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NYC from 300 Madison

St. Pete

Miami Beach

The Grand Canyon

The Boston Common

The Met on Wagner Night

London, England

The final day of the Anderson family bachelor party has come to a close,
and it has been a great trip. We began the day by exploring Bath Abbey, the
Roman baths (abbey pictured in reflection of water from baths), and the
Royal Crescent. We loaded up our "cute little car" (mom) and set out east
for Stonehenge with more beautiful weather joining us (pictured). We
circled the prehistoric monument with audio guides and got some great
pictures before driving a few miles south to Salisbury and its famed
cathedral (also pictured). Again, we were lucky enough to hear some great
live choral music, and we saw an original manuscript of the Magna Carta,
which excited all of the lawyers among us. A final ride carried us into our
hotel near Heathrow Airport. Since the rest of the family was weary, I made
my way via bus and tube into London alone. I had dinner looking out into
Leicester Square, then walked through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square,
St. James Park and across the Westminster Bridge with views of the London
Eye, Houses of Parliament, and the Big Ben (pictured). I walked along the
Thames to Waterloo Bridge and past Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House
before returning to Piccadilly and taking the long night bus home. Whew!

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Cardiff, Wales - Wells, England - Bath, England

The morning began with a swift change in plans: a decision to change hotels
so that we could spend the night in Bath. We then headed west, across the
Severn River and into Wales. The scenery was beautiful and we were lucky to
have another sunny day- I don't know how we got so lucky with the weather
on this trip. We had a great time taking a self-guided walking tour around
Cardiff. I was of course, hoping to bump into Bryn. After seeing the sites
we made our way via an alternate scenic route across the river and into
Wells. We explored the old city and its renowned cathedral, enjoying
beautiful choral music as we sat for the evensong worship service. After
exploring the cathedral grounds we loaded up in our funny-looking Euro car
and arrived in Bath just before nightfall at our hotel on the Avon River.
We walked to Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant nearby and I enjoyed Welsh
lamb. After dinner, we dumped the parents at the hotel and Walker and I
explored the surprisingly vibrant nightlife for a few hours.

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The Cotswolds, part deux

We had another great day in the Cotswolds covering a lot of ground. Our
first stop was at Sudeley Castle, where Henry VIII and his survived wife
Katherine Parr resided. The gardens and chapel were beautiful and the
castle impressive. We then stopped at the 13th century manor house if the
Earl of Wemyss in Stanway and had probably the most beautiful drive of the
trip passing by oak trees, stone walls, and grazing land with cows and
sheep on either side as we went into Stanton, where we visited the pagan
St. Michael church while the parents recalled having visited 23 years
earlier. We continued the drive and with each turn were presented with
another incredible vista and photo opportunity. We had lunch and browsed
the shops lined with horse chestnut trees in Broadway, "the jewel of the
Cotswolds" and saw the Broadway tower overlooking the town from the nearby
hill. Continuing northeast, Debbie finally made some antique purchases in
Chipping Campden, a 14th century town made quite wealthy by the wool trade.
The trading market building still stands in the middle of High Street, and
we also enjoyed seeing the town's 15th century Perpendicular Gothic "wool"
church. We did a quick drive-through in Snowshill, which is tiny but
beautifully set in the hillside, and then made our final stop in Bibury,
which is regarded by many as "the most beautiful village in England". We
walked along the water, photographed the line of famed cottages at
Arlington Row, and found a wedding rehearsal going on in the town's church.

Unfortunately, the darkness set in and a wrong turn outside of Bristol made
for a "dramatic" ride home. As we pulled into the Tortworth Castle hotel,
Walker pulled out his earphones and asked, "What did I miss?". This was
icing on the cake... We went straight for the bar.

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The Cotswolds, England

Mom spent the morning in the gardens of the hotel before we all caught a
train to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We rented a car for the remainder of our
trip, which dad claims is much easier to drive than the last one. We
explored the birthplace of William Shakespeare, saw his home and his
resting place within the Holy Trinity Church, and walked along the Avon
River, all of which were a little disappointing. We then drove about twenty
minutes southbound into the Cotswolds region of England, which is
incredibly picturesque on a day like we had. We took photos in
Moreton-on-Marsh, went antique shopping in Stow-on-the-Wold (pictured with
the only stocks), and had local beers in Bourton-on-the-Water (also
pictured on bridge), which is described as "the Venice of the Cotswolds"
and was everyone's favorite. We stayed the night in Cheltenham and enjoyed
local Indian cuisine, which is of course very popular in England. While
Walker and I stayed in a typical bedroom, the parents' room was lavishly
decorated in Asian art and called the "Out of Asia Suite". Needless to say,
Debbie no longer felt "at home"...

