Brunch, Magic Coffee, Chocolate, and Pasta Perfection

Melbourne’s reputation for excellent brunches was confirmed at The Hardware Société. I enjoyed a beef brisket with pearl onions and a soft-boiled egg, as well as an ahi tuna dish served with soft-boiled eggs and hummus.

I had heard of Melbourne’s reputation of having a really strong coffee culture, and I was eager to try the local specialty known as a “Magic”. This Melbourne invention consists of a double ristretto (a short, concentrated espresso shot) topped with steamed milk in a smaller cup than a standard latte. The result is a strong, creamy coffee with a rich flavour profile. While the coffee didn’t impress me as much as I expected, I really enjoyed the latte art.

The city’s culinary scene extends beyond coffee. I noticed a trend of adorning dishes with edible flowers, which adds visual appeal and subtle flavours.

I also visited Koko Black, a local chocolatier. While their actual chocolate tasted mediocre, their chocolate with embedded Tasmanian honeycomb stood out. The sweet, crunchy honeycomb added a nice crunchy texture and flavour to the chocolate.

One of the culinary highlights was dinner at Tipo 00, where we tried their pasta tasting menu. The freshly made pasta was cooked to perfect al dente, offering just the right amount of resistance to the bite. Their squid ink pasta was particularly memorable. This striking black pasta had a subtle briny flavour, with a silky texture that paired nicely with seafood. We took some leftovers home and they still had that al dente texture even after going through the microwave. Although I tried some wine pairings, they paled in comparison to the exceptional wines we had experienced at Oakridge Winery. We also attempted to dine at Serai, a Filipino fusion restaurant, but our poor planning meant we were still too full from our earlier meals to fully appreciate the experience.

On a lighter note, we spotted an ice cream shop called “Bing Chillin,” which I thought funny because it’s essentially a reference how John Cena says “ice cream” in Chinese. No idea if it even sells ice cream or whether it’s good.

Oakridge Winery

The culinary highlight was an indulgent four-course meal with wine pairings at Oakridge Winery in the nearby Yarra Valley. In my excitement, I committed a traveller’s cardinal sin – I forgot to take pictures of most of it.

The menu featured dishes that were a symphony of tastes and textures. We savoured duck with celeriac, chard, and blood orange. Another standout was the Smith & Jackson sirloin (local from the Yarra Valley), accompanied by spinach, charred leek, and horseradish. I particularly enjoyed the interplay of the beef’s richness with the sharp horseradish and slightly bitter charred leek. Even the potatoes served alongside were perfectly crisp, adding a satisfying textural element. For dessert, a chocolate torte arrived paired with artichoke ice cream (I was skeptical about the artichoke, but found surprisingly delightful). In addition, we indulged in a silky smooth buttermilk panna cotta served with sorbet.

Being at a winery, it seemed only fitting to opt for the wine pairing. The 2017 Oakridge Blanc de Blancs was a particular standout. This sparkling wine offered crisp multi-dimensional notes of citrus. Too bad this wine isn’t available where we live. For one of the wines, the waitress could point out in the distance where the grapes came from because those grapes came specifically from this plantation as opposed to the other Oakridge plantations in the area.

We spent nearly three hours at our window-side table, savouring each course while gazing out over the winery. The view of neat rows of vines stretching into the distance added to the overall sensory experience. Our waitress guided us through each course, explaining the intricate details of every dish. Even though her explanations have escaped me, I still appreciated the experience.

After our leisurely meal, we had hoped to take a stroll around the winery to walk off some of our indulgence. However, the weather had other plans. Despite it being only 12°C, the cold felt more biting than we expected.

Queen Victoria Market

This sprawling complex houses vendors selling everything from touristy trinkets to fresh produce. While some areas featured items of questionable quality, the stalls offering movie poster prints and art prints of landmarks of different countries interested me the most.

The market’s expansive food section was particularly impressive, reminiscent of markets I’ve visited in other cities like Vancouver’s Granville Island Market or Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market.

Laneways and Arcades

Melbourne’s laneways are a defining feature of the city’s urban landscape. These narrow streets and alleys, once neglected, have been transformed into vibrant pedestrian thoroughfares lined with cafes, boutiques, and street art. I explored Degraves Street, one of the most famous laneways, and was captivated by its European-style atmosphere and array of eateries.

Nearby, The Block Arcade offered a glimpse into Melbourne’s Victorian-era architecture. This elegant shopping gallery, built in the 1890s, features mosaic-tiled floors, a glass canopy, and wrought iron fixtures. Inside, I discovered the oldest tea rooms in Australia and, surprisingly, a Dr. Seuss art store selling high-end paintings inspired by the beloved children’s author’s works.

Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station, with its distinctive yellow façade and green copper dome, serves as a major landmark and transport hub. Built in 1910, it’s Australia’s oldest train station.

It reminded me a bit of Toronto’s Union Station in the sense that they’re both iconic transportation hubs of their respective cities.

Motorsport and Automotive Experiences

As a mild Formula 1 enthusiast, I visited the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park. I tried to drive around the track, but found some sections blocked off.

The lake at Albert Park offered a view of Melbourne’s skyline. To my surprise, I spotted black swans gliding across the water – a first for me, but probably an unsurprising Australian sight.

Dutton Garage is a great place to go for car enthusiasts. This rare car dealership and showroom houses an impressive collection of vintage and exotic automobiles. I was particularly drawn to the classic Porsche 911s, with their iconic sloping rear deck, round headlights, and rear-mounted air-cooled engines. The showroom also featured sleek Ferraris and a few McLarens too.

I also had the opportunity to visit a BYD dealership. While not available in North America due to market dynamics and potential import restrictions, I got to get a glimpse of these Chinese-made electric cars, that to me had Tesla-like qualities, but at a lower price point, thanks in part to Chinese government subsidies. A cool fact I learned about BYD’s innovative battery technology that they can make batteries that don’t ignite when punctured, potentially allowing the batteries to be integrated into the car’s frame to reduce weight.

