georgia: tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia. According to various sources online, the metro area population is 1.5 million people, and the Kura river runs though the city. The old name is Tiflis, and the current name is usually mispronounced. (I said it wrong, and am still trying to teach my mouth how to say the name properly.)

I deliberately timed my arrival to Tbilisi so that I would arrive in daylight. The marshrutka ride from Kutaisi was easy, but nearly four hours long. I was expecting closer to three hours, so I was a bit antsy for the last bit of the ride. The marshrutka dropped me off at a bus station on one end of the city; nowhere near where I wanted to be.

I thought about walking to my hostel, and if the ride had only been three hours, I definitely would've. Since I thought the walk would be long, I opted for a taxi. I'm sure I overpaid, but I was able to communicate with the driver in Russian, which I really enjoyed. Plus, it gave me the chance to get an idea of how the city is laid out. 

One of the reasons I wanted to arrive in daylight is because of several comments I'd read about my hostel in terms of finding it. It was difficult to find, and not listed on either of the travel apps I use. There was no sign, it was behind a couple other buildings, and behind a gate. 

I checked into my hostel, rested a bit, then went out walking a bit. By this point the sun was setting, and I could see the city lit up. Lovely. All the lights (most of them anywho,) were a golden yellow, and I could see a lot while walking along the river running through the city. 

I found a pedestrian bridge across the river, lit up in white and blue. Fun to walk across and try to take photos. 

I was on the opposite side of the river from the presidential palace (I think) and I realized I could see the super moon right next to it. HUGE MOON, though I couldn't capture it very well with my camera. Absolutely lovely. 

On my way through the old city area, I walked past a steak restaurant I'd thought I would visit the next night. I looked at the menu, it sounded good, so I figured why wait?!? It was quite good. Good food, beautifully presented, free wifi, a nice atmosphere. 

The next morning I got locked in my room!!! Eeek! I banged on the door and one of the hostel workers let me out. When I said it wasn't good to be locked into my room, she said it had happened before, that the lock was old. Um, really?!? That's not a good thing to brush off. 

Anywho, I got going, and made my way up a hill on one side of the river. I stopped into a couple churches along the way, they were lovely. I wanted to take photos, but I didn't see anyone else doing so. At the same time, I didn't see a sign telling me not to do so. Why is it that sometimes I'm all about sneaking a photo, and other times I am a scaredy cat? 

One of the churches I visited was more Russian, and the interior was being redone. The door was open, but I felt really awkward as I stepped in, (with a headscarf on, it was an Orthodox Church,) and came face to face with about 8 people sitting around chatting, drinking tea/coffee and chatting.

They looked at me, seeming to wonder what I was doing there. The sanctuary was small, and I couldn't see much because of the scaffolding, so I wasn't in there for long. 

At the top of the hill I got to see a tall, silver computer lady. The statue is on the edge of the cliff/hill, so it's not possible to get a frontside photo while hiking up, argh. When you get to the top, there are a few stands set up, selling knock knacks and souvenirs. People try to take photos, but the back side of the statue doesn't seem very aesthetically appealing to me. I tried for a profile photo, but I don't know how well that worked. 

The statue is called Kartvlis Deda, and is a representation of the Georgian national character. She has a bowl of wine to greet those who come as friends, and a sword to greet those who come as enemies. It was erected on the 1500th anniversary of the founding of the city. 

Instead of going back down the hill the way I came, I followed a path from the statue to my next sight: a fortress (or what remains of a fortress) called Narikala. The fortress is also on the top of the hill. You can see where the walls are being built back up, which I didn't much like, though I suppose this is done quite often these days. I wonder how far this will go.

Right now, there is no entrance fee, and not a lot of area to explore. There is only one building still standing within the walls that is still standing, a church. It's pretty. 

This time I asked if I could take a photo, the lady said yes. I took a few, and tried not to be obnoxious. (I didn't want her to regret saying yes.) after my photos, I simply stood and took in the atmosphere. Though small, it really did feel warm and welcoming. As I was getting ready to leave, a man who came in started picking at my pants and told me that women are not supposed to be wearing pants in the church. I don't know if this is his opinion, or if women are really not supposed to be in pants in this church. I didn't see skirts to borrow, so if that is a rule, and they decided to enforce it, I suppose quite a few foreigners would be denied entry. Hmmm...

