My travels, near and far

Glasgow, Scottish Highlands - Day 6

2010-09-07T14:16:00.008-05:00

Ugh. Today it rained all day, which means the two optional excursions that I purchased (one a boat ride on Lach Lomond and cable car ride to the top of Ben Nevis mountain) were canceled.
:(
So we drove around and the bus would drop us off in shopping areas. I didn't come here to shop! I really didn't like that at all. That's right, no back-up plan, nothing. It's not like this is the first time it's rained in Scotland.
We drove to a couple of little towns, and one of them was rather picturesque, Oban. We also make a half-hour stop in Fort William.
Our hotel was in Aviemore which is a cute little town, which happens to be a ski resort.

Lake District, Glasgow - Day 5

2010-09-06T14:04:00.009-05:00

I was a little disappointed today with the trip. The Lake District is supposedly some of the most gorgeous land in England and it looked like Door County in Wisconsin.

Maybe it was just me, but I saw nothing special in the little train ride on a coal engine, nor did I see anything special in a boat ride from the train to where the bus picked us up (which was about halfway up the lake). The train was dirty with worn out seats and the coal produced an unpleasant scent. Had I known, I wouldn't have purchased this optional excursion.

We were on Lake Windemere (or Lach Windemere) and it has some beautiful houses along the shore, just like we do back home. Granted, we don't have sheep grazing on the slopes. We also have people kayaking and sail-boating. The weather was nice though, and I sat to a really pleasant Scottish couple on the boat. They were on a little holiday after a friend's 50th wedding anniversary.

I guess the highlight of the day was when we got to see the gravestone for William Wordsworth (the one on the left, the others are the graves of his kids). And a smithy where people used to elope to in order to get married if their parents didn't approve. This too was another shopping stop, by the way. Ugh.

Today we also arrived in Glasgow. I didn't have any specific expectations about the city, but our only stop in the city was for about 15 minutes around the main city square to take photos of statues that are anointed with bird droppings. That particular square houses numerous statues to famous people and is the meeting place for the local population. But the thing that really struck me was how dirty and dingy it was. Perhaps it's the remnants of the industrial revolution, but it looked rather depressing and decidedly working class. The city has some old buildings but many of the buildings we saw I'd place as having been built within the last 80 years with most having the feel of being built in the 60s.

Oh, and our hotel was "cozy", as the tour guide put it. That means the room was only as long as the bed plus the door. The bathroom was decent though, very well light. But there was very little water pressure and the water was luke-warm. But it was enough to shower.

Bristol, Chester, Llangollen - Day 4

2010-09-05T18:11:00.007-05:00

This morning it rained and was pretty chilly. But the main attraction we saw today was the suspension bridge. And it was a nice bridge. But this is all we saw in Bristol. Don't get me wrong, I love bridges, it's when my "inner-geek" feasts. I so wish we could have seen more of the city though.

After seeing the bridge we were off to see a ruin of an abbey. This Cistercian Abbey was really pretty but it was really raining so I only took a couple of pictures because I didn’t want my camera ruined. But that’s all I can tell you about the abbey ‘cause I fell asleep on the bus and missed any information that might have been explained about it. [Though, having been through the whole trip now and realizing that the tour guide didn't explain anything, I am fairly certain that I didn't miss any explanation about this chappel.]
Yes, I fall asleep on moving vehicles, especially a comfy bus that moves very softly.

But upon our arrival in Chester, I was quite refreshed from my nap. The city is a marvel of ancient and modern, but not the same as Jerusalem. This city has architecture that's rather distinct and some buildings that date to the 1600's. They have obviously been re-purposed and are now shops. Even the Roman Wall still serves a function other than holding up the clock. People can walk on it and it's a delineation of some of the older parts of town.

The thing that struck me as absolutely funny was to see two men in what they considered to be Latin American Indian dress (feathers on the head, cape, etc.) playing pan flutes and trying to sell CDs. The juxtaposition of this image against the 1600s buildings, the market cross, and the church just made me chuckle.

One of the optional excursions (not so optional, really) was to Llangollen. Llangollen is a Welsh word that's pronounced something close to "Langothlen". It's a picturesque town/village.

This town is post-card perfect, but so was just about everything in Scotland and Wales (we didn't see much of Wales). But the Welsh language is quite melodic and completely confusing to someone who is not familiar with it. The word on this sign is the longest word in the world. So I've been told. I wonder it says. Maybe it says "stamps here".

But more later as it's well past midnight here and I have a 6AM wake-up call.

Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath - Day 3

2010-09-04T17:50:00.017-05:00

This is the first day where I met the rest of the group and the tour guide.Her name is Pamela and she is very nice. The bus driver is Collin and he has a bit of a thicker accent, but still very understandable.

Our first stop this morning was Stonehenge. When we drove up, we saw a wire fence around it and it turns you have to pay about 10 pounds to not have the fence in your field of vision. But even if you pay, you still can’t go up to the stones really close, you’re still about ¼ mile off. So, our tour guide told us that we’d get essentially the same view if we just walk up to it and just stand by the fence. So I did that. And found a hole in the fence and took pictures that way, as well as over the fence.

Then, across the street, I noticed a few mounds. They turned out to be burial mounds and people can walk right and I saw people walking their dogs there. Further to the right in that filed (not pictured) there were lots of sheep grazing right there too.

After Stonehenge we were on our merry way to Salisbury. We went through St. Anne’s gate into the grounds of the cathedral. The cathedral was gorgeous, but the odd part was that there were no permanent pews. You can see the lack of the pews and the stack-able chairs in the photo. The vaulted ribbed ceiling gently perched atop the elegant columns just has a lightness and beauty that I have not seen in cathedrals before or since. The large greenish thing in the middle of the photos is the font and it's a really deep green.

That day there was a wedding and we heard the organist and the choir practicing. Oh the sounds that organ makes and the voices of the choir. I think Cathedral acoustics are just perfect for that kind of music. Though, they spell choir as “quire”.

It also happened to be market day in Salisbury, and I got a chance to see it. Though it was getting late and the market was wrapping up, I still saw enough to wish we'd have gotten here sooner and had more time to explore.

Then, I thought it was time for lunch but I also realized that I had very little time and that I got turned around and didn’t know where the bus was. So, with my lunch in hand, I started walking all around trying to find the bus. If you’re using an old timber building with warped beams, like the one in the picture, as an orienting structure, don’t. There were at least three building that looked the same to me and I was using that as a guide. This is part of the reason I got lost. But not to worry, I found a local and he told me that I was almost there, just “walk to the corner and turn right”.