Shopping and Urban Exploration

As far as Melbourne’s shopping scene goes, I discovered R.M. Williams, a store specializing in Goodyear welted shoes made of different types of leather (even kangaroo), known for their durability and ability to be resoled (and also very expensive).

We attempted to take the City Circle Tram, a free service that loops around the central business district. We had hoped to learn about the city from the onboard commentary, but unfortunately found it difficult to hear over the noise of the tram and decided to explore on our own instead.

Our exploration also included a leisurely walk along the Yarra River, which winds through Melbourne. On the Sandridge Bridge, it features the “Travellers” exhibit, which is a series glass panels that offer information about the indigenous peoples of Australia and information about the demographics of immigrants (where they’re from, how many there were, why, etc.), reflecting the diverse cultural heritage of the nation. A common theme was that in the 21st century, across the westernized world, we’re being less and less likely to take on immigrants from weaker economic backgrounds.

Check here to see more of Melbourne, and the Oakridge Winery

Circular Quay

The Sydney Opera House, with its distinctive sail-like design, is not just an architectural marvel but also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Completed in 1973, this masterpiece by Danish architect Jørn Utzon has become synonymous with Sydney’s skyline. Its unique expressionist modern design features a series of precast concrete “shells” that form the roof structure, creating a striking silhouette against the harbour waters.

Adjacent to the Opera House stands the equally impressive Sydney Harbour Bridge. This steel bridge opened in 1932 and remains the world’s largest steel arch bridge. There is a tourist attraction there where people can walk along the arch of the steel beams (people are tethered for safety).

Souvenir shops lined the waterfront selling stereotypical Australian souvenirs like kangaroo and koala plushies. They also sell a lot of hats, which I recalled that those are also very stereotypically Australian thanks to people like Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter.

The Royal Botanic Garden

Established in 1816, this green oasis in the heart of Sydney is Australia’s oldest scientific institution. The gardens showcase a diverse collection of native and exotic plants, especially ones that are not present where I live. One of the standout flora was the Bird of Paradise plant, native to South Africa but thriving in Sydney’s climate. Its vibrant orange and blue flowers, resembles an exotic bird in flight.

I also encountered a variety of birds that I don’t usually see (I’m told some of them are garbage birds though). One amusing incident involved birds in the trees nearly missing some oblivious bystanders with their droppings (and oblivious even after the fact).

The Royal Botanic Garden proved to be more than just a green space; it was a living museum of biodiversity, a sanctuary for urban wildlife, and a peaceful retreat from the city’s bustling energy.

Barangaroo

We also took a walk through a nearby neighbourhood called Barangaroo. This area, named after an influential Aboriginal woman from the early colonial period, has undergone a remarkable transformation from a disused container terminal to a vibrant waterfront precinct with a mix of parklands, cultural spaces, and modern architecture.

Walking through Barangaroo, with its urban renewal, reminded me of strolling through Yaletown and Olympic Village in Vancouver, offering harbour views and an urban atmosphere.

Manly Beach

People also associate beaches with Australia. Close by to Sydney is Manly Beach. This popular stretch of golden sand is renowned for its excellent surfing conditions and laid-back atmosphere, and it also has an amusing name. According to Capt. Arthur Phillip, who named the beach, wrote of the indigenous people living there, “their confidence and manly behaviour made me give the name of Manly Cove to this place”

Birds also hang out in the nearby trees, chirping so loudly, they sounded like bats. It almost makes it scary to even approach the tree even though I know they’re just birds.

Manly Beach encapsulates the quintessential Australian beach culture – a perfect blend of natural beauty, outdoor activities, and relaxed coastal living.

Culinary Adventures

Sydney’s culinary scene proved to be quite delightful and exotic. In the spirit of trying local specialities, I sampled grilled kangaroo at The Meat and Wine Co. This lean meat, similar in texture to beef, offered a milder flavour with a subtle gamey note. It’s a unique protein that reflects Australia’s distinctive fauna and culinary traditions.

Another local delicacy at The Meat and Wine Co I had the pleasure of tasting was barramundi, also known as Asian sea bass. This white-fleshed fish is prized for its sweet, buttery flavour and firm, moist texture. When cooked, barramundi offers a delicate taste that’s less “fishy” than many other species.

Dinner with friends I know in Sydney at Bar Totti’s was another culinary delight. This pasta place came highly recommended, and it did not disappoint. Luckily, we had a reservation because by the time we arrived, there was a crowd of people waiting at the door. This trendy eatery has earned a reputation for its exceptional pasta dishes cooked al dente with flavourful sauces that complement rather than overwhelm the pasta itself. It’s also renowned for its baked bread, a signature item on their menu. The bread is served fresh out of the oven, airy and fluffy on the inside with a perfectly crisp crust. It’s also accompanied by a variety of dips and spreads.

I also found myself developing a newfound appreciation for salads, discovering that they can be far more than just a boring mix of greens. The city’s cafes showcased salads bursting with variety – multiple types of leafy greens, complex carbohydrates, diverse proteins, and flavourful dressings that elevated the humble salad to a satisfying meal.

Overall, I was quite impressed by Sydney’s food scene.

See more of Sydney here

Cinque Terre

Our first stop was in the Cinque Terre, a rugged stretch of coastline along the Italian Riviera. The Cinque Terre (“Five Lands” in Italian) is a UNESCO World and consists of five villages precariously perched between the cliffs and the sea – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. We arrived via cruise ship at the seaside town of Portofino and from there, boarded smaller boats that ferried us there.

The pastel-colored, cliff-hugging villages look like they are straight out of a fairy tale. We started our visit in Vernazza, where we explored the charming harbor and the Gothic-style Church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia, first built in 1318 AD. However, the narrow alleys of Vernazza were completely mobbed with tourists during our visit.