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The Cotswolds, England

Mom spent the morning in the gardens of the hotel before we all caught a
train to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We rented a car for the remainder of our
trip, which dad claims is much easier to drive than the last one. We
explored the birthplace of William Shakespeare, saw his home and his
resting place within the Holy Trinity Church, and walked along the Avon
River, all of which were a little disappointing. We then drove about twenty
minutes southbound into the Cotswolds region of England, which is
incredibly picturesque on a day like we had. We took photos in
Moreton-on-Marsh, went antique shopping in Stow-on-the-Wold (pictured with
the only stocks), and had local beers in Bourton-on-the-Water (also
pictured on bridge), which is described as "the Venice of the Cotswolds"
and was everyone's favorite. We stayed the night in Cheltenham and enjoyed
local Indian cuisine, which is of course very popular in England. While
Walker and I stayed in a typical bedroom, the parents' room was lavishly
decorated in Asian art and called the "Out of Asia Suite". Needless to say,
Debbie no longer felt "at home"...

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York, England

Happy birthday to Walker! After a quick shopping stroll around George and
Princes streets, we caught a morning train to York via Darlington,
Newcastle, and Durham. We had planned to drop our bags at the hotel
quickly, but when Debbie arrived at the Middlethorpe Hall Hotel she
declared "I'm home" and almost refused to leave (pictured). Built in 1699,
it is described as a "quintessential William and Mary house" and is
maintained by the National Trust with beautiful gardens, vast parklands,
and furnished with antiques and great paintings that mom went on to
describe as "major" (which happens to be one of her highest compliments).
In all honesty, I just thought it was a good deal on Trip Advisor, but I
was glad we could celebrate Walker's birthday in such a great setting. We
did finally make it into York, and first enjoyed a walk along the old city
walls, dating back to the Roman era before the vikings took over the city.
After a walk down the Shambles (a famous shopping/eating pedestrian
alleyway with a quaint feel), we made our way to the York Minster,
Britain's largest cathedral. Its medieval stained glass is as Chartres, and
below the ground floor can be seen several layers of excavation where other
churches had once stood. The Minster dominates the city and was truly the
highlight of our visit. After walking around to see more sites in York, we
took the birthday boy to a beer garden decorated with animal heads on the
wall overlooking Stonegate Street and sampled some local Yorkshire ales. We
then returned to the hotel (south of town beside the horse racetrack) and
walked around the property before dinner. I tried my first grouse and
Walker would not allow us to sing happy birthday, but we had a very nice
celebration.

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The Scottish Highlands

When I initially asked Walker what he had hoped to get out of this trip in
the early stages of planning, his only response was "to see the Loch Ness
monster". So we joined a 12.5 hour grand tour yesterday of the Scottish
Highlands to fulfill Walker's dreams. The rain finally caught us for the
morning portion of the tour, which gave the rolling glens and vast lochs an
eerie but serene appeal as we rode by. The Highlands landscape was
incredible and reminded me of several scenes from the Lord of the Rings
movies. By lunchtime, the weather had cleared and the sunshine and shadows
helped created some really impressive scenes. We saw countless Highland
cattle, sheep, and cows on our drive, along with plenty of heather growing
in the mountain sides. One notable stop was in Glencoe, at the site of the
1692 massacre. We particularly enjoyed a boat ride through Loch Ness (no
spotting of the monster) to Urquhart Castle, which gave us a great view of
the deepest portion of the loch (pictured). After getting as far north as
Inverness, we headed. back south for Edinburgh through the heart of the
Highlands Scotch whiskey distilleries and- of course- bought ourselves some
samples. We returned to Princes street around 9pm and enjoyed a final
Scottish meal and ale before heading to England tomorrow!

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Edinburgh, Scotland

A morning train from Turnberry via Glasgow brought us into the Edinburgh
Waverly station around 11am on another beautiful day. Castle Rock and the
surrounding cliffs really give Edinburgh a totally unique setting, and I do
believe it lives up to it's reputation as Europe's most handsome city.
After dropping bags at the Royal Scots Club off Princes Street, we enjoyed
a tour of the dungeons, chapels, memorials, and batteries of Edinburgh
Castle, perched well above the city for strategic position. I was
particularly impressed by the War Memorial and the Royal scepter and crown.
We made our way from the castle down the Royal Mile and into the impressive
St. Giles cathedral. Outside, Walker took my picture next to the statue of
Adam Smith. We continued down the Royal Mile, stopping to admire kilts and
whiskey collections before paying a visit to the royal residence at
Holyrood Palace, where the Queen stays and entertains during her annual
visit to Scotland and where Mary Queen of Scots resided. Dad and I then
spent nearly two hours walking around the Princes and Queens street areas
before we all gathered at a local Scottish restaurant and tried our first
Haggis (google it). I actually thought it was delicious! Finally, I went
walking with the bachelor on a haunted city tour that ended in one of
Edinburgh's graveyards. It was more interesting and informative than scary,
but we had a great time.

