Italy, Austria, France, and obviously more Switzerland!

It's been 2 months since my last post, but it's been really hard to find the time to upload pictures, think about what to write about, and actually sitting and writing....especially now that I have a girlfriend.

But anyways, here's a very condensed version of what's been going on in my life since the last time I've written. I've been able to travel to different cities every few weeks, thanks to my lack of responsibilities on the weekends. The first stop in this post is Milano, Italy. Why Milano of all the places? Well, it's close...and it's cheap. I'm trying to go to all of the places I can easily go by train before I make longer journeys via Easyjet. As for Milano, I just called up my friend from U of I, DK, on a Wednesday, asked if he wanted to go to Italy, he said yes, and 2 days later, we were meeting up at the central station of Milano! It's that easy. The main purpose of this trip was to have a good time, more so than sight-seeing. Aside from the Duomo (which is incredible), there's not much to see, except for the painting of The Last Supper, which you needed to book ahead a few weeks in advance. Of all of the Europeans cities that I had been at that point, I might've enjoyed Italy the most, mainly because of the apertivo (sp?), the cheap pizza/pasta, and the wine. So for two days and nights, my friend and I wandered around the streets of Milano, drank wine on the streets, ate huge, delicious pizzas, and danced around clubs. In my books, that's a FANTASTIC weekend.





And then another week goes by in lab...

A few weeks later, I went to Interlaken, probably the most touristy city in Switzerland, and I don't blame all of the Chinese photo-shooting wanderers - the area is absolutely gorgeous...though my friend and I didn't really get to experience it. That's mostly because we spent the Friday night in Zurich with DK, and we went HARD. So much so that we didn't catch the train until the afternoon and missed the prime hiking hours in Interlaken. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a nice train ride, and we met up with our friends in Interlaken for some nice Thai food. Then we went to a club that was in the basement of our hostel, and again, questioned the purpose of this trip. To make the journey worthwhile, we all decided to go "hiking" around the lake even though it was gloomy and freezing. But the sandwiches that we had in the lobby of a random hotel in the middle of nowhere was one of the best meals I had ever tasted! So I guess it's all good that ends well.







Before I go on further about my travels, I feel like I should talk about Lausanne so far. I'll start by saying... it's been a BLAST! My people in lab are great, my research project is interesting, I could get published as long as I get positive results, and the city itself is so international and student-oriented that none of us has a difficult time finding a party on a given night. I've been hanging out with mostly Germans and Spanish people, though I feel like I know somebody from every country in Western Europe. I generally go to a dormitory called Falaise before going out though I sometimes wish that my dorm was as open and fun. But since my girlfriend lives there, it's basically my second home. Unlike most other big cities in Switzerland, there are loads of free-entry clubs in Lausanne, some favorites like Darling, Buzz, Jagger's...I'm gonna miss this place when June rolls around. Every Wednesday is a pubnight for the Erasmus students, every Thursday is reserved for departmental parties (which I don't really go to...because I don't take classes), and the weekends are...well, they're weekends. Play hard, work hard.

We've also celebrated Halloween and Thanksgiving with class.









The last weekends, I've gone to Innsbruck in Austria, and Strasbourg in France. They were both very beautiful cities with rivers transversing the city, and again, wandering was the main objective of these trips. Innsbruck was made famous perhaps by the Winter Olympics while Strasbourg lures 3 million people during each December with its Christmas Markets and the illuminations. Enjoyed some schnitzels in Austria, Flammenkuchen in Strasbourg.











Last weekend, I went skiing in the Swiss Alps at Les Diablerets, and WOW. I would have to rank this experience among my favorites so far...in life. The idea of skiing in the Swiss Alps alone is just incredible, and add the fact that it was a beautiful day with stunning views, among all of my friends (about 25 of us signed up for the same weekend), and having an apres-ski wine in a chalet was unbeatable. It's hard to justify my feelings with words so here are some pictures to make you jealous :)









But now that it's getting cold, it's time to go more south, towards Spain, Greece, Italy. It's almost Christmas, and unfortunately for me, I'll be stuck in Lausanne at lab while all of my friends are going home to their family :( Eh, whatever. For New Year's Eve, I'm going to Munich with some of the guys I met in Cambodia, who are English and making a trip to Germany to party the year away. And after a week, I'm going backpacking to Spain and Morocco for 2 and a half weeks, so I can't really complain. The next time, I'll write will probably be in 2011. What a year it's been!!

