adventures of an unfinished traveler

if delicate arch has any significance it lies, I will venture, in the power of the odd and unexpected to startle the senses and surprise the mind out of their ruts of habit - edward abbey

2012-01-14T23:30:00.001-05:00

After completing our Grand Canyon Excursion we drove up into central west Utah to one of my favorite places of all on the trip, Arches National Park. We only spent a night and a full day there but man, I wish we'd had more time there, perhaps another day or two. We did get to explore quite a bit but there was so much more I wanted to see. I really hope to go back and spend a great deal of time exploring Arches as well as the other parks in Utah that look so wonderful.

We stayed at the Devil's Garden Campground, which definitely tops my campground list. It only has 27 sites, and ours was towards the entrance so it was a bit isolated from everyone else. And in the campground every site is super unique as it's built amongst the rocks and formations. No destroying of nature there. We got to the park around 4 or so and after driving through and seeing some of the great rocks, we arrived at the campsite just as the sun was getting close to the horizon. Experts now at putting our tent together in a flash we popped it right up, and then immediately began rock climbing. The large sandstone rock next to our site afforded us a spectacular view of the park's surrounding lands and the arch formations in the distance. We watched the sun set and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening.

So one thing I read about multiple times in researching for this trip was that it isn't recommended you hike in the middle of the day when the sun is blazing. We are in a desert-ish area and in mid August it gets HOT! So we started up early in the hiking area across from the campground which included multiple named arches and plenty of other wonderful sites.

This hike was particularly fun cuz it was a little more free form and involved climbing up a huge rock formation as part of the trail. When we got to the top though we couldn't find the cairn trail marker so we followed what we thought were tracks that just kept going. We got to see plenty, took a ton of pictures and were confused about why there were no other people but still thought we must be going in the right direction cuz there were scattered footprints.

We were wrong.

As we got deeper into the rocks and came to a real obvious dead end we decided it was time to turn back. That was an adventure, making sure we went back in the same direction and climbing rocks not really meant to be tracked upon.

No we weren't hurting nature and it was tons of fun, but a little scary at one point. When we got back to where we had split off we found the cairn we'd missed and all the people going in that direction. Wish they had been there when we went by the first time. Althought cairns are sensible as they use nature to mark the trail, in a place surrounded by rocks, it was not the easiest to recognize trail marker...or we just failed miserably.

Because we ended up spending so much time free exploring, there wasn't enough time (and we were tired) to continue the original hike. So we missed out on some arches but we still had a blast. We headed back to camp for lunch and a bit of reading time while planning on heading over to the infamous Delicate Arch post afternoon heat. Boy, were we in for a treat.

When we first entered the park the afternoon before I vividly recall looking at the weather report. Sunshine and hot with the most minimal chance of rain. Boy were we in for a surprise. Another thing to know is that the ground in the campground wasn't the softest...in fact it was fairly hard and even with a hammer we could not get our tents stakes into the ground. We ended up keeping the stakes in, only a few inches down. We figured it would be fine; the weather was so nice.

When you think desert in August you don't think of rain. Well there was rain. In fact it was a massive thunderstorm with decent winds and pounding rain. Molly and I had no problem seeing the incoming dark grey clouds so we put everything in the car and decided to wait the storm out before going off to hike in it. Little did we know that it would be a slower passing storm (lasting about an hour or so) and that we'd have tent problems.

After seeing the tent wobbling a bit at the beginning of the storm we kept a close watch on it throughout and I still can't believe what we saw. Our poor little temporary home held up fairly well in the beginning; it kept being smooshed together like an accordion but it wasn't so bad. Then the winds picked up the tent went flying over on its side. There wasn't much weight inside to hold it down. Molly and I bolted from the car, set right the tent and tried to secure it as best we could with rocks that only kinda worked.

As we ran back to the car all I could think of was: 1) How our decision to read and rest for an additional hour made us stay longer. If we hadn't been there, the tent might not have been there upon our return. 2) That our sleeping bags, pillows, pajamas and a few other clothes were inside...based upon the exterior appearance I had no hope that our belongings were dry. 3) I was also glad we'd put the fly on in the middle night. Since it had been such a nice evening in the desert we'd left the fly off to enjoy the nature a bit more but woke up middle of the night feeling a spray of rain and covered us with the fly.

No other major dilemmas occurred after that and the tent survived the storm. And besides a single sweatshirt, our belongings held up very well. When the tent had been accordion-ing, it had pushed all our stuff to the middle (so it didn't look like anything was inside) and kept it all away from the wet edges. Securing the tent, we felt confident to go on our hike to Delicate Arch.

Turns out the rainstorm was a positive thing. The hike to Delicate Arch is not shaded and you mainly walk across a massive stone face. When I'd read about hiking I learned the light was best in the evening and that it was a hotter hike. But the rain ended up cooling the air tremendously. It dropped from like 95 to 75-80. It was fantabulous. The crisp and cool air smelled like rain and it was a spectacular atmosphere to hike in. Boy was it worth it.

I'm not going to try and explain Delicate Arch because my words will do it no justice. But it is truely one of the nature's phenomenons. And what a peaceful, serene place even with all the people.

And just as we did some exploring earlier in the day, there was some opportunity for climbing near the trail that was super fab.

Though I wished we could have stayed longer and done one of the Fiery Furnace explorations, we did drive by to look and then did a short driving tour of some of the other names arches before we left.

From there we headed into the southwest corner of Colorado and onto the Four Corners.

wade in the water

2011-10-06T19:59:00.000-04:00

Besides Graceland there wasn't anything else in Memphis that Molly or I were dying to do. We'd done a little research during our trek from the Grand Canyon but as we were trying to spend as little as possible, we wanted to find a cheap and interesting place. My aunt had recommended we go to the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum but there was also the Civil Rights Museum which is in the same building that Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. Decisions, decisions. Beale street was another option but that was going to be a drive-by. Neither of us cared that much to pay for parking and then walk in the scorching heat.

I think because of admission price we decided to head to the Underground Slave Museum which turned out to be a very good choice. However, as we never went to the Civil Rights Museum I can't say for sure that it was better. It took us a little while to find the museum and we were about to give up when we finally found it. There wasn't a distinct sign or anything to set it apart from the other homes in the the neighborhood but we somehow found it. Inside the back entrance was a collection of homemade trinkets and books relating to the Underground Railroad and Slavery. We purchased our ticket and was led into the front room whose walls were covered in quilts, pictures and prints. We were told to look around here and the other room while we wait for the "tour" to begin.

We ended up being the only ones on this tour so it was nice and personal. It began with our guide sitting with us and giving us a background on the house and its significance to slaves' escape during the 19th century. The house, owned by a white man whose name I can't remember, allowed passage of escape to numerous African-American slaves becoming a hero to many. He did own slaves himself but it was to maintain the image of fitting in with other white people so no one would become suspicious of his doings. Our guide was terrific. She told us stories, explained how they passed messages in quilts and songs, sang to us and made us feel quite at home. After the chat she took us down to the basement to show us the escape passage out of the house. They entered like anyone else would but then crawled through a teeny little hole in the basement and hit under the back porch until nightfall when it was safe to escape. All of the artifacts hanging up were fantastic and really added to the vibe of the museum. It was a great little non-commercial place I'd highly recommend to anyone in the Memphis area.

Afterwards we decided to drive by the Civil Rights Museum to see the iconic former hotel where King Jr. was assassinated and then do the driving tour of Beale St. The museum was nifty and they've worked to make it look frozen in the 1960s. Beale St. was a failure as it was barricaded off from driving down. Oh well, we did get a nice picture of it.

So that was the end of our day in Memphis. Before heading back to Mississippi and our wonderful hotel we stopped at the local AAA office to pick up Universal Orlando tickets with a small discount and decided to ask the attendant if she had any local food joint recommendations. She did, and it was a place only about a mile from the hotel so definitely not out of our way. It was a great recommendation and had an abundance of items you don't see on many New England menus. Fried catfish, fried green tomatoes...and plenty more. Now I'm not a big tomato person but the fried green ones were pretty tasty. And the catfish wasn't bad either.

as long as i live, i'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing - john muir

2011-10-06T00:18:00.000-04:00

California is a huge state filled with a wide variety of landscapes and people. It has beaches, deserts, mountains and forests of all kind. Molly and I stayed in the northern half of the state before making our way down the east side towards Death Valley. Between visiting friends of Molly's in Berkeley and Death Valley we spent a wonderful day and a quarter in our first established National Park, Yosemite. We arrived in the south side of the park at Mariposa Grove to walk amongst the Giant Sequoia trees. These trees were probably just as tall as the grand redwoods but they were overall much larger because of their enormous girth. We opted not to hike the whole trail because it was getting late so we didn't see the tree you could drive a car under but we did see plenty of great giants.

The campsite I'd chosen was a non-reservation one up along the ridge south of the valley. It was nice, small, quiet and had some really cool boulders all around. We chose a spot, set up camp, made some quick food (which we then put away in the provided bear-proof container) and headed to bed. Like Yellowstone, Yosemite's evening temperatures are fairly low (I think it's the mountain thing) therefore we piled on a few layers before sleeping and set aside others as back-up. The only problem was keeping our faces, especially the nose, warm. In the morning we woke early, cleaned and packed up camp (something we were becoming experts in), and headed out for the overlook called Glacier Point. Here you get outstanding views of the infamous Yosemite Valley which includes the Half-Dome and Yosemite Falls. The view was amazing and I'd definitely recommend driving to the overlook if you ever get a chance. It's a little "out of the way" if you want to spend a lot of your time in the Valley where most of the tourist activities are; but it provides an overlook of one of America's most beautiful landscapes.

We then drove a little ways down the road to one of the multiple hikes within the park. It was really nice, bringing us through meadows and forests and by boulders and finishes with a climb up a rock face. We spent a bit of time at the top just enjoying the coolish weather and excellent views from the top.

We then traveled down into the valley to see if we could do one of the small, easy hikes to the bottom of Yosemite Falls, the highest measured fall in North America. The water flow wasn't super full as it was the end of summer and it tends to be much lighter at that time of year. However, the valley was PACKED! And I don't even think it was the highest tourist time of year. The valley though is very narrow so there is limited, limited parking. And its super congested. So we opted not to try and maneuver through all the people and settled for our stop by the river where Molly waded in to the cool water. I stood by and watched.

Our exit out of the park to nowhere's ville camping was along the northern road in the park to the eastern exit. Although we drove by overlooks and stops, we opted out of them and only made one short stop at the Tuolumne Meadows. There wasn't too much to do since we weren't hiking so we didn't spend long at the ranger station. We were both fairly tired with a few more hours driving ahead of us so we popped back in the car to finish out the day.

i could never stay long enough on the shore - helen keller

2011-10-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

And continuing right along with our adventures in Oregon (except for Astoria because I already covered that) I move onto our 2 days driving along the beautiful,mixed-weather coastline. We spent the good part of our first day in Astoria and Ecola State Park and after completing our Goonies Tour, we hopped in the car and drove on down to Cape Lookout State Park which is right on the beach. We arrived at sunset, and it was so cloudy and rainy that darkness was settling fast. We set up the tent, walked quickly down to the beach and back, but it was cold and wet so we thought bed would be better.

In the morning we discovered that the clouds hadn't cleared but the rain had at least stopped. We strolled again down to the beach and though there wasn't much of a view we did appreciate feeling the ocean air again.

After packing up the gear we headed back into town, had a lovely breakfast at a cute cafe and found Oil Can Henry's, a drive-thru oil change chain along the west coast that was recommended to us by someone we'd encountered. I'd never been through a drive through oil change before and after Henry's I don't know how any other place will maintain its high standard. We didn't have to get out of the car, the two gentlemen workers explained everything very clearly, they gave us USA Today to read while they did the oil change, they were very nice and entertaining and best of all, they wore cute little uniforms.

With the car all refreshed we hopped onto US 101 and our first sightseeing stop was the Devil's Punch Bowl in Newport. The clouds had cleared a bit and it was a nice little stop to stretch our legs and look down at a fascinating geological formation.

Another great stop we made was at Devil's churn, a narrow inlet in Lincoln City. It can be very dangerous and waves can spurt high in the air. It was quite windy and I really liked the trees that were permanently shaped in that direction with the side facing the ocean stripped of any life.

Back in the car and on the road again the drive was very nice and didn't always hug the coastline but there were quite a few times when we drove by just ocean. The section of 101 in Florence near the Sea Lion Caves is one example. We luckily found a parking space right next to the Cave center and not down the road. The building is a very small containing only a small gift shop and ticket window booth. After purchasing your ticket you head down and have two options: the elevator down to the cave or the exterior overlook of outside the cave. We went down first. The elevator drops you down quite a ways and you exit right into a wet, cold cave. The view of the sea lions is small and gets crowded quickly so you have to wait your turn to see the animals.

Unlike an aquarium, the sea lions are not in captivity. They area all wild and the cave is their natural habitat. The cave provides a safe lookout point for both the animals and the spectators. The sea lions weren't doing much on their rock. Lying and sleeping for the most part except for one guy who was bobbing his head a bit. It was really cool but since they're fairly far away, binoculars would have been a nice addition. Inside the cave there is also a wooden stairwell you can go up to see a lighthouse across the way.

