There is a particular point, a certain overpass over I-90 that for me marks the border line between Eastern and Western Washington. Every year as we drive under it I plan to figure out the name of the road. Yet another year goes by, and I still do not know which road it is.

There is nothing remarkable about the overpass. We have driven under many like it, and many more lie ahead. It is just another road, not even a highway. It is what lies on each side of it that seems drastically different.

Driving east along I-90 the car is still descending after going over the Cascades at the Snoqualmie Pass. Magically, the descend ends right as we drive under the overpass. The highway straightens and becomes perfectly flat. The terrain ahead is empty and desert-like. In the summer, you can see tumbleweed rolling on the side of the highway.

The opposite happens when driving west along I-90. At this overpass, the desert ends, and tall evergreen trees spring up on both sides of the highway. The engine revs as the car begins the climb into the mountains. We have left Eastern Washington behind on our way to Seattle.

Vacation So Far

I have been on vacation since last Saturday, but today marks the first day when I did not have something I absolutely had to do while at home.

Review of the week:

• Saturday--2 hour workout at the gym, pack, run over to the airport, fly to Seattle.
• Sunday--lunch with friends, stuff, stamp and close up the holiday cards.
• Monday--short run, make two toy frogs which involved ironing, cutting out and sewing the fabric, stuffing and closing up the first frog.


• Tuesday--run, lunch with friends, prepare more holiday cards for mailing while Nick drove the car, shop for clothes for our upcoming trip to Yosemite National Park, iron 12 towels (5 minutes each!), wash the towels (thankfully not by hand), stuff and close up the second frog.
• Wednesday--drive to Walla Walla, get a haircut.
• Thursday--run (in the fields!), finally mail our holiday cards, make Parker House Rolls, eat a ton of food.

And that brings me to today. I think I finally do not have any immediate tasks with a deadline hanging over me. (If I do, I have completely forgotten what they were. Hopefully they were not too important.)

We started the day by opening presents, followed by a traditional enormous brunch. Later while Nick napped, I joined a couple avid birders in the family for a short trip to look for owls near Frog Hollow Road just outside of Walla Walla.

The drive took us through the rolling fields, where we saw many pheasants. Red-tailed hawks sat on many telephone poles along the road. We were lucky--we saw two great horned owls. Nick's uncle, Nat, took some great photos of it through his telescope.

Tree Cards

Click on the photo to read more about these cards.

Nick's World

A few nights ago I noticed an enormous bruise on Nick's leg. When I pointed it out to Nick, he was as surprised to see it as I was and examined it in the mirror.

Now, if I just discovered a bruise on my body, I would probably wonder what I bumped into.

Walking away from the mirror deep in thought, Nick mumbled that he needed to "remember all the things [he] ran into in the last couple of days."

Halloween on Beacon Hill

I have lived in Boston for several years now, but I did not know that Beacon Hill is such a happening place on Halloween. This year I ended up on Beacon Hill on the night of Halloween because I was helping out with Boston By Foot's "Beacon Hill With A Boo" tour.

The tour itself fits in with the Halloween spirit very well, uncovering the stories of mystery and murder that still haunt the neighborhood. While listening to these stories, we walked through the usually quiet streets of Beacon Hill now filled with crowds of people dressed in costumes. It seemed like the entire population of greater Boston has gathered on the hill. Almost every house proudly displayed carved pumpkins on their steps and spider webs spread across the windows. The neighborhood residents sat around on their doorsteps sipping wine and giving out candy to children. Even Senator John Kerry, who lives in Louisburg Square, came out to greet the crowds gathered at his doorsteps while someone from his house was offering candy.

After the tour ended, Nick and I spent more time walking the streets of Beacon Hill. I particularly enjoyed a little garden on Chestnut Street where a headless knight and ghosts flying overhead greeted the passers by.

Ten Years Since My First Trip to Vancouver BC

Ten years ago today Nick and I met for the very first time.

We drove to Vancouver together with our mutual friends, Brooke and Van, where we promptly spent 5 hours sitting in a car in pouring rain waiting for Canadian Automobile Association to come help us with a blown tire.