For some respite, we picked up a focaccia and hiked up to Doria Castle to avoid the crowds. The focaccia was too dry and didn’t taste good at all, but at least the view from above offered nice views of Vernazza down below.

Next, we hopped on a boat to neighboring Monterosso. After grabbing a disappointing, overpriced lunch at a touristy restaurant with our guide, we explored Monterosso (the guide hyped up the lunch so much too). While also crowded, the beaches and crystalline waters there were stunningly beautiful. Though, I couldn’t imagine living in either village, with the constant crowds of travelers coming in and out each day. Maybe the other three villages in the Cinque Terre are quieter since they’re harder to get to.

While undeniably beautiful, the crowds and rushed pace of our Cinque Terre tour prevented us from fully enjoying this place.

Pisa

Pisa was our next destination, home of the famous Leaning Tower. By arriving early, we were able to enjoy the Piazza dei Miracoli before the tour bus crowds descended. The sprawling square contains the medieval Leaning Tower, the Pisa Cathedral with its carved marble façade, and the circular Baptistery – all surrounded by manicured lawns.

Despite the early hour, we still spotted visitors doing the quintessential tourist photo, pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower. The famous tilt of the Leaning Tower was even more pronounced in the past before restoration work stabilized the structure. The tower’s foundation was inadequately laid on soft ground, causing the structure to start leaning soon after the first floors were completed in 1178. Today, the tower leans at about a 4-degree angle. Due to the precarious tilt, only a limited numbers of visitors are allowed inside at a time. Legend holds that Galileo dropped two cannonballs of different masses from the Leaning Tower, proving that their rate of descent was independent of their mass.

The Leaning Tower is actually just one part of Pisa’s impressive Field of Miracles complex. The sprawling square also contains the Pisa Cathedral with its carved marble façade, and the circular Baptistery – all surrounded by manicured lawns.The adjacent white marble Pisa Cathedral with its Romanesque architectural details is a stunning sight, dating back to 1064 AD. We also admired the round Baptistery, a dedicated location for performing baptisms.

Florence

Our final stop was the historic city of Florence. We started at the Hospital of the Innocents from the 15th century, designed by Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi. Historically, parents could anonymously leave infants in a revolving door on the outside wall, where they would be safely cared for.

Moving deeper into the city, we visited the Florence Cathedral, with its massive dome that was the largest in the world for 400 years. The crowds moved slowly as eager visitors craned their necks to admire the pink, white and green marble facade.

The cathedral’s ornate façade is divided into three distinct horizontal levels, with rows of saints, prophets, and decorative patterns carved into the marble. The three huge bronze doors of the cathedral are also adorned with relief panels depicting biblical scenes.

We also spent time in Florence’s Signoria Square, home of a replica of Michelangelo’s David and the historic Palazzo Vecchio town hall.

On the way to lunch, we stopped to look at the Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s iconic landmark spanning the Arno River. It was common practice in the medieval times to build shops across the bridge. Initially home to tanners and butchers in the medieval era, the bridge is now lined with jewelry shops.

Next, we had lunch at the Palazzo Borghese, once home to Pauline Bonaparte, the sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. The ambience of the place was great, but the food was very disappointing – I could have made better pasta and I’m in no way an expert.

Our final stop was the Basilica of Santa Croce, the resting place for many famous Italians like Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli. However, we unfortunately did not have time to enter as we were tricked by the tour guide to a leather and gold shop instead for a sales pitch (we were told there was going to be a demo) before having explore the city ourselves the rest of our free time. In the plaza itself, we saw local artists selling their paintings and sketches.

Overall, although the trip was quite rushed, we still got to see a lot of cool stuff. If it weren’t for the crowds and the mediocre food, we would have enjoyed it even more.

See here for more of Cinque Terre, Pisa, and Florence

Vaduz

Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein, a country that some people have probably never heard of before, and people who have heard of it probably don’t know where it is on the map. In fact, it’s a tiny country that’s sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. Miraculously, this country, originally a part of the Holy Roman Empire, never got conquered. It survived empires rising and falling around it, namely Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon’s French Empire, Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, and Nazi Germany, just to name a few. Because it survived the political upheaval around it, it is still ruled by a prince (i.e. a principality) like it always was.

The above image shows the residence of the prince. It feels like some strange anachronism – a prince living in a castle on top of a hill ruling over his subjects, but in a modern time.

Even though it’s the capital of Liechtenstein, it only has ~5000 inhabitants – by no means large at all. Its vibe is quite different from other European cities – it doesn’t have a fancy old town or anything, but there are several museums of art and history, as well as the Princely Wine Cellars, which is a vineyard where guests can do wine tastings.

I jokingly asked the fellow at the tourist info centre if he’d ever met the Prince of Liechtenstein, and he actually said yes! He said that everyone who turns 18 gets invited to an event called the Young Citizens Celebration (Jungbürgerfeier) to meet the prince.

Hohenzollern Castle

From Vaduz, we drove into Germany, to where the House of Hohenzollern began, Hohenzollern Castle. These are the same Hohenzollerns, whose family members once ruled Prussia and the German Empire, among other places. Even the last Kaiser of the German Empire, Kaiser Wilhelm II, is a Hohenzollern. Today, the castle is still privately owned by the family,

The only way to see the interior of the castle is to pay for the guided tour, and on that guided tour there are no photos allowed. The coolest part of the guided tour is the room showing the entire known family tree of the Hohenzollerns. It even goes into detail as to which branch of the family is part of the Catholic Swabian branch, or the Protestant Franconian branch.

Today was the first day of the trip that actually snowed! The last several days were a bit windy and cool, but still above zero centigrade, but suddenly today, the weather dipped and it started snowing!

It’s kind of nice driving while it’s snowing as long as it’s not a total blizzard.

