An inspired life begins with a dream...

Copenhagen - Chic, Cool, & Classy

2009-07-30T01:41:00.000-07:00

After lounging in the sun in Greece with its loud, big, and audacious people—I am ready for a change.Copenhagen was a good place to do that. The city’s fresh, clean, and crisp air and cool weather is a good break from the Mediterranean’s scorching summer. I welcomed the rain even amidst my walking tour of this flat city where bicycles rule and people stroll along bridges with a sort of ease that is infectious. Their unhurried, down-to-earth way of life is just what I needed to fit right in.
The architecture is grand and the city is surrounded with lakes, ponds, and the Baltic Sea, so it is easy to figure out why the Danish Vikings built such functional ships that could go the distance. The waterways are the focal point of the city, and what is nice to see is that the flat land is very inviting for jobs, cycling, and rollerblading. Of course, you’ll have to go the distance to really push yourself because this city is not San Francisco with its rolling hills, but it does share the same characteristics as the city by the bay. The people are intelligent for the most part, and ENGLISH is definitely spoken as a national language, so there is no reason to enunciate and speak slowly to the Danes. They love to chill in cafes while the rain comes down. When the sun comes out, everyone is outside enjoying life to an nth degree that is very fascinating to watch. They are hospitable and polite, but most importantly, they are very warm people. Can I also add that this city has the highest ratio of good looking people with varieties ranging from blonds, brunettes, tall and lean, but what I found to be the most amazing about the Danes is that they all have long lashes, a great smile, and DO NOT SMELL like they haven’t bathed in months, which is a prominent hygiene issue in the Mediterranean. They are also well dressed and most importantly DRESS for the OCCASION. You don’t see them wearing over-the-top high fashion, look at me clashing colors, just to look cool. They know they are cool, so they don’t try hard.
The best part of it all is they are very civilized and don’t lose absolute control when they are drunk. In fact, they are they are more fun, more vibrant, and chic when they’ve had a little bit to drink. They aren’t violent or aggressive, so there are no ass grabbing situations at the club, and the men are what I would call a modern day gentleman where they strike up an interesting conversation instead of winking at you from afar and then offering you a drink to try to hook-up. So, for my single lady friends, come to Copenhagen. There are plentiful of tall, smart, athletic, hard-working, educated, handsome men. The question is why haven’t I allowed myself to fall deeply, truly, and madly in love with a Dane while I was there is that I couldn’t live here in Copenhagen during the winter. And if there is something I have learned is that the Danes, just like the rest of Scandinavia actually love living in their countries. They are happy despite their extreme weather conditions. The human connection here is quite strong, and people do build deep, lasting relationships with their friends and family. And besides, nothing beats the outdoors here during the summer. Nature is unspoiled, and their cities are so hip and cool, what more can they ask for? Did I mention that Scandinavia as a whole is fairly rich. They have well-educated, nature loving people that respect their natural resources and do not exploit the beauty of their countries just to make an extra buck.
Enough said about that. I made at least a few friends here who I know I will be seeing in the future. Christine and Cristina are biologists who just came back from Africa after spending five months studying bat feces. I had so much fun with the blond and the brunette, we promised to see each other again. We were all in a hunt for Danish men, but without success because we were just so into each other when we went out that no other man can squeeze a little attention from us. Actually, let me take that back. There was one Norwegian guy who was a towering 6’7 who even after I stood on a bench was still taller than me. We danced a bit, but I said goodbye, without looking back, for I could tell from the way he looked and talked to me that he was willing to travel half-way around the world to see me again. But, He WAS JUST WAY TOO TALL! The Englishman is 1 inch shorter and I remember walking around London feeling like a shrimp the entire time.
I forgot to mention the three of us had Esben, a dashing debonair who can dance and move like he is gay, but is as straight as an arrow. He was the man amongst the three of us, and with him around, we had plenty of attention from him. He bought me a head massager that he used to put the three of us to deep relaxation. He snapped a photo to prove that he got all of us to sleep IN HIS BED. We were asleep. I’m going to have to buy a thousand of those and sell it in the U.S. because it is the GREATEST invention.
My tour of Copenhagen involved a lot of walking around from the Parliament, up to the Observatory where you can get a view of the city, a stroll along the bridges over the various lakes, a sneak peak of Tivoli Gardens where Walt Disney got his inspiration for Disneyland, to Nyhavn’s bustling harbor and promenade where we caught a cruise around the city called ‘The Other Tour, where the script was written to highlight all the unsung heroes of Copenhagen. I ate at least 6 helpings of Danish Hotdogs, the best in the world, downed and followed by chocolate milk, the salty/sweet combination was awesome and out of this world! I had the BEST STRAWBERRY DACQUIRI at a place called Mexibar where the Yuppies of Copenhagen hang out to sip this made with fresh strawberries dacquiri. We went to a club so POSH that Posh Spice can definitely make her rounds here (this is where I met the Norwegian). Then off to a gay club where I met Cristina’s best friend Martin who after dancing with him for about 15 minutes has worked me out to hard, and threw my back into proper alignment. He knew what he was doing! But darn it, He WAS GAY! The following day, Café 22 was the hit spot for some brunch at 1 PM watching the ducks and geese swim along the river and bicycles rolling along. I am was so happy here, the feeling is still lingering on as I write this. We then met up with the gang of Danes catching a train to Malmo, Sweden to party at some fancy house. We made it to Malmo, with a whole litter of ice cream finished and four bottles of Spomonti—Italian Champagne. Theresa, a red head, and Bo, a smart, world-traveled, money making economist for Danske Bank, and an African American woman living in Copenhagen joins us for this party. We made it to this swanky joint and let me tell you, the guy who threw the party IS LOADED! His house was Out of this World KICK-ASS, but the guy was recently divorced, you can pretty much guess the rest (money can’t buy love). We quickly became the life of the party as we blasted the Bang and Olusen Central Stereo System with disco and danced in a hall that looked like a catwalk. WE HAD A BLAST. It didn’t end there, we decided to go back to Copenhagen and hit another bar called Ideal Café where we again made it so hip that everyone didn’t leave until 6 a.m.
The next day we met up at Café 22 again for another brunch and saw the movie Bruno afterwards where I slept and laughed simultaneously. I forgot to mention that I also visited Rosenborg Castle where the crowned jewels of the Danish Royalty still sits and is open to the public for viewing. Amazing stuff!
I can go on and on about my Danish experience, but it would last for hours! I had a lot of fun and am looking forward to the next time I make it out to Copenhagen again. It is through this city that embodies the kind of balance I need between fun, intelligence, and coolness. I can definitely pass as a Dane. To be a Dane is an attitude—one that is mastered by those who have the 3Cs- Cool, Chic, and Classy!

