a train window

Whenever I take a train, I definitely prefer to have a window seat. In case of an airplane, I just take an aisle seat, 'cause it's easy to go to a restroom, washroom, or toilet, especially for a long flight, and have a little bit more space than a window seat, I guess.

But a train is totally different. I'm well content with inconveniences related to a window seat, including a necessary patience to go to a restroom. This is simply because there are so many beautiful, impressive, or trivial scenes from a train window that I can remember and enjoy for a very long time.

The pic is just a say-good-by-moment of family of three in Basel SBB. Maybe a father-like-man would go to a business trip, and his wife-like and daughter-like, vigorously waved to him, saying something "see you" in German, maybe.

Just an ordinary scene. But I still remember it without any reasons, just because I sit at a window seat.

Here was in a train, Basel, Swiss.

cheese fondue

Since here was not America, I tried to avoid having "MacDonalds" or "Burger King" as my dinner, both of which I easily found near the Basel SBB. Without these choices, I had a certain difficulty to find a restaurant that had a reasonable price and was easy to go in alone. Of course, there were several bars that had a small chalkboard mentioning about a nice tonight's menu, including a cheese fondue. But basically, I don't drink, so a bar was out of my option.
The answer was given by an efficient clerk in my hotel.
When I asked to her about a Swiss cuisine restaurant that I could go in alone, afford to eat, and hopefully enjoy a cheese fondue, she immediately said that I just needed two-block-walk from here.
The restaurant was located very near the hotel, and was managed by a middle-age couple. Maybe, a husband made dishes as an only chef inside the kitchen, while the wife took orders and served dishes. Whenever the husband completed dished, the side lamp near the kitchen turned brilliant red, until the wife took the dish and brought to hungry customers.
That red light impressed me so much that I hardly remember the taste of cheese fondue I enjoyed there. One more certain thing I still remember was that I shouldn't be alone, next time enjoying a fondue.
Here was Basel, Swiss

a tram in basel

As for a tram, especially a city tram, whenever I see it in a new city or town, I just want to get on at least one time, though I always prefer to walk. The problem is a hesitation related to a luck of knowledge, say, how to pay, or how to get off at a stop.
When I checked in a hotel in Basel, which was located near Basel SBB, the front desk clerk gave me a free pass of the city tram for my entire stay. Writing this sentence, I just remember that considering its reasonable price, this hotel was so good. The clerks (not only one) were so efficient that she/he seemed to be able to remember every single customer's family name. Whenever I came to the hotel after walking around the city, they smiled, greeting with saying "hello" and my name. I didn't know this hotel was so special or not in Basel or in Swiss. But, considering with my staying at a hotel in Geneva (this was also good hotel for me), the hotel in Basel was certainly special at least for me. Muuuu, I still can't remember the name of this hotel, so, can't find its URL with Google. Sorry.
O.K. a tram.
I eventually took the tram you can see in the pic, and went to somewhere near the Rhine, or better say, Rhein, 'cause I had no particular destination. Surprisingly, I remember that there seemed to be no place or staff who could check a passenger's pass or ticket. I certainly had a free pass and prepared to show it, but no one asked me to do it. My colleague just told that it was O.K. but sometimes, staffs of a tram randomly checked passengers' tickets without any notices. At that time, what if they could find a passenger who didn't have a ticket, the fine was so heavy.
I'm not so sure that this was collect or not, but surely remember that I just grasped my free pass until it was damp by my sweat.
Here was Basel, Swiss

the tower

Although I've decided to write this blog definitely everyday before starting, I already made exceptions because I've got the ful this weekend. So, I almost forgot what I would prepare for this walking about Hong Kong before.
Maybe, that would be about the peak tower at the Victoria peak, I guess.

