Tokyo Round 2

Unfortunately, our flight to Tokyo was a little more eventful than we would have liked. Despite initial accommodations of Alex’s nut allergy during dinner, the flight attendants didn’t realize that the small chocolates served with coffee contained hazelnut. Alex spent the remaining 12 hour flight alternating between bouts of vomiting, sleep and delirium while I tried anything to make him slightly more comfortable. While ultimately no emergency actions were required, we both felt very scared to be at 36,000 feet during this incident and were more than a little relieved upon touching down at Narita.

We met Alex’s mom, Janet, at baggage claim and once she got over the shock of Alex’s swollen face we headed into downtown Tokyo. The Narita Express train actually takes an hour and a half to get into central Tokyo so it was already evening by the time we arrived. We stopped off at Shibuya and grabbed a coffee at the infamous Starbucks so Janet could experience the “Shibuya Scramble.” After making the journey to our hotel, we had a light dinner and headed to bed, hoping to sleep off our jetlag for as long as possible.

View from our hotel rooftop; we could see the Tokyo Tower off in the distance.

We woke up early on Tuesday morning, but given the jetlag I was happy we actually slept until 6am! I went for a run to regain some energy before the city heat took over and met up with Alex and Janet at the hotel for a day of Tokyo sightseeing. Our first stop was Yoyogi Park to explore the Meiji Shrine and nearby Omotesando area.

Outside one of the four gates leading to the Meiji Shrine.

Sake barrel offerings at the Meiji Shrine.

Clouds and crowds at the Meiji Shrine.

The weather was overcast and muggy – real feel of nearly 100 degrees! – so we realized we really needed to take it easy while walking around all over the city. In need of a break, we headed to a sushi restaurant Alex and I discovered last year and treated Janet to the novelty of conveyor belt sushi!

Lunch at Namazuko, our favorite conveyor belt sushi restaurant (proudly displaying a TripAdvisor award!)

After lunch, we headed to Harajuku to show Janet the neighborhood famous for it's "cutesy" fashion and restaurants before returning our hotel to meet a former colleague and friend of Janet's, Michiru.

Harajuku.

After catching up with Michiru over iced tea, Alex and I retreated to our hotel room to rest while Janet joined Michiru for an afternoon of architectural sightseeing (their shared career / interest). After a brief nap, Alex and I decided it had cooled off – slightly – enough to venture out into a new neighborhood nearby, Ebisu. I had read that the area was somewhat trendy with locals, so we stopped into an outdoor bar for a drink and some people watching while the sun went down. For dinner, we headed to Udonyamacho and cooled off in the AC before ordering our first of many udon noodle soups. We called it an early night as we were set to wake up at 2:30am (!) to try and watch Tokyo’s famous tuna auction.

Waking up early turned out to be easier than we expected and we arrived to the Tsukiji Market in time to join the first  group allowed into the auction (only two groups of 60 people are allowed access each morning beginning at 5:30am so hopeful tourists – like us – begin gathering before 3am to try and get in). Watching the choreographed live auction was incredible – we’ve never seen anything like it – and we felt like we were witnessing an authentic Japanese tradition.

Sleepy tourists waiting for a glimpse of the tuna auction.

Buyers inspecting the enormous tuna.

We couldn't believe how huge the tuna were!

Alex even got a video of one auction!

After the auction was over, we walked through the bustling fish market and made our way toward the sushi restaurants located within the area. Bypassing the crawling lines for the famous Sushi Dai, we were actually able to recognize the amazing hole-in-the-wall spot we had found last year and enjoyed an incredible sushi breakfast alone at 6am!

Early morning at Tsukiji Market.

The best sushi in the world according to us: 6am sushi breakfast.

After breakfast, we walked to the nearby Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple and then tried to perk up with some coffee before heading north to the Senso-Ji, which we hoped would be a little less crowded at 8am! Luckily, the area was practically deserted and we enjoyed re-exploring the shrine without the masses of tourists we encountered last year.

The Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple is very uniquely designed when compared to all of the other Japanese shrines we have seen.

A very quiet moment at the entrance to  Senso-ji.

The few visitors we saw all tried to grab the hanging lantern for good luck so I gave it a try too.

Alex standing in front of the main shrine.

We ventured to Ueno Park where we met up with Janet and Michiru at 9am, feeling like we had already had a pretty full day! We spent the morning with Michiru as she guided us throughout the park and nearby architecture sights before parting ways for lunch and some sleep.

