Japan trip 2019

June 24th, 2019

We went to Japan again this year. Naoko and Zen were there for nearly three weeks, I was there for only 1.5 weeks as I didn’t have much leave time (and I had a big business trip to Australia in early June). This year we did a few day trips, to Osaka, Ako and Kyoto, and I also met up in Himeji with my ex-boss, Emmanuel Daniel of The Asian Banker, which was great fun. Here are the pics from the trip!! Click on the pics to see larger versions.

(Note – I went to the gym today, after four weeks away, two of which were spent in Japan not exercising, chilling out, drinking beer, eating what I want… I found that I’d gained: 0.00 kilograms!!)

Naoko & Zen at the family home in Himeji.
Zen Naoko

At Naoko’s brother’s house, with his niece’s pet snake.
Peter

My wife’s niece and her baby snake – yikes!!
Peter Nanaka

At Naoko’s brother’s house with Naoko’s niece and great-nephew!
Nanaka Yousei

With Zen, my father-in-law, and his friend from Nepal at the Nepali restaurant.
Hiroshi Zen

Lovely curry and cheese nan at my father-in-law’s friend’s Nepali restaurant in Himeji
Food

With Emmanuel Daniel in front of Himeji Castle.
Peter Emmanuel Daniel

Peter Emmanuel Daniel

Emmanuel Daniel in Himeji Castle.
Emmanuel Daniel

Himeji castle
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Behind Himeji Castle.
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Himeji castle area at sunset.
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Naoko in front of her parents’ house at sunset.
Naoko

At Minatoya okonomiyaki restaurant in Ako.
Peter Naoko Zen PNZ

Hanging out with our old friend Trevor at Minato-ya in Ako.
Trevor Naoko Zen

A picture taken of us 16 years ago at Minato-ya in Ako that we found hanging on the walls there still!
Peter Naoko Zen

Posing with our picture of 16 years ago at Minato-ya in Ako.
Peter Naoko Zen

With Trevor and Kayo at Minato-ya in Ako.
Trevor Kayo Peter Naoko Zen PNZ

Frying up some okonomiyaki at Minatoya in Ako.
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Hanging out with our pal Trevor at Ako Misaki.
Trevor Peter Naoko Zen

Peter Naoko Zen

Peter Naoko Zen

Oishi shrine in Ako.
Naoko Zen

Zen meets Daikoku-ten at the Oishi Shrine in Ako.
Zen

Yebisu-san statue at Oishi Shrine in Ako.
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Tsutenkaku in south Osaka.
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The best kebab sandwich I’ve ever had in my life!! With Jason & Matt in Osaka.
Jason Peter Matt

Getting ready to enter Jigokudani in Osaka!
Grant Jason Cliff Mark Matt

Maid (mei-do) bar in Jigokudani in Kyoto. Great food, lovely karaoke, great prices!
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In Osaka’s jigokudani with my posse having a great time.
Grant Jason Cliff Mark Matt Ross

An illuminated gin & tonic in Jigokudani in Osaka.
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With my friends Jason (who I know from living in Nishinomiya) & Grant (who I know from living in Ako) in Osaka.
Jason Peter Grant

The entrance at the Fujino ranch in Himeji.
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Big family Father’s Day dinner at the Fujino home in Himeji.
Yaeko Zen Yuuta Haruka Nanaka Yumiko

Daichi wearing my hat at the Father’s Day family gathering – makes him look like Jiggen Daisuke from Lupin Sansei!!
Peter Daichi

Me and my brother-in-law.
Peter Masayuki

My father-in-law with his great-grandson.
Hiroshi Yousei

Dinner, big Father’s Day family gathering.
Masayuki Daichi Naoko Hiroshi

Haruka Nanaka

My father-in-law trying on my hat at the big Father’s Day family gathering.
Haruka Nanaka Naoko Masayuki

Heading out for our bicycle tour along the Ichikawa river to North Himeji.
Peter Naoko Zen PNZ

Naoko Zen

A reinforced rapid along the Ichikawa River in North Himeji.
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Beautiful roses at the North Himeji rose garden (bala-in).
Peter flower

Peter Naoko flower

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Zen & Naoko in front of a beautiful rose bush at the North Himeji rose garden (bala-in).
Naoko Zen

Getting ready for some monjayaki and okonomiyaki in Himeji.

food

A nice meal of monjayaki with Naoko’s mom.
Peter Naoko Zen Yaeko PNZ

Fushimi Inari Taisha in Fushimi town, a part of Kyoto. The front gate was not so crowded when we entered around 8:00 AM.
Naoko Zen

 

Fushimi Inari Taisha.

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Naoko Zen

Naoko Zen

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Naoko

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Peter Naoko Zen

Naoko Zen

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View of Kyoto from Fushimi Inari Taisha.
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Fushimi Inari Taisha.
Naoko Zen

Naoko Zen

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Naoko

Naoko Zen

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This shrine with a tree growing through the entrance… wow!
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Fushimi Inari Taisha.
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Daruma statue at Fushimi Inari Taisha.
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Fushimi Inari Taisha front gate – now much more crowded.
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Interesting eel complex in Uji, near Kyoto.
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Statue of Murasaki Shikibu in Uji, near Kyoto, where a large part of her Tale Of Genji is set.
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Uji bridge, supposedly the oldest in the world.
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On the Uji bridge over the Kamogawa in Uji, near Kyoto.
Peter Naoko Zen

The Kamogawa from Uji bridge in Uji, near Kyoto.
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Drinking tea next to the Uji bridge in Uji, near Kyoto.
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Zen’s ocha soba in Uji.
Zen

An old tea house in Uji, near Kyoto.
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Strange “watch out for running kids” sign in Uji, near Kyoto.
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Beautiful wisteria structure in front of Byodoin in Kyoto.
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Byodoin, the building that can be seen on one side of a Japanese 10 yen coin.
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Byodoin in Kyoto – a group of elderly setting up for a group photo, and a group of students heading to do the same.
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Family portrait in front of Byodoin in Uji, near Kyoto.
Peter Naoko Zen

Another Nepalese restaurant! This one in Kyoto, near Tofukuji.
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Tofukuji in Kyoto
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Tofukuji pond.
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Buddhist altar in Tofukuji in Kyoto.
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Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto
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View of Kyoto from Kiyomizu-dera.
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Hydrangea at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.
Peter Naoko

View of Gion from Kiyomizu-dera.
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View of Kiyomizu-dera.
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Taking in the waters at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.
Naoko Zen

Naoko Zen

Naoko Zen

Jizo-sama in Kyoto.
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Yae no ume in Kyoto!!
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Kyoto, and the world’s most demure Starbucks!

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Heading down a shady trail to Yasaka-jinja in Kyoto.
Naoko Zen

Naoko Zen

Funky modern architecture in Kyoto.
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Gion-kaku tower in Kyoto.
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Yasaka-jinja in Kyoto
cialis maximum dose daily

Leaving Yasaka-jinja in Kyoto
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Kamogawa in Kyoto
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The Kamogawa near Ponto-cho in Kyoto.
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Naoko & Zen chilling on the banks of the Kamogawa, Ponto-cho restaurants seen behind them.
Naoko Zen

With Naoko & Zen & my mother-in-law at the Nagahama Ramen shop in Himeji.
Peter Naoko Zen Yaeko PNZ

Zen, my brother-in-law and me on our last (full) day in Japan)
Zen Haruhito Peter

View of Himeji from Tegarai-yama on our last (full) day in Japan. A bullet train is passing.
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View of Himeji from Tegarai-yama on our last (full) day in Japan. Himeji Castle can be seen in the distance.
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With Zen on Tegarai-yama on our last (full) day in Japan.
Peter Zen

Dinner at the Fujino ranch in Himeji on our last (full) day in Japan.
Zen Yaeko Hiroshi

I found this old picture from 1996, celebrating Naoko & my engagement. That’s Daichi sitting on my father-in-law’s lap.
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Four generations of the family, including Naoko, her nephew, her mother and grandmother. This picture was probably also from 1996.
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An old picture of Naoko’s grandmother’s chrysanthemum exhibition. This may have been 1999 or so.
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And now for the best part… the food!
Food

food
Food

food

Food

food

Australia trip

June 8th, 2019

I had a business trip to Australia this past week. It was quite okay – I sweat and worried a lot before I went, even though I had prepped like crazy, but in the end it was immensely successful. Sydney’s a bit of a dull town, but it’s such a great city to wander around, and there was this light festival going on, so in my brief spells of down time (later in the week, when I had less to sweat about) it was all good. Met up with some old friends, made some new ones, and even had a short trip to Melbourne built in. Six flights in seven days makes this a very busy time of the year for me. Funnily enough, it was darn rainy on Tuesday & Friday (first rain in six months, it seems), and I didn’t buy any vinyl. Good times!!

