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Showing posts with label travels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travels. Show all posts
October 30, 2013
Fall Across America (Or maybe just a few states)
Mr. and I did a lot of traveling in October so here are some glimpses of autumn in action across the USA.
June 16, 2013
Cruise!
So to get to all of our locations, we sailed on the Holland America boat, Eurodam. Our vaca was entitled Gems of the Baltic. All in all I would give Holland America and the Eurodam an A+ but there were some things about the vacation that were worthy of note.
Side note: Everyone, with all the recent cruise disasters, was like "Are you really going on a cruise?" and I was like "Yes, it's not like we are sailing on Carnival". However, a few days before we left, Mr.'s co-worker told him that Holland America is actually part of the same corporation as Carnival so I was like "AHHHHH!!!!!" Anyways, as I said, it was fine so I was wrong to worry.
Food
Cruises are well-known for the amount of food served on board. This was Mr.'s first cruise and my fourth so in fact, I assumed I was well aware of how much people eat on these. I was very surprised at the amount of food people were actually consuming. Do you really need 7 pieces of sausage, a bowl of fruit, three eggs, 4 pancakes, a muffin, a bowl of cereal, an omelette, and some oatmeal for one breakfast? Honestly, it was disgusting. I am not a big meal eater and tend to graze as it is but the gluttony was judge-worthy. I know, to each his own, but it just seemed a bit much. Moreover, we would be at dinner and would opt-out of an appetizer because we didn't want all that food and we would be looked at like we had three heads for refusing. I will say, even with all the gluttonous side-eyeing I did to the other passengers, Mr. and I may have really over -indulged in desserts so I am being a bit hypocritical.
Seniors
The crowd on board were pretty much all old people. I have found that old people are my metier. Normally, I make Mr. do all the talking but I was Chatty McChats and all of the elderly people knew my name. Mr. was like "Who are you?" because being social is not my thing. I told my dad though, I was getting good recommendations for when I have to put him in the home. Even so, I will say that we were the recipients of some ageism. We would be sitting at afternoon tea and the look of utter horror that would come across people's faces when they would be told to sit with us was amusing. We worked our charms and in the end, we always had a good time. I am not one to try to find friends on vaca. I pretty much like to hang out with Mr. and that's it so not having anyone really our age around didn't bother me at all. As a matter of fact, I loved having the older people on our tours and such because they were always the first to complain about anything I had privately complained about to Mr. and so we got our answers and problems fixed before we actually had to bring it up with the tour leaders. Hee hee.
Shows and Activities
There were a number of different shows and activities set up for our amusement. There was a comedian we went to see one night, we hit up the afternoon tea, swam, read, lounged, sat around and listened to the afternoon trivia but didn't actually participate and went to pilates (Mr. too! He wasn't lying when he told me he was inflexible but confessed he actually liked it.). You have to participate in stuff on the cruise or else you are just sitting around so we did.
Room
Mr. and I lucked out and got a room that was on the end and handicapped so it was HUGE. We had a balcony which we sat on here and there but really it was too cold to be sitting out there for any length of time. Our toilet stopped flushing twice which was a bit of a loser but was quickly fixed.
Seasickness
Mr. gets nauseous just thinking about boats so he was very scared to go on this cruise. I told him he won't even notice it and even though we came equipped with lots and lots of seasickness prevention tools, I was right. He was fine.
Health
The first two days we were on board as a temporary measure to prevent the spread of illness, the staff served all buffet food. I wish they had continued that the whole trip because buffets can be gross. Also, the staff sprayed you with anti-bacterial every time you boarded the vessel or entered a dining room. Kind of crazy but I liked it although in the end, Mr. and I did pick up a nasty cold.
Side note: Everyone, with all the recent cruise disasters, was like "Are you really going on a cruise?" and I was like "Yes, it's not like we are sailing on Carnival". However, a few days before we left, Mr.'s co-worker told him that Holland America is actually part of the same corporation as Carnival so I was like "AHHHHH!!!!!" Anyways, as I said, it was fine so I was wrong to worry.
Food
Cruises are well-known for the amount of food served on board. This was Mr.'s first cruise and my fourth so in fact, I assumed I was well aware of how much people eat on these. I was very surprised at the amount of food people were actually consuming. Do you really need 7 pieces of sausage, a bowl of fruit, three eggs, 4 pancakes, a muffin, a bowl of cereal, an omelette, and some oatmeal for one breakfast? Honestly, it was disgusting. I am not a big meal eater and tend to graze as it is but the gluttony was judge-worthy. I know, to each his own, but it just seemed a bit much. Moreover, we would be at dinner and would opt-out of an appetizer because we didn't want all that food and we would be looked at like we had three heads for refusing. I will say, even with all the gluttonous side-eyeing I did to the other passengers, Mr. and I may have really over -indulged in desserts so I am being a bit hypocritical.
Seniors
The crowd on board were pretty much all old people. I have found that old people are my metier. Normally, I make Mr. do all the talking but I was Chatty McChats and all of the elderly people knew my name. Mr. was like "Who are you?" because being social is not my thing. I told my dad though, I was getting good recommendations for when I have to put him in the home. Even so, I will say that we were the recipients of some ageism. We would be sitting at afternoon tea and the look of utter horror that would come across people's faces when they would be told to sit with us was amusing. We worked our charms and in the end, we always had a good time. I am not one to try to find friends on vaca. I pretty much like to hang out with Mr. and that's it so not having anyone really our age around didn't bother me at all. As a matter of fact, I loved having the older people on our tours and such because they were always the first to complain about anything I had privately complained about to Mr. and so we got our answers and problems fixed before we actually had to bring it up with the tour leaders. Hee hee.
Shows and Activities
There were a number of different shows and activities set up for our amusement. There was a comedian we went to see one night, we hit up the afternoon tea, swam, read, lounged, sat around and listened to the afternoon trivia but didn't actually participate and went to pilates (Mr. too! He wasn't lying when he told me he was inflexible but confessed he actually liked it.). You have to participate in stuff on the cruise or else you are just sitting around so we did.
Room
Mr. and I lucked out and got a room that was on the end and handicapped so it was HUGE. We had a balcony which we sat on here and there but really it was too cold to be sitting out there for any length of time. Our toilet stopped flushing twice which was a bit of a loser but was quickly fixed.
Seasickness
Mr. gets nauseous just thinking about boats so he was very scared to go on this cruise. I told him he won't even notice it and even though we came equipped with lots and lots of seasickness prevention tools, I was right. He was fine.
Health
The first two days we were on board as a temporary measure to prevent the spread of illness, the staff served all buffet food. I wish they had continued that the whole trip because buffets can be gross. Also, the staff sprayed you with anti-bacterial every time you boarded the vessel or entered a dining room. Kind of crazy but I liked it although in the end, Mr. and I did pick up a nasty cold.
June 9, 2013
Finland, Sweden, and Germany
After Russia, we sailed to Helsinki.
Because we had such a busy couple of days in Russia, Mr. and I did not do any kind of planned excursion in Finland. Instead, we decided we would go into Helsinki ourselves and see some sights. We originally planned to visit two places: a shop that did cake tasting and Temppeliaukio Church, which is a church that was carved from stone. Unfortunately, it was Sunday so we struck out with the cake shop because it was closed (ok because we went to a cupcake tasting back on board later in the afternoon) and the church because services were going on (we didn't have it in us to walk the whole way back to the church later when there were no services). Even though we printed out Frommer's walking tour of Helsinki, we skipped most of the sights and really just walked around the central square with the big Lutheran church and then went to the outdoor market for some shopping. There was loads of stuff here made from reindeer and so was not for those who are against furs and such but we managed to buy a couple of things like a magnet and an ornament. The weather in Helsinki switched between rain and sun every couple of minutes so that was annoying but otherwise, we enjoyed our time here.
After Helskini, we sailed to Stockholm, Sweden. We had debated on doing an organized tour here but, in the end, decided to see the city ourselves. From the port, we took a hop on/ hop off boat to our first sight, The Vasa Museum. (Stockholm is made up of a number of different islands so the boats make a nice way to get from place to place.) Mr. had suggest going to the Vasa and while I normally veto any museum on our first day of sight-seeing in a city, I said OK. It was actually pretty cool and I am glad we went. The Vasa was a Swedish vessel that sank in 1628. The Swedes managed to raise it up and build a museum around it. The museum, one of the ones open on Mondays, opened at 10AM. We arrived at 9:45AM and they let us in. This was a coup because there was no line and it was not crowded at all. YEAH!!! We spent a bit of time looking at the ship and other things in the museum and then headed to the Gamla Stan (Old Town). It dates from the 1600s and has lots of narrow streets, shops, and old buildings. We had Frommer's walking tour to guide us but the sight numbers didn't match with the map which was a little frustrating. Regardless, it pointed us in the right direction because from the Vasa, it helped us see the Royal Palace and a few other things before getting to the Old Town. I liked Stockholm the best of any city we visited and would love to go back.
Sweden is made up of thousands of islands so we spent a few hours cruising the archipelago on our way out. It was really cold and windy on deck but nature but on a great display with a double rainbow.
The next day was an at sea day. Hooray! We needed a major rest from touring before our next stop: Germany.
