Vacation from 'Long Vacation' - Cinque Terre

We were excited to arrive Cinque Terre due to the need of relaxation. Swimming (for me), hiking (for Syd and Dawn), and eating (for all of us) are the best remedies. Our spirits were lifted at the sight of ocean; it was sooooooooo beautiful! I made a reservation at a petite hotel in a smaller village (Manarola) to avoid crowds and it worked! Not many tourists stayed for dinner so we enjoyed food and atmosphere with each other. The hotel was a jewel: clean, comfortable, lovely decorated, with a fantastic scenery, and at a great location. The panoramic view from the private balcony is out of this world while the hotel is close to the train station, town center, and great restaurants (we ate at the same restaurant for 2 nights because the seafood was so fresh and delicious). So just how much do we love the little hotel? Well, Dawn wants to go back there for honeymoon. :) I'd recommend it without hesitation but I also don't want too many people to know about it. So if you ever plan to go to Cinque Terre and would like to check out this hotel, just email me. :)

Picture on Left: I'm on the private balcony of the hotel. The view was fantastic!

Picture on Right: The hotel is left of the yellow house on the right side of the photo. It is situated on the cliff facing the breath-taking scenery.














Picture on Left: The water was nicely cool. I didn't want to get up (but I was hungry). This natural swimming pool is below the hotel (5 min walking).

Picture on Right: Sunset taken from the balcony














Cinque Terre was the last destination on our first trip in Italy. We plan to travel to France later this month (yummy yummy foie gras). But before that, time for Olympics!!!

Note: The opening ceremony was really something. My favorite was the torch lighting: very creative and impressive. I'm cheering for 4 countries (China, Italy, Taiwan, and USA) this time so I'm going to be busy. :p

Vacation from 'Long Vacation' - Pisa

10 years ago we skipped Pisa because we wanted to arrive at Cinque Terre before sun down. This time I wanted to stop in Pisa to admire The Leaning Tower (Torre pendente di Pisa). I knew it's a touristy thing to take pictures with The Leaning Tower of Pisa but hey, I gotta do it once. :p

Syd refused to pose as a typical tourist so it was up to Dawn and I to be tourists with the tower! Man, I love the photos! :)

Sashimi, Sashimi, How I Love Thee!

I'm interrupting the Vacation Report again to tell you how happy I'm today. You know how much I've been craving for sashimi but today I've finally found a Japanese restaurant that offers good sashimi at an acceptable price (15 euros) for lunch. Japanese cuisine is extremely expensive in Italy: typically 20 euros for lunch and 35 euros for dinner. Syd had a lunch special which consisted 6 pieces good-sized sashimi and vegetable tempura while I enjoyed a chirashi bowl with 10 pieces of sashimi! When I tasted my first sashimi in over 2 months, I couldn't help but thinking of Jason. No, he's not an ex-boyfriend or a lover. Jason is a great chef/ owner of Sendai, a wonderful Japanese restaurant with delicious fresh sushi and sashimi in Milpitas. Syd and I used to go to Sendai at least once every week. Ohhhhhhh, how I miss him and the food!

Surprisingly the Japanese restaurants have California rolls here as well... I guess it is famous everywhere except in Japan. :p Let me give you the price of a few of the dishes so you can see how expensive it is in Italy. A cheapest sushi roll is 1.50 euros; a miso soup is 3 euros; and a green tea ice cream is 4 euros. Yikes! Get stock up on your sushi and sashimi before you come to Italy!

Vacation from 'Long Vacation' - Florence

So many groups and groups of tourists coming from everywhere in the world to worship Florence. It's actually difficult NOT to have so many adorers when the city has Michelangelo's David in Galleria dell'Accademia, Botticelli's The Birth of Venus in Uffizi, and Duomo & Baptistry. It was my second time to Florence but first time for Syd and Dawn. I told them that they have to come to Florence at least once in their lifetime. Last time I was only able to see David so we prioritized to visit Uffizi and Duomo first. Last time I also took photos with David's behind (while everyone was interested in his front) but none of the pictures turned out clearly so I was determined to take better pictures this time. But little did I know that museums have prohibited the use of cameras. Wah! :(

We made reservations at Accademia and Uffizi before we left Torino. Reservations to these popular museums are highly recommended because the lines at both museums were long. The additional 4 euros for making each reservation was well spent. Before we visited Uffizi, we needed to intake some fuel. Syd read about a popular little sandwich shop nearby and it was truly a little gem in the big city: I Fratellini (The Little Brothers) at Via dei Cimatori, 38/r. The bread was warm and the ingredients were fresh (and each sandwich only costs 2 - 4 euros). The choices ranged from typical prosciutto to exotic anchovies. Of course I had to try anchovies with butter. The yummy sandwich and the refreshing white wine made my day... and the day after. :) We had breakfast/ lunch there everyday we were in Florence. We loved it so much that we wanted to get a sandwich to picnic in Pisa but the shop didn't open until 9:30am. :(














The famous Ponte Vecchio (built in 1345) was originally the domain of blacksmiths, butchers, and tanners who used the river to dispose of waste (imagine the filth and stench back then, yuck!) But in 1593, the Duke evicted and replaced them with jewelers and goldsmiths. When I visited the Old Bridge with Cin and Angela (my high school buddies) 10 years ago, I saw many silverwares. Cin had a great gift idea that we congratulate Angela to be accepted to Yale or Columbia U. (I forgot which school since she went to both) with a dental chair sculpture made of silver. I tried to find the same store where we bought the sculpture but only jewelery made with gold or jewels were available. I guess silver is currently not the trend?

