Pa

The past few days seemed to pass by in a blur, yet so much has happened. I am physically exhausted, but I also feel emotionally recharged to be a better person. To be someone with a big heart - like my Dad. 

During the past few days at my Dad's wake, I learnt more about him. I always knew my Dad had a generous heart, but I never thought much of it. But during his wake, I had the opportunity to hear anecdotes of how my Dad helped various people unselfishly. I feel proud of my Dad, but only if he could be around to share his stories personally with me. I wish I had made the effort to know him better. I wish I had spent more time with him. I wish I was there to spend his last days with him. 

So many regrets. It is a hard lesson learnt. Never to take my loved ones for granted. I have been on leave for almost  11 months, but I spent so little of it with my dad even though he was ill. During this time, I visited my Dad less often than I would like to, conveniently hiding behind the excuses of taking care of my kids and physical exhaustion. Now I really regret it and I don't want to make this mistake again. 

To me, the bright spark from my Dad's wake was how my relatives rallied around my family during this difficult and exhausting period. Aunties took charge of the admin stuff, uncles deprived themselves of sleep to do the night duties, cousins joined us for the rituals (even though they didn't have to), my maternal granny was present everyday from morning to night, and everyone contributed every bit they could from folding "gim zua" to clearing the tables. To everyone who contributed their time, took leave from work, and/or sacrificed their sleep for my dad's wake, a BIG thank you. I always thought of my extended family as a typical Chinese family, but now I realise how extraordinary my family is. My family members may never utter mushy words of concern, but their actions reflect their love. I never knew how blessed I was to be part of this family, but now I do. 

Also thanks to everyone who took time from their busy schedule to attend the wake, friends who kept me in their prayers, and everyone who expressed their care and concern in one way or another. Friendship is an invaluable gift I treasure.

And to Pa, I miss you. I really wish you are at a better place - happy and healthy. 

Italy - Going Home (15 Jul 2011)

Our 2.5 hour train trip from Florence to Milan airport was thankfully problem-free.  We had proper seats this time round, and our luggage remained intact even though we had to leave it unattended at the baggage area because we there was no place to fit it where we were sitting.

We were greeted by chaos at the airport though.  At the queue to claim my tax refund, a Chinese man tried to cut my queue until I told him off.  And at the queues to check our hand carry bags and to stamp our passports, there another man who successfully cut our queue.  He would nonchalantly just stand beside the lady in front of us, as if he knew her.  A thought they might be a couple who quarreled and were not on speaking terms, but he was mistaken. We were glad we arrived early at the airport, as it took us almost 2 hours to complete the immigration procedures.

Italy - Firenze Day 3 (14 Jul 2011)

Today is the final day of our holiday. 

Having missed visiting the Duomo the day before,we woke up bright and early for breakfast in the hotel and headed for the Duomo.  We reached the Duomo at about 9:50am, 10 min before its opening, and were greeted with a long queue of visitors that snaked down the side of the church till we were lost at the end of the length of the church.  We finally managed to enter the church before 10:30am, and were in time for a free guided tour (this is definitely a first time!).  The tour was conducted by volunteers helping an organization called Art and Faith (or something similar). 

The most stunning part of the church would be the painting of the dome at the front part of the church.  Apparently, the construction of the huge dome was of significance too, as it was deemed almost impossible to construct such a huge dome during that time.

After visiting the Duomo, we had a quick pizza lunch and wonderful gelato at a popular gelato shop - Grom.  I had tried the gelato the day before and was extremely impressed with its pesca (peach) flavor.

Our hotel had helped us reserved 2 tickets at the Uffizi for 12:30pm, so we rushed there to collect our tickets.  The Uffizi is apparently the must-visit place in Florence as it stores a huge collection of art pieces, including those by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rafaello.  Again, I must admit that the uncultured me felt sleepy after about an hour, but managed to peservere - we were in the Uffizi for 4.5 hours! Oh, and the most exciting part of my visit was my purchase of 2 gorgeous pop-up story books at the Uffizi bookstore.

Right after the tour of the Uffizi, we were both feeling very overwhelmed by art and culture, and our stomachs were grumbling a little.  A chose a nice restaurant, Osteria Dei Centopoveri, for dinner, and he had an excellent Italian dinner comprising of Florentine beef steak.  Our appetiser, melon with prosciutto, was quite yummy. My lasagnette (which looked like mee hoon kuey cooked in tomato sauce) was not bad, and I must say A's steak was the best of all - A actually single-handedly finished his 0.5kg slab of steak!  We were also given Tuscan sweet wine and some pretty delicious biscotti to round up our meal.  It was a great final meal in Italy.

After the meal, we took a bus up the hill of Piazzale Michelangelo, where we were treated to a spectacular view of Florence.  Very nice way to end a holiday.  I am obviously a little sad my holiday is coming to an end, but on the other hand, I can't wait to hold my son in my arms and tell him how much I miss him.

Italy - Firenze Day 2 (13 Jul 2011)

We decided to sleep in and skipped the hotel breakfast.  Instead, we had brunch at the Roberto Cavalli cafe and consumed the most fabulous chocolate eclair.  It was in this upscale cafe where we noticed some interesting people.  

A noticed a lady decked out in a shiny patterned dress that subtly reflected light as she walked - one could not help noticing her not only because of her fabulous dress, but also because of her supermodel looks and confident strut.

I was observing this English elderly couple who was seated near us, and wondering if they could be English royalty on a personal holiday.  Unlike some people who try to look rich, this couple was obviously extremely wealthy. The elderly lady, who looked like she was in her 70s, caught my attention because she was decked out in a skin-tight spaghetti strapped long dress that seemed more appropriate for a cocktail party.  Her hair was bundled up with a Dior hair clip, her feet wore Chanel heels, and on her finger was the biggest diamond I have ever seen - my best guess is that it must be at least 2 carats (it was about 1.5cm wide in diameter and I am not exaggerating). Her items were obviously very branded, but slightly old-fashioned, so quite suitable for her age.  Her companion wore a simple white shirt (the material looks expensive), brown slacks and white leather shoes.  My personal opinion is that white shoes are usually reserved for either the male fashionista, or the terribly rich. Most people, I believe, would choose a dark coloured pair of branded shoes over a light coloured pair for practical reasons.