In Germany, we hit up two ports. The first was Warnermunde. From there, you can take a three hour train ride to Berlin. Neither of us having been to Germany, Mr. and I decided to take a full day excursion to Berlin. This consisted of a three hour train ride, a visit to the Allied Museum, lunch, a tour around the city, three hour train ride back. It was supposed to be a 12 hour excursion. It took over 14 hours and frankly, I had a meltdown on the train on the ride back. It was way too long and my head was seriously hurting and it was overall just terrible. When I reviewed the excursions we went on at the end of our cruise, this extra few hours was the reason why they did not get a top score.
Anyways, so at around 6:30-7AM, we boarded the train. The ride there was OK. I read my book, they gave us a snack for breakfast (but were sorely lacking in tea), and the entire train was chartered by the cruise line so that was nice. On reaching Berlin, we hit up the Allied Museum first. This was a museum dedicated to the Allies from WWII. It was ok but generally, I thought a tad weak. After the museum, we went to lunch at a Hofbrau (brew house). We were served traditional German fare of pork, sauerkraut, sausages, potatoes, apple strudel. It was actually really good. After lunch, we took a tour around the city to see some main sites including the Berlin Wall and the Brandenburg Gate. We did manage to get a glimpse of Mrs. Merkel, the chancellor. This was quite exciting as I do not normally run into celebrities. Then, we headed back to the train and this is when I may have lost it a bit. I think I needed caffeine big time and as I discovered the next day when I woke up with a sore throat, I think I was starting to be sick. Either way, we managed to survive and this tour piqued our interest in learning about the Cold War.
(As a side note, Mr. asked me when we disembarked in Warnermunde if a quarter of me was dancing (he may have done a dance as he said this) since I am a quarter German and this was my first visit to a country of my ancestry. I shook my leg a bit but that was the end of my enthusiasm.)
When we arrived back to the ship close to 10PM, I wanted to take a shower and go to bed. Alas, our toilet was broken so I laid on the bed with a towel on my face until the guy came and fixed it while Mr. ordered some room service. After trying to eat, I passed out.
The next day we arrived in Kiel, Germany. I had originally wanted to do an excursion of the lakes and castles around there but Mr. had said that was maybe not a great idea since we were in Berlin all day on Wednesday and the next day we were leaving. On waking up Thursday, I was so happy we made this decision. We disembarked and walked around Kiel for maybe two hours. I bought some things and we ate some German cuisine of pretzels and schokobrotchen (basically a donut type thing with chocolate icing and filling... OMG... I DIED over it.).
Thursday, we both started to get sore throats and come down with a bit of a cold. It turned into a pretty bad one and made for an icky flight back to the US from Copenhagen, our final port, since we couldn't sleep and the plane was unbelievably HOT. We had direct flights on SAS both there and back so I can't really complain seeing that SAS was generally good otherwise.
All in all, it was a bit of a busy vaca but we saw lots of great sights and had a fab time.
I will post a review of the cruise next since that was a vaca in and of itself.
Because we had such a busy couple of days in Russia, Mr. and I did not do any kind of planned excursion in Finland. Instead, we decided we would go into Helsinki ourselves and see some sights. We originally planned to visit two places: a shop that did cake tasting and Temppeliaukio Church, which is a church that was carved from stone. Unfortunately, it was Sunday so we struck out with the cake shop because it was closed (ok because we went to a cupcake tasting back on board later in the afternoon) and the church because services were going on (we didn't have it in us to walk the whole way back to the church later when there were no services). Even though we printed out Frommer's walking tour of Helsinki, we skipped most of the sights and really just walked around the central square with the big Lutheran church and then went to the outdoor market for some shopping. There was loads of stuff here made from reindeer and so was not for those who are against furs and such but we managed to buy a couple of things like a magnet and an ornament. The weather in Helsinki switched between rain and sun every couple of minutes so that was annoying but otherwise, we enjoyed our time here.
 |
| Helsinki |
After Helskini, we sailed to Stockholm, Sweden. We had debated on doing an organized tour here but, in the end, decided to see the city ourselves. From the port, we took a hop on/ hop off boat to our first sight, The Vasa Museum. (Stockholm is made up of a number of different islands so the boats make a nice way to get from place to place.) Mr. had suggest going to the Vasa and while I normally veto any museum on our first day of sight-seeing in a city, I said OK. It was actually pretty cool and I am glad we went. The Vasa was a Swedish vessel that sank in 1628. The Swedes managed to raise it up and build a museum around it. The museum, one of the ones open on Mondays, opened at 10AM. We arrived at 9:45AM and they let us in. This was a coup because there was no line and it was not crowded at all. YEAH!!! We spent a bit of time looking at the ship and other things in the museum and then headed to the Gamla Stan (Old Town). It dates from the 1600s and has lots of narrow streets, shops, and old buildings. We had Frommer's walking tour to guide us but the sight numbers didn't match with the map which was a little frustrating. Regardless, it pointed us in the right direction because from the Vasa, it helped us see the Royal Palace and a few other things before getting to the Old Town. I liked Stockholm the best of any city we visited and would love to go back.
 |
| Gamla Stan |
Sweden is made up of thousands of islands so we spent a few hours cruising the archipelago on our way out. It was really cold and windy on deck but nature but on a great display with a double rainbow.
 |
| Archipelago with Double Rainbow |
The next day was an at sea day. Hooray! We needed a major rest from touring before our next stop: Germany.
In Germany, we hit up two ports. The first was Warnermunde. From there, you can take a three hour train ride to Berlin. Neither of us having been to Germany, Mr. and I decided to take a full day excursion to Berlin. This consisted of a three hour train ride, a visit to the Allied Museum, lunch, a tour around the city, three hour train ride back. It was supposed to be a 12 hour excursion. It took over 14 hours and frankly, I had a meltdown on the train on the ride back. It was way too long and my head was seriously hurting and it was overall just terrible. When I reviewed the excursions we went on at the end of our cruise, this extra few hours was the reason why they did not get a top score.
Anyways, so at around 6:30-7AM, we boarded the train. The ride there was OK. I read my book, they gave us a snack for breakfast (but were sorely lacking in tea), and the entire train was chartered by the cruise line so that was nice. On reaching Berlin, we hit up the Allied Museum first. This was a museum dedicated to the Allies from WWII. It was ok but generally, I thought a tad weak. After the museum, we went to lunch at a Hofbrau (brew house). We were served traditional German fare of pork, sauerkraut, sausages, potatoes, apple strudel. It was actually really good. After lunch, we took a tour around the city to see some main sites including the Berlin Wall and the Brandenburg Gate. We did manage to get a glimpse of Mrs. Merkel, the chancellor. This was quite exciting as I do not normally run into celebrities. Then, we headed back to the train and this is when I may have lost it a bit. I think I needed caffeine big time and as I discovered the next day when I woke up with a sore throat, I think I was starting to be sick. Either way, we managed to survive and this tour piqued our interest in learning about the Cold War.
 |
| Brandenburg Gate |
(As a side note, Mr. asked me when we disembarked in Warnermunde if a quarter of me was dancing (he may have done a dance as he said this) since I am a quarter German and this was my first visit to a country of my ancestry. I shook my leg a bit but that was the end of my enthusiasm.)
When we arrived back to the ship close to 10PM, I wanted to take a shower and go to bed. Alas, our toilet was broken so I laid on the bed with a towel on my face until the guy came and fixed it while Mr. ordered some room service. After trying to eat, I passed out.
The next day we arrived in Kiel, Germany. I had originally wanted to do an excursion of the lakes and castles around there but Mr. had said that was maybe not a great idea since we were in Berlin all day on Wednesday and the next day we were leaving. On waking up Thursday, I was so happy we made this decision. We disembarked and walked around Kiel for maybe two hours. I bought some things and we ate some German cuisine of pretzels and schokobrotchen (basically a donut type thing with chocolate icing and filling... OMG... I DIED over it.).
 |
| Kiel Square |
Thursday, we both started to get sore throats and come down with a bit of a cold. It turned into a pretty bad one and made for an icky flight back to the US from Copenhagen, our final port, since we couldn't sleep and the plane was unbelievably HOT. We had direct flights on SAS both there and back so I can't really complain seeing that SAS was generally good otherwise.
All in all, it was a bit of a busy vaca but we saw lots of great sights and had a fab time.
I will post a review of the cruise next since that was a vaca in and of itself.
June 4, 2013
Russia!
After Estonia, we headed towards Russia, land of the Tsars,
where we spent two days.
If you are American and going to Russia, you need to have a visa (I was going to make a “not the credit card” joke here, but I will resist). However, if you are on a cruise ship and taking a cruise ship sponsored tour, you don’t need to get one but you still need to go through customs at the pier. We opted for the cruise sponsored tour because we were hesitant to go around St. Petersburg alone and getting a visa seemed like a major debacle. This was the smart choice. St. Petersburg is huge and spread out and two of the places we went to see were outside the city.
We took two all day tours while we were there. There was a lot I wanted to see as I have a great interest in Russian history and if you didn’t know, I read War and Peace this year. On top of this, it’s not like we plan to pop back into Russia any time soon, so we might as well see what we could. We are young and spritely so two back to back all day tours did not seem that bad.
Much of the palace is in the Baroque style with LOTS of gilding. I walked into the ballroom and may have yelled “OH WOW!!!!”. It was quite impressive. The whole palace was jaw-dropping. The Russians really know how to say “Yep, we are Tsars and know how to build a kick-ass house”. You did have to pay $5 to take pictures inside but it was very worth it (although the pics don’t do it justice). The tour takes you through a number of rooms but obviously not the whole place. They are refurbishing more rooms and we were told that we would in fact see those when we come back some day.
