I thought no one reads this blog anymore, but recently I found out one person does. lol.
Since my last entry in May, a lot has happened. One of the more interesting things was that I was able to partake in the Amazing Race show on CBS. They were in their 15th instalment this season and I was invited to help out (well basically cheer) with the Vietnam leg of the race while I was there earlier this year. Not that I knew what I was doing at the time, as it was my first ever experience with a professional film crew. Little did I know, a clip of me made it into the October 4th, 2009 episode!!!
Thanks to GC for the screencap. :)
This past Sunday was the 2009 Ottawa Marathon. I would have preferred if this post was going to describe a heart warming accomplishment worthy of publication in a Running Room magazine, but alas…
I headed to Ottawa with MrMonk’s family on Saturday to pick up our race kits from the expo. After stuffing ourselves at dinner in Chinatown, we retired for the night around 10pm. The wake up call was scheduled for 5 am on race morning. We arrived at the starting area in front of Ottawa's City Hall at 6:15am. During registration, MrMonk and I estimated our finish time to be between 3:30 to 4:00 hours. As such, we got slotted into the yellow corral. I expected to be quite nervous at race start, but I did not really feel nervous at all. It felt more like the calm before the storm. Just have to go out and execute.
MrMonk pointed out the pace rabbits. These are professional runners who wear hats with rabbit ears and would run the course in a target time. I’d never participated in a race with pace rabbits before. MrMonk planned to follow the 3:50 pacer and described how much they helped him in his previous races. I had my reservations about following the 3:50 rabbit, because if you slow down at all, there isn't much leeway to our goal of 4:00. I was not sure if I wanted someone else dictating my pace either. However, deferring to experience, I will try to follow the 3:45 rabbit.
The race gun went off and the mass exodus from the starting line began. I lost track of the rabbits in the sea of runners, so I decided to stick with my original race strategy. The plan was fairly simple. I needed to get into my comfortable pace and rhythm, where I can run forever and not feel tired. For me, the hardest part would be the first 5km and the last 10km. The start was something I had focused and worked hard on during training. Essentially my task was to ease myself into that long distance tempo in the first few kilometres of the race. Starting out too fast meant I would drain myself too early. Starting too slow would compromise my time unnecessarily. The last 10km… well, anything can happen.
The start of a marathon was not at all like my previous 10km race, where people were sprinting right off the bat. With a marathon, people did not really rush at the beginning. Perhaps everyone was conscious of the need to conserve energy and realistically speaking, a few seconds do not matter in a marathon unless you are an elite athlete. This more moderated start actually worked in my favour. Everyone around me in the corral had similar timing targets, so I did not have any difficulties easing into my pace speed.
During training, I had developed a routine where at each kilometre marker (every 5-6 minutes) I would qualify my previous kilometre and my present condition with either a Very Good, Good and Sucky. The idea is to force me to consciously consider the various signs of my body (energy, muscles, state of mind, etc) instead of my actual pace. I would then adjust my pace according based on this qualification for the next kilometre.
The first section passed by Parliament Hill and the new War Museum before crossing over into the Gatineau - the Quebec (French) side. We had drove through the area on Saturday, so I knew what to expect - some light rolling hills through Gatineau streets before we turned around, passed by the Civilization Museum and across Alexandra Bridge into Ottawa. I felt really sorry for this Shell gas station that would not be getting any business due to the road closures. Marathon runners do not need their type of gas. My favourite aspects of this first 10km were the dam just past Philemon Island and all the spectators cheering in French!! For some reason, I was so encouraged when I heard those Bravo's and Allez's.
Throughout the entire first 10km, my Tochi readings were all Very Good’s. I had managed to ease into my comfortable race pace and felt really strong heading into the next 10km. My split time at 10km was 51:55, averaging 5:09 min/km. Compared to my 10km run from last year, I had completed the same distance 5 minutes slower. However, I did not have another 32km to run last year!! The pace was comfortable - that was what’s most important.
The second section travels along Sussex Dr, where the homes of the Prime Minister and many foreign ambassadors reside. The course would be a slow incline up before looping around a park and returning to Sussex Dr through some residential neighbourhoods. During the run, I was on the lookout for Harper’s house. I must have passed it without knowing or the course took a detour and skipped his house all together. I did not see it at all.
This part of the course was special because many of the families living along the route had came out to cheer. There were a lot of high-fives with little kids along the way. The most special moment was one of the home owners offering a quick spray for passing runners with his garden hose. The first of the four runners with whom I was pacing during this section let out a loud WOOHOO!! as he passed under the water. Each of us did the same thing as we followed. All of us, including the home owner, broke out into laughter and huge grins. This wonderful bond between fellow runners and the crowd was truly special – something I’ll always remember from this marathon.
The second section returns to Sussex Dr, where a timing arch was set up at the 21.1 km mark for the half marathon distance. The banner at the top said HALFWAY HOME!!! My split time at the half was 1:50:27, averaging 5:14 min/km. I had one GOOD rated kilometre, my first of the race, where I felt my energy levels were dipping into warning levels a little. However, that particular stretch was right before a water station where I took another GU gel. Once the gel kicked in, I was back to VERY GOOD ratings. I was quite surprised with myself how great I was feeling heading into the second half of the race.
