Author Archives: cathompson

Marathon Day

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ROME, ITALY, Sunday, March 20, 2011 — So Rick and I woke at precisely 2 a.m. — five hours after falling asleep, not enough sleep after essentially an all-nighter getting here. We both feared we would never get to sleep again because of jet-lag, but to our surprise (and after I recounted the history of Rome in my head to 1) prepare for the tour tomorrow and 2) to make myself fall asleep) we all woke at 9:15 a.m. That meant Will got a full 13 hours of sleep. He was a nuovo uomo — a new man! After a great breakfast at the hotel (gotta love proscuitto and brie and roasted tomatoes with your caffe’), we headed out into the city that Will declared last night — “It’s the worst place we’ve ever been. You said there would be ruins around every corner” — when instead we dodged cars through trash-strewn streets searching for our (amazing) pizza place recommended by an Roman restaurateur from Portland — (plug for Lawrence McCormick at “Taste Unique” at SE Division and 20th — great Italian food by the nicest people.)

Well, today the story was different, and Will found his groove. We first dodged the other-abled marathoners in recumbent bikes cruising through the Piazza Navona for the Rome Marathon. We then walked by the Pantheon, but couldn’t go in because people were celebrating mass — it’s cool that people are still worshipping in a nearly 2,000-year-old temple dedicated to all the gods. We then wandered a few blocks south to the 4th century BC and younger temples at the Largo Argentino, followed by a walk by a few unmarked ruins — every few blocks! — and then crossed over the marathon route to hike up the steps designed by Michelangelo for Charles V up to the holiest ancient spot in Rome — the Capitoline hill. We spent an amazing few hours in the Capitoline Museums, especially excited by a special exhibit on power, which brought together some of the most famous sculptures of emperors in the world — busts from the Louvre, a bust of Julius Caesar from Berlin, the Capitoline Brutus. Will became adept at identifying the type of material — bronze, terracotta, marble — as well as the emperor. Such fun. Then some lovely ceramics, the 6th C. BC foundation of the original most-important super-cool temple of the Jupiter, Minerva and Juno built by the Etruscans — all topped by an elevator ride up to the top of the “modern” 100-year-old Victor Emanuel Monument for a panoramic view of the city. And that was just the beginning of our marathon.

While marathoners below collapsed and were carted off by ambulances, others walking, others running oh-so-slowly, we marched on our own private marathon down to the Roman Forum, the heart of ancient Rome, saw where Caesar was cremated and where Mark Anthony gave his famous speech, the Senate House where poor Cicero had his right hand and his tongue/head (not sure which) were nailed by the same Mark Anthony for saying probably justifiably nasty things about him, the house of the Vestal Virgins, on and on and on. It was amazing. Will couldn’t believe he could reach out and touch it all.

We then wandered the Palatine Hill, visited Augustus’s modest house, and completely exhausted, found a cool trattoria nearby filled with locals who teased me for my Italian, but still spoke it to me. Refreshed, we headed to one of the other highlights of the day for Will — the archaeological layers beneath the Church of St. Clement. We descended first to a 4th C. AD Christian church, then down to a 1st C. AD Mythraeum, a cult religion from Greece that was filled with echoes of the past and cool dark corridors and chambers. Will found a fragment of a column capital used as masonry and was quite jazzed about it.

Then, just because we were nearby, I persuaded them to go to the Markets of Trajan, which I had heard were not-to-be-missed, and I knew we would miss them unless we leapt at the chance. It turned out to be another highlight for Will — exploring amazing corridors and streets that were essentially the world’s first shopping mall, according to the wonderful Yale professor Diana Kleiner. We were there as the sun was setting, and the light was beautiful and atmospheric. Will was in heaven.

Then, since we had to walk home anyway, we took in the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps — Rick declared them just like the Eiffel Tower without the tower ie. way too many people, way too many people selling junk and souvenirs, way to many people trying to pick your pocket. So we made our way to the best gelato in Rome, according to our Lawrence and many others, Giolitti. We staggered past the Pantheon again, through the Piazza Navona, our legs aching like the poor post-marathoners we saw limping everywhere in the historic old center, and back to our room. Here we are relaxing, getting ready for another grueling and unforgettable day tomorrow at the Vatican. I hope all is well with everyone. For now, Buona Notte!

