So in my last entry, I mentioned the Festspiele in Bad Hersfeld. Apparently they constantly host all these musicals and operas because there's the ruins of this beautiful church that makes it ideal for performances. And thus, the tourist attraction of this little humble town, the makings of a European Stratford really :)

After Bad Hersfeld, it was onto the Bahn to Leipzig. This time I chose a train without connections so I didn't have to pay attention to the stops...well, minus the one at Leipzig, that is ;) I tried to get my nap on on the train but the view was also amazing. German castle...German castle...IKEA Distribution....and whoa! IKEA Distribution! I think it's in between Erfurt and Weimar train stops if you guys ever go -- I would have loved a tour of that place but alas, the train moved on. Plus it did seem a tad far from the train station :( And Leipzig was the one city where I had already arranged a taxi to meet me so I had to be on time.

Arriving at Leipzig was a bit of a relief. From the size of the train station (i.e. train station plus big multi-level mall), I had reached a fairly sized city and I was excited to go check out the place. I found my cab driver and got to my hotel, only to find it's a mere 5 min drive. The hotel was gorgeous with very modern decor and best of all -- free high-speed internet (oh how I've missed you so!).

Leipzig itself has a lot of historical and touristy places to go to -- the city hall, the sculptured fountains, old churches, etc. The main city centre bustles with life and food. I loved that it was all within walking distance and the streets from sight to sight were at least covered with some stores or other smaller sights to look at. In search of food on my first night, I found an entire street/alley (Barfußgäßchen) of restaurants with their patios leave only a meter in between tables for the public to walk through. It's hard to tell where one restaurant ends and another begins. I simply sat where I could find a table and hoped for the best. A Sinalco orange (sweet, sparkling OJ) and a serving of steak, mushrooms, and potatoes left me on very good terms with the restaurant. On the way back to the hotel, I saw St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche) and St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche) and the 'Chill House', a store specializing in hookas. ;)

It was getting late so it was back to the hotel.

Btw, again, many ice cream stands and I found out most people sell ice cream at 0.70€ so that takes away my incentive to splurge now. Drats. That said, the Mango Papaya Paradise ice cream and almond wafer at Movënpick was a bit more but certainly one of my favorite desserts.

(Side note: I got back to Seattle on July 1 and am slowly bringing the blog back up to date. More to come on the rest of Leipzig and Dresden)

Finally got to bad hersfeld and despite the fact that there is no free internet to be had anywhere here, it's really a nice place. Reminiscent of small-town, historical Germany (because that's what it is), it's got a lot of narrow streets and old architecture. That said, it's still pretty modern with stores all the way through the main streets of town. Everything that's open sells either beer or ice cream, which is heavenly but bad on the caloric intake. I'm sitting at an ice cream parlour called 'eis venezia' and trying their crema venezia ice cream right now which is like french vanilla and a touch of chocolate fudge here and there. Price is quite reasonable in comparison to every other place I've been: 0.70 euros per scoop. (I love how they don't make buying multiple scoops a bargain.) The weather has a nice breeze and the sun is shining. The town is absolutely beautiful from the main streets and as long as you don't squash a pigeon, you're in good shape.

The hotel I'm staying at is called the Zum Stern Romantik Hotel, an old German house (or rather, probably some ginormous mansion given the number of rooms they have. I do concur that it's very old though as the steps are uneven and the layout certainly doesn't look like it's been updated for the 20th or 21st centuries. It's completely non-accessible so anyone having any issues with stairs is advised to find other accommodation. The bartender (because you have to go by the bar to get to stairway to the rooms) asked if I needed help with my bags when she saw me. I said I could handle it. Afterall, I've been carrying my suitcase around all the subway stairs and hotel stairs and any and all stairs thus far. She replied with an, "Okay. It's up those stairs, then left, then up one more." My face with an, "Oh crap -- more stairs?" look made her laugh. I made it all the way up the one flight and then up the next and then up another step to my room and a mini step into the room. Then, to go to the washroom there is…yes, another step into the washroom. However, they decided that the ceiling would not discriminate between the washroom and the main room so it's the same height. However, everything in the bathroom is at the perfect height if the floor were actually in line with the room so I have to bend everywhere and the slightest jump will collide head with ceiling. Might I add this is also not the place for claustrophobs?

Anyhow, no walking tours today. I took a few pictures of statues and old buildings en route but I'm all touristed out. Today is for me and the laptop and hopefully some good German food the way German food was meant to be: point-and-pay.

