Sunday, December 14, 2008
Thanksgiving 2008
Marcee & I travelled from San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving in Columbus. Here's a link to some pics of the holiday festivities and of our new rental in SF. It was the first of what we hope will be many Harris-Schwartz-Lazarus Turkey Days. Jon & Judy came in from Houston, and Matt, Peter & Ned were in from LA and New York respectively. There were several holiday highlights. I came in a week early to attend the OSU vs Michigan game with my dad. Temperatures were arctic but well worth it, the Bucks destroyed the Wolverines 42-7. Grandaddy would have loved it; this was the last game I attended w/him 2 years ago. In any case, not a bad way to start the trip! Peggy & Judy did the holiday cooking, and Stephen was nice enough to let us have Thanksgiving dinner at his place. Even though he's not fully moved in, Dad's new place is looking very nice. My mom threw a party at her new place to celebrate Ned's 25th b-day and so her friends who were not able to make the wedding could meet Marcee. Marcee & I also took advantage of the opportunity to share with family & friends that we are expecting our first child in mid-June. All in all, everyone got along famously. Not a terribly hard crowd to please really. As long as everyone is together, healthy and well-fed, all is well. Marcee & I feel tremendously fortunate that were able to gather everyone together and look forward to carrying on this tradition for many years to come.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Labor Day Extravaganza
On August 26, 2008, I turned 32. To celebrate, Marcee & I decided---check that, I decided and Marcee was kind enough to indulge me---to criss-cross the country for a Labor Day extravaganza of sporting events. First, we headed to Columbus to catch Ohio State's home opener against the Penguins of Youngstown State. It was Marcee's first time to the Horseshoe and the Buckeyes did not disappoint with a 43-0 victory and a quadruple "Script Ohio" at halftime. In addition, we got to spend the night in Peggy's recently renovated Bexley Park abode and to check out Stephen's recently acquired Pickett Place digs. On Sunday, Marcee & I jetted into New York where we immediately headed out to the USTA center in Flushing Meadow for 12 hours of US Open tennis. Joined by Bronwyn, Luigi, Joshie P, Charlotte and her husband Nick, we got to see several of the games' greats including Federer, Roddick and Nadal. However, the highlight of our time at the US Open was a 4 set thriller involving Novak Djokovic & several appearances by our crew on the stadium Jumbotron. The match concluded at ~1am. Click here to see pictures from the weekend.
Jon Harris' 60th B-Day
To celebrate Jon Harris' 60th B-Day, the extended Harris-Leff family descended upon Disneyland in the middle of August. The group numbered 13 in total, with ages ranging from 2-69. Hard to say who had a better time, the youngsters (Melanie & Jenna) or the group's elder statesmen (who shall remain nameless:). Highlights of the trip included dinner at Goofy's Kitchen, soaring & screaming over the state at California Adventure and the Pixar Parade. I think Melanie captured it best when she said, "I saw all of my friends!" Matthew & Peter put in a guest appearance and Marcee & I snuck into LA to see Wendy, Harley & Laura before heading to LAX. Judy's pictures and captions of the weekend were terrific. Click here to check 'em out.
First Wedding Anniversary
Shortly after returning from the river, Marcee & I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We headed up the coast for a few days of rest and relaxation in Mendocino where we stayed in one of the area's most romantic bed & breakfasts, the Brewery Gulch Inn. Tracy & Marc had stayed there just a few months before. Highlights of the trip included a trip to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, dinner at Cafe BeauJolias and canoeing on the Big River. That, plus lazing away in bed watching movies & tennis while eating pizza! Marcee gave me a photo album of pre-wedding related pictures and had a graphic designer set our wedding vows. I made her a crossword puzzle based on all of our adventures together this year and designed a pair of Converse sneakers to match the ones I wore at our wedding. We both wore our wedding sneaks all day in what I hope will become an anniversary tradition.
