tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37297717689929434322024-03-13T11:50:00.010-07:00C'est Ma Vie - My Life TravelsAn amateur travel blog with posts from around the world. I try to focus on travel tips as well as descriptive information about each trip I take. Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-20713509767419320302020-03-01T10:40:00.001-08:002020-03-01T10:40:13.898-08:00I’m back in 2020!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It’s been many years since I wrote on this blog... since my last post, I had a baby and spent most of my free time with family and close friends. One of my plans for this year to get back on track include reinstating my travel blog, and so here we are! No promises for any exotic or supper exciting travel posts this year, but I will try my best to keep them fun and entertaining!<br />
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XOXO, Tina<br />
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-42275959781765275612016-11-08T13:49:00.002-08:002016-11-08T13:49:50.423-08:00Sydney & New Zealand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petting a kangaroo at the Taronga Zoo</td></tr>
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This post is long overdue, but I am determined to get it out there with some pictures (if even just the highlights) before the new baby comes this winter because then I doubt I will be travelling or blogging very much at all. Maybe I will switch the content of my travel blog to cover staycation highlights instead of big trips… we shall see! For now, I will just focus on trying to remember as many details as possible from my trip down under back in April. This trip was not originally planned for this year, but after a few conversations and some deep thinking, it all came together pretty quickly. Australia has always been on my list of milestone destinations, rather than just a run-of-the-mill vacation, because of the cost, distance, and amount of time required to plan everything out. A few of my friends studied abroad there back in college, and I feel like I’ve been thinking about it ever since.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View across Sydney Harbour</td></tr>
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Our flight left Boston on Saturday afternoon and did not arrive in Sydney until Monday morning. Since we had a full day ahead of us, we decided to go ahead and splurge on business class seats. This was the best decision ever because I was able to sleep for most of the flight and did not feel gross or angry, even after traveling for 24 hours! Our original plan was to take a taxi from the airport to our hotel, Novotel on Darling Harbour. Unfortunately, we landed on Monday morning at the same time as all the business people trying to get to their various jobs. The line for the taxi was incredibly long and we decided to go with plan B and take public transportation. It was easier than I expected to navigate the train system, but ended up costing about the same amount of money as a taxi, and was slightly less comfortable. Upon check-in at the hotel, we were told that our room wasn’t ready yet and was given the option to pay to upgrade to a suite that was ready at that time. I really wanted a shower, so I decided to pay for the upgrade. Sadly, this “upgrade” ended up being a room on the floor where the flight attendants all stayed. It was dirty, outdated, and there was construction immediately outside our window. We promptly walked back to desk and decided that was not the room for us and that we would wait for our original room.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Opera House</td></tr>
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Knowing that we were only in Sydney a few days, we decided to explore the city while waiting for our room. Darling Harbour is an interesting area of Sydney. It is a bit far from most of the sight-seeing, but has a lot of quirks of its own. There are a lot of restaurants and bars nearby, but they all seemed to cater to tourists and have inflated prices. We walked up to Town Hall Square for a 10:30 AM walking tour of the city with “Free Sydney Sights Walking Tour”. There were over 50 people waiting for a tour, and even with multiple tour guides, it was hard to hear everything that was said. I’m glad we did a walking tour to help us get our bearings on the city, but if I were to do it again, I would book with a different company to ensure a smaller group. My favorite part was walking through the tunnels and shopping malls underground in the Queen Victoria building. I would most definitely got lost down there on my own! The tour lasted a few hours and ended at the Passenger terminal in Circular Quay, where we had our first look at the Sydney Harbour and Opera House! At this point, it finally set in that we weren’t in the US any longer. My original plan had us getting lunch nearby and then going back to the room before exploring some options (and maybe a ghost tour) in The Rocks neighborhood for the afternoon. After realizing how far away our hotel actually was, we quickly altered the plan. We walked for a bit before deciding on lunch on the roofdeck at the Glenmore Hotel. While eating, it started to rain. We were covered, but that made the idea of walking around outside for the next few hours in the rain less appealing. We decided to walk over to the Opera House after lunch to inquire about a tour and/or tickets to a performance over the next few days. Swan lake was playing, and though I was unable to get tickets in advance, I was hoping there might be last minute tickets available. Luck was not with me so we did not see the show; however we did get tickets to an architecture tour leaving within the hour. The tour was wonderful! It was very cool to learn about the buildings and take pictures during the day – I doubt we would have been able to see as much if we only went for the evening show. After our tour, we made our way back to the hotel to shower and relax after the busy day. The room we ended up in was very nice, and still a suite even though we did not have to pay for the upgrade due to the confusion earlier.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine tasting at the Hope Estate</td></tr>
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We had an early wake-up call the next morning because we were headed out to the Hunter Valley for a wine tour with Zephyr Tours. We got an uber to our pickup point at the Menzies Hotel. The van was on time and we did not have any issues with checking-in for our tour. There were several other pickups in the city before heading north to the Hunter Valley. I was a little worried about booking this tour because their pictures online were all of groups of very young adults who seemed to be having too good of a time. Thankfully, our group ended up being a fair mix of all ages and no one was obnoxious – at least, not while sober at 8 am. J Our tour “guide” did not talk much on the way assuming everyone wanted to sleep, and made it very clear he did not know much about wine and was more of an escort-only, but that we could ask all our questions at the vineyards and they would be answered. We stopped at a gas station to go to the restroom and get coffee on the way. Once we arrived in the Hunter Valley, we stopped at 3 vineyards: Leogate, the Hope Estate, and a very small local vineyard with the tasting room in the garage. We all had lunch at the Hope Estate and based on which package you purchased, you either ate pizza downstairs, or had a meal upstairs. I chose, what I thought to be an elaborate 3 course meal. In reality, it was the exact same food as the 2 course meal option with an additional, very small, salad. If anyone is considering this company, I think it may be fine for the casual wine drinker, but not anyone trying to build upon existing knowledge of wine. I think I am spoiled having taken multiple formal classes and having some excellent tours in Napa. This was my mistake, and I can own up to that! One of my highlights of the day was seeing a big family of kangaroos roaming wild in the vineyards! I tried to get close for a picture, but they are quick and jumped right over the fences when they heard me coming! We did not get back to the city until late that night and picked up a quick dinner on the walk back to the hotel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The giraffes have the best view!</td></tr>
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The only concrete plan for the next day was an afternoon tea cruise on the Sydney harbor at 2:30 PM. After watching climbers on the Harbour Bridge from the roofdeck on the Glenmore hotel our first day, my husband was sufficiently convinced that he would NOT be doing the bridge climb experience. Climbing to the top of the pylon lookout was also crossed off the list. We settled on going to the zoo that morning instead and caught a ferry from Circular Quay for a quick trip across the harbour. The zoo was gorgeous and the views from the gondola ride overlooked the Sydney skyline perfectly! Unfortunately, the timing for the behind the scenes tours would not work for us, but we were able to grab an early spot to spend a few minutes up close to a Koala for a private photo op! We also managed to time our jaunt in the kangaroo walk-about to be in time with the tour so that we could sneak in to pet a kangaroo and take a quick picture there as well. It was very soft with fur like a rabbit. I definitely recommend going to the zoo, it was a great way to spend the morning. After our ride back over the harbour on the ferry, we found our departure point with Captain Cook for afternoon tea.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B86Jf2EqXc8/WCIAjPQYs7I/AAAAAAAALjw/u2W3qDNKN3sBdEm9OFSQnPvibEDoAfSDQCPcB/s1600/FB_IMG_1478623263912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B86Jf2EqXc8/WCIAjPQYs7I/AAAAAAAALjw/u2W3qDNKN3sBdEm9OFSQnPvibEDoAfSDQCPcB/s320/FB_IMG_1478623263912.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="176" /></a>You can also book a harbour cruise without tea on the same ship, but you are standing at the top of the boat, rather than being seated inside the dining room. I loved having space to spread out and enjoy my meal while watching the sights go by. An added bonus was that the boat went from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour. I did not know this in advance, but you could actually get off in Darling Harbour, or ride it back to the original departure location. This worked out nicely for us because we got off in Darling Harbour and had time to do some shopping near our hotel for souvenirs! <br />
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After packing up our suitcases, we headed back out later that night to try some of the local delicacy, kangaroo, for dinner! The meat was good, very similar to steak… more importantly, I can now say that I pet a kangaroo and ate a kangaroo in the same day (but not the same kangaroo, thankfully).<br />
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We were headed to Auckland this afternoon, so we only had a few hours in the morning to pick up some last minute items in the city before going to the airport. The flight was longer than I expected (though it seemed to fly by after the long haul from the US) and there was a time zone change. We went back and forth over renting a car or taking a taxi, but since we had at least a few day trips planned for the next few days, we decided to rent a car. I’m glad we did this because the airport was pretty far from the city, especially when you don’t arrive until late at night. By the time we got our car and got the hotel, Rendezvous Auckland, it was after 1 AM. Fortunately we didn’t have an early morning planned for the next day… I was starting to feel a bit exhausted at this point!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of Auckland from Mount Eden Summit</td></tr>
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After sleeping in a bit, we decided to nix the walking tour this morning and explore on our own. We made our way down to the wharf and back through the city to the Sky Tower for lunch. I was surprised by the number of homeless people in the city, it was very noticeable and somewhat off-putting as a tourist. We decided on getting lunch and a view of the city at the same time by eating at the Orbit brasserie, a dining room that spins 360 degrees per hour. We were lucky to get a table by the window since we didn’t have a reservation. It was definitely worth the experience and a great start to being in a new city, plus the food was delicious and we saw someone fly by our table as they descended from the Sky Jump on the platform above the restaurant!<br />
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That afternoon we took a bus out to Eden Garden at Mount Eden Summit. While the gardens themselves were beautiful, I cannot recommend coming here to visit via public transportation. We wasted a lot of time getting from Auckland to the gardens and then only had about 30 minutes or so to walk around and look at the flowers. Even if we had better transportation, I'm not sure this is a good place as a single destination. If you were stopping here on the way to something else, that may a better use of your time. We had dinner near our hotel that evening.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking through the vineyards</td></tr>
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The next morning, we got up early to catch the 9 AM ferry to Waiheke Island. After disembarking from the ferry, we met up with our tour group, Ananda Tours, and piled into a van for another full day of wine tasting. This trip was so much better than the one in Sydney. It was well organized, the tour guide was informative and enthusiastic, and the wine was delicious, including the Kokoro Merlot/Cab blend from Te Motu. I have two bottles of that wine sitting in my wine fridge waiting for the perfect reason to drink.<br />
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We paid for our lunch separately, but the tour company was able to make the reservation for us at Mudbrick. I wish we would have planned that stopped a little better because we were rushed to do both the wine tasting and have lunch. After a full-day of drinking wine and sight-seeing, we decided to eat dinner at one of the restaurants with outdoor seating near the Sky hotel.<br />
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The next morning we jumped in our rental car for an early start out to Matamata to visit Hobbiton. I had a minor freakout moment on the way there because I was having trouble buying tickets online and thought we weren't going to be able to get on a tour when we arrived. Fortunately, we were about to walk right in and buy tickets for the next tour. I am typically more of a planner, but it was exhausting planning for so many days in advance, especially when we weren't sure if we wanted to get a rental car in Auckland or not. The tour started in a bus that drove across the street onto a farm. I don't think it is really necessary to bus tourists across the street, but I guess because it is a working farm, they don't want anyone leaving open the gates and letting sheep out - and there were a LOT of sheep. We walked off of the bus and into Hobbiton! Our tour guide took us around the hobbit holes and explained that they were all different sizes to film different points of view in the movies. We were able to walk in some of them, even though they were not decorated on the inside. <br />
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After a quick snack at the cafe, we continued on our way to Waitomo Caves. Our next destination was another 1.5 hours away, so we tried to make up some time that we lost by sleeping in a bit. There were a lot of signs in Waitomo advertising for glow worm cave tours and I was a litle overwhelmed by which one we should do. After stopping in the tourist office, we decided to go with the 3 hour tour offered by Spellbound on private grounds. After a short van ride, we spent the first part of the tour in a cave with a river running through it. We jumped in a raft, turned off all of our lights, and waiting for the glow worms (maggots) to to start their light show. There were thousands scattered around the ceiling and walls making it look like stars. It was incredible!<br />
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The second part of our tour was exploring rock formations in a much larger, drive cave. There was a small section with glow worms near the top, but no where near as awesome as in the first cave. I did like that we could walk around in this cave and see some old bones from where animals died. <br />
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This was expensive, but definitely worth it. We didn't see the "main cave" that most of the tourists visit because we were ready for our long drive back to the hotel and a full next day.<br />
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At this point, we diverted from my original itinerary. I hadn't planned for how exhausting the previous day's driving would be and there was no way we were going to head back south and drive even further to Rotorua today. If I could plan this again, I would definitely stay overnight in Rotorua and just drive there from Matamata so that we could be fresh and ready the next morning. Sadly, we missed out of the spa and Maori culture experience because of this. Instead, we decided to drive to the north of Auckland and visit another beautiful vineyard.<br />
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The next day we headed back to Sydney and checked into our hotel on Coogee beach to do the beach walk to Bondi Beach. It was a relaxing last day in Sydney and a great way to pack and prepare for our trip back home.<br />
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Our flight back to the US left in the morning on our last day in Sydney, so we watched the sunrise over the ocean before grabbing an Uber from the hotel pretty early and said farewell to the Land Down Under. It was another long flight back (this time in coach since I could recover in the comfort of my own home), but we did gain back the day we lost on the way over. Time zones are a very cool thing!</div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-87328118383247689292016-11-08T09:15:00.003-08:002016-11-08T12:40:48.351-08:00A Summer Weekend in Newport, RI<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosecliff Mansion</td></tr>
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Summer weekends in New England typically mean sitting in traffic for hours on end with the rest of the people coming out of hibernation for a few hours in the sun on the Cape. After being cooped up for far too long, everyone is desperate to put their toes in the sand and drink a cocktail or two overlooking the beach. Another favorite place to visit, at least in my opinion, is Newport, RI. Newport is home to a beautiful ocean views, gilded-era mansions, and of course, the <a href="https://www.tennisfame.com/" target="_blank">Pro Tennis Hall of Fame</a>. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whale Watching <br />
Boston Skyline in the background</td></tr>
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When my cousin told me earlier this year that she would be attending a wedding in Newport this summer, I told her and her friends to come up for the weekend and we could spend a few days exploring this ocean-front city and seeing the sights. They came up on Friday and we spent the evening in Boston with a flight of beer at <a href="https://www.harpoonbrewery.com/" target="_blank">Harpoon Brewery</a> followed by a dinner at Legal Seafoods in the Seaport district. Saturday morning we booked a <a href="http://www.neaq.org/exhibits/whale-watch/" target="_blank">whale watching tour</a> through the New England aquarium. The weather was a bit off, resulting in choppy seas, but no one in our group threw-up and we saw a pod of 5 whales! <br />
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That afternoon we drove down to Newport to check in to our hotel and have a late dinner at the Conservatory in the <a href="http://www.gracehotels.com/vanderbilt/" target="_blank">Vanderbilt Grace</a>. We sat outside in the back courtyard and had lovely meal. By the time we were done eating, it was pretty late. <br />
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The next morning the girls sat by the pool at the hotel while I made my way to the <a href="http://www.newportmansions.org/explore/rosecliff" target="_blank">Rosecliff </a>mansion to get my annual pass and explore the grounds. The Rosecliff was a beautiful mansion overlooking the water. The rooms were decorated very lavishly and the audio tour went through the various owners and how the decor changes throughout the ages. As the US was preparing for the war, the luxuries of the 20s and 30s were frowned upon. The homes were donated to the Preservation Society of Newport and have been available for tours and private events. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D4pimZkHmQc/WCIBdEZQePI/AAAAAAAALjs/S8hhN996mIYiNQj5BlV1d9rsGsqrIomKwCKgB/s1600/20160814_192139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D4pimZkHmQc/WCIBdEZQePI/AAAAAAAALjs/S8hhN996mIYiNQj5BlV1d9rsGsqrIomKwCKgB/s320/20160814_192139.jpg" width="320" /></a>Later that afternoon, I dropped my cousin off at the wedding and we went to have cocktails on <a href="http://www.castlehillinn.com/food-wine-newport-rhode-island/the-lawn/" target="_blank">The Lawn at Castle Hill Inn</a>. We considered having dinner as well, but there was a wait and the menu/price did not seem exceptionally appealing in comparison to sitting in Adirondack chairs on the lawn and watching the sunset over the ocean. In addition to the beautiful view, many people had packed their own picnics and were listening to music while watching the boats sail by. <br />
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We headed into town that evening for a seafood dinner at a pub and some shopping. Later that night, we picked up my cousin from the wedding and went back to the hotel. Our last day in Newport started with a <a href="https://www.sail-newport.com/" target="_blank">morning mimosa sail on the bay aboard the Adirondack II</a>. The weather was much nicer than our whale watching tour a few days prior and there were more than enough mimosas to go around. I highly recommend doing this activity if you have some free time in Newport. <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVZKOnRBbx8/WCIBdFnp3hI/AAAAAAAALjs/M1gE-MkGmKAw5KevS6BwV0M7SJQhqfm5QCKgB/s1600/20160815_101149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVZKOnRBbx8/WCIBdFnp3hI/AAAAAAAALjs/M1gE-MkGmKAw5KevS6BwV0M7SJQhqfm5QCKgB/s320/20160815_101149.jpg" width="320" /></a>Our last planned activity in the town was to tour <a href="http://www.newportmansions.org/explore/the-breakers" target="_blank">The Breakers</a> mansion. The Breakers is one of the most grandiose homes that can be toured. There were a lot of rooms to view and a very long guided audio tour. I don't really like audio tours because if you go with friends, you can't really talk to each other. I also don't like how everyone congregates in one spot to view a particular painting or piece of furniture. I understand how a lot of museums save money by not having real tour guides, but I am not in favor of this method of touring. That being said, the mansion really was beautiful and the grounds had an amazing view! I would love to go back this winter when they are all decorated for Christmas!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Breakers</td></tr>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-57537800081527267682016-08-03T11:52:00.002-07:002016-08-03T11:52:24.206-07:00Summer in Saskatchewan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Who goes to Saskatchewan you may ask? Well, in this case, me. My brother and sister-in-law moved to Regina last year and I was due to a trip over the Memorial Day long weekend.<div>
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After a layover in Minneapolis, the flight landed at the Regina airport Friday afternoon. A ride around the city left me surprisingly impressed. In my head, I assumed the middle of nowhere Canada meant a small town with nothing around. Turns out, Regina is a city with lots of buildings, restaurants, shopping centers, etc. It reminded me of a typical mid-west city in the US. Sprawled out and absolutely mandatory that you have a car. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Royal Saskatchewan Museum </td></tr>
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My top priority for this trip was visiting with my family, my second top priority was shopping at Roots. After that, food and culture. I ended up visiting Roots twice that weekend and definitely ate some poutine. Saturday we visited the <a href="http://www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/" target="_blank">Royal Saskatchewan Museum</a>. The building was beautiful, but the inside did not blow me away. At the time we were visiting, the special exhibit was called "Snakes Alive. It featured several snakes of Saskatchewan and was an interesting, albeit small exhibit. The rest of the building was mostly dioramas highlighting the landscape and animals in Canada. To be honest, it was underwhelming. </div>
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The next day we had brunch at Willow on the Wascana. It was delicious and the view over the lake was nice on the slightly-chilly day. After brunch, we went to the <a href="http://www.rcmpheritagecentre.com/" target="_blank">RCMP Heritage Centre</a>. Shortly after we arrived, a driving tour was ready to leave, so we jumped on the trolly and went along for the ride. We drove around the Depot and learned about the academy and steps involved in training. We made a pit-stop at the chapel to admire the stained glass. I definitely recommend the driving tour since it put everything into perspective and there were plenty of opportunities to ask questions. After the tour, we spent some time in the museum going through each exhibit. The virtual reality experience was pretty neat and I also really enjoyed the training movie. The whole place was very nicely organized. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chapel at the RCMP Heritage Centre</td></tr>
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<br />Our last night in Regina was spent getting food and drinks nearby and enjoying the good company of family.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-49975391543036924922016-04-06T07:42:00.002-07:002016-04-06T10:33:52.627-07:00Easter Weekend in Dallas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the Arboretum</td></tr>