I ate the lunch on the bus. [Unfortunately, all other lunches were eaten in such manner, that's if I had enough time to even run into a shop and purchase something I could eat.]

This was my introduction to Cornish Pasties. Basically, it’s a meat filling in puff pastry, with carrots and potatoes. YUMMY! But I plan on having a food-only posting and will feature it there.

Then, onto Bath! The city was actually considerably larger and more beautiful than I had expected. I didn't expect it to feel so big and have such beautiful surroundings. As you can see, the clouds looked rather pregnant and were about to birth a storm. But the overcast skies were like a natural filter and a good thing for photography.

The garden in the photo is actually a paid garden. I didn't realize they have those in city centers and that they only exist in movies like Notting Hill or on episodes of Law and Order. But this is a garden of amazing beauty. Just look at the cascading, overflowing flowerpots on the wall with the stairs, and the lion topiary, and the flower designs. Beautiful.

When I was looking at this scene, for some reason I also kept picturing "Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte". Maybe it was just the overall feeling of the place, that impressionist feeling where if you look too closly it doesn't make sense anymore and you don't see the actual picture, just some of its components. The band was playing in the gazebo and the locals were enjoying the music. I just love how the little boy in blue was just making circles around the gazebo.

Here too, Pam told us a free way to take a peak at the Roman Bath. If you go into the building and go like you're going to the restaurant or the bathrooms, you can see this view through a window. Please ignore all the reflections in the window. Yup, this is it. I think. I don't know if there is more to it than this, but had I paid to take the tour (yeah, it wasn't included!) I would have missed all I saw outside, all you can't see if you go inside, all you can't see if you pick just one thing to see.

After the Roman Bath, I walked around to the Cathedral. I really liked the ribbed vaulted ceiling. It didn't look as oppressive and as scary as others I had seen. It looked elegant and delicate. Yes, stonework in a medieval-looking cathedral looked delicate, which I found to be unique. Here I mainly walked about and took pictures of the scenery.

Part of that scenery were a gold John and Yoko mimes, street musicians, and the locals. It felt almost like a college town with all the street performers, people in costumes, people out for what looked like a bachelor/bachelorette parties, etc. The mimes in the picture might not look like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, but they looked more like them in person.

Our night was in Bristol and we didn’t really see a whole lot of it. What we did see was a lot of construction since the bus driver couldn’t find the hotel. Oh, I have to tell you about the hotel. It was very odd. The furniture was from Ikea (or something very much like that), the beds were very narrow, like cots, and the bathroom was a pod. No, really, it was. See how the wall is curved? That was the shower. It felt like a bathroom you’d find a cruise ship, or so I’ve been told. But the room was spacious and clean.

Cotswalds - Day 2

2010-09-03T17:46:00.025-05:00

The started off too early since I only got about 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep since Wednesday. But it was wonderful to see the English countryside all enveloped in fog with fields and livestock coming into view as if a curtain had be drawn to reveal the hidden gems. After that short drive in the countryside, it was time to catch my train (from Bristol Temple Meads to Cheltenham) where Bob, my private tour guide for the day was waiting. (Before I left home, I did some research and contacted several private and semi-private tour operators and selected Diamond Tours.) Once I arrived at the station, off we went on the tour.
The itinerary included the following stops:

Our first stop was in Bibury. The houses at Arlington Row are cottages from the 16th century. They're currently privately owned and are rather expensive, despite being one of the most popular photo stops in the Cotswalds, and hence full of tourists at your front door. They're also very close to the river, which has a lot of trout. But that's because there is a trout farm, which is connected to the river, and is about a 3 minute walk away from the cottages.

But the cottages are so cute! They seem quite my size, having been built when people were a lot closer to my height. LOL. They look quite charming with the slate roofs and beautiful greenery all around.

See what I mean by "greenery"? There are several homes in this one structure (see the bluish doors peaking out). I just love the little stone wall with the gate and the flowers everywhere. To me, this is very "English Countryside".

After a brief stop in Bibury, we were on our way to Bourton on the Water. This little town was just "perfect". The kind of perfect you see on a postcard or in a Hallmark movie or in a sweet dream. I saw folks out and about for a stroll along the river, or having lunch at a cafe, or a father spending time with his daughter as you can see in the picture. Just a little jewel set carefully into the enchantment.

I can totally understand if you’d be scared to visit a city that has “slaughter” as part of the name. But worry not my fellow traveler. As Bob explained, Slaughter actually means marsh. So, in this case, the village is “Lower Marsh”. That is certainly less gruesome than “slaughter”.

There is a charming old mill that has been turned into a shop and tea shop. On the other other side of the mill, on the lawn, there are sheep peacefully grazing. This too is another postcard-perfect town. I can clearly picture an old-fashioned postcard with snow and a Santa Clause and a sleigh. I know you can picture it too. In a place like this, where time stands still, it's hard to remember it's 2010. Until you see a car. Or a camera-wielding tourist. ;)

This is one of the quietest places I've ever been to. I almost felt like I had to whisper it was so quiet. A perfect place to decompress. One of the things I had a hard time finding were house numbers and sometimes street signs. But Bob assured me that the post delivery person would know this place simply as "Vine House", because it has a vine and that's what the black sign with gold lettering on the front gate says. Check out the boxes right by the gate, the ones shattering the illusion of perfection. It's proof that people really do live there. I'm not making it up. :)

Our route took us to Mill Dene garden next. It's a private garden, as in someone lives in the house on the grounds and it's their private garden. I can only imagine how much effort has gone into it. One of the things that surprised me was that it completely defied my expectations of an "English Garden". It was built into a hill so it's tiered and the tiers are wide and have mini-gardens themselves. The tower you see in the background of the photo is the tower of a church an other building is a pavilion with chairs and a table. Just a perfect spot to see the day give way to night while sipping some hot tea. Just magical. I half expected to see some woodland spirit to jump out and chastise the visitors for disturbing the peace.

As you can see, I like an active vacation. And in that spirit we were off to Chipping Campden. This ancient town is still active, and not a ghost town, as you might expect of a town that originated in the 1300's. The house in this photo was built in the late 1300s. And yes, it's still being used today. I have a hard time imagining the building I live in being here in another 50 years, let alone more than 600 years.

Here, we also saw some Alms Houses. These were houses owned by the church and given to the poor to live in, hence, Alms House. Today, people still live in them but I don't know if they're private homes as in other places I've seen or if they're still owned by the church and used as Alms Houses. Notice how narrow the door for each unit is. The door, which appears to be of standard size, is actually split into two, as an entry for both units.