Back to the elevator and up the hill we then took the trail down a slope to a lookout of the exterior of the cave. You can't see the physical entrance but there's a long portion of rock where tons and tons of sea lions are lounging about and sunbathing. I liked these guys better as they were a little more active. Multiple lions were slithering in and out of the water, playing with each other and entertaining themselves. It was nice to see animals I would never see at home interact in their natural habitat and not in one created for them at an aquarium.

Our last stop before finding a hotel in Brookings (the last town before the California border) was the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. South of Florence this area is a section of the coastline which has sand dunes for miles and miles and miles. We pulled up to no section in particular, just the first one we came across after entering. It was fairly empty and no one was there to swim and sunbathe. The temperatures were chilly and the sun had once again disappeared behind a layer of clouds. We took out our bottle of Atlantic Ocean water and Molly ceremoniously dumped it into the Pacific. I then filled it back up to bring home to the Atlantic.

We then spent some time individually wandering the area. I loved the look of the untouched sand, or the sand only affected by wind. The ripples were wonderful, and to see so much area that no human had stepped on for awhile was really nice.

Last but not least, after a wonderful stop and a beautiful overlook where the sun was prevailing in the sky, we arrived in Brookings, OR.

Although it was a very long day of traveling and exploring, we still had the energy to grab a quick dinner at DQ Grill and Chill and walk along the local beach at sunset. It was gorgeous! All the beaches throughout the day were calming and peaceful, a great way to decompress and relax.

a-b=c

2011-10-01T19:34:00.001-04:00

For a 5-week adventure across the grand Unites States of America, Molly and I did fairly well with not having any problems. The check engine light did come on a few times but we determined it was from the drastic climate changes so nothing to worry about...And then there was Portland, OR. Now don't get me wrong, Portland is a beautiful city and I have nothing wrong with the city itself. I don't have any hard feelings against the city, just at a certain cop on a motorcycle.

Let me backtrack just a little. Molly and I arrived in Troutville, OR after a lonnng, lonnng drive from Yellowstone Park, through Montana, Idaho and across the vast, open lands of Eastern Washington and Oregon. Although I found it dreadfully boring at the time (I think because it was such a long day), I am shocked at the landscape of Oregon and how there is a city like Portland that is so green and splendorific and then 200 miles east it's like the Great Plains of the Midwest.

The next morning we met up with Mark and Morgan (my sister-in-law) for breakfast and caught up with how their honeymoon in Hawaii went as they'd only returned a few days before. We then headed downtown so I could take Molly to Powell's Books, an excellent, fantastic, massive used book store. It has the atmosphere of a small business, cute bookstore but it's twice the size of Barnes and Nobles. We're both a sucker for used books so its right up our alley and we spent an hour or two browsing around.

As we still had a busy afternoon planned in Astoria, we departed around 1030 and hopped on the highway headed west. I don't remember if I've mentioned it before but we completed this trip with no GPS and a road atlas that was 10 years old. So sometimes in busier places or ones with bad signage we didn't always get onto the correct roadways. I don't remember how it happened, but we ended up getting off the highway by accident so we had to turn around and sidetrack to get back to where we wanted to be. So we're going through the backroads and finally arrive at a T-intersection that plops us right back on the state highway we'd accidentally got off. Cars are zooming by, and on the green we take the left and Molly accelerates. Not even 10 seconds later we see the flashing lights. So we pull over and the cop comes up and does the routine. Asks us if we know the speed limit, which we don't because we'd only been on the road for mere seconds. I don't think we'd even passed a speed limit sign yet. He points to one right in front of us and says we were going 52 and a 35mph zone. As we're waiting for the cop to come back from writing us a ticket we notice that cars passing us by are certainly not going 35 mph.

The worst part of it was that when he gave us the ticket and asked us if we had any questions, we said "no" and went on our merry way. When I finally got around to reading the ticket he'd marked us as going 52mph in a 35 mph zone (as told to us) yet also marked it as 21-30 miles over the speed limit, which determined, in part, the amount we owed. 52-35=17!!!!!! So much hate!!!! And since we weren't going to be in the state to go to appeal in court we had to write a letter to mail in. And as we were on the road up until needing to be in court, we couldn't wait until we got home and had a computer to type it. So the State of Oregon received a nice handwritten note from us regarding our cop's complete lack of basic math skills. (It didn't really say it like that but it did mention that we were charged unfairly).

So that was our experience in Portland. I don't like cops in Portland.

bigger than rhode island and delaware combined...its yellowstone...

2011-08-28T23:19:00.000-04:00

Jumping all the way back to our visit to Yellowstone National Park, I haven't discussed all that we did on our first day there. The night before was all about showering, setting up camp and going to sleep. Inside the tent we ate leftover pasta and potato salad by flashlight then headed to bed (a little later than usual, around 830pm.) For our first day in such a big park there was much to do and little time to do so. We spent the morning at Yellowstone Canyon, midday at the hot springs, and the late afternoon taking a driving tour of the northern loop of the park.

The canyon was gorgeous and one of my favorite parts of the trip. Now the Grand Canyon is certainly grand, but in a way it's just so big and the walls that jut out from the Colorado River eroding down make it hard to see it in all its expanse. Yellowstone Canyon was a big canyon as well but much much much smaller than the Grand Canyon and I think it had a lot more character to it. The coloring of the walls were varied and gorgeous and the constant views of the lower Yellowstone Falls (both upper and lower) were just phenomenal.

Upper Yellowstone Falls

We hiked down the stairs installed on the southern side, climbed back up and then walked along the rim down to Artist's Point. Great views were in store all along and it was just a wonderful sunny day. There's a trail on the other side that goes all the way down into the canyon which I would have loved to do but it was an all day hike which we didn't have the time for. For next time...

After Artist's Point we followed a trail along to some of the ponds in the area and it looped back to the parking lot. As we were the only ones on the trail it was quiet and serene and the area was quite diverse landscape-wise. We passed some small mud pots and many warning signs to stay on the trail. No bears were encountered and the last bit took us through a huge meadow back to the parking lot.

Now a side note on weather. Although it was sunny and very very nice out, the heat in northwest Wyoming isn't dreadful like the Midwest or the desert. By midday it gets in the 80s but what's so surprising is how cold it gets at night. That first night we were not prepared and both Molly and I woke up in the middle of the night to add a couple of layers of clothes. The following nights we were prepared with only two pairs of sweats, a long sleeve shirt, socks, hooded sweatshirt and a camping sleeping bag keeping us warm. In the morning it wasn't as frigid but was still chilly so we'd change and then throw sweats over our clothes before heading out for a hike. However out on the hike, depending on whether you were in the shade or sun, you could be hot one minute and cold the next so until about noontime it was a constant battle over whether or not to keep the sweatpants on or not.

After the canyon hike we drove over to the Hot Springs and explored that area. There were some elk hanging out in front of one of the buildings and some lady was being really really stupid and walking very close just to get a picture...even though there were numerous signs saying "do not approach the elk."

Speaking of stupid, there was a lady and her family walking up one of the boardwalks along the hot springs and her hat flew off her head onto the sulfur-y, water-y ground where you're not supposed to walk. She kept prodding her adult son to go and get it. We saw them later and she was wearing the hat that had been sitting in all the nasty water so I don't know how they got it but ewwww.

The hot springs are just that, hot springs and they were of all shapes and sizes. And really different from the ones in the geyser basins as discussed here. My words don't do it justice so take a look at the pictures showing off the colors and wonders of the hot springs.

After the hot springs we made our way driving around the rest of the northern loop of the park. Taking a slight detour off the main road, we took a scenic drive which I hoped would give us some wildlife to look at but no such luck. However, there were some fantastic views that certainly made it worth the extra time driving 15 mph.

goin' down the bayou, takin' ya all the way

2011-07-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

New Orleans was one of the few places neither Molly nor I had been. For my American travels, the southeast was always one of the places I'd never really been to except for Florida so when plotting details out, I made sure we both got to experience the South. We left in the morning from our hotel at the Harrah's in Mississippi, went to Dunkies in the casino and headed down to New Orleans. Because we were on the western edge of the state and the interstate runs down the middle, it wasn't any faster for us to take the interstate versus state highways; and as we learned at the beginning of the trip, state highways were preferable.

We enterer New Orleans from the West on I-10 and even spending time on the sliver of highway that is made up of concrete columns over the bayou showed us we were somewhere we'd never been before. We checked into our hotel, chose a place to dine in the French Quarter, got a little lost getting there but soon parked and began our stroll down Bourbon St. Now, I'm not a party girl by any means so the appeal of Bourbon St. doesn't attract me in any way but I see why people love it so much. Sure it was Friday, but the bars were hopping and tons of people were strolling the streets with their beverages. It was crazy thinking this wasn't for an event, just a typical Friday night. The restaurant was nice and I ventured out of my comfort zone to try "local cuisine" of fried catfish, shrimp and oysters. The oysters were the most disgusting thing ever, but the rest wasn't bad. Molly had jambalaya which she really enjoyed.

We spent the rest of the night in watching the start of Harry Potter weekend and planning our adventures for the next day. Although I really wanted to see the bayou and go on a swamp tour, we didn't have enough time as it takes a half or full day commitment and prior reservations. Neither of us knew much about what N'Orleans had to offer so we took the pamphlets from the hotel up to our room and devised a plan. There are multiple plantations around the city open for tours and so we chose to visit Destrehan Plantation since it was on the inexpensive side and wasn't that long a drive from the city. It was really neat and Molly and I both really enjoyed the tour. We got to see the rooms, furniture, and even got a little seminar on tools used back in the 19th century. I found the mini lecture to be fascinating because certain tools were almost exactly the same as today in how they work but are a little more jazzed up.

The plantation was large and still maintained a lot of the land the original had. They had slave cabins, the kitchen outbuildings, a really heavy marble bathtub, elaborate furniture and even the guides were dressed in period outfits. Loved it all. The huge oak trees littering the yard were also fascinating additions to the plantation. Really made us feel like we were nowhere near home in culture and history. It also gave me a bit of perspective because I knew of southern plantations with slaves etc but for some reason never thought it went as far as Lousiana. I just assumed Louisiana was separated and not a state or something...I really have no idea why I thought it but I did.

"front" view side from street, but it was really the backdoor

kitchen outbuilding

interior of kitchen

slave cabin

After the plantation we headed back into the city, and back again to the French Quarter because let's face it, we were tourists and that's where tourists go. We got beignets at Cafe Beignet and they were quite good. We walked down the streets towards St. Louis' Cathedral and took a look inside. It was sort of strange how it was the only church we went to on our whole trip while I went to dozens in Europe. Just showed me how the appeals of America are quite different than that of Europe. Though I wasn't enthralled with the interior of St. Louis I really liked the exterior, especially when juxtaposed to the surrounding architecture and plant life. Fun fact: though called the French Quarter, the style of architecture that defines its appearance is actually Spanish. Fun Observation: Bourbon St. is dead, and a completely different entity during daylight hours. We overlooked the Mississipi, the largest river in the US which by this point we'd crossed 3 times so far, and watched a saxophonist play in the scorching heat. Which led us to return to our car and make the rest of our N'Orleans tour a driving/air conditioned one.

cafe beignet

bourbon st. during the day

We drove through the Garden District Area which is west of the French Quarter and contains a vast variety of homes. Large or small, gorgeous or ugly, expensive or cheap...the garden district had it all. And it had that old city charm that I love where no neighboring homes looked the same because it wasn't built as a development. Gorgeous. Finally, we drove through the Ninth Ward still suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina which hit 5 years before. There's been some definite rebuilding of the area but you can still see the effects the hurricane has had on this city.

For the evening, we got take-out from the hotel restaurant and watched Harry Potter. Molly had wanted to go on a ghost tour but I didn't really want to spend the money on something that wasn't taking us anywhere private. Just public places while telling old folklore. She understood, and thought it was pretty lame so we spent the night in. Our time had been well spent and we were ready for the long trek the Orlando the next day and by watching Harry Potter weekend we were preparing ourselves to spend the next few days with him.

the eat fast food and sit in a car for 8 hours diet

2011-07-11T23:40:00.000-04:00

Food is an important part of any trip. While I was traveling Europe I took the cheap route of buying bread, cheese and other small items at mini-marts and only eating at restaurants very rarely to save money. Trekking cross country was a little different because Molly and I didn't want to live off of picnic food everyday, and certain items we'd need to keep cold would cost us money from purchasing ice at least once a day. Camping was a little different and we bought specific dry meals or something like hot dogs that would keep fairly well and were also easy to make. We tried Mac&Cheese and it was a bad decision with no milk or butter. But the majority of the time we were eating at one of two places, a local cuisine restaurant/cafe, or a fast food joint.

