Raymond has been such a good little reindeer this year that I planned a fun surprise for him during the autumn before we started getting really busy preparing for Christmas. Remember Raymond’s dream from the springtime when he was obsessing about baseball? Well, I took Raymond down to Atlanta, Georgia to attend an Atlanta Braves game! We had a fabulous time watching the Braves take on the San Diego Padres, and Raymond had an absolute blast taking everything in—the organ music, the lights, the grass, the wave, the nachos, and of course the game!
Raymond has been quite the little traveller during his downtime this year. We’ve already told you about his adventures in Ventura, Portland, Orlando, and San Francisco, but he also travelled to places outside of the United States. Any guesses on where he went?
Japan!
When I told Raymond that I was going to Tokyo, Japan to visit a friend from university, he begged me to let him tag along. And how could I say no to his sweet reindeer face? Japan is one of my favourite countries, so I was excited for Raymond to experience it, too.
Raymond taking in Tokyo from our balcony in Setagaya
If you’ve been reading about Raymond’s escapades and if you know me at all, you know that we both love to experience new and different foods, especially when travelling. For me, trying out local cuisine is one of the best parts of travelling! Finding vegetarian dishes in Japan can be a little tricky, but we definitely found plenty to make our bellies happy 🙂
One Japanese dish I love is miso soup, and I was delighted with this giant, hot bowl that I had at Misogen. Full of okra, mushrooms, greens, and tofu skin, this soup really hit the spot for lunch. The steamed rice served with umeboshi [pickled plum] was an excellent accompaniment.
About to chow down at Misogen
When we decided that we wanted to try a new food, monjayaki, we headed over to Monja Street in Tsukishima where there are literally dozens of monjayaki restaurants to choose from. Monjayaki is pan-fried batter filled with chopped veggies and/or meat. It’s sort of a runnier version of one of my absolute favourite Japanese dishes, okonomiyaki [savoury pancake]. For both of these, you usually cook the food on a grill right at your table. However, with monjayaki, you eat it directly off the grill using a wee spatula.
Raymond and our natto monjayaki
Where else in the world do you think Raymond went this year? Stayed tuned to find out! 🙂
In the early summer, I went to San Francisco, California for a conference, and Raymond was thrilled when I asked him to tag along on my trip. While there I was pretty busy with the conference, but we did manage to fit in some sightseeing.
The weather was quite lovely during our visit, so during a free afternoon, Raymond and I went on a long walk to soak in the sunshine and the breeze. We enjoyed wandering about, but we did have a destination in mind: Ghirardelli Square. Raymond and I both LOVE chocolate, so we knew we had to go there 🙂
After enjoying our ice cream, Raymond and I ambled down a pier where we gazed out at the sea and had our hair and fur tousled by the occasionally wild breeze from the Bay.
Enjoying the breeze from the Bay
While we were relaxing on the pier, I pointed to an island out in the Bay and informed Raymond that it was Alcatraz Island, which is where folks who were permanently on the Naughty List used to go.
Raymond looking out at Alcatraz
As the sun started to set, Raymond and I decided to make our way over to Fisherman’s Wharf. Raymond and I are both vegetarians, so we weren’t interested in buying or eating any seafood, but we still wanted to look around. This was an excellent decision because while walking around, our noses came across the fantastic smell of sourdough from Boudin Bakery. As we strolled back to the hotel, we shared an amazingly fresh sourdough roll. It was a tasty finish to our nice afternoon.
Another one of the places Raymond went this year was Orlando, Florida. With so many theme parks in Orlando, there is definitely a lot to do. We didn’t have time to visit all the parks on this trip, but maybe we will go back again sometime. Can you guess where he went?
Universal Studios! Neither Raymond nor I had been to Universal Studios, so this was a special treat for both of us. The first thing we saw as we approached the entrance was the BIG spinning globe. Raymond was so excited, so naturally we had to stop to take a few pictures.
Raymond is so thrilled to be here!
We spent the day in the park visiting shops, admiring the sights, and, of course, riding rides! Some of the rides we went on were ET, Terminator, Men in Black, and Twister.
Raymond wearing his 3D glasses for the Terminator ride.
The next day we went to Islands of Adventure. As soon as we walked through the turnstiles, we were greeted by happy surprise—the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe! We strolled into the shop, taking a gander at the walls covered with ornaments from floor to ceiling. What a beautiful sight. 🙂
The Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe reminded Raymond of home.
After we left the Christmas shop, we explored the wild jungle of Jurassic Park, took a trolley ride through Dr. Seuss’ imagination, rode through the storybook The Cat in the Hat, and watched Spiderman defend justice!
Raymond discovered a giant dinosaur footprint!
While all the rides were a lot of fun, Raymond and I were really stoked about visiting Harry Potter World. We walked up and down the streets, peeking into the windows of many of the shops. We even bought some butterbeer and pumpkin juice from one of the street vendors.
Raymond in the streets of Harry Potter World.
Can you take a guess at where else Raymond went this year?
Last year during the summer, Raymond had fun travelling to Brussels, India, and London, sampling local cuisine and taking in the sights. This year he did even more travelling, starting with Ventura, California in the spring. Over the summer, I was lucky enough to take several trips with Raymond, the first of which was to Portland, Oregon.
It had been a long time since I had visited Portland, and Raymond had never been there, so we had to hit up some of the classic spots. First off, we stopped by Powell’s Books, which occupies an entire city block and claims to be the largest independent bookstore in the world.
Raymond about to venture across the street to Powell’s Books
Due to the size of the store and my love of books, we could’ve spent all day there. Raymond enjoyed the variety of books as well.
Is Raymond giving a hint about where else he travelled to?
After checking out the bookstore, we wanted a snack, so we headed over to Voodoo Doughnut where they have dozens of doughnut flavours. Raymond wanted to try every single one of the doughnuts!
Raymond excited for his doughnut
Unfortunately Raymond and I were too busy chowing down on our doughnuts, and we forgot to take a photo with them! But, trust me, the doughnuts were yummy 🙂
“Mmmm!” says Raymond
Raymond eyeing the rotating case of doughnuts
Where else do you think Raymond went this year? Stay tuned to find out! 🙂
Raymond rooting for the home team
One happy reindeer
Scoping out the outfield
Raymond taking in Tokyo from our balcony in Setagaya
About to chow down at Misogen
Raymond and our natto monjayaki
Sunshine & chocolate—this was an excellent day
A perfectly decadent and delicious treat
Enjoying the breeze from the Bay
Raymond looking out at Alcatraz
No fish, please, but we’ll take some sourdough!
