Must see!

The Cinque Terre! YOU MUST SEE IF YOU GO TO ITALY!!!

It is an intense hike. There are 5 different towns. We asked the locals how long it takes. This young couple said that they did it all in 3 hours.

I guess you can do it in 3 hours!!!! That's if you don't stop and check out the view. To them, it's like the grouse grind.

This is the grouse grind I was talking about X 3 during the early postings. We only went to one town. AND IT TOOK 2 and a half hours. No including lunch. We stopped and smelled the roses!!! hahaha. Actually, stopped to think about how we can go get fruit. hahaha. There were veggies and fruit everywhere....because there were families living in the area. It is their year supply of food. How could we.

You got to be there to really check out the view. The trail can be narrow especially when there are so many tourist. They sometimes have to close down a section because it's too dangerous. Can you believe it. Mud slides and ruin the trails. But what a beautiful place.

We are up in the sky. Can you even believe that this is real? We thought it was fake, but it is 100% real. No photo shop what so ever!!! Perhaps I should enter this photo in a contest. hahaha.

This is the small time we hiked to. Each one is when we are getting closer and closer. Are we there yet!!!

Here we are, just moments away.




We're here. We made it. "Can we take the train home now?"





One last photo before we leave. It's such a beautiful place. Why didn't we stay longer. This area is also known for the catus fruit ice cream, called loco d'inda. The ice cream was good, but the actual fruit isn't so good. Unless I bought an over ripe one. Not very tasty to me.

How to Make Wine

OUR WINE TOUR IN FLORENCE

In Florence, we went on a Tuscany wine tour. We went to 2 different places to try wine. We got to know what the process is and be part of it. Now it's your turn to see how it's done.
1st of all, I had to try to eat an olive tree. hahaha. We stopped at a place to take a picture of a town, but instead, we went off the beaten track to take picture of a vineyard close by and an olive tree. We are all about an adventure. We then had to wear these green bandannas. It showed us that we were wine pickers.  Wine picking was so much fun, when you can pick a punch and eat a punch. hahaha.

So here are the pictures of what we started with in order to make wine. You gotta pick them 1st. In the 1st photo, the cart full of grapes were picked by the workers. I just wanted to eat it.
 

 

 

This is the start of the wine process. The grapes are put into the machine to take all the stems off. Then the grapes get pumped into the big machine to get pressed into juice. Fresh Grape juice is so sweet. It's to die for!!!

 

 

 

I'm sorry about the white space. Didn't know what else to write. It's all about the pictures. Well, I can tell you that I'm still unemployed and looking for work. I did get a 30 min session for a mock class to teach. My theme, Special event. My topic, Halloween. hahaha. There must be some vocab for the students to learn about. Like monster and goblins and ghosts. 

 

 

In the past week, Jan and I are trying to get into the rhythm for his schooling, and me participating in volleyball. I played drop in yesterday and didn't know where to go. I played with the beginners. I did not break a sweat and was playing like a beginner. YIKES! We are trying to make our own bread instead of buying it at the store and making a lot of apple crisp. YUM!!! Espeically when it's hot out of the oven with ice cream. What a life I'm having. What more can you ask for. Living up the European lifestyle I guess.

Alright, and during our wine tour, there was a competition between 2 teams. We had to press wine the old fashion way. I was a team leader and Tanya got to press the grapes. What a battle. It was a long and hard fight. It was more for
fun. Winner got a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, we got pressed out by the other team....because they got more grapes to press then we did....or we just had so many Asians on my team!!! hahaha. (There was a group of HK students there)
None the less, the tour was great. I ended up buying a small bottle of wine and olive oil.


Our next vineyard was held at a school. So they say.  The was the culinary school for wine. It sure didn't look like a school. There were so many tables to fit the whole group and there was another session outside. There were a lot of wine bottles everywhere and the barrels. We tasted some good wine, but not sure how good. I'm not really a wine drinker. I try to be, but it's too hard. I did end up buy a Truffle Olive oil and 45 Euro Balsamic Vinegar. It's a must get. YUM!!!! If I have any left, i'll bring home back the rest of my bottle. It better last me for a couple of years. 45 EUROS!!!! And why did I spend it on Vinegar????

