Last weekend we went to dinner with some of Rusty’s friends from Manila. This weekend our friend Femi came to town from Vienna. How strange that we had to move half way across the world to spend time with people we know and care about.
Femi arrived in HK Sunday afternoon. He was staying in Kowloon as he was doing business there. We greeted Femi with handshakes, hugs and kisses. I had not seen him since last June when we went to Vienna for one glorious week of museums, dinners, and a Danube river cruise. I won’t even mention staying at the Bristol Hotel, across the street from the opera house, where we opened our windows and listened to the amazing operatic voices as we prepared to go out each evening. You see the operas are displayed on a large screen outside of the building for all to enjoy. Sometimes we were even lucky enough to still have music playing while we fell asleep at night. I was treated like a queen and soon fell under the spell of Austria.
So yes, I was very excited to see Femi. His business knowledge is extraordinary and his passion for finance can be contagious. I must admit that I miss talking business so having Femi here was quite a treat. He also regaled us with his humorous story of trying to get home from Brazil this past Christmas in the midst of the snowy European winter. Rusty laughed so hard the table shook.
We had dinner overlooking the harbor and once again the view was outstanding. Yet this time we were looking at Hong Kong island. The lights, the colors, the skyline will take your breath away. And then in the midst of delicious food and delectable conversation it happened - the Symphony of Lights.
The Symphony of Lights is the largest permanent light and sound show in the world. It happens every evening at 8 pm and lasts for 18 minutes. (Eight is a very lucky number in China.) The buildings on both sides of the harbor are light up with pulsating color and lasers of light stream across the water. Forty four buildings participate in this orgy of color and light. A musical soundtrack accompanies the show and can be heard on radio or on your mobile.
Five themes encompass the Symphony of Light which exemplify the two sides of Hong Kong: awakening, energy, heritage, partnership and celebration. This spectacular display highlights how Kowloon and Hong Kong island are working together to make all of Hong Kong a dynamic world force.
Our dinner continued with great food, wine and laughter. Coffee and dessert were declined as I had waiting for me the best dessert of all - chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but Swiss chocolate. Femi had brought me a small shopping bag full of melt in your mouth milk, white and dark chocolates. Not one or two, but many pounds of sweet happiness. There were chocolates with nuts, creme, coconut and coffee. He even brought a bag of Salzburger Mozartkugeln which are chocolate delicacies each with a picture of Mozart on the wrapper.
Femi explained how he knew it was not possible to find chocolate in China and my goodness how can anyone survive without fine chocolate? Oh, what a true Viennese/British gentleman. Excellent food, an amazing light show and now Swiss chocolate. What more could a woman ask for?
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