I'm finally over my jet lag after returning from whirlwind tours of Italy, South Korea, and China. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked (especially in South Korea) due to a tight work schedule, but I have posted a few of the highlights here.
While in Italy, I stayed in a town called Stresa, which is located on Lake Maggiore. There were some spectacular views of the lake, and the Alps could be seen in the distance. The local cuisine was excellent, and not all that different from what one can get at a nice Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston.
My visit to South Korea came at an especially interesting time, given the tensions between North and South over the recent sinking of a naval vessel. I did observe that the South Koreans were not particularly worried about the whole situation. Tensions with the North are just part of life, and in fact, a large segment of the population in South Korea does not believe that North Korea was the true culprit in the ship's sinking. While in Seoul, I got a tour of the downtown area, and sampled quite a bit of local cuisine (a lot of kimchi, barbecued beef, octopus, varies types of fish, and even beef lung). Seoul was a great city, and I'd love the opportunity to return at some point.
From Seoul, I traveled on to Beijing. As part of my visit, I got a private tour of the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Temple of Heaven. It was crazy to see the Great Wall in person after reading and seeing pictures of it from a very young age. I did manage to climb to the top of wall (at least the section I was at) after my tour guide told me that Mao once said, "You are not a real man until you make it to the top of the wall". Whether or not this statement was actually uttered by Mao, I don't know, but it did motivate me to keep on climbing. My visit to Tiananmen happened to fall on June 4, the 21st anniversary of the infamous student protests. The crazy thing was that you wouldn't have known it from observing the whole scene, save for a few extra military patrols. Any mention of the protests of 1989 is prohibited in the Chinese media, and protesters are quickly arrested.
All in all, my travels over the past few weeks were very enjoyable, and highly productive from a work standpoint. It is good to be back in the U.S. of A., however, and I look forward to spending some quality time at home. No major trips planned for the near future, although things always change, so stay tuned, and in the meantime enjoy the pics below.
The view of Lake Maggiore from my hotel room in Stresa, Italy
Another view of Lake Maggiore, taken from the lake's edge. The Alps can be seen in the distance
My home for a few days...The Grand Hotel Bristol in Stresa, Italy
In front of the famous picture of Mao in Tiananmen Square. Coincidentally, my visit to Tiananmen fell on June 4, which was the 21st anniversary of the student uprising
The Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Read aboout its fascinating history here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Heaven)
A shot of me at The Temple of Heaven
A shot of the Great Wall
Me at the Great Wall.
I took this shot as I was climbing to the Great Wall. At points, the incline is 80 degrees, so it is quite a workout.
After making it to the top of the wall, I had my photo taken next to this quote from Mao before leaving. I was told it reads, "If we fail to reach the Great Wall we are not men". Not sure if this is true, but it sounded good at the time.
