, and one of the main tourist attractions was the building with a golden copper roof. (The Golden Roof) Innsbruck must be a fun place to visit; it will have to go on my long want-to-travel-to list for next time.
Speaking of lists, we finally arrived in Fussen, Germany to complete one of Jim’s items on his buck list after a 2.5 hours train and bus ride from Innsbruck, Austria the next morning. Jim and I decided to see Neuschwanstein castle again, so we rode in a horse carriage with 10 others to see this fairytale castle up in the mountains. The ride up the hill started out very romantic with an Australian couple sitting next to us in the front row right behind the horses until one of the horses starting tooting. Yup, the girl horse kept farting and the four of us kept laughing until the horse finally stopped and did her thing.... I know this is kind of disgusting, but it was just too funny. Imagine the couples wanting to make this a romantic ride so horses were hired instead of buses, and there you are, sitting behind the tooting horse that pooped right in front of you. Talk about close and personal!
During the tour of Neuschwanstein, we found out that there was a concert every year open to the public at the concert hall of the castle at this time of the year. So guess what we did? We went back up to the Castle (this time by bus) and waited for two tickets out of the 480 seats that might become available last minute. We waited in the ticket office with no heat for an hour, and Germans were true to their heritage, out of the 480 guests, every single one of them showed up! The German volunteers at the concert pitied us and gave us a ride back down the mountain so we did not have to walk back through the forest in the cold at night! So our trip to Fussen to complete one of Jim’s items on his bucket list added something new for me! I am coming back to Fussen to enjoy a concert in the mad King’s Castle!
Jim was such a good sport to wait with me in the cold for a concert tickets so I decided that I was going to complete his goal of 1800 meter climb up on the Telgelberg with him. This was the most satisfying bad decision I have ever made…
After we ascended for ten minutes, we saw a sign to Telgelberg that it was going to take us three hours. I thought to myself, shall I keep climbing or shall I turn around to wait for Jim at a local café or bar? I decided to keep going because I have made up my mind the night before that I was going to be by his side when he checks off his list! So we kept going… Just so you know, this was not just a hike, this was climbing and part of the trail rock-climbing. I did not train for the hike - I was just going to wing it! I had another decision to make after what it seems was one hour later, we reached another sign which indicated that the Telgelberg was another 2.5 hours away. At that point, I was ready to give up and start heading down the hill, but I am glad that I stuck with it. It was about two hours and fifteen minutes later that we hit the half way house. We sat by the heater, ordered some water and juice, got some rest, and head back out onto the path. While we were in the half-way house, you know what I was thinking right? We were only half way and it has taken me 2 hours and 15 minutes and my legs were sore and achy, I really wanted to turn back. By this time, it was not “I want to by Jim when he checks off this trip” that stopped me from turning back, it was “I want to head back but I don’t want to go back alone” and “he will have to do this another time which I really don’t want to be part of” that kept me going…
Fortunately, after our break, adrenaline finally kicked in and the ascending had become easier. We competed with other climbers in perfect climbing gear but surprisingly, the next half of our trip only took us one hour to complete even though the terrain has become rockier and more difficult to climb up. It was not until we had arrived at the top of the mountain and finished enjoying our hot soup and cold beer that the climbers with climbing gear made it up to the Tegelberghaus (dinner / bar at top of Tegelberg). Jim and I were sweaty and tired, but totally amazed and satisfied to have beaten the climbers with the right gear! Heck, not only that we didn’t have any climbing gear, I had my LV purse (which some climbers laughed and pointed at when they were descending down the mountain), and we still beat the “professionals”! Where there is a will, there is a way!
While we were sitting at the haus warming ourselves up, a biker asked to join our table, we welcomed him and started talking. He took a similar route up the mountain with his bike and it was a 1.5 hour ride for him to go up the mountain. We asked him whether this was his first time up because he was extremely sweaty in his biking outfit, he said “no, I do this every week”. Jim and I looked at each other and I secretly said to myself, “every week? I don’t even want this hike to be on my bucket list, let alone doing this every week!” I couldn’t believe it. The biker changed into some dry clothes, had a cup of tea, chatted with us and the owner a bit, and got his gear ready again. I asked him, “Are you riding down the mountain?” He replied “of course, it only takes 45 minutes, it is easier”. I stared at him in disbelief as he walked out of the haus. I thought Jim was crazy to put this hike on his bucket this, this biker must be very mad to do this every weekend!!! No wonder this biker is stick thin…
After we soaked up our success and achievement, we bought the gondola tickets to ride down the mountain – there was no way I am walking down that mountain! The gondola that we were on started descending from the clouds and fog into the clearing. We could see the path that we took, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein, then the field and the city of Schwangau… The view was beautiful but we were both exhausted. I still can’t believe we climbed up 1881 meters in 3 hours and 15 minutes, but Jim is ecstatic that climbing Tegelberg is off of his bucket list.
