Rickelle and I started our day with an amazing buffet of Chinese and Western dishes. Then we headed out for a full day of history. We started off at Tiananmen Square where we saw the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao, The National Museum, The Olympic Countdown Clock, and the courtyard where the famous student protests took place. Just a few steps away, we crossed through the Gate of Heavenly Peace which wasn't as heavenly as it used to be because there was a huge crowd of people. On the other side of the gate, was the Forbidden City home of the Emperors [View Full Entry]

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After 16 hours of airports and airplanes, Kallie and I have made it safely to Beijing. We're tired but excited and have already started to learn some pretty important things. Here are the top 6 things we learned in the last 24 hours: 1. Peek-a-boo is an international game that knows no language barriers. 2. Poutine is an amazingly gross looking but fantastically delicious dish and Kallie has been right all along about this. 3. There are only so many movies you can watch before you realize that none of them make a 10 hour flight go by any faster. 4. [View Full Entry]

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Kallie and I left Exuma today for the first part of our two day travel to get to Beijing. We left Miami just before sunset and chased the sun all the way to Los Angeles. Our flight to LA was full of interesting characters. The best character was Natalie who shared row 8 with us. She is a dive master and a major hotshot at Apple. Really down to earth and a great person to chat with for the 5 hour flight. One of the coolest things about her is... her boyfriend who is the Assitant Director on The Simpsons!! On [View Full Entry]

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While travelblog was out of service, Ina and I made our way through Florence and Rome. Florence has grace and elegance. The city appeals to your soul to stay a while, to breathe, and to wonder in awe of the potential of the human spirit. I have never been moved by a place the way I was moved by Florence. Words don't do it justice. Rome is like a tempermental child. You must have patience with it in order to see its good qualities. It is a mix of the old world and the new metropolis. It is the juxtoposition of [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday we went out to see Montmarte. It is a gorgeous church and village just outside of the center of Paris. It has over a hundred steps to get to the very top, but it is well worth the climb. Of course there is a lift, but I didn't tell the newbies about it. At the top, a violinist played for the passers by and the world looked small. We could see the Paris landscape for miles around. It was stunning. Last night we dressed to the 9s and went out for our last night in Paris. We went to a [View Full Entry]

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We strolled the Louvre for hours today. Each new gallery was overwhelming to the senses. The four of us began to wonder what exactly makes something beautiful. We didn't come to a definite conclusion but we knew what beauty was when we saw it. It was in the art, scultupture, architecture, woodworking, craftsmanship, people, fashion. Beauty is every where in Paris. After a late lunch of baguette sandwiches and crepes in my favorite Parisian park - the Tulleries. We returned to the Louvre for a few more hours of awe. The afternoon was filled with Renaisance art - Leonardo, Raphael, Mich [View Full Entry]

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Today we took the C train all the way out to Versailles. There are no words that can do it justice but I will make an attempt. We began by strolling the gardens. The perfectly manicured hedges, the roses in full bloom, and the majesty of the miles of gardens were breath-taking. Ina, Hector, and Kent, were my passengers as I rowed us down the glassy pond that stretched through the center of the garden. After some ice cream and some turns around the garden maze, we proceeded inside to the palace. Every room was covered in masterpieces from the gold [View Full Entry]

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Forgive the errors; I am typing on a funky french keyboard! Yesterday was amazing. We had a three course meal on Greek street by Notre Dame cathedral. We stolled through the abbey and visited the little chapels in Notre Dame. In the evening we went to the Eiffel Tower, sat in the park and watched the city go by. After a late dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some well deserved rest. Today we are off to Versailles. [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday I had a very mellow morning in NYC. I did some more of my favorite activity - strolling people watching. In the afternoon, my life-long friend Chad picked me up and we went out for a late lunch. Then he took me to the airport where the real adventure began. Kent was at the wrong terminal and it took me an hour to locate him. Ina and Hector got lost on the subway and almost missed the flight. Chad waited patiently with me through the whole thing and kept my sense of humor in full force. When our comedy of [View Full Entry]

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Ina and I headed for NYC on the red eye flight this morning. We wore our jeans, heels, and t-shirts that said "trust me, boys lie." We were ready for the first leg of a long journey. When we arrived in New York, we made a quick stop at a two-story Costco to pick up contacts for Ina and then went straight to Hector's apartment to drop off our luggage. From there, we were off to explore my favorite city. We went to Little Italy where random good mornings started our day with "Bongiourno Bella!" We strolled over to Chinatown and [View Full Entry]

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