Rowenna came to Ithaca to hang out for a day. She had just concluded the European leg of her round-the-world tour and next up for her was North and Central America. She was to be in New York for 5 days, and so she decided to come to Ithaca and see how I’ve been spending the last three months here.
After coffee with the Swedish and Japanese folks, I walked to the bus station to receive Rowie. Being about ten minutes early, I did some window shopping at Greenstar Co-op, an organic supermarket beside the bus station. She arrived at around half past nine, and after completing some purchases at the supermarket, I peeked out and saw the bus had arrived. From about ten metres away, I called out “Ah Nah” as she is fondly known to her loved ones. Yes, we have some endearing nicknames for people we love. 
Well, anyhow, after exchanging hugs and greetings, we talked about plans for the night. The rain started to get heavier and the first instinct was to call for a taxi to get back to college. I had arranged for Rowie to stay in the empty room in Naomi’s apartment. After getting her settled there, we came back to my place, and I warmed up some soup for her before we left for the library because I had some work to do, and she had some odds and ends to settle for her North/Central American trip.
The next day, we met for lunch at the campus food court where I introduced her to the Swedes I’ve been hanging out with. After lunch I brought her around the college. I just realized I haven’t blogged about Ithaca College much, and I shall do so in the coming weeks.
I insisted that she take a photo with the fishball sculpture.
The Muller Chapel and pond – the most serene and tranquil spot on campus.
The pond from further away. It’s even nicer now that it’s Spring.
Cousins and the Chapel.
The view of Cornell University from Ithaca College.
After the tour around the college, we decided to take a walk down to the Commons before heading to one of the waterfalls in Ithaca. To be honest, I haven’t been to one at all in my three months here because it was too cold to go out and waterfalls are what Ithaca is famous for. The biggest headache is inaccessibility because without a car, getting to any of them can be quite hard. We walked around the Commons for a bit, stopping for coffee at Starbucks, and taking photos of little sights at the Commons. I mentioned before that Ithaca is a quaint little arty-farty town and even after three months here, I’m not sure I know much about this place. Having Rowie around made me realize that even more because I didn’t know where to bring her, how to explain what we saw and I felt like a visitor as much as she did.
We headed to Ithaca Falls via bus. It was just about ten minutes away from the Commons. Being in Ithaca, you are never too far from nature. Ithaca Falls was definitely not the best waterfall to see, nothing too grand about it compared to other more renowned ones in the area. But it was the closest, and most accessible to us. The falls sprayed mist at us and it being winter, it got chilly after a little while. I can’t wait to go back there now and compare how it looks like because the trees should be covered with a little more leaves and the colors will add so much life to the scenery. Winter does make one feel dreary because of the lack of colors.
A miniature version – this one is more of a trickle.
Rock layers and cracks.
Can you spot the rainbow?
The Falls, with the sun about to set.
The rushing icy water. Murky from heavy rains.
Rowie snapped our shadows cast by the setting sun as I sat down on a bench to decide where to go next. It had been a short day and we didn’t really do much and I felt like Rowie hadn’t seen much of Ithaca. But neither have I. What have I been doing these three months??
I decided that we should go to Boatyard Grill, a waterfront restaurant. The only problem was I didn’t know how to get there and it wasn’t within walking distance. One thing I appreciate about Singapore is that the transport system brings you everywhere one needs to get to. And the bus that would bring you to the waterfront only serves that route in the summer. Ithaca being a small town, well.. that aside, it can’t be that no one goes to the lake other than summer? I’m not sure Ithaca is the place for someone raised in a city. Or maybe I just need to learn driving right now and get a car soon. Really really soon.
Sun sets over one of the many churches.
Drive-through ATM. Incredibly lazy Americans or incredibly efficient Americans? You decide.
We headed back to the Commons and decided not to go to the lake because it was just too inconvenient. We settled for a sports grill and bar instead. Typically American place where people come to watch football or baseball or basketball on giant screens. Right now, I’m just thinking about the fact that I have two more weeks left in Ithaca and how little of this place I have seen. Makes me feel incredibly underachieved. It’s like I have been here and yet this place still seems so foreign to me. There really is more to this place than I know, which is paradoxical because it is such a small town with so little to offer, yet with so much yet to discover. Saying goodbye is not going to be sad, just difficult that I haven’t grasped the essence of what this town has to offer in my time here. Mixed feelings.