We trained to Munich after our climb and we didn’t even make it to our next bucket list destination – Oktoberfest, tonight. We are both beyond exhausted, but tomorrow, we’ll conquer the infamous Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest, here we come, we just need one good night sleep then we’ll be ready!
The train ride from Florence, Italy to Innsbruck, Austria was a gruesome eight hour long ride. We fed ourselves a good Italian pizza meal and walked up the Giatto’s tower (414 steps for 6 euros) before we headed back to the train station in Florence. This is our second time in Florence and coming back here was strangely familiar to both of us. Florence was just as busy as the last time we visited, the food was as good as we remembered, the view from top of the Giatto’s tower was just as breath-taking as we have captured in our camera from the last trip. We stopped in Florence only briefly this time and we were on our train to Innsbruck, Austria.
As we started heading towards the border of Italy, the landscape changed from hilly Tuscany cities to little villages next to mountains with steep rocky cliffs. The closer we got to Austria, the higher the train had to climb, the colder we got. I was excited to visit Innsbruck because last time, we only had time to see the Innsbruck train station! This year, we’ll at least have one evening and a short morning to see Innsbruck! We stayed at Hotel Maximiliar by old town Innsbruck this time. Our walk to old town Innsbruck was just around the corner from the hotel. Buildings in the old town were painted in bright colors. They were not painted in single color but many of them were etched with extremely artistic murals outside of the buildings. Many buildings also have sculptures attached to the windows, roof, outside walls, and one of the main tourist attractions was the building with a golden copper roof. (The Golden Roof) Innsbruck must be a fun place to visit; it will have to go on my long want-to-travel-to list for next time.
Speaking of lists, we finally arrived in Fussen, Germany to complete one of Jim’s items on his buck list after a 2.5 hours train and bus ride from Innsbruck, Austria the next morning. Jim and I decided to see Neuschwanstein castle again, so we rode in a horse carriage with 10 others to see this fairytale castle up in the mountains. The ride up the hill started out very romantic with an Australian couple sitting next to us in the front row right behind the horses until one of the horses starting tooting. Yup, the girl horse kept farting and the four of us kept laughing until the horse finally stopped and did her thing.... I know this is kind of disgusting, but it was just too funny. Imagine the couples wanting to make this a romantic ride so horses were hired instead of buses, and there you are, sitting behind the tooting horse that pooped right in front of you. Talk about close and personal!
During the tour of Neuschwanstein, we found out that there was a concert every year open to the public at the concert hall of the castle at this time of the year. So guess what we did? We went back up to the Castle (this time by bus) and waited for two tickets out of the 480 seats that might become available last minute. We waited in the ticket office with no heat for an hour, and Germans were true to their heritage, out of the 480 guests, every single one of them showed up! The German volunteers at the concert pitied us and gave us a ride back down the mountain so we did not have to walk back through the forest in the cold at night! So our trip to Fussen to complete one of Jim’s items on his bucket list added something new for me! I am coming back to Fussen to enjoy a concert in the mad King’s Castle!
