every year i try to be the humble person and ask all of you not to get me a present or to donate money for a worthy cause. however, since my friends are too nice and don't meet that request, always get me a present, i thought i can help to make it easier this year. furthermore, couple of you have already asked me what i want so here it is.
i really would appreciate giftcards at:
1. victoria secret (i really love the angels memory foam collection!!)
2. sephora (i need perfume, eyeshadow, foundation, etc)
3. starbucks (i need this to survive at work)
love you girls!
via d'amor
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Day Five in Italy
Saturday was our last day in Cinque Terre. We had a massage schedule as part of our Sabbath experience. We checked out and went to the town #4 to get our massage. Our masseuse was an English lady who moved to Italy and ended up starting a family. We did a little walking on the trail and enjoyed a stroll on the harbor. For lunch we enjoyed the best minestrone soup ever at Capotola. We had best and only shopping done in Vernazza. We found local products such as pesto, olives, olive oil, jams and soaps. Then Grace lost her wallet on the way somehow and Isaac was so sweet on his way of handling this matter. Our trip cost a little more than we expected due to this unfortunate experience. Isaac was also generous to replace Grace's lost wallet (her first real wallet from 5th grade) with a purple Prada wallet from the flagship store in Milan.
We found a direct train from Cinque Terre to Milan. We arrived and checked into our Hotel Florida. It was a clean and comfortable hotel a block from the Milan Central Station. We had a little ordeal trying to get our room because we arrived a day early. Online we had noticed many rooms but the hotel stated they had none. So we found free wifi at another hotel and booked a room at Hotel Florida. We went back and got the room and checked in. For dinner we went to a thai/Chinese: Shangai la restaurant that was recommended in Fodor’s Milan book. Their portions were tiny so we had to order like 5 dishes and pay over $80. ouch. It was a very expensive day we spent.
We found a direct train from Cinque Terre to Milan. We arrived and checked into our Hotel Florida. It was a clean and comfortable hotel a block from the Milan Central Station. We had a little ordeal trying to get our room because we arrived a day early. Online we had noticed many rooms but the hotel stated they had none. So we found free wifi at another hotel and booked a room at Hotel Florida. We went back and got the room and checked in. For dinner we went to a thai/Chinese: Shangai la restaurant that was recommended in Fodor’s Milan book. Their portions were tiny so we had to order like 5 dishes and pay over $80. ouch. It was a very expensive day we spent.
Friday, June 13, 2008
day four: Cinque Terre
We journeyed to cinque terre on Friday. We left Bellagio on the 6:40am ferry and made our way to Varenna to catch the train to Milan. On the train, we met a wonderful gentleman that was our on board friend, concierge, and caretaker. We actually never even got his name. We chatted about travel, work, family, and lots about Italy. Once we got to Milan, he was our defender from urban outdoorsman. He went with Grace downstairs at the train station to ensure that we purchased the correct tickets with the best connections. After boarding our train we separated to our respective seats but he came and found us to ensure we got off at the right station to make our next connection.
It poured rain during a thunderstorm as we entered into Cinque Terre. As we exited the station we found a small bakery and enjoyed the most tasteful foccacia bread while waiting for our room agent. We waited for our room while trying another regional specialty; anchovies, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Grace enjoyed the appetizer while Isaac only had a taste.
After our little snack we were allowed to finally make our journey up to the heavens. We winded through cobblestone side streets and little alleyways with a million steps. Then we approached the old lookout tower and ascended up through the tower. As soon as we reach the top of the stairs our apartment was right there. The view was a majestic although we cannot say the same for our bed or the cleanliness of the bathroom.
As we ascended into the heavens to reach our room the rain began to lift and the sky cleared allowing the sun the beam through. Cinque terre is an area tof 5 fishing villages that are connected hills of farmland. The villages are filled with faded pastel homes with bright primary color doors, crabbing baskets & boats blanketing the uneven cobblestone streets. The smell of salty foccacia and anchovies make your tastebuds water. As you walk through these villages you feel free as the laundry swinging against the Liguariuan wind. From Manarola, we strolled through the via dell’ amore that connected to the next village Riomaggiore. The views along the trail were breathtaking. The crystal clear aqua waves crashing violently against slate stones have caused layers of texture and patterns on the rocks. There’s a section of the trail where there is a tunnel of writing and locks of lovers. We took lots and lots of pictures. We did this path three times! In the evening we visited another town, Monterosso, the resort of the five fishing villages, making three for the day and were able to capture from great pictures as the sun went down.
