Our four-day stay at the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas felt extremely brief. We slept a lot…and ate a lot…bouncing from decadent buffet to fine dinning to Chipotle for some cheap yet fabulous burritos =)
We saw the signature show at Wynn, Le Reve, which supposedly costed Steve Wynn 90 millions to create. It was money well spent…the show was brilliant! Just entering the theater was enough to let us know that the show was going to be good. Unfortunately, we were not allow to take photographs inside the theater. We were itching to take pictures; all the actions were happening 10 feet away from us! Our words are unable to capture how entranced we were by the dancers, the lighting, the sound and even the stage itself, which could be magically transformed in seconds. Le Reve is definitely a must-see for Vegas visitors. O at the Bellagio and Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian are on our to-see list the next time we visit Vegas. We’ve come to the conclusion that the shows in Las Vegas are more worth our money than gambling (a rather late revelation that came up after our losing streak at the Black Jack table).

The Pinnacles National Park is about 2 hours driving from San Jose, east of the central California’s Salinas Valley. The Pinnacles is the remain of a volcano that was split by the San Andreas Fault millions of years ago. During the spring season, The Pinnacles is a spectacle of wild flowers, plants, condors and other wild animals. Spring seems to come late this year, so unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of the wild flowers we were hoping for. We’ll definitely come back later in the season.

We’ve been feeling nostalgic lately. When we are travelling, we are constantly surrounded by beauty, engulfed with excitement, and intrigued by the unfamiliar. After having so much fun, adjusting back to the responsibility of everyday life was rather daunting. It’s been a month since we’ve been back, and already we’re in need of another vacation. We miss the quaint sidewalk cafes, the liveliness of European cities, being near loved ones, and of course, not having to work.

It rained almost the entire week that we stayed in Angers, and as soon as the sun came out, we took a trip to Chenonceau. After two hours of driving through countless number of sunflower fields, farms and famous chateaux, we arrived at this breathtakingly beautiful landscape. The castle, standing as a bridge over the Cher River, is indeed a jewel of Renaissance architecture. Unlike Versaille, Chenonceau is not overwhelming, but rather charming, lived-in, and peaceful.
Interestingly enough, one of Minh Chau’s favorite rooms in the chateau is the kitchen. During the First World War, the kitchens were transformed into a hospital. The bedroom of Catherine de Medicis was also one of the most famous rooms in the chateau. Surrounding the chateau is a lush forest, ornamented gardens, and hidden nooks.

A look at these stoic walls, and I know I’m home. For nearly 20 years, my father and I drove by this massive castle everytime we went to school, to a restaurant or to the market. As early back as I can remember, I’ve had my baby pictures taken inside these castle walls.
Situated in the Loire Valley, Angers is considered as one of the most beautiful cities in France.

The island of Burano is about an hour away from Venice by vaporetto. It is known for being the home of fishermen and lace-makers. The houses are painted with different bold and vibrant colors so the fishermen could identify them in the fog.

The glittering facade of the Basilica di San Marco

Napoleon had once called the Piazza San Marco “the finest drawing room in Europe.” The Basilica is the centerpiece of this famous and crowded piazza. Love them, or loathe them, pigeons are very much part of St Mark’s Square, and we didn’t find them to be a nuisance at all.
We stayed at a Bed & Breakfast that was about ten minutes away, so we could visit St Mark’s Square rather often. We even got to see an awesome fire show by a street performer, and a wedding happening at the same time in the other corner of the square.

Our stay in Paris was short and there were many places left to visit (or re-visit) but we were excited to head to Venice. It seems Paris and Venice compete with each other as to which is the most romantic city in the world but we found they were unique in their own ways and they turned out to be just equal contenders to that title!

Venice has no roads and no cars, only boats and bridges! Navigating in Venice is thus really slow. We got lost a couple times when walking since some sections of Venice are only linked by a single bridge. The gondolas can always be used for $160 per hour … Fortunately, Venice is a very small city and we could cover large areas by just walking and crossing bridges. It is sad to know that this ancient and beautiful city has been sinking at a higher pace, due to both a lowering of the ground and an increase in tidal level. At night, the tidal waves are high and scary at first, and got us wet a few times. We saw a lot of construction work as part of of a project to keep Venice above water. Hopefully, Venice can be saved!

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is one of Minh Chau’s favorite books, so we find ourselves coming back to this magnificient cathedral each time we are in Paris. Notre-Dame is at the heart of Paris, and this glorious structure has witnessed some of the greatest moments of the city’s history.
Inspired by the leisure-loving French people, Vinh quickly remembered his lazy roots, and we took a long nap on a bench inside the park at the east end of the cathedral.

The geometric form of this glass pyramid, standing at the center of the Cour Napoleon, constrasts with the decorated facade of the Louvre. It is 21m high and 33m wide, and is built of sheet glass supported by a steel framework.
The Cour Napoleon is a great place to relax on a warm summer evening. We had a few drinks at the cafe inside the courtyard as we were watching the sunset over this magnificent structure.