Rome part 3

Our hotel in Rome was very close to the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, Roman Forum and Trajan’s Forum. We passed all of them every day. The Vittorio Emanuele Monument is a very large building dedicated to the first president of Italy. It’s not nearly as old as most of the famous buildings in Rome, but it was right around the corner from out hotel.

The hotel had a dining patio on the roof with great views toward St Peter’s church. It was also very close to several excellent Italian restaurants. I love Italian food and I can never seem to find a good restaurant in Hong Kong. In Minneapolis, there’s a great pizzeria near the island, across the street from Surdyk’s, and the best little Italian deli in Victory near Crystal Lake, but I haven’t found anything in Hong Kong. Our hotel in Rome was surrounded by great food.

Traffic at Vittorio Emanuele

Halloween 2011

We went to a big Halloween party Monday. I didn’t even know most of the people there. At least I don’t think I knew them. It was kind of hard to tell who was whom with the costumes.

Ryan was a lazy zombie. Actually, he looked more like himself watching sports on TV than a person in a costume. Kevin was a pirate. Not as cuddly or strange as Johnny Depp, but not bad either. Lily was Lady Gaga. She had a bad wig, weird sunglasses and she wore a decorated garbage bag. It was pretty funny. I was a devil. I get to play a princess at work so I thought I’d go the other way.

There were a lot of Harry Potter and Avatar costumes and a few Lady Gagas, but Lily’s was the best. I suppose Lady Gaga is a good choice for a Halloween costume. She dresses like it’s Halloween all year.

There were too many people in the apartment where they held the party, so people spilled out into the hallways. I don’t know how the neighbors felt about that. Halloween isn’t a traditional Chinese holiday, but a lot of expats live in that building, so the locals are probably used to rowdy noise by now.

It got pretty hot even with all the doors and windows open. It may be October, but it’s nowhere close to cold in Hong Kong. Lily’s garbage bag was steaming her, so she took it off and spent half the party in her wig and underwear. That still worked out for a Lady Gaga costume. Half the girls were dressed like hookers anyway, so no one noticed.

Rome part 2

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.

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.

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!

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.

Steve Jobs

RIP

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.

Typhoon Nesat

Typhoon Nesat just tore through the Philippines. It’s expected to hit Vietnam or southern China, but it’s a category 3 so it’s big enough to change direction whenever it wants.

Ryan's Family in Hong Kong part 5

Ryan’s family went home. It was fun having them here and I think everyone had a great time. It’s funny how everyone’s idea of a great time is so different. Ryan’s mom loved all the shopping & food. Chinese food in Hong Kong is nothing like Chinese food in Minneapolis. I don’t know whether she put more souvenirs in her luggage or stomach.

The highlight of the trip for Ally was definitely Disneyland. She goes to Mall of America all the time for her entertainment. Disneyland is different. MOA is great for teenagers, but Disneyland brings out the little kid in everyone.

Shane liked the bars and nightlife. He spent a lot of time trying to pick up Chinese chicks with Ryan as his wingman. Americans think all Chinese girls are passive and demure. From what I’ve seen, that’s anything but true. If you want that stereotype, maybe go to Japan. Unless that’s just as incorrect. Chinese girls won’t do whatever you want. From what I’ve seen, they control the guys.

My favorite part of their stay was taking everyone around to see everything and playing tour guide. I never get to do that here. Most of my friends here and most people I meet have been here longer than I have. It was nice to be the one who knew where everything was, at least for a little while.

I don’t know when we’re going to see them all again. Hopefully soon. We’re bound to take a trip to Minneapolis sooner or later.