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Google Flights has become my go-to online tool to determine where to spend some of my long weekends this year. A few weeks back, I started searching for the cheapest direct flight out of Boston. A couple clicks later, I was planning an itinerary for Easter weekend in Dallas. After socializing my plans, my Mom spoke with her friend who lives in Dallas, and we turned a group of two into four!<br />
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We arrived at the DFW airport Friday morning around 10:00 AM. The place was really quiet and it took a while for us to find where to go to get the rental car. Once we picked up our car, we headed directly to the <a href="http://www.dwazoo.com/your-visit/hoursprice/" target="_blank">Dallas World Aquarium</a>. There was a bit of a line, but it was mostly congested on the inside. I was blown away by the number of exotic birds and monkeys they have! It should really be renamed to a zoo or aviary in addition to aquarium. Looking back on it, the animals may have outnumbered the fish! After we got through the initial part where the crowd was congregated, it was much easier to move through the place and see the different exhibits. The penguins outside were cute (but we have many more Penguins at the NEAQ, yea!) and it made me smile to see a sloth since I just came back from Costa Rica. They even have an art gallery. After a few hours there, we walked back outside to see the GIANT line waiting to get inside. I am so glad we got there relatively early. I would not have waited in that line.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LNC4mhNOIfI/VwUfTL743XI/AAAAAAAAKf8/CTzuoLl3oW4xbFR17Tex7otrqgXWG-nwQ/s1600/20160326_144711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LNC4mhNOIfI/VwUfTL743XI/AAAAAAAAKf8/CTzuoLl3oW4xbFR17Tex7otrqgXWG-nwQ/s320/20160326_144711.jpg" width="180" /></a>After the aquarium, we went for lunch at a "Modern Texas" restaurant called <a href="https://stampede66restaurant.com/menus/" target="_blank">Stampede 66</a>. I loved the decorations and we had great service. I ordered a Passion-Chile Margarita and the Hell's Eggs appetizer to start. My frozen margarita was good... the only problem was that it was served with a metal straw and every time I tried to drink from it, my lips would stick to the metal. I'm not sure how anyone else could do it! After a good laugh, I eventually gave in and asked for a plastic one. The appetizer was a delicious take on deviled eggs and my entree, the chicken verde tacos, were served with a plate of toppings that I could pile on top. All in all, it was a delicious, but slightly pricey, lunch. I don't normally blog about the food when I go visit places, so you can tell I was impressed. <br />
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After lunch we went to the<a href="http://www.jfk.org/" target="_blank"> 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza</a> to learn about JFK's assassination. We had to buy timed entry tickets for an hour after we arrived, so we sat around outside and soaked in the sun until we could go in. I've been to a couple of exhibits like this in the past; a few that stand out to me are the MLK Jr one in Memphis and the Norman Rockwell museum in the Berkshires. I like to learn about history, but I can't seem to get into looking at photos on a wall and listening to an audio guide the whole time. After about 45 minutes, I lose interest. A lot of other people seemed very intrigued however, so don't let my opinion sway you. <br />
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That evening we met up with the rest of the group and socialized for the remainder of the evening. After a late breakfast Saturday afternoon at a nearby diner, we went to the <a href="http://www.dallasarboretum.org/" target="_blank">Arboretum </a>for the Dallas Blooms exhibit. There were so many people there, we were taken to a nearby parking garage to park. The Arboretum was beautiful! The gardens were full of blooming flowers and people were having picnics on the grass while listening to live music. It was hard to decide which gardens to take pictures of because they were all so nice. After walking around for a bit, we enjoyed a glass of Champagne at the terrace restaurant and just soaked it all in. I'm very glad we got to see this.<br />
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Saturday night we drove up to Oklahoma to go to the <a href="https://www.winstarworldcasino.com/" target="_blank">Winstar Casino</a>. I learned some interesting things about gambling laws in that state, including that they can't have dice or roulette balls and that I had to pay an ante for each round of each game I played (the second one might just be specific to that casino, not sure). I didn't enjoy those laws and after a few hours of spending money, we went back to Dallas. Sunday was pretty casual since we had to fly out that afternoon. We spent an hour or so at a local park to see some Easter festivities before going back to the airport. <br />
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Dallas was an interesting city. It was a lot more spread out than I expected and I didn't get too much of a charm factor (like how San Antonio was very cute and charming). The people were very nice and welcoming, but I'm not sure that I would go out of my way to go back anytime soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such pretty gardens!</td></tr>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.7766642 -96.79698789999997632.3496592 -97.442434899999981 33.2036692 -96.151540899999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-65835377886301032016-03-23T06:36:00.003-07:002016-03-23T06:36:53.422-07:004 Chicas in Costa Rica<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First night at Xandari</td></tr>
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I'd been looking forward to this trip all winter and now that it is over, I don't even want to write about it, I just want to go back! It is very difficult to go from 90 degrees to 40 and be happy about it. On the plus side, I no longer have to bathe in deet. After 10 days of re-applying, it's bound to be well integrated into my blood stream by now. <br />
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I typically like to split out my posts for long trips different ways; for this one I thought it would be good to break it out by location since each place was so unique and memorable.<br />
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<u><b>Day 1: San Jose</b></u></div>
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I flew into the SJO airport on the first day around 2 pm and met up with the three other girls (Bianca, Kellie, and Cynthia) coming in on a separate flight from Pittsburgh. Fortunately, everyone got their bags and we managed to find our shuttle to the Holiday Inn Express. There may have been one "Taken" close call, but we quickly halted the situation. Our hotel was only a few minutes down the road. Since we weren't sure about potential delays, we didn't plan any activities for the day we arrived. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windy photo shoot at the lookout point</td></tr>
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Unfortunately staying so close to the airport meant we’d be in a fairly long cab ride no matter where we went. For lunch, we decided to walk next door to the Rosti Pollo. This reminded me a lot of a TGIFridays. We all order our first traditional-style meals of the trip and feasted on chicken fajitas with rice, beans, plantains and guac as sides. Everything went down pretty easily, especially when paired with a local Imperial beer. After lunch we all laid in the sun for a while by the hotel pool and organized our bags for the next few days. That evening we took a 25 minute cab ride to the Xandari hotel for drinks and tres leches cake on their deck overlooking the San Jose lights. Everything was delicious and with only a minor hiccup trying to get home (it took forever to find a cab and when we did it was quite the adventurous drive), we ended our first day with all our limbs intact.<br />
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<b><u>Day 2 – 3: Monteverde</u></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummingbird garden</td></tr>
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The next morning, a mini-van came to pick us up for our private transportation to Monteverde. It was a bit of a drive, but our driver was very nice and we stopped along the way at a beautiful lookout point where the wind was whipping around us making a very memorable photo op. We climbed some serious altitude along the many windy and unpaved roads. When we arrived at the <a href="http://www.monteverdevillalodge.com/" target="_blank">Monteverde Villa Lodge</a>, the host checked us in and showed up to a very cute room with 3 beds and a big table that was perfect for drinking wine and playing games. He asked us all to come down for a welcome coffee before we walked into town to explore the shops and grab some snacks at the grocery store. One of the first things we noticed about Monteverde was how rainy and windy it was. We were later told that a cold front was moving in, but it was drastically different from San Jose! Each night we were convinced a hurricane was coming because of the noise outside our windows. The upside to the weather was that we didn't have to worry about sunburn or bugs on this leg of our journey!<br />
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After we got settled in, our transportation arrived right on time to take us to the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g951347-d1234040-Reviews-Don_Juan_Coffee_Tour-Monteverde_Province_of_Puntarenas.html" target="_blank">Don Juan</a> coffee tour. The tour was advertised as a coffee, chocolate, and sugar cane tour, but it was definitely more coffee. We arrived at a small farm-like location and we taught all about how and where coffee grows. We even had a chance to pick some fresh coffee berries off of the trees and suck on them. From there, we were given a small demonstration on how they used to manually separate the shells from the seeds and leave them out of dry. This is a demonstration only, we didn't actually tour a coffee plant. At the end we were able to try some coffee from different roasts and look over the property with our cups in hand. The sugar cane part was about 15 minutes as the guide showed us how to squeeze the cane into liquid. He did make us a delicious lemonade to try with the juice. Lastly, the chocolate part was about 20 minutes or so since the cacao doesn't grow in that part of Monteverde. He grinded up some cacao and made us a little chocolate cup to try. That was very good! Because the put the chocolate and sugar cane parts in between learning about the coffee, it seemed to flow together nicely. All in all, it was a cute little tour, but nothing over the top. That night we ate in town at one of the many delicious restaurants. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ziplining in Selvatura Park</td></tr>
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The next morning we were picked up and taken for a nature walk in the cloud forest reserve. The bad weather had scared away a lot of the mammals, so we mostly saw birds. Some of the cool ones included a turkey vulture and a Resplendent quetzal. We also spent a little time at the end of the walk in a cute hummingbird garden to see some of the small birds up close. After our time in the reserve, it was time to go ziplining at <a href="http://www.selvatura.com/" target="_blank">Selvatura Adventure Park</a>. I've been ziplining before and didn't think it would be a big deal, but the rain added an interesting element to it. You couldn't even see to the end of some of our longer lines because of the cloud coverage. We really were in the cloud forest! We all picked the superman option at the last zipline, which meant that we carried a little extra weight in our backpack the whole time, but it was worth it. I was also really impressed with their safety measures there. We were always hooked to a wire, even when we were on the high platforms, and all of the lines had stoppers to prevent you from barreling into the end. The night we went to dinner at a restaurant built into the side of a tree and drank wine / played games while the wind howled around our room. It was a good way to end our time in Monteverde.<br />
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<b><u>Day 4 – 6: Arenal</u></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9hVQ8iVEiDY/Vt2BC8io7fI/AAAAAAAAKPw/UpQd80GzP3sfzf1UGkjZ1OFeGskQDbCkA/s1600/20160229043042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9hVQ8iVEiDY/Vt2BC8io7fI/AAAAAAAAKPw/UpQd80GzP3sfzf1UGkjZ1OFeGskQDbCkA/s320/20160229043042.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eyelash Pit Viper</td></tr>
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The transport from Monteverde to Arenal including a bus ride, a boat ride, and another van ride to the next hotel. It didn’t seem very long though because the boat ride broke up the trip and added a little bit a tour-like feel to what would otherwise be pretty boring. The hotel, <a href="http://www.lapraderadelarenal.com/" target="_blank">La Pradera</a>, looked very nice from the outside. They had a pool, a fleet of ATVs on the front lawn, and a beautiful open air restaurant. Unfortunately, all that niceness stopped outside our little cabin. Inside were a lot of dark shaded corners (barely any light, natural or artificial), lots of bugs, and random animals scampering on our roof in the middle of the night. Fortunately, we had dreams of Tulemar (the last resort we were going to stay at) to pull us through those two long nights.<br />
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After we all soaked ourselves in 98% DEET, we were picked up for a Arenal Volcano National Park Nature Walk. The lingering rain made us think that it would be another low-light of the trip, but it mostly cleared up and we were able to hike to a nice vantage point to see both the volcano and the lake. We also saw an eyelash pit viper that made me think twice about looking up in the trees when walking through the forest. We were then transported to the <a href="https://www.baldihotsprings.cr/" target="_blank">Baldi Hot Springs</a> for the second half of the evening. It was pretty quiet there and while the place was huge, it did not have the “natural hot spring” feel. It was mostly built up with different pools and bars. I think because we were think mid-week, some of the bars were not attended. We also had a dinner buffet which was somewhat average in comparison to some of the other good food we had on the trip. I had a good time here, but I'm not sure that I would go out of my way to go back.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baldi Hot Springs / dance club atmosphere</td></tr>
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The next morning, we had breakfast at the restaurant before our pickup for the <a href="https://www.desafiocostarica.com/experiences-details/costa-rica-canyoning-lost-canyon-adventures" target="_blank">Lost Canyon Adventures Canyoneering</a>. In my opinion, this was the highlight of our trip and an absolute must-do! Over the next few hours we walked through a river, repelled down waterfalls, did some free-falling, and laughed over and over again. We ended with a yummy buffet lunch, a round of Imperials, and memorable pictures. <br />
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That evening we explored La Fortuna a bit then packed up again for our last transport. As part of our transfer on the last day in Arenal, we opted to do some white water rafting on the Rio Balsa before driving to Manuel Antonio that evening. Because we were the only ones not going back to La Fortuna, we had our own bus and driver who stayed with our bags. We were picked up at 9 AM and drove approximately 40 minutes to the launch site. We ended up having to wait a little for the dam to release because the water wasn’t high enough for the rafts. After about 20 minutes, we were all suited about and given a brief, but thorough, instruction on how to man our raft. The four of us were in a single raft with a guide.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me rappelling down a waterfall... no big deal</td></tr>
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<b><u>Days 7 – 10: Manuel Antonio</u></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rafting on the Rio Balsa</td></tr>
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The last leg of our trip was in Manuel Antonio. We arrived at <a href="http://www.4tulemar.com/" target="_blank">Tulemar</a> using another private transport from Arenal. Along our way we stopped at the Tarcoles River to see a very large family of crocodiles hanging out by the side of a river, just under the overpass built for traffic. Some research done after our trip lead me to this wonderful article about how a man fell over the railing on this bridge and was <a href="http://www.mycostaricanews.com/man-falls-off-tarcoles-bridge-and-eaten-by-crocodiles/" target="_blank">eaten by the crocodiles</a>. At least it wasn’t an American Tourist, they (we?) are notoriously dumb sometimes… The resort was tucked away on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Our bungalow could not have been more perfect, but since we arrived late at night, we didn’t really know it yet. Our concierge, Chris, met us to check in and gave us a quick tour. He helped us make a dinner reservation for later that night at the restaurant on site and set us up with a Sloth Walk the next morning. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many sloths we saw on our walk</td></tr>
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Taking Chris’s recommendation for breakfast the next day, we walked down the street to <a href="http://www.cafemilagro.com/" target="_blank">Café Milagro</a> for some amazing lattes (Vanilla Chilla was my fav) and a very filling breakfast. The café became a morning staple for the rest of the trip but the downtown area was not within walking distance, so we ended up spending most of the time at the pool or beach. After breakfast, we met our tour guides (more like ecologists) at the reception area for our Sloth Walk. Two other resort guests also joined us. As we walked through the property, we learned how to find the sloths hiding in the trees as well as monkeys and several birds. The guides told us all about the Sloth Institute –Costa Rica and how Tulemar is partnering with them. After a few hours, we ended down by the beach. It was a great way to see and learn about sloths, but not our best sloth encounter of the trip (stay tuned…). We returned to our rooms to change into our swim gear and spent the rest of the day out in the sun. That evening we had dinner at Kapi Kapi. The Asian fusion restaurant was recommended on Trip Advisor. The décor was cute, and while it wasn’t bad food, it definitely wasn’t the best. It was very muggy inside and It was also very expensive, even for me coming from Boston.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our awesome balcony overlooking the water!</td></tr>
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The next morning we had a scheduled kayak tour of <a href="http://www.rancholostucanes.com/damasislandkayakingtour-manuelantonio.html" target="_blank">Damas Island with Rancho Los Tucanes</a>. Two of the four girls stayed behind, but Kellie and I powered on for another morning of adventure! Our drive through the city included a few other hotel pickups and a little bit of education about Quepos. We also drove by a grove of trees used to supply palm oil. Once we got to the dock, we all boarded our kayaks and started our path down the river. Our guides told us about the mangroves we were rowing through and took us down a few water passages that come and go as the tide changes. We passed a cashew tree, several different color herons, some bats doing a little dance on the underside of a tree, and a whole swarm of monkeys (like 50 of them!). As we floated under the capuchins, we were warned that they sometimes jump onto the kayaks because they are curious. Fortunately, none were that interested in us! I would not have wanted to topple over and swim in that silt infused water… ugh. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaking trip</td></tr>
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The trip ended with a delicious lunch buffet. It was a nice relaxing way to see some of the fauna. After we returned, we went back to the pool and then later to the private beach to watch the sunset. While we were relaxing on the lounge chairs, we overheard a bunch of people excitedly screaming about a sloth. Since we went on the sloth walk the day before, we were all a bit slow to get our cameras and walk over, but when we did we saw a sloth crawling down a tree on the beach! He was coming down to poop! One of the more interesting facts we learned on our walk was how once a week the sloth comes down the tree to go to the bathroom – what a rare sighting!<br />
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We started our last full day at Tulemar with an in-room spa service of mud wraps and massages followed by more time in the sun. That evening we packed up and went to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_966758200"></span>Z Gastro Bar<span id="goog_966758201"></span></a> in Quepos for a final dinner. The food was delicious there and we took advantage of their free shuttle service to and from our resort. The next morning we were picked up bright and early and taken back to San Jose to the airport. Our driver was very sweet and took us to this giant souvenir shop so we could pick up some last minute items outside of the city. The rest of the trip ran smoothly. <br />
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I had a wonderful time in CR and would definitely go back. I probably would pick a different hotel in Arenal, but other than that, I highly recommend every activity as well as Desafio as a tour company. The transportation was always spot-on and we were never uncomfortable with our driver or in our buses/vans.<br />
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Pura Vida!</div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0Costa Rica9.7489169999999987 -83.7534279999999851.7311404999999986 -94.080576499999978 17.7666935 -73.426279499999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-10113536547875236462016-02-24T05:48:00.001-08:002016-02-24T05:48:03.738-08:00Updates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm sitting here counting down the days, no hours, until I board the plane for Costa Rica! I always feel like I really need to get away in February because of our cold New England weather and the after-holiday depression. A little bit of sunshine and adrenaline will go a long way until my next adventure.<div>
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Speaking of adventures, I have a few more already lined up for this year. In March, I will be headed down to Dallas to visit with some family and see the Dallas Blooms festival at the Arboretum. That will only be a long weekend away, but only a few weeks later I will be going Down Under! 12 days in Australia (and possibly New Zealand). I need to start planning this itinerary ASAP! If anyone has any tips, please let me know. </div>
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After that, I will be spending two weekends away for weddings: one in Orlando and one is Long Island. I'll probably also make another family trip at some point.</div>
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I am definitely looking forward to this year! </div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-36131898698552648132016-02-05T06:21:00.000-08:002016-02-05T06:21:18.349-08:00A Ski Day in NH<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mountain View Grand Resort</td></tr>
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There are so many options for skiing in New England that it is hard to choose where to stay. You may remember from old posts that I am not so good at downhill skiing, and only recently took up cross country skiing instead. Last year, my ski trip up to the White Mountains was cancelled because of a massive storm and rescheduled for May. This year we barely got snow in January, so it was an easy drip up to Whitefield, NH to stay at the <a href="http://www.mountainviewgrand.com/" target="_blank">Mountain View Grand Resort</a>.<br />
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We arrived around noon on Sunday afternoon. There were not a lot of signs a long the way, but it wasn't difficult to find the hotel. It is a large beautiful yellow resort sitting atop a hill with a windmill looming in the sky overhead. The parking lot had plenty of space, but unfortunately our room was not ready yet. We pulled on our ski pants and walked out to the pro shop to pickup our rental gear and hit the trails. The rental was $16/adult and we were out on our skis in no time. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much snow, but we still were able to enjoy ourselves as we navigated through the woods. The trails were well marked and by the time we were done for the day, our room was ready.<br />
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The lobby was nice, but not as grand at the Omni Mt. Washington. On the other hand, our room here was beautiful and much nicer than the Omni. We had a beautiful corner room with awesome views of the mountains. We walked around the property a bit before ending up in the 1865 Wine Cellar for a wine tasting. Our selections were a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a Chianti Classico. The wine cellar was very romantic; we came back later that night for dinner. <br />
