Spring break 2010

Whew! Spring break finally arrived after a long, hard winter here in Tokyo. Although winter is not yet over (yes, it's still cold!), there is a hint of spring in the air during the days at least, and a few cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom :)

We were both sick over the first weekend of the break, so stayed in bed watching movies and relaxing. Monday morning we were ready to take off on an adventure with our friends, Terry and Sherry. After a 2 hour drive north west of Tokyo, we arrived at our destination in Gunma Prefecture. This area is famous for its apples, and we were impressed by the large number of apple tree fields. At the moment, the trees are bare, and their grey, wiry branches spread out like long, gnarled fingers, ready to grab you - a perfect setting for scary movies! In autumn/fall, they will be loaded with apples... can't wait to see that!

The man who owns the field (pictured above), was kind enough to give us some apples from his cold store to sample - we all enjoyed the crispy, sweet flavor.

Off to the waterfall... Now, I have seen a lot of waterfalls in my time, and usually the ones I've seen in Japan don't really impress me... but this one is truly spectacular! The water rushes to flow over and down steep rock faces, and with no barricades, you have to keep behind the white line for fear of being swept away!


Checking into our ryokan was a breeze, and we were pleasantly surprised by our room. In the traditional Japanese style, it was a tatami room with a large cupboard to house the futons which are to be made up each night and put away each morning. The bathroom (toilets, washbasins) was just across the hall, and the dining room was at the end of the hall. The best part though, was the onsen... each morning and night we luxuriated in the steamy bath... the perfect way to start the day, and the best way to end it - 100% toasty warm before sleeping :) If you've never had an onsen experience, try to do so at least once in your life...

The meals (breakfast and dinner) at the ryokan were delicious... Japanese cuisine, with a few Western foods thrown in at breakfast time. The food was plentiful... we ate way too much... pickles, vegetables, soups, rice, nabe, sashimi...



The next day we visited a temple which was so peaceful... the various plants were just about to bloom. The koi (carp) were not very active... I think they are tired of winter and want some heat! With snow-topped mountains all around the various towns and villages there, I think they will need to be patient for a few more weeks :)


On to the highlight of this mini-break... Takaragawa Spa. This place is magical! With one female only onsen, and 4 mixed baths, you need to be brave! Fortunately, large towels were provided for women, so I didn't feel so shy about onsen-hopping! Ale, however, had just a little hand towel to cover himself with... bare-bottom alert!! Outdoors, surrounded by snow, these baths really do relax you. Yes, it is cold as you disrobe and approach the natural bath, but as soon as your body touches the steaming hot water... agh... and drinking cold Sapporo beer whilst relaxing adds that special touch ;) Photos to come...

Cards... we love to play cards... and someone amongst us is a shark... enough said!

On our final day, we did a spot of shopping - the local fruit, vegetables, and yogurt are wonderful! Then, sadly, we made our way back to Tokyo. Thanks to Terry for doing all that driving, and to Sherry for organizing the booking, etc. We had a great time away with you, and look forward to another trip away in autumn/fall. Can't wait to taste 'them apples' :)

Summer in Australia 2009/10

Finally, I have found some time to write about the summer holidays! We had a great time in Australia. It was wonderful to catch up with family and friends, and to enjoy the hot weather. We spent most of our time in Brisbane, staying with Ma and Pa Hoger, but we also headed south to Melbourne to check out the city and some possible locations in which to buy a house, apartment, block of land for a tent... it is expensive, but beautiful :) Highlights - too many to mention, although dining at Bistro Vite at Southgate in Melbourne would have to rank in my personal top 3 ;) Here are a few photos - and there are many more to enjoy on our Flickr page.

The last few months of 2009

October through December were fairly quiet months for us here in Tokyo. With the weather beginning to cool down, we tend to become hermits!