As usual, click on the links to see a bigger picture.

My home for eight hours on a Monday morning/afternoon
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Sky over Singapore.
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I took the train into town. St James station is so cool!
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Sydney at night.
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Sydney at night part 2
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My hotel room
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Not the best weather forecast…
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View from my balcony on a stormy Tuesday
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Sydney at night.
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One of the few pictures I took in Melbourne, lol…
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Sydney harbour light festival
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Sydney Friday morning
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Queen Vic.
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Pyrmont fun.
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Chillin’ with Jake – the eyes!
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Chillin’ with Jake – the pies!
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Sydney Friday afternoon
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Oma & Opa in Europe, 2019

May 19th, 2019

This year in March, we met my parents in Germany, rented a car and travelled through southern Germany (Munich, Traunstein, Berchtesgaden, Nuremberg, Cologne, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Ahlen-Westfalia), Austria (Salzburg, Melk, Schönberg am Kamp, Vienna) and the Czech Republic (Česky Krumlov, Prague). It was fantastic to hit the road with them, visiting historic sites and seeing friends and family. Lovely!

As usual, click on the links to see a bigger picture.

Oma & Opa & Zen in Traunstein.
Traunstein Zen Opa Oma

A wonderful dinner with friends in Traunstein.
Traunstein Naoko Zen Opa Oma Gisela Heinz

A perfect picture in Salzburg.
Salzburg Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Getreidegasse, Salzburg.
Salzburg Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Visiting my old school in Salzburg.
Salzburg Oma Opa Peter Naoko Zen

At the monastery in Krems.
tadalafil 20 milligrams

At Maria’s in Schönberg am Kamp.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Oma & Opa in Schönberg am Kamp.
OMa Opa

With our wonderful friend Theresa in Schönberg am Kamp!!
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Theresa

With my parents at Schönberg am Kamp.
Oma Opa Peter

Dinner in Schönberg am Kamp.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert Theresa

A beautiful morning in front of the Stefansdom in Vienna.
Oma Opa Naoko Zen Norbert

Near the Stefansdom in Vienna.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

In Vienna near the Stefansdom.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

Hello, Vienna!!!!
Oma Opa

Eine kleine Bierli! In Vienna!!
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

With Norbert in the Kleine Bierl in Vienna. Great meal, great times.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

Saying goodbye to our wonderful friends in Schönberg am Kamp!!
Zen Naoko  Oma Opa Norbert Theresa

Dinner at Švejk Restaurant in Česky Krumlov, named after The Good Soldier Švejk.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Late afternoon in Česky Krumlov!!
Peter Naoko Oma Opa

Hanging out at the castle in Česky Krumlov.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa

On the Charles Bridge in Prague.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Oma, Opa, classic car. Prague.
Oma Opa

Wandering the streets of Prague on our second day, after the Charles Bridge.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Prague wandering!!
Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Waiting for the driver to arrive in Prague…
OMa Opa

Awesome sausages in Nuremburg!!
Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Great sausage restaurant in Nuremberg.
Peter Naoko Oma Opa

Cologne, the cathedral by night.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Roswitha

With our wonderful relatives in Ahrweiler!!
Roswitha Naoko Zen Siegfried Liesbeth Irmtraud Oma Opa

Our relatives gathered in Ahlen, Westfalia.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Gerhard Ruth Manfred Inge Simon Michael

Oma, Uncle Manfred, Uncle Reinhard, on a beautiful day in Ahlen-Westfalia.
Oma Manfred Gerhard

At Dieblich, on the Mosel river.
Oma Opa Naoko Zen

At Dieblich, on the Mosel river.
Oma Opa Naoko Zen

At Deutsches Eck in Koblenz. The cool people!!
Oma Opa

A beautiful dinner with the Schultheis family in Heidelberg.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Dieter Naoko Hana Lena

Heidelberg
Oma Opa

Near the castle in Heidelberg.
Oma Opa

Heidelberg Castle 5.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

A wonderful lunch after seeing the cherry blossoms in Heidelberg.
Naoko Dieter Naoko Oma Opa Zen

Lovely lunch after cherry blossom viewing in Heidelberg!!
Peter Naoko Oma

Europe trip 2019

May 17th, 2019

In March-April we went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe, Naoko, Zen & I and my parents. We were with Oma & Opa for two weeks in a rental car, three generations together, visiting Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, then back into Germany, seeing old friends & relatives in Austria & Germany. We said goodbye to my parents in Frankfurt, then drove on for another week in Paris, where we gave up the car and became flaneurs!

Here are some pictures from the trip. As usual, click on the thumbnail pic to see a larger picture.

In Changi Airport in Singapore, heading out to Europe for (Zen’s) first time!
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On the KLM flight to Europe!
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First meal in Europe – lunch!!
Naoko Zen

In front of the Hofbräuhaus!
Naoko Zen

The Hofbräuhaus!!
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Beer at the Hofbräuhaus!!
Peter Zen

At the Marienplatz in Munich.
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Breakfast in Munich.
Peter Naoko

The Europa statue at the Theresienwiese, where every year the Oktoberfest is held. At this time it was empty.
Naoko Zen

Munich’s Viktuelienmarkt.
Peter

Checking out paintings in the Alte Pinakotek in Munich. This is a painting by Albrecht Aldorfer that made a strong impression on me when I saw it first at age 15.
Peter Zen

With our friend Ingrid in front of a Leonardo da Vinci painting!!
Ingrid Naoko Peter

One of the many big halls in the Alte Pinakotek!
Ingrid Naoko

Surfing on the Eisbach river in Munich. Amazing!!
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Surfing on the Eisbach river in Munich. Amazing!!
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In a beergarden in the English Garden in Munich.
Naoko Ingrid Zen

Zen chatting with his grandparents in a brewery in Traunstein.
Traunstein Zen Opa Oma

Breakfast in Traunstein.
Traunstein Naoko Zen

Posers in Salzburg!!
Salzburg Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

Cool doorway in Salzburg.
Salzburg Zen

Salzburg!!
Salzburg

My old school in Salzburg.
Salzburg Oma Opa Naoko Heinz

The Untersberg in Salzburg, Austria.
Salzburg

At the Königsee in Berchtesgaden, south Germany.
Berchtesgaden Kónigsee

On the Alpine trail in Southern Germany!
Zen Heinz Opa Naoko

Morning frost on the car!
Traunstein Naoko Zen Peppy

The monastery in Melk.
Naoko Zen Opa

Schönberg am Kamp.
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Checking out the beautiful cat in Schönberg am Kamp.
Naoko

Hanging with Norbert in Schönberg am Kamp.
Norbert Zen

Opa and the kitty in Schönberg am Kamp.
Opa

The monastery in Krems.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

Krems.
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Zen at the monastery at Krems.
Zen

With my parents at Norbert’s house at Schönberg am Kamp.
Oma Opa Peter

Norbert and Naoko at Schönberg am Kamp.
Norbert Naoko

Having a nice dinner in Schönberg am Kamp.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert Theresa

Stefansdom in Vienna.
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Stefansdom in Vienna.
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Stefansdom in Vienna.
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Near the Stefansdom in Vienna.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