Jim was such a good sport to wait with me in the cold for a concert tickets so I decided that I was going to complete his goal of 1800 meter climb up on the Telgelberg with him. This was the most satisfying bad decision I have ever made…
After we ascended for ten minutes, we saw a sign to Telgelberg that it was going to take us three hours. I thought to myself, shall I keep climbing or shall I turn around to wait for Jim at a local café or bar? I decided to keep going because I have made up my mind the night before that I was going to be by his side when he checks off his list! So we kept going… Just so you know, this was not just a hike, this was climbing and part of the trail rock-climbing. I did not train for the hike - I was just going to wing it! I had another decision to make after what it seems was one hour later, we reached another sign which indicated that the Telgelberg was another 2.5 hours away. At that point, I was ready to give up and start heading down the hill, but I am glad that I stuck with it. It was about two hours and fifteen minutes later that we hit the half way house. We sat by the heater, ordered some water and juice, got some rest, and head back out onto the path. While we were in the half-way house, you know what I was thinking right? We were only half way and it has taken me 2 hours and 15 minutes and my legs were sore and achy, I really wanted to turn back. By this time, it was not “I want to by Jim when he checks off this trip” that stopped me from turning back, it was “I want to head back but I don’t want to go back alone” and “he will have to do this another time which I really don’t want to be part of” that kept me going…
Fortunately, after our break, adrenaline finally kicked in and the ascending had become easier. We competed with other climbers in perfect climbing gear but surprisingly, the next half of our trip only took us one hour to complete even though the terrain has become rockier and more difficult to climb up. It was not until we had arrived at the top of the mountain and finished enjoying our hot soup and cold beer that the climbers with climbing gear made it up to the Tegelberghaus (dinner / bar at top of Tegelberg). Jim and I were sweaty and tired, but totally amazed and satisfied to have beaten the climbers with the right gear! Heck, not only that we didn’t have any climbing gear, I had my LV purse (which some climbers laughed and pointed at when they were descending down the mountain), and we still beat the “professionals”! Where there is a will, there is a way!
While we were sitting at the haus warming ourselves up, a biker asked to join our table, we welcomed him and started talking. He took a similar route up the mountain with his bike and it was a 1.5 hour ride for him to go up the mountain. We asked him whether this was his first time up because he was extremely sweaty in his biking outfit, he said “no, I do this every week”. Jim and I looked at each other and I secretly said to myself, “every week? I don’t even want this hike to be on my bucket list, let alone doing this every week!” I couldn’t believe it. The biker changed into some dry clothes, had a cup of tea, chatted with us and the owner a bit, and got his gear ready again. I asked him, “Are you riding down the mountain?” He replied “of course, it only takes 45 minutes, it is easier”. I stared at him in disbelief as he walked out of the haus. I thought Jim was crazy to put this hike on his bucket this, this biker must be very mad to do this every weekend!!! No wonder this biker is stick thin…
After we soaked up our success and achievement, we bought the gondola tickets to ride down the mountain – there was no way I am walking down that mountain! The gondola that we were on started descending from the clouds and fog into the clearing. We could see the path that we took, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein, then the field and the city of Schwangau… The view was beautiful but we were both exhausted. I still can’t believe we climbed up 1881 meters in 3 hours and 15 minutes, but Jim is ecstatic that climbing Tegelberg is off of his bucket list.
We trained to Munich after our climb and we didn’t even make it to our next bucket list destination – Oktoberfest, tonight. We are both beyond exhausted, but tomorrow, we’ll conquer the infamous Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest, here we come, we just need one good night sleep then we’ll be ready!
Kelly's Wedding
On our way to Pistoia, I called Kelly from the Florence train station. It was so great to hear her voice and I started to get very excited about seeing her. It has been almost three months since Kelly moved to Italy and what has been hard for me was that we used to do something together almost everyday. Kelly was my neighbor, colleague, carpool buddy, drinking buddy, and one of my best friends. After she left Sacramento to be with the love of her life in Italy, I have been missing her. As I watched the perfectly color coordinated Tuscany shutters and homes fly by our train, I reminisced about the years that I have known Kelly and our time that we spent together in Sacramento. It was approximately 40 minutes from Florence station that we arrived at the Pistoia termini.
Carl picked up Jim, the Jacobsens’ and I at the Pistoia train station while Kelly was getting her nails done for the wedding the next day. When we arrived, Kelly and I hugged each other and started crying. I was so happy to see her and I really missed her… There was a lot of emotion running through me. - I was happy for her but sad to see her leave Sacramento. I was ecstatic for her that she has found Ciro but concerned about her happiness without her parents or friends. Kelly is like my sister from a different part of the world and I am glad that we came to Italy to attend their wedding.
Jim and I were moved into one of the Bisori villas and the view from our room was out of this world. It was Tuscany at its best, the hilly landscape, the trees, fields, cities, the sun, and the breeze. I cannot believe how beautiful the view from the farm and villas looked, it was amazing and shocking. How can a girl like Kelly not fall in love with an attentive farmer like Ciro surrounded by the Tuscan landscape and under the Tuscan sun?
