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A Sapporo retrospective article here. My wife and I decided to spend a month in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido back in the summer of 2014. It was the right choice because the rest of Japan is stiflingly humid in the summer; whereas the summer weather in Hokkaido can be hot, but it can still be comfortable.
Oh. It’s that time of year again. Christmas is quickly hurtling towards us before we know it. Then we are scrambling to get gifts for loved ones and arrange times to meet them. Or maybe you are just looking to get into the holiday spirit and feel festive. Continue reading Looking for Holiday fun? – the Vancouver Christmas Market
Double Double & Donuts. Hey. We’re in Canada. We all know that means. But what’s a Double Double and Donuts – Richmond style? Well, let me tell you. It’s something entirely different. Please join me in my latest video as I visit Richmond’s Double Double Restaurant, have some congee and Chinese donut. Then I hop on over to the nearby Aberdeen Centre for some Asian … Continue reading Double Double & Donuts – Richmond Style
I didn’t know what to expect from going to Imagine Van Gogh. The tickets aren’t cheap, but the experience was worthwhile. It’s worth a visit if you can catch the exhibit in its final days. Imagine Picasso is lining up to come to Vancouver soon, though. By the way, this was not a paid ad. I paid for the price of admission 😛 Continue reading Imagine Van Gogh – an immersive art & music exhibit
South of the Main Street SkyTrain Station and Terminal Avenue, one can find a collection of the newest murals in Vancouver. If you don’t mind walking off the beaten path into the industrial False Creek Flats, you will be duly rewarded with artful surprises. Look for the Fontile Kitchen & Bath & Store and the Tim Horton’s. Those two business mark the southern corners of Station Street and Terminal Avenue. Head south until you find the giant red/peach mural on a warehouse wall on the west side of the street. Stand there and get to “Knot Yourself.”
Happy New Year! Chinese New Year, that is. Welcome to the Year of the Monkey in 2016. My celebrations included a visit to Aberdeen Mall in Richmond the week before. However, they were only setting up and the “flower market” wasn’t really open yet. The displays, though, were already all up. We were thinking of joining the countdown last night, but we had food and dog in tow. So we couldn’t go to the mall.
July 2, 2016 (Thursday) – One of my personal interests in Paris was to explore the covered shopping galeries, or passages couverts, of Paris. Because we had a lot of other things planned for our one week trip, I ended up seeing only one of these famed galeries. If I ever go back, then exploring more of these galeries would definitely be on my list.
July 1, 2015 (Wednesday) – After exploring the Chateau, we ventured out into the gardens at Versailles. The fountain was unfortunately not running that day, but the gold-gilded statues surrounded by golden frogs was an impressive sight on its own.
Being a scorcher of a day, we decided to not walk the gardens. We didn’t have time to walk the whole grounds. So we decided to splurge on renting a golf cart to get us around. On a day where temperatures reached 38C, we were more than willing to pay in order not to sweat buckets. And trust me, we were still sweating buckets without all the walking.
July 1, 2015 (Wednesday) – This past Canada Day was spent in Paris. More specifically, we headed out to the famed Chateau de Versailles just outside of Paris. We got up early in the morning and grabbed a quick breakfast at the nearby Atelier Jules. Then we were off on the Metro and then onto a RER train to head out of town. It was already very warm and it would be sweltering record temperatures for the rest of the day.
We made our way across the wide Parisian boulevard and found our way to foot of the dome. This dome was originally the Royal Chapel. In 1840, it was designated to become Napoleon’s tomb. However, the required modifications to include a crypt took over 20 years to complete. The Dome in its current form was completed in 1861.
metro babel 