Monday, June 29, 2015

San Francisco Pride Parade


Laura and I marched in the 2015 San Francisco Pride Parade on Sunday with the USTA (United States Tennis Association) and the LGBT Tennis Network.  We had great T-shirts that said "LGBT Tennis Network" on the front and "Tennis for Everyone" on the back.  We were group number 211 in the parade, with an estimated start time of 1:30.

The parade began at 10:30 and we were asked to be at the staging area by noon.  I watched the parade start on television at home and as the lead group, Dykes on Bikes, rode by the TV cameras, I optimistically noted, “We’ll be there in 3-1/2 hours or so.”  Little did I know.

We rode over to San Francisco on BART and had to wait for a train with room for us.  With the parade and a SF Giants game at the same time, BART was running longer trains using their weekday schedule, but they were still packed.

We staged on Beale Street, ½ block down from the parade route on Market Street, so we could wander up and watch some of the 210 groups before us march by


1:30 came and went.  Someone came back and reported that he saw number 150 go by.  2:30 came and went.  3:30 came and went, but the numbers were in the 180s now – we were getting close.  The groups lining Beale street that were energetic and ready to go at 1:30 were sitting on the curb


dancing to Blue Shield’s DJ


playing tennis in the street with the big rackets the USTA sent for us to carry.

 
Finally, about 3:45 we started our amble down Market Street, behind the Cancer Society and a group of cancer survivors and, several groups ahead of us, the Bay Area Furries.


The parade had been going by for over 5 hours so far, but the crowd was still alive and enthusiastic as we went by.  A lot of cheers for tennis!  We were handing out screen cleaners to the people lining Market, with information on how to access the LGBT Tennis Network app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.


We finally passed the TV cameras around 4:30, waving at the cameras and the hosts who had been sitting there since 10:30.  But, the reviewing stands near the end of the parade were basically empty as we reached them a little after 5, folded up our banner, and hopped back on BART for the ride home.  And, the Giants won!

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Paris Love Locks



We’ve seen the news that Paris has removed the ”love locks” from the Pont des Arts bridge after a section of the bridge collapsed last year.  Fastening a padlock on the bridge (and many other public fixtures) developed quickly as a way for couples (including us) to publically demonstrate their love.

Looking back at our trips to Paris, we see that in 2008 the bridge was au natural, lockless.


We brought our lock, engraved with our wedding date, with us from the US and placed it on the bridge in 2012, when there was a lot of room and we could select the location that appealed to us, right in the middle of the Seine.


Last year, we looked for our lock, but to no avail..



Our backup lock was placed on Via dell’Amore in Cinque Terre in 2013.  But, since then, mudslides have closed the Via dell’Amore and only 200 meters from the Manarola train station are open at this time (and the Bar Via dell’Amore, near our lock, remains closed).  When it reopens, we’ll have to see if our lock survived (and if the bar is open).


Monday, June 22, 2015

Dinner at Kokkari in San Francisco



We met friends at Kokkari Estiatoria Friday evening and had another truly magnificent dining experience.  Kokkari came in number 1 on Zagat’s 2015 San Francisco restaurant rankings and we have been enjoying it for over ten years.  It’s known to be a tough reservation to get; start early, be flexible.

Walking into the old-world, wood floor and beam ambiance, we face the large open fireplace with today’s rotisserie special slowly turning.  It could be lamb or pork, today we’re in luck, it’s my favorite, duck!

Laura and I had our wedding reception in the back room at Kokkari six year ago.  Today the back room is open to the main dining area for general seating area as the restaurant fills.  And, we’re in luck, our server is Max, who helped make our reception a truly memorable event.  Max is knowledgeable, personable, and always has great recommendations that enhance our dining experience.

We start with a bottle of Prosecco while we try to choose among all the options for starters.  With five people, we can share, including of course my favorite, Octapodaki (grilled octopus).  But also, Gigantes (oven roasted giant beans), Pantzaria (roasted beets), Melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant dip with grilled pita), and a salad.  What a complementary assortment!  We’re filling up already, but the entrĂ©es call and we can’t resist.