After our interesting "people-watch" at the cafe, we went to visit a small church, Basilica Santa Maria.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of the church interior.  It was a relatively simply decorated church, but had these stunning paintings that looked as if they reflected light.  

Our initial plan was to visit the Duomo, but changed our mind when we reached there.  There was a long queue even though it was half an hour to its closing at 5pm.  We visited the Palazzo Vecchio instead - where the ceiling of every room was filled with paintings.  Being not too culturally inclined, I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed by the paintings and my neck ached a little from having to stare up the ceiling of each room.  But I was a little puzzled why there were paintings of gods from Greek mythology (e.g. I learnt that Jupiter would have been eaten by Saturn, his father if not for his mother's intervention, and the mother was apparently the father's sister. Jupiter married his sister, Juno, as well) as well as paintings from the Catholic faith - to me, paintings of such diverse origins should be mutually exclusive. 

A thought it would be nice to have a non-Italian dinner for a change, and we headed to Hard Rock Cafe.  This is an immensely popular restaurant, and when we went there at 8pm last evening, waiting time would be 2 hours. Anyway, we went earlier and managed to get a table immediately (phew!).  

The food was okay (we shared a appetiser platter and pulled pork burger) though portions were humongous.  If we were just listening casually, the restaurant was filled with atmospheric rock music, which was actually quite nice cos it made the restaurant lively and very "hard rock cafe".  There was a huge MTV screen right at the front, and we couldn't help watching the MTVs while waiting for the food.  And we were appalled (more so for me) that 3 out of 4 MTVs screened had titles that ridiculed the Christian faith and the content was totally absurd and would anger any believer.  I don't even want to recall these MTVs.  A even commented that the content of the MTVs was inappropriate for a family restaurant.  He also found it interesting that this popular restaurant was screaming a controversial message when the rest of Florence seemed pretty religious. 

Italy - Shopping and Firenze (12 Jul 2011)

Woke up feeling pretty excited cos today is the day I get to give my credit card a workout.  After a quick breakfast and some time spent figuring out our directions, we drove to the Prada outlet at Montevarchi.  We only managed to arrive at the outlet after stopping at 2 petrol stations to ask for directions - and each time before A could ask the question, the kiosk staff would pre-empt him and ask if he was looking for Prada outlet.  Seems like all tourists visit this town with the same purpose.

We would have totally missed the Prada outlet if not for the directions given.  For some reason, it was called Space outlet and there were no Prada signs anywhere.  Even the paper bags were Space bags.  The outlet was huge and full of people.  I reckon Asians made up 50% of the shoppers.  I concentrated mainly on the bag section and made up my mind after about 90 mins - the damage was 3 bags.

Next, we went to The Mall at Reggello.  This was a huge shopping area with numerous brand outlets.  I was pretty focused and zoomed straight into Gucci, Ferragamo, Bottega, Prada (again!) and just for fun, other brands such as Dior and Burberry.  Gucci had a good selection of items though I am not a Gucci fan.  The shoes at Ferragamo were in odd sizes so I didnt buy any shoes even though I liked some of the off-season designs.  Bottega had some nice designs, but very pricey even at the outlets - I was eyeing a huge red bag that was selling at a discounted price of 1,890 Euros! The Prada outlet was much smaller than the one at Space, and was jammed with people.  We had to wait 15min outside the store (under the scorching sun) before we were let into the store.  

For most of the stores, the designs carried were obviously from previous seasons, and came in odd colours and designs that one probably would not purchase.  It seems that the classic designs, being evergreen designs, would never make their way to the outlet stores.  Nevertheless, I had fun window shopping - it's not everyday that I have the guts to walk into several high-end shops in a day. It was also not a wasted trip as I left the place about 3 hours later with a yummy slice of pizza in my tummy and a gorgeous new wallet :) 

After the massive shopping exercise, we returned our rented Ford Fiasco at the Hertz outlet in Florence (or Firenze in Italian).  We then took a cab to our hotel.  

We stayed at NH Porta Rossa, which had a great location, being located within walking distance from many museums, tourist spots.  It was also right next to the shopping belt - I was excited cos my shopping antennae have been activated after the initial shopping experience at the outlets.  

Other than its central location, our hotel is done up pretty nicely too.  The lobby has an old fashioned feel with wooden panels, a stained glass ceiling, and other traditional finishes.  In contrast, the room is done up with a modern touch.  White is the theme of the room, with clean white sheets, lamps, cupboards, tables, and even a white TV! The hanging lamp in the middle of the room looks like inverted wine glasses and the room feels cosy (A thinks the room is a little small, but I think it is fine), modern, and new.  No doubt this would be my favorite accommodation from this holiday. In the toilet, I love how the brightly colored toiletries set in one corner contrast against the grey walls.  The mirror is framed within silver boundaries, there is a great rain shower, and finally, clear shower panels.

After settling down in the hotel, we headed straight to the shopping belt - today is shopping day!  When we were in Ferragamo, A noticed that almost all the shoppers were Asians - in fact all the customers trying on shoes are Asians, and there was a pair of Japanese ladies trying on at least 8 pairs of shoes.  Wow, is there a major Saldi for Ferragamo shoes? I don't see any Saldi signs though.  

After a quick shopping trip to 2 shops, I emerged with a lighter wallet and paper bags containing 2 pairs of shoes, a bag and a purse (a gift).  I was delighted with my buys, particularly since I have been eyeing the bag for a long, long time, but held off purchasing the bag as it had a higher price tag in Singapore.  The great incentive in purchasing in Italy is the 12% tax rebate for purchases above 150 Euros - so it can be pretty difficult to resist shopping in Italy, particularly if you are a fan of Italian brands.  However, I also felt slightly guilty with my splurge and decided I had shopped enough for the day - lucky thing most shops had closed for the day too.

It was just slightly after 7pm, but thanks to the long days in summer, the sky was still bright and we strolled around a little.  We walked towards the Piazza Della Signoria, the heart of the city, and it was brimming with people.  The sun was just setting and it was the perfect timing to photograph the numerous statutes in the Piazza, including the huge water fountain (which is supposedly ugly to many locals) and a copy of Michelangelo's David located just outside Palazzo Vecchio.  We then walked towards Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge where gold is sold.  The bridge was lined with jewellery shops, and when we arrived, the shopkeepers were just winding down for the day.  It was interesting to see how the shops were being locked up.  Mostly, huge locks were used and there were thick wooden panels pulled down to protect the windows so that no glass is visible from the outside.  

