Olya & Piero

Rating our Sabbatical

2006-08-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so being who we are, we can't just enjoy a two month vacation. We have to rate it. :) Here's the final tally:

Sweden: 9
Great weather, wonderful country, and the incomparable Rune Svensson made this leg amazing.
St. Petersburg: 8
Beautiful city, and the Hermitage rocks. But it was packed with tourists, and our hotel was lame & smelly.
Moscow: 9
Tons to do in the modern megalopolis. Fabulous, historic hotel.
Trans-Siberian: 7
We enjoyed the romance, but the train was only so-so, and the view a bit monotonous.
Siberia: 10
Seeing Oleg was a highlight, and we explored Olya's old digs. Great friends and lots of outdoorsy activity made this leg a real highlight.
London: 6
It was great seeing my family, and Gautam, Ali and Will from school. But we didn't really have enough time/energy to explore things properly, and I got sick on the day of our trip to Cambridge to see Ahmed.
France: 8
Naim's family apartment is perfect. We had a great time exploring Paris's colorful neighborhoods and museums. And seeing Nadine, Pierre and Sylvie was great, including our little jaunt to Normandy.

Grand total: 57
So if you're keeping score, that's 57/7 = an average of 8 per experience. Are we psycho or what? :)

Supersize Moi

2006-08-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

After months of leisurely pursuits, Olya and I felt we needed a real challenge. So today we attempted a feat so daring and dangerous it will be talked about for years.

Survive 24 hours eating nothing but French pastries.

Yes, pastries, as in butter-laden, artery-clogging, sugar-high-inducing deliciousness’s the French are so fond of. For 24 hours. No fruit. No meat. No veggies, or cheese, or fish. Just pastries all day. Then see what happens to us on the scale. For fun. For science. Call it Survivor Paris.

Note: All voting was done privately to avoid undue influence. Results were rounded to the nearest integer from 1 to 10.

9:00am Weighing in
Woke up hungry. To the scales! Piero weighs in at a "healthy" 183.5 lbs. :-p Olya
is 123.5 lbs. We're off to find the first pastry of the day...

10:00am Fauchon
Fauchon is a super posh food store right by our house. Everything they do is beautiful to look at. But will it be tasty?!

Two Madeleines (Raspberry & Chocolate) (1.40€)
Hmm, not that great. They were a bit dry and heavy, and scored low on buttertude. Fauchon, we expected better!
Final Verdict: 5

10:30am Paul bakery
Wow, this day is off to a bad start. Service was awful, and we waited 30 minutes for a Pain au Chocolat and a Pain aux Raisins. Both were heavy and bread-y, and the Pain aux Raisins was over-glazed. This day has nowhere to go but up!

Pain au Chocolat (2.00€)
Final Verdict: 3

Pain aux Raisins (2.00€)
Final Verdict: 3

1:00pm La Durée
Sylvie joined us for leg three of our pastry marathon. And wow, what a leg it was! La Durée has been perfecting it's craft since 1862, and it shows. Everything we had was top-notch, if very expensive. Highly recommended!

Tarte à la Rhubarbe et aux Fraises des Bois (8.90€)
Forrest strawberries are a childhood favorite of mine, and this tarte delivered. The strawberries were perfect, but the rhubarb filling overpowered their gentle taste a little.
Final Verdict: 8

Croissant (2.10€)
Sylvie stuck to the basics and ordered a beautiful-looking croissant. It was magnificent, with crab-like arms. But it lost a point in the butter department. A croissant *must* deliver the butter!
Final Verdict: 7

Religieuse à la Rose (6.30€)
Olya hates rose flavor, but loved this pastry - high praise! Creamy and delicious, the rose taste is gentle and offset nicely by a raspberry-cream filling. Top marks!
Final Verdict: 9

2:45pm Angelina bakery
Sylvie took us to Angelina's for their world-famous Mont-Blanc. By then we had a pretty severe sugar high, and we eyed the sweet mountain with trepidation.