Vienna time.
Peter Naoko

Vienna time.
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Vienna time.
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At lovely Schönbrunn.
Naoko Zen

At Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.
Naoko

Norbert’s cat at Schönberg am Kamp.
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With friends and family in Schönberg am Kamp.
Zen Naoko  Oma Opa Norbert Theresa

Norbert’s cat
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Chilling in Česky.
Zen

In the kitchen of the serviced apartment in Česky Krumlov.
Oma Peter

Česky Krumlov.
Naoko Zen

Česky Krumlov.
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Lovely Česky Krumlov beer.
Peter Naoko

Česky Krumlov by night.
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Česky Krumlov by night.
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Česky Krumlov morning.
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Door in Česky Krumlov.
Peter Zen

Česky Krumlov.
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Česky Krumlov.
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Česky Krumlov.
Naoko Zen Opa

Česky Krumlov morning.
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Česky Krumlov.
Naoko

Prague.
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Prague Old Town Square with the Gothic Church of Mother of God before Týn.
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Prague Old Town Square.
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Prague Old Town Square at night, with the Gothic Church of Mother of God before Týn. This was the view from our apartment.
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Prague Orloj, the famous medieval astronomer’s clock.
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Prague Old Town Square in the morning with the Gothic Church of Mother of God before Týn. A Chinese model was taking photos at 6:30 AM.
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The Charles Bridge in Prague.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa

My parents in Prague.
Oma Opa

The Charles Bridge in Prague.
Peter Naoko Zen

Nuremberg.
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Nuremberg.
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Nuremberg.
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Getting some much-needed breakfast items in Nuremberg.
Peter

Nuremberg, site of the rallies.
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At the Anders home in Fritzdorf.
Naoko Zen

With our relatives in Ahrweiler.
Roswitha Naoko Zen Siegfried Liesbeth Irmtraud Oma Opa

With my cousin Roswitha in Ahrweiler.
Roswitha Naoko

At our relatives’ house in Fritzdorf.
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Old house in Ahrweiler.
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With my dad and my Uncle Siegfried.
Opa Siegfried Peter

Cologne cathedral.
Oma Opa Naoko Zen

Evening at the Cologne cathedral.
Zen

Evening at the Cologne cathedral.
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Roswitha

Evening at the Cologne cathedral.
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Early morning Cologne – getting the buns for breakfast!!
Peter Naoko

The Cologne cathedral.
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With relatives in Westphalia.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Gerhard Ruth Manfred Inge Simon Michael

On the Mosel in Dieblich.
Naoko

In Dieblich on the Mosel River.
Oma Opa Naoko Zen

In Dieblich on the Mosel River.
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In Koblenz at Deutsches Eck.
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In Koblenz at Deutsches Eck.
Peter Naoko

In Koblenz at Deutsches Eck.
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Silhouette inside the Monument of German Unity at Deutsches Eck in Koblenz.
Peter

Heidelberg castle.
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Nice lunch after seeing the cherry blossoms in Heidelberg.
Peter Naoko Oma

At dinner with friends and family in Heidelberg!!
Naoko Zen Oma Opa Dieter Naoko Hana Lena

Heidelberg castle!!
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Heidelberg castle by day.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

View from Heidelberg castle!!
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Cherry blossom viewing in Heidelberg.
Zen

A nice lunch after some cherry blossom viewing in Heidelberg.
Naoko Dieter Naoko Oma Opa Zen

On the old bridge in Heidelberg. The castle is in the background.
Peter Naoko

Leaving Heidelberg.
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In the village of Foameix near Verdun. We chose it because it was in the middle of our drive from Heidelberg to Paris. Cool town!
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French pizza in Étain, near where we were staying in Foameix.
Zen

Memorial to the dead in Verdun.
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War cemetary in Verdun.
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Breakfast at au Bois de mon Coeur in Foameix, France.
Naoko Zen

Checking out the supermarket on our first night in Paris!
Naoko

Strutting in Paris.
Naoko Zen

City Hall in Paris.
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Strutting in Paris.
Naoko Zen

Strutting on the Champs Elysees in Paris.
Naoko Zen

At the Arch de Triomphe.
Peter Naoko Zen

Checking out the Metro in Paris.
Naoko Zen

First view of the Eiffel Tower.
Peter Naoko Zen

Chilling at the Eiffel Tower.
Peter Naoko

The amazing Concorde Bridge in Paris.
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At the Seine near the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre.
Peter Naoko Zen

Paris sunset.
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Perspective in Paris.
Naoko Zen

The Brasserie experience!!
Naoko Zen

The brasserie experience.
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Paris metro.
Naoko Zen

Big train clock in Musée d’Orsay.
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Musée d’Orsay.
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Musée d’Orsay perspective.
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Scenes at the Musee d’Orsay.
Naoko Zen

Paris sunrise from our apartment.
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Paris scenes.
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Paris, Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
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Paris, the Pantheon.
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First view of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Notre Dame de Paris

Paris, the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame de Paris

Paris, the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame de Paris Peter Naoko Zen

Crepe in the Quartier Latin in Paris.
Naoko

Lebanese food in Paris. We at at this place more than once.
Naoko

Entering the Louvre.
Naoko Zen

Mona Lisa, my baby and me.
Peter Naoko

Louvre masterpiece.
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Louvre masterpiece.
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Louvre masterpiece.
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Our hood in Paris.
Peter

Looking for a nice place to eat on our wedding anniversary in Paris.
Naoko Zen

A lovely wedding anniversary dinner in Paris.
Peter Naoko

That was a nice place to eat!
Peter Naoko Zen

Paris Metro.
Naoko Zen

Paris, Sacre Coeur.
Peter Naoko Zen

Paris Montmartre.
Naoko Zen

Paris, Sacre Coeur.
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Paris, Sacre Coeur.
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Our last breakfast in Paris, bought bread here.
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Bastille Sunday market in Paris.
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Bastille Sunday market in Paris.
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Oysters & wine at the Bastille Sunday market in Paris.
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Paris bouquiniste near Notre Dame.
Notre Dame de Paris Naoko

The Seine near Notre Dame.
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At the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Our flight got cancelled, though…
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Chilling in a Holiday Inn Express with our survival packs full of yucky food.
Naoko Zen

PNZ in Europe

May 9th, 2019

We’ve already been back form Europe for a month, but I haven’t put any pics up yet! I’ll do a proper job eventually, but here’s the pics that have all three of us (Peter, Naoko & Zen) in them, while some have other friends and relatives.

It was a great trip, a dream come true. I wish we were still there…

As usual, click on the links to see a bigger picture.

Stefansplatz in Munich!!
Peter Naoko Zen PNZ

In front of St Michael’s Cathedral in Munich.
Peter Naoko Zen PNZ

Munich.
Peter Naoko Zen PNZ

Munich – first dinner in Europe.
Peter Naoko Zen PNZ

In the English Garden in Munich.
Peter Naoko Ingrid Zen

Salzach River bridge in Salzburg.
Salzburg Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

In Salzburg on the Getreidegasse with my parents and our friend Heinz.
Salzburg Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

At the Chiemsee in Germany.
Peter Naoko Zen

In front of my old school in Salzburg, Austria.
Salzburg Oma Opa Peter Naoko Zen
Salzburg Oma Opa Peter Naoko Zen

At the Mondsee near Salzburg in Austria.
Mondsee Peter Naoko Zen
Mondsee Peter Naoko Zen

With my parents and friend Norbert in Krems, Austria.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

With my parents and our friends Norbert and Theresa in Schönberg am Kamp.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert Theresa

At lunch with my parents and friend Norbert in Vienna.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Norbert