We had a late dinner (8+pm) at L'Osteria De Giovanni where we were served salty fried dough (reminds me of my favourite you tiao) prior to our main course.  A had juicy milk-fed veal chop which was excellent, and my beef stew was so-so.  The portions were huge, and our stomachs were so full from the mains that there were no room for dessert.

Overall, Florence is a lovely city filled with culture and beautiful architecture.  Can't wait to explore more over the next few days! 

Italy - Montepulciano (11 Jul 2011)

Woke up slightly later this morning at 9+am and headed for breakfast at 9:50am - in our typical style of rushing for breakfast before it ends at 10am.  

We had lovely soft toast and 3/4 cooked eggs (all DIY style) which was interesting to me because I have never boiled my own eggs in a restaurant before.  There was an apparatus with egg holders and boiling water, so one just has to place the egg in a metal egg holder, dip it in boiling water, and wait.  When one thinks the egg is done, one has to deftly transfer the egg onto a ceramic egg cup, wait for the egg to cool abit, and then either:
(i) (as A demonstrated) crack the top of the egg shell with the back of a metal spoon, peel away the top portion of the egg, sprinkle some pepper/salt on the egg, and then use a small spoon to dip into the egg the same way you'll eat a kiwi, or 
(ii) (as how the couple beside us ate their egg) use a butter knife to slice the top portion of the egg, and then use the half-cooked egg as a bread dip.  
I made a mental note to purchase an egg cup for J when I am back home.  It seemed so much easier to feed him eggs using an egg cup instead of peeling the entire egg and then mincing it up.

After breakfast we went back to our cottage and found that the staff were cleaning the cottage.  I initially wanted to just sit in the living area while they were cleaning up, but the strong stench of bleach literally chased me out.  I was a little unhappy that they used one of our empty plastic bags (which I hung at the edge of a chair) to fill up rubbish.  It was obviously our plastic bag because it was an NTUC plastic bag, and plastic bags are a precious commodity during travels.  Anyway, what's done cannot be undone so I'll just let it be.

We later headed towards the nearby town of Montepulciano.  I think this town is built along a hill, because the streets had never-ending upslopes.  It was definitely some exercise for our calf muscles as we slowly made our way up the streets, and it would be unwise to lose your way (as we did while looking for a particular restaurant) because you'll have to scale the sloping streets more times than you really need to.  

The city centre (Piazza Grande) was a lot quieter than I expected, with the Townhall  (Palazzo Communale) and Cattedrale located next to each other.  I later saw a poster that indicated the Townhall at the city centre was a filming site for the movie Twilight - New Moon.  I'll try to rewatch the movie in future to see if I can identify the place.  

We had lunch at Caffe Poliziano, a cafe established in 1868.  We had a balcony table which overlooked the stunning Tuscany landscape.  I was feeling pretty lethargic by then, and didn't enjoy the scenery as much I would like to.  I was just glad that my spaghetti carbonara wasn't salty and the texture of the spaghetti was just right. A's arrabiatta penne turned out harder than we are used to - tasted a little undercooked.  By now, I am used to expecting Italian food cooked in styles very different from what I am used to back home.  I love Singaporean-styled pizzas (think Hawaiian) and pasta, but here in Italy, they seem to like it all plain (e.g. magherita pizzas and spaghetti pesto, sans meat). 

After lunch, we drove towards Tempio di San Biagio, which was a short driving distance from the town.  I was awed by the sheer size of the temple - I felt so small relative to the temple, and wondered how did men in the past ever manage to build such a huge building.  It must have been a massive job back then.  Having seen quite a number of cathedrals, it made me realize that the Italians of the past must have been a pretty devout group to have spent so much time, labour and finances to not only construct these massive buildings of worship, but to also adorn them with various paintings, statues and carvings.  

This is our final night in the villa, and we again had a great dinner - stuffed vegetables, fusilli with pesto, beef steak and alcoholic parfait for dessert.  However, instead of the usual service staff whom A thinks is very good, a lady waitress replaced him tonight and she was much slower in her service.  Dinner was supposed to start at 8pm but she had yet to finish setting up by 8pm.  We also had to wait about 20min after we were seated before we could order our drinks.  We had our appetizer at about 9pm and dinner only ended at about 10:20pm.  Nevertheless, food was good and the garden ambience was the perfect setting for the dinner.  A very nice way to wrap up our stay at the villa, and also the end of our tour of the Italian countryside.

Italy - Montalcino (10 Jul 2011)

After a decent breakfast at our villa, we headed towards Montalcino, the town famous for its Brunello wine.  In terms of architecture, the town paled in comparison to the other towns we have visited.  Postcards of the place showed pictures of the clock tower and the fortress - so I suppose other than wine, these are the 2 key highlights of the town.

We headed towards Poggio Antico for lunch and the hope of a wine tour.  We were surprised at the number of cars parked outside the restaurant, given the place was located a distance away from the town and not visible from the main road.  It was a scenic drive-in lined with cypress trees.  According to trusty Lonely Planet, Poggio Antico is one of the top wine producers in the region and also serves good food.  The selection of homemade bread served was warm and soft - so yummy I had three buns! But my dish of spaghetti was so salty that mineral water tasted sweet in comparison, and I only managed to stuff myself with half the dish.  I later found out from the waitress and chef and the dish was cooked with Cinta Sienese Pork Cheek which had a very strong flavor (which I took to understand that the meat had been overladen with salt to preserve it).  The saving grace came in the delectable cold pistachio cream dessert with hazelnut sauce (which tasted and looked like chocolate sauce).