U2 360 Tour

U2--what a band! On Sunday, September 20th, Nick and I went to see U2 perform at the Gillette Stadium. First we spent a long time bonding with other U2 fans.

Tightly squeezed in between other lucky General Admission (GA) tickets holders, we waited for hours to be let into the stadium. However, it was all worth it, we ended up just a few yards away from the stage. We jumped and danced, clapped our hands and sang along with the songs, watching the band perform right in front of us. U2 delivered a great performance, and we had an incredible time.

Perhaps the set list was not particularly “unusual”, but just hearing Unforgettable Fire performed live was incredible enough. I will definitely have to go to more U2 concerts, because the band did not play Bad—one of my favorite songs ever. Bono did forget the lyrics on a couple of occasions, but for me that did not take away from the quality of the show.

This concert was my fourth U2 concert, but it was only the second time I got to watch the band standing no more than ten feet away from the stage. As awesome as this concert was, my first ever U2 concert, just over four year ago, still remains the absolute best rock concert experience ever. The concert back in 2005 was a completely new experience for me, and just like this time, Nick and I got to stand really close to the stage. It is hard to imagine that we almost did not go!

I was not a huge fan of U2. In fact I was completely oblivious until in 2001 Nick made me listen to two of their albums, Joshua Tree and Actung Baby. I loved the music, but knew nothing about the band. If they were really the punks I saw on the photos of the Achtung Baby album cover, then I did not want to know.

Then, in 2005 they were coming to Boston, and I decided that I wanted to see the band that wrote One and Love Is Blindness live. As I started reading more about the band and Bono’s philanthropy work, the punk image quickly dissolved. By the time we went to the concert on May 29, 2005, I was a fan, and I was in rock music heaven. I did not want to touch Bono, unlike many people in the GA line. I did, however, want to listen to U2 all the time. I learned the lyrics. I read more about the band.

At the risk of appearing incredibly immature, I now admit that the memorable U2 concert in May 2005 became a turning point for me. I was inspired. I was not sure what to do, but I wanted to volunteer and to do more charity work. When I came back from my first trip to Honduras in 2006, people asked me if the trip has changed my life. No, it did not. I went to Honduras exactly because my outlook on life has changed.

New Yawkey Station

On Thursday the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Board came to an agreement with the developers of the Fenway Center, a mixed-use project to be built over the Mass Pike. If approved by the state environmental officials, the construction of the first phase of the project will begin next summer.

The Fenway Center project will create new residencial, commercial, retail and shared-parking space, as well as a new full service commuter rail station at Yawkey Station.

You can find a few more details on the project and the new agreement by reading this MBTA news release.

Excited as I am at the prospect of the new Yawkey Station, I wish I knew answers to the following questions:

• Does the title "full service commuter rail station" require the station to have two platforms (as opposed to what is there now--just one)
• Would the existence of this brand new station actually affect the train schedule such that more inbound and outbound trains stop there?
• When would the construction of the new station be complete?
• How would the Fenway Project construction affect the current Yawkey Station and the Framingham/Worcester line train operation?

Boston Half Marathon

Finish: 1:55:38

Edited to add: Click on the photo for details...

I Am Running Running Running

Tomorrow morning I am running Boston Half Marathon, and of course I am excited. I have bored Nick to death with questions about what to eat and what to wear. Not that Nick knows any better than I do, but it is a huge comfort to have him tell me what he thinks.

The level of my excitement seems even greater than it ought to be before a race, if that is at all humanly possible. I attribute this phenomenon to the fact that yesterday I have confirmed my place on the 2010 Dana Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) team. In other words, I will be running the 2010 Boston Marathon!

Of course, all DFMC team members (and there are over 500 of us) have two major challenges before them. Besides training and running the marathon (one challenge), we also aim to raise $4.4 million for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. Personally my goal is to raise $8000 for cancer research, and that is the second and most important challenge. Please help me achieve my fundraising goal by making a donation!

To keep you up-to-date with my marathon training and my fundraising, I am brining back my Run Helen Run blog into action--the same blog I used when I was on the 2008 DFMC team. I hope you visit it regularly so that you can participate in raffles, games and other activities I plan on organizing.