Bienvenue a Lausanne!

Now that I have somewhat settled down and have some time on my hands, I'll give an update on the last 2.5 weeks of my hectic life in Europe.

First of all, thanks to everyone that let me stay at their apartment in Chicago and Champaign during the one week that I was there to get my visa. I stayed in the US for 6 days because the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago told me that the process after authorization would take 3-5 days, but as I soon found out, it took about 20 minutes. Anyway, it was great to see my friends for the last time in probably awhile. I actually tried backpacking a little bit in Chicago, but when I found out that the Art Institute cost 18 (?) dollars for entry, I said, forget it. I did manage to wander through the streets of Chicago and tailgate for a U of I football game that nobody had tickets for.

On the 15th of September, I flew from O'Hare to Switzerland. With a bit of fear and a bit of excitement, I disembarked the plane in Geneva and headed for Lausanne, a 30 minute train ride. And of course I knew this, but WOW was everything in French! I could pretty much tell then that it was going to be a rough year with my limited capacity for French. Nevertheless, I arrived in Lausanne, and I was able to find my apartment without much problem. On the same day, I went into lab to discuss my project, and by the time I had finished, it was already around 6:30. The strangest thing about Switzerland is how everything closes at 6 or 7 and definitely on Sundays. Not having known this, I was forced to sleep that night with a towel over me, freezing to death.

Here's my room now:



For the next couple of days, I had to get a residence permit, open a bank account, go see my scholarship officer, buy a metro card, get a phone, buy all of the bed stuff, buy groceries, and of course, I had to find people to hang out with. It was the weekend! Fortunately, I had bumped into one of the other Fulbright scholar at the immigration office, whom I had met at the Harvard interview. Ever since then, we had been hanging out with a bunch of German Erasmus students along with several other people at the dorms. This particular weekend in Lausanne was a big music festival with several stages in the city center. My roommate (another German) and I went out to the festival, eating kebabs, drinking beer, and we met up with the others to go out. Ever since then, it's been about 3 or 4 nights of going out per week. Feels like senior year of college all over again.

The sunday of the weekend, My roommate and I, along with 3 others, drove to Annecy in France, supposedly known as the most beautiful city in France to the natives. And wow. I was first incredulous about taking a day trip to South France. I was absolutely floored by the beauty of the city, and it definitely helped that it was a beautiful, sunshine-filled day. It's hard to capture the beauty with pictures, but I tried my best. We just strolled around town, sat down at a creperie, drank wine on the porch of the restaurant, and just relaxed. What a wonderful introduction to Europe!







My lab work consisted of reading and designing experiments for the first few weeks so I wasn't that busy though I'm sure things will start picking up. But right now, the anticipation for the weekend overrides any scientific paper or a to-do list (I still like science, I promise). My friend in Zurich from U of I had been in touch with me about going to Oktoberfest in Germany, which started in September. So it was nice to hear one of my German friends suggesting we go to Stutgart's Beer Festival, the second largest Oktoberfest in Germany, and she will drive and we can stay at her parents' house. Talk about a sweet deal. After a few hours of driving, we crossed the border to Germany (we didn't even get checked), ready to taste the finest beer that Germany has to offer. On Saturday, we went to the tents at around 3 o'clock, where people were already completely plastered. Knowing we needed to last until midnight, we decided to take it slowly, but this plan had been completely demolished after the first two 1-liter mugs. Priceless, priceless moments. Then of course, some of us somehow stumbled our way towards a club until 4am when the day/night finally concluded.





By week 2 of my stay, everything had kind of started to settle down, and I finally became somewhat comfortable in this French speaking environment. I'm far from being able to have a normal conversation, but I have been taking measures to improve my French: listen to French music everyday, watch French cartoons, take a French course, and talk to friends in French. Even after 2.5 weeks, I feel a little bit more comfortable speaking to natives. This weekend, I finally walked around Lausanne with a Lonely Planet in hand, trying to memorize the winding streets, looking for nice restaurants, pubs, etc, and of course, sight seeing. The 800 year old Cathedral of Notre Dame is the highlight of Lausanne along with a small castle and the cobblestone city center. Down by the lake, my friend and I had bought white wine, chilled it in the Lake (or tried to), and people-watched for hours.