In Vienna.
Peter Naoko Zen

Schönbrunn, Vienna.
Peter Naoko Zen

Česky Krumlov.
Peter Naoko Zen

In Česky Krumlov
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

In Česky Krumlov!
Peter Naoko Zen

Prague!!
Peter Naoko Zen

The Charles Bridge in Prague.
Peter Naoko Zen

In front of a medieval walled city.
Peter Naoko Zen

With my cousin Roswitha.
Peter Naoko Zen Roswitha

With my relatives in Rheinland-Palatinate.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa Gerhard Ruth Manfred Inge Simon Michael

With my parents in front of the Castle Heidelberg.
Peter Naoko Zen Oma Opa

In front of the Castle Heidelberg.
Peter Naoko Zen

Cherry Blossoms in Heidelberg.
Peter Naoko Zen

April 5th – on the streets of Paris after celebrating our wedding anniversary.
Peter Naoko Zen

Cherry Blossoms on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.
Peter Naoko Zen

In front of Paris city hall.
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On the Champs Elysees, Arch de Triomphe in the background.
Peter Naoko Zen

Near the Louvre in Paris.
Peter Naoko Zen

Eating Lebanese food in Paris.
Peter Naoko Zen

The Eiffel Tower!
Peter Naoko Zen

The Eiffel Tower!!
Peter Naoko Zen

In front of Notre Dame 10 days before it burned.
Notre Dame de Paris Peter Naoko Zen

In front of the Arche de Triomphe in Paris!!!!
Peter Naoko Zen

Lunch at a roadside cafe somewhere between the Arch de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.
Peter Naoko Zen

At the Sacré Coeur church in Montmartre, Paris.
Peter Naoko Zen

Isaac Asimov’s Robot/Empire/Foundation series

December 25th, 2018
I saw the name of a book called Foundation over and over again on “must read” lists of sci-fi classics. So I picked it up… not knowing that it was actually part of a series of 15 books… and that Foundation placed about two thirds of the way through the series! So I read from Foundation to the end, then started at the beginning in story order (although the oldest books are actually #5, #6 and #7). Confusing history of development, but that hardly matters since the results are brilliant.
1 - Caves of Steel
Caves Of Steel (1954)

Caves of Steel, the first book in the Robot Series was… okay. Asimov clearly wanted to show that science fiction didn’t always have to be one certain mode of writing, and here he’s set his first robot novel up as a detective story, thereby crossing boundaries (and setting the scene for Blade Runner, Neuromancer, etc). It was written in 1954, three years after Asimov’s first novel (but actually the fifth in the grand Robots/Empire/Foundation series).

Unfortunately, as a detective novel, it’s not that great. The crime, and how it was solved, is a bit obscure, and he never really gets a great story together in terms of motive, execution, etc. The ending is also unsatisfying.

What is great, however, is his description of the future Earth “old world” society, and how it’s contrasted with the creepy “new world” society (is it a coincidence that it has 50 worlds?). There’s plenty of description of day-to-day life on Earth in the future, and it’s pretty fascinating. Also, for someone who read the Foundation series before reading the other Asimov series, I get the sense that I’m re-creating his history of the series, especially since I’m catching up on past events that were referenced in Foundation & Earth (although Asimov at the time of writing Caves of Steel would not have fully conceived the events of that book), so it’s all pretty cool… and it means I’ll need to re-read Foundation & Earth at some point…

2 - The Naked Sun
The Naked Sun (1957)

The Naked Sun follows our hero Elijah Baley on his first voyage offworld, in this case to Solaria, where human society has established itself at its most neurotic extreme (and its most robot-dependent). It’s a fascinating study in weirdness – Solaria is a colony world that is as opposite from overcrowded robot-hostile Earth as it is possible to be, and lucky Elijah has been called in to investigate… and once more paired with his robot counterpart R Daneel Olivaw, an ever-present Asimov character.

The book also serves to introduce the character of Gladia, a Solarian, who will be a key figure in the next two Robot books as well.

The book is somewhat frustrating in how it dwells on the freakish character of the Solarians and how they have built their snobbish, chauvinistic society (although it’s surprisingly open-minded about casual sex!). It’s also not a very satisfying mystery, nor is its resolution very different from that of the first one (concealed). But it also does a perfect job in building up the concepts that will lead to the invention of psychohistory, the creation of the Galactic Empire and the isolation of Earth, and all sorts of other groovy things in the Isaac Asimov universe.

3 - Robots of Dawn
The Robots of Dawn (1983)

Robots of Dawn is a third Robots book, after a very long interval, published near the end of his life, with just one other Robots book to come (and also a bunch more of Foundation sequels & prequels). So it was the book that, in a way, started to bring things together. And yet… I nearly gave up on it halfway through.

Somehow, at some point, main character Elijah Baley became a severe navel gazer, pondering the strange intricacies of human development, looking questioningly into mirrors, along corridors, into shadows and around corners, as he attempts to solve a murder (or is it a murder?). Interview after interview with yet another bizarre and deplorable Auroran takes place. Elijah Baley suffering more agorophobia! And self-doubt!! A (seemingly) meaningless episode in a rainstorm thoroughly confused and amazed me. I’d had enough. This Asimov book was so different from the others I’d read (many of which had their flaws, but which redeemed themselves quickly) and I started to wonder if I was wasting my time…

And so, this one took a lot longer; but by the end Asimov hit with a whammy, proving that he’d been in control (nearly) the whole time. A masterful book that really makes you think (although there is at least one mystery that is projected/predictable before the end) and it’s all good. It also proves an amazing unifier for his grand Galaxy theme that just sort of goes on and on… It also introduces a mythical new character, and develops the wonderful Gladia character to her full potential. Bravo! Wonderful!!

4 - Robots and Empire
Robots & Empire (1985)
I actually read this book near the end of my Isaac Asimov odyssey of 15 books, and it’s a pretty perfect capture of all the things that make Asimov such a brilliant author. Here he abandons his human character Elijah Baley of first three Robot books and makes two robots R. Daneel Olivaw and R. Giskard Reventlov his main focus! He also probes the fascinating character of Giskard (who was revealed to be much more than he appears in the previous book), and explores fascinating topics like the dangerous evolution of artificial intelligence, human culture, human memory, human evolution itself, space exploration, politics, human prejudices, myth-making, the origins of psychohistory (and the origin of mental powers à la Second Foundation), all on top of a intriguing James Bond-level plot.
There are also fascinating flashbacks to the life of Elijah Baley, and a new mystery – what happened to Solaria!? There are also examples of great intellectual detective work that credibly explain away what might have easily become too great a stretch for the imagination of the reader to accept if it were handled by a less talented author than Asimov. Asimov had the talent to constantly astound in new ways, totally awesome.
5 - Pebble in the Sky
A Pebble In The Sky (1950)

One of the great things about Isaac Asimov was his ability to adapt so many different literary genres to the science fiction story, and in this one – the first novel he ever wrote – he writes a sort of comedy of errors. A man is accidentally shot forward in time (Futurama, anyone?) where he learns what kind of place the radioactive hellhole Earth of the future is (coinciding with the events described at the end of Robots & Empire, a book Asimov needed 35 years to finally actually write).

The plot, though, is somewhat convoluted, and way too fantastical. The villains are moustache-twiddlingly caricatured, and their evil plot too far fetched to be successful. Happily, Asimov wraps it up quickly with a very clever action by one of the main characters, instantly redeeming himself as a writer.

Whether he was dissatisfied with the comedy of errors concept after this book I’m not sure – he might have been since he didn’t attempt it again – his knack for writing clever endings certainly did hold out, as many of his books wrap up with astounding flourish. Bravo!

6 - The Stars Like Dust
The Stars Like Dust (1951)
Here Asimov picks the “road movie” concept to write around, with a young aristocrat on the run from a galactic conspiracy that pushes forward the development of the growing galactic empire. The plot is interesting, as are the characters, and Asimov writes a bit more action into the book than he does in lots of is others (and, correspondingly, there’s also a lack of the type of significant conceptual development that you’d normally find). There are a few elements to the plot that are quite dissatisfying, though, and a few of the developments were predictable from the beginning, so I’d probably rank this as one of his weaker books, although he manages to come through with a total zinger of an ending (in fact, I suspect that he may have deliberately wrote the book around this idea).
7 - The Currents of Space
The Currents Of Space (1952)

If you were to read the 14 Isaac Asimov books in the Robots/Empire/Foundation cycle, this – the seventh book, halfway through – gives the first real introduction of Trantor as a key element, although it’s still a minor part of the story as a whole. It is also the last book with an Earthman as a character until the final tale (sorta).

