We're back in the US of A, and have been for awhile. But there's still quite a bit we haven't shared from our trip, particularly our last 3.5 weeks in Europe. So we're working on that now, slowly but surely, and in chronological order. Believe it or not, we also have some posts left from Asia. But we're keeping things as organized as possible - so feel free to browse, and/or use our tags to help you find what you need. Whether you're planning a trip of your own, daydreaming of distant lands, or living vicariously through us - relax, enjoy, and happy reading!!

PS If you're looking for the details of our road trip across the US, you'll find them on our Tumblr.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Final Notes on Napier

Admittedly, we didn't explore Napier in quite the same way as the rest of our stops.  We spent more time relaxing in the rental house, catching up with the internet, doing laundry, and chilling with my family.  We spent less time zooming all over, climbing/kayaking/running over/around/through things.  But the change of pace was welcome, and my family, by the way, ROCKS.  Shout-outs:


1. To Erica & Reuben: You two are fantastic.  And thanks for having your wedding in NZ, and helping us discover this amazing country we otherwise may have overlooked. To anyone reading this right now: DO NOT REPEAT OUR NEAR MISTAKE.  GO TO NEW ZEALAND IF YOU CAN!!!  


And thanks for coming back to hang with us on Sunday!!
2. To Reuben's family: Your hospitality in welcoming two strangers into your lives, and treating us like, well, family, was so appreciated.  Thanks for opening your doors, your lives, and your arms to a couple of random stragglers from the US!


3. To the Kuzmiak/Jones Clan: Thanks for the wine, the terrific company, and most importantly the salad.  Sharing stories, food descriptions, hearty laughter, and general noisy fun with you all made me feel just like...well, just like a Kuzmiak!


Checking out the first set of wedding photos on Sunday night.
4. To the quiet running path along the Napier cove: Your uni-directional wind was both fantastic (I'm flying!!!) and brutal (ceaseless headwind).  Your views? Spectacular.


I am drooling over this place again, just looking at the picture...
5. To the Silky Oak Chocolate Company: You were a major disappointment.  We visited on our way out of Napier on Monday, hoping for a peek (through glass) into the assembly floor, a tasty sample or two, and a look at the Chocolate Museum.  I mean, seriously - this is a huge wine producing region, and there was a chocolate factory.  Tamar & Liz would disown me if we left without at least checking it out.


A chocolate museum.
Unfortunately, the whole thing was a disappointment.  The "factory" wasn't nearly as cool as Makana, which we'd visited in Blenheim.  The samples were lame, and the museum was $8 NZD per person.  Looking at the building size, I was unwilling to part with that much money for the trip inside.  So I can't really tell you how it was.  But, I'd suggest you skip this place - and jump at the chance to visit Makana, if you have one.  [The Macadamia Butter Toffee Crunch is particularly delicious.]


But seeing as how a disappointing chocolate factory was the "worst" we found in Napier, we were doing pretty well for ourselves.   So with that, we set out (albeit chocolate-less) for Taupo!


Zzzz....
And as if to make up for our chocolate-less-ness, just than an hour down the road, we pulled off at a tiny "scenic overlook" and saw this:

Hello, random enormous waterfall in the middle of nowhere...



Monday, January 30, 2012

Worth 1,000 Words

On January 14, 2012, we were honored to join Erica & Reuben at their wedding celebrations.  Welcome to the Kuzmiak/Jones Clan, Reuben!!!  


And, with their permission, here are some photos from the day:

Hand drawn programs (courtesy of Erica herself).

The setting: Church Road Winery, Napier, New Zealand


The boy.

The car.
The girl.

Bridesmaids.
Vows.
Annette's reading.


 "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
-The Skin Horse in
The Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams



Meta.

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Reception venue - inside the winery.

Newlyweds!
One of my favorite photos of the evening.


Dinner.
[Delicious.]


Dessert.
[Even delicious-er.]



Not shown: Drinks, Dancing, and a Dang Good Time!