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The next morning, we woke up early and went out to the farm for a "Meet the Farmer" talk. The farmers took us through the barn and let the kids pick some eggs and pet the goats. I also pet some goats because I couldn't resist. After the talk, we had a delicious buffet breakfast before heading back home. It was a nice little day up in the White Mountains, but I'm still undecided on which resort I like more!</div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-8520180172108057742016-01-06T06:26:00.001-08:002016-01-30T07:00:05.634-08:002015 in Summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s that time again to reflect on my travels from the last year and re-live some of my fondest memories. This is my favorite post to write each year because I go back and re-read about all of my trips with a big smile of my face. The first quarter of the year was pretty quiet. I was supposed to go for a weekend in the White Mountains in February, but due to the massive amount of snow we got in New England, I postponed my trip.<br />
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I finally got out of Boston at the end of <span style="color: lime;"><b>March</b> </span>when I headed to China for 9 days. With time spent between Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai, I got a good mix of traditional and modern life. Some of the highlights from that trip were walking on The Great Wall, eating Peking Duck, seeing the Terracotta Warriors, and having a tea tasting in a beautiful tea house.<br />
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Several people came to visit me this year instead of me going to see them, but I did manage to sneak away for a weekend at the Omni Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in <span style="color: lime;"><b>May</b> </span>and ride the Cog! I loved the scenery so much up there last year, I’m planning to go up again for a weekend this winter.<br />
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I went home for a weekend in <span style="color: lime;"><b>June</b> </span>to celebrate my birthday with my family, but did not blog about the trip. The following <b><span style="color: lime;">July</span></b>, I went out to Indianapolis to visit my brother and sister-in-law and see the city when it wasn’t freezing out! We spent one day touring the Indy Wine Trail and the next riding NASCAR stock cars at the Speedway. It was such a fun trip!<br />
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At the end of <b><span style="color: lime;">July</span></b>, I went on a Caribbean cruise with a large group of family members. I didn’t blog about this trip either, but it was a lot of fun and an easy way to transport so many people to a couple different locations. My favorite part of that trip was taking my nieces to climb Dunns River Falls in Jamaica.<br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><b>September</b> </span>I drove my car onto the Cross Sound Ferry headed from Connecticut to Long Island for a weekend of wine tasting. Between all the vino, great weather, and fresh produce, I definitely packed on some pounds. I will be headed back to Long Island again this year for a wedding and even more wine tasting!<br />
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One trip I had been planning since the beginning of last year finally came about in <b><span style="color: lime;">October</span></b>. A group of my girlfriends and myself all flew out to Napa for wine, food, and an awesome hot air balloon ride! We managed to spend a day in San Francisco as well and take a go cart around the city.<br />
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I’ve travelled a lot in <span style="color: lime;"><b>November</b> </span>in past years. The flights are cheap and you can usually find good deals at hotels and short lines at attractions. This year I went to London. Sadly, I didn’t see the queen.<br />
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As usual, I spent a few weeks with family back in Pennsylvania in <b><span style="color: lime;">December</span></b>. It’s always nice to be home during the holiday season.<br />
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I’m looking forward to see how 2016 will compare!! Safe Travels, everyone!</div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-65414565638241852302016-01-05T19:19:00.002-08:002016-01-05T19:19:41.004-08:00Thanksgiving in London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It has become a bit of a tradition for me to travel overseas during American Thanksgiving. This year was no different. Hopping off a plane early Thursday morning, my traveling companion and I were at the Park Lane hotel in Mayfair before noon. It was a bit confusing getting to our hotel since part of it is under construction, but we managed to arrive fairly quickly and it a cheaper manner than if we caught a black cab or took a train. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogwarts decorated for Christmas!</td></tr>
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We didn’t have time to sit around and let the jet lag sink in because when I was buying tickets a few weeks prior to the trip, a lot of dates/times were sold out for certain activities. One of those activities was touring the <a href="https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/" target="_blank">Warner Brothers Studio</a> where all of the Harry Potter movie sets and props were stored. Fortunately, I managed to get tickets for the 2:30 time slot on the day we arrived. Unfortunately, that meant we had about an hour to grab a sandwich from the local Pret and get some money exchanged at the nearby bank before trying our luck on the subway system. <br />
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I did my research and knew which trains we needed to take, but it still managed to take longer than I planned for (about 1.5 hours total from London). The over ground train we caught from Euston to Watford Junction stopped at every stop along the way and we ended up being about 15 minutes late (they still let us in any way!). The studio tour was huge and had a lot of very cool stuff. They had an entire section dedicated to green screen technology and showed how the Quidditch scenes were filmed. I had two favorite parts of the tour: the first was walking into the Hogwarts dining hall at the very beginning because it was decorated for a Christmas feast! The flaming pudding was awesome. The second, and probably my most favorite, part was the giant model of Hogwarts at the end of the tour. It was so intricate and used to film the outdoor scenes during the movies. I felt like if I could have shrunk to doll sized, I could have curled up in one of the beds in the Gryffindor dorms.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Afternoon Tea at the Conrad Hotel</td></tr>
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We eventually made our way back to hotel that evening to shower and freshen up before walking to Kensington and going to Harrods’s. The walk was nice, but pretty long from where we were staying in Mayfair. Harrods’s was completed overwhelming and not the type of place to go visit after 6 hours of traveling and a full day of sight-seeing. Eventually we gave up after getting lost several times somewhere between perfume and the gourmet meats and just popped into a pub nearby for dinner before calling it a night.<br />
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The next morning we slept in a bit to fight the time difference and then made our way to the Covent Garden area via Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square with a quit pit stop in Leicester square to grab some “The Illusionists” show tickets for the next night. At 11 am, we met up with a local walking tour guide affiliated with the<a href="http://www.neweuropetours.eu/" target="_blank"> Sandemanns New Europe</a> walking tours. I did a tour with the same company a few years ago in Dublin and really enjoyed it. The tour is free and lasts about 2.5 hours. It is a great way to get your bearings on a new city and learn a bit of history. Lucky for us, we did the tour on a day where they had the changing of the guard ceremony and we were able to get some great pictures! The tour ended near Westminster Abbey and from there we did some shopping before making our way to the Conrad hotel for a traditional afternoon tea.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Changing of the Guard Ceremony</td></tr>
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One of the things I was most looking to was having a traditional afternoon tea. I tried to get into the Ritz, but when I emailed the reservation desk they politely told me they book up a year in advance (woops!). Fortunately, the Conrad St. James Park was lovely and they had a very visually impressive spread. The tea was delicious and the sweet tray really was incredible. After tea, we walked over to the London Eye for our Cocktail experience. From what I read online, I thought we would be drinking the cocktail while inside the Ferris Wheel. It had just started to rain when we arrived, so there was no line. I asked around before being directed to the ticket desk inside where I would trade my voucher for a ticket and drink coupon. That is where I found out we would be having our drinks in the bar upstairs. The bar was empty and looked like just an empty space where they through a counter and called a “bar”. I ended up having a good cocktail with Champagne (I also bought a very cute baby bottle of champagne with a British flag label to take home). After we finished our drinks in the isolated room, we went back outside to line up for the Ferris Wheel. I really enjoyed the ride, and since it wasn’t busy, there were only a handful of people in our car. I’m glad I did this at night because the lights were fun, but I wouldn’t do the cocktail experience again. It was a waste of money in my opinion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A charming restaurant</td></tr>
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We had a late start to our Saturday (due to somebody staying up late for Black Friday shopping online) and ended up not touring the inside of Westminster Abbey per the itinerary. After stopping at Pret for some coffee and a pastry, we made our way to the Tower of London. The ticket line was not bad, and even though we bought discounted tickets through Sandemanns, we still had to exchange our vouchers for real tickets. For the next few hours we explored the dungeon, aviary, various rooms, and stopped to listen to a guide speak about the purpose of the structure and its proximity to the river. This was a very cool experience and a good way to spend the early afternoon. When we were ready to leave, we walked up toward the Tower Bridge for a few pictures. <br />
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As we walked back to the hotel, we stopped in various shops to look for souvenirs to bring back home. Around 3pm, we searched for a place to have a quick tea. By some form of luck or fate, we wandered into The Delaunay, a Viennese restaurant that offered a traditional afternoon tea for about 24 pounds. The Austrian cakes, Poppy Seed Gugelhupf, and savory bites were all so delicious. I would come back here in a heartbeat. This restaurant actually makes me want to go visit Austria now.<br />
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We also stopped in the Twinings tea store so I could sample some hot tea (and buy some tea, of course). After dropping off our goods, we walked back toward Piccadilly Circus to see the Illusionists show. The show was interesting, but not really worth a lot of money to see. Each of the magicians did 1-2 tricks. The best part was the commentary and watching some of the recorded tricks that occurred in the lobby to unsuspecting visitors on the way in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo with the guard at the Tower of London</td></tr>
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Sunday morning we woke up early for a 7 am pickup at the hotel with the tour company taking us out to <a href="https://evanevanstours.com/sightseeing-tours/day-tours-from-london/windsor-castle-stonehenge-bath/" target="_blank">Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath, Evan Evans Tours</a>. I booked the tour through Viator, but it is always good to know the name of the actual company taking you out for the day. After missing our pickup time and catching a cab out to the Victoria coach station, we were able to meet back up with the group and get onboard. Our guide gave us an overview of what we were going to see that day as well as drive times. She also informed us that some of the guests actually signed up for a Japanese tour. At first I didn’t think twice about that, but several hours in, I really didn’t want to listen to Japanese anymore. I wish they would have told me about that in advance. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional meat pies and chips</td></tr>
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Our guide passed out little mp3 looking devices that were all tuned to the same frequency so she could talk to us without screaming. They actually worked really well and let us spread out a little whenever we were off the bus. The entire group was pretty big, I’d say around 40-50 people. If you want a more intimate experience, pick a different company. The plus side to this tour was that we got all of the information in advance and then explored each site on our own at our own pace. For some stops, like Bath, that was especially nice because I split my time between the Roman Bath exhibit and the Christmas market out front. <br />
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After a full previous day, Monday morning was dedicated to packing. We jumped into a cab around noon and made our way back to the airport. I’m very glad I was able to go to London, but it was a lot bigger than I expected. I’m not sure that I would go out of my way to go again, but I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone else from going. The experience was wonderful and I’d spend another day or two there en route to another location (like Scotland!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonehenge</td></tr>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-19673223453081487162015-10-25T06:26:00.003-07:002015-10-25T06:26:55.578-07:00Girls Getaway - Napa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beautiful Napa Valley!</td></tr>
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For the past few years, a small group of my girlfriends have all gotten together for a weekend trip somewhere. Because of weddings, showers, etc it has typically been somewhere one of us actually lives. This year, we decided to all fly out to San Francisco and stay in Napa! Being the party planner that I am, I put together a 4 day, 4 night schedule of fun and feasting for our long awaited trip. <br />
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<u>Thurs Night - Friday</u><br />
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The first night we all flew in to SFO on different flights from around the US. My flight got in first so I picked up the rental car and checked us in at the Hojo Express near the airport for easy access back and forth as everyone else flew in. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point</td></tr>
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The hotel was fine for a night and considering we were up and at 'em pretty early the next morning (west coast time change was to our advantage!), I'm glad we saved our more luxe accommodations for the remainder of the trip. After checking out of the hotel, we sat in commuter traffic before eventually making our way over the Golden Gate Bridge. Two of my friends on this trip have never been to the Bay area before. Fortunately, they were welcomed with clear skies and a fog-free view of the bridge from the several vista points we stopped at along the way. It was a beautiful sight, though after seeing the movie San Andreas, I kept picturing a different scene in front of me. (Ahh!!)<br />
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After an hour or so of photographs, we made our way to Sausalito. It was easy to find parking at 10 AM in a lot along Bridgeway and the town was very quiet. Most of the shops weren't open, so we walked along a trail near the water for an hour or so until people starting to arrive on the ferry and the stores opened up. I hadn't been here before and expected a more lively vibe. I was feeling a bit down until we made our way back to The Barrel House for lunch and drinks on the back deck. A bloody mary turned my frown upside down. From there we drove out to Muir Woods for a self-guided walk through the park. The windy roads up the mountains made for an interesting adventure... I definitely wouldn't want to go up there after dark! I went to Muir woods on my last trip and really enjoyed it, so I was happy to be back with my friends. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muir Woods</td></tr>
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The last stop on our itinerary before getting to our hotel in Napa was the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. The traffic out there was horrendous. As the minutes ticked by, we were closer and closer to missing the last tour of the factory at 4pm. Fortunately, luck was on our side and we squealed into the parking lot at 3:58, just in time to hear how Ronald Reagan's favorite candy is made. I expected to learn more about the specific ingredients that go into jelly beans, but perhaps if I knew, I wouldn't eat them anymore? In the end, we only had a handful of samples along the way as well as a small bag to take home and eat. I would have preferred to pay $10 for the tour and eat unlimited jelly beans! Yumm... I should mention that they have a chocolate & wine pairing room on site. If we would have arrived earlier, I definitely would have stopped in there.<br />
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We finally made it to the Napa River Inn in the early evening. We were greeted upon arrival with a wine tasting in the lobby and our tasting cards that were included in the package. The staff was very friendly and we were able to park in the lot right outside the hotel. After freshening up at the hotel, we spent our first evening on the town at Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ. I didn't make reservations in advance, but we were eventually seated after having a drink at the bar. The benefit of sitting at the bar before ordering dinner is that we could watch every plate of food come out and decide what we wanted in advance. The four of us shared the meat platter as well as several side dishes. The food was good and the wine flights complimented our meal.<br />
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<u>Saturday</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling the balloons</td></tr>
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The next morning, half of our party went on a hot air balloon tour while the other staff explored downtown and Oxbow market. Napa Valley Balloons, Inc. had arranged for a van to come pick us up at the hotel at 6:15am. They were right on time and after a short ride, we were checking in at Domaine Chandon. Coffee and pastries were provided while they gave us a brief overview for the day. Because of the fog in the valley, we went to an alternate launch site in Winters and flew over different sorts of farms and vineyards. The entire experience was incredible. <br />
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Climbing into the 20 person basket was entertaining and once we were floating in the air, everything was quiet and peaceful. I didn't feel one sway in the wind. When it was time to land, the ground crew drove ahead to find a farmer who would let us land on their property. I learned that because you can't really steer a hot air balloon, you never really know where you'll end up. The pilot finds a good spot and hopes the farmer will say yes, you may land on my property. If they say no, they keep floating along for a better spot. We landed with a light touch and two small bounces before crawling back out of the basket and heading back to Domaine Chandon for our gourmet brunch and endless mimosas (I think we had at least 6 a piece). The entire experience was so much fun and one of the highlights of my trip! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A View from Above</td></tr>
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We met up with our friends at Domaine Chandon and tried some of the other sparkling wines available there with a 2-1 tasting from Yelp. The Yelp deal must be a pretty good one and relatively unused since the woman at the tasting bar didn't seem to want to give it to me initially until she read it through a few times. Our next stop was Bouchon, a french bakery nearby. There was a bit of a line <br />
when we arrived, but waiting there was easy compared to the difficulty in making a decision on what to order once we got up to the counter! My two friends who didn't eat brunch ordered salads and dessert while I opted instead just to split 4 different macaroons the size of my hand in half. They were so good and while I enjoyed the Pistachio flavor, I was pleasantly surprised by the PB&J as well.<br />
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We had a 2:30 tour reservation at Hess Collection, so we did not linger long over the food. One of the things I liked most about driving around the Napa/Sonoma areas is that everything was pretty easy to find. We got to Hess a few minutes early and walked around the inside lobby while the other people who would be touring with us showed up. Our tour guide, Sam, met us in the lobby and took us out to the vineyard to see some of the vines. We were able to eat a few grapes right off the plants that hadn't been harvested yet. From there we went inside to see where they hold some of the barrels and learn about their property and different wines. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Champagne Brunch</td></tr>
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We were escorted out to a little garden area to do a tasting. After we finished our tour, some of the girls explored the art museum portion of the building (I opted out since I don't like modern art). After Hess, we went back to our hotel to freshen up and decide on dinner. My wine class instructor from back home suggested we try Morimoto. We were able to get seated right away on their back patio and placed our orders. Sadly, everything was just OK. We all ordered different things (sushi, dumplings, soup, etc) and nothing really stood out. <br />
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<u>Sunday</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Domaine Carneros</td></tr>
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Our last full day in Napa started with a fabulous breakfast in bed. One of the things I didn't mention before is that the Napa River Inn also provides breakfast each morning from the restaurant downstairs as part of their package. I don't know if I liked the breakfast sandwich or fruit & yogurt parfait better. Either way, everything was so good and it saved us from trying to find somewhere to eat each morning when everything outside was closed! I did manage to take a little stroll to the Napa General Store that morning and pickup a few souvenirs. If you are a wine lover, definitely make a point to stop in that store.<br />
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We arrived at Domaine Carneros at 11:00 AM for our tour/tasting. I hadn't been to this vineyard before and it was incredibly beautiful and scenic. The main building was an old mansion sitting up on a hill. There were already a lot of people tasting on the veranda with beautiful cheese platters. Our tour guide this time was a little bit bigger than the last one (maybe 10-12 people?), but still manageable. We started the tour tasting some of their sparkling wines. Our guide, Al, was very enthusiastic and walked us through the property stopping to let us taste more wine along the way. At the end we tried a few more bottles with a cheese pairing and I purchased a bottle of their Pinot Noir to bring home. It was a great tour and a good way to start the day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castello Di Amorosa</td></tr>
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We lingered a little longer than I had planned for so we had to cut out a few stops at this point to make sure we had plenty of time at the next vineyard before our spa appointments that night. We went straight to the Castello di Amorosa for our next tasting. I had heard wonderful things from people back home and on site about this vineyard, so I was very excited to visit. The beautiful castle replica was built from a lot of material imported from Europe and took many years to build. There are barnyard animals, a moat, and a drawbridge. I knew in advance that I wanted to do their reserve tasting, but my only complaint is that the tasting room is kind of far from everything else so you don't get to soak in the atmosphere. We didn't really get a chance to walk around and see the property very well. The tasting was wonderful and the cheese and charcuterie pairings were perfect. I am enjoying a bottle of their Sangiovese as I write this post... yum! <br />
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Our last scheduled stop for the day was to the Indian Springs Spa in Callistoga for a mud bath and massage. Before our appointment times, we went to check out the mineral pool. The water seemed nice, but the pool was pretty crowded. I only stayed up there for 15 minutes or so until I had to head back for my mud bath. The entire mud bath experience was very cool and relaxing. I would like to sleep in a mud bath every night if I could. The mud molded to your body and made it seem like a very dirty tempurpedic mattress. After 12 minutes in the bath, I rinsed off in the shower and went in the steam room to unclog my pores. After that was finished, I was escorted to the massage room for 60 minutes of bliss. I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep at the bar when we stopped for dinner at Rutherford Grille. The Spa was a great way to end our stay in Napa.<br />
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<u>Monday</u><br />
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We left for San Fran early Monday morning. The plan was to sit in traffic and drop off 2 of my friends before spending the day in the city. Fortunately we made good timing and we able to see some sights together (full house landmarks, lombard street, etc) before they had to leave. After dropping them off, I parked near Ghiradelli square and enjoyed some Irish Coffees at Buena Vista Cafe. While walking toward Pier 39, we came across a sign for GoCars. These little yellow go carts drive on the street and have a navigation/recorded tour guide that takes you through the city. There was a 2.5 hour loop that went to a lot of places I hadn't seen before, so the two of us strapped on our helmets and jumped in! This was one of the other highlights of my trip as we drove through many beautiful scenic points and the Presidio. The Cliff side neighborhoods were breathtaking... and while my hands were not happy about the handbrakes as I drove down Lombard Street in my GoCar, it was such a fun experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napa River Inn Hotel</td></tr>