Local Eateries

Besides fast food, which I will talk about below because we ate a wide variety of it, Molly and I did our best to eat the local cuisine of whichever place we were traveling through or where we were visiting. We ate fried green tomatoes and fried catfish (Yum!) at a great restaurant in Mississippi. I had fried clams (Blech!) as part of a a seafood platter in New Orleans. And our most memorable of experiences was the cafe we had lunch in as we traversed across Nebraska. Driving from Omaha, NE to the Badlands National Park, the interstate heads north along the borders of Iowa and Nebraska before heading West on I-90 across South Dakota. Interstates are constantly high speed limits however you don't see much of the places your driving through and there are sooooooooo many trucks. After taking state highways through Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska during our super long "Little House on the Prairie Day" we decided to take them as much as possible in the future. Though slower at points when you drive through towns, the speed limits are that of the interstates for much of the time. It was a great decision and we really got to see much more of the Midwest than if we'd chosen the Interstate.

The little towns you pass through along State Highway 275 are really really little. Some have only 3-5 streets off the main road and not every place has a gas station. In one of these teeny little towns we found a teeny cafe that gave us one of most memorable experiences. We walk in and every single person in the restaurant turns and stares at us. We quietly mumble "2..." and the owner/sole waitress lets us know we can sit anywhere. Its carpeted and the tables are all different sizes; they look like ones set up for bingo night at a community center. It was a surreal experience. All the patrons knew each other and were wondering where other regulars were. It was so crazy. The perk of small places, especially in lower income areas, is that everything is really cheap but still really good. And it was. Although we we went to a few other smaller restaurants/cafes in other states, nothing was as teeny and crazy as that cafe in Nebraska.

Fast Food Heaven
Here in Massachusetts we have fast food joints but they're all the standard ones: McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell and Wendy's. We don't have Arby's, Popeyes, Braums, Sonic etc...so as we headed west, and explored so many new places, we explored all these new options for food. Sonic was the top choice with its wider menu range including mozzarella sticks and slushies and you don't have to get out of the car. Although we were already living in the car quite a bit, getting out for take-out fast food wasn't worth it. We ended up at Sonic whenever we could and some locations were in the middle of nowhere. Molly had Popeyes at one stop which was new to her and she enjoyed. And after protesting Arby's because they "took over Dunkin Donuts" (according to Molly) we ate their chicken and curly fries. Molly quickly regretted not going there sooner.

Sonic may have been a favorite of mine, but Braum's was the most spectacular of places. A small chain only located in the states of Missouri, Kansas Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, it's technically an "ice cream and dairy store" but really its a whole lot more. The stores are the same size of a standard McDonalds or Burger King but instead of just the food counter and seats, there's a huge ice cream freezer and a corner of the store is a mini-grocery store. Not a mini-mart but a mini-grocery store, with produce and everything. A small selection of items of course, but pretty cool nonetheless. I got chicken fingers, fries and a good size ice cream for $4...that's just amazing. And it was really good. I kinda wish we'd stopped here earlier in the trip when we passed signs in Missouri and Kansas but the logo is an ice cream cone so I didn't know it had real food. We eventually ended up at one in Oklahoma.

What was nice about the fast food was that it was a) fast, and we weren't delayed terribly because of meals and b) cheap, which was always important on a budget. Yes it's not the healthiest food in the world but we were exercising quite a bit in the National Parks so I think it balanced out. We were also never eating large quantities of said meals. I actually ended up losing a little weight over the course of the 5 weeks and jokingly thanked the "eat fast food and sit in a car for 8 hours" diet when we returned home.

movie magic is movie magic - ben kingsley

2011-06-22T17:14:00.000-04:00

Although Harry Potter world was the reason we traveled down to Florida and visited Universal Studios, it certainly wasn't the only highlight of our 2 days roaming about the park. Almost every ride we went on was fantastic, and except for a few, we re-rode them all 2 or 3 times more.

The Incredible Hulk is the first coaster to the left as you enter Islands of Adventure and it's short but really fun. There was a little wait and we went into the "front row only" line so it took a little longer. But the advantage of being in the front made it worth it. Lots of loops and spins and fog.

Making our way around the Marvel section of the park we then rode Dr. Doom's Freefall. Molly and I have both been on numerous freefall rides similar to Dr. Doom, and Dr. Doom just didn't hold up. I don't know if it was shorter in height, shorter in time or what...but it wasn't terribly thrilling. We passed on Spiderman 3-D cuz I have bad memories of getting nauseous during 3D/Moving visual attractions and Molly didn't care about it either. We also passed on Dudley Do-Right's Riptide Falls....or whatever the name is. You get really wet on that ride.

We then went to the Wonderful World of Harry Potter and after leaving that section of the park rode the Jurassic Park ride twice. This one was really exciting. Jurassic Park is a favorite of both Molly's and mine and seeing all the dinosaurs from the movie combined with the set elements was really fun. Like Disney, those kind of rides which tell a story really suck you in.

Universal definitely does them differently, and I think I'd give the edge to Disney, but there are still some excellent rides to choose from. We spent the latter 3rd of the day in the Universal Studios side and was really sad the Mummy ride was closed. But we did Twister, an experience of how-to special effects, battled Jaws, spent 20 minutes with Homer Simpson and family, and rode the Hollywood Rip-Ride Rockit. Jaws was a little cheesy but fun and the Simpsons was really neat but about 2 minutes too long for me cause my stomach started acting up. The Rip-Ride Rockit is a new coaster in the park; the concept for it is that each person gets to choose a song (from a small selection) to listen to during the ride and it films you as you scream your little heart out. And instead of just being able to buy a picture at the end, you can also purchase a DVD. I wasn't a huge fan of this ride. When you're traveling at fast speeds I don't like wider chairs that allow your head to shake back and forth a lot more. Rip-Ride Rockit does this so I didn't like very much.

The following day was spent mainly in the Universal Studios side, but we did re-visit Islands of Adventures to see Harry, Ron and Hermione again as well as wander through Seuss-Landing (kiddie rides) and watch the Sinbad stunt show (who stole a line from Star Wars).

In the studios we rode the Mummy coaster 4 times (sooooo amazing!) and waited a LONG time for Disaster but it was really neat and definitely not a waste of time. We fought Aliens as a Men in Black trainee (a ride totally not worth the really long wait), saved E.T. a few times (a great, magical ride!) and saw a make-up show. We also rode the Rip-Ride Rockit again and my phone fell out of my pocket. Lost forever.

boof-falo, the boof-falo

2011-06-20T19:43:00.000-04:00

The midwest, specifically the prairie and grasslands is home to the American Bison. And although not a true buffalo, most people I know call them buffalo. Driving out west you expect to see them at some point or another especially when you visit National Parks that work at preserving their living conditions. Badlands and Yellowstone National Park are two excellent examples and buffalo sighting locales. While we were at the Badlands we didn't see any on the main road but after driving 20 min off a dirt road to the area highlighted on the map as being Buffalo territory we were not disappointed. And there were even quite a few young ones grazing and roaming about.

Now a quick flashback story that sets up part of our buffalo experience in Yellowstone. When I went cross country with my family way back in 1996 my mother became famous for not having the camera cocked (because way back then you needed to do that to advance the film), and missing a great photo opportunity when a buffalo walked right in front of our van. I've told that story so many times that I think everyone knows it by now. So, back to present day. Molly and I are entering Yellowstone after a long day of driving across Wyoming from the Black Hills. As we're approaching the road that's part of the main loop we see a buffalo up ahead in the middle of the road. Now buffalo have the right of way. Not because their animals but because if you scare or piss them off they will trample you and your car. So we stopped and let it go about its business. I got the camera out and just as it crosses in front of the car....I fail to take a picture. I took one, and I honestly have no idea what happened, but what came out was a picture of the dashboard. I, like my mother did 15 years ago, failed at taking a picture at the perfect buffalo photo op.

Thinking this was going to be it for up close and personal buffalo I was a little sad but we continued on towards the campground. Turns out we planned our arrival poorly, but spectacularly too. Poorly because we hadn't showered in 3 days and it took a long time to get to the campground because of traffic. But the traffic was due to all the buffalo out and about during dinner so that was a sight to see as we continued to pass groups in the distant fields or solo ones running alongside the road. This time we got some great pics and it was amazing, and a lil scary to be so close to such large, interesting creatures.

Turns out being in your car is a lot less scary than up close and personal which we discovered on our second day in the park. As we made our way around the park toward the Geyser Basin we stopped at the mud pots first. There's a short walk along the boardwalks from the lower pots to ones situated up the hill and as we're ascending them this foreign man comes walking with another person or two and pointing up the hill says "boof-falo! the boof-falo!" Excited, intrigued and entertained, we continued up the hill and discovered what he meant by "boof-falo." There was a small herd lazying about the mud pots; some were rolling in the dirt, others were mothers caring for their young. And then there were the males trying to find a mate. Not only were they chasing down females but they were battling other males. And when all this is happening not just close to the boardwalks but over them as well, it was quite frightening. We were about 15 feet away from being trampled by 3 angry, horny buffalo.

Being this close and scared out of our sneakers we were wary about continuing around the loop. We could see others up ahead near the boardwalks and both Molly and I were hesitant to approach not knowing if they were males or females or nice or angry. The crazy ones had run off in that direction as well so in all it was a nerve-wracking experience navigating our way back to the car. We made it and that was the last of the boof-falo...til next time.

saw the ghost of elvis...down in the jungle room

2011-06-19T20:17:00.000-04:00

Upon choosing Memphis as one of our destinations, Graceland instantly became #1 on our to-do list. First because Molly L went through an Elvis stage in high school and still has a love for "the King." Second, it was the only tourist site we knew of in Memphis off the top of our head. Anyway, we started off our one day in Memphis with a tour of Graceland and the accompanying exhibits. We got our ticket, hopped on the bus, received our audio guides and enjoyed the short ride across the street and through the gates of Graceland.

The tour happens every 10 min or so with groups of 10-15 people, each withe an audio guide (automatically included with the ticket purchase). Its pretty self-guided except there are people standing by doors and herding each small group into the rooms as they finish taking picture and listening to the information. No visitors are allowed upstairs because that maintains the "private" area of the Presley family. The first room to the right has the longest couch EVER. It's like 15 or so feet long. And white.

I'm pretty sure each room hasn't been touched since Elvis passed away in the 1977. Nothing has been updated in terms of decoration and such things like carpet have been meticulously maintained and cared for. After the living room you get to see Elvis' parents' bedroom, then the dining room. You pass through the kitchen which looks like it was taken straight from the 1970s appliances included. You get a glance of the Jungle room before being led downstairs to the basement where all the recreational/party rooms were.

There is a room with mirrors on the ceiling and 3 different TVs all playing separate stations because Elvis liked to watch the news on every channel. There's a bar and then the next room includes a billiards table and the walls and ceiling are covered in an "interesting" fabric.

Led back upstairs, you arrive in the Jungle room. As we finish the tour of the house I think about how its called Graceland Mansion but it doesn't really feel that big. Felt like a typical size Cohasset house.

The rest of the tour consisted of going through all the buildings Elvis had on his land. There's the office in the back, and fields where horses still roam, another building with a whole museum inside consisting of jumpsuits, memorabilia, merchandise, records, Grammys and a whole lot more. And finally the barn which has another lounge room where Elvis spent his last day and a huge room full of records and more outfits.

Last but not least you're led to the poolside graves of Elvis, his mother, father and grandmother. There's flowers galore and plenty of color from posters and tributes and gifts left behind by fans. There's even more posters alongside the paths to the bus stop where you finally get a good view of the mansion from out front. Back at the main complex there's a plethora of gift shops, places to eat and even more exhibits highlighting Elvis's fame, his foray into the movies, love of automobiles and all sorts of other things. You can also walk through his plane which like the mansion is a step back in time.

so come with me, we'll go and see the big great smoky mountains

2011-05-31T22:04:00.000-04:00

Our last leg of the journey began with driving up the east coast from Orlando; first stop, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park lies along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina with plenty to do in both sections. However we stuck to the Tennessee side, particularly the area of Cades Cove where we set up camp for 3 nights. We got there mid-week and as it was the end of the summer, the campground was fairly empty compared to other national parks we'd visited earlier in August. We had no neighbors near us so that was kinda nice. No RVs to be suffocated by. Arriving at sunset we set up camp, quickly and efficiently as we were now experts at it, and went to bed.

While planning this particular visit, there were a lot of options for horseback riding and as a childhood pastime of Molly's she really wanted to go. So we set out on an hour long horseback ride through the woods of Cades Cove. It was very peaceful though I was sad we saw no animals. Molly was happy cause she really really didn't want to see a bear. Later we took a drive through Cades Cove stopping along some of the old houses and churches of the original settlers of the area. It was really neat as it was the first national park I'd been to that had a former town and such. As we were about half way around the loop, we took a short hike to a Abram's Falls. It was really gorgeous and like the rest of the Cove, really peaceful and serene. Not terribly tall, the falls were thick and full as they fell into the pool beneath.

Continuing on the Cades Cove Loop Road towards the Visitor Center we saw lots of cars pulled over and people on the side of the road looking into the trees. There was also a ranger hanging about. As we drove up we joined in the fun and learned there was a small black bear sleeping up in the trees. After a little pointing and squinting we both saw the bear and Molly liked it because he was asleep up high instead of eating us alive in our tent.