There is also an ancient market in Chipping Campden. I'm not sure why, but I'm completely fascinated with this. It's a stone structure for a rather small market and isn't in use today. The structure doesn't have permanent stalls or doors or a stone floor. I think the roof was just all they wanted, so it's more like a permanent tent.

The next stop on my Cotswalds tour was Broadway. This is a larger town with many shops and tea shops and such. One shop had the most charming little tea cups and saucers and other tea necessities. But this was my second day in the country and I didn't want to start buying thing so soon. I didn't want to schlep it across England and Scotland for the next week.

By the time we got here I was pretty tired and decided to try the typical English Tea experience. I chose this particular shop because I spied my tour guide here while I was off exploring on m own. As you can see, I got a teapot which was full of Earl Grey tea, cream, a scone, jam, and clotted cream.

SOOOO GOOD!

The village of Stanton was our next stop. The houses are made of such a warm and glowing honey-colored stone. Since the day was getting as long as the shadows, the sun did impart that golden glow on everything, bathing everything in the evening glow.

Winchcombe was the last village on my tour today. This village also has the typically-charming houses with beautiful flowers decorating the front of the house, where the road and cars seem anachronistic.

But then, I walk down the street and see an ancient building turned into a restaurant, right next to a more modern building, which in turns is right next door to a yet more modern building that's home to a gift shop.

Take a look at this building, snugly nestled in it's history, letting the world swirl about but not touching it.

All these villages are very charming and very different from each other. I’m really glad I was able to see some areas where a coach couldn’t get to, such as Lower Slaughter and Stanton. It was so peaceful and quiet and charming and pleasant. Absolutely delightful.

As we were driving, I saw very many sheep and quite a few cows. I asked Bob if there is a large wool industry still, since that’s what contributed to the growth of most of these villages and towns. But no, the sheep are just for meat. Seems a little wasteful.

Bob also pointed out a few things that I had never seen before, namely a thatched roof. When I think of a thatched roof, I think of the Shire in J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. And maybe Cotswolds and thatched roofs, especially the rounded ones, are what inspired the particular look and feel of the shire.Each little village was unique and picturesque.

Each little village was postcard perfect and I would certainly want to come back here.

Well, after Winchcombe, the tour was over and Bob dropped me off at a train station so I could catch the next train to London. But seeing as it was well past 5 P.M. when we set off to the train station and I'd only gotten about 5 hours of sleep in the previous two days or so, I was falling asleep on the way to the train. Sorry Bob.

I would have to say that this was a really wonderful day despite my sleep deprivation. The weather was great, the tour guide was knowledgeable, courteous, and considerate, the car was comfortable and clean, and I got to see exactly what I wanted to see. Perfect.

London - Day 1

2010-09-02T19:00:00.009-05:00

The flight into London was actually not that bad. It was a direct flight and I think that helped make it not so bad. The food, of course, was abysmal. For dinner, there was a chicken and rice dish of questionable 'heritage' (was it Indian? was it Asian? was it Italian? couldn't really tell) and the breakfast was just gross. It really was. It was just a tub of yogurt (which was really sour to my taste) and a tiny mini-loaf of banana-scented "bread". The reason bread is in quotes is because I'm not sure how else to refer to it but it wasn't a pastry and it was the size of a deck of cards. I'm so glad I packed my own lunch and was able to eat my own food.
When I got to the ticket counter, they told me I couldn't get a seat assignment and that it would be assigned at the gate. I thought "no problem". It turns out the flight was really oversold and they had quite a few people who they needed to assign seats to. I finally got the seat assigned about 5 minutes before boarding. But it worked out well since I got an isle seat, which is what I wanted.

When I got into Heathrow, I fully expected the tour company representative to meet me there and transfer me to the hotel. After a half hour wait and trying to track down people with the information, it was determined that no such representative is going to show up because I hadn't purchased the transfer and had no voucher for it. In my mind, since I bought the tour, I figured I'd have the transfer too. I completely forgot that I declined that option because of how expensive it is. But it took about an hour and a half to determine that no, I'm not on any secret database for a transfer and no, they won't transfer me without the exorbitant (to me) fee.
That means that on a relatively empty stomach and with virtually no sleep, I had to figure out how to get from the airport to my hotel using the subway (they call it the underground here in England). And that means that I had to lug my luggage. On a train. During morning rush hour.

But eventually I got to my hotel, checked in, and spoke with the tour company representative about my questions. She was very helpful and got me oriented.

So, after a brief visit to the room, I set off on the sightseeing tour that I purchased ahead of time. I decided on the Original Sightseeing Tour for several reasons: one is that it was a good price, two is that I could hop on and off, and three is that I could take any of the tours.
I took the "Yellow" and the "Red" tours in part because they cover some of the same spots and I wanted to see those again and take particular pictures (which will be coming at some later date).

Tomorrow, I have Cotswolds on the agenda. But for now, I am off to sleep since I have to be up in something like 5 hours.

Little Norway, Mount Horeb, WI

2010-07-17T22:53:00.005-05:00

If you're in Mount Horeb,WI, you have plenty of things to do. Cave of the Mounds is one attraction, and Little Norway is about a two-minute drive away. So it only makes sense to see both on the same day, or on the same trip. Don't think that Little Norway is second fiddle to any other attraction in the area, it's a treat in its own right. But as you might have guessed, I did visit Little Norway on the same day as Cave of the Mounds.

By the time I got here, it was a little later in the afternoon and the beautiful area provided plenty of shade.
There is a creek running through the property and a fairly extensive lawn (which hosts the Mid-Summer Celebration).

Little Norway is a collection of Norwegian-style log cabins which were in use not so long ago. One of them is still being used, the sod-roofed house, where the caretaker/groundskeeper lives.

Cave of the Mounds, Mount Horeb, WI

2010-07-17T20:34:00.005-05:00

I've heard about Cave of the Mounds many years ago but have never been there until this particular July weekend. The drive was quite lovely and once I got to the Cave of the Mounds park, I decided I should have lunch before I go on exploring.There were picnic tables everywhere and I picked one in the shade. The breeze was quite welcome, the birds provided entertainment and scenery was most relaxing so my lunch was very enjoyable. Especially since it's one I made myself.After the lunch respite I decided to explore the grounds, while waiting for the tour of the cave. Nestled snugly in the Driftless region of Southern Wisconsin, the park allows visitors to explore the unique geological attributes of the area. The grounds also offer some walking trails, prairie gardens, birds, and butterflies.