Congratulations, Erica & Reuben.
Wishing you many years of health, happiness, 
& a deep and persistent love!

iSite Withdrawl

It's hard to feel anything but happy when you wake up to the sound of crashing waves, stick your head out the door, and see this:


86 Esplanade, Napier, New Zealand


After relaxing and enjoying this view for a bit, we set out to find another image that was becoming familiar to us.  If you're traveling in New Zealand, it only takes a day or two before you come to recognize the familiar i-SITE logo:

 


i-SITEs are the national tourist information centers in New Zealand.  Every town we drove through (remember, there weren't that many) on the South Island had one.  If, at any point, we were looking for an activity, or a map, or an answer, or a bathroom - we'd head for an i-SITE.  We suggest you do the same if you're traveling in NZ.  They'll even help you make activity and hotel reservations quickly & efficiently (at least for the former; we didn't test the latter).


Napier was probably we'd driven into where the i-SITE wasn't the first thing we spotted when we came into town.  The previous night we'd headed directly for the Beach Retreat without a stop at the city center.  


So, with Friday set aside for resting and exploring, we figured we'd drive into Napier proper to check out the i-SITE - and, of course, whatever else seemed interesting.


I found my first interesting thing moments after we parked the car: Napier Skate Park.  Enclosed by tall cement walls, we could only peer in through some small openings at eye level.  Inside, there were ramps, jumps, and all sorts of other things skateboarders might want to skate on/over/around/through.  Kids with skateboards and scooters were zooming all over the place, speeding down ramps, over jumps (including rows of their friends lying on the ground), and back up again - yet another example of the awesomeness that can happen in a no-fault country.  Their skill and speed were mesmerizing - I could have stood there and watched them for an hour. I wish I had a photo, but I always feel awkward taking photos of other people without permission - especially kids.  So, no photos.


Eventually we made it to the i-SITE, where I exclaimed, "Ohh!!!  They have an aquarium!!!"  It was just down the road, and Kee-Min, always a willing conspirator in my science excursions, agreed to a trip.


First, we poked around the older, cobblestone streets of Napier for a while.  In some places, the streets had been closed to traffic, and we were free to wander mindlessly, crossing back and forth without a care.  I *love* when cities do this.  


We changed some money. [I have no idea why some banks will charge a $15 fee for changing Traveler's Checks, and others will charge 5 cents.  No lie.]  We used half of said money to buy a few greeting cards.  Well, not quite half, but DUDE - a standard greeting card runs ~$7-8, apiece.  Note for next time: BYOC!  This part of Napier wasn't much different from what you'd see wandering around a similar area in the US: eateries, banks, clothing stores, a couple of touristy shops, and even a Bed Bath & Beyond:




We're still unclear about whether or not this is related to BB&B in the US.
Obviously, the sign is different, but the products and target market appear similar
Uncle Steve, are you reading this??


By that time, we were feeling munchy, so grabbed 2 pies (Maharaja and Tendulkar) at Jesters, a New Zealand/Australia pie chain.  They were acceptable, but not nearly as good as the ones we had in Queenstown.  Then, we popped next door to Cappadonna, a small cafe that had received decent reviews for their desserts and coffee.  Admittedly, their baked goods looked scrumptious, but we opted for affogatos: espresso poured over vanilla ice cream.  This, I can assure you, this is as delicious as it sounds - and Cappadonna didn't disappoint.




I was so distracted by deliciousness
 that I forgot to take a photo until it was nearly gone.
And finally, it was time for...THE AQUARIUM!


Apparently, I found the lettering fascinating.

I was psyched.  Even getting caught by a Megalodon immediately after buying our tickets didn't dampen my enthusiasm.  

You can't make this stuff up.

After a narrow escape, we ventured into the exhibits.  Overall, I would give the Napier Aquarium a 2.5 out of 5 stars for a small-city aquarium.  It's no Camden Aquarium, that's for sure.  Some of the exhibits had been reorganized, but the accompanying explanatory literature hadn't been (text and exhibit didn't match).  Additionally, some of the written explanations were downright poor, and I was tempted to submit a suggested rewrite on the spot.  But they did have some exhibits on local species, there were plenty of kids running around having fun.  And we had fun, too - and passed an enjoyable 2.5 hours exploring the underwater world.

For example, I learned all about cichlids.  There are >1300 cichlid species (probably many more), and we got to see quite a few examples of the ovophile species.  Male ovophiles ("mouth brooders") have some pretty clever body markings to facilitate their reproductive success.  Female cichlids lay their eggs, then proceed to pick up the eggs in their mouths.  The males of these species have distinctive spots at the back of their anal fins that the females sometimes mistake for eggs.  Males release sperm in response to contact with that section of their anal fin.  Thus, sperm are released at a time and place with a high probability of egg fertilization.  I particularly enjoyed being able to identify the males and females based on anal fin spots - it's the first time I've ever been able to gender a fish!!  Fish don't like photos, so no aquarium pictures - but you can Google search cichlid images, if you're interested.