Stuttgart

In 2011, I spent eight months in Stuttgart for an internship while I was in university, and since then I went back again in 2013 and now again in 2020. I remember in 2013, it still felt pretty nostalgic, but now nine years later, I found that I’ve forgotten a lot of places and barely knew my way around. The feeling was totally different. It felt a lot more distant – like a place I used to know.

Before we left, we planned to eat at Sophie’s Brauhaus, the brewery that my friends and I used to go a lot to. I knew what I wanted to order before we even went – spaetzle with lentils and sausage. Spaetzle is a German pasta with eggs (as a opposed to other types of pasta which may not have as much egg in it). It’s easily one of the most Swabian dishes there is (Swabia is a region in Germany with its own culture and language). And of course we ordered beers, because after all we were at a brewery. I even ordered a bananenweizen – a wheat beer mixed with banana juice (yes, it’s a thing).

When I ate the dish, it didn’t connect with my nostalgia at all, I just remembered having nostalgia for it. Same with the beer I had. This was the place I had my first real German beer, and now there was zero connection between what I tasted now and the nostalgia. I mean the food and the beer was still delicious, but in my head, I definitely was looking for that emotional connection.

Photos

• Vaduz
• Hohenzollern Castle
• Stuttgart

Stockholm used to be just an island, and since Stockholm has expanded outside of the island, the island portion has become the old town, known as Gamla Stan.

Some buildings in the old town have fake windows, because glass was expensive back then (3rd floor middle window).

There’s a random piece of Viking runestone on the corner of a building. And it’s protected by a cannon barrel on the street corner…

The Scandanavian countries really like their royal guards…

H&M sells home products in Sweden! I haven’t seen that anywhere else.

At our hostel, we met some awesome people and went on a bike tour with some of them, guided by a local Swedish fellow. He took us to the top of a hill overlooking the river and Gamla Stan.

Welcome to Earth!!

Our guide showed us this cool snack. It’s herring with cucumber and onions on flatbread.

This is an indoor bike tunnel going under a bridge!!

This was part of the common area at our hostel. They did a good job with that antique look and they even made us take our shoes off when inside.

At the Stockholm Royal Armoury, they showed off a bunch of carriages. Since we are nerdy engineers, we spent a while analyzing how its suspensions worked.

I heard Swedish meatballs are famous.

The Vasa Museum was probably the most incredible attraction. The Vasa was a Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage. It was supposed to be a symbol of Swedish military might at the time, but it sank because it was too top-heavy due to the many cannons it had on board and not enough width to counter the tipping of the ship from its weight. It was later discovered that the ship was very well preserved and now it is on display.

What is more Swedish than going to Ikea and eating meatballs? There is a free shuttle that goes to Ikea too!

The best part of the trip was meeting a bunch of cool people in our hostel room! We had a room of 8 and every single person was fun to hang out with as opposed to normally I don’t get to talk to everybody. This time, the 8 of us got to chill in the room having beers and stuff. One of them was from Kentucky who was currently living in Alabama – of course all the America jokes were directed at her. Another was from Australia who had just finished his contract with the ANZAC navy after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq – he was quite open in talking about his experiences and I learned a ton from him! I also learned a nice trick to cooking pasta from one of the Italians: always salt the water before cooking the pasta! He even said that people thought he was crazy when they saw him salting the water. I also got some good hookups in Shanghai from our Chinese roommate – awesome when I decide to go there! It was amazing how well we all clicked and definitely an unforgettable experience in my travels.

That’s it for Stockholm!

Photo album: Stockholm

British Museum

I had been here before, but I thought this would be a good place for Edward to visit, since I was showing him around a little bit.

Here’s some pictures of some ancient stuff.

Later that night, we walked around the Tower Bridge and along the river and got some good night time photos.

Night Time along the Thames

I recall doing a similar walk along the Thames when I came to London two years before.  At night, the Tower Bridge is all lit up.

There is also St. Paul’s Cathedral from afar.

Everything is definitely much prettier when actually being there and with my point and shoot camera, it’s definitely hard to capture it all in photos.

English Breakfast

Definitely one of the most delicious breakfasts I’ve ever had. Back bacon is now one of my favourite foods. I also now have a greater appreciation for pan fried tomatoes.

If I recall correctly, the place is called Kiko’s Cafe and I highly recommend this place for anybody going to London.

Old Books

Our tourist map recommended an old second hand book store called Skoob Books. There, we found all sorts of old school books dating back to the early 20th century. I was able to pick up a 1928 edition of the Wealth of Nations for nine pounds. Edward managed to pick up an old anthology of George Orwell’s works for cheap too. Upon looking at my photo albums, it seems I got too carried away to take pictures of any of the old books.

In a different used book store, the books were so old that the owner put a lock on the door and would let customers in only when they rang the bell.  The books there were hundreds of years old and each book sold for at least hundreds of pounds if not thousands.

Princess Diana Loves Italian Food

For dinner, we ate at apparently one of Princess Diana’s favourite restaurants. And of course, this recommendation was very good.

I also highly recommend this place and it is called Da Mario.

Walking Tour

I did the walking tour last time I came to London, but I thought it’d be a good idea to do it again since Edward had never been to London before.  I didn’t really take much pictures here as I had taken so many the first time around.

Pub Grub

For lunch, we ate at a pub called The Lord Moon of the Mall with another person from Vancouver whom we met on the walking tour. I had previously been there before, and it was good last time, so I couldn’t really go wrong.

I think I was spoiled by the English breakfast and the pasta though because I didn’t think this place was as good as I remember.

HMS Belfast

Visiting the Belfast was one of the new things I did in London.  The HMS Belfast is a light naval cruiser that is now a museum and is parked on the Thames River. From the outside, the ship didn’t look that big to me, but it still took quite a while to see it all.