Kelly and Ciro’s wedding was absolutely stunning! Kelly was in beautiful pure white dress with corsette in the back that made her look like a bride featured in one of those bridal magazines. And Ciro was in a black suit that made him look anything but an olive farmer. The wedding was administered by a Catholic priest at this church up the hills of Pistoia and witnessed by approximately 90 guests. The church was located on top of the hills and the view from the church was in perfect Tuscany colors, green, yellow, and orange. When the church bell started ringing to celebrate the wedding, the guests started to arrive. The ceremony was a blend between the American and Italian wedding traditions. Chris walked Kelly’s mom, I walked down the aisle before the bride, and Kelly was walked down the aisle by a perfectly happy dad. The sermon was delivered in some English but mostly Italian, so most of the English speakers got to respond to the sermon guessing the Italian pronunciation. Towards the end of the ceremony, Ciro’s two groomsmen, Chris, and I were asked to be the witness of the marriage and we had to go up to the podium to sign four different sets of documents. It was very interesting, but I am not quite sure what the documents said… When the Bisori’s exited the church, they were greeted with rice thrown at them. It wasn’t a toss, it was a lot of rice thrown at the newly weds! It was fun for the guests but the bride and groom ended up with rice all over their hair and their beautiful clothes! Kelly was trying to shake it out of her hair even after the reception!
Needless to say, the food, drinks, and music at the reception were excellent! (The food was amazing! Kelly has to watch out if this is how they feed people in Italy!) The reception took place at the Ciro and Kelly’s new place; the first floor of their house is a wedding hall that backs into a beautiful terrace with a great view of Tuscany cities. The guests ate, drank, and danced, the evening was just magical. I am not sure how to better describe the wedding and reception but a fairytale that had come true!
It was hard to say goodbye to Kelly but I am not so worried about her anymore. I can see that she belongs here in the farm up in Pistoia with Ciro, the farmer, and that her life in Italy is so much more fulfilling with the love of her life by her side. Kelly always wanted to be in Europe and this is her dream come true, so what is there for me to worry about? I am very happy that Jim and I attended the wedding and saw how happy Kelly is. However, this great trip has to come to an end and we must part ways here in Italy. I love Kelly and want only the best for her. We will be physically apart but our friendship will remain. Every time when I have the not so authentic olive oil away from Pistoia, I will think about the beautiful landscape in Tuscany and my American sister that had her fairytale come true in Italy. I will miss you Kelly Bisori, congratulations!
Carl picked up Jim, the Jacobsens’ and I at the Pistoia train station while Kelly was getting her nails done for the wedding the next day. When we arrived, Kelly and I hugged each other and started crying. I was so happy to see her and I really missed her… There was a lot of emotion running through me. - I was happy for her but sad to see her leave Sacramento. I was ecstatic for her that she has found Ciro but concerned about her happiness without her parents or friends. Kelly is like my sister from a different part of the world and I am glad that we came to Italy to attend their wedding.
Jim and I were moved into one of the Bisori villas and the view from our room was out of this world. It was Tuscany at its best, the hilly landscape, the trees, fields, cities, the sun, and the breeze. I cannot believe how beautiful the view from the farm and villas looked, it was amazing and shocking. How can a girl like Kelly not fall in love with an attentive farmer like Ciro surrounded by the Tuscan landscape and under the Tuscan sun?
Kelly and Ciro’s wedding was absolutely stunning! Kelly was in beautiful pure white dress with corsette in the back that made her look like a bride featured in one of those bridal magazines. And Ciro was in a black suit that made him look anything but an olive farmer. The wedding was administered by a Catholic priest at this church up the hills of Pistoia and witnessed by approximately 90 guests. The church was located on top of the hills and the view from the church was in perfect Tuscany colors, green, yellow, and orange. When the church bell started ringing to celebrate the wedding, the guests started to arrive. The ceremony was a blend between the American and Italian wedding traditions. Chris walked Kelly’s mom, I walked down the aisle before the bride, and Kelly was walked down the aisle by a perfectly happy dad. The sermon was delivered in some English but mostly Italian, so most of the English speakers got to respond to the sermon guessing the Italian pronunciation. Towards the end of the ceremony, Ciro’s two groomsmen, Chris, and I were asked to be the witness of the marriage and we had to go up to the podium to sign four different sets of documents. It was very interesting, but I am not quite sure what the documents said… When the Bisori’s exited the church, they were greeted with rice thrown at them. It wasn’t a toss, it was a lot of rice thrown at the newly weds! It was fun for the guests but the bride and groom ended up with rice all over their hair and their beautiful clothes! Kelly was trying to shake it out of her hair even after the reception!
