Archive for January, 2010

Greece – Delphi

{ January 25, 2010 @ 12:55 am } · { Travel, Travel Greece }
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We spent our last day in Greece on a tour to Delphi, the holiest city in ancient Greece and supposedly the center (navel) of the world, where two eagles sent by Zeus from opposite ends of the universe, met. We visited the Sanctuary of Apollo, the site of the first panhellenic games and where the famed navel stone is located. It was a well-known worship site for the god Apollo, after he slew the Pytho, the deity who protected the navel of the earth. It was a nice walk uphill, albeit a bit hot, from the roadside to where the chariot races were held. In between, we saw the theatre, the treasury and the remaining columns of the Temple of Apollo. We later walked through the museum, where we saw many athletic statues, early musical notation and golden treasures.

Greece – Santorini

{ January 24, 2010 @ 11:59 pm } · { Travel, Travel Greece }
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Finally, we were on approach to the Lost City of Atlantis, Santorini. Ahhhh….Santorini. It was amazingly beautiful, with its colored rock formation and steep terrain. Unlike any other island, we were informed a half hour in advance of our approach, to go to the upper deck for a photo op. It didn’t disappoint!! Since the cruise ship was too big, we couldn’t dock at the port. Instead, we took transfer boats to shore. Once there, we had three options to get to the top — walk, take a gondola or take a donkey. Because it was a hot day, we decided not to walk and since we felt somewhat adventurous, we decided to take the donkey up to the top. It was definitely the right decision. We didn’t have to walk up the same path as the donkeys and negotiate the poop, yet it was somewhat of a thrill, especially when a herd of donkeys were coming down as we were trying to go up. I’m a bit surprised that our donkey didn’t turn back and head for the bottom with the others. Three quarters of the way up, our donkey refused to go any further. After walking most of the 500 steps to the top, they donkey was tired and hot and just wanted us to get off. I don’t blame them….

Once at the top, it was the most amazing view. We walked around the island and it was very pictureque, with the domed churches and rugged terrain. Every way you turned was another photo op, even down to the decor of the patios, with ceramic pots and even a rowboat. The ocean appeared silvery at times because of the lighting from the sun. Some of the people were uninhibited, walking around topless on the decks of their apartments. Santorini has it all…beauty, serenity, great weather, great restaurants….and a perfect view of the Mediterranean. It was an amazing place.

As the sun set in the Mediterranean and the moon rose above the island, we knew we’d be back. The next morning, we would awaken and be back at the port of Athens. However, we will always remember this amazing cruise to the Greek Islands of Mykonos, Patmos, Crete and Santorini and Kusadasi, Turkey.

Greece – Crete

{ January 24, 2010 @ 9:20 pm } · { Travel, Travel Greece }
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We awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the Mediterranean as we approached the island of Crete. Looking through our guide books before our trip to Greece, we thought that we’d go to the Palace of Knossos. When we got to the port, we thought that we could walk, but after asking a few people, we decided against it. Should we have gotten lost on the way, it might have been difficult to communicate and get back to the port on time for our departure to Santorini.

So, we disembarked from the ship….and at the port, there were a number of taxis swarming the area for unsuspecting visitors like us. The taxi drivers told us that to go to the Palace of Knossos, there would be no way to get back if we didn’t hire them for a few hours. They went on to say that most taxis at the Palace of Knossos have been hired for the day and they wouldn’t be available, then, to hire them from that point back to the port. Hmmm. We asked, then, for a price quote, and depending on who you asked, the range was from $80 – $100 US dollars. Our initial reaction was ‘RIP OFF”.  How is it that there’s no means to get back to the port or to a nearby area? No knowing the area, we begrudgingly hired one of those taxis to take us to the Palace.