I even got to go inside the gun battery and inside there was a “simulation” of the batteries firing and it was very loud. I don’t know what I expected.

The tour takes the tourist to different rooms in the ship such as the sick bay, mess hall, chapel, among other places. As an engineer, the most interesting area for me to look at was the engine room. It’s amazing to see exactly what mechanisms can generate so much power to drive the ship.

Lots of ammo.

On the ship deck.

It just so happened that an airplane flew over as we were looking at the anti-aircraft gun.

A Comfortable Place to Travel

The biggest differences between travelling in Kiev and London is that in London, we can actually talk to people. We can read all the signs. It’s not sketchy at all. While this made travelling here super comfortable, it took away the excitement that being in a little bit of danger gave.  Even then, we still thought it was fun and we rather have done this than not at all.

Links to photo albums:

• British Museum (Edward’s Photos)
• London II
• London I

See the post for Day 1 and 2 here

We woke up in the morning to find that the hostel staff restored the hot water again.  So after a nice long shower, we resumed our sightseeing.  We would have liked to have breakfast at the hostel too, but we took too long (or woke up too late).  Instead, we had to find a supermarket to buy food.  We carried the bread, ham and cheese to the Coliseum and ate it there.

The Coliseum

We sat outside under the shade of the massive structure and just took out all the food.  While we ate though, bees kept annoying us and went after the package of ham.  It made no sense to me.  I thought bees only wanted nectar.  After spending a bit of time killing the bees, we resumed eating.  After finishing up, we walked around the Coliseum until we found the entrance.

From the outside, we could already see the massive structure.  It was clear that much of the structure had fallen apart since it was built.  Entire layers of the coliseum had collapsed over time.  What remained didn’t look that sturdy either.  A lot of preservation work must have been done to it to prevent the whole structure from collapsing.  Even on the walls, one could see many holes in it that used to hold up ornaments and other decorations when the structure was still in use.  The structure is certainly a great feat of Roman engineering.

Now that the structure is used purely for tourism, a lot of street vendors naturally set up shop here (it’s kind of weird sometimes because every single one of these street vendors I’ve seen are black).  It’s quite funny to see them all pack their stuff up really fast (it’s like they’re used to it) when cops showed up.  It really reminded me of those food vendors on the street in Hong Kong except without the carts.  Even better were the people dressed up as Roman Legions that got their pictures taken with people.

Because we purchased the Roma Pass (thanks to my friends European travel book) when we arrived at the airport, we were able to get free direct entry into any two museums in Rome (as well as unlimited travel on the metro system) for 3 consecutive days.  We used our pass at the coliseum and walked straight inside.  We didn’t even have to wait in line.  As we walked, everyone seemed to look at us wondering why we didn’t have to wait.  It was like being a VIP.

Walking into the main arena area of the coliseum really reminded me of the movie Gladiator.  The floor of the arena had long since collapsed so looking into the center only reveals the hidden rooms and passageways that used to serve as the barracks for the other gladiators.  To show what the area would have been like, there was a reconstructed portion of the arena floor.

The seating areas of the coliseum seems to have collapsed as well.  At first I wondered where people actually sat when watching shows.  We pretty much walked around the entire circumference of the coliseum and did not find any.  They must have all collapsed, which could explain why some areas had concrete poured over it to preserve the structural integrity.  At least that’s what I think based on the slabs of concrete that covered a lot of the area.

Some parts of the coliseum featured exhibits of its history too and that was quite interesting to see.  After going through the exhibits, we tried to go up to the third floor, but it had been closed off for some reason.  Somehow, a few people managed to get up there anyways.  Since we didn’t know how to get passed the locked metal gate, we saw whatever else we could and then afterward, we went to the Roman Forum.

Forum Romanum

Again, we used our Roma Pass to bypass the line and it felt so good being able to do that.  The Roman Forum was a large excavation site and so there was a lot of Roman ruins in the area.  It was basically the ruins of an entire city.  Looking on the map, we saw that there was so much to see there.  In the few hours that we were there for, we didn’t even go through it all.

We hadn’t completely recovered from all the walking we did the day before and the walking at the coliseum so we took it easy.  It would be interesting to see just how many kilometers we had all walked since the start of the trip.

Memorial to Vittorio Emanuele II

We ended up staying at the forum until the attraction closed and then afterward, we went to the memorial to Vittorio Emanuele II.  This memorial was the largest memory I’d ever seen.  It seems that this person was so important to the Italian people that they gave him a giant memorial with ceremonial guards. Seems kind of pompous to me actually. I looked up this person on Wiki and apparently, he was the first king of a unified Italy.

When we looked at the whole memorial, we wondered how long the ceremonial guards stayed out there for and how the guards would change shifts.  As we were discussing it, we saw three guards march out from the memorial to relieve the current ones.  The new guards switched places with the old ones by marching into their previous standing spot.  The relieved guards would then march away.

Trattoria Der Pallaro

By now, we were really hungry and after looking at my friend’s guide book for restaurant recommendations, we decided on going to a place called Trattoria Der Pallaro.  The cool thing about that restaurant was that it had no menu for people to pick food from.  Guests were served what the restaurant chose to serve.  For 25 euros, people got served a multicourse meal and didn’t get to choose what food they got.  It seemed like a really cool idea.

When we sat down, the waiter asked us whether we wanted red or white wine (probably the only choice for the entire meal).  After we answered, he returned with jugs of wine that amounted to about half a liter per person.  We all thought that was a little too much wine.  Next up was some bread and side orders of olives, ham/smoked meat, lentils, tomatoes and these fried fish balls (I don’t know what they are called).  That amount of food would have been enough for most people.  But knowing that was only the first course, we knew that there’d be more food to come.

For the next course, we were served a penne carbonara.  Half of it had this really delicious cheese sauce while the other half had a less delicious tomato sauce (but still super good compared to other pasta I’ve eaten).  I think that was the best pasta I’ve ever had, but then again, I don’t eat much pasta.