By the time we finished the loop it was already getting to be late afternoon. Since this was the last campsite we were going to be at and had yet to have a campfire (we'd been conserving costs by not purchasing firewood and we were just so tired every night that we were asleep sometimes before it was even dark out) our goal that night was to make a fire. So Molly went off with the hatchet and brought back wood that had fallen or been broken off trees and we collected a good size pile of wood. But no luck in making the fire since it refused to stay lit for more than 5 minutes or so. At least we tried...this was the night we also decided to make mac&cheese from a box with no butter or milk...bad decision.

Day 2 began with a terrific bike ride throughout Cade's Cove. As we had been driving through the cove the previous day we drove by plenty of bikers and thought it would be awesome to do too. Luckily the campground had a bike rental place that was really affordable so we hopped on and took off. It was a great ride and the 11 miles was much easier than I had expected since I'm not an "in-shape" person.

The neatest thing was passing by a couple park rangers who were looking off into the woods, one with a massive shotgun, and telling us to "just keep moving, folks." Apparently there was a wild hog in the woods and they're very very very dangerous and unpredictable so they have to shoot them. We never heard a gun shot so they probably didn't end up doing so, but I thought the whole situation was pretty cool. Another highlight of the biking was exploring more of the homes and churches the homes along the loop because we weren't having to pull off, stop the car, get out etc...

After the fantastic bike ride we headed over to the observation tower at Clingman's Dome which offers a great, sweeping view of the mountains. The hike up the sloped road was long and a little steep but the view was worth it. You could definitely see where the name of "Great Smoky Mountains" came from; although there were only friendly cumulus clouds in the sky, there was a gentle fogginess hanging over the mountains.

Our afternoon activity to finish out our time in the Mountains was a hike to Laurel Falls. It was pretty easy with smooth terrain and paved all the way making it accessible for strollers or wheelchairs. The falls were very nice, small but quite pretty. I wanted to explore the area more, and I think Molly did too, but there were a ton of people so we opted for sitting and gazing at the beauty instead.

The Great Smoky Mountains proved to be a great National Park and I would love to return and explore more of the area since the park is HUGE. No bears coming into the campsite but we had a mother dear and bambi stroll through one night. And shower facilities would have been nice too but we made do with a sponge bath in our makeshift shower area.

bad lands, bad lands, whatcha gonna do?

2011-05-02T14:12:00.000-04:00

Straight from Wikipedia...Badlands: a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble a malpais, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies and hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often difficult to navigate by foot. Badlands often have a spectacular color display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays to red scoria.

After trekking through Nebraska which was an interesting adventure all on its own, we arrived at Badlands National Park in Southeastern South Dakota, about an hour or so west of the Black Hills. There are only 2 campgrounds in the park, and one has no water, so we were really hoping that the main camping space had some empty sites since its first-come first-serve. Thankfully it did, and our driving was done for the evening. The sun was setting fast so we strolled over to a formation people were climbing all over and it had a great view of the day turning to night.

Once the sun was gone, but before it got too dark, we pitched the tent. There were 2 crickets right on top of each other that were really cool. It was nice to see them alive and not being butchered by our car.

We spent the evening browsing the gift shop, using the wi-fi, checking in with our parents and laying out on the plains star-gazing. When the nearest town isn't for miles the stars illuminate the night sky like you wouldn't believe. One of nature's wonders for sure.

Next morning we woke, packed up the car and headed out on our drive through the park. We had to fit in Mount Rushmore later in the afternoon so we purposely didn't plan on any long hikes, though they certainly would have been fun. There was one short hike we took that was neat as it took you along an overlook then up close to the formations, through the woods and ended in a meadow-y area. Fantabulous. With no clouds in the sky and the weather not blazing hot we couldn't have asked for a better day.

The drive through the park has a ton of pull-overs, stops, overlooks...you name it. We stopped at the main ones each offering a unique viewpoint. In a way all the erosion looks the same, but they're all different in shape, size, color. They could be red and round or tan and sharp. The flora around was also beautiful. Most of the park is grass and plains, but we saw sunflowers, white flowers I couldn't tell you the name of and others.

The fauna was also a sight to see since we don't have prairie dogs and buffalo in New England. Yes, we do have deer but no matter what, being close to wildlife is exciting. The prairie dogs were the first we saw and there were plenty holes scattering the earth with the animals running in and out of them into their underground compound. Just as cute as I remembered. We also saw a herd of buffalo, babies included, in a section of the park known for their roaming. It was about 20 minutes down a dirt road but well worth the drive.

miscellaneous #1

2011-04-24T19:04:00.002-04:00

Looking at the list I made awhile back of what I wanted to share about Molly and I's road trip, I just can't pick one item to venture into. Do I jump to the last few days when we were in Virginia, or the time spent in the southeast? Hmmm...at this very moment, I just want to talk about it all. Don't have time, or space, to do that now but I will make this post one of some tidbits, little stories that don't really have a home any place else.

Roaming Wyoming
As we spent the day venturing across Wyoming, the scenery was pretty spectacular. The landscape went from flat plain to forest and mountains back to plains. And finally back to forest and hills again in Yellowstone.

One of the really interesting places Rt. 14 led us through was Big Horn National Forest. At one point in particular there was a series of switchbacks leading us along the sides of mountains and past plenty of "watch for falling rock" signs. Speed limits of 25-30 mph, 15 around the bends and if the car veered even a little, there wasn't much edge to keep you on the road. It was hard to admire it all from the car, especially since I was driving, so we pulled over at one overlook to admire some of the hidden gems of America.

Down in the Valley
Looking at a list of state run campgrounds and finding their locations on Google maps (regular view) totally doesn't prepare you for what these campgrounds are. My assumption was that after we left Yosemite and began the drive down towards Death Valley that the numerous campgrounds along the way were all going to be in the woods/mountains and all cute. Well, I was wrong. Almost immediately upon exiting Yosemite the terrain on the East side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains is rough and barren. It's as if the plains and the desert had a baby. The first campground we came to was completely empty. We couldn't even find the real entrance, or we did and there just wasn't distinctive camp sites. Or people. It was creepy.

Alas the next one we arrived at had people at it but it was one of those things I have only imagined in books. The highway is completely surrounded by rough land with mountains running along the sides a mile or two away. The color palette here is tan, sand and sage. And as your driving through all this barren land you come across a patch of bright green about half a mile off the road. That's the campground. There's a little creek and about 15 trees, no running water...a permanent outhouse is affixed and the wind makes sure you know where it is. It was so strange being there. I'm not skilled enough at describing things to explain it, but it was like walking into a movie or something. It was primitive, yes, but there was something else about it.

viva las vegas!

2011-04-17T21:04:00.000-04:00

I'm not a party girl, nor a person who likes to drink a lot...or someone who likes spending money, so why would I want to spend part of my vacation in Las Vegas? Well, $30/night for a hotel room in the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino (one of the big strip hotels) is quite an incentive. Unlimited rides up to the tower and 2-for-1 unlimited rides on the extravagant "theme" rides on the top were also nice gifts included in the hotel price.

After spending the day in Death Valley we arrived in Vegas around dinner time. We entered the city by driving up the strip to our hotel and that was it for our Vegas Strip experience. Just from the drive-by though, I give Vegas great credit for making each hotel unique in design, accurate in its representations and bringing back great memories of Europe for me with the Venetian and Paris hotels. The exterior of the New York New York hotel was my favorite cause you couldn't tell which were hotel room windows and which were just part of the hotel's exterior design.

Walking into the hotel lobby/casino of the Stratosphere, it was a quite a sight for me. I'd never been in a casino before so my knowledge of them was limited to when Friends went to Vegas or the beautiful heist of Ocean's Eleven. Check-in took a half hour and I was surprised to see so many kids around. Las Vegas is sometimes thought of as an adult playground, so why would families choose to vacation here? It's not any cheaper than Disney World...I don't know but if I were a kid, I'd rather be somewhere else.

Out itinerary had us staying 2 nights, and our plans were no more fleshed out after the hotel reservation. We went to IHOP for dinner, a long 2 block walk from the hotel, and then spent the evening relaxing and watching some TV. We'd stayed in a few hotels so far but none were as nice as the Stratosphere and it was just nice to feel like we weren't roughing the entire trip. And the beds were a nice break from the tent we'd been in the last few nights.

Next day, we spent an hour or so poolside and the skies were that impeccable bright blue. It was certainly nice to just relax in the sun, but with the powerful Vegas sun shining down, an hour was all we had in us.

We then grabbed a discounted lunch (courtesy of the hotel) which was too big for one meal so we saved it for dinner. Next was one of our two trips to the top of the tower. The Stratosphere tower is about 1150 ft tall which is about 2/3rds the size of the CN Tower and about 1/3 larger than the Space Needle. The elevator ride was crammed, but quick and we exited at the observation deck. Outside it was windy but the view of the Vegas strip and the surrounding neighborhoods was nice. Though I would never want to live there.

After a little navigational issues in finding the correct entrances to the rides, we first braved "Insanity," a thrill ride shaped like a claw that spins you around while dangling riders over the edge. It actually wasn't that scary dangling over the edge, but they only spin you one direction and I don't do well with that kind of ride. So when that was over, once was enough and my stomach took a minute or two to settle. Next was "XScream" which is like the front of a roller coaster that shoots you over the edge, but stops before you really go over. I liked the premise but wasn't a fan of the ride. Maybe it was because we were in the back row so we didn't get the feeling we were supposed to, but who knows? The last ride, "The Big Shot" was AMAZING! This is where the unlimited rides deal came in very handy. Similar to many amusement park rides, "The Big Shot" is the 4-sided tower like ride that either shoots you up then drops really fast, or brings you up slowly before dropping you and bringing you back up again. This one shoots you up first and that thrill of going up that fast so high up was so completely awesome Molly and I couldn't get enough. That evening when we went back to view Vegas at night, we went on "The Big Shot" like 4 or 5 times.

Besides spending time chilling in the hotel room during the afternoon and eating our leftovers for dinner, we did dabble in a little gambling. It was Las Vegas after all. And we came out on the "plus" side after winning $10 in "Deal or No Deal"! Gambling is something think I could get quite addicted to if it were fake money, but its not so stopping after our big win was quite easy. We tested out a couple of games and learned the basic logistics of them, but they really need an instruction manual. Especially when you go into a casino thinking that games that look like slot machines still involved pulling a lever to play. We didn't go near any of the card tables.

the mountain of our fore fathers

2011-04-09T23:49:00.000-04:00

After the awe-inspiring formations of Badlands National Park, we drove west into the Black Hills. The landscape differences between the two locations was incredible. One minute you were in the plains of the midwest and the next, you're driving around mountain curves surrounded by tall, thin pine trees. Our first destination was Mt. Rushmore. If you don't know, Mt. Rushmore is a granite mountain top with the busts of 4 presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln) carved from the stone. I'm not sure of the reasons the artists decided this location, in the Southwestern corner of Mt. Rushmore was a good destination for their masterpiece, but alas there it was determined to carve. Well, it was really more like blasting with dynamite and carving, but it took time, effort and skill nonetheless.

The site is now owned by the National Park Service and contains a large amphitheater, exhibits on the bust construction, and a small area on Native American culture. And of course, multiple gift shops. The walkway leading to the overlook of the mountain is lined with 4-sided columns. Each side had a stage flag waving from the top, and carved lower, the name and date of admission into the Union.

Massachusetts' flag

It was a gorgeous day and we took time wandering the exhibit halls and reading up on the creation of Mt. Rushmore. We then strolled along the walking path which takes you right to the base of the mountain and here we took a peek at the teepee and other Native American artifacts out for viewing.

It was a beautiful day; sunny and not excruciatingly hot. We couldn't have asked for better weather. I'd been to Mt. Rushmore once before with my family way back in 1996 and my only memory is from the family photograph we have so visiting it again was pretty cool and I felt fairly patriotic. It didn't take long to complete our visit so by early afternoon we were already heading out to find out campground in the Black Hills. We tried to go visit Jewel Cave but unfortunately all the tours were sold out. It worked out though and we spent a very relaxing evening in our tent and caught up on much needed sleep.

it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all - laura ingalls wilder

2011-03-23T18:24:00.000-04:00

Our time in St. Louis was short; early the next morning we ate a quick breakfast, packed up the car and were on our way west towards southwest Missouri to the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Though her childhood is chronicled in her "Little House" book series, her home in Mansfield, MO is where she spent her later years with her husband and children and is where she wrote her famed children's books.

getting gas, we saw this huge inflatable chicken bucket

The town of Mansfield is quite small and the Wilder house is located a mile or so from the downtown area. We arrived and the next tour wasn't for a little while so we took our time browsing the small museum which housed a great number of treasures from Laura Ingalls Wilder's past. There were photos, drawings, toys, clothing, kitchen utensils, books...you name it. Items were organized starting with Laura's childhood on the prairie, through her marriage to Almanzo Wilder and through her later years as a writer, and even had a lot of information regarding her daughter Rose's writing career.

The tour then began with an informational and background video followed by a lovely tour through the small farmhouse. Explanations of the furniture, kitchen appliances, design, architecture were all quite interesting and I thought the guides did a great job with everything. The group had a hard time squeezing into the small rooms but it never became claustrophobic. After the tour it was suggested to check out the house down the road where the Wilder's lived for a short period, but moved back to the original house because Laura didn't like the larger one. However, since we still had quite a bit of traveling to do for the day we opted out on that visit and instead visited the Wilder's graves before heading out of town.