We were lucky that a wine tour was happening at 3pm, about the same time we finished our lunch.  As part of the wine tour, we were shown the sophisticated machine used to wash the bottles, how nitrogen is then used to fill the bottles before wine is poured in (to avoid contact with air), and then only a certain type of cork (the type that must be pre-ordered a year in advance and costs 1 Euro each) is used to seal the bottle before labels are stuck onto the bottles.  The grapes are handpicked and selected, with the inferior grapes being discarded.  We were also shown the area where the grapes are placed into huge metal containers with controlled temperature and humidity (what the lady termed as spaceships) where they are left for initial fermentation and compressed (using machinery, instead of the au natural way of using feet).  The grape juices are then transferred into wooden barrels, where they are left to ferment for a few years.  Depending on the wine-making recipe, the grape juices would be placed in different types of barrels for various number of years.  I never knew there were so many steps to wine-making, and the wine tour was really an eye-opener.  There are a total of 55 rules that the winemaker has to adhere to in order to make Brunello wine - no wonder the cheapest 1 litre bottle cost us 35 Euros.  We bought 2 bottles after the tour - the classic bottle and the Altero (which is the modern version of the classic Brunello).  Both A and I preferred the lighter-tasting Altero, although being the non-wine drinker that I am, I much preferred the fruity aromas than the actual taste of alcohol in my mouth.

After the wine tour, we headed towards Abbazia Di Sant' Antimo, a restored church.  The church was very simply decorated unlike the other Duomos we have visited.  Music was floating through the air as we stepped through the wooden doors, creating an ambience of reverence and tranquility.

On our way back to Villa Cicolina, we stopped along the road a couple of times to snap pictures of the stunning Tuscan landscape - valleys of green blended with fields of golden yellow, as well as my favorite field of cheerful sunflowers beaming under the Tuscan sunlight.

We wrapped up the day with another sumptuous dinner at the villa.  We went with high expectations after last night's dinner and were not disappointed.  A was so impressed with each dish he went "mmm" each time he tasted a new course.  Dessert (my favorite part of the meal) was Tiramisu, and while it was yummy with a strong caffe flavour, we both thought the apple tart the day before was more stunning.  Anyway, we have decided we would have dinner at our villa tomorrow night again - this is one of the best meals I have eaten in my life and it seemed a bargain in Italy to be paying 33 Euros for a great-tasting four-course meal.  I actually think the same set menu would easily burn a 3-digit hole in the pocket back in Singapore.  

We spent some time surfing the internet in the common area after dinner, and looked through some videos of my little J.  Boy, I miss him so much! But I am glad that he is in the good hands of his grandparents who dote on him more than his parents do.  Afterwards we went back to our cottage and watched some news on BBC - I never knew BBC programmes could be so interesting.  With a demanding toddler back home, we never had time to watch much TV programmes, and I am glad we are away on a holiday rewarding ourselves with some time of our own, without having to fret over our little prince.  

One of the BBC news segment covered the lack of food and water in Somalia, and how families would walk for days and even weeks without food and water, in search of a refugee camp that would provide them with the basic necessities to survive.  Many young children and babies die within days from reaching the refugee campsite from malnutrition, and more and more graveyards are dug everyday.  And the available supply of food and water is limited given the increased number of refugees.  The saddening truth is that people in other parts of the world are caught in the cycle of poverty and have difficulties having their basic needs met.  And here I am enjoying myself at a holiday, with a roof over my head, and ample supply of food and water to support an expanding waistline.  I am truly blessed and really thankful.

Italy - Siena and Montepulciano (9 Jul 2011)

Grabbed a cone of gelato before leaving San Gimignano for Siena.  Siena is a huge city with a huge town square.  Around the square are lined with restaurants and shops - most of the restaurants were packed with people who were enjoying their meals alongside the views of the square and Palazzo Communale.  We visited the courtyard of the Palazzo Communale (free entry) and saw a long queue of people waiting to scale the tower.  Apparently only 30 people are allowed up the tower at any one time, which explains the long queue.  

We visited the Duomo after lunch.  As I was wearing a sleeveless top, I was given a paper-like shawl to cover my shoulders before I could enter the Duomo.  The interior of the Duomo is supported by unique black-and-white pillars, and at one end of the cathedral is a round stained glass depicting what looks like The Last Supper. The marble floor of the cathedral is covered by picture carvings but only a portion of the floor could be viewed, with the rest being covered up to protect the floor.  A told me that twice a year, the entire marble floor would be revealed for viewing and the entrance fees for those days would double to 6 Euros for each visitor.  The most spectacular part of the cathedral would be the library room with ceilings completely covered with vivid-coloured paintings.  There was also a statue of 3 women in the middle of the room depicting the 3 graces - grace, fascination and (something else we can't remember).  Apparently, the statues were previously owned by a rich family and it was common for wealthy families in the past to display their art collection in a designated room.

After Siena, we drove towards Montepulciano.  When we stopped at a petrol kiosk to top up our fuel, surprisingly no one was mending the kiosk though we could still top up the fuel by paying cash at a machine.  Looks like it is the norm for petrol kiosks to be closed on weekends.

Our hotel, or more appropriately termed holiday villa, was outside Montepulciano. It is set in a lovely garden filled with fruit trees and flowers.  A had splurged on a cottage with a pretty garden and a kitchen.  We had to pay if we wanted to use the kitchen, and if we wanted a bath towel for the pool, it would cost us 1 Euro too.  By now, I am used to the fact that everything at Italy has a price tag to it. 

I have veered off my initial thoughts - all I wanted to say was that the place had a lovely setting.  And I also had my best meal there since I arrived in Italy.  Dinner was in the midst of a garden - I had beef stew and the best apple tart (drenched in bittersweet caramel)  I have ever tasted.  A had a delicious dish of tomatoes stuffed with risotto, and pasta with sheep cream cheese. The menu sounded ordinary, but the dishes were exceptional.   A and I each had an apple tart, and he didn't even notice there were raisins in the tart until his last few mouthfuls.  That speaks a lot for someone who is "psychologically allergic" to raisins. I am already eagerly looking forward to dinner tomorrow.

Italy - San Gimignano and Volterra (8 Jul 2011)

Breakfast at the hotel was a complete blah, so much so that I wouldn't mind skipping breakfast the next day.  We visited the Palazzo Del Comune ( the Townhall) after breakfast and scaled up the 54m high tower.  The walk up was pretty creepy because I am generally afraid of heights and it didn't help there were gaps between the steps such that I could see the steps beneath me as I walked up the stairs.  I made my way up the tower in a slow and not-too-steady manner, and was rewarded with a breathtaking view right at the top.  

Afterwards, we rewarded ourselves with Gelato (again!) and drove to Volterra for a late lunch.  Volterra had apparently shot to fame from being mentioned in the 2nd book of the Twilight series - New Moon.  But I found no resemblance between the town and the scenes from the movie, although it seemed that filming took place in the town as there were Twilight guided tours every Saturday.  The town had significantly less tourists than San Gimignano, and was less impressive too.  But every other shop we came across sold items made of Alabaster - apparently the town's speciality craft.