Mont-Blanc (4.15€)
Wonderful creamy filling, but the Maroon-flavored outer paste is *way* too sweet.
Final Verdict: 6

3:10pm Jean-Paul Hévin
We went to JPH to try their famous cheese-flavored chocolate, but they were out. :( We ended up trying one of their chocolate-pistachio macaroons.

Chocolate-Pistachio Macaron (1€)
Smooth, not too sweet, just the right size. Loved it!
Final Verdict: 8

4:00 Le Pain Quotidien
By now we are both feeling weird and dizzy. We have sugar on the brain and butter in the veins. The thought of another pastry makes us both queasy, but strangely we are both hungry. Guess all those empty calories didn't do the trick. We order two of Le Pain's famous croissants. But Olya breaks down and orders a tomato juice!! I tell her to be strong but she's not having it, at this point it's an emergency.

Two Croissants (1.50€)
Wow, these things are awesome! Buttery, flaky, super light. They practically melt in the mouth. They're not much on style, but they're the best croissants we've had in France yet.
Final Verdict: 9

5:15pm La Maison du Chocolat
Finally back at home, we stop by La Maison du Chocolat to buy pastries for late at night. Of course we can't resist trying one of their macaroons on the spot.

Macaron au Caramel (3.50€)
Bam! This place doesn't disappoint. This is the best macaroon we've had in France. Beautiful to look at, with a delicate skin and an amazing caramel cream inside. I could eat this cream from a bowl. And the ratios between cream and pastry are just right. Macaroons are insanely expensive in France, and their recipes a well-guarded secret. Now we know why!
Final Verdict: 9

8:17pm At home
It's "dinner" time! I must say by now the cheese, prosciutto and Gazpacho in the fridge look very tempting! But we must be strong and soldier on. It's pastries all day, dammit! Luckily we've stocked up for the night.

Brioche from Le Pain Quotidien (1.50€)
Okay LPQ is batting 400. This brioche was fantastic! Buttery & just a little sweet. It was the closest thing we had all day to "food."
Final Verdict: 9

Palmier from the patissier downstairs (1.50€)
Okay that was a mistake. I wanted a Palmier really badly, but we had forgotten to buy one. So we just grabbed the first one we could, from a crappy little patisserie nearby. What a mess! Tired, overly thick, with a big ugly dense center. It was flaky enough on the outside, but a real mess on the inside. Never again!
Final Verdict: 4

12:05am At home
Ah, time to finish off this day with a little midnight snack. We have saved the prettiest pastries for last! We have a Togo from La Maison du Chocolat, and amazing-looking éclairs from Fauchon. These éclairs are in all their ads, and we have high hopes for them!

Togo from La Maison du Chocolat (4.60€)
An orgy of chocolate! We're shaking as we eat it... It has an orangy flavor, and is really beautiful to look at. The cholate crust (and dust) is amazing, but inside the filling is too sweet. Maybe we're just sensitive to sugar at this point, but it's too much to eat - almost. ;)
Final Verdict: 7

Fauchon Éclair au Limon (5.50€)
Fauchon Éclair Aquatique (5.50€)
MINT! LEMON! The fillings for these are simply amazing. The Aquatique is especially surprising, with it's minty-fresh insides. The cream and pastry are top notch. And these definitely earn the best presentation marks of the day. Unfortunately the beautiful glazes turn out to be completely inedible. What a disappointment! We had to remove them with a knife before finishing.
Final Verdict: 7

Final weigh in
After a day that included over 17 pastries and 28,000 calories, Olya is up 0.1 lbs and I'm up 0.5 lbs. Not so bad, maybe we should keep at it!

Phew, it's finally over! What a crazy pastry-filled day. I know it's hard to believe, but sticking to it was surprisingly difficult! All that sugar and butter is really hard to digest... Next time: a week of sushi! :)

You get what you get, and you don't get upset

2006-08-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Nicole says that to Adrian sometimes when he's being fussy, and it's a fitting description of Paris. Sure, Paris has tons of great shopping, food, and things to see. But one thing we've learned in our time here is never to leave the house wanting something specific.