Last night at the new seasons

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Tokyo, Saturday, June 26, 2010. — Will is the consummate traveler. We left Nara this morning for 4 hours of train rides and arrived at our hotel at Tokyo station tired and hot. We were thrilled that they remembered us and gave us a fab room with views of the wonderfully bustling streets below. Will declared “after a long day, this is heaven!” We relaxed, cooled off and then in great Will fashion, he told me he was sad he’d wasted an hour on the iPad and he wanted to go out. So we headed for akiba — electric city — two train stops away and wandered the shops looking for just the right electronic gift for Mitchell. But we couldn’t find anything electric, but had fun looking around. We then wandered the shin marunouchi biru, which has many restaurants, and where we had eaten with Rick last year, and found a pasta place that had one table open. We went by like 40 restaurants — all packed on a Saturday night. So we had a nice dinner and are back at the hotel, contemplating the trip home tomorrow. We have really missed Rick, but we can’t wait to being him back here with us!

Exploring Asuka, the ancient, ancient, ancient Japan

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Nara, Friday, June 25, 2010 — just got back to the hotel to discover japan beat Denmark in the World Cup. So sorry we missed game, but we had a busy day and maybe they won last night and we didn’t know it. Yes that appears to be the case. The tv shows shibuya going crazy in the wee hours, people saying they were going to work without sleeping all night. Go Honda! Go japan! Go Nakazawa! (it also helps take the edge off the heartbreaking sumo scandal rocking japan.)

Its hard being the mother of an archaeologist. It means you have to search out ruins and archaeological sites and really old stuff no matter where you go. Today it was Asuka, which, as I explained to Will, if Kyoto is the ancient capital of japan and Nara is the ancient ancient capital of japan, then Asuka is the ancient ancient ancient capital. It is about an hour train ride south of Nara and was home to the first 6th to 7th century capital. Accordingly it is filled with ancient emperor tombs and mausoleums. Accordingly it was a place Will was sure to like.

We also have learned something about ourselves — we like going to quiet, off-beat places. Will especially dislikes the hordes of uniformed school children who squeal “kawaii!” (Meaning Cute!) at Will and want to take his photo. Asuka was nice — a bit rainy and very very humid today, but quiet. We were able to explore some tombs and gravesites of an emperor who died in707. But the archaeological museum was closed, which was sad. It would be fun to come back someday and rent bikes and explore more.

We also went to the showpiece of nara’s 1,300-year commemoration — a reconstruction of the ancient capital reception hall, but we were underwhelmed. The colors were cool, not garish red but a lovely rust color, but we prefer the actually super old sites. And again, Will hates the crowds.

One final note on how small the world is. We were walking down a narrow shopping street in naramachi, and Will was singing a song with his favorite word (rhymes with tut) and I saw a child ahead with brown hair and I said, shhh Americans may be ahead and they will hear you. And those Americans turned out to be an old classmate of Will’s from the international school, Madoka. Random encounter — the kids didn’t remember each other despite the fact they played after school together nearly every day and we have adorable pics of them at the rose festival together. The final small world moment was picking up the Asahi shim bun newspaper and seeing on the front page a story by my friend Miguel. Writing for the nyt but picked up here. Hi Miguel, Japan is reading your stories!

We are headed out to Tokyo tomorrow, and then on to Portland Sunday. Looking forward to seeing Daddy again — we have been gone a long time.

The faded elegance and fish eyeballs of Nara

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Thursday, June 24, 2010, Nara, Japan, 4:30 pm –I am typing this in our room in the 101-year-old Nara Hotel, a lovely historic building that a card on my side table tells me is a “Heritage of Industrial Modernization.” I could think of some more poetic tributes, but that’s what it says. Einstein stayed here in 1922 and played the piano in the lounge downstairs. There are pics of emperors and emperors-to-be on the walls, as well. For all that, it’s surprisingly reasonable — you pay less for the old building, which has such great ambiance, and way less than a traditional Japanese ryokan. Our room has a non-working but cool fireplace and high ceilings paneled in gorgeous straight grain fir. Best of all is the air conditioning, since it is hot hot hot outside — not as humid as it has been but still it’s good to be inside in the afternoon.