The Hermitage was built by Empress Elizabeth and is also
called The Winter Palace (where the tsars primarily lived). It consists of five buildings and has the
longest façade of any building anywhere. During WWII, the Nazis did not enter St. Petersburg (but kept it under siege for 872 days) so the Hermitage escaped the war unscathed except for a few bombs. (The art was sent to Siberia just in case though.) While it houses one of the world's greatest art collections, I thought the architecture was spectacular
and took many pictures of that over the actual art. We toured the rooms of the palace as well as the Impressionist and Old Master exhibits. The cost for picture-taking was $5. Mr. bought a book of the Hermitage which does
better justice to it than my pics.
Day 1 was a bit exhausting but the sites were awesome and we were geared up for Day 2's adventures....
Day 2
If you are American and going to Russia, you need to have a visa (I was going to make a “not the credit card” joke here, but I will resist). However, if you are on a cruise ship and taking a cruise ship sponsored tour, you don’t need to get one but you still need to go through customs at the pier. We opted for the cruise sponsored tour because we were hesitant to go around St. Petersburg alone and getting a visa seemed like a major debacle. This was the smart choice. St. Petersburg is huge and spread out and two of the places we went to see were outside the city.
We took two all day tours while we were there. There was a lot I wanted to see as I have a great interest in Russian history and if you didn’t know, I read War and Peace this year. On top of this, it’s not like we plan to pop back into Russia any time soon, so we might as well see what we could. We are young and spritely so two back to back all day tours did not seem that bad.
Day 1
Our first day in St. Petersburg, we took a tour of the Catherine
Palace in the morning and the Hermitage in the afternoon.
The Catherine Palace was built by Peter the Great for his wife
Catherine I (not Catherine the Great). It is about an hour outside St. Petersburg in
the Tsars Village. His daughter, the
Empress Elizabeth, decided the original palace wasn’t up to snuff and greatly
enhanced it to what we see today. During
WWII, the Nazis set up camp here and pretty much destroyed everything. This made me quite angry. How could you destroy that history? By the time they left, nothing but the bones
remained. Since WWII, the Russians have
been working to refurbish the place and it looks quite nice now (although it is
somewhat disappointing that is not all the original stuff). The Catherine Palace is (was) also home to the
Amber Room which was lost during WWII. This palaces was also called The Summer Palace because the tsars spent their
summers here. |
| The Catherine Palace |
Much of the palace is in the Baroque style with LOTS of gilding. I walked into the ballroom and may have yelled “OH WOW!!!!”. It was quite impressive. The whole palace was jaw-dropping. The Russians really know how to say “Yep, we are Tsars and know how to build a kick-ass house”. You did have to pay $5 to take pictures inside but it was very worth it (although the pics don’t do it justice). The tour takes you through a number of rooms but obviously not the whole place. They are refurbishing more rooms and we were told that we would in fact see those when we come back some day.
After the Catherine Palace, we headed to lunch where we ate
some borscht. I am not a beet fan, but
it was actually good. Afterwards, we hit up a souvenir shop called Matryoshka. I might have bought way too much
stuff. Unfortunately, Mr. handed me the
bag of souvenirs and I didn’t quite grasp it and it dropped. I think I may
have cracked one of our matryoshkas. Oh
well, I can’t be certain the crack wasn’t in there before and it is not that
noticeable and not like we could return it…
Post-lunch we drove back into the city for a tour around on
the bus and a visit to the world-famous Hermitage museum. |
| One of the ceilings in the Hermitage |
Day 1 was a bit exhausting but the sites were awesome and we were geared up for Day 2's adventures....
The next day we headed out for another full day tour.
In the morning, we went to Peterhof which consists of palaces and gardens built by Peter the Great. It is located outside of the city. At Peterhof, we toured the Grand Palace. You couldn't take pictures inside which was a nice break after Day 1 but trust me, it was quite grand. The Nazis pretty much destroyed Peterhof so like the Catherine Palace, it has been rebuilt.
We wrapped up the tour just in time to see the daily turning on of the fountains which was an event with the national anthem of Russia playing. The gardens were filled with flowers and you can see why the Russians like to come and picnic here.
After lunch, we took a hydrofoil back to the city and visited the Church of the Spilled Blood. It started to pour down rain after our bright and sunny morning so we didn't get fab pics outside. However, the inside was absolutely spectacular. This got another OH WOW!!! out of me. The entire inside was made up of mosaics. AMAZING!
This finished up our tour and we headed back to the ship for some more travels.
I was most looking forward to seeing St. Petersburg on our vaca and it did not disappoint; although I will say I was bit done with gilding towards the end.
In the morning, we went to Peterhof which consists of palaces and gardens built by Peter the Great. It is located outside of the city. At Peterhof, we toured the Grand Palace. You couldn't take pictures inside which was a nice break after Day 1 but trust me, it was quite grand. The Nazis pretty much destroyed Peterhof so like the Catherine Palace, it has been rebuilt.
We wrapped up the tour just in time to see the daily turning on of the fountains which was an event with the national anthem of Russia playing. The gardens were filled with flowers and you can see why the Russians like to come and picnic here.
 |
| Peterhof |
After lunch, we took a hydrofoil back to the city and visited the Church of the Spilled Blood. It started to pour down rain after our bright and sunny morning so we didn't get fab pics outside. However, the inside was absolutely spectacular. This got another OH WOW!!! out of me. The entire inside was made up of mosaics. AMAZING!
 |
| Ceiling of Church of the Spilled Blood |
This finished up our tour and we headed back to the ship for some more travels.
I was most looking forward to seeing St. Petersburg on our vaca and it did not disappoint; although I will say I was bit done with gilding towards the end.
June 2, 2013
Copenhagen & Estonia
Mr. and I just returned from our two week vaca in Europe. This year, we decided to do a 10 day cruise to the Baltic. Now, when I told people we were going here I got responses like "Do you have family there?" and "Are you going to a wedding?"... Both answers were no. We chose this because we had talked about it for awhile and I said to Mr. a few months ago, "Where do you want to go on vaca?" and he picked this. A cruise was the easiest way to see the countries we wanted to visit and get a taste for each of them. I have a lot to say about the cruise itself but I'll save that for later. I am dividing this recap into four posts: Copenhagen and Estonia; Russia; Helsinki, Stockholm and Germany; and the Cruise.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Our cruise started in Copenhagen on Tuesday, May 21. We decided to fly in on Sunday the 19th so that we could spend Monday touring Copenhagen. Even though we arrived in the late afternoon on Sunday, we didn't do much besides nap and go to Max Burger, a fast food joint close to our hotel (the Palace Hotel, I would recommend). We ordered chicken burgers, fries and two teas. Yes, two earl grey teas. We love our tea.
On Monday, we decided to follow Frommer's Walking Tour 1 and visit Rosenborg Castle. As you know, I like the Frommer's walking tours because they provide some direction instead of walking aimlessly around a new place. We started out right across the street from our hotel at the Hans Christian Andersen statue and Tivoli Gardens. We didn't go into Tivoli, which is a big amusement park, because Mr. had no interest at all in the rides so we took a pic and moved on to the next stop.
We eventually ended up at Rosenborg Castle. This castle was a bit tiny for what I think of when I think "castle" but the inside was worth a look-see. We chose to go to this one over the Amalienborg or Christianborg Palaces because it was the oldest one (built in the 1600s) and it seemed to have the most charisma. I was not disappointed. We did have to pay to take pictures which was a loser but the interiors had a lot to say and the visit to the treasury to see the jewels was definitely fun.
I won't bore you with details of all we saw, go ahead and read the walking tour if you want to see that but overall Copenhagen was a pretty, walkable city. We had warm weather and it was sunny so that was a plus. Mr. ate a danish or two while there (the pastry, not the inhabitants). Since my name is Danish, I was super excited to hand over my credit card with a wink that said "see you are Danish, I have a Danish name" and get a wink of "yep we are on a team" in response. But, the one time I used my card, they didn't seem to notice. We didn't realize until we were there that May 20 was a holiday so a lot of the stores were closed which was a bit of a loser. Overall, I would recommend Copenhagen, I could have stayed another day and seen some things like The Little Mermaid statue that we didn't get a chance to.
Tallinn, Estonia
We boarded our cruise, as I mentioned, on Tuesday. Wednesday we were at sea and pretty much did nothing but swim and go to the afternoon tea which was fab.
Thursday we hit up Tallinn, Estonia. Estonia was formally part of the Soviet Union and is now, if you haven't guessed, its own country. Tallinn is a town that has two parts: the new and the old part. We only ventured to the old part of Tallinn which is still very much medieval in its set up. If you have never taken a cruise before, you are offered a variety of excursions in each port that you can pay extra to go on. Mr. and I decided to not go on an excursion in Tallinn and just walk around on our own. The old town is quite small so if you are going there and not disabled/ don't have leg problems, I would suggest doing the same. I don't see a need for an organized tour. However, Tallinn was very hilly and cobblestone streeted which made it hard at times to walk around. On some weird whim, we decided to pay to walk to the top of the tower at the city hall. This was a mistake. The stairs were extremely steep and hard to manage. Our legs literally hurt for the next five days. I screamed with pain all over Russia every time I went down a step. Don't walk up this tower unless you have power quads. I do not.