I left the fortress on the opposite side from which I entered, and made my way down the hill, back toward the city center. On the way down, I passed a mosque. I think it was close to prayer time, so I didn't enter. 

I wound through smaller streets to Freedom Square, in the middle of the old town area. In the middle of the square is a 'typical' statue of a man on a horse. This one was a bit higher than normal, as it was on top of a tall column. Also, it was covered in gold. Definitely more eye catching than I'm used to seeing with man on a horse statues. This one represents St George slaying the dragon. 

As it was so close to the holidays, I could see the beginnings of a Christmas tree being set up. It looked to be a tree of lights, rather than a green tree. 

I followed a main street out of the square, called rustaveli street. It stretches on for quite a while, and has wide sidewalks on both sides. On either side I saw government buildings, several museums, some artsy statues, and a Coffee Bean!!!! 

I know I've mentioned my love of this brand before, and will continue to do so every time I have the chance. I immediately crossed the street, went in, and ordered a large chai latte. They make it with real tea (not just flavored syrup,) and vanilla flavor; I'm in heaven every time I get the chance to have this drink. YUM. 

I continued walking, and eventually got to a convenient place to turn around. I crossed the street, and started walking back, exploring some of the smaller side streets. One of those side streets led me to another church being renovated; though I could see scaffolding and such inside I also realized I couldn't see any workers. So who knows. 

I crossed the river on the bridge is seen the night before, it was windy, and not as aesthetically appealing during the day. 

On the other side, I used the maps on the track apps to make my way up that hill. There were also signs pointing to several sights, I also used them to help get me to one of the major sights of the city. Trinity Cathedral, called Sameba Cathedral in Georgian. 

The cathedral is visible from a number of different places around the city, and is in heaps of photos of the city. It's not particularly intricate, but your eye is drawn in the direction of the cathedral. Maybe it is because the cathedral is on a hill, who knows. 

As I arrived on the grounds of the cathedral, I saw a group of high school looking kids walk out, dressed in some sort of traditional clothing. The kids, with the cathedral in the background seemed like such a fantastic photo. I need photo editing software, argh. 

I walked into the church, and was definitely underwhelmed. There wasn't nearly as much decoration as I expected, considering how important it is. There was a service going on, but there were heaps of people moving about, I definitely wasn't the only visitor. I watched for a few minutes, then quietly left. 

It turned out I had originally entered the church grounds through a side entrance. I spotted the main entrance, and walked that way. It's actually a gate, a pretty big one. The gate is built into a small building of sorts. 

I spotted stairs, and hoped they would take me to the top of this small building, which looked to offer a good view of the cathedral. The stairs took me where I wanted to go, though they weren't well lit the whole way. It turned out there was a small altar/room on top of this building. I could see in, but I could see another service going on, and this room was so small (though it did have a mini iconostasis) that I didn't feel comfortable going in during the service. 

I took a few photos of the cathedral, and made my way back down the dark stairs. 

I was going to head back down the hill, but realized the sun was starting to go down, and the sky was showing the beginning of a beautiful sunset. I loved the sky. Pink and blue, and just plain pretty. I went back to the small building at the gate, climbed back up the stairs, and took heaps of photos of the cathedral as the sky darkened, and the lights came on. Awesome. 

Eventually I did leave the area, and found another set of streets to get down the hill. I passed the presidential palace, but it didn't look like it was open for tours. Granted, it was at night, but I didn't see signs posting any sort of open hours. Oh well. 

I crossed a different bridge, and figured out how to get back to the same restaurant is visited the night before. I had totally different food, and loved it again. Yay! 

That night I didn't lock my door. Actually, I didn't completely close the door, since I was terrified it would lock me in again.

The next morning I was up at a reasonable hour, wound my way through the old city area, and had another large chai latte from Coffee Bean. YUM. Maybe not the healthiest way to start the day, but I didn't care. Maybe it's a good thing I don't have Coffee Bean around me every day?

One of the big buildings on Rustaveli Street is the Children's Palace. The building itself isn't architecturally noteworthy, but it has a history I found noteworthy. On 26 May 1918 Georgia declared its independence in the building.  Needless to say, that didn't last long, but I still found it noteworthy. 