Will is wearing his red ninja costume we bought yesterday at the ninja museum in Iga-Ueno, a town an hour from here that was home to an important school of ninjas. We toured a house filled with trick doors, escape hatches and hidden swords, and watched a live “ninja” demonstration. Will found it all quite cool. There was also a rebuilt samurai castle with a great view and cool old samurai weaponry and armor inside that thrilled Will. He is so much fun to travel with — he gets enthusiastic about most everything.

It was our first day without the Ahmads yesterday, which was sad, but they are off on wedding adventures. We had an amazing nine days together; it was so much fun seeing Japan through their eyes and sharing a place we love with them. Will and Ibrahim had a blast, and Asma was a delightful travel companion. We managed to blend our two totally different travel styles — Asma got me to slow down a bit, and she was nice to not complain about my “get up at the crack of dawn and go until you drop but not until after dinner” philosophy I inherited from my parents.

We left them on a Shinkansen platform in Nagoya, and I trust they are safely home now. (we got a text they had made the plane….) So since Tuesday, we have been braving the sightseeing on our own.

The past two nights we stayed in an old ryokan that emanated faded elegance — lovely large tatami mat rooms with views of a garden, even a private bath with a garden view. It was early century meets the 60s meets some serious flooding and mildew and perhaps lack of a repair and upkeep budget.

But the service was delightful — a lovely “obaasan” or grandma with a musical laugh took such good care of us, serving us amazing elaborate meals that Will ate with surprising gusto. He has become quite fearless in his eating — he declares fish eyeballs delicious, and tries everything, even when (often) we have no idea what it is. The only thing we’ve passed on is the raw fish ovaries, which Asma the OB/GYN first spotted in a market in Kyoto. Well, we were served those same ovaries two breakfasts in a row and just couldn’t do it. I managed to eat the salted sea creature guts the night before and that did my adventure quotient for the trip. We did, however, try turtle, which was beyond delicious. Will loved it. Thank god we weren’t served whale (maybe we were and didn’t know it) because we probably would have eaten it and broken some IWC regulation.

We had planned on staying two more nights in the ryokan, but the vast quantity of food for breakfast and dinner was wearing us down, so we escaped to the Nara Hotel. When you are staying at a ryokan, you feel obligated to eat everything, which is frankly impossible (especially without Rick :))

Just ask Asma — our last night in Takayama, our ryokan, in what we believe was a misguided attempt to please the boys, served us — after countless “starters” that had filled us up (we’re talking sashimi, tofu, pickles, a dish boiled over a fire on the table, among other things I’ve forgotten) — two, yes two, pizzas, along with four steaks (beef being a local specialty). And that wasn’t all. Last came rice and miso soup — which we told them to save. And finally the dessert buffet. We kid you not. I think my cholesterol shot through the roof — Asma kept saying she thought we would lose weight on the trip, and I assured her it wouldn’t be a problem, but I was wrong — I will be on a diet the rest of the summer!

So anyhow, we find ourself in this old hotel, relaxing after a busy day. We first got settled here, then visited the Kofukuji temple that has an amazing museum filled with Buddhist sculptures between 1,300 and 600- years old. Again, Will declared it the coolest place ever and told me to slow down so he could enjoy each sculpture. You’ve got to love the boy. He also finally persuaded me to buy some deer food to feed the sacred deer for which Nara is famous. The first time I tried to buy food, I got butted (yes in the butt) by a large-antlered deer and told Will to forget it. But Will begged, so I bought him some biscuits. Three large deer with significant racks chased him down — I was fending them off with my sun umbrella — and he tossed the whole bunch of biscuits at them and we ran for our lives. Ok not for our lives, but sacred or not, they are nasty.

Well it is almost dinner time, so I’d better go. Best to you all and see you soon!