In this book, Asimov writes more about economics than he does in any other book (geopolitics is also a key theme, but that is also a part of many of his other books). There’s also a lot more astronomy and physics in this book than there is in other books, giving it a bit of educational value on top of everything else. Ironically, it also contains more action and violence than nearly any of his books.

Following a concept later made familiar in the Dune series, Florinia is the only planet in the galaxy that produces a certain substance. It is controlled by a tyrannical race of pampered “noblemen”, its rebellious inhabitants policed by a goonish police force. Into the fray we get a mysterious stranger with amnesia. Who is he? While all of these elements may seem clichéd now, they probably weren’t in 1952 when the book was written. While it’s not one of Asimov’s better books, it’s still very interesting and a great read. The ending wraps up very cleverly, although it’s still a bit of a headscratcher. Great stuff.

8 - Prelude to Foundation
Prelude To Foundation (1988)

Prelude to Foundation is exactly that – a prelude to the famous series that Isaac Asimov started writing in 1951; it is also one of the last books he ever wrote (with a second prelude book that picks up where this one left off, Forward the Foundation, being his actual last book).

The book goes back to the mystery format that Asimov experimented with his robot novels, and we see our man Hari Seldon arrive on Trantor and immediately become a fugitive. He travels around Trantor’s many worlds, meeting many people, encountering strange religions, rival clans, and picks up his sidekicks historian Dors Venabili and guttersnipe Raych. Asimov also advances interesting theorisers of futuristic class (and caste) societies, while also waxing philosophical on yeast foods (which crop up also in his robot stories).

9 - Forward the Foundation
Forward The Foundation (1993)

Isaac Asimov’s final book is more story-telling than really pushing the envelope on the Foundation series, tying up all the strings and bridging the last gap in the story; unfortunately, it doesn’t really say anything new, or even reveal as much as Prelude To Foundation already showed. The book concerns itself a lot with Trantor politics, as Hari Seldon struggles to keep his Parahistory project together against challenges inside and out. It has a few revealing moments about the nature of the Second Foundation, though, making it a good pairing with Foundation’s Edge.

10 - Foundation
Foundation (1951)

This book has been on my to-read list for a long time. I finally gave it a start in mid-2018. The concept is interesting – Asimov outlines a future space empire that is crumbling, with a scientific prophet outlining a 1,000 year future transition from one galactic civilisation to another. The beginning of the book features Hari Seldon briefly, before moving on to outline other elements of future societies (the psychohistorians, the encyclopedists, the mayors, the traders, the merchant princes) as time passes. Each section is, in fact, a short story now tied together as as series into a single novel, but with only the overarching concept (and some characters) as unifying features.

Politics plays a great role in the book, as one character out-maneuvers the other. Action is difficult to picture, and characterisation is nearly absent. Lots of parallels with the fall of the Roman empire and the impending fall of the Cold War powers. Interesting – but, while clever and layered, the stories also seem fairly cold and near-encyclopedic (ha ha… irony… and just as ironical, Foundation is not the foundation of Foundation… sigh…).

11 - Foundation and Empire
Foundation & Empire (1952)

The second Foundation book (of the original trilogy – prequels were published later on) moves the needle a bit from the original book… which contains four stories all of different backgrounds, while this book contains only two stories, both of which are relatively unified. The first one is fairly interesting, dealing with the final days of the galactic empire and the fledgeling Foundation, before going into the second story which introduces mutant mind powers, the hunt for the Second Foundation (which becomes an obsession for the series eventually). It’s nice to be able to follow characters in this universe for a change, even if they are relatively flat, and with perplexing names that make them seem like they come from episode descriptions in TV Guide. A blistering ending sets up the third book, which is equally good!

12 - Second Foundation

Second Foundation (1953)

This is the third book of the Foundation trilogy… when it was still just a trilogy (two more sequels followed it, as did two more prequels, book-ending the original trio quite nicely to make a magic seven books in total). The series of books is surprisingly consistent in quality, so of course this is no exception; given its place overall, it’s also the last book to have a real fifties flair to its writing style (for better or worse).

Like other books in the original trilogy (and unlike the subsequent sequels and prequels), this is a set of novellas. The first of the two is about the psychically-powered mutant the Mule’s search for the Second Foundation, and all of the wild goose chases he embarked on (or set in motion) in order to find it. The end is purely trippy, and probably deserves a second (or third) reading. This is one of the few times that a Second Foundationer has truly appeared, thus showing readers of the series that they do actually exist.

The second tale in the trilogy concerns space hijinks, historic battles that change the tides of war, and other swashbuckling. The location of the Second Foundation is always a lingering mystery, which we solve in…

13 - Foundations Edge
Foundation’s Edge (1982)

This book (and the sequel, which continues where this left off) is quite different than the previous installments, in that this book settles on a batch of characters and sticks with them; it was also written in the eighties, so it has a very different style to the others, which were written in the fifties. Finally, and this may be a bit of a spoiler… Asimov finally explores what the Second Foundation is and how it functions.

The tale, in contrasting chapters, balances the adventures of Foundationer Golan Trevize with those of troublesome up-and-coming Second Foundation whiz kid Stor Gendibal. Hopping in a space ship, Trevize flies off on a mission with a small gang of helpers in search of a planet called Gaia. Gendibal also flies off to intercept him, and there’s a super wild conclusion that is full of great surprises, and amazing thoughts about evolution. Definitely one of the best books of the series.

14 - Foundation and Earth

Foundation and Earth (1986)

Picking up immediately from where the previous book, Foundation’s Edge, left off (a first for one of Asimov’s Foundation books), Foundation and Earth is actually an amazing travelogue of the universe, with our characters bouncing across six different planets, encountering six different cultures, before arriving at some conclusions about the fate of the universe. The book also successfully binds together three of Asimov’s creative ventures – the Robot series, the Empire series, and the Foundation series.

Without giving too much away, each planet that Golan Trevize, Janov Pelorat and Blissenobiarella (or simply Bliss/Gaia) visit offers some sort of wild and woolly adventure, surmising in many cases on the fate of mankind (including its possible evolution) and the future of the robot “race”. Definitely a wild ride and a lot of fun. There’s also a nice bit of romance, which Asimov’s books generally lack. Highly recommended… but maybe you should read the first fourteen books in the series first.

 15 - The Complete Robot
The Complete Robot (1982)

This book collects nearly all of the short stories that Isaac Asimov wrote about robots, which include some of the first fiction that he ever wrote, including some that were important to the Robots-Empire-Foundation continuity.

The books are arranged thematically, and there are sections dedicated to stories that repeat characters the he created (mainly the Powell & Donovan stories about robot testers, and the Susan Calvin stories about robopsychology). Nearly all of the stories are set in the early years of robot development, well before the events of Asimov’s later Robot series (although Robot series main characters Elijah Baley and R Daneel Olivaw do show up in one, a mystery about academic plagiarism of all topics).

The stories are a little bit on the dull side – brainy investigations of the nature of robot development, issues surrounding the robot’s role in society, and the start of the poliarisation of Earth society and that of the Spacers (pre-Empire galactic colonists).The book ends with the stunning Bicentennial Man, which is a gorgeous tale of a family robot that harkens back to Asimov’s first published fiction, a four-page story called “Robbie” that launches the collection, thus neatly book-ending this… book.

Japan and Hawaii trip 2018

June 30th, 2018

This year, we combined our annual return-to-Japan trip with a trip to some place we hadn’t been to before – Hawai’i! Actually, I’d been there before, but not to all the places we’d been to on this trip. Here is a series of pictures showing what we did in Japan & Hawai’i (as usual, click on the pics to see larger versions).

