tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39362280001290393172024-02-06T22:08:15.334-08:00Plain-Jane's Travelsplain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-18320270924391910172014-01-26T16:12:00.003-08:002014-01-26T16:13:01.444-08:00Moving blogs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi! I've moved my blog to <a href="http://www.plainjanetravels.com/">http://www.plainjanetravels.com</a>.</div>
plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-82710749742994269482014-01-04T21:42:00.002-08:002014-01-04T21:42:53.874-08:00Asia for Work - Fall 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The goal of the trip was to meet folks work in Asia, build a personal connection and collaborate on several projects. I can’t stress enough the importance of meeting and listening to folks in person. So much is lost over a phone conversation.</span><br />
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<b>Singapore</b></div>
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After oversleeping my alarm for a flight earlier this year, I try to avoid early morning flights. It didn’t happen, so I ended up on the first flight from Austin to San Francisco. I uncharacteristically took a window seat and managed to get some sunrise shots over the wing.</div>
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The flight over was uneventful, and I tried melatonin for the first time. I’m not sure why I took so long to do so — it worked like a charm. Since I arrived early Sunday, I made arrangements to rent a road bike from the <a href="http://www.thebikebutler.com/">Bike Butler</a> and rode with the <a href="http://www.anza.org.sg/members/group_content_view.asp?group=112353&id=271433">Anza cycling team </a>around part of the country. They're a friendly group of fast expats. I rode with the group on a freeway, AND I saw the border with Malaysia! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strava route for ride around Singapore</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dragonfruit!</span></td></tr>
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<b>Tokyo</b></div>
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After a couple days of great meetings in Singapore, we left for Tokyo. Since I was jet lagged, I woke up way before work the day after Halloween in search of food. I saw tons of folks heading home after a night of drinking in full costume. Glad to see Halloween is a universal holiday.</div>
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I spent the weekend in Tokyo and met up with Regan & his wife Sharon at the Park Hyatt. It’s a gorgeous hotel. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to swim in the pool due to their strict no tattoo rules. On the other hand, we were there for Tokyo Design Week. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Regan in the sticker storage container @ Tokyo Design Week</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Me @ Tokyo Design Week</span></td></tr>
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<b>Shanghai</b></div>
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After Tokyo, I headed onto Shanghai. We got to stay at the can opener, which was the highest building in the city at the time. They were building something even taller nearby. The office in Shanghai is just gorgeous - I felt so energized yet relaxed in the office. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">View of the Pearl Tower & Bund from hotel</span></td></tr>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-67882279670431275782013-12-31T00:56:00.002-08:002013-12-31T00:56:50.840-08:00Japan - Summer 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Originally, my friends and I had plans to head to Tokyo and check out the <a href="http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/">Ghibli Museum</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">. However, they were flying standby and didn’t catch their flights. Instead of criss-crossing back and forth between Kyoto and Tokyo, I went straight to Kyoto. I spent the next two days going from shrine to temple to shrine. </span><br />
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On the third day, I headed to my hotel in Tokyo. Shibuya. The weather was cold and rainy, so I didn’t venture outside. However, I did spend plenty of time in <a href="https://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/">Tokyo Hands</a> before dropping by the office.</div>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-79501992788751083542013-12-31T00:45:00.003-08:002013-12-31T00:45:46.336-08:00Taiwan - Summer 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As soon as I got off the airport bus, the heat and humidity hit me like a wall. It took the will out of me. I didn't want to do anything or leave the cooling AC. I had plans to see sights (or at least the National Palace with all the historic Chinese treasures), but I didn't want to walk outside.</span><br />
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I stayed with my friend Rick and his roommates. They have a 4 bedroom apartment with a Japanese room (commonly used to play mahjong) as a guest room. Since I didn't see many sights, I spent my time eating and hanging out with folks I haven't seen in a while (Regan and his bride Sharon, the out of town folks, etc). We went to <a href="http://plainjanetravels.blogspot.sg/2010/12/trail-run-and-dumplings.html">Din Tai Fung </a>which still blew me away after all these years. We also had a 10 course omakase lunch at a Japanese restaurant. This cemented my opinion that Taiwan is a great foodie destination. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The wedding was at a restaurant on the 86th floor of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_101" style="font-family: Arial;">Taipei 101</a><span style="font-family: Arial;">. Breathtaking views, and a beautiful wedding.</span><br />
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Even though we stayed out late at the wedding after party, I still woke up early due to jet lag. Rick’s roommate was up and preparing for a 10K with her friend. So, I hydrated and did part of the Nike women's run. I had a hard time in the heat, so we cut off back to Rick’s place after 4 miles or so. Good way to say goodbye to Taiwan.</div>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-38291667052707755162013-10-28T17:43:00.002-07:002013-12-31T00:37:15.854-08:00Asia - Summer 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My high school friend [and college roommate] Regan has been an expat in Taiwan for several years and got married in June. Several of his friends traveled to Taiwan to celebrate his wedding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first stop was Korea where I met up with Regan and Do for Ultra Music Festival. I went to Ultra with Do and the Lambda's eleven or twelve years ago in Miami, and it's always been a fond memory. UMF Korea took it up a notch. </span><br />
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The only things we did other than going out was eat (my favorite meal was a traditional Korean meal with a table full of kim chee), sleep and sit in traffic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After Korea, I headed to Singapore. It was my first time traveling outside the US by myself, and it was the perfect place to do so (except I ordered food for only one). As Malaysia's neighbor, it's very similar with its mix of cultures. As a financial hub, there are more expats and wealth. With tight government control, it has less crime. Many of the tourist t-shirts refer to it as a "Fine City" due to fines levied for small offenses like jaywalking. It wasn't always this way. My cabbie to the airport described Singapore as dirty and mafia-run about 50-60 years ago. As the government cleared out the shanty towns and replaced them housing projects, the criminals had nowhere to hide. He mentioned that gangsters could be thrown in jail without trial.
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the land area is so small, the government can provide great infrastructure for very low taxes. The low taxes and rule of law then attract multinationals. The subways and buses constantly run, so there's little need to own a car. Even during rush hour, there was little traffic compared to Seoul.
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Fires in Indonesia caused a massive haze while I was there, so I didn't ride around the island as originally planned. I still walked about quite a bit and got in several good meals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I was still jet lagged and sleeping odd hours, I made it a point to find an early breakfast place. I had an amazing eggs benedict at Toby's Estate (sometimes, you just want a "normal" breakfast). I then headed to the Gardens by Marina Bay and the Cloud Forest exhibit. Aside from the much needed cool air, I loved how the exhibit took me from the "top" of the cloud forest to the bottom with different plants in each section. I made my way to Burgis Junction for a quick lunch in the AC (the random soup at Soup Spoon was flavorful and satisfying) and decided to have a look around. The Burgis Market was tightly packed with hundreds of stalls selling clothes, electronics, accessories and food. I grabbed a mango juice from one of the stalls, and I spent the rest of the time in Singapore looking for a similar juice. So refreshing and tasty.
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made it back to the hotel, and set my alarm so I'd make it out for dinner. After reading online reviews, I decided on the Chinatown hawker stands (as the Newton and Maxwell ones were too touristy). Following the instructions from this <a href="http://www.foodtourist.com/ftguide/Content/I6964.htm">website</a>, I chose the Mixed Claypot Rice and was not disappointed. The chicken was juicy, the Chinese sausage salty and fatty, and the rice was properly burnt at the bottom. As a future note, the seafood market in Chinatown seems like a good spot for seafood -- the patrons were all happily eating (opposed to some very glum folks I saw at Jumbo's on the riverfront).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next morning, I headed into the office to say hello to some folks I'm working with. Always nice to meet folks and put a face to a name. At the office, I learned that school lessons were taught in English and that there weren't many Chinese writers anymore (different from Malaysia). Tired from running around the previous day (and from the heat), I made my last tourist stop the botanical gardens. It was amazing to see such a massive lush garden in the middle of the city (right by the Orchard Road shopping district). The Orchid Garden was top notch, and I took several photos there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, the food was amazing. I ate every time I was hungry at random food stalls, mall courts, markets. I never had any issues - all the vendors have a "cleanliness" grade displayed prominently by their signage. I randomly had a red bean pancake and a lychee pop drink from Mr Bean (amazing!). I ate at a fluorescent lit shack by the hotel (just around the corner from new developments). The only downside is that Singapore seems much more like a running town than a cycling one.
