We met her dad while he was visiting her Grandma (he was genuinely surprised! I was sure he knew). We stayed a while and played with the half dozen or so Pomeranians and puppies. Nes was in heaven.

We then drove over to her mom’s sister’s house to continue the surprise. We snuck in and said hello. Ina’s face went from confused to bawling in an instant. Another successful surprise!

After a short visit we packed up the car and headed up into the mountains to Bandungan, a small village about an hour south of Semarang, for the annual “Widjaya family reunion/Christmas/New Year’s extravaganza”. It was intense; like a Dinger family get together on steroids. 50 people in one villa; more food than 100 people could eat; a full-on Christmas mass (yes, they brought in a priest and everything); several Santa and Black Piet outfits for some “Christmas theater”; and the 20 or so ever-present concurrent conversations, each competing in volume with the others. Exhausting (but fun) for an introvert like me!

After two days here, we’re packing up this afternoon to head to—I think—Kudus.

I’m really regretting not bringing the laptop… photos are coming soon!

Nes at her happiest… with Pom pups

Nes and Ina celebrate New Year’s “Ina-style”

Airplane pain

Getting to Southeast Asia from Minneapolis is a chore. We spent 32 hours this time (the ORD-HKG leg was 15.5 hours!) getting from home to Singapore. We arrived at around 2 am without hotel reservations (clearly I’m rubbing off on Nes) so we popped into the Crowne Plaza attached to the airport to scrub off the day-and-a-half of travel grime and to get some real sleep in an actual bed.

Day one

We slept in the next morning and had some decent Singaporean breakfast before leaving the airport. We grabbed two-day subway passes and headed out to check into Hotel 1929 near Chinatown. We spent the rest of the day wandering the Chinatown markets and the Clarke Quay neighborhood dodging short spells of rain in cafes and shopping malls.

We planned on a Hainanese dinner at the popular Wee Nam Kie near Orchard Street, but when we took a table on the patio, a gang of mouse-sized cockroaches joined us and left me escorting a teary-eyed Nes to find dinner elsewhere. We returned to Chinatown and had some good char kwe teow and mee goreng with the perfect amount of that burn flavor you can only get from a blazing hot street wok. Yum!

Day two

The next day we got an early start and joined hundreds of other tourists on our obligatory walk around the Marina Bay area and the huge and outrageous Marina Bay Sands (an enormous hotel/casino/shopping mall complex).

We returned to Orchard Street to lunch at Din Tai Fong, a famous Taiwanese restaurant where the noodles and dumpling wraps are made fresh moments before they’re cooked. So delicious! Later we met Darwin, Nes’ college roommate, and we explored the Bugis night market and the Dhoby Ghout area. We ended the night at a bubble tea stand where I accidentally tossed my 50mm lens onto the concrete. It now sounds like a baby rattle if you shake it—probably not a good sign!

…more pictures to come once I get access to a computer…

Day one

We arrived in Lisbon just before the sun set. We took a bus to our hotel, checked in, and immediately sought dinner. As always, Nes had done her homework and already had a list of good restaurants to try. We went found the closest one and had a delicious meal of cod fritters and roasted chicken with piri-piri sauce (a salty and spicy chili oil). We finally found where Europe hides its spicy food!

After dinner we wandered Lisbon’s dark streets for hours. We walked toward the port and back through the Baixa and Commercia neighborhoods. The city is beautiful at night–dark and quiet, but not creepy or scary at all.

Day two

Thursday we made day trip to Sintra, an little old city just outside of Lisbon. In Sintra, one can hike up a mountain and visit the old Royal Palace, a Moorish castle, and several other fascinating places.

First we walked out to Quinta da Regaleira, a beautiful and unusual private estate in the hills of Sintra. The house is covered in incredibly ornate and detailed carvings, all if which get lost through the camera. The grounds are equally impressive. The property is spotted with medieval-looking towers, caves, and tunnels. It was lots of fun to explore.

Afterward we started the climb up to the Castle of the Moors, which was shrouded in clouds the whole time we were enjoying Quinta da Regaleira, but were finally starting to peak through.