Say for example you've heard there's a market nearby on Tuesdays and Fridays. You want some fruit and you want it now (say you're Olya and this is a Really Big Deal.) You head there on Tuesday, only to find out it was a morning-only market and you just missed it. You head back Friday at the right time, but the market is closed for the mandatory month-long Holidays.

Paris is like that, you just have to live on her rhythm. So far we've learned:

Paris is closed on Sundays. All of it. Parisians vanish into the countryside, and tourists walk around aimlessly, and presumably hungry.
Museums are closed on Mondays. Or Tuesdays. Or both. Or whatever day you head there.
Shops are closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. And in August.
Strikes happen. Often. Telltale signs include groups of Policemen hanging around smoking.
No groceries or toiletries after 6pm.
Fire drills happen on Wednesdays. Always. Presumably, fires do not.

Prepare for Invasion!

2006-07-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Silent and greedy, they have been infiltrating our cities. With leacherous pixelated eyes, they watch our world and covet. Major art centers, financial institutions, busy thoroughfares; no urban corner is beyond their lust. In the dark of night, they climb our buildings and bide their time. Any day now, the army of Space Invaders will awaken!

We first started spotting these cool urban critters in Provence, but turns out the invasion is in every major city in the world. Hunting them can be dangerous though, as staring up at the sky in Paris can get you stuck in the proverbial merde! Hehe... :-)

Sunset at the Louvre

2006-07-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Just some pretty pictures from the Louvre for y'all...

One thing a day, max!

2006-07-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to stay very low key in Paris, spending as much time lounging in cafés and relaxing. One thing a day max, that's our rule! Ya right... Of course we're crammin' it all in, checking things off this huge spreadsheet we made... *sigh*

Today was especially busy. We walked around the colorful Marais, then had lunch in the Jewish quarter. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed, despite the troubles in Lebanon and the occasional "Death to Hezbollah" graffiti. The food was simply amazing. Hillel would love this place - he probably has. :)

From there to the Musée Carnavelet, which has to be one of the prettiest, most accessible museums anywhere. The collection is eclectic, from gaellic-roman ruins to fanciful art-déco rooms. And they have a whole wing on the French revolution, which was especially interesting to me, filled with paintings I remembered from my old schoolbooks.

To top it off we stopped at the original Mariage Frères tea-shop, which has been bringing tea into France since 1854. We stocked up on so much tea we're now worried about dogs at the airport.

When in doubt, wear your Pompon

2006-07-14T02:31:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up bright and early to get a good spot for the Bastille Day parade. It was quite a spectacle, with a long procession of military men & equipment.

Wow, the French have a uniform for everything. There's the tan-desert-fatigued Foreign Legion, the ski-toting Alpine rangers, the jungle-camo-deadly special forces, the ice-pick wielding mountaineers, the red-pomponned navy men, the swashbuckling cavalry. There were even a few frog-men thrown in, ready for watery action. We could only wonder at the army of specialized seamsters and dry-cleaners needed to maintain such an arsenal.

In the evening we headed to the Champ de Mars to watch the fireworks. The show itself was average, but I must say it was quite magical with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.

Hangin' with da homies

2006-07-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

After the trials of Siberia, we took it a bit easy in London. We shopped for antiques on Portobello Road, then bought food at the Borough market (made famous by the naked chef.)



Mostly we spent quality time with my family (father came out to visit) and old friends. We saw Gautam and Radhika, as well as Ali and Will - two friends from Princeton I hadn't seen in years. We went with them to a Pakistani hole-in-the-wall restaurant called the "Lahore Kebab House." Despite the name, there were no Kabab's on the menu. We asked the waiter, and he said "yes, we have Kebabs of course." Hm... What kinds? "Meat." Okay then. The meal was great, the Kebabs less so. :)

The only real bummer was that we were planning a day-trip to Cambridge to see Ahmed and his family, but I caught some nasty germ and we couldn't make it.