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Turnberry, Scotland

The Ayrshire region on the southwestern coast of Scotland has been a haven
for golfers since the game's beginnings, and on a day like the one we had
no trouble understanding why. Turnberry is one of Scotland's most
celebrated courses, and our family enjoyed hitting around on the practice
course set right on the beach (though we were all reminded why we picked
other sports to pursue). We arrived early to Turnberry via a two hour ferry
from Larne, Northern Ireland to Troon, Scotland. A twenty minute cab
through incredible Scottish landscape was enough to sell me on this
country, but it kept getting better. The smoked salmon served at breakfast
was definitely the best I've ever had. We then walked down from the hotel
to enjoy a huge regional horse show Turnberry was hosting. Hundreds of
horse trailers from all around the region had come for their horses to
compete, and we watched for quite some time as horses raced and jumped in
the course set against the backdrop of the Scottish hills. As we walked
away, we were approached by a team of representatives from Glenfiddich, who
pressured us to try their samplings of the well-known scotch whiskey. They
didn't have to twist my arm too hard for me to try the 12, 15, and 18 year
old single malts. We continued an incredible walk along the beach, through
the woods, over the cliffs and up to the Culzean Castle, the 18th century
product of Robert Adam (pictured above). Before dinner, we were able to
hear a bagpiper in full dress playing in the front lawn of Turnberry. We
enjoyed local lamb and salmon before retiring early in preparation for an
early morning train to the capital city of Edinburgh.

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Larne, Northern Ireland

We really enjoyed our stay at the Newforge House b&b. Walker loved the idea
of sharing a king size bed with me so much that he pulled his half of the
twin mattress set on the floor and slept there. We then made our second
attempt at driving the car on the left side of the road and had much
greater success. We hit the coast at Larne and made our way up the famed
Causeway Coastal Route, which was reminiscent of Route 1 in California with
cascading cliffs and quiet port towns every few miles. We enjoyed stops at
the picturesque Dunluce Castle, the coastal hike and suspended rope bridge
at Carrick-A-Rede, a sample of whiskey at Ireland's oldest, the Old
Bushmills Distillery, and the unusual six-sided basalt columns at The
Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO world Heritage site before returning the rented
car in Belfast. Our hotel tonight looks out over the port, where we will
sail for Scotland in the morning!

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Moira, Northern Ireland

After a full Irish breakfast in the heart of Dublin, the family loaded up
in a rental car bound for Northern Ireland. With only a few minor issues
and scares getting used to driving on the left side of the road, we made
our way to Malahide Castle and had a nice tour and lunch in the nearby
town. We also stopped to see the Newgrange megalithic passage tomb (dated
3000 BC) and the battlefield at Boyne before settling down with the local
Clanconnel beer at the Newforge House. We enjoyed drinks in the garden and
farm around this picturesque b&b (pictured) and had some local salmon in
the town of Moira nearby before bed.

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Dublin, Ireland

We arrived safely for the "Anderson family bachelor party" early Thursday
morning and had a great first day in Dublin. The weather was perfect, as
was the Guinness. After a full Irish breakfast we spent the day walking
throughout the city, with highlights including St. Patrick's cathedral, the
beautiful parks and greens filled with people enjoying the reputedly rare
sunshine, Trinity College, the National Concert Hall, the old city walls,
O'Connell Street, Christ Church and the viking area of town, and the
Jameson distillery. I was asked to taste American, Scotch, and Irish
(Jameson) whiskeys side-by-side, and after making a somewhat pressured
decision I was awarded a certificate (pictured above) for my tasting
"abilities". We enjoyed a great dinner at L'Ecrivain, featuring smoked eel,
quail, and monkfish. After the guys enjoyed a pint of Guinness at Temple
Bar, we all retired to th Westin Dublin.

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Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Virginia Gentlemen Alumni Reunion 2k10 - Eleven members of the group dubbed the "Hill Jeffries Era" VG Alumni gathered in Sea Pines for a great weekend at the beach. Biking, wiffle ball, swimming, bocce, a night on the town in Savannah, Low Country Boil, and the antics of "Team Richmond" rounded out the highlights list...

Asheville, North Carolina

The Biltmore Estate

New Orleans

I have been working for PricewaterhouseCoopers here in New Orleans each
week since November. The cuisine is incredible, as is the music. Highlights
have included NOLA restaurant, a Hornets game, Mardi Gras festivities, a
classical concert at St. Louis cathedral, live jazz at Preservation Hall,
and the Saints Super Bowl Welcome Home parade!

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Copenhagen- Well, I usually don't blog about days at sea, but
yesterday was particularly exciting for two reasons. First, Walker
attended an art auction, entered a raffle contest, and won a large
colorful painting of a woman by the French artist Linda Le Kinff!
Then, Walker was flipping channels on the tv before bed and when I
heard a certain familiar sound I shot up in bed and yelled for him to
turn back. It was Will and Nate, two of my very best friends from Uva
playing with their band Parachute on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show! If you
haven't done so already, stop reading NOW and open up iTunes and buy
their album, "Losing Sleep". I couldn't believe I was seeing them on
tv in the middle of the Baltic! Another great day at sea!