Inside Benchwarmer’s Sports Bar & Grill
Us with our huge burgers and fries.
After dinner, we took a walk uphill back to IC. I have become rather unfit now unfortunately, and so walking (especially uphill) for a good twenty minutes after a meal is always good. Rowie was going to take the 1:30 a.m. bus back to New York so we had some time to kill. She brought her bags from Naomi’s to my apartment, took a shower and packed her bags while I worked on an assignment.
We caught the bus down to the Commons and had smoothies at the Mate Factor, a quaint dairy place owned by members from Twelve Tribes. (I told you Ithaca is filled with quirky people.) We each had a smoothie and from there, we made our way to the bus station, a ten minute walk away.
We made it just in time and the driver very kindly gave us two minutes to say goodbye. Here is a cousin very dear to my heart. Someone whom has been there the whole time while we grew up. Ironically enough, the past five years that she has been away studying in Perth has been the time that we grew closer and I found we had so much in common, it’s as if she never left Singapore at all. To me, blood will always be thicker than water.
To cook mee goreng, I used the Prima Taste mix I bought from Liverpool. I couldn’t find the yellow color egg noodle so I used spaghetti to substitute. I think maybe spaghetti has more moisture so because of that, the taste wasn’t strong enough. But my friends found it really spicy despite that. I didn’t find it spicy at all, especially when I don’t eat spicy food. And I found it rather bland, but they said it was all right. They were being nice. There were potato cubes, diced tomatoes and onions and egg.
We left the airport and took the bus that would bring us to Lime Street. We deposited our bags at the train station and set out to locate the Monro, a gastropub that was apparently rather famous. It wasn’t easy finding it because Rowie didn’t remember the exact directions, plus the streets aren’t very well organized. When we finally found it, it was pretty packed and we waited a long time before we even got to see the menu. The waitress was a tall and slim girl with blond hair and pink highlights, i.e. bimbo. I didn’t think I would have the chance to encounter a bimbo outside the US.
So after lunch, we strolled around the Albert Docks, looking at the Beatles Museum, the Liver building, and Tate Liverpool. I was pretty incredulous to learn that Liverpool is the 2008 European Capital of Culture. From what I saw of the city, it didn’t strike me as being a cultural hub at all, ‘cept for being the hometown of the Beatles. Liverpool is a city that you can visit once and not have to return, or totally leave it out of an itinerary because you won’t be missing out on much. Unless you are a Beatles fan… or a Liverpool/Everton fan… or you’re simply here to hang out with a beloved cousin. Rowie probably got pretty tired of me dissing Liverpool, but hey, I just came from London and Paris – expectations were high.
After the stroll around the Docks, we headed back to the city centre and walked along Bold Street, looking at quirky and eclectic shops. We were pretty tired by then though I didn’t think we did very much that day. We swung by where we left our bags and hopped on a train to Ainsdale, where Mike lives with his parents. Rowie had requested Ann (Mike’s mom) to prepare a traditional roast dinner for me so that was awaiting us at home, and also served as motivation to restrain from too much snacking. We did allow ourselves some donuts though. We reached Ainsdale soon enough and Mike came to pick us up from the train station. His house was about a five minute drive away. Soon we pulled into a nice neighborhood and stopped in front of a cozy looking house.
We met Ann in the kitchen where she was busy finishing up with dinner preparations. The house was very nice and I loved it very much. It was very comfy and warm – if my house was like that, I wouldn’t want to leave it. Rowie told me that Ann was someone who was very proud of her house and I could see why. The bedroom was so comfortable that I told Rowie I wanted to stay in and sleep the entire night, instead of going out as we had planned. The dinner, as scrumptious as it looks, tasted even better. Roast beef, with potatoes roasted in goose fat, cauliflower topped with melted cheese, spinach, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. And of course, English cider. I’m glad I came to Liverpool – it was a home away from home and a chance to meet warm lovely people.
After dinner, Terry gave us a ride to the train station and we headed back to Liverpool. The Bell family lives in Ainsdale, Southport, which is just outside Liverpool. A couple of Mike’s mates were joining us and I can’t remember now what were the names of the places we went to because I was just following wherever they brought me. It was a luxury for me compared to London and Paris where I had to depend on myself the whole time. The first pub we went to, the guys checking our ID said I looked 13. HAHA. I usually get called 16 or 17, but woah, 13 is a whole decade away from 23. But I’m used to it. The crowd was an older one, so that’s probably why I seemed relatively younger. The second pub we went to had a younger crowd. There, Mike’s friends Foll and his girlfriend Maria joined us. Another guy, Rob, and Gaz (visiting from Newcastle) joined us as well.