After a full day of wine tasting, we are now ready for a good nap. :) Here is Tanya with her purchases. What a good day it was.

Florenzie, What a place to be!

FINALLY!!!! Florence after being stuck in Milan for a night. This is the place we have been waiting for. Checking out the hostel, they had a patio.....party!! But we didn't even use it. We only visited the patio when we got in. At least I have a picture of what it looks like. HAHAHA.

 We got into Florence quite early, so we had to browse the town. We overhead the info of what there was to see and "a Market" caught my attention. The Market is only for that day, so i didn't want to wait. Time is ticking. No sleep, must do. So we checked out the market to see lots of food, clothes, fruits and veggies. I felt like I was in China. So many people, so many vendors and so many things to try. We had a unique Tuscany sandwich known in the area. It was yummy, but one is enough to try. So we shopped and shopped and shopped.

Luckily, I didn't spend all my money there. hahaha. But when we continued our hunt of sight seeing, this cathedral took our breathe away. It's the Florence Baptistery.

"It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, built between 1059 and 1128. The architecture is in Florentine Romanesque style." It was so beautiful that we stood there for quite a while, taking pictures, mouth wide open in AW, and wondered how long it took to build and developed all the detail. You have to be there to believe it yourself. The sun was setting and it was beautiful and it grazed the top of the building.


Also in this beautiful town, there is the famous "David" statue.
""David" is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a 5.17 metre (17 feet)^[1] marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence."


There is a statue of Michelangelo I believe but we ran out of time to see that statue. Everyday we try to go see it, as well as the beautiful sunset, but time didn't allow us to as there were many other things to do and see in the city. I will be back to Florence one day. 

Florence is just a unique place to visit. There are so many buildings, allies, streets with smart cars everywhere, it's great. I sometimes feel like i'm in a fantasy world where i'm dreaming of walking around an area on a cloud. So many things to see and do. So many things to try and experience. We sure walked a lot in this town. Mostly to find cheap internet! haahaha.
Did you know that if you set up a place to use internet, another person cannot use your account? For example, Tanya and I didn't both need to get on the net. I got on the net and then there was a bit more time, so that she can use a bit of time to check her emails. But that was frowned upon because if police came by and I wasn't around, they would be fined or something. So strange. All I wanted to do was go own the street to pick up a mask. One of those masquerade masks to have. I hope to wear this mask for Halloween. Jan and I are going to a Halloween Amusement Park and party. It's called Europa Park.http://www.europapark.de/lang-en/m242/Home.c51/d804.html  Check it out. Our weekend getaway.


Alright, back to Florence. So here I am, late at night, waiting to have sweets. There are so many to choose from, which one should I eat? I couldn't pick one so I didn't pick one at all. Instead, I waited til our last day and we had various treats.
There was a cafe that we always went to for dinner and normally if it's really good to our standards, we would go back. This cafe was great. The guy who served us was great. He spoke enough English that he knew what we wanted. So on the left, it's a chocolate cannoli, so must nutella. WOW. Melts in the mouth. CAN I GET MORE!!!
On the right is the famous “schiacciata con l”uva”. It's only made during the summer when it's grape harvest seasons. YUM. So much food, so small stomach. What is next?

So here is another school. Another pit stop to the bathroom. But this was a bit more challenging to find. There were many floors to explore where the actually "WC" is. We finally found one, went and then a lady asked if we needed help. Glad to be out of there, just in case they didn't want us there. HEHEHE, just going to the bathroom!




 Locks, locks and more locks. On the 1st night in Rome, I couldn't find my lock. I wish I saw this earlier so that I can use it for my stuff. hahaha. But it was neat. Everyone was taking pictures of this just like if you went to a place where there were lots of shoes hanging, or bills from all over the world, or postcards from all over the world. I was at a club with Jan on Friday and there were bras hanging everywhere. A picture will come. You gotta see this.