We got there early and were unable to get in for another 45 minutes. Sunday, however, was free, so we saved on the entrance fee. The driver then told us that because he had to wait longer, that we’d have to pay an additional amount. Instead of waiting, he told us that he could take us to another museum and wait for us. He’d bring us back to the Palace when it opened.  Just as he said that, we saw a local bus stopping right outside the Palace. At that point, we knew that this was our way out of what we believed, was extortion. We cut him loose after having paid our one way fare of $10 US. He was a bit annoyed, but what could he say? This place was, at most, three miles from the port. He wanted $80 just to drive us there and back and to wait for us for an hour. NO WAY!!! For anyone going there, just get a one-way fare and take the bus back for a dollar or so.

We walked aroung the Palace for about an hour. There were a few interesting and authentic ruins, but a lot of the restoration involved the use of ‘modern’ material — in other words, CEMENT!! It’s very unfortunate. Had the restoration been done properly, it could have been an unbelievable site.

As planned, we took the bus back to the city center and once again, we relaxed at an outdoor cafe before heading back to the port. We know that there’s a lot more to Crete than the Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion port. Next time, we hope to travel through Crete with our neighbor, who’s Greek and knows where to go and what to see…..

We then set sail for the island of Santorini…..

Greece – Patmos

{ January 24, 2010 @ 7:13 pm } · { Travel, Travel Greece }
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From Kusadasi, the next port of call was Patmos, Greece, where we walked up to the Monastery of St. John the Theologian. In the hot sun, the walk seemed endless, negotiating through parts that were not paved as we walked up the hill. At time, we weren’t sure whether the road would lead directly to the Monastery or whether we’d hit a dead end. But at all times, we made sure that we could see the port so as not to lose our bearing. Through it all, however, the views were magnificent. Looking up, we saw a spectacular view of the monastery. Looking down, it was a beautiful view of the port.

The monastery was amazing. It consisted of a series of interconnected buildings and courtyards, many of which have architectural interests. One set of staircases would lead to another courtyard or arcade. Each was unique and beautiful. The bell tower was very interesting and the church that was counstructed out of stone was exceptionally beautiful, especially against the blue skies of the Mediterranean.

The walk down the hill was a piece of cake. In many ways, walking gives you a better perspective of an area than riding a bus. We experienced the terrain and were able to capture photos that could only be caught if you’re not constrained.

Before heading back to the ship, we stopped in the town to get a drink and some ice cream. The town consisted of a series of narrow streets, flanked with outdoor cafes and shops. It was very relaxing, as we watched the people walk through, looking for souvenirs to buy. That evening, we dined in the maing dining room of the cruise line. The food, again, wasn’t great…the lamb was a bit dry (and that’s hard to do with lamb) and the baklava wasn’t the best. However, the entertainment was great. As the waiters sang twist and shout, we waived our napkins and had a great time. It was the perfect end to the evening.

The next morning, we’d be in Crete….

Turkey – Kusadasi

{ January 23, 2010 @ 11:18 pm } · { Travel, Travel Turkey }
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From Mykonos, we set sail to the port of Kusadasi, where because of the distance to the attractions, it left us no choice but to take a tour. Our first stop was to the Virgin Mother Mary’s House, where it is believed that the virgin Mary lived after Jesus’ death. It now serves as a Catholic shrine, and a nun with a beautiful voice sings ‘Ave Maria’ as the many visitors to the house rotate through. The guide told us emphatically that we weren’t allowed to take photos while inside the house — or something bad would happen to us on the premises. Naturally, we complied — why risk that, especially at the House of Lords, of sort.

After walking through the house, we drank some ‘holy water’, which is purported to have some healing properties. We then passed through an area known as the ‘prayer wall’, where you can hand some paper and make a wish. The grounds outside the house were beautifully maintained and very serene. Shhh, it’s a very solemn place.

Our tour then took us to the ancient city of Ephesus, where we saw the Library of Celsus, the theater and the Gate of Augustus. It was an amazing excursion. Every step that we took was a step in history — we even sat on toilets that were used back in the ancient days. It was here that we learned about the origin of the Hippocratic Oath and how the snake became the symbol for medicine. Today, the stone tablet with the snake is in tact in its original form at Ephesus. Legend has it that Hippocrates got very sick and didn’t think that he would make it. To die a faster death, he wanted a snake to bite him to put him out of his misery. Instead of dying, he was cured. I’m still uncertain whether certain kinds of snake blood is used to cure certain ailments, but hey, it sounded good when we were touring the site.