Btw, I think I'm the only Chinese person in this entire town. Guess I'll be staying out of trouble for the next couple days.

Lastly, the town is bustling because of the 2007 Bad Hersfelder Festspiele with all these plays and musicals! Way cool! Too bad tickets are outside my budget range … that and it's totally in German :) (Btw, there is absolutely no English TV here at all. 2Fast2Furious was on TV earlier and yes, it was in German too. Can Paul Walker really speak German?....Nah.)

Woke up early this morning to take a last look around, especially since I missed the Goethe Haus (birthplace of Goethe) museum yesterday. I also visited the Liebfrauen Church and had breakfast at Cafe Liebfrauberg. Of a series of breakfasts and things, I chose the one titled "German" breakfast: ham (and something like prosciutto), cheese, fruit salad, an egg, and a bread basket. The "American" breakfast of pancakes and cornflakes and syrup really wasn't my thing today. I can tell you, I've never been a fan of ham and cheese but it was brilliant! One sandwich of prosciutto and cheese, bread topped with ham and cheese, break topped with raspberry jam, some fruit salad, a perfectly boiled egg (yolk just slightly runny) and still plenty more food to spare. I chose this cafe especially because it had tables into the quad near the church and this large fountain and I wanted to enjoy the sunny, peaceful Sunday morning. So after breakfast I stayed there and sipped my latte for a bit and watched this german family have the all-time best breakfast ever: ice cream with wafers and an ice coffee with ice cream.

Then, I saw these 2 women and 3 children walk by the expanse of tables. One women went to a man on the edge of our table line and seemed to be asking for money. He said no and she continued along to my table. I wasn't sure how to tell her I have no change and didn't fully understand what she was saying. Luckily I understood that hand-to-mouth essentially means she wants food and 'brot' is bread. She wants my bread? I tip my bread basket a bit signalling her to take some. She took my big roll and then pointed to my plate. I thought she wanted to spread jam on it or something but she proceeded to take the rest of my ham and my tomato. She then pointed to her kid who was kind of reaching for my plate. I thought she wanted money and signalled that I had no money. As they walked away I wished I had given them my last piece of bread and cheese. I mean they were certainly more than welcome to it but I decided not to chase them down.

Back to the hotel to check out and head to the train station.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Today consisted of several hours of walking around Frankfurt, only to find that Germans are very nice people and every person who can speak perfect English around here is Canadian. I met 3 Canadians on the ubahn into Frankfurt and another one as I was cowering under a shop canopy for shelter from the rain. It's always a welcome sound to hear english being spoken. :)

Today I hit most of historial Frankfurt, walking around the Romerberg and Alt-Sachsenhausen, apparently a very lively part of town near the youth hostel.

Romberberg was packed today for the Parade Der Kulturen Frankfurt (a multi-cultural event) with food from all cultures around. My form of ordering was pretty point-and-pay so I'm not sure what I ate except to say one was a bun with cheese and the other was some kind of fruit and nut mush rolled with coconut. Both were far from what I expected but still tasted good. Note to self: learn about food.

After Romerberg, I headed back to the hotel. The weather here randomly has little spits and storms of rain but it'd be a shame to waste the sunny breaks so I set back out and hopped into stores and even a catholic church when the rain started up again. I finally hit Sachsenhausen after crossing the Eiserner Steg pedestrian bridge over the Main River. The area is comprised of narrow alleyways and old houses, the ground floor of all these buildings being restaurants and bars. A fair number of these brew their own apple wine ("ebbelwoi" - Frankfurten for "apfelwein"); in fact, the area is known for its ebbelwoi and thus, it only makes sense to go and sample it. To my dismay, the area was not so lively as advertised, mainly because I went too early for barhopping (it was only about 7pm). I wasn't sure of where else to go that would get me back here in time for dinner and still give me ample daylight time to get myself back to the hotel (downside of travelling alone) so I found a nice place to eat called the Lorsbacher Thal and bunkered down with some appelwein and schnitzel, a great combination. (Personally, I needed each to hold down the other so it was a good combination for me) :) The owner was also great because she came up to me and said, "English menu?". The relieved look on my face probably said it all. The menu was bilingual so I tried to learn about all the food in case the next place I went to didn't have an englisch version. Learnings? Germans eat every possible part of the pig.