Rocky Mountain River Tours
Shortly after meeting Marcee, I heard about Jon Harris' annual pilgrimage to Idaho for a week of river rafting. This year, I got to experience the trip firsthand. Marcee & I and Tracy & Marc joined Jon & Judy on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River for 5 days of rafting with Rocky Mountain Tours. It was Jon's 13th time down the Middle Fork. The trip was everything that Jon promised and more (except for the part where I got thrashed by a recirculating rapid at Tappan Falls). The food was amazing, the scenery was beautiful, the guides were capable & kind, and the rafting was exhilarating. The highlights of the trip were to numerous to mention so I will let Judy's pictures & captions tell the tale. Click here to see them.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Happy 4th of July, 2008
The Harris Schwartz family celebrated 4th of July, 2008 in style in a cabin on Donner Lake (near Tahoe.) The setting was excellent, and the company was even better. We were joined by Lauren & Tim Pavlis, cousins Tracy & Marc Shedroff, and Matt Schwartz & Peter McGrath. Highlights of the weekend included Breakfast(s) at Wimbledon (Federer vs Nadal, possibly the best match ever contested), fireworks on Donner Lake (thankfully none fired by Tim), seemingly endless amounts of excellent food, a spirited game of "Oh Hell" (Tracy & Marc, there will be retribution), and a sunset cruise of Donner Lake with the cast of the Love Boat. Click here for pictures and of the weekend, see below for a few short videos. Perhaps the start of yet another Harris Schwartz family tradition? Only time will tell:)Saturday, May 24, 2008
Thank You Eli Broad!!!
This past weekend (May 17, 2008), I graduated from the Broad Residency in Urban Education. The Residency is a 2 year executive education style program aimed at recent MBA, JD and MPP/MPA grads who are working in K-12 education. The program is financed by Eli Broad, an LA based philanthropist, and there were 25 "students" in my graduating class. We gathered as a group every 2-3 months for ongoing professional development and to study current education reform efforts (HR transformation, Student Based Budgeting, Managed Instruction/Performance Empowerment, Small Learning Communities, etc.) My classmates worked in a wide range of organization including other charter management organizations (Uncommon Schools, Green Dot, KIPP) and several large urban school Districts (NYC, Chicago, Seattle, Oakland, etc.). They were some of the most impressive folks I have ever known. The graduation session was held in Santa Fe, NM at the Inn and Spa at Loretto. Marcee and my mom joined me at the graduation ceremony. We gorged ourselves on food at the Coyote Cafe and Cafe Pasqual. We also spent an afternoon at 10,000 Waves Spa. Finally, here's a link to some pics from the weekend's festivities.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Cross Country Skiing in Yosemite
3/30/08
Marcee and I just got back from a two day cross country ski trip to Yosemite with Tim and Lauren. We spent the evening at a place called Glacier Hut overlooking Glacier Point. The view of half dome was spectacular and the skiing was excellent as well. It was 10.5 miles in on Saturday and 10.5 miles out on Sunday w/a big dinner, a night of cards around the fire and a solid night's sleep on bunk beds in between. Everyone survived unscathed and in good spirits, although Lauren spent a considerable amount of time making snow angels:) Can't wait to go back again next year. Here's a link to some pictures Lauren and Tim took on the trip.
Marcee and I just got back from a two day cross country ski trip to Yosemite with Tim and Lauren. We spent the evening at a place called Glacier Hut overlooking Glacier Point. The view of half dome was spectacular and the skiing was excellent as well. It was 10.5 miles in on Saturday and 10.5 miles out on Sunday w/a big dinner, a night of cards around the fire and a solid night's sleep on bunk beds in between. Everyone survived unscathed and in good spirits, although Lauren spent a considerable amount of time making snow angels:) Can't wait to go back again next year. Here's a link to some pictures Lauren and Tim took on the trip.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Humentashen 2008
A Harris family tradition for decades, year 1 of a Harris Schwartz family tradition. Thanks to Judy who came all the way out from Houston to SF to help us make humentashen. Over the course of the weekend, we made over 240 of these tasty Jewish pastries. The Harris women did most of the work but Jon---and a crew of our SF friends---pitched in as well. For more on the history of humentashen, check out the Wikipedia entry. For pictures of the weekend, check out Judy's great pictures.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Honeymoon to Bali & Vietnam (12/14/07 to 1/01/08)
If you want to skip all the stories and just see the pics, here's a link to our Honeymoon photo album
If you want to read all about, here's our trip diary with all the details fit to print
Day 1
After a fabulous flight (business class on Cathay Pacific with a luxurious layover in the business class lounge of the Hong Kong airport), we were picked up by our travel agents at the airport. We had a quick but tasty dinner at our hotel, the Alila Manggis, and retreated straight to bed.