It poured rain during a thunderstorm as we entered into Cinque Terre. As we exited the station we found a small bakery and enjoyed the most tasteful foccacia bread while waiting for our room agent. We waited for our room while trying another regional specialty; anchovies, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Grace enjoyed the appetizer while Isaac only had a taste.
After our little snack we were allowed to finally make our journey up to the heavens. We winded through cobblestone side streets and little alleyways with a million steps. Then we approached the old lookout tower and ascended up through the tower. As soon as we reach the top of the stairs our apartment was right there. The view was a majestic although we cannot say the same for our bed or the cleanliness of the bathroom.
As we ascended into the heavens to reach our room the rain began to lift and the sky cleared allowing the sun the beam through. Cinque terre is an area tof 5 fishing villages that are connected hills of farmland. The villages are filled with faded pastel homes with bright primary color doors, crabbing baskets & boats blanketing the uneven cobblestone streets. The smell of salty foccacia and anchovies make your tastebuds water. As you walk through these villages you feel free as the laundry swinging against the Liguariuan wind. From Manarola, we strolled through the via dell’ amore that connected to the next village Riomaggiore. The views along the trail were breathtaking. The crystal clear aqua waves crashing violently against slate stones have caused layers of texture and patterns on the rocks. There’s a section of the trail where there is a tunnel of writing and locks of lovers. We took lots and lots of pictures. We did this path three times! In the evening we visited another town, Monterosso, the resort of the five fishing villages, making three for the day and were able to capture from great pictures as the sun went down.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Third day in Italy
Thursday was our first real taste of italy day as we were heading off for a cooking class to learn how to make our own pasta and sauce from an Italian chef. We were left Bellagio again via ferry and this time we went to another picturesque town, Varenna which is about a 15-20 minute ferry ride. The town is the most beautiful lakeside town because the town is bursting with flowers and the layout of the homes and stores has perfect colors and textures of stone. There are less hotel signs and tour souvenir shops. From the moment the ferry lands, you walk through a fairytale land. There is less hotel signs and stores than Bellagio. We arrived at the town square to find that our chef for our cooking class was involved in an accident so we were not able to have our cooking class. But we made the best of it. The local café barista was our informative guide. He shared the ins and outs of Varenna.
After the best cup of cappuccino, we attended Mass at the local cathedral which is something that Isaac wanted to do. Isaac-There is special meaning for me to be able to worship with such ceremony and tradition. Even though I don’t speak Italian or Latin, it was a spiritual experience for me. Grace even participated in the Eucharist, she was more appropriately dressed than Isaac who was in his usual (shorts and chacos). Grace-I tried to use my hands and the priest moved his hand in my mouth. This was an interesting experience. The bread tasted like watered down glue stick. The cathedral had a beautiful bell tower and clock. Adjacent to the cathedral had a really cool sundial.
After Mass we took a short walk over to Villa Montesario and gardens. This garden looked amazing against the turquoise waters of the lake. Grace really enjoyed the view of Villa Cipressi from Villa Montesario and also there was so much green ivy that made everything looked luxurious. There was a civic engineering conference at the villa when we were visiting. What a place to have a conference! We ate lunch at a delightful waterfront crepe café, Nilus Bar, (recommended in Rick Steve’s Italy 2008) that had wonderful view of the lake. The nutella banana crepe was absolutely delicious.
After resting about half an hour in Bellagio, we left on ferry to the reason why Grace wanted to visit Lake Como. Villa Balbinello in Lenno is where star wars and james bond were shot. From Lenno, we paid more money 12 eu for a 5 min. water taxi to the villa. The villa’s entrance had a beautiful black iron gate with lots of ivy. We had a tour of the villa inside where the last resident was the 1st Italian to explore the north pole and mt. everest. Though it rained this afternoon, it was so romantic to set eyes on this villa. The outiside of this building really is something, my dream house!
For dinner, we had Trattoria San Giacomo, for local fresh fish, pasta, caprese, and the best tiramisu.
After the best cup of cappuccino, we attended Mass at the local cathedral which is something that Isaac wanted to do. Isaac-There is special meaning for me to be able to worship with such ceremony and tradition. Even though I don’t speak Italian or Latin, it was a spiritual experience for me. Grace even participated in the Eucharist, she was more appropriately dressed than Isaac who was in his usual (shorts and chacos). Grace-I tried to use my hands and the priest moved his hand in my mouth. This was an interesting experience. The bread tasted like watered down glue stick. The cathedral had a beautiful bell tower and clock. Adjacent to the cathedral had a really cool sundial.
