oh-twelve wrap-up: fleet week, wine, music, florida and more

October and November are some of the best months in the Bay Area, with warm, sunny weather and lots of outdoor events (turns out it’s a great time to be in Florida, too). Even though it’s now a few months later (I got a little sidetracked), allow me to show off some highlights.


Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park; yoga for a cause in Union Square


The Fleet Week air show (with blue angels, a stealth bomber and more) in the bay


A visit to Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma with my aunt, in town from Missouri!


Thanksgiving week in Sarasota, Florida: Watching kitesurfers in St. Petersburg; waiting for the sunset at the Hurricane in St. Petersburg; sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico and creating a gorgeous sky; Siesta Key; Longboat Key; buddies at the Mote Aquarium; a manatee kiss on the aquarium window; a rather random group of animals at the Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota

vancouver + victoria: a pacific northwest weekend

Back in June, Seb and I flew up to British Columbia for a quick trip to see some old friends (well, Seb’s old friends, my new-ish friends). We spend two nights in Vancouver, visiting the Granville Island Public Market, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver Aquarium and downtown waterfront area. It was cloudy and chilly and drizzly, but we tried to ignore it and enjoy what we could. We succeeded for the most part and had a good time discovering the city’s modern features and cute neighborhoods set against the super green, lush background of the Pacific coastal mountains.

Then it was on to Victoria by seaplane, a truly awesome experience. Take-off was smooth, and flying low over the Strait of Georgia, we had fabulous aerial views of the Gulf Islands. However, the skies became darker and stormier as we neared Victoria, and landing was most definitely not smooth. Nerve-wracking, more like it. But, all was well as we disembarked and stepped back onto solid ground, getting our first glimpse of the historical city of Victoria, vastly different from Vancouver. Where Vancouver is bustling, Victoria is more relaxed; where Vancouver is contemporary, Victoria is steeped in British charm – and architecture. We spent just about 24 hours in the British Columbian capital city, but it was full of scenic walks and fantastic eating (it’s a bit of a foodie paradise!).

The next day, we boarded the Victoria Clipper, a high-speed ferry, for the trip to Seattle. Zooming across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into Puget Sound, we arrived in Seattle in just three hours, and had a few hours to walk around before heading to the airport. We explored Pike Place Market, of course, as well as the trendy Capitol Hill neighborhood. Another great weekend in the West!

A few photo highlights below; click here for a full photo gallery

cold weather and no casinos: is this vegas?

I spent three days in Las Vegas last month for work, and was not prepared for the cold temperatures. Sure I’d heard that it gets cold at night in the desert, but I didn’t really believe I’d be walking around Las Vegas in a fleece, hat and gloves. But that I did. It was mostly meetings and presentations, but I did manage a few moments of fun and relaxation, and I had a nice stay at the fairly new Trump Hotel, a tucked-away, sky-high hotel by the Fashion Show Mall, across the street from the Wynn. The Trump’s best feature? No casino. It was blissful. 



Left to right from the top: The welcome sign; my first time at the casino-free Trump Hotel; the Trump’s shimmering lobby; a quick break by the (nearly empty) pool after lunch; a Strip bus ride with Elvis; the King put on a pretty good show, I have to say; the parasols hanging from the ceiling at one of my favorite Vegas bars – Parasol Down Bar at the Wynn; the pool and light show at the Wynn; the view of Vegas from the Stratosphere

turkey day down under

Another international wedding took us to Perth over Thanksgiving, which meant I spent the holiday on the beach, soaking up the hot Western Australian sun and thinking of my family back in chilly Missouri. It was a wonderful week of relaxation, including a leisurely Thanksgiving Day snack of risotto balls and beers at Black Salt Brewery and beach bar.


