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EuroTrip: London, Sept 7

On our last day of our EuroTrip, we had to say au revoir to Paris and take the train back to London.  As usual, it was a pleasant ride with a window view, the movie “Eurotrip” on my laptop, and macarons from Laduree.

We tried coconut, hazelnut, espresso, and pistachio.  My favorite was coconut and they all were so light and airy.  Too bad they got a little smushed in my bag.  Paired with a glass of red wine, it was a perfect snack.

When we arrived in Londo, the Tube station was utter chaos.  There was a strike that weekend and everyone (including the locals) were scrambling to find alternate routes.  We were lucky to have our hotel near an open station and a line that wasn’t disrupted.  We stayed at the brand new H10 Waterloo and it certainly did not disappoint.  It had all the latest technology including USB and HDMI ports in the wall and an espresso machine.  We also had a lovely view of Buckingham Palace and part of the London Eye.

We spent the day hanging out along the River Thames.  Lunch was at the top of the OXO Tower where I had sausage made of kangaroo and mushrooms.  The sky was so cool with big fluffy clouds leftover from the morning rain and there was a nice view from the restaurant.  After lunch, we took a walk and we saw all the different bridges along the way.

We made it all thew way down to the London Tower Bridge, walked across it, and then hopped on the ferry for a discounted rate because of the strike.  Jes even got a bottle of beer for the ride. How nice.

The captain of the boat gave us a little tour along the way and was pretty entertaining.

The ferry dropped us off at Big Ben, which was back at where we started and all we had to do was walk over the bridge to the London Eye.

We boarded our pod along with 5 other people and had plenty of room to move around.

It takes 30 minutes to make it all the way around and you get the most spectacular bird’s eye view of London.

Once we disembarked our pod, it was time to rush back to the hotel to change for dinner.  Because of the strike, we had to call a cab to take us to the restaurant.  We ate at Hibiscus, which was just around the corner from Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant.  We had the tasting menu and my favorite dish was a huge ravioli that contained a soft egg hidden inside.  It sat on black rice puree and had bits of black truffle on top.  For dessert, we were asked to taste it first and I thought it was butterscotch.  It turned out to be a mushroom tart!  Whut?!  Crazy.

Here are all the photos from our last day.

EuroTrip: Paris, Sept 6

We spent Jes’ 35th birthday in Paris and he woke up a little grumpy because he was feeling old.  But he quickly got over it and he had a fantastic day after all.  The day started at the Louvre.  After watching the movie “Eurotrip”, I’ve been wanting to go and was looking forward to seeing a Robot Guy outside of the line.

Unfortunately (and fortunately), we knew where to find the “secret” ticket kiosk inside the mall next door and got in through the side entrance without having to stand in line.  We also arrived a little after it opened so it was not as crowded as when we left.  No Robot Guy for us…oh well.

We saw all the famous pieces including the Mona Lisa!! It was a relatively small painting in a huge room and it was covered by a plexiglass shield and blocked off by a velvet rope.  From the back of the room it looked like a movie star surrounded by the papparazzi.

I managed my way up to the front of the crowd and got some close-ups of the painting with my zoom lens.  I admit that there was something really surreal to see it in person.

Here is The Winged Victory of Samothrace.  Cool, isn’t it?!  We also saw Venus de Milo and Grande Odalisque.  We spent probably 2 hours wandering the huge museum and were ready for lunch.

It was raining by mid-day so we went back to the hotel for an umbrella and found ourselves at the Jardin des Tuileries.  They don’t allow walking or sleeping on the grass so they supply a bunch of reclining chairs throughout the park.  It also has a few cafes where we stopped for a snack.

From there, we were able to find the Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk with the Arc du Triomphe in the distance.

We walked up the Champs Elysses and stopped at Laduree to pick up some French macaroons.

It was busy inside with a long line of people hoping to pick up a treat from the place that claims to be the creator of the macaroon.  Fancy.