Continuing west, we traveled into Kansas where we subsequently got lost. Note to future travelers: when searching for a cabin in the middle of Farmland, USA don't trust GoogleMaps. Where we were was the definition of middle of nowhere Farmland, USA. The roads were all straight and perpendicular encasing large square fields. Where I had thought we needed to go turned out to be really far from where we actually wanted to go. Luckily, Molly was able to access limited internet on her phone and looked up the actual directions to the "Little House on the Prairie" cabin from their website. This was something I probably should have done instead of relying on GoogleMaps getting their address correct in a land where streets are called "County Rd 4100."

example of road signs in southeast kansas

the roads of Farmland, USA

kansas, you name your gas stations well

Although we were only on Day 3 of our trek, this "failure" on my part didn't make me very happy but it was only 1 of 2 blunders we really incurred. I know people get lost all the time and we didn't even have a GPS, or recent map for that matter, but I still felt bad about getting us lost on roads that weren't even paved. I knew Molly really wanted to see the cabin and the prairie, but we were also losing time in getting to our housing in Omaha for the night. I had thought we'd be arriving around 930 or 10pm, and now it was looking like 11 or 1130. Since it was a college friend of my mom's we were staying with and we didn't want to make her wait up, this part of the afternoon was lousy for me with deciding what to do. Looking back it probably wasn't that bad of a situation, but I get anxious and nervous over schedules and keeping people happy and such.

Finally at the cabin, we made it there with 5 minutes to spare before closing. It really is just a cabin on the prairie; free admission and there's even the cutest little post office and school house to go into as well. There's a gift shop as part of a neighboring farmhouse and miles of fields and farms to look out over. Bales of hay littered the land and it was quite picturesque.

replica of the "little house on the prairie"

travel wagon

"welcome to sunny side"

inside sunny side schoolhouse

wayside post office; was in use until the 1970s

farmland, USA

Our "Little House on the Prairie" tour was now concluded and all that was left for the day was to drive north through the back highways of Kansas and Nebraska. Based on where we were, the interstate option may have looked faster but because it was out of the way to get there, the mileage was longer so taking them would have been no faster. And as we had quickly learned to hate the massive 18-wheeler trucks, we wanted to avoid the interstates as much as possible. Taking the back highways was really quite fun for the most part and driving through all the different towns was a great way to see "Small Town, USA" One town was having some sort of event like a rodeo or something that seemed to attract many of its citizens. Molly and I also discovered the wonder that is Sonic in one of these small towns. More on Sonic and other fast food discoveries later.

The drive up to Omaha was pretty uneventful until the sun set. From then on it was all delirium and craziness. Doing our best to stay awake, we'd run out of music to sing along to and topics to talk about so we resorted to singing songs from the old "Wee Sing" kids videos. We performed the whole repertoire from "Wee Sing in Sillyville" and touched upon some of the numbers from "Grandpa's Magical Toy Shop." Added to the singing delirium, we were also killing thousands of crickets by the minute. I think some of the carcasses are still on Molly's car. It was an interesting night to say the least but we did make it to Omaha around 1130 and Sandy, my mom's friend had graciously stayed awake to let us into her house. Just like the night before, Molly and I went to sleep so fast you would have thought we hadn't slept in days.

feeling hot hot hot

2011-03-18T09:15:00.001-04:00

Finally in St. Louis, a little less than half way across the country from our homes in Massachusetts, there wasn't much we planned to do besides visiting with my family who live there. Probably the most famous icon of St. Louis, and maybe even the Midwest, is the Gateway Arch so we pulled off the highway and headed through the park along the Mississippi River to see the massive architectural wonder up close. Depending on the line and price to ascend to the top, we weren't sure how long to spend but after just the short walk from the parking garage the one thing we did know was that whatever we did should be INSIDE! Except for Death Valley, I think our day in St. Louis was the hottest of the entire 5 weeks. I can sustain a lot of heat since I don't sweat much, but depending on humidity and breathability level, there's only so much I can handle. And this day was just on the edge of being unbearable.

The wait to get into the arch was at least an hour so that was now out of the question. We gazed at the arch, walked to the top of the hill to look over at what I think was the State House and then strolled down to the waterfront overlook. The sun's reflections on the arch were pretty spectacular especially with all the Arch's unique lines and angles. I had some major flashbacks to being around 12 years old and seeing the Air Show on that very same lawn during one of my summer vacations.

At my grandma's house we dropped our bags off, grabbed a bite to eat and pondered what to do next. Our evening plans consisted of dinner and then taking my cousins to the Muny's production of "The Sound of Music." But since it was only early afternoon there was time to kill. My aunt suggested the zoo since it was free so we headed into Forest Park and into the zoo. We didn't last very long though. Between the excruciating heat of the day and being terribly tired from driving 1200 miles in a day and a half, it was hard to stay on our feet and interested in the animals. The animals also decided it was too hot to be out so almost all were hidden somewhere in their habitats.

After the zoo, I took Molly to Ted Drewes, the famous custard place in St. Louis. We got some to go and then spent the rest of the afternoon at Grandma's house. She treated Molly, my cousins and I to dinner, then we headed over to Forest Park (again!) where the Muny is located. The Muny is the largest outdoor theater in the United States seating 11000 people with about 1500 being given away for free every performance. Each summer they perform 8 professional musical productions, each for a week. Throughout my time visiting my family in St. Louis during the summer I've seen a handful of shows there so I thought it would be something fun to show Molly. Our week was "The Sound of Music" with Ashley Brown, the original Mary Poppins on Broadway, playing Maria. The sets and costumes were wonderful but without binoculars you can't see too much detail from the free seats. The people on stage are teeny-weeny. The show was pretty well done for the most part, but the movie will always surpass the stage version in every way.

We arrived home late and couldn't fall asleep fast enough. It had been a really, really long and HOT day. I don't think I've ever fallen asleep faster than I did that night.

tower of the devil

2011-03-13T18:56:00.000-04:00

Along our way across the grand state of Wyoming, we stopped at Devils Tower National Monument. Residing in the Northeast corner of the state, we arrived mid-morning after departing from the Black Hills. Devils Tower is one of those really astounding natural landforms that really makes you wonder how in the freaking world it got there. Surrounded by low, low hills, Devils Tower is a very prominent fixture in the area.

Winding up the hill to the "base" of the tower, there was a prairie dog village to stop by. The lil creatures were quite cute and I could only imagine what their labyrinth of tunnels must look like underground. After parking we checked out the teeny museum where it explains the geological history of the "Tower" and where it's name came from. Originally, the Native Americans gave it a name that related to a bear, but it was an 19th century expedition leader who changed its name due to a misinterpretation of the multiple Native American terms.

All around the base are massive rock fields, some larger than others, yet all were so tempting to climb. There was a sign saying rock climbing was forbidden past a certain point, and I completely mis-interpreted it. I thought they meant all the rocks, not just the vertical ones leading to the top that you need a permit and rock climbing gear etc. for. So we "sneakily" climbed on them as we took the short hiking path around the base. It was a lot of fun.

As the morning progressed, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. It was really beautiful and we took our time appreciating every angle we could get of the miraculous, monstrous geological formation.

A neat thing to see was climbers shimmying their way up the sides of this thing. I don't know how they were doing it, but it was crazy watching them make their way to the top.

As we completed the loop trail, we saw lots of people climbing on the "front" boulder field. There was even a Ranger down below watching all the people exploring. Here, I reread the "climbing is forbidden" and saw how I totally misunderstood it before. You could climb up until the tree line, then it became "permit-only" hiking. So we took off our flip flops, and Molly in her sweatshirt and leggings and me and in my Old Navy sundress swiftly climbing the large, very rectangular, rocks. We made it to the top quickly and another hiker we passed even complimented us on our skill with lack of footwear. We took some time at the top to look out at the view and I tried to comprehend the natural wonder of this place. The boulder field was great to look at and it was a fantastic place to be.

yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death - psalm 23

2011-03-05T23:34:00.000-05:00

Death Valley is one of the hottest places in the United States and I plugged it right in on our itinerary without blinking an eye. Yes, I may be slightly crazy. But my rationale in thinking was that it's a really famous place that I'd heard was quite beautiful, and the chance I would be able to see it in the near future save for this trip was slim to none. So I said "screw it" and planned the Valley as a passing through from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. Originally I thought we could camp in the park, but my mother quickly talked me out of it and we ended up finding a great deal on a hotel in Las Vegas and made our Death Valley visit a quick drive through day trip.

We entered the park on the west side after driving from a campsite in the middle of nowhere valley, California. Legit middle of nowhere. Driving was definitely the best way to see the park in the middle of August. Good tunes, water, air conditioning...all great things to have while taking in the wonders of the valley around you. When looking at a map you can see it is a MASSIVE park with lots to see, but since we just had the afternoon we stuck the main tourist attractions.

The curvy roads first led us through Rainbow Canyon taking us up and down in elevation building up my anticipation of when we would hit the lowest elevation point in the United States. Panamint Springs was the first "valley" area we hit; dry, cracked earth spread into the distance for miles, hidden and protected by the surrounding mountains. We spent about 5 minutes outside and after about 30 seconds Molly decided that would be enough for her. But I ended up dragging her to a couple of more places.

Our next stop was at the "village" of Stovepipe Wells which, during August is like a deserted ghost town. There were no tourists mingling about that we could see and the ranger station was fairly empty. Yet there were plenty of people at the Mesquite Sand Dune Flats and the Badwater Basin so I don't really know where they came from. We got out at the Sand Dunes, but the walk to the closer viewpoint wasn't my cup of tea. And Molly was happy with staying as close to the car as possible.

As we were very low on our water supply since our campsite the previous night had no water, we stopped at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to fill our water bottles and use the bathroom. The water was NO help whatsoever because it is so hot in Death Valley that the water is hot when it comes out of the faucets, fountains etc...you name it, the water was hot. Not too good, but it made our arrival in Vegas that evening that much better.

We quickly drove down to Badwater Basin passing by the Devil's Golf Course on the way. The Badwater Basin is a massive salt flat and at 282 ft below sea level, the lowest elevation point in the United States. The basin seemed endless and I took the 20 minute walk to the end of the path solo as Molly made the decision to stay with the A/C in the car. It was the same view at the end as it was the beginning, but looking out and was still pretty neat. The phenomenon that impressed me most though was how instantly my mouth became parched and it was an interesting experience trying to process how hot it really was.

On our way back to Furnace Creek and out of the park, we took the scenic Artist's Drive, a one-way road that tightly weaves through the beautiful curved mountain walls of such a variety of colors. Yellows, reds, oranges, greys, browns, blues...On the way out of the park we made one final stop at Zabriskie Point, a great overlook of rolling rock kind of similar to ones at the badlands.

After surviving the 114 degree heat, we headed out of the park and on through the deserts of Nevada, eagerly awaiting our hotel room at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino.

the clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness - john muir

2011-02-19T20:30:00.000-05:00

Coming down the west coast, our first stop/drive through was home to some of the largest trees in the country, the Redwood National Park. Our adventure along the Lady Bird Johnson Grove wasn't long, but it was one of my favorite parts of the entire vacation. The trees were one thing to be amazed by, but the sunbeams pouring through them, reflected in all the fog was jaw-droppingly beautiful.

really tall tree and you still can't see the top

Not only were the surroundings breathtaking, but the hugeness of the trees gave us a lot to "play" with. We could stand in their trunks, climb them a little (not sure if that was completely okay...), and make a show of how big these trees really are.

molly's head is there in the middle where the two trees join

The Redwoods were fantastic and definitely something I would have loved to explore more. The grove we visited was one of the few accessible areas that wasn't a big hike so it was convenient for our day-trip purposes, but I given the chance I think taking a long hike amongst the giant redwoods would have been delightful.

geysers galore!

2011-02-04T00:16:00.000-05:00

On our second day of touring Yellowstone National Park we began at the mudpots, but I will save that adventure for another post. This one is all about the geyser basins located on the west side of the park. Starting with the infamous "Old Faithful," we watched its eruption then wandered along the boardwalks admiring the bubbling waters, plugging our noses at the sulfur leeching from the earth and eagerlyanticipating the eruption of dozens of different geysers. The weather was gorgeous, sunny with big, fluffy clouds sporadically passing through, and although there were plenty of tourists about the park didn't feel overcrowded.

Looking on a map of the geyser basin and seeing how many there are, I'm not going to recount all the names of each and every geyser but highlights were the Lion quartet, Giant Geyser, Castle Geyser, Sawmill Geyser and of course, Old Faithful. Intermixed with all the bursts of water scattered about were a number of blazing hot pools. Doublet, Liberty and Sapphire Pools were my favorites. The ultimate spring however was the Grand Prismatic Spring and the large pool right nearby that I don't remember the name of. Another feature, non-thermal, of the area that was intriguing were all the rivers and streams flowing about. Especially when you could see all the burning hot water from the springs flow into the icy rivers. The juxtaposition of these two elements was really interesting.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. These are just a sampling of all there is to see...

Lower Basin:

Old Faithful...right on schedule

treacherous landscape

the springs looked like ocean caverns, where's the bottom?