About an hour later we arrived at the castle, a huge wall built around the peak of the hill in the 9th century. This place was wild! You can walk around the wall and up the towers, the whole time just feet away from the steep cliffs. Sometimes a cloud would roll through and limit the visibility so much you have to stop walking. Really, really cool.

From there we hiked to Pena Palace, a royal residence built by Ferdinand II. When we got there, a cloud had parked itself right around the palace, but you could tell a giant building was in there somewhere. It was very eerie.

We walked around the outside and tried to make some photographs before going inside. The inside was even more impressive (no photos allowed, though). We’ve seen several palaces during our travels; some bigger, some MUCH bigger, but this one was the best. Each room was decorated, furnished and even lit exactly as it was when royalty lived there. It was as if you were a visitor of the King’s rather than a patron of a museum.

On the train ride back to Lisbon, Nes and I agreed that other than the Swiss Alps, Sintra was the coolest stop of the trip. You should add it to your list now!

When we returned to Lisbon we headed out to explore the Barrio Alto neighborhood, a hip area at the top of the hills of Lisbon. Barrio Alto is packed with fun little restaurants, bars, and people. We roamed it for a while before descending back to the city center where we tried another one of Nes’ restaurant finds. That night we had another amazing Portuguese meal at a restaurant inside an old palace. Spicy fried pork with clams and baked cod. Delicious!

Day three

This was the day that had been sneaking up on us for the previous four weeks—time to head back home! Our tickets back to Minneapolis leave out of Paris, so it’s time to head back to Paris for one last night in Europe. Then it’s back to alarm clocks, chores, and responsibilities.

Rossio square in central Lisbon

Castle of the Moors in Sintra

Trolley to Barrio Alto in Lisbon

Day one (Sunday)

We arrived in Madrid very early which gave us full day to explore. After checking into our hotel we walked down the still empty Calle de Arenal, a usually busy pedestrian street. Madrid keeps very late hours (our hotel served breakfast until noon!) and it felt like we arrived before the city was awake.

We followed Arenal up to Gran Via, old Madrid’s main drag and stopped to see several impressive old buildings. We then came upon the huge Parque del Retiro, just one of Madrid’s many large parks. We burned away several hours there eating street food and people watching. Just enough time to catch the free entrance to the Prado Museum (it’s free after five on Sundays).

The Prado’s collection was impressive, but we had to keep our visit short; we had a pair of tickets to a Real Madrid match that evening.

Nes had always wanted to see this team play so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I never knew she was such a soccer fan! We made our way to the huge Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (over 80,000 seats–that’s like two Metrodomes!) along with what seemed like the entire city in the subway. We found our seats just after kickoff and watched along with a packed stadium as Real humiliated Deportivo 6–1 in the rain. What a blast!

After the game it was a race back to the subway. We were all literally running through the tunnels to beat the crowd. A long but fun day.

Day two

Monday started late. After breakfast we consulted Santiago’s map and walked over to see Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace. Along the way we stopped at the busy San Miguel Market and tried some stuffed olives and Vermouth–so so good! From there we wandered toward Templo de Debod, an Egyptian temple that moved from Egypt and reassembled in Madrid.

We then headed back to our neighborhood via Plaza España and Chinatown. For lunch: dollar menu (Euro menu?) at Museo de Jamon–the Ham Museum. A thrifty cured-meat lover’s dream. Two ham and cheese sandwiches and a beer: €3. Awesome.

Later we hiked over to Calle Serrano to check out the shopping and then had a tasty dinner at Santiago’s recommended Albaderos Taberna. Another great day.

Day three

Tuesday we took a train south to Toledo. The former Spanish capital is beautiful and the history is interesting, but most of the sights have hefty entrance fees and many don’t allow photography inside. We wandered Toledo’s streets all day, up and down its steep hills. We had a quick snack of Toledan stew and returned to Madrid.

That evening I was the one with the sudden craving for Asian food. We grabbed some Thai takeout (NOT good) and a few beers and returned to the hotel.