We went back to San Gimignano for dinner and coincidentally, a student orchestra from Holland had a free outdoor performance near our hotel that evening. It was a casual sort of performance, and the musicians were all clad in summer wear (think sleeveless tops and shorts).  Occasionally, the wind would cause the music scores to fly and the musicians would scramble to arrange the sheets and secure them to the music stand with wooden clothes pegs.

Italy - Pisa and San Gimignano (7 Jul 2011)

Took a 2 hour train ride to Pisa Central Station where we spotted fields of sunflowers along the way - simply stunning.  We left our baggage at "Left Baggage" at the station and took a bus ride to view the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  

As expected, the area was full of tourists.  A climb up the Leaning Tower would cost us 15 Euros each (compared to 10 Euros to enter all other buildings in the vicinity.  We would have paid for the climb up the world-renown tower if not for the 3 hour waiting time.  So we ended up just snapping pictures of the tower, and paid 6 Euros each to visit the cathedral and cemetery instead.  I visited this area 10 years ago, but but still felt pretty amazed as I admired the beautiful architecture and how the design of each building complemented one another.  In my opinion, the prettiest building was the round baptistry, but the one that truly captivated me was the Leaning Tower of Pisa - simple in design, but the way the building leaned was truly intriguing.  

After spending a couple of hours at the Leaning Tower of Pisa and had a Macdonalds lunch (my first Italian Macdonalds meal - fries were quite nice but my Fillet-o-Fish was so-so, and we had to pay 0.2 Euros for ketchup) we headed back to the train station to collect our luggage and then took a cab to Hertz to collect our car. 

We took our rented Ford Fiesta, went to the supermarket to stock up on fruits and snacks, and the hit the highway towards San Gimignano.  We reached San Gimignano a few hours later - thanks to the long days of daylight, the sky was still bright and sunny when we reached the town in the evening. 

San Gimignano is a fortress-like city, and no vehicles are permanently allowed within its walls.  We drove in to drop our luggage and had to drive our afterwards to park at the designated carpark areas outside the town.  I have to say that our car looked really out of place when we stopped it for a few minutes outside our hotel.  The town is built out of brown brickwalls, and has a medieval feel to it.  If everyone were wearing robes instead, it would feel like we have been brought back in time.

This is a beautiful town with a stunning view of the surrounding landscape.  Our hotel, Hotel Leon Bianco, is centrally located in the city square.  Nearby is a famous Gelato shop that is always full of customers - and that would be the place I get my daily dose of dessert for the next few days.

Italy - Cinque Terra (6 Jul 2011)

We woke up at 7:30am and found ourselves to be the first guests at breakfast - this was a first, cos we are usually the type who would sleep in and rush off for breakfast before it ends in 15min. 

The breakfast spread looked sumptuous, and we were served excellent freshly squeezed orange juice. But after having scrambled eggs with sodium-overladen bacon (not uncommon in Italy I suppose - just the day before, A had really salty ham with his foccacia) I was left craving for a good American breakfast.  Waffles are my top breakfast choice, but it looks like I'll have to live with cold continental breakfast for the next week.  But I'm not complaining as the breakfast table looked really yummy, though not suited to my Asian palette.

After breakfast, we headed to the train station and took a train to Monterosso, the first of five Cinque Terra towns, and the start of our trekking for the day.  It was a 90min trek to Vernazza, apparently the prettiest town of all.  The trek was relatively easy, and I survived the upslopes thinking of the calories I was burning and the health benefits from the exercise I was getting.  The scenery became prettier when we neared Vernazza - and that is the excitement from trekking - the sense of jubilation and relief when one nears the the destination, and the ability to take in breathtaking views one can't get elsewhere except from taking the trodden path.  

Vernazza is indeed a picturesque town with brightly-colored buildings and a small beach area lined with boats and rock cliffs.  There is also a popular Gelato shop there and we couldn't resist some Gelato on a hot sweltering Italian afternoon.  There was also a public tap in the middle of town which everyone used to fill up their water bottles.  Afer resting for an hour or so, we started on our second trek towards Corniglia.  The trek was shorter at slightly over an hour, though the walking in blistering heat was a challenge itself.  We finally made it and when we were there, realized how far the train station was from Corniglia's town centre.  

The trekking route between Corniglia and Manarola was closed due to a landslide so we took a train to Manarola instead.  We also later took a train from Manarola to the final Cinque Terra town of Riomaggiore.  Between trekking and taking the train, I found that I could better appreciate the towns I trekked to, and could also take nicer pictures of the towns from a distance.  In contrast, my impression of the last 2 towns were pretty vague, though these towns had their beauty in a similar but unique way.

Italy - Trip to Moneglia (5 Jul 2011)

Woke up at about 9am and we headed to a nearby cafe for a light breakfast.  We checked out at about 11+am and took a cab to the train station.  After a quick pizza brunch at the train station, I wanted to use the washroom but immediately changed my mind when I saw the hefty fee of 1 Euro.  Goodness knows what expensive soap or toilet paper they have in the toilet, but I am never going to find out. 

When we got to the train platform, we realized that our assigned carriage no. 7 was non-existent and when A asked the train staff, he was told to head towards carriage no. 5 instead. Our seats were already occupied in carriage no. 5, but lucky there were extra seats along the aisle - much less comfortable but better than nothing.  So much for paying 47 Euros for the 2 seats. 

When the train staff came by to check our tickets, he did not look surprised and merely told us there were seats in other carriages.  Looks like wrong train bookings like ours are not uncommon. There were other passengers seated on the extra seats just like us too. 

We finally managed to get proper seats halfway through the journey as several people alighted at one of the major towns. Just minutes after I had seated myself comfortably, we were joined by an Italian woman with a dog. She sat in front of A, placed her bag on the seat in front of me, and her dog in front of my feet. That's great - first I had no seat, and now I have a proper seat and a dog as a neighbour.  Lucky thing the dog was pretty well-behaved throughout the short journey although I still felt that the woman should have been more understanding - what if I was afraid of dogs? I would have been terrified many years ago...thankfully I am more tolerant of dogs now.  