And just today, a bunch of students hiked up a beautiful mountain, and it was absolutely exhilirating...even if I only got 3 hours of sleep the night before. The clear skies, pure air, and a wonderful view combined for an amazing day trip out of Lausanne. It's the end of hiking season right now, and soon, skiing season begins. My roommate is going to get out his fondue set soon enough, and I'll enjoy winter like I have never before...





So obviously I had been keeping myself busy, and I'm absolutely exhausted. I only sleep a few hours a night so tonight, I'm going to bed at midnight and get a full night of sleep for the first time in a week. So goodnight. Sweet dreams.

- Ryoji

Family Reunion and the rest of Japan

I'm already back in Chicago for the moment as I write this post. I didn't really have any time to write in Japan - it seemed like there were better things to do than sitting down and typing. So this is what happened in the last 2 weeks of my Asia trip:

After spending a week with my parents in Osaka, I returned to my old form as a backpacker and ventured out to Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan. Staying at a hostel, I realized how expensive lodging in Japan is: while it cost $5 in SE Asia for a dorm bed, it cost at least $25 in Japan. Of course, the amenities and cleanliness were unmatched, and the staff made my stay very comfortable. Kyoto used to be the capital during two dynastic periods, and as the treasure chest of Japan, it is home to 17 World Cultural Heritage Sites, from the renowned Kinkaku-Ji to Kiyomizu Dera, there is more history here than anywhere else in the country.



Although the temples in Kyoto were in the running to become one of the 7 New Wonders of the World back in 2007, I was a bit disappointed because most of the buildings are reconstructions for a few centuries back. Coming from China, where everything is authentic, much of Japanese history seemed to be burned down to the ground. Nevertheless, being Japanese and having grown up with these images, it was great to actually see these famous sights in person.

After the temples and shrines of Kyoto, I headed to Takayama, a remote village in the middle of Japan. It's famous for retaining some Gassho-zukuri houses like these:



Gassho means praying hands, and this type of houses was named so from the resemblance of the roofs to praying hands. The town also had an old school charm to it, with wooden shops, sake breweries, and cobblestone streets. And as a day trip out of Takayama, I headed to Kanazawa with a French guy and a German girl, and we took a nice stroll through Kenroku-En Park, one of the 3 most beautiful parks in Japan. Patched with greenish-yellow moss and century-old Japanese pine trees, this park really made me appreciate the beauty of Japan, and I think I'll buy some Bonsai once I get my own place (although I would love to have some of these Japanese pine trees in my backyard).



My family had made a plan to have a family reunion in Tokyo over the weekend so I had to make sure that I got there on time. I met up with my parents in Ebisu, Tokyo to check into a very nice hotel, and we took the train to Ginza, where my sister, her husband, my brother, and his girlfriend were waiting for us at a fancy Japanese restaurant. My family hadn't had a real reunion like that for about 4 years, but it's the craziest thing about families - it was as if we had been living together. We didn't miss a step. This was also 2 days before my birthday so I was glad to have spent it with my family for what may be my last time.



The next day, my parents and I had a day to kill before we went our separate ways, so we went to Nikko for its famed Tosho-Gu, a famous Japanese temple and also the resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the most famous Shogun of Japan. Like the temples of Kyoto, Tosho-Gu was filled with familiar images from TV and movies - like the No Hear, No Speak, No See Monkeys and the Sleeping Cat - but as a historic site, it was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe it was hyped up a bit much.



Because my mom had bought a 1 week JR pass, she wanted to travel with me through Tohoku, the northeastern region of Japan, where neither of us had gone before. Obviously, I was more than delighted to travel with her. From Tokyo, we went up to, in order: Sendai, Matsushima, Hiraizumi, Tazawa-Ko Onsen, Kakunodate, Hachinohe, and Towada-Ko Onsen. Although the region does not boast much history or amazing sites, this trip was special because I got to spend time with my mom. I was able to relax for a long time at Onsen, or Japanese hot springs, where you where yukata and sleep on tatami mattresses like this:





We also went on a small hiking trip alongside a river to Towada-Ko Lake, and it was absolutely beautiful.