The pic was the tower's, which I got in last year's early summer. As you can see, the tower was under reconstruction. So, I couldn't go inside the building, but following the information board, I walked to the other view spot to take a pic. As I said before, first time I got to the tower, it was a so heavy rainy day that I couldn't see anything from there. Next time, I couldn't even enter the tower. But I realized for the first time that this tower had a wax doll house, which was opened despite of the tower itself closed. Consequently, this doll house was too noticeable for tourists to go in at that time.
By the way, the tower seemed to be re-opened in last year's winter.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

waiting for a limousine

Hong Kong was the special place for me, partly because this was the foreign country I traveled alone for the first time. I somehow took five consecutive days off, which was eventually less than days I needed to persuade my boss to let me go.
I took a cheap night flight that landed on Hong Kong around 22:00. I was totally a stranger not only to Hong Kong, but also to a place surrounded by what I had never been used to.
Since airport exchangers seemed to be closed at night, I didn't have any ideas about how to take an airport express, bus, and even taxi.
Fortunately, I found a local affiliate of my travel agent, and asked to keep a seat of a limousine to go to a hotel I reserved. The agent kindly did well, so I somehow got to an airport limo terminal almost at 0:00, beginning of the next day.
I maybe waited for half an hour. Until the limo was appeared finally, there were two or three people waiting there.
The final incident was also waiting to be happened as soon as the limo stopped in front of us. Suddenly, the driver jumped down from the limo's front door, and then grabbed at the terminal staff by shouting in loudly Chinese, or I say, loudly Cantonese. The two finally exchanged blows until the other colleagues stopped.
I idly looked the scene and slightly felt that this might be a part of excitements filled with Hong Kong.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

rainy, cloudy victoria peak

When I was at the Peak for the first time, continual falling of huge raindrops made a white curtain, as if I just happened to be in whiteout, which I mean is, of course, not snow, but a downpour-version. The great view from there was not anywhere at that time.
The pic was my second visit's. I somehow made a point to take the pic, though it was a cloudy day and a few rain drops fell on my head.
Curiously, I remember the downpour view more vividly than the cloudy, but nice view of the city. Maybe, while taking the Peak Tram and turning over its booklet I got from an usher of the Tram, I studied much about trivia of the Peak with great anticipation, say that its origin was related to the governor's summer home built there before1900.
One more important element in that rainy day's trip. I was with the group of tourists. In that group, there was a family of four. Two daughters were so active in the Tram that parents somehow tried to calm them down, saying the Peak and the great view were almost there. When we reached at the Peak, the two girls ran in the rain, then playing and laughing happily with each other at the white-view.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/full/en/index.php

taichung day dream, continued

The Taichung story, again.
After two weeks later when I returned from the city of Formosa, I went back to Taichung city, again. As I said in the previous blog, it was almost seven or eight years ago. There was no tallest tower in the world, Taipei 101, but only the Shing Kong life tower, in Taipei.
Anyway, I took an express train from Taipei to Taichung, which was not a bullet train, but a normal one that took almost three hours between the cities.
In the Taichung department store, the girl I met before was not at the customer desk, but the other girl who was on her duty, kindly called to her as saying she was off. After the call, she said the girl I was looking for would come here soon to say hello to me.
This was kinds of day dream, I thought, then.
I can't remember completely what "we" said, when she was finally appeared in the department store. I'm not quite sure we said "hello".
But I remember, since then, we walked around the city, and went in a book store that had a nice cafe in the second floor. We had cups of nice flavored coffee with chocolate cakes.
Maybe, I was with her from noon time to the evening.
At five or six o'clock p.m. we said "see you" each other. I took the train to Taipei and she went to home, then, we've never met again.
Here was Taichung city, Taiwan

taichung day dream

When I was in "Taichung" city, or we can say "Táizhōng", or "Tâi-tiong", which is the west-central city of Formosa, or Taiwan, or Chinese Taipei, I was with my friend. It's a several or more years ago. We were just like quasi-backpackers. I mean, "quasi-" is that both of us were just fledgelings as office workers with a little money to afford to stay in cheap or middle-class hotels for a week.
The cheap hotel we stayed was near the old-classic-style Taichung station, and its master, called "grand-ma", was kindly to treat us a good Chinese-style breakfast, every morning.
Walking around the entire city without purposes, we happened to go into one of the most huge department stores in the city, where we met a girl who worked at a customer desk. Writing this sentence, I still can't remember why we happened to talk with her, but certainly remember that I took photos of her with my contax, because I still have one of them.
After going back to my country, I developed photos. The photos looked so vivid that the next thing I did was going back to the Taichung department store.
Here was Taichung city, Taiwan.