We also walked by the Louis Vuitton store where there was a looooong line of shoppers outside of the store hoping to buy a really expensive bag.  We were also approached by a Chinese woman claiming that there was a limit to the number of bags that you can buy there.  She asked if we would stand in line and buy a bag for her.  It sounded like fat scam and we blew her off.

For Jes’ birthday dinner, we had a reservation for L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.  The chef is a legend and it was one of our splurges on the trip.  We were truly not disappointed and pleasantly surprised at all the dishes and the casual bar-like layout.  Everyone sat at a sushi bar and we got the tasting menu.

My favorite was a martini glass filled with an egg custard at the bottom with a mushroom foam with mushrooms on top and a little soft-boiled egg hiding inside.  It was like a chawanmushi on crack!  So tasty.

My main entree was quail stuffed with foie and it came with Chef Robuchon’s famous mashed potatoes sprinkled with shaved black truffles.  It’s basically all butter with a little bit of potato and was super creamy and flavorful.  Mmmmm….  Anthony Bourdain just went to this restaurant on his 100th episode of “No Reservations” and raved about the same potatoes.  It was so neat to watch the episode the day after we got back from Paris!

We left the restaurant stuffed and happy.  By the way, there’s an awesome supermarket called Monoprix just across the street from the restaurant.  They price their items with a digital display and it’s sooooo clean and organized inside.

I loved browsing their fresh produce and selection of cookies upstairs.

Here are photos from this day.

EuroTrip: Paris, Sept 5

It’s Day Two of Paris and it happened to be the 1st Sunday of the month so all museums were FREE!!! Yippee! So in the morning we headed across the Seine towards Musee d’Orsay. On the way, we found a patisserie/boulangerie called Eric Kayes, which I had read about. I was pleasantly surprised to find it on accident and that they were open! In Paris, a lot of stores and shoppes are closed on Sundays and Mondays so it seemed like it was going to be slim pickin’s that day. But we were in luck. I got a tasty 3-tomato quiche and cappuccino and Jes got a ham and cheese sandwich and espresso. There was so much to see and try there. One day I will go back for some of their sweets.

At Musee d’Orsay, I found the famous elephant out front. It made me so giddy. The line outside was not very long and moved rather quickly. It was mainly for a security check since no one had to pay. Inside they were very clear that photography was not allowed. Too bad because the museum is in an old train station and so pretty inside!

But not to worry! I still managed to sneak a couple of photos with my iPhone. Heh heh. Part of the museum was under renovation so many of their famous works are actually in the de Young in SF right now!

We went a few months ago to see them but they still had the Ballerina statue by Degas and Van Gogh’s self-portrait in Paris. The rest of it will also be on display starting Sept 22 in SF. Can’t wait to go back!

Afterward, we took a little wine break on the Seine.  It was sunny and warm that afternoon.  What a change from San Francisco coldness.

The next stop was Musee Rodin.  It’s a much smaller museum that features a large mansion surrounded by a huge garden.  That’s where we saw the famous “Thinker” sitting atop a tall stand in the garden.  Apparently there are several copies of this statue (like the one in the Palace of Fine Arts in SF) but this was the original one.

It was time for another break so we walked down past Napoleon’s “eternal home” where his remains now live.  It’s basically a gigantic palace with canons lined up in front with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

We then found a pedestrian street called Rue Cler where we picked up some pastries at Maison Auvray and then sat down at Cafe du Marche, which is a hangout for locals.

There, we ordered a carafe of white wine and sat at a table facing the street.  It was a pleasant afternoon of just sipping wine and people watching.  The French really know how to hangout and relax.

Our last stop was a view of the Eiffel Tower from across the Seine at Jadins du Trocadero.  It’s right next to a Metro stop and is placed up at the top of a hill where you get a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower and Paris behind it.

We got there just around sunset so the sky was pink and later the lights on the tower came on.  So pretty!

For dinner, we found a place called Cafe Constant on rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement.  It’s very small but filled with locals.  We were lucky enough to quickly snag a table for two in the sidewalk and it was perfect.