I again used the maps of travel apps to get to another church. This time it wasn't the church that was the main focus of my visit. My main focus was instead on the cemetery, which is called the pantheon. A number of famous Georgian people are buried there, each with a very different and very unique gravestone. I saw a bunch of grapes, several busts, and many more.

The church itself was quite small, but still very nice.

I followed different streets back down the hill, and back to Rustaveli Street, then walked along the street for quite a while. Eventually I got to the so called Heroes Square, which is actually a giant traffic circle with a pillar in the middle. A big traffic circle!! 

On another side of this traffic circle I went up a hill, and saw the circus building. A typical Soviet circus building. I don't know how often there is a show, but I passed heaps of vendors, so the shows must be regular. 

I went down this hill, all the way to the river. My walk was away from the city center, along the river. I walked and walked and walked, strong winds most of the way. 

Finally I got to where I wanted to go: the Bank of Georgia. The official building is definitely unique. It looks like someone played with build-a-blocks. Or took giant trailers and put them at 90 degree angles on top of each other. Definitely not traditional, and still surprisingly boring, though that probably doesn't make sense. How long did it take to build and how many people work in this building?

I took my photos, then turned around and went all the way back to the old city center. Not a short walk, and very straight, but I enjoyed it anywho. (Generally, as long as it isn't raining, I love walking.) I passed through two small parks on my way back to Freedom Square; one of them had a few statues I liked, the other was filled with paintings and other items sold by vendors. 

Back on Rustaveli I went back to Coffee Bean for another large chai latte. (I really do take advantage when I have the opportunity!) 

At the start of Rustaveli, just off Freedom

Square is the national museum. I like history museums, but the part that interested me most was just one part of this museum. The exhibit of Soviet occupation. There were a lot of documents issued by the soviet government, photos of Georgian dissidents, statistics and facts, etc... 

It's only one room, but it's a part of history that continues to fascinate me. I didn't know much about what happened in Georgia (and I still don't really know much about Georgian history,) but I was somewhat saddened to learn how the Georgian royal family essentially was disappeared (they were killed and/or deported,) during this time. The occupation wasn't good to Georgians, nearly a million were killed or deported. Awful. 

The next morning I was up super early. I guess most people would still call it the middle of the night. A taxi took me to the airport, and I again concluded that an advantage of early early flights is the total lack of traffic on the way to the airport. 

Not too many hours later, I landed in Kyiv. 

america: new york city and west point

Kelley drove me to the airport at 2200 Sunday evening, several hours after we had returned from Kokomo. I'd booked a flight to New York City leaving at 0600 the following morning, and I wasn't about to ask anyone to drive me to the airport at 3 in the morning. I've slept in airports for years, and will probably continue to do so for a while.
My flight was supposed to leave at 0600. I was checked in and past security by 0400. Unfortunately, the flight didn't happen as planned. We boarded on time, I had high hopes. Then the pilot spoke to all of us and said we had to wait for a storm coming through. Ugh. After a couple announcements, they said we could get off the plane if we wanted, at 0730, but we all needed to be back by 0815. I didn't bother going anywhere, as I was sleeping.

Finally, we took off at 0900, three hours late. It was only supposed to be an hour and forty five minute flight, but we had to go around the storm, which added time. Plus New York is an hour ahead of Chicago. Instead of landing at 0900, I landed just after noon. Ugh.
One of my rugby friends from Korea had arranged a place for me to stay, so I took public transport to get there, to Brooklyn. Easy! I introduced myself to my temporary roommate, changed clothes, then took off again.
I met up with another rugby friend, my old rugby captain from Korea. We decided to hang out in coffee bean, which I know ice mentioned before is my favourite coffee shop chain. I love their chai lattes! Great to see Nat again, I think it had been 5 years. She still lives in Seoul, but was in NYC to train for a jiu jitsu tournament.