Foxes, rice and the phoenix

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Kyoto, Saturday, June 19, 2010, 6 p.m. — This may be our last post for a while — we enter the wifi-free zone of ryokan, the traditional Japanese inn. We had a great day in Kyoto, visiting the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the mother shrine for rice, the most important food in Japan. Because rice was once used as a means of exchange, it is also the shrine for business — and for sake, the rice wine. We wandered up a mountain lined by vermillion torii gates creating shaded tunnels up the hill. It was really fun and picturesque. The boys left wishes on a wooden plaque in the shape of a fox — the guardian animal of the shrine — on which they had drawn funny faces. I wish I could upload the photos.
We also visited the Phoenix Hall or Byoodoin, the only remaining temple from the Heian period in the 11th century. It was beautiful, its red paint faded gray, hovering like a bird over the rock-lined pond in front. The statue of Amida Buddha inside was larger than I imagined (I’d seen it in many art history slides) and very peaceful. And many green tea ice creams were consumed.
We’re now back at the hotel, enjoying a beautiful view of the eastern hills of Kyoto, against a backdrop of clouds. Asma is moving into a room with a view for our last night in Kyoto.
We’re off to Takayama in the mountains of Nagano tomorrow. It’s likely to be hot and rainy there as well, but we’re kind of used to it by now. And we’ve heard it was a whopping 48 degrees and hailing at home, so we won’t complain. We hope all is well with all our friends and family, and we’ll be in touch when we can.

Rainy season in Kyoto

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Kyoto, Friday June 18 — Tsuyu, or the rainy season, hit today — making for soggy sightseeing but bringing temperatures down to the pleasant 70s. We tackled the crowds at the Kinkakuji or Golden Pavilion, the most famous of Kyoto landmarks, a gilded temple on the edge of a white and purple lotus filled pond. Quite lovely despite the crowds. We also visited the famous rock garden, Ryoanji, which was packed with Japanese high school students, some of whom interviewed us for a school project to practice their English. Then it was off to the Toei Eiga Mura, a theme park built around the sets actually used in samurai movies. We watched a live samurai/ninja show, which delighted Will and Ibrahim with all the sword fights and acrobatics. Soaked, we then made our way to a soba shop, Owariya, dating back 400 years– they had photos of the current crown prince eating there– but it was pleasantly low-key and delicious.

We then ventured to a covered food market selling everything from smoked fish ovaries (Asma identified them, much to her horror), to fresh local vegetables and tiny whole fish will gobbled from the sample trays. Will and ibrahim had on their matching japanese soccer jerseys so they drew comments everywhere– kawaii or cute” the boys want to wear them every day — fortunately we can wash them at night and they are dry morning. We are now back at the hotel, about to head out for our final adventure — a walk down a narrow red-lantern lined street called Pontocho that includes a shrine to a raccoon that is credited with saving a neighborhood from a fire 25 years ago. And you know will is crazy about raccoons!


Will’s favorite memory of the day: the ninja place. Not that he is totally without culture– this morning he told us he wanted to go see some temples!!!

Mushiatsui!!!

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Tokyo, Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 8 p.m. — The day started out rainy, but it quickly became mushiatsui — hot hot hot and humid. We had a leisurely morning at the hotel before heading out on the Yamanote to a trip to Tokyo’s westside to show Asma and Ibrahim some of the sights. We rode the escalators at Takashimaya Times Square, wandered through Shinjuku Station — 2 million people pass through this station each day — and ate soba noodles on the 13th floor of a depaato, or department store.


We then went to the Tokyo Mosque nearby, a quiet oasis above the bustle of the hot streets. We saw the beautiful stained glass windows, lovely domes and took lots of photos to send home to Rehan. The Ahmads have a wonderful tradition of seeking out mosques in all the international cities they visit. The juxtapositon of the Japanese calligraphy and Arabic script carved into the white stone of the mosque was very cool. We then braved the hot streets again, the boys fortified by miruku tea purchased from vending machines.


We made our way to Omotesando, haute couture central in Japan, and visited Comme des Garcons, one of Asma’s favorite designers. We walked down the relative “cool” of the leafy, shaded Omotesando, past an incongruous Shakey’s pizza to the infamous Kiddyland, birthplace of “Snowby,” Will’s first true stuffed animal love purchased 4 1/2 years ago. Will got a new Tokyo Snoopy to give Snowby a Japanese speaking buddy.


Melting from the heat, we caught a cab to the Hachiko statue at Shibuya Station, where they boys posed in their new Japan World Cup jerseys (Will is Nakazawa, Ibrahim Nakamura) purchased at the nearby Tokyu Department store. They had on matching shorts and have been drawing stares ever since because they are so darned adorable.