Our appetizer was a tartare of oysters, seabass and salmon seasoned with ginger and lemon.  Sounded a little scary at first but it was delicious!  My entree was “Patte Bleu” roast chicken with herby butter and pan fried new potatoes in tarragon.  I gotta say, the chicken was so much tastier than our chicken in the States.  Jes had langosteens wrapped in a thin pastry dough and then fried.  It was just as tasty.

For dessert, we had a classic homemade profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.  It was so yummy and the chocolate was so glossy!  The prices were really reasonable at this cafe and their servers were super friendly.  This was definitely one of my favorite places on the trip.

Aaaah….and so our second day in Paris came to an end.  We rode Metro back to the hotel stuffed and exhausted.

Here are photos from this day.

EuroTrip: London, Sept 3

Once we washed up, it was time for lunch.  My cousin accompanied us to a local pub where we had fish and chips with mashed peas (the traditional English preparation).  I also got to taste Guinness, which supposedly gets better-tasting the closer you are to Ireland.  Well, when in England, have some Guiness!  And it WAS better!

After lunch, cousin went home to finish working while Jes and I hopped on the Tube, got off at Westminster and ta da!  We were greeted by Big Ben as soon as we emerged street level.

To the left was the River Thames and a gorgeous view of the river and the London Eye.  I guess we lucked out on weather that day because the sun was out with blue skies and comfortable temps outside.

We made frequent stops at different pubs along the way to enjoy a beer and take toilet breaks.  Buying a beer is a small price you have to pay to use their loo.

We walked past the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey and noticed all the closed circuit television cameras everywhere on the streets.  The security around Parliament was ridiculous.

We strolled through a really big park and ended up at the front of Buckingham Palace.  The queen wasn’t home and there was a little construction out front so we didn’t stay very long.

She’s gone only 2 months out of the year and that’s when they open the palace for tours.  We thought about going inside but they had JUST run out of tickets for the day.  So, we just went to another pub for another potty break.

Jes was starting to fade that afternoon so after a little walk through the shopping area, we took the Tube back to John’s flat so that he could take a nap.

In the meantime, I caught up on emails, hung out with my cousin, and played with his guinea pigs.  They were so cute and funny!

Dinner was at an Indian place called Imli.  It wasn’t the most traditional restaurant, which made for some interesting dishes and a huge dinner bill.  It was ok but I think we would have been better off at a whole-in-the-wall.  It was recommended by John’s wife’s co-workers who were all Indian but when we arrived, everyone was white.  Hm.

After dinner, we stopped for frozen yogurt at Snog where it was very Pinkberry-esque but with lots of rainbow lights inside.

We also walked through Picadilly Circus, which is like a miniature Times Square with flashy lights and engergy.   The next stop was at a local bar/pub where the bartenders were extra lively and friendly, which made it really loud and maybe a little too loud for 2 weary travelers on less than 3 hours of sleep.  After one drink, we were back on the Tube and we all went straight to bed.  That felt like the longest day ever.

Here are the photos.

Lassen and reCamp

Yesterday we got back from a 4-day camping trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park and once again it was quite an adventure.

We drove up on Thursday morning with a 3-car caravan.  Koa sat in a laundry basket and tolerated the 4-hour drive quite well.  We made a couple stops along the way including lunch at a Truck Stop along I-5.

Once we arrived, we set-up camp right away and started the fire shortly afterward.

Jes brought two Coors Light kegs and there were plenty of Coors Light shotguns sprinkled throughout the afternoon.

We enjoyed a warm afternoon at the campsite as Jack played in the dirt, Koa also played in the dirt, and we had delicious burgers that were grilled on the fire. The boys played with fire and late that evening around 9:30pm, the Bangs arrived and we were all asleep by 1 am.

The next morning, we had breakfast burritos and then drove up Route 89 for a trail that allowed dogs.

We found a place called Spatter Cone Trail and it was an easy 1.5-mile loop that took us around to different site where we learned about spatter cones and the local shrubs while Koa ran free off-leash.

