Fuji Five Lakes

Fuji Five Lakes

by Wen Japan

Lake Kawaguchiko 河口湖

Kawaguchiko is a great base to explore the surrounding five lakes areas. The best approach is to rent a bike. We arrived late in the day to Kawaguchiko so we only had time to catch the sunset which was very nice too.

Shuhoukaku Kogetsu 秀峰閣湖月

The hotel was in a perfect location for viewing Mt. Fuji. It is right next to Lake Kawaguchiko and on clear days you can see Mount Fuji from your room.

You can see Mount Fuji directly from the room.

Kawaguchiko Winter Fireworks
The highlight of our stay was the fireworks display over the mountain.

Dinner
Traditional Kaiseki meal



Good morning Mount Fuji!
The view from the room was breathtaking. Even when Mt. Fuji was not visible, the lake and the hills were really beautiful.

Breakfast
I love Japanese style breakfast buffet! I often end up stuff myself with too much food…self control is needed!

Too bad Mount Fuji was covered by cloud right before we left the hotel.

Au Crocodile

Au Crocodile

by Wen France

We went to Au Crocodile for Christmas Eve dinner. Good location in the center of Strasbourg ( the restaurant is located on a pedestrian only street). This is one of the two best known restaurants of Strasbourg. Since lots restaurants closed during the Christmas holidays season, we came prepared. We made reservations several weeks in advance and were seated at a nice table in the main dining room with a beautiful Christmas tree in the center.  When we entered the restaurant, the first impressions were great! Fine modern French decor with great paintings and carpet. The place is a refined mix of traditional and contemporary elegance. Unlike other popular restaurants, Au Crocodile has plenty of space per table. The tasting menu for Christmas was delicious throughout and beautifully presented. When the amuse bouché started to arrive, they were all beautifully balanced in texture taste and delightful to look at. The waiting staff explained every dish including where the ingredients were sourced. I was instantly inspired by the creative and colorful food coming out from the amazing kitchen. The chef successfully created delicious elaborations of the traditional Alsatian cuisine through highly innovative and the flavor combinations and effort in each course was phenomenal. We speak no French but were looked after so well by the staff. The service was formal and flawless. The staff went out of their way to make use feel special from the moment we arrived until the moment we departed. They somehow managed to do it in a professional, friendly, warm, and welcoming way. What a fantastic Christmas dinner!  I highly recommend this restaurant and look forward to coming back. 🙂

Bread & Butter

Amuse Bouche

Ballottine de caille et foie gras

The first official course was foie gras. The foie gras was grated on top to create four gras snow, since it's Christmastime.

Lotte confite, Petits legumes au Caviar Imperial, Coulis de Crustaces

Noisette de cerf dorée, Sauce a l'infusion de feve de Tonka, Mousseline de Celeri et Poire pochee aux Airelles

Next came a fish course. This was poached with hazelnut, Tonka bean infusion sauce, celery and pears with cranberries. It was perfectly cooked!

Brie de Meaux aux Morilles et Marjolaine

Boule de neige aux saveurs Exotique Coco

Strasbourg Christmas Market

Strasbourg Christmas Market

by Wen Christmas Market France

Strasbourg Christmas Market in Alsace

Alsace is well known for it’s beautiful Christmas Markets. The Strasbourg Christmas Market is the oldest Christmas market in France. Way back in 1570 at Place Broglie. The Christmas Market takes place every year around the end of November to the end of December. The best way to avoid crowds is to come on weekdays in the first half of December. The last week before Christmas is when you’ll see the biggest crowds.

To visit the entire market requires a lot of walking. The entire city center is ornately decorated. You will find Christmas lights illuminate every street. I just can’t stop taking pictures everywhere I go! This is just winter-wonderland overload.

Christmas Tree in Place Kleber

The Strasbourg Christmas market is very widespread throughout the public squares of the central island. The best attraction would be the large Christmas tree in the town square (Place Kléber). Place Kléber is the largest open square in Strasbourg. It is full of historic buildings and fine architecture.