Looking up at Kiyomizu Kannon Temple.

Lanterns lined the entryway to Ueno Toshogu Shrine

Facing the shrine.

After a restorative nap (and wondering if we are carrying over the European “siesta” habit we picked up from Spain and Italy), we rejoined Janet and Michiru at Ginza Lion for pre-dinner drinks. We checked out a few other nearby buildings with Michiru and then Alex and I made our way to one of our favorite Japanese spots for dinner: Ichiran Ramen, which was as delicious as we remembered. Rumors suggest the Tonkotsu ramen chain is opening a NYC branch this year so fingers crossed!

Beautiful interior of the Ginza Lion beer hall.

Pretty alleyway near Tokyo Station.

We woke up to rain so we had a lazy morning of shopping and stopping for tea and coffee today before having lunch at another Tokyo spot we favor: Harajuku Gyozara. Luckily, Janet liked the five-item menu as much as we did! We are now en route on the train to Nagano, which is a new stop for me and Alex!

Almost Home

Alex and I spent the past few days at Casa Foster in New Jersey getting organized and gearing up for our last stop: Japan. We also embarked on a three day juice cleanse in an attempt to undo some of the dietary damage we did while in Italy!

Trying to undo a year of being on "vacation!"

After three days of hibernating on a liquid diet we treated ourselves to a day in New York with friends and drinks (and food). Our friend Todd was kind enough to pick us up in Madison and dropped me off in Soho so I could meet another friend, Jennifer, in town from Chicago. I had a great afternoon shopping and catching up with Jennifer before meeting up with Alex, Todd, his wife Shannon and some other friends in Brooklyn at Radegast.

Hazy day in Manhattan.

Live band at Radegast.

So happy to be reunited with these girls!

Jumping off the health train at full speed, we ordered takeout from Pies 'n Thighs for dinner and enjoyed the nighttime views of NYC from Todd and Shannon's apartment in Williamsburg.

Best view in the world.

Good night, New York.

Today we have a 14 hour flight to Tokyo, where we meet up with Alex's mom, Janet, for 10 days of sightseeing. We can't wait to revisit our favorite spots with a new travel companion!

Top Takeaways (Twenty Three) - Western Europe

We've covered a lot of ground during two months in Western Europe but we feel like there is still so much more to see! Here are our top takeaways from our time in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, England and Italy.

One of our favorite spots: The Amalfi Coast.

1. Tourism is alive and well. While we knew that the countries we visited in Western Europe appealed to many tourists, particularly Americans, we still weren't prepared for the hoards of people we encountered near ever major sight. We tried to adjust to waiting in lines and fighting for the best view but we never really enjoyed the experience as much as some of our previous sightseeing.

2. Having said that, it's still possible to get off the beaten path. If you are comfortable missing some of the "must-see" places, you can easily create a unique and enjoyable travel experience, even in crowded cities. We bypassed the Uffizi gallery in Florence and didn't venture inside St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice but instead found empty side-streets and perfect hilltop views. Our preferences have definitely evolved over the past year and we now actively seek the road less traveled.

3. Besides maybe Japan, Western Europe is the most expensive area we've visited. Portugal aside, we found most places to be very pricey. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly trip, we would recommend Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe first!

4. Unfortunately, crime can happen anywhere. Of all the places we've been, we didn't expect France to be the sight of the single worst occurrence during our journey. We consider ourselves pretty tough New Yorkers and are constantly alert, but the truth is no one is immune from opportunist criminals.

5. Paris remains the city of romance. Alex and I had both separately been to Paris in our teenage years and didn't have particularly fond memories of the city; coming back together was a completely different experience. Given the city's size, we found it easy to just wander around and get lost in the charming streets and neighborhood parks. Even after five days, I felt like we didn't get to see everything and now I can't wait to come back!

6. England's reputation for disappointing food is unwarranted. Seriously! We admittedly had excellent hosts who directed us to the best restaurants but we had some of our best meals in the land of the British. Alex and I can definitely get behind the local pub food and traditional Sunday night roast!

7. Italian food really is as delicious as advertised. Speaking of food, we really can't deny the appeal of Italian cuisine. In addition to the perfectly cooked pasta, oven-baked pizza and fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, the local seafood and cured meats were equally tasty. Certainly not the healthiest way to end our journey, but probably the most delicious!