The last place we went to was called Magnet and there was some kind of live band performing. It was a very eclectic combination with a trombone, a xylophone, drums, violin and guitar. Mike’s friends left, and we followed suit soon after because I was very sleepy. We each had an X marked on our hands when we entered the pub and Mike, in his slightly drunken stupor, declared that he was Professor X, I was Wolverine and Rowie was Jean Gray. We headed next door for pizza and it was hilarious listening to Mike talk. Anyhow, we hopped into a taxi and about half an hour later, were back home.
After very nice spring weather in Europe, I returned to snow in New York. It wasn’t very pleasant, and I had learned at the airport upon landing that many flights had been canceled due to the snow and poor weather. Another blessing from the Almighty Father who watches over His sheep day and night. But I’m glad I got to see snow in New York. It’s priceless to look at New Yorkers dealing with snow. New Yorkers are such impatient people, but I suppose in most cities, people are like that because time is money and slowing down means less money earned.
We went with them to Herald Square Hotel, where we had stayed during our first weekend to NY and came across a set in the midst of filming at 42nd Grand Central subway station.
One feature that I think is characteristic of Paris is their roads meet at spectacular junctions or circles. It makes for great photography and I’m referring to cinematography as well. Of course Arc de Triomphe is the most famous of them, but there are so many more – though of a smaller scale – in and around Paris that still induce “oohs” and “aahs” from me. I remember telling Jean-Michel during our cheese dinner from the night before, that looking at the streets along La Seine, images of the news footage of Princess Diana’s accident and scenes from Bourne Identity come to mind. Call me shallow but that’s what I remembered while walking along these beautiful Parisian streets. Have I mentioned that European architecture is gorgeous? After Paris, the next place I absolutely have to visit is Prague. Canan said Prague is a place you just have to go once in your life.
First destination of the day was the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). It was a very foggy day and I was glad that I had gone to the Eiffel Tower the day before when the skies were clear. Navigating the map was a little tricky because I suspect the free map I had procured from the hostel’s reception didn’t include little streets and back lanes. I found my way soon enough and saw that MOMA shared a building with Palais de Tokyo.
At one of the most recognized spots in the world, I couldn’t ask for more. The Arc lies on a historic axis that leads to many things including the world famous boulevard, Champs Elysées, which I will get to in a while. The Arc is an architectural phenomenon, (to me at least), adorned with intricate carvings. There’s an underpass that brings you below the Arc. I can imagine how cyclists feel when they compete in the Tour de France because the Arc represents the end of their race. It’s a nice sight to behold. Anyway, finally I managed to find someone (a pretty American Chinese) who captured me and the Arc within the frame. You can take a tour of the interior and go up the Arc but I didn’t do that. Lots more pics at 
Champs Elysées, the avenue of luxury brands, fashion houses, upmarket cafes and cinemas. It’s the French version of NYC’s Fifth Ave and London’s Oxford Street. Anyway here I was approached by a middle-aged Chinese couple. They came up to me, asked me where I was from and if I spoke any Mandarin. Turns out the guy is Singaporean and stays in Ang Mo Kio, the lady is his wife from China. Warning bells started ringing here. But he went on to ask me if I could do them a favor by buying an LV wallet for them. Apparently they had bought two already and that was the limit the salespeople would allow. They told me which one to buy and even gave me 450€ to make the purchase. The guy then said he would be waiting for me outside the store.
Still replaying the incident in my mind, I ventured further along Champs Elysées in the direction towards the Louvre. On the left is a picture of the street with Arc de Triomphe at the end. You can just make out its shape behind the fog. I got a little hungry and it was lunch time anyway, but this was an upmarket area so lunch would have to wait. I walked towards Grand Palais. This trip was fast turning into a speed tour, where I just walked and saw the different places from their exterior because there was no time to explore each museum the way they deserved, plus I had to stop myself from spending unnecessarily.