After a half day of touring Ephesus, we were suckered into a high pressure sales pitch for Turkish carpets. It was a show, of sort, with the salesmen rolling out carpet after carpet, almost in a circus-like environment. Bam! This is double knotted, made of wool. Bam! This is double knotted made of silk. Bam this! Bam that! Nothing else compares….this is the best! What can I do to interest you in this? What colors do you like? What patterns? What material? On and on….They were offering free drinks, free desserts, etc. Meanwhile, they wanted tens of thousands of dollars for these carpets…..and they wouldn’t let us leave!! We were suckers, listening intently to the entire sales pitch. We should have followed some of the smarter visitors…and left with them early on…..

Needless to say, we hurried back to the ship so that we wouldn’t get suckered by anyone else along the way….

Greece – Mykonos

{ January 18, 2010 @ 5:23 am } · { Travel, Travel Greece }
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Our cruise ship, the Aegean Pearl, left the Port of Pireus midday and sailed first to the Port of Mykonos. En-route to Mykonos, we had our first meal aboard the ship. It most certainly didn’t deserve any ‘oohs and aahs’. It was just okay….especially since we were expecting great food on the cruise ship and furthermore, Greek food is supposed to be delicious. Disappointing, at best….but that wasn’t the primary reason for going on this cruise….we wanted to experience as much of the Greek Islands as possible in as little time as we had. Therefore, when we go back to Greece, we’ll know where to stay.

As we set sail, we found the Mediterranean to be amazingly blue….must richer in color than the waters off Hawaii. It was incredible. As we then approached the island of Mykonos, we noticed consistent architecture throughout the island — white stuccoed homes with a tiled roof — typical of the Mediterranean, but beautiful nonetheless.

We love to walk, so we decided to walk up the hill among the cars and busses that use the same lanes to transport visitors….it was a bit awkward, with no shoulder, so we decided to turn back half way up. The view, however, was worth the experience.

We made our way back to the downtown area and walked through the charming narrow streets of Mykonos. These streets did not have a fixed pattern so you could easily get lost in the maze. We finally made our way out to the famed windmills, located at the end of the pier. These windmills are very unique, the tops of which look like men with bad haircuts. The blades appear to be made of thin wires, which leads to me believe that they’ve never been functional, but just there for the aesthetics. Someone can tell me otherwise….

We had a drink at one of the Venice-like restaurants right on the water. It was so romantic and very beautiful as the sun set over the Mediterranean. The next day would take us to Kusadasi, Turkey.

Greece – Athens

{ January 17, 2010 @ 10:06 pm } · { Food, Recipes, Travel, Travel Greece }
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There’s so much history in Greece, with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Greek Mythology and the Greco/Roman history and architecture. This piqued our interest  in going to Greece and as an added benefit, we got a taste of the Greek cuisine, which we have gotten to know and love, and also got a chance to experience the Mediterranean, which was absolutely beautiful. We started our journey in Athens….and on approach (from the airplane), it appeared very much like Hawaii, with its volcanic terrain. However, it seemed a bit more arid, with limited vegetation. In addition, the buildings were monochromatic, with the Mediterranean ‘white’ architecture.

We arrived in the early morning in Athens, just in time for us to begin our full day of sightseeing. We were able to sleep on the plane, so when we arrived, we were fresh and ready to go. We were very excited, like kids in a candy store. Our first attraction, of course, was the Acropolis, which in many ways was fascinating. How were they able to build these monstrous structures with limited tools? How were they able to get the marble to the top? How…? What…? Where…?  Question after question came to our minds. The trip to the top hill where the Pantheon was located, which would be on foot, looked a bit daunting at first, but it was a piece of cake. The walk to the top was very interesting, having passed ruin after ruin (an open air arena and a few temples). The ruins were amazing. The intricacy of the carvings high atop some of the structures were awesome. The Greeks have been renovating the grounds of the Acropolis, including the construction of a museum worthy of antiquity, particularly the Pantheon, for some time now. And in doing so, they want England to ‘return the marbles’.  With the opening of the museum, the pressure would be on the British Museum to return the missing marbles.  “Return the Marbles” can be seen on cruise ships and everywhere.  We walked around for a couple of hours, astounded, taking photo after photo….and loving the architecture. One word of advice is to take some water, which we did since it was relatively hot in early June, and wear shoes that are comfortable, as the grounds are not even and to experience it all, is to do it on foot!!