flower shop

No pic, again. The hotel I stayed in Amsterdam was along with Stadhouderskade, near two of the most famous museums in the city, the Rijksmuseum and the van Gogh Museum. After finishing the business meeting all the morning, I went outside in a business suit to go to both of the museums. On the way to the Rijksmuseum, I found a little flower shop that displayed several winter flowers and greens in its front. I just remembered that I should buy some souvenirs for my family, and then had a good idea to buy a typical Dutch-like souvenirs here, a small vase. I mean, "typical" was not so correct, but considering the tulip-nation, I guess a vase might somehow be relative to "Dutch-like".
So, I came in the shop, where its master and his young son in his teenage were jointly making a huge bouquet. Since the master was focusing on the bouquet, I paid a nice small green vase to his son.
Then, after enjoying great museums and going back to my hotel, I happened to drop a vase and completely crushed it in my room. I went to the flower shop again to buy the same vase. This time, only the young son was there. As soon as he saw me, he said "good sense, look better".
What's that?
He just pointed at my clothes, a hooded sweatshirt with a Levi's, which I changed from a business suit.
Here was Amsterdam, Netherlands.

amsterdam night

That's just a story. no pic.
I was in Amsterdam in early winter because of a very short-term business trip. When I reached a hotel from the airport, it' was just at six, evening. I was so exhaust with a strong jet-lag that I couldn't go outside for dinner, but somehow made it to the hotel's Italian restaurant near the front. The waiter said something in Dutch, so, I just say, "number eleven, water with gas", which meant the order number 11, clam spaghetti buttered with garlic. The taste was so good. Mixed with butter, the strong flavor of garlic become so mild and spaghetti was greatly aldente.
Enjoying the dinner, I still remembered that that was a great silver moon night, which I was looking through the window in the restaurant while eating. The beautiful moon might be mixed with the taste of the spaghetti. The gas from the mineral water continually went to the sky.
Here was Amsterdam night, Netherlands.
Anyway, yesterday was too exhaust day to report this walking.

main building

The current main building of Todai-ji temple is just like the pic. As I told in the previous blog, this isn't the original in 750, but the beautiful architecture made by craftsmen around 1700, which is in so-called "edo" period. The current building is said to be smaller than the original, but have a nice little roof in the facade that the original didn't have.

When going inside the building, I found its miniatures, one of which must be the original's around 750 (around 750 is known as "nara" period), and the other must be the current- edo period's. According to the guide board, I slightly remember that the miniatures exhibited were made by juveniles in a workhouse.

The last day of the last year in Nara was a really nice, beautiful day. The sky was so winter blue. The deers around the nara-park area (which may include the precinct of the Todai-ji temple) were hungry enough to aim at a special rice crackers, called "deer cracker", in a stall, as always were (tourists buy the crackers, and give them to deers, basically).

Here was Nara, Japan

south gate

At the end of last year, I was walking around Todai-ji, one of the oldest and famous Japanese temples. The winter sky was so far and so clean as if it inhaled the dust and heat from the earth.

In the precinct, I preferred to look around the great south gate (which is in the pic) rather than its main building. Its vermilion faded away always made a slight, but deepest nuance of the presence the gate made in a thousand years.

The original main structure was made around A.D.750, but damaged by the earthquake and lost completely by the fire of war around 1180. Since then, there were three reconstructions of buildings and one fire tragedy.

The present south gate was reconstructed in 1199, a little bit long after the first fire, and had been there since then. The gate is also well known by two beautiful wooden statues that were in the both sides. They were made by the group of artists lead by two legendary sculptors.

