Sky High Reunion!

Our last separation was the shortest ever – merely 2 weeks apart. It is June vacation and my 2 darlings are back in Hong Kong yesterday afternoon! 30 days of good family-bonding and lots of noise/mess/disruptions/laughters/movies/video-games/hugging/wrestling/home-cooked food!

Right from the moment they dropped their luggages at my tiny apartment, I brought Felicia and Elkan to all their favourite places – Coco Curry at Causeway Bay, window-shopping at Winsor House, toy-hunting at Sham Shu Po, movie at Elements, duck-watching at Harbor City and dinner at Tsui Wah!

It was clear blue sunny sky today. The sun was baking hot. At 36°, it was too hot to go outdoor. Visibility was at its clearest today (and thanks to a timely suggestion by Chowpo), I brought them to ICC’s Sky100 (天際100) Hong Kong Observation Deck. Standing at 492 metres, the ICC (International Commercial Centre) is currently the world’s 4th tallest commercial building. The viewing deck is located on the 100th floor, 393 metres above sea level (and 2 storeys below Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong Hotel).

Since its opening 2 years ago on 17 April 2011, I have no intention to visit this viewing deck. I thought the “free view” at the Hong Kong Peak is much more appealing than this. I was proven wrong today. On a good clear day like today, ICC offers the best – unparalleled 360° city panoramic view of Hong Kong. Entrance fee is quite expensive at HKD168/adult and HKD118/child. We got 10% discount off using my HKID card and making payment through Union Pay card.

Was it worth it? Absolutely yes – provided you come on a clear sunny day and absence of hordes of obstructive tourists. We made a very impromptu visit this afternoon – I arrived at the wrong timing and without my professional lenses. I bet the best view would be at dusk when the sun set in purple-orangish hues and the Hong Kong skyline lit up with beautiful buildings’ lights. Nevertheless, it was a rewarding trip for us. The sun was extremely bright and the sky was superbly clear. A large group of tourists has just left and we had the whole place to ourselves. Hong Kong was stunningly beautiful today. Even the photos on the iPhone turned up picture-perfect. Above all else, I had the best sight-seeing experience at 100th storey high, in fully air-conditioned environment with my dearest loved ones by my side. What a great place to celebrate our June reunion! Enjoy the photos!

World’s Greatest at the World’s Smallest – Vatican City

This is the last stop of our Europe Tour. Last but a very important stop – at the world’s smallest country/city state – Vatican City. We will be heading back to Hong Kong tomorrow morning.

We moved to a new hotel just meters outside the St Peter’s Square. We stayed in a very grand hotel, St Peter XI Temporary Room. Elkan loves this hotel. He said this is the best hotel we stayed in Europe. It is spacious and he likes his bed. At the hotel, Elkan discovered a new “Magic Door”. It is an old lift. He was having so much fun operating it.

There is no word I can use to describe the greatness and wonders I saw inside Vatican City. It defies impossibilities and it reminds the world the glorious master creations of man and God.

Saint Peter’s Basilica is truly legendary. For the first 5 minutes inside the church, I was speechless by its magnitude, magnificent interiors and grandeur. So was Elkan. He was quiet, looking around for one rare time! No photo, no word can define this experience. There aren’t many manmade places and wonders on Earth that can match up to its greatness. The Saint Peter’s Basilica defines breathtaking. It is so powerful and overwhelming. I felt so tiny and humbled in its presence. It stands today as one of the world’s largest, holiest and most beautiful churches.

Sistine Chapel (inside the Vatican Museum) is  the official site of the Papal conclave, the process by which a new Pope is selected. Millions of tourists arrive each year to awe at its most famous ceiling painting, Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam. The colours, the shadows and the perspective make the painting comes alive and 3-dimensional, it is simply amazing.

We spent our last night hunting for Chinese food (as per Elkan’s request) and we explored the back alleys on the other side of the Vatican City. It was gloomy and drizzling the entire day but the greatness of Vatican brighten our day and night. What a great place to end our tour!

This is it. Signing off from our little Europe adventure. Goodbye. Addio. Au revoir. 