We ended yet another fun exhausting day at Dhaba Indian restaurant near our hotel, which trilled Asma with its authentic south Indian food, including a totally delicious biryani and meat/potato filled dhosas. It was totally delicious, and we were sorry our other guys weren’t with us to enjoy it. Asma just reminded me that it was at an Indian restaurant in Portland that we first hatched the idea of traveleing together in Japan. Sooo glad we did it. Boys bathed, we are enjoying the last brief wi-fi we have before setting off to Kyoto tomorrow to experienced a totally different side of Japan.

Ninjas and Birthday Magic

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010, Heisei 22, Tokyo — Well we made it to Tokyo and finally have wee-fee so that we can actually post something. i’m not sure we’ll post much because we have very little down time. And what downtime we have seems to be filled with two 8-year-olds fighting with foam swords and generally wreaking havoc.


Will had a truly unforgettable birthday yesterday, starting with a cake in our room with “Happy 8th Birthday Will” written in Japanese and English. We then wandered Ginza, watched World Cup soccer in 3D at the top of the Sony Center, bought foam swords at Hakuhinkan as Will’s birthday gift, had a fabulous tempura lunch at Rick’s favorite restaurant, Ten-tei.


The highlight of the day was the Ninja Akasaka restaurant, a kischty but totally fun restaurant that would never fly in the U.S. because it must break every fire code in the book. The concierge clapped her hands and a black-dressed “ninja” appeared from a secret doorway to grab a menu and lead us down and up winding corridors, complete with a drawbridge and a master ninja doing magic tricks at our table. We then — because Asma is a determined traveler, thank goodness — we ascended the Tokyo Tower and saw the beautiful lights of the city.
Gotta go, Tokyo is calling.

Les Baux, Bulls and a Crossbow that Shoots Cork

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Arles, France, Saturday, March 27, 6 p.m. — Here we sit in our funky, stone-walled hotel, the Hotel d’Arlatan, a 15th century mansion of a former count, relaxing after another rather exhausting day. Will is winding down by shooting his new wooden crossbow — the ammo is wine corks — at the wall, trying to flick on the light-switch. Set just off a bustling square, the hotel is tucked into a corner and a bit hard to find; it was a hair-raising drive down narrow, twisting streets to reach the hotel, and Rick is still recovering hours later from the trauma.

The mean streets of Arles
View of the village below the castle at Les Baux

We woke in Saint-Remy, after a rather un-sleepfilled night because of the smoking, talking guests who parked out under our window until 4 a.m. Yes, 4 a.m. I got some people to leave at midnight, but they continued to converge — and we were supposed to be in the country. Anyhow, that may be why we are kind of tired today. Though we did have a great morning in Les Baux, a village and medieval castle perched on a spur of the Alpilles mountains near St. Remy. Because it is so picturesque, it is also very touristy, but we were fortunate to be there in the off-season and early in the morning before the postcard shops opened. Will had a fabulous time clamboring around the steep stairways and narrow paths of the former castle, which was finally destroyed in 1631. The views across the valley and out toward the Mediterranean were spectacular — vineyards and olive orchards into the distance.

We then saw the Val d’Enfer, or the Valley of Hell, which has inspired everyone from Dante to Jean Cocteau with its weird rock formations. We then came down to Arles where we had one of the worst meals of our lives. Will compared it to a dismal night we spent in Salt Lake City when we missed our plane to Sun Valley and ate in the most horrible restaurant imaginable on the airlines’ dime — the most horrible until today. Recommended by three guide books as a charming “Van Gogh” inspired restaurant, it was ghastly. And expensive. Can’t wait to get onto Trip Advisor with this one.

Roman Arena at Arles

We then  toured the Roman ruins in Arles, but maybe we’re tired, and maybe we’re spoiled by the amazing ruins we’ve seen so far, because Rick, Will and I were underwhelmed. The theater and the arena were in much worse shape than elsewhere — though the arena is still open for bullfights and other events. Rick is bummed because a bullfight festival starts tomorrow — too late for us to see as we plan to head back to Paris in the early afternoon. He doesn’t want to see the bullfight, but the running of the bulls — so Hemingway of him.