Rotisserie Duck sounds good to three of us and it does not disappoint.  Laura tells me that I have the big contented smile as I finish up, nibbling on the wing bone.  She has the grilled sea bass and it’s perfectly done, light and tasteful.  The other dish at our table, a lemon-oregano roasted chicken, smells and tastes great.

With this mixture of entrĂ©es, we decide to have a young Greek red wine, the Driopi Agiorgitiko Nemea, which is light and refreshing and complements all the dishes. 

Desert, like the starters, is shared:  fresh berries, baklava with crème fraiche, and an assortment of Greek cookies.  A vin santo for me; Laura and Jennifer have prosecco, Howard and Sherry have flavorful herbal teas .

It couldn’t be more perfect – good friends, fabulous food, great atmosphere.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Shanghai Views


There are a few sights in Shanghai that always delight me and to which I return periodically.

The first is a small garden near where the Suzhou Creek flows into the Huangpu River, right at the top of the Bund.  From the Bund, there is the traditional view across the river to the spectacular buildings in Pudong.

 Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China
and the second tallest in the world

However, heading up to the Waibaidu (Garden) Bridge in the North Bund, I see that for Spring, the gardeners have sculpted dophins in the small park.  When I come back in a few months, it will be something else.

 Spring garden display

As I walk down Beijing Road, ½ hour from the Bund, the Jing’an Sculpture Park has just finished a major renovation.  I call this one, “Creative Use of Shipping Containers”:

 Statue in the Jin'an Sculpture Park

Almost every trip to Shanghai, I make sure that I wander by these sites and see what is current.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Brief Stop at Lake Como

We've visited Lake Como twice, once on our way to Cinque Terre and once on the way back.  Both times we stayed in Varenna, on the eastern shore across from Bellagio.

Varenna from above

Varenna is quiet, with beautiful views of the lake, small restaurants, and distinctive hotels.  A direct train from Milan Centrale takes about 45 minutes to reach the Varenna station and the adventurous can walk from the station to the hotels, but taxis are readily available.

Ferries run frequently from Varenna to Bellagio, Mennagio and down the western shore of the lake.  One good day's adventure is to take the ferry across to Villa Carlotta, explore the fabulous building and grounds, and then wander up the Via Statale along the shore until you find a restaurant that looks appealing for lunch, preferably with a great view of the lake.

After lunch, a short stroll up the Via Statale (or back down to Villa Carlotta if you're feeling less energetic) will take you back to the ferry for trip across the lake to Bellagio and an afternoon exploring the high-end shops and the historic city.

Approaching Bellagio on the ferry

For the evening, return to Varenna and wander down to the Bar il Molo on the waterfront for cocktails.   If you've settled in, dine at the Bar il Molo, or choose one of the small nearby restaurants on the water for fresh lake fish or, perhaps, lasagne bolognese.

We've stayed at two hotels in Varenna, each with its own unique personality.  Hotel Eremo Gaudio extends up a hill with fabulous views from the top rooms, but is not for everyone, and the TripAdvisor comments reflect this - people love it or not.  Hotel Villa Cipressi is an elegant complex of buildings and gardens on the lake, with stunning lake-level views, and is convenient to the restaurants and shops in town.

View from our room at Hotel Eremo Gaudio

From Varenna, one can hike up into the hills and across the ridges to nearby towns.  The views from the top are spectacular and the train along the shore runs frequently to bring you back.  The trails are not well marked, leading to interesting adventures and diversions, but it's hard to get lost with the lake almost always in site.
 Lake Como from the hills

Lake Como is always a great stop if you are passing by.  The trains from Milan or Switzerland (arriving at the Como station) are convenient and the ferries cover the lake with schedules that encourage exploration and new discoveries each trip.



Monday, June 1, 2015

Privacy Policy

May 26, 2018

This privacy policy describes the policies and practices regarding personal data collected from users at www.indulgentsojourns.com, the (“Website”), and related services.  Your use of and/or registration on any aspect of the Website will constitute your agreement to this privacy policy.  If you cannot agree with the terms and conditions of this privacy policy, please do not use the Website.

