Tour of Pixar | Emeryville, California

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Visiting Pixar was one of the coolest things Markus and I did when we were in the Bay area. After my meeting in San Francisco, Markus and I stayed with our dear friends Wendy and Jon in Albany, a city on the other side of the Bay. Jon works for Pixar and was gracious enough to take us on a tour of the property and have lunch in the cafeteria. While we walked the grounds, I was just floored with how amazing everything was. Pixar is definitely an amazing company that values their employees. Everyone looked so happy and loved where they worked, which makes sense because it's Pixar! Our entire experience was lovely and the Pixar studio grounds were every bit as wonderful as their movies. 

Mountains and Ocean | Iceland

One of the things I loved most about Iceland was the juxtaposition of mountains and the ocean. Growing up in Florida, I saw enough ocean, but never enough mountain. When we lived in South Korea, we had both, but the look and feel was different. The mountains were far from the ocean and there was heaps of buildings on the mountainside.

In Iceland, everything looks unreal, almost like an oil painting. It reminded me of that scene in The Voyage of Dawn Treader, when Lucy, Edmund and Eustace enter Narnia through a painting. Despite the tranquility of the photos, the wind was so intense that Markus and I had trouble standing still. Looking at the photos now and thinking of the weather, it felt like being in our own version of Narnia!

Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku | Tokyo, Japan

One of the best things Markus and I did in Japan was visit Tokyo's Robot Cabaret Restaurant. This show is one of the many reasons why I love Japan. Where else can you see scantily clad Japanese girls dancing with robots and dinosaurs? I feel like this experience was the epitome of our entire trip and that's why I decided to end my Japan posts with this show.

Everything was so zany and unlike anything I've ever seen. Before you go to the show, you wait in a room filled with lights and electronic dinosaurs. I have to admit that I saw way more men than women and I was slightly worried that this could be a different kind of show than I expected. Once we were ushered into the stage area, we were treated to many different performances. They varied in theme and seemed completely unconnected. At one point, a tattooed woman came out and played a saxophone. It was completely ridiculous, but kinda awesome. It was an experience that I will never forget. If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, make sure you check out this show. You won't regret it, I promise!


Gundam Cafe | Tokyo, Japan

While we were exploring Akihibara, Tokyo's Electric District, we saw heaps of Gundam goods everywhere. Since we were in the famous neighborhood, naturally we would have to make a quick stop at the Gundam themed cafe. Markus and I aren't fans of Gundam and I don't know much about it. Honestly, I was more of a Macross fan growing up. It was still exciting to be able to visit a place dedicated to the beloved series. The drinks were quite tasty and I enjoyed looking at all the fan art on the wall. I love that Japan has places that are dedicated to their geeky offerings. I wish there were more places like this in the States!