Now we're rested and ready to start our month in Paris!

The Brits can be so stiff sometimes

2006-07-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

Finally in the UK, we went for a nice stroll and walked into Harvey Nichols. We were expecting the usual department store bussle, but the place was eerily quiet. The numerous staff stood stone-faced, hands by their sides, waiting for customers.

We headed upstairs to the food hall, yapping away loudly and generally being all American. Arriving there, something felt spooky and 'off.' The staff and the customers now were standing very still, not talking to each other, staring into space. We kept walking past them, wondering aloud what was going on. It felt like stumbling into Madam Troussaud's, or a Zombie video game.

And then, just when the realization of what was happening struck us, the intercom announced "Thank you for respecting two minutes of silence for the victims of the London bombings."

We darted red-faced into the Tea aisle. :)

Kickin' it old-school

2006-07-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

Olya was antsy for some 'alone time,' so she kicked Oleg and I out on a little photo safari. I had in mind a quick jaunt just out of town, but Oleg and his friend insisted we go to Mariinsk, one of the oldest settlements in Siberia. It's two hours from Kemerovo, but was well worth the scary drive.

The homes are really beautiful and rustic. They're all solid wood, and have ornate windowframes and ornaments. Many of them are sinking into the ground sideways at horrifying degrees, which doesn't seem to bother anyone. The townies were a little suspicious of three men in a brand-new red car, driving up and down their streets photographing everything. But we just smiled a lot and kept snapping. Pity the day was so gray, and the houses wet from a storm.

So now we're out of here, on our way to London. Siberia was an amazing experience thanks to Oleg and his friends. And for me it was a great way to learn more about Olya's background.

Siberia is one big "Man-Test"

2006-07-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

...and so far I'm about a C+. I'm still in the game, but I'm clearly not cut from the same cloth as the men here. They're like tough, weathered burlap, with camouflage patterns. I'm more like fuschia velveteen. Still, everyone has been very friendly and understanding of the micro-softie's shortcomings. The tests so far have included:

Swimming laps in a pro-size pool until my arms could no longer take it.

Playing tennis in the blistering sun with Oleg and some friends. I'm happy to report my shots went over the net as often as not. Still, I need lots of practice. I'll corner Drew when we get back for some tutoring.

Going car-camping and fishing on a nearby river. I kept my cool while Oleg navigated his brand-new Corolla over rocky roads, steep crevices, and through knee-deep mud holes. But I lost it when a swarm of angry bees followed the car for miles, hurling themselves at the windows and trying desperately to get in. We must have run over their queen or something, because they would not let up until the rain finally made them stop.

At some point the car could go no further, so Oleg's friends came to get us in their home-built gun boat (painted military green of course.) We powered down the delta at 40km/hr and made it to base camp, where they served us freshly caught and smoked fish. Yum!

All in all it's been great, outdoorsy fun. We'll see what the next few days have in store!

2 days, 3 nights, and 4 timezones

2006-06-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

There's just something about a train. Seeing the world rush by at ground level is so much more real than the God's eye view you get flying.

60 hours on the Trans-Siberian took us from Moscow, through the Urals, the Siberian plains, and finally to Kemerovo, Olya's hometown. A first class ticket bought us a cabin to ourselves, and almost exclusive access to a the "toilet," which is best left in quotation marks and undefined. But the food was great (if you're into Mayo), we slept fine, read books and watched movies and passed the time.

The big towns we passed were unmemorable, but the view was lovely. We saw the great plains the Mongols used to terrorize, and beatiful black & white Birch forrests peppered with cute wooden dachas.