The final section of the race was along the Rideau Canal. In my visit to Ottawa two years ago, I took the cruise along the canal and remembered it being fairly long. Essentially, the course would go 10km along the east side of the canal, uphill climb to cross a bridge, before returning down the west side of the canal to the finish line. At one point, I looked over to the opposite side of the canal and spotted a few of the elite runners close to finishing the race. It is really mind boggling how fast these guys can run.
The canal section can be described in one word… LONG. It just kept going and going. I kept on hoping to see the bridge we would be crossing and it never showed up. That is probably why it is recommend that you know the key landmarks along the course. I was actually happy to see the slow incline up towards Hog’s Back, because I knew the turn towards the bridge would be near.
During this part of my race, I made one significant adjustment to my running that turned out to be really useful. My arms were getting tired out and felt rubbery when I drank water at the stations. Sooner or later, my shoulders would tighten up, as they always did during my long distance training. My mind then made the connection with something my Tai Chi master mentioned last week. My shoulders were always too tight and I needed to relax them. I consciously relaxed my shoulder and began swinging my arms in the way of Tai Chi, using minimal energy and highly focused positioning. I felt immediate relief in my arms and realized, to my surprise and horror, how much energy I had be wasting all this time just swinging my arms!!! Why didn’t I make this connection earlier?!?! This was a major self enlightenment moment for me, the first time I have ever had cross-pollination of techniques between wildly different disciplines. I also felt I was a step closer to the 四兩撥千斤境界!!
While on this topic, one thing that continued to surprise me during the training leading up to the marathon is how running is so technical. Before I started this running craze, I thought that everyone grew up learning how to run, how hard can running be? Well, in all the months of training, I spent perhaps more time tweaking my running techniques than I did building up the endurance required for a marathon. Tweaks such as rotating my right knee further outwards in each step, focusing on my hip movement in maximizing my stride, or correcting my breathing patterns. These tweaks, as minor as some of them were, took quite a long time to incorporate into my normal running style, so that I could perform them subconsciously in my runs. I wish I had videos of me running before and after. It would have been quite cool to see how my running posture has transformed over these five months. That being said, because of the time I spent honing leading up to the race, I was quite worried that I did not do enough long distance runs to build up my endurance. Hearing MrMonk speak of his hardcore training runs made me even more worried! lol
Another quick aside, we got these pace wrist bands for 3:50 and 4:00 finishes which tells you the times at certain kilometre intervals in order to finish in the respective target times. These wrist bands were so useless. The few times I wondered about my current pace, I checked the bands only to find that they did not list the times for my current kilometre marker. WTF. The other issue is that I was actually going at 3:45 pace unintentionally. I had not been tracking my times at all during the run, mainly just going at what my comfortable pace. So when I did find a time on one of the two bands, I could not really figure out how much I was ahead by. :|
Back to the canal. The 30km mark approached just before Hog’s Back incline. I clocked a 30km time of 2:39:00, averaging 5:18 min/km. It is surprising even to me how consistent my timings were over the first 30km. At the 30km mark, my rating was still VERY GOOD. The canal run was very nice and flat, despite being a bit windy. However, the incline up to Hog’s Back began to take its toll on me mentally. The 3:45 pace rabbit and the train of people that followed caught up to me at this point. It made me think whether I had been losing pace. Also, I did not remember having to do such a big loop (probably 1.5 km) around the far side of the bridge in the course map. I decided to just follow the rabbit at this point. My ratings had turned to GOOD due to my mental degradation.
The bridge section was the worst part of the entire course. You effectively take a big uphill climb around the far loop, only to have to go down one side of the road, under the bridge, and up to the other side of the road, before u-turning back to cross over the mainly uphill bridge. At 33km mark in the course, these uphill inclines were definitely not welcomed. I cut my pace down, got into hill mode and shortened my steps. To my surprise, with the exception of the portion on the actual bridge, the loops in and around the bridge were not as bad as I expected. There were some funny signs posted too. “This bridge totally SUCKS. Go Kick its ASS!” By the time I got over and past the bridge, I was so relieved. I survived!!!
After the 35 km mark, my rating was still GOOD, which I was quite happy with given this stage in the race. I even felt triumphant because I’d never ran further than 35km before and this was uncharted territory. I had gotten through the toughest part of the course and it was only downhill and flat portions from here. My muscles felt really great - not too much pain, no cramping. Energy wise, I felt quite good (no symptoms of the wall!). I was well on track for a 3:45-3:50 finish.
A few minutes after that, I felt light headed all of a sudden. I had no idea where it came from, but when it arrived, I felt like I just got ran over by a freight train. I slowed down to a walk, my first time walking during the entire race. I saw the 36km marker sign. However, when I could not even walk in a straight line, I knew something was horribly wrong. This cannot be happening. I spotted two medics on the side of the course, and made my way towards them. 20-30 steps maybe. Ended up collapsing into their arms.
I had never felt so dizzy in my life. My pulse was overclocked and pushing into the high 160 bpm range. They laid me down and grabbed me drinks and a sponge immediately. Water cooling definitely beats air cooling. My collapse without a cool down wrecked havoc to my body and heart. I probably just shortened my lifespan by 10 years and increased my chances of a heart attack by tenfold. Oh well, what’s done is done.