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After we turned our GoCar back in, we met up with another friend for a drink before heading back home to Boston. All in all, it was a great trip! </div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-28120904827928655402015-09-18T06:59:00.002-07:002015-09-18T07:42:10.891-07:00Living off the Land - North Fork of Long Island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine tasting at Sparkling Pointe</td></tr>
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I began taking wine studies classes a few years ago to become more educated in vino. As I shared this new proclamation with my friends, one told me about the rich soil and seemingly endless number of vineyards in the North Fork of Long Island. Unlike the Hamptons and upscale party atmosphere on the South Fork, the North Fork region is primarily dedicated to agriculture. After a few years, more classes, and my repeated and not-so-subtle suggestions for an invitation to her boyfriend’s family farm, she finally caved and had a group of people down for Labor Day weekend this year. (Thanks, Katie!)<br />
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I drove from Boston down to New London, CT early Saturday morning to catch the <a href="https://www.longislandferry.com/" target="_blank">Cross Sound Ferry</a> to Orient Point, NY. Fortunately, we didn’t hit much traffic and made it to the dock just under 2 hours. Because tickets are available online in advance, I was able to drive my car right onto the boat and spend the next 1.5 hours enjoying a mimosa and BLT on the main deck. For a ferry, the prices really weren’t that bad and the quality of food was shockingly good! After we disembarked, we headed right to <a href="http://www.greenportvillage.com/seps-farmstand/" target="_blank">Sep’s Farm Stand</a> in East Marion to meet up with our friends. Their location is conveniently located right on Main Rd. and there is a nice big sign out front and plenty of parking. The fresh veggies all looked so good I had to stop myself from picking up tomatoes and eating them right there! Once the group all got together, we went over to the <a href="http://www.poemarine.com/accommodations/" target="_blank">Huron Suites</a> at the POE (Port of Egypt) to check into our rooms. The hotel is small and independently owned, not a big chain. The location is right on the water with tables/chairs setup overlooking the boats docked at the marina. I spent a few hours sitting in those chairs drinking wine and eating cheese without a care in the world. I stayed in one of the admiral suites and could not be happier. Everything was spotless and we had a small kitchenette and spacious combined living/sleeping area. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful view outside our hotel</td></tr>
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With all the semantics settled, we started off on day 1 of wine tasting! One of the things I noticed right away at most of the vineyards in the area were the signs deterring away buses, limos, and other large crowds. Some places wouldn’t even let you walk in if your party was larger than 8 people. I’m not sure what the exact reasoning is for this policy, but I imagine it must have been a problem in the past with people sitting and not paying for a tasting and/or bottle. This wasn't a problem for our group, but it is good to know in case you are trying to go with a larger group for a special occasion or guided tour. Our itinerary consisted of: <a href="http://www.sparklingpointe.com/" target="_blank">Sparkling Pointe</a>, <a href="http://www.castellodiborghese.com/" target="_blank">Borghese</a>, <a href="http://www.greenportharborbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Greenport Harbor Brewing Company</a>, and <a href="https://duckwalk.com/" target="_blank">Duck Walk</a>. All were enjoyable and I picked up a bottle at Sparkling Pointe; however my least favorite location was Duck Walk. I wasn’t very impressed with their port wines, which is what they are known for. The location was absolutely beautiful and they had a very big tasting room. One of the things that surprised me the most was like a lot of the vineyards did not offer food pairings or a cheese plate. It seems like that would be a very easy way to upsell your customers when they want a snack. Borghese had this idea executed pretty well though since they had fresh local oysters for sell by the plate. We got 2 dozen to share and they were delicious! <br />
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After picking up some snacks at the local IGA and going back to the hotel to freshen up, we headed to downtown Greenport for some pre-dinner drinks at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/brix-and-rye-greenport-2" target="_blank">Brix and Rye</a> followed by a meal at The Blue Canoe. Greenport is setup for easy walking from one place to the next. I really enjoyed how many people were out and about at night. The Northside Collins drink at Brix and Rye was so good; light and summery and perfect for a night on the town. The Blue Canoe had great atmosphere with outdoor fire pits and a nice view, but I wasn’t blown away by my spicy tuna roll. Fortunately, when you are with a good group of friends, your time together is always great! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner and Drinks in Greenport</td></tr>
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The next morning we met back up at the farm and as everyone was getting ready, I took a minor detour to see the lavender farm across the street. There is a cute little gift shop in the front, but they did charge (I think $8/person) to just walk around the fields, even though only one little patch of lavender was still in bloom. I was so shocked by this considering how cool my last lavender farm experience was in Maui. I later found out the charges and bus signs at this particular location was to control the groups of Asian tourists who come to see where a popular Asian romance movie which was filmed nearby. With so many small businesses, I was beginning to see how it might be difficult to manage large crowds and provide them with good service. Nevertheless, I was not planning to pay to walk through the fields… until I found out a few friends actually made some purchases and received a complimentary entrance for me as well. It was as underwhelming as I expected given the time of year.<br />
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After a delicious Green lunch at the Hellenic, we started out on day 2 of our wine tasting extravaganza: <a href="http://www.mattebellavineyards.com/main" target="_blank">Mattabella</a>, <a href="http://www.croteaux.com/" target="_blank">Croteaux</a>, and <a href="http://www.jasonsvineyard.com/" target="_blank">Jason’s Vineyard</a>. Mattabella had an interesting tasting setup where they would pour two of their wines side-by-side and had you compare which you liked best. It was interesting to see how climate changes affected the taste each year. My favorite there was the 2009 Chardonnay and I brought a bottle home to enjoy later. Croteaux was my favorite stop of the trip by far. Their focus is on Rose's. I did the sparkling wine tasting and ending up buying two bottles to bring home. The tasting area was very small and intimate, but beautifully done. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm0Uc2ap49w/VfwT4BNDHwI/AAAAAAAAIbY/ggtpq9An7XQ/s1600/mattabella.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm0Uc2ap49w/VfwT4BNDHwI/AAAAAAAAIbY/ggtpq9An7XQ/s320/mattabella.png" width="320" /></a>We split up from the group for a bit to take a side journey to a nearby Olive Oil store before our last stop at Jason's Vineyard. I really liked the decor there with the ship theme, but the wine did not blow me away. My friends hosted us for dinner that evening at their family’s house where we feasted on seafood and continued to drink more wine, of course.</div>
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Our last morning on Long Island started back at the farm where we loaded ourselves up with fresh veggies and walked back to a private beach overlooking the Sound. Since we were on our own for the rest of the day, we went back to Greenport to peruse the local shops and eat lunch at Bruce’s cheese emporium! I rate that place with 5 stars for making me wait, and then making me happy I waited for an insanely delicious cheddar, tomato, and maple bacon panini-style sandwich. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it…. Mmm, bacon. Our last hoorah before boarding the ferry was a stop at <a href="http://kontokostawinery.com/" target="_blank">Kontakosta</a> winery. A modern barn with beautiful wood and metal designs sat pristinely overlooking a plot of land and beautiful bluffs. We did a tasting in the barn, then headed out to the bluffs to order a glass of our favorite wine and take in the scenary. As our vacation came to an end, I decided this would not be my last trip to the North Fork. This gem is like Napa, only much closer to me! <br />
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<em>Note: All photos in this post are courtesy of my friend Melissa.</em> </div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-78720591569196664942015-08-12T06:31:00.000-07:002015-08-12T06:31:47.796-07:00New England Highlights - The White Mountains<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Omni Mt Washington</td></tr>
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Several years back, I saw a billboard advertising “The Cog” as I was driving around the outskirts of Boston. Since I did not grow up in this area, I had to look up what it was. Within a few minutes, I became intrigued by the idea of riding an old steam train to the top of Mount Washington, a part of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. During my online search, I also learned about the beautiful and expensive Omni resort nestled in the White Mountains only minutes away from The Cog’s basecamp. Unfortunately, not many of my friends were as enthused as I was, especially with the hefty price tag that comes with staying at that resort. It took a couple of years and a good Groupon deal for me to find a willing companion to come along for a long weekend trip. Originally, we were booked for a snowy weekend in early Spring, but due to the massive amount of snow in New England this year, we had to postpone to a later day in May. Both Groupon and the Omni were really great with allowing the change in reservation, so I need to give kudos to their customer service departments. In the end, I think the change actually worked out better since we were able to walk around outside more and enjoy our time on top of Mt. Washington, which proudly advertises the worst weather in America. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the trains</td></tr>
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We drove up from Boston late in the morning on Saturday and arrived at the resort just as our room was finishing up. The hotel is a beautiful, and kind of creepy, old mansion with ornate molding and very large and lavish furniture that promoted socializing in the common areas over the individual rooms. There were people relaxing in the lobby during our entire stay playing chess or enjoying a drink. Deciding to have a drink and snack on site, we walked over to the Rosebrook bar and sat next to a large picture window overlooking the stream and golf course. Two glasses of wine and the antipasti cheese plate perfectly complimented the relaxed yet refined atmosphere. After our snacks, we went to the concierge to plan the rest of our evening and make reservations for dinner. Unfortunately, the main dining room was completely booked and the only available for the other dining options were either really early or really late. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half-way point on Mt. Washington</td></tr>
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We decided try our luck at Stickneys later that night without a reservation, but first we had to also book our carriage ride. One of the prime reasons for my trip to the Omni resort was to partake in a romantic carriage ride around the property (in the winter they do sleigh rides!). Because our 5 o’clock reservation slot was only an hour away and no one else booked during that time, we opted to do a “semi-private” carriage with hopes that no one would have a last minute booking. It saved us $50 and actually worked out since we were on our own for a beautiful ride through the property. After changing for dinner, we spent some time exploring the property before heading to Stickneys for dinner. Due to the long wait, we decided to eat at the bar. The drinks and food were all very good and the atmosphere was dark wood/English pub style. We ended the night drinking martinis and playing chess in the lobby.<br />
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Sunday morning, we got up early to take a walk through the trails and get some breakfast in the main dining room. After we checked out of the room, we were off on our last adventure. The Cog basecamp was only about 10 minutes away from the resort and very easy to find. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful and the clouds had all cleared up so we had a perfect view both riding up and back down Mt. Washington. The entire trip lasted 3 hours, including an hour stop at the stop of the mountain. The hour was just long enough to take some pictures, mail ourselves a postcard, and grab a quick snack. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the Summit!</td></tr>
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All in all, it was a quick and fun May weekend in New England.</div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-45114588589675893282015-07-24T07:18:00.000-07:002015-07-24T07:18:30.060-07:00NASCAR and Chocolate Port in Indy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheik and Zelda</td></tr>
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Earlier this year, my brother told me that he and his family would be moving from Indianapolis to Canada at the end of summer. Since my first, and only, experience of Indianapolis was in the dead of winter (insert hyperlink), I thought it would be nice to go back in the summer before they left. Since I had planned an extended weekend away from work, I had even more time to enjoy the city and my fam. I ended up flying into the airport on Friday afternoon. I remembered how good the popcorn was the last time I was there, so I was sure to pick up two bags (buffalo ranch and smores, yum yum!) before meeting my sister-in-law at passenger pickup. We drove to their home in Carmel to relax for a bit and play with their dogs before dinner. That evening, she took me to Drakes, a local restaurant that served both pub food and sushi. This concept confused me and for a few seconds I considered ordering both fried pickles and sashimi, but ended up sticking to the Japanese portion of the menu with some edamame, fried dumplings, and a crag Rangoon roll. The dumplings were delicious, but everything else was just ok. I guess it goes without saying that you shouldn’t order sushi when you aren’t near the sea… at least all my fish was cooked.<br />
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My brother got in from his business trip that evening and the next day was dedicated to exploring the Indy Wine Trail! For my birthday this year, I was gifted a couple bottles of wine from their local wineries. I really enjoyed them and was looking forward to spending the sunny day outside. From my research, I learned that there were 7 wineries on this path not far from Indianapolis. Our goal for the day was to explore 3 of them: Cedar Creek Winery, Mallow Run Winery, and Chateau Thomas Winery. We got to Cedar Creek in the early afternoon when it wasn’t very busy yet. Other than a bachelorette party (or maybe birthday party?), we had the tasting room to ourselves. It was a very cute setup with a decent size tasting room and lots of little trinkets to peruse. I have an interest in wine and was prepared to ask lots of questions around where they get their grapes and what types of wine they make, but was quickly shot down because the woman who was helping us said she was new and had no idea how to answer my first few questions. I spent an hour or so tasting a few of their wines, but ended up only buying two bottles of the same chocolate raspberry port I had on my birthday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All suited up</td></tr>
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Our next stop was Mallow Run Winery. The tasting room there appeared to be the same size, but it was a lot busier. We ended up sharing a bottle of the Picnic White with a small cheese platter on the deck until the crowd cleared enough that we could get a spot at the tasting counter. This definitely seemed like a more popular spot and I believe they have concerts and other events there as well. Aside from the one white wine, I was not impressed with their selection either. I think it’s important to note that neither of the two wineries at this point charged for their tastings. It was only the last spot, Chateau Thomas Winery that charged a $5 tasting fee; however the employees working the tasting counter there seemed much more knowledgeable and engaging. Their shop was also the nicest and had the largest selection of wine trinkets to look explore. In appearance, they were less vineyard-y and more warehouse, but still a nice stop along the way. After a full day of tasting, we got dinner that evening at Boombozz Pizza and Taphouse. They had a fun ambiance and pizza hit the spot after drinking all that wine. The only thing that made the day better (or worse depending on your opinion) was going to see Magic Mike XXL that night with my sister-in-law and her friend. <br />
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Sunday was the highlight of my trip. I came across an internet coupon deal for a NASCAR style racing experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I purchased three coupons for all of us and we arrived around 11:30 am to check in. The check-in line was about 6 people deep and the two girls processing the paperwork were moving very slowly. About 20 minutes later, we were ready to go. Because of the rain the night before, we could not use the tunnel under the track. This meant they had to wait for all the cars to finish their racing experience from the time slot before opening the gates and letting us all across. Fortunately, we only had to wait about 5 minutes. As part of the ride-along experience (I was not going to drive!), I had to suit up in a fireproof jumpsuit and put on a helmet. They had freshly-washed little cloth beanies to wear under our helmets to prevent lice/other germs. Once we were all suited up, we took turns in the 2 ride-along cars going around the track. One of the best parts was trying to jump into the car through the window with my short legs. I got in eventually and a guy game by to buckle me up before my 5 laps around the track began. It was so exhilarating! We passed by several of the other drivers and by the end of lap 2, my head felt like it was going to vibrate off my neck, haha. I felt completely safe and really enjoyed the whole experience, as did my family. Later that day, my brother picked up their dogs and we all went to the river walk area downtown to walk along the canal before going to dinner. It was a very nice set-up; I’m only surprised there weren’t more bars and restaurants similar to San Antonio. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting in the car</td></tr>
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My flight left in the early afternoon on Monday, so I only had time to get brunch and pack. After sitting on the outdoor deck at Bub’s Café for approximately 15 minutes, I had 4-5 mosquito bites and I really bad drink (who puts beer in a bloody mary?). We moved inside for the rest of the meal and I thoroughly enjoyed my Elk Sausage and Biscuits as my last meal in Indy. I’m very glad I had a chance to experience the area in the summer, it was way better than freezing in the winter. </div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-10136317333375803522015-04-16T08:59:00.000-07:002015-04-16T08:59:00.986-07:00China in the Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beat that StairMaster!</td></tr>
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Back in October, I begun looking for good deals on a trip to Asia. I ended up booking a tour of Thailand with Affordable Asia (see my old post <a href="http://viedetina.blogspot.com/2015/01/thanksgiving-in-thailand.html" target="_blank">here</a>), but also came across many good deals going to China. Only a few short months later, I found myself heading to China after all with family on another good deal offered by <a href="http://chinatours.com/">ChinaTours.com</a>. The 8 day package could not be passed over, and this time around we decided to book the flights on our own. It looks like the tour we were on has been slightly modified from its original itinerary, so if you look at the options now they are different from what I experienced. I found out the hard way last time that the flights that Affordable Asia booked for us were not eligible for frequent flyer miles, and sadly, I ended up missing the number of miles I needed to secure status for this year. After doing a comparison on purchasing the flights on our own, we found there was a negligible difference in price and made sure our miles counted this time around. The only down side to this method was that we had a bit of a mix up at the airport when we arrived and had to get to the hotel on our own. All of our domestic flights were still booked through the tour company between Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai.<br />
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<u>Day 1 – Arrival in Beijing</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live snacks</td></tr>
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After 17+ hours of traveling including a quick layover in Chicago, we touched down into Beijing around 7 pm on day 1 of our tour. There were no issues with our flight or customs and immigration and we got our luggage in a fair amount of time. Before leaving, our tour rep, Fiona, had communicated to us over email that there would still be someone to pick us up from the airport when we arrived even though we purchased our own flights. We expected to see someone waiting with a China Tours sign at the terminal as we walked out, but sadly, no one was there. After making a few calls and waiting some more, we decided to just jump in a taxi ourselves and head to the airport. Fortunately, we didn't experience any problems with the cab and got to <a href="https://www.hoteljen.com/en/beijing/uppereast/about" target="_blank">Hotel Jen</a> soon thereafter. <br />
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The hotel was very nice, but far from the downtown area. I have found this arrangement to be pretty typical with tour companies since they have to park their big buses and shuttle you around most of the time anyways. Usually it isn’t an issue, but it can make for expensive cab rides. We were able to speak with our local guide, Lilly, after checking into the hotel and she apologized for the mix up and gave us the meeting time for the next morning in the lobby. We waited for about an hour assuming they may have been running late. <br />
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<u>Day 2 – Beijing</u><br />
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One of the best things about this tour was knowing that a huge hotel breakfast buffet was included each day. All of the buffets were a good mix and Chinese food and an American breakfast. My typical breakfast consisted of coffee, pineapple juice, a croissant with Nutella, fried rice, and some veg/meat stir-fry… a breakfast of champions, for sure! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Peking Duck</td></tr>
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After eating a large meal, we met up with the larger group in the lobby. It was a mix of ages, but most appeared to be in their 30s and 40s. I think on average, this group was a little older than the group that went to Thailand, and much older than the groups I’ve traveled with in the past using On the Go and Tucan Tours. It could be because of the location, or because of that particular tour company… I’m not entirely sure which is the reason. The group was friendly and ready to head out to our first sight! Because of some logistical changes, we had to switch the itinerary for day 1 and day 2 meaning that we would start our trip with going to see The Great Wall of China. I was very happy with this change because it was supposed to rain almost every other day on our trip and I was glad to be able to spend the nice sunny day outside on the wall.<br />
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Just like with Thailand, most of our travel time was due to the fact that we were always sitting in traffic. Since the wall is so great indeed, there are multiple places that tourists tend to visit. We went to Juyongguan Pass. Our bus was supposed to drop us off at a higher point in the mountain side, but the road was closed so we stayed in a less steep area. What I didn't realize about the Great Wall beforehand was that it has a lot of steps! It's not just a flat wall, it is like the great steps of China. I would have loved to see Rocky filmed here because he would have never made it to the top. After about 30 minutes or slow, my movements slowed down pretty drastically. After the next 15 I sat on the stairs and started to second guess my decision of walking that far. All I thought about was how in shape those warriors must have been. Because the wall goes for such a far distance, it is hard to really take it all in from one spot. I found myself not as impressed as I have been at some other historical sights, only because I couldn't really appreciate it all. If I could do this again, I would definitely look into some kind of helicopter ride or something over the wall so I can really get a sense for it. <br />