By the end we were tired and stinky, but hadn't killed each other - a testament to the strengh of our marriage! :)

- Piero

My first LOMO shots

2006-06-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Got my first roll back from the new LOMO camera. I like the vignetting effect it gives! A bit grainy, but I think that's due to the film I used... Or maybe that's just film in general! :)

Gothic Wonderland

2006-06-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

In Moscow we've chosen to stay in one of the city's famous Seven Sister buildings. Built during the Soviet era, they were meant as 'cities within the city,' complete with groceries straight from the communal farms and residents ranging from average folks, to heroes of the revolution. After the fall of communism, the buildings were redone as standard apartments and hotels. Our building, the Hotel Ukraina, has been thoroughly remodeled. It's gothic and delicious. Despite some spotty service, we're both really enjoying it. And the views are spectacular!

Hello, Moscow!

2006-06-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

The train to Moscow was modern and comfortable, but neither of us slept a wink. It's hard when you're shaking up and down, with snoring strangers in nearby bunks. We should do better on the trans-Siberian, since we're getting a cabin all to ourselves.

On the whole, we like Moscow better than St. Petersburg. Beyond the Kremlin, with its many beautiful medieval churches, the city has an urban, big-city feel. It reminds me a lot of Sao Paulo, with its gritty gray skyline and the bussle of cars and people. The best news is that the mullet epidemic hasn't spread this far south yet!

Goodbye St. Petersburg

2006-06-23T05:21:00.000-07:00

It's not you baby, it's me. I mean these past few days have been fun, what with us exploring the Peter & Paul fortress together, and watching ballet at the Mariinski. (tutus! tutus!) But we both know it's time we go our own ways. Meet new cities, have new experiences. But don't worry about me, baby, Moscow has been calling to comfort me on the phone. I think I'll go down and stay with her for a while, but I'll call you, okay?

Hunting the LOMO

2006-06-21T05:11:00.000-07:00

After days of stalking through St. Petersburg camera shops, we finally tracked down an elusive LOMO camera, lurking in a stall by the church of the spilled blood.

The LOMO is a rugged, simple-but-reliable Russian camera from the 80s, that is enjoying a revival amongst photographers. It's built like a tank, oozes personality, and takes quirky, strongly vignetteted pictures.

After a little haggling by Olya, it's finally in my cold, grubby hands!

Humans are overrated

2006-06-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

I mean they're nice and all, on a one-on-one basis. But get two million of them dressed in cheap-but-oh-so-revealing Chinese clothes, bake them in the sun for a several hours, then cram them all into the same park and you'll get an idea for what it's like to visit the Peterhof in the summer.

The Peterhof is Peter the Great's answer to Versailles, and is even more wild and ostentatious, if you can imagine. The real challenge was taking some photos without huge crowds in them!

To the Hermitage!

2006-06-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Finally, the Hermitage! The mother of all museums, the Hermitage delivers. The collection is wonderful, but the real attraction is the palace itself. Opulent chambers in every style, gilded roofs, rooms made entirely of malachite. We took in as much as we could before our feet gave out, and of course we only scratched the surface. We'll need another full day if we can work up the courage.

Breaking the Law

2006-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

All major Russian venues have an official "full price," and a "special price" reserved for Russian citizens, typically a third as much. Olya gets all nervous, but she's been smuggling me in places as a Russian! I just nod and say "Szdrasvoytie." At one point the Law confronted me in Russian, but before I could bumble it, Olya jumped in and saved the day, cool as a cucumber.

Invasion of the Euro-Mullets

2006-06-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

As civilized people, we know it can be shocking to travel the world and encounter primitive cultural rituals. But nothing could prepare us for the barbarity of the euro-mullets. All over Europe we've encountered this horrible display of hair-itude. What's worse is that the brutal mulletizing ritual is often performed on innocent women and children. Oh the humanity!

Back in the USSR

2006-06-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, Russia anyway. And technically it's my first time. But anyway... We arrived this morning in St. Petersburg. Our first experience was a bit rough. To save the $80 cab fare we schlepped our ginourmous bag to our hotel in buses and crowded metros. And the hotel itself was quite a shock. A buzzer let us into a dank, abandoned looking, smelly hallway. But then up a flight of stairs, through a thick metal door, and voila! Into our spare but clean "mini hotel."