From there, we ate a late lunch in the Plaka district, a quaint area adjacent to the Acropolis. This and the Monastriaki are great areas to eat and shop. The cafes have some of the most wonderful Greek foods – Greek salads, giros and baked lamb of sorts. There are a number of souvenir shops and a large open flea market, where you can find the ‘evil eye’, olives and some cotton wear. Although I didn’t realize it before going to Greece, I have since learned that the best cotton and olives are grown in this area — the climate makes it ripe for the picking.  There are 2,000 year-old olives trees around, ones that predate the Holy Roman Empire.  If the trees can live that long, the olives MUST be good for you! Unfortunately, the olive-making process includes having to brine the olives — and with that, it will have an adverse effect on your blood pressure. The advice then is probably to eat olives in moderation….it can’t be all that good for you!

The area around the Acropolis is full of ancient ruins, including the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, Tzistarakis Mosque and Fetiye Mosque. We also witnessed a few archelogy students unearthing the ruins in the area. Having watched them for a half hour or so, it’s a very arduous process, using brushes, small picks and dustpans. It’s very important to preserve the ruins, so large sledge hammers and demolition tools are not used.

That evening, we ate our dinner under the stars at a roof-top restaurant below the Acropolis. We ordered Greek salad, lamb and some red wine. It was heavenly. The goat cheese in Athens is very smooth, unlike the cheese that you can buy in the US. Normally, we eat rather quickly, but we were told that the night lights of Athens would be quite a sight to. So, we ate slowly and enjoyed the ambience…and waited for the sun to set. It couldn’t have been more perfect. The weather was great and it was a beautiful sunset…well worth the wait! Once the sun set below the horizon, the lights of Athens illuminated the city…and the Acropolis. First, the structure atop the Acropolis lit up in a gold tone. After a few minutes, the base lit up in a greenish tone, lending contrast to the golden hue of the building. And finally, everything turned golden, contrasting the dark skies of the night. It was magical…..and we captured, in pictures, the changing colors.  What a perfect end to our first evening in Greece. We took the subway back to our hotel, fully sated and eagerly awaiting our cruise to the Greek islands and Kusadasi the following morning.

Our version of some great Greek recipes:

Greek Salad:

Four Tomtoes (Cut in Half Lengthwise and Sliced); 1 Large Cucumber (Cut in Half Lengthwise and Sliced); 2T Olive Oil; 1 Lemon (Squeezed); Goat Cheese (3″x3″x1″ – Crumbled at the last minute); Fresh Oregano (3 sprigs)

Yogurt Condiment and Dessert

1 Pint of Plain Yogurt (use a cheese cloth to take out most of the water – yogurt will be very thick in consistency); 1-2 Cloves of Fresh Chopped Garlic; 1T Red Wine Vinegar; 1 Cucumber (1/4″ cubes) – Mix everything together and enjoy….

1 Pint of Plain Yogurt (use a cheese cloth to take out most of the water – yogurt will be thick in consistency); Top it with 4T Honey

Holiday in Hawaii #6

{ January 14, 2010 @ 5:57 am } · { Food, Recipes, Travel, Travel Hawaii }
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New Year’s Day was another day with the ohana (“family”)…..and with a lot of great food! Instead of the fireworks that are only allowed one New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of New Year’s Day, the children played with sparklers, which are allowed all year round. Meet the future President of the US among the group of little ones that are currently attending Punahou School. Punahou is held in high esteem among the islanders, not only because President Barack Obama graduated from there, but because it is known for its quality education.