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After our walk along the wall, we headed over the a jade “museum” for lunch and a brief instruction on how jade is excavated and polished. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food here. Who would have thought a shop would offer such a good meal too. The museum itself was more of a shop with a short discussion and demonstration, but that is what I expected when I arrived. Fortunately, I actually wanted to get a small pendant and found one that didn't cost too much. I wouldn't have thought you could haggle in shops like that, but negotiating happens everywhere! I wouldn't be surprised if you went into a shop like H&M and starting bargaining, ha! Heading into traffic yet again, we made our way to an area downtown with more shopping and an exotic food market.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful architecture in the Summer Palace</td></tr>
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Before cutting us loose to walk through the food market on our own, we were escorted into a nearby building for a traditional medicine seminar and consultation with a local medicine person who specializing in herbal treatment. We were led in a short 15 minute discussion around ancient Chinese medicine and how western medicine and eastern medicine complement each other. It was actually very interesting to hear about how they are coming together in comprehensive treatment plans all over the world. We were also offered an opportunity for a free consultation with a professor for a quick check up. I went first in my small group and the professor checked four different pulse points on my arm, asked me to stick out my tongue, and then continued to ask me a few basic questions. After giving me my diagnosis, he discussed what the herbal treatment options were and asked me if I wanted to buy any. I politely declined and he moved along. After our consultation, I was offered a 10 minute chair massage for a few yuan. It felt great after walking all morning.<br />
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After leaving the building, we continued down the street to Wangfujing Street to peruse the high-end shopping and more importantly, the food market. Now I am not naive enough to think that local people eat scorpions on a stick everyday, but to see even a few people snacking on them was pretty shocking. In addition to scorpions, there were also kebabs full of starfish, snakes, tarantulas, grubs, and seahorses... something for everyone! For the less adventurous folks, there were steamed buns, stir-fry, and other sweets. I am not one to eat street food anywhere (even in Boston), so I passed. I was tempted to buy some tea and other souvenirs though. I ended up with a silk embroidered piece of artwork that was haggled down to 50 yuan from a 600 yuan starting price, yikes! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rickshaw ride through a Hutong</td></tr>
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Instead of meeting back up with the group to head to the hotel, we stayed behind in search of one the best local restaurants for Peking Duck (according to the internet, of course). After a short walk around the block, we found a tasteful restaurant with a big crowd waiting outside salivating over the small of roast deck wafting through the air. Everyone was given a number and asked to wait outside. The only problem was that they called the numbers out in Mandarin and none of us spoke Mandarin. What ended up happening was that we watched the woman call out number after number and then someone would approach her from our party and she would just shake her head. After 30 minutes of head shaking, it was finally our turn to order! We got a roast duck to share with the traditional accompaniments and pancakes. The condiments included a sweet sauce, some sugar, green onions, pickled diakons, horseradish, and some other things that either I don't remember or could not identify. When our duck was ready to eat, they brought it out and carved it table side. I later found out there is an art to how many cuts they make so that it is in line with some ancient superstitions around bringing good luck and prosperity. At the time, I only thought about how good it was and how the meat melted in my mouth. It was a great way to end the day.<br />
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<u>Day 3 – Beijing</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Forbidden City</td></tr>
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The rain started as predicted on the next day and we had a cloudy morning while walking around the Summer Palace. The grounds were huge and our guide informed us that this park contained the <a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-covered-wooden-corridor" target="_blank">longest covered corridor in the world</a>, which is a random but cool fact to know. As a summer home to the Qianlong Emperor's mother, there is a beautiful lake and many pagodas to visit. One of the coolest things to see was the marble ship sitting in the middle of the lake, which was built so that the emperor's mother could still be on the water without the fear of sinking. The only thing I was a bit put off by was that you had to pay to go and visit this beautiful park. It seems to me that it should be open to the public to enjoy!<br />
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After our morning stroll and a quick stop into a pearl "factory", we drove to a different part of the city for a rickshaw ride in the rain. In addition, lunch that day was provided by a local family living in a hutong within the city. My guide book makes hutongs look very pretty and spacious, but in reality, so many additional structures popped up within the hutong that was explored that I couldn't tell where the outer wall even was. It seemed run down and dirty, and while I try not to complain, I think this might have been a scam. The food was fine and the host was very welcoming, but it just didn't add up. There was so much pressure for us to eat at this home that the people who opted out of this optional expense were pretty alienated. The bathroom situation at the hutong was, by far, the worse I came across. Allegedly none of the homes have their own bathrooms (which makes you wonder where they shower since I saw they definitely had indoor plumbing in the kitchen), so we all had to use the communal toilets in the alley. The squatty potties were taken to the next level because not only were they holes in the ground, but none of the “stalls” had any doors, just very small dividers. Needless to say, I became much closer to a few of the women on that trip in that bathroom.<br />
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After that situation was taken care of, we piled back into the bus to head over to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, we could not actually walk on the square due to a visiting foreign dignitary, but we did walk around it and take a quick picture before continuing on to the Forbidden City. This spot was drastically different from the Summer Palace. Unlike the beautiful trees and landscaping I saw earlier in the day, the Forbidden City was completely concrete and bare. Our guide told us this was because the buildings were made of wood and they didn't want anything inside the fortress that could catch on fire and bring everything down with it. Additionally, there was large tubs all around the outer wall to hold rain water to douse any fires that may have started during an attack. We were also supposed to visit the water nest and Beijing Olympic park that day, but due to all the traffic, we never made it there. <br />
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That evening, dinner was included with the tour group for a traditional Peking duck meal. In comparison to the previous night, we only had about a quarter of a duck to share among the large table. Fortunately, we had many other dishes as well including some delicious veggie and other duck meat stir-fries. The stir-fry dishes were fabulous, but I think the duck was better the night before. It had a better presentation and was more moist. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to pack back up for another flight the next day.<br />
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<u>Day 4 – Fly to Xi’an</u><br />
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Our group was chauffeured to the airport the next morning and split up onto two different flights landing within an hour of each other. I do not know why we were booked on separate flights, but since we arrived second and didn’t have to wait around for anyone, it didn't seem like a big deal at the time. When we met up with the group, we found out that we were being consolidated into an even bigger group while touring in Xi’an. The other group was also in Beijing for a few days, but stayed at a different hotel and were escorted around by a different guide. It still wasn't completely unmanageable with the larger group, but it did make coordinating times at the sights much more difficult than before. I actually felt bad for our guide, Aaron. He did a great job though!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local artist creating a mini warrior</td></tr>
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Because the flights did not arrive until mid-afternoon, most of the time planned to visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda had passed and the venue was no longer open. Instead we did a quick city tour in the bus driving around the Bell Tower and Drum Tower squares. <br />
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The optional tour for that night was the Tang Dynasty show and dumpling dinner. I did some research in advance on the show and decided it wouldn’t be a good use of our time. Instead, some of the group headed out to a local restaurant with great reviews for a dumpling feast of our own. I don’t eat much seafood, so I chose the meat and veggie dumpling dinner while everyone else had the seafood as well. The dumplings were very good and I definitely enjoyed some more than others, but it seemed like a somewhat authentic experience and no one went home hungry! Fun Fact: Some restaurants will charge you for napkins.<br />
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<u>Day 5 – Xi’an</u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pg39EBAUTVI/VS_XEpyBJoI/AAAAAAAAIRY/2wvGBwf-zN8/s1600/IMG_8574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pg39EBAUTVI/VS_XEpyBJoI/AAAAAAAAIRY/2wvGBwf-zN8/s1600/IMG_8574.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Pit 1</td></tr>
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Because of the travel chaos from the day before, we had to squeeze in a trip to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda before continuing with our plans for the current day. The group arrived just as the doors were opening and we walked right in without a wait. The beautiful open park hosted multiple open areas for gathering with friends and family or even exercising. One of the common things for retired women to do is to join a group in the nearby park for traditional dancing. We saw several groups of dancers near the pagoda working on their rhythm. We split up for about 20 minutes or so to explore on our own before getting back on the bus for the drive out to the complex housing the Terra-cotta warriors. Fun<br />
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The ~40 minute drive was not too bad considering we had been sitting in heavy traffic during most of our travels within China. Just outside of the venue, we made a pit stop at another local “museum” to understand how the clay warriors were made and view some local furniture and art. This was the only place I found during the entire trip that sold Christmas ornaments, so even though I know I didn’t get the best price, I bought one anyways. I like to collect ornaments and now I will have a little koi fish dangling from my tree next year. After 45 minutes or so of this museum/shopping experience, we were all sent upstairs to eat lunch at the buffet. I don’t know of many shops that offer lunch as well, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. We didn’t even have this experience in Thailand, so it is pretty unique. The food at the Jade museum was awesome, so I was hoping for something delicious. Sadly, I was letdown; I didn’t really enjoy any of it. Good thing I had my snacks ready for that long afternoon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YuYuan Gardens and Huxting Tea House</td></tr>
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After lunch, we hit one of the highlights of the trip, the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses! We started out as a group in Pit 1 and then had free time to roam the other pits and take photos. Everything I read said to save pit 1 for last, so I was a little confused by why we started there. I guess if you are going to have a guide, you can cover the most detail in the first pit since it is the largest, but that meant the other pits were underwhelming. The most interesting thing I noticed was that they have been digging for 40+ years and still haven’t dug everything up. They have, however, built a beautiful building surrounding each of the pits and plenty of souvenir shopping. Had this been found in the US, I’d like to believe they would have uncovered most of the artifacts before putting them all on display. I do understand having to cover the clay warriors so they can remain preserved, but the shopping too? Is that necessary? It was very cool to see everything that has been dug up so far. The excavation site is much larger than I could have imagined by reading the guide books and the carvings are very ornate.<br />
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The last sight for the day was at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda square. I actually wish we were able to spend more time here because it was a fun open area with lots of shops, restaurants, and people walking around. The pagoda itself was closed by the time we arrived, so we could not go in, but walking around outside was delightful. In addition, I was able to pick up a green tea and red bean cheesecake and green tea latte from Starbucks for a taste test comparison to what I get back home. I concluded that the green tea latte I had there was more powdery and rich flavor than what I get back in Boston. I like them both though, just for different reasons. I also liked the flavor of the cheesecake, but the red beans made it very crumbly instead of creamy. One of the optional tours for that night was to take a bike ride along the ancient city wall. I am glad I did not book that in advance, because the rain would have made it a miserable and potentially dangerous experience. A small number of people did pre-pay for the tour and they did not end up going. I would have liked to take a walk along the wall, but that didn’t happen either.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wMA_jMlD6_I/VS_XM8gBk3I/AAAAAAAAIRo/bA9IS40p1a4/s1600/IMG_8648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wMA_jMlD6_I/VS_XM8gBk3I/AAAAAAAAIRo/bA9IS40p1a4/s1600/IMG_8648.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the YuYuan Garden</td></tr>
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Once we got back to hotel and changed, we ventured out to find dinner and drinks somewhere nearby. Our guide gave us directions to a local restaurant just a few blocks away, but we ended up sitting at a table for over 10 minutes before even seeing a menu. After we got our menu (one to share amongst our large group), we decided it wasn’t a good place to try and went back to the hotel for drinks and snacks in the hotel bar. That night we packed back up and got ready for another early morning and day of traveling.<br />
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<u>Day 6 – Fly to Shanghai</u><br />
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Domestic traveling is definitely one of the weaknesses of China Tours. I really hope they are working on this with the revised itineraries since it was dreadfully unorganized. This time around, the people in our tour group were split between three different flights. While they were all planned to landed within 2 hours of each other, some of the people on our tour were told that their seats were not confirmed and others were later told that their flight was cancelled all together. My group ended up being the first to land, so we had 1.5 hours to kill at the airport before collecting the next group. The third group was actually split onto multiple other flights and one never made it to Shanghai until 11pm. They had to spend the entire day at the airport in Xi’an! Since we only had the next day to walk around the city, this unfortunately arrangement really cut into the time we could see the city.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RhKg-xAfGhU/VS_XPt8mDgI/AAAAAAAAIRw/qL61JyjmtcU/s1600/IMG_8678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RhKg-xAfGhU/VS_XPt8mDgI/AAAAAAAAIRw/qL61JyjmtcU/s1600/IMG_8678.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea tasting experience</td></tr>
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Once we met up with the second group, we threw our jumped into a smaller bus and headed to the Shanghai Jiangnan Silk Museum. Again, I can barely use the word “museum” here since it was more of a shop with a little demo area out front of how silk is made. These types of tours really are notorious for shopping stops, but fortunately we only spent approximately 30 minutes here watching the presentation and browsing before going over the Bund: a boardwalk area that skirts along the river. From one side you can see the old Shanghai buildings with strong European influence, and from the other the massive sky scrapers that make up the booming financial district. It a beautiful and somewhat confusing sight to see! By the time we got to the hotel late that afternoon, I was exhausted. Some of the group headed out to Xintiandi for dinner and drinks, but I grabbed two glasses of wine from the bar (2 for 1 happy hour) and took advantage of the impressive room service menu at the hotel by ordering sweet and sour pork with a side of steamed BBQ pork buns. It was delicious!<br />
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<u>Day 7 – Shanghai</u><br />
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The only day we had completely away from the group was in Shanghai. I actually found it a little odd they didn’t have anything planned in such a big city. There were some optional tours to take a train out to Hangzhou, but I doubted anyone wanted to do even more traveling. The good news is that I had purchased a travel book a few weeks before that had two 90 minute walks laid out through the Old City and French concession. That morning we took a cab to the Chenghuang Miao bazaars and Yuyuan Garden where I played tour guide for the day. When I would imagine China in my head, the first thing that I envisioned was a beautiful garden with koi ponds and stone paths. 7 days into my trip and I finally found what I was looking for… Yuyuan Garden was a beautiful sanctuary located within a walled border in the middle of the city. We got there early before it was too crowded and spent a few hours walking around and soaking it all in. We stopped in the Huxting tea house for a tea tasting with traditional snacks. I ordered a jasmine flowering tea and cautiously picked at the snacks laid out in front of me: some mini eggs, what may or may not have been tofu, a salted prune (I think) and something else that tasted both like jelly and sardines at the same time. The good news was that the tea was delicious and the rest was a learning experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green tea latte and cheesecake</td></tr>
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After our tea, we spent another two hours walking through the old city and checking out the architecture. Our morning walk ended near the French Concession in a new part of the city called Xintiandi. Some of the people in our group went to this neighborhood the night before since there are a lot of restaurants, bars, and nightlife. The guide book suggested a dim sum restaurant in the mall for lunch called the Crystal Jade. Happily, this was a good suggestion! Our food was delicious and I got to try the famous soup dumplings. Unlike regular dumplings, these actually have broth within the doughy purse with a small hole on top to let out steam. After some cooling time, you dig right in. I was warned in advance that the only way to eat these dumplings is to put the whole thing in your mouth. If not, you risk the broth exploding all over the front of your shirt. They were fabulous and quite possibly one of my new favorite Asian foods, next to BBQ pork buns. The second 90 minute walking tour picked up not too far away from our lunch destination. We walked for another hour or two before deciding we were tired and jumping on the subway to get back to the Bund for an evening river cruise. <br />
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A similar excursion was offered through China Tours for an added fee (inflated for profit of course) for the night before, but everyone was exhausted from traveling all day and I don’t believe anyone went. We walked down East Nanjing road and along the waterfront before reaching the ticket office. Within a few minutes, we had our tickets for the 5:30 river cruise. When we arrived, I noticed the open top of the boat was packed, but no one was sitting on the second deck where all the tables and chairs were located. After walking up to the deck, I learned this was a VIP section that was available for only 50 Yuan extra (~$8 USD). After walking all day, this was an easy decision. I handed over my money for a complimentary orange juice and a seat out on the deck for the next hour. The cruise was short but provided an excellent view of the skyline at night. I highly recommend doing that on your own just to get out on the water for a bit and see the city from a different angle. After we docked, we made our way back to Xintiandi for dinner. That day was one of the days I really wish China Tours would have booked us into a hotel closer to city center. It would have been a lot of effort to get back to the hotel to change before coming back in town for dinner. After perusing the menus outside each restaurant, we decided to try out the pizza. Because of my bad experience flying back from Thailand, I didn’t want to take on anything too adventurous before the flight home the next day.<br />
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<u>Day 8 – Fly Home</u><br />
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One last perk of booking our own flights was that we didn’t have to get up to meet everyone in the lobby at 4:00 am to meet their flights. Our flight out of Shanghai left at 4pm, so we had a leisurely breakfast and made one last attempt to get some treats to bring back home. The concierge at the hotel directed us to a nearby shopping “mall” where we killed a few hours before checking out. China Tours redeemed themselves for the mistake when we arrived in Beijing and arranged for a private car to the Shanghai Pudong airport. The trip to the airport was easy since it was Tomb Sweeping Day and everyone was headed in the opposite direction to pay their respects to their deceased ancestors. The long flight back home was a little bit better because we were able to use our frequent flyer miles to upgrade to business class! I think I know how I will be using my miles accrued miles going forward… now I just have to plan my next trip!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanghai Skyline from the River Cruise</td></tr>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0China35.86166 104.19539699999996-12.648315500000002 21.578209499999957 84.3716355 -173.18741550000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-48400741175899888222015-01-10T11:09:00.001-08:002015-01-10T11:09:21.046-08:002014 In Summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The last couple of years, I've always finished with a post that summarized all the fun travels I was able to have in the last 12 months. This recap not only helps jog my memory, it also reminds me how blessed I am to have the means and desire to visit such wonderful places. Each time I go somewhere new, I realize just how big the world is and how different cultures are unique yet mesh so well in the big picture. <br />
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Starting back from last <strong><span style="color: lime;">January</span></strong> when I went to Indianapolis, I already knew 2014 was going to be a cold-weather destination year. The wind was blowing and most of that trip was spent indoors at the Museum of Art and different restaurants and bars.<br />
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As <strong><span style="color: lime;">March</span></strong> rolled around and the temperatures just started to stay above freezing, the ski season started to wind down in Colorado. As a beginner skier, this was an ideal time for me to visit Beaver Creek and give cross-country skiing a shot. The mountain scenery was beautiful and I had a great time riding snow mobiles through the summer hiking paths. <br />
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The third cold weather destination of the year took me to Alaska in <strong><span style="color: lime;">May</span></strong> on a Norwegian cruise. Leaving from Seattle, we enjoyed the free-style atmosphere and docked in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC. Some of the highlights of that trip were seeing the wildlife (a bear!) and eating freshly caught crab legs. <br />
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Summer in Boston is beautiful, so I didn't take another trip until <strong><span style="color: lime;">August</span></strong> to experience the new Harry Potter amusement park in Orlando. A long weekend of butterbeer, sunshine, and rollercoasters was a great way to welcome in the Autumn season.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: lime;">November</span></strong> was my last big trip of the year. Thanksgiving is a great time to travel internationally and I found a really good deal with Affordable Asia in Thailand. 9 days split between Bangkok and Phuket introduced me to the Asian culture for the very first time! I will never forget riding an elephant through the forest or getting to play with the tiger cubs.<br />
