Oktoberfest - Prague Version

 Gabi enjoying Eastern Europe in October! 

 

Alex and Grant @ Ochan's

 Pretty wonderful to see Alex and Grant and get to catch them before they return to Australia.  It was such a delightful evening, as always, when Ochan is hosting.  Janet and Sharon were also able to be there. 

 

Old Town and Charles Bridge

 Gabi continues to enjoy Prague, including the Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge. 

 

Visiting TAS

 So great to get to visit the school and have a chance for Stacey to show us around some of the spaces.  We saw Erik's classroom, as well as the tech design space and the fields and gyms. 

We then enjoyed a favorite nearby restaurant and a walk up the hill to the Johnsen's place with a bit of rain. 

 

Go Ramblers

 Rania enjoying late October on campus, including the start of basketball season. 

 

Prague

 Gabi arrived in Prague and sure appears to be enjoying a great time - and what a picturesque city. 

 

Ready for Rain

 Seems like the Johnsens dogs are sure ready for the rain.  And plenty cute. 

 

Taipei 101

 We stopped at Taipei 101, which had quite the upscale mall, and also enjoyed walking around the visitors area and some of the outside fixtures. 

 

Maokong Gondola

 Tracy was not such a big fan of the gondola, being so high above the forest and with views of the waterfalls and terrain below.  From the Taipei Zoo, it was about a 20 minute ride from the bottom to the top, where we enjoyed some time at the top. 

There were a few shelters, tea shops, so we got some lunch, walked a bit, and sat for a bit in a hut while it was raining before heading back down the mountain. 

On the way down, there was not too much of a line, so we went with the glass bottom option.  Tracy did not enjoy the look all the way down. 

Shifen Lantern Festival

Interesting to see so many people making and launching the lanterns.  Not as busy during the festivals, though certainly still a lot of people enjoying this tradition. 

Belvedere Palace

 Gabi enjoying more of Vienna. 

 

Shifen Waterfall

 After returning from Pingxi, we found a lot more people, including the sky lanterns and the waterfall, which was certainly full.  

 We stayed mostly dry, avoiding too much rain and enjoyed a relatively fun day of explorations. 

We stopped for some good Taiwanese dumplings and food in a very hole-in-the-wall place that was quite popular. 

 Fun to see the actual making of the bubbles for the bubble tea. 

 

 

Pingxi District

 We were a bit adventurous, getting a train, and transferring through Ruifang en route to Pingxi, which is famous for its lantern festivals.  

Of course, as with most things in Taiwan, it is quite simple, efficient and very clear. 

The rain and drizzle did not deter us too much. 

When most of the train got off at Shifen, and Pingxi was nearly deserted, we realized we should probably find the next train back and not spend too much time in a place where very little was open. 

 

 

Adorable

 The Johnsen's dogs are sure adorable - and love to just sit on the couch and stare at us. 

 

Vienna

 Gabi and her friends made it to Vienna with more spectacular sights. 

 

Short Hike

 We enjoyed the cooler fall weather for a short hike near Stacey & Erik's house.