MY REAL, BIG FAT GREEK Wedding Experience

2009-07-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting in the airport in Prague enroute to Copenhagen reflecting on my time in Greece, and boy am I glad it’s over for now. My sleeping habits are all over the board and I’m so exhausted. I’ve come to the conclusion that the Greek sun, too much second-hand smoking, and four hour eating affairs with the Greeks has taken its toll on me.
I arrived late Thursday, July 16 at Heraklio in Crete Island where my Greek friends and I rented a car to drive to our destination, which is another 2.5 hours away from the main city in Crete. The roads were windy so what I did to combat motion sickness was sleep. We did make one stop to a little town just 30 minutes east of Heraklio where we ate a huge seafood dinner. The one thing great about the Greeks is family style eating, so it’s easy to experience a huge variety of foods in one sitting. My favorite that evening was the famous Crete snails and Gargovos (fried small fish). There is the usual helpings of Greek salads, rice wrapped in grape leaf. I will not attempt to even name the dishes in Greek because I found their language to be one most difficult to understand. I couldn’t make out a word for the first time like I usually do with the romance languages, but to no avail, I remained in constant confusion and did not understand anything during any conversation. I did learn a few expressions.
My friends Chrysa and Dimitris were gracious enough to invite me to this Greek Wedding during my initial meeting with them in Buenos Aires, about four months ago. They shared the most amazing news with me that they haven’t shared with even their closest friends—they are expecting their first child due in March 2010. Both of them are excited and are looking forward to this next chapter in their lives, but I definitely think that this traveling couple will miss their freedom to travel to faraway places. I enjoyed my first night in Athens as I explored their flat of all the treasures they accumulated from all their travels. I also found it very amazing that they read quite a bit and to my surprise Dimitris told me that he recently published his book, which is featured in Athens Magazine as one of the top five must reads for summer 2009.
My time was very short in Greece, but it left a very lasting impression on me that I’ll be back someday, hopefully, soon! The experience of walking around the acropolis at night still beckons me. My last night in Athens, I met Costas, a very nice Greek man who proposed swimming in the sea before I catch my 4 a.m. flight. I turned him down… Didn’t want to start anything with a Greek God… Regrets? None.

Spaghetti, Gelato, and Fiat Punto... Viva Italia!

2009-07-13T03:02:00.000-07:00

6 lbs. and counting... It has been very difficult to control myself when it comes to eating, so I say F**K it, eat at your heart's desire and see how much weight you can put on while living in the country of Spaghetti and Gelato. From my Italian family and multiple invitations to lunch and dinners, food is definitely a social affair here. I have filled my tummy while dining in various homes and restaurants where only locals go. Counting my lucky stars, I have managed to meet Logan, a friend from Guam in Rome, saw Buena Vista Social Club at Rome Auditorium, and done alot of sightseeing in a little FIAT Punto around Roma, Firenze, Pisa and Toscana. It's soooo nice to be accomodated like a local because I do TRULY get to experience everything from their eyes. The drive around Italy has given me alot of time to think about life and my place in this world. All I know is this: I live such a blessed life. The things I experience are beyond my wildest dreams. I do spend alot of time alone, so contemplation is constant, but nonetheless, I am having a BALL! Vespas, shopping around for Italian fashion, snapping photos of everything in sight, going salsa dancing during the weekends, sleeping at posh, white hotels-- the possiblities are infinite in this country where people are always willing to help. Their easy-going nature has me walking at a slower pace, not giving a care about schedules or plans, and giving in to TOTAL spontaneity.
The air is so fresh in the countryside. Living in this farway home tucked away with a garden full of vegetables and flowers and a balcony with views of lush forests and the mountainside has me spoiled, but I do yearn for my fresh ocean breeze. Mami's cooking and papi's constant sighing of "mama mia" will make leaving Italy be very difficult... The time is speeding on and as my dear friend Tiziano says, "enjoy life and take it all in." This is exactly what I am doing... My days are so full and I feel so fulfilled and happy. I am holding on to every moment as if it were the last.