Day 2
Eager to get the honeymoon started, I insisted on some morning snorkel ling in the blue lagoon. They water was clear and there were colorful fish everywhere. Unfortunately I failed to put on sunscreen and got a huge sunburn, fitting punishment for making Marcee wake up early on vacation. We spent the afternoon swimming and reading by the pool. I decided that we should venture into the nearby town of Chandi Dasa for dinner. A nice idea but we decide to stick to meals at hotel for rest of stay in East Bali.
If you want to read all about, here's our trip diary with all the details fit to print
Day 1
After a fabulous flight (business class on Cathay Pacific with a luxurious layover in the business class lounge of the Hong Kong airport), we were picked up by our travel agents at the airport. We had a quick but tasty dinner at our hotel, the Alila Manggis, and retreated straight to bed.
Day 2
Eager to get the honeymoon started, I insisted on some morning snorkel ling in the blue lagoon. They water was clear and there were colorful fish everywhere. Unfortunately I failed to put on sunscreen and got a huge sunburn, fitting punishment for making Marcee wake up early on vacation. We spent the afternoon swimming and reading by the pool. I decided that we should venture into the nearby town of Chandi Dasa for dinner. A nice idea but we decide to stick to meals at hotel for rest of stay in East Bali.
Day 3
The next day began with Balinese cooking school. Penny, the head chef of Alila Manggis, took us on a tour of the local market where we picked up ingredients for our lunch. Her sous chef then showed us how to make several dishes including Marcee's favorite, Nasi Goreng. After eating the lunch that we made, we hit the pool for a quick swim. Next, we went on our first trek from Tenggagang to Tiggagonga. We saw our first rice paddies (excellent) and also had our first experience with stray dogs which abound in Bali (not so excellent, Marcee is not a fan.) Our hike concluded at a beautiful water palace just as the sun was setting. While the hike was amazing (one of the highlight's of our stay in Bali), we were so tired that we decided to skip the traditional Balinesian bbq and instead had pizza in the room. We were asleep approximately 5 minutes later.
Day 4
Still tired from the day before, we decided to cancel our scheduled trek to sit by the pool. Sadly it rained all morning. Gregory from travel agency picked us up in the early afternoon and transported us to Ubud. Quick lunch in Ubud overlooking rice paddies and then to Alila Ubud. After a quick swim in the hotel's stunning pool, we had dinner at hotel restaurant. Broke out the scrabble board for the first and only game of the trip; Marcee trounced me!!!
Day 5
Breakfast at the hotel where Jon continued his exploration of Balinesian tea. Sadly, the pastries are not nearly as tasty as at the hotel's sister hotel in Manggis but there was plenty else to fill us up. We were picked up Sobek river rafting guides and spent the morning rafting down the raging class 3 rapids of the Ayung River valley with Rita, our Balinese river guide. Rita's most common command was "boom boom." This meant get down and hold on and was uttered just before she steered us into rock after rock. No matter, the scenery was stunning and Rita couldn't have been nicer. Rafting came with lunch, but it was not the highlight of the trip so we came back and split a Balinese burger and fries by the pool. We headed into Ubud for dinner. I was inspired to have German Scnhitzel (at the time, it made total sense I swear) and Marcee continued her tour of Nasi Goreng. Then we went to watch a traditional Balinese dance called Kecak. A little like ballet, a little like opera. Much singing and dancing, good triumphs over evil and a little fire dancing thrown in for good measure.
Day 6
Because the town of Ubud was a little touristy for our taste, we decided to go on another trek and we got our best guide of the trip to date. His name was Sunday. He spoke excellent English, knew all about the local flora and fauna (see the picture of him with the spider on his face) and protected Marcee from all the stray dogs. First he took us to a typical Balinese compound to visit a family. They explained family life, how compounds are laid out and the family prepared us snacks of coconut, snake fruit, and Balinese coffee. We saw more spectacular rice paddies followed by lunch overlooking the field. That night we decided to explore Ubud a bit further. First we went to a Balinese art gallery. Let's just say it wasn't the Museum of Modern Art. Next we ate at a restaurant called the Dirty Duck. Let's just say it wasn't Chez Panisse. No matter, we still had an excellent time.
Day 7
Was meant to be spent entirely by the pool. Unfortunately Jon got a little antsy and insisted on more sight-seeing---a temple, a coffee farm and a volcano for good measure. We capped off our morning with a visit to the Four Seasons. Our hotel was luxurious by any standard but the Four Season was just over the top, truly lifestyles of the rich and famous. After a mid-day rain storm, we made it back to the hotel and finally to the pool. We passed the afternoon swimming and reading until the sun went down---a beautiful way to end our time in Bali. We had a quick dinner and were off to bed as we had an early flight in the morning.