After Mass we took a short walk over to Villa Montesario and gardens. This garden looked amazing against the turquoise waters of the lake. Grace really enjoyed the view of Villa Cipressi from Villa Montesario and also there was so much green ivy that made everything looked luxurious. There was a civic engineering conference at the villa when we were visiting. What a place to have a conference! We ate lunch at a delightful waterfront crepe café, Nilus Bar, (recommended in Rick Steve’s Italy 2008) that had wonderful view of the lake. The nutella banana crepe was absolutely delicious.
After resting about half an hour in Bellagio, we left on ferry to the reason why Grace wanted to visit Lake Como. Villa Balbinello in Lenno is where star wars and james bond were shot. From Lenno, we paid more money 12 eu for a 5 min. water taxi to the villa. The villa’s entrance had a beautiful black iron gate with lots of ivy. We had a tour of the villa inside where the last resident was the 1st Italian to explore the north pole and mt. everest. Though it rained this afternoon, it was so romantic to set eyes on this villa. The outiside of this building really is something, my dream house!
For dinner, we had Trattoria San Giacomo, for local fresh fish, pasta, caprese, and the best tiramisu.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Second day in Italy
We hit the ground running in true Grace form starting at 6AM. Grace’s reasonings: we were wide awake, lost a day from sleeping and the weather was spectacular! We spent a few hours exploring the waterfront taking in the scenery and shooting beautiful pictures. With no one around and in awe of the beauty around us, our walk to Villa Melzi was heaven on earth. On the waterfront was a small café that had fresh pastries and coffee where the lady was so sweet. She allowed us to eat on credit as we were not able to exchange to the Euro yet.
The ferry system is quite developed and we were able to take the ferry across the lake to visit the beautiful Villa Colatta and gardens, which was once a wedding gift for the Princess Colatta. Some of the garden highlights were the green forest, a natural stream, blue hydrangeas, a cherub fountain with water lilies, and a tunnel of orange blossoms & jasmine.
We rode the ferry back to Bellagio after spending couple hours at Villa Carlotta and seeing the towns Termezzo & Carlotta. We ate at La Grotta, a pizzeria that Flavio recommended for the best pizza. It was really good pizza. After lunch we headed for the church to be picked up by our guide for horsebacking. He was 10 min. late and skeptical enough we were a little scared as he drove about 30 min. away from the lake. It was nice to see how the locals live and see the raw side of Bellagio. Flavio dropped us off at his house with a young boy and some horses that a plethora of flies around their heads. The young boy sagging his pants and cigarette in his mouth looked real professional. With no one else around and the horses being lazy, Grace wondered how safe was this going to be. We set out for horseback riding into the hills and countryside that was so memorable to the both of us. We enjoyed our time, BUTT we were sore.
The earlier walk in town, had markets that had beautiful heirloom tomatoes that we attempted to try on our own in our apartment with fresh homemade linguini from the market and tomato sauce, salad, and orange fanta (yummy). We never did that again. With jetlag, Grace fell asleep around 8pm.
The ferry system is quite developed and we were able to take the ferry across the lake to visit the beautiful Villa Colatta and gardens, which was once a wedding gift for the Princess Colatta. Some of the garden highlights were the green forest, a natural stream, blue hydrangeas, a cherub fountain with water lilies, and a tunnel of orange blossoms & jasmine.
We rode the ferry back to Bellagio after spending couple hours at Villa Carlotta and seeing the towns Termezzo & Carlotta. We ate at La Grotta, a pizzeria that Flavio recommended for the best pizza. It was really good pizza. After lunch we headed for the church to be picked up by our guide for horsebacking. He was 10 min. late and skeptical enough we were a little scared as he drove about 30 min. away from the lake. It was nice to see how the locals live and see the raw side of Bellagio. Flavio dropped us off at his house with a young boy and some horses that a plethora of flies around their heads. The young boy sagging his pants and cigarette in his mouth looked real professional. With no one else around and the horses being lazy, Grace wondered how safe was this going to be. We set out for horseback riding into the hills and countryside that was so memorable to the both of us. We enjoyed our time, BUTT we were sore.