But on to the main reason for my visit. The cave!First, you have to keep in mind that there will be lots of children here. So, if you're not prepared (like me) for the pushing/shoving/bumping into/screaming/and being generally unruly, take a moment and get ready. Though, if you're taller, many of those things won't be an issue for picture-taking. ;)

Here are some scenes from the cave I compiled. Can you see the "parrot" stalagmite? The picture below the parrot shows a "kissing" stalagmite and stalactite. Eventually, when they meet, they become a column.
The other pictures show that stalactites can resemble a chandelier or an organ's pipes. There is also an underground river in the cave and you see it in the middle picture. The upper right picture has a lot of color and that's from different minerals, not just calcium, being deposited. In addition to all these marvels, you are also introduced to terms like "cave bacon" referring to the wavy formations you sometimes see in the crevices. Despite the ill-mannered children on that particular tour, I would still highly recommend you visit the cave. If nothing else, it provided a really lovely hour in the coolness which was sorely needed this particular day (if I remember correctly, it was near 90 degrees with nearly 100% humidity).

Renaissance Fair, Kenosha, WI

2010-07-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

One of my goals has been to travel around locally, as in day trips during the weekend, so nothing too far away. Someplace I can pack a lunch, pack my camera, GPS, and start exploring the area around me.
I joked with some friends from CA that we pack about twelve months worth of activities into about five. And it's true; there are about three major events on any given weekend from May to end of October.

One of these activities one could do is to go back in time. And this past weekend I stepped into another world yet again. It's been about five years since my last visit to the Renaissance Fair in Kenosha, WI. Yet again, I'm so glad I live in today's world, not the world of the actual Renaissance. I'm very thankful for so many things, but sanitation, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, clean water, and having modern clothing, among many, many other things. There's no way I would have been able to deal with the current heat if I had to endure the clothing of that time period. How did people actually deal with it?
But it was a fun time, and great for practicing photography. Lots of interesting things to see and photograph.
Like these girls in the above picture. They look so bored! And they're playing checkers, not chess. They look bored but also a little perplexed. It's checkers, it's not difficult.

As you could have guessed, there is a Queen's Court. It's these costumes I'm referring to when I say I can't imagine the misfortune to wear such garb in such weather. These folks must be really dedicated to do what they do in such weather. Yes, it was hot, but not like some other years.

There were some pretty interesting costumes. I don't remember this from last time, but it's an interesting addition. These fairies played with children and not all of them were "good". There was a Pan-looking creature with horns and kids would run away and hide from him. There was a monkey-like (I think) creature that liked to swing a leg off a tree branch. The fairy in blue was blowing bubbles and the kids loved it. The woman in a black and white costume was supposed to be a spider. I think that's the only spider I haven't been afraid of since I was about four years old. You have no idea how I shriek when I see spiders. The bigger the spider, the bigger the shriek. Seriously, be very thankful you haven't experienced my arachnophobia-fueled shriek.

There were other things that don't really fit with the Renaissance, like a guy in skins and a guy in ostrich feathers. But then again, very little at Renaissance Fair has to do with the actual Renaissance. As a fried of mine suggested, there'd be only booths with books and science, to represent the rebirth of knowledge, art, literature, science, etc. Though, I have to admit, the kaleidoscopes completely fascinate me. And they had plenty of those. Those things are just a marvel.

One of the few things that was authentic was the food. Not the "food court" food where you find tempura and ice cream and chicken wings with fries. The authentic food was for the people who work at the fair. It was cooked in a huge cast iron pots with wood as the source of heat. Check out the recipe below. And there is vegetable soup in that pot.

Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Algoma - Wisconsin

2010-07-10T20:26:00.001-05:00

For many years I have wanted to see more of Wisconsin. With an occasional trip to Door County or a rare trip to Wisconsin Dells, my exploration of this beautiful state has been rather limited. So this year I finally decided to do something about it.

This was the inaugural trip of my "Discover Wisconsin" goal. On this particular Saturday in July, I packed up my camera, a lunch, a travel guide I picked up at a rest stop, a GPS and a full tank of gas, and set off on my first adventure.
The first stop was West of the Lake Gardens. Don't let their awful website stop you though. The place itself is great. There are fantastic spaces, all completely landscaped and mesmerizing..

The hanging baskets are glorious orbs of scented color. The glass dividing wall gives you a sense that you're a special observer of something magical, and in essence, you are.

You are perfectly positioned to watch the lake, the birds, and multitude of butterflies that make the garden their playground. The garden is beautifully orchestrated so that your eye has something interesting to discover at every turn.

There is a great variety of sun-loving flowers, roses, scented hedges, a few nooks where you can relax in the cooler hours of the day, watch the coy in the pond or just watch the sail boats on the lake.

There are also some statues, some "formal" gardens, and a cool breeze off the lake. "Formal" gardens are just more architectural and not as curvy as the other ones.

After that, I decided to make my way to the Historic Farm Museum. What can I say? I'm fascinated with machinery and farming. I suggested to my dad that I must have been a farmer in my previous life but he told me that our family tree consists mainly of merchants as far back as we know (and we can trace it back to about the grandparents of his grandparents), with some military thrown in there.
It was a great place for practicing photography. Lots of items, angles, textures, and dust. Achoo! There is a stove in that museum that was used up until 2007, and it's a wood-burning stove (I think). See, I wasn't really paying too much attention to the guide since my mind had the following running through it: Can I reach those tools if I need to? Are those scythes sharp enough if I need a weapon? Drat, I don't think I can reach those.... Anything heavy nearby that I can grab and swing high enough to hit the guy if I need to? Does anyone know I'm here? Do I have reception here? How many exits are here? How can I get out of there quickly? The reason for such thinking is that the guide totally and completely creeped me out. I'm not squeamish or easily frightened, but I do trust my gut. So I kept quite a distance between us and left in a hurry. But you should still go. Just go with someone.

Anyway, the place was full of old, beautiful tractors, wagons, ceramic jars for making butter, an actual butter churner, three rooms set up as they would have been at a particular historical point, tools, rakes, hoes, pitchforks, saws, axes, scythes, and lots of things I can't identify.

After that harrowing experience I decided I wanted to visit a glass gallery in Kiel. I LOVE glass. Not just knickknacks, but actual hand-blown, artisan created, vases. I LOVE VASES! Well, the pretty ones. So I decided to go to Abler Art Glass Gallery. My verdict is "meh". Nothing interesting. No pretty vases, just some glass objects and lots of metal sculptures of birds in the garden. Just not my cup of tea.