Anyways, back to Tallinn. Instead of the Frommer's we crazily veered over and used the Rick Steves' walking tour. Feel free to peruse it but suffice it to say, it worked out well except for the fact that the map didn't match with the description numbers. Kind of annoying but we found our way around.
When we were at a store purchasing some souvs, the theft alarm kept going off and I made a joke to the lady that it was probably ghosts. She was like "I think there are in these old places. Sometimes I come in in the morning and the matryoshkas are all knocked over." Um AHHHHH!!!! I quickly ran out of there. Yikes!
I really liked Tallinn. It had a Mont-St-Michel feel about it if you have ever been there. The weather was a bit chilly but no rain. I flat-ironed my hair before leaving and alas, the morning mist and all the fog made it look very pitiful by the end so word to the wise, wear a pony tail if you are heading out into the damp.
That about sums up Copenhagen and Estonia. Next up will be Russia...
Copenhagen, Denmark
Our cruise started in Copenhagen on Tuesday, May 21. We decided to fly in on Sunday the 19th so that we could spend Monday touring Copenhagen. Even though we arrived in the late afternoon on Sunday, we didn't do much besides nap and go to Max Burger, a fast food joint close to our hotel (the Palace Hotel, I would recommend). We ordered chicken burgers, fries and two teas. Yes, two earl grey teas. We love our tea.
On Monday, we decided to follow Frommer's Walking Tour 1 and visit Rosenborg Castle. As you know, I like the Frommer's walking tours because they provide some direction instead of walking aimlessly around a new place. We started out right across the street from our hotel at the Hans Christian Andersen statue and Tivoli Gardens. We didn't go into Tivoli, which is a big amusement park, because Mr. had no interest at all in the rides so we took a pic and moved on to the next stop.
We eventually ended up at Rosenborg Castle. This castle was a bit tiny for what I think of when I think "castle" but the inside was worth a look-see. We chose to go to this one over the Amalienborg or Christianborg Palaces because it was the oldest one (built in the 1600s) and it seemed to have the most charisma. I was not disappointed. We did have to pay to take pictures which was a loser but the interiors had a lot to say and the visit to the treasury to see the jewels was definitely fun.
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| Rosenborg Castle |
I won't bore you with details of all we saw, go ahead and read the walking tour if you want to see that but overall Copenhagen was a pretty, walkable city. We had warm weather and it was sunny so that was a plus. Mr. ate a danish or two while there (the pastry, not the inhabitants). Since my name is Danish, I was super excited to hand over my credit card with a wink that said "see you are Danish, I have a Danish name" and get a wink of "yep we are on a team" in response. But, the one time I used my card, they didn't seem to notice. We didn't realize until we were there that May 20 was a holiday so a lot of the stores were closed which was a bit of a loser. Overall, I would recommend Copenhagen, I could have stayed another day and seen some things like The Little Mermaid statue that we didn't get a chance to.
Tallinn, Estonia
We boarded our cruise, as I mentioned, on Tuesday. Wednesday we were at sea and pretty much did nothing but swim and go to the afternoon tea which was fab.
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| Tallinn |
Anyways, back to Tallinn. Instead of the Frommer's we crazily veered over and used the Rick Steves' walking tour. Feel free to peruse it but suffice it to say, it worked out well except for the fact that the map didn't match with the description numbers. Kind of annoying but we found our way around.
When we were at a store purchasing some souvs, the theft alarm kept going off and I made a joke to the lady that it was probably ghosts. She was like "I think there are in these old places. Sometimes I come in in the morning and the matryoshkas are all knocked over." Um AHHHHH!!!! I quickly ran out of there. Yikes!
I really liked Tallinn. It had a Mont-St-Michel feel about it if you have ever been there. The weather was a bit chilly but no rain. I flat-ironed my hair before leaving and alas, the morning mist and all the fog made it look very pitiful by the end so word to the wise, wear a pony tail if you are heading out into the damp.
That about sums up Copenhagen and Estonia. Next up will be Russia...
June 25, 2012
Turks and Caicos
Mr and I just got back from a week in Turks & Caicos, land of bliss.
The week before we went I was suffering from a sinus infection, a stomach ailment, a crazy large and lasting mosquito bite, and, two nights before we left, I fell on our stairs, dropped a glass, and got a huge cut in my hand. Sigh... So vaca was needed.
We flew on Delta, connecting through Atlanta.
Our original flight was supposed to leave at 7AM Saturday. We boarded and then, much to our dismay, they announced we were having an oil leak but assured us we would be on our way soon. 10 minutes, 20 minutes... Half an hour... Still couldn't get it fixed. Mr. and I only had an hour and 59 minutes between flights so we were starting to get anxious. There is only one flight a day from Atlanta to Providenciales. We waited. There was another flight at like 8:30 or so and they started to call people from our flight to get off our plane and go on that one. We waited... Still the oil leak was happening. Finally, they called us and we popped up and ran to the other plane. We would only have about a 1/2 hour once we landed before our other flight took off but I kept telling Mr. that they know we are on this flight, so they have to hold it. It would be ridiculous if they didn't. We had checked one bag which we thought we would never see again once we changed planes but they said it should be OK.
We took off and were on our way. We landed in Atlanta and had to switch terminals. Once we finally got off the plane, we took off and ran. Now, I have asthma and at one point I told Mr. to leave me and go himself because I couldn't keep up. The Atlanta airport is not tiny and finally, after 20 minutes of running and trains, made it to our departure gate. Where we discovered there was a small delay in our T&C plane. Yeah! So we caught our breath and bought some water. We finally got on board and took off for a week of fun and sun.
Our suitcase surprisingly made it. Yeah!
Mr. and I decided to stay at the Seven Stars resort on Grace Bay. Grace Bay is fantastic and I highly recommend going there. We spent the majority of the week going to the beach and to the pool and once went kayaking. I don't have much to say other than it was very relaxing. Here are some highlights:
1. The Seven Stars was awesome. Everyone was so friendly and since this is not the high season, it wasn't super crowded. The pool was supposed to be salt water but it didn't seem like that to us. We went to their Beach BBQ on Sunday. We watched the sunset from our table right on the beach. It was fab. Mr. loved the jerk chicken which he mentioned to me once, twice, three times... Between that and my "This is the tale of Captain Jack Sparrow" (profanity warning if you watch that link) exclamation every two seconds, it was a tight competition over who was the most annoying. We also really liked their restaurant Seven. We went there for dinner our last night and it was really, really good. High recommendation from us.
2. Food is expensive!!!! When making arrangements, I didn't want to go and stay some place that had a full kitchen. I don't like to cook at home, let alone on vaca. However, there was a grocery store across the street from the Seven Stars and we ended up buying lunch meat, cheese, etc. so that we could just make lunch. Resort food is heavy and too much for a week so this was a nice change. Even though the food was pricey, it was much cheaper than getting food from the restaurant daily. Our room had a small kitchen in it with a fridge, microwave, stove top. They provided dishes and stuff as well so Mr. not only got to indulge in his favorite place, the grocery store, he also got to do his favorite activity, washing dishes, as well. The maids took away any dishes we left dirty in the sink but we didn't mind doing some of them.
3. We discovered the electric tea kettle. There was one in our room and we used it to make tea every night. We love our tea. We may have to purchase one for home. It heated the water so fast!
4. It only rained at night which was fab. But during the day it was cloudy. This was good for us because it was still hot but we weren't overly sizzled by the Caribbean sun. Mr's Irish skin did get a bit burned but my Polish skin tanned nicely. We both were wearing 50+ sunscreen and reapplied several times daily.
5. Grace Bay beach is supposed to be one of the best in the world. It is incredible. The water was amazing and we spent hours just swimming and being in the ocean. Awesome.
6. I have come to the realization that while most kids annoy me to no end, it is the parents to blame. When you are at a resort where there are mostly adults lounging and yours are the only kids, why aren't you telling your kids to stop from screaming and splashing. When you are in the airport, why is your child yelling and dictating his video game and why aren't you telling him to stop? When you are on a plane, why is your child playing loud video games and having the sound turned up? When seated at breakfast, does your child really need to be watching a video? When there are elderly people looking for seats in the airport, why aren't your telling your kid to stop lolloping about over the seats and let the older people have a seat?
7. The Turks and Caicos airport is one of the worst airports I have ever been to. It is super small and all the flights seem to take off at one time. This leads to EXTREMELY loud and noisy situations. There are no seats. Children are screaming. There is no where to go. It is hot. It is awful. It is like they are saying "Welcome back to reality".
8. The number of middle-aged women reading Fifty Shades of Grey was beyond belief. Feisty keeps asking me if I have read this and I keep saying no because, eh, I have too many other books that I was prefer to read. But it seems SO desperate housewifey to be reading this. I judge people.
Overall it was a fab vaca.
The week before we went I was suffering from a sinus infection, a stomach ailment, a crazy large and lasting mosquito bite, and, two nights before we left, I fell on our stairs, dropped a glass, and got a huge cut in my hand. Sigh... So vaca was needed.
We flew on Delta, connecting through Atlanta.