We finally reached Moneglia after a 3 hour train ride. After heaving my trolley luggage up the stairs (would have brought my haversack instead if I knew of the stairs I had to climb), we walked a short distance to our accommodation - Abbadia San Giorgio.  The compound was previously a monastery built in 1800s and it has been restored beautifully.  There are only 8 guest rooms available, and the entire place was really quiet and peaceful.  The room has been tastefully done up with shades of brown, yellow and gold - not my favorite colours but quite charming by my standards.

We headed towards the town centre which was just a stone's throw away. It was a lot livelier and full of holiday-makers in their swimming gear. The beach was packed with people sun-bathing.  Having come from the sunny island of Singapore, I never quite understood the fun of getting one's skin roasted in the sun, not to mention the aging effects excessive sun exposure has. Why do people love sun-tanning so much? Could it be the thrill of parading around in their new swimwear or perhaps they love the sun-kissed glow on their skin (notwithstanding the skin damage)? Anyway, the sun bathers seemed contented to while the entire day on the sand not doing much.

We managed to tour round Moneglia's town centre in about half an hour and then decided to take a train to the first town of the Cinque Terre - Monterosso.  The gravel beach was jammed packed with...sunbathers again. Here I was armed with my cap and shades - and the rest of the crowd was skimpily clad to gain maximum exposure to the sun.  We walked around abit, spotted a small but lovely cathedral, before heading back to Moneglia for dinner.

We had dinner at Assirto - one of the recommended restaurants from our lodge.  We went into the small family-run restaurant at about 7:30pm and found it empty. Apparently the restaurant only serves dinner from 7:30pm onwards...which seems pretty late to me.  The food was quite good (especially the anchovies) but portions were humongous.  The owner even took a chair and sat down beside us to describe how each available dish was prepared.  It took us 1.5hr to finish our dinner - and I tried my best to chomp down as much as I could cos it seemed rude if we had too much leftovers when the owner took so much pride in each dish.  We left the restaurant at 9pm - but it looked like it was only 7+pm and the sun was still setting.

Although we did not do much during the day, I was completely exhausted by then and dozed off while using the iPad on the bed. 

Italy - Milan (4 Jul 2011)

After a 12 hr flight during which I watched 2.5 movies (Kungfu Panda was hilarious, Little Red Riding Hood had a so-so plot, Great Big World had me thinking that people in the past are happier as they content themselves with simple pleasures in life sans computers) and survived a neighbour with not-so-pleasant breath, we finally touched down at about 8am. 

My first impression of Milan was the cool toilet knobs!  Instead of the typical round knobs that you turn clockwise-anti clockwise, or those practical latches that move left and right, the toilet knobs at Milan airport had me pondering for a couple of seconds how to exactly use them - and this is not insignificant for someone who has been using toilets for so many years.

Milan's door knobs are round but one presses on the rectangular mechanism on top of the knob to open-close the door. And there is a tiny round button just below the knob that locks the door. I would be baffled at this interesting mechanism if not for instructions pasted on the toilet door.

The door knobs certainly left me with a good first impression - even ubiquitous items like this has a style unique to city of fashion. 

It was an hour's bus ride and then a half-hour queue at the train station to purchase our tickets for the next day. There were men dressed in black T-shirts and jeans that were helping people at self-service ticket stations or directing people towards certain ticketing counters.  One of them approached us but we declined his offer of service.  Still can't figure out whom these men are, my best guess is that they are targeting confused tourists and assisting them in their ticket purchase for a small fee - a self-determined job creation of sorts.  After the long queue at the train station, we got on a cab to head towards our hotel - Sheraton Diana Majestic Milano. 

The hotel lobby was simple and modern, but from the ancient-looking lift which can fit a maximum of 5 people, it seems like the hotel was last refurbished in the early 1980s. We were upgraded to a junior suite, but the layout and design of the room was nothing to shout about.  The room is furnished with wooden furniture decorated with grey-white table tops and golden knobs. The curtains are vertical stripes of gold and warm yellow hues, perfectly matched to the warm light exuding from the table lamps with gold trimmings and the yellow sofas. The most outstanding furniture in the room would be the gold chandelier with fake candles. The toilet has simple white tiles and brown marble countertop at the sink area. Right above the double sinks is a mirror with tarnished gold patterned trimmings.

The hotel looks like it had a glorious past - the furnishing would be considered classy maybe twenty years ago.  While I love retro designs, the only designs I would replicate from the hotel (if I had to) would be the grey-white marble countertops and pure white bedsheets.  But what is impressive is the maintenance of the furniture. Despite the outdated designs, every furniture piece is well maintained. All in all, the room is spacious, simple and clean - which is all I ask of a hotel room. 

We spent the afternoon walking around the city centre.  Lunch was a sandwich take-away from a sandwich shop with a relatively long queue (the best gauge for decent food at reasonable prices) and we also visited the Domo. I vaguely recall visiting the Duomo during my post-graduate trip to Europe, and feeling unimpressed with the cathedral - cos I had been awestruck by Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and every subsequent piece of architecture I saw paled in comparison.  But that was ten years ago.

Fast track ten years later, I am back at the same place but with my hubby - who would have thought :) And I was pretty impressed with the intricate carvings at the Duomo. It is hard to imagine how this piece of elaborate architecture, which is completely covered by intricate hand carvings, could be built by hand 500 years ago.  It must have required a tremendous amount of hard work, peserverance and patience. The designer must have taken great pride in his design. 

After visiting Duomo, we went window shopping. It is sales period in Milan and every store we passed had signs screaming Saldi (which means Sales in Italian).  Other than my one visit inside a Prada shop to check out my dream bag (no discount but it is about 30% cheaper than in Singapore and there is a tax refund of 12%), the rest of the window shopping was pretty boring. We had a good stroll though - the weather was almost perfect - the sun was shining strongly but the cool air kept us from pespiring. We also found a great gelato shop and indulged in one of the best gelato we have ever tasted.  We strolled a bit more afterwards to work off the calories and headed towards the canal area which was a disappointment. A thinks the area may look livelier at night when the restaurants and bars are open.

After that we zipped back to the hotel via the metro. The memorable parts of the metro ride were the screeches when the non-air-conditioned train started moving (and how everyone was oblivious to the screeches), and the horizontal handles that I had to stretch upwards to hold onto. 