Today, we enjoyed exploring our final port of call here in the capital
of Denmark. We were dropped off by the opera house and walked through
the King's Garden and the botanical gardens to see the
Renaissance-style Rosenberg Castle, where soldiers drilled and marched
to stately music. We then visited the rococco home of the Danish royal
family at Amalienborg Palace and the Lutheran Church. After quick
visits to the National Museum and the Carlsberg Sculpture Museum, we
finished our long sightseeing trip with a trip to the world-famous
Tivoli Gardens amusement park, supposedly Walt Disney's inspiration
back in the day since Tivoli was founded in 1843! We enjoyed classic
roller coasters, modern rides, cotton candy, and Danish Carlsberg beer
before returning to the ship and setting sail for Amsterdam.

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Tallinn- Today we enjoyed a quick visit to the historic capital of
Estonia from 7am until 2. Tallinn is a quiet and beautiful town still
holding onto Russian cultural influences, though it gained
independence in 1991. Set on a hill above the Gulf of Finland, the old
town is a medieval enclave filled with old walls, towers, winding
cobbled lanes and buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. We visited
3 more churches in the old own, and I must say that the churches we've
visited on this trip are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. We
made our way all around Tallinn on foot in just a few hours and had
beautiful weather for pictures. We are looking forward to a sea day
tomorrow to rest our legs and perhaps enjoy another scotch tasting
before Copenhagen on Thursday!

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St. Petersburg- We spent over 4 hours of our first day in Russia at
the incredible Hermitage Museum, which is second only to that other
one in Paris in terms of size and wealth of artistic collection. The
exhibits were incredible, and the decor of the museum was truly a site
in and of itself. Today Russia celebrated some sort of maritime
holiday, so everyone wore sailor hats around town. After the museum,
we searched in vain for food before visiting the iconic Church of the
Resurrection, which is filled with beautiful mosaics and topped with
striking onion domes, which make this church the most photographed
site in the city. We then visited a local souvenir market and picked
out some of those hand-painted dolls with other smaller dolls stacked
inside them (I can't remember their special name). The only gifts we
can take out of Russia are these dolls, vodka, amber, and certain
amounts of caviar... Haha, what? Finally, I was fortunate enough to
get a ticket to see the opera Lucia di Lamermoor at the famous
Mariinsky Theatre, built in 1860 and celebrating its 226th opera
season. This was a wonderful cap to a great and memorable day in
Russia. We are docked in port tonight and will sail out at 5:30pm
tomorrow!

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St. Petersburg- Our second and final day in Russia was spent visiting
the sites in the city that we missed yesterday. We walked along the
Neva River to Peter and Paul Fortress, then past the Rostral Columns
and on to Dekabristov Square, where we took pictures of the famed
"Bronze Horseman". We then toured the incredibly ornate St. Isaac's
Cathedral and climbed up to the top of the dome for panoramic views of
the city. The afternoon rain kept us from visiting Peterhoff, but
since it was modeled after Versailles I wasn't too disappointed since
I was just there in Paris. Russia is definitely not a tourist-friendly
place, but we had a great time even though we had a tougher time
navigating the city than usual. To me, the highlights were definitely
the two churches, the Hermitage, and the opera last night. Now we're
off to Estonia!

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Helsinki- It was a gorgeous day here on the southern coast of Finland,
where we enjoyed walking along the Gulf of Finland and on to visit the
Lutheran Cathedral at Senate Square, the Kauppatori Market where local
women were knitting all sorts of clothing, the brick Uspenski
Cathedral, and the city park. We also really enjoyed hearing some
young musicians playing along the Esplanade. Perhaps the most exciting
find of the day was a Donatello flavored Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
sports drink discovered at a local supermarket! Yes, I bought it in
case you were wondering...

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Stockholm- Walker and I blended right in today with all of the local
Swedish blondes as we toured this wonderful city. We visited the
Flagship Vasa, Storkyrkan Cathedral, the Royal Palace, City Hall, and
Riddarholms Church. 14 islands and 50 bridges give the city the name,
"the Venice of the North" and we got some great photos along the
waterfront. I forced Walker into the beautiful Stockholm Opera House
at the end of our walk and then we caught the last bus back to the
ship and grabbed some ice cream for the sail away. The ship is
crowded, busy, and strikingly diverse in composition, but Walker and I
have enjoyed life on board so far. We've attended the nightly shows
and scotch tastings and are off now to formal night.

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Warnemunde & Rostock- Today was fairly overcast here in northern
Germany, but we were excited to get off the ship in our first port of
call after a sea day Tuesday. After about 20 minutes, Walker decided
that Rostock is Germany's version of Swainsboro (i.e. Absolutely
nothing exciting has ever happened here). We did visit 2 beautiful
churches, ate bratwursts, and each drank "a meter of beer" (don't ask)
at a German brewery in order to drown the memories of what Walker has
called the "most forgettable place I've been since the Vienna Opera".
That's what I call a complement! Haha, another day at sea tomorrow
before Helsinki.