Lion Quartet

Castle Geyser

Lion erupting; viewpoint from Castle Geyser

unstoppable Sawmill Geyser

loved the reflections here

one of the many rivers flowing about

Middle Basin

Sapphire Pool...wonder where it got its name?

looks like something out of Star Wars

Upper Basin

massive, hot spring pool

hold on to your hats...this wasn't the first

not my picture, but i want you to know how amazing it is

gorgeous colors...so pretty

harry - yer a wizard

2011-01-24T11:53:00.001-05:00

The Harry Potter book series is da bomb. There's no other way to put it. Well, there probably is a more eloquent way to state how imaginative and genius J.K. Rowling's story of a boy wizard's journey at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but I'm not going to try and make an such a statement. Let's just conclude that Harry Potter is da bomb. Since the first book was published in the United States in September of 1998 I have been an avid fan. Having just turned 11 myself I was easily enraptured and eagerly awaited each new book release.

When Universal opened up the Wizarding World of Harry Potter inside their Islands of Adventures theme park, I certainly wished I could go one day, but given the fact that I'm a cheapskate and have only been to Florida a handful of times, I didn't believe I'd be going anytime soon. Molly mentioned going at some point, but she too didn't have a determined time. For this trip I was trying to keep our expenses low so I didn't think a 2-day theme park ticket would qualify. But I brought it up one day with Molly and all she had to say was "yaaaaaaa!!!" So to the Wizarding World we went. We actually went to all of Islands of Adventures and Universal Studios, but this part is solely dedicated to Harry Potter, the boy who lived.

entrance to Hogsmeade

There are technically two entrances to the Wizarding World, one on each end, but due to crowds in the morning hours because everyone wants to see Harry Potter first, they shuffle visitors in through the main entrance of Hogsmeade. The first thing you see, besides the snow covered roofs of Hogsmeade, is the scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts Express. Here, photo-ops are available with the lovely conductor.

all aboard the Hogwarts Express

To your left you'll find Honeydukes and Zonko's. One sad note is that they are actually connected inside so they essentially function as one shop. Although not authentic to the books, I see why they did it and a perk we discovered is that instead of waiting in the much longer lines of Honeydukes, you can purchase your treats on the Zonko's side in half the time. I recommend purchasing a Cauldron Cake.

welcome to Honeydukes

Zonko's joke shop

We decided to lunch at the Three Broomsticks and chose the most unideal time to dine. Not only was it prime lunch hour but it had started to rain which drove everyone inside. We waiting in line for probably half an hour, longer than some rides. When you get close to the registers, they have a massive display case of all the meal offerings. Examples include turkey legs, mixed green salad with chicken and a full family platter. You place your order then move to a number along this long counter where you pick up your food. Once you've got everything you wait to be seated. Although they've got a very smooth process going, this is the one area where I could see people getting angry. If you have to wait a bit for a table, not only are standing there holding your food and drinks but said food is getting cold. Molly and I both got butterbeer (not frozen and not overpriced) which had an interesting flavor. Neither of us loved it but the caramel cream stuff on top was quite delicious.

the Three Broomsticks

Next door to the Three Broomsticks is the Hog's Head which serves no food, only beverages for the 21+ crowd. Across from the dining area is the entrance to Dragon's Challenge, a covered picnic table area as well as Dervish and Banges and the Owl Post. As with Honeydukes and Zonkos, Dervish and the Owl Post are also connected inside. On our first day there was a 20 minute wait to get in so we opted to wait until the next day. When we finally did go inside it was really cool. Not only was the merchandise great to look at and geek out over (Triwizard Cup, Book of Monsters, Quibbler) but all the decorations and merchandise not for purchase in the level above such as broomsticks, books and other wizarding necessities were great fun to look at.

a sample of the Dervish and Banges merchandise

The Owl Post had even more great things to see. Wands filled the shelves and up above animatronic owls loomed overhead admist packages of all shapes and sizes. The register was in the middle of the room semi-behind bars like at a real mail office. Really nifty stuff.

inside the Owl Post

Ollivander's is right near Dervish and Banges and the line for that snakes around the storefronts. Although we would have loved to see the Ollivander's Experience, the wait was over an hour as they only let in around 20 people for the 15-minute presentation. And they only choose one kid for the ceremony so we figured they weren't going to pick 20-somethings for it so why waste the time. Had it been a shorter wait we would have done it, but over an hour was just too long. As you continue down Hogsmeade's streets there are a number of shop windows to peer into although none are functioning stores. However, that doesn't mean they're pointless. The objects in the windows are all doing something such as the scribbling quill in Scrivenshaft's.

magical quills inside Scrivenshafts

Now for the rides...As I said before the entrance to Dragon Challenge was across from the Three Broomsticks. Lockers for any bags or bulky items are in "Hogsmeade Station" which I thought was cute. When we first got here I didn't understand why there was another castle, but later learned that since they re-purposed the former Dueling Dragons for the Wizarding World they kept the former scenery aka the castle. Before entering the castle the Weasley's former family car is crashed into a tree.

the Weasley's Ford Anglia

The sign above the castle entrance welcomes all Tri-Wizard Champions. The first room is the prep tent where the Goblet of Fire sits, its blue flame burning away. There are also a couple of beds along the walls. As you follow the queue you pass by an illuminated Tri-Wizard Cup, a hall with floating candles and dungeons. Eeverything had a Tri-Wizard Championship or dragon theme. You choose which dragon you want to ride, the Hungarian Horntail (Blue) or the Chinese Fireball (Red) and like any other theme park you pick the row you want and then wait for boarding. I think we ended up going on Dragon Challenge 3 times, twice on the Horntail and once on the Fireball. The fireball was my favorite even though it was raining and the water was pelting us in the face as we were in the front row.

On the far side of Hogsmeade you'll discover Hogwarts Castle siting atop a grand hill. Nearby is the performance area of the Frog Chorus and Durmstrang/Beauxbatons dancers as well as Hagrid's Hut and Flight of the Hippogriff. Flight of the Hippogriff is a small coaster for younger children but it is really fun. We enjoyed it a lot and rode it 3 or 4 times as there was no wait. Although Hogsmeade was crowded everyone seemed to be on the Forbidden Journey or waiting for Ollivander's. The view at the top of Flight of the Hippogriff is a great one of the castle.

Hagrid's hut

Finally, the most anticipated ride of them all, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This ride was having issues the days we were there because we kept hearing things about it being shut down but we lucked out and it was mostly running smoothly for us. Our wait the first time began on the bridge leading into Jurassic Park (the other entrance to the Wizarding World) and it took about an hour or so to complete the ride. We learned quickly that having bags was becoming a pain because you had to put them in lockers for all the cool rides. And if you didn't have any bags you could skip the line waiting for them and just go right into the ride line. The queue leads you through all sorts of places in Hogwarts: the dungeons, the greenhouse, Dumbledore's Office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and a few other rooms. I won't spoil what happens in all the rooms but its all really magical.

The ride itself was sooooo amazing. I had no idea what to expect and it was just sooooo cool. Because of the wait we only went on the ride once on Day 1, but the next day we did it twice more. Earlier in the day it was shut down, but for our last ride before heading back to our hotel we returned. As we'd already ridden with each other before, we opted for the very short wait of the singles line. GREAT DECISION MAKING! The ride seats 4 at a time so when they have groups that don't fill out the ride, they take from the singles line. And sometimes they have to take pairs so on our second round through the singles line we did get to sit together. You don't get to walk through any of the cool castle stuff but the wait is only 10-15 min. Worth it, in my opinion.

view from Flight of the Hippogriff

goonie's never say die

2011-01-19T23:39:00.000-05:00

this post is courteous of ABC Family's recent weekend airing of The Goonies.

When first mapping out the trip, Molly had one thing that topped her list of must-go-to things: Astoria, OR. Astoria is a small city on the northwest tip of Oregon where the 1985 classic film The Goonies takes place. It also happens to be where they shot the movie as well. No exterior location stand-ins necessary. What I didn't know, and learned upon arrival was that it is a very popular movie city and has had a number of films in the last few decades be shot there. Kindergarten Cop was my favorite of the films listed. They have a newly opened Oregon Film Museum located in the old jailhouse where, not so coincidentally, they shot The Goonies.

The museum was really neat and catered to all ages and levels of knowledge about the film industry. It's small but quite cute and I really enjoyed going there.

We arrived in Astoria around lunchtime after driving from Portland. Our first stop was the visitor's center where they provided us with a couple of maps of the area and some recommendations on places to see, the film museum being one of them. After having fantastic weather the past week, I was disappointed that it was cloudy, a little rainy and a bit dreary. But looking back, I'm not too surprised since Astoria is on the ocean of one of the rainiest states in the country. After seeing the film museum, a few things could be checked off of our Astoria to-do list. Seeing the jailhouse, seeing the Flavel House museum (but not visiting) and Molly's purchase of a Goonies shirt. We then decided it was best if we found a place to eat since breakfast had been early that day.

Flavel House

Back to the film museum for a bit though...like I said above, it was small (only 4 rooms) and very family and all-age appropriate. The first was an "introduction" room. A small entryway, the walls and ceiling were covered with movie quotes, all of which were taken from movies shot in Astoria and the surrounding area. If you could identify a certain number of them, you'd get a prize. The room the to left of this one was scarcely decorated and housed only a few glass display cases. However, the items inside made up for the emptiness of the space. Each display had a number of Goonies' props such as the treasure map, an original script and on-set pictures.

The first of two main exhibit areas was where the jail cells hadn't been torn out and is designated as a homage to The Goonies. They have merchandise, film trivia, behind the scenes anecdotes and even a hook in one of the cells where you could pretend to be the Fratelli brother faking his own death.

However, it was the last room that I enjoyed the most. On the walls were chalk outlines of the various positions one might find on a film set. From production designer to actor, director to locations manager, they had a ton. On each character there is a description of the job position and an actual production designer or director, whomever the job is about, is quoted, sharing a story from whichever movie they worked on in the Oregon area. I thought this was really neat and a very simple way for kids to learn about the film industry. In addition, there were pieces of film equipment in the middle of the room with tags labeling each item with its correct film lingo. For example a clothespin on a film set is called a C-47.

Before leaving we stopped by the teeny gift shop so that Molly could purchase a new Goonies shirt and off to lunch we went. Not knowing what parking in the "downtown" area would be, we pulled into the closest spot and strolled along the streets.

Liberty Theater, featured in Kindergarten Cop

Along Rt. 101, across from the water was a cute little cafe we stopped in for lunch. It was all ocean themed and reminded me a lot of something you might find on Cape Cod. The salt and pepper shakers were adorably cute, and different on each table. Our were of a sunburnt man and woman. The food was good and we enjoyed our time there and getting ice cream for dessert was the icing on the cake.

Following our mini maps, we navigated our way to the Mikey and Brand's house passing by the elementary school used for shooting Kindergarten Cop. The house sits up off the road and they have a wonderful sign that welcomes all Goonies, but only on foot. Standing in front you could see the house hadn't changed much and Data's house sits right next door as always.

Although seeing filming locations like this is always neat, a really cool house was the giant purple and dark teal one sitting atop the hill across from where we'd parked.

Next stop was the Astoria Column is a 125-ft tower and has 14 murals painted around its exterior depicting important moments in Oregon's history. There is a spiral staircase inside which leads to a small observation deck at the top.

The view was wonderful even if we had to squint through some fog and clouds. You could see the entire city, the harbor area and plenty of ocean.

it was quite windy

There were lots of families visiting and they all had these disposable looking paper airplanes with them. We later discovered they bought them at this little gift trailer in the parking lot and it's a "ritual" to fly them off. The most amusing part was watching the 2nd parent below following the plane and attempting to catch it before it landed. One kid had a good throw and caught the wind because his plane went soaring into the trees.

Now that we'd seen all of the main attractions of Astoria on our list, we hopped back in the car and made the hour drive to Ecola State Park, another major exterior filming location for The Goonies. And when watching Kindergarten Cop with Molly's sister at the end of our trip, we saw it was used for that movie too. Th park's roads are winding and hilly and it leads through this dark, luscious forest. At the main lot, we parked and looked out over the ocean. Immediately, Molly recognized the view with the iconic rock formations in the distance from when the boys first approach the restaurant. It was called Chapman Point...coincidence or fate?

We took the little trail to the viewpoint where I guess there are seals or sea lions at certain parts of the year...I don't know, all we saw were birds.

As we made our way back to the field/picnic area, Molly told me this was definitely the place where the restaurant was built. Excellent. And pretty nifty if I do say so myself.

The last leg of our visit began when we decided we wanted to hike down to the beach the field overlooked. It didn't look that far down and even though there was a sign posting that it was semi-strenuous hike, we went for it. Instead of just being a straight descent to the beach as I had perceived it was going to be, it was a winding trail through the park and the amazing forest we found ourselves in. The slugs were ENORMOUS and disgusting.

Although we'd been hiking for at least 20 or 30 minutes, it wasn't until the last bit where it was actually steep and finally dropped down to the beach. However, once we got to the beach it was really cool. We took off our shoes, splashed in the ocean and had a jolly good time. The rock formations (nests, I think they're called) were massive now that we were close up.