While we ate, I observed how the restaurant functioned since I reasoned that the place would be really efficient at cooking since everyone got the same dishes.  Indeed it was true.  The chef cooked batches and batches of the same thing and the waiters just scooped out the proper proportions for serving.  All they needed to do was keep track of which part of the meal each table was at.

In the third course, we got another serving of bread, but this time with veal, mozzarella balls, zucchini, and potato chips (I guess that random food thing can be a hit or miss on some dishes).  During all this eating, we kept drinking the wine, and I’m sure we would have gotten really drunk (or at least really buzzed) from it if not for all the food we ate.

In the fourth and final course, we were served this lemon cheesecake (at least I think it was cheesecake) with a small glass of peach juice (probably the size of a shot).  Best juice I’ve ever had.  The cheesecake was super good too.  We ended up finishing all the food and the wine.  Despite how expensive that restaurant was, it was totally worth it.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

The next day, we tried to go to the National Museum of Rome, but we didn’t know that it closed on Mondays.  Instead, we went to the nearby Basilica of the Sacred Heart.  When we went in, this old man who was part of the church greeted us and started talking with us.  He asked us the usual questions like where we were from and what not.  He also talked about the history of the church.  It really surprised me how good his English was.  I didn’t even expect an old Italian man to know it.  He seemed like a really nice guy. He showed us around and insisted that we take some free postcards of the church.

We stayed at the church until it was time to take the bus back to the airport.  We bought our bus tickets from a fellow that I thought looked kind of shady and for some reason he insisted that I put my backpack in the baggage compartment of the bus.  I did as I was told, but I worried so much for my stuff.  I really hoped that no one would steal anything while the door was open when the bus waited for people to board.  From where I was, I wouldn’t have seen anything if someone stole my bag.  I asked my friend sitting close to the window to spot my bag for me just in case.  When we got to the airport, I got my bag and made sure everything was still there.  My friend then told me how he saw the man that we bought the tickets from rummage through someone’s stuff and it looked like he could have stolen something too.  If my bag had been stolen, I would have lost everything.  I guess that taught me to keep all my important documents on my person.

Going Home

On the way back, my friends and I had a nice and long conversation about our views on certain things in life.  It was a super random conversation, but it was fun to talk about this like our childhood and how we were raised.

When we got off the plane and walked towards our bus, we got stopped by these two police officers.  We showed them our passports when they asked for them, but then they walked away with them for a little bit.  When they came back, they asked us if we were in the military.  We all thought it was an odd question and just told them no.  Then they said, “ok”, gave our passports back and we were on our way.  It was really weird and random.  Did we stand out that much in Germany?

During the two hour train ride, we talked about more random stuff.  During the conversations, I realized a lot of things in my childhood, the way I was raised, and my culture that really affected who I am today.  The whole conversation just seemed really profound.

We got home at around 7 pm and after cooking and eating dinner, I sat down to blog and upload my pictures as I always did after each trip.

More photos here

On Thursday, the day before we went to Rome, I learned from a colleague at work that the organization that ran the U-Bahn would go on strike on Friday. Knowing that we had to go to the train station the next day, we had to figure out an alternative route.  It just so happened that the nearby town of Ditzingen was only about 3 km away and from there we could take the S-Bahn (these ones weren’t on strike) to the main train station.  It took about 40 minutes to walk there, but it was necessary.  Along the way, we walked past a bunch of farmland that connected the two towns.  It seemed like we didn’t have to walk very far to reach the rural area.

We arrived at the main train station about an hour earlier than we needed to be so we just sat down for beer before beginning our trip.  Our train to the airport in Baden-Baden took about 2 hours and flying to Rome from there took about an hour and a half.  We arrived at the hostel pretty late in the evening, so we didn’t do much sightseeing except go to the nearby Piazza della Repubblica.  Since Rome was so hot, we were sweaty all over and it made good sense to take a shower when we got back to the hostel.  The worst part about it was that the water was freezing.  For some reason, the hot water didn’t work.  We talked to the reception about it and they said we’d have hot water by morning.

We didn’t get hot water in the morning either.  I followed my friend’s strategy for taking cold showers that he used during this stay in Uganda.  It pretty much worked by standing in the cold shower for as long as possible and then getting out.  It was really uncomfortable.  I didn’t really feel clean, but that had to do.  When we got ready, we took the metro to Vatican City and that’s where the real sightseeing started.

When we got on the metro at Termini Station, we couldn’t help but notice these people standing against the wall of the metro tunnel in the area where people got on the train.  It seemed as if these people were scoping potential victims for pickpocketing.  My friend let me borrow a pouch that I could tie around my body and was hidden under my shirt, so I wasn’t worried about getting pickpocketed.  I noticed that these people kept staring at other people as they walked by.  It seemed super suspicious to me.  In order to avoid these people even more, we boarded the metro at the end of the train, where there’d be the least concentration of people.

Vatican City

When we walked out of the metro and walked toward St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, we could see into it a little bit, and it kind of prepared us for getting our minds blown when we saw the whole thing.  From the plaza, we could see the Apostolic Palace and St. Peter’s Basilica.  As I expected, my mind was totally blown away by how awesome the place looked.  We proceeded to the line up to see the inside of the basilica.  At that time, I thought the line up we were at was for the Vatican Museums, but apparently that was somewhere else.  It was only after we waited in line that I realized that we were in the wrong place.  We had an online reservation for 11 and we only figured out where we needed to be at about 10:50, so in those 10 minutes, we walked about a kilometer around the outside of the Vatican in the burning heat just to make that deadline.  We got in though.

We had bought tickets for the Vatican the day before so we didn’t have to wait in line for tickets when we were there.  Even if it cost us an extra 4 euros each, it was totally worth it.  The line up looked like it was going to take hours.

