Matcha glutinous rice balls in mung bean soup with coix seeds

Aurora hunting trip to Yellowknife

Yellowknife photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZveRERiJMhR4Ovaa2

Aurora photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/92DzN0kdKFZMN8UL2

The trip was amazing. Aurora is dynamic. Photography cannot completely capture the "dancing lights". We were very lucky to be able to see it for all 3 days. I highly recommend the Aurora Hunting tours with North Star Adventures in Yellowknife. They would drive the distance till there's a break in the sky for the viewing; hence minimizing the chance factor. August and September are the best times since it's still summer and above 0.

Portugal for Christmas holidays 2015

link to photos: https://goo.gl/photos/ZmVK9tLiiuoG9wF38

Aside from the usual in Lisboa, I would highly recommend visiting Sintra. Sintra is under 1 hour train ride from Rossio station in Lisboa. You can use the Vivagem card. The National Palace of Sintra is alright. The National Palace of Pena (Palacio Nacional de Pena) is a must see. You can take a bus to reach it from the Sintra city center (15 min walk from the train station). The 5 euro bus ticket takes you up to the palace and back down to the train station. Check the palace website and save 5% on tickets if you purchase in advance online. http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/plan-your-visit-en/opening-times-and-prices/
I didn't visit the Moorish Castle on this trip unfortunately. From the looks of it, I think it's more worthwhile than the National Palace of Sintra. The Moorish Castle is 1 bus stop before the Pena Palace.  

Boca do Inferno (Mouth of Hell) is also a must see. From Cais do Sodre you can take a train to Cascais. The train ride is about 40 min one way. You can use the Vivagem card.  Cascais is a nice little town, not too touristy. Boca do Inferno is about 20 min walk from the train station. 

Portugal is famous for its seafood (Sardines and Octopus) and pastries (salty or sweet). It gets very humid and damp in winter. I learned my lesson the hard way. 

You can take tram 15 from Praça da Figueira or Comercio Square to get to Belem.

Useful links: 
1. Public transport in Lisboa http://www.transporteslisboa.pt/
2. Castelo de Sao Jorge 

http://castelodesaojorge.pt/en/tickets-schedule-and-information/

3. Bus to Obidos:  http://www.rodotejo.pt/rapidas

4. Train website: 

http://www.cp.pt/sites/passageiros/en/train-times/Train-time-results

 

London 2015

Link to photos: https://goo.gl/photos/1uW8SFVri5VhkhSP8

Lotsa free museums in London. Highly recommend: National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Museum and V&A

Westminster Hall/The Parliament is only open to public on Saturdays. Go first thing in the morning to get your tickets with a booked time slot. 

Don't miss the Bricklane Markets on Sundays. A lot of international food stalls and vintage clothes shops. 

I would skip Buckingham Palace. It's only open 1 month (in the summer) in a year and the entry process is highly unorganized and plainly stupid. If you have seen a lot of palaces in Europe, it's ok to skip this one.

Tower of London (next to Tower Bridge) is a good place to visit for families. It's a medieval castle for British Kings and Queens. Join the Yeoman Guards tours. It's very informative. 

We saw Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables in London. The Phantom supporting casts aren't so good imo. The 2 "notes" are very messy. Phantom was a bit under par during first act. Although I have to say that the "Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny" was the best I ever saw. We were unlucky to miss the regular Jean Val Jean for Les Miz. Aside from the understudy Val Jean, all the other casts were great.

München/Munich

Link to photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/113880069774612153445/albums/6137611277223059425?authkey=CMyjntPClb22PA

München is the capital of Bavaria, the richest part of Germany. Things are indeed slightly more expensive than other parts of Germany I've been. Took the night train from Amsterdam to Muenchen. I'd highly recommend visiting the museums. A lot of the museums have 1 euro ticket on Sundays. The Pinakothek der Moderne is free on Wednesdays. Plan your schedule accordingly and you can save some $. There are a lot of biergartens in München (Of course! it's the home of Oktoberfest!). I don't drink beer but I really enjoyed the beer in München. It's less bitter. There's also the kind with added lemonade. That was also quite good. 

On a side note, München is about 2 hour train ride away from Saltzburg. It's a good idea to add a 2 day side trip to Saltzburg. :)

Civil Projects in NL

This is what we received in the mail from the city regarding a project they're doing in our neighbourhood. Basically they're building a highrise mixed residential/commercial structure aboout 300 m from our apartment. We have received similiar development plans last year. Now they're ready to start the construction,  and we are receiving stage by stage plans from them. 

This is a plan on how they plan on trimming, relocating, removing and planting the trees in order to facilitate the construction. The level of detail is surprising. The letter also explained they are doing it now before the birds' nesting season. The thoughtfulness is incredible. The government really feels it's their obligation and duty to explain to the people, and I believe the people would actually study the materials. This is a very healthy relationship between the government and the people. I wonder how long it'll take for Taiwan to achieve this.

Family bikes

Attached pdf is an article introducing all kinds of family bikes in the Netherlands. There are basket bikes, box bikes, etc. Up to 5 kids max. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_z0QeQ5-I5-bGcxYUQtWTl1ejA/view?usp=sharing