The two medics, Chris and Jill of team Q moved me under a tree for me to get away from the sun. They said I looked like I was dying from the heat and probably collapsed from heat exhaustion. I totally thought I would have to go to the hospital and that was my race. My main concern at the time was how to contact MrMonk and his family, who would be waiting at the end. After a while of slow breathing, my pulse dropped back down to a better 120 bpm and my head started clearing up. Under the tree, I was feeling cold being exposed to the strong wind, so I was wrapped in a solar blanket. My hands were freezing as well and neither Chris nor Jill could feel my radial pulse. The low blood pressure must be part of the symptoms of my body going into shock and deciding to sacrifice my extremities!
Despite given the chance to slow down, my heart felt like it wanted to come out. I had never had such an unnerving experience. It was literally pounding against my rib cage. After maybe 15-20 minutes of sitting under that tree, my head cleared enough and I regained senses in all parts of my body.
However, the long rest meant my legs were shot. I felt the full impact of the lactic acid built-up. My knees would no longer bend and the legs felt laden with led. The medics gave me the option to continue or get shuttled back to the finish. I could tell from the concern in their voices that I really should get shuttled back. Heck, my body seemed to be telling me to quit too.
But that was it. I did not want to quit. Not when I was this close. There was only 6 km left (3.8 miles). 6km was not short, but it really was not long either, especially considering I’d just ran 36km! 6km on any other day would have been a piece of cake – a nice 30-40 minute jog. For all the different reasons that went through my mind, it really boiled down to a matter of personal pride. Did I want a blemish on my record by logging a DNF on my first marathon? While I knew that there would be no “loss in honour” if I terminated my race, can I live with myself for not finishing when I had a remote chance?
Weighting against that was the fact that my body did something I never experienced before, and that something was definitely not good. I really felt that this experience was the closest I have ever come to death (No, I didn’t get close enough to see the tunnel nor the light).
In one of the most serious decisions in my life, I ended up doing what I tend to do with tough dilemmas. Just make up my damn mind and stick with it. So in this turning point moment, I wanted to try to walk to the end and promised to stop if my body feels even the slightest bit wrong. Then the little devil in me realized, once I start, I knew I wasn’t going to stop.
Well, with the decision made, I tried to stand up. Jill quickly exclaimed, “Woah, you’re not getting up yourself! Hold on, I’ll help you.” Good thing she did too, because my legs took about 30 seconds to regain enough composure to handle my body weight.
Thus, the most gruelling 6km journey of my life began…
A small step for man, another small step and another and another. Holy crap. 6km is going to take me forever. I felt sorry for Jill who was following me on her bike. She ditched me after a while and came back to check on me every 5 to 10 minutes. She made sure I knew how far the medic stations were too.
The 4:15 pace rabbit passed me soon after and I then realized I’d lost 30 minutes!! It was totally deflating, but I’d have to settle with just finishing the race now. The first kilometre and a half were brutal. There really was no other way to describe it. I really need to revise the Tochi rating system to add a new level below SUCKY. After 20-30 steps of so, I’d have to stop to let my pounding heart rest. I could still feel it pounding against chest.
By the time I got to the aid station, I had the nurse check my pulse. About 128bpm and I was offered the choice again. I wanted to continue, so I grabbed a bottle of water and began my hobble again. I never realized how long a kilometre can be until now. I tried to calculate my pace… 2-3 steps per metre. About 2 seconds per metre. Rough calculations put me at 15-20 minutes per kilometre! Screw the time now, I kept telling myself.
It was depressing seeing other runners pass me. These were runners targeting for 4 hours plus, and what I would not have given to be able to jog at their pace now. Every medic I ran into checked up on me to see if I was okay. That reflective solar turkey wrapping does stick me out like a sore thumb on the course. Although because of the blanket I got more than my normal share of encouragement from the crowd. A fellow runner asked me whether I was protecting myself from the aliens.
I have never been so happy to pass a kilometre marker. Slowly but surely. I was walking a lot better in the last few kilometres. The steps were just as small, but I only had to stop to stretch my leg muscles. With about two kilometres to go, I saw I had 15 minutes before the 5 hour limit. I decided to give jogging a little a try to see if I could make it under 5 hours. After 20 seconds or so, my breathing just was not there. For the sake of my heart, I decided to leave the jogging till the last 500m.
Around came the finish line. There were markers every 100m starting from 500m leading into the cheering section. Before the race, I had once envisioned at this point, I would have conserve enough energy in the last 2 km to sprint to the end with the wild crowd cheering. The crowd thinned out by now (though there were still quite a few spectators). I knew the official photographers and videographers were on hand to capture the finishing moment. I converted my blanket into a cape, and broke into a light jog towards the line. The jog was so slow still (since my gearbox broke and I was stuck in first gear), but I couldn’t have been happier when crossing that finish line.
Official Time: 5:08:37.5 (Chip: 5:07:03.9), averaging 7:19 min/km.
Position: 3045
Official Time: 5:08:37.5
Official Pace: 7:19min/km
Chip Time: 5:07:03.9
Bib Number: 1712
Gender: 2013/2234
Gender/Age Results: 186/201
10k Split Time: 51:55
Half Marathon Split Time: 1:50:27
30k Split Time: 2:39:00
Well, there you have it. The story of my race.
This post is already a lot longer than I expected, so I’ll wrap up with my feelings for the race in point form:
- I executed my race strategy to near perfection.
- My first 35km pace and timings were exceptional for me.
- The results were a let-down unfortunately. The finishing time was quite horrible.
- Ironically, I did not feel like I ran a marathon at all. I ran 36km and crawled 6km, not a full 42.2km.