We started off the trip getting acquainted with newborn Yousei, less than one month old and Naoko’s first great=nephew!

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Proud grandpa Masayuki (Naoko’s brother).

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A cute little snake that Zen’s cousin keeps as a pet.

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Giving grand-dad a massage.

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One of many visits to fabulous Himeji Castle.

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Home cookin’!

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Local flavours.

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On the road to Hawai’i!

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Waikiki beach!!

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Our first full day in Hawai’i – a hike up Diamondhead!!

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Waikiki Beach boogie-boarders.

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The Royal Hawaiian Hotel… cool place.

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Waikiki beach.

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Breakfast at the International House of Pancakes… yum!!

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Heading off to Pearl Harbour.

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The USS Missouri.

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The Pacific Aviation Museum

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View of the hotel pool from our hotel room.

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Driving the rental car in Maui.

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The view from our awesome Maui apartment.

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Our friend’s home!

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Barbecue time!

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Going down to the beach on a Sunday afternoon!

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Local food for dinner!!

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Day trip to Lahaina

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Barbecue dinner!!

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Watching a beautiful Maui sunset from our balcony.

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Day drip to the Haleakala crater.

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Another day at the beach.

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An afternoon on the north shore with our friends.

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So long, Maui, it’s been awesome!!

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Back in Oahu.

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Our hotel had one of the best views in town!!

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We took in a free hula show!!

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Last morning in Hawai’i… we mainly spent it gazing at Diamondhead from our room.

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Heading back to Japan…

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Welcome back!

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I wanted to buy this tiger plush doll!

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Himeji castle!

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See you next time, baby Yousei!

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On the last day we hiked up Mt. Mega…

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…and went to the fish market!

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Book store.

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Himeji Castle.

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the HöFLICH music project

January 9th, 2018

So, on January 6th, to celebrate the first Saturday in 2018, I released my first single as a solo artist, under the name HöFLICH, “Dirnig” b/w “Omniscient”.

I wrote “Dirnig” back in 2012, with the seed being a single line from a teenage poem of mine; “Omniscient” grew out of a cool chord progression that I came up with a few years back, and I then put he song together in 2017. The songs had been some time in the production, starting in June 2017, it was my first time working with session musicians, and I tried out a new producer and studio. Altogether happy with the results, I will keep recording songs there until I have enough for an album. More on that later, obviously.

I chose the name HöFLICH as this is my father’s birth name. He was forced to drop the umlaut when he emigrated to Canada from Germany in the 1950s. While I wasn’t so sure I wanted an ALL-CAPS name for my solo unit, I thought a lower case umlaut-o would look cool with the umlaut filling the space that a capital letter would, so there would be no real gap. Not ideal, but cool nonetheless.

I’m very proud of both songs, although they’re different. But in a way they’re the same – the lyrics both deal with our struggles in society. While there’s a lot of wordplay, and some abstract notions, there’s nothing among the lyrics that’s unfathomable (at least that’s the way I see it) or overly cryptic. “Dirnig” is a light pop song, drumless, with a keyboard buildup, that walks us through the frustrations of an ambitious, urban life. “Omniscient” is a steady, driving pop song with some cool slide guitar that walks through the frustrations and absurdities of life, taking us all the way to the brink. Lots of angst in both of them – oh Lord, yeah!!

I put together lyric videos for both songs, as I wanted there to be a way for people to hear the songs and understand them, without necessarily needing to fork over actual money. For “Dirnig” I wanted something somber, almost morose, so I patched together a series of still images of the sun hitting the walls in the courtyard of the place where I live (yes, it’s somehow morose to see sunlight hitting an old wall). I thought it worked out well, until I realised that it was just too monotonous, so I threw in a few mysterious pictures of myself at certain bridging moments. That broke it up a bit, although maybe not enough, lol. Something altogether different happened for “Omniscient” – given that it’s a more kinetic song, I wanted something with movement, and so while thinking about what I might want to do with this song, it so happened that I was on the bus one day reading a book… I looked up from my book and noticed that there was a stunning sunset happening outside the bus windows! I whipped out my cell phone and started recording. I got about five minutes of footage, as I proceeded towards my own bus stop. I got out, and that was that. I took the footage home, watched it, and came up with the forward-reverse concept you see in the video. I think it worked out really well, and I’m quite proud of the results. Total video budget: $0. Unfortunately, there’s no magic – it really looks like something slapped together for $0, but at least it captures an opportune moment, and there’s some concept behind it too. Even the handphone video element is right – handphone videos are the only videos people take nowadays, as we all travel towards our own sunsets!

I created a Bandcamp account for HöFLICH and uploaded the songs. Then I put them in my own Facebook page, as well as the Peter Hoflich Musician Facebook page. Then I uploaded the videos on YouTube, and here they are:

Here are a couple of the other visuals I used for the video and marketing.

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So far the feedback’s been good – so many friends have mentioned that they’re impressed, and my buddy Farid Long wrote a wonderful review of the songs on SOFT.COM. I’m not sure what sales have been like – I’ve been too scared to look. But, two days after launching each video had 200 views, so that makes me feel pretty good…

So, now that those are done and dusted, what’s next? Well, I’m already recording my next single, which will be an original called “Even When I’m Right, I’m Wrong”, and a cover, “Black Denim Trousers (and Motorcycle Boots)”, which is a song from the 1950s, to hopefully be released in March. I’ll string the songs together – since they use similar chords – starting with the cover, and then building into the original. That’s how I play the songs live, and that’s how I want to record them. Then I want to do a final acoustic original, “Spinal Reconstruction Blues”, with the guitarist from my band MegalomaniA. We did record an awesome on-the-fly version together of that song once before, I’d love to do the same in a studio to release as a proper version; the song’s been recorded with a full band already by MegalomaniA, which is great too, but I’d like to also have the acoustic version out there. Finally, I have a few songs that are loop-based, which will be a sister project to the acoustic project… but let’s see what I do with that.

Watch this space!!

Christmas 2017 – hooray!

December 26th, 2017

Christmas at our place is usually a pretty low-key event, with simple meals, small gatherings, and only a few gifts exchanged. I also like to make calendars from photos of the year-past, as well as an annual album of real prints of the “greatest hits” pics of the year gone by – for the record, of course.

This year is even more low-key, as my parents aren’t visiting, and we also did most of our partying the week previous on our amazing Taiwan trip. However, there were presents. I got these two gorgeous Twin Peaks books (The Secret History of Twin Peaks, and The Final Dossier).

Twin Peaks

Zen got two models, both of them during our Taiwan trip…

tank model

tank model

…and Naoko & Zen both got Fit Bits! Naoko’s is the Blaze (watch-shaped) on the left, with the purple strap, and Zen’s is the conventional band-like Fit Bit on the right.

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We had yummy roast chicken and beer for dinner Christmas Eve.

Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas everybody!

Christmas 2017 Naoko Zen

On Christmas Day, Zen had to work. Naoko & I decided to check out the new Pure Fitness gym at Ngee Ann City. It’s pretty cool, and this is the view from the west side…

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… and this is the view from the east side, showing the big square in front of Ngee Ann City.

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Here we are in our active wear!!

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Naoko’s trying out the mobility clubs, I forgot what they’re called.

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Cool space – under a pyramid dome and everything!!

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After the workout we went for yummy soba ramen, this shop even has a Michelin star! The soup is very rich, and flavoured with truffle, which isn’t really to my taste, but it’s still pretty good!

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To top it all off, we had some Baumkuchen as our “Christmas cake” with Zen when he came home from work. Hooray!

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Tawan trip 2017

December 24th, 2017

When Naoko and I lived in Taiwan we made tons of great, wonderful friends (Naoko was there from 1990-1996, I was there from 1992-1996, with a year off in between). Taiwanese people are great, warm-hearted people, and we loved our time there a lot. Recently, one of my students, who I taught from 1993-1996, invited us to her wedding, so of course we had to go!! She was only five years old at the time, and as cute as a button – now nearing thirty, she’s still cute as a button, and we were so honoured to be there for her special day, and to see her family, all of whom are great personal friends!!

