A commemorative event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the sister city partnership between Shimukappu and Aspen, Colorado, USA took place at the Village Community Plaza. A total of about 100 people, including Aspen Mayor Torre, a delegation of Aspen representatives, and village officials attended the event and promised to continue... read more →
Nov
18
Nov
18
Aspen Sister Cities is excited to honor our relationships with our seven sister cities: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Davos, Switzerland; Queenstown, New Zealand; Shimukappu, Japan; Abetone, Italy; Bariloche, Argentina; and Chamonix, France. Sister Cities International, to which we belong, is a program initiated by President Eisenhower after World War II to foster... read more →
Nov
02
Last week, delegates from the Aspen Sister Cities program, including Mayor Torre and Council member Ward Hauenstein, traveled to Shimukappu, Japan, for a 30th anniversary celebration that was put on hold in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to delegates and Aspen Council members, the anniversary overlapped with the Sister... read more →
Nov
02
Salmon roe, or ikura (ee-koo-ra) as it’s known in Japan, was new to me when I arrived. I spent my first week questioning whether I should ever eat it. A fifth-grader, who I’ll call Kai, introduced himself with a peculiar analogy: “Ikura is my favorite food because it tastes like... read more →
Aug
07
White calla lilies are bursting with meaning: since Victorian times they have represented purity and devotion, to Christians they symbolize rebirth and assist in celebrating Easter, and in Russia they are a death flower shrouded in misery. For myself, I’m choosing to have them serve as a symbol of friendship... read more →