Nat had to go to jiu jitsu training after a couple hours, so I walked around Manhattan, just enjoying the atmosphere of NYC. Lots of people, lots of very tall buildings. I came very close to eating in koreatown, I really miss Korean food. (I just wasn't hungry.)
I walked one of the main streets in Brooklyn for a while before returning to the flat. Always fun to explore a new place, though Brooklyn isn't as photogenic as Manhattan. (I'm sure there are plenty of people who would disagree.)
The next morning I woke up slowly, because I could. Eventually I got on the metro, riding all the way to 86th street. I used my phone to find the closest coffee bean and started my morning with a chai latte. (This company really ought to hire me as a brand ambassador.) Down the street I found a bagel shop, yum.

Then I walked to the metropolitan museum of art, about three blocks. There were hot dog vendors out front, people hanging out on the steps, and giant posters advertising the current temporary exhibitions. The museum is iconic, for good reason. (It's one of several museums on the so called 'museum mile.')
There is no required entrance fee, but the suggested fee is $25. I opted to pay $15. The weather wasn't so great, I was in the museum with thousands of my best friends.
The metropolitan museum of art (often shortened to 'the met') is big. Really big. I spent 3 hours, and I'm pretty sure I missed quite a bit. There was a European section, a pacific island section, ancient civilizations, Asia, etc... It can be overwhelming. No selfie sticks allowed :)
Eventually I escaped, found my way back to the metro and rode downtown. I got off at Washington square park, and walked to a bookstore on the square to meet one of my old rugby coaches. We spent a few hours hanging out, catching up. Apparently this NYC visit was all about rugby folks :)

The next morning I was up early, so I could be sure to make it to grand central station on time for a specific train. While talking to Nat the first day, she had mentioned another of our teammates had just moved to West Point with her husband. I sent a message to Allie (half the team called her Kentucky, as that is where she is from,) who said it would be awesome if I could come up for a day. So I did.
Allie picked me up at the train station, and I realized it is completely inconvenient for people living at West Point to get to the train station. West Point is almost directly across the river from the train station, but the bridges don't connect the two. You have to drive several miles either way to get to a bridge. How annoying.
Allie used her ID to get me on post without a problem, and we drove to her new house. They'd literally just moved, arriving there only a couple previously. Household goods had arrived the day before I came up, so the house was chaotic. Plus they have a new puppy who didn't yet know the rules. So cute.

After a while chatting, we drove to the visitors center for the school and signed up for a tour.
The United States military academy at West Point is old and storied. Many of America's greatest military leaders went to school there. It's a beautiful campus, with plenty of history, traditions, and stories. Academics are rigorous, cadets (students) are busy all the time. In addition to a regular academic education they also have military education. Every cadet who graduates must serve five years active duty starting just after graduation. I know a few army officers who graduated from West Point, they stay in touch with each other and the bond is strong.
Our tour took us to a few highlights of the campus, and the tour guide gave her spiel pretty well. I wish I was allowed to wander around on my own, to see the beauty at a slower pace, and have more fun with photos. Other noteworthy members of our tour group: 3 Buddhist monks, and a family wearing navy gear. The rivalry between army and navy is HUGE (even though navy has won all the gridiron matchups in recent history) so wearing navy anything on a tour of West Point is...interesting.

After the tour we found a gift shop on campus, I bought postcards. Of course.
Next we had lunch at a local place. Highland falls (the name of the town just outside the gates of West Point) isn't big, and I'm guessing nearly everyone who lives there is either directly dependent on the academy, or indirectly.
We found a gift shop back
A couple hours later Allie drove me back to the station. It was sooo good to catch up with her :)
Dinner that night was low key, pizza.
The next day I flew to DC, but not until afternoon. I used my metro card to get back up to 89th street, and have another chai latte from coffee bean.
Then I walked down 5th avenue. All the way to 23rd street. In less than 2 hours, including brief stops in at Patrick's cathedral and a couple shops for postcards. The weather was great, and I love to walk.
Then I hopped back on the metro, went back to the flat, packed everything and made my way to the airport.
Thankfully, this flight left on time :)

san francisco

from chicago, i flew to san francisco...previous to this visit, i'd never been anywhere in california other than san diego (and it's surrounding metro area)...not only do a bunch of garmischers live in san francisco (and the surrounding metro area,) one of them was getting married just north of the city...i took advantage of being able to stay in the states an extra month, and go to this wedding...before the wedding i got to spend three full days in the city, which was fantastic...
i know i've mentioned it plenty of times previously, but i'll say it again...i love public transport...

i was able to take public transport from the airport, all the way to a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station really close to the apartment of a friend of mine...i took a taxi the rest of the way, just so i knew i'd get to the right place...after that, i always walked...anywho, the taxi dropped me off, and alexis' flattie let me in...alexis was in class, she still has a year or two of university classes...
i rested for a bit, then went back into the city center...it was easy to get back on the metro, and easy to figure out where i wanted to go...before arriving in the city, i'd found out that there are coffee bean locations in san francisco...

