Reunion in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

Minneapolis + St. Paul = Friendsies!

I returned home to MN to attend my high school reunion.  I originally wasn't going to go (because who really wants to go to their h.s. reunion?), and instead was going to fly back for a smaller gathering.  But those two events ended up being scheduled over the same weekend (and unfortunately, not during the MN State Fair) and I couldn't be a jerk and not go to the larger reunion.  I mean, I WAS senior class president and all.

Both events ended up being really fun, and I was glad I went to the official reunion.  Although it looked like a sad wedding reception in a hotel conference room, the very random assortment of 60 or so people who came were all so lovely and happy to be there.  Some people looked fantastic, others looked not quite so tip top.  I hadn't seen most of them since we had graduated, so it was nice to catch up.  And someone's wife made a really amazing cake. The best part was seeing some old friends--one said to me he didn't realize how much he had missed me until he saw me this visit.  Awwww.

Go Scots!

The rest of my time in MN was spent hanging out with Melanie--we took a little road trip up to Duluth, checked out some of the new spots in Minneapolis, and of course had some Baker's Square french silk pie. I did go to the Mall of America a few times since my hotel was across the street and I had an old school steak dinner at Mancini's with my aunt and uncle.  I never tire of going back home, especially when the weather is perfect.

Duluth!

Officiating in the STL

I was given the honor of officiating the wedding ceremony of two very dear friends, Jon and Xina. Vickie, Jamie and I (among others) flew out to St. Louis for a very fun Memorial weekend filled with friends, festivities, and the fear of crying during the ceremony.  I am a very sensitive sap, and in my old age I tend to cry at weddings.  ALL weddings,  even weddings I see on TV shows for people who don't exist in real life.  While I was composing my officiation speech, I outright sobbed on my couch. And then every time I read it over to practice for the big day. That did not bode well. Xina already told me I wasn't allowed to cry, be drunk, or take any sort of medication (legal or otherwise) for the ceremony. Total bridezilla, right?!

However, I am very happy to report that I kept it together and shed not one tear during the wedding.  Not even during their vows, which they wrote themselves and were very sweet. I get misty-eyed just thinking about it.

Here is the haiku I wrote for the ceremony:
   
     Big Bar NYC
     Love, then onto St. Louis
     Now, it is legal

And here are some highlights from that weekend:

On the Ferris wheel on City Museum's roof

Officiating! I pasted the text onto a big paper heart. 

The happy couple

After party fun

The San Francisco Treat



Golden Gate Bridge!



This year we went to San Francisco for 5's birthday.  As mentioned in a previous post, I haven't been to CA in a long time and all I remember from SF was the fog.  And it was windy.

We stayed in the Mission which was super convenient and we hit the ground running when we arrived.  Highlights of the trip:

• Chinatown (smaller than I thought it would be, although I've been corrected by some natives that it's HUGE and I just didn't go to all the small side streets.  I guess i was expecting it to be more like Manhattan Chinatown x 10)
• The Haight. Whoa, hippies. 
• California Academy of Sciences.  Free admission! Waxy tree monkey frog! Albino gator! Educational!
• Golden Gate Park.  It's a mix of Central Park (sorry, I'm a New Yorker so I have to use it as a frame of reference) with more museums, bison, and homeless people.
• SFMoMA. Art and a free cookie.
• Japantown for the Cherry Blossom Festival - surprisingly, there were not cherry blossoms in sight.  However, there was my fave Japanese dollar store, Daiso. 
• Alcatraz. Nice ferry ride.  I wish there was more information on the tour. So much history they could have shared! 
• Muir Woods. Oh my, it was probably my favorite thing we saw.  The redwoods are really amazing and a little bit magical.  AND, I saw my very first banana slug.  I was so excited--I've heard so much about them and although it wasn't banana slug season (yes, there is such a thing), at the end of our hike we came across this slimy blog that at first looked like a weird poop.  But no, it was exactly what I had been looking for. Hurray!
• Napa wineries.  We hit up Coppola Wineries, Sterling (scary old tram up the hill!), and Castello de Amorosa Winery, housed in a fake Tuscan castle.  Unfortunately, we arrived too late at the last one to get a full tour, so no fake dungeon for us. I will say, I'm no expert, but the wines--even the cheapie ones--were really good.  
• Food: Tartine bakery (almost every morning), Delfina Pizza (def not up to NYC pizza standards), In-N-Out (my opinion has not changed), Mitchell's ice cream, Papalote Tacos (good stuff!), Gott's Roadside (which Schnipper's in NYC seems to have copied), ramen in Japantown, Blue Bottle Coffee (meh, but I liked the venue), and a burrito spot in the Mission. Oh, and I got a loaf of sourdough bread that was great. Love the sourdough...

It was a really fun trip, and since Cinco had lived in SF for a few years, he played tour guide and navigator so I got to sit back and be a tourist.  The weather was FANTASTIC.  Not a cloud in the sky and in the 70s.  Not bad at all!