Next on my list was The Flying Pig. I read about the place in my brochure, saw the website, got intrigued, and decided that it's a must on my list. My curiosity was richly rewarded. It's a garden store, a garden, a small cafe, a novelties shop, a cute place for kids to be entertained while the parents are shopping, the only place (probably) to get reasonably priced art and items by local craftspeople, etc.

Because the place is a garden shop, it has beautiful gardens with some sculptures and a water feature. They have the cutest garden sculptures; the happiest little gnomes and statuettes and ornaments.
They also have the cutest bird feeders. If my condo place allowed bird feeding, I'd get one. But I didn't leave empty-handed. I got some hand-made soaps! I love stuff like that. I got a bar of Sweet Basil Vanilla, a Garden Balm, and another bar of soap. You can't imagine how good the Sweet Basil Vanilla soap and balm smell! Blissful, peaceful, calming, just what I need before bedtime. It helps that I love basil and have tons of it growing on my balcony.

This delight was then followed by von Stiehl winery in Algoma. It turns out, they were having a Ladies Festival and there was a band, shopping, food, and lots of fun. I've been on many winery tours, but this one was interesting because it was local, it's small winery, and the building was really cool. And for $3.75, a bargain.
The band played familiar tunes, the women danced and shopped. There was, of course, wine tasting. You can taste 5-7 wines for free and I tasted 7. There were a few that I didn't like, but after tasting seven, I bought four bottles. I think that's pretty good.

With the bottles in tow, I decided to take advantage of the empty streets of Algoma and take some pictures of the downtown. It was absolutely charming. The building had murals on the sides, the streets had interesting artistic decorations, and the sky was about to open up. So I decided to head home.

Not quite yet though. In my reading about the area I learned that the region's claim to fame is the ice cream sundae. So I couldn't leave without even one scoop of ice cream. GPS to the rescue and next I know, I'm at the Beerntsens confectionery. Because it happened to be "Krazy Days", the scoop of vanilla was $1.00. Yup, just a dollar. And it was delicious. The shop itself was quite nostalgic with wooden booths, antique-looking display cases, and great atmosphere. Very relaxing to eat your ice cream.

But after this, I really did head home. It was a long and exciting day, having seen wonderful things, experiencing wonderful scenes and scents.

Florida Sunsets

2010-06-05T22:41:00.016-05:00

As promised, this post will be about sunsets. They were the most amazing I've ever seen.

I like the softness of this sunset. It was amazing. I use this word a lot. But it's true. People pulled off to the side of the road, their mouths open, just to witness this magnificence. I was one of them.

This one too had my mouth agape. Do you see the couple at the bottom of the picture on the right? That couple had the right idea. They had a couple of cold drinks, a blanket, and sandals.

I had a lot of open-jawed moments around sunset time in Florida. This one is yet another. The clouds this day put on such a display. The picture doesn't do it justice. Just try to imagine a warm breeze gently rolling the waves.

So I really, really liked this spot. And had to endure what I thought were mosquito stings to get the shots here. Turns out, these were not mosquitoes but "sand flies". I still have scars. But isn't this spot pretty? I spent hours at this particular spot, taking pictures, enjoying the sound of the waves, not realizing that I'm being practically eaten alive by the creatures I never new existed.

Look at the clouds! They were so incredibly pink. And look! they're shaped like either a fish or a shell. I vote for shell. You see the conch shell, right? How perfect.

Like I said, I really liked that spot. And just look at those spectacular clouds. Breathtaking doesn't describe it.

After Day 5 in Florida

2010-06-05T21:02:00.016-05:00

Uh..... I forgot what I did on which day after Day 5 since it's been about six months since I came back from Florida. But here's a rundown of some other cool things I saw and did.

I spent a day at Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. Actually, I spent about two days there. On one of the days I took a trolley tour through the refuge and the tour guide was a very nice elderly woman who told us about the habitat and wild life. We saw tree crabs, flying fish (no really, the fish would jump a few feet out of the water and then back in), and all kinds of birds. I really liked the tour but there wasn't enough time for all the pictures I wanted to take, so I came back the next day and spent about 3 hours or so on the grounds.

On one of the evenings, I took a sunset cruise in the refuge. This picture is from that trip. If you're going to take a cruise, I'd highly recommend the sunset one because you see more birds and you see them in a way you wouldn't if it weren't sunset.

I saw amazing birds. I saw blue crabs. I saw sunlight. I saw sea shells. I saw beaches. I saw mangroves. It was absolutely amazing.

There were mangrove islands, sandbars where birds would gather, treetops where the birds would perch.

But the most amazing thing I saw were the sunsets. But I'll have a separate post of photos for that.

Beaches. Did I mention how amazing the beaches are? Did I also mention that they're all made of shell? So you get to see all these beauties everywhere! And I got a decent collection of those. :)

Ft. Myers - Day 5 - in Immokalee

2009-12-26T01:48:00.012-06:00

So today I did get up a little earlier than usual and did get out the door earlier than the previous days. I wanted to make sure I made it to the Corkscrew Sanctuary and then had enough time to head back to Sanibel Island for a tram tour with Tarpon Bay Explorers. Since there is about an hour and a half or so ride between the sanctuary and Sanibel Island, I wanted to leave plenty of time for the 2.25 mile walk in the sanctuary and drive back.

The sanctuary was so peaceful and gorgeous and perfect in the morning light. Not too hot even though it was a swamp, but in the shade it was perfect. Though, I must admit, there were mosquitoes. Not as many as I expected but enough. It was so nice. So quiet. There were only a handful of people there and plenty of naturalists on hand to answer questions. I've seen things I've never seen before such as: pink lychen, blue herons, egrets, and other birds I can't identify. The sanctuary also has lots of benches along the 2.25 mile boardwalk allowing the visitor to sit and steep in the glorious scenery. You can sit and enjoy the variety of flora and fauna.

As I struck up a conversation with one of the naturalists (not to be confused with nudists - naturalist are ones who walk around and help identify the birds and such and nudists... well, I think you can guess that one), she suggested that I go to Lake Trafford for an airboat ride instead of the Everglades. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant. Was she getting a kickback? All possible, but the price made it appealing anyways. And I didn't look forward to the several-hour drive to Everglades City for an airboat ride especially when I knew it would be crowded with hundreds of other tourists.