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As usual, <strong><span style="color: lime;">December</span></strong> is a month dedicated to family. I always head back to the town I grew up in and spend time with the people I don't get to see nearly enough. <br />
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We are now into the second week of January and 2015 is already looking to be action packed! I've got tentative plans for trips all over the world (check out my calendar page for details). I can't wait!</div>
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Happy New Year everyone and Happy Travels!</div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-47795832013116577022015-01-07T16:32:00.000-08:002015-01-07T16:32:08.762-08:00Thanksgiving in Thailand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the beautiful temples in Bangkok</td></tr>
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Last October, an alert came through my phone for a Groupon deal with Affordable Asia to China. I’ve been looking to go to China for a while and the prices listed were very inexpensive. I followed the company’s site and ended up finding a 9 night 7 day trip to Thailand that peaked my interest even more for the week of Thanksgiving. The price was outstanding and transportation, hotels, and a lot of activities were included – which meant I could sit back and enjoy the ride. I’ve been on tours in the past to Egypt, Peru, and Iceland, and have always found them stress-free and flexible. Since I don’t know Thai and wanted to see as much as possible of the country in a short week, a tour seemed like the best way to go.<br />
<br /> I remember sitting in my seat on the Amtrak train from Boston to NYC at the start of my long journey reading my itinerary for the next 9 days split between 4 days in Bangkok and 3 days in Phuket. While all the activities looked incredibly exciting, the one thing that stood out most on the page was the 16 hour flight from JFK to Hong Kong. I really hoped that flight was going to be worth it. Even now that I reflect back on it, I’m not so sure. Luckily, 2 Benadryl and a glass of wine turned that long flight into a blissful slumber land leaving me forgetting about jet lag and arriving on Thai time (more or less).<br />
<br /><u>Day 2 - </u><u>Arrival in Bangkok</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want this little guy!</td></tr>
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<br />My flight arrived in Bangkok at 7pm on day 2 and I was met outside baggage claim by the tour guide. All the guides had signs and flags and we were able to find our tour easily. We sat in traffic for a while (this was a common theme in ALL of Thailand at any time of day or night) before arriving at our hotel, the Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao . The hotel was tastefully decorated and the room was very comfortable and on par with a typical Marriot/Westin style hotel. In addition, it was actually attached to a shopping mall through the parking lot, so we made a quick trip that night to pick up a case of water and some snacks before crashing for the night. I always recommend getting a case of water at the beginning of a trip where it is not safe to drink water from the tap. You never know if buying it on the street (even from a bottle) is safe. The one quirk of this hotel as well as our hotel in Phuket is that the bathroom was separated from the bedroom area by a glass wall looking into the shower. While this does open up the room quite a bit, you can bet I was quickly looking for a button to lower the curtain and close off the view. Weirdly, the button to close off the view was located outside of the bathroom area, meaning the person in control is the viewer not the person in the shower... hmm.<br />
<br /><u>Day 3 - Temples and Shopping</u><br />
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Breakfast at the hotel was included each day. The buffet spread was actually very nice and had a mix of American and Thai breakfast options. Most days, I had some fried rice, a croissant, and some bacon to start my day. That definitely beats my toast and coffee routine back home. A couple mornings I felt more adventurous and included some stir fried beef and bok choy or a dumpling or two - truly a breakfast of champions! At 9 AM that morning, the group met our guide, Nop, in the lobby and piled into the big bus for a full day of sight-seeing. Nop's English was a little difficult to understand, but he did manage to get us everywhere on time and handled a couple of disgruntled tour members well enough throughout the trip. <br />
<br />The itinerary for the day began with a bus ride out to the Temple of the Golden Buddha. As a first stop, this was a fun way to view a piece of Thai history and take lots of pictures. It's not very big in comparison to the other temple we visited that day, but it was still beautiful and made of solid gold! Our guide told us they know this because when they moved the statue a while back, it actually cracked in half… awesome. The next stop was supposed to be a stroll through the Flower Market at Paklong Talat, but really we only quickly walked down a street past some stalls to get to the next destination. I'm not sure that this could be considered an attraction in our itinerary and should have been taken off. The next real stop was at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It was awesome! There were actually multiple buildings and lots of different buddhas to see, but the Reclining Buddha was HUGE! I'm very glad this was included in our tour as I have never see anything like it before. It was bigger than the height of a house and impossible to get in a single picture, haha! <br />
<br />Lunch was included in the tour that day at a nearby hotel. We ate at hotels and buffets a lot. I’m guessing this is because they are generally safe and offer a variety with little prep time. There were a lot of options to choose from, but I quickly found that 90% of everything in the traditional Thai spread was insanely spicy! Not just like wow, this is hot... no, it was like coughing and crying spicy. I believe I ate a large portion of plain white rice and about 9 mini cakes for dessert. The last stop of the day tour was at a "Gem factory". I put that in quotes because this was the first of several stops where we were clearly there to shop and spend money so that our tour guide could get a kick back. We arrived at the "factory" and were ushered into a room to watch a 1970's movie with horrible acting and music explaining the process of finding gems in Thailand. 10 minutes later, we walked out and were immediately paired up with our very own sales consultant and escorted onto the sales floor. I had no interest in buying any of the gaudy pieces of jewelry on display, so I spent the next 40 minutes sitting in the shop staring at all the suckers being talked into a sale.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classical Thai dancers</td></tr>
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<br />Eventually we got back to the hotel with barely enough time for a quick shower before getting back in a van with a smaller group. That evening, we booked the optional Classical Thai dance shower and dinner. This was the second time I was disappointed on the tour - not a good track record so far for Affordable Asia. We arrived at the Riverfront shopping/entertainment area called Asiatique and were corralled into a restaurant/theater named Calypso Cabaret. The advertisements for this particular establishment promoted a slightly different type of show than what I was expecting. I will not go into detail here, but if you click on the link and look around, you'll get the idea. We all sat at long cafeteria style tables pretty far back from the stage and were served our pre-fixe meals. The food and service were bad, but the show was even worse. It was all very amateur, and while I enjoyed the costumes, this was not at all what I was expecting for the price I paid for the optional tour. I don't think they even advertise the classic Thai dance show on their website. On the upside, Asiatique was a lot of fun. The open air market seemed endless and there was a really good variety of shopping available. I picked up some good trinkets here; I really should have bought more since I found the best deals (after haggling of course) in this location.<br />
<br /><u>Day 4 - Relax and Restore</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floating market</td></tr>
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I have a friend living in Bangkok, so I wanted to make sure to have a free day to meet up with her and relax a bit in between tour days. While the optional day tour was tempting, I later found out from fellow tourists who went that the only thing worth seeing that day was the Grand Palace. I probably should have made some alternative plans to see that on my own. Instead, I did some research on the hotel in advance and saw a special offer for a 3 hour spa package for what was the equivalent of $75 USD. Since you can't get a deal like that in the US, I booked it. That morning, I received a phone call in the room to confirm my appointment and headed down to the spa about 20 minutes early. I was quickly greeted and asked to fill out an information form. When that was done, I was escorted to the room. The spa area in general was pretty small, but I did like that there were individual shower/changing areas attached to each massage room. The masseuse turned on the steam function in the shower and I relaxed in there for 15 minutes before coming out and enjoying treatment #1 - a full body scrub. The scrub smelled so much like a sugar cookie, I was very tempted to eat in when she got closer to my face. Once that was all washed off, I had a relaxing body massage, followed by a facial massage and Indian head massage. 3 hours later, I was pleasantly relaxed and smelling of food. A few of my fellow tourists shared their "Thai massage" stories from other massage parlors and they all left beaten up and in pain. I guess I did not get the traditional Thai massage at the hotel, but I don't think I missed out on anything there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piling on the bamboo rafts</td></tr>
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That night, I took the public transportation system (subway and sky train) down to the large shopping complex, CentralWorld, for shopping and dinner with my friend. We walked around the mall to look at the shops as well as the stalls/stores in MBK nearby. MBK was a waste of time since everything was very crowded and looked to be of a poor quality. I don’t have a lot of patience for shopping in places like that. We ate dinner in the mall and while the food was very good, the company was even better! I hadn't seen my friend in several years, so that night was all about catching up! Before heading home, we all jumped in a tuk tuk to the nearest subway station so that I could ride back to the hotel without making any transfers on my own. The tuk tuk ride was a lot of fun and I'm glad I went with a local so she knew we were headed to the right destination, because I was totally lost!<br />
<br /><u>Day 5 - Elephant Camp and Bamboo Rafts</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant ride through the river</td></tr>
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The next day we chose to go on the optional tour with almost everyone else! It was a packed bus and a long day of traveling. I really wish tour groups would indicate travel time on their itineraries. While I would not have changed my decision to go on this day tour, I would have liked to know the return trip back to the hotel was going to take 3 hours beforehand so I could pack additional snacks. <br />
We left after an early breakfast for the Damnern Saduak Floating Market. Almost 2 hours of bus riding later, our group split up into smaller groups and jumped in some boats. There were some boats guided by a man rowing, but ours had a small motor. We floated through various canals and stands setup on the edge of the water with souvenirs and trinkets. The only problem was that if you pointed at anything or showed interest for more than 3 seconds, the shop owner would reach out with a long hook and pull your boat next to their stall. You would then be subjected immediately to a high pressure sale. We quickly learned not to make eye contact unless you were ready to buy. The fruit sales were all down smaller canals that our boat could not fit into, so I think we missed out on some of the sights. I wouldn't have purchased any fruit there anyways, so I wasn’t too disappointed. <br />
The next stop was yet another buffet lunch in Kanchanaburi on the River Kwai. I ate my fill of white rice (no mini cakes this time) and some mildly spicy drunken noodles before browsing yet another souvenir market. Another 45 minute drive took us to the highlights of the day, and possibly the entire tour - the elephant camp and bamboo rafting tour! There were a lot of people at the elephant camp when we arrived, so our guide decided we would do the rafting tour first. ¾ of the group heard him say this and ran to change into their swimsuits. The other ¼ was out of luck because by the time we were in tow to the rafting launch point, their suits were back on the main bus about a mile away. We all put on our life jackets and walked out onto the bamboo rafts. The river was quiet and perfectly serene… Some local guides steered us around small rapids and gave the signal for people to jump in. I do not like swimming in water than I cannot see through, so I opted out from that part of the activity. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and a "baby" elephant</td></tr>
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When we rode back to the Elephant Camp, there was no time to change back into normal clothes (sorry, swimmers!). We all lined up to climb up the small platform and sit in a mini bench strapped to the back of an elephant. I managed to purchase a small bag of bananas as elephants treats before I got on. The first thing I realized about elephants from sitting on its back is that they have hair on their head. I think they have it elsewhere too, but that made me laugh. The second thing I noticed is that they sweat just like we do – and boy was it hot out! The ride lasted about 30 minutes or so and was the perfect amount of time. We waded through some water and through the woods. At one point, my guide jumped off to go chew on some tobacco he got from a random woman (neighbor? Wife?). The elephant continued to walk on his own for a solid 5 minutes while he watched from the ground. When he was done, he told me to slide down from the bench and ride the elephant from its shoulders! What a fabulous idea!! I immediately went right to the same spot he was sitting in and started to feed my elephant bananas until the guide yelled at me because the elephant stopped moving and just kept eating. After the ride, the baby elephants put on a little 5 minute show for us really showing how intelligent they can be… they got to eat the rest of my bananas! We got back to the city pretty late that evening and packed up our bags since we had to fly to Phuket the next day. <br />
<br /><u>Day 6 - Phuket</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another beautiful temple in Phuket</td></tr>
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The morning flight to Phuket was very well organized. Our guide took us through the group check-in area and we had enough time to wander around for a few minutes before boarding the plane. Upon arriving in Phuket, we were met with some unpleasant news. Instead of going to the hotel to drop everything off and find some lunch, we were going to stop at a rest stop / grocery store to get something quickly to eat and spend the rest of the day on the bus “touring” around Phuket. The tour piece included more driving (aka “City Tour”) and a forced shopping stop at a cashew “factory”. We did stop at a park with a lovely viewpoint of the Andaman Sea for photos as well as a beautiful monestary. <br />
Before checking into the hotel, our guide told us the optional evening activity would have to be pushed to the last night so that we could squeeze in all of our stops that day. The hotel was beautiful! The rooms were nicely decorated, there was an infinity pool overlooking the private beach, and we were back in time for happy hour at the pool bar. We ended up eating that evening at the hotel restaurant before going to bed. <br />
<br /><u>Day 7 - Baby Tigers and the Beach</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Thai fishing boat</td></tr>
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The next day was a free day from the tour since I didn’t choose to go on the optional day tour to James Bond island. The people I spoke with who did go seemed to have a great time, but I didn't need two full days on boats back to back in the sun. It ended up working out very well, because I got to do 2 very exciting things instead: Patong Beach and Tiger Kingdom! The only downside to the hotel we stayed at was the proximity to the popular areas of Phuket, so we kind of got the raw end of the deal with cab fares. In addition, a lot of cab drivers didn’t even want to drive all the way out to our hotel from the main attractions. We managed to organize a driver through the hotel concierge to take us to Tiger Kingdom, wait, and then drive us from Tiger Kingdom to Patong beach. <br />
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Tiger Kingdom was a small zoo-like area with Tigers of all ages. There were multiple packages to choose from depending on what size tiger you wanted to interact with. My companion had no desire to play with any tigers larger than a standard dog, so our package was limited to the smallest tigers only, haha. You only have about 10 minutes to interact with each tiger, so I guess there is not a lot of value for the investment (I think translated to about $90/person with photo CD), but I would have happily paid twice the cost for my experience. After washing my hands and changing into some slippers, I walked into a cage that held two 1.5 month old tiger cubs. Initially they seemed sleepy, but after a minute or so, they started to play with each other and chase the toys in the cage. The photographer was great and took a lot of pictures. I also got to play with a much sleepier 2.5 month old cub, who was the size of a medium sized dog, except with much larger paws. The photo CD was ready about 10 minutes after our time was up and there were computers where you can view your images and make sure everything works accordingly. I really liked the way this small business was run –very efficient, yet enjoyable. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming stop on our boat tour to Phi Phi Island</td></tr>
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We found our driver waiting in the rest area and he took us to the next stop, Patong Beach. Patong is the main beach attraction on Phuket. There are a lot of nearby hotels, restaurants, and shops right on the main drag. We walked through a small market where I picked up a beach mat and sat down on the beach to soak in the sun. The water was like a warm bath. The swimming paired with a few coconut drinks made for an awesome way to enjoy my free day. Later in the afternoon it started to rain. A lot of people were trying to catch cabs back to their hotels, but we decided to get some food and wait it out. Rule #1 of eating in a foreign country is to go somewhere where there is a crowd of people already eating. I enjoyed some incredible fried rice served up in a fresh pineapple and a cold Singha beer. We eventually got a cab back to hotel and spent the evening in the pool drinking mai tai’s.<br />
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<u>Day 8 - Snorkeling</u><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and a tiger cub!</td></tr>
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After such an exciting prior day, I was looking forward to a day on a boat. The group was bused to the marina for a brief orientation. We were all on the same boat with a small Russian group. Unfortunately, the Russian guide was much louder and more vocal than our guide, who didn’t say anything the entire time. I do think my experience could have been better with a guide that spoke more often and more clearly. <br />
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We stopped several times during the day for snorkeling and/or swimming. Some stops were better than others, but I did like how there was a nice supply of water and fruit drinks for us to consumer on the boat to prevent dehydration. One of the swimming stops was in a cove with a rock wall that some people were climbing and jumping off of into the ocean. It was one of the more beautiful locations from the entire trip. Even though there were 10+ boats in the cove, it was still incredible. Some of the less exciting stops were a drive by of monkey island, and khai island. We were supposed to have time to relax at the last stop, but it was the smallest of all the islands and there was no shade anywhere andif you wanted to rent a chair/umbrella, you had to pay even more and tip of course. I don’t like when day tours are not all inclusive because then you had to worry about keeping cash on you, or on your towel, while you swim in the ocean. I didn’t even get in the water on the last stop. This ended up being a good decision since there was an influx in sea lice and almost everyone who went in got bit! In retrospect, I don’t think I would book that excursion again. I would much rather have booked a boat ride independently on one of the traditional Thai fishing boats. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random souvenir from Fantasea...</td></tr>
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Later that afternoon, we went back to the hotel to shower and change before going to Fantasea. The website describes this place as a Disney style amusement park with so much fun for all ages! In actuality, it was an interesting blend of amusement park, creepy carnival, and rave. There were amusement park games, lots of shops, and a chance to ride an elephant. There were also lots of food and treat stands and flashing neon lights everywhere, but the evening centered around 1) buffet dinner and 2) show. The food was very mediocre, but the show was awesome. Not quite cirque du soleil, not quite a musical, not quite a variety show… I’d say it was a mix of almost anything you can think of in about 60 minutes. I only wish we had better seats, since I hate sitting in the nosebleeds for anything! We had about 20 minutes or so after the show to collect our belongings and head back to the bus to the hotel. <br />
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<u>Day 9 - Departure</u><br />
<br />The last morning was supposed to be dedicated to a leisurely breakfast and packing before going back to the airport for the long trip back home. Unfortunately, I must have eaten something bad the night before at the buffet because I spent most of the morning in the bathroom. I will spare the details on this post, but that trip home seemed 10 times longer than when I arrived. When we finally landed back in New York my first thought was joy that if I had to go to the hospital, I'd be back in the US. Fortunately, that wasn't necessary, but I was very glad to be home.<br />
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-34831998699683382082014-10-18T10:39:00.000-07:002014-10-18T10:39:54.401-07:00The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Diagon Alley - <br />
Check out Gringotts!</td></tr>
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You may or may not know this about me, but I am a huge fan of Harry Potter. I have read the books multiple times, own all the movies, and have several "limited edition" items scattered throughout my house (tastefully of course). I tend not to talk a lot about this because while I'm not going to show up to work in a cloak, I do get very excited - and some people get concerned. For example, a few years back when Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I booked my flight within a few months and was carried away in the magical atmosphere they created for fans and park guests. I think I consumed 10 glasses of butterbeer that trip and came back with chocolate frogs for everyone (you're welcome). However; I am still a sensible adult, so I was not going to show up on day 1 of the opening of the new HP addition. I thought 1 month was more than enough time to let the massive crowds of 12 year olds have their share before I came back down to Orlando for the opening of Diagon Alley in Universal Studios.<br />
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Shortly after arriving at the MCO airport, we went directly to the park. We got in quickly and went straight to the Diagon Alley section. From the outside, it is setup like a street in London with the Night Bus sitting proudly on the street. Between some row homes and the King's Cross station is a small alley way that opens into J.K. Rowling's imagination. </div>
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There were some definite improvements to how extensive and abundant the shops were in comparison to the other park. There were also more pubs, kiosks, and kitschy ways to spend your money - including exchanging your money in Gringotts for something that could only be spent in HP world. After waiting for hours to ride the Hogwarts castle ride a few years back, I changed my outlook on life and started using the single rider line as much as possible. The line for the Gringotts ride was out of control even for single riders. After lots of waiting, I finally found myself seated and ready to go. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool new drink options</td></tr>
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The ride is setup similar to the Hogwarts ride in the other park with 3D screens and seats that jump around as you venture through the bank. About half way through the ride, the audio became out of sync with what was happening around me and I was very sad. After speaking with the workers, they told me this was a fairly normal occurrence since they were still working out some glitches in the ride. The good news is that we got to go again without having to wait in line: the second time around was much better. I’m very glad we got to ride twice since the line (even single riders) was way too long the rest of the trip and I never got back on. </div>