Ainsely and Greg visited Tokyo in October and we had the chance to catch up with them on several occasions which was lots of fun. I took Ainsley to our favorite coffee shop in Harajuku “Snob’s Heart Café” which has delicious coffee and some of the best cakes in Tokyo!
http://www.cafe-master.com/yamanote/harajuku/snobs-heart-cafe.html#menu



We did have the lucky chance (thanks Marjon!) to attend the Bledisloe Cup final at the end of October. Even though Australia lost to the All Blacks, it was very exciting to watch the game and cheer the Aussies as they played their best against the powerful New Zealand lads. We also enjoyed watching our first live Haka – the Australian players must feel terrified after watching it! ;)
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/about-nz/features/haka-feature/haka.cfm



One weekend in December we spent a long afternoon exploring Ginza, and to refuel, we enjoyed a fantastic Korean meal at a restaurant called Hantejiya – so spicy!
http://www.ramla.net/casual_restaurant/hantejiya/index_english.htm


On our last Sunday in Tokyo before flying to Australia for Christmas, we went for a 3 hour walk along the Tama River, which is in our neighbourhood. We soon shed our many layers as the sun was shining so brightly – large dose of vitamin D! The river was roaring after the heavy rain Tokyo had received, and the birds were enjoying the sun, the gentle breeze, and the steady flow of fish to be caught.

Jiyugaoka coffee van

Jiyugaoka coffee van
Originally uploaded by ainsley2006

Relaxing with hot coffee at one of our favourite spots in Jiyugaoka!

The whole gang

Spanish restaurant (3)
Originally uploaded by ainsley2006

We had lots of fun at this Spanish restaurant in Shibuya. The sangria is delicious!

Tsukiji Market - Tuna Auction - LIVE!

Tsukiji Market

This morning, we woke up REALLY early (4:45 AM) to get ready to go to the Tsukiji Market in Tsukiji, Tokyo. Thanks to Annmaree and Owen for encouraging us to get out of bed so early - it was a truly unforgettable experience!
This 24 hour market sells food products such as fish, vegetables, fruit, meat and flowers. Many tourists go there each day to watch the very lively 'tuna' auctions (see next post). It is an incredibly busy place, with little vehicles zooming around with fish deliveries, old men on bicycles with big baskets full of fish, and wheelbarrows overflowing with fish being pushed by muscly blokes! Hmmmm... note the overuse of the word 'fish' in that last sentence? Well, that's because Tsukiji is the LARGEST fish market in the world! I have never seen so many fishy things. I was quite shocked by the vast quantities... and my "what are we doing to the planet?" voice screamed inside my head as I watched a seller tease and taunt a live crab, and looked into containers full of extremely undersized fish! I much preferred the fruit and veg section, where we were tempted to buy a very big box of tomatoes...
Hunger pangs struck us around 7:30 AM, and we ventured into one of the market stalls to eat sushi with rice. I had 'Maguro Salmon Don' - tuna and salmon on rice, and Ale had 'Maguro Don' - both were extremely delicious, though I still feel very guilty...

Nanbo Kokusai Mura

A few weeks ago, we spent the weekend at Nanbo Kokusai Mura, a campground and lodge for groups in Minami Boso, Chiba. We really enjoyed our time there with Marjon, and owners David and Yoshiko. The grounds are surrounded by a high 'bamboo' fence, and there is a large lawn area on which to relax and practice 'poi' - right, Marjon? Soon after arriving on Saturday morning, we were at the beach, enjoying the salty spray of the ocean, and watching all the fishermen bring in the day's catch. On bicycles we rode 5km to Rosemary Park, where we devoured tea and scones, and breathed in the woody scent of rosemary. In the evening, David prepared a delicious meal for us, and after dinner, we played a few games of billiards. The next morning, we were treated to a wonderful breakfast on the sunny deck, and after Marjon and I went for a long walk (and Ale hauled bamboo!), we enjoyed a prawn tempura and soba lunch. We were sad to leave... it is great to escape the big city every once in a while and 'enjoy the nature' ;)

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Back to School!

I survived my first week of school! I have a fantastic class (only 21 students this year), and the air conditioning is very cool :) I think I've had the 'best ever' start to a school year - yeah! This photo was taken in the beautiful new elementary library - we all look refreshed after a long summer break, don't you think? L-R: Vesna, Rose, Marilynne

Saying Good-bye!