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-75985927642399359162013-06-26T15:08:00.001-07:002013-06-26T15:08:35.829-07:00Bay Area in May<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I started a new job recently, and the company sent me out to Cupertino for the week. I had a great time meeting with smart, friendly and dedicated folks. I also brought out my road bike and explored South Bay. Many of the major streets had bike lanes, and the hills were a short ride away. Originally, I was going to stay in Palo Alto and ride the hills on Saturday morning, but decided to head into the city with my [high school] friend Cathy instead.</span><br />
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I woke up with the sun on Saturday and convinced Cathy to get some food and head for a run. We went to the Ferry Building and grabbed a waffle from the Blue Bottle company and then went on our run. After our run, we went to a farmer's market and TCHO for a chocolate factory tour before heading to brunch. I've been on a <a href="http://www.rickshawbags.com/">Rickshaw Bags</a> kick lately, so I convinced Cathy to walk to the factory store about 3 miles away. After customizing my new bag, we walked around the neighborhood and stopped into <a href="http://chocolatelabsf.com/">Chocolate Labs</a> for a quick bite. The soufflé and chocolate cake were my favorite meal of the trip. We went back and forth a bit more and ended our day with about 15.5 miles of walking. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural by Cathy's building</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where's Waldo atop Cathy's building</td></tr>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-6318602798123673102012-12-30T23:11:00.000-08:002012-12-30T23:11:12.529-08:00Cozumel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It took a few years, but I finally got around to finishing another Ironman. I signed up for it a year in advance, and when it came time to really train, my heart wasn't in it. I came up with the bare bones minimum plan for training and did even less training. To be honest, I rode my bike a lot. I rode my bike around Croatia and Slovenia. I rode my road bike all around Austin. I rode to the bakery with some friends. I rode by myself. I even rode to the F1 track. I didn't really ride my tri bike though. My run training was atrocious. I managed to do a 10 mile run once. My swim training was a bit better. I did a couple of long swims at the Pure Austin Quarry, and I swam with <a href="http://www.texasiron.net/programs/swim.shtml">Texas Iron Master's</a> around 10 times. I basically had no expectations going into the race.<br />
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The one preparation I did do well was figuring out where to stay. I booked a <a href="http://villaselencantocozumel.com/">boutique hotel</a> from <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/371391">Airbnb</a>. Location location, location. We were 2 blocks from the convention center (registration) and 3 blocks from the finish line (I even walked back after the race). It was right by town and the grocery stores. The owner had her son pick us up from the airport, and she arranged a taxi for the athletes the morning of the race. Staying away from the hubbub of the race really helped calm my nerves. (After all, I was going into an Ironman undertrained!)<br />
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Race morning, I knew I was going to have a slower swim. So I stuck to the back when entering the water. As luck would have it, they allowed the late comers to jump into the water from the pier, so I quickly made my way to the shallows. There was quite a bit of current, so I hung onto a line to conserve my energy. When the gun went off, I stuck my head into the water and tried to get into a rhythm as quickly as I could. I expected the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpXlJI1IZt4">washing machine effect</a>, but I lucked out. Most people stayed closer to the turn buoys, so my path was relatively clear of arms and bodies. The water was so clear, I was able to sight off coral below. I could also see anyone that tried to get in my way.<br />
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With previous diving experience, I instinctively knew how important it was to stay on course and not get swept away. I put some extra oomph into my stroke on the last two turns into the current to make sure I kept the line. Some of my other friends weren't aware of this, and lost about 10 minutes when they drifted away on this turn. Aside from the turn, the swim back to shore was uneventful. It was long and tiring, but given my lack of swim training, I was happy with my time. I found out later that at least 100 people didn't make the swim cut-off due to this year's strong currents.<br />
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My plan on the bike was to start easy and put progressively more effort into it as the day went on. The bike course was 3 loops, so I thought I could do 125, 135 and then 145 Watts. Seemed easy enough, but I've been nursing a right hip injury for some time. As it turns out, my left (and weaker leg) was able to keep up to plan, but my right leg was about 20 Watts down. I just wanted to finish and ride another day, so I didn't care to push it.<br />
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Nothing exciting happened the first loop. On the second loop, Mel passed me in a flash, and then Rhonda caught up to me. I paced off her for a while until the bike special needs stop. She went on ahead, but I sat down and had my lunch. On the way out of special needs, I ran into Mark and rode with him for a bit. I accidentally lost him as we turned out of the headwind. My plan of taking it easy worked well until the last loop. My right IT band started to tighten up, and some awesome athlete handed me a roll-on bottle of <a href="http://www.biofreeze.com/">Biofreeze</a> while we were riding. It took the pain away, and I was able to finish the bike with plenty of time to spare to walk the run.<br />
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It takes a long time to walk a marathon. I had done some calculations before, and I knew that a 20 minute mile would have bored me to death. So I walked fast. The run course was a three loop out-and-back, so I got to see a lot of my friends along the way. I wanted to bank as much time as possible in case I slowed down, so I walked about a fourteen minute mile the first two laps. Vegas caught up to me midway through the second lap, and we walked together for a bit. She went on ahead with her run-walk. At the end of the second lap, I decided I couldn't take another 2.5 hours of walking by myself, in the dark, incredibly bored. So, I started run-walking. Since I wasn't beaten up from the day, it was a real run. I passed Maggie as she was running her steady pace, and I finally caught up to Vegas half way through the last lap. We ended up finishing the race together.<br />
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I loved all the support on the course. There were people out on all parts of the bike course: a DJ spinning on the southern end of the island and tons of families on the outskirts of town. The run course was just a big block party. People dancing to music, and many people cheering. There was never a truly lonely section of the course like in Arizona and Couer d'Alene.<br />
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<tr><td>Swim Total</td><td></td><td>1:29:34 (2:19/100m)</td></tr>
<tr><td>T1</td><td></td><td>13:16</td></tr>
<tr><td>Bike Total</td><td></td><td>7:14:32 (15.46 mph)</td></tr>
<tr><td>T2</td><td></td><td>10:31</td></tr>
<tr><td>Run</td><td></td><td>6:20:04 (14:30/mile)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Total</td><td></td><td>15:27:57</td></tr>
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Monday after the race, we packed up our bikes and took the ferry over to Playa del Carmen for the relaxing part of the vacation. We did a tour of T<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulum">ulum</a>, climbed the ruins at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coba">Coba</a>, hung out at Mamitas Beach and had a couple nice dinners at <a href="http://www.mayacuisine.com/">Yaxche</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside swim practice at Chankanaab Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulum</td></tr>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-11036509437433858662012-09-24T08:57:00.003-07:002012-09-24T08:57:12.402-07:00Some other travels in 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After writing all these posts for Europe, I noticed that I
neglected to write about some other weekend trips I made this year. Apologies
for having them out of order – but better late than never!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seattle<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I scheduled a trip out in March to visit some friends that I
hadn’t seen in a while. There was still snow on the mountains, so I packed the
snowboard. My friend Sahala and his girlfriend were heading out to Crystal Mountain with their friends that weekend, so I tagged along. As
it turns out, cycling tightens up my right hip and psoas, so I had some pain trying to control the board. After a miserable first run, I logged into
work and saw there I was a minor emergency. I spent the afternoon working while
the others rode. All wasn’t lost, there was a REI company party sponsored by
Marmot, so I got some Marmot schwag. I’m
not giving up cycling, so I’m just going to have to learn to ride switch (with
the opposite foot in front). It will absolutely suck the first couple days, and
it will feel like learning to ride all over again since I don’t have muscle
memory for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day, I got to hang out with my high school
roommate, Maaike. It was a good time walking around Seattle with her and
catching up. She’s an architect, and she lives in a flat with a fantastic
rooftop view of Seattle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maaike on her rooftop deck</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That evening, I had dinner at <a href="http://www.spurseattle.com/">Spur Gastropub</a> with a bunch of Trilogy and TAMS
friends. These folks across different periods in my life clicked, and it was a
nice feeling to introduce them to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pigging out in LA<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of my college friends and I decided to do a quick
getaway to LA for a weekend in April. This was the eating crowd, so we spent
all of our time eating, discussing what to eat and then eating again. I managed
a run from Venice to Santa Monica beach and back, but not much else. Highlights
included <a href="http://www.tancangnewportseafood.com/">Newport Tan Cang</a>, Korean food and <a href="http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/">Umami Burger</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dinner!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Newport Tan Cang, we ordered a huge plate of lobster.
Most of the folks weren't willing to do the work to get to the lobster meat, so Judy and I cleaned up. Hours
later, I ended up with pretty bad hives, and thought I had developed an adult
onset allergy to lobster. Months later, I was still breaking out in hives and
eventually figured out I was allergic to dyes in laundry detergent. I can
safely eat lobster again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leadville<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At some point in time, my friends and I decided to do a trail
half marathon at Leadville at the end of June to see how we would feel at
altitude (some are ascending Kilimanjaro in fall 2013). I signed up and
promptly forgot about it. Typical me, I didn’t run for the months leading up to
it. Race day came, and it was rather miserable.