- The finishers Medal is quite cool. Two outer rings with a spinning maple leaf.
- My most happy take-away from this experience is that I am quite confident I can run a 4 hour marathon, even if I failed this time. Realistically speaking, 3:45 seems doable.
- 3:10 Boston Marathon qualifying time is pretty much impossible. Where am I going to find another 40 seconds / km? :(
So the two questions I’m asked most often.
- What caused the heat exhaustion? I’m not sure. One thing I did not do at all was pour water on myself enough. I probably did not drink enough fluids. I did not have a hat. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A combination of all of these, I guess. I now know better though.
- Will I run another marathon? If I am medically cleared, I will run the Toronto Marathon in October. I want a chance to redeem myself.
Well, I will end off with a bunch of thank you and miscellaneous notes that didn’t fit into the race recap. First and foremost, thanks to MrMonk for researching and convincing me to run this race, and also all the motivation and sharing of hardships during the training months. It was an experience I’ll never forget, for better or worse. Thanks to his dad and sister too for their support and great hospitality. Special thanks to my mom for putting up with my training routines, and ensuring I had the proper diets to support my running. Thanks to all the friends and coworkers who showered me with words, acts of encouragement and food over these months. And thanks to all the singers (Eason, Janice, Michael, etc) whose songs kept me company during all those long and boring runs!!
Miscellaneous notes
- It was only after my collapse that I thought about Formula 1, which was surprising in retrospect because the all important MONACO Grand Prix was happening during the marathon. And yet, my first thought was that I now know how horrible Massa must have felt when he was having the most perfect race in Hungary last year until he was forced to park his car on the home straight with 3 laps to go. His engine failed him and so did mine!! Then I wondered how McLaren was doing in Monaco. Why was I running this marathon again instead of sitting at home watching F1?
- I would have received a free running hat had I joined a Running Room event back in last December, and would have probably worn it during the race. I was all up for signing up until I saw that it was a GREEN cap. There was no way I was going to wear a green cap. Ironic that I paid a heavy price several months later at the marathon. However, it is probably better to die than to wear a green hat.
- IB, JZ and AA walked 2km from Finch to Steeles in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and told me afterwards that they had dedicated their walk as a “tribute to Tochi”. lol.. so touched.
- I heard some of the radio transmissions while being attended by the medics. Some guy had collapsed at the 33km mark and was unconscious. Another was vomiting uncontrollably. It made me realize it could have been worse for me.
- During my long runs, because of the crappy weather we’ve had in Toronto, I realized I never did a 3 hour long training run in sunny warm weather. Ever. I was a total newb running in these “perfect” conditions.
- After reading up on heat exhaustion and heat stroke, I’m terribly fortunate that I ran into the medics at the onset of my symptoms and got out from under the sun. That probably saved quite a bit of stress on my body. Let’s just say some of the potential outcomes if I did not get treated are not very pleasant.
- My sister’s first reaction was “What the heck happened?!?!” when she saw my time on the website. After I suggested she check the split times for 10k, half and 30k, she realized those times were amazing. I’d only screwed up the end. sigh.
If there was one city on our Europe trip that I would consider the most interesting, Milan would be my pick. We got to experience the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, the thrills of surprise and the bitter taste of disappointment. Perhaps the most insightful aspect is that Milan, of all places, gave us unique glimpses into our different characters.
The story must start from our train ride from Monaco to Milan. The journey from Nice to the French Italian border was very pleasant. However, once we crossed into Italy, it was as if we had crossed a heavenly-worldly divide. During the stop in Ventimiglia, Segamatic needed to get tickets for the Italian leg of the trip. The conductor from whom we supposedly could buy tickets could not care less about us. Segamatic ended up running into the train station to buy his ticket. For a few tense moments, I was not sure if Segamatic would be able to make it back onto the train in time!
Despite being on the same train, the Italian railway system was remarkably rundown. From out of nowhere, the train became packed with people. Not to be class-biased, but it seemed like all the peasant families from the rural parts of Northern Italia decided to move to Milan today. That’s what it really felt like. From the paradise and comforts that was the French Riviera, this experience was a sharp contrast. Segamatic and I were soon relegated to these pull-down seats in the train’s tight hallway. My backpack became a major obstacle for anyone trying to pass, especially those who were pulling their worldly belongings down that corridor.
After quite an uncomfortable ride (I’m writing this off as part of the backpacking experience), we finally arrived into Milano Centrale. The air felt sticky as we stepped off the train. Everyone else rushed by with a sense of direction that in ensemble was more like a chaotic mess. I felt like a little boy visiting the big city for the first time. Just from her train station, Milan was truly a city. The train station sported some fancy modern Romanesque architecture, but I was a bit bummed by the constant construction in half the station. In retrospect, the construction has now become an integral part of my vivid imagery of Milan - a busy metropolis that is constantly moving and constantly evolving. In such places, there is always construction noises in the background.
From the train station, we took the subway to our hotel. The subway map reminded me of the tube in the sense that there seems to always be more than one way to get between any two stations. The subway system was showing signs of its age. However, we were pleasantly surprised by a musician on the train entertaining the crowds with his accordion. I always love these impromptu performances on subways – a raw sense of Milan’s vibrant culture.
