Recently in Trips & travel Category

with Paris.

I traveled via high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris and arrived just in time to grab some lunch and duck out of the rain at a cafe. I enjoyed some authentic French crepes (which are not very much like American crepes) and studied my Frommer's "Paris in One Day" map which seemed way too ambitious and involved some public transportation which we all know is not my strong point.

I quickly ditched the idea of a map when I realized that everything was a sight to be seen. I chose a direction and walked from the Arc de Triomphe to the Musée du Louvre and several side journeys in between. It was pouring rain, but about 70 degrees outside - not the best weather but it seemed to add to the experience. Every direction I looked was one breathtaking scene after another, it was truly exhausting taking it all in (and walking about 10km in a couple of hours). I felt like running so I could see more but didn't want to miss anything.

The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, so I regret not being able to go inside - but the building's exterior is in itself a piece of art. After my exhausting day I met my colleague and client for an amazing dinner. The icing on the cake and perhaps my idea of a perfect night in Paris was last night's lightning storm - I love electrical storms and got to lie in bed and watch this one for about an hour.

Today was the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) conference on Data Protection which I found to be quite interesting and I learned more in a few hours than I could even absorb. After the conference we met for drinks with some of the other participants at an outdoor bar with stunning view of the Eiffel Tower, and then had another great dinner nearby.

Unfortunately I have not a single picture of my trip because my American power converter didn't fit into the hotel outlet so my camera wasn't charged. That's fine though, it would have been just a lot more photos with inanimate subjects since I was traveling alone - post cards are better anyway.

I am anxious to return and take some photos and spend more time wandering around the most beautiful place I've ever been. It should be noted that I've been to some beautiful places: the Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Big Island of Hawaii, the Rogue River in southern Oregon, Glacier National Park in Montana, Manhattan, the Wallowa Mountains, the desert in Utah....all different types of beauty but none so astonishing as my new favorite city in the world (so far).

I am excited to let you know that in about 12 hours I will be boarding a flight to Amsterdam, The Netherlands where I will live for the next 18 months!  I've accepted a position with KPMG's International Headquarters in Amstelveen.  I will be part of a team that assists companies in transferring data across International borders.  The laws are very complex and differ from one country to the next, and I look forward to what is sure to be a rewarding and challenging experience.

My first assignment will take place in nine different countries across Europe.  I plan to spend as much time as possible traveling around and seeing as much of the world as I can.  Between business and personal travel, I hope to cross a handful of items off my ever-growing list of places I want to see.

I am excited to get there - only a little bit nervous so far.  KPMG will help me with everything related to the relocation.  They will pick me up from the airport on Wednesday morning and take me to my hotel.  Then in the afternoon I'll meet with the housing agent to drive around looking for apartments.  They'll set me up with a car, a bank account, a phone, and Dutch lessons.    Most people in The Netherlands speak English, and the client projects I will be working on will be in English.  But learning the language will make it easier to adjust and I wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to learn a new language.  I will be allowed two trips home during my stay, I haven't yet thought about when those might be.

You may have noticed I've updated the design of this blog - seems appropriate with all the changes in my life!  I'll still be using the same e-mail address to keep in touch - and I will be keeping my US phone number.  I can receive voice mail but no text messages unfortunately.

Please keep in touch and check back soon for photos and updates!

I never would have guessed that I'd fall in love with Salt Lake City, Utah, but I have! I just returned from a road trip with Cooper from San Francisco to Denver - we had a fantastic time and the trip went great. Our expectations were low as I have driven through Nevada before - it's flat, boring, and seemingly endless. But that is the Northern part of the state - our route was beautiful.

Our first day was rather short, only three hours of driving and then we spent the night in Lake Tahoe with friends Daphne and Mike. We set out early for Salt Lake City but took our time during the day. We stopped in Elko, NV for some Basque food - who would have guessed there is a Basque restaurant in Elko, NV? Unfortunately we missed the 4 hour window in which they are open and had to settle for what might have been the worst Mexican food I've ever tasted.

When we arrived in Salt Lake City we checked into our Bed & Breakfast, Haxton Manor. It was a lovely place with a great inn-keeper, Buffy. She proudly showed us the place that hosted the English Olympics team in 2002. Our room was beautifully decorated and had a nice Jacuzzi tub, perfect after a day of driving. We enjoyed dinner at a Thai restaurant and then called it an early night.

Rather than leaving early in the morning, we decided to check out more of the city - which is when I fell in love! It reminds me very much of Missoula, but the central location makes it perfect! The views of the mountains are delightful and the people are very friendly. We toured the Joseph Smith memorial building for a view of the Mormon temple. This was perhaps the most interesting part of our trip. A docent invited us in and took our picture with a statue of Joseph Smith that must have been about 8 feet tall. We took the elevator to the top floor to enjoy a panoramic view of the city.