From there, to the streets! St. Petersburg hits you with crowds of poeple, gorgeous, colorful buildings, and skankily dressed women. (Is that a word? It should be.) The main passtime seems to be walking up and and down Nevsky Prospect, which we did, until we got to the unbelievably picturesque "Church of the Spilled Blood." Here she is:

Music to kill by

2006-06-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

Went to see "Play! A videogame symphony," at the Stockholm concert hall. Turns out performing classical arragements of famous video game music is a great way to get lonely, pimply geeks out to the symphony...yay!

I kid, but actually it was tremendously entertaining. They had all the classics, like Final Fantasy, Mario Bros, Battlefield (our favorite) and Halo (a bit flat.) And during the performances they would show brief clips from the game, to great applase from the euro-nerds. We definitely got our money's worth.

The Vasa Shipwreck

2006-06-15T01:26:00.000-07:00

What a sight! We knew the Vasa shipwreck was a "don't miss" stop in Stockholm, but we were still unprepared for how magnificient she truly is.

Built in 1628, she set to sea on her maiden voyage, and proceeded to immediately sink in front of all the spectators and dignitaries, taking 50 sailors with her to the ocean bottom.

In 1961 the Swedes lifted it and restored it. She had been under water for 333 years. She is now the world's only surviving 17th-century ship, and is proudly displayed in a beatiful museum built all around her. Read more

More than any museum, the Vasa display really brought the past to life for us.

The feet.. the feet... the feet are on fire!

2006-06-13T01:51:00.000-07:00

One full day of walking around Stockholm and our feet are in agony. We are pathetic computer-bred worms. Two months of this will either kill us, or make us stronger. My money is on "kill us."

On the upside we've been jogging every couple of days, which is a really fun way to explore new cities, and burn off all the herring.

The King & Queen of Sweden

2006-06-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

Had to do it.

The Kingdom of Glass

2006-06-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered where all that IKEA stuff comes from? The entire country is basically an advertisement for Swedish Design, which would be fine if we didn't mentally associate it with cheaply made furniture with one-too-many-dowels per box.

The same is true for the Kingdom of Glass, Sweden's famed glassblowing region. We visited Kostas, Orrefurs, and other well known houses. To be honest we found the presentation a little Disney, and the work a little IKEA. Kostas actually had gazeebo'ed brass band entertaining the tourists. :p

To be fair we saw some pretty original work here and there, and the quality of the glass and crystal is top-notch. Maybe we're just jaded like that...

- Piero

The Agony of Defeat

2006-06-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

...or at least of a tying with little Trinidad 0-0. Go Trinidad!

What's up with all the bugs, anyway?

2006-06-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hit the road today, headed for Vaxjo and the Kingdom of Glass. The road is stunning, and Sweden in the summer is even greener than Seattle. But it's also buggier. I mean WAY buggier. There's a crust of dead bugs half an inch think on our headlights and windshield. If we're ever in a car crash out here, the forensic team will be able to determine how long we've been driving by measuring the bug depth. Ewww... I'll spare you the picture and instead share the joy of the open road.

Rune to the rescue

2006-06-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today we met Rune Svensson, a Gothenburg native. And not just any native! Rune used to be the head of Volvo's logistics group. His love for his city was evident as he drove us around and proudly showed us the sights.

Rune took us to Volvo headquarters where we saw the engineers lounging around a beatiful park and bay. Turns out the bay was Rune's project, and it really adds life to an otherwise bleak industrial landscape.

And at the tip of the park is a white lighthouse named... you guessed it... Rune Lighthouse. How cool is that?

- Piero

Volvo is in da house!

2006-06-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to the European Delivery Center and picked up our spankin' new V50. It's sweet! Olya is very happy as you can see:

I say "our Volvo" but technically it's Olya's. Well at least for I get to drive it because Europe is scary and I am very manly. It's true, here's proof:

After getting our car we took a tour of the Volvo factory. Robots with laser beams. Friggin' awesome. No photos allowed tho so I'm bit bummed.