Our hotel ended up being very interesting. Every guest had to fill out forms stating our nationality and passport information. Except for the person who made the reservations, I’ve never had to fill forms like this before. Our room was probably one of the biggest surprises on the entire trip. It was pretty much a bedroom conjoined with a bathroom with no wall separation! True Roman style! Good thing there was a real bathroom outside, otherwise, I’m not sure what BlueOrca would have done. The other quirky aspect was the plastic blinds covering the window. They looked like something to keep robbers out rather than light, though it does a wonderful job at both. The drawing mechanism was also quite primitive, but I guess it’s pretty effective.
We stumbled a bit getting out of the main gate of our hotel complex. You had to push a button on the side wall to unlock the gate. Seeing our difficulties with the door, a lady behind us pointed out the button. She then said one statement that epitomized Milan for me - “This is Milan.” It was the way she said it; her matter-of-fact tone really resonated with me, and made me see the city in a new light.
We took a stroll towards Duomo square, stopping by a small cafe restaurant for dinner. BlueOrca and Segamatic had to satisfy their Italian Pizza cravings, while I went with a lighter pasta dish. We found out while eating that pigeons were both slow and dumb. The early bird doesn’t always get the worm, especially if there’s a faster bird nearby.
We fed more pigeons at the piazza in front of Duomo. Lots of scalpers were handing out seeds to feed the pigeons. We each took our turn feeding some birds. Afterwards, these seed guys demanded some compensation for their goods and service. I was almost going to give them a Euro until I saw Orca starring down at her naggers. First time I witnessed the Don’t-mess-with-the-Orca look, and even I, felt a shiver down my spine.
Right off the Duomo piazza is an indoor promenade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is lined with fancy shops and boutiques. There was also the most lavish McDonald’s I have ever visited. We spent the rest of the evening exploring other parts of downtown Milan. Geocaching does take you to places you won’t otherwise see or even thing of visiting. I saw a Banco d’Italia and snapped a picture for my coworkers. After searching futilely for a geocache in some windy street, we stumbled onto a National Geographic exhibit showcasing a variety of beautiful scenic shots. My favourite was a sunrise shot of the city at the base of Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy. Another memorable shot was a winter roof-top view of west Toronto! :)
Segamatic wanted to visit some parks in the area. It was a nice evening stroll through the peaceful neighbourhood. In our one and only find in Milan, we searched quite a bit in a slug and snail infested wall. Good thing BlueOrca had her wireless internet and was able to acquire a description of the cache container, because once she said it, I immediately knew that piece of “garbage” I had discarded was the cache itself! We finished off the first night with our first gelato – in what would become a daily ritual during our time in Italy. We also picked up a bag of sour oranges and a giant loaf of bread /cake that Segamatic and I struggled mightily hard to finish. While at Milan, I also picked up a bottle of my favourite red, the Barolo, which was only one of two selections to earn a Tochi-certified 11 / 10 from Wines.
Our plan for the next morning was Duomo Cathedral, Castello Sforzesco, Last Supper Chapel, and Lake Como. After getting up bright and early, we passed by a lively market on our way to the subway station. In a scene that I will always remember, Segamatic turned back towards me as we travelled up an escalator at the Duomo stop. “My wallet is gone”. I paused for a second to absorb what he had just said. “You’re kidding me. I hope you’re not serious.” I was totally expecting him to be kidding. With half a forced laugh, “It’s gone. I don’t have it anymore.” Two subway stops and we were down one wallet. It was hard to believe.
So here we were, standing in front of Duomo. All of us were carrying a mixed bag of emotions at the moment, but there was really only one proper thing for us to do. After a short debate filled with disappointment and frustration, we asked our way to an internet cafe for Segamatic to look up the contact information to report his credit and ID card losses. After that, we again, asked our way to the Police Station to file a report (in case Segamatic needed to claim insurance, etc). I couldn’t believe how hard it was to locate a police station in a foreign country. Fortunately, after finding the station, we only had to wait a short time before Segamatic filled out the paper work and we were back on our merry way. Segamatic definitely got the best souvenir of all – the police papers covered with half a dozen of different Milan cancellation stamps!
Duomo Cathedral was, without a doubt, my favourite church on the entire trip and one of the coolest I’ve ever visited. I usually have a hard time visiting churches (or any places of worship) for the sake of visiting them. Although I’m not a religious person by any means, I have on certain occasions felt the real collective power of worship in bringing inner peace. So whenever I visit places of worship, I would be cool with sitting there mediating or participating in religious ceremonies. However, I am typically uncomfortable going around taking pictures (*click click click*) and viewing these scared places as an attraction.
Duomo was different. Besides having such a cool name, I could not help but be amazed at the its architectural marvel. The inner sanctum is supported by these 45m gigantic pillars that are just wonders of the engineering achievement of the 14th century. It is, after all, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral.
In the past, Duomo was very dark inside. In order to support the spires and statues on its stone roof, the walls could not structurally afford as many stained glass windows as its other smaller, less intricate contemporaries. Unfortunately, with men’s ability to harness electricity, we now have spot lights illuminating the inside of Duomo. I would have loved to see Duomo in its natural lighting – perhaps a little creepy. These photos are probably two times brighter than the true lighting inside the hall.
The best part about Duomo has to be its roof. The ability to go up to the top terrace and view the spires up close is an added bonus! Only at the top do you realize how many and intricate some of these patterns are. It is as if the entire building is yearning and stretching for the sky.
The repeating patterns and geometric constellations are a dream for photographers too. The top terrace totally felt like I was walking through the setting of a Final Fantasy city. I wouldn’t have been surprised if an airship descended towards the cathedral at any moment.