Our original flight was supposed to leave at 7AM Saturday. We boarded and then, much to our dismay, they announced we were having an oil leak but assured us we would be on our way soon. 10 minutes, 20 minutes... Half an hour... Still couldn't get it fixed. Mr. and I only had an hour and 59 minutes between flights so we were starting to get anxious. There is only one flight a day from Atlanta to Providenciales. We waited. There was another flight at like 8:30 or so and they started to call people from our flight to get off our plane and go on that one. We waited... Still the oil leak was happening. Finally, they called us and we popped up and ran to the other plane. We would only have about a 1/2 hour once we landed before our other flight took off but I kept telling Mr. that they know we are on this flight, so they have to hold it. It would be ridiculous if they didn't. We had checked one bag which we thought we would never see again once we changed planes but they said it should be OK.
We took off and were on our way. We landed in Atlanta and had to switch terminals. Once we finally got off the plane, we took off and ran. Now, I have asthma and at one point I told Mr. to leave me and go himself because I couldn't keep up. The Atlanta airport is not tiny and finally, after 20 minutes of running and trains, made it to our departure gate. Where we discovered there was a small delay in our T&C plane. Yeah! So we caught our breath and bought some water. We finally got on board and took off for a week of fun and sun.
Our suitcase surprisingly made it. Yeah!
Mr. and I decided to stay at the Seven Stars resort on Grace Bay. Grace Bay is fantastic and I highly recommend going there. We spent the majority of the week going to the beach and to the pool and once went kayaking. I don't have much to say other than it was very relaxing. Here are some highlights:
1. The Seven Stars was awesome. Everyone was so friendly and since this is not the high season, it wasn't super crowded. The pool was supposed to be salt water but it didn't seem like that to us. We went to their Beach BBQ on Sunday. We watched the sunset from our table right on the beach. It was fab. Mr. loved the jerk chicken which he mentioned to me once, twice, three times... Between that and my "This is the tale of Captain Jack Sparrow" (profanity warning if you watch that link) exclamation every two seconds, it was a tight competition over who was the most annoying. We also really liked their restaurant Seven. We went there for dinner our last night and it was really, really good. High recommendation from us.
2. Food is expensive!!!! When making arrangements, I didn't want to go and stay some place that had a full kitchen. I don't like to cook at home, let alone on vaca. However, there was a grocery store across the street from the Seven Stars and we ended up buying lunch meat, cheese, etc. so that we could just make lunch. Resort food is heavy and too much for a week so this was a nice change. Even though the food was pricey, it was much cheaper than getting food from the restaurant daily. Our room had a small kitchen in it with a fridge, microwave, stove top. They provided dishes and stuff as well so Mr. not only got to indulge in his favorite place, the grocery store, he also got to do his favorite activity, washing dishes, as well. The maids took away any dishes we left dirty in the sink but we didn't mind doing some of them.
3. We discovered the electric tea kettle. There was one in our room and we used it to make tea every night. We love our tea. We may have to purchase one for home. It heated the water so fast!
4. It only rained at night which was fab. But during the day it was cloudy. This was good for us because it was still hot but we weren't overly sizzled by the Caribbean sun. Mr's Irish skin did get a bit burned but my Polish skin tanned nicely. We both were wearing 50+ sunscreen and reapplied several times daily.
5. Grace Bay beach is supposed to be one of the best in the world. It is incredible. The water was amazing and we spent hours just swimming and being in the ocean. Awesome.
6. I have come to the realization that while most kids annoy me to no end, it is the parents to blame. When you are at a resort where there are mostly adults lounging and yours are the only kids, why aren't you telling your kids to stop from screaming and splashing. When you are in the airport, why is your child yelling and dictating his video game and why aren't you telling him to stop? When you are on a plane, why is your child playing loud video games and having the sound turned up? When seated at breakfast, does your child really need to be watching a video? When there are elderly people looking for seats in the airport, why aren't your telling your kid to stop lolloping about over the seats and let the older people have a seat?
7. The Turks and Caicos airport is one of the worst airports I have ever been to. It is super small and all the flights seem to take off at one time. This leads to EXTREMELY loud and noisy situations. There are no seats. Children are screaming. There is no where to go. It is hot. It is awful. It is like they are saying "Welcome back to reality".
8. The number of middle-aged women reading Fifty Shades of Grey was beyond belief. Feisty keeps asking me if I have read this and I keep saying no because, eh, I have too many other books that I was prefer to read. But it seems SO desperate housewifey to be reading this. I judge people.
Overall it was a fab vaca.
March 5, 2012
Charleston (Part 2)
Sunday
We had left our walking tour of Charleston until our last full day. I downloaded a free Charleston walking tour app to my iPhone which helped us determine what sites we wanted to see and charted our course. But here is how our day started:
Mr.: Our smoke alarm was outside the bathroom and never went off.
Monday
Final Thoughts:
Taxis
For the most part, Mr. and I walked everywhere but two different nights for dinner we called a cab because it was raining and I was in heels. We didn’t have exact change for either taxi and they looked at us like we had three heads when we asked for it. Who are these people? We were not trying to pay with $100 bill. It was a reasonable amount we were asking for back. I have a mind to complain to the taxi company because it was ridiculous. Too bad for the driver that got a 45 cent tip because that was all the 1s we had. Maybe he should have some change next time.
Talkers
We had left our walking tour of Charleston until our last full day. I downloaded a free Charleston walking tour app to my iPhone which helped us determine what sites we wanted to see and charted our course. But here is how our day started:
Mr. was showering and getting the large bathroom all steamy.
Because we were in a rush, I decided to bust in and start beautifying. However, the mirror was foggy so I left the door open to unfog it. Bad idea.
It set the smoke alarm off.
When it didn’t stop, we called the front desk. I was praying the sprinklers wouldn’t go off.
After we got off the phone:
Mr.: WHAT IS CAUSING IT????
Because we were in a rush, I decided to bust in and start beautifying. However, the mirror was foggy so I left the door open to unfog it. Bad idea.
It set the smoke alarm off.
When it didn’t stop, we called the front desk. I was praying the sprinklers wouldn’t go off.
After we got off the phone:
Mr.: WHAT IS CAUSING IT????
Me: It’s from the steam.
Mr.: No, it isn’t.
Me: Yes it is. We had this happen all the time when we were
kids because the smoke alarm was right outside the bathroom door. Mr.: No, it isn’t.
Mr.: Our smoke alarm was outside the bathroom and never went off.
Me: I don’t know what to tell you.
The alarm caused the fire department to be dispatched which resulted in a fireman coming and inspecting our room. Embarrassing.
The fireman and the concierge agreed with me about the steam so for once I was right.
Unfortunately, we were heretofore known as the Smoke Alarm Room by the workers at the hotel.
Sigh. Never ever a dull moment.
Post le petit dejeuner (aka breakfast), Mr. and I headed on our walking tour which included various old houses and some parks. We had planned to tour the Aiken-Rhett House after lunch, but alas, due to my ability to always have a stomach ache, we ended up going to our hotel and lounging until dinner. Mr. didn’t seem to mind so I was OK with that.
The alarm caused the fire department to be dispatched which resulted in a fireman coming and inspecting our room. Embarrassing.
The fireman and the concierge agreed with me about the steam so for once I was right.
Unfortunately, we were heretofore known as the Smoke Alarm Room by the workers at the hotel.
Sigh. Never ever a dull moment.
Post le petit dejeuner (aka breakfast), Mr. and I headed on our walking tour which included various old houses and some parks. We had planned to tour the Aiken-Rhett House after lunch, but alas, due to my ability to always have a stomach ache, we ended up going to our hotel and lounging until dinner. Mr. didn’t seem to mind so I was OK with that.
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| Here are some mansions at the Battery. Dare to Dream.... |
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| And the famous "Rainbow Row" |
Monday
We had thought we might tour the Aiken-Rhett House on Monday
because our flight wasn’t until late. Alas, we were tired and kind of
done with touring around so we lounged in our room until check out time and
then went to lunch. After that, we took off home.
Final Thoughts:
Hotel
We (I) chose the Wentworth Mansion because the rooms looked like
they had a ton of character and, if I haven’t mentioned it before, I like old
houses.
Mr. and I did not shell out for one of the more expensive suites because this was supposed to be our “cheaper” vacation and once I saw our room, even though it was impressive, I told Mr. we must be in the old servant’s wing (ha ha) because it was slightly less opulent than the really expensive suites.
We loved our room.
It had a fireplace in the bedroom AND one in the bathroom! This fact induced me to take my first bath in about 10 years in front of said fireplace. Unfortunately, baths gross me out so it didn’t last long because I just kept thinking about germs once I got in.
Our room also had a small porch off it. Yeah! I love outdoor seating! We had some nice sits on that porch, relaxing.
The WM provides a very nice complimentary breakfast (love when hotels have this) and they offer various refreshments (like the sweet tea) throughout the day. Parking was also free. The staff was incredibly helpful and nice. In fact the only drawback was that it was a slightly off the beaten path but Mr. and I are both city folk and big walkers so we didn’t really mind.
Mr. and I did not shell out for one of the more expensive suites because this was supposed to be our “cheaper” vacation and once I saw our room, even though it was impressive, I told Mr. we must be in the old servant’s wing (ha ha) because it was slightly less opulent than the really expensive suites.
We loved our room.
It had a fireplace in the bedroom AND one in the bathroom! This fact induced me to take my first bath in about 10 years in front of said fireplace. Unfortunately, baths gross me out so it didn’t last long because I just kept thinking about germs once I got in.
