Friday, August 03, 2007
Sailing in Turkey and Greece!!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Roe family east of the Atlantic
Melissa and I trained and tubed to Heathrow to pick up the family and then returned back to Cambridge to begin our time together. The itinerary? Show the fam around our little life in Cambridge, then fly to Granada in the south of Spain, before returning to London for a few days to round off the trip.
Despite a few mishaps, the English summer was cooperative and allowed us to enjoy tea at the famous Orchard in Grantchester, a whirlwind tour of the historic Cambridge colleges, and of course - punting (the staple Cambridge tourist trap). Our punting adventure down the backs of the river Cam began smoothly, and after a few leisurely beers, Dad even had a go with the pole. All was well until a massive episode of rain suprised us mid punt and the sky started pissing on us. We took refuge for about 20 mintues carefully positioned diagonally under one of the many stone bridges. We returned from our adventure only slightly damp to enjoy bites and pints at the historic Anchor pub (supposed birthplace of Pink Floyd).
While in Cambridge, we rented a car and took a cool day trip north to check out the old Jaguar factory and museum. It was a really really cool opportunity. We happened to a meet professional car photographer in the main musem area who offered to take us behind the scenes to explore Jaguar's private collection of historic cars. We lucked out completely, and Dad was in male, car-loving heaven. We saw the Queen's private fleet, the Jag used in the Austin Powers movies, the old generation of classic jags, and all the racing models used during Le Mans. Most of these cars were all opened up and being worked on by mechanics, so Dad was able to talk Jag specifics with real, legit car people who share the rare love of rubber hoses, intake valves, and other automotive delights! We finished the day by visiting the famous Warwick castle near the old Jag factory before heading home to Cambridge -- it was a full but amazing day!
It was such a treat to be able to give my folks a taste of our temporary stomping grounds, walking around and enjoying the gardens/churches/parks/colleges/pubs and other spaces that have discovered us throughout this past year. Our time in Cambridge, rain in all, was a great way to then transition to the soothing sun in the south of Spain.
We arrived into Granada via the RyanAir - the UK's low cost airline, and hopped on an bus (w/ AC, thankfully) into the center of town and our AMAZING hotel, Hotel Carmen. This place was perfect. Within walking distance to the heart of town and the older quaint bars/restaurants/markets that dot the coblestone streets, Hotel Carmen also had a rooftop swimming pool and bar, where we spent the vast majority of our down time. Given the high temps and long days roaming around the city, a cool glass of sangria poolside never tasted so good.
The main attraction in Granada is the Alhambra, a stunning castle/palace/gardens displaying the beauty of Moorish (a term to describe the Muslims in S. Spain and N. Africa) architecture dating back to the 9th century. The intricate geometric art that is either etched or painted onto the expansive stone structures inspire a deep curiosity and appreciation for an Islamic culture we know little about. The Alhambra also tells the history of the clash and influence of Muslim/Christian relations pre, during, and post the Crusades. Check it out through the wonders of the world wide web here, but make sure to pay it a visit if you are ever in the area - to date one of the more amazing things we have seen!
In contrast to visiting the historic site, the ladies also had plenty of time to pursue the highest calling of female existence - shopping. Dad and I patiently pretended to be super interested in crappy purses, shoes, and all the other items designed to puncture holes in hard-earned, male generated paychecks. Can't complain, though, mom bought me a linen shirt to help my sweat glands cope with the temperatures!
We left Granada relaxed, sun-kissed, and prepared to finish off the adventure by roaming around the greatest city in the world, LONDON! We saw Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly, Hyde Park, and Notting Hill. After our jaunt around London, it was sadly the end of our time together -- but all in all, it was an amazing few weeks of spending time together and checking out some pretty cool sites.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Jose Plata in da UK
Melissa and I had the recent fortune of hosting one of my closest friends from Seattle – Joe Silver. Joey and I have known each other well since high school, but fell in true love during our fraternity days at UW. He was on his way to India for work, but able to stop through London for four days to grace us with his presence. I scooped him up from Heathrow on Tuesday, and after a quick stop to absorb some energy from the city, we hopped on a quick train up north to spend our first day and a half in Cambridge.