After our frolicking we threw our shoes back on and made the ascent back to the car. Although it was an unexpected hike, it was really pretty and good excercise since we'd been in the car for most of the past 2 days. As we were driving back out through the winding roads Molly pointed out to me that they definitely filmed the sequences with Brand on the bike and most of the road/bike scenes in the park. Since rewatching the movie, I would most certainly agree with her.

Last thing: picture of the 1st Bank of America we'd encountered after leaving New England

oh the memories...

2011-01-15T20:49:00.000-05:00

Over Christmas my family and I went to visit my grandparents in St. Louis and Michigan via driving. It was quite nostalgic for me and the times of summer. Although our original plan of driving through Pennsylvania got switched due to blizzard conditions, we did drive through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois on the same path Molly and I took on our first days together in late July.

There's not much to say about the drive that first day except that it was long...very long. And we were able to drive for 4 hours at a time, a feat that seemed impossible by the end of the trip. Early on the morning of July 27th we headed out from L's house, scooped up some unfortunate looking low-tide Hingham Harbor water, dropped mail at the post office and once on the highway got stuck in rush hour.

So much for the early start. We traveled down across I-90 west, then cut down into Connecticut via I-84. From there we trekked through the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area and hit the first of many road construction areas in Pennsylvania. At one point the merging completely stopped traffic for at least 10 minutes. It was a little ridiculous and every hour or so we hit some sort of lane merging or closures, inevitably slowing us down a little.

By 11PM we'd made it to the Ohio/Indiana border and too late to find the camping ground I'd scouted out, we checked ourselves into a hotel and got some well-deserved rest.

Next day was a much shorter drive, only about 6 hours to St. Louis. However, due to the monotonous landscape of the midwest, the drive felt tedious and long.

As we were driving through Illinois we kept seeing signs for the "Lincoln Historic Farm" and both of us thought that'd be cool to see so we pulled off the highway. Now a little word of advice...although it says it was at that exit, it doesn't mean that its right off the exit. Turns out the Lincoln Farm is actually about 15-20 minutes of driving along country roads off the highway. This was fine for us, but if we'd been in a time crunch, our detour would not have been the wisest of decisions.

Getting to drive along the country roads was actually really fascinating. The corn was at its prime height and the endless fields scattered with farmhouses were quite a sight. Molly, who'd never seen anything like it before, was really astounded and wanted to pull over for pictures.

We found a spot and did our tourist thing. While I was getting a couple of "artsy" photos of the corn I heard a voice asking us what we were doing. The farmer who's corn had become the subject of our photographs had just pulled into his driveway. A very nice man, he didn't care we were taking pictures, just curious as to why. My explanation that we were from Massachusetts and had never seen corn before seemed to humor him enough. Molly and I then hopped back into the car and headed to the farm.

Turns out, it wasn't Abe Lincoln's farm, but his father's. Abe would visit periodically but he never lived there long-term as his father had started it when he was already much older. After spending more time than expected in the visitors center watching the informative video, we finally got to tour the farm. It wasn't huge, just a barn and a few other buildings, and like Plimoth Plantation there were volunteers dressed in period garb demonstrating the chores and tasks of the farm's inhabitants. It was pretty interesting and I could definitely see this as a "field trip destination" for local schools.

barn

in the barn

main house

in the house - only bedroom

We finished our wandering and with the heat bearing down on our backs, decided it was time to leave. Back in the air-conditioning, we began the final leg of our journey to St. Louis. The most interesting part was passing through the town of Pocahontas, IL and geeking out over its name and the Powhatan Motel sitting just off the highway.

Not long after though, we approached the Mississippi River and in the distance we could see the St. Louis Arch, gateway to the west.

but the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky keeps the great and small on the endless round

2010-12-20T10:14:00.000-05:00

The inspiration for this first course comes courtesy of Molly, my wonderful travel companion and best friend. She sent me an image from a tumblr account earlier today and bang, I had the subject for my first post: sunset on the Grand Canyon.

The two days Molly and I spent at the canyon was the mid-point to our trip and on the evening of our last night there, we somehow motivated our stiff and sore bodies to get in the car (walking the mile or so was out of the question), drive over to one of the lots, walk to the Rim Trail and find a spot overlooking the canyon. Hopefully without many people around. It didn't take too long to find a great overlook; a jut out into the canyon with the nature-made rock-formed seats. There was one other family nearby and the view consisted of the vast canyon and surrounding jut outs. Sunset was still 20 or so minutes away so I pulled out a book I was enraptured in and Molly wandered the area a little.

All of a sudden, as we were sitting there amongst the peaceful serenity of one of the seven natural wonders of the world, came the most amazing thing either of us had ever heard. A young male belting out the opening to "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King out into the canyon. He and his group of friends were over on the neighboring jut, but we could hear his chanting clear as day. It was glorious and hilarious and amazing. The saddest part probably was that within the first "nahhh" I knew he was singing "Circle of Life," and not just yelling into the canyon.

Nothing more came from the group after that intitial singing, and no more was sung past the first few lines, but they became the highlight of the evening. Yes, the sunset was very nice...but I thought the canyon looked much prettier in the midday light rather than the harsh colors of sunset. The sun was also setting on "our" side of the canyon so maybe viewing sunset from the other side of the canyon, or sunrise from ours, would have been nicer. The light cast on where we were sitting was wonderful though; that beautiful orange glow from the setting sun illuminating the beginning of the end.

the green patch in the bottom center is Indian Garden, where we'd hiked to that afternoon

life is a highway...i wanna ride it all night long

2010-12-10T23:45:00.000-05:00

So for the retelling of my adventures across the grand ole US of A, I'm going to try a different format from that of Europe. With Europe, I got tired of writing in chronological order and wanted to change how I did things, but my OCD wouldn't let me. It made me way too anxious. So I'm changing it up this time. I'll touch upon everything at some point or another, but there won't be an "order" to it.

From July 27th - August 31st, my best friend, Molly, and I lived in her 2003 Toyota Camry (who we end up calling Betty) as we traversed across the country. We drove about 12,000 miles and did a LOT! As we both don't have "real" jobs, we were able to get the time off and take a loooong vacation. It was terrific! I'm going to put our driving itinerary below so you'll know the general path we took and can always resort back to it since I'll be blogging "out of order." And I provided a visual as well. Hope you enjoy everything this time around!

July 27th: Hingham, MA to Richmond, IN

July 28th: Richmond, IN to St. Louis, MO

July 29th: St. Louis, MO to Omaha, NE

July 30th: Omaha, NE to Badlands National Park

July 31st: Badlands National Park to Black Hills National Forest

August 1st: Black Hills National Forest to Yellowstone National Park

August 2nd-3rd: Yellowstone National Park

August 4th: Yellowstone National Park to Portland, OR

August 5th: Portland, OR to Tillamook, OR

August 6th: Tillamook, OR to Brookings, OR

August 7th: Brookings, OR to Berkeley, CA

August 8th: Berkeley, CA to Yosemite National Park

August 9th: Yosemite National Park to Independence, CA

August 10th: Independence, CA to Las Vegas, NV

August 11th: Las Vegas, NV

August 12th: Las Vegas, NV - Grand Canyon National Park

August 13th-14th: Grand Canyon National Park

August 15th: Grand Canyon National Park - Arches National Park

August 16th: Arches National Park

August 17th: Arches National Park - Amarillo, TX

August 18th: Amarillo, TX - Tunica, MS

August 19th: Memphis, TN

August 20th: Tunica, MS - New Orleans, LA

August 21st: New Orleans, LA

August 22nd: New Orleans, LA - Orlando, FL

August 23rd-24th: Orlando, FL

August 25th: Orlando, FL - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

August 26th-27th: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

August 28th: Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Williamsburg, VA

August 29th: Williamsburg, VA to Arlington, VA

August 30th: Arlington, VA to Philadelphia, PA

August 31st: Philadelphia, PA to Cohasset, MA

the time to enjoy a european trip is about three weeks after unpacking - george Ade

2010-12-08T22:57:00.000-05:00

Make that 52 weeks. Exactly one year from today I returned to Boston after an exhilarating, eye-opening, fantastic adventure to Europe. I got to visit four countries, twelve cities, an abundance of landmarks and made my way through the wonders and history that define western/central Europe. I'm pretty sure I covered everything I saw so by reading this blog from the beginning, I hope you get a sense of all that I experienced.

Paris was better than I expected or hoped for. Though on my sister's travel radar for years, Paris never really interested me that much. I don't really know why, and if it hadn't been for the flight availability, I would never have thought about visiting. My eyes were set on Southern France, Prague, Croatia or Greece, all of which I unfortunately couldn't fit in. I certainly don't regret the choice now. Paris had sooooo much to see and so much to choose from. Yes, it was a little on the expensive side, but it offered an abundance of historical museums, churches and landmarks to visit giving me plenty to do in my short time there. Highlights for me were the Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, and Louvre. Yes, cliche and probably typical answers. But there's a reason they're so popular. They're outstanding.

Tours was nice, and I liked being in a smaller city, but if I were to go back, I'd give myself a few days and I'd rent a car. The chateaus are very spread out and each is unique enough that I'd want to see the different designs so I'd need to go at my own pace and not that of a tour. Pompeii was a definite highlight and a must-see if you're in the Rome area. You can definitely make it a half-day trip, but I'd allow myself the entire day to travel from Rome, see and explore the entire place, and return back. Maybe I'd give it two days and spend the 2nd climbing Mt. Vesuvius.

Rome had plenty to do to fill up two days and I think I certainly covered most of it. I didn't feel rushed which was nice but If I had one more day, I would have gone to the Borghese Museum and maybe spent a little more time in the Vatican and St. Peter's as well as giving myself more time to explore Palantine Hill. But other than that I have no regrets about things I wish I'd seen. And even a year later, I still think the Capuchin Monk Crypt was one of the coolest things ever in Rome...and in Europe.

I didn't quite realize until I was there that I'd planned much of my Italian experience in Tuscany, but because I was to rely on trains and public transportation, I purposely chose large cities rather than smaller ones. So Rome, Florence and Venice immediately shot to the top of the list. Siena ended up being a "transition" city, and though the first part of my day there was awful, the view at the top of the Duomo complex more than made up for it. Rolling hills...the wind in my hair...I'm such a cliche. Florence gave me "David" so no matter how shitty the rest could have been (it wasn't, but IF it'd been) "David" more than made up for it. I don't know if I've ever seen a more perfect piece of art. Venice was such a change from Tuscany and it really felt like a completely different culture. While the other cities felt foreign because they had this essence of being "old" and "classic," Venice was it's own little world...a water planet according to Anne and I. And I loved every minute of it. Venice was beautiful, yes...but overall it was just really, really cool.

Munich was a great change of pace from both France and Italy. There was such a different cultural feeling to it that I didn't feel when transitioning from France to Italy. Yes, Italy was different from France, but Munich really gave me this "look you're in a new place" kinda feel. The Bavarian architecture with its onion domes and more streamline designs was quite different from that of Venice, Tuscany or Paris. I don't know the correct terminology for architecture, but visually you could see, and even feel, the difference. My visit to Dachau, though very sad, was a great learning experience. There are many concentration camps open throughout Europe but by finding one in my "path" of travel, I lucked out. I definitely think you should try and visit at least one throughout your lifetime since they're are such an iconic piece of history and a great visual as to why an atrocity like the Holocaust should never happen again.

I don't want to assign beauty, as each and every city was gorgeous in its own way, but Innsbruck would take the crown in a fight. The snow-capped mountains surrounding this small, Alpine city makes for a picture perfect vacation spot. Not to mention the kindness of the Hotel Weiss Kruez's staff. Everything about my single day there was perfect. If the weather had been worse, my opinion would probably be different, but the sun was out and shining gloriously!

Salzburg...oh Salzburg. You had the crappy weather, yet you still got me to fall in love. What a classic, endearing place. It's with me every day, and not just cause my panoramic poster hangs above my closet so I get to look at it all the time. I got to live out a childhood dream of living The Sound of Music and every time I watch it now, I think of being there and that excitement I felt. Salzburg is somewhere I would return to in a heartbeat. The lakes region and the surrounding mountains would be a terrific place to spend a week exploring.

Finally, there was Vienna. A gorgeous city that doesn't need much more discussion from me. Overall, I really, really loved my adventure in Europe. I'm the kind of person that wants to see and do everything, all dependent on cost of course, so it was ridiculously hard trying to figure out my itinerary because I wanted to go everywhere in Europe. I barely scratched the surface of my "to do" list. I think I need at least a year and a completely disposable income next time. But with what I did see and experience, I would never give that up. I saw history and iconic landmarks...places where I could have easily spent the entire day staring at their amazingness. There's not much more I can think of to say, but I will leave you with the quote below. My blogging isn't over, but my European recollections have come to an end.

the rewards of the journey far outweigh

the risk of leaving the harbor - unknown

people travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home – dagobert d. runes

2010-12-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

Towards the end of my trip last year, I wrote out a long list of topics that I wanted to "blog" about, yet a year later the more eloquent thoughts about such topics have dissipated from my mind. And looking at my notes, some things I wrote make no sense at all. Yet, I do want to comment on some of them so this is going to be a multi-topic post (I'd rather just make a long post than multiple short ones).