Redwoods at Muir Woods

Waxy tree monkey frog at the California Academy of Sciences

Sea lions on the Pier 39

Alcatraz!

On the tram to Sterling Vineyards!

Castello de Amorosa Winery

Chile, Part 4: Wineries and Valparaiso

A trip to Chile would not be complete without drinking some Chilean wine.  We toured an organic vineyard, Emiliana, about an hour outside of Santiago.  The wine wasn't that great, but the grounds were beautiful. AND, they had alpacas!!!

Which are cute until you see their teeth. Oy.

We also visited the coastal towns of Vina Del Mar (basically the South Beach of Chile) and Valparaiso, its sister port city.  Valparaiso is one steep city--it is built on many different hills with steep and labrynthine streets, and colorful buildings. You can ride funiculars (cable cars) up to the top of various hills for fantastic views.  Each of the hills (I think there are around 20) is a neighborhood in itself.  We visited the more touristy ones, full of cafes, hostels, inns, and shops.  From what I saw it was really cute, and I wish we had had more time to explore.  Chileans say the women of Valparaiso have the best legs in the country from all that uphill climbing. Ha.

Look at those teeth!

View of Valparaiso from the top of the funicular

Valparaiso streets (one of the less steep ones)

The largest, most delicious beef empanada in Chile!

Chile, Part 3: the Lake District

I think my favorite part of Chile was the Lake District (Los Lagos).  The Lake District is sometimes likened to Switzerland with it's blue mountain lakes and snow-capped mountains.  I found it to be gorgeous and very relaxing.  The weather was amazing when we were there and we stayed in Puerto Varas right on the big lake, Llanquihue with two volcanoes in the background.

This particular region of Chile has a very strong German influence, apparently in the architecture and the abundance of kuchen, a type of fruity pastry.

Los Lagos is the resort area of Chile.  Chileans flock here during the summer months for hiking and water sports on the lakes, and during the winter for skiing.  We arrived after the summer rush, so things were quiet.  We went on a half-day hike in the alerce forest, which was much more rigorous than expected.  But Mom was a trooper and kept up with the group.

Mt Osorno, the Chilean Mt. Fuji

Mom, mid-hike

Hiking break by the lake

Alercce forest, the redwoods of South America

Post-hike, Parque Nacional Alerce Andino

German architecture in the Lake District

Farmhouse

Chile, Part 2: Easter Island

Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world.  The closest inhabited island is over 1,200 miles away and the closest land mass (Chile) is about 2,200 miles.  Also called Rapa Nui, the island has a population of only 5,000 (who all live in the small town of Hanga Roa) and is only about 63 square miles.
Easter Island is named so because a Dutch exploration vessel "discovered" the island on Easter Sunday in 1722.

The main reason people visit Easter Island is to see the 800 mysterious moai, monolithic stone statues with giant heads.  The moai are sometimes placed on ceremonial platforms called ahu.  The moai generally face inland, and represent each tribes' ancestors.  The moai would serve to protect the tribe and village.  When Europeans first visited the island, most of the moai were fallen face down during conflicts between tribes. Basically, you would knock down the moai of your enemies.  All of the statues currently standing have been restored and hauled back upright.

Probably the biggest mystery of the moai is how they were transported from the one main quarry where they were carved. There are a few theories, but it sounds like they may have been "walked" around the island using rope and maybe logs (and lots of manpower).

It was neat to see the moai, but after awhile, it was just became one big stone head after another.

Sunset on Easter Island

Moai at Ahu Tongariki

Me and and a smaller moai

Moai

Quarry where all the moai were carved, Rano raraku

Moai with coral eyes inserted

Crater Lake

Chile, Part 1: Santiago

Last year my mom made me promise to take her to Easter Island before she couldn't walk anymore.  Now, Mom is a spry 69, but I promised we could go in 2013. And so we did!

Chile is a narrow country that stretches 3,100 miles along the southern half of the western coast of South America.  It has many different landscapes from the driest desert in the world in the north to the glaciers of Patagonia to the very south, with volcanoes, lakes, vineyards, and beaches in between.

First stop: Santiago!

This was my first time in South America, so I have no other comparison (watch out, Argentina!).  Santiago is like any other city: smoggy, noisy, full of people.  But it has a nice mix of architecture, and pretty much every direction you look, the Andes Mountains are there. Even better, Santiago is pretty much the gateway to all other parts of Chile.

Buenos dias, Santiago! (Andes in the background)

Cerro Santa Lucia

I love that the shepherd was unleashed
and hanging out on the corner, yelling at cyclists.
Lots of random roaming dogs. 

Main thoroughfare of Santiago.
It's a mix of Spanish colonial and modern architecture.

Chileans LOVE their mayonnaise.
So much that there is a full aisle of it in every grocery store. 

Chileans also love them some hot dogs.  A carryover from German settlers.
I tried their classic - chopped tomato, guacamole, with mayonnaise.
It was just okay. I was expecting something more life-changing.

One of the main markets near Central Station.  It looks just like Taiwan!