|
Grade Four
First day of fourth grade!
A nice picture
with his mom.
Horse-backing
riding in Washington State.
The annual
Hallowe'en parade (check out the samurai Jedi knight).
The
before
pictures
of the
soon-to-be-gone
smile.
The new look, as
of May 2009.
The Thanksgiving trip started
in Istanbul, on a trip with
parents and a
new friend, Judith. We stayed in Sultanahmet,
near the Hagia
Sophia
which was spectacular inside. Also close by was the
Byzantine cistern and the Topkapi Palace (entered through
the Gate of
Salutation). We saw
rooms in the
Harem,
many
thrones and
courtyards. A nice view of
New Istanbul
and the Golden Horn; here is
the Bosporus
with a submarine under way. There was still
time for the
daily hour, and it usually preceded
the daily kebab
(here the spectacular pistachio ones at Hamdi). The Grand Bazaar
was
good for
shopping
and relaxing.
A cruise up
the Bosporus
lead to
some
new friends
and great scenery
both ways.
The Spice
Market offered
fresh corn;
the Islamic
Arts Museum had
the Trojan
Horse
and
sculpture. Then on to Brussels;
here's the Sprog's favorite dish at his favorite restaurant;
the
favorite snack,
and the
favorite
museum too.
Side trips included
Namur and
Leuven with its
town hall,
old market and
beguinage.
A nice
December hike
on Mt Tamalpais.
The winter
sing.
The Winter break was spent on
La Ruta Maya. Chichen-Itza offered
the Castle,
the ball-court,
the Observatory,
and lots
of ruins to
hang out on.
Good climbing
at Izamal.
Dzibilchaltun had a long sacbe and
the temple of
dolls;
Xcaban had
better climbing.
Uxmal had the
spectacular Magician's Pyramid,
a large
nunnery (very
large!),
lizards,
great views from the South Temple, and
a good place to
read (on the Great Pyramid).
The temple
of masks at
Kabah;
Sayil;
Xlapak;
Labna; the
caves at Loltun and
a cenote.
Mayapan was
especially
terrific (and
empty)
with good climbing;
Ek Balam
was
even
higher;
Coba was the highest
and steepest
of all.
Tulum had a
nice setting (otherwise lame).
Tikal
is fantastic
for its
setting and
awesome ruins.
Tikal offered
the
setting for
conquering
the zip-line
through
the jungle,
Antigua
was a
pleasant
town for many activities, and
a base for
climbing
the volcano at
Pacaya (climbing
down at night).
What a blast!
A glorious January hike at
Pt. Reyes
down
the Bayview trail,
to the Laguna
trail,
the
Fire Lane, and
along the Coast
trail
to
Arch rock.
A fun weekend
in Tahoe
skiing Homewood (with the
occasional
snowball fight)
with his good
friend
Jake
Lyons,
under beautiful conditions.
Enthusiasm!
Egypt for the February break,
starting at
the pyramids
and Sphinx
in Giza
with his
parents
and
camel;
Memphis and
Saqqara.
The Luxor
Temple was good for
reading
hieroglyphics and
trying to
disguise the Ipod. The
Valley of the
Kings;
the
Colossi of Memnon; the
edge of the
Nile valley.
The fabulous
Karnak
temple.
Medinet Habu
offered pylons,
statues,
deep
hieroglyphics,
courtyards,
and
great hide
and seek opportunities.
His own
excavation at the Valley of the Queens;
Rummikub at a
Luxor Cafe.
Asher's
encounter with the hands and
head of
Ozymandias at
the Ramesseum
before a
galabia party.
Another sample
of sand, taken from
Edfu temple
which had
a
nice Hypostyle hall,
good carvings
and
secrets.
Kom Ombo;
an unfinished
obelisk;
beautiful
Philae temple.
Clowning it up
at spectacular
Abu Simbel.
A felluca ride
at Aswan over
to the botanic
gardens (so cute
it's
available in higher quality) and then
fresh bread.
Stanley (the
tech guy) in the school play.
The last game of U-10 soccer.
Spring break started out with
a trip to Trier
in the Moselle valley to see
Roman monuments,
an amphitheatre
and Burg
Lichtenberg, The highlight was the original
Legoland
in Billund. It ended up in Copenhagen, where Sprog enjoyed
a boat ride,
drinks and
games on a wharf, . A side
trip to
Roskilde Cathedral also included
the fun
Viking Ship
museum (home
of new real Viking ships). There was also the "reading-Danish-newspapers-in-a-cafe" photo competition:
loser;
runner-up;
and the clear
winner.
The "Dog Car
Simulator,"
a hit at the Invention Convention.
Last school-work
for fourth grade: reading on Moser chair.
Last day of
fourth-grade: heading to the party.
The summer began in Beijing.
First off: a trip to
see Chairman
Mao in
Tiananmen.
The summer
palace offered the marble boat. Asher also got to
enjoy
acrobatics,
see water Calligraphy,
appreciate the
delicate
architecture, and
enjoy the view
from the long
corridor.
A fine
long afternoon
trip to the
Forbidden City
to see the
emperor's
palaces
and courtyards.
A hot afternoon
spent in
Taintan Park to see
the walkway to
the Temple of
Heaven's
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
A totally
awesome
day spent
in the heat
hiking the
steep,
winding,
and mostly
un-renovated
great wall
and many
watch-towers
(also a swing
bridge)
with his
parents
from
Simatai to
Jinshanling.
A trip to
the awesome
Eastern Qing
tombs for the
little emperor.
Hanging out at
the Lama Temple;
a work-out with
friends followed
pedal-boats
and drinks at
Houhai. Enjoying
fine Chinese
craftsmanship.
Bed-head with
hand-made flower.
The dumpling
chef.
Still-life: Yo-yo withe unspeakable snacks.
Athletics
at the Bird's Nest.
A day of hiking
with the yo-yo
at the
Great Wall at Mutianyu.
Second summer phase: Rome.
Asher saw the
Castel S/ Angelo from the outside and
the inside.
Inside St.
Peter's. A
side-trip to Florence; messing around
in the Loggia
after delicious
pasta and
gelato.
Another side
trip to see
the ruins at
Antica Ostia.
Falling in love with
filetto
Milanese and
gelato.
Borromini’s
perspective at the Spada.
I want you to
join the Roman gladiators.
It's not
easy to
become a
sculptor's
model (cute).
Ineffective
hiding place.
Nice pose;
better pasta.
Attacking
Cotoletta alla Milanese.
Appreciating
the sculpture at
the
Palazzo dei
Conservatori,,
A fine
game of
hide 'n seek
through the
galleries
and
archeological
excavations.
Contemplating
the glory that was Rome.
A common scene.
Generic Trevi
picture.
Tenth birthday at
Tivoli: the
ruins of the
Villa Adriana, and the
fountains
and gardens
of the Villa
d'Este.
Finally, back to Singapore.
A trip to
Jurong Bird Park to
feed the Lorys
with his mother
An
archeological dig with his
new friend
Katie and Matthew. A
delightful
vacation in
Langkawi
Malaysia
(with time for
the daily hour). The
street luge
and beach at
Sentosa. The
Canopy Walk at
Kent Ridge Park;
Hort Park
which had an
awesome lawn, well worth inspecting;
Alexandra Arch,
leading to the
Forest Walk; the fabulous
Henderson Wave.
Catch at Kent
Vale. The zoo offered
mouse-deer,
a ring-tailed
lemur equally interested in Asher, a
fruit bat,
and a great new
wet
playground with
heavy downpours.
|