Joe picked an interesting time to visit Cambridge. This past week is known as May Week – exams are finally over, everyone can exhale, and the colleges host these incredible events called May Balls. From the outside, May Balls seem to articulate the decadence of extreme privilege. These are private, black/white tie events that include 2872 course meals, the finest wines, major bands, mini-amusement parks, etc – all-night events that are exclusively hosted by each college whose principle goal is to out shine the next. Cost per person for the all night event? Magdalene ball, the most expensive, was $360 per person - again, per person. So as Joe and I wandered the amazing college grounds, the city was bustling with top hats, high heels, and…. us. We had a great time catching up on ways to solve the world’s problems, and untangled the various webs of human existence – in other words, we explored the amazing Cambridge pubs, went punting down the Cam, checked out all the colleges, and were able to give Joey a taste of our year over here.
On Thursday morning, Silver and I caught the train down to London to waste our last few days wandering around one of the world’s greatest cities. We checked into our crappy, cheap, but perfectly located hotel (5 blocks north of Hyde Park and slightly east of Notting Hill) and then began our exploration of the city. 
We spent Thursday at the British Museum, Oxford Street, Hyde Park, and finished the day off with Mel joining us for a delicious jug of Pimms and a marvelous Thai meal at the Churchill Arms – an amazing pub that Tommy (Lissa’s brother) introduced us to.
Friday was filled with the rest of London’s main sights, including an extended stop at the Tate Museum of Modern Art. The Tate had an amazing exhibit on the impact of urban living, using case-studies of 10 cities around the world. Check the link, it was a great overview of the significance and urgency of strategic urban design…an all-around fascinating exhibit:
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/globalcities/default.shtm
We also saw paintings from Monet, Picasso, Jackson Pollack, and many other modern artists. Leaving the Tate, we walked around the Thames and checked out Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye, and were able to spend good time catching up and filling each other in on life details that seem to skip phone conversations. Latter that evening, we went to the theater to watch Avenue Q, an uncouth, but completely appropriate, puppet rendition of post-college, early career life. After the show, we closed down a really cool pub in Soho – not saying much since pubs in London close super early (around midnight).
As Joey had to catch his flight to India on Saturday afternoon, we got a good start on the day, checked out of the hotel and made our way to the Portobello Market – a really famous antique/fruit/bread/clothes market in Notting Hill. Unfortunately, our market visit marked the end to Joey’s stay in the UK. All in all, it was really good to see him, host one of our closest friends, and be with a familiar face (and sense of humor). Really though, it was the beginning of a slew of visitors coming our way. 
The Roe family visits for nearly two weeks starting Thursday, and as they leave, our other close friends, the O’Connor couple, will arrive. Somewhere in between, I have to finish my dissertation… yikes. Stay tuned for the next summary with the Roe family (and my looming dissertation misfortunes).
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
When in Rome, bring a raincoat.
Our adventure began FAR too early on a Saturday morning in mid-March. Because the more desireable flights get scooped up early on (you know, the ones that leave at normal times of the day), we found ourselves with a 6:30am flight out of London, which means that we had to catch a 3:30am bus in order to get to the airport on time. Absolutely, undeniably, vomitous. I had worked an evening shift at the pub the night before, so Chris and I didn't get home until 1:30am. We didn't even bother sleeping the measly 1 1/2 hours before we had to catch our bus; needless to say, we had a rough start to our Rome excursion.
When we arrived in Rome at last, our weariness faded away in light of the warm breeze that greeted us off the airplane. It was only 10:00 am, and we had the whole day ahead of us! After a short bus ride into the center of the city, we departed from the rest of the group to locate our hostel, which turned out to be pretty perfect. You never know what you're going to get with hostels, but we were pleasantly surprised. Eager to start our sightseeing, we grabbed some delicious thin-crust pizza from a local hole-in-the-wall, and started our trek across town toward Vatican City. The weather was perfect... a balmy 65 degrees with a light breeze.