We counted back and realised that it had been nearly eight years since we’d been to Taiwan last. Eight years!! That’s just too long to stay away from close friends, and also to deny us the delights of wonderful Taiwan – food, scenery, culture… it’s all there!

We took a red-eye to Taiwan on December 13th, arriving in the airport near Taipei at around 6:00 AM. We did a short trip to Taichung, which was on our way to Tainan, where we arrived in the evening. We spent five days in Tainan in a beautiful hotel called Vintage Maison Tainan, a converted 80-year-old house build during the Japanese colonisation era that was super funky! We attended Peggy’s wedding reception, hung out with her family, wandered the city, hung out with friends, made new friends, then headed up to Nantou. This small town is near the geographic centre of Taiwan, and it was Naoko’s first stop in Taiwan in 1990, back in the days when she couldn’t even speak a word of Chinese (she eventually learned the language, then studied in a Chinese university for four years, graduating in 1996).

After Nantou, we headed off to Taipei, where we spent two nights and only one full day wandering the streets. Great town!!

On the 21st we headed back – tired, but amazed at what a wonderful trip we could have, full of wonderful friends and great experiences. Taiwan – best forever!!

[As usual - click on the picture for a bigger, brighter version of the pic!!]

At Changi Airport – off for a new adventure!! I’m wearing my wonderful Pinholes t-shirt…

Peter Zen Pinholes

It’s Taiwan!!

Taichung

Taichung

Taichung Naoko Zen

This was a sign on the bus we took from Taoyuan airport to Taoyuan city… I’ve never seen that word “mokus” before, but apparently it’s a real English word from the early 20th century!!

Taiwan no mokus passenger

Shivering at the Taoyuan train station (regular train – not bullet train).

Naoko Zen Taichung

Taichung train station

Taichung train station

A very funky 7-Eleven!!

Taichung 7-Eleven

Taichung’s Number 5 market!!

Naoko Zen Taichung

We found a manga alley in Taichung!!

Naoko Zen Taichung

Zen Taichung

Taichung

After much wandering, our hunt for great Taiwanese food was infuriatingly difficult… then a kind local person, sensing our distress, told us where to find some great beef noodle… AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

Taichung Naoko

Taichung food

Some awesome Taichung architecture. For those who can’t read Chinese, 美又美大厦 means something like “beautiful, and yet more beautiful building”. Cool!?

Taichung

Taichung scenery.

Taichung

Taichung

cialis prescribed for bph

Taichung station.

Taichung station Naoko Zen

The regular train that took us from Taichung to Tainan (not a bullet train/shinkansen).

Taichung station

First morning in Tainan, wandering around. Here’s a theatre we used to see films at – glad to see that it’s survived! Love the great theatre paintings!!

Tainan

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan

Ichiro coffee near the entrance to National Cheung Kong University (NCKU).

Tainan Ichiro Coffee Naoko Zen

NCKU entrance.

Tainan Cheung Kung University

Tainan Cheung Kung University

The Chinese Department, near the Chinese language centre of NCKU, where Naoko & I met.

Tainan Cheung Kung University

The pond in front of the NCKU language centre where Naoko & I met.

Tainan Cheung Kung University Peter Naoko

Tainan Cheung Kung University Peter Naoko

Tainan Cheung Kung University Zen Naoko

I like how you can see our image in the reflection of the big mirror that stands inside the doorway of the old language centre building.

Tainan Cheung Kung University Peter Naoko

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This old banyan tree is a local legend…

Tainan Cheung Kung University

…something happened to its neighbour, though…

Tainan Cheung Kung University

NCKU banyan tree alley.

Tainan Cheung Kung University

Famous ice cream shop on Zhenxing Alley! With swallows!!

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan

Our wonderful hotel – the Vintage Maison Tainan.

Tainan Vintage Maison

Tainan Vintage Maison

Tainan Vintage Maison

The devil’s chicken cutlets!!

Tainan

Tainan sightseeing.

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Enjoying the balcony of the Vintage Maison Tainan. Looks like a beer ad, doesn’t it? Actually… Taiwan beer was never far away – I don’t think I drank a different brand from the time I arrived until the time I left!!

Tainan Vintage Maison Naoko

Tainan Vintage Maison Naoko

Jamie is the house cat of Vintage Maison Tainan. Apparently, he’s more famous than the place’s human owners!!

Tainan Vintage Maison Naoko Jamie

Tainan Vintage Maison Jamie

Thursday night we met Bruce and the Yang family. Soooooooo cool!!

Tainan Peter Bruce

Tainan Peter Bruce Anna Peggy Judy Naoko Zen Deuch

Friday was a busy day, lots of reunions – this was our breakfast on Guohua Alley, near our hotel.

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan

Tainan

A classic shot of us wandering Guohua Alley. We spent lots of time there, actually…

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tea on tap!!

Tainan

Zhungzi in the making!!

Tainan

Yuki’s shop. But it’s not open yet – we’ll be back there later!!

Tainan

Back to Vintage Maison Tainan to chill with Jamie the cat!

Tainan Vintage Maison Naoko Jamie

Tainan Vintage Maison

Tainan Vintage Maison Naoko

Tainan Vintage Maison Naoko

Met our great buddy Marcelo Chen for some wonderful Italian food in a great little shop called Dano’s, also not far from our hotel. Thanks, Marcelo!!

Tainan Zen Naoko Marcelo

Tainan Peter Naoko Marcelo

Tainan Peter

Tainan Naoko Zen

The neighbourhood was funky too!!

Tainan

Tainan Naoko Zen Peter

Tainan

Tainan Naoko Zen Peter

Tainan Naoko Peter Marcelo

Dano’s ride!

cialis amex

Maison Yoshida! With some Pinholes!!

Tainan Yuki

Tainan Yuki

Chillin’ with Yuki & Marcelo…

Tainan Yuki Peter Naoko Zen Marcelo

Tainan Yuki Zen

Awesome reunion with A-Hui and his family… love these guys so much!! A-Hui grilled some super delicious corn & chicken wings… amazing friends, amazing food. It wasn’t easy to part ways with these guys…

Tainan A-Hui

Tainan A-Hui

Tainan A-Hui

Tainan A-Hui

Tainan A-Hui Nori

Tainan A-Hui Naoko Zen

Tainan A-Hui

Tainan A-Hui Xiao Ru Peter Naoko Zen

I have pictures of Zen and Ah-Hui’s son Nori somewhere, taken in years gone by… I’ll try to post them here.

Tainan Zen Nori

Later on headed down to Anping to chill with Dave Treaner… great food, great conversation with Dr Dave, great music, great memories, great house, great dogs, even got to see Coco! One of the dogs even caught a pigeon. Superb cap to a great day!!

Tainan Peter Dave

Tainan Peter Dave

Caught some Guohua Alley food we didn’t eat the day before!

Tainan Peter Zen

Soup factory!!

Tainan

Beef soup for us.

Tainan

Found a great market!

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan

Shennong Street (神農街). Nice place, with some cool vintage shops!!

Tainan

Tainan

I love this cactus on 神農街 that is similar to the one we have in Singapore, but much smaller – it is even planted in a pot that looks like me!

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan

Chestnuts!

Tainan Naoko Zen

Temple wander…

Tainan Naoko Zen

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan Naoko Zen

Wandering Tainan…

Tainan

Tainan

Tainan

Great Danzaimian (台南擔仔麵)!!

Tainan food

Hayashi Department Store has been restored after 60 years! And it’s magnificent! We gave this a twirl, amazing place!!

Tainan Hayashi

Tainan Hayashi

Tainan Hayashi

Tainan

We walked an hour from Hayashi Department Store to find a model shop at the edge of Tainan City that didn’t have any models Zen wanted… but at least we found this cool plastic surgery clinic!!