Afterward, we found Subway Cave Lava Tube, which was a long tunnel that was pitch black and cold inside.  It was a good thing we brought flashlights because it was the only way we were able to explore it on our own.

Once we got back to camp, we had chicken sandwiches and then the boys took naps while some girls went for a walk while I hung out with Jack, Michelle, and all the gnats buzzing around us.  For dinner, we made beef stew and waited for Dayantha and Krissy to arrive.  They got to the site around 10:30 with some very important items: a sleeping bag for Jack (he froze the night before), Pillsbury biscuits for breakfast the next morning, and some firewood and beer.

The next morning around 4 am, I heard tapping on the top of our tent.  It was raining!!!!  Aw man!  It not only rained but poured.  It just kept coming down all morning while Vyl and Bang prepared breakfast on the fire and with coals.  They managed to bake biscuits in a dutch oven with coals underneath and on the lid.  It was amazing!  To go on top of them, we had some tasty tasty sausage gravy with hot sauce.  It was perfect for a cold, wet morning.

After breakfast, we got into our cars and drove up the mountain where it was SNOWING.  Yes, it was snowing at 8500 feet elevation.

We also stopped at Sulfur Springs where we saw a mud pot and a stream of sulfuric yellow stuff running down the mountain.

When we got back to the campsite, we decided to pack everything up a day early to head out for a new campground.  We drove down the highway and decided to have reCamp in Corning, CA where there was a state park called Woodson Bridge State Park.  It was literally a park with fire pits and felt like backyard camping.  But we didn’t care because we were happy with the warmer weather and lack of rain.  The tents dried out and we were burning the wood that Ryan threw in his trunk along with other wood that was poached from nearby campsites.  Dinner was steak cooked directly on the fire coals and it was yummy.

We also roasted marshmallows and made E. L. Fudge and Oreo s’mores.

Later that night it actually started to rain – AGAIN.  Luckily it didn’t last as long and we woke up the next morning to sunshine and warmth that dried the tents in time for our drive home.

Overall, this camping trip was just as fun as all the others in the past.  It just had another element – lots of water everywhere.  Unfortunately, I woke up on the last day with a raging headache and nausea so I wasn’t able to eat the corned beef hash and bullseyes that morning.  I puked all morning and was sick to my stomach for the rest of the day.  Despite that and the rain, it was still a fun trip and I can’t wait for next year’s.  Until then, I will enjoy my comfy bed and easy access to showers.

Here are the photos.

Dayantha’s Birthday Weekend

It was Dayantha’s 34th birthday a few days ago and he came down to SF to do some celebrating.  On Friday night, we all met up for happy hour and dinner.  It’s so nice to have the 4 boys back together again.

We also made a phone call to Yoon since it was her actual birthday that evening.  Sounded like she was enjoying her birthday at a water park.  Aw…I just saw her in June and miss her already.

On Saturday, a few of us went to the 2nd Annual SF Street Food Festival in the Mission.  I went last year and it was a crowded disaster.  This year had a lot of improvements but it was still packed with people wondering if they’re waiting in the correct line. I made it to Hapa Ramen and got a taste of their cold soba salad and a bowl of ramen with shredded pork.

Afterward, we walked down to Dynamo Donuts to try their Maple Bacon donut but they were sold out.  Dayantha was hoping to taste it since it was on an episode of Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate”.  Oh well, we instead got to try the vanilla bean donut and the blueberry cornmeal donut.  They were both pretty yummy.

Before heading home, we also stopped for ice cream at Humphry Slocombe.  We had to stand in a pretty long line but I thought it was worth the wait.  You know me and my ice cream…

On Saturday night we met up again in Japan Town for a late-night Korean BBQ dinner and karaoke just like old times.  The food was tasty but our singing was not what it used to be.

I left the place saying “I’m too old for this stuff.”  Here are the rest of the photos.  Happy Birthday Dayantha!