Needless to say, the food, drinks, and music at the reception were excellent! (The food was amazing! Kelly has to watch out if this is how they feed people in Italy!) The reception took place at the Ciro and Kelly’s new place; the first floor of their house is a wedding hall that backs into a beautiful terrace with a great view of Tuscany cities. The guests ate, drank, and danced, the evening was just magical. I am not sure how to better describe the wedding and reception but a fairytale that had come true!
It was hard to say goodbye to Kelly but I am not so worried about her anymore. I can see that she belongs here in the farm up in Pistoia with Ciro, the farmer, and that her life in Italy is so much more fulfilling with the love of her life by her side. Kelly always wanted to be in Europe and this is her dream come true, so what is there for me to worry about? I am very happy that Jim and I attended the wedding and saw how happy Kelly is. However, this great trip has to come to an end and we must part ways here in Italy. I love Kelly and want only the best for her. We will be physically apart but our friendship will remain. Every time when I have the not so authentic olive oil away from Pistoia, I will think about the beautiful landscape in Tuscany and my American sister that had her fairytale come true in Italy. I will miss you Kelly Bisori, congratulations!
Romantic Roma
I was on the train to San Francisco for the Municipal conference from Sacramento when Lehman Brother’s filed bankruptcy this past Sunday evening. The events that unfolded after the bankruptcy were the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, the AIG meltdown, and rescue of AIG by the Fed. By the time I got on the plane for our vacation in Europe, ALL of these events have taken place within 72 hours. As I got on the plane to Washington Dulles airport, I have read, listened, and watched the financial meltdown and that was the only thing I can obsess over on my flight to the East Coast.
After meeting up with Jim in Dulles, we watched and read some more about the Fed’s rescue of AIG, I have been obsessed with the recent financial crisis - I call it an obsession because the thought of vacationing in Italy and Germany didn’t even sound as fascinating as the financial market volatility. Everything changed when the captain of our flight to Italy announced that we will be descending into Rome in half an hour. I have been exhausted meeting and greeting bankers and potential customers at the conference, but the thought of arriving into the most romantic ancient city in the world gave me a jolt and woke me up to our vacation!
Jim and I were seriously jetlagged and hungry so we checked into our hotel that we booked while we were on the train into Roma and went out for our first pizza and beer at Ristorante Berzitello. (06-4782-4714) The seafood pizza was delicious with mussels, shrimp, calamari, clams, fish, olive oil, and fresh herbs. And beer has never tasted so good after a long flight, great pizza, and on the street of Roma. Rob, I am not trying to make you jealous but you really should be! (big smile on my face)
Prior to meeting Fabio and Sarah at La Gallina Bianco for dinner, Jim and I strolled around the Roman ruins and its modern streets. Every corner we turned to had something ancient and something new that blends into the most bizarre harmony. The Pantheon was circled by brightly lit restaurants and crowded cafés and stores. Chlesa del Gesu was surrounded by streets and cars, Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II appeared out of nowhere but definitely caught our attention! Across the street from Via Curla was the Mercati Traiana, we ran through the two way traffic that doesn’t seem to stop for anyone like the Italian professional road crossers. (I am a talented road crosser having been born in Taiwan). Last but not least, the Colosseo and Arco di Costantino right outside of the subway station with blazing throughway traffic ignoring their existence. With the architecture, ruins, culture, and history, Italian men and women MUST be romantic, otherwise romance cannot exist! How lucky are the Romans! I love Roma, it is beyond romantic!
