July 11, 2008
So tonight, I was invited to my very first Washington Kastles match by our design agency, the Pappas Group. They’re a bunch of great people and I had a really good time. It was also my first tennis match ever and while the type of tennis played tonight was a little different than what you would see compared to the US Open, Wimbeldon, or the French Open, it was still awesome.
Interesting to know that the Washington Kastles play in the World TeamTennis organization. This means that they have cheerleaders, music, and DJs running around pumping up the crowd. Our seats were pretty good, but then again, anywhere you sit is pretty good too. We were lucky to come to the match and see a guest appearance by Robby Ginepri who is also on the US Beijing Olympic team. Unfortunately the match was pretty bad for the Kastles early on until the end when Robby Ginepri pretty much played 3 straight sets to help the Kastles win.
Overall, I’m surprised that the whole match lasted 3-4 hours. They went through one set of mixed doubles, one set of doubles, and also one set each for women and men. It’s interesting how that works compared to the regular WTA matches you’d usually see on television. Plenty of beer and food on hand and I think their next match features John McEnroe and one of their last ones will have tennis superstar Anna Kournikova! I can’t wait!
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July 6, 2008
Just before my trip to Europe, I picked up a book I thought would last me throughout the duration of both flights there and back. To my pleasant surprise, the book that I picked up, Marley and Me, was a great book that I simply couldn’t put down! From its very beginning, Marley keeps you in its plot as you learn about the author, John Grogan and his love for man’s best friend.
If you’re a pet lover, then you’ll love this book. I think having a dog makes it much more appealing and you definitely can relate to the trials and tribulations that Grogan goes through from the very beginning and enjoy the adventures Marley has throughout his canine life.
I know that they’re going to make a movie out of this book starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, but if you think that the movie will do it justice, then I would highly recommend that you don’t do that. The book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that you’ll find yourself laughing out loud over the antics of the crazy Labrador. But you’ll also experience the sadness and bond that man and dog have over the lifetime of friendship.
Marley and Me has some great life lessons and no matter how much trouble Marley got into or whatever problems occurred in the lives of the Grogan family, Marley was always the ever-happy canine who loved his family’s company and enjoyed life. It’s not one of those books where you can simply put it down and walk away. Even though I didn’t finish the book over my flight to Barcelona (because I slept through most of the entire flight), I was compelled to continue reading the book. It’s a must read…go get it already!
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July 4, 2008
So I’ve finally arrived back home. It’s been a long time away from the states and it’s an interesting comparison between what I’ve seen in Europe and coming back to the US. Previous to this trip, the only other times when I stepped out of the country were for trips to China/Hong Kong and Indonesia/Singapore. Somehow, I think this trip has been even better than the China/Hong Kong trip because I saw different countries in Europe, got to go on a most excellent cruise, and seemed to be a little bit more civilized. Not sure what that has to do with anything, but I had a great time on this cruise. Perhaps I’m not even making any sense?
Well we caught an early morning flight out of Rome and boy was it packed. The drive t o the airport was quite uneventful and for some strange reason, I managed to exchange about 50+ euros for $60+ in US dollars. Explain that to me…I swear I made off like a bandit with the exchange.
But before I talk about the flight, let me talk about our return to Rome.
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June 27, 2008
So today was the last leg of our Italian cruise segment. We previously stopped in Naples, which was pretty good and had some really nice views of the landscape and scenary. It’s definitely like what you see on tv and in the movies. Our next stop was Rome, which is really remarkable and I LOVE the city. It’s rich in culture and treasures and I’m sure it’s like being in a big city in the US where you just have to spend a couple of days exploring all the sights, but at the end, you won’t even have hit all of them. And lastly, we’re in Florence.
Now Florence is north of Rome and is probably known for its museums and art. Oh, there’s also shopping as well and believe me, if you happen to stop by this city, be prepared to bargain and bring your wallet as you’ll spend big time for the best names in fashion: Gucci, Dolce, Prada, etc. Unbelieveable!