Back to the Birthplace of Civilisation – Rome

All roads begin and lead to Rome. We are finally back to the place where our adventure started 10 days ago – Rome. Our 12-day tour is coming to an end. We save the best for last. To me, Rome is more than just the capital city of Italy, it deserves to be the Capital of the Modern World. I saw Rome in London and Paris but never vice versa. Rome is the building blocks of today’s cities. It is the birthplace of modern civilisation – the origin of Alphabet, social laws, religion, concept of democracy, literature, theatre, arts, road system, architectural, medical tools, concrete, cement, aqueducts, arena sports, Caesarean-birth and the Pope!. Without Rome, the world we know today would be a very different one.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We want to experience and visit the marvels of Rome. There could never be a better spot but to park ourselves right in the heart of Rome – where its power reigned 2,500 years ago – right beside the Colosseum! Our hotel overlooked the Roman Forum, the Forum of Augustus, the Forum and Markets of Trajan, the Capitoline and its museums. The hotel owner was kind enough to offer us a room with a window view of the Colosseum. We were lucky to eat, sleep and live beside this magnificent 1,932-year-old structure – day and night!

We are overwhelmed by the Italians’ friendliness and great hospitality. The hotel manager was very kind and she spent 20 minutes showing us where to go and what to visit. I always judge a society/country by the way the drivers drive on the roads. The Italian impressed me! For more than a couple of times, when crossing the roads, the Italian drivers slowed down and gestured us to cross the road even though we weren’t on the zebra crossings. (For the record, all drivers stopped 100% at all zebra crossings.) This is incredible! Another observation is the size of their cars. We saw many Italian drive very very small cars (it could be the narrow alleys). It is just so comical to see the way they park their small minis along the roads. I wondered how the car is going to get out!

Rome is an easy city to navigate on foot. (Make sure you have a map and a good walking-shoes. Be prepared to walk a lot!) From the spectacular ancient ruins to the buzzing city piazzas to the grandeur of churches and museums, there are so much to explore and awe. It is not easy to get lost even if you don’t understand Italian, there are lots of signs everywhere to guide you to the famous destinations. And there are a lot of Italian policemen on the road, you can’t miss one. Simply just ask your way around.

We walked a lot in Rome – covering more 15km a day. We spent 2 days visiting the old and new venues of Rome – the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna, the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II and the Campo dei Fiori.

Thanks to my friend Jaslyn, we visited one very unique attraction. She led us to a very creepy place – the Santa Maria della Concezione, where it showcases 4,000 human bones. This is a very famous underground crypt with the over 4,000 human remains whose individual bones were painstakingly arranged in ornamental designs of macabre art. The Ossuary Crypt was quite an eye-opener. Felicia and Elkan freaked out as I didn’t warned them about this place beforehand. The security guard forbid photography – I managed to shoot some with my iphone. It is worth a visit if you are ever in Rome.

There are also many interesting shopping streets (Piazza Navona and Via del Corso) and shops. However, look beyond the main Via del Corso street and go into the side lanes. Just like Venice, all the gems are hidden within the narrow streets. I found an unique carpentry shop selling handmade Pinocchio and other wood crafts. I can’t resist the wooden temptation and I bought 3 wooden swords. After days of (wallet-less) searching, Felicia finally found and bought her new Italian-leather wallet! And for Elkan, he was sick of the cheesy western food. He managed to spot a Chinese restaurant and he dragged us in! (Yes, he had lots and lots of rice!)

Night falls, Rome sets into another different charm. I enjoyed the colourful night lights at the back lanes. We saw so many street stalls / artists / cafes. There are so much things to see and buy, our old folks will enjoy this! I told Felicia that this is one place where my mum and Auntie Amy will certainly like. Rome is just so charming in an old way. Felicia, Elkan and I love Rome so much that we wished we have more time to explore this magnificent city. Borrowing Julius Caesar’s famous line “I came. I saw. I conquered.” Certainly, Rome wasn’t built (to see or conquer) in a day or two. This won’t be our last trip for sure.