We’ve got a reservation at a restaurant called something like the “Gullet of the Wolf,” so we’ve got our fingers crossed for a good Provencale meal to end our time in the south. Will says he doesn’t want to leave France, but he really misses his dog. Hang in there, Zeus, we’ll be on our way home soon!

A Perfect Day in Provence

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Saint-Remy-de-Provence, Friday, March 26, 2010, 5:30 p.m. – I am sitting in the quiet garden outside our hotel, a 200-year-old stone farmhouse called “Mas de Carassins.” There’s a lovely pool in front of me, a fountain framing the rocky outcrops of the Alpilles mountains that van Gogh loved to paint while he was convalescing at a sanatorium less than a kilometer from here. The sun is amazingly warm, the air fresh, and Will is playing ping-pong with his dad while we await a bottle of local red wine to enjoy by the pool. Can you say perfect in French? Parfait!

We had a perfect day in Provence, our best yet in the south. We woke to a driving rain, Mitchell even saw hail, and our host, Michael, told us to rethink our plans of seeing the Roman ruins, the sanatorium, the villages I’d mapped out in the hills to the east. Undaunted, Rick, Will and I donned our raingear and set off for the ruins of Glanum, just a hop and a skip up the road. We parked at the sanatorium, which had views so familiar from van Gogh’s paintings. There were reproductions of his paintings with the actual backdrops behind along the road into the hospital where he took refuge for a year after he cut off part of his right ear while living with Gaugin in nearby Arles. Van Gogh was exceptionally productive during his time here, and we walked through the cloisters of the hospital, which is still being used by psychiatric patients. In fact, a silent but friendly patient greeted us with a huge vacant smile and a very soft handshake. Rick, in particular, was moved by the experience, perhaps all the time he spent at the Oregon State Hospital. “Thinking of van Gogh in that little room and painting all these amazing things,” Rick said.

But before we toured the small room, which re-created van Gogh’s actual room, we noticed the sky clearing, so we headed across the road to the Roman ruins of Glanum. What a treat! These were the most amazing ruins we have found (Nigel told us it would be so, and he was sooo right.) Set in a narrow valley under beautiful rock outcroppings, Glanum was a fully formed urban town in the time of the Roman empire. Earlier still, local Celt/Ligurians inhabited the same place, the site of a sacred spring, which Will, to his delight, discovered.

The ruins stretched up the valley and included a forum, meeting places, large stately houses, temples, wells, sewers. It was the first place in Provence that made us feel the power we felt in Greece at the ancient sites there. Fortunately, perhaps because of the weather, we were alone at the site, which made it feel even more special, and made it easier to imagine walking the streets alongside men in togas.

The weather continued to improve as we swung out of town toward the hilltop town of Gordes on the Vaucluse Plateau. We stopped at an amazing Provencale restaurant, La Farigoule, just below Gordes, where we had fancy salads with foie gras and Will had an unbelievable chocolate cake with the texture of mousse.

We then stopped at the Village des Bouries, the site of an ancient village where all the buildings were built of stacked stones. People lived alongside their cattle, sheep and pigs and threshed their grain on the huge flat rocks underlying the site. The last inhabitants left in the early 18th century, but it was restored in the 1970s. It was a delight for Will to run through the buildings and around the site, imagining he was living in a time long ago.

We then headed up to Gordes, perched on a hilltop, topped by a castle. We wandered the narrow steep cobblestone streets and enjoyed the wonderful views across the valley to the Luberon mountains. Fantastique! We then veered down the mountain to the russet-colored Roussillon, another hilltop village built from the ochre-hued earth in the area. We bought a few souvenirs – lavender soap, a few sachets – and headed down the valley again to the Pont Julien, a 2,000 Roman bridge. One final stop up the other side of the valley, in Bonnieux, where Rick watched men playing bocci and Will scored another pain au chocolat. (I won’t mention the cream-filled almond croissant and raspberry-pistachio tarte Rick and I just devoured.)

We arrived here an hour ago and plan to eat here (again) tonight. Fabulous food. Tonight salmon, last night veal. Rick was just asking if we could cancel our hotel in Arles tomorrow to stay here. I think we would have stayed here the entire time, if we had known how lovely it would be. We will return!

We send love home and will touch base tomorrow, after a trip to Les Baux and Arles, our final full day in Provence.