After Duomo, we stopped at Castello Sforzesco. This castle used to be one of the fortified centers of Milan, where the Dukes resided. The castello is essentially a giant square barracks with a giant corner tower and keep just west of city center. The history was quite interesting, as in its storied past, the castle has been burnt, ransacked, demolished several times. Yet, it has been restored for cultural prosperity. It was quite cool that as I walked around the different quadrants of the castle, to imagine that back in the days of the knights and lords - this square in the keep would have housed the stables, the blacksmith would be housed in this other quarter in the back, and all the soldiers and guards would just be lounging around in the center (what is now the garden). BlueOrca and I acquired some new hairdos with the stone sculptures in the garden. We spotted a couple taking some wedding photos in the garden. The walls do make an interesting backdrop for these photos I guess.
The one time on this trip where earlier planning would have paid off was getting tickets to he Church and Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses Da Vinci’s Last Supper mural. You literally have to book a month in advance in order to visit. Perhaps influenced by Da Vinci’s Code, it would have been quite cool to see the real painting in person. Apparently, during WWII, the church got bombed but somehow, as if by the grace of God, the wall with the Last Supper was the one of the few things left standing. We toured the church and confirmed that if you didn’t have tickets beforehand, it doesn’t matter that you travelled a million miles to Milan, you are not getting in. I tried to bribe one of the ladies at the entrance to get ONE ticket, so that BlueOrca could visit (and cheer her up in the process). I offered up to 75 Euros and that lady still denied me!! pfft. Anyway, we’ll catch the last supper next time (if ever). After some consoling, we took the train to Lake Como.
During this visit, we arrived into Lake Como from the south. Besides the shore line and a cool gelato shop, there wasn’t that much to see in this town. The skies were still gloomy, so that took away from some of the atmosphere. Instead of feeding the pigeons, BlueOrca started chasing them. I’m not sure what the Como variants ever did to BlueOrca.
We took a funicular (we are very familiar with these now) up to village of Brunate to get a better view of the Lake Como and walked around the quiet streets up above. When we got back to the take, we also witnessed a bunch of ducks ganging up on one in the lake. Yeah. We got pwned by the intercity train back to Milan. We ended up wasting a day of our Euro Pass AND having to fork out 30 odd Euros to cover the fare.
Lake Como was the most disappointing aspect of Milan for me. The last time I had visited, I came from Switzerland and visited the northern shores of this lake. That was one of highlights on that trip for me, as I was captivated by her most tranquil waters, picturesque shores and white peacocks. The visit this time was nothing too special. Maybe we should have done some water sports or taken a cruise on the lake.
We had dinner back in a southern district of Milan, Ascanio Sforza, a neighbourhood filled with more pubs and youths. Segamatic and I feasted on a mega large pizza and risotto (it has been a long day, to say the least). Also tried one of the two local beers – Birra Moretti. A light beer that I suspect I’m allergic to. I woke up the next morning with my hands all red. :|
Final morning in Milan, we stopped again at Duomo square so BlueOrca can feed pigeons yet again. She got caught this time by a little old lady on patrol. lol.
In retrospect, I had expected that Milan, being a fashion capital of the Western world, to be a really fancy and refreshing city. Heck, Milano is my favourite Pepperidge Farm cookies, so I had really high expectations. However, what I saw of Milan was totally different. The best way to describe my impression would be… if I visited Milan in the 18th century, the city would have been what I expected. Now, it’s like a busy metropolis from the 18th century with some 20th century furnishings. I won’t be at all surprised if I saw some homeless huddled around a fire inside a metal barrel under bridges. I also did not see too much of the fashion elements for which Milan is famous.
After leaving Milan with quite the negative impression, I was surprised to meet the most wonderful ambassadors of Milan in Trieste later on in the trip. During the walk to Miramare, I discovered the couple I met on the bus were visiting from Milano. All my ill-grievances that welled up inside just came spewing out. Instead of apologizing for my experiences, which I would have done if I were in their shoes, they laughed and said I had the true Milan experience. They went on telling me of other places to visit in the city, some of the cool festivals that the city hosts and where to find the more youthful crowd to have a good time. After chatting with them, I really wanted to visit the city once again, as I totally did not get to experience all there were to discover in Milan.
Milan gets a 3.5/5 on Tochi meter. Onward bound to Venice!
Nice is nice.
If I did not say this first, Kabitzin would. So it is better I got that out of the way.
Whenever someone mentions the Côte d'Azur, Nice is always the first city that jumps to mind. While other cities are perhaps more famous for their specialties, like Monaco for her casinos or Saint Tropez for her beaches, Nice is where everything started. The Brits turned Côte d'Azur into a resort area to escape the harsh UK winter and in the process made her famous. The Promenade des Anglais in Nice became the central hub for all these rich Britons.
To recap, after almost being stranded in Marseilles, BlueOrca and I arrived triumphantly into Nice onboard the French equivalent of the Greyhound. Our approach vector was from the west, traversing along Nice’s famed galet beaches. At one point, we came within 5m of a GZ (geocache) while sitting on the bus!
Our tour continued through Promenade des Anglais. I had really high expectations for the Promenade. From the pictures and descriptions of this place I’ve seen and heard, I pictured a wide boulevard teeming with people and life, against a backdrop of beautifully lit fountains, hotels, museums, music halls, opera houses, etc - a place filled with the pomp and flair of the British wealth. Well, when we drove by, there weren't that many people on the promenade, though the buildings lining both sides of the avenue were very beautiful.