So, I drove for a half hour (way better than 2 or more) to Lake Trafford and got an airboat ride for about $35 (instead of $140 in Everglades City). Granted, the Everglades City stuff was for a full day, including lunch and a land tour, but I didn't want either of those. I can get my own lunch and I've seen mangroves before and I knew I'd have other little trips.
Here, the ride was an hour long and there were only 5 people in the boat and I had the front seat. I got to see some more amazing birds, some alligators as in the picture, and pretty cool scenery (the second picture is of Lake Trafford).

Up to now it's been a very action-packed morning. Actually, by the time I was done with the airboat tour of Lake Trafford, it was after 1 in the afternoon. I was getting pretty hungry and having an hour's drive looming ahead of me, didn't feel that I had the luxury of taking a chance on a restaurant. So, I went back to the Parrot Key restaurant. Hey, it was good, so why not try something else on the menu? And I did. This time, I tried a Basa sandwich. For those of you out there like who have never heard of Basa, it's a fish. It was perfectly blackened (lightly) and I had it as a sandwich. Their mango bbq sauce that accompanies this sandwich is just outstanding.

Ft. Myers - Day 4 - Somewhat wasted

2009-12-20T20:32:00.011-06:00

The day, not me. I got a really late start on the day, but I don't really mind because the reason was a good book. And besides, this is a vacation; no schedules, no timelines, no due dates...

But by the time I got out of the hotel, it was time for lunch. So being a little adventurous I decided to check out The Parrot Key restaurant. I was really hesitant for all the kitch and "tourist trap" written all over it. I mean, how good could the food be at a place that specializes in Pirate dinner cruises and deep sea fishing? But my fears were allayed when I saw several tables full of coast guard members. Coast guard = locals. If locals eat there, I can give it a try.
I was very pleased. So much so that I went back the next day. But on this day, I decided to order a fish sandwich. I am a new convert to fish and I've been experimenting with it, but I figured that while I'm in Florida, I'll have ample supply of fresh fish at restaurants. I've also not had mahi mahi in many years and thought I'd give it a try in the grilled variety in a sandwich. I really liked it. LikeI said above, I was so happy with this restaurant that I came back the next day.

After lunch I thought it would be a good time to explore the region's natural wonders and drove out to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The drive didn't seem to be that long but it took about an hour. By the time I got there it was just after 4:00 PM and after talking with the man at the front desk he suggested I come in the morning and spend as much time as I'd like. Since the sanctuary closes at 5:30 promptly it would not have left me enough time to walk through and see all it has to offer. So, I got back into my car and drove back.

Updates

2009-12-15T08:58:00.002-06:00

Ok, so my vacation is coming to an end fairly soon and I haven't really kept up with the blog. But I'm just too tired after all the sightseeing and eating and driving. I'll have to update when I get a chance, maybe even this evening, but at some point in the near future.

I've also been quite disappointed with my pictures. Half of them are either blurry or overexpose and the other half didn't capture what I intended. :(

I'll keep trying though.

Ft. Myers - Day 3 - The beach on Sanibel Island

2009-12-12T20:43:00.006-06:00

I seem to be getting rather late starts to the day on this vacation. It could be that I'm dreadfully tired all the time and need to catch up on my sleep. Today was no different. A late start again. Oh well.
The weather was gorgeous and I decided to go to the beach. The thing is, I hate tanning. I know, I shouldn't go to the beach then. But I love to be near water and hear the waves and be warm. Maybe I was a fish in a previous life. Unfortunately, the water was too cold for me to swim. But I slathered SPF 60 sunscreen on and sprawled on the beach towel and warmed my bones. It was also a great time to read the book I started on the plane. My friend has impeccable taste in books and since we seem to like the same things, we recommend each other great stuff. This new book (a first in a series) is so good I can't put it down. Maybe that's why I have such late starts and leisurely lunches.

But while at the beach I also went shelling. The beach is made of shells, not really sand. The shells that are ground to a powder are the "sand". Since the beach, Bowman's Beach, is in a nature preserve, you could see all sorts of birds I don't normally see. Today I saw some egrets. Had to look it up. After the tanning and a few unsuccessful attempts at pictures, I decided it was time for lunch.

I decided to go to a restaurant called the Blue Giraffe. I saw lots of adds for it and claims of awards. I must have ordered something that was never entered into any contests since the burger I had was very dry (I ordered it medium) and the key lime pie was just gross. It was very chewy, not a word I'd want to describe a pie. And it just didn't taste right. The location though was rather pleasant. The mall reminded me of the shops in Door County with the charm of an old European city center only less dirty/lazy and well maintained. The fountains were soothing and the old trees that would take 5 people to link hands around the trunk must have give in it the old-world charm.

After a bit more of driving around and stopping at some random nature trail to see the descending sun, I decided to drive to Captiva Island to see the sun set. Absolutely, jaw-droppingly, stunningly spectacular. People (me included) would pull off to the side of the road and watch the sunset. Others were better prepaired and were there on the beach with friends; beer and camera in hand, ready to witness the birth of night. Shockingly beautiful.

As tired as I was after driving so much in an unfamiliar place, I still decided to go out to Naples for dinner. You see, I've seen a few adds for a Persian restaurant and I love middle-eastern food so I decided to check it out. The restaurant had a really nice write-up in one of the magazines and it was recent (this year) so my appetite was getting a workout just looking at the pictures. This was the worst meal I've had in Florida. For an appetizer I ordered a Shirazi Salad on the recommendation of my strangely-accented server. It was OK. Then for the main course, I at first ordered the mixed grill, thinking that I could eat the leftovers for lunch the next day (I had a fridge and microwave in my room). But it was so bad that I sent it back after just a few bites. The chicken was really dry, the beef was absolutely tasteless, and the lamb was barely edible. So I gave another dish a try. This time, it was a braised lamb with plums. I don't know how it's possible to have dry lamb in a stew, but this lamb was dry. The plums were tasty though. Quite disappointing.

What should I do? Ft. Myers - Day 2 - Naples

2009-12-10T09:25:00.008-06:00

It rained overnight and is overcast now. Bummer. I seem to bring precipitation where ever I go on my vacations (it rained in the desert in Israel, it's raining here). So I'll have to find something I can do that doesn't require lots of sunshine.

So after a lazy morning I decided to drive to Naples. I took a scenic drive, through Fort Myers Beach. Little touristy shops, restaurants, hotels, and motels dotted the way.