Photos of not-real-fish, though, were OK.  So I snapped this one, to trigger flashbacks to Intro Bio among my Biologist friends out there:


Pop quiz, anyone?
I won't detail every fish we saw - but suffice to say that the Napier Aquarium was a reasonable way to pass the afternoon.  Inspired by all this aquatic life, I wanted to walk back to our car along the beach.  


And just one more, before we headed back for dinner & family time...
 <3



Napier Skate ParkNapier Skate ParkNapier Skate Park

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Cars on Boats (aka Blenheim to Wellington to Napier)

Let's kick things off with a little quiz.  Match the picture to the one-word description.


A.

B.
C.


1. Nostalgia!          2. Blech!          3. Yummmm!

[Answers at bottom.]


So after a low-key day and afternoon filled with wine on Wednesday, we awoke on Thursday morning ready to make our way to Napier, on the North Island.  This trip required two parts.  Part I: Riding the Interislander Ferry to the North Island.  Our route basically looked like this (zoom in to see all the little islands we passed on the way out):








Can I start by saying how incredibly small it makes me feel to drive a CAR onto a BOAT??  I have vague memories of doing this with my family when I was quite young (in the NYC area), but still: WOW.  Seeing how many cars they manage to pack on really emphasizes how enormous the ferry is.  


We arrived at the terminal about 15 minutes before the boarding began and joined a looooong queue.  When the cars were allowed on, we drove onto the boat, were directed around a half-circle (driving! on a ship!), and stopped...inches  centimeters from the bumper of the car ahead of us.  We didn't have much more space laterally, either.  I had to do a special little shimmy-dance to get in and out of the car - that's how tightly we (Mr. Blue and everyone else) were parked.  It was pretty much impossible to walk between the cars length-wise because their side view mirrors were practically touching.  Any efficiency expert would approve of the ferry crew's packing job, that's for sure.


We put on the emergency brake (or forgot, but were driving an automatic so all was well) and turned off the car alarm (Car alarm???  Ha.  Did you SEE the picture of Mr. Blue?), then headed up to secure seats on the top (outer) deck.  Some of us stuck our noses into Terry Pratchett books, while others enjoyed the scenery.  


OK, OK - maybe it was actually an ebook.


Another miserable view from New Zealand.




Things were sunny at the port in Picton as we cruised out through the Queen Charlotte Sound.  As we neared the more open water of the Cook Straight, things got a bit breezy and we actually hit some low clouds, as well.  Here, the clouds are covering the mountain top:





Cook Straight has a reputation for being a rough and dangerous area - wind gets funneled into the straight between the two mountainous islands, resulting in swiftly changing wind directions and sudden swells.  But back when we boarded, a sign informed us that the crossing should be a "2 out of 5" (1 is very calm, 5 is very rough).  I was relieved at the prediction of 1-2 meter swells, although Kee-Min had perhaps been hoping for a 3 or a 4.  


I'm rather glad that I didn't do too much pre-departure research - I recently learned that, in 1968, a ferry to Wellington sank during a severe storm (it should be noted that there are now at least 6 ferry crossings per day, and it's been at least 40 years since this disaster - the odds are in our - and your -favor).  But we were fortunate, and the prediction for calm was correct.  We passed an enjoyable 3.5 hours on the breezy deck (and earned ourselves some knee-top sunburn for our efforts). View as we entered Wellington Harbour:


That small island behind me is NOT Wellington.

We wiggled our way back to our car, speculated about what would happen if someone didn't come down to their car (the whole line of cars would be stuck; we were packed too tightly to pull out to the side), and after a few minutes, were routed around another half circle and off the ship (we were DRIVING.  ALL OVER A BOAT.).  The thing didn't rock one bit, even as the 18-wheelers were disembarking.  Craziness.

We then began Part II: the ~4 hour drive up to Napier.