As A was sniffing a bit, we went to the supermarket to get some water and fruits - which were considerably cheap - 3.5 Euros for 2 1.5 litres of water and 6 golden kiwis. After that, we were back to the hotel to rest and our intended 1.5 hour nap turned into a 7 hour rest. We missed dinner as a result and had to order room service - a whopping 17 Euros for a chicken sandwich. But guess that is the premium we pay for a hungry stomach at 12+am. 

Bedtime was about 3am for me as I spent the rest of my time blogging and waiting for my hair to dry. On a side note, the TV programmes in Milan are not worth watching - most of the programmes are in Italian except for a few news channel and a movie channel. 

1 week in Pittsburgh

To my family and friends who are wondering how happystella has been in Pittsburgh.

This blog is long overdue. I have a half-completed blog entry on my first week in US during which I toured LA and Las Vegas. Taking into account the painful amount of time it takes to sort, select and upload the travel pictures, I've decided to temporarily skip that 1 week of glorious fun to provide an update to (highly probable) final phase of my study life. At this point, I don't see myself study for the many years to come, although man (and Stella, notwithstanding) can be fickle.

I've just placed aside the computing notes and fully wary that I've only 7 hours to my morning alarm buzzing, I hope to keep this blog short and sweet. But I do miss writing and hope to write endless pages, alas, time waits for no man.

Accomodation:
I'm staying in a clean, nice 2-bedroom apartment. I have received varying levels of service from the apartment staff, though most are generally pleasant.

But prior to my arrival, I had the most unpleasant encounter with Stacy, apparently the manager. 1.5 weeks before my scheduled arrival to Pittsburgh, she had unilaterally cancelled the 3-bedroom booking I made almost 2 months ago, and merely informed me via email. I called the apartment umpteen times, spoke to almost all the counter staff there were, found out that lady who sent me the curt email was on leave and the rest of the staff I spoke to could not help me on this matter, before I finally spoke to her. Talkig to her felt like I was stupidly banging against the wall, to the point that I was at my wit's end and got my hubby (who is generally more logical and calm) to speak to Stacy who probably is acquainted with the real meaning of customer service. All efforts came to no avail.

And despite all the unpleasantries, I still had to stay at this apartment because it was just too late for me to look for alternative accomodation. On the bright side of things, the other counter staff I've met are great and helpful, all with the exception the woman who doesn't bother to even smile at you. I certainly hope she is not the manager. I don't think I'm biased against her. Even my rational hubby thinks her quality of service is really substandard.

So everything at Forbes is great..from the free Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate to the extra study desk in my apartment...except for her whom I don't care much about anyway.

Food:
To all Subway fans back at home, Quizno sandwiches win Subway's handsdown anytime! Competition between both sandwich chains appear tough. Both chains are currently having $5 footlong promotions, and the Quizno ads on TV blatantly mentions that they include more ingredients than Subway! I'm not sure such an advertisement could be aired without lawsuits back at home.

All bread and no rice makes Stella a dull gal. Lucky for my friends and myself, we found a Taiwanese eatery a few streets away that serves pretty decent Chinese food at reasonable prices. The "gu lu yok" is simply delicious and I've a good mind to make it my staple for the coming weeks.

In school, I haven't explored that many eating places, but I think the one I will patronise most often would be the food truck selling Thai food. Ha, looks that the Singaporean me simply can't live without Asian food.

Occasionally, we also have the cooking sessions...only 3 sessions so far, but definitely more anticipated. The general rule is that gals will do the cooking, and the guys the cooking. I'm tempted to ask the guys to cook (more than maggie mee) but I need time for confidence building, hee hee. Oh, by the way, we succeeded in cooking rice using a normal pot! Quite pleased as I thought cooking rice would be a pretty formidable task.

School:
Challenging. I spent 1.5 days writing the code for one question, and would probably take more time if not for my friends. The subjects have more coding than I would like. But I'm trying to look at the bright side of things and hoping this is a good chance to brush up my programming skills. Project work also generally requires more brainwork, hopefully it'll add some mental agility. I'm expecting more work, less play in the upcoming weeks. So in the meantime, trying to put in consistent work, enjoying whilst I can, and just to try my best.

Weather:
Freezing! This morning, it was about 8 degrees Celsius. Lecture hall was pretty chilly and I had to down a cup of hot cocoa to fight off the cold. Lunch time was much worse. I wore 3 layers of clothing, but nonetheless, still shivered on my short walk to buy lunch. Weather is supposed to be sunny tomorrow with a high of 20 degrees, but the low is 7.2 degrees! Brrr...right now its actually a bit cold in my apartment cos the heater doesnt seem to be functioning well. But I'm glad I'm indoors. Every time I leave the guy's apartment (just a few rooms away), I've to run back to my apartment cos the chilly wind. Let's see how I'll manage the cold tomorrow. I really miss Mr Sunshine.

Transportation:
Transportation comes in 2 forms: walking or bus. And patience is tested when waiting for buses. It is not uncommon to wait for over half an hour for the dear bus, and I have learnt not to trust the bus numbers stated at the bus-stops.

But the bus drivers have been generally helpful, and we met a really nice bus-driver on Sunday on our way to Waterworks Mall. We took the wrong bus and was kinda stranded at a bus-stop waiting for our bus. Weather was cold and the wind was blowing furiously. A kind bus-driver who had apparently finished his scheduled drive picked us from the bus-stop and drove us all the way to the Mall! Thank God for such a great driver!

Everything else under the sun:
Caught some exciting scenes the past few days. About a week ago, saw a several police cars speeding by with their sirens blasting out loud. And above us was a helicopter...perfect scene taken out of a movie.

Just this afternoon on my way back to the apartment, my friends and I saw a group of policeman surrounding a man, putting him down on the floor before handcuffing him. It was pretty exciting, and a bit scary cos one wonders why it needs so many trained police officers to handle a man.

Great friends, great company. Having friends around helps to ease the part of me who is missing home, the summer-all-year round weather, my cute little berry, my food, my family, my friends.

For now, I think I'm settling in pretty well in Pittsburgh. Hopefully all continues to go well and I hope to make my stay here as memorable and enjoyable as possible (ex- all the homework and exams, of course!).