We walked by Place Kléber numerous times during our 2 night stay in Strasbourg. The tree was decorated with blinking lights and stars. The surrounding buildings with lighting looked spectacular too. It is beautiful in the evening when all the lights are on. Spectacular at night for photos.

Strasbourg-Christmas-Market

The Carré d’Or Market

The Carré d’Or Market is located in Place du Temple-Neuf.

Very Festive Atmosphere

This city has been running Christmas market since the 16th century. There are around 11 markets (called Christkindelsmärik) with 300 stalls today.

It’s worth spending time walking around the streets and the market during the day to see all of the decorations, and then again at night for the lights.

Nearly every shop and building is excessively decorated with a theme for the holidays.

The main markets are at:

  • Place de la Cathédrale
  • Place Kléber
  • Place Gutenberg
  • Place Broglie
  • Place du Château

There are six smaller ones at:

  • Place du Marché aux Poisson
  • Place du Temple Neuf
  • Place Saint Thomas
  • Place des Meuniers
  • Place Benjamin-Zix
  • Place Grimmeissen

Batorama Boat Tour

This is the most delightful way of viewing Strasbourg. The views from the canals are great. Each seat has its own personal headset for the audio tour and you can select your language.

Discover Strasbourg on a boat trip

Petite France, Strasbourg

1741, Strasbourg

1741, Strasbourg

by Wen France

1741

We dined at 1741 just a few days before Christmas. It was directly opposite the Palais Rohan. From the outside it was beautiful decorated for Christmas, inside we were seated on the top floor in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. Our table for two felt very spacious and private. Their staff were very friendly and professional. Since we don’t speak French and all the staff were trying their best to explain the dishes to us in English. I loved every single dish, they were so refined and elegant. Every course was truly delicious. I’d love to come back to 1741 on my next visit to Strasbourg.

Bread

Foie Gras from Lucien Doriath Farm

Black Truffel Tuber Melanosporum.

Royal Langoustine

Quenelle and consomme.

Char fish from Heimbach spring

Herbs butter and Mushroom puree.

Egg cooked at 64

Salmon like gravlax and dill

Chocolate and Pear

Chocolate form and Pear Ice

Petit Four

Colmar Christmas Market

Colmar Christmas Market

by Wen Christmas Market

The city feels like it was pulled straight from the 16th century. The fairy-tale setting of the old town is even more magical at Christmas. The whole town is decorated like in a dream. The old town of Colmar hosts 5 magical Christmas markets with a variety of food , trinkets, wines and rides for children.

Another big reason to visit Colmar is the incredible food options throughout the city. There are lots wooden stalls are dedicated to local produce, such as foie gras, Christmas sweets, and Alsatian wines.

It is a great place to take postcard-like pictures, in the storybook-like towns along the colorful tinted houses. The houses are decorated and lit up. You could easily spend a few days here wandering the cobbled streets from market to market especially at night.

Aachen Christmas Market

Aachen Christmas Market

by Wen Christmas Market

The location of Aachen is very accessible from the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Try their Punsch or Glühwein (the local mulled wine). Aachen’s Cathedral is the first UNESCO World Heritage site in Germany. Aachen’s main Christmas market is concentrated on the large squares around the cathedral in the old town area. There are around 120 stalls at the main market.

The local specialty is the Aachener Printen (a type of Lebkuchen with Christmas spices). You will find the giant Printen cookies guard the entryway to the Christmas market.

My Broadway Show List

My Broadway Show List

by Wen New York

One of my favorite things to do when visited New York is going to all the wonderful Broadway shows. These are the shows I’ve seen before and highly recommend.