I was conscious of it here though. I intentionally fitted the Eiffel Tower into this shot and also tried to have the Arc de Triomphe within the frame. Visibility is too poor to see it though. This is the Place de la Concorde, and the Obelisque, which was a gift from Egypt. The obelisque is one of three Cleopatra’s Needles, the other two residing in New York and London. This used to be an execution site where the guillotine stood and Queen Marie Antoinette was executed here.
So here I was. At the most famous museum in the world. This was a moment I never want to forget. Writing about it now makes me want to return to Paris. The museum was very modern indeed and very overwhelming. More than British Museum was. There were sections that led to more sections and you could get lost in there. Seriously. It just wasn’t possible to finish the Louvre in a day. You need at least 3-4 days for this spectacular museum alone. I was overwhelmed…
Art is cool. But too much of it gives me a headache. There’s just so much to take in and it’s best that you spread it out over 2-3 days. Photography was prohibited in certain sections of the Louvre and that included the area where Mona Lisa was housed. Honestly Mona Lisa was a lot smaller than I’d imagined it to be. Or maybe it was the most crowded section so that took away some of its splendor. Anyway, you can take an audio tour narrated by Jean Reno that guides you through the sections of the Louvre that were featured in the Da Vinci Code. I didn’t take the tour – partly due to the fact that I didn’t agree with what the book/film portrayed – commercialization and “Hollywoodification” wasn’t what I came to Europe for.
From Notre Dame, I found Rue de la Harpe, the little street that Rowie recommended for reasonably-priced restaurants. It was kind of early for dinner though so I walked along Boulevard St-Germain towards Rue Mouffetard – where I was searching for the Nicolsen Artisan Chocolatier, having been tasked by Rowie to buy hot chocolate powder and caramel dark chocolate sweets. Along the way I passed the Panthéon (left) where many bigwigs have been laid to rest – Pierre and Marie Curie, Alexander Dumas (author of The Three Musketeers), Louis Braille, and Victor Hugo.
I got off at Volontaires and found Aloha Hostel according to the instructions from the website. I checked in and paid, was told that there’s no access to all rooms until 5pm so I had to leave my bags in storage. With a map and metro guide, I sat down for a good twenty minutes to plan some sort of an itinerary. After feeling that I was good to go, I headed to a bookstore on a street further up and bought a English-French translation book, optimistic that I could somehow pick up basic French. My first meal in Paris was an omelette and iced tea at a cafe across the street. On the left is a section of Rue de Vaugirard, which is the street perpendicular to Rue Borromee, where my hostel was. Maybe it is psychological, but Parisian air smelt nice and I was glad to be there.
My first stop was the Eiffel Tower and via the metro, it was only about ten minutes away. One thing I immediately noticed about the area surrounding the Tower is that there are not many tall buildings, if any at all. And this just accentuates the beauty of the Tower. La Défense (the CBD) is some distance away so it doesn’t mess with the Eiffel Tower’s spot in the skyline. And again, like in London, there was restoration works going on so a portion of it was wrapped in green sheets.
and settle in a little. I had planned to meet Jean-Michel for dinner. Jean-Michel is French, he was in NTU for exchange last year and he stayed in my hall, so kind of got to know him through Mario, my Swiss roommate.
Jean-Michel called not too long later and we arranged to meet at Montparnasse for dinner. I found Montparnasse to be a rather hip neighborhood with many cafes, in fact, every building had a cafe occupying its ground floor. As you can see in the picture, there is outdoor dining that follows the tradition of Parisian cafes by the roadside.
After the Arsenal tour, I rushed over to Buckingham Palace, intending to catch the Changing of Guards but I was too late. I think it was over by the time I got there. But there was something else going on because there were throngs of people at the Palace. I was there with Jerome, the French guy, whom I had arranged to meet at Victoria station. We later found out that the President of Ghana was in town for a state visit on invitation from the Queen herself. There were many kinds of guards from different divisions dressed in their respective uniforms and mounted on horses. Having participated in such state visits myself when Central Band was involved in ceremonial duties, it was interesting to observe how another country does it.
Of course, this was a procession more than the actual ceremony. From where I was standing, I could only make out that horse-drawn carriages were carrying very important people, presumably the President of Ghana and his entourage. I’m thinking about the Istana being hidden away from the public eye in the midst of a forested area whereas the Buckingham Palace is not. Anyway, the picture on the right is a badly taken shot of the buglers. Isn’t it cool? Buglers on horses… Below is a twenty-second video of the military band.