Last but not least, a photo to remind everyone where I was. A beautiful town of Florence. How could you not resist to visit. It's beautiful.

My very own Postcard!

What's next? Perhaps my wine tour, or Naples??? Hummm. I'll see how I feel after lunch what I want to write. So much to say, lots of time to past by.

Living Life!

It's Saturday here in Kiebingen, and Jan & I are spending our 1st weekend in our new place. We bought groceries, cleaned, and fixed a few things that needed to be fixed. In doing all these things, I realized that life can be so simple when you take the time to be you or live in the present. It is a great feeling to stand still or do things with someone who wants to do things with you too.
So, Jan cleaned the bathroom while I mopped. He added light fixtures while I put of a clock. The clock is what made the day do by faster and how time can stop. The 2 Euro clock that I bought for our living room was made on the side. Hence it was 2 Euros!!! I tried to fix it be to fall into pieces. I was going to give up. Jan came by to help. It was a nice clock that we really wanted to fix it. We took the time to see where each piece is placed. It wasn't working well when we took it apart. We broke the case and tried to put it back together. I was the one trying to be smart how to line up the clock again so that we can hang it up. Jan finally fixed it. I don't know much about clocks, but the only thing that I look at everyday and it tells me when I should be where.
Living the German lifestyle, sort of like a student has been quite unique. I don't remember how it feels to be a student again, but the school system here is different. Where is the Student Union building when you need one for help.
Overall, as long as I have shelter, food in my body and someone to be with, that's all I need in life. We sometimes fill out life with so many complications where it doesn't have to be. Just live in the moment and forecast or determine what's going to happen next. Time will come and it will be over soon.
Anyhow, just some insight on my laughter life.

Volleyball 4 hours later

Alrighty,
I thought i'd get out there and play some volleyball. I went to drop in at the University. I was one of 3 girls and the rest were boys. Some were good and some were average. I thought I wouldn't get a workout in, but i did. I guess when you push yourself to do well, you sweat more. hahahhaa. I had fun. I ran a few quick balls etc, dug a few hits, and hit a few downballs. This was already 2 hours. Then a player, Ulf is his name, asked me if i would be interested in a club!!! I was shocked. A club? It be basically a league who trains and then competes. He said to come play and I did. I wasn't passing well. I felt I was back in college running drills and running laps. It was intense. In between, I had dinner. I was so hungry because I wasn't expecting to play more. It wasn't a game. IT was more training. I'm sure paying for it today. Sore arm, weak legs, very tired. Yikes. I have started to run but it didn't help. Been running for half an hour, 3 days stright with the 4th day playing 4 hours of volleyball. That's a balance right!!!

ROMA Part 2

More time to blog about Rome. Last entry on Rome as we only spent one day. Onward HO! So the 1st picture of our hands and food is our first lunch. It's our first lunch together, a start of our food extravaganza. We eat and eat and eat some more. Food is no where near back at home. Especially how cheap it may be. Well, it's all about eating isn't it!! Okay, not for everyone, but for the Chinese culture.....food is everything. hahaha.