It was already about 5 PM, so we didn't dilly-dally or even stop for a snack.  [See? I CAN write a post without food or food photos!]  We pretty much drove straight through, but did take the time to:

1. Wave hello to Palmerston North ("Palmy" to the locals), where my cousin & her new husband actually live.
2. Gave a shout out to Massey (where she went to school).
3. Take a well-marked detour over the only twisty-windy-mountain road we drove during the whole 4 hr trip (after so many on the South Island, I was actually somewhat relieved).
4. Gawk at a tour-bus that had driven its left wheels well into the ditch off the side of the road and was canted at a, shall we say, jaunty, angle.  
5. Give thanks that we'd rented a car.
6. Slow down briefly to snap a few photos (note how the landscape is changing; this almost looks Sussex County-ish to me):


The time passed quickly, we kept the gas tank full, and before we knew it, we were pulling up in front of The Beach Retreat.  See?

It was dark when we arrived.  This was taken the next day.
 [If I'd turned around and taken a picture, it would be the ocean.]

We stayed here with the rest of my family that was in New Zealand for the wedding, and they had all arrived the previous day.  So we spent the remainder of the evening drinking wine, catching up, and relaxing with them.  It was actually kind of strange to see people that we knew - other people we knew - after traveling for 2 weeks with only each other as company.  But strange in a good way, and before we knew it, we were falling into bed, lulled by the sound of crashing ocean waves.


A.2 / B.3 / C.1

Friday, January 27, 2012

Wine-tasting as a sacrament?

Even before we left Los Angeles, New Zealand's dedication to wine was made apparent to us. In Air NZ's business lounge at LAX, bottles of NZ wine were prominently displayed, with wine glasses inviting travelers to try a sip (we did). On the plane, in addition to the regular dinner menu, we also received a wine guide to the Air NZ wine offerings for August 2011 to January 2012.  According to the guide, Air NZ offered 29 different Kiwi wines (not all of which were available on our flight); Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, aromatics (Rieslings, Viogniers and Pinot Gris were the ones they had), Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, red blends, and dessert wines. The guide also highlighted each of NZ's 12 different wine-growing regions and the wineries whose wines were featured. And, of course, the guide came with a convenient tear-out tasting notes card. Needless to say, it was quite a tasty flight to Auckland. (Side note: Isn't "needless to say" rather redundant?)


But aside from the occasional glass of wine with dinner, our only other significant wine experiences in New Zealand were a half-day wine tour of some Marlborough wineries, a tasting visit to Mission Estate Winery, and a wedding at Church Road Winery in Hawke's Bay. If you're interested in wine, a couple of the wineries and wines that I found notable are listed at the end of this post, but what the rest of this post focuses on is the contrast in doing a guided wine tour versus doing it yourself.


Marlborough was the first guided wine tour I'd ever done. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but in my head I pictured our guide educating us about the history of the region, the terroir, the wine-making process, how to taste wine, etc. When our guide picked us up from our hotel, things got off to a pretty good start. He was friendly, introduced himself, chatted to us and the other 8 people on our tour about the history of the region, and I took a little nap while we drove to the first winery. All in all, a pretty good start! The first stop, at Domaine Georges Michel, was great. We tried quite a few of their wines and even some Marc (a spirit like grappa, but fruitier and smoother). We bantered with the lady who conducted the wine-tasting, talked about the wines, even bought some as gifts. 


But as we left, our guide looked at his watch and said we'd need to hurry at the other stops. Holly and I have different theories about what the time constraint was: She believes some of our fellow tourists were booked for an evening cruise run by the same tour company and had to be at the dock by a certain time, I think our guide just wanted to be at his favourite pub by a certain time, pint in hand, to watch a rugby game. In either case, this translated into our next three stops being a little rushed. We'd go in, try the wines, look around a bit, and then be out of there in 20 minutes. In fairness, this did give us time to make a fifth stop at the Makana Chocolate Boutique, which was definitely worthwhile (caramel almond brittle = yum), but the overall experience was disappointing because we had to rush.


In Hawke's Bay, our wine-tasting was self-conducted. We were there for Holly's cousin's wedding (see wedding post here) and had some time beforehand. So we drove out to Mission Estate Winery, walked around a little, read up on some of the history (began as a Marist mission! The estate is still owned by the Marists! Rod Stewart holds huge concerts there!), and of course, tasted the wines. The gentleman who attended to us was great - convivial, funny, knew a lot about the wines, generous pours, and offered us a taste of everything they had (and then some). It was, overall, a great wine-tasting experience. We did have to hurry a little at the end to make it to the wedding on time, but it was conveniently located right next door at Church Road Winery. Perfect. We were in our seats and ready to celebrate the union of two beautiful souls, right on time. 