Day four

Our last morning in Madrid was for chores. We took advantage of the hotel’s self-serve laundry before returning to the airport. Off to Lisbon!

Madrid’s Gran Via

Real Madrid vs Deportivo in Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

The Royal Palace of Madrid

A view of Toledo from the old gate

Day one

We arrived in Barcelona late and did our best to navigate its train system. We pretty much followed the crowds and it worked out well. We popped out of the subway at Plaça Catalunya, the busy center of Barcelona. We checked into our hotel and called it a night.

Day two

We started our first full day by wandering down La Rambla, a long pedestrian street filled with vendors and people. We then turned off into the gothic quarter to check out some of the old architecture. We enjoyed the impressive Barri Gothic cathedral though it was mostly encapsulated in scaffolding.

From there we walked to the port and sat for a while to watch an air show of fighter jets doing things that only fighter jets can do. We also enjoyed watching the fake handbag vendors play cat and mouse with the police.
The whole time I was distracted watching the crew of this this boat (check out the price tag) that was parked right next to us. Who owns this kind of stuff?!

We then pointed ourselves back toward
Plaça Catalunya and headed back up La Rambla. On the way we diverted into one of the side streets and had an amazing lunch at a little tapas bar.

Afterwards we continued north to explore the shopping district around Passeig de Gracia. Along the way we paused in front of Gaudi’s “Casa Batlló” to snap a few pictures.

Before arriving in Bareclona, we knew that Gaudi architecture was a big part of the Barcelona experience, but I was never all that excited about seeing it. Standing in front of one of his buildings was a different story. They’re very impressive. A lot gets lost in the photographs you see of these buildings; they really need to be enjoyed in the context of the buildings around them. Gaudi’s creations appear to melt right out of the gridlike rows of the surrounding structures. Really very neat–especially considering that this was designed in the 19th century.

After a few hours of shopping we returned to Catalunya and had a not-so-great dinner before retiring for the day.

Day three

Day three was all Gaudi–and a lot of walking. We borrowed our route from one of those double decker tour bus maps. It worked out perfectly and brought us past several interesting sights. First was Gaudi’s “La Padrera”. Another private residence commissioned by wealthy Barcelonans.

Next we continued north to see the iconic La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s perpetually in-progress cathedral. The history of this building is absolutely fascinating. It was started in 1883 and isn’t scheduled to be done until 2026!

We kept walking north and climbed the hills to Parc Guell, a large Gaudi-designed public park up in the hills overlooking Barcelona. The view was amazing and we sat for at least an hour listening to musicians and taking photographs.

After a relaxing stroll through Parc Guell we turned around and started the long walk back to Plaça Catalunya (the downhill walk went much quicker). After returning we visited a popular tapas bar that Nes had been wanting to try. We ate a LOT of good food that night and the bill was tiny; our favorite combination!

Day four

It was time to leave Barcelona. We were up before the sun the next morning (for the first time in three weeks!) to catch our flight to Madrid. We were both excited about this next stop!

Gaudi’s Casa Batlló at night

La Sagrada Familia

The view of southern Barcelona from Park Güell

Day one

We arrived in Venice in the early evening and made our way to our hotel. I should mention that navigating this city is NOT a trivial task–even when equipped with a map and a GPS phone. There is always an unmarked alley or tiny street that is not on the map! After some intense orienteering we arrived at our home for the next few days. After checking in we made the rounds and checked out the famous San Marco square and the Rialto bridge.

Earlier our innkeeper had suggested a “non-tourist” restaurant for dinner and we decided hunt it down. It was located out in the Cannaregio neighborhood, well off the beaten path. It’s amazing how creepy those Venice streets become after the sun sets. Walk just a few blocks off of the pedestrian highway and it’s dead quiet and very dark. Occasionally you’ll see someone emerge from the darkness and scurry into a house, but that’s it. Such an interesting place!

Day two

Wednesday morning we walked over to the Rialto market where you can get a glimpse of the real Venetians going about their business. Lots of fresh produce and some amazing seafood. If only we had a kitchen to cook in!

We spent the rest of the day combing several different Venice neighborhoods and taking photographs.