Tainan

Found Ah-Hui’s brother Zai Zai, who now runs an awesome sweets shop. Had some ba baobing… amazing food! And so wonderful to see Zai Zai again after all these years!!

Tainan Peter Zai Zai Naoko

Andy’s shop!! When we lived in Tainan, our favourite bar (bar none) was Andy Liao’s Lau Ba (老吧)… which became Jazz Pawn Shop (爵士當舖). This is Andy’s new Thai restaurant/bar. We saw it by day, and then we also…

Tainan Naoko Zen Andy

…saw it by night!

Tainan Andy Naoko Zen

Tainan Naoko Andy

Tainan Zen Andy

Tainan Andy

ANDY!!

Tainan Andy

Well…!!

After exploring the perimeters of Tainan to seek models, only to be disappointed, Zen returned to the hotel vicinity and found what he wanted just on his doorstep, at a great model shop near the Vintage Maison Tainan. On his first visit, Zen found a 4o-year-old German tank model, but he thought there might be even greater treasures further afield, only to be disappointed (how often are we deluded in this way!?!). Now, on a third visit to the shop near our hotel, he found a Russian tank model that he wanted. This time I dropped in and met Mr Model Shop himself, and his lovely wife, and three daughters, all wonderful people. New friends!!

Tainan Zen tank model shop

Peggy’s wedding reception – the day is finally here!!

Tainan Peter Naoko Peggy's wedding

The roof of the wedding hall.

Tainan Peggy's wedding

Peggy & her husband Fengming’s high school uniforms, now shaped as pillows. How cool is this!?

Tainan Peggy's wedding

Great day on the course…

Tainan Peggy's wedding Peter Naoko Zen

Tainan Peggy's wedding Naoko Zen

With Peggy & Judy’s cousin Vicki, who was also my student at one point. She’s now a tour guide and her English is flawless!

Tainan Peggy's wedding Peter

Tainan Peggy's wedding

A reunion with my ex-students Rita & Sandy!!

Tainan Peggy's wedding Peter Naoko Sandy Rita

Peggy & Fengming came out at 12:17 on December 17th… here’s a screen capture from my phone of the time…

Tainan Peggy's wedding

Wedding reception food!!

Tainan Peggy's wedding food

Tainan Peggy's wedding food

Peter & Rita and her daughter!

Tainan Peggy's wedding Peter Rita

With Sandy and her family.

Tainan Peggy's wedding Peter Naoko Sandy

Double happiness!!

Tainan Peggy's wedding

Tainan Peggy's wedding

Peggy & Judy kept this crazy poster I sent to them 20 years ago – it still hangs on the wall of their old room!!

Tainan Peggy's wedding Peter

Judy and the family chinchilla!

Tainan Peggy's wedding Judy

Family pooch Pokka was out-of-control amazing. What a dog!!

Tainan Peggy's wedding Naoko Zen

Amazing Jiali hot pot! Note the ever-present Taiwan Beer!!

Tainan Peggy's wedding food

Jiali friends – best people forever!!

Tainan Peggy's wedding Peter Naoko Zen Bruce Annd, Peggy Judy Deuch

Old times – a pic of me in 1997, with Judy & Peggy Yang, Rita, Dick & Sandy, with the youngest Yang, Superman (Josh), standing by in the very front row… love these guys.

Tainan heritage Peter Sandy Rita Dick Judy Superman

Guohua Alley, as featured on the cover of…

Tainan

“101 things to do in Taiwan”, a travel guide published in Japan that features the same shot!!

101 Things to do in Taiwan Guohua Jie Tainan

Hanging out in the Vintage Maison Tainan with Brutus’ “101 Things To Do…” guide.

Tainan Vintage Maison Peter Naoko Zen

Tainan Vintage Maison Peter Naoko Zen

Going down Anping way to eat our most favouritest dohua!!

Tainan Anping

Tainan Anping Naoko Superman Judy

This is dohua! It’s a light, custardy dessert tofu that can be flavoured. It’s yummy, and this shop is just around the corner from the house where Naoko & I lived from 1994-1996.

Tainan Anping food

This is the house where Naoko & I lived from 1994-1996.

Tainan Anping Peter Naoko Zen

Tainan Anping

The school across the street from the house where Naoko & I lived from 1994-1996.

Tainan Anping

Anping beach, with Judy & her brother Superman (Josh)!

Tainan Anping Naoko Zen Judy Superman

Tainan Anping Peter Naoko Zen

Tainan Anping

Saying goodbye (for now) to the Yangs – Judy & her brother Superman (Josh).

Tainan Peter Naoko Zen Judy Superman

On the road with Mei, heading from Tainan to Nantou!

Nantou Naoko Zen Mei

Zen at a water filling station in Nantou.

Nantou Zen

Thai food with Mei & Xiansheng!

Nantou food

Nantou Peter Naoko Zen Mei Xiansheng

Barbershop pic with Mei & A-Mah!

Nantou Peter Naoko Zen Mei

Nantou morning walk…

Nantou Naoko Zen

Nantou

Nantou

Nantou

Nantou

Somehow I managed to get this pic of the Nantou market without a constant flurry of pedestrians and buzzing scooters… kind of makes Nantou look like a quiet town (which it wasn’t!).

Nantou

Great breakfast with Mei!

Nantou Naoko Zen Mei food

Nantou food

Nantou food

Funny shop!

Nantou

Leaving Nantou – see you later, A-Mah!

Nantou Naoko Mei

Pineapple cake at Sunny Hills…

Nantou food

… so good!!

Nantou food

Nantou Peter Naoko Mei

Old-style three-sided village house in Nantou.

Nantou

Nantou

Nantou

Nantou

In Taipei for lunch with Mei & her daughter Christy (Debbie).

Taipei Peter Naoko Zen Mei Christy Debbie

Taipei alleys looking for food!

Taipei

Taipei food Peter

Taipei food Naoko

Taipei food Naoko

Taipei food

Taipei

Hotel room feast!

Taipei food

Final day in Taiwan, a tour of Taipei, starting at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei Naoko Zen

Fur guy on the move in the Chiang Kai Shek memorial square!

Taipei fur guy

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Military guard – we later got to see the noontime changing of the guard!

Taipei

The roof of the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

Taipei

Taipei Naoko Zen

Taipei

The changing of the guard!!

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

In another part of Taipei – Dihua Street (迪化街).

Taipei Naoko Zen

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei Zen

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Longshan Temple. One foreign lady is taking a tripod selfie, lol. Eccentric!?

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

Pepper buns near Longshan Temple! Great taswte!! Grouchy staff, though…

Taipei

Taipei Naoko Zen

Taipei Peter

Taipei food

Historical lane… very nice!!

Taipei

Taipei

Sunset in Taipei.

Taipei

Wandering around the National Taiwan University campus.

Taipei

Taipei

Gotta wait 81 minutes for the next bus!

Taipei

 

Taipei.

Taipei

Taipei 101 at night…

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 Peter Naoko

Taipei 101 Peter Naoko

Taipei 101 Naoko

Taipei 101

Taipei 101

Taipei 101

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 Naoko

Taipei 101

Taipei 101… no, Taipei 89… no, Taipei 90!!

Taipei 101

Taipei 101

Taipei Naoko

Taiwan teacher’s college.

Taipei

Taipei

National Taiwan University wander on our last morning in Taiwan, this time with Naoko & Zen.

Taipei

Taipei Naoko

Taipei Naoko Zen

Taipei Naoko

Taipei

Taipei

Some cool decorations at the international airport at Taoyuan.

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei

After we landed, we spent some moments in confusion wondering if the supermarkets that is/was/used to be in the airport might still be open. Marvelled at the “upgrade” project that made us wander a maze to get to the taxi port… wow… can’t wait for things to get better!! The next day Naoko had to work, so I cleaned the house while Zen rested (he’d been sick since Wednesday). And in the evening Dave Hale came by!! Great visit!!! But that’s another story…