The Heatwave in London

2009-07-02T00:50:00.000-07:00

Final call for Air New Zealand Flight 43A, please board at Gate 23A ASAP. Yes, I am famed for making the last call. Why should I go in while everyone is trying to stuff all their gigantic, oversized handcarry on the overhead bins and fuss over all their ridiculous amounts of stuff they need to have while flying. I am sitting on exit window towards the front, which I got so lucky to have because the flight was completely full. We took off on-time, which is a rare occassion if I were flying any AMERICAN airline company. I decided this time that my trip to Europe will be pleasant and I will fly with the KIWI's.

Nothing eventful during the flight except there were many crying babies onboard. We land at exactly 10:48 a.m. and get to our gate by 11:00 a.m., which is the time we were suppose to get to London! What a trip. I can't believe we are actually on schedule. I proceeded to go through immigration, which was painless. I cleared customs without a hiccup. I hop on the Picadilly line and get off my stop at Gloucester Road, which was only a 30 minute train ride from Heathrow airport. The only killer was climbing the 53 steps up with my small bag. This is when I realized I am grateful for keeping things at a minimum. I check in my first ever youth hostel, which turned out to be quite nice!!! I am bunking with three frenchies, two of whom I haven't met because I've been exploring the city like a madwoman.
The first day I get there, I shower and sweat my underwear off literally. I hate wearing underwear at a time when its so humid outside and I am sooooo GLAD that I only brought dresses because I was so uncomfortable in my pair of jeans when I landed in London. Well, I managed to get to Westminster where the Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Trafaglar Square, and Thames River is all in one. I walked quite a bit, and was getting ready to see an outdoor play at Trafaglar with over 100,000 people there lounging and suntanning at 6 PM. I sat there for awhile, but my hunger eventually took ahold of me and decided that a four hour show was not going to work out well with me if I had a gnawing feeling because I haven't eaten one bite of food since breakfast at the plane.

I managed to find an Italian bakery and got a pastry that reminded me of Angel food cake, except that it was a little harder and sweeter. I was completely fascinated while I sat at the bakery shop, I watched so many English hang out at the street and drink pints of beer. It is so AWESOME that drinking out in the public open is not a crime. There is so much socializing that I feel like a complete loner, so I decided going back to my hostel was the right thing to do. I got up and walked around to find the nearest train station. I asked several people how I can catch a train to embankment, but everyone seemed to be a tourist just like me, until a towering 6'6 Englishmen said to me, "Are you lost?" I said, "Yes, I would like to catch the train to embankment." "Follow me," he said. We walked for quite a bit until I started to notice more socializing going on and asked if this was a normal occurence in London, which of course the response was a smoldering yes. "Would you like to have a glass of wine? I know just a great place," He said. A bottle of wine later at this place called Vinos, we decided we wanted to get dinner at this great restaurant called Belgo that served the best mussels I ever had in my life. We had another bottle of wine and two shots each. I was still up, but sure was getting sleepy. I said to him I wanted to dance or sing Karaoke. He agreed, so we ended up in a place called SALSA where they had a live samba/salsa band where of course I went buck wild and danced like a queen =)...

The night ended and the next day this English gentleman made me breakfast at his garden with Eggs, bacon, blueberry & strawberries with apricot yogurt, and toast with butter. Wow, why can't I get my American men to do such a thing? Just kidding. I've had my share of men who would pull such a thing for me.

I went on to my world of exploring this time I went to St. Paul's Cathedral and walked across the waterloo bridge, which had the best view of the city. Ate at a great wharf restaurant and had gelato at Covent Garden. My night ended early, but I am up now and will visit Buckingham and the rest of London for my last day here...

Stay tuned.

The Countdown Begins...

2009-06-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just two more weeks and off I go... trains, planes, ferries, and automobiles will carry me around Europe as I write, dance, live, and enjoy life. Feeling a little static and tired lately, but that is to be shaken off right this minute. As I write this, I am freeing myself from fear, doubt, and negativity. Afterall, it was a feat to set forth this journey in motion. The only thing I should fear is that I will not live each moment to the fullest.

I look forward to sharing my journey with the world as I capture it all down on paper and pictures.

Yay! Hooray! I FINALLY DID IT!

2009-05-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

After many years of avoiding this form of technology, I must join and keep myself dialed in. I don't regret the many years I used a journal instead of a computer to put my thoughts down on paper... Handwriting is novelty. However, there is so much I want to write about and share with my friends as well as the rest of the world, that the only way to reach out to them is to put myself out in the open WWW.

Be patient with me as I learn to use this technology.

Stay tuned! I am going to convert many of my current work into blogs, so I invite you to read and share with others.