The owner of this Website respects the privacy of readers and provides the Website for entertainment purposes only and for the personal, non-commercial use of its readers.  Readers are welcome to subscribe to the Website via Feedburner.  Feedburner as well as other services that allow access to the Website are subject to privacy and data collection privacy policies that may differ from this privacy policy.  You are responsible for reading, understanding, and accepting such policies.  Feedburner uses an opt-in sign-up process so you will need to enter a valid e-mail address, then confirm it via a subsequent e-mail message.  To be removed from Feedburner follow the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each e-mail message or other instructions that may be provided. 

Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this Website, it will be used in accordance with this privacy statement. When you use this Website, the following information may be collected:
Name and e-mail address;
Website URL; and
Demographic information (such as IP addresses) or other information that does not permit the identification of individual persons.

Demographic, technical, and other information is gathered to improve the Website and enhance the reader experience.  In addition, information that users voluntarily provide through the Website, such as comments will be collected and maintained on the Website.  E-mails sent to the operator of the Website will also be collected and stored.

In general, all personal information submitted to us is used to either respond to a request you make or to aid us in serving you better. Your personal data will not knowingly be transferred to a third party.
This Privacy Policy does not cover information collected elsewhere, including without limitation offline and on sites linked to or from the Website.  Once you have used these links to leave the Website, we do not have any control over that other website and cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide while visiting such other sites and you should exercise appropriate caution when visiting linked websites.
We are committed to protecting the privacy of your data and use a variety of methods to help protect your personal information.  Despite these measures, you should know that the risk associated with submitting your personal data will never be eliminated, and your personal data could be accessed through an unauthorized user or through an inadvertent disclosure.
The Website intends to be in compliance with all applicable rules regarding the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).  If you find something that should be addressed, please contact the operator of the Website..
You may request deletion of your personal data by us, but we may be required by law or otherwise to keep such information.  In addition, while we may delete your personal information from our active servers, your personal information may remain in our archives or data backup systems maintained by us or our service providers.
For users residing outside of the United States of America, your personal data may be processed in the country in which it was collected and in other countries, including the United States, where laws regarding processing of personal data may be less stringent than the laws of your country.
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor accessed it on the other website.  These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracing your interaction with the embedded content.
Cookies
Most browsers contain “cookies”, which allows the Website to store certain data about your visit. When a reader leaves a comment, along with other identifying information, that information is stored so that on subsequent visits readers do not have to re-enter that information again. Sensitive information, including name, phone numbers, and addresses, is not collected or stored unless users leave such information on the Website itself.  The owner of the Website does not advise readers to post sensitive information where it can be read by others.
The Website uses tracking software to monitor its visitors to better understand how they use it. This software is provided by Google Analytics which uses cookies to track visitor usage. The software will save a cookie to your computer’s hard drive in order to track and monitor your engagement and usage of the Website, but will not store, save, or collect personal information.

Users of the Website have the ability to block or remove cookies by using the methods provided by their browsers.  Visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using this Website, with the drawback that certain features of this Website may not function properly without the aid of cookies.  You may also use a similar feature to delete any current cookies.  Please refer to your browser’s Help area for assistance with enabling and disabling cookies.
Personal Information
Our servers, statistics-gathering software, Blogger, and Google Analytics may also automatically collect information about your computer when you visit the Website, including without limitation the type of browser software you use, the operating system you are running, the Website that referred you, and your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address.
For more information about Blogger, Feedburner, and Google Analytics privacy policies, please read the Google Privacy Policy at:  https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en
Comments
When you leave a comment on the Website, your IP (internet protocol) address is recorded.  Any comment that you leave can be edited or deleted at the discretion of the owner of the Website.  Malicious or comments with false information are removed as soon as possible.  Please use appropriate caution when divulging personal information in the comments as that information is visible and available to the public at large.
Updates and Modifications to the Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be modified from time to time and the most recent version will appear on this page.  Please check back here occasionally to note any changes.  Any update or modification will be effective immediately and it is your responsibility to review this privacy policy from time to time to ensure that you continue to agree with all of its terms.  Continued access and use of this Website by you will constitute your acceptance of any changes or revisions to the Privacy Policy.  If you do not agree with these policies, please discontinue use of this Website..