For now, I am off to bed, so that I can be well rested for the race tomorrow. If you are in the Boston area, please come out to watch the race and cheer me on.

New Sea Shell Pattern--Truely Seamless

U2 Sighting in Berlin

Our first night in Berlin had a distinct U2 theme, even though we certainly did not plan it that way. We walked past the Berlin Zoo (Zoologischer Garten Berlin) and the nearby Zoo Station, which inspired the song, Zoo Station, the opening song on U2's Achtung Baby album, recorded in Berlin.
Our walk also took us through the Tiergarten, a large park in the center of Berlin designed in the 1830's that was once a hunting ground. As we walked past the Victory Column, I could not help but think back to U2's Stay (Faraway, So Close) music video. In the video (as well as in Wim Wender's movie of the same name) this 66+ meter column with a sculpture of Victoria on top servers as the gathering place for angels watching over the city.

As we passed under the Brandenburg Gate, we noticed a large crowd standing in front of the enterance to Hotel Adlon. Apparently, Bono was signing autographs at the entrance of the hotel. I climbed a railing for a better look, but still could not see anything. What can I say--the man is short.

As you can tell, I was greatly entertained by the fact that our almost U2 sighting happened right after we walked by so many places that reminded us of the band.

Hotel Breakfasts In Europe

Breakfast was included in every hotel we stayed. Bread, rolls, cheeses and cold meats were served almost everywhere. Canned fruit salad was also a popular offering.

Hotel Atlanta in Munich offered pouched eggs, but during our first breakfast there I could not figure out where people were getting them from. Eventually I noticed a tray of toy rabbits! The body of each rabbit was exactly the size of an egg; each soft plush rabbit kept a single pouched egg warm.

Croissants in hotels in Italy were particularly good. Nick fell in love with jam filled croissants at Casa Formosa in Venice, while my favorite ones were in Residenza Domizia in Rome.

Hotel Maxim in Florence was the first place we have encountered serious fresh fruit—bananas and enormous kiwis. (Just to be fair--Hotel Atlanta did serve really sad looking apples, but I just could not count those as a real effort to serve seasonal fruit.)

The breakfast at Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen knocked me off my feet. I could not get enough of their Birchermuesli—muesli (rolled oaks soaked in water or juice overnight) mixed in with fresh yogurt and fresh fruit. Mixed in with the yogurt and oats were red currants, wild blueberries and gooseberries. While we have seen currants and wild blueberries sold in the markets in Germany and Italy, I have not seen gooseberries anywhere but Russia. So they were an extra special treat. Apparently gooseberries are readily available in Switzerland, and we actually saw some gooseberry bushes while walking through Gimmelwald.

Playing With Sea Shells

A Short Day in Newport, RI

We took a late start on our day trip to Newport, but even then we did not expect the drive to take so long. Instead of an hour and a half, it tooks us well over two and a half hours to get there. I guess a lot of people are making day trips rather than going away for the entire long weekend.

Starting in the mid 19th century, wealthy New Yorkers began building summer houses in Newport to escape from the heat, and today many are open to the public. Unfortunately, due to our late arrival, we did not have much time to tour these famous mansions.

Rather than trying to rush, we decided to just visit the Breakers. I rarely enjoy audio guides, but the one taking us around this Vanderbuilt summer "cottage" was excellent. The opulence of the mansion is mind boggling, but much of it is quite beautiful.

We will have to return to Newport to visit more mansions as well as to tour the downtown area, which we completely bypassed this time.

More On Liquid Exchange in Europe

If you feel uncomfortable reading about bathrooms, you may want to skip this particular post.

When leaving Zurich, we almost missed our train to Munich because I wanted to use the bathroom. The bathroom required 2 CHF (Swiss Francs), and we did not have any cash. What followed took well over 40 minutes. I first searched for an ATM machine, returning to the bathroom only to find that the change machine would not accept my 50 CHF bill. So after fruitlessly searching for a place to change the bill, I gave up and bought a pastry at a nearby shop. Only then was I able to finally enter the bathroom successfully.

