A modest New Year’s Eve
We returned to Marrakesh, Morocco. It happened to be New Year’s Eve. Since Morocco has a different calendar, there were no local events, but we wanted to do something memorable. On a whim,…
Essaouira
A disappointing excursion to the Ourika Valley
A trip to the Ourika Valley was included in our itinerary from Marrakesh, Morocco. The Ourika Valley is a resort area located a little over an hour’s drive south of Marrakech. It’s a…
That night
After a full day of sightseeing in Marrakesh, Morocco, we went to a bar called La Pergola where we could enjoy alcohol. As I’ve mentioned many times before, in Morocco, alcohol has been…
Beautiful Asolo
We had a short holiday in Veneto in Italy. The first place we went was Asolo, a pretty town on top of a hill. We parked our car on the way up…
A political festival
On one Saturday when we had a hail storm, I was invited to a festival in Cinisello, a town near Milan.The festival was called Festa dell’Unita and supposed to have music…
The strain of a sudden rise in popularity
We stayed at the Grand White City Hotel in Berat, Albania. The name Berat apparently comes from the word meaning “white town”. I’m sure it was the same in Belgrade, Serbia, too. The…
Meditate in a Zen garden
This is my friend, Bangly’s posting. During my stay in Kansai area I had the opportunity to visit the temple Ryoan-ji in Kyoto, which has one of the most important Zen gardens in...
Eyeball Art
While walking through the old town of Lyon, France, a shop caught my eye. At first, I didn’t know what it was, so we just walked past, thinking maybe they sold natural stones....
Air China
According to company’s official web site, Air China Limited (“Air China”) and its predecessor, the former Air China, were founded in 1988. According to the “Civil Aviation System Reform Program” which was approved and passed...
Very good lunch
The tour in Tinos took us to lunch soon after the first visit to the church, probably thinking “an army marches on its stomach”.Where we went was a restaurant in a village...
Birthday party
We stayed two nights in Martina Franca in Puglia, southern Italy. The hotel was Park Hotel San Michele. Although this is a small town, it was very very crowded when we arrived,...
Very Good Lunch and Confetti
Now it was lunch time in Sulmona, a town in Abruzzo in the middle of Italy. Our guide, Guido, took us to a restaurant called Il Vecchio Muro, which he had been...
Japanese Green tea
Standard Method for making Japanese Green tea. Put tea leaves in the teapot. Pour hot water into the teapot over tea leaves. Soak a while, then pour th tea out into teacups. Please don’t leave...
Take the new Italo train
From Florence to Mian, we took the new high speed train called ‘Italo’. This is run by the first Italian pivate railway company which is funded by the chairman of Ferrari and...