Leadville sits at 10,000 feet of elevation, and the race (a heavy half
at 15 miles) has us going up to 13,000 feet. I walked most of it (slowly at
that) and was just happy to be done with the race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0BHQ3B2uCD25EEf-XOPNvLW8on_PKFuaPsMT8kxQIXvrGNxEzUtFU30Yn400LZ_mt6hvxqm-tEOtT8GxIm4swDsaet-j8zmC1JAvEb9n0QPhG1p1DqSiu6zhCCPA6EcAzUAv2EwMUsc/s1600/2012-07-04+13.34.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0BHQ3B2uCD25EEf-XOPNvLW8on_PKFuaPsMT8kxQIXvrGNxEzUtFU30Yn400LZ_mt6hvxqm-tEOtT8GxIm4swDsaet-j8zmC1JAvEb9n0QPhG1p1DqSiu6zhCCPA6EcAzUAv2EwMUsc/s400/2012-07-04+13.34.35.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">View going up Mosquito Pass, Leadville</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being us, my friends and I also decided to go whitewater
rafting the day after the race. We weren’t the most nimble folks, but it was
nice to be active without using our legs. I actually stood in the river for a
bit during lunch for a much needed ice bath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMj2NbI9X5_foZIiDeFGPLkabqF-ECq7kFavt9wR2ltYHZV0m-PbgztlghOwvuYeXvp2unsU8dkDqm8xKui5an2du4rXZX67t6U5M7239xhebz9N2OeYsGXfA-HxeyvOzHgeXz16HLp0/s1600/2012-07-01+10.18.26+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMj2NbI9X5_foZIiDeFGPLkabqF-ECq7kFavt9wR2ltYHZV0m-PbgztlghOwvuYeXvp2unsU8dkDqm8xKui5an2du4rXZX67t6U5M7239xhebz9N2OeYsGXfA-HxeyvOzHgeXz16HLp0/s400/2012-07-01+10.18.26+HDR.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before heading out on the river</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of Montreal (and Mont
Tremblant)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I traveled to Quebec mid-August to watch several friends
compete in the inaugural <a href="http://ironmanmonttremblant.com/home/">Ironman Mont Tremblant</a>. It was nice to
get out of the stifling heat in Austin and head to a cooler climate. The
town really took to the event and made us feel welcome. They repaved most of
the bike course, displayed Ironman banners on the small businesses and
installed Ironman street signs along the route. We later found out that the
banners were sold by the Chamber of Commerce to the businesses at CAD
200 each.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After four years, I finally made use of the <a href="http://www.sandsmachine.com/">S&S couplers</a> on my bike and brought my bike along for the trip. It took about
two hours to break it down the first time and then another hour to put it back
together. It was interesting to see how far I've come in understanding how my
bike works - I don't think I could have done it alone four years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-FhdwbukB3jmr5plS6pD3ZmjErceKF6De7izSF92mfKWetYPvTlfuRdfKEWJr_B8RS-v1hdW-N-jSYkyHyQTGjbdIHwfJIXHFT8nSmnWvsljIfYEPsEcWI5UUYT0r3CZOhTmx4fZ1ls/s1600/2012-08-12+19.05.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-FhdwbukB3jmr5plS6pD3ZmjErceKF6De7izSF92mfKWetYPvTlfuRdfKEWJr_B8RS-v1hdW-N-jSYkyHyQTGjbdIHwfJIXHFT8nSmnWvsljIfYEPsEcWI5UUYT0r3CZOhTmx4fZ1ls/s400/2012-08-12+19.05.28.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Packed bike</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bike course was gorgeous and was broken up into segments:
1) transition out to the highway, 2) an out and back on a fast and mostly flat
section, 3) a short in/out of St Jovitte (where I stayed), 4) rollers from (1)
back to transition, and 5) an out and back on a nice hilly section
that went up in steps. The road back on the hilly section was net
downhill - I had a stupid grin on my face every time I rode that part of the
course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Race day itself was long, but my friends had great races
(especially for the tough bike course).</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej7KIBPzeb3AMIKbcQDUbL7LhU5wFu8NjD19JtCWGr8LaeLuHp83Cs5Ysf1k4NuxaIvB2loHqi9VgNjXnw4oEfaa9hfa4XSpiRkmYPiDmd04_nHt5jJNNz3uOr3hd6qFeDXfq-uWu3A0/s1600/2012-08-16+17.09.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej7KIBPzeb3AMIKbcQDUbL7LhU5wFu8NjD19JtCWGr8LaeLuHp83Cs5Ysf1k4NuxaIvB2loHqi9VgNjXnw4oEfaa9hfa4XSpiRkmYPiDmd04_nHt5jJNNz3uOr3hd6qFeDXfq-uWu3A0/s400/2012-08-16+17.09.09.jpg" width="298" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy on my bike</span></td></tr>
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<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DKiVDaqHySNnhiqJisfzVyRXBLTGBZwxghng-G4A4Ym4mPJGD7g4cEyZD2WipXkQtcXk5XpX3THEnpgxhvsr-Luxm9Oc7ZMafo4IdueMSMlW8eGqrzo9gkYf8OZcJQCEfVu7_HEYuYc/s1600/2012-08-17+14.54.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DKiVDaqHySNnhiqJisfzVyRXBLTGBZwxghng-G4A4Ym4mPJGD7g4cEyZD2WipXkQtcXk5XpX3THEnpgxhvsr-Luxm9Oc7ZMafo4IdueMSMlW8eGqrzo9gkYf8OZcJQCEfVu7_HEYuYc/s400/2012-08-17+14.54.39.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scott before the race</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DKiVDaqHySNnhiqJisfzVyRXBLTGBZwxghng-G4A4Ym4mPJGD7g4cEyZD2WipXkQtcXk5XpX3THEnpgxhvsr-Luxm9Oc7ZMafo4IdueMSMlW8eGqrzo9gkYf8OZcJQCEfVu7_HEYuYc/s1600/2012-08-17+14.54.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DKiVDaqHySNnhiqJisfzVyRXBLTGBZwxghng-G4A4Ym4mPJGD7g4cEyZD2WipXkQtcXk5XpX3THEnpgxhvsr-Luxm9Oc7ZMafo4IdueMSMlW8eGqrzo9gkYf8OZcJQCEfVu7_HEYuYc/s1600/2012-08-17+14.54.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRdGO1UoXMmibHn_E-JthQVlsIcktg9jLaN_fG0_nNHD6kYs_daUmxuixAFWQ_e0jVE2NYl3i1E1ZgJIqeosUjQc_LDYJKbY9tAVZUcPc0HxUF7eZsY50xkSpyuGNBHOFwtfB2MSWYuk/s1600/539078_10151136612104131_334584923_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRdGO1UoXMmibHn_E-JthQVlsIcktg9jLaN_fG0_nNHD6kYs_daUmxuixAFWQ_e0jVE2NYl3i1E1ZgJIqeosUjQc_LDYJKbY9tAVZUcPc0HxUF7eZsY50xkSpyuGNBHOFwtfB2MSWYuk/s400/539078_10151136612104131_334584923_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John finishing up a great race</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvGKCWJ8rM6lPF0_aiDexoM-S-dg8DP8nGmo7NJ9QozaSrHoDiBlZzBRMpok3qW_soBu3phaMCixXTuuNakPHAFzpytd-_mr1mxnb597krSPhmDjSnUrJuVXiCIdZjgp3cWr491VF__M/s1600/396043_10151136611709131_1373070790_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvGKCWJ8rM6lPF0_aiDexoM-S-dg8DP8nGmo7NJ9QozaSrHoDiBlZzBRMpok3qW_soBu3phaMCixXTuuNakPHAFzpytd-_mr1mxnb597krSPhmDjSnUrJuVXiCIdZjgp3cWr491VF__M/s400/396043_10151136611709131_1373070790_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Denis, finding his daughter Autumn, on the run</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFyucxG22PuOERwwo0A7N0r9_ESyGXgZCWii9Sul3MWdcEwxgzIFgTnKrjnDXMwZQBeTvqJm_osRepsYlv-vWiwqHc69ITgUyD8Bab7aue0A-MVPfUqcdyQ_rwWVx5epmCYyRYF4qIfs/s1600/386777_10151136613184131_1231553519_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFyucxG22PuOERwwo0A7N0r9_ESyGXgZCWii9Sul3MWdcEwxgzIFgTnKrjnDXMwZQBeTvqJm_osRepsYlv-vWiwqHc69ITgUyD8Bab7aue0A-MVPfUqcdyQ_rwWVx5epmCYyRYF4qIfs/s400/386777_10151136613184131_1231553519_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris, the birthday boy, in the finish chute</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also managed to have Timmy Horton's (the Canadian donut
shop) every day. There's a TimBit (donut hole) that's just amazing. We also had
poutine and beaver claws (fried flat donut with cinnamon, sugar and lemon) as a
treat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, I only had 12 hours in Montreal, but I managed
to get a nice run up Mont Royal from my hotel. I did a nice jaunt up the
stairs, but hurried down as it was getting dark. I'll definitely need another
visit to Montreal to get a feel of the town. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtY0lB_c1pxZRdqQxHWOy4ecIyWZq5RUxD1LCeu7qVMawNpkSFsukFIe1pdPLZUWbcaa4zLABtBd3jUFwhfsuVT3L4vNElk6fmNg5wxnfms_VAFuspNtmvKAQjfa8eHGt3kXhqLzBugs/s1600/2012-08-20+19.31.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtY0lB_c1pxZRdqQxHWOy4ecIyWZq5RUxD1LCeu7qVMawNpkSFsukFIe1pdPLZUWbcaa4zLABtBd3jUFwhfsuVT3L4vNElk6fmNg5wxnfms_VAFuspNtmvKAQjfa8eHGt3kXhqLzBugs/s400/2012-08-20+19.31.05.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">View of city from Mont Royal</span></td></tr>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-72087200397601925342012-09-22T11:09:00.001-07:002012-09-22T11:09:42.498-07:00Day Trip to Bratislava<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the walk to the tram to
the train, we stopped at the grocery store, bakery, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundertwasserhaus">Hundertwasser Haus</a> and a
design store. Needless to say, we missed our intended 10:20 train to
Bratislava. Since it’s hourly, we decided to go to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heeresgeschichtliches_Museum">Heeresgeschichtliches (Military) Museum</a> to wait for the next train. The Austro-Hungarian empire had a
long military history and the museum has been there since 1856, so we spent
more than an hour there. We saw lots of armor from the 1500’s onwards. Also on
display were guns, swords, spears, other brutal weapons, uniforms and battle
field flags throughout history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I took American
History in the 9<sup>th</sup> grade, I learned that the assassination of
Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo started World War I. Back then, I didn’t know
much about the Hapsburgs, so I was rather confused. After spending some time in
Vienna, I have a bit more context. The museum had the car Franz Ferdinand was
riding in when he was assassinated along with his military uniform that day. I
have to admit that the slashes and blood stains were a bit gruesome for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the English bits
were sparse, there was a hall dedicated to World Wars I & II. It was
interesting to read a different perspective of the wars and why they were
fought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Archduke Franz Ferdinand's car in Sarajevo</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We finally got on the
train to Brastislava, which was about an hour away. We walked around the castle
grounds and then searched around for the Museum of Clocks. It’s housed in the reputedly
skinniest house in Central Europe, so it’s a bit hard to find. Afterwards, we
walked around the Old Town, found a cute cake shop, and then headed back to
Vienna.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bratislava Castle</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The house was this big!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old Town Bratislava</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rawr!</span></td></tr>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-62057607777157831302012-09-22T00:35:00.000-07:002012-09-22T00:35:31.099-07:00Vienna<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On
the first day in Vienna, we found a crowded <a href="http://www.rochus.at/">coffee shop</a> for breakfast. While we were sipping
on our cappuccinos, the shop’s retractable awnings slid out with the threat of
rain. At one point, I mentioned that it had gotten cold, and within a minute,
the electric heaters came on and set us back at a <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3001316/want-more-productive-workers-adjust-your-thermostat">comfortable temperature</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
decided to tour the <a href="http://www.belvedere.at/en">Belvedere</a> first as
it was in the same district as our AirBnB flat. We walked through the grounds
and then toured the Upper Belvedere, which included the well-done Klimt exhibit
(includes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kiss_(Klimt)">The Kiss</a>). Even though it was raining, we took the tram
to Inner Ring of Vienna for lunch at <a href="http://www.hollmann-salon.at/">Hollman Salon</a>, similar to a gastro pub in
the States. From there, we walked around the Hopsburg and saw that they were
setting up for a sports event. Unfortunately, it didn’t include a run, so we
moved on. After a coffee stop to warm and fuel up, we did a walking
tour around the area. In the middle of
the walk, I noticed a bakery smell in a courtyard. When we turned the corner,
there was a line for the bakery. We walked on, but the smell followed us. Of
course, we turned around and had an amazingly fluffy and flaky chocolate
croissant.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We returned in the evening to tour the Lower Belvedere. My legs were aching from all the walking and my feet were unhappy with my choice of shoes (Chuck Taylor's) for the day.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gardens at the Belvedere</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On
the second day, we took an early Ubanh (subway) to Schloß Schonbrunn, the
summer palace of the House of Hapsburg. Good thing we went early – it got more
crowded as the day went on. I guess most folks don’t wake up early on vacation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
spent about 6 hours touring the grounds and imperial rooms of <a href="http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en.html">Schloß Schonbrunn</a>. The rooms were
well done, and we learned quite a bit about the House of Hapsburg. While
walking through the gardens, we saw how they trimmed the hedges (something we
wondered about even at the Belvedere). We completed the maze (more difficult
than it looks) and went through the labyrinth.