8. Nearly everyone speaks English. Alex and I rarely encountered a serious language barrier - the major cities in Western Europe attract so many tourists that English is widely spoken. My favorite example of this was an American mom and teen who commented (negatively) on my outfit in English while I stood next to them at a crosswalk in Rome; I assume my deep tan implied that I was an Italian, but seriously the Italians speak English too!

9. Traveling within the Eurozone is very efficient and highly convenient. In complete contrast to the US, train travel in Europe is fast, easy and relatively affordable. We were most surprised that no one checked our passports between countries (until we got to the UK) - guess we'll just have to come back for those passport stamps!

10. There will always be a reason to come back to Western Europe! We still feel like we barely scratched the surface and we are excited that we still have so many future trips to take. Completing the France road trip we didn't get to take and visiting Scandinavia are probably the two standouts for us.

Peak: Celebrating the wedding of our friends Blythe and Cody with our friends in Levanto

Pit: Getting robbed in Marseille

Next Stop: Japan (by way of New Jersey / New York)

Milan

I woke up Sunday in Venice and headed for a quick run before it was time for Alex and I to pack up, grab sandwiches and take the train to Milan. Our first realization upon reaching Milan was that we were going to need to repeat our Roman afternoon siesta behavior - it was sweltering and very humid outside. Once we checked into our hotel it was almost 4pm so we walked into Milano Centro and checked out the famous Duomo - and surrounding tourists.

Not so different from St. Mark's in Venice, unfortunately!

Given the crowds of people (and pigeons!) we didn't stay long and decided to return for sunrise before our Tuesday morning flight. Having already broken a sweat from the intense heat, I suggested a drink so we headed toward a quieter neighborhood and stumbled upon Bar Quadronno. We enjoyed a couple glasses of local wine and appreciated the Italian custom of free appetizers (cicchetti) with every drink order - so much so that we only needed a small takeaway pizza to tide us over for dinner!

Alex and I didn't sleep well because the air conditioning wasn't working very well in our hotel room so we woke up cranky and hot. We took cold showers and took the tram toward Parco Sempione to have a much needed non-Italian lunch at Salad Me. We spent the afternoon walking through the park and exploring the city, popping into air-conditioned shops to cool down when we got too hot.

Walking toward the Porta Sempione.

Looking up at the Arch of Peace, a historic roman gateway.

Milan's Castello Sforzesco, which dates back to the 15th century and now houses a number of museums.

Loved this charming street near the Brera neighborhood, one of the best areas for outdoor drinks and boutique stores.

We ended the night with dinner at San Mauri, a cute Italian bistro (our last night in Italy calls for one final carb-heavy meal!) with incredible octopus and Bolognese.

We woke up early this morning to watch the sunrise at the Duomo and catch the train to the airport. As hoped, there were nearly no other people in Milan's central square and we were treated to solitary views of the most famous sights.

Inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, one of the most beautiful malls we've seen!

Looking up at the Duomo; the people were gone but the pigeons were not!

One last look.

We are now off to New Jersey / New York for a few days before heading to Japan - the last official stop on our adventure! - with Alex's mom, Janet. Ciao!

Venice

The train ride from Bologna to Venice didn't take long so Sarah and I found ourselves in downtown by mid-day on Thursday. Sarah didn't want to miss an opportunity to have one more good meal from Bologna, so she snagged us some sandwiches to eat on the train from Eataly. Like their counterparts in NY (and local neighbors in Bologna), the staff at Eataly treated us to a delicious meal! We're especially happy we stopped in Bologna because our culinary experience in Venice was exactly the opposite of delicious...more on that later.

Once we settled into the hotel for a bit - and let the heat die down! - we set out to explore Venice's winding streets (a.k.a. canals).

Sarah loved this purple boat docked right in front of our hotel.

One of Venice's many beautiful canals.

The gondolas were everywhere! We hardly went a block without seeing one.

The busy Grand Canal. There are only three bridges to cross the Grand Canal by foot, which is why there is so much boat traffic.

We never did get a "clean" shot of Sarah here, but still a pretty good view of her checking out the view.

We knew St. Mark's Square would be crowded and filled with pigeons. We did not realize that people would be actually holding the pigeons in their hands for a photo op in front of the church (trust us, these pigeons are very comfortable around humans!). The whole scene was pretty gross and the crowds were overwhelming.