We started our private (non-NCL) tour by heading off to Pisa. The drive wasn’t that bad, except the bus ride was slightly bumpy. The traffic was cooperative and there wasn’t any problems…again, except for those bumps that we hit along the way. We saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa and it’s truly a sight to see. Ran into a lady who tried to pickpocket my auntie’s waist bag. First incident of trouble on this trip and seeing that we’re at least half-way through, that’s promising that we’ve had a trouble-free trip so far. Good stuff.
After walking back to the bus, we headed over to Florence and saw the world famous statue of Michaelangeo’s David. Unfortunately they wouldn’t allow photography there so I couldn’t get any pictures, but if I did…I’d be a happy guy! We snagged a bite to eat at a nearby local trattoria and had some incredibly delicious spaghetti and pizza. Then it was off to stop by the shopping district and see what bargains could be had. When we could find none (or didn’t buy anything), we stopped for a gelato and headed back to the boat.
I’m slightly disappointed that we weren’t able to spend more time at the art museums or galleries or even checking out more sightseeing stuff. We primarily stayed in the center of town the entire day and while Florence is nice and looks very similar to New York City, it might not be the city I’d visit again often. Perhaps once in a while but I’m thinking that once you get to see everything, there’s no point in going back? I dunno…
I’m sorta sad too that we’ve left Italy even though we’re going to go back after our cruise - this time to Venice and Rome. More pictures to be taken!
Quick recap of last night before I wrap up this post…the food was pretty good for dinner last night. I actually can’t remember what I had for dinner last night believe it or not. They all kinda merge into one big blur after a while. But I did manage to catch the semi-final match between Russia and Spain in the European Cup. Soccer has not been a great sport to watch and I find it deadfully boring, but you will not believe the fans and enthusiasm on this boat for the Spanish team. I’ve taken some video and it’s insane! The little kids are more enthusiastic about this sport that the rest of the adults and they were chanting and cheering the entire time.
After the match, I stopped by the ship’s Spinnaker Lounge to catch the adult-only improv performance by Second City. I saw their act two nights ago and it was hilarious so I expected comedic genius this time around. Unfortunately I was proven wrong. I wasn’t really entertained and often times I wanted the skits to end. They were all improv and dreadful. But now that’s over…heading off to another “show” happening tonight. What will it be? Who knows…it might just be something to kill some time.
Next stop: Nice in France! Au Revoir!
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June 26, 2008
We came pretty darn close today though to visiting a bunch of sites in Rome. The Norwegian Gem docked at the port earlier this morning and we caught our private tour drivers around 8:00am. We decided not to go through the NCL shore excursions and I can’t complain. I actually like these private tours where it’s only your family. Yes, you probably don’t get to see a bunch of exclusive stuff like with NCLÂ excursions, but in Rome, we had two (yes, count ‘em) private drivers that gave us a tour of the city. They picked us up in Mercedes Benz minivans and drove us the 1 hr 30 min drive to the city.
The first stop was the Coliseum. It was astonishing and quite packed. I thought it was pretty amazing even though you basically need to just see it from one side and that’s it. But we wound up staying about an hour there. Rome is a pretty cool city and I’ve noticed that scooters and motorbikes don’t give a darn about the road rules. Everything is basically fair game. So if you actually ever drove in Rome, you are quite the daredevil, but they do have nice cars! After the Coliseum, we pulled over to look at the Circus Maxiumus. No big thing…just a big patch of grass. Snapped a couple of pictures and that’s about it. It continued like this for a while and mostly it’s all scenic shots. You’ll need to check out the pictures I took from Flickr to help see what I did.
Perhaps the coolest thing I got to do was head over to the Vatican and check out the museums, St. Peter’s Square, the Basilica, and even the Sistene Chapel! Oh damn…that place is awesome. Yeah, I’m not religious and obviously not Catholic or Christian…whatever…but the history and the art work in these places are astonishing. When will you ever have a chance to be in the Vatican anyways? Our awesome drivers managed to get us a cool (and hot) tour guide named Julia. Wow…and they have this system where they give you mini-communicators so they talk through headphones and you have an earpiece that you hear what they’re saying. Cool…and you’ll need to wait for the pictures.
Anyways, back on board. About to ship off to our second to the last port of call: Florence. Should have plenty of pictures to take there. Tonight should be fun with another Second City event and also the semi-final soccer match between Russia and Spain. This boat should be going insane.
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