Here was Nara, Japan.

miami shower

No matter how blue the Miamis sky is, we may have a chance to be caught in a squall on such a typical summer day. I was just in a sudden shower without any protections, when looking for a nice restaurant known famously among locals by its Cuban sandwich.
I somehow found a space sheltered with a couple of beach umbrellas, then, realized that I was just in front of the restaurant that I was looking for.
It's a same old story we used to have.
Digging into the sandwich, especially its roast pork and thick cheese, I looked outside and was surprised how the weather changed dramatically.
When I finished my dish, people sat at the table you can see in the pic, enjoying lunch in the hot sunshine.
Here was Miami, USA
By the way, as for a Cuban sandwich, in case you are in Boston area or have a change to go there, I recommend a nice restaurant, Chez Henri, located along with the Mass Ave, Cambridge.
http://chezhenri.com/

at a corner of french quarter

The French quarter's summer was special. The flavors of the Cajun cuisine, especially a bowl of okra and crawfish gumbo and a dish of andouille jambalaya, went to the blue sky endlessly.

On a Sunday afternoon, performers enjoyed playing and made fun around a corner.

I was just walking to the great Mississippi, hoping to get a ticket of a steamboat, Natchez.

Fortunately, a half hour later, I was in a middle of a long line waiting to embark on, and kept a nice seat on the deck.

The Mississippi was always marbled brown color, because of strong sun shining and shadows made by continuous little waves.

The old, but huge sugar plants on a shore looked sepia.

The breeze on the deck still had smells and flavors of the Cajun.

Here was New Orleans, USA.

http://www.steamboatnatchez.com/

formosa cafe

The sky in the Formosa, the classic and literally beautiful nuance of Taiwan or Chinese Taipei, is so blue high. The sun is shining strongly, and the wind is blowing beautifully with the islanders' excitements.

I am just sitting here in a cafe around "Tamsui" or better to say "Danshuei" or "Danshui", a seaside town. The cafe is next to the Tamsui river, so I'm idly looking at a ferryboat carrying passengers to the opposite shore.

Inside the cafe, you may find empty tables in the pic, 'cause a fine day induces us to sit around the outside table.

Looking over the river, I just laughed to myself with remembering a mystery of the last night incident in a hot spa. It's a trifling matter. When I was alone in a bathhouse with putting my swimming trunks on, a naked guy came to the bath. Glimpsing my trunks, he was apparently surprised, and eventually running back to a dressing room. According to the rule number one of the spa, we should have trunks or swimsuits (for female) in the bathhouse.

Here is Tamsui, Taiwan.

a rainy day in ottawa

Finally, the sky had a plenty of winter drops, I mean, not snow.

Before passing by the great Fairmont Château Laurier and walking down rue Wellington, I just wondering if I should buy an umbrella in the Rideau Centre known as one of the biggest shopping malls in Ottawa.

Since I saved my dollars in the mall, the decision paid me back. I just covered my head with a hooded sweatshirt, and walked a little bit fast back to the mall. The rain melt snow and made it slush that made my pants marbled.

I just needed five minutes to sit in KFC, of course, famously known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, biting a crispy chicken and drying my pants.

Here was Ottawa, Canada.

choosing a salmon

The sky may be just like a break of dawn, or may be a beginning of dusk in a freezing winter day.

May be or may be not.

I guess it was around lunch time, and I was just wandering to look for a restaurant that had three stars as French contemporary cuisine in my guidebook. So, I didn't know which way to go, but just knew I had to follow a local, say, the man in the pic, when I was lost.

Though finding the three star restaurant in the very late afternoon/early evening, the waiter welcomed me and kindly recommended to choose a sauteed salmon or roasted halibut as a main dish.

That was one of the best lunches I've ever had in such a wandering winter day.

Here was Montreal, Canada

bonjour, walking down the alley

The music I listened to was Things you don't have to do- Loungin'in Ibiza Remix, The Peter Malick Group Feat. Norah Jones, from The Chill Album. That's still one of my best albums in my ipod to listen when I walk down the alleys, streets or even avenues.

The sky was not high. It's a chilly-windy snow day.

The temperature was below 0F or around -15C.

I saw some members of an amateur theatrical company surprisingly playing a drama in a small park. It was a completely outside theater under below freezing point, but there was an audience, I mean, a few tourists who might happen to pass by to look for a good French restaurant.