Day 8
We flew from Bali to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. Picked up by Zung, our tour guide. After dropping our bags off at the New World Hotel (a little sterile but hey Bill Clinton stayed there so no complaints:), we headed out for our first Vietnamese meal. But first we had to cross the street. As we would come to find, this is no small task. Crossing the street in Vietnam is kind of like playing that old video game frogger where the player tries to guide a small frog across multiple lanes of oncoming highway traffic. There are few traffic lights in Vietnam's major cities so you really just have to head into traffic, walk at a consistent pace and the cars and scooters just adjust their speed accordingly to let you pass....most of the time anyway:) We had no idea what to order when we arrived but it was all tasty. Decided on a cab on the way home:)
Day 9
Headed out of Saigon with Zung to see the Cu Chi Tunnels. The agrarian village of Cu Chi was a communist stronghold during the Vietnam War (or the American War as its known in Vietnam). To avoid American attacks, the Cu Chi farmers devised a sophisticated system of tunnels in which they lived, worked and fought. We were able to walk approximately 100m of the tunnels. As small as we are by American standards, it was still a challenge for us to navigate the tight quarters. Headed back to Saigon for the afternoon and toured the War Remnants Museum (formerly called the War Crimes Museum before the country opened up for tourism) and the Reunification Palace. Had Christmas Eve dinner at a French Bistro next to the chic Park Hyatt Hotel (they didn't get Bill Clinton but Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie did:). Though most of the country is Buddhist but they celebrate Christmas with a vengeance (see Honeymoon slide show). The downtown area on Christmas Eve was shoulder to shoulder with people like Times Square NYC on New Year's Eve, except everyone was on motor bike rather than foot. When the street's were full, the motor bikes just road on the sidewalk!
Day 10
Headed south for a day trip down to the Mekong Delta. Visited the floating market of Cai Bai where the stores are boats. The shop keepers travel up and down the river purchasing goods from farmers and then return the market to sell their wares. They also live on the boats as well. We also visited a craft market (on land) and a fruit farm (also on land:). After being served a scary fish on the bone for lunch, we treated ourselves to Vietnamese comfort food "pho" (pronounced phu) at Pho24, Vietnam's answer to McDonald's. Interestingly they have a local answer to Starbucks as well called Highland's coffee. Not bad for a communist country that only opened itself up to limited capitalism style economics in 1986. Followed up our dinner with a light round of shopping, just to loosen up the credit card for some serious damage later on the trip.
Day 11
Departed Ho Chi Minh for Hoi An via Denang (closest airport). On our way to the airport, we asked our driver if we'd be met at the airport. His response was classic, "I have checked with my company. It is confirmed. You will be picked up everywhere." And that pretty much summarizes how well taken care of we were in Vietnam. Our guide in Hoi An was Tu (pronounced two). His English skills weren't the best but his heart was always in the right place. Plus, he told Marcee that she'd better take good care of me otherwise the other women would try and steal me from her. In addition to being a UNESCO world heritage center, Hoi An is also famous for its 24 hour tailors. Upon landing, Tu took us immediately to the tailor we had selected. After looking through several catalogs, I picked out a suit and a tuxedo while Marcee selected a suit and a part dress. We then selected fabrics and had our measurements taken. After a quick lunch of traditional Vietnamese pepperoni pizza:), it was off to the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort. After several hours reading and lounging by the pool, we returned into town for a much more authentic Vietnamese meal and our first fitting.
Day 11
After a morning walk on the beach, we returned to town for our last fitting. The tuxedo and suits were a huge hit, the dress---well, it was a nice idea but I don't think you'll be seeing Marcee in it anytime soon. We spent the next several house touring the historic houses and temples of Hoi An, most of which dated back to the 15th century. After a quick lunch and with our new fancy clothing in hand, we headed back to airport off for our flight to Hanoi. We were greeted at the airport by Nam (as in Vietnam). Unlike the Saigon airport which is no more than 10 miles outside of town, our car ride into the city took the better part of an hour. Nam sent us to a fabulous Beefsteak restaurant in the historic old quarter for dinner (think cheap steak, french fries and cold beer for approximately $2.00 per person) where we were definitely the only westerners around. We then took a cyclo (pedal powered taxi cab) back to our hotel, the Sofitel Metropole. Original constructed in 1901, the Metropole has recently been restored and was one of the most amazing places either of us has ever stayed.