Back in town we explored Gothenburg some more...

- Piero

Now this is what I'm talking about!

2006-06-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Just arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden. Jet-lagged as hell. Could barely keep our eyes open as we stumbled into a little local restaurant. And POW! here comes an amazing meal of smoked fish. I think we're going to like Sweden.

Smoked Salmon Fish Soup

Just days away now!

2006-06-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

We're getting more and more excited about our sabbatical! We leave Seattle on Tuesday and we're furiously packing and preparing for our big adventure. Two months abroad!! This is our first major trip since our wedding last September. And now, two months in Europe & Russia. What a journey! Our plan:

Sweden

Fly to Sweden, and pick up a new Volvo in Gothenburg. We're doing the European delivery thing, and the sales person kept telling us "you'll feel like the King and Queen of Sweden!" He was such a sleazeball by the third time he said that I wanted to throttle him, but the deal with Volvo is simply unbeatable. We'll save $7k by picking our new car out in Europe and having it delivered to the US later.
In Gothenburg we'll meet up with Rune Svensson, a friend of a friend who has generously offered to show us around town. We spoke with him on the phone, and he was so incredibly friendly and welcoming.
From Gothenburg we take a three day road trip across central Sweden. Should be fun taking the V50 out for a spin! We're not sure where to stay or what to see yet (ideas welcome.) And then onto Stockholm, where we'll spend a few days exploring and stuffing ourselves with herring.

Russia

St. Petersburg! We start our trip in Russia's old capital on the Baltic Sea. This is my first trip to Russia and I'm really excited to see it! It will be the second commie country I visit in under 6 months; I'm going for a record! The stamps look cool in my passport anyway. ;) St. Petersburg should be awesome. Walter tells me it's really fun. I'm psyched for the Peterhof and learning more about Russian history and culture.
Onto Moscow! We're taking an overnight train from St. Petersburg. Olya keeps trying to scare me about Moscow. From the sound of it I'll be pickpocketted while still in the train station. Then on the way to the airport, the cabbie will swindle me and take me for a ride. I'll be beaten and mugged in the hotel lobby. And of course I should not really set foot in the beautiful metro stations, I'm not man enough to survive that.
From Moscow we take the trans-Siberian to Olya's hometown of Kemerovo, in central Siberia. We're both super psyched about the long train ride! The trains are really beautiful and we're traveling first class, so not really roughing it. It's 3 nights and 2 days, and they have a dining cart and showers and everything. I hope to take some great pictures along the way, though the train hardly ever stops...
In Kemerovo we're meeting up with Olya's brother Oleg, who was so nice to us at our wedding. I'm psyched to see where Olya comes from, and get to know Oleg a bit better.

England

After Russia we fly back to London, where we'll stay with my sister and her family. We'll probably need a break from the travel and the trains and all the exploring. So we'll take it easy and just hang out with friends. Hopefully we can hook up with Gautam & Radhika and have a good time. Our main goal there will be to eat amazing Indian food!

France

Finally we get to Paris, our main destination! We're staying in Naim's parents' place, which is small but centrally located. It's right by l'Eglise de la Madeleine and la Place de l'Opera. We have a whole month in Paris to just enjoy life and decompress. Croissants shall be eaten and museums explored.
From Paris we're going to take a 3 day weekend in Normandy with my old friend Nadine, and her boyfriend Pierre. I'm so excited to get in touch with her again, I haven't seen her since she lived in Seattle 6 or 7 years ago! And I hope we get to see the WWII beaches and memorials. Dad tells me they're incredibly moving.
One of our main goals while in France is to hire a pretty model to pose with some of Olya's knitwear designs. She has some great stuff queued up for her new business, Knitizen.com. It's my first time trying to photograph a model though, so I'm unsure how it works. I'm reading up about it, and I bought a light reflector shield and a good flash. But I still worry I'll feel mildly ridiculous asking our girl to "work it" in French. :)

Well, that's the plan so far. It's such an amazing trip it's hard to believe it's happening. We both feel really really lucky to have this opportunity. It's going to be hard to be away from friends and work for so long!