There's no question which experience I preferred. And these two contrasting experiences have taught me that the crux of visiting wineries for wine-tastings, at least for me, isn't about trying the wines. Yes, it's great to discover a particularly excellent bottle of cabernet or to try an obscure, small production that's only sold at the winery. But what I really enjoy about the visits is meeting the people, learning more about the winery, and getting a good feel for the place. In a day and age when many of us are alienated from the sources of our food and drink (and no, the store is not the true source of your food and drink), there is something precious about making a connection with the growers and producers of what you eat and drink. 


Farmers markets and the "buy local" movement have helped some consumers rediscover this when it comes to our produce and meat. Visiting a winery does the same for wine. After all, in most urban or suburban centers it's fairly easy to find a wine store or restaurant that holds a regular wine-tasting event. It's certainly more convenient to drive to such an event than to journey to a winery. But when you actually look out at the vineyard and see the grapes that will become your bottle of wine, when you shake hands with the winemaker who decides what wine to make and how, and when you hear the stories of a particular production - that elevates our consumption beyond consumerism. I daresay it even makes it ... sacred?


Some Brief Wine-tasting Notes
Domaine Georges Michel - really nice dessert wines. If you like spirits, the Marc is also worth a try.
Nautilus Estate - good brut cuvee (sadly, not exported to the US). The gewurtztraminer and pinot gris were also delicious, with just the right touch of sweetness without being overly fruity.
Forrest Wines - "The White" was excellent, reminiscent of white burgundy. Great wine. I also enjoyed the cabernet sauvignon and grunerveltliner. They also had a sparkling red, made with syrah and malbec. To be clear, this wasn't a rose but a red. Unusual, distinctive, and pretty good.
Mission Estate Winery - The wines here were all pretty good. I especially liked the Viognier.

5 Things To Love About Singapore

I know, I know - we still have to finish up New Zealand.  But as I was considering blog posts during my shower this morning, this one came to mind and I just couldn't shake it.  So, in no particular order, here are:


5 Things To Love About Singapore
(besides the food)

5. When it rains, it pours.  Literally.





4. Safe running. Neither my husband nor my mother-in-law even hesitate when I lace up my running shoes to head out solo.  Of course, no place is perfect - but chances are I'm safer here than I was when I ran alone in Rochester, and goodness knows I did that all the time.  This is especially notable since I am, purely by phenotype (outward appearance), easy to identify as a foreigner...

3. Awesome public transport.  We walk to the bus stop and look at the map posted in the bus shelter to figure out which buses are running the route we need.  Within a few minutes, one of them arrives.  We hop on (tap card) an air conditioned bus that drives us to the MRT (subway).  We hop off (tap card) and look at an amazingly easy to read subway map:


[http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp]

We walk to the platform (tap card), and a train arrives within 3-4 minutes.  We get on, ride, get off, leave the station (tap card), and are within a block or two of our destination.  The system is clean, efficient, and amazing.


There has been some consternation in Singapore lately over a few instances of delays and break-downs.  I understand that, to you Singaporeans, this is approximately utter chaos.  But to those of us that hail from cities - or entire countries - whose public transport systems are considerably less reliable, this is a dream.come.true.


2. The Karung guni (kah-rung-GOH-nee) man.  This fellow drives around in a small truck (although historically he traveled on foot - "karung guni" is a Malay word for "gunny sack"), honking a very distinctive horn.  He comes through this neighborhood 1-2 times a day.  Residents can bring out their newspapers, old clothing, old appliances, or just about anything else.  If he thinks he can resell, re-purpose, or recycle it, he will pay a small sum for the goods.  Very seldom do I like adding a "middle man", but boy do wish there were a Karung guni man in Rochester when I was cleaning out my apartment...

1. The signs.  Oh, the signs.  I've been giggling inappropriately at signage all day.  Here are three that we happened upon within the last 12 hours:


Sighted: A stall in the Ladies Room at Vivocity.
[Hate those snake-like bathroom thieves.]

Sighted: Elevator of Block 150
[ie, A Camera]

Sighted: Harbourfront MRT
[Don't blame me if you're henceforth banned from the MRT...]

And, with that act of rebellion, I'll let you get on with your Friday.

Cheers!