The earlier walk in town, had markets that had beautiful heirloom tomatoes that we attempted to try on our own in our apartment with fresh homemade linguini from the market and tomato sauce, salad, and orange fanta (yummy). We never did that again. With jetlag, Grace fell asleep around 8pm.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
First Day in Italy
We traveled from Ontario & NY to Atlanta to Milan, Italy on an overnight flight. Although we were delayed we did not have too many problems other than our airplane seat shade broken, seat rocking and seat light bulb going out. Along the way, we feasted on fresh apple bread, rice and gim (sea weed laver) provided by Brian and Esther (thanks!!) From the airport we were able to take the Malpensa Express train to the town of Como, Italy. It took about 2.5 hrs to the last station Como Nord because we had to wait one hour at a transfer stop and one hour at a stop that was miscalculated. From Como, we then embarked on a ferry to the little town of Bellagio on Como Lago (Lake Como). The ferry was a wonderful opportunity to see the various towns coloring the borders of the lake. From sunny weather to Como, a sprinkle in Lenno, to a storm in Bellagio, the weather definitely got quite fowl on us. Even with the rain, Bellagio was a beauty at first sight with luxurious villas decorated with elegant topiaries, columns, ivy with manicured gardens and with the calmness of the alps hugging the hazy lake. Due to its close proximity to Switzerland, you can definitely see the influence here compared to other areas in Italy. We checked into our apartment at Il Borgo, a small family run apartment rental only 50 meters away from the harbor. Flavio is a generous man who was our personal “concierge” while we acclimated to our new abode. We walked a lot of stairs on our trip!
Our first meal was just around the corner from us at La Fontana a small mom and pop restaurant where Grace enjoyed gnocchi and Isaac had the lasagna which was the daily special, both were delicious. We explored the town a little, pursuing the shops and stopping by the local cathedral to say our prayers, but we were stopped short due to rain (forgot to pray for no rain… ☺. We both felt so jetlagged that we fell asleep around 6pm and woke up around 2am hungry but well rested. We ate more apple bread and played cards till 5am!
Our first meal was just around the corner from us at La Fontana a small mom and pop restaurant where Grace enjoyed gnocchi and Isaac had the lasagna which was the daily special, both were delicious. We explored the town a little, pursuing the shops and stopping by the local cathedral to say our prayers, but we were stopped short due to rain (forgot to pray for no rain… ☺. We both felt so jetlagged that we fell asleep around 6pm and woke up around 2am hungry but well rested. We ate more apple bread and played cards till 5am!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
ohhhh---it feels good
before we head out to lake como, italy for our 1 yr anniversary, my husband gave me a surprise gift to open before he headed out to ny. if you don't know by now, my husband's primary love language is giving gifts. everyone who knows isaac knows he likes luxury and fancy smacy stuff. so usually he surprises me with tiffanys or the ritz, that sort and i usually respond with why did you spend so much money?!! however, my gift for my 1 yr anniversary belongs in a totally different category but i LOVE it soooo much.
okay-its obvious in the picture, what he got me. BUT the awesome part is that its a travel size and it can roll into a pretty small roll. i always have carried my therapeutic pillow everywhere previously, even camping to Zion but that is no more! for the travelpillow is compact and feels so good. isaac-this is so far one of the best $ you have spent on me.
Friday, June 6, 2008
water
furthermore, while i was out to dinner with friends last night. one traveler of india told me that during her last visit she heard numerous stories about husbands burning their wives repeatedly on purpose. talk about domestic violence! supposedly men are taking advantage of the bridal dowry by destroying their wives to remarry and increase their monetary gains. hence, the wives either die or are left as abandoned widows that no one cares about. the travelers came back frustrated that social, economic and cultural justice seemed so distant in india.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
crazy may
couple of you have mentioned that my blog has been quite idle and i agree. its been quite the hectic month. the first weekend of may was isaac's favorite challenge the 5k in downtown redlands. here's a picture from it:
thursday nights were watching the calimesa pigeons playing softball. they did awesome this year and i loved to cheer my hot husband on 1st base. 2nd weekend was mother's day where we visited northridge to celebrate with isaac's parents. we did our usual $20 massage at chinese foot reflexology every week. we have discovered the one in irvine vietnamese town was the best.
third weekend was a fun trip to zion national park. it was the last hurrah before the Chastains were to move back East. Isaac got to do his favorite thing in the world: hiking! we were happy to take mojo with us. he endured his long road trip pretty well.
last weekend was a celebration of graduations. it was really nice to have my mom visiting from san jose. actually the whole family was over at our place after paul's graduation to enjoy ice cream & guitar hero.
its june- time is flying even faster. weddings, planning mission trips, fundraisers for mission trip to Mexico, and our departure to italy is a couple of days away. we feel blessed to be busy, but we are sad we can't spend too much time with our family and friends. keep us in your prayers as we do a lot of traveling this summer.
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