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Amsterdam- After 6 years, it was wonderful to return to Amsterdam,
which lives a dual life as a quaint, historic, canal town with
incredible churches and master art and a party town after dark with
its famous coffee shops and Red Light District. Our visit was rated PG
with our visits to the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum (with
incredible Rembrant and Vermeer), the Heineken Brewery, and a very
brisk stroll through the Red Light area... Now we're sailing for
Germany on the Celebrity Century and will be at sea tomorrow!

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Paris- Took the city by storm in a whirlwind tour of some of Paris'
incredible highlights: Monmartre, Opera Garnier, Musee D'Orsay, Notre
Dame, Saint Chapelle, Jardins du Luxembourg (where kids were sailing
mini sailboats in the fountain), St Germain des Pres, Tour Eiffel,
Versailles, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and, of course, des escargots!
Surprisingly the weather was a little chilly (yet beautiful) and my
legs are more tired than they've been all summer, but as always Paris
was amazing and I even got to dust off some old phrases from high
school french to wow the locals ;) haha, most just responded to my
french in impatient english!

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Paris- After having been in Asia for a month, I believe that even Hill
Jeffries and Paul Anderson would join me in kissing the Parisian soil
and smiling at all of the "big noses" (as Westerners are
affectionately referred to as in Asia) that greet you with "bonjour"
and don't feel compelled to touch your hair or be in a picture! Even
though this is my 4th visit, I'm excited to visit as many of the
tourist spots and museums as possible and to get to Versailles for the
first time! Its actually kind of chilly here! I'm feeling the jet-lag
for the first time so it might be time for un cafe!

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J. Lawson Anderson
lawsonanderson@gmail.com
(404) 944-1735

University of Virginia, CLAS 2009
jla7r@virginia.edu

The Virginia Gentlemen
thevirginiagentlemen.com

New Delhi- Enjoyed a few relaxing days here in Delhi reading by the
pool and working out at the hotel gym. Yesterday, I rode around the
"new" city and saw Sir Edwin Lutyens designs in the India gate, the
President's home, Parliament, and the tree lined boulevards. Then I
saw two more World Heritage sites: Humayun's tomb (said to be the
inspiration behind the construction of the Taj Mahal) and the leaning
tower Qutab Minar. Even though I have a LONG day of travel ahead, I
won't be too sad to bid farewell to India. Been there, done that...
forgot to get the t-shirt. Is this really the world's next economic
super power?

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Agra- I woke up at 5am for a 4 hour drive in a van with 6 others (from
India, Australia, and Spain) to Agra. Our first stop was the Taj
Mahal, which to me is quite deserving of its title as a wonder of the
world. The detail of the inlaid marble came alive the closer we walked
to the Taj, but I will never forget the experience of walking through
the maine gate and taking in the site all at once. It is truly
breathtaking. Jeans were a bad choice, considering that the humidity
pushed the heat to an almost unbearable level. I am the focus of even
more pointing and staring here than in China, but the looks here are
not happy ones... At all. While the men wear the new arrivals from the
shelves of Value Village, the women cover their bodies with some
really vibrant and beautiful fabrics that breathe life into an
otherwise desolate street scene. I'm so glad I'm having this
experience in India, but, as I wrote to my dad today, I think the best
way to see India might be with a National Geographic Blue Ray disc, an
arm chair, and a cold Sweet Water 420. We did also enjoy a nice
traditional Indian meal for lunch today after visiting Agra Fort and a
marble factory, so that was a nice experience. All in all, it was a
great day- the Taj Mahal is a site I will never forget!

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New Delhi- I am safe in India after a long day of travel yesterday.
Today I toured Old Delhi, with its markets, the Red Fort, the Lotus
Temple, the Rajghat (Gandhi memorial), Jama Masjid (India's largest
mosque), and the Ferozshah Kotla. This is- without a doubt- the
nastiest place I've ever been. I don't even want to mention the
various things I saw on the ground in the street markets. Piles of
bricks and rubbish all over the city indicate that the motor of
India's capital city stopped running a long time ago. I'm off to Agra
in the morning to see the Taj Mahal!

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Bangkok- Those who know me well know that I've never met an ice-cream I didn't like... Well, that was until I accidentally ordered curry flavored yesterday! It's like mixing beets and applesauce- they just don't belong in the same bowl. I enjoyed my last night walking around Bangkok and woke up early today to ride through the canals of the famous Floating Market, and now I'm off to India! 16 flights down, only 5 to go!

Macau- Today I rode the ferry and hired a driver to take me around the island of Macau. The nearly 400 tears of Portuguese rule that ended in '99 is still alive in the colorful, elegant buildings, squares, and churches. It has only taken about 4 years for the casinos to add flashier color to Macau, but this juxtaposition makes the island truly unique. The Venetian is 3x the size of the one in Vegas! Just returned to Hong Kong to see the harbor light show!