Day 13
Travelled by car 3 hours east to Halong Bay, another UNESCO world heritage site, and one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations. We spent the better part of the next two days exploring the areas famed islands, caves and seafood (Yes, Jon Harris, your daughter ate shellfish!!!) from the cozy confines of our own private boat. Words can't really describe what we saw so you'll just have to check out the pictures we took.
Day 14
After spending the morning aboard the ship, we returned to Hanoi and checked back into the Sofitel Metropole. After roughing it (hardly) at sea for two days, we decided to indulge ourselves by gorging ourselves at the hotel's chocolate bar. Suffering from food coma, we spent the rest of the afternoon in bed. That evening, we walked around the old quarter some more and, after a little window shopping, had a late dinner of more authentic Vietnamese food (OK fine, we had pizza again but it was really good:)
Day 15
We spent the morning sightseeing around Hanoi with our tour guide Nam. Basically it was the greatest hits tour of President Ho Chi Minh. Uncle Ho as he is affectionately referred to us basically the Vietnamese equivalent of George Washington, or perhaps more aptly Abe Lincoln for his role in reunifying North and South Vietnam. First we saw him embalmed at his tomb (interestingly he was embalmed against his wishes, his will specifically stated that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread across the country), a very odd experience. Next we saw the Presidential Palace and grounds and finally the stilt house where President Ho Chi Minh spent most of his time. He considered the Presidential Palace, originally built by the French during their time in power, as to ostentatious. We were totally wiped for some reason and spent the rest of the afternoon napping and lounging around the hotel. That evening we took in a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show followed by perhaps the best meal of our entire trip at a restaurant called Indochine.
Day 16
New Year's eve day, our last day in Vietnam and we had it entirely to ourselves. After sleeping late, we decided to spend some quality time wandering around the city with the help of Luxe Guide (thanks Mom)---a guide to Hanoi's trendiest shopping and art galleries. After taking our lunch at a restaurant called Little Hanoi, we were just on our way back to the hotel when we popped into a coffee shop for some Coke Light (Vietnam's answer to Diet Coke) when we bumped into a college friend of mine, Liz Pearce, and her husband. Sometimes it truly does feel like a small word. That night we got all dressed up in our new suits and hit the down for a fancy dinner at the Au Lac House. The hotel was throwing a rather hip party with a DJ flown in from Japan but it had reached capacity by the time we returned from dinner. Instead we celebrated the New Year by watching Pixar's Cars and Disney's High School Musical 2 in bed, just fine as far as we were concerned.
From start to finish, our honeymoon was absolutely fantastic and the first of many overseas adventures that Marcee and I hope to experience together.
The next day began with Balinese cooking school. Penny, the head chef of Alila Manggis, took us on a tour of the local market where we picked up ingredients for our lunch. Her sous chef then showed us how to make several dishes including Marcee's favorite, Nasi Goreng. After eating the lunch that we made, we hit the pool for a quick swim. Next, we went on our first trek from Tenggagang to Tiggagonga. We saw our first rice paddies (excellent) and also had our first experience with stray dogs which abound in Bali (not so excellent, Marcee is not a fan.) Our hike concluded at a beautiful water palace just as the sun was setting. While the hike was amazing (one of the highlight's of our stay in Bali), we were so tired that we decided to skip the traditional Balinesian bbq and instead had pizza in the room. We were asleep approximately 5 minutes later.
Day 4
Still tired from the day before, we decided to cancel our scheduled trek to sit by the pool. Sadly it rained all morning. Gregory from travel agency picked us up in the early afternoon and transported us to Ubud. Quick lunch in Ubud overlooking rice paddies and then to Alila Ubud. After a quick swim in the hotel's stunning pool, we had dinner at hotel restaurant. Broke out the scrabble board for the first and only game of the trip; Marcee trounced me!!!
