Japan- Tokyo

Posted on January 6, 2015 by hikenoworklater

This is an overdue photo journal of our stay in Toyko Japan last December. The photo log below consisted our last few days in the beautiful city. When the weather got too cold for outside sightseeing, we wondered around shopping centers warming up before heading out to the cold again. As Tokyo became more familiar to us, coming back to the Shinagawa train station each day almost seemed natural. Even walking through what I call organized chaos around the train station doesn’t seem so overwhelming anymore.

Empty Shibuya crossing before the pedistrian light turned green

and another shot with everyone walking,. It’s unbelievable how many people there are in this city!!

calories burned per step

Meiji Jingu shrine, Yoyogi Park, Tokyo

Warming up inside a three-story Uniqlo

Bryce Canyon National Park

Posted on January 2, 2015 by hikenoworklater

Louis and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in December in Southern Utah. We fell in love with Southern Utah during our winter road trip from Zion to Arches National Park five years ago. The landscape we saw at these national parks was nothing like anything we’ve ever seen before. Since then, we have made many trips east but never made it back as far as Bryce Canyon National Park. The dramatic images of the Bryce hoodoos was what drawn us back to this National Park.

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Japan Travel

Posted on December 31, 2014 by hikenoworklater

This is a blog series about our travels to Japan in late 2013 and early 2014. To avoid a long post, we’ve decided to break this trip down to several series consist of the following.

The Quick and Dirty:
Location – Tokyo, Hirmoshima and Kyoto
Travel Duration: 2 weeks
Visa needed for US Citizens?: No
Vaccination needed for Americans: None
Japanese necessary for traveling: No, it’s not necessary to know how to speak Japanese, however, it’s important to understand most people (even in Tokyo) do not speak English. While it’s relatively easy to get around with the public transportation in Japan, you need to get creative with sign language if you need to ask directions. It’s also really important to do research to understand the Japanese culture before you visit to avoid accidentally offending someone.
Type of trip: sight seeing, historical sites, city/urban trekking and museums
Top reasons for visiting Japan: safe destination (low crime rate), convenient public transportation, fascinating culture and delicious food

Thanksgiving in Copenhagen Denmark, Part II

Posted on December 15, 2014 by hikenoworklater

Home to several Michelin Stars restaurants, we were looking for some fine dining without breaking the bank. Our bike tour guide Mike recommended Restaurant No 2. for lunch. Located right next to the harbor, within a commercial/office park, the restaurant share the same owners as the more well known Michelin Star restaurant AOC. Due to off season, getting a last minute lunch reservation at the restaurant was a breeze. At $80 per person, each of us had a three course lunch meal paired with a tasty bottle of wine. Not too shabby for fine dining in such an expensive city. Reservations for Restaurant No 2. can be made directly on their webpage at the following link: http://www.nummer2.dk/

On to the meal. Louis and I selected a Danish version of fish and chips for our first course while Chris opted for the Arctic Char.

The three of us choose the same main course, Danish beef tenderloin with salt baked beetroot, parsley and smoked marrow. It was my first time eating beetroot, while I’m not usually a big beet fan, the beetroot tasted amazing!

Finally, we all choose the hazelnut with caramel, malt and chocolate for dessert. I was the most impressed with this course- mainly because I have a weakness for chocolate. The ice cream was so creamy and fluffy paired perfect amount of sweetness and bitterness that came from the dark chocolate.

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With our bellies full, we decided to walk off the food by taking a tour of the Christianborg Slot. The entrance fee for Christianborg Slot is 80 krones which is roughly about $13.50. We made it just in time for the 3PM daily tour. Flushed and suffering from food coma, the boys could barely keep their eyes open.

Next stop was Tivoli, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. We wanted to go to Tivoli at night to check out the christmas lights. Bare in mind, this is no Disney Land or Six Flags, the roller coaster rides are fairly tame and geared towards younger children. By the time we arrived inside Tivoli it was night time and the bright Christmas lights that lit up the entire park was quite impressive.

Glogg, also known as mulled wine with spices and nuts is a good drink to keep warm during the cold winter nights.

Thanksgiving in Copenhagen, Denmark

Posted on December 8, 2014 by hikenoworklater

Every year for Thanksgiving, Louis and I try to take advantage of the four-day break and make a week-long vacation out of it. Holding true to the tradition, this year we went to Copenhagen, Denmark. We bought the plane tickets way back in April and had plenty of second thoughts while waiting for the trip to arrive. We worried about the cold Scandinavian weather and the short amount of day light at the end of November (~8 hours) but in the end, we were so glad we went!

Nyhavn, Copenhagen

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