In Naples, I stumbled upon a seafood shop which also happened to make something out of their fresh catch (Captain Kirk's Stone Crabs Fresh Seafood Market). The very friendly lady at the counter was very helpful in explaining the choices and letting me know that they catch their own seafood every morning. I saw no tourist anywhere in sight and was encouraged by the constant stream of locals some who purchased the fresh catch and some who had lunch. I ordered seafood bisque and seafood salad. It was the silkiest, tastiest bisque and the seafood was so fresh it was sweet. I lingered over the soup and salad for about an hour. It was a very leisurely lunch as I sat there eating my food and reading my book.

I then decided it was time to go exploring and went to the botanical gardens. The gardens are very lovely and quite serene. There is a butterfly pavilion and an area for kids to play and explore. The rest of the gardens offer a variety of designs and the sculptures are very cute.

For dinner I decided to drive to Fort Myers Beach since it has more dining options that the area around my hotel. The restaurant for this evening was Yucatan Beach Stand Bar Grill. It has a vibrant island atmosphere (though I'm not sure which island it's supposed to be), and the food was pretty good. I came back to this restaurant another day for the same dish and was not disappointed. I've gotten into the habit of asking the locals, wait staff specifically, what they'd recommend and why. If it sounds good, then I'll order it; if not, I'll keep looking. More often that not, this strategy pays off really well. This case was no exception.
The waitress recommended the Pompano and it was grilled to perfection. I wonder how to recreate it at home. My fish always sticks to the grill, of any variety, but this was perfection on a plate; with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. So good! And I didn't feel too guilty since it was fish and veggies. Oh, and the restaurant had live music every time I was there. Not great music (there are only so many times I can listen to a Jimmy Buffet song), but it was live entertainment.

In Ft. Myers FL - Day 1

2009-12-09T22:05:00.008-06:00

After a long night of packing, checking the airline cancellation board, and about 3 hours of sleep, I finally made it to my vacation destination. I've never been to Florida and thought it's about time I remedied that. So after some searching and deciding on what I want to see, I picked Fort Myers.

I was very happy that my flight was not canceled or delayed much (the delay was only 45 minutes while the plane was being deiced). The flight itself was pretty easy and I managed to fall asleep. Though, after so little sleep at home, that wasn't such a feat.

Having my long sleeved t-shirt, sweater, and winter jacket on proved to be much more of a challenge since the weather here in Ft. Myers was in the mid-80s this afternoon.

After picking a car at the rental counter I headed to my hotel. I am so glad I made a list of the things I needed to pack. This way, I remembered to bring my GPS and didn't need to rent one at about $10 per day.

When I got to my hotel, the nice lady at the front desk upgraded me to a suite when I asked about a fridge and microwave in my room. The original room didn't have them and I wanted them in case I have leftovers. This also allowed me to go get some yogurt and keep it from spoiling.

Now this may sound odd to those who don't know me and completely normal to those who do. I love tea and decided to take my electric teapot with me. I also have a few baggies of loose leaf tea as well as a canister of Orange Blossom Organic Green Tea from Rishi Tea. But of course I forgot something. No, it wasn't the strainer; it was the cup. Oh well, I'll need a souvenir though I was hoping it wouldn't be a mug for me since I have way too many cups at home already.

I also took a pillow with my own pillowcase with me. It's a little pillow that's filled with buckwheat and is really great for traveling 'cause it's so small and is really good for my neck and back.

One of these days I'll take a picture of the suitcase I use; it's a carry-on and I've used it on long trips (1.5 weeks in Portugal and 2 weeks in Israel) and I'm using it on shorter trips (like this one) too. The reason I mention this is because the teapot took up about half the suitcase this time around. Can anyone recommend a compact version that's good for traveling?

After a leisurely lunch outside at the Lighthouse Restaurant (ok, how cool is it that I can have lunch outside and be in 80-degree weather in the afternoon while anticipating the biggest snow storm of the year so far in the morning?) I picked up the previously mentioned yogurt, water, mosquito repellant and some crackers at a local grocery store.

Since then I took the opportunity to nap (hey, I'm going on about 3 hours of sleep last night) and review a mountain of brochures. I haven't picked the specific things I want to do but a very vague plan is starting to form.

But for now, g'night.

Still packing....

2009-12-08T23:00:00.002-06:00

As you might have guessed based on my previous posts, I generally pack the night before my trip. This is what I'm actually doing right now. Given the weather we're experiencing in SE WI (our first major winter snow storm), I don't know if my flight will be canceled or delayed.

Leaving Door County

2009-07-20T02:19:00.005-05:00

I can't believe I haven't written about the last day of our mini-vacation. This morning, like the others before, we had a wonderful breakfast in our room. But today we were leaving, so we packed up our stuff and checked out by 10 AM.
But it was too nice a day to leave yet, and I had a few stops to make. The first stop of the day was to the oilerie, where I bought some garlic olive oil. I really like this store because you can try the olive oils and the vinegars. I've been to this store last year, and even wrote a little review of it.

The other "must" stop for the day was at the K. Allen Gallery. It's a small gallery and has some pieces that are actually affordable. The owners are artists themselves and they live right next to the gallery. They have unique things that are definitely worth a look.
Having no other plans for the day, we crossed the street to an antique shop and browsed around there. We also stopped in at a few other antique shops and art galleries. It was a great day, and we didn't have any set plans, so why not.

But around noon or thereabouts we decided to head home since it's about a 2-hour drive. We figured that by the time we get home, we'll be hungry. We were correct. And with that, our little mini-vacation came to an end. The drive was lovely and I hope to drive out to Door County again soon.

It's Independence Day

2009-07-04T15:35:00.014-05:00

And right now, there's a band playing not too far, so I can hear it sitting on my bed in my hotel room. The band is trying to play a Jimmi Hendrix song and earlier attempted a Rolling Stones song.

The weather is absolutely stunning today. It's warm, sunny, wispy clouds roll along the vast expanse of sky, a gentle breeze keeps things cool.

We ate breakfast in the room again. Honestly, we're eating better than at any restaurant. Great food, comfortable, nobody hurrying us up, etc. Of course, it helps that we are a close family.