Hong Kong- After weeks of endless rain here in HK, the skies have cleared for two beautiful days in this strikingly Western city by the sea. Though shopping near my hotel here in Kowloon is the main attraction for tourists, I really enjoyed the view over the city from Victoria Peak and a sampan ride through the fishing community of Aberdeen. I picked up souvenirs at Stanley Market and had a few suits made for work after walking all around Kowloon Bay area

Shanghai- Ayn Rand wrote, "A city is the frozen shape of human courage- the courage to say, not 'it seems to me,' but 'it is'". Shanghai is preparing to host the 2010 World Expo, and it is clear that this globalized city is the beacon of modernity. The illuminated city did seem peacefully frozen tonight as I enjoyed the views from a river boat after exploring People's Park earlier where a crowd of kids practiced their English by telling me several stories

Shanghai- God bless America. Happy 4th! Enjoyed a visit to the Yu Garden at Old Town, walking on the glass floor 300 meters above the city in the Oriental Pearl Tower and exploring The Bund and Nanjing Rd. I even saw a man in an Auburn shirt and yelled "War Eagle"! A very American moment for me... Fun Fact for the day: the largest chain of convenience stores in China is called "Lawson". Not kidding. Japanese owned. I got a picture today, no worries.

Shanghai- They proudly call this city "the archetypal urban template" and after only one day I can see why. There can't be another skyline on earth that matches this one. Like in the good old USA, there's a welcomed lack of architectural and cultural cohesion, as the city instead takes on the melting pot feel of NYC with much more room to breathe. I even stumbled upon the PwC offices today after a visit to the Shanghai Museum and the French Concession!

Guilin- Yesterday I had a chance to walk along the lakes and bridges of this most picturesque Chinese town, but the most memorable scenery came today during a cruise down the Li river where the famous rock formations reminded me of Halong and Capri. I also enjoyed visits to Reed Flute cave and Fu Bo hill

Xi'an- The China tour has been different since I am alone (no group) with different guides in each city. The terra cotta warriors were really quite a sight, as were the 22 types of dumplings I was forced to try and the famous Chinese "hot pot"... Off now to Guilin for Wednesday and Thursday. Happy July!

Xi'an- The drive into the city proved that Xi'an was indeed the longest standing capital city of Imperial China, as countless burial mounds of emperors rose up out of the surrounding fields along the highway. Xi'an still retains its city wall from roughly 600 AD, and I enjoyed biking along the top of the wall around the entire old city for a few hours this afternoon. I'm very excited to see the terra-cotta army tomorrow!

Beijing- Today began with a walk through the park, where we heard musicians and saw old folks dancing and playing games near the 15th c. Temple of Heaven. Then I hiked solo for 3 hours along the Great Wall on a beautiful (but scorching) day and was featured in at least 30 pictures with Asian tourists holding up the peace sign. After dinner I saw a traditional Peking Opera show. Walker, you would have died- the vocals sounded like Halloween animatronics

Beijing- Today I enjoyed a morning visit to Tiananmen Square, where I saw chairman Mao and watched the daily crowds gather before touring the Forbidden City with its Ming Palace- featured in "Hero", "The Last Emporer", and many other movies. Then we visited the Summer Palace, its imperial garden, and took a boat ride on Lake Kun. Tonight, I attended a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and had then ate an incredible Beijing duck dinner!

Beijing- Well, it took 20 hours to get here, but the journey was certainly not void of excitement. A team of folks dressed in Fisher Price space suits stormed the plane when we landed (at 4am local time!) and zapped all of us in the forehead with some gun that apparently detects swine flu... I finally got to the New World Hotel and just grabbed a pizza at the Kro's Nest, founded by a Westminster alum- delicious! Tour starts in the morning!

Bangkok- I bid farewell to the 7 other members of the group today after a really great tour. I spent the afternoon walking the streets of Bangkok (still filthy), eating some curry and thai noodles, and swimming in the hotel pool. Then, I rode to the top of Thailand's highest building and hit golf balls!

Siem Reap/Angkor- I REALLY enjoyed our two days touring the temples of Cambodia here in Angkor. Today was my favorite of the whole tour, and everyone in the group agreed that we wished we’d had one more day here. The highlight was certainly Ankur Wat from the early 12th century, but all of these Hindu and Buddhist temples were adorned with the most intricate carvings and designs considering their age and the primitive tools used in their construction. Other temple highlights included the carved faces at Bayon and the temple with giant gum trees growing all over and around it, which apparently was featured prominently in the Tomb Raider movie. Yesterday, we spent the whole day touring Angkor Wat, but since the weather was bad we returned for an hour today (which was absolutely perfect weather but incredibly hot) along with our visits to seven other temples. Whew, it was a long day, but really unforgettable. We just finished our final group dinner, which was concluded by Sandra (the lady who single-handedly jump started the Thai, Vietnamese, and Cambodian economies by buying almost every souvenir from every single vendor she encountered) saying, “You know, I’ve been doing tours like this for years, and I just want to thank all of you for being so normal!” It was a very pleasant group to travel with, and I think we all really enjoyed getting to know each other. We return to Bangkok tomorrow morning and have a free day to explore, and our tour ends on Thursday after breakfast. Then it’s off to China…