After the police cleared the barricades, we made our way towards Westminster Abbey. Jerome hadn’t been here yet but he didn’t seem that interested so after snapping a couple of photos, we moved off towards the London Eye, where I had a ticket for 14:30. Jerome didn’t want to go on the London Eye so he decided to sit in MacDonald’s and wait for me. After collecting my online ticket from the machine, I joined the queue, which moved pretty fast.
There were seven of us in one capsule and it moves so smoothly and so slowly. You can’t tell you’re moving if you have your eyes closed. As it rose higher, the views started to get pretty amazing. You start to see the buildings get smaller, and the Eye is at a great location along the River Thames, so you can look down into Parliament Square, the Parks and Buckingham Palace from an aerial view. It is a terrific experience, though it was hard to avoid the reflections of the glass in the photos. I originally wanted to go in the evening and see London with its night lights but Rowie has night photos so we decided I’ll go in the daytime. I’m now looking forward to going up the Empire State Building to look at Manhattan’s skyline.
Blackfriars Bridge with St. Paul’s Cathedral in the background. After I got off the London Eye, Jerome and I walked along the River because Meishi recommended that I visit Tate Modern. It was a nice slow stroll while we chatted about France and Singapore. Jerome is working for Michelin in France but is looking for a job in London to improve his English. In the course of my week, I met many people like him – all striving to find a better life and it made me give serious thought about what I was doing with my life. There are so many people out there who do not have as sheltered or as privileged a life as I do, yet I don’t count my blessings and continually yearn for more.
Next to Tate Modern is Shakespeare’s Globe. I didn’t have the opportunity to visit London with my class when they went for a Literature field trip in 2000 because it clashed with the band’s New Zealand trip, so here I was, making up for it seven years later. There was a school tour going on inside so I didn’t go in. Entrance fee was really expensive too! 
That’s me on Millennium Bridge with St. Paul’s Cathedral in the background. It was almost four in the afternoon and had been a long day of walking, but I was far from done! Jerome was tired though because he had a leg injury in the past from playing football, and he said he wasn’t the tourist attraction type. We entered the Cathedral, which unfortunately was undergoing restoration works, so some areas were inaccessible. But it was very majestic and yet serene inside. Photography was prohibited though so I only have photos of the exterior. European architecture is breathtaking. I’ll say that again and again. Inside the Cathedral though, there are sculptures commemorating British soldiers who have died while serving the country. Perfectly fine in a museum in my opinion, but not in a holy sanctuary.
Jerome decided to return to the hostel for a nap after we finished with St. Paul’s Cathedral but I still had Tower of London and Tower Bridge on my itinerary so we agreed to meet back at the hostel after I was done. I tubed to Tower Hill station and walked over the the Tower, only to find that I reached ten minutes after the last entrance. What a bummer.
The stadium was huge and you feel really small when you are standing inside. There were only six other people on the stadium tour, a couple from Hong Kong, a couple from South Korea and the other two I think were locals. The guide brought us to the Diamond Club, which I think was an exclusive area for important people and the view of the stadium you see on the left is from the Diamond Club gallery seats. Pretty good view, if you ask me. The stadium looked good, being less than a year old.
The trophy that was very nearly ours. “If Barcelona’s trip to Paris seemed pre-ordained, no one had predicted Arsenal would join them there. The summer sale of Patrick Vieira had left the London club looking light in midfield and a succession of injuries meant Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was reliant on youth. In the event, the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Philippe Senderos, Emmanuel Eboué and Mathieu Flamini showed no fear of the big stage as Arsenal took Europe by storm. The London side matched Barça’s points haul as they breezed through the group stage against AFC Ajax, AC Sparta Praha and FC Thun, then stepped up a gear to upset Real Madrid CF in the first knockout round, Thierry Henry scoring the only goal of the tie with a mazy dribble through the Merengues’ defence. Juventus were overcome in the quarter-finals before a narrow victory against Villarreal CF, the first-leg win marking the last European match at the Gunners’ historic Highbury ground, swept Arsenal to the final for the first time, also making them the first London club to ever reach the final. Jens Lehmann’s last-minute penalty save from Juan Riquelme at El Madrigal made it ten consecutive clean sheets for Arsenal who would end the competition having gone a record 995 minutes unbeaten. Lehmann himself went a competition record 763 minutes without conceding a goal, a run that not even Barcelona could break.” -UEFA website.