Inside the Vatican Museums, it looked like people just wanted to see the Sistine Chapel and the other exhibits didn’t really interest them.  I can understand since a lot of the statues and busts that they showed there are of people that are of no particular significance to most people.  Most people probably don’t even understand the paintings everywhere.  I know I don’t.  To me, these exhibits just look really cool and that is about it.  I don’t know the history behind them at all.  Maybe the only painting there that I sort of knew was the one of Euclid.  The painting of him showing off geometry in the street is in pretty much every single math textbook.

The museum was set up such that there was a linear path for everyone to follow and near the end of the path would be the Sistine Chapel, the highlight of the visit.  In this part of the museum, guests were not allowed to take any photos and also had to be silent in the area of worship.  Most tourists obeyed these rules except for a select few who insisted on taking photos (myself included).  Every now and then the guards would call out for everyone to be silent and many guards patrolled around the crowd telling people to put their cameras away.  I too got caught by one of the guards when I tried to take a photo, but all he did was tell me to put my camera away.  Some tourists though, kept using the flash and made it so obvious that they’re taking photos.  Little do they know that they were slowly destroying the paintings.  At least I know how to take photos without the flash.

On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, was the famous painting of the Creation of Adam where God can be seen giving the spark of life to Adam.  I was surprised that this painting blended in so well with the others.  I had originally thought that this painting would be much more prominent.  It seemed that way because the painting was so famous.

After finishing up the Vatican Museums, we went back to St Peter’s Square to see the basilica.  By now, all the tourists were out and about and as a result it took us about an hour of waiting in line to reach the security checkpoint for the basilica.  It sucked because it only took us about 15 minutes when we were there earlier.  We had pretty much already waited, but were forced to wait again.  We found that the church required a certain attire to get in.  People wearing shorts, tank tops, and short skirts weren’t allowed in.  Luckily, I had jeans on and that was allowed (although it was awful wearing them in 30+ Celsius weather).

The wait was worth it though because St. Peter’s Basilica was the best church I had ever seen.  When we got inside, we immediately noticed how beautiful everything was decorated.  To make it all better, the position of the sun was just right so that the light shone into the church as glory rays.

It seemed like every single part of the church had some sort of decoration.  There was hardly any section of white space.  There was always a statue or some sort of engraving.  I was totally blown away by this sight.  I tried my best to capture the beauty of the glory rays.  In the ray of light, I could see small particles of dust floating around that I never managed to capture with my camera.

The sight of this church instantly made me believe that the look of all the churches I’d seen to simply be inferior.  It’s almost as if I no longer see a point in visiting any other church when I know that this one is just going to be the nicest looking one.

Walking through the Town in the Evening

After leaving the Vatican, we went to the Spanish Steps to meet the walking tour that we learned about from our hostel.  The tour wasn’t very good for me since I had so much trouble understanding the tour guide’s English.  He didn’t speak very loudly either.

From the Spanish Steps, we walked to Piazza Navona. Along the way, we saw some Roman ruins and also the most beautiful fountain ever – the Trevi Fountain.

The Roman ruins we saw were of the Pantheon and the Temple of Hadrian.  Over the years, much of the Temple of Hadrian had collapsed and the only remaining parts were just the pillars. 

Next was the Pantheon.  We couldn’t go in at the time because there was a service going on, but we went back later once it ended. 

Our next stop was the Piazza Navona, the location of a very beautiful city square.  It was surrounded by very traditional Italian architecture and a very beautiful church with an Egyptian obelisk in front of it.

Once the tour ended, we went back to the Pantheon to wait for the service to finish.  We knew when it ended and timed it so that we only had to wait a few minutes.  Many other tourists knew this too, so the crowd of tourists just waited outside and just stormed in when it was time.  When we went in, the smell of incense was still in the air and it gave the Pantheon a good smell.

After all the walking around we got really hungry and ate at a restaurant in the nearby city square of Campo de Fiori.  At that restaurant, we got to try some delicious Italian pasta and beer.  That beer tasted so good at relaxing.  Definitely needed after walking in the baking heat all day.

After eating, we revisited some of the sights along the walking tour at night before heading back to the hostel.  The next day, we would visit the Coliseum and the surrounding Forum Romanum.

More photos here

I gotta say, I was pretty spoiled before.  Not in the way of material things, but more the fact that my parents did all the cooking, laundry and pretty much all the other house cleaning chores.  I don’t think I ever had to set foot in a grocery store either.  All the food my mom bought and cooked, I ate.  She even took the time to make the food that I liked to eat.  That all changed when I came to Germany.  Well, it’s been a time of firsts.

Cooking

To state this bluntly, I can’t cook.  I came here without knowing one of the most critical things to keep myself alive.  In order to avert the crisis of me starving to death, I had to learn this crucial skill.  I already know how to cook like eggs, bacon, and pasta (but not the sauce, unfortunately), but it’s not like I really know how to cook.  I can’t eat that stuff everyday either.  I remember during my first few weeks here, I researched online for different recipes.  I sucked so much at cooking that I didn’t even understand what I was reading.  Marinate? Sautee? What?  Instead of following recipes, I took a different approach.  I started with the easy stuff.  Potatoes.  I was so bad that I even cut myself the first time I tried cooking potatoes.  I think I’ve gone a long way since then.  Now I know how to marinate my meat (thanks to my mom for teaching me that over VOIP), and how to make sauces like curry.  It doesn’t sound like much, but I probably quadrupled, if not tripled my cooking knowledge.  I want to learn some more like how to steam my own fish and cook rice with a stove (too bad I don’t have a rice cooker).  I am by no means a decent chef at all, but it’s a start.