YUM...so the first place i went was a coffee bean shop, so i could have a large chai latte...YUM...
from there, i walked to the waterfront, and walked along that for a while...i hadn't really looked up anything online, so i didn't really know what to look for, what to see in the city...the weather was good, which was not what i expected...san francisco is not known for beautiful skies...it was windy, but that was fine...i loved seeing all the boats and water...eventually i made my way back to alexis' flat, she had prepared dinner...she eats vegetarian food at home, almost always organic...

my first meal involving kale...YUM...alexis had to study (she is super smart, studying something in the sciences) so i relaxed and read, eventually going to sleep...
the next day i followed the same pattern...alexis had to go to class, i went back into the city...this time i had an idea of what i wanted to see...i started the day with another chai latte from coffee bean (i get them wheneva possible) and more walking along the waterfront...this time i got to pier 39, which is apparently quite a tourist location...heaps of little boutique shops, and souvenir kiosks..

i'm not sure that it's anything in particular that really represents san francisco the city, but there are a bunch of restaurants (lots of seafood, of course) as well as small shops...a great place to people watch...behind one of the restaurants is an area where seals hang out in the sun...they're ugly animals, but fascinating at the same time...i ate some sort of chowder for lunch...tasty, but probably overpriced...on the other hand, san francisco isn't the cheapest city...
i kept walking...and walking...stopping to take photos from time to time...walking...

i walked around the edge of the city, following major streets...eventually i got to a street that connected me with lombard street...the name itself probably doesn't ring a bell for most people, but i bet a lot of you have seen photos...it's the crookedest street in the world...it weaves back and forth a number of times in the space of one block...too bad the sun was in the wrong spot for me to get a good photo, but it was still fun to see...cars don't move quickly when they go down this street...all the walking tourists go down the steps on either side of the street...somehow i don't think sidewalks will every be put in:)

to get back to the subway station i wanted, i kept walking...surprise!!
as i thought about it afterward, the area i walked through didn't seem to be a very good neighborhood, but it was daytime, so i think i was okay...along the way a guy started walking with me and asked me out for coffee...does that happen regularly to other tourists?
a giant salad for dinner...i love places that have giant salad buffets where you pay by weight...i'm happy to jam as many vegetables as possible into one of those carryout containers...i don't usually add dressing, some people call me a rabbit for that..hee hee...heaven:)

My last day in the city I started with another chai latte from coffee bean, then started walking toward the famous bridge...
on the way, i stopped at grace cathedral, which was lovely...quiet, full of light and colour...i love any church that has stained glass, and this church had plenty...
from there, the street took me through chinatown...since i've traveled through parts of china, and have seen other chinese markets during my travels, this felt not quite right...i think i'm just a jaded traveler...

then i walked by the presidio...i think that's what it's called? quite pretty...
the Golden Gate Bridge...it's the famous red bridge in all the photos you see...I was thrilled that the weather was great, a sunny, blue sky, so nothing would be covered by clouds/fog...I didn't get to the viewpoint you usually see, I didn't have a car...it was a long walk to get to this beach area, I stopped for lunch (and dessert!!) along the way...dessert was apple pie from Mel's diner...yum...i love diners...love love love...after looking at that menu, i wish i'd eaten my entire lunch at the diner...