Saying 'Good-bye' to family and friends was very sad this year as we probably won't see everyone again until 2011.

A few days before we left, we spent some quality time with Nando and Chiara at Nando's uncle's villa in Tre Colli which is not far from Calci. We enjoyed chatting with them over long breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and the time spent relaxing around the swimming pool (at another uncle's villa) was wonderful. Baru and the parrot kept us entertained, and the fantasy gypsy thieves provided a few laughs :) Unfortunately, their baby didn't decide to arrive ahead of schedule, so we are now anxiously awaiting news of his arrival into the world.

The day before we left, we had a lovely day with the family. Mary prepared a delicious lunch for us, and Antonio, Simona and Nemo were there to share it with us. We enjoyed playing with Nemo all afternoon - he really likes to have fun! In the evening, we went to Zio Gianfranco and Zia Paola's new house for dinner - pizza followed by gelato - the perfect farewell treats :)

A presto, tanti baci, Ale&Rose xoxoxo

Venice

Ah, what a beautiful city! After a rather harrowing train trip, and then some trouble to find our accommodation, we finally managed to relax and enjoy the magic of this city on water. We stayed very close to Piazza San Marco in a fantastic bed and breakfast called '3C'.

We explored the city each morning, returned to the B&B for a midday rest (so hot!), and then ventured out again in the late afternoon to further explore the winding 'calli' (Venetian for 'streets'). It is very easy to get lost, and in fact although we had a map, we preferred to get lost - it's the best way to discover things! We had fun watching the gondolas glide along the canals, marveled at the many bridges and the beauty of Basilica di San Marco and Palazzo Ducale, ate lots of excellent seafood, and enjoyed some shopping, too.

The time of day we enjoyed most was early-late evening, after all the day trippers had left the island - finally peace and quiet. There are so many tourists milling about during the day, but at night, there are only locals and tourists who want to stay and really live the city... if only for a few days :) It is an expensive place to visit, but if you consider the cost and effort involved in doing business in a floating city, you begin to understand why the prices are a little steep. Venice truly is a unique place, and well worth the visit.

Nemo

Nemo is our nephew. Born in December 2008, we finally got to meet him in June 2009. He is a gorgeous little boy, and in the short time we were in Italy, we saw him develop in many ways. The last time we saw him (just before we left), we were excited to discover that he can now crawl! We miss you Nemo, but you are always in our hearts and minds, tanti baci, gli zii a Tokyo xxoo

- There are other photos on the flickr site too - enjoy! -

Marilynne and Carol visit Pisa

My friend from work, Marilynne, and her friend Carol visited us for 2 nights in June. We had a great time exploring Pisa and Lucca together. They enjoyed Ale's spaghetti al pesto Genovese, and we enjoyed the buffalo wings they made for us (with the real sauce direct from Buffalo, New York!). Marilynne and I just had to pose for the Leaning Tower of Pisa tourist shot - lots of laughs!

Ananda's visit to Pisa

Ananda visited us in Pisa for a week or so in July, and we had a great time together. Many lunches and dinners were shared, either at home with a spot of vino, or at a fine dining establishment such as Pizzeria il Montino, Spaghetteria alle Bandierine, Nando and Chiara's place, or Banda.

Due to our lack of motor transportation, the bicycles were put to good use. We enjoyed biking around (though it was a little hot at times!), and we were especially proud of our 25km ride from Lucca to Pisa on Via Vecchia Lucchese.

Our day trip to Florence was enjoyable (once the train decided to leave!). Ananda picked up some wonderful bargains in the San Lorenzo Market, and I indulged myself by purchasing a pair of Prada shoes - they were on sale! We had some fun and games with the local gypsies, too - but we lived to tell the tale! Thank-you Ananda for making the long journey to visit us. We hope you had a good time, and look forward to seeing you soon in Australia.

Paris Summer 2009

We had a fantastic time in Paris for a few days in June. The weather was a little cold and windy, hence we had to buy cardigans and pullovers to explore the city in comfort! Meeting up with Jo and James was lots of fun. The food, the beauty of the architecture, Luxembourg Garden, and finally seeing the Eiffel Tower were highlights for me. Enjoy the photos!