While we didn’t find Minotaur, we did find a climbing pole. When we arrived,
we saw two guys. One had already made it to the top of the pole, and the other
was taking his picture. The picture taking one seemed to waffle on whether or
not he wanted to climb the pole, so I went ahead and climbed it. After I rung
the bell at the top, I think I heard something akin to: “Now you have to do it.”
So, of course, the picture taking friend also climbed the pole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After
the labyrinth, we made our way to an apple strudel demo and had a nice lunch at
the café. I’ve noticed that museum/attraction cafés in Vienna are quite good in terms of food quality and presentation. We ended the day at Schloß
Schonbrunn with a tour of the carriage museum which had an impressive
collection of daily, sport, coronation and mourning carriages.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb26ZXNokIKBo9St4Rq0f8el70NShNYU5htmEOwQ_rvbfH-fMshyE_UMnXph94W_xVbpef0trdROAGKNjO8sCs9-NS84zYF_xcwN21OFdpdF0qLAUwcJmExCkUAgT1sCeQm9NeblLHjbE/s1600/2012-09-20+09.08.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb26ZXNokIKBo9St4Rq0f8el70NShNYU5htmEOwQ_rvbfH-fMshyE_UMnXph94W_xVbpef0trdROAGKNjO8sCs9-NS84zYF_xcwN21OFdpdF0qLAUwcJmExCkUAgT1sCeQm9NeblLHjbE/s400/2012-09-20+09.08.21.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Windy & cold day at Schloß Schonbrunn</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjgff_PHeMntB7hIqWex7ilqKglHmhC0NhEfmOgihjM8iJD5lt5VOB9D0F0YzFbljWI2DkXJpMHTpRX68DOifqD0o-edesj42kM-WEaFBk8uOardCLaQp4Ez0odypedfeo43S_kstBoA/s1600/2012-09-20+10.26.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjgff_PHeMntB7hIqWex7ilqKglHmhC0NhEfmOgihjM8iJD5lt5VOB9D0F0YzFbljWI2DkXJpMHTpRX68DOifqD0o-edesj42kM-WEaFBk8uOardCLaQp4Ez0odypedfeo43S_kstBoA/s400/2012-09-20+10.26.25.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What it takes to trim the hedges</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMZu7HBiM7Pa6v395QKaMSOKgo6ZQJR_6KgdKAx1BzPZUanFuhd7r9GOmI380N5uY6QQUivmdOKboU1kgua89GLd73nnbGnd7KmkbVC7hVU6beJwlVRTYmbZRkclVRBn85ONWV_6alc8/s1600/2012-09-20+11.56.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMZu7HBiM7Pa6v395QKaMSOKgo6ZQJR_6KgdKAx1BzPZUanFuhd7r9GOmI380N5uY6QQUivmdOKboU1kgua89GLd73nnbGnd7KmkbVC7hVU6beJwlVRTYmbZRkclVRBn85ONWV_6alc8/s400/2012-09-20+11.56.02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apple strudel demo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3BtyGzTTtTIOInEl1_Wxp5Xaq4nwU36uKUqg2H-EfMKnKuqCN1Uxy7PUgdFfvxM7RL1VMvEV1FlnvT66KNHKV-3UGIsWV1V5vBfS6BBb5d67AyTATvsewyzchRBFcF6UYlNw6ml2JHE/s1600/2012-09-20+12.45.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3BtyGzTTtTIOInEl1_Wxp5Xaq4nwU36uKUqg2H-EfMKnKuqCN1Uxy7PUgdFfvxM7RL1VMvEV1FlnvT66KNHKV-3UGIsWV1V5vBfS6BBb5d67AyTATvsewyzchRBFcF6UYlNw6ml2JHE/s400/2012-09-20+12.45.26.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goat cheese salad with pumpkin chutney at </span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Schloß Schonbrunn</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Before the trip, we decided to go hear a
symphony while in Vienna. The town seems obsessed with Mozart, but I prefer
Beethoven. Our choices were easily narrowed down to a <a href="http://events.wien.info/en/72z/ludwig-van-beethoven-schicksalssymphonie/">Beethoven (and Mozart) Symphony</a> at Karlskirche (St. Charles' Church). </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">We took the tram to a quick Greek dinner and then another to the church. The walk
there gave us a good view of the dramatically lit church in the evening. While the acoustics could have been better, I still enjoyed the symphony and the surroundings. The first chair was quite
animated the whole evening. I haven’t attended many symphonies, so I’m not sure
if this is common. I also liked her short sleeve dress
accessorized by long gloves with the fingers cut out.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15yFzZt8QCNsRjzh9xRa92qfBQf0z8LiDUTZ3v5rgz3_Zqsz0gMLSsgh_NFD7_JS6Y4g5Yr9r4Rj-FZv8b3NGsRAtKaDmh1HOVVZXPBa5JqJEGsBZcJ7-Lte8hqCvxsmAGa2vsVBQoYg/s1600/2012-09-20+19.35.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15yFzZt8QCNsRjzh9xRa92qfBQf0z8LiDUTZ3v5rgz3_Zqsz0gMLSsgh_NFD7_JS6Y4g5Yr9r4Rj-FZv8b3NGsRAtKaDmh1HOVVZXPBa5JqJEGsBZcJ7-Lte8hqCvxsmAGa2vsVBQoYg/s400/2012-09-20+19.35.06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Karlskirche</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On
the third day, we started off at the <a href="http://www.wienmuseum.at/index.php?id=122">Wien (Vienna) Museum</a>,
which is a hoarder’s dream. I saw lot of cool armor, sandstones and door signs.