Time to actually get some work done tonight though and figure out the game plan for a couple hours around Frankfurt tomorrow before heading to Bad Hersfeld.

Talk to you all soon!

(Btw, advice on getting around Germany welcome!)

Oy -- another long stretch but I am still kicking.

I'm currently working in the UK and having somewhat of a blast. I already took a day to check out London - the Tower of London, London Bridge, Buckingham Palance, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Oxford Circus, and a bunch of randomness around my travels between several trains and several buses (one which went in the complete wrong direction than intended). I didn't quite see the Fauklands 25 parade but walked around all the closed off streets and saw them prepare for it if that counts.

And now...I'm sitting in the 'hub' of my hotel where the bar and free wifi is.

And I have the compelling urge to say "Cheers" to everyone. :)

Time to go to bed so this will be a short post. More to come later :)

Dudes. All right...lots to catch up on since I apparently haven't blogged in a while.

So, first off, the Amazon Post-Holiday Party on Jan 27th was great! I got there a bit late but in time to catch up with a few friends and then hang out with the Amazon Prime team at Hurricane for some late night eats. (If you're looking for some post-party food, I'd recommend a milkshake and either the chilli dog with everything or the nachos) :)

Next, I caught a showing of The Cats of Mirikitani at the Northwest Asian Film Festival. If you haven't seen it, it's another recommended film.
--------------- SPOILER ALERT!!! -----------------------
It's about a man name Jimmy Mirikitani who lives on the streets of New York City, not as a panhandler, but as an artist. He calls himself a grand master artist and the bulk of the work that the filmmaker shows are of these cats (see "Gallery" link) and of a Japanese internment camp. Jimmy was born in Sacremento, California but grew up in Japan before coming back to the USA as a teenager to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. After WWII, the American government put Japanese people in internment camps and took away their citizenship; Jimmy was one of these innocent people who had no intention to participate in war. Yet he and some of his family members stayed there for years. People died and he never saw his family again. When he was released years later, he worked a series of random jobs before finally making it to New York City. He has been living on the streets for years but is still true to his art. He constantly draws and will not accept money from other unless it is for his art. After 9/11, the American people bring back the concept of segregation and disdain towards the Muslims in the USA, drawing a parallel between the Japanese after the war and the Muslims after the terrorist attack. As the streets are covered with the toxic dust from the World Trade Center, the filmmaker feels sorry for him and actually invites him to live with her. He's a complex character but it's extremely intriguing and touching to unravel his story and his future through this film. I won't tell you the full ending but it's a great film and Jimmy is touring around the world with the film so try to catch it! Btw, he'll be here in Seattle in March so if anyone wants to go, let me know!
--------------- END OF SPOILER ALERT -----------------------

All right, the next thing on the "cool" list is my recruiting trip to Montreal. The industry event was held at the W Montreal and if you do ever go to Montreal, I would highly recommend it (here's a picture of my room). One of the more important parts of the trip, however, is the FOOD. Special thanks to Chris, Chris, Winnie, and the concierge for some of the best food ever. In case you visit Montreal, here's the list of good eats venues:
Lemeac - Here's a picture of me and some of Montreal's finest medical experts before diving into dessert!
My dinner (score out of ten):
Wild mushroom and asparagus risotto (7/10) - very good though a little too cheesy. Definite props on the massive proportion though!
Chocolate tart with ginger ice cream (9.5/10) - amazing! Homemade and with little bits of fresh candied ginger for an extra kick.

W's dinner (score out of ten):
Escargot (10/10): odd that they mixed it with pasta but surprisingly an excellent blend!
Warm spinach salad (7.5/10): a creative blend of warm spinach, fresh parmesian, smoked pork, etc. The pork was a little bit too strong for the salad but in general, mouth-watering and great because it's light.
Homemade cookies and petit fours (9/10): homemade truffles, candies, candied nuts, biscotti, etc! A great platter for sharing and there's 3 of almost everything so that made it easy for us :)

C's dinner (score out of ten):
soup with house croutons (10/10): I can't remember what kind of soup it was and I'm really inclined to say it was french onion soup :) Either way, amazing.
Cod with fennel potatoes (9.5/10): cooked just right and seasoned nicely. The fennel wasn't overpowering but really meshed well with the potatoes and didn't take away from the fish
Roasted pineapple (8/10): I actually didn't give this as high a score as it probably deserves mainly because I'm not a pineapple fan. I do give it bonus points for presentation though ;)