My natural tendency to use the bathroom before getting on most forms of public transportation turned out to be just the wrong strategy in Europe. Train station bathrooms, while generally very nice, cost money. I thought prices were steep in Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof (€0.80), until I tried the train station in Florence (€1). In the meantime, the bathrooms on the train are usually clean, always free, and easy to find. Bathroom prices culminated in Venice where to use a public restroom costs €1.50. To add insult to injury, these bathrooms close at 7pm.

(Getting cash before getting on the direct train from Zurich to Munich turned out to be a good thing after all. The train passed through Austria, which was not covered by our Eurail pass, and the conductor only accepted cash.)

If You Want To Feel Blue, Fly With jetBlue

Last weekend we flew down to Sacramento, CA, to attend our friends’, Ryan and Talia, wedding. Once there, we had a really great time. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, filled with so much love and so many personal touches. We got to help set up the reception area and spend a lot of time with Ryan and his family.

Getting in and out of Sacramento, however, turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

First of all, we never got to fly into Sacramento, even though we were supposed to… All jetBlue flights to JFK on Friday afternoon were delayed, making us miss our connection. Our choices were to delay our trip till Saturday, or to fly directly into San Francisco or into Oakland. We chose Oakland, as it made for a shorter drive.

Did I mention that the flight to Oakland was also delayed?

Living in America I always tend to think that anything is possible if you are willing to pay. Not so fast. We spent HOURS going through endless permutations of rental car companies and pick up times--to no avail. All car rental offices at the Oakland airport are simply closed by 1am.

At some point, it dawned on us that getting on the road at what would feel like 5am without having slept is probably not such a great idea. So we booked a hotel room. And oh boy, were we glad we did! After spending over 7 hours in the Logan airport, we finally landed in Oakland at 1:30am PT.

We gave up on renting a car entirely, when Ryan arranged for us to get a ride with his friends, who were driving up to the wedding from the Bay Area on Saturday afternoon. We could not be more thankful!

Our luck did not improve on our way home. Our flight to Long Beach, CA, scheduled to leave at 7pm PT, was sufficiently delayed to make us miss our connecting flight to Boston. And then we were offered a direct flight to Boston from none other than Oakland…

Instead, we chose to spend over 6 hours at the Sacramento airport, and take the midnight flight to JFK. We were now scheduled to arrive in Boston a little after 10am ET—only about 5 hours later than planned.

After yet another delay due to fog, our flight from JFK finally landed in Boston around 10:40am ET. Having already missed my 10am meeting at work, I decided to forego the circa $70 cab ride to Natick, and instead borrow my parents’ car, parked along the Silver line bus route along the Boston Waterfront. What could possibly go wrong now?

Lo and behold, the bus broke down about 2 minutes after I got on it. Within minutes, another bus came and picked up the stranded passengers. I was so impressed… until this same bus drove right through my stop! It turned out this particular bus was an express to South Station, but the driver was so flabbergasted about rescuing people from the broken down bus, that she forgot to announce that she was running express. Another bus ride and one thankfully uneventful drive later, I finally made it into work around noon.

Our Water Consumption in Europe

On Friday, the New York Times published a small blurb that, among other things, lamented the fact that drinking fountains in America are not “as ubiquitous as fire hydrants,” forcing people to carry water bottles around. I felt the article was a cue for me to blog about tap water and drinking fountains in Europe.


Water fountains are indeed ubiquitous in Rome. Still I felt compelled to refill and carry a water bottle. Murphy’s Law told me that there would be no water exactly when I needed it. Plus even a short walk under the blazing Italian sun caused dehydration.

Of all drinking fountains the New York Times article surveyed only one (in San Francisco) was designed to provide water to our four-legged friends. The omission especially stands out after seeing all the happy omni present canines in Europe. In Bern and Zurich, most water fountains collected the water in a pool below, and dogs, little ones helped by their owners, happily drank from the pools.

Europeans do not tend to drink much water with their meals. Italians seem to prefer carbonated water. Everyone also seems to be used to the restaurant charging for every item served, including bread. Given all these facts, I did not expect to be automatically served tall glasses of cold tap water, but often I could not resist asking for one.