The bus continued pass Promenade des Anglais and finally arrived at the terminal. This station was in a ghetto part of town. I was not sure if the ghettoness was due to the construction and the insufficient street lighting in that area, but this was not a particularly nice area. While making an unsuccessful sojourn down some non-descript street to grab a cache, we passed along the Musee d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain and Central Library, which had some giant sculpture of a cube supported by a person's chin and neck – apparently a famous work titled La Tête au Carré by Sacha Sonso.
Hotels Hotels Hotels
Afterwards, we navigated through some residential areas to find our hotel. Speaking of hotels, we had a terrible time finding accommodations in Nice during trip planning – mainly due to Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix. The prices jumped ten times normal values for this one weekend! No single place had any rooms available for the several days we were planning to be in Nice, so we had to select different hotels/hostels for different days. The pickings were so slim that I had originally booked a place with only one bed (for one), just to make sure we did have to sleep on the beach. BlueOrca somehow found this uber Hotel Verdun that offered a room for four for a reasonable price! Unfortunately, it had no vacancy on the first day and last day, so we stayed at Hotel Baccarat for the first night and Hotel Antares on the final night.
The hostels on this trip have been quite good, considering their costs. However, our first Nice stay at Hotel Baccarat was on a totally different level. We were lead into the back courtyard to a room we were sharing with other hostellers. The one key to the room was to be shared by all, which essentially meant that the door was unlocked the entire time. Perhaps influenced by my earlier visit to the Nice’s ghettos, I had thought this place was a bit run down. This was indeed confirmed the next morning when I woke up to find two cockroaches waiting for me in the bathroom sink. WTF. I have not seen cockroaches since … Hong Kong. Two smacks and flushes took care of these unexpected visitors.
To be fair, not all the residents of Nice were that unwelcoming. The next hotel turned out to be much better. The front desk person was super upbeat and friendly, one of those people who brings a smile to everyone’s faces. The Verdun room was much better than the Baccarat dump too. Probably one of the nicest places we stayed all trip (the top prize has to be our home in Venice).
Just to wrap up my review of the hotels, we stayed in Hotel Antares on the last night. If you remember from my Monaco post, we had gotten back from the city-state around 3am in the morning. We stumbled to our room, only to find that our beds were already occupied by others. WTF. Back down to the front desk, and they were kind enough to arrange another (private!) room for us. Slept really well that night, though BlueOrca, who took the top bunk, had to deal with the skylight. I also got an unpleasant towel in the face. :x The front desk person got yelled at by the manager as we checked out, after it was discovered we had occupied a new room. Poor bloke.
Nice Attractions
We had a full day dedicated to exploring Nice. Unfortunately, the morning was drizzling rain. We quickly swept through Place Masséna to head into the Old Nice. Place Masséna, at the intersection of the Avenue Jean Médecin and Avenue des Phocéens, is the central square of Nice and the heart of British influence. The area sports several fancy fountains, optical-illusion-like chequered floor patterns and coolest of all, glowing statues sitting on top of a high rod.
At this time, BlueOrca revealed her secret weapon, the musical umbrella. I was quite shocked when I first saw this umbrella. It’d definitely be stylish in Vienna, but …we’re in Nice! I guess if BlueOrca wore a Victorian dress, the umbrella could suit the neo-classic architecture/atmosphere of Nice too. ._.;
Vieille Ville of Nice consists of a triangular chunk of land filled with orange-topped 5-6 story buildings. It is bounded by the Promenade and beach to the south, Avenue des Phocéens to the north and Colline du Château to the East.
Our first stop was Eglise Saint François de Paule - a 17th church. The following picture shows all that there is to see.
We cut across the street and passed by one of the nicest buildings in Vieille Ville – the City Opera House (Théâtre municipal de l'Opéra). It would have been pretty neat to see an opera here.
One of the biggest attractions in Nice is her famous pebbles beaches. I missed my chance in Cannes a day earlier, so I'd come prepared to take a swim in the Mediterranean. However, with the rainy weather, I wasn't sure whether the sun would come out to dry my body afterwards. Walking around Nice in wet clothes would not do my cold any good, so I skipped. :( We strolled along the beach and took in the carefree breeze from the sea. BlueOrca took the chance to collect some nice looking pebbles for keepsakes. I personally do not collect rocks or stones from places – I was brought up with the belief that I should not disturb the 土地神. Not much of a reason, but it’s pretty amazing how well these beliefs stick.
I love the pebbles.
We were quite hungry so we stopped by a crêperie for some lunch. The sun had come out full blast, so we got a nice outdoor table to take in the vitamin D. I had some coconut, chocolate crêpes that was flambéed with Grand Marnier. It was so bright that neither the owner nor I could see the flame! After a few more clicks with his lighter, he declared the flaming completed. I totally missed it! Anyway, I remember from B. Lang that flambéing was first invented for crêpes, so I had great anticipation of the transformation in flavour. The crêpes was super good, though not having a with-vs-without comparison, it’s hard to tell how much the flaming improved the taste. :x
We were right by the Marché aux Fleurs (Flower Market), so it couldn’t hurt to check it out. Pretty much your typical market, cheese, flowers, crafts, lavender stuff and MEATS. We picked up some strawberries for the road - unfortunately, they were not as sweet as I was hoping.