Chez L'Epicier (aka "At the home of the grocer"?) No pictures but great old Montreal ambience (heck, it's from about 1850) and has a lofty feel.
My dinner (score out of ten):
I ordered their steak…mainly because they said they had no steak and that it would be a fillet of cod. :) Hey, protein is protein. ;) Again, cooked to perfection and went extremely well with a smooth red wine.
4 crème brulees - No, I didn't actually order 4 servings. They served 4 different flavours of crème brulee in little cups (the kind you use for chinese tea at dim sum places). The flavours were coffee, gingerbread, vanilla, and coconut. Very smooth, not too sweet, and props for creativity in flavours and the extra little tiny pastry they put in each cup to complement the each one.

Boulangerie
Lastly, a nice little café me and the Chris's hit up before I left for Seattle. You have to have the soup AND the salad AND the sandwich! It's a huge meal but it's delicious. (My advice is get the small salad and half sandwich and top it off with a hot chocolate) :)

Running out of time (and battery life!) so in short, I got back from Montreal, I've been working, and tomorrow is our annual Sortation Summit. Actually, instead of it being a conference on Amazon Sortation…we've decided to actually summit a mountain (sort of) and go skiing/snowboarding. My gear's ready and I need to get up pretty early to meet the team so… a bientot! Hopefully, I'll have some pictures for later…that is, if I don't crush the camera on my descent ;)

If you're not in the Northwest, you maybe unaware that we're having the worst weather we've had in a long time. I thought it was bad when we almost broke our record for the number of consecutive days of substantial rainfall last year. This year, we've had windstorms and snowstorms and all round cold that we haven't seen in a while (if ever?). The windstorm from mid-December pretty much put the state of Washington into a state of emergency. It started with 750 000 people without power, primarily because we have a huge number of extremely tall trees that started falling on power lines and houses. A week later, the number of people without power had dropped to 75 000. And several hundred still went on without power through Christmas. Just when the wind died, snow started and for a state that does not have sufficient equipment to salt roads, it led to some really nasty conditions. Here's some footage from Portland, Oregon:

I can't help but rave about this restaurant I tried out with a friend of mine last week. If you like Mediterranean food at all, you'll absolutely love Marrakesh, a restaurant known for its authentic Moroccan cuisine. I'm not sure how truly authentic it is (I'll leave it up to Meesh to correct me ;)), but I loved everything.

First, the atmosphere is right. You have low tables with large cushions to sit on the floor. Then they bring around a large basin and pour water over your hands for a pre-meal wash. They also give you a towel because quite frankly, you'll need it.

The first course was Marrakesh salad with rolls and traditional lentil soup. Then you have B'stilla Royale, a light pastry with chicken, eggs, nuts, almonds, onions, and parsley and topped with icing sugar and cinnamon. Try it -- you'll love it. Then you get a main course, the only thing you get a choice of on the menu as the rest of the dinner is already set out for you. For me, it was Couscous Marrakesh, couscous topped with lamb and vegetables. Dessert was an amazing tasty but not-too-sweet pistachio honey cake with sweet mint tea to wash it down.

All in all, you can't go wrong. It's well worth the $17.50/person.

Oh and come at 7:30pm for belly dancers ;)

It's 1am and I'm sitting on the couch listening to Beyonce's Irreplaceable with the sound of the heating system pumping out warm air all around. It's just one of those moments of zen where you can just feel comfortable and at home. Rather, it's like those times I would just sit in my armchair in my room at home and watch the snow fall outside. (Coincidentally, it's also snowing outside here though the view of the snow doesn't quite compare). Times like this make me reflect and blog about how things were and how things change and things don't change despite how much time passes. In the midst of work and chores and traffic and weather, it's nice to take a moment to myself just to be. :)

Amazon is trying something new and cool yet again. This time, they're offering products at break-neck deals and all you have to do is vote for the deal you want. If that item gets the most votes, the item will go on sale for the advertised low, low price on the following Thursday at 11am PST.

For example, this week you can get an Xbox 360 Core System for only $100 (regularly $300)! Or a dual-suspension mountain bike for just $30! Or a barbie or $100 in toys and an Amazon Prime membership. Their deals will change per week for the next four weeks so check in every so often and vote for what you want.

Personally, I'd say go for the Xbox 360 ;)

Check out the deals here @ Amazon Customer Vote and vote!