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The only other new ride that was part of the second park opening was the Hogwarts Express train that runs between the two parks. You must have a park hopper pass to get on the train – this is a very clever marketing tactic in my opinion to make sure everyone visits both parks even if they have been there before. Even though the line looked long, a lot of people can fit on the train in one go (I’m guessing about 100 people). It is a quick ~10 minute ride to the next park where you can relax in a quaint passenger car and enjoy a “virtual” tour through the outward looking window. There are some fun surprises as well with flickering lights, dementors, etc. This really shouldn’t be missed as it is a fun way to go between parks. Watching the Hogwarts Express pull up to the station is an incredible sight.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All aboard the Hogwarts Express</td></tr>
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In addition to the 4 glasses of butterbeer I consumed throughout my 2 days at the park, I also ate at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade Village. My Cornish pasties are on par with what I had last time around being good but not excellent. I actually had a similar style dish in Dublin a few years ago and it was insanely good. I should not compare authentic food to amusement park food, but I can’t help it. </div>
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On a side note – This is not related to HP or Universal Studios, but I stayed at an incredible hotel! The Hilton Bonnett Creek is right in the Disney theme park area and there are free shuttles that take you to the parks and to Downtown Disney. The hotel pool is more of a giant lazy river with cabanas and fun activities throughout the day. I highly recommend this hotel! The breakfast buffet was pricey, but incredible. </div>
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I am very glad I made it back down there this year, but my next trip to Orlando will most likely be to Disney or SeaWorld. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogsmeade Village with Hogwarts in the Background</td></tr>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-70371618973568355682014-10-17T08:07:00.001-07:002014-11-16T13:50:37.828-08:002014 Big Trip: ThailandGood news everyone! I've booked my final big trip of 2014. I will be headed to Thailand for 9 days! The time will be split between Bangkok and Phuket along with many hours of travel time. <div><br></div><div>I know the Orlando post is long overdue... It is coming soon, I promise. Stay tuned for more exciting trip details for the last few months of 2014!</div>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-35408784197166776682014-06-11T14:34:00.003-07:002015-01-10T10:45:40.973-08:00NCL Cruise to Alaska: The Last Frontier<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seattle from the Ferris Wheel</td></tr>
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Earlier this year, a few of my family members decided we all wanted to go to Alaska. Along the way, more people joined and we ended up with a nice little group onboard the Norwegian Pearl out of Seattle during Memorial Day week. I researched several different cruise lines and itineraries for this trip and concluded that I wanted to leave out of the US and include a day cruising Glacier Bay. The prices were right (and actually dropped closer to the day so I was refunded some money as well), so we signed ourselves up for a 7 day excursion docking in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC. The hardest part about this trip was deciding on what to pack. On principal alone, I refused to pack a winter coat and piled on layers of long sleeve t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets instead. It worked out for the best since we had sunny 60 degree weather for the majority of the trip. I did need my hat and gloves in Juneau because it was windy. <br />
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I have taken several cruises in the past, but none with NCL. There was a minor booking fiasco with my room, but in the end I ended up with an obstructed ocean view cabin on the 8<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 7.3pt;"><sup>th</sup></span></span> floor. Since that is exactly what I was expecting when I made my reservation, I was fine with it. I had a lovely view of a lifeboat, but I still had plenty of light and could see the ocean peaking around the sides/bottom. In comparison to Carnival, the cabin size was about the same though I liked the bathroom a lot better. The toilet and shower were separated by additional sliding doors, so you could squeeze two people in there if there was an emergency. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Seattle from the Ferry to Bainbridge Island</td></tr>
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On the whole, the ship was decorated a LOT classier than Carnival’s ships. There were no neon colors to be found in the main atrium and I did not feel like I was in a techno club when relaxing in the main Spinnaker lounge. The only bizarre part of the interior design was the bordello style “Bliss” lounge where there was an abundance of red velvet and bed-style seating. The entertainment was alright, but geared toward an older crowd as one would expect for an Alaskan cruise. The main show was at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_826105865" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">7pm</span></span> and again at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_826105866" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">9pm</span></span>. One night we had Charles Peachock, from America’s Got Talent, perform an awesome glow in the dark juggling routine. </div>
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After a day at sea, our first stop was in Juneau. We arrived at port a little later than expected due to a medical emergency onboard. A passenger actually had to get air lifted to a hospital nearby! I originally had an excursion booked through NCL to Mendenhall Glacier and the Salmon Hatchery, but after additional research, I decided to cancel it and do it on my own. Because we were there in May, the hatchery wouldn't have much activity at all. Instead, we jumped about a glacier express bus right at the pier and went straight to the glacier park area. After a little negotiation, the $15 round trip ride was a good deal. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mendenhall Glacier</td></tr>
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The 20 minute ride included a narrated "tour" of the area by a very funny bus driver with not so funny jokes. The bus stops running at 7pm, so that left us with about an hour at the glacier. The view from the bus stop is beautiful and you can clearly see the glacier from afar. There is also a short walk to the waterfall through the woods. A sign posted by the entrance said the walk takes approximately 45 minutes... that did not leave us much time for pictures, so we decided to very briskly walk (aka jog) there and made it there and back in about 30 minutes. The walk is definitely worth it since you get a lot closer to the glacier and can get some great pictures. On the bus ride back, we saw a really big bald eagle sitting on a traffic light. </div>
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We had a few hours to kill before all aboard, so we did some shopping in the small downtown area. I was bummed the Christmas store was closed, but there were Christmas shops in every other port - so I made up for it! One of the must-see places in Juneau is the Red Dog Saloon. It did seem pretty busy, and there was live country music, but the dinner menu was lacking. We ended up drinking some local beer (which was also served on the ship the entire time) and heading elsewhere for food. Being in Alaska, we wanted some fresh crab legs. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Alaska Scenery</td></tr>
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After asking around a bit, everyone kept directing us to Tracy's Crab Shack. I ordered the combo platter consisting of a leg of king crab, four award-winning crab cakes, and some crab bisque. Overall, the singular crab leg was big, but not big enough for the price. The crab cakes were tiny, and had a lot of filler; however, the crab bisque was delicious. I hate to make the comparison I'm about to make, but you can find better at Legal Seafoods here in Boston.</div>
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One of my favorite things about cruising is getting to see multiple places without having to lug your luggage around behind you the whole time. You unpack once and actually live out of drawers and a closet for a week, just like home. Early the next morning, we docked in Skagway and the early morning excursions started by 7 am. On prior cruises, I have booked morning excursions and found myself rushing to try and eat breakfast before running off the book. That makes for a very long day. This time around, I got smarter and booked our train ride for lunch time. Because we would be out for several hours that day, I did want to get off a little earlier and check out the town first. As it turned out, Skagway was an incredibly tiny town with only 1 small strip of shops. I was able to explore each shop and still make it back to the ship within 1.5 hours. I am <strong>very</strong> glad I booked an excursion in this town or else I would have nothing to do all day. We ended up going back aboard for a quick lunch before meeting at the pier to be transported to the train depot in town. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train ride through the Yukon Territory</td></tr>
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There are multiple train tours in Skagway. The one I decided to do included a train tour to Frasier and a bus tour back with a stop at a suspension bridge in the Yukon. Because the train goes into Canada, we did need to have our passports with us on this trip. We could have easily walked to the train depot as it was only a short walk away. Once we all boarded the quaint old styled steam train, we were all into the woods. The narration was a wonderful accompaniment and there was a small platform you could go out onto to take pictures. I can't even begin to image how horrible the conditions were for the people building the railroad tracks. It got pretty chilly as we continued to ascend. I have read a lot of reviews about how people couldn't get good pictures because certain passengers were hogging the platform the whole time. This was not a problem for us, barely anyone was outside and we were able to get some great photos. The ride lasted about an hour and was a great way to see some Alaskan landscapes. I highly recommend doing this trip. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on the suspension bridge</td></tr>
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The bus driver picked us up from the train station and we took a short 15 minute driver over to the suspension bridge. I'm not entirely sure that you have to pay to visit this bridge if you come on your own. I didn't see anyone collecting money. Our guide told us that the bridge has absolutely no historical significance and was just a nice way to take in the view. It's a nice little stop, but I wouldn't go out of your way to come here. On the bus ride back from the suspension bridge, we got really lucky and saw a big black bear on the side of the road! According to our guy, he was scavenging for food after coming out of hibernation. I was very glad we were inside the bus and not walking nearby - he was large and grumpy looking. </div>
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Before our last two stops in Victoria and Ketchikan, we had a day at sea sailing Glacier Bay National Park. Along the way, several park rangers boarded the ship and setup a small booth in the Spinnacker lounge to give information and sell a small number of trinkets. We officially entered the bay around 8 am, but didn't see much until closer to noon. The captain made an announcement that morning before the park rangers would be narrating as we moved through the passage. To be honest, <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black bear!</td></tr>
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I didn't pay much attention to what they were saying until we were passing by a glacier or they announced an upcoming photo op. I think Iceland ruined me a bit because I wasn't all that impressed by the glaciers. I was able to walk on the glacier in Iceland and I think you just don't get the same experience as when you see it from afar on a ship. I am willing to test this theory in Antarctica though, and I hope I am proved wrong. The nicest part of this day was the beautiful sunny weather we had. We were able to be outside the whole time and the crew opened the viewing deck at the front of the ship for an unobstructed view. To keep with the theme of the day, NCL offers some specialty coffee drinks onboard while cruising along the glaciers. I ordered a $10 Godiva liquor and crème de menthe concoction. It was very good, but I'm 99% sure the price comes from having it in a souvenir glass that I will never use again. Next time, I would definitely order the drink since it was yummy, but see if I can get it without the mug. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glacier Bay</td></tr>
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Speaking of drinks, I want to take a minute to talk about the food and beverage options on board. On average, the alcoholic drinks were priced similarly to other cruise lines. In comparison to Boston prices, this is on par if not cheaper. My favorite part of the day were the morning specialty drinks (mimosa, bloody mary, screwdrivers, etc) for $4.25. We ended up bringing a few bottles of wine on board with us because buying the bottle in Seattle and paying the corkage fee ($15 a bottle) was still cheaper than most of their cheap wine onboard. I like that Carnival lets you bring on a certain number of bottles for free; with NCL you pay no matter how many bottles you bring. As far as food goes, we spent most of our lunches at the buffet. It was hit or miss, but I am a picky eater and mostly ate salad and burgers. One day they had a Bavarian themed meal, which had yummy salads. The majority of our dinners were in the free dining rooms. The salmon meals were delicious, but my chicken had a weird texture. The appetizers were all very good and I'd say overall the quality is comparable to Carnival. One evening we decided to try the hibachi grill on board. The one thing that really struck me as interesting with the specialty restaurants is how small they were. Most could hold 50 people at max. Our meal was yummy and exactly what I was hoping to get when I ordered the filet and lobster tail combo. I don't know how I feel about paying the $25 surcharge, but given the size of the restaurants, I do understand. Breakfast was probably the best quality when it came to buffet food, but it's hard to mess that up. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cruise ship irony</td></tr>
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Our last stop in Alaska was in Ketchikan. I wish I would have read up more on this town because there are so many more shops here than in the other ports, and everything is cheaper! If you skip through this whole post and only read this part: <u>save all of your souvenir shopping for Ketchikan</u>! It is worth the wait. If there are specific things you want to buy, pick up one of the local shopping pamphlets and skim through for coupons. I found some items that were priced as high as $9.99 elsewhere for $1.99 with a coupon. The light jackets everyone bought back in Juneau for $45-$50 were $19.99. There were some great steals. We grabbed a coffee in a quaint little coffee shop/popcorn store and spent all morning searching through all of the shops while eating the sea salt caramel corn. It was delicious! </div>
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At 11 AM, we went to see The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. I did some research beforehand and the prices for this show were the same both through NCL and independently. I ended up booking through NCL because I got a better time. The show was really good for all ages. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A glacier calving</td></tr>
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Two teams of two lumberjacks competed against each other in various chopping, climbing, and log rolling competitions. It was a high energy event that held my attention the entire time. After the show, the lumberjacks posed for photos with the guests. That is one of my best souvenirs. We considered going for some food, but were pressed for time since we wanted to do a little more shopping. Some of my travel companions did make it to Annabel's for lunch and said the crab was way better than last time. Annabel's was also highly recommended by the hostess at the lumberjack show. </div>
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Our last port was at Victoria, BC. We did not arrive until around 6pm and only had a few minutes until all aboard at 11 that evening. We ate an early dinner at the buffet and made our way off shortly after the masses. The dock is a 40 minute walk from the downtown area. Because of some health issues in our group, that was not an option. After considering the others (bus, horse drawn trolley, bikes, cab), we decided to pay the $11 for a round trip ticket on the bus. As we drove downtown, we passed some really pretty gardens and architecture. Too bad we only had a few ours and the majority of the sights were far away. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A moment from the Lumberjack show</td></tr>
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We were eventually dropped off in town and spent a few hours finding shops that were open since most closed before we got there. I did manage to pickup some of the maple whiskey I discovered back in Quebec City. After more walking, we stopped by a bar and had a drink before heading back. We weren't there nearly long enough, nor early enough, to enjoy the city. </div>
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All in all, I had a great time. I'm glad I took this trip with the people I came with because I think your travel companions can really make or break your vacation. I'm not sure that I will take another cruise to Alaska, or really actively seek out returning there in the near future, but I can definitely see the appeal to outdoorsy folks who want to see some beautiful landscapes. </div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-84161068643578830872014-03-16T07:56:00.001-07:002016-02-05T06:22:40.266-08:00A Ski Weekend in the Rockies for the Non-Skier<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcTZRuiIXYw/UyW4SHJvCsI/AAAAAAAAIAs/d_tom7R-RIM/s1600/IMG_3884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcTZRuiIXYw/UyW4SHJvCsI/AAAAAAAAIAs/d_tom7R-RIM/s1600/IMG_3884.JPG" width="320" /></a>You may wonder what could possess someone who does not ski to take a trip to a place that is famous for skiing and winter sports. Well, depression hits the north east by the end of February, and when it sets in, it doesn’t mess around. Having something to look forward to really helps get through the bitter cold and slush, even if that something is an escape to the Rockies and even more snow! I met someone over the weekend that really put it into perspective for me… vacation snow is fun, snow at home is not. Plus, I don't like being out of the loop when everyone talks about how fabulous the snow is in Colorado. My plane departed Boston Friday evening with a direct flight to Denver. Approximately 4.5 hours later, I picked up my rental car and made my way out to the Sheraton Denver West. The hotel was a 45 minute drive from the airport, and wasn’t the best decision for a late night arrival because I was exhausted by the time I checked in.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful views</td></tr>
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By <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_461967633" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">9 AM</span></span> the next morning (this was obviously a strategic move to avoid traffic, not because I wanted to sleep in), I stocked up on the SPG free breakfast and started to drive on I-70W. A good amount of snow had fallen the day before and with typical weekend traffic, my drive was delayed by about an hour. If I had left earlier, it would have been even longer. Fortunately, the views along the way were gorgeous and I stopped multiple times to snap some pictures. Eventually, I crossed the Vail pass and pulled into the Westin Beaver Creek Riverfront. I did some research beforehand for activities in the area, but didn’t make any reservations until after I arrived just in case I was delayed due to traffic or any other reason. I also wasn't sure how I was going to adapt to the altitude, especially since sometimes my grand plans are a little too over the top. Fortunately, I was feeling just fine. I quickly called Nova Tours to secure my spot on the 2 hour snowmobiling tour of Tigiwon Trail. This company had great reviews online and they had van to come pick me up from the hotel so I didn’t have to drive out to their camp. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharp turns through the woods</td></tr>
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Before the pickup, I stopped into a local pub walking distance from the hotel, Bob’s Place, for lunch and a beverage and to decompress. The food was delicious and the company was nice. The van arrived right on time and shuttled about 10 people out to the trailer where we all got geared up and had our payments processed. After a brief walk through of how to operate the machine, we were off! I had never operated a snowmobile before, but didn’t have any trouble figuring it out. I did go a little slower than the norm, but the guide stopped frequently so we could all catch up. There was a good mix of straightaways and turns through the trail. We stopped for photos and the guide was more than happy to take pictures on our behalf. We also had a stop about half way through to warm up with hot cocoa. Overall, I think the tour itself took just over 2 hours not including gearing up and transportation, because we did not get back to the hotel until after 5. I highly recommend this activity, especially if you’re not quite adjusted to the altitude yet and don’t want to exert yourself the first day. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beaver Creek Village</td></tr>
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That night, I visited another local favorite within walking distance, Vin 48 in Avon, for dinner and drinks. Vin 48 is a wine/tapas bar with a packed reservation list on weekend nights. Fortunately, a seat at the bar opened up shortly after I arrived. I was not overly impressed with the selection of wine by the glass, but I was able to find something reasonable. The prices are almost shockingly high, even with me being from Boston. Between a few small plates and a couple glasses of wine, I was creeping up near $100. My pescetarian diet (only for lent) limited what I could order, and there were a few dishes I just didn’t like. The smoked salmon fell short, but the scallops were delicious. After dinner, I made my way back to the hotel lobby to listen to the live music and relax before bed.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from McCoy Park</td></tr>
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Because of the time difference, I had no trouble waking up bright and early before the <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_461967634" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">10 AM</span></span> cross-country ski lesson in Beaver Creek. I picked up a coffee from The Lift marketplace in the Westin hotel and then jumped on the Riverfront Express gondola up to The Landing. From there, I grabbed a shuttle to the Beaver Creek Village. I walked around the shops a bit to peruse and grab a bottle of water before making me way to the Nordic Center for the lesson. As luck would have it, no one else signed up for a lesson that day, so I had private instruction. The instructor was wonderful! She even walked me through how to get on the lift and what proper etiquette is. The next 2 hours consisted of progressively moving from standing with no skis to going down a hill and around a bend on my two skis. We had some time at the end to move out of the instruction area and into McCoy park. The tracks really help with keeping your feet in line. Sadly, the park was not tracked, so my skis ended up going every which way. I have no control in moving my feet in the same direction apparently and almost slid down a hill into a tree. At that point I just laid in the snow until she came over and unsnapped my boots. I was totally exhausted by the end of the lesson. All my grand plans for going ice skating in the village went out the window… In replacement, I took a 3 hour nap. <span style="font-family: "wingdings";">J</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is this a joke?</td></tr>
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After my nap, I went to check out the 3 infinity hot tubs back at the hotel. They were great, but there were a lot of kids there… not exactly relaxing. A quick shower later, I was back out in for dinner at Ticino. Ticino is a tiny little Italian restaurant; jam packed with both families and adults. I sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of Malbec to share. I started my meal with a delicious rustica salad and had the quarto formaggi pizza for my entrée. The pizza is big enough to share if you get your own salad. The food was wonderful, but the company at the bar was far better. Everyone was very chatty and engaging. Not wanting to call it a night, I went back to the hotel to order a make-it-yourself smores kit and some sparkling wine. Sitting out by the fire roasting smores was a wonderful way to end my mountain trip. </div>