Needless to say, dinner at La Gallina Bianco was great. The restaurant was packed but we were in the good hands of Fabio and Sarah. We talked about Italians politics, global economy, bucket lists, places that we have and want to travel, and best cities in the world to live. I told Sarah how much I would love to live in Roma for a while, she said that she has came to appreciate Roma so much more after she has traveled to various cities in the world. She adds, “I regret that I will never be able to see Roma with the eyes of tourists”. At that moment, I realized that Romans are lucky and cursed at the same time, they will never be able to see Roma like how we see it. It is fair that to be born and raised in this amazing city, means that this city will never be able to love you the way lovers do… if this is any reconciliation to those of us whom were not born Romans~
Our Dinner was about two and half hours long that started at 9pm. Great Roman dishes, Batheos’ Calatrasi wine, and wonderful conversations ended our first evening in Italy. I woke up this morning and thought, “what financial crisis?” It took me one day in this great city of Italy’s to get over my obsession of the financial market. I declare to my lover, Roma, “if I get to live in Rome, I will be perfectly happy to completely forget about the rest of the world”
We met with the Jacobsens’ at the Stazione Termini and are on our train to Pistoia for Kelly and Ciro’s wedding. I am missing Rome already. Next time, I am not leaving Rome until Roma and I fall in love.
After meeting up with Jim in Dulles, we watched and read some more about the Fed’s rescue of AIG, I have been obsessed with the recent financial crisis - I call it an obsession because the thought of vacationing in Italy and Germany didn’t even sound as fascinating as the financial market volatility. Everything changed when the captain of our flight to Italy announced that we will be descending into Rome in half an hour. I have been exhausted meeting and greeting bankers and potential customers at the conference, but the thought of arriving into the most romantic ancient city in the world gave me a jolt and woke me up to our vacation!
Jim and I were seriously jetlagged and hungry so we checked into our hotel that we booked while we were on the train into Roma and went out for our first pizza and beer at Ristorante Berzitello. (06-4782-4714) The seafood pizza was delicious with mussels, shrimp, calamari, clams, fish, olive oil, and fresh herbs. And beer has never tasted so good after a long flight, great pizza, and on the street of Roma. Rob, I am not trying to make you jealous but you really should be! (big smile on my face)
Prior to meeting Fabio and Sarah at La Gallina Bianco for dinner, Jim and I strolled around the Roman ruins and its modern streets. Every corner we turned to had something ancient and something new that blends into the most bizarre harmony. The Pantheon was circled by brightly lit restaurants and crowded cafés and stores. Chlesa del Gesu was surrounded by streets and cars, Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II appeared out of nowhere but definitely caught our attention! Across the street from Via Curla was the Mercati Traiana, we ran through the two way traffic that doesn’t seem to stop for anyone like the Italian professional road crossers. (I am a talented road crosser having been born in Taiwan). Last but not least, the Colosseo and Arco di Costantino right outside of the subway station with blazing throughway traffic ignoring their existence. With the architecture, ruins, culture, and history, Italian men and women MUST be romantic, otherwise romance cannot exist! How lucky are the Romans! I love Roma, it is beyond romantic!
Needless to say, dinner at La Gallina Bianco was great. The restaurant was packed but we were in the good hands of Fabio and Sarah. We talked about Italians politics, global economy, bucket lists, places that we have and want to travel, and best cities in the world to live. I told Sarah how much I would love to live in Roma for a while, she said that she has came to appreciate Roma so much more after she has traveled to various cities in the world. She adds, “I regret that I will never be able to see Roma with the eyes of tourists”. At that moment, I realized that Romans are lucky and cursed at the same time, they will never be able to see Roma like how we see it. It is fair that to be born and raised in this amazing city, means that this city will never be able to love you the way lovers do… if this is any reconciliation to those of us whom were not born Romans~
Our Dinner was about two and half hours long that started at 9pm. Great Roman dishes, Batheos’ Calatrasi wine, and wonderful conversations ended our first evening in Italy. I woke up this morning and thought, “what financial crisis?” It took me one day in this great city of Italy’s to get over my obsession of the financial market. I declare to my lover, Roma, “if I get to live in Rome, I will be perfectly happy to completely forget about the rest of the world”
We met with the Jacobsens’ at the Stazione Termini and are on our train to Pistoia for Kelly and Ciro’s wedding. I am missing Rome already. Next time, I am not leaving Rome until Roma and I fall in love.