Our room also had a small porch off it. Yeah! I love outdoor seating! We had some nice sits on that porch, relaxing.
The WM provides a very nice complimentary breakfast (love when hotels have this) and they offer various refreshments (like the sweet tea) throughout the day. Parking was also free. The staff was incredibly helpful and nice. In fact the only drawback was that it was a slightly off the beaten path but Mr. and I are both city folk and big walkers so we didn’t really mind.
Taxis
For the most part, Mr. and I walked everywhere but two different nights for dinner we called a cab because it was raining and I was in heels. We didn’t have exact change for either taxi and they looked at us like we had three heads when we asked for it. Who are these people? We were not trying to pay with $100 bill. It was a reasonable amount we were asking for back. I have a mind to complain to the taxi company because it was ridiculous. Too bad for the driver that got a 45 cent tip because that was all the 1s we had. Maybe he should have some change next time.
Talkers
Now, I like to think we are friendly enough, at least Mr.
is, and we (he) don’t mind the occasional small talk with strangers. But
this trip was filled with people who would not stop talking to us.
On the plane to Charleston I took the
middle seat. An old lady with a flowered sweatshirt sat beside me.
Ladies who are over 45 ALWAYS want to chat with you. I do not want to
chat so I immediately pull out my book and start reading hoping they will take
the hint. This lady did until we got closer to landing when she started
chatting about how we haven’t had a bad winter and stuff about gardening and
mums and what have you. I just said “Yeah” and nodded and moved on.
We escaped from her and got our first taxi driver in
Charleston. Mr. is our appropriated spokesperson so he got subjected to
talking to this guy and all of our other subsequent taxi drivers for the
duration of the trip. They were ALL talkers. Ugg.
I already covered our car rental guy.
On our Fort Sumter boat return trip, an older lady started
talking to me about my camera and where we were from etc. etc. etc. for
almost the whole trip. We were tired and hungry but suffered
through.
On our return flight home, I made Mr. sit in the middle and
lo and behold another older lady made her way next to him. Chatty
McChatterson. It only got worse after she ordered a beer. Poor
Mr. He really took one for our team on that flight. She didn’t get
the hint from our book reading.
So finally, we arrived back home and I said to Mr., “I am glad to
be back, at least the taxi driver won’t talk to us here.” I jinxed
us. :(
March 4, 2012
Charleston (Part 1)
Mr. and I just got back from a whirlwind weekend in Charleston.
Much like our New Orleans trip, this one consisted of a lot of old house viewing and eating.
I will let Mr. describe the eats but I will walk you through our adventures.
We arrived on Thursday but didn’t do much besides lounge at our hotel and go to dinner.
Friday
Mr. and I began our site seeing on a 78 degree day with a visit to Fort Sumter. Mr., not a Civil War scholar, kept calling it “Fort Sumpner”. Side-eye. (I am not sure if this was better or worse than my constant “You sank my battleship!” when we toured the Missouri on Pearl Harbor.)
Anyways, to get to Fort Sumter, you need to take a boat which takes about a half an hour and delivers you to FS for an hour, then takes you back. Mr. who gets motion sick driving around Pittsburgh with its turny roads and hills, quickly put on his Sea Bands so as not to leave it to chance. The boat ride to and from was eh. It was windy and they gave you some history on the way there. After we arrived, I thought an hour was ample time to not only see the bits and pieces of the Fort but also to go to the gift shop, usually my favorite spot at any historical site.
Next up, because it was right there, Mr. and I went over to the South Carolina Aquarium. We got a $1 off because I am a AAA member. Go me!
I think we need to stop shelling out big bucks to see aquariums. While it had its moments, I expected more for the cost. I, at least, thought a dolphin or a big shark would sail by but alas…
After the aquarium, Mr. and I happened by the Joseph Manigault House so we decided to do the tour. Hooray! (Sometimes I have the best husband in the world because he encourages my historical homes obsession by suggesting homes to visit like this one.) This tour was great because they let you take pics (no flash) and the house had some interesting history. I loved some of the colors used for decor and the staircase.
Saturday- Plantationing Day!
We rented a car which was the longest experience of my life. It took us 40 minutes to get our car from arrival at the rental place to departure. Someone was being helped when we came in. There was one person in line in front of us. And then there was us. We noticed things move slower in South Carolinaand that people LIKE TO TALK. Ugg. The guy (only worker) talked our ear off while we tried to get the car, took us outside to have us select a car, talked to use some more about his kids, talked to us even more about who knows what? Honestly, I don’t mind friendliness but enough is enough. Give me my damn car and let’s go. We had a big day planned and it wasn’t supposed to start with an hour spent at the car rental place. Vent over.
So starting out about an hour after we expected due to the car rental debacle and a trip back to the hotel for a bathroom break, we headed towards Drayton Hall.
Drayton is the oldest, unrestored house in America. It has no plumbing or electricity. Construction started in 1738 and took four years. Everything was done by hand. There was no furniture or anything in the house and you weren't allowed to touch the walls because the paint was original. But, they let you take pics. Here are some:
Drayton also has some grounds to walk through which we did, including a marsh walk. I was slightly scared an alligator would come up and get me but we made it through.
Our next stop on the plantation tour was Magnolia which is just up the road. Magnolia has extensive grounds which are covered in gardens. We toured the gardens before our house tour and it took maybe 45 minutes. I think the gardens would be much more impressive in the summer when everything is blooming. They were still pretty nice.
The house tour was eh. You could not take pictures and due to the original house being burnt down (twice), the house was not that old. Kind of disappointing. We thought about doing the swamp tour they offer but due to the hour, we didn’t think we would be able to get it done before they closed so we skipped it.
After we were done plantationing, we headed back to the hotel for a nice, complimentary sweet tea in the sunroom where we wiled away the rest of the afternoon Southern style.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Charleston recaps.....
Much like our New Orleans trip, this one consisted of a lot of old house viewing and eating.
I will let Mr. describe the eats but I will walk you through our adventures.
We arrived on Thursday but didn’t do much besides lounge at our hotel and go to dinner.
Friday
Mr. and I began our site seeing on a 78 degree day with a visit to Fort Sumter. Mr., not a Civil War scholar, kept calling it “Fort Sumpner”. Side-eye. (I am not sure if this was better or worse than my constant “You sank my battleship!” when we toured the Missouri on Pearl Harbor.)
Anyways, to get to Fort Sumter, you need to take a boat which takes about a half an hour and delivers you to FS for an hour, then takes you back. Mr. who gets motion sick driving around Pittsburgh with its turny roads and hills, quickly put on his Sea Bands so as not to leave it to chance. The boat ride to and from was eh. It was windy and they gave you some history on the way there. After we arrived, I thought an hour was ample time to not only see the bits and pieces of the Fort but also to go to the gift shop, usually my favorite spot at any historical site.
Next up, because it was right there, Mr. and I went over to the South Carolina Aquarium. We got a $1 off because I am a AAA member. Go me!
I think we need to stop shelling out big bucks to see aquariums. While it had its moments, I expected more for the cost. I, at least, thought a dolphin or a big shark would sail by but alas…
After the aquarium, Mr. and I happened by the Joseph Manigault House so we decided to do the tour. Hooray! (Sometimes I have the best husband in the world because he encourages my historical homes obsession by suggesting homes to visit like this one.) This tour was great because they let you take pics (no flash) and the house had some interesting history. I loved some of the colors used for decor and the staircase.
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| Staircase |
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| Dining Room |
Saturday- Plantationing Day!
We rented a car which was the longest experience of my life. It took us 40 minutes to get our car from arrival at the rental place to departure. Someone was being helped when we came in. There was one person in line in front of us. And then there was us. We noticed things move slower in South Carolinaand that people LIKE TO TALK. Ugg. The guy (only worker) talked our ear off while we tried to get the car, took us outside to have us select a car, talked to use some more about his kids, talked to us even more about who knows what? Honestly, I don’t mind friendliness but enough is enough. Give me my damn car and let’s go. We had a big day planned and it wasn’t supposed to start with an hour spent at the car rental place. Vent over.
So starting out about an hour after we expected due to the car rental debacle and a trip back to the hotel for a bathroom break, we headed towards Drayton Hall.
Drayton is the oldest, unrestored house in America. It has no plumbing or electricity. Construction started in 1738 and took four years. Everything was done by hand. There was no furniture or anything in the house and you weren't allowed to touch the walls because the paint was original. But, they let you take pics. Here are some:
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| Room used to entertain |
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| Staircase. All the woodwork was handmade. |
Drayton also has some grounds to walk through which we did, including a marsh walk. I was slightly scared an alligator would come up and get me but we made it through.
Our next stop on the plantation tour was Magnolia which is just up the road. Magnolia has extensive grounds which are covered in gardens. We toured the gardens before our house tour and it took maybe 45 minutes. I think the gardens would be much more impressive in the summer when everything is blooming. They were still pretty nice.
The house tour was eh. You could not take pictures and due to the original house being burnt down (twice), the house was not that old. Kind of disappointing. We thought about doing the swamp tour they offer but due to the hour, we didn’t think we would be able to get it done before they closed so we skipped it.
After we were done plantationing, we headed back to the hotel for a nice, complimentary sweet tea in the sunroom where we wiled away the rest of the afternoon Southern style.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Charleston recaps.....
November 15, 2011
Next to me...
On the plane...
A man in tree motif camo...
Reading "Texas Trophy Hunters" magazine...