That evening we tried another restaurant recommended by our hotel staff. The food was pretty good and we got a kick out of the restaurant’s eclectic mix of music. It went something like: Backstreet Boys, Black Sabbath, Bob Marley. Maybe their iPod was running in alphabetical order?

We returned to San Marco square later that night to take some night pictures and listen to the music. The square is lovely at night after the crowds have retreated for the day.

Day three

Nes had booked an afternoon flight to Barcelona so we took our time and walked out to Piazzale Roma to catch an airport bus. It was nice to walk through some of the quieter neighborhoods and watch the locals interact with each other.

The airport was not so pleasant. Our flight was completely full and the boarding process was basically this: open the doors and let everyone in. There were lots of angry people and more than a few shouting matches. Nes and I just spectated from our seats and boarded after everyone else. Ah, air travel.

The 24-hour astronomical clock in St Mark’s square with its primitive digital display.

The sea of people in St. Mark’s square

Gondolas parked at sunset

St Mark’s Campanile

Day one

After checking into our hotel we wandered the old town. We checked out the old city wall (built in 1155!) and the tangled pedestrian streets and alleyways. We checked out Piazza de Ferrari and stumbled upon the impressive St. Lorenzo Cathedral and sat for a while in the piazza outside and listened to accordion music. While wandering back to our hotel Nes spotted a little shop selling imported Indonesian crafts. We stopped in and were told about an Indonesian resaurant around the corner. The owner and staff were all from Bandung (Nes’ home town). We made plans to stop back later to avoid another ‘Lucerne rice fiasco.’

We continued walking to Porto Antico and admired the enormous yachts parked there from all over the world.

After a quick stop back at the hotel we headed back to find our Indonesian dinner. It was a little difficult to find. It was in a tiny alley that barely allowed two people pass through. It was a lovely restaurant though, decorated with imported Javanese furniture. The food was very good and we enjoyed chatting with the staff. As we were leaving our server stopped us and said “Oh yeah, Genova is known for muggings; stick to the big streets.” Good times. We made it back just fine though and slept off our big dinner.

Day two

Our second day in was slated for hiking the Cinque Terre, five old coastal villages preserved in a national park just south of Genova. We were tired and got a late start. The night before, some guy roamed the street outside our hotel screaming something over and over (not sure what, but it rhymed–I should have recorded it) for two solid hours. I think he just really liked the sound of his voice echoing off the buildings. Anyway, we finally made it to the train station and discovered where all the English-speaking tourists in Genova were hiding–they’re all waiting for the train to Cinque Terre!

The weather was beautiful and sunny the whole morning, but when we arrived in Monterosso (the northernmost village), dark clouds had formed in the hills and were soaking the trails with rain. Just before we bought tickets, the park service had already closed all but one trail. We decided to have some lunch and wait it out.

We waited but trails remained closed so we decided to ride the train out to a few of the villages to explore and make photographs.

We stepped off the train into a light drizzle that soon became a heavy downpour. We were able to capture a few photos of Rio Maggiore and Vernazza, but we were cold and wet and all of the little cafes were full, so scrapped our plans and returned to Genova.

The day wasn’t a total waste though. Nes had found a nice little Genovese restaurant that was absolutely amazing–maybe the best food we’ve had yet. Pesto-drenched trofi and saffron/shrimp taglierini. So very tasty! I may have lied earlier; THIS is why we travel!

Day three

Here’s where we diverge from our planned itinerary. Neither of us were too thrilled with the eight-hour train rides across the French Riviera, so we’re heading to Venice instead. Nes found some cheap airline tickets from there to Barcelona and that seemed like a better option. To Venice!

The fountain in Piazza de Ferrari in Genoa, Italy.

An entrance through the old city wall in Genoa, Italy

Rain clouds over Cinque Terre. And my finger at the top. Nice, Chris.

We were greeted at the Wengen station by the proprietor of our hotel who zipped us and our bags up the hills to the hotel in a little electric cart. We checked in and opened the doors of the balcony to reveal an amazing view of the Bernese Alps.