Until recent history, most people were illiterate, so the door signs had
to be distinct: the locksmith needed a key on his sign or a tavern needed its
symbol (I saw an example for the green lizard tavern). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
eclectic mix of items there came from a pattern of donation throughout the
years. There was a 16<sup>th</sup> century item donated to the museum in 1899. Many
statues on churches and public buildings were damaged by industrialization and
weather. During their restoration, the originals were donated, and the copies
are displayed outside in the elements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSDM7zyyl6_USOWRc9g8saoQRtBSFTfJ9A9cK-lSuSx81dSilT4tcjRnb-yvn4nDQeu1Arz253fmaBrIJIbrPP9K8ZWykmLYmCe2s8ggkBBlSluH8zND8rSZywxEr9tr0W0TgufbG12Q/s1600/2012-09-21+11.12.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSDM7zyyl6_USOWRc9g8saoQRtBSFTfJ9A9cK-lSuSx81dSilT4tcjRnb-yvn4nDQeu1Arz253fmaBrIJIbrPP9K8ZWykmLYmCe2s8ggkBBlSluH8zND8rSZywxEr9tr0W0TgufbG12Q/s400/2012-09-21+11.12.54.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stained glass windows from Stephansdom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMjAl19rBVDbGF7ee9wPrjtaiRCu8rAzzjTQXlHqkB3Q_G0PZKI07GhwEZElhltA_gkAUU61yxRA_ZT2alW57vx4B9OrJsVbZLQnW2OXSn36FAiJ3bWmBguiQOig1gk0G2bTyWJ-cx_Y/s1600/2012-09-21+11.37.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMjAl19rBVDbGF7ee9wPrjtaiRCu8rAzzjTQXlHqkB3Q_G0PZKI07GhwEZElhltA_gkAUU61yxRA_ZT2alW57vx4B9OrJsVbZLQnW2OXSn36FAiJ3bWmBguiQOig1gk0G2bTyWJ-cx_Y/s400/2012-09-21+11.37.45.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Armor!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For
lunch, we headed over to Naschmarkt.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It
had endless stalls of restaurants and stands for vegetables & fruit (I
evens saw jackfruit and dragon fruit), spices, dried fruit, sweets, meats,
seafood, olives, cheeses and charcuterie. There were even a few stalls for
wine. We stopped at the crowded </span><a href="http://www.naschmarkt-deli.at/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Naschmarkt
Deli</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and I loved my chicken corn-flake covered schnitzel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
capped off the sight-seeing with modern art at Belvedere 21. Personally, I don’t
like very modern art. The pieces that lack craftsmanship/skill simply don’t
interest me.</span> </div>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-78280043297185342702012-09-19T12:27:00.002-07:002012-09-21T10:11:20.835-07:00Ljubljana & Riding out of Slovenia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ljubljana, </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capital
of Slovenia</b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We started the trip with
two days in Ljubljana. We stayed at the city center and walked everywhere (cars
aren't allowed in the city center). On the first day, we landed mid-morning and
got situated at the hotel. Things went a bit slower than normal due to our
exhaustion from the flight (no sleep for me). We visited the castle at the top
of the hill, walked around, signed up for a 5k the following evening and
watched an ITU (draft-legal) duathlon and triathlon. It was another sleepless
night for me, so I ended up getting breakfast at 6AM and fell asleep on a full
stomach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the second day, we took
a <a href="http://www.ljubljanafreetour.com/">"free" tour</a> of the town (paid for by voluntary tips of the tour guide). We learned a lot about the
different buildings and the multiple bridges that crossed the town. The older
part of the town by the castle was protected by the river, and the bridges
linked the old town to the new. We then had a heavy lunch at a traditional Slovenian
place which included duck pate wrapped in prosciutto along with different cuts of game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After putting my bike
together, we had a brief tour meeting, and headed over to the race. The
nighttime 5k (started at 9PM) does 2 laps of the city center and crosses two
different bridges. The course was a bit confusing as I didn’t understand any
Slovenian. However, I liked running
through the lit up old buildings and right next to folks having dinner and
going to the bars. Even better, when we were done, they fed us a massive plate
of pasta with meat sauce. I had another nearly sleepless night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 1 Cycling: Divaca, Slovenia to Motovun, Slovenia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We started the morning off
with a train ride from Ljubljana to Divaca. It was a nice train ride, with a
pretty and varied country side. On the way to lunch, the roads were smooth with
a nice shoulder. The climbs were reasonable with sweeping descents. After
lunch, we biked across the border between Slovenia and Croatia. Strangely
enough, there was at least a mile or two of road that was no-man’s land between
the Slovenia exit and the Croatia entrance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We decided to take the “high road” "with some climbing" (according to Bob, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_983373190"></span>the tour leader<span id="goog_983373191"></span></a>) to Oprtalj where we would meet up with the group taking the less
hilly “low road.” The high road started (and continued) with some steep climbs that skyrocketed my heart rate. I had to stop a few times
to let my heart settle down before continuing. Looking at <a href="http://app.strava.com/segments/628276">Strava data</a>, it was a <a href="https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/20420292-how-are-strava-climbs-categorized-for-rides">Category 3 climb</a> that went on for 1.8 miles and averaged 10.2%. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a reward for the
climbs, we saw gorgeous sweeping views (common theme for the entire trip). Some of my favorite memories were watching
two women pushing an older farming truck down a hill to get it started,
climbing through a quaint town and hanging a right to continue past it, and looking
left during the undulation section of the hills and seeing a castle on a hill
in the middle of the valley. When we
stopped at Oprtalj, we could see Motovun, our destination, across the
valley. This meant was had a great
descent from Oprtalj, and more hills up to Motovun. For some reason, I thought we were done by
the time we hit the parking lot for Motovun, but we had over a mile of climbing
before reaching the pave. At the pave, I had to walk up the steep and uneven
road. I was tired and hungry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">View on the first day's ride</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">View of the pave headed into Motovun</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stayed at Kastel atop
Motovun, which meant a cool room and great views of the valley. Even better, we were in truffle region, so I
had a dinner of truffle cheese, cream of mushroom (truffle) soup, and white
truffle risotto. I was happy after dinner (and I finally got some much needed sleep).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0Motovun, Croatia45.3359506 13.827860545.291303099999993 13.7488965 45.3805981 13.906824499999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-81328090571204090752012-04-20T09:50:00.001-07:002012-04-20T09:50:39.966-07:00Thursday Night Pain Cave<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I'm a bit behind on posting photos, but this has been my <a href="http://drivewayseries.com/">Thursday Night Pain Cave</a> (when I'm in town and able to get away from work). 30 mins at a minimum of 20 beats above threshold. Just trying to keep up with the pack for now, and hoping to make the sprints by later this summer. Numbers below are for the speed loop from last night.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-RABfHRc0Ff8ANKo-YiC8KdcCbmLofnCxiOsAlLNlBvdWKWYZNsGyOlPEVzn3zxENrIH2CWmYRamnPhCAQxa3iBHeGi3GyRn3pbozpxbCtavfM7cXg1AwW2bDWp_5GBt_Ak_ejf8kI8/s1600/2012-04-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-RABfHRc0Ff8ANKo-YiC8KdcCbmLofnCxiOsAlLNlBvdWKWYZNsGyOlPEVzn3zxENrIH2CWmYRamnPhCAQxa3iBHeGi3GyRn3pbozpxbCtavfM7cXg1AwW2bDWp_5GBt_Ak_ejf8kI8/s320/2012-04-19.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
<br /></div>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-40602267668564158742012-02-28T05:26:00.004-08:002012-02-28T05:36:45.545-08:00Velossimo Team Photo Shoot<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6VY9Qs1eNsLmZEhoyDWfgWaTWuYI63bAkqBBrYcsSNE?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmy8HEHPtP9cNBYh-3T89Hjp75AaSKcsabvZuviMtWinkYPekT0e-5sYkEkrpkYJjA4n32EzuNtIQ00AeHEK_ZF4RF3jhme6s9imMKZ0BLUa8iZR5gZxD9a1_76SRqYSD58JK8MWhp-FQ/s640/team.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109472656978266905168/PlainJaneSTravels?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK6j1LygkMnLFg&feat=embedwebsite">Plain-Jane's Travels</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Arc2sFdAmyufbCz4vfn19GaTWuYI63bAkqBBrYcsSNE?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_gs0bCmvGfAVUtNmTpJz-YYHl38nbqFMa83Yd4Ck5Ic8TDYUVJl5oQESeXMHowO99p0tXszZGmw1iAcR8rAYC7lKb2eqI9w3TD22ArPT-mph4p2gvqWPeUfKaNYitQauPQG9ZARUE_4/s640/6936709267_51a350b24f_b.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109472656978266905168/PlainJaneSTravels?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK6j1LygkMnLFg&feat=embedwebsite">Plain-Jane's Travels</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />I haven't taken many photos lately, but we did have a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/velossimoracing/sets/72157629106004760/with/6790589684/">Velossimo Team Photo Shoot</a> by <a href="http://www.dcmphotography.com/">Dave McLaughlin</a>. The photos are amazing, and they show I have so much to learn about photography.plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-90398268610343191642012-02-11T06:36:00.000-08:002012-02-11T06:48:03.813-08:00Tour of New Braunfels<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/whxm9VYoXlTd3D4ACWTLAdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSSmPTG5hyphenhyphenlpZRP1zvzEJAUGhUW1B2Fotygt6hiCP61pQDO0yAsaKMPQgTD-hA26gtdNdjWJ4CGSfQp1zY3hB18EqssTp_cL9fDA6n693HwIYHzjF5lTpoJG7tya5CYxd2uzvTmzb_0Y/s640/IMG_0973.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Karl, from <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109472656978266905168/VMO?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">VMO</a></td></tr></table><br />I crashed out of the road race at the Tour of New Braunfels with a few bruises and scrapes. My ego hurt more than anything else. I stuck around afterwards and got a few pictures of the team.