Internal State of Affairs
As some of you may know, I have enrolled myself in the Introduction Leadership Program (ILP) with landmark education (thanks to Angie!), the program is about seven months long and I started resisting the course the day after I signed up for it. Ever since I enrolled myself in this course, I have been challenged to keep my commitment by my unpredictable circumstances and wild emotional roller coaster rides. It is as if the universe is testing my commitment and battling my will. Therefore, I have decided to record my feelings and my resistance to better understand my mind and reflect upon my emotions. Through this course, I am learning to observe my internal state which I often mistaken for reality…
So there I was on Sunday morning, watching Linked TV while scrambling to pack for my upcoming trips. (I was blaming the ILP course for ruining my Friday evening in the back of my mind – although I had plenty of time to pack after the class ended) A documentary made in 2003, “Words of My Perfect Teacher”, caught my attention. The film was about the teaching of Khyentse Norbu, a Tibetan monk. I thought one of the most profound teachings from Khyentse was the notion of reality. Often, what we perceive as reality is merely an experience of our minds, not the reality.
Emotional experiences such as anger, happiness, inhibition, excitement, infatuation, sadness, cynicism, satisfaction, etc. can seem so real to us that these experiences become our reality. The experience in our minds makes us believe that our emotions and feelings are the reality. Once we have that experience established, then we set out to proof that these emotions and feelings are in fact the reality, the truth. The concept was confusing at first, but it makes perfect sense to me now. The uneasiness that I experience when I present to my credit committee is my perceived the reality. The anxiety that turns my stomach and makes me nervous is created by me, in my mind, not the reality. If the anxiety is in fact real and in existence, everyone in that meeting should experience the same thing as me, but they don’t - the audience is usually well composed with very pointed questions!
So, if our emotional experiences are not the reality, but our internal state of affairs, I can’t help by wonder, why are we confining our future to love, to share, to trust? And why are we propelled by our past to be cynical, resigned, and angry? When after all, our minds created these emotional experiences that are neither the reality nor the truth. Whatever our minds create and we experience exist only in our thoughts. They are simply our internal state of affairs, not the reality.
So there I was on Sunday morning, watching Linked TV while scrambling to pack for my upcoming trips. (I was blaming the ILP course for ruining my Friday evening in the back of my mind – although I had plenty of time to pack after the class ended) A documentary made in 2003, “Words of My Perfect Teacher”, caught my attention. The film was about the teaching of Khyentse Norbu, a Tibetan monk. I thought one of the most profound teachings from Khyentse was the notion of reality. Often, what we perceive as reality is merely an experience of our minds, not the reality.
Emotional experiences such as anger, happiness, inhibition, excitement, infatuation, sadness, cynicism, satisfaction, etc. can seem so real to us that these experiences become our reality. The experience in our minds makes us believe that our emotions and feelings are the reality. Once we have that experience established, then we set out to proof that these emotions and feelings are in fact the reality, the truth. The concept was confusing at first, but it makes perfect sense to me now. The uneasiness that I experience when I present to my credit committee is my perceived the reality. The anxiety that turns my stomach and makes me nervous is created by me, in my mind, not the reality. If the anxiety is in fact real and in existence, everyone in that meeting should experience the same thing as me, but they don’t - the audience is usually well composed with very pointed questions!
So, if our emotional experiences are not the reality, but our internal state of affairs, I can’t help by wonder, why are we confining our future to love, to share, to trust? And why are we propelled by our past to be cynical, resigned, and angry? When after all, our minds created these emotional experiences that are neither the reality nor the truth. Whatever our minds create and we experience exist only in our thoughts. They are simply our internal state of affairs, not the reality.
Good at math, bad with love
One plus one equals two, right? 50% plus 50% equals 100%, correct? I just realized that being good at math and logical sometimes might not be such a good thing... In life, especially in relationships, the math just doesn't add up...
Why is it that relationships work in the beginning? You know, the passion, the longing, the curiosity, the endless conversations, the interest, the sweet and sour tastes of it all. Everything about it just seem so perfect and complete... It seems to me that in the beginning of a relationship, both of you are more than willing to put in 100% to have a 100% relationship. If my math is right, the equation for a lasting relationship should equal to100% from you, plus 100% from your partner, correct?
Once a long term relationship gets established, people forget what the equation should be and adapt to the mathematical and logical solutions. We often assume that putting in more than the other person translates into our "right" to demand from the other person and forget that our responsibility to the relationship is 100%. This is as if you put in 60% and the other person put in 40%, that will get you to where you want to be. It's not the sum of the two of you, but 100% from each person to make a lasting relationship. This means your 100% is YOUR responsibility.
Wherever there are complaints about relationships, work, or family, maybe we should start asking ourselves if we have given our 100% to that area of our lives? Are we being authentic in facing our responsibilities in these areas?