By that time the sun was already setting, so we spread out the hiking maps and started planning for our first full day.

Day one (September 21)

We had decided to start off easy. Most tour groups that come through this area head straight up to Jungfraujoch, an observation point near the Jungfrau summit. A railway was carved through the mountain in 1912 (it took 16 years!) and one can take a train up the tunnel and emerge at 3,471 meters above sealevel. It’s expensive and we were skeptical about whether it was worth it, but we decided try check it out anyway.

We took a cable car up to Mannlichen where we started the 1.5 hour hike to Kleine Sheidegg across the top of the Lauberhorn (trail 33 on the map). It was absolutely spectacular. To the left was the village of Grindelwald in the valley below and straight ahead were the icy peaks of Jungfrau and Mönch.

When we arrived at Kleine Schiedegg, we purchased tickets and rejoined the day-trippers on the train to Jungfraujoch. The observation point was cool and it’s construction was impressive, but Nes and I both agreed that we’d rather be hiking the trails below and admiring the peaks alone than standing on the top, where you can’t spend more than 30 seconds without being interrupted with a “will you take our picture?” We hopped the next train back down to Kleine Scheidegg and hit the trails again. This time, an amazing three hours around the north side of the Lauberhorn down past the tree line to return to Wengen (trail 42).

That night we enjoyed a few local brews and watched the sun set behind the hills.

Day two (September 22)

Nes and I had desperately wanted to explore the trails further to the west (we’ve read that these are some of the best hikes in the world), but getting there requires pricey cable car tickets and a lot of time. We had only one more full day here so we set our sights on the Mürren area instead.

We started early and set off down the switchbacks from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen. We then rode the cable car up to Mürren to the east. From Murren it was an easy, level stroll to Gimmelwald where stopped of salami sandwiches and a pint.

From there we could have taken another cable car down, but we saw a few hikers emerge from the woods and figured there must be a trail (there wasn’t a trail on the map). We figured it’d be a a quick 30-minute hike, but it turned out to be much longer. The trail was wet and treacherously steep in places, but it was an epic hike. Every few hundred meters the trail would reveal a beautiful meltwater stream or a towering waterfall. We finally reached tiny Stechelberg at the end of our descent.

From Stechelberg, We faced another long but flat walk back to Lauterbrunnen. It was a beautiful walk and it was easy on our hill-weary legs. We paused to admire several tall waterfalls and to watch some base jumpers parachuting from the Staldenfluh cliffs.

By the time we reached Lauterbrunnen it was already getting dark. We stopped for some traditional Swiss rösti and then rode the train back up to Wengen. Another unbelievable day. Seriously, this is the most beautiful place Nes or I have ever visited. Everyone should experience this place at least once in their lifetime!

Day three (September 23)

We had to leave early the next day. The train ride to Bellagio required us to connect in Milan and then backtrack up to Lake Como. We also didn’t have any tickets yet and there was some mystery about how late the ferry to Bellagio ran. Another long travel day!

Jungfrau from our hotel balcony in Wengen, Switzerland

View from atop the Lauberhorn (if this video doesn’t work here, you can try viewing it from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/84315541@N00/5022024237/)

Jungfrau and Mönch. The red Jungfraujoch train is about to disappear into the mountain.

Halfway down the Lauberhorn, facing south.

The view of Lauterbrunnen and the valley while walking down from Wengen.

Jungfrau area map

We arrived in Lucerne late Friday after five or so hours on the train. We checked in, had a quick meal at the bar below the hotel, and got some sleep.

Day one

Saturday morning we stepped out onto the balcony to find a colossal farmers market bustling on the street below. We walked down and joined the crowd. There were all kinds of fresh mushrooms, veggies, meats and cheeses. We bought some local apples, some oranges, and ate some freshly grilled bratwurst and bread. Yum!

Later we explored old-town Lucern and walked around the old city wall. We climbed up one of the lookout towers and got a good look at the city from the arrowslits and tiny windows. It was fun to climb the steep wooden stairs to the top (Nes might disagree). The tower was surprisingly tall for its age.