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The next morning was mostly uneventful – just checking out of the hotel and driving back to the Denver airport. I am glad I went for the experience, but I’m not sure I will go out of my way to return. I’m not an avid skier and while the views were beautiful, we have some pretty awesome mountains nearby too. </div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-41797663178644247492014-03-11T17:18:00.000-07:002014-03-11T18:36:41.098-07:00Indianapolis in the Snow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This post is very much delayed, and I wanted to get it up before my next trip, but that did not happen. A few months ago, my brother and sister-in-law moved to Indianapolis. I was starting to itch for a trip, so I decided to fly out for a quick weekend getaway. Being from Boston, I decided that it could not possibly be any colder out there than it has been here. For the most part, I was right, but I still had to bundle up all weekend and try to scurry from one place to the next in the shortest amount of time possible to avoid the frigid cold.</div>
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After a layover in Philadelphia, I landed in Indianapolis in time for a late dinner <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_439148683" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">on Friday</span></span> evening. My brother drove us from the airport out to his place in Carmel to drop off my bags and play with his two shiba puppies, Zelda and Sheik, for an hour before we ate. That night we had dinner reservations at The Northside Social. I’m not entirely sure if reservations were needed; by the time we got there around 9, there were a lot of empty tables. The service was good and our waiter was patient and friendly. We all ordered cocktails to start and shared the calamari app. I love places that serve drinks in funky glasses, so this place was right up my alley. My brother ordered the Moscow Mule, and it came in a tin cup. For dinner, I ordered the gourmet mac and cheese. It was delicious, but too big of a portion for me to finish in one sitting.</div>
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Our plans for <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_439148684" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Saturday</span></span> were somewhat thought out beforehand, but not entirely. One of my to-do’s for the area was visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, there are no grounds tours scheduled during January and we were only able to drive by and snap a quick picture before moving on. This alone is enough of a reason for me to come back when there is nicer weather. It looked like a huge venue from the outside. Around <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_439148685" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">noon</span></span>, we made our way over to the Museum of Art. Though I could have stayed much longer, my stomach reminded me that we had not eaten lunch yet. Going to the museum of any kind on an empty stomach is a bad decision. Amazingly, admittance is free, so I did not feel so bad after only stay a couple hours. You can easily spend multiple days exploring the exhibit halls and looking at the art. This is a huge museum and a great way to spend a few hours! </div>
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We headed downtown to a wine and tapas bar called Tastings for lunch and a drink (I was on vacation after all). Upon entering Tastings, I noticed two things. #1 was the wine “vending machines” located throughout the restaurant, and #2 was the incredible art hung up on the walls. Since there weren’t many people there, we chose to sit at one of the high tables over the lounge chairs. Within moments, our server came over and explained the menu and the vending machines. After perusing the price of a tasting per bottle (easily averaging $8), I decided to just order a glass of the sparking Shiraz. It was delicious and the perfect accompaniment to the many apps and flatbreads we devoured. The food was great, but a meal here is not cheap. Our lunch was expensive! Fortunately, a bottle of sparkling wine and dessert were free because my roaming eyes would not leave one of the prints up on the wall, and I ended up buying it. The artist, Leanne Laine, has an amazing talent for wine inspired works. They are incredible! My print is proudly displayed in my living room right now. </div>
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After lunch, we worked off the calories by strolling around the mall and hitting a book sale at one of the shops going out of business. The cold weather kept us from doing too much and we headed back home to relax before a late dinner at Harry and Izzy’s. I heard from multiple people that I needed to eat the shrimp cocktail at St. Elmos while I was in town. Harry and Izzy’s is a sister restaurant of St. Elmos and they also had the famous appetizer on their menu. We ordered a round of martinis to accompany our meals and I bit into the most ground horseradish I’ve ever had in my life. I am not usually a fan of shrimp, but the sauce was so overwhelming, I did not actually taste the shrimp itself. If you like horseradish, you will definitely enjoy this dish. All of our food came out in a reasonable amount of time and was good. This is a high quality restaurant and the food (and bill) reflect it. Post- dinner drinks were had nearby before calling it a night.</div>
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Because the cold weather continued all weekend, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_439148686" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Sunday</span></span> morning was spent drinking coffee and playing with the puppies. After unsuccessfully searching for a brunch place, we headed out to Kilroys for lunch and a Bloody Mary. The drinks were good and cheap, but the food was just average pub food. This would be a good place to watch a game and eat some nachos. My flight was scheduled to leave at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_439148687" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">4:50</span></span>, but I wanted to get out earlier because another storm was moving in. </div>
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I’ve decided that since the weather forced us indoors for most of the weekend, I will have to make a return trip in the summer and give Indy a second chance. </div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-69695719314748404992013-12-26T13:42:00.006-08:002013-12-26T13:44:28.034-08:002013 in Summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last year I wrote a post summarized all the adventures I went on during the year. That was so much fun for me, that I decided to do it again! I may not have gone on as many trips this year, but I did make some awesome memories and wonderful new friends. Starting with...<br />
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An ice cold <strong><span style="color: lime;">January</span></strong> in Quebec City where I spent the night in a hotel made entirely of ice and snow. While the experience was incredible, it most likely won't be repeated this winter. I did have a great time dog sledding through the forest and was introduced to one of my new favorite liquors, maple whiskey!<br />
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After thawing out, I headed south in <strong><span style="color: lime;">February</span></strong> to San Antonio for the Rodeo. While I confirmed that I do not want to be a rodeo clown when I grow up, I had a great time watching the professionals. I also explored the Alamo and visited a longhorn ranch where I got to pet a newborn calf!<br />
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I repacked my parka and snow boots in <strong><span style="color: lime;">March</span></strong> for a visit across the ocean to Iceland. Over 4 days I had many amazing experiences, including eating whale, walking on a glacier, exploring frozen waterfalls, soaking in a geothermal lagoon, and watching the northern lights dance across the sky. It felt like I went from the moon to the jungle, and then to the arctic circle with all the different types of landscapes on that island. <br />
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The next two months, I prepared for my big trip at the end of <strong><span style="color: lime;">May</span></strong> to Peru! The Amazon jungle presented a new set of challenges without electricity for most of the day, but held an amazing number of plants and animals I hadn't seen in the wild before. The altitude sickness that is usually associated with Cusco effected me minimally, and I was able to enjoy the quaint mountain town before exploring the ruins on my way to Machu Picchu. To end the trip, I came back to sea level and spent a day in Lima.<br />
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Escaping the summer heat in <span style="color: lime;"><strong>July</strong></span> (or so I thought), I boarded the Carnival Glory for a cruise up to Canada. The Reversing Falls in St. John were a nice stop to kill some time, but I enjoyed Halifax the most. I am wearing my Roots sweatshirt as I type!<br />
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I stayed local for most of the fall until <span style="color: lime;"><strong>November</strong></span> came around. My best intentions for planning this trip were cast aside with life's craziness and spontaneity took over! Fortunately, it worked out most excellently and I had a great time both in Nashville and Memphis. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: lime;">December</span></strong> rounded out the year with a trip back to Pennsylvania to visit with friends and family. Next year is going to be full of more adventures and excitement. I can't wait to start planning! </div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-10910208209492290962013-12-07T08:21:00.000-08:002013-12-07T12:13:16.484-08:00Tennessee Roadtrip!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun Studio, Memphis</td></tr>
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Earlier this year, my friend and I were talking about how much fun she had the last time she went to Nashville and how much she wanted to go again. Since I had never been to Tennessee, I jumped on the opportunity and we started to plan a trip together. During our brainstorming sessions, we decided to see both Nashville and Memphis so that she could see a new place and I could see both in one go. The plan was set... a trip from Thursday - Monday starting in Nashville and driving cross state to Memphis for the second half. <br />
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<u><strong>Nashville</strong></u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me @ Honky Tonk Row</td></tr>
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Our flight left Boston bright and early and had us landing in Nashville in time for lunch. Since we couldn't check in yet, we grabbed a few brochures from the <u>Sheraton</u> hotel and sat down to eat at <u>Demos'</u>, a place she remembered had a long line on a previous trip. While eating my huge chili cheese potato, we planned out the next few days. This is a bit usual for me as I usually plan everything very far in advance, but my mind has been elsewhere for the last few months and so we were incredibly spontaneous this trip! It all worked out in the end, so I have no complaints. From the restaurant, we made our way to the <u>Country Music Hall of Fame</u>. For the next few hours, I learned all about the history of country music and toured exhibits featuring lots of famous names. In my opinion, this is a must-do when you are in Nashville. Even if you don't love country music, there is enough to look at to keep anyone's attention.<br />
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After a few side trips into the various shops lining the street on honky tonk row, we made our way back to the hotel to check-in, make reservations for the next day with the concierge desk, and freshen up before a night out. When I think Nashville, the first thing that comes to mind is country music and lots of dancing! With a little convincing, I managed to get my friend on board with the idea of line dancing at the <u>Wild Horse Saloon</u>. Even though the huge venue was sparsely populated for Thursday night, we had a great time attending the dance lessons and practicing our new steps. We even managed to try some of their famous fried pickles (average) and some hushpuppies (delicious!). A few hours later, the bar closed up early and we made our way (with a group of new friends of course!) down the street to the next honky tonk. Some of our favorites of the night include <u>The Second Fiddle</u> and <u>Whiskey Bent</u>. The music was live and loud and the crowd was fun! Almost every honky tonk we walked by had live country music blasting all night long; and there were no covers! It was amazing!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hermitage House, Home of Andrew Jackson</td></tr>
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Early the next morning, we met our <u>Grayline</u> tour bus in front of the lobby for a Historic Nashville Tour. Our first choice was to go behind the scenes at the Opry, but because the Rockettes were setting up for their Christmas Spectacular, the Opry was moved to the Ryman and the tour wasn't offered that day. The historic tour included two stops, <u>The Hermitage House</u> and <u>Belle Meade Plantation</u>, as well as a stop for lunch at a locally owned buffet. The Hermitage is the home of former president, Andrew Jackson. He and his family lived in that house for multiple generations before they couldn't afford to keep it any longer and it was turned into a museum by the state. The tour was guided with hand offs to different guides responsible for different parts of the home. After the tour, we were free to roam the grounds and walk through where the slave cabins once were, including Alfred's cabin. Possibly my favorite part of the tour was the field of Belted Galloway cows. They were so cute and furry, though Kathleen would not let me jump the fence to pet them. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nashville music fun!</td></tr>
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Before Belle Meade, we stopped at the supposedly delicious local buffet, the <u>Hermitage House Smorgasbord</u>. For only $10, you can eat as much as you want from a selection of tasteless, and unappealing food. Everything I took literally had no flavor at all. Somehow they even managed to remove all flavor from the ranch dressing at the salad bar. For being in the south, I was severely disappointed. I can't recommend this stop for anyone looking for flavor. If you have a dull palate, or maybe some severe dietary restrictions, go right ahead and indulge.<br />
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Fortunately, my spirits picked back up at <u>Belle Meade Plantation</u>. Belle Meade is a beautiful mansion/winery that was decorated for Christmas throughout the ages. Each room showed Christmas decorations from a different decade. The tour guide was wonderful and very engaging, and the tour was just long enough to see a lot, but not get bored. After the tour, we went out to the winery for a wine tasting. If you know me, you know I love wine.. I purchased a sparkling Riesling that is sitting in my kitchen waiting for the right occasion! They also had a beautiful gift shop with all sorts of southern paraphernalia. I could have spent a while here shopping, but we were on a schedule. The ride back to the hotel was short and in no time we were back in our room getting ready for another night out and a quick dinner at <u>Puckett's</u> where I had the most delicious pulled pork quesadilla.<br />
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What is a trip to Nashville without going to the <u>Grand Ole</u> <u>Opry</u>? As I mentioned before, there was a lot of spontaneity to this trip, so we secured our tickets the night before the event. We were very lucky to attend the Opry at the Ryman theater, instead of Opryland. The theater was beautifully intimate and there was a big lineup of both older and young and up and coming country music acts. Listening to a radio show being broadcasted live was an experience you don't typically get in this age. It was a fun way to spend the night, and I came away with a new poster and a new band to like, <u>Old Crow Medicine Show</u>! After the show, we returned to honky tonk row and listened to some more of the live music I was starting to love in Nashville.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash!"</td></tr>
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Because of some hiccups with the room, we were offered a free breakfast on Saturday morning from the hotel's buffet. This breakfast ended up being one of the better meals of our trip. I am a sucker for biscuits and sausage gravy, and both we in abundance. Along with a side of buttery grits, I was in heaven! After eating, we packed our bags and made some last stops before leaving the city and starting on our TN road trip. Aside from shopping, and picking up yummy pralines for the rest of the trip, we also stopped at the Johnny Cash museum. If you love Johnny, or just are interested in his story, the museum is a fun little stop and a nice way to kill an hour or two. If you're not very interested in him specifically, you can pass on this "museum". The gift shop is fun to checkout though. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Opryland!</td></tr>
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<strong><u>Arkansas?</u></strong><br />
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By early afternoon, we had picked up our rental car from the airport and after a pit stop at Opry Mills just so I could see the huge development, we were on our way to Memphis. The 3+ hour ride was easy and quick. When we were planning this trip, we both agreed to stop over in Arkansas so that we could cross that state off of our bucket list. Fortunately, West Memphis, Arkansas is about 10 minutes away from Memphis, TN. The first thing we came to on the road was a truck stop. I don't know about you, but truck stops scream authenticity to me! We stopped for a short while and perused the small shop. Arkansas = check!<br />
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<strong><u>Memphis</u></strong><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memphis BBQ!</td></tr>
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By late that afternoon, we rolled into Memphis. Our path of rolling must not have been the best because we were quickly driving through some scary parts of town. That was not the best first impression of this Blues City. We eventually made our way onto the strip and found our <u>Westin</u> hotel near the FedEx Forum. The location was very close to the bars and restaurants, but only a block in the wrong direction, and I wouldn't be walking outside at night. I quickly noticed that Memphis was much smaller than Nashville and that maybe we should have allocated our time a bit differently spending another day in Nashville instead. That night, I convinced my friend to go get barbeque for dinner at <u>Rendezvous</u>. A short walk from the hotel, we were able to find it quickly and get immediately seated. Rendezvous is well known for dry rub bbq. I ordered a small order of ribs and proceeded to stuff my face with the delicious food. The ribs were actually in a tie with the slaw for what was most delicious on my plate. After dinner, we walked down the main road looking for a bar and some music. Quickly realizing that our pickings were slim, we handed over our cover charge at on open air venue, <u>Silky O'Sullivans</u>, and listened to a cover band play many genres of music, with the exception of country. This was very bizarre to me, but it was a theme of Memphis, no country music. No boots, no hats, no nothing... Because Memphis is a big college town, the bars cater to a younger crowd; not at all the same as Nashville.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Graceland</td></tr>
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The package we booked at the Westin included breakfast each morning. Breakfast was plated and served in the hotel restaurant. Sadly, the Westin is trying to be healthy, and did not offer any traditional southern fare. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I expected. After breakfast, we dropped off our rental car and headed out to Graceland to have an Elvis experience! Upon arrival, we purchased our middle-tier tickets (so that we could see the airplanes too) and hopped on a shuttle. The van basically took us across the street. I found this odd as we could have walked there faster. The Graceland mansion itself was beautifully set up on a small hill. The tour was self guided and we were all given a pair of headphones to listen in to an audio tour. While the audio was helpful, it makes it hard to experience the tour with a friend. We were often on different parts of the audio and listening made it hard to talk to each other. We spent about an hour in the home and on the grounds. I found the burial plots in the meditation garden very calming and a nice touch for visitors who come to Graceland to honor Elvis. After the tour of the house, we got back on the shuttle and crossed the street back to the crazy tourist plaza. The plaza contained shops, restaurants, and additional "museums", or more appropriately, exhibits, highlighting different things. There was an automobile museum, a museum focusing on Las Vegas costumes, etc. etc. One of the more interesting exhibits was for Elvis's airplanes. Not just anyone owns multiple airplanes for their personal use. That was impressive! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burial Plot of Elvis Presley</td></tr>
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From Graceland, we caught a bus to Sun Studio. Sun studio is well known for recording some lesser known artists, such as Jerry Lee Louis and Johnny Cash. Elvis also was there for a short while. Though the studio was small, the tour was wonderful! Artists still record at Sun Studio today, so it was nice to be able to touch things and not worry about being extra careful. There is also a cute little café that serves soda in glass bottles and little snacks if you're getting hungry. Don't pass on this tour, even though it doesn't seem all that exciting. It was one of the highlights of my trip. After about an hour, we got back on the shuttle and made our way to the Rock N' Soul museum. We did not actually go into that museum, but it was right next to our hotel, so we had a free ride home. We had a few hours after the busy tour day to decompress in the room and chill out. After a short while, I went down to the hotel bar to have a drink and mingle with the locals. I quickly found out it was <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lorraine Motel</td></tr>
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Memphis's restaurant week, and wherever we went that night, we'd have limited dining options. <br />
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The last two days, we heard here and there, that we should check out BB Kings. We decided to listen and walked down to main street to the other end (about 1.5 blocks away - a long street, I know). We were seated in a half booth that was arranged in stadium style seating around a big stage. I ordered a cocktail and waited for the music to begin. Approximately 45 minute later, the musicians got their act together enough to start playing and we were treated to live music while eating dinner. The food was average, but the atmosphere was fun. I'm glad we decided to come here and check it out. After dinner, we decided to make our way elsewhere to find some pecan pie and more music. As we walked down the street asking each bouncer if they served pie, we found a winner! We were serenaded by a group of old men resembling the cast of duck dynasty while eating our dessert. It doesn't get much better than that!<br />
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Our last day in Memphis, we ate another healthy breakfast in the hotel restaurant and walked down the street to the Civil Rights Museum. We contemplated going there the night before, but quickly realized we made the right decision to wait until daylight. The short walk was questionable through some run down parts of town. The museum was nice, though small, and focused mostly on the investigation of the death of MLK Jr. With admission to the museum, we were also able to walk over to the Loraine Motel and stand on the balcony where he was shot. This museum is a nice side stop in Memphis and even though it is off the beaten path, it is a nice place to see. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gus's Fried Chicken!</td></tr>
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Before leaving for the airport, I had to get in one last taste of southern cooking at <u>Gus's Fried Chicken</u>. If you know me, I am not one who really enjoys gnawing meat off of bones, but I do believe in experiencing local flavors. I ordered the fried chicken fingers plate with baked beans and potato salad. I don't know how, but Gus managed to keep the chicken incredibly juicy and crispy at the same time. Everything was delicious and I fully appreciated the souvenir soda glass to take home. One last run with pie left us happy and full on our flight back to Boston. Gus's is a must do if you like fried chicken and are in the area. It's a must do even if you don't really like fried chicken, it's that good! <br />
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All in all, I would love to go back to Nashville for round two, but would skip out on Memphis. Once is more than enough for me. </div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3729771768992943432.post-47814573550699854562013-10-17T18:09:00.002-07:002013-10-17T18:09:58.962-07:00October Updates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been a while since my last post, and while I don't have much of an update, I do want to write something so that my account doesn't go inactive!<br />
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Summer is over and fall is in full swing, and while I did not make it to either of the places I was hoping to go to this summer, house related activities are finally slowing down and vacation planning will be picking back up soon.<br />
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In about a month, I will be making my way down to Nashville and Memphis for a long weekend road trip with my friend, Kathleen. Stay tuned to see how it went.<br />
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462956093394101822noreply@blogger.com0