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hmKNA_9q7xEcYDOFGlXpFNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipul8SelSklKjpWnidoGd0mecO0J6EYOCpM3S97dPh_fg9U89OoJFC9lpvmcjqbZ-V-3zqbySamtQCZzGH1_sFPa6wdSGfJxp-5_fsOkihWgbNrXgGZCQjre37nO1Wz5jTKgzvqD44LmE/s640/IMG_0960.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109472656978266905168/VMO?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">VMO</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gJAuKQd3PNCKoFkmYS5TedMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaed7R4LA9Hs5UomM9MVqqshCEldP7TpmLV_2RgQeJKaaP7Zb-APeA6ANb_U88Res9orHCGFgV8EjRwFFTHr74A2LQiYnQhFP_s35B4IRyS00wDK72mTtyfGweM1-QXyaPc_s0_tpA34/s640/IMG_0989.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109472656978266905168/VMO?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">VMO</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WYLYgrOPk5v0YRuR-ZmnXtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsKKV0hrtQOoaTxVlmXuCgkCwip7oiCoKyFrEPBzc7HdSd5448JKdXkq6rMdtLzCaTS7tND4-iPMMP5r17Eavmd763KBBRjDKo0u__2KbswC0vbKj-d8ECqSzhrXslZRFH_MGsjxpxJI/s640/IMG_1076.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109472656978266905168/VMO?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">VMO</a></td></tr></table>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-81278702584425123532012-01-30T11:27:00.000-08:002012-01-30T11:34:00.656-08:00Copperas Cove<div>I haven't been traveling much, so I've been able to spend weekends at cycling races. Still working on the action shots. </div><div><br /></div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qNa34D4SAtvDCO41wN94l9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjIbFZabU-_ZHC2_fz4BIbbHRXMupHGHIm9xdjo92PBiy3ae8KnBsNcZY6Us4YkAu82Xunnt65EBE_5R1DR52KDCMg-J0c4fPtp_WmB_guytcI5-LUYzVfvwAs3v2c8AAtiXtiV7rO84/s640/IMG_0664.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jfMllzthsrLUI_S_exhBqdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgBJEqLGw8I1zxEyqoLRhh6CahN2I63IA-NCpLIRpmmVmTjJwLYrNfvgWKqT2YJfZte9NwJ4f8OQrDybUz-W6kQn-TmgESHjCJDcldsLnxo61U9YyJXGnEZ0badOM_gRhfaZsk0tdH0Q/s640/IMG_0758.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-4518315186285285822012-01-16T06:24:00.000-08:002012-01-16T07:34:45.628-08:00Velossimo Training Camp<table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/81q3aYZhtZpoKhURmFQOpdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTwIrex9b88Qoj-A_P_M2hb2IwdH9z1hF9Gq-c060yI3RBcPCgAEiYkbQxuSbO8ITRcGmt5Lu5_9UZ61h8HVIYYG2_flr02edhfDeujYjtN6vnd-Gs_5WgQRdIQiEbF2weNJwoVLsXPg/s640/IMG_0455.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://entangle.smugmug.com/Sports/2012-VMO-Training-Camp">VMO</a></td></tr></tbody></table>During the Velossimo team training camp in Fredericksburg, I got in an early morning ride and then spent some time in the P12 follow car. Pretty interesting experience - I learned a lot about cycling while practicing photography. I saw first hand that "It never gets easier, you just go faster."<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tusUwihIopKUNAvtO-EzdNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvhqIwk1k7p_b74lF8tqvKRxX5XfESeASAAtYAReu_f-6zmuojlL8kNVxWTwRRTDQASIFJdiapTebCrJZni2PsygJ5u8isTn412RjeBxvluAODOous3-Zf35Brjq451djowdP-tbJGx8/s640/IMG_0452.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y5KywpulMlfsPcyzDau6RNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQhc1OxC4-U0xLXaj39iulUx_pV05y67tEnN0QvDFQgZcUcqRoAp19SoAfgpof0dwSbtUV1Nm3smvcLJhyphenhyphenUUO56Bet22UrYGU91GMMHPQiOpxPZqm2gua63Ecs8J7rMR5VN9lba6LuLc/s640/IMG_0481.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cbf0JJtXg2QxYO3cI0PJ09MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2tQ89J_TrBL_7WJaFNZbW2WQH_Aw1VP7Ne3V1NmlgHYfB_9Lt-nE_kLlyi8RSYQQsAZ-PWNrswu_mnENsuGdeFTFinFqXAGgeG4JLX3B0lOqHq2tudXquV3Ugd0iO8oIGyW8ek4PTjw/s640/IMG_0516.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></div>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-66930395407388588212011-12-24T18:41:00.000-08:002011-12-25T08:19:04.726-08:00Rhonda's Gargoyle<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1w8nm8YoJeeVLkbr0hkNOdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaRmnFCFwXUWUg_dlN-tkjWT8giUaCN7s_DRCclblMC3m-IrZKJGkBigOq0sgQECrAdXxkZlORigqJI2K1D4z9W1lDfJ7K9y5wQSj_kfgpL2ikMuI7IeLTuoztQeWb3nyY7jdSVWlSi8/s640/IMG_0293.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a><br /><br />In a fit of rebelliousness, I decided to stay put in Austin over Christmas weekend. I'm glad I did - I was able to take some great shots of Rhonda getting inked.<br /><br /><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hhmbKsmlIV94yD61btO6EdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NLre4YBz3ao1pwJimsi2wTGJ75n_o14VVaEUeLUxHXO-F1pCsr_4l70vO5Tfs_snM3ALK7m9kmRK8t01eOBsushGXV6aPUsx8CBAbLXNx0BWZ3_ot6u6srKzHU0TJtnBPWjE2D3xZlg/s640/IMG_0312.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-81832985536446271422011-12-24T18:02:00.000-08:002011-12-24T18:37:17.567-08:00East Austin<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7P5mgqgEEnFcNHLJL5t4g9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI3Ietp6Xlt0D0HbT5-hVs9vjxpKcvM6ZIysDEneqKqFSly_vrokq9JSqAIfOWCFkag6nlWikh1NTfZZQhLUouUY1P47bDD91h3J-xe1jauNpO7TheEWAtrDm-14l1YYUPgqHHPkdp2k/s640/IMG_0271.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a><br /><br />I'm back in Austin for a length of time, and I finally went around taking pictures of the graffiti and murals painted on the walls of the East Side. I like the character it gives to this part of town.<br /><br /><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TFHThnxeBgHVEwa54DV2UNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij80F50D2bL0oSBE-CvT1zCXHtoxh69-JuJWzpCShoVRuAoa16O9j4d89eRQL9SjQRUDaDw4Oc-B2hO6fiF5e2CAjk-IBzltdl_dKNLdlcIUQWF8Pz2lmwvvZLMa2cLUEPeQpmBlA4sWM/s640/IMG_0267.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rZfts640BnoiXatQu4O09NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0lzTRd44jHvy3pI6VCshfKfsDD6D_YNNiMySowjDWt7AvTWKRj-O3brmYOrOzIgj2RxzRlQjqN73CnShxYxbCnPDWEF-GbVmnKBzSPct1tHYBRpucbOabIsh4nuQw0Pd8B8PTP64sfE/s640/IMG_0243.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-27357495143589909242011-12-04T19:19:00.000-08:002011-12-06T15:50:20.611-08:00Narita Temple<table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NesugRbIdrjJ0H7I5cmr7j0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPE7Say_ESDY6b5AM5x2LmW-sKS6KEAVEW4mn42BlRdQNrbybQ-zJlnEE9ONpuEJcSzKSCG51dsoInsykMeg98EgM6BxqUzwGE_ufmcdaTX6ykmxSf7c7fmijzWvcYc4Mp8GPepPYrHI/s640/IMG_9752.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Start of fire ceremony</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I didn't pay attention to some of the itinerary changes to my flights, so I ended up with a 7 hour layover in Narita. When I called American Airlines to change it, the agent couldn't change the flights due to capacity. She did recommend a tour of the Narita Temple to pass the time. I sent a few emails to <a href="http://naritatours.jp/default.aspx">Narita Rainbow Tours</a> and arranged the tour. (If you have a 4-5 hour layover, you can still do the tour.)<br /><br />The Narita temple is one of the most popular Buddhist temples in Japan, and many Japanese continue to visit the temple today.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BfCf2QjBhvK33Yrj4AO7bz0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFkWVX6vgoX8NErzL40_JCcHSltiV2p4TU18oiEA473JdFQ3hJIO3ks4NVTyJv8k45WcyfxmKK0oOGo6JB-8rR7y1BTjAHliRUe_MSalPDz2n8Zz9IrXWXdvVzbe1BNWjnKULwyc-xic/s640/IMG_9703.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Main entrance. Rightmost one is for snakes. Recently constructed, built of a rare wood.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vK4m4woXEtTiZ9tzBGxAij0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCANcVBUbMVWOfzTkaoV67rUV2kagxiR44zpl9fwh0Vt6wZ2nm-x5qaXOfFyu_YNjhCXhyphenhyphen9o1T-5j4bEsiuXYhqfy0T2u6NcGA8Ry6CxFDW-S-AFm3eCuStWgSTTqrAFnrW7uQ_ef7VE/s640/IMG_9730.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Water dragons protecting temple from lightning</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WMmOpcJeccStPN3WtIqPcT0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVb-6ioLr5Wo64IvQIjysI6soI49sn026QjtFl32-VTKfR3GlFzYCJGfhiR3dUFFqxIDgzh9EYnAmAk3jyk-vmiWBWSm3PdaMGrlPmmTwEpnBtdz4pwgm0fv8PzhjyeVrKdvVHX7hhnE/s640/IMG_9713.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Hot Dog plaque was donated by a Tokyo business a century ago</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4zMieeTUkK3Ixcjd6brffT0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkViClsVUTQdi9pdRrknFNV_YLGZFnPoUnc6t2UsWTChNs6wPpk3E8BG0FLi-sW645aSuE4CiduGLFVRp1-Gr9eZlUc0fGSIo8_zibYmQW_D00DseMtCNbpvIgKyw0ccTeohUtCPIbggk/s640/IMG_9739.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Previous main temple. Was moved 40 years ago as it did not meet fire code (replaced with concrete temple with ventilation)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5myHzAAFgEMUdfucNZvTPz0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1QdW5slMEOTemLPTqzx3nETCbXYdogSHE_-BtNYQoanT4tsfCkeblEybcphCmykH7BPRvzrvNksMicVpHR4AEYQCuMSB2BP3RAC8SEHtzICSCDftqqie7zsOW2PHjVyOHQUPq6LzW0Y/s640/IMG_9758.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Shinto shrine within temple complex. Named after landowner who donated the land.</td></tr></tbody></table>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-51275547256042978622011-12-04T18:43:00.000-08:002011-12-06T15:56:59.388-08:00Do's Wedding in SeoulWith a 10 hour layover in Austin, I went from Dublin to Korea (DUB-LHR-DFW-AUS-DFW-NRT-ICN). I had a bit of time at London Heathrow, so my coworkers came to the airport for breakfast and <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDkQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DByk8LcPovOQ&ei=ojTcTqPnA8nwsgbOnsX5Cw&usg=AFQjCNFRgDufhIFLxcQqDectaTa0L6ebVg&sig2=U71LkklDYiNrR-UxA0TNAQ">pod</a> riding.<div><br /></div><div>The crazy flights weren't intentional. When my high school/college friend Do called and asked me to attend his wedding in Seoul, the only possible answer was, "Of course." In the end, it was a small high school and college reunion with folks I haven't seen in a while.</div><div><br /></div><div>I never adjusted to the Korean time zone, so my trip consisted of going out, crashing during the day, attending the wedding and going out some more. We made it out sightseeing for just one day.<br /><div><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ExfQvK13dHFAaL-aEGk4kD0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQvwiQroKHLkr7bF41FkA3Q-490Bnz1WNwmwYTvPekYaqvMiCwNluGzXW3vEY5tbueExKtMuQfwhg21m3IqTEx5i1CqalI4UYDip2xDq2fK3_O5tmJsc3d3jQU_fAVx4ZlUbcfZFeGRA/s400/seoul%252520club%2525202.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"><div style="text-align: left;">Dusty. I've been to a lot of club nights, but this is the first one sponsored by an automaker.