Why is it that relationships work in the beginning? You know, the passion, the longing, the curiosity, the endless conversations, the interest, the sweet and sour tastes of it all. Everything about it just seem so perfect and complete... It seems to me that in the beginning of a relationship, both of you are more than willing to put in 100% to have a 100% relationship. If my math is right, the equation for a lasting relationship should equal to100% from you, plus 100% from your partner, correct?
Once a long term relationship gets established, people forget what the equation should be and adapt to the mathematical and logical solutions. We often assume that putting in more than the other person translates into our "right" to demand from the other person and forget that our responsibility to the relationship is 100%. This is as if you put in 60% and the other person put in 40%, that will get you to where you want to be. It's not the sum of the two of you, but 100% from each person to make a lasting relationship. This means your 100% is YOUR responsibility.
Wherever there are complaints about relationships, work, or family, maybe we should start asking ourselves if we have given our 100% to that area of our lives? Are we being authentic in facing our responsibilities in these areas?
Dear Baby Nikki...
This was the first time that I visited you at Kaiser for about a month now, not only you are off all of your breathing and feeding tubes, your mommy was moving you around like a little doll trying to feed those tiny milk bottles. Your mommy and I kept looking at the breathing and heart rate monitor concerned that you will forget to keep breathing while trying to swallow the milk... This is the week that you were suppose to be born but you decided to come two month earlier to this crazy world~
While I was sitting there watching your mommy feed you your lunch, I remembered the day that your mommy went into labor. Your mom and I take breakfast walks from our office to the cafeteria almost every morning before you were born. This particular morning, your mom told me that she was having pain when she drives into the office and I told her to pull over whenever she feels the pain so it's safer for both of you. Little did we know that she was having contractions and she was admitted to the hospital the same afternoon. Mommy Racel called me that afternoon and said "I am going to have the baby!!!", I panicked!!!!
Ever since that day, it has been a learning journey for me and everyone around you. I remember staying with your mom at the hospital when she was drugged up to keep you inside of her, I remember getting the call from your dad while I was in Wisconsin that you have arrived to our world, I remember seeing your mommy hovered over her first Mikuni sushi meal in a very long time, and I also remember seeing you for the very first time. Your red skin, pink face, black hair, little diaper, and a lot of tubes and monitors wrapped around you. I remember breathing gently so you don't get whatever we adults have. I thought to myself, this little thing will have to fight to survive her surgery and complications... The moment that I met you, you have changed my perspective of life -- Life is not guaranteed, it is a gift and it is always a fight.
Today when I saw your mom handling you to feed you, I held my breath and constantly checked the monitors, but I know you will continue to inspire us, continue to teach us, and continue to grow. Nikki, we don't know what your personality is going to be like or who you are going to be in this world, but your presence and your courage have moved and touched us in more ways than you can imagine. Nikkie, we love you and we will have to make this a better world, just for you.
While I was sitting there watching your mommy feed you your lunch, I remembered the day that your mommy went into labor. Your mom and I take breakfast walks from our office to the cafeteria almost every morning before you were born. This particular morning, your mom told me that she was having pain when she drives into the office and I told her to pull over whenever she feels the pain so it's safer for both of you. Little did we know that she was having contractions and she was admitted to the hospital the same afternoon. Mommy Racel called me that afternoon and said "I am going to have the baby!!!", I panicked!!!!
Ever since that day, it has been a learning journey for me and everyone around you. I remember staying with your mom at the hospital when she was drugged up to keep you inside of her, I remember getting the call from your dad while I was in Wisconsin that you have arrived to our world, I remember seeing your mommy hovered over her first Mikuni sushi meal in a very long time, and I also remember seeing you for the very first time. Your red skin, pink face, black hair, little diaper, and a lot of tubes and monitors wrapped around you. I remember breathing gently so you don't get whatever we adults have. I thought to myself, this little thing will have to fight to survive her surgery and complications... The moment that I met you, you have changed my perspective of life -- Life is not guaranteed, it is a gift and it is always a fight.
Today when I saw your mom handling you to feed you, I held my breath and constantly checked the monitors, but I know you will continue to inspire us, continue to teach us, and continue to grow. Nikki, we don't know what your personality is going to be like or who you are going to be in this world, but your presence and your courage have moved and touched us in more ways than you can imagine. Nikkie, we love you and we will have to make this a better world, just for you.
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