The President was in town during our visit to Oahu, but we didn’t try to get a glimpse of him this year. Last year, we actually drove to Kailua to see if we could meet him. We didn’t know where to go, so we stopped at a local shop, Muu Muu Heaven, where they were making a few dresses for the President’s daughters from the muumuus of the President’s grandmother (“Tutu”). We found that to be quite interesting and we thought that the first daughters would be wearing these dresses at the inauguration. That, unfortunately, was not the case. However, if that were to have happened, it would have added a special touch to an already historic event. From there, we made a few inquiries as to the whereabouts of the then President Elect. After many wrong turns and misguided information, we finally found where the President Elect was staying. When we approached the neighborhood, we were told by the secret service that “this is where he’s staying and this is as far as you can go”. Oh well…it was an adventure nonetheless.

As we often do, we decided to take a walk along Kahala Beach. It’s a stretch of land that few people know of and because of that, we love it. This year, we were very surprised to see a topless woman tanning in the sand. A nude beach in Hawaii?? Really?? Obviously, she didn’t care if it all hung out, but a few of the sunbathers felt a bit uncomfortable. While it’s ok in the Mediterranean, it just doesn’t seem right in Hawaii. The strange thing is that she was a kamaaina (“local”), who should know better. That aside, it was a beautiful day and we got a lot of beautiful pictures. The Kahala Hotel, which is on the beach, is beautiful — and you can watch the dolphins swimming in the pool all day long. Why pay to see them? It’s free at the Kahala Hotel.

That evening, we played a game of Mah Jong. Apparently, everyone plays by a different set of rules and oddly, there are different tiles as well. There’s a Japanese version (or so we think it’s a Japanese version), with a picture of a red dragon on one of the tiles. There’s also a Chinese version, with the Chinese character, which means center, on what is supposed to be the same tile. At first, my husband wanted to know what the red dragon was. He’d never seen it before. We, on the otherhand, were a bit surprised that he didn’t know what it was. Finally, after looking carefully at the tile, and with a few of us having played with the Chinese version in the past, we understood. There’s no red dragon in the Chinese version. We laughed, especially since we coaxed him into throwing it away….and it was immediately snapped up by my cousin.

We ate a lot this holiday season. Thought we’d share a few recipes with you….

Prime Rib

Take the prime rib out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before you expect to bake it. Coat the prime rib on all exposed sides with yellow mustard. Preheat the oven. Bake the roast at 500 degrees for the first 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 for the remaining time (For a rare to medium rare rib – the entire baking time should be 13-15 minutes per pound). It’s perfect!! And you don’t taste the mustard — it merely acts as a crust to keep the moisture in.

Custard Pie

Crust: 1 1/4 C Flour; 2T Sugar; 1t vinegar; 3-4T Cold Water; 1C Crisco (mix the flour and sugar together; cut the crisco into the flour until it forms little beads; combine the vinegar and cold water; add the water mixture to the flour mixture – make sure that the dough sticks together, but not so damp that it can’t be rolled into a pastry form).

Filling: 3 large eggs; 3/4 C white sugar; 1t salt; 1t vanilla; 2 1/2 C milk. Combine eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla in a mixer. Scald the milk and add it to the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Preheat the oven and bake the custard pie for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Apple Pie:

You’ll need a pie crust for the top and bottom of the pie. Double the pie crust recipe above.

Filling: 5 Large Apples (cut into 12 pieces each); 1C white sugar; 2T flour; 1T cinnamon. Mix the sugar flour and cinnamon together. Coat the apples in the mixture. Make sure you use the entire mixture.

Preheat the oven and bake the pie at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. The pie is perfect!

We left the islands very content. We had a great time with family and friends….