Tour Belanda is a this giant tower leading up to Colline du Château, a giant park onto of a hill just to the east of Nice proper. From the top, you get some very spectacular views of Nice and her beaches. That first picture in this post was taken from this location. Unfortunately, as we found out later, the area is closed off during night time. No night shots of Nice.
The park has a bit of everything, and we took the time to explore. There were some old ruins of the various dwellings, warehouses and workshops – this was urban settlement from the Chateau de Nice until it was destroyed by the Seige of Cueno in 1691.
In the park, there was a rope pyramid built for little kids (and me). I was tempted to climb on but there were half a dozen kids playing already. BlueOrca gave the push and I scampered my way to the top. The kids all looked at me like “What the heck are you doing?!?” - with stares only the French can do. One of the most triumphant moments of my life!
On the east side, we also got a good view of the Nice harbour, known as Bassin du Commerce/Bassin Lympia. This is where all the yachts and cruises would dock. I had been wondering with the massive beach front, where ships were actually coming into Nice. It’s nice they have this bay tucked away behind the hill, shielded away from ruining the pristine beach environment on the other side. The square harbour actually reminded me of Marseille, though, of course, not quite as beautiful. :)
We made our way down the hill, on the way, passing by an interesting selection of passage ways and waterfalls. BlueOrca mentioned that there was a cemetery around here. As you guys can probably guess, I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea. We found the place, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get in. Cannot say I was too disappointed. :x
Descended into Old Nice via the Ménica Rondelly Stairs. Things were a lot livelier in the afternoon; much more people walking about enjoying their weekend day. Many of the boutique and food shops were bustling with traffic. It definitely feels a lot nicer walking around town filled with people, unlike the much quieter streets that greeted us this morning. In one particular square, there were people dancing to music and kids lining up to swing at some piñatas. So awesome! I should mention that there was a flatiron near that square too!
The best shop was this ice-cream store where you can buy a 15 scopes for 17.5 euros. I was taking a picture of the awesome ice-cream pricing sign when some guy DEMANDED that I show him the last picture I took. WTF. He apparently thought I was taking a picture of his male friend. I thought “Dude.. why would I even bother taking a picture of your guy?!?” And you are in a public place; there were probably a bunch of other tourists and surveillance cameras taking photos of you anyway. Of course, he was bigger than me, so I just feebly complied. :x
The one main attraction in the area we visited was Palais Lascaris, the former residence of the Lascaris-Vintimille family, now turned into free museum. We had quite a bit of trouble finding this museum, as we only knew the general vicinity. Finally located its non-descript entrance and discovered that the interior of the beautifully decorated residence had been restored to its splendour of the 18th century.
On the ground floor was a 18th century pharmacy that totally reminded me of the traditional Chinese herbal stores – it was lined with urns that resembled 百子櫃!!!
The upper floors Palais Lascaris showcased a lot of very unique musical instruments. It was a marvel seeing how varied and different the instruments of old were and getting a snapshot of the evolution of some of the more familiar tools we see today. It was also a pity that these instruments are now pretty much extinct and live in a museum. I’d love to be able to hear how some of these instruments sound.
As expected from a mansion built from this era, Palais Lascaris was inordinately decorated - from fancy ceiling and wall frescoes down to the carvings on the mouldings and trims. You would have never suspected such a luxurious mansion laid within from the outside. I guess this area must have been a particularly affluent part of Nice back in the days, and the Lascaris family was super rich!!
Afterwards, we made a pit stop back at the hotel. For some reason, we really wanted ice-cream. I realized today that whenever it’s hot outside, BlueOrca must eat something cold. We asked around for a supermarket, and somehow stumbled onto a frozen goods store. There was quite a selection of ice creams – after careful consideration of price and value (mainly price – we were broke), we picked up a pack of ice-cream bars.
We had to pick up Segamatic at the Nice airport later that evening. Nice transit system has a day pass for four Euros which allows you unlimited travel on its routes; the pass also makes a great souvenir card. We got confused by the two terminals and the multiple levels at Nice International, but in the end, Segamatic spotted us fairly quickly. We had awful luck introducing Segamatic to geocaching. 3 DNF’s in a row!!! (We made up for it in Monaco.)
We toyed with the idea of seeing Indiana Jones that night, but the show times didn’t work out. Good thing too, as we found out later that the showing would have been in French – it might have been as cryptic as the alien language for me. We had dinner back by the flower market area. The strip totally transformed at night and was bustling with fancy restaurants and many diners. Got to try out ratatouille, Niçoise sampler and rabbit. Back country game is one of the specialities of Provencal cuisine. :)
All-in-all, I have to say my Nice experience was nice, but not super. I came away with the distinct feeling that part of the Nice’s splendour that I’ve heard so much was more of a facade. If the weather cooperated and if the entire town were not in Monaco or Cannes during this time, then I'd probably enjoy Nice a lot more. 3.5 / 5.
Almost one year anniversary of the trip. Time flies. :(
A big day… Baby Toyo achieved the TOCHI level of Speech. This surprise totally made my day. I just want to squeeze those cheeks. Thank you Amelia!!!! <3 <3 <3
She doesn’t even want to say good bye!! XD Many thanks to Mr and Mrs. Toyo for the awesome training. :P
P.S. I dunno about the UNCLE part tho. haha.