And also, one advantage of traveling with a parent is the fact that I could eat whatever I wanted without really worrying about money. So we definitely ate well, and it was great because this region has very unique cuisine.

Having said goodbye to my mom, I went up to Hokkaido, the northern most island of Japan. I first went to Hakodate, a port city with a charming western influence, evident from the churches that dot the city. This is where the last soldiers from the bakufu took a stand in the Goryokaku fort against the Bakumatsu (end of the Bakufu) army. Known for its seafood, I could not resist the urge to spend 20 dollars and get a decadent seafood donburi, with fresh sea urchin, shrimp, crab, salmon roe, scallops, and squid, all on a bed of warm white rice. The city is also well known for its skyline at night, as it was ranked the best in Japan.





My last destination in Japan was Sapporo, famous for its beer, ramen, and jingisu-kan, a lamb barbecue. It doesn't have very many historic sites, but it has a nightlife that I had absolutely loved. Although I took a day trip to Otaru - the Venice of Japan - and Poroto Kotan, an Ainu village, my main interest of the region was going out. For two nights, I went out with some of the people from the hostel, and I was finally able to party righteously in Japan for the first time. I don't think I got more than 3 hours of sleep each night.

I had to go back to Tokyo for the flight home, but since I had gotten there a few days earlier than expected, I slept over at my sister's place for 2 nights. We went to Kamakura, the capital of Japan 700 years ago, and the Ghibli museum. I guess this gigantic statue of Buddha is an appropriate ending to my Asia trip:



And now, I have a week in Chicago and Champaign, getting my Switzerland visa and catching up with friends. I'm also getting back into research shape by reading articles and such. As I bring the first chapter of my blog to an end, I am getting ready for my new adventure in Europe!

- Ryoji

My Home Country...

I had been anxiously counting down the days until I could fly to Japan and see my family. I wouldn't exactly say that I was homesick, but I was definitely ready for some comfort, some constant in my life, and of course, the free food and accommodation couldn't hurt.

I arrived in Osaka, one of the major cities in central Japan, where my parents had just permanently moved and owned a condo. I had met up with my mom who had come to the airport to greet me - my dad was away for business until the next day - and we went back to their condo, definitely the best place that I had stayed in the last couple of months. The one thing that I had realized, or was reminded of, was the fact that Japan has arguably the best food in the world; this I had taken notice after eating some leftovers from the day before. After some reorganizing, I knew that I only had 3 weeks in Japan so I started sightseeing right away. The great thing about traveling in Japan is this one particular transport: the bullet train. It's very very easy to take a day trip to cities that are 500 km away, and come back in time for dinner.



From Osaka, I first headed to the old capital town of Nara - one of the most important areas in terms of Japanese history. Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara Period (710-794) when many of the famous Buddhist and Shinto Temples were built, under the guidance of such emperors as Shomu and Kanmu. Dating back 1200 years, the impressive Todai-ji, the largest wooden building in the world, houses the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world. A bit off the town center of Nara is the Horyu-ji, one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world, built by Prince Shotoku, the author of the 17 articles of the constitution in the 8th century.







I definitely started off my trip with the largest bulk of historic sites - namely Kyoto and Nara - which may hinder my appreciation for the rest of Japan (it's like starting Egypt with the pyramids). The biggest disappointment with Japan so far is the fact that everything, and I mean every castle, temple, shrines, etc., is a reconstruction because most wars and battles leave towns and opposing castles in ash. One of the best preserved castles in Japan is that of Himeji, built in the 14th century. Of course, when I was there, the castle was being repaired... Nonetheless, there were many inside secrets that were on the castle grounds that were interesting.



On the way back home, I stopped by the southern part of Osaka, headed to a strip called Dotombori with its bright neon lights and famous scenery. Here are some of the stranger sights of Osaka:







As a last day trip out of Osaka, I took the bullet train to Hiroshima, the city that conjures up only one image in most minds - the atomic bomb and the 80,000 deaths that it had caused during the last few days of World War II. The famous monument at the peace memorial park is the dome that still stands today, but it is a stark reminder of the damages that the bomb had caused, as the skeleton of the building was one of the few buildings standing near the epicenter of the blast.