After that, we walked down the Lake Lucerne, past the expensive hotels and the Lamborghinis and Ferraris of their guests displayed proudly out front (it seems this town is more for them than us). Everything in Lucerne is wildly expensive. We had spotted some okay-looking Chinese and Thai places, but everything was around $30 a plate. We settled for a little kebab shack near the lake; kebab we can afford

After dinner we walked up the hills to see the Lion of Lucerne (Löwendenkmal), a sculpture of a dying lion carved into a sandstone wall in honor of Swiss soldiers who perished during the French Revolution.

Day two

Sunday we took a train out to Zurich. We knew the shops would be closed, but we weren’t going there to shop anyway. Most museums and cafes are open; that’s what we care about.

First stop: Museum für Gestaltung, a design museum that Nes had read about and wanted to check out. It ended up being right near the train station and the iPhone guided us there (the map from the station was not helpful). I’ve become a master at strategically caching Google Maps tiles on my 3G-less phone! The museum featured a brilliant exhibit on the works of Charlotte Perriand, who is known by most for her furniture design, but who also was a gifted photographer and passionate activist.

After that we followed the river down past Zurich’s famous churches to Lake Zurich and joined what seemed to be the entire city population around the marina/lakeshore. We ate ice cream and watched the sailboats and street performers for hours before returning to Lucerne.

Agnes decided this night that she NEEDED to eat something with rice in it (I had been expecting this to happen after more than a week of our meat-and-bread diet). She chose a bad time however; the only thing open was an expensive tourist-focused Chinese restaurant. We paid $27 for a little serving of mediocre fried rice.

Day three

Monday morning the stores were open again and we stopped to pick up a jacket for our upcoming alpine adventures (I left mine at home!). After a quick lunch from the local bakery it was off to Wengen!

Kapellbrücke and our hotel (on the left), facing Lake Lucern

Kapellbrücke at night; Europe’s oldest wooden bridge (built in the 13th century)

Bad Chinese food makes Nes sad

Day one

The next morning we woke early and walked out to the Eiffel tower. We had only planned on snapping a few obligatory photos and moving on, but when we arrived I insisted on buying tickets and going up to the top (Nes put up a good fight though). The tower was just so much more impressive than I had expected. It’s amazing what engineers in the 1890’s were able to construct. This thing was the tallest structure in the world until the Chrysler building was built in 1930. Really mind-blowing. It was even worth waiting in line for an hour with an obnoxious high school tour group.

After exploring the tower we pointed ourselves north to the Arc de Triomphe and then headed back along Champs Elysees to the Louvre (after a quick stop at Uniqlo!). After six Louvre tickets are discounted, so we bought a pair and headed inside. I once heard someone say that the Louvre is the most avoided museum in the world because it’s so overwhelming. And it is definitely overwhelming. We wandered its halls for nearly four hours and enjoyed only a small sample of it’s collection. The highlight was the wild mob around the Mona Lisa–cameras stretched out above their heads and all. Very weird.

After the Louvre madness we headed back across the river and stopped at a fun little restaurant for dinner. I’m not sure if it was just the 12-or-so miles we had logged that day but the food and wine were especially good that night.

Day two

Thursday morning we decided to follow the herds once again and took a train out to Versailles (why not get the touristy stuff done on one trip?). The palace and grounds are enormous and we ended up spending most of the day there. I enjoyed the history and Nes enjoyed the photography exercises.

After returning to Paris we made another trip out to Uniqlo (I can’t help myself!) and had another fantastic dinner in the Latin quarter.

Day three

Our last day in Paris was more laid back. We slept in, bummed around Le Marais, and then picnicked in Jardin du Luxembourg before jumping back onto the train. Mont Martre will have wait until next time–off to Switzerland!

Again, sorry about the lame photos. I keep forgetting I have to use the phone to post here!

The east side of Notre Dame and its flying buttresses

The Eiffel Tower from Le Palais de Chaillot

The Louvre

The Louvre main entrance

The Louvre–dining room in the Napoleon apartments

Versailles gardens

Versailles gardens