Vacation is supposed to be a time to relax. Well, not today. We set our alarm for 4:00 a.m., quickly got dressed, and checked out of our hotel in order to meet our driver and zip to the Yangon airport for our flight to Bagan. The domestic terminal at Yangon International Airport is total chaos, but somehow, people seem…
We started with a bang. Our first full day in Burma saw us spending the afternoon at the Shwedagon Pagoda. Nothing prepares you for the Shwedagon Pagoda. This is the most sacred shrine in all of Burma. At 325 feet, the stupa totally dominates Yangon’s skyline. No site is more revered. No site is visited in such numbers. Legend has it that the shrine contains…
After a morning of architectural sightseeing, it was time for lunch. Although there is no shortage of authentic Burmese restaurants in Yangon, Feel Myanmar is probably the city’s best place to sample Burmese food. Food is laid out in a big buffet spread at the back of the restaurant. I asked Myo if we could stop there and eat, and invited…
We stayed at the Hotel Grand United 21st Street Downtown., located on the edge of Chinatown. Nice hotel, good price, friendly staff. After a restless night (still frazzled a bit from the long flight and lost luggage), we headed up to the 9th floor of the hotel for breakfast. There’s a lovely terrace up there, with nice views over 21st…
Our short little trip to Oslo is coming to an end. Our flight back leaves at 6:00 p.m. Need to be at the airport at 4:00. Gotta catch the train at 3:30. This gives essentially half a day more of sightseeing before we say goodbye. So, one more stroll up Karl Johans gate as we make our way to The…
Our next to last day in Oslo started with a trip to City Hall. City Halls tend to be the dominant buildings in Scandinavian capitals, rather than churches. Perhaps that’s why Scandinavia always ranks so high on the list of countries with happy, satisfied people. Here, people pay high taxes, have high expectations, and usually get what they expect: a…
In my job, I have a fair amount of vacation time that must be used up before the end of the year. It’s a use-it-or-lose-it policy. Fortunately, the opportunity arose for a lil’ five day mini-vacation in the middle of August. I wanted to go somewhere with a relatively short travel time, and I don’t know why, but Scandinavia beckoned. …
Day 10 – Last day in Paris. Exploring Montmartre and the Museum Fragonard at the Veterinary School. (Continued from Day 9) For the last day, I figured we should take the obligatory trek to Montmartre. It’s a trendy neighborhood, and it has so much history. So many struggling artists, poets dreamers and drinkers came here for the cheap rent…
Day 9 – Promenade Plantee, Cat Cafe, and Pompidou Center (Continued from Day 8) Our next-to-last day started at a hip breakfast place called Lockwood. They open early for breakfast, and stay open late for dinner and drinks and music. I started the day with pancakes, which immediately put me into a sugar coma. Next we were off to…
Paris – Day 8, pt 2 (Continued from here) This morning, we spent the day in a suburb of Paris, looking at the graves of beloved pets in the Cemetery of Dog and Other Domestic Animals. This afternoon, we explored the opposite of suburbia. We checked out le petit Manhattan. In other words, La Défense. Although Paris keeps its historic…
Day 8, Part 1 – The Cimitière des Chiens (or, I DO Wanna Be Buried in a Pet Sematary) (Continued from Day 7. Day 1 starts here.) Our eighth day in Paris started with a long train ride to the Northwest of Paris, to a suburb called Asnière-sur-Seine, for what turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Paris…
Day 7 – The Marais, Saint Germaine des Pres, and the Museum of the History of Medicine(Continued from Day 6) Le Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine is one of my favorite finds in all of my time in France. I’d never even heard of it ’til an American friend posted a link to it on my blog, asking me if I’d…
Day 6 – The Canal St. Martin, Belleville, and the Pere Lachaise Cemetery (Continued from Day 5) Our first full day in Paris began with a walk up the Canal St. Martin, and then a visit to the newly hip neighborhood of Belleville. To get to the canal, you take the Metro to Place del la Republique. This is where…
Day 5 – Goodbye Amsterdam, Hello Paris (Continued from Day 4) Day 5 of our trip was mainly a travel day, but we had the entire morning to do something in Amsterdam. I was considering the Rembrandt House, or maybe the zoo, but Udi was free that morning, and offered something pretty neat. He said that if we wanted, he’d…
Day Four in Amsterdam – Markets, Parks, a Cat or Two, and the Eurovision Song Contest (Continued from Day 3) Saturday was our last full day in Amsterdam. We were going to check out the newly renovated Stedelijk Museum, but there was a change of plans. Our friend Udi was free that morning, and he suggested we check out some…