And at the peace memorial museum, here's one of the displays that really struck me. This is a small portion of the number of letters that the mayor of Hiroshima had sent to ambassadors and world leaders of countries that possess nuclear weapon every time a test bomb has been detonated. Unfortunately, the number of letters had reached an unforgiving amount...



The next few days, I will travel to Kyoto and actually stay at hostels. I hadn't spent a dime yet in Japan because of my parents, but it's a little bit scary to imagine how much I'll be spending compared to SE Asia or China. In 5 days, my whole family will reconvene in Tokyo, this time with my parents and my siblings. A little bit of family, a lot of familiarity.

- Ryoji

A Historical Trip through the Heart of China

Xian, historically known as Chang'An, was the capital of China during the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang Dynasties, which span from around 200 BC to 900 AD. It has arguably more ancient history tourist spots than any other city in China, which is saying something. So in the four days that I was there, I was busy visiting the Drum and Bell Towers, the Muslim Quarter, Big Goose Pagoda from the Tang Dynasty, and of course, the Terracotta Warriors. Of all the sites, the warrior statues in the tomb of Emperor Qin were the highlight of my stay. Although 2 UK guys and I started the journey to the tomb with a rather dull headache (some might call it a hangover), by the end of the day, I was sincerely astonished, not because it was 2000 years old, not because there were over 6000 statues, but mostly because I could not fathom what was possibly going through the Emperor's head when he decided, "Ok, before I die, I'm going to make thousands of people build thousands of sculptures, so that I am ready for battle in the afterworld. Yes, that'd be a good idea." Of course, I guess I can say the same about every other tomb and pyramid in the world...





As for the nightlife in Xian, this is when I started realizing that the backpackers in China are of different breed compared to those in SE Asia. The people in SE Asia are mostly in their early 20's or they're on their gap year, and most of them come to Asia to party. In China, it seems like most of the travelers are Chinese, and the foreign backpackers are a little bit older, a little bit calmer, and more about culture and history. By the time I was in Xian, I had kind of accepted this fact, and there were many times when my group of friends was the only Westerners in the whole club. It's all about different experiences, I guess.

Before heading to Beijing, I decided to stop at an UNESCO World Heritage Site called Pingyao, which is the best preserved walled town in China. Many of the buildings show a great deal of age and character, a charming change from the restored historic sites of Xian. Although the town was touristy as hell, it was still nice to sit on a porch, drink some tea, and watch the world go by.



I also took a day trip to the Wang Family Palace from the Qing Dynasty, and I guess all of the Wang's that I know in the United States are descendants of this family?? Anyways, the more interesting part of the day trip was the castle that dates back from the 7th Century, and the underground tunnel built as an escape path for a possible invasion, although never used. The underground castle contained even stables, prisons, and intricate traps. Places like this really make you realize how old China's history is.



After Pingyao, I headed for my last stop in China, the massive capital that is Beijing, the municipality of which covers as much area as Belgium. Home to 3 World Heritage Sites among various other historic sites, the city required every minute of my 5 days, not to mention the 10 million inhabitants and many more summer holiday tourists. Although I was a bit disappointed with the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, I would have to admit that the Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of the world. It helped that I went to a rather remote area of the wall called Mutianyu, and the weather was absolutely wonderful. It was a 3 km stretch of ups and downs, but I was able to traverse the whole length twice in a matter of 3 hours, drenched in sweat, completely out of breath. But it was one of the most fulfilling days of the trip. These pictures really don't do justice:





In Beijing, I also enjoyed going to an acrobatic show, trying out strange food in the night market, and of course, engulfing a whole Peking Duck.





Unfortunately, I was so sick of the crowd by the last day that I couldn't wait to get out of the city, and the country all together. After all, it was my day of homecoming - home to Japan! I had a plane to catch at 9:30am, I left the hostel at 7:00am, but with the Beijing transportation system, I still managed to almost miss the flight. The only thing that missed the flight, though, was my bag, which I had to retrieve later. Frankly, I was so overjoyed that I was going to Japan that it really didn't matter. 3 weeks left, 1 more country, hoping for more adventures...

- Ryoji