Holiday in Hawaii #5

{ January 10, 2010 @ 4:55 am } · { Travel, Travel Hawaii }
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New Year’s Eve is the best day of the year in Hawaii. Dinner, dessert, fireworks and as a topper, saimin and soba. It’s pure heaven……

New Year’s Eve is a huge day of celebrating the end of the current year while welcoming in the new year. This year was no exception. We ate a wonderful dinner, consisting of black beans (“kudo mame”) for a healthy life, burdock root (“gobo”), kanten and grapes, crab salad, edamame rice, stuffed konbu with chicken and pork, and teriyaki chicken and beef. And the layered jello — yes, that was the biggest hit of all — no restaurant or bakery can top it!! mmm mmm good. Our cousins, the chefs, did a wonderful job. Everything was awesome!!!

Later in the evening, the celebration began with a flood of police cars gathering in the front of our cousin’s house. Everyone was looking at a camaro that was abandoned in our driveway. Apparently, a drunk woman was side-swiping all of the cars in her path….even though her right front tire was flat, she used the momentum from her rear-wheel drive to keep going. The police caught her just in the nick of time…our car was next in her line of fire……Happy New Year to us!!!! She was later arrested, and her car towed. Good for her…..drunk drivers have no place in society. So many people could have been injured as a result of her negligence.

In any event, they got her car towed in time for our fireworks showdown. We had almost every ‘legal’ kind of fireworks available — spinners, whirly wheels, strings, twirlers, shooters, butterflies, stars….you name it. We had it!!! We managed to play for two+ hours straight, up until the finale at midnight, where we lit up a long string of fireworks, coupled with seven firework ‘bombs’. Most of the neighbors also set of their fireworks at that time, so it was loud. Really loud. This also produced a vast array of smoke, which clouded the valley for a few minutes. It’s too bad that it’s not easy to post videos through this site….we got some great ones of the fireworks going off. It was an awesome way to bring in the new year. At the stroke of midnight, everyone hugged one another and wished each other a ‘Happy New Year’. The light rains then came through and washed the smoke away.

Our neighbors were sending up aerials throughout the evening, which were amazing. However, we’re not sure how they managed to get them since they’re not legal in Hawaii. Every year, there’s always a fear that the aerials will burn down a few homes, as you never quite know where they’ll land. These are serious. When they go off, it’s like a bomb, shaking the grounds around you.

After our fireworks showdown, we ate our dessert (Macadamia Nut Cream Pie and Dream Cake) and a bowl of soba and saimin. It was delicious…..with authentic Japanese broth……We laughed at and with each other. At a point in time, Aunty almost choked because of a funny comment that was made……

It was so much fun…..we definitely look forward to sharing this time with family next year…..

Holiday in Hawaii #4

{ January 10, 2010 @ 4:38 am } · { Travel, Travel Hawaii }
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The weather here has been awesome…..it’s been sunny every day, unlike in the states, where it’s cold and rainy. Love it here!!!!

We drove up to the clubhouse at Hawaii Loa Ridge and captured the scenic beauty of the island. When you look at Diamond Head from the Waikiki area, you get a much different perspective than what is in these photos. Yes, there really is a crater at the top.

We then went to lunch at Koko Marina. Our friends have a house in the marina, so instead of driving and having to find parking at this time of year, we simply took the boat across to the restaurant. We ate among the ducks, who where scavenging for additional scrap.

The cat belongs to our friends. It’s not just an ordinary cat — it’s a bengal cat that is now banned for sale in Hawaii. When we first saw him, we noted that he had leopardlike characteristics, with defined spots. It also has a white line under his eyes, which are prominent in predator-like animals. Instead of a soft meow, he made a sound more like a wild animal. Unlike most cats that are aloof, this one was very friendly. But in his hay day, he used to terrorize the cats in the neighborhood, watching them from high up in the trees (just like a leopard) and getting into brutal fights with them. Look at his ears, portions of them have been chewed off.

Costco happens to be nearby and in preparation for our New Year’s celebration, we bought some wine and a prime rib. We also needed to get some ingredients for our delicious custard pie. Many customers were buying fireworks for the ‘Eve’, where it’s legal to play them. I love being here this time of year to share the events and festivities with family. It’s a lot of fun, especially for all of the ‘firebugs’!!! Furthermore, the food that we share with family is great (“ono”).

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