Ho Chi Minh (Jun 07)

Whoa, been quite a while since I've blogged. Been busying myself with quite a bit of stuff...meeting interior designers in the evenings, trying to revise my maths, watching Lost 3 =) Ah-ha, this is the first holiday that I am putting on my blog! Hopefully there will be more to come.

Overall feel of Ho Chi Minh is that it is good for shopping and pigging out! But hotel rates are on the pricey-end, considering that the standard of living is not quite high. But what I really like about the place is that it is pretty tourist friendly. There aren't many persistent street peddlers, and its pretty easy to travel within the city by cab. Read on a website that tourists should only take cabs with certain licensed cab companies. I faithfully followed that advice at all times except once, and bingo,the fare meter jumped every other second and I ended up paying an exorbitant amount compared to what I would usually pay...but lucky it was only a short trip.

Despite the unpleasant experience with the cab driver and the hassle of bargaining for my buys...it was a pretty good holiday! The food was excellent, shopping was not bad (except for the hard bargaining part)and I had one of the best spas in my life. A pity I had only 3.5 days, hardly enough to explore and soak in the beautiful country.

Day 1 (15 Jun 07)

Checked into Somerset, a service apartment that is about 10min drive from the city centre. Clean nice apartment, but decor is nothing to shout about...

Since inflight cuisine is never exciting, we were famished...and made the best-est decision to lunch at a local eating place 'Pho Hoa'. I am not a fan of soup noodles, but this shop converted me. The soup was divinely tasty and I slurped up almost every drop of the soup, and gobbled down every piece of that tender beef slices. This is indeed the best Pho in HCM!

After a satisfying lunch, shopping was in the itinerary to burn off some calories. We headed for the famous Ben Thanh market. But my shopping spirits were dampened by the huge amount of haggling required, so I did not buy much.
Since one of my priorities was to tailor an ao dai, I spent quite a fair bit of time instead looking for an ao dai tailor, and eventually chanced upon a lovely seamstress who later sewed me 2 very lovely pieces for a total of about USD70. In my opinion, the pricing is pretty reasonable since these are customised to one's size. During my window shopping, I also came across numerous lovely tailored pieces that could be worn for office. I am now set to go back to Vietnam to tailor business suits in the future =)

During the hunt for the tailor, we came across a girl selling pop-up cards. The cards were so pretty, I could not resist buying some. I actually had the inclination to buy all the cards on display, but I knew my hubby would never agree! So I ended up snapping many shots of the cards.

Dinner came, and again, Vietnamese food was superfabulous. We went to a restaurant that was very popular with the locals - Quan An Ngon. It was supercrowded when we arrived. But I loved the atmosphere...very cosy and the place was filled with little food stalls. You order the food from the waiter, and he would pick it up from these stalls. Unfortunately it was a rainy evening, and although the restaurant used huge canvas sheets to shelter guests from the rain, the sheets were no match. Eventually some of the canvas sheets collapsed at the weight of the rainwater collected above it, and there was quite a scene as the waiters tried to hold up the canvas umbrellas.
The day ended with a spa message at Xuan Spa (Hyatt). One of the best massages I have ever had in my life! The place was also very lovely - the spa was painted in a clean white, and decorated with beautiful paintings of Vietnamese ladies. I am not the arty kind, and hence, possess the lowest level of art appreciation that one can imagine. But the non-artistic me fell in love with the paintings, and got my sturdy Nikon to post them in memory lane (and in this blog of course).



Day 2 (16 Jun 07)

We took a day excursion to Mekong Delta, and visited the floating market, as well as food and pottery factories. As a self-professed shopping queen, I just had to buy something, and set my eyes on a Vietnamese hat. Thought it would really match my ao dai. Lunch included a really interesting dish, called Elephant Ear Fish. Just looking at the photo is making my stomach rumble... These are some shot from the pottery factory. There was a very adorable girl, and I just had to snap some pics of her...

Dinner was at Vietnamese House. As usual, Vietnamese cuisine never fails to disappoint, and we left feeling full and very satisfied.


Day 3 (17 Jun 07)

This was our last full day, we decided that we enjoyed the food at Quan An Ngon so much, we needed to make a 2nd trip back. The restaurant is a perfect spot for lunches, and it looks much prettier in the day with the greenery all around.

After lunch, we made a trip to try on my ao dai. Yep, my first value buy in Vietnam!

Following that, we made a trip to the war museum. The pictures all emitted a common melancholic theme. Learning about the atrocities of the Vietnam war saddened my heart, and I felt dismayed at the extremes that humans can be capable of, and how could anyone have the right to hurt another fellow human being when all our lives are blessings bestowed by God. And I also wondered why did God allow such deeds to take place?

After visiting the museum, there was still some time before dinner. We went to Highland Coffee at Diamond building for some coffee. This coffee joint is the Starbucks equivalent in HCM, and the seamtress had recommended the coffee from this cafe. But we didn't quite like the slightly sourish taste of the coffee, and thought that the coffee we had during our day trip to Mekong Delta tasted much better. Diamond building is probably the most lavish shopping centre in HCM, and this is the place to go for luxury items. The exterior of the building had very pretty motifs such as that below. Across Diamond building is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Certainly not as grand as the original one in Paris, but is one of the prominent structures in HCM. As it was Sunday evening, there was mass and the church grounds were packed with people, including peddlers selling drinks and foodstuff.
Did I not mention the numerous motorbikes in HCM? The number of people on bikes are unbelievable, and it is pretty challenging trying to cross the streets with the heavy traffic.
Last stop for Day 3 was another spa session at Aqua Spa at Sheraton. Decor of the place was not bad, but the massage manages at best a thumbs-down from me. The masseur assigned to me used minimal strength, and she was also totally unattentive - abruptly shifting my feet, hobbling the stones (I opted for a hot stone massage) on the bed so that I felt the vibrations with every throw..sighz, this place is totally not worth remembering, and it was probably one of the worst spa sessions in my life.

Day 4 (18 Jun 07)

On our last day, we made a trip to the backpackers' area. We were scouting for a breakfast place, and chanced upon a café with my name. Ha, with such a meaningful name, I had to make a stop there.

And boy, was it shopping haven! I did not even have to bargain much. The items were very reasonably priced, and it was much more enjoyable shopping there instead of Ben Thanh market. After shopping, it was time to head back to hotel to collect our luggage before returning back to reality in Singapore.