Welcome back!

It has been a looooong time since I last posted to our blog. Basically, as soon as I started my Masters at the beginning of March, life ended. Work was busy too in that we moved school (that is, packed up and moved across the road) at the end of March. This last week, I have been sick with Influenza Type A - not allowed to leave the house the whole week as I am contagious. Have never been so ill - the muscular pain I experienced was incredible! I am feeling a lot better now though, and hopefully this weekend, we can run around and do all the things we need to do before leaving next Tuesday for Italia - yeah! This summer is looking to be a hot one in that we have lots of things planned - so, there should be a few interesting posts coming up :) For now though, let me tell you about DisneySEA.


Last week, Alessandro and I went with two of my colleagues and 82 5th graders to DisneySEA. It was raining... in fact, it rained the whole time we were there - from 10 AM until 6:30 PM!!! The boys were SO excited to go around in their groups and have fun to celebrate the end of Elementary School. Annmaree, Ale and I had a wonderful time exploring the park too - we were determined to go on all the scary rides - and we did!!!


We began with '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' in which we explored the depths of the ocean in research submarines designed by Captain Nemo. Next, we went on a 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' - I screamed a lot, and there is a photo which depicts my terror! The 'Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull' is an amazingly designed attraction, and with Annmaree at the wheel of Indiana's Jeep, we were safe, except at the end when a big boulder was coming straight for us and... 'Raging Spirits', with its 360 degree turn was fast and furious, and Annmaree and I had to really psyche ourselves to take that challenge! To calm down, we relaxed on 'Sindbad's Storybook Voyage' boatride - the set designs are awesome! Ale and Annmaree talked me into going on a simulation ride called 'StormRider' - I closed my eyes in order to NOT get motion sickness. Finally, the ride I said that I WOULD NOT GO ON, 'Tower of Terror' was presented to me as a challenge by a few of my cherubs, so, I took the challenge, and the photo shows my pure terror as we free fell way too many meters, and then rose again, to fall one more time!!! Everyone else around me was smiling for the camera - mad!


During the day, we also enjoyed lunch at 'New York Deli', strolled through the streets of 'Venice', and watched the show 'Big Band Beat', but mostly we were there for the adventure! When we all arrived back at St. Mary's at 8PM, there was lots of excited chattering between sons and mothers, but the teachers were yawning ;) We highly recommend DisneySEA, and we're looking forward to going again next year with the new 5R.

I Love Italian Shoes!

Well, for the past week or so, I have been nervously checking my votes each day... Last weekend, I created a video for the Italian advertising campaign competition - 'I Love Italian Shoes'. The competition is one of a few presented by the online creative community 'Zooppa'. It was fun to make, and I was surprised to see that it shot to position number 2 within 24 hours!!!! It is now in position no. 4 :(

I'll let you know how I go... the competition closes at the end of this month... still many days for votes to roll in. If you have already voted - thank-you! If you haven't... check it out:

http://www.zooppa.com/i-love-italian-shoes/videos/2934

5R Ski Trip

Well, I have just returned from the class ski trip. I've spent 5 days and 4 nights in the snow with 27 of my 28 cherubs, plus two very brave parent volunteers!!! St. Mary's owns a ski lodge in Tsumagoi, which is approximately 4 hours north-west of Tokyo. The accommodation was very comfortable, the food was good, however I didn't partake of the onsen experience (bath water after 27 boys is not appealing!). When we arrived on Monday, it was snowing. From Tuesday-Thursday the weather was mostly sunny, and the boys reported that the snow was great. On Thursday night we all had a snowball fight (it did end in tears for some - hurt pride, nothing else!). Unfortunately, early on Friday morning there was some rain, so the snow was quite wet for the boys' final morning on the slopes - not good. The bus ride back to school was smooth - nobody was sick on the bus - yeah!!, and we all made it back in good health :) A good time was had by all... but I do believe that it is now time to sleeeeep!!! I do want to learn to ski one of these days... before I'm too old!

Ciao Nemo!