</div><div style="text-align: left;">That's a Lambo to the right of the photobomber.</div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mqiWNC4MVQlOsC43QgdF2T0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWzL7tMcAniDzYeRMuhWZUA2js5yk1vQOYqxWlu4F2EBE61m-3XHn9U2sUzps9GZDp3-OqJ4-KuvCW2v7u-pxwvluYA_L6bpWT9FPOpB39i3n0H4P7iWlD51ey8fQmcnkCexw-qsNugM/s400/seoul%252520club.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Regan clubbing the night we landed in Seoul.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7oEZlZECsI-MiweAaAZPuz0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0wVHKZ4ymsQg-ejXUvBCVXVTGMcqudT1Pf0YMmPYdVmj0ApuvQ507ZDckfyw4sBDt4LF9pXps-oIeKk0UalugUIXBEnI_TjtpOGLPiOHRi62GvOSml-v3uqbkwt_SihLPHYFLm0frlk/s400/IMG_9530.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Regan waiting for waffles and ice cream. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rcf_yKcPFUyVe7jdegKnQT0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tQAa4sDBTdiwFtrVZVqP-uof0rVsGsKuBg25EwWSZrCJNz-CjY70irdsFTFl0IdMLes-YpRBOxPSm-7WO11WpbiJ0dlgeL-Kr0p-eN_Glv_RDQfvMJCgNpU7Dl55Pgus4ux6e6oWUiA/s400/seoul%252520westin.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Avram on the way back from the wedding.<br />We took the subway as its much faster than a cab.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YXH2QpVSGMpZOnbrS8eKmT0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLAYLLKyoSWBxYCThYsUI3WgNJa1YzB0CX-Y1D15Pmc0ciLEVgJ720Jg7TZm9YLqPzAIgn4u7lEOHDFoTM9XS1lhJ9Tsohrrmz30TSNULV14DXwvOJBf2LY4UML758lHzQ9Y-6l1Pclo/s400/jj%252520seoul.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">The crew at JJ's/Grand Hyatt after the wedding. Sharon, Regan, Sarah, Do, Sarah's brother, Dusty.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3Stb-TdGJNXxKjSngW218j0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JfvVlr6IJGIs5nidno1HNR0hN3pvZYbMM0JjRyXuBrXBvud-dMgGdnw2K5vo2K-erm0uCiCi2EQoZS876NDodXkktb3HnTivMta1F4RaOjpAIiS9ILyPMk0C674n1bgvKZvglIhewzs/s400/seoul%252520neighborhood.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Avram in a cool neighborhood by the castle.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/E67PwmnHL-_wDD4wJGOcLj0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1LTWZTFLwjGPYXm-kt48hNL8obcQ5i4jOKVwyY7GM9fauxJp0Y8Os07yaGG4VIBYij0EMnOZbq7nssMoNfMajaPrEQgy7_Z1u63GPvJvcUWY0KuEK3yVdxZHBPS9tIfAf-TbA-lId70/s400/seoul%252520neighborhood%2525202.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Same cool neighborhood.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L6SaGjm5FSN84X1dqKX61z0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dTyqjqVdm-D6Oc_A48XgcmgOI8wGMDwde-AihJqw0eIBZK5n_592TUJh3NbPczbtW3rrD5UWcjvPnUxWF9xwh_cWqR6f_HyoO05JAVpBtCNFm-1do7KbVjfQhN6tocViyhgGI9htDFE/s400/IMG_9625.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Dusty and Avram in the castle.</span></div></div>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-8419234002876336252011-12-04T17:56:00.000-08:002011-12-06T16:00:59.603-08:00Halloween Weekend in Dublin<table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a7QfsV8-3N0NekAcuuznGT0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkk3ewHs_KYuU_Ojxqkn-h2Krm-c9D308tU30nmlJWyTkJ3Veks1LLPe76RxgZesAMfV4oql4Lga8OtxTD4nxs6waJajcW_x9e-WyiE3EWbsGOkj0F5SZw40JGS5nVIYC_xvuYs7oVgQ/s400/IMG_8367.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Dublin tourist center</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="text-align: left;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZhQCW9kbmrCzMxVXn7m3Az0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpgcWehH1G5M21VjF4bCo36CIGnfpHRv8Kn0PgVUNvZLCSGxla2zbCOwuYDszkqy85OY0GOn0jIRqRnOlVJODhJg4JPQgSVC5aYLfPc-cMl9wi4NfcUhwDZQivcxIBJh-M3hgtFVgmCI/s400/IMG_8344.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Samuel Beckett bridge over the River Liffey </td></tr></tbody></table>Vegas, Roman and I flew to Dublin for Halloween, and I spent most of the time hanging out with my friend Vjera. The locals were all immigrants to Dublin, and it was a good time. Vegas and I ran the full marathon in costume (cowgirls). Every few hundred meters, I heard, "Well done" or "Go cowgirl." <div><br /></div><div>After a summer of traveling and bailing on long runs, I still managed a 16-minute marathon PR at 4:22:58. Now, I'm convinced that I respond to intense workouts better than volume and that races should be done in costume when possible.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TKaGsrczEyxvaKSykRfNlz0I6jqrdnEizPW9sFolRhw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DYXV2ruLUPvpeZd_t6wQhJlspcl0WDVRjr4c5EfyYMkidhU6vmbfWuYm2CZ4HVlcS7H1l_XhBai0GMl-Zef34SVizuw1nUBG_aNpG368aLx06h83umAKMf0Ew8aWtJWH4JMGs6wztPU/s400/IMG_8334.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; ">Hat swap at club in city center</td></tr></tbody></table></div>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-54752936256367663982011-12-03T15:35:00.000-08:002011-12-03T15:44:32.883-08:00Grounded<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n5erBKswGLLFsKbHylAMltBu-G4vZvtxT3byCCXxdEyIooXVxeRITWnyrKifU4gtEgUdVg7dp60F1hJOEdlewdy7t2u8f-LRBF6VLWIcdjT96DQLSdpaPegiuQtqK-rz6xsv0cCJQoU/s1600/stats.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n5erBKswGLLFsKbHylAMltBu-G4vZvtxT3byCCXxdEyIooXVxeRITWnyrKifU4gtEgUdVg7dp60F1hJOEdlewdy7t2u8f-LRBF6VLWIcdjT96DQLSdpaPegiuQtqK-rz6xsv0cCJQoU/s200/stats.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682051873998162642" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Sometimes, it's good to be grounded. I've taken the copy of my passport out of my wallet, and I've put my luggage away. I have no plans on TripIt. It's been a brutal year of traveling, and I think I'm done for a while. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div></div>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-89785235840654111602011-11-27T18:48:00.001-08:002011-11-27T18:49:14.701-08:00Address Is ApproximateThis just puts a smile on my face. I'm amazed by what folks are creating nowadays.<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/32397612?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/32397612">Address Is Approximate</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4317458">The Theory</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-739627307043611462011-10-03T12:04:00.000-07:002013-03-21T19:09:04.839-07:00Quick Austin List<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Headed to Austin? Here are some of my favorite places to eat and to take out of town guests.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>BBQ</u></b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1. <a href="http://www.franklinbarbecue.com/">Franklin's BBQ</a>. Best BBQ in Austin (or <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/slideshows/2011/07/aaron-franklin-barbecue-best-restaurant-in-america">US</a>). Get there early - as in 1.5 - 2 hours early or they <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZx6kGs7pg">sell out</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">2. <a href="http://www.rudys.com/" target="_blank">Rudy's</a>. My favorites are the moist brisket, chicken, creamed corn and turkey. Fast, especially when you can't be bothered to wait for Franklin's.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">3. <a href="http://www.unclebillysaustin.com/" target="_blank">Uncle Billy's BBQ</a> on Barton Springs Rd. We like the moist brisket and the chicken with the habanero sauce (really hot; you have to ask for it). Macaroni & cheese and okra are great sides, while the buttermilk/pecan pie is a great dessert. Also a microbrewery. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">4. <a href="http://www.smittysmarket.com/" target="_blank">Smitty's in Lockhart</a>. It's about a 40 minute drive from Austin, but was considered some of the <a href="http://www.texasmonthly.com/2008-06-01/feature.php" target="_blank">best BBQ in Texas</a>. We like the brisket and ribs a lot. If you decide to go here, make sure you check out the hours on the website. It got demoted from #1 when Franklin came into the picture. It's better to spend time waiting for Frank</span><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">lin BBQ than driving down to Lockhart. <a href="http://www.kreuzmarket.com/index.shtml">Kreuz Market</a> is right down the street. Smitty's and Kreuz's have the same origin, but split apart due to a family feud.</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span">5. <a href="http://www.saltlickbbq.com/" target="_blank">Salt Lick</a> in Driftwood. BYOB (since Driftwood is a dry county -- doesn't sell alcohol in the county). It's a drive out there -- so if you're going to drive, I think Smitty's is better. Plus, you can pick some up in the airport as you're heading out. It's a pretty cool atmosphere on a warm Texas night.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>Sit down food (places I won't go in gym clothes):</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- <a href="http://barleyswine.com/">Barley Swine</a> - gastropub - one of the local favorites. Great food as well as independently brewed beer.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- <a href="http://elnaranjo-restaurant.com/">El Naranjo</a> - great interior Mexican on Rainey Street. Well done interior, and I'm a huge fan of the Tres Leches in the jar.</span></span></span></div>
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- <a href="http://www.uchiaustin.com/" target="_blank">Uchi</a> - Japanese/sushi.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- <a href="http://uchiaustin.com/uchiko">Uchiko</a> - Japanese. Uchi's sibling. </span>Best desserts in town and great happy hour specials. </span><br />
- <a href="http://southcongresscafe.com/" target="_blank">South Congress Cafe</a> - people like the breakfast there. I haven't made it over there for breakfast yet.</div>
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<b><u>Quick and easy / casual:</u></b></div>