With a bullseye as his phone's background.
I breathed a sigh of a relief that I opted not to wear my deer costume.
A man in tree motif camo...
Reading "Texas Trophy Hunters" magazine...
With a bullseye as his phone's background.
I breathed a sigh of a relief that I opted not to wear my deer costume.
October 1, 2011
Eating in The Big Easy
When we go on vacation we rarely have a plan when it comes to meals, which has resulted in more than one fight as we wander around a strange city looking for a place that doesn’t require reservations and serves food that we (read: Mrs) will eat. Well, Mrs. took the reins this time and made reservations for both Friday and Saturday night of our New Orleans trip. And we thought it might be fun to document our culinary adventures in The Big Easy:
Day 1
Dinner: Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House Seafood
Our first night we actually didn’t have reservations. After arriving at the hotel around 5pm, it was almost time for us early birds to eat. We considered the Acme Oyster House near our hotel, but the line was out the door so we called an audible and walked up the street to Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House Seafood.
What we got:
Two glasses of Malbec
Two house salads
Mrs. – 8 oz. filet and garlic mashed potatoes
Mr. – Pork brisket with cornbread dressing
Flourless chocolate cake
Two teas
What we thought:
Considering we were just wandering around looking for a place to eat, it was a pretty good introduction to the New Orleans culinary world. Mrs. went safe with steak and potatoes, but the pork brisket was a bit of a gamble. It paid off though because it was delicious, with a peach glaze and spicy mustard on the side. The dressing was a bit sweet, but also good. And it’s hard to go wrong ending a meal with chocolate cake, right?
Side note: Mrs. didn’t get carded when we ordered wine and was a bit put out by this. It was a common theme as we never got carded the whole trip. I had to break it to Mrs. that we're in our thirties.
Day 2
You’ll note we didn’t go anywhere for breakfast because (as Mrs. mentioned in her previous post) we had free continental breakfast at the hotel each morning. Big plus on any vacation.
Pre-Lunch Snack: French Market
What we got:
Alligator on a stick
For some reason Mrs. was excited about the possibility of eating alligator. We thought we’d find some deep fried bites, but instead we had to settle for gator sausage. It tasted like a really greasy bratwurst, and I can’t say I’m planning on eating alligator again.
Lunch: Subway
No, this isn’t some underground New Orleans eatery. We “ate fresh” at the sub chain.
What we got:
Mrs. – 6-inch BMT on flatbread with sour cream and onion Baked Lays
Mr. – 6-inch Chicken and bacon ranch on wheat with sour cream and onion Lays
Two iced teas
Our conclusion was that Subway in Louisiana tastes pretty much the same as Subway at home.
Dinner: GW Fins
What we got:
Two glasses of Pinot Noir
Crab Cake
Mrs. – Red Snapper with mashed potatoes (she really does love her potatoes)
Mr. – “Scalibut” with sugar snap peas and lobster risotto
Chocolate molten lava cake
Two teas (of course)
What we thought:
First, we both agreed that this was by far our best dinner on the trip, and we would highly recommend this place for anyone traveling to New Orleans. A seriously great choice by Mrs., who picked this place out and made reservations prior to us leaving for vacation.
The "Scalibut" was a halibut filet grilled together with thin sliced scallops, and it was delicious by any name. Mrs. loved the etouffee sauce that came with her fish and kept raving about it. But the real highlight was the warm sweet biscuits they served and kept bringing throughout the meal. I think we each had four. And I haven’t even mentioned the cake yet, which came with vanilla ice cream and I’m getting full just talking about this. We both were ready to lie down like beached whales after this meal.
Day 3
Lunch: Tracey’s
After doing a cemetery tour we had to find a place to eat in the Garden district. Out came the iPhone, and after deciding the first place we walked to looked a bit shady, we ended up at Tracey’s, which turned out to be more of a bar. And the big negative was that it was college football Saturday and the place was packed with Michigan fans (I guess a lot of people make the move from Ann Arbor to New Orleans). We did see a signed photo on the wall from Guy Fieri who apparently stopped here to film Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Tracey’s fits in the “Dive” category.
What we got:
Half Muffaletta (to share)
Order of fries (to share)
2 cans of coke
Healthy eating at its finest. We went with the half muffaletta because after originally ordering the whole sandwich, the cashier looked me up and down and advised against it. I pointed out that I’d be sharing with Mrs., but this obviously didn’t alter his opinion. It turned out this was the right answer since the half sandwich was enormous (Mrs. ate roughly half of her half).
Pre-Dinner Snack: Café Beignet
We had to get some beignets in New Orleans. Fried dough covered in powdered sugar is a win for everyone. This place was close to our hotel and when we got there we noticed it had been featured on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate as a selection of none other than Alton Brown (yes, two Food Network sightings in one afternoon). We ordered two iced teas (can you tell we’re addicted to caffeine?) and an order of the beignets. An order contained three huge beignets, but we still managed to scarf down one and half each. And yes, we did gain a few pounds over the trip.
Dinner: NOLA Restaurant
We were excited about eating here because it was one of Emeril’s restaurants and we had high expectations. Mrs. had made reservations before we left, and the only available times on Saturday night were 6pm or 9pm (guess what we went with), so we figured it was popular.
What we got:
Mrs. – Raspberry Mojito
Mr. – Abita beer
Fried green tomatoes with citrus poached shrimp
Wood oven roasted pocket bread
Mrs. – Buttermilk fried chicken with bourbon mashed sweet potatoes and sugar snap peas
Mr. – Shrimp and grits
What we thought:
Off the bat I’ll say we were pretty disappointed with this meal. It didn’t live up to our high expectations and was unfortunately the worst dinner of our trip. It wasn’t all bad as we enjoyed the biscuit and cornbread they served in lieu of a bread basket, as well as the fried green tomatoes. We could have done without the second appetizer (I’m not sure what we were thinking). Mrs. wasn’t terribly impressed with the fried chicken, and my shrimp weren’t cleaned well and there was too much bbq sauce, which mixed with the grits and sort of ruined them for me. You know it was a loser because after all this, we didn't even want dessert.
Day 4
Lunch: Oak Alley Plantation
What we got:
Mrs. – ½ roast beef po' boy with a side salad and iced tea
Mr. – ½ fried shrimp po' boy with a side salad and coke
Lunch on Sunday was at the Oak Alley Plantation restaurant. We weren’t expecting much, and we got what we expected. I wanted to have a po' boy while in New Orleans, so this was my opportunity. The most exciting aspect of the meal was that the restaurant was attached to the gift shop.
Dinner: Broussard’s
We weren't sure when we'd get back from the plantation on Sunday so we didn't make reservations anywhere for dinner. We ended up making a 6pm reservation (again, the early bird special) at Broussard's. Of course when we got there the place was almost empty, so I guess we didn’t really need that reservation.
What we got:
Mrs. – Bottle of iced tea
Mr. – Glass of house cabernet
Fried calamari
Mrs. – Redfish Broussard’s
Mr. – Creole spice-crusted ribeye
Profiteroles au Chocolate Marion
What we thought:
Despite a near empty dining room, we both really enjoyed the meal. I’m sure our ringing endorsement will have customers lined up outside by next week. The calamari had a spicy olive relish that was a nice touch. I enjoyed the spice on my steak, and Mrs. made short work or her large piece of pan-fried fish, although I "had" to eat the shrimp and crab that came with it.
Mrs. hadn’t been feeling well (she didn’t even finish her tea), but oddly enough she miraculously recovered when the dessert menu arrived. On our waiter’s suggestion, we ordered the profiteroles to share and scarfed down the Italian pastry cookies sandwiching vanilla ice cream and covered in chocolate sauce. A nice way to end our New Orleans trip.
Day 1
Dinner: Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House Seafood
Our first night we actually didn’t have reservations. After arriving at the hotel around 5pm, it was almost time for us early birds to eat. We considered the Acme Oyster House near our hotel, but the line was out the door so we called an audible and walked up the street to Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House Seafood.
What we got:
Two glasses of Malbec
Two house salads
Mrs. – 8 oz. filet and garlic mashed potatoes
Mr. – Pork brisket with cornbread dressing
Flourless chocolate cake
Two teas
What we thought:
Considering we were just wandering around looking for a place to eat, it was a pretty good introduction to the New Orleans culinary world. Mrs. went safe with steak and potatoes, but the pork brisket was a bit of a gamble. It paid off though because it was delicious, with a peach glaze and spicy mustard on the side. The dressing was a bit sweet, but also good. And it’s hard to go wrong ending a meal with chocolate cake, right?
Side note: Mrs. didn’t get carded when we ordered wine and was a bit put out by this. It was a common theme as we never got carded the whole trip. I had to break it to Mrs. that we're in our thirties.
Day 2
You’ll note we didn’t go anywhere for breakfast because (as Mrs. mentioned in her previous post) we had free continental breakfast at the hotel each morning. Big plus on any vacation.
Pre-Lunch Snack: French Market
What we got:
Alligator on a stick
For some reason Mrs. was excited about the possibility of eating alligator. We thought we’d find some deep fried bites, but instead we had to settle for gator sausage. It tasted like a really greasy bratwurst, and I can’t say I’m planning on eating alligator again.
Lunch: Subway
No, this isn’t some underground New Orleans eatery. We “ate fresh” at the sub chain.