After breakfast we drove around some art galleries and antique shops. First, we went to K. Allen gallery to see if they got anything new this year that I might like. Last year, I bought 2 vases from them. I absolutely love those, but didn't find anything like that today. This gallery has the most "affordable" art in Door County in my opinion. It also has the most glass art. For some reason, I'm just fascinated by glass; it seems like a frozen river, or frozen smoke; so much movement.
Across the street from the gallery happened to be an antique shop, so we stopped in. This one had a lot of kitsch.
After these, we found a cluster of antique shops, really close to the gallery and we spent an hour or so there. All sorts of interesting things from antique furniture, to silverware, to enamelware, to linens, to anything else you might think of.
The spot also happens to be really beautiful. Lush greenery surrounded the cottages and patios, the garden gnomes and garden sculptures smiles and cast friendly shadows in the warm morning sun. It looked like a postcard.

Our next stop was the Edgewood Orchard Galleries. This gallery has a lot of sculptures and even a sculpture garden. I have to say that I'm not a big fan of their sculptures and consider only a scant few to be OK. They're just simply not my style.
But the gallery has some interesting paintings and had one vase/vessel that I could barely walk away from; it was just amazing. It was just too expensive. We spent quite a bit of time at this gallery. Dad and Grandma enjoyed a cup of coffee here while I snapped pictures.

On our way back, we stopped at an orchard store to see what they have. I got a jar of strawberry-rhubarb jam and grandma got some cherry jam.

Lunch we had back in the hotel, of course. When I say we're eating better than at any restaurant, I mean it. Here's our typical menu for the last few days when we eat in:

Grilled Chicken
Baked Shrimp (and grilled to heat it up)
Salad (tomato, onion, salt)
Hot Dogs - 3 kinds (beef, turkey, and buffalo)

For dessert:

Tea (green and black)
Candy
Zephyr in chocolate (Russian-style marshmallow covered in chocolate)
Grapes
Cherries
Jam (we just bought it today and wanted to try it)

As much as I like fireworks, I think we're skipping them tonight. We're all too tired and I'm too sneezy.

Gorgeous Day

2009-07-03T17:29:00.010-05:00

Today, the weather didn't disappoint. The sun was out, a gentle breeze reminded us that we're in Wisconsin and that even in July we should wear jackets up here. Which, dad did. I had my fleece and grandma had her thick cardigan. But it's gorgeous.

We had breakfast in our room. See, we have 2 little fridges full of food and then some, so it's a shame to waste it. Additionally, we came here with full intention of not eating out at least for breakfast. It turns out that each of us has packed a loaf of bread, cheese, and a sausage of some kind, in addition to hard boiled eggs, yogurt, and cottage cheese and cream. So we had breakfast "Russian" style.

After breakfast, we drove to Gill's Rock where we boarded the ferry to Washington Island. I've never been there, nor has grandma. I was so tired (slept poorly at night) so I dozed off on the boat. The gentle rocking of the waves put me to sleep. I'd make a horrible navy person. I'd sleep the whole time.
The whole of Door County is decorated for Independence Day and here is a store in Gill's Rock flying the flag. While we waited for the ferry we ducked into a couple of shops. All sorts of kitch and touristy souvenirs.
But while on the island, we took the little trolley tour and it was pretty nice. Got to see an ostrich farm, a bear, chickens, goats, etc.

Then for lunch, we came back to the hotel. See, I packed enough food to feed a small army for a week, let alone the 3 of us. So I insisted that we eat it. That meant that dad had to drag my electric grill (which is in 2 bags) from the car and set it up in our room so I could grill. I grilled a few chicken legs and a package of hot dogs, and warmed up some shrimp I cooked before we left. Grandma and I made salad and dad opened a bottle of wine. Though this is Independence Day (well, tomorrow), we were toasting to Father's Day, since this trip was a gift to my dad from me.

After lunch we took a bit of a rest, some napped and I blogged. :) Then we drove around the peninsula, stopped by a free concert in Egg Harbor, drove around some more and came back to the hotel for dinner. Did I mention that we have enough food to feed a small army?

With dinner over, it's time for another game of cards.

Fish Creek, WI

2009-07-03T08:43:00.005-05:00

We're in Door County, WI, or "up north" as most Wisconsinites refer to anything "north" of where they are currently. We actually made pretty good time, 2.5 hours. No traffic or construction to deal with so the drive was rather nice.
It was wonderful to see grandma so excited. She's never been here before so to see her reaction to all the clean greenery was great.
Our hotel is nice and we have lots of room, he beds are nice and big, the fridge keeps cold, and we have a table an chairs. We played cards for a few hours and laughed our butts off. It was nice. Reminds me when I was little and the three of us (dad, grandma, and I) went on vacation.

After we checked in, we went to find lunch. The only thing we could find were sandwich places so we settled on The Cookery. The place was completely rebuilt after last year's fire. None of us have ever been there before and we liked the atmosphere and the decor. Dad and Grandma had a Ruben sandwich and I had a cheeseburger. The burger was so-so. A little dry, short on the tomato, no sauce of any kind, no onion. Meh. Even mine are better and I haven't figured out how long to cook burgers.

We rested, went for a walk, went for a drive around the little towns and in the evening went to Pelletier's for a Fish Boil. I was hoping dad and grandma would at least be OK with it, but they actually liked it. Dad was even surprised at himself at how much he liked it. I was too. The fish is Lake Michigan White Fish and it has a subtly sweet and mild flavor. Yum.
After dinner, we played card for a while. It was fun.

I still haven't packed...

2009-07-01T22:06:00.004-05:00

Or marinated the chicken.

I am a terrible procrastinator. But that's my nature on such things, I suppose. Yes, we're planning another trip, but this time it's within driving distance. I am taking a half-day of vacation tomorrow, so we can head up north at a decent time.

Since I don't want us to go out to restaurants all the time, I'm marinating the chicken and bringing my electric grill. NOTE TO SELF: DON'T FORGET THE GRILL! But I'm charging the camera batteries as we speak. Priorities. ;)

I'll post the recipe for the chicken a bit later, but for now, I gotta go clean and marinate it.

Things I will not see at home

2009-04-17T21:03:00.008-05:00

There were a few things that I came across on this trip that I know I won't see at home. Here are a few of them.
Blue sky, green grass - perfection. Except you see that little yellow thingie? That's a mine field warning. After the war of 1967, the Jordanians never provided the map of the mine fields so the mines are all still there. This is valuable land that could be used, but it's not. Not really. The only use it has now is for grazing and every once in a while, a cow does get blown up. But Israeli lives aren't being lost in an attempt to clear the mines.

That's right. You are not imagining it. It's a camel crossing warning. LOL. Saw a ton of these signs on the way to Eilat. I guess there are lots of Bedouins and they raise camels. Not sure why though.

Yup, it's a Kosher McDonald's. Definitely won't see this at home.