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- <a href="http://www.eastsidekingaustin.com/news/">East Side Kings</a> - cart behind the Liberty, Shangri La and Grackle. Tasty Asian fusion. There's also one at Hole in the Wall by campus.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://torchystacos.com/">Torchy's</a> - local favorite (check out infogrpahic at the <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/food-what-us-citydwellers-really-spend-on-food-and-drink">bottom</a>)</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://www.currasgrill.com/" target="_blank">Curra's</a> on Oltorf - Mexican/Tex Mex. Corn tortillas are made fresh here. A favorite spot of the locals. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://www.freebirds.com/" target="_blank">Freebird's Burritos</a> - great thing to grab as you're headed to the airport. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- <a href="http://www.amysicecreams.com/" target="_blank">Amy's Ice Cream</a> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://www.cafemagnolia.com/" target="_blank">Magnolia</a> or <a href="http://www.kerbeylanecafe.com/" target="_blank">Kerbey Lane</a> for breakfast food (they're both open 24 hours). It's an ongoing debate on which ones folks prefer (Magnolia is meatier, and Kerbey is fresher). If you end up going to Kerbey, get the Kerbey queso - best queso in town.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://www.joesbakery.com/">Joe's Bakery</a> - amazing bacon and egg breakfast tacos. They flour coat the bacon, so it's never the same afterwards. Closes at 3pm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://ilikelick.com/">Lick Ice Cream</a> - frou frou ice cream, but really good. Right by Barley Swine, so if you're in the neighborhood, might as well. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>Things to do in Austin:</u></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Outdoors</b>:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- Check out the <a href="http://www.zilkergarden.org/" target="_blank">botanical gardens</a> at Zilker Park. Or swim in Barton Springs - it's cool 65 degrees, which is fantastic when it's 100 degrees outside.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- Run on <a href="http://www.townlaketrail.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=103" target="_blank">Town Lake</a> / Lady Bird Lake (it's about a mile up Congress from where you're staying, and you can do a 5 mile loop if you go west from the bridge). You can also rent a bike from <a href="http://bicyclesportshop.com/" target="_blank">Bicycle Sport Shop</a> on the corner of Barton Springs and Lamar and ride around the lake if you don't feel like running. This trail also goes by Zilker Park. (BSS rents all sorts of bikes - road, mountain, cruiser and even electric now.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- Short hike to the top of Mount Bonnell. Great views. Featured at the end of "Slackers"</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- See the <a href="http://www.austincityguide.com/content/congress-bridge-bats-austin.asp">bats</a> at sunset on the S. Congress bridge. Note that they don't come out every night, so it can be hit or miss.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://www.segwaynationinc.com/ride.html">Segway tour</a>. Good way to see downtown Austin - there's a coupon on the website and you can negotiate a good rate if you have enough people.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Indoors / Less Active</b>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- Get coffee and dessert at <a href="http://www.mozartscoffee.com/" target="_blank">Mozart's</a> .</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- Watch a movie at the <a href="http://www.drafthouse.com/" target="_blank">Alamo Drafthouse</a>. You can eat (and drink a beer) while watching a movie. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- There's usually a bunch of music shows. <a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/" target="_blank">Austin Chronicle</a> guide to shows or <a href="http://austinist.com/" target="_blank">Austinist</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- Check out the <a href="http://www.blantonmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Blanton Museum</a> or the <a href="http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/" target="_blank">LBJ Library</a> on the UT campus. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- Drinking options - over the past few years, tons of new watering holes have popped up:</span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Walk down "dirty" 6th street on Friday/Saturday night after 11 PM as it's neat to see the closed off streets, but drink somewhere else</li>
<li>4th Street or West 6th are for the professional crowd (can be dressy) </li>
<li>Rainey Street is a bit more casual</li>
<li>East 6th (East of I35) is hipster central.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.draughthouse.com/">Draught House</a> or <a href="http://www.blackstar.coop/">Black Star Co-op</a> are more chill locations North-Central</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">- Drinks at the <a href="http://www.sanjosehotel.com/">San Jose Hotel</a> on Congress. The <a href="http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink5334.html">Michelada</a> is a good drink here.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span">- <a href="http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/" target="_blank">Texas History Museum</a>. Cool if you're a Texas or history buff; also good for watching movies in the real <a href="http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/showtimes/imax_theatre.html">IMAX</a> format.<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936228000129039317.post-20247800839561827892011-09-03T17:11:00.000-07:002011-09-03T17:41:26.514-07:00Catalina Channel<table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6J8CX_vuJwqyWQko9NLbeg?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Ge2Xo33xStq2KcKwPuOm6S4FuuYvpm4bmp4bnK538NZIib7ONeahxWjDmUE6V-_OUNCdoR8-OvZreERKrjgvSUe8h5JvVw843QzGTLkGom7YccYx4t9BaVzqFujaLu6lk8p9UBNfdEw/s640/IMG_9246.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jane.bui/KatyCatalina2011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Katy Catalina 2011</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/puCEJ8MFYVDA2QiCzFcGNQ?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj290F9_br_BJoXIwEe5E6agJTXrKEm-gwSlwufJifAmzEJuuNRaFL70gwQyXMliUK-O75A0oIkY6KHpy4eeewubiVJi04OEiK5AT3A4t6Mkeye8dhTNp1hyphenhyphen21dGrlmMCtV6_YggyD1C_M/s640/IMG_9151.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/jane.bui/KatyCatalina2011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Katy Catalina 2011</a>
<br />
<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Sometimes in life, you're fortunate enough to meet an incredible group of people who believe that all goals, no matter how difficult, are achievable. This past Friday, my friend Katy Dooley met her goal of swimming across the 21-mile Catalina Channel in 9 hours, 49 minutes and 4 seconds.
<br />
<br />Here are some <a href="http://entangle.smugmug.com/Sports/Katy-Catalina-2011/18846339_VbBzzX#1460514736_HGfQngZ">photos</a> of Katy and crew on her adventure:
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<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Jtvp5RNkTJDrDz-Q24Fhaw?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqdwIO85IPVN3iNgbrlZzkbQ0T1-IDyIJuqVmbikygq8xiw2xzRBLtyENmpFiedeOjcXy048D_u8yHgZyYGqjyDpnUnD891GSSTEk5ZzhaIIP2vF1Nudvj5wNqB-RnEDo0mpNh8yPyAk/s400/IMG_9099.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Katy, before her swim</span><span class="Apple-style-span">. </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">
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<br /></span><table style="text-align: left;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/p2nzHMS6qNJW2H7xrtLTsA?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YRWi9WlIUyRTnuiVqg9-cPjXpCh-jV6G-SZsFLRHxFvsiOmdqgQdKffkC7vhGV1z_0xSyEN3JraYWniTQRqN7uxuvlaQ2r8ktT0FuIUF5MMo1WBIJrlf2xzn9ixXden-D032Nou17MU/s400/IMG_9131.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Vegas, MVP crew member, who stayed up the entire night coordinating Katy's feed and kayakers. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span>
<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J7hDiQcEEXSCqxHICPxYww?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzuJ9eOWjjn8jfs440rq9syPidVl-L-7Yx3NbqvQkqRfFtR7Qq1Toc_UMh9UbzuwOUID9LfEoeKTPD80NOH10vRKH45eoby-OieAkd4yTlA1PUcoq_d3uX_KU2GvdlV8cRLpPyDrcEpY/s400/IMG_9137.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Mel, grease coater and <a href="http://twitter.com/kdirish">tweeter</a>.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>
<br />
<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8Ym7honVrCMw1Q5zB6VgSw?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSuidztRdT8-xcAAe_FeZm_n_DR7TNZCZk9cs_fPXGgStZkof_zPP1XeSPgpStVkkjd7ezVmesSUKrkdic8DDFsMxCDES80plhuS08_gHoRlAKshSuVtuM4pVjxKgndX_szf9cLzFm0Y/s400/IMG_9189.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Alisa, a last minute addition. We were so happy the captain let her on the boat.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4FQW77LN1tdvEe8Zwfk-UQ?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7oSqLG1P1vEwZQfpCF0zZbOjs-Be6GgNGkVyfiO1mP6KOZmbh1QykruuJ34Dpkdn-9b2zY0529Vb68M5YzM80VtKaZwz0ISxMSC8M-SQjtP_yQ2eZQBJq1LDp8LxSreajmi3f9rnfgA/s400/IMG_9130.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >David. Veteran channel crosser who came with his daughter on the boat. He knew just how and when to motivate Katy to get her in under 10 hours.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qcxxv7BAX2cb5bsWRtwXCQ?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfCqRcUUhzxznxFc7hwXCuv44XJQ2tG3ohm_zm8gjmdjv4cXZrzB_IIBfDMDopsP81OwFDMouDgc1W-ETe5leCHbDcoiV7kIppeDus-bjKz96Pjhzi4lerOngsrPKjxsdiOagxRrjeHs/s400/IMG_9132.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Neil. Official observer who devised a great feeding system.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_RGPuJIxfteKo94yYSxb8A?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRPipU1TG339by6rLyaLVeADCIZ8EcL5hoB0Ns1GcOr6O0EgKX-87xkXhM89pfk_7iI_1_JIOzZ7myLWCS9B0kQSUu3qC98XSY4YboNrXe900OwvOUkFrVwV9dJFhzdNCZ8X6-FvshY8/s400/IMG_9172.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Thomas, kayaker extraordinaire.
<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3BD_VrleesU_aRT7ptx0sA?feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheg-mVB_w9MdNZ3qxvysG_GGRplRq_sFXuBhPV7hX4Qw-AzXFXXsD8MKQt2YFNRraOzPvqCxUAY5DzI5EZ2G35B8d2GFu7rsq5YWM7bMkFuOBnGbT7QXe0L-tA8dvNIQw7qj7RefTFgoY/s400/IMG_9222.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Katy with Kevin, another kayaker</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br />Katy's swim started off in rough waters for the first five hours, but the seas calmed down as the light came out. She was swam consistently throughout and picked up her pace towards the end. As she was coming out, the surge picked her up and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdDJ-3tarZUw%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player&h=_AQAG8Nk3AQD8ToJGr6nO_pmjOnXNqMMoC2YvlTzxPgbaTg">pushed her onto the rocks</a> nearly 90 feet away. She's a bit battered and scraped, but she finished!</span></div></div>plain-janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653162694982635188noreply@blogger.com0