Day one – straight to the beach (top left); an afternoon in King’s Park, overlooking the Swan River (top right); Thanksgiving Day snack and beers at Black Salt Brewery (above); spending Thanksgiving Day afternoon at the beach (below left); sunset over the city on Thanksgiving evening (below right); ending the week with a round of Supa Golf in the Swan Valley (bottom).

european vacation

When our friends from Perth, Josh and Frances, announced they decided to get married in Bellagio on Lake Como in northern Italy, I was, needless to say, ecstatic for a reason to go to this beautiful location I had put on my travel list years ago, but thought I wouldn’t get to for a couple of decades. After buying the plane tickets in January, the time finally came and it was nine days of total heaven. A heaven of wine, pasta, parmesan, pizza, prosciutto, prosecco, gelato and tiramisu. We ate a lot. But better than the fabulous food was the fabulous scenery. Lake Como is quite possibly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

First, however, we went to Switzerland. Due to a cheaper flight and the chance to add an additional stamp to our passports (always our main goal), we flew in and out of Zurich and spent a night in Switzerland on both ends of the trip. When we landed in Zurich, we hopped on a train from the airport and took a 30-minute ride to Lucerne, an old, picturesque town on the northwestern tip of Lake Lucerne, where the Reuss River empties into the lake. In both winter and summer, Lucerne is a hugely popular European tourist destination – it is surrounded by mountains, is filled with pretty architecture and is home to Chapel Bridge, the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe. We didn’t spend much time there (thank God – the prices are ridiculous), but it was enough to enjoy the sunny weather, drink delicious Swiss coffee and go on a boat ride around the lake. The next day we boarded another train for a very scenic, three-hour ride through Switzerland and into Italy. The route traveled past more lakes, tiny Swiss villages nestled in the hills, alpine waterfalls and plenty of cows (cheese is a big deal in Switzerland).

The train took us to Como, one of the larger cities on Lake Como, located at the very bottom of the lake’s western leg (the lake is shaped like an upside-down ‘Y’). From here, we had to take a 40-minute ferry to Bellagio, our final destination. When we got to our accommodation at Villa la Colombia, we unpacked and didn’t leave for week. La Colombia is a three-story home that has been turned into self-contained studios, about a 15-minute walk south of town. It turned out to be a perfect spot – the location kept us away from the tourists and forced us to burn a few extra gelato-induced calories; we had plenty of space; and our studio opened onto a balcony with a view of the lake and the hills. We spent our first full day on a ferry, exploring some of the other lakeside towns. We toured Villa Carlotta, built in 1690; had lunch at Pizzeria Balognett, a hidden-away eatery up a hill we accidentally stumbled upon in Tremezzo; and enjoyed Bellinis in Varenna, a colorful fishing village.

The rest of our days were basically spent lazying around – eating breakfasts of bread and cheese on our balcony; drinking prosecco; laying by a hilltop pool or the lakeside lido; walking through Bellagio’s charming, narrow, cobble-stoned stairways; drinking prosecco; eating gelato; having dinners of prosciutto and pasta pomodoro at our favorite restaurant, Trattoria San Giacomo; drinking prosecco; and going to a wine bar with free Internet to make our friends jealous with Facebook updates.

The only exception to this wonderful routine was the wonderful wedding – the reason we were all there. We boarded a vintage-style wooden speedboat for the ride across the lake to the Church of the Ascension in the town of Cadenabbia, and after the ceremony, got back on the boat for a quick ride around the lake (we drive past Richard Branson’s villa) and a stop at Villa del Balbianello to take some wedding photos. Balbianello is quite well-known; several film scenes have been filmed there (including Casino Royale and one of the newer Star Wars movies), and it’s a popular tourist attraction. It’s pretty incredible. We then boarded the boat one more time and headed back to Bellagio for the wedding dinner at Silvio, one of the best restaurants on the lake. Silvio specializes in fish from the lake; the owner is one of the few people left with a license to fish on Lake Como, a privilege passed down through his family.

Sadly, our week eventually came to and end, and Seb and I went back to Zurich the same way we came. We had one night in Zurich (another beautiful European city), which we spent eating fondue, admiring really old churches and walking along the River Limmat, which flows into Lake Zurich.

Click here to see a photo gallery (let me know if this doesn’t work; it’s been temperamental).


All photos on Lake Como, Italy, except last one: Tiny fishing village of Pescallo (top left and right); small village of Loppia (middle left); view from our balcony (middle right); view from Villa del Balbianello (bottom left); Lucerne, Switzerland (bottom right)