But the good thing about Venice is that once we walked a few blocks off the "main drag" we could find quiet canals like this with far fewer foreigners. (And of course, another leaning tower!)

A gondola parked in the canal.

Once we needed a break from walking around, we stopped at Ostaria da Simson for a drink and a snack. This place is definitely NOT on the route of any big tour groups - we felt very welcomed by the owner and he helped get us settled at a spot right on the canal, but we were definitely the only foreigners there. After munching on some tasty toasts and having a spritz, we made our way to another off-the-beaten-path place for dinner.

Alla Frasca fit all of the criteria Sarah normally uses to screen restaurants for us. It has 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor, it is far away from the most touristy sights and it has several reviews by locals. Unfortunately, we were let down by her method for this meal. The food was just gross - low quality ingredients prepared half-heartedly. Why anyone would love this place is a mystery to us. We headed home and vowed to seek out more casual places (like Simson) for the rest of our time here...if this meal is an indication of what the restaurants offer, we'd prefer to stick to bars! (To be fair, we did read that Venice is known to have generally lower quality food than the other big cities in Italy given its completely lopsided tourist-to-local ratio, but we didn't think it would be this bad...)

We had a leisurely start to Friday - the food from last night actually made us both a little sick - but we had ourselves sorted by mid-day and headed to MQ10 to grab a light lunch. This casual place is more of a bar than a restaurant, but the food we had was simple and fresh! A re-affirmation of our strategy from last night.

After lunch, we grabbed two-day ferry (or as they're called here, "water bus") passes and hopped on the first one that showed up. Turns out it was going in the direction we wanted and half an hour later we were on Murano, one of the islands surrounding Venice. Murano is known for its glass blowing - and there were certainly a large number of souvenir shops around to remind you of that! - but we decided to stroll around the canals at our own pace rather than joining a tour of the island (all of which included mandatory glass museum / shop stops).

The canals of Murano.

Definitely the tannest I've ever been in my life (Sarah is a little jealous, I think).

After a couple hours on Murano, we got on another ferry and headed back to St. Mark's Square. We knew what to expect this time and didn't spend any time in the square itself, but rather exploring some of the other sights nearby.

Santa Maria della Salute.

Gondolas in Venice with San Giorgio in the background.

By the time the sun was ready to set, we got on another ferry to get across to San Giorgio. We read that this church has a great view looking back on St. Mark's for sunset and we definitely agree - stop here for an hour at sunset if you ever visit Venice!

Sunset in Venice.

On Saturday morning we walked over to the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, one of the oldest in Europe. There was not a lot to see - we didn't think about it beforehand, but almost all businesses were closed for shabbat! - but it was still interesting to visit.

The Holocaust memorial to all the Jews of Venice.

For lunch, we stumbled upon La Cantina, a small wine bar not far from the Jewish Ghetto. When we first walked in, neither of us were even sure if they served food, but a very helpful bartender quickly explained that most of the menu changes daily depending on what is purchased at the market. So we had "off menu" buratta, pasta and a panini...all of which were fantastic. It was a slow dining experience, but well worth it (Sarah maintains this is one of our best meals in Venice and definitely a highlight in Italy overall)!

After lunch we caught another ferry, this time to Burano, an island further away than Murano but still accessible by boat in under an hour. While Murano is known for glass blowing, Burano is known for its brightly colored houses. (Locals also claim they are excellent lace makers, but really everyone comes for the houses). Like the Bo Kapp neighborhood in Cape Town or La Boca in Buenos Aires, the brightly colored houses were the standout for us and we spent several hours wandering around the canals before heading back to Venice.

A practically deserted canal in Burano.

Burano at its best.

Sarah loved these few houses in particular.

Beautiful Burano!

We took the ferry back and headed back to Simson for a snack and to listen to the live music they have every Saturday - again, only locals here, but very cool. Our final meal in Venice was at a place called Fresh Pasta To Go. The name basically says it all - they offer single serving take-away pasta and it is delicious (and again, casual and cheap!). We found a spot by a canal to sit and eat, then walked back to our hotel.

Tomorrow we're heading to Milan for the final stop on our three-week tour of Italy. Neither of us has spent any time there before so we'll see what the Fashion Capital of the World has in store for us.

Goodnight, Venice.