The expanse of St. Peter's Square, the area in which people congregate to see and hear the Pope's address which he delivers fortnightly, is impossible to describe. In the picture to the left, you get a vague sense of how many chairs are present, but the amount of standing room behind the chairs is probably 10 times the amount of room of those who actually get a seat. To the right is St. Peter's Basilica, the church dedicated to the life and service of Saint Peter, one of Jesus' disciples. Here's a little history: After the martyrdom of St. Peter in 64 A.D., a small shrine was built on the site of St. Peter's grave. 
A few hundred years later, when Constantine came into power, he commissioned the building of a grand church to replace the small shrine. It wasn't until the late 1400s, however, that plans for the building of the current basilica began, largely due to the old basilica falling into ruin. In 1626, 120 years after the laying of the first stone, St. Peter's Basilica was completed (with several significant contributions by Michaelangelo, including the design of the basilica's famous dome), and it remains the largest church in the world... Chris and I fell absolutely silent upon entering the massive church. Words can't describe it... but a few pictures can help.
The ornate dark wooden structure visible in both pictures is the shrine built above the believed remains of St. Peter himself. Pretty ridiculous.
After leaving St. Peter's, we headed straight for the Sistine Chapel, another highly esteemed Rome highlight. Fortunately for us, the route to the Sistine Chapel winds through seemingly endless rooms, exhibition halls, corridors, and nooks and crannies brimming with the most beautiful renaissance art (Michaelangelo, Botticelli, Raphael, Fra Angelico, da Vinci, etc.). I think we might have been tempted to go straight to the Sistine Chapel itself, but in retrospect, we were so grateful to have been first guided through maze of the museum rooms in order to appreciate the other phenomenal art. (That's me on the staircase!)
We did eventually make it to the Sistine Chapel, where we saw Michaelangelo's beautiful (and incredibly famous) painting of God stretching his hand out across the expanse of sky toward Adam. It was surreal, to say the least. (Of course, no cameras were allowed in this room, so all we have are our memories...). You know how museums can be exhilarating and utterly draining at the same time?? Well, after finally emerging from the Vatican Museums, we nearly passed out on the sidewalk, but managed to drag ourselves to a nearby gelateria which revived us. We met up with the rest of our group for a fabulous dinner and then really did pass out at our hostel in preparation for a full day ahead.
The next day's agenda: Palatine Hill, The Roman Forum, The Colosseum, and The Pantheon... a bit ambitious perhaps, but we were ready! Waking up to another gorgeous, warm Italian day, we wasted no time and headed straight for the most famous Roman ruins in all the world. In truth, we didn't know much about Palatine Hill or The Roman Forum, but since its admission was included in our ticket for the Colosseum, we decided to check it out. We are infinitely glad that we did, because it ended up as the absolute surprise highlight of our trip! Entering through an unassuming gate, we began meandering through a vast expanse of crumbling ruins. It wasn't until we stopped to read our little guidebook, however, that we realized the significance of what we were seeing/experiencing. 
About 200 feet high with sweeping views over much of Rome, Palatine Hill was the perfect location for a royal residence. The ruins suggest people have been living there since 1000 BC, most notably Ceasar Augustus (510 BC-44 AD). It honestly was SO crazy to be walking in and through the buildings and grounds that once belonged to the head of the Roman Empire, the most powerful figure in all the world. Several massive balconies (still preserved) look out over the Roman Forum which was essentially the "downtown" of ancient Rome -- a place of bustling commerce, administration of justice, and worship of the gods. If you click on the picture below to enlarge it, you can see tiny people walking around... just to give you an idea of the scope.
