We’re back in Hong Kong.
That was the best vacation ever. Rome is such an amazing city. Everything was great – the food, the architecture, the food, the history, the food, the museums, the food, the parties, the food, the scenery and did I mention the food? This may go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, Rome has some great Italian food. Italian food in Italy is a million times better than Italian food in Hong Kong. I’m sure Chinese food in Hong Kong is a million times better than Chinese food in Italy. That’s one of the things I really miss about American food – it’s not just one type. In Hong Kong you eat Chinese food every day. In Italy you eat Italian food every day. In America you can eat something completely different every day.
The big surprise of the trip was Amsterdam. I was expecting windmills, tulips, pot and hookers. Amsterdam is actually an impressive little city. The quaint cobblestone streets wind around canals that spread out all over the place. There are a million bridges and beautiful old buildings. Rome is a big sprawling modern city and Amsterdam is an old world European town.
Our Amsterdam hotel was perfect. It was an old building – actually several old buildings together – but the inside was clean and fresh. There were floral prints all over the place and the lobby had fresh flowers every day. They also served free coffee and snacks every day. Our Rome hotel was beautiful, but the staff seemed annoyed that we didn’t speak any Italian. Mi dispiace. Almost everybody in Amsterdam speaks English and the hotel staff was very friendly and welcoming.
Now I wish we’d spent more time in Amsterdam. I was so focused on Rome that Amsterdam turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. But we never saw any windmills.
I’ve got lots of pictures I need to upload, but right now I’m gearing up for the big Halloween party tonight. When it’s busy, it’s busy.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Rome part 1
We’re in Rome. It’s such a beautiful city, and huge. I knew we were never going to see all of it, but once you’re here you really can tell just how large this city is.
The hotel is everything I expected. It’s beautiful inside and out. It’s on a small street that quickly turns off to a larger street that goes everywhere. We can easily walk to the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia, Vittorio Emanuele, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, all kinds of restaurants, tons of shopping and about a million churches.
The bathroom is smaller than our Hong Kong apartment, and that’s saying something. Hong Kong apartments aren’t known for large bathrooms. Ryan didn’t know what the bidet was. I had to show him how to use it. There is no bathtub – just a shower that’s far too small for two people. That’s a disappointment. We don’t have a bathtub in Hong Kong either and I miss taking baths together. At least in our apartment we can both squeeze into the shower together. There’s no way two midgets could fit together in the hotel shower.
Something I noticed as soon as we walked into the room was how high the ceilings are. Everything in Hong Kong is so low that I was forgetting the rest of the world is taller.
No time to blog – lo sono a roma.
The hotel is everything I expected. It’s beautiful inside and out. It’s on a small street that quickly turns off to a larger street that goes everywhere. We can easily walk to the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia, Vittorio Emanuele, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, all kinds of restaurants, tons of shopping and about a million churches.
The bathroom is smaller than our Hong Kong apartment, and that’s saying something. Hong Kong apartments aren’t known for large bathrooms. Ryan didn’t know what the bidet was. I had to show him how to use it. There is no bathtub – just a shower that’s far too small for two people. That’s a disappointment. We don’t have a bathtub in Hong Kong either and I miss taking baths together. At least in our apartment we can both squeeze into the shower together. There’s no way two midgets could fit together in the hotel shower.
Something I noticed as soon as we walked into the room was how high the ceilings are. Everything in Hong Kong is so low that I was forgetting the rest of the world is taller.
No time to blog – lo sono a roma.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Typhoon Season
Another storm just passed through the Philippines. It’s supposed to head north toward us, but it’s not strong enough to be a typhoon yet. It might get stronger or it might get weaker. Anything’s possible with these storms. I just can’t imagine what it must be like to live in the Philippines.
This will probably be my last blog post before we go to Rome. We leave Friday and I’ve still got lots of packing to do.
The weather report in Rome looks good – sunny and warm and no typhoons!
This will probably be my last blog post before we go to Rome. We leave Friday and I’ve still got lots of packing to do.
The weather report in Rome looks good – sunny and warm and no typhoons!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
When in Rome
We’re leaving for Rome on Friday. I can’t believe it’s so soon. I’m pretty excited.
Ryan’s more excited about Amsterdam. I’m still not sure what to do about his birthday.
Ryan’s more excited about Amsterdam. I’m still not sure what to do about his birthday.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Typhoon Nalgae
Typhoon Nalgae just hit the Philippines. It’s a category 4 – over 100 mph – so you never know what it’s going to do. It could go straight to Vietnam, it could hit southern China or it could hit Hong Kong. Nobody really knows.
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