Both in Munich and in Berlin, when we asked, we did get tap water for free, though it came in tiny glasses (2 dcl). Germany was where the free tap water bliss ended. In Prague a waitress gently explained that tap water was “not very good” and brought out a bottle of water. In Venice the answer was much shorter—“no service.” The waiter almost snorted when I asked.

Paying for bottled water is far from shocking. I am also quite certain that people in the Czech Republic really do believe that their tap water is bad—nobody I know in Moscow drinks the tap water without filtering or boiling it. The paradox lies in the fact that while Rome has wonderful water fountains in every little piazza, and Venice prides itself on the purity and the excellent taste of its tap water, the restaurants refuse to serve it.

The change we experienced going from Venice to Lauterbrunnen in the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland could not be more drastic. The air was cool, public bathrooms were free (more on bathrooms in a separate post), and waiters did not even blink when asked for a glass of tap water. Most (though not all) restaurants still charged 1 Swiss Frank per glass, an improvement over €3.00 for 500ml bottle.

Run to Protect Your Knees

This week I begin my training for the Boston Half Marathon, which will take place on Sunday, October 11. I know that my family, Nick in particular, worries about my knees as I continue to aspire to run more marathons. Worry no more! This article from the New York Times sites several studies that suggest that running may shield the runner from arthritis.

Dogs In Europe

Dogs in Germany seem to live like kings. They follow their owners everywhere, including shops and restaurants. The smaller pooches proudly ride in bicycle baskets. Most dogs are not leashed. Yet they seem perfectly behaved. They walk at the heels of their owners, do not bark, and do not lunge at people.

Dogs in Italy are also omnipresent (and I do not mean homeless dogs--we did not see any). Yet here, most of them are leashed, and for a good reason. They are exuberantly happy. They bite their leashes, pull their owners in every direction, and joyfully jump regardless of their own size.

While we have been back at home for almost a week now, I still have more stories and observations to share with you.

Say No To Jet Lag

What is the best way to get over jet lag? Go see Paul McCartney perform live at Fenway Park in the evening only two days after coming home from Europe.

At 67, Sir Paul McCartney played for OVER two and a half hours and did not miss a beat! Many of the favorite Beatles tunes made an appearance, such as Eleanor Rigby, Helter Skelter, Yesterday and one of my favorites--A Day In A Life.

Towards the end of the concert, I was trying to guess what the closer would be. After all the band has already played Hey Jude and Let It Be. But it was better than anything I came up with. The closer was a medley that started with the reprise version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,

"We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

We hope you have enjoyed the show

Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

We're sorry but its time to go..."

and ended with The End.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

Rain In Bern

Today we left the Alps (I almost cried) and arrived in Bern only to find that the weather forecast was a bit too optimistic--it was grey and raining. Nevertheless we faithfully followed Rick Steves' walking tour through the city. Now that we have returned to the hotel for the afternoon "nap" the rain has stopped of course.

Sadly our vacation is coming to an end. Tomorrow morning we go on to Zurich and fly home in early evening.

On Top of Europe

On Saturday we took a train to the highest train station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch train station, at the elevation of 3,454 meters/11,332 feet.

The train is a cog railway train, and the last section before reaching the Jungfraujoch goes through the tunnel, carved inside the Eiger and Mönch mountains.

The Jungfrau summit at 13 642 feet (4158 meters) is one of the main peaks in Bernese Alps. The word Jungfrau means young lady, and here in the Alps she is being protected by the Mönch (a monk) from the Eiger (an ogre). Jungfraujoch is a low point between the Mönch and the Jungfrau peaks.

Once there, we visited two different observatories that allowed for magnificent views of the mountains (the summit of the Jungfrau, the Mönch and others) and the glaciers and for glimpses of the valley below and even Bern in the distance.

Schilthorn--Slower Than Swiss Seniors

Yesterday (Friday) we took a series of cable cars from Stechelberg, a short bus ride from Lauterbrunnen, to the top of of Schilthorn (2970 meters/9744 feet). The summit has a sort of a lodge with a rotating restaurant and 360 degree outdoor observation terrace. We certainly spent a good amount of time enjoying the views from up there.