Cu Chi- First of all, Happy Father's Day!!! Dad, I hope the bluegrass out in Telluride is treating you well! Well, today we ventured from Saigon to Cu Chi to explore the iconic forest domain of the unification fighters against the U.S. troops and the Saigon army. These forests have been depicted in countless war movies about Vietnam. The woods seemed so peaceful, but we could see land mine craters, the horrible forest floor traps that were once hidden under leaves, and the incredibly disguised hideouts for these warriors. The Cu Chi woods are most famous for the system of secret underground tunnels, and we were able to crawl on our hands and knees in the pitch black darkness for 40 meters through one tunnel- I could barely fit my shoulders through some areas, and many Cu Chi peoples actually lived in these tunnels for years during the war! Children were born underground and people would light fires to make themselves sweat in order to cleanse their bodies. I can't even imagine- 4 minutes down there was more than enough. I thought several times about how these woods were really quite similar to those in south GA at the Kea Mill. I was handed an AK-47 and shot several rounds into a target on a shooting range before we left. On the way back to Saigon (the younger generation only refers to the city by its newer name, Ho Chi Minh City), we stopped at a temple of the Caodai religion, which is a mix between Buddhism, Taoism, and Confusianism. The service going on was an incredible sight to see. Designed more like a basilica than a Chinese temple, the floor was covered with worshipers in all different colored robes and hats in perfect lines facing forward. Traditional instruments and a very oriental sounding chant played through the entire service. The temple itself was extremely colorful so the pictures turned out really neat. Interestingly enough, Victor Hugo is hailed as a patron saint of Caodai. We then returned to Saigon, and when one of the kids looked out the window and saw Bud's ice-cream of San Francisco, he yelled and we all cried out to have the bus pulled over. We stormed the ice-cream shop and just went crazy! Delicious! I then went to the biggest bookstore in the city and miraculously found "Atlas Shrugged" on the bottom shelf of a horribly organized section, so now I can stop watching looped CNN spots talking about how awful things are in Iran right now. Only Sandra (the consultant from California) and I went to dinner (another French restaurant, thank goodness!), as the others were "too tired". I asked Sandra about her experiences being here having lived through the Vietnam war era herself. She told me many sad stories, one about her boyfriend who never returned and that she had found several of his letters in a box only a few months ago, and she admitted that these past two days had been especially hard for her. Tonight is our last in Vietnam. We're off to Cambodia tomorrow morning! Have a great week!

Ho Chi Minh City- Today was a hard day to swallow, as we visited the Vietnam "War Crimes" museum and the Reunification Palace, both of which are propagandist outlashings against the U.S. Army. There really are 2 sides to every story. I did enjoy walking the streets of Saigon later to see Notre Dame cathedral and the opera house. There is still a huge French presence here, and I was extremely happy to see that influence turn up on my dinner plate!

Hue- On our way to the old imperial capital of Vietnam, we saw some incredible scenery out the window and stopped several times for pictures. We passed through the Hai Van mountains, which reminded me of the Blue Ridge mountains and C'Ville and saw the beautiful lakes at the foot of the pass. We stopped to take pictures of some goats at a rest stop and I almost had my camera bitten out of my hand! Though it is incredibly hot here, we enjoyed a tour of the walled citadel where the kings ruled from the throne at Hue. Then, we cruised the "Perfume River" in a wooden boat. Our guide asked, "Can't you smell the perfume?" I took in a big whiff and caught the aroma of dead fish... maybe the translation is off? Haha. I listened for several minutes to Buddhist monks chanting inside one of the temples of the Forbidden Purple City and was probably featured in about 40 candid photos taken by other Asian tourists... I tried the Emporer Minh Mang's special wine and it about knocked my socks off. Whew! Early flight to Saigon tomorrow so I'm off to bed soon!

Danang- After a short flight, we enjoyed learning about the Cham people at the Cham museum and then climbed the beautiful Marble Mountains and saw the Buddhist sanctuary caves used by Vietnamese soldiers as hideouts as well as the grand pagoda built into the marble cliffs. Every time we stop we get attacked by vendors! I had a gross lunch of noodles and mystery meat mixed together with what looked like hair gel. After that we visited the old port city of Hoi An and then back to the really nice Furama Resort hotel where I ordered room service dinner and watched the new ninja turtles movie on tv... Haha!

Halong Bay- We had a really peaceful and enjoyable boat ride on a traditional Chines "junk" boat all around the incredible limestone cliffs of Halong Bay today. We also got to climb into the Heavenly Cave and saw the amamzing rock formations inside. I learned today that there is no appreciation for personal space over here. We were in this amazing cave and all of these tourists were scrambling around with their heads down, touching me squirming right by as if they have somewhere to be. It's incredible. I felt like I was in a Lemmings computer game, haha. Nonetheless, it was a spectacular trip. We just returned to Hanoi and I went out by the lake and got some ice-cream! Tonight we have a "Western" dinner here in Hanoi... let's see what that's all about.