Broadway Musicals
Cats
Jersey Boys
Wicked
The Lion King
The Phantom of the Opera
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ❤
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Mary Poppins
Miss Saigon
Chicago
Annie

Broadway Plays
The Vertical Hour (2007, Julianne Moore, Bill Nighy)
Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012, Matthew Broderick, Jessie Mueller)
Orphans (2013, Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster, Tom Sturridge)
The Trip to Bountiful (2013, Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Vanessa Williams)
Vanya and Sonia and Spike (2013, Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen)
Lucky Guy (2013, Tom Hanks, Maura Tierney, Courtney Vance)
The Present (2016, Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxburgh)

Off-Broadway
❤ Avenue Q
Blue Man Group
The Book of Mormon

Men-Ya Kaiko

Men-Ya Kaiko

by Wen Hokkaido Japan

Men-ya Kaiko 麺屋 開高

新千歳空港国内線ターミナルビル3Fラーメン道場
New Chitose Airport Domestic Terminal 3rd floor Ramen Dojo
+81 12-345-8787

Dinner

It’s located in the Hokkaido Ramen Dojo inside the New Chitose Airport. Ramen Dojo is an amazing street devoting to Ramen. There are various popular Hokkaido ramen restaurants along the street. I had the Tokachi Corn Cheese Ramen. The broth was overly salty to my liking. I left with half a bowl of ramen unfinished.

Tokachi Corn Cheese Ramen

men-ya-kaiko-ramen

men-ya-kaiko

Bar Cafe Soup Curry Zora

Bar Cafe Soup Curry Zora

by Wen Hokkaido Japan

BAR CAFE SOUP CURRY ZORA

北海道札幌市中央区南1条西7丁目12-5 (大通パークサイドビル 1階)
+81 11-231-4882

Lunch

Sapporo is famous as soup curry’s birthplace. Soup curry comes with vegetables, rice, and various toppings. You need to choose your dish, spice level, and rice size. The soup is basically similar to south East Asian curries. A thinner curry essentially. Leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy in your tummy and fills you up all nicely.

Chicken Leg Curry

The chicken is cooked really well. I can imagine this being very nice in winter, and understand why the locals love it.
bar-cafe-soup-curry_zora

Cheese Curry

soup-curry-zora

A Little Log Cafe Flower

A Little Log Cafe Flower

by Wen Hokkaido Japan

A Little Log Cafe Flower ちいさなログカフェ ふらわ

北海道富良野市山部中町 2-2
Yamabe Nakachou 2-2, Furano-shi, Furano, Hokkaido
+81 90-6876-8118

Lunch

Omelette Curry Rice (Omu-curry) is a dish poured curry sauce over an omelette and is famous as a local cuisine in Furano. This restaurant is a little wooden cabin located on route 38 in Yamabe. Interior had a very homely feel. The curry rice was excellent and the omelette was silky smooth too. This was a really hearty meal using local fresh produce and great especially on a windy or cold day.

富良野オムカレー

a-little-log-cafe_flower

alittle-log-cafe-flower

Dessert

a-little-log_cafe-flower

Sweets Cafe Sabor

Sweets Cafe Sabor

by Wen Hokkaido Japan

Sweets Cafe Sabor スイーツカフェ サボール

北海道富良野市倖町 13-1
13-1 Saiwaicho, Furano, Hokkaido
+81 167-22-1001
www.furano.ne.jp/marche/sabor.asp

Afternoon Tea

The café is very cute. You can buy pastries at the bakery and eat inside. We always visit this shop after shopped at the Furano Marche. I like their roll cake the most. First time to try cream puffs. The puff has a nice crisp on the outer layer with smooth Hokkaido cream filling. Good with milk or coffee.

Cream Puff

sweets-cafe-sabor

Haskap Berry Cream Puff

sweets-cafe_sabor

Farm Tomita

Farm Tomita

by Wen Hokkaido Japan

Farm Tomita ファーム富田

北海道空知郡中富良野町基線北15号
15 Kisenkita, Sorachi-gun, Nakafurano-cho, Hokkaido
+81 16-739-3939
www.farm-tomita.co.jp

Lavender Madness

Even though its summer but people were wearing jacket and scarf. You know what would be the fun thing to do in cold weather? Ice cream! We ate lavender ice cream, lavender cheese cake, drank lavender coffee, and bought anything related to lavender.

Lavender soft-serve ice cream

Taste minty and sweet with plenty lavender fragrance
farm-tomita-ice-cream

farm-tomita-flowers

Lavender-Flavored Furano Snowmelt Cheese Cake

farm_tomita-cake