there weren't a whole lot of people at the beach, I don't know why...I walked into the water, sat and relaxed for a little while, took photos, etc...then I started walking again...I went up a lot of stairs, and finally got to one of the huge parks/gardens of San Francisco...I didn't have enough time to properly explore and wander around, but I did enjoy what I saw...on the way back I walked through haight ashbury, the area famous for the hippy movement of the 60s...it doesn't seem to be remarkable now...finally after another hour or two, I got back to Alexis's flat....
The next morning I left...It was a great visit with Alexis, and what i hope is my first visit to San Francisco...I hope I get to see the city again:)...there is plenty I didn't get to see, and there is a lot if yummy food...it's a foodie city:)...keep your fingers crossed i get good weather the next time i visit...perhaps i should also let other friends know i'm in town when i come back...(i got yelled at by several people who didn't know i was there at the time...ooops)

seoul vol.4, iss 5

last week started out well, i got a letter and a care package on monday...the letter from IN, the care package from TN..included in the care package were boxes of velveeta shells and cheese, which is one of my favourite foods..kraft dinner is good, but not as good as velveeta..i realize velveeta isn't healthy..but it's sooooooooo good..for 4 nights out of five last week, a box of velveeta was my dinner..i know i know, eating a full box in one sitting isn't particularly good for you, but it was soooo worth it..there is just something comforting about that yellow yumminess...
by the end of last week, i couldn't wait for the weekend...the kids were driving me crazy...one of the more troublesome kids had been relatively good for a couple weeks, but last week not so much, especially the last couple days...it didn't help that on friday we didn't have a field trip, or anything else..according to the weather people, it was going to be cold last friday, so on wednesday, the school decided to switch friday and monday...so i got to teach friday...the first time teaching five full days in a week in foreva...it made me realize how lucky i am to be at this school, as i don't normally have to do that...by the end of friday i was completely worn down, and very very ready to shoo the kids out the door, and leave a couple hours later myself..i still love the kids, but every now and again i can't wait for them to leave..

the weekend was rugby based...yay...saturday, the second 15 of the survivors played..it was their first official game as the second squad, they're calling themselves the killer Bs..an expat team from cheonju (about three hours away?) came up to play..the Bs smashed them, 27-7..it's great that the survivors have so many guys coming out that they have two squads..a bunch of the girls came out to support, as did friends and significant others of the guys..it was the first time i've ever watched any of the survivors play, and i loved it..i was able to see some of the stuff we've been doing in practice happen in a game, and a lot of it made a whole lot more sense..i could see rucking, and passing, and side outs, and scrums..everything..i also saw a broken nose, yuck..lots of blood..i'm not sure why, (nor is anyone else i talked to) but the koreans have been filling in the pitch with sand..grass won't grow anymore, which sucks..the whole field is going to turn into dirt, and none of us can figure out why they would want that to happen..obviously the pitch is going to get torn up over the summer, but you'd think they'd fill it in with dirt, not sand!!! it's not good for a ruck or scrum, no one can get any traction!! ugh..
after the game a few of the girls went to indigos, which seems to be a go to place after rugby..yummy food, and there is always good conversation..from there, mel and i went walking up to itaewon, as both of us wanted to go to the bookstore..i was looking for the next book to read for my book club, but i didn't find it..mel found the book she needed for her book club..in the middle of looking around she handed me a book w/out saying a word..something about "how to kick your sugar addiction"...perfect for me, lol...but i didn't buy it..instead i bought a book about steroids and baseball, and one about the korean war..both of us could've easily spent more time in there, i can spend hours and hours browsing in bookstores..after the bookstore we went to a foreign foods market, as mel needed supplies for dinner..i ended up getting bhindi masala..according to the package, its the most popular brand of ready to eat food in india..which made me laugh, cause they don't really do "ready to eat" in india..either you go to a restaurant (not many people do that) or you make it at home..bhindi is okra, which i love the way it's done in india..i bought a box, just to see what it's like..(a week later and i still haven't gotten around to eating it, oops)..
from there, i went home, and didn't do anything the rest of the evening..
sunday morning i was planning to go to church, then rugby practice (which was switched because of the guy's game on saturday)..but i didn't get up in time to get to church..instead i arrived at rugby practice 15 minutes early, because the subway connections worked just right...there is one line that only runs every fifteen minutes, and it seems that you just miss it, or just make it..
anywho...practice ended up being awesome, even though it didn't start out that way..to begin with, there were only 4 people there when practice was officially supposed to start at 1130..we started warmups at 1145, when there were 6 people there..by 1215 we had a few more..showing up that late makes me wonder why people even bother..we ended up having some good drills and spent the last 20 minutes playing 7s..for the first time ever, i actually felt like i knew what i was doing most of the time!!! YAHOO!! i even got lucky with a breakaway and scored!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOO..it felt good..