What we got:
Mrs. – 6-inch BMT on flatbread with sour cream and onion Baked Lays
Mr. – 6-inch Chicken and bacon ranch on wheat with sour cream and onion Lays
Two iced teas
Our conclusion was that Subway in Louisiana tastes pretty much the same as Subway at home.
Dinner: GW Fins
What we got:
Two glasses of Pinot Noir
Crab Cake
Mrs. – Red Snapper with mashed potatoes (she really does love her potatoes)
Mr. – “Scalibut” with sugar snap peas and lobster risotto
Chocolate molten lava cake
Two teas (of course)
What we thought:
First, we both agreed that this was by far our best dinner on the trip, and we would highly recommend this place for anyone traveling to New Orleans. A seriously great choice by Mrs., who picked this place out and made reservations prior to us leaving for vacation.
The "Scalibut" was a halibut filet grilled together with thin sliced scallops, and it was delicious by any name. Mrs. loved the etouffee sauce that came with her fish and kept raving about it. But the real highlight was the warm sweet biscuits they served and kept bringing throughout the meal. I think we each had four. And I haven’t even mentioned the cake yet, which came with vanilla ice cream and I’m getting full just talking about this. We both were ready to lie down like beached whales after this meal.
Day 3
Lunch: Tracey’s
After doing a cemetery tour we had to find a place to eat in the Garden district. Out came the iPhone, and after deciding the first place we walked to looked a bit shady, we ended up at Tracey’s, which turned out to be more of a bar. And the big negative was that it was college football Saturday and the place was packed with Michigan fans (I guess a lot of people make the move from Ann Arbor to New Orleans). We did see a signed photo on the wall from Guy Fieri who apparently stopped here to film Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Tracey’s fits in the “Dive” category.
What we got:
Half Muffaletta (to share)
Order of fries (to share)
2 cans of coke
Healthy eating at its finest. We went with the half muffaletta because after originally ordering the whole sandwich, the cashier looked me up and down and advised against it. I pointed out that I’d be sharing with Mrs., but this obviously didn’t alter his opinion. It turned out this was the right answer since the half sandwich was enormous (Mrs. ate roughly half of her half).
Pre-Dinner Snack: Café Beignet
We had to get some beignets in New Orleans. Fried dough covered in powdered sugar is a win for everyone. This place was close to our hotel and when we got there we noticed it had been featured on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate as a selection of none other than Alton Brown (yes, two Food Network sightings in one afternoon). We ordered two iced teas (can you tell we’re addicted to caffeine?) and an order of the beignets. An order contained three huge beignets, but we still managed to scarf down one and half each. And yes, we did gain a few pounds over the trip.
Dinner: NOLA Restaurant
We were excited about eating here because it was one of Emeril’s restaurants and we had high expectations. Mrs. had made reservations before we left, and the only available times on Saturday night were 6pm or 9pm (guess what we went with), so we figured it was popular.
What we got:
Mrs. – Raspberry Mojito
Mr. – Abita beer
Fried green tomatoes with citrus poached shrimp
Wood oven roasted pocket bread
Mrs. – Buttermilk fried chicken with bourbon mashed sweet potatoes and sugar snap peas
Mr. – Shrimp and grits
What we thought:
Off the bat I’ll say we were pretty disappointed with this meal. It didn’t live up to our high expectations and was unfortunately the worst dinner of our trip. It wasn’t all bad as we enjoyed the biscuit and cornbread they served in lieu of a bread basket, as well as the fried green tomatoes. We could have done without the second appetizer (I’m not sure what we were thinking). Mrs. wasn’t terribly impressed with the fried chicken, and my shrimp weren’t cleaned well and there was too much bbq sauce, which mixed with the grits and sort of ruined them for me. You know it was a loser because after all this, we didn't even want dessert.
Day 4
Lunch: Oak Alley Plantation
What we got:
Mrs. – ½ roast beef po' boy with a side salad and iced tea
Mr. – ½ fried shrimp po' boy with a side salad and coke
Lunch on Sunday was at the Oak Alley Plantation restaurant. We weren’t expecting much, and we got what we expected. I wanted to have a po' boy while in New Orleans, so this was my opportunity. The most exciting aspect of the meal was that the restaurant was attached to the gift shop.
Dinner: Broussard’s
We weren't sure when we'd get back from the plantation on Sunday so we didn't make reservations anywhere for dinner. We ended up making a 6pm reservation (again, the early bird special) at Broussard's. Of course when we got there the place was almost empty, so I guess we didn’t really need that reservation.
What we got:
Mrs. – Bottle of iced tea
Mr. – Glass of house cabernet
Fried calamari
Mrs. – Redfish Broussard’s
Mr. – Creole spice-crusted ribeye
Profiteroles au Chocolate Marion
What we thought:
Despite a near empty dining room, we both really enjoyed the meal. I’m sure our ringing endorsement will have customers lined up outside by next week. The calamari had a spicy olive relish that was a nice touch. I enjoyed the spice on my steak, and Mrs. made short work or her large piece of pan-fried fish, although I "had" to eat the shrimp and crab that came with it.
Mrs. hadn’t been feeling well (she didn’t even finish her tea), but oddly enough she miraculously recovered when the dessert menu arrived. On our waiter’s suggestion, we ordered the profiteroles to share and scarfed down the Italian pastry cookies sandwiching vanilla ice cream and covered in chocolate sauce. A nice way to end our New Orleans trip.
September 27, 2011
Mr. and Mrs. Go to New Orleans
Long post ahead!
If you’ll recall back in May, after returning from Hawaii, Mr. and I got sick from campylobacter. The weekend after Hawaii we were supposed to go to BFF J’s wedding. Alas, it was not to be. We had to cancel and so were stuck with flight credits we had to use before January. We decided to use the credits to go to New Orleans. Neither of us had been and both of us were intrigued. So we recently hopped a jet to The Big Easy and spent a long weekend basking in beautiful 85 degree weather while it rained and was cold up here.
I planned this vaca pretty much from top to bottom because Mr. has been overwhelmed with work and some other things so if it sounds like it stinks, you can avoid hiring me for your tour guide.
We stayed at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. It is one of the premier haunted hotels in America. I confess I didn’t see any ghosts but I did hear loud banging in the hall during the night and woke up to our neighbor having a liaison next door. Old hotels have thin walls. Everyone, let’s remember that. Either way, I didn’t sleep well the whole time I was there due to the ghosts, the cold Mr. gave me, or the booze, who knows?
Our time at the HM was well spent. It is located in a great area. Far enough away from Bourbon Street to weed out undesirables but close enough to the action as to be in the heart of the French Quarter. Our street was covered in antique shops where I confess to dragging Mr. to try to find some jewelry to buy. I didn’t end up purchasing anything but still fun.
The HM is doing renovations right now so to comp their guests, they provide free continental breakfast. YEAH! I wish more American hotels would get on board with free breakfast. We also got free bottles of water. YEAH!
Last but not least, the HM has a nice pool on its roof. It was great after a hot day running around to come back for a swim. The only complaint I would have is that I wish no one under 18 was allowed and that people would learn that just because you enjoy smoking your cigar doesn’t mean I do.
Day 1
We did Frommer’s walking tour of the French Quarter. Our goal for this vaca was to eat our faces off (Separate blog on this. Mr. has decided to grace us with his presence and do that post.) and rest. So day 1, we slept in, got our free breakfast and eventually around 11, headed out to look around the French Quarter. I thought the walking tour would be a good way to see sights and give us direction. We had a good time with it. It was like a treasure hunt.
Before going to New Orleans, everyone told me that it was smelly and dirty and they hated it. I was surprised at how undirty it was. I think New York is a much bigger cesspool and smells a heck of a lot worse.
Some highlights on our tour:
After a day sweating in the hot sun, we retreated back to our hotel for a dip in the pool.
I was in bed before 9.
Note: Don’t wear a maxi dress around the French Quarter. I want to burn mine now.
Day 2
Our first stop was LaFayette Cemetery No. 1. All of the things I read said the cemeteries are spots for muggers and to take a tour because people like to hide between the tombs and jump out and steal your stuff. We took the Save Our Cemeteries tour. I enjoyed this because our tour guide had a ton of info and explained a lot about the cemetery’s history and the whole above ground burial business. It’s kind of crazy.
They say this tomb was not used and you have the option to go inside and take your pic. We declined. Too spooky. And yes, I am a brunette again.
After the cemetery tour, we took the Frommer’s walking tour of the Garden District. I LOVE LOVE LOVE old houses so this was right up my alley. Mr. seemed to like it too. Here are some pics:
After this, we went back to the FQ, ate beignets, and swam.
I was in bed before 8. Yeah!
Day 3
Mr. and I rented a car and drove to Oak Alley Plantation. I accidentally signed my maiden name on our rental car agreement. Oops. I guess New Orleans was getting into my blood. Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!!
I dream of doing a big southern plantation tour someday and this was a good start. The house was surprisingly small on the inside but had good history and sights. The inside tours run every half hour this time of year and last about a ½ an hour.
We skipped the swim when we returned and went souvenir shopping instead.
I was in bed before 9 again. Party!
Alas, we are now back in the cold, Yankee north but we enjoyed our trip below the Mason-Dixon. Me because I got to have Mr. all to myself for a few days. I am selfish like that. And Mr. because he got to eat about 10 dozen shrimp before I cut him off.
We are looking forward to our next trip South. Charleston, you are calling our name.
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