The play was good, anyway.

Here was Quebec city, Canada.

http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/accueil0.html

macau window

Through the Macau window, the sky is so light, light blue or almost white.

I feel sun shining directly on my head, since this window is a part of great ruins of St. Paul's, which is well known as just a remained facade. So, I mean, both sides of this window are completely outside.

I wonder what's the definition of a "window".

Looking "outside" through this window, we can find the remarkable contrast between the afterglows of Portuguese heritages, including below the busy street with several souvenir shops and sweet egg-tart stands, and emerging modern buildings over there.

Here is Macau, SAR of China.

at the avenue

Along with the avenue, one of my best friends manages his cafe.

Coincidentally, I had walked up this avenue everyday to go to my college.

So, what's the reward?

A cup of good flavored cafe latte.

Here is a small episode I still remember.

On a nice summer evening, I walked around the avenue with my father, who came to the city for the first time. At the cafe, my friend came outside, and said hello to us.

I just said, "How're you doing?"

"Good" he smiled.

I introduced my father, and then went back to home.

The reason why I still remember that moment is, at that time,

the sky was so bright orange, and of course, so high.

Here was Cambridge, MA, USA.

from the mountain

The sky was in a haze, but so bright.

The sight I got from the mountain, yougai-san, was just like the pic. Simply normal.

But what's normal?

Over there, the edges of the mountain range made the space fanned out just like a triangle. The rice fields were reaped and now waiting for the next season.

It took almost an hour and half walk for me to reach this site from the Kofu-station located maybe in that haze.

The yougai mountain is not so famous, but has a certain historical prestige because of the fact that it was used as an artificial fort by the samurai in 400 years ago.

I just needed at least an another half hour walk to reach the yougai-spa from here.

Here was Kofu, Japan.

walking around basel

The sky was not apparently blue high.
It was a typical snow day. The chilly wind came over the bridge.
I almost forget the exact sits where I was walking in Basel city, Swiss, but slightly remember that I found a little bakery-cafe, near this bridge .
(I don't remember the name of this bridge, maybe someone can help to tell the name by putting comments)
In the bakery, I tasted cookies, one of which looked like the Swiss flag, and others were light and dark mosaic shapes mixed with dark chocolate.
Mild sweet, but a little bit bitter.
The flavor still reminds me of this bridge, the Basel city, and one more thing.
Just a trivial matter.
I bought a couple of bodum coffee glasses in the department store located over there.
Here was Basel, Swiss

sleeping cat

The sky is so blue high.
The sleeping cat is considered as a master (or housekeeper) of the temple where the "edo sho-gun" sleeps.
Amazingly, she/he is about 400 years old, still sleeping.
The artist, "hidari-jingoro", gave her/him a life to sleep, and behind her/him, we can find sparrows enjoying her/his sleeping.
So, imagine what a peaceful moment it is.
The people made lots of legends related to the artist hidari-jingoro, in some famous sites in Japan, say, Kyoto. So, some people say this legendary artist may be a symbolic name of a group of professional engravers.
The truth is unknown.
But we know it, the cat is sleeping peacefully.
Here is Nikko, Japan
http://www.toshogu-koyoen.com/toshogu/

from far away

The sky was so blue high.
Walking through the red gate, I felt chilly wind came to my face, and my clothe went back.
Over there, I found the main temple called "kondo" which maybe meant "gold structure", but not looked gold.
Thinking about the statue and functions in this old, but re-newed structure was the only shortcut to find the clue of "gold".
Old, but re-newed.
The wooden structures were re-newed recently, except for the east tower.
But the oldest one is the "place" or, say, "sight", or "atmosphere" itself. The temple was just there as it was set in a far long time ago.
Here was Nara, Japan.
http://www.nara-yakushiji.com/index.html

walking

This blog is for anyone who wants to explore cities I walked......, no, especially for me, to remind my walking and analyzing what I saw. But in case you can find your fun, it's ultimately my plesure. Who are you, anyway.