Grocery Shopping

I wasn’t so clueless in this regard, but it didn’t help when I couldn’t read any of the food labels in the supermarket.  Luckily I installed an English-Deutsch dictionary app on my phone before I left Vancouver.  The app saved me so many times already.  It was kind of like, “What the hell does this mean?”, type type type, and then “oh, so that’s what it is”.  I think I ended up eating nothing by sandwiches for almost a whole week.  I mean, I can buy eggs, sausages, bacon and all that, but I had no idea what canola oil was called.  The dictionary didn’t help here, unfortunately, since they used a different word altogether.  Eventually, I figured out everything, and now I’m buying all the food I can eat and more.

Laundry

My flat doesn’t have a washing machine, and I wasn’t about to pay to go to the Laundromat.  I didn’t even know where it was either.  I knew that my mom occasionally washed some clothes by hand and so I consulted her on how to do it.  Her instructions sounded simple enough, but I needed to go out to buy laundry detergent.  Problem: I didn’t know what that was called in German.  I looked it up on my phone and found out.  I thought it’d be pretty straight forward after knowing what laundry detergent was called, but I was so wrong.  I went to the laundry section in the store and saw about fifteen different brands/kinds of detergent.  I had no idea which was which.  I stared at the wall of items for about twenty minutes while looking up various words on my phone before I knew which one to get.

Planning Trips

Since I’m here, I must take the time to travel around Germany and its nearby countries.  Before doing that however, I had to look up the places I wanted to go.  How do I get there?  How much will it cost?  Where will I stay?  Only two methods really exist for transportation: train or plane.  To book a ticket for travelling, I had to use the Deutsche Bahn website and that site confused the hell out of me for the first little while.  But now I know.  Booking flights should have been quite simple, except for the fact that the discount airlines don’t fly out of the major airports.  Now I had to think about how to get myself to one of these airports.  Seeing that I’m not made of money, I try to optimize costs everywhere.  50 euro a night for a hostel?  No way, time to look for something cheaper.  30 euro?  That’s a good deal.  Despite all this planning, I’ve gone to so many places already, and I still have not exhausted my list of places to go.

Drinking

Stereotypes say that Germans like to drink, and it’s totally true.  Although, it’s not really my first time drinking, it is my first time making a habit of it.  Every Thursday is my drinking day.  Sometimes Saturdays too.  I’m never looking to get hammered, but I find that drinking beer and socializing is just super relaxing.  Typically, I try a new beer every week, but a lot of times I just order my favorite beer, Hefeweizen.

Living in Another Country

This is the first time I’ve ever left home for longer than a week.  I used to live on residence at the university, but I went home every weekend.  I could go home every weekend and enjoy my mom’s wonderful cooking.  I have no such luxury here.  I often find myself craving the things I’ve temporarily given up in order to be here.  Besides missing family and friends while over here, I started appreciating the little things.  It’s just things like sleeping in my own bed, sitting in my own computer chair, and eating Chinese food.

Dealing with A Landlord

I always thought a landlord was just someone you pay so you can live in their house, but I learned to realize that it’s not only that.  A landlord is analogous to a dictator (but obviously not as bad).  They pretty much have total control over how I like to live in their space.  If they’ve got a problem with something I’m doing, they’ll tell me and I have to change my habits for them.  Just like the time where I showered too long.  Luckily, my landlords are pretty nice people, but I could have been really unlucky and gotten some mean ones.  Maybe the mean ones might even try to kick out their tenants if they didn’t like the way their lifestyle.

Being in a different country, it’s pretty much a necessity to try out the local cuisine. However, since I’m not rich enough to try really unique and high quality German food all the time, I’ve kind of failed in this regard. Luckily for me though, I get to try different types of German from the cafeteria at work. But then again, it’s not quite the same thing, but I’ll try my best. And since the German food I’ve been eating comes from the cafeteria, I didn’t think it seemed appropriate at the time for me to take pictures, so the pictures I won’t be from me, but from Wikipedia (the best source for all knowledge).

Bratwurst

Pretty much everyone who lives in a western country knows what bratwurst is. In short, it’s a German-style sausage. It’s different from North American sausages in the fact that a whole lot better. I haven’t got a clue at the differences in the what parts of the cow/pig they use, but it tastes damn good. I eat bratwurst pretty much every morning.

Kaiserschmarrn

Simply speaking, Kaiserschmarrn is pretty much a German/Austrian pancake. People in Austria eat it for dessert. When it comes to food, I rarely ask what it is made of. I just eat it, so I’m going to have to quote Wikipedia on this one to find out what it’s made of.

Kaiserschmarrn is a light, caramelized pancake made from a sweet batter with flour, eggs, sugar, salt, and milk, baked in butter.

Wikipedia said it’s a dessert, but I ate this as my main meal. Personal taste I guess.

Maultaschen

Maultasche are a Swabian food, which is like ravioli. It’s got pasta on the outside and meat on the inside. Wiki says its got different kinds of meat, spinach, bread crumbs, and onions with flavoring from various herbs and spices. It wasn’t super delicious (but still good), and doesn’t look super delicious, but it’s worth a try just to get a taste of Swabian culture.

Spaetzle

Also a Swabian specialty food, Spaetzle is a type of noodle. I was explicitly told by a colleague of mine not to call this pasta. Apparently Swabians like to make a distinction between Spaetzle and pasta. To go with the Spaetzle, I had lentils and sausages. It tasted okay I guess (if you’re Swabian and reading this, don’t hate me). It’s not one of my favorites, but for those who want to eat Swabian food, this is something to try.

Semmelknoedel

A southern German and Austrian specialty food, semmelknoedel is made of mostly bread. That probably doesn’t make the food sound delicious, but when I ate it, i thought it was good. It’s not super fancy or anything, just something unique that people in Germany eat.

There is way more German food that I ate since I’ve been here, but unfortunately most of the time I eat the food, I have no idea what it is or that I can’t remember the name. Oh how inconvenient it is to not be able to read/speak German. As I try more and more different kinds of food, I’ll be sure to post more.