We approached a kind looking man with a stack of bibles and literature to ask the purpose of the metal roofed building (it is the tabernacle). In addition to an answer to our question, he gave us a condensed (yet surprisingly detailed) history of the religion. He was the sweetest gentleman, but we unfortunately had to cut it short after about 20 minutes.

Our third and final day was filled with even more great views of the Utah desert and the Colorado Rockies, ending in Denver at Cooper's parents' house. I said goodbye and flew back to San Francisco, happy I had the chance to spend a few days with my dear friend before she moves to Malawi, Africa!

I arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday night and met with Brad's family for dinner at the Bellagio. Then we ventured out to Ghost Bar (which is at the Palms). The club is at the top of the building with a great view of the city. There is even a cut-out in a part of the floor which extends beyond the building so you can look straight down. Here we made friends with a guy named Michael from Chicago. He told us he was there alone so we invited him to join us. Next we headed to Moon, which is also part of the Palms, for some dancing. Before I knew it we found ourselves at Scores, which is highly over-rated and over-priced (like so many things, I found). At that point it was time to call it a night so we made our way back to our hotel, New York, New York.

On Friday we went to a bar under LAX called Noir - it is accessed via a hidden entrance and you have to be invited to get in. Once you enter there is a long, dimly lit hallway that eventually opens to a round room. In the center is a large, low hanging chandelier and along the walls are black leather benches. In the next room there are about 10 tables surrounded by plush black leather chairs and couches. Floating mirrors hang from high ceilings and the DJ is spinning house music. The place defines cool, and needless to say I was out of place! I'd have taken photos but our hostess Ebony informed us there are no cameras allowed - to protect the privacy of celebrities and other guests. I guess that's how they keep what happens in Vegas in Vegas!

One of many great things about Noir is the elevator to LAX. You get to bypass the entire line and get right in to the club. The vibe is totally different - it's loud and packed. Luckily Bradley happened to be dressed in all black so he pretended to be a security guard and pushed our way through with ease! We hung out in the main club for a while, but my aversion to crowds soon took over and I needed some space. Rather than leave, we simply went to the VIP lounge. Since we had been downstairs at Noir, they automatically let us in. Here is a photo of our new friends Brian and Rosemarie from the VIP lounge.

All in all, Vegas was crazy. I had a blast but it may be a while before I'm ready to go back!

I headed straight to Washington, DC for a conference afterward. Check out Fabian's Photos on Flickr, note the one where I kissed Barack Obama - I love that guy!

After a wonderfully relaxing Christmas with friends and family, Lindsay and I braved the storm and drove to Portland on Thursday where she left me with Jeff and continued on to her Christian retreat. Jeff and I enjoyed a few days of relaxation and hanging out with friends, laying low in anticipation of an exciting New Year's Eve. We followed the San Francisco Zoo Tiger Mauling story very closely (more to come on that later) and watched some college football.

On Sunday, I decided to head south to Florence to meet the newest addition to the Goss family, Chloe. Unfortunately, that was not how it worked out. About 2 miles away from Jeff's house I was in a car accident. I was driving my sister's car, and collided with a guy driving his friend's van. That proved to be an interesting insurance claim, but luckily no one was hurt and the damage was, well, manageable. I guess we'll work that one out later. Perhaps the worst part of it all was that I didn't get to meet the baby, hopefully I will get to before she gets much older!

Since Sunday was obviously a very stressful day I wasn't in the mood to do much of anything. Jeff and I rented the movie The Lives of Others which was AMAZING. It requires a lot of thinking and concentration - but it's a fantastic movie. It won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and several others internationally. It is about the Stasi (secret police) monitoring the cultural scene in East Berlin. The great thing about watching a film in a language you don't understand is you can really appreciate the actors' talent. With a Foreign Film, you must rely on their non-verbal forms of expression such as tone or facial expression. I highly grecommend this film, but be prepared for a lot of work. Jeff and I were mentally drained after watching the extremely complex story.

To celebrate the New Year we had our second annual party at the Thirsty Lion Pub in downtown Portland. Since we've had so much fun there for two years in a row, we've decided it's going to have to be an annual event going forward. No complaints from me, it's a fun bar with a pretty good band and cheap drinks! We are going to have to make Chez Jose a tradition as well - it's the best Mexican food I've ever had in my life in any city - who knew I'd find it in the Rose City?

Anyway, back to San Francisco and the real world. Vacation has been nice and I'm feeling well rested - which will make it that much harder to go back to work next week :(. I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday and wish you all the best in 2008!