After lunch at the restaurant, we took the cable car part way to Birg, from where we hiked down to Muerren. The trails are clearly marked, and time estimates are posted for hiking to each destination. Our hike was estimated to take about 4 hours. Mostly due to my overall slowness and a tendency to take too many photos, the hike took A LOT longer. Rick Steves notes that the time estimates are determined by "local senior citizen"...


While hiking down we encountered a marmot--he was far away, but we noticed him because he was making high pitch squeeling noises. We have also come across a snake, many enourmous slugs and fields of wild flowers.




After dinner in Muerren, we took the cable car down in order to get home.

We Are In Switzerland

We arrived in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, last night. Eric was delayed getting in, but he made it here alright as well. Here is a view from our room in Hotel Oberland.


We are off to "conquer" Schilthorn.

Wednesday--Our Last Full Day in Venice

After breakfast we headed to San Marco Square in order to go inside St. Mark’s Basilica. Being adamant Rick Steves’ fans, we used his trick to bypass the line. Inside, while busy, it did not seem crowded enough for pickpocketers—Rick Steves’ promised the Basilica to be the most dangerous place in town. From the basilica, we also went into the Treasury (entirely not worth the €3—next time I would try the Golden Alterpiece area for €2,50 instead) and the San Marco Museum. The museum houses the original horses, whose copies are mounted on the basilica. The horses alone are well worth the €4 admission fee.

After leaving the San Marco, we walked to the north shore of Venice, grabbing some sandwiches along the way. We decided to spend the afternoon touring Burano and Torcello. We took a vaporetto from Fondamenta Nuove to Murano. We did not really linger there other then walking over to a different vaporetto stop to go to Burano. Another quick switch there, and we were in Torcello. On this route, the longest trip was between Murano and Burano—about 30 minutes of a very pleasant boat ride.


Only about 20 people now live on the island of Torcello, even though one time before the 14th century that number reached 50,000. Two churches and a bell tower is all that remains from those glory days. We looked into the smaller of the churches, and walked around main church of Santa Maria Assunta, which had some amazing mosaics from around the 12th century. After about an hour on Torcello, we caught the 5 minute ride on the vaporetto back to Burano.

Burano’s amazingly colored little houses are cute as a button. I cannot imagine that the locals enjoy tourists taking photos of their front doors, but it is simply irresistible. Thankfully the locals must feel relatively safe, because in the heat of the afternoon they leave their front doors open, covering them with a heavy curtain to block the sun.



Since Burano is known for its handmade lace, I couldn’t resist looking around a few lace shops. Most sold very similar beautiful items, sometimes more of what I would consider embroidery rather then lace. One shop had a large display of antique lace—exquisite.

After returning to Venice, we headed to the south side of town for a light dinner. We grabbed some “cicetti” (tapas) and white wine for a light cheap dinner at Enoteca Gia Schiavi on the San Trovaso Canal near the Accademia bridge. The sun was setting, so we walked to the water by the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and sat “on the pier” until it was almost dark watching the water change colors and the lights go on for the palazzos.

Along the San Marco Canal At Night

Doge's Palace and Laundry

Today we decided to sleep in. And we did... except that around 9:30 (we were already up anyway) we got a call from the hotel reception checking if we were planning to go to breakfast (which was supposed to be till 10). I guess they did not want us to go undernourished.

After breakfast we walked to San Marco Square and went inside the Doge's Palace. Visiting the Doge's Palace included walking inside the Bridge of Sighs!

After a rather odd lunch (where I struggled with an enormous piece of pizza while sitting on the pavement by the Grand Canal) we walked around a bit passing through Campo San Polo and Campo del Frari, and then went back to the hotel.


Our goal before dinner was to do some laundry. Yesterday we have investigated a laundromat very close to our hotel. Nick had to wash all of his pants, so he had wearing his swim suite to the laundromat.

Doing laundry in Venice, besides being rather expensive, is also complicated. There is one central automated paying station where you pay for everything (soap, washer, dryer--there is no attendant). So there is a strict sequence to everything--e.g. select the temperature before you close the door, add soap before you pay, you have minutes to push start on the machine after you paid for the load, etc. On top of this it turned out that out of 4 dryers, only 2 had heat working. Of course we found out the hard way--by first running through a drying cycle of cold air.

On To Venezia