- Piero

Our Worldmaps

2006-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Found this clever site that lets you generate a map of the places you've been.

Mine Olya's

He who dies with the most countries wins!!! And soon I'll be adding Russia and lording it over Olya!! (I'll probably still have to take out the garbage tho)

- Piero

Morocco Travel Tips

2005-10-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Olya and I spent our honeymoon in Morrocco. It was really a magical place, and we recommend it to anyone with a taste for adventure. Since we're often asked, here are some tips for folks traveling to the region.

We stayed most of the time in Marrakech but then hired a driver to take us through the Atlas Mountains, to Zagora and the edge of the Sahara.

Days and nights in Marrakech

Marrakech is amazing, a real riot of colors and sounds and people everywhere (and sometimes less appealing smells.) There are wonderful places to explore, most of which can be found in any guide. We especially enjoyed walking around the city and practicing our bartering skills. The Saadien Tombs are great, as is the big outdoor market of Djeema el Fna - don't miss it at night! The Ben Youssef Medersa was hard to find but quite beatiful. We took lots of pictures so if you need inspiration, check out my Flickr site. The only thing we would NOT recommend is visiting the tanneries. Leather is great and all, but you do NOT want to see how it’s made. :p

Riads of Marrakech

In Marrakech you should absolutely stay in the many “riads” (sometimes spelled “riyad.”) These are tiny hotels, more like B&Bs, run by families in an ancient villas. They have just a few rooms, great food and service, and are usually centered on a spectacular inner courtyard. But calling them B&Bs is a disservice, because they are the ultimate luxury vacation spot. They provide much-needed respite from the bustle of Marrakech. Having been to several of these, I would highly recommend them over the standard hotels.

There are many great riads in town, and we moved around quite a bit to experience many of them. Our favorite by far was La Maison Arabe. It's very high end, the food is spectacular, and they will shuttle you to a stunning private pool outside the city walls. They also offer a Moroccan cooking class which is definitely worth taking.

Our second favorite riad was called Dar Doukkala. It has a wonderful art-deco feel, right out of the movies, and a very friendly and wordly owner. But all the riads are basically wonderful, and almost all of them have good websites where you can get an idea of what they offer.

The Road through the Atlas

Taking a trip through the Atlas mountains was definitely a highlight. Our riad helped organize it, and it's quite simple to book once you’re there. You should definitely get a driver and not attempt to drive by yourself. Moroccans drive like madmen, and the roads through the Atlas are insanely windy. The road itself is wonderful and fun to be on. It winds it's way through some truly alien landscapes.

We headed down to Ouarzazate (a movie-studio town, medium-interesting) and Ait Benhaddou (an amazing city they use as a backdrop for movies like Gladiator, because it’s so picturesque. It’s so cool it’s worth the trip by itself.) From there we took a camel ride and slept in the desert with the Blue Men nomads, which is not for everyone but we really enjoyed - despite getting caught in a nightstorm and waking up covered in sand. :)

Haggling tips

Speak French if you know it! All Moroccans speak some French and it’s WAY better when haggling for prices
Learn to haggle. The best trick we found is to go to the official government stores (you can ask around, or consult a guide to find them.) These are stores where the prices are listed (and regulated by the government), and haggling is not allowed. Prices are higher but the wares are high quality. And more importantly, you can learn the baseline prices of things. So then when you’re haggling, you know what something is really worth and you can play the game in a more relaxed fashion. And don’t be afraid to walk away! No item we saw was truly unique, there are at least five other stalls selling the same things down the road. So take your time, and haggle hard. At first it’s stressful but by the end, we were really enjoying ourselves.

We didn’t get a chance to visit the rest of the country, but we loved it so much we hope to go back some day.

- Piero