 Alright, tried to find the name of this site, huge white building guarding it by Roman Guards in while uniforms. It's like a city hall, but I guess i didn't take a picture of any info so I can't remember what it is. If I do, i'll let you know. I can't find the map we have....perhaps i should go find that map. Eh, another place that you don't see in Vancouver. hehehe. Important history, only if you study history...Roman history in fact.
We would rather study another history!!!! ICE CREAM....opps, not ice-cream, it's GELATO!!! WHOHOO We followed Tanya's guide book in search of a great and famous Gelato place. All to find that it was closed. Who close their doors during the summer!!! What, a holiday? Not when you are in the Gelato business!!! HAHAHAHA.Alright, so we had to hit up another location. So instead of going to famous hot spots and taking pictures of beautiful buildings made years and years ago, we go hunt another Gelato place.We found a place called GIOLLTTI. It is the most renowned ice-cream parlour in the city. It started in 1890. These people supplied the Italian Royal Family. Now this is a place the you got to try if you ever come to Rome.  It was delicious. The price wasn't to bad. Lots of people. Did you know that you have to pay for everything first before you pick what you want!!!! Some things, like pastries or specific items you would have to tell them what you want, but normally for ice-cream, you pay at a different counter and then choose your ice-cream. It was a hard change from getting your product and then going to the cashier to pay. Different country, different norms.
Their website if you want to check it out. hehehe. http://www.giolitti.it/english/home.html
 Alright Dad, this picture is for you!! I'm not sure what the Chinese words say, but it's a Mr. Chow Restaurant. HAHAHA. I had to take a picture of it. Did I go in to talk to them? NO. Did I go and eat any Chinese food? NO. Will I go and eat Chinese food? NO. HAHAHA. Only what I am, i'll eat. HAHAHA.

So after all the food, gelato, sightseeing, we are off to Florence. Well, we tried to go to Florence. Instead, we ended up in Milan....or how the Italians say it, Milano.  This was not part of our trip. We got on the wrong train, heading to Florence. Just not stopping in Florence. It went right through it. :( So sad. We were not happy campers. PLUS, we got fined for not getting our Eurail not stamped. Why do they take advantage of travelers??




Here I am, after 2 hours (8-10pm) Trying to find a hostel to stay at or a hotel in the area. No luck. Everything is full. There was an exibition going on so there was no room. Well, there was room in a 3 or 4 star hotel at 200 Euros a night. NOT!! Forget it. Not in our budget.





After all that walking, we haven't had dinner, so we decided to share a pizza. Now this was also a decision on its own. I didn't want dinner, and Tanya did. We went to the restaurant behind Tanya and by the time were going to order, they closed....no one came to talk to us. Do we look like tourist? Anyhow, we ordered a pizza to share and paid an arm and a leg. That's what happens when you eat near the train station at night. We are never eating out again. There is tip added to the bill plus a service charge for 1 Euro per person for eating in. Why didn't get just do take out.


So, where did we end up sleeping on our 1st night of our trip? Well, second night since we were in Rome to meet up for one day. THE TRAIN STATION!!! I'm not looking forward to the night. Are we going to get robbed? Are we going to be safe? Are there people watching us? All questions that I didn't even think about. It's just a train station. I've done it before, I think. What could possibility happen?

 Think again! We got woken up by Police, I had no idea who they were. Tanya was alert, and showed them our ticket. We were good, and went back to sleep on the hard floors. Apparently I was out, but was quite sore the next day. Didn't sleep a whole lot. Tanya is my big sister. She took good care of me. :) Thanks Tanya. It was great to spend time with you at the train station. Lets not do that again! hahaha. Then we were woken up by Police again at about 5am that we can't lay down anymore. We had to sleep sitting, so we did while we waited for our 6am train to Florence. I hope we get there soon.

This is us, being bored. What are we going to do at the train station? Where should we sleep? Where should we go? We can't freshen up! It cost 60 cents in Euros to go to the bathroom. We better hold it in until we get on the train. No water for the next couple of hours. But it was getting cold so we found another spot.

During our sleep, an African man comes and sleeps at the other corner close by. We weren't sure if he is waiting for a train or a homeless man looking for shelter to stay in. The police made sure he was up too. But he went back to sleep, making us not be able to sleep because of his loud snoring. Why did he choose this corner. Before he went to sleep, we watched him eat. GUESS WHAT HE WAS EATING!!!!! A JAR OF JAM!!! Who eats a jar of jam? He sure had a big belly, and I guess it's all that jam he has packed in. hehee. Not that funny, but just very strange to see....a jar of jam. I can barley eat 2 tbsp of jam. Talking about Jam, i got fig jam. I'm hungry. That's all about Rome for now. Next post, Florence. :) I'll talk more about figs later. I'm not a fig-ohalic.