At last, we made our way to the Colosseum, the unbelievably massive structure that dominates the Rome skyline from almost any vantage point. It was built from 72-80 AD, largely by Jews who had been captured and forced into slavery following the fall of Jerusalem. In addition to the gladiator games, it was also used for mock naval battles (yes, they actually filled the lower part with water and had proper fights between ships), re-enactments of popular mythology, animal hunts, and of course, executions. Again, more than the actual ruins themselves, we were in awe of the ancient history wrapped up in the Colosseum.
After this monstrous day of sight-seeing, we were near to passing out (as you can see). So we took a mini siesta on a big grassy lawn in the city center, and then revived ourselves with some AMAZING paninis (I think we ate our weight's worth of buffalo mozzarella during this trip) and even more mouth-watering Italian gelato. Why doesn't the rest of the world catch on to the Italian gelato phenom??? On the way home, we made a pit stop at the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain -- no biggie. Actually, they were ridiculous, and it hit us again how unbelievable it is to walk around a city with buildings that are several thousands of years old.That night, we met up with our good ol' MBA friends, exchanged stories of our Rome excursions, and had a fabulous Italian meal.
We woke up to our last morning in Rome, which also happened to be our 2-year anniversary!! We had no particular plans for the day, other than to explore some of the more quaint, non-touristy areas of the city. We stumbled upon a gorgeous church with stunning iconic imagery and decoration. It literally took our breath away, and we sat in the church for a good 1/2 hour just trying to soak it all in. Makes one wonder why the protestant Christian tradition shunned the practice of using iconic art in churches, when the absolute beauty of it can truly usher one into a much deeper sense of awe, reverence, and indeed worship.
Not long after leaving the church, the skies decided to open up and unleash a true monsoon. It was actually comical, as we tried to fight our way through the wind and rain, all the while coaxing (and cursing!) our umbrella to refrain from turning inside-out! After being thoroughly drenched to the bone, we ducked inside a little cafe and decided that we would HAPPILY spend the rest of the afternoon in this refuge from the elements. After removing our shoes and wringing out our socks (yes, wringing...), followed by a cup of tea to warm us from the inside, we moved on to bigger and better treats. 
Now, throughout the whole weekend, Chris had the hysterical habit of attempting to speak loudly in Italian whenever any real Italians were in earshot. The only problem was that he only knew one word... "Montepulciano," which is a kind of Italian red wine. He would proceed to gesture emphatically with his hands and right when the group of Italians walked past us, he'd declare, "a-a-a-MONTEPULCIANO!!", as if we were having a real dispute. Thus, I decided the only proper way to ride out our last day in Rome (and to celebrate our anniversary :) was to indulge in a bottle of the real deal. Of course, we had to have a little dark chocolate to accompany it.Thus ends the saga of our Rome weekend adventure. We are, of course, dreadfully behind in blogging, but have great aspirations for catching up. Thanks to all you who faithfully stick in there and put up with our novels!!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Chris in Cornwall
Just outside of Bath, we toured a really cool new green building that is designed to minimize its impact on natural resources! We stayed in a small town nestled into the Cornish coast – a beautiful 10-minute walk to a ridiculous beach. The coast was absolutely stunning…
Cornwall was once an affluent mining region, and location of many incredible engineering innovations (like the hoverboard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoverboard). However, mining has been in sharp decline for the past century, and the area has suffered from economic decay and is now one of the poorest areas in the EU. We spent a good amount of time talking with the developers on the many projects underway to give Cornwall a facelift. 
I was impressed by the need for holistic and integrated solutions that go beyond injecting a single industry to save the day (which essentially brought about the downfall in the first place). We looked at issues from education, to housing, to resources – all in all, it was a really good way to interact with a complex problem and link tangible efforts toward a solution.
We also were able to visit some of the old bustling mines. A few have survived which excavate china-clay, commonly used in china pottery. It was really interesting to see the mining process as well as the scars it leaves on the landscape. One such scar has been transformed into one of England’s newest tourist successes, the Eden Project.