Day 5
Breakfast at the hotel where Jon continued his exploration of Balinesian tea. Sadly, the pastries are not nearly as tasty as at the hotel's sister hotel in Manggis but there was plenty else to fill us up. We were picked up Sobek river rafting guides and spent the morning rafting down the raging class 3 rapids of the Ayung River valley with Rita, our Balinese river guide. Rita's most common command was "boom boom." This meant get down and hold on and was uttered just before she steered us into rock after rock. No matter, the scenery was stunning and Rita couldn't have been nicer. Rafting came with lunch, but it was not the highlight of the trip so we came back and split a Balinese burger and fries by the pool. We headed into Ubud for dinner. I was inspired to have German Scnhitzel (at the time, it made total sense I swear) and Marcee continued her tour of Nasi Goreng. Then we went to watch a traditional Balinese dance called Kecak. A little like ballet, a little like opera. Much singing and dancing, good triumphs over evil and a little fire dancing thrown in for good measure.
Day 6
Because the town of Ubud was a little touristy for our taste, we decided to go on another trek and we got our best guide of the trip to date. His name was Sunday. He spoke excellent English, knew all about the local flora and fauna (see the picture of him with the spider on his face) and protected Marcee from all the stray dogs. First he took us to a typical Balinese compound to visit a family. They explained family life, how compounds are laid out and the family prepared us snacks of coconut, snake fruit, and Balinese coffee. We saw more spectacular rice paddies followed by lunch overlooking the field. That night we decided to explore Ubud a bit further. First we went to a Balinese art gallery. Let's just say it wasn't the Museum of Modern Art. Next we ate at a restaurant called the Dirty Duck. Let's just say it wasn't Chez Panisse. No matter, we still had an excellent time.
Day 7
Was meant to be spent entirely by the pool. Unfortunately Jon got a little antsy and insisted on more sight-seeing---a temple, a coffee farm and a volcano for good measure. We capped off our morning with a visit to the Four Seasons. Our hotel was luxurious by any standard but the Four Season was just over the top, truly lifestyles of the rich and famous. After a mid-day rain storm, we made it back to the hotel and finally to the pool. We passed the afternoon swimming and reading until the sun went down---a beautiful way to end our time in Bali. We had a quick dinner and were off to bed as we had an early flight in the morning.
Day 8
We flew from Bali to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. Picked up by Zung, our tour guide. After dropping our bags off at the New World Hotel (a little sterile but hey Bill Clinton stayed there so no complaints:), we headed out for our first Vietnamese meal. But first we had to cross the street. As we would come to find, this is no small task. Crossing the street in Vietnam is kind of like playing that old video game frogger where the player tries to guide a small frog across multiple lanes of oncoming highway traffic. There are few traffic lights in Vietnam's major cities so you really just have to head into traffic, walk at a consistent pace and the cars and scooters just adjust their speed accordingly to let you pass....most of the time anyway:) We had no idea what to order when we arrived but it was all tasty. Decided on a cab on the way home:)
Day 9
Headed out of Saigon with Zung to see the Cu Chi Tunnels. The agrarian village of Cu Chi was a communist stronghold during the Vietnam War (or the American War as its known in Vietnam). To avoid American attacks, the Cu Chi farmers devised a sophisticated system of tunnels in which they lived, worked and fought. We were able to walk approximately 100m of the tunnels. As small as we are by American standards, it was still a challenge for us to navigate the tight quarters. Headed back to Saigon for the afternoon and toured the War Remnants Museum (formerly called the War Crimes Museum before the country opened up for tourism) and the Reunification Palace. Had Christmas Eve dinner at a French Bistro next to the chic Park Hyatt Hotel (they didn't get Bill Clinton but Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie did:). Though most of the country is Buddhist but they celebrate Christmas with a vengeance (see Honeymoon slide show). The downtown area on Christmas Eve was shoulder to shoulder with people like Times Square NYC on New Year's Eve, except everyone was on motor bike rather than foot. When the street's were full, the motor bikes just road on the sidewalk!
Day 10
Headed south for a day trip down to the Mekong Delta. Visited the floating market of Cai Bai where the stores are boats. The shop keepers travel up and down the river purchasing goods from farmers and then return the market to sell their wares. They also live on the boats as well. We also visited a craft market (on land) and a fruit farm (also on land:). After being served a scary fish on the bone for lunch, we treated ourselves to Vietnamese comfort food "pho" (pronounced phu) at Pho24, Vietnam's answer to McDonald's. Interestingly they have a local answer to Starbucks as well called Highland's coffee. Not bad for a communist country that only opened itself up to limited capitalism style economics in 1986. Followed up our dinner with a light round of shopping, just to loosen up the credit card for some serious damage later on the trip.
