Travel
Places to roam
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Tucson, Spring 2020 ~ Travel
With limited time, we only explored the Saguaro National Park – West. The sheer amount of these tall cacti blows your mind, once you start driving through the protected land of the national park, where they grow every few feet for as far as the eyes can see. There are multiple points of interest and hikes, including some ancient rock carvings, and some awesome viewpoints overlooking the valleys surrounding the park. All the travel guides recommend this park over its eastern counterpart because of the density of the cacti. We visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, but were not as impressed. This is a small zoo and landscape/flora display mostly appropriate…
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New York City, Holidays 2019 ~ Travel
Holidays in NYC are on the bucket list for many people, and there are certainly BIG reasons to experience it at least once. We squeezed in our trip right between Christmas and New Years Eve, and we certainly made the most of it. We stayed in Harlem, in a very spacious (by NY standards) studio apartment on 125th St, very close the subway, and a walking distance from the historic part of Harlem, the Apollo theater, and many churches. Our welcome dinner was at the famous Red Rooster restaurant, and we even managed a subway ride that night to the Times Square to see the famous walls of lit up…
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St. Petersburg, Fall 2019 ~ Travel
Oh my! How can I devote just one page to this beautiful city, where I was born, and where I return to religiously as much as I possibly can, after over two decades of living abroad? I went on this trip in September of 2019 all by myself, and it was quite indulgent. I saw many of my high school friends, visited my favorite places in the city, explored new areas, enjoyed/persevered through miles and miles of walking and traveling by public transit, and never felt more alive and satisfied. St. Petersburg is a maritime city, affected by the sea and the Neva River throughout its history, weather, culture, traditions…
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Istanbul, Fall 2019 ~ Travel
When looking for cheap tickets for myself to visit Russia in the Fall of 2019, I came across flights via Turkish Airlines with 20+ hour layovers in Istanbul each way. Yes, please! Accommodations via AirBnB in the historic part of the city were $50 per night, so overall the airfare was a steal compared to some other, quicker alternatives. Having done one of these long layovers in Frankfurt, Germany a few years back, I knew I would pack in as much as possible. Both of the layovers were early evening to mid-morning, so of course I had to sleep, especially contending with a 9-hour jet lag. But I managed to…
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New Mexico, Winter 2019 ~ Travel
My friend Kelly and I picked an odd time to visit New Mexico, some might say, but we usually get restless right around February, when the grey skies and constant rain in Western Washington can be tolerated no more. New Mexico offered a wide variety of weather upon our arrival, with upper 60s and sunny skies on day one, and a snowstorm that gave us plenty of jitters on the way to the airport at the end of the trip. On our first day we enjoyed the old town in Albuquerque and spent some time guessing all sorts of nonsense when looking at the ancient rock carvings at the Petroglyph…
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Tuscany, Fall 2018 ~ Travel
Terracotta sunlight are the words that now come to mind when I think of warm-hued hills between the towns of Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza, San Quirico d’Orcia and Bagno Vignoni. We spent days bathing in the early fall sunlight, enjoying our homebase in the 12th century abbey, driving winding roads from wineries to olive groves to small towns perched on neighborhood hills. Historic downtowns revealed tall bell towers, thousand year old wine cellars, rustic gardens and lots of shops selling local linens, olive wood wares and WINE. We felt trapped in a fairy tale, and despite the long list of new places we still need to see, will probably return many,…
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Florence, Fall 2018 ~ Travel
We traveled to Tuscany in September-October of 2018 to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. To be honest, we were both a little skeptical, as modern-day Italy seemed over-hyped and over-crowded. First, we spent four days in Florence, the art gallery of Italy. Ability to see world-renown treasures like David by Michelangelo, works of Rafael and collections of the Medici family, while traveling cobblestone streets to the riverbanks of the Arno river, and shops filled with Florentine paper, fragrant soaps, supple leather and beautiful ceramics made for days filled with wonder and beauty. Check out my Florence board on Pinterest!
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Maui, Spring 2018 ~ Travel
This was our first trip to Hawaii. We loved the near constant mid 80s temperature, meeting a huge turtle on our beach during the first 15 minutes in the water, snorkeling, zip-lining in East Maui, attending the world-famous Old Lahaina Luau, visiting a lavender farm, traveling the Road to Hana, with a stopover at one of the black sand beaches, and attempting to see the Haleakala crater. Our not-so-successful trip to view the Haleakala crater did yield a lunch stop at the Kula Lodge, which is an absolute treasure in upcountry Maui. Individual outdoor gazebos are nestled among a lush tropical forest, with smells of wood-burning stove nearby, sounds of…
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Prague, Summer 2016 ~ Travel
We decided long ago that our preference for travel would be very intentional, single-city focused trips that would allow us to soak up local color, culture and customs in at least 4-5 days. We don’t see ourselves taking week-long, city-hopping cruises or bus tours only giving you a glimpse of each location and a surface skim of its points of interest. So, Prague became our first “focused” European trip, and it proved to be the perfect recipe. Even years later, I still have vivid memories of its streets, flavors, secret passages, ornate décor and fascinating history. Prague welcomed us with its highly decorated buildings, simple but delicious Eastern European cuisine,…
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Paris, Summer 2013 ~ Travel
This was our first major European trip since having kids, settling into our careers, buying a home. We spent 9 days in Paris, primarily exploring the city, and doing just one side trip to Parc Asterix. We met my Russian family in Paris, and so we had quite a large group of 8 negotiating schedules, jet lag, dietary preferences, and cultural interests. In the end, it was very fun, and so many memories now start, “Remember, when we all met in Paris…”