The Eden Project is an effort to connect normal people to the importance of and our utter
dependence on plants. In order to accomplish this, the Eden Project has converted a massive abandoned mine pit into a few humongous biomes, or greenhouse spheres that are home to plant life in both tropical and Mediterranean climates. This place is stunning and has been a huge hit. I was seriously impressed and inspired by Eden’s innovative educational mission. Makes me want to be in education – especially as I feel average suburban living moving further and further away from tangible interaction with the natural environment. This in effect blurs the connections we have to the rest of society and the world at large. Where does our trash go? Where did our apples come from? T-shirts? Bread? What happens to our pee pee? We exist in blind isolation from the systems that sustain us. 
The Eden Project does an amazingly creative job at reconnecting us to our surroundings. This is really, really important – I think my new life mission might be to come along-side people who are committed to this same mission. Just check the tags in your shoe and try to untie the effect that particular purchase has on your neighbor around the world (in both positive and negative ways). Anyhoo, visiting the Eden Project was one of my highlights this year and I’d love to chat about this stuff if any of you have any opinions either way! http://www.edenproject.com
At the end of our trip, we were able to explore a large wind farm in Cornwall. It was a great opportunity to discuss the impacts of wind power, and actually go inside a wind turbine to get an idea of how they work and learn what the wind buzz is all about.
Aside from educational musings, our group snuck in a beach soccer match, and few big nights out at some hilarious, small town clubs,
morning runs along the stunning coast, and some good time together on what was one of our last outings together. Makes me wish this year was beginning again. Guess that’s a good thing…certainly never had the same inspiring nostalgia from my cubicle at Boeing. Love to you all from da UK!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Mel's Birthday!
We were awakened at 7:30am (a ghastly time to be awakened, I might add) by Seattle-dwelling mom and dad so that they could be the very first ones to wish me a happy birthday. I expressed my heartfelt gratitude at their benificent wishes, but kindly let them know that we rarely, if ever, wake up before 9:00am these days. Ahhh, the life of a student! Nonetheless, it was such a fun start to the day. I have to put in a plug here for Mr. Christopher Roe, who is the cutest, biggest dwingie alive.
As mom and dad chatted away, with me still in bed and half asleep of course, Chris snuck out to prepare a suitable birthday breakfast treat. After I hung up the phone, Chris began singing a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the kitchen, bearing in one hand a delicious birthday cappuccino, and in the other hand some warmed hot cross buns (a classic British breakfast treat) with candles ablaze. Despite the fact that the hot cross buns were nasty, it was the thought that counted! 
He also presented me with my birthday present, a black, retro-style Bench watch... I was completely surprised and so pleased!I was so incredibly blessed to have the most BEAUTIFUL day since the end of last summer... temperatures topped out in the upper 60s and the sky was a brilliant blue (with just a few token white fluffy clouds). The day's highlight was to take our very favorite walk to the neighboring village of Grantchester. Dressed in t-shirts and flipflops, we set out on the winding footpath that follows the meanderings of the river Cam, passing hugely expansive fields, lone white swans, scores of frolicking dogs, and old and young alike who were enjoying the beauty of the day.
We arrived at one of Cambridge's best local secrets -- The Orchard, a tea-house dating back to the early 1900s that served as a second-home to bohemian Cambridge students (most notably, Virginia Woolfe, Rupert Brooke, Bertrand Russell, and Milton Keynes). As the name implies, the tea-house rests in a vast orchard and little wooden tables surrounded by adirondack reclining chairs fill the orchard grounds. 
We brought our tray of tea and scones out into the orchard and basked in the sun while reading aloud poetry written about The Orchard. Tearing ourselves away at last, we leisurely made our way home (and en route, mama and papa Roe called to send their best birthday wishes!).
The remainder of the day was as restful as the beginning: cooking a delicious lunch together, grabbing a pint at our favorite riverside pub, attending a Lenten preparation class at our little church, and finally enjoying a lengthy romantic dinner. All in all, a day that couldn't have been better!