after practice several girls went to indigos again, but i went to childrens grand park..
one of my coworkers had told me there were lots of cherry blossoms there, and i wanted a few pictures..not surprisingly, there were also a LOT of people..TONS..oh well, that's korea..she was right, there were a lot of cherry blossoms, they're soooo pretty..the weather was nice, so i ended up sitting under a tree reading for a while as well..home afterward:)..afterward i went to coffee bean for a chai and a cake...coffee bean is my all time favourite coffee chain, i would be happy to go there every day..unfortunately it's also pretty much the most expensive coffee chain in korea..go figure..grocery shopping ended a good weekend:)

a weekend

last weekend i didn't do anything...i left my flat exactly twice, both times to go get ice cream from a shop in my own building...a whole lot of nothing...i still don't know exactly why, but last weekend i just couldn't be bothered to do anything..it happens every now and again..
this weekend was different..i wasn't super busy, but i wasn't so immobile either..i went to contact rugby practice saturday morning..there were only 10 of us there (including the coach, and a korean girl who showed up about an hour late) because of hong kong 7s (the longest running rugby tournament in asia, i think) and cold weather..i'm sure there were other reasons as well..anywho..since there were only 10 of us, we weren't able to do as much as the coach had hoped..it's really hard to work on scrums when you don't have enough people..we ended up playing touch for a little while, on a very much shortened (both length and width) pitch, to force us to work on passing..sometime in the middle of touch, we noticed a whole lot of people taking pictures of us..we continued playing for a bit, then decided to take pictures of them taking pictures of us..as we learned later, it was a photography club that had come to take pictures of us..i wonder what kind of photos they ended up with..
the rest of saturday i didn't do much..i could've, but there wasnt any reason to do so..making it to rugby practice meant this weekend was already better than last weekend..hee hee...
sunday morning i went to church..there is an advantage to having a really early service, and that is that it's over earlier..the weather today was absolutely beautiful..sunny, with blue skies..a perfect day..

after the service, i took the subway to the tombs at uireung..they are the tombs of king gyeongjong and his second queen, queen seonui..he was the 20th king of the joseon dynasty..the long and short of it is that they both died, childless..he was only on the throne for 4 years, and she was only 25 when she died!! these tombs are different in that instead of being next to each other, one is behind the other..apparently this is the feng shui way of arranging tombs.. either way, the mountain was still behind everything..it was disappointing for me to realize that i couldn't really get up and see the tombs..there were ropes around the bottom of the hill, clearly saying "don't go here"...i wanted to get up and see how everything was arranged, but that wasn't an option...it didn't stop me from thinking about ducking under the ropes, as there weren't too many people there, and at one point no one could've seen me if i had ducked under the ropes and climbed up the little hill..but i didn't..i saw a tree which i thought would give me a better view, so i tried climbing it..but climbing a tree in high heels wasn't my forte..i ended up kicking off one of my shoes and making it up the tree.. sadly, i didn't end up with the view i wanted, so i had to go back down without breaking anything..i made it, but just barely..since i didn't get to really see the tombs, the best part of the outing was when two kids came up to me and gave me little snacks..i should've gotten a picture with them, but i wasn't thinking..
as i was leaving the tombs, i realized how badly my feet hurt..OUCH..i guess i can wear high heels for a little while, but not an entire day...ooops...by the time i got back on the subway i was taking really small steps, and trying to figure out the fastest way back to my flat, so i could get there and change shoes..i FINALLY got home, and it was heaven to take off the heels..i still think it's stupid to see korean women hiking in high heels, but now i have a different view of their level of coordination in that they're able to do it in the first place!! plus, when i took off the shoes, i realized i had scraped up my legs and feet a bit while climbing the tree at the tombs...oops...hee hee...i'm sure my legs will feel good as ever tomorrow..ending up with bumps and bruises seems to be the norm for my weekends:)
the rest of the day involved grocery shopping, and a trip to my favourite coffee shop, coffee bean..they have the best chai lattes on the planet, and a chocolate mousse cake to die for..a perfect ending to a weekend:)