The next morning we lined up at the Duomo 45 minutes before it opened and we were pretty much in front of everyone. The outer appearance of Duomo was amazingly beautiful that no words can describe so I'll just let the picture speaks for itself. The inside of the Duomo was simple, no complicated art work or carving. It was a big contrast from its outside but what a great design. The outer beauty attracts people's admiration while the inner simplicity brings people peace and serenity. Besides liking the atmosphere inside the church, I also liked the famous painting of Dante explaining Divine Comedy. It was worth waiting in line.























We had to pay to go inside the Baptistry but I was happy we went in. The 13th century mosaics illustrated the Last Judgment and many famous Florentines, including Dante, were baptized here.

Intermission - Men's Fashion and Other Blah

I'm interrupting the vacation report with a discovery on men's fashion (yes, I notice them more)... We all know Italy is known for designer brands (ex. LV, Dolce & Cabbana) but guess what is the brand that Italian men love which is NOT an Italian design? This foreign mark is making something special in Italy because not only does Italy have so many of its own fashion designers already but also its people are patriotic. I see 5 out of 10 men daily (50%) wearing a nice polo-shirt or shirt with this reptile brand in Torino. My father and his friends used to wear it quite a lot when I was a child in Taiwan but I think these days in Asia and USA, this particular brand is not very popular. Have you guessed it yet? It is...


Lacoste (the crocodile) which is a French brand name. The cost of a polo-shirt (most common) after 30% discount is still a whopping 80+ euros. It is still owned by the Lacoste family in Paris today. Rene Lacoste, the founder, was a tennis player who won the 1927 US Open Championship. The mark, le crocodile, was his nickname due to his tenacious behavior on the courts - never giving up his prey. The high quality and unique fabric (jersey petit piqué) is supposed to take away moisture/ sweat so the wearer is always cool in summer.

You may wonder what American brands are popular in Torino? Well, I have so far seen Tommy Hilfiger, Timberland, and Calvin Klein and they all are on the most expensive shopping street - Via Roma. I've heard Gap is somewhere in the city but I haven't found it yet. For you people who are familiar with Asian brands, the only one that I have been so far is Muji (無印良品). Oh, and of course, the power of Hello Kitty is everywhere in the world... I have seen 2 stores with the cutie cat in Torino already.

Ok, going off on the topic of men's fashion, how about their interests? Many men love cars. Well, you guys are going to envy Italian men because even construction workers and DHL delivery men drive a Mercedes-Benz!

Vacation from 'Long Vacation' - Venice

Venice, Venice, the most romantic city in the world, how I love thee.

Yes, Venice is one of my most beloved cities despite that every time I go there, it's always hot and humid. Although Piazza San Marco was full of tourists (again), I'm happy to report that I have finally visited Basilia di San Marco (3rd time is the charm). The line was unbearably long the previous 2 times so we went there this time before it opened. The inside of the church was unbelievably amazing with mosaics dated from 13th - 17th century. No wonder people were willing to wait in line.

My favorite structure this time in Venice is the new remodeled clock tower, Torre dell' Orologio, which is adjacent to the basilia and the Campanile. On the top of the tower, 2 bronze man statues hit the bells at every hour. It gave me a sense of peace watching the statues. I apologize for not having pictures... surprisingly, I took the least photos in Venice. We were pretty tired due to the heat and crowd that we decided to explore Venice individually after visiting the island of Murano (known for blowing glass) together. I sat next to a pretty narrow canal in a tranquil back alley and read for the afternoon. One of the reasons I love Venice is even with the crowd and heat, one is able to find a quiet place watching people and condolas walking/ swinging by and simply relax.

Picture on right: Syd in Piazza San Marco. If you look at it closely, you can see the 2 bronze statues on top of the clock tower behind Syd.

Picture below: Dawn and I with The Bridge of Sighs - a passageway between Palazzo Ducale and prison. It took its name from the sighs of prisoners being led to trial.













Warning! The next 2 photos may be unpleasant.

In Venice, I had the best Spaghetti with Squid's Ink. The dish didn't look appetizing but it was really delicious. Oh, and of course, I didn't look pretty afterwards either but it was worth it. :p Syd laughed at me a little too long and too loud.

Vacation from 'Long Vacation' - Verona

Dawn, Syd, and I started our adventure in northern Italy on 7/14 Monday. The first destination was Verona (again) because we wanted to relive the romance of Romeo and Juliet. Well, Juliet's balcony and courtyard were classic and pretty but with so many tourists (one of the main problems everywhere we went during the busy tourist season) and the big souvenir store right next to the house (casa di Giulietta), it was not that appealing to us. Nevertheless, I tried to imagine Romeo serenading to Juliet, "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were." (Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare)

Picture on right - Juliet and me (her shining right breast is due to the rubbing of many tourists' hands: it'll bring a man great vitality and a woman her Romeo! But I feel disrespectful to this fictional lady so I just held on to her skirt instead.)

Picture below - Juliet's balcony














Guess what surprised me most in Verona?! We had the best gelato so far in Italy! I don't advertise in my blog but you guys definitely need to try it otherwise you'll regret. It's called 'Gelateria Artigianale Ponte Pietra' (Via Ponte Pietra, 23) which makes homemade gelato daily and it's located near the Stone Bridge (Ponte Pietra). Also, if you are into traditional Veronese cuisine, then you'll have to go to this amazing restaurant, 'Osteria al Duca' (Duke's Inn on Via Arche Scaligere, 2). It's right next door to Romeo's house. I highly recommend you arrive there before 7:30pm, otherwise you should make a reservation.

Picture on right - the entire restaurant only has 1 duke's chair and guess who was sitting on it? The answer is on the chair.

Picture below - we loved the dishes at 'Osteria al Duca'! Syd had a hamburger-like horse tartar, Dawn ordered escargo with polenta, and mine was carpaccio (raw beef) with rucula. Yummy yum yum!













Verona's beautiful beautiful sunset