Hanoi- The rain pured down and thunder appropriately rolled as we made our way somberly through the "Hanoi Hilton," as the old French prison was notoriously dubbed by American POW's in the Vietnam War. We saw where John McCain was kept and his pilot uniform (he actually parachuted out of his plane when it was shot down and landed in the lake that my hotel room looks directly over). I got some pretty intense stare-downs by the guards at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, where his body lies embalmed- I stick out like a sore thumb here, haha. We enjoyed seeing the one-pillar pagoda and Ho Chi Mihn's stilted house before the sun came out and we took a three hour ride to Halong Bay, the UNESCO World Heritage site. The limestone cliffs rising out of the water look like giant cypress root stumps- it's really an amazing site to see! We will stay the night here in Halong Bay and we are all excited about taking a boat cruise through the bay and into one of the caves tomorrow. All of the meals have had at least 10 courses, but I have still managed to lose all of my "crystal weight"! They have scales in all of the hotels and only eat fruit for dessert (maybe that's why everyone's so thin over here!). The Florida family and the Mexican couple often carry on in Spanish over meals, which is quite funny! Even the kids (ages 8 and 11) float back and forth between English and Spanish, so maybe I'll come back with some key phrases, haha. I started reading "Atlas Shrugged" and was really getting into it, but I accidently left it on the airport so I've got to find a bookstore. But the iPod has been a dear friend. Just tried my first Tiger beer at dinner too- not bad! Alright, I'm off to bed!

Hanoi- After a 4am wake up call, we took a short flight to the Vietnam capital and enjoyed a HOT AND HUMID day here. The weather reminds me of football camp in Florida... But we really enjoyed seeing the Temple of Literature and taking pedicab rides through the Old Quarter of Hanoi. There are basically no trafic laws, so we were right in the middle of the action and got to see an up close and personal view of street life in Hanoi. We then saw a traditional water puppet show, which sounds funny but was actually incredible to watch. The tradition goes back over a thousand years. Our guide mentioned that Vietnamese people eat dog and horse meat on the way to dinner, so 2 people in the group have vowed to stay away from meat for the rest of the trip! Oh yeah, and yesterday when we visited one of the temples outside Bangkok, the greeter was wearing a UGA polo shirt- I said "Go Dawgs!" and he gave me a priceless blank stare... oh well.

Ayyuthaya- Today we enjoyed a tour by bus to Thailand's ancient capital city, where we saw the ruins of the old palace and temple, along with the summer palace of the Thai royal family, which was surprisingly Western in design. We then had another great Thai meal aboard a river boat cruise, which brought us back to Bankok in the late afternoon. We were able to see the Temple of the Dawn from the deck. Tonight we ventured to the night bazaar for a crazy shopping experience second only to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. We have to wake up at 5am for our flight tomorrow to Vietnam- yikes! our group consists of a family of four from Florida, a honeymoon couple from Mexico, and a IT consultant older lady from California- a pretty funny mix, but all seem very nice!

Bangkok- Tour highlights today were the incredible Royal Palace, the Emerald Buddha Temple, and the beautiful Thai art/design collections at the Jim Thompson house. We had 2 delicious traditional thai meals and got to see a Thai dance performance tonight! People keep pointing and staring at my hair, haha

Bangkok- I arrived safely this morning and spent the day exploring the city on foot and by "tuk-tuk" taxi carts. It's very busy and pretty trashy- vendors' carts flood the streets with strange foods, but the tour sarts tomorrow and we'll get to see the more appealing Bangkok, including the Royal Palace!

Happy birthday Granddad! Hope everyone's having fun at the beach- I'm off to Bankok tomorrow and will write when I arrive!

Assisi- Beautiful day in the Umbria region of Italy in the hillside town where the Franciscan movement began. S. Francesco basilica is decorated with frescos and the buildings of the town are made with pinkish and pale stones. I visited all churches and the fortress atop the hill. Oh, and gelato of course

Rome- Saw 8 beautiful churches today (guidebook suggested them)- favorite was S. Giovanni Laterano. Dinner at he famous Pizzeria da Baffetto and gelato, then saw a piano concert amidst the ruins at Teatro Marcello. Finally, I went to the Forum overlook for the nighttime view before a long walk home!

Rome- 2 great days in one of my favorite cities with the VG's. You name it, I think we saw it! I think the Vatican was the favorite. I saw the guys off to the airport this morning, and thus begins my solo journey. I'm going to see churches and a concert tonight and travel to Assisi tomorrow hopefully!

Sorrento- Final sea day yesterday was spent getting a Crystal haircut, trivia, and a drawing class (and food...)- 9 lbs total gained on board. Today we explored Sorrento and took a boat out around Capri while those who hadn't seen it visited Pompeii. Capri's limestone cliffs were unforgettable. On to Rome