Day 11
Departed Ho Chi Minh for Hoi An via Denang (closest airport). On our way to the airport, we asked our driver if we'd be met at the airport. His response was classic, "I have checked with my company. It is confirmed. You will be picked up everywhere." And that pretty much summarizes how well taken care of we were in Vietnam. Our guide in Hoi An was Tu (pronounced two). His English skills weren't the best but his heart was always in the right place. Plus, he told Marcee that she'd better take good care of me otherwise the other women would try and steal me from her. In addition to being a UNESCO world heritage center, Hoi An is also famous for its 24 hour tailors. Upon landing, Tu took us immediately to the tailor we had selected. After looking through several catalogs, I picked out a suit and a tuxedo while Marcee selected a suit and a part dress. We then selected fabrics and had our measurements taken. After a quick lunch of traditional Vietnamese pepperoni pizza:), it was off to the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort. After several hours reading and lounging by the pool, we returned into town for a much more authentic Vietnamese meal and our first fitting.
Day 11
After a morning walk on the beach, we returned to town for our last fitting. The tuxedo and suits were a huge hit, the dress---well, it was a nice idea but I don't think you'll be seeing Marcee in it anytime soon. We spent the next several house touring the historic houses and temples of Hoi An, most of which dated back to the 15th century. After a quick lunch and with our new fancy clothing in hand, we headed back to airport off for our flight to Hanoi. We were greeted at the airport by Nam (as in Vietnam). Unlike the Saigon airport which is no more than 10 miles outside of town, our car ride into the city took the better part of an hour. Nam sent us to a fabulous Beefsteak restaurant in the historic old quarter for dinner (think cheap steak, french fries and cold beer for approximately $2.00 per person) where we were definitely the only westerners around. We then took a cyclo (pedal powered taxi cab) back to our hotel, the Sofitel Metropole. Original constructed in 1901, the Metropole has recently been restored and was one of the most amazing places either of us has ever stayed.
Day 13
Travelled by car 3 hours east to Halong Bay, another UNESCO world heritage site, and one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations. We spent the better part of the next two days exploring the areas famed islands, caves and seafood (Yes, Jon Harris, your daughter ate shellfish!!!) from the cozy confines of our own private boat. Words can't really describe what we saw so you'll just have to check out the pictures we took.
Day 14
After spending the morning aboard the ship, we returned to Hanoi and checked back into the Sofitel Metropole. After roughing it (hardly) at sea for two days, we decided to indulge ourselves by gorging ourselves at the hotel's chocolate bar. Suffering from food coma, we spent the rest of the afternoon in bed. That evening, we walked around the old quarter some more and, after a little window shopping, had a late dinner of more authentic Vietnamese food (OK fine, we had pizza again but it was really good:)
Day 15
We spent the morning sightseeing around Hanoi with our tour guide Nam. Basically it was the greatest hits tour of President Ho Chi Minh. Uncle Ho as he is affectionately referred to us basically the Vietnamese equivalent of George Washington, or perhaps more aptly Abe Lincoln for his role in reunifying North and South Vietnam. First we saw him embalmed at his tomb (interestingly he was embalmed against his wishes, his will specifically stated that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread across the country), a very odd experience. Next we saw the Presidential Palace and grounds and finally the stilt house where President Ho Chi Minh spent most of his time. He considered the Presidential Palace, originally built by the French during their time in power, as to ostentatious. We were totally wiped for some reason and spent the rest of the afternoon napping and lounging around the hotel. That evening we took in a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show followed by perhaps the best meal of our entire trip at a restaurant called Indochine.
Day 16
New Year's eve day, our last day in Vietnam and we had it entirely to ourselves. After sleeping late, we decided to spend some quality time wandering around the city with the help of Luxe Guide (thanks Mom)---a guide to Hanoi's trendiest shopping and art galleries. After taking our lunch at a restaurant called Little Hanoi, we were just on our way back to the hotel when we popped into a coffee shop for some Coke Light (Vietnam's answer to Diet Coke) when we bumped into a college friend of mine, Liz Pearce, and her husband. Sometimes it truly does feel like a small word. That night we got all dressed up in our new suits and hit the down for a fancy dinner at the Au Lac House. The hotel was throwing a rather hip party with a DJ flown in from Japan but it had reached capacity by the time we returned from dinner. Instead we celebrated the New Year by watching Pixar's Cars and Disney's High School Musical 2 in bed, just fine as far as we were concerned.
From start to finish, our honeymoon was absolutely fantastic and the first of many overseas adventures that Marcee and I hope to experience together.
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