Women in Art
Although I only really went to two large art museums, each church or iconic landmark contained numerous paintings so I saw quite a bit of artwork and there was one thing that really stood out to me. I've never studied art and really know nothing about it as a critic, but I can tell you I really liked how accurate the depiction of women was. In a society obsessed with dieting, beauty and airbrushing/photoshop, it was so nice to see women with curves and that little pudge of stomach I know I have around the belly button. It was so shocking to see every single bare skin painting have this aspect of a woman's body. Even the Egyptian statue made of stone had the belly pudge. I know that being skinny was bad back then cause it meant you were poor, but I still wish girls were raised with these images instead of all size 0 models and celebrities. Its funny how the image of "ideal" has been completely inverted.

Cece's Advice #6 - Don't feel guilty about not doing everything you want, or feel you should.
I already wrote out my apology for not enjoying Vienna that much, but I want to give a little advice for those out there like me with obsessions about utilizing and not wasting time/money. With everything I did I thought about whether each activity was worth the admission cost or the time and effort; or whether I was utilizing my time during the day well enough. So in Vienna, when I did a day and a half of activities in three, I just kept having to remind myself "it's okay not to do everything...I'm tired...I'm on a budget..." This way, the guilt was suppressed. I occasionally had to tell myself that same thing in Paris or Rome because there was just so much to do, but there's only so many hours in a day that places are open, and I just had to accept that its alright that some things were missed. Its like picking and choosing your battles. And I only ever had two days to do "everything."

Packing/Laundry
He who would travel happily must travel light - Antoine de St. Exupery
While I already said my spiel about the suitcase vs. backpack debate, and what is the best way to hold all your belongings on a trip, I didn't talk about what goes inside. If I recall correctly, this was the contents of my suitcase: 7 long-sleeve shirts, 3 jeans, 7 pairs of underwear, 3 bras, 7 or so pairs of socks, 1 pair of sweatpants for sleeping, 1 or 2 t-shirts for sleeping, 1 sweatshirt, 1 fleece zip-up jacket, 1 windbreaker, 1 hat, 1 scarf, 3 pairs of gloves, 1 pair of hiking boots, 1 pair of sneakers, 1 belt. Sounds like a lot when all listed out, but for 21 days, it's actually not that much. Especially since I didn''t do laundry at all (I understand you may think I'm completely disgusting right now). My clothing decision was probably the most "down and dirty" one I made, but it saved me a lot of money and time/effort in not having to find a laundromat. In the end, it was a good decision and I had thick enough skin for the worst of the dirty laundry. But...had I not had a shower available at least once a day, my feelings may have been different.

Budget

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money - Susan Heller
I've touched upon keeping a tight budget in many posts and how I'm really cheap, therefore decided not to visit certain museums or eat because of that. But I thought I'd mention it one more time because it's important. And I really liked the quote. It kind of goes along with the packing/laundry piece above. Besides my plane ticket, which was purchased with frequent flyer miles, I spent about $2000...that's less than $100/day. Before I even left, $500 was spent on my EuroRail pass which was my main source of transportation and all my lodging was $300. That's almost half of my total expenses. Add in the $400 I planned to spend based on my research about city passes and tourist cards plus the $150 I budgeted in advance for the "big events" like the bike tour, chateau tour and "Sound of Music" Tour and you've got a grand total of $1350. Which means I spent $650 on food, souvenirs, gifts, train reservations, other transportation and anything else I needed. That's only $30/day, which I think is pretty good for a vacation like that especially when I think about all I did and accomplished. Although I budgeted for a total less than $2000, I can tell you that I wasn't way over and easily could have spent more if I wasn't so frugal/cheap.

Airplane Behavior
This one is not related to Europe specifically, but travel in general. I think people's behavior in airports and airplanes is fascinating. You go to the airport and sit at the gate, and the second they warn you boarding will start in 5-10 minutes, people are already standing and getting in line. Even if they're in the last boarding group. Its really funny. They're trying to be the first on in order just to sit some more. And unless you're flying Southwest, its all assigned seating so it's not like being early is going to get you a better seat. Best choice in overhead baggage storage, but that's about it. I do think part of it comes from nerves and anxiety around flying, but sitting in the Vienna airports, I was just really astounded and absorbed in all the "craziness" I was witnessing.

Pros/Cons of Traveling in Low Tourist Season
I traveled from November 18th - December 8th, certainly not prime tourist season (though by the time I hit Vienna, it was much busier due to the Christmas season). And as such, there were definite pros and cons I discovered to traveling at that time of year. The biggest pro of all was fewer people, fewer people, fewer people. If you got the hint earlier, I'm not a huge fan of crowds. I love cities, but being pushed and shoved and surrounded by people in small spaces stresses me out. And less people also means more availability with lodging therefore more choices, shorter lines...all great things. Hotel/hostel rates were another pro. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure the rates I got at my hostels were less than during prime tourist season. Especially in Venice, when our hotel in Lido cost almost nothing for 3 people. It's an island, so like Nantucket, is dead in the winter...giving way to great lodging rates. The cons were few and far between, but the one that kept popping up for me was limited hours of operation, and in some cases complete unavailability for some attractions. Many places didn't open until 9 or 10am, and then they also closed at 4pm rather than 5 or 6. Another battle I overcame in terms of scheduling.

Money belts/Saftey
Before I left for Europe, a lot of what I heard from people were bad things about items getting stolen, and warnings to be careful. I should bring a mace, or a weapon or something. I listened, sure, and did my research about safety but in the end all I brought for security was a money belt, my laptop security cord and a small TSA approved lock for my suitcase. The money belt was a great thing to have because I was never paranoid about my wallet, passport or any other important document being stolen or falling out of my bag. It was always on me no matter where I went. Sure the money got a little sweaty and my passport a little warped and I looked like an idiot when paying for stuff, but it took so much nervous anxiety away from me and allowed me to enjoy myself much more. I wasn't paranoid or scared about anything else except losing my money or passport or driver's license, so quelling these fears by wearing the belt was an excellent decision. I had one fright on the Paris-Milan night train that I'd lost my license, and had accepted it was officially lost when I departed, until I pulled it from the pages of my passport. The laptop security cord was from college and is used to lock laptops to desks to prevent stealing. I used it to lock my suitcase to my hostel beds. Each night I would organize everything and pack it all up tight, loop the cord through the handle of the suitcase, around my bed post and then lock it, along with the zipper of the bag, with the TSA lock. It may have looked crazy and paranoid but it helped me sleep at night. When I was 13, I was a victim of attempted pick-pocketry in Bolivia so robbery scares me more than anything else. A friend's mother thinks I'm an absolute nutjob that I shared co-ed hostel rooms, and in Munich's case my roommates were all male, but that didn't phase me at all. It was whether or not my belongings would be there the next morning that freaked me out.

Walking everywhere
Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time - Stephen Wright
So true, Stephen Wright, so true. With each city I came upon, I was one with the streets. In Paris and Rome I would take a train to a "starting" point for the day, but each city was easy to navigate and I could find an efficient walking route that hit all the landmarks and led me back around to the hostel by the end of the day. All that walking, combined with all the tower climbing, gave me thighs of steel by the end.

throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. catch the trade winds in your sails. explore. dream. discover. - mark twain

2010-11-29T01:05:00.000-05:00

I'm going to write a more detailed "reflections" kind of post, but before doing so, I thought it would be good to write down my "conclusion" entry from my travel notebook. Word for word, these were my thoughts as I was sitting in the airport waiting to board. Some of it may make no sense because I was just writing my stream of consciousness, but it gives a good picture of all that happened in my three weeks abroad.

Paris

great city for history, architecture, art
not wild about prices for things and people on street trying to talk to you
Notre Dame was my fave
hostel okay; staff wasn't the friendliest; bad breakfast
Metro was good; got me places

Tours

Chateaus - gorgeous
Tours' cathedral - cold, but really neat
tour made me sleepy but I don't think I missed much of English narration
hotel - good; wish there'd been breakfast; far walk; shower took awhile to heat; best towel ever!

Pompeii

really interesting place
wish I knew booklet had descriptions of each place
huge, but I saw most of it
more detailed art/decor stuff made it fantastic rather than the architecture

Rome

crazy city drivers
very interesting things; both Ancient and Catholic
Renaissance Art - fantastic
sculptures throughout city - cool
each church pretty distinctive
monk bones!

Siena

STUPID BUS SYSTEM
Duomo etc. actually very nice and interesting; Tuscan overlook one of my fave places
Piazza del Campo - very nice
gelato!

Florence

everything had an admission fee that wasn't cheap
LOVED DAVID!!!
black and white marble design of Tuscan churches
all had fancy facades but plain sides
illegal bag selling

Venice

it's own planet and culture
lots of churches
getting lost is easy
boat pass - wonderful
flooding! so neat!

Munich

overall - underwhelming compared to previous cities
Olympic Tower - overpriced
Marienplatz - neat/awesome
Dachau - depressing
had lots of little things with nothing overwhelmingly awesome
Nymphenburg - HUGE

Innsbruck

My FAVORITE place!
gorgeous weather, gorgeous mountains
cheap, cutest, central hotel. LOVED
crystals were trippy/weird
Nordpark my fave; trampling around 2 ft. of snow on the Alps with parachuters and rock cliffs

Salzburg

such an awesome, old, old, city
SoM!! - all the filming places
wish mountain wasn't closed
saw the Untersberg! Gorgeous! Alps diff!
panorama painting and my poster

Vienna

a lot like Munich
not a lot to do for 3 days without spending a lot of money
everything had admission
enjoyed art museum a lot - wish I could have seen all, but I saw all paintings
Karlskirche - best church
a lot hindered by crowds and Vienna's lack of herding abilities and awful space layout
royalty history- very interesting

And though this has nothing to do with my thoughts on my trip, I have to add the last comment I made in the journal, from the airplane, because I don't remember it at all and I find it hilarious. It's also a great conclusion as its not a conclusion at all..."someone keeps farting; it smells."

stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey - babs hoffman

2010-11-26T20:14:00.000-05:00

a letter of apology to Vienna

Dear Vienna,

I want to apologize for not enjoying my time within your city walls as much as I wanted to. I feel quite sorry for being angry and frustrated instead of happy and excited, and I wanted to let you know that it wasn't entirely your fault and I don't blame you in any way. Compared to my other travels and daily routines, it looked like I neglected you a lot. I spent a lot of time in Anne's dorm and in the 3 days I was with you, I saw less than I did in 2 days I was in Rome. But there were quite a few things that factored into that "neglect" and my enjoyment. I think I've narrowed it down to these:

fatigue
not researching; visiting with a "resident"
bad, sad weather
horrible crowds and terrible crowd control
high admission prices
Anne's dorm had internet and was more homely than a hostel

By the time I got to you, it had been almost 3 weeks since I departed Boston. And that was right after I'd just completed stage managing a show and working as a PA on two back-to-back feature films over the previous 8 weeks. In short, I was tired. Really, really tired. And I know that's not a good excuse because I was also tired in every other city, but mix fatigue with the other negative factors, and its just a bad combo.

With every other city I visited, I meticulously researched for hours the best sights, museums and landmarks. I had each day planned to the hour including contingency plans regarding what to cut if something big took more time than others. I was prepared. However, dear Vienna, for you I was not. I left it all in the capable hands of my sister. And it wasn't that she did a poor job of showing me the city. She chose great places and I really did like some aspects of them all, but because I hadn't researched them, there was no anticipation on my end because I was completely clueless as to where we were going each day. Seeing a city with a "resident" is quite a different experience than going about it alone. I wouldn't call it a phenomenon, but in my opinion, the differences in experience are certainly noteworthy.

Finally, the bad weather made me sad. The terrible crowds and lack of crowd control made me mad. And the cost of admission to many landmarks was unattractive. Though I would of loved to see more museums and other sights, I did had a budget I to stick to. All these things, plus Anne having heat and unlimited internet in her dorm, made me want to stay inside.

So in conclusion, Vienna...there were a number of factors that contributed to my disappointment with you, and my lack of desire to explore your streets. But most of them weren't your fault and I certainly don't blame you. But I'm still sorry.

Sincerely,
Cecelia

PS Your Christmas Markets were amazing :)

one’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things - henry miller

2010-11-24T18:37:00.000-05:00

December 8th, the last full day of my trip, was finally here. The next morning I would be leaving early for the airport. Anne and I began the day late, taking the time to sleep in and hang out in her warm dorm room. The layers I'd brought with me were coming in handy as the temperatures were staying low, but I think that's normal for early December. We only had a couple of stops, Votivkirche, Karlskirche and the Aida Cafe for sacher-torte, a delicacy of a dessert in Vienna.

Votivkirche was right near the Rathausplatz and it was a great little gothic church. A little like St. Stephen's in appearance, Votivkirche has two towers, both very narrow and symmetrical. But overall its much, much smaller.

christmas trees for sale

Inside, there were tons of wall frescoes at both the back and side chapels. The stained glass was quite different than the multitude of others I'd gotten to see in the last few weeks. It was made up of larger pieces and very bold colors. Most of the church was lit by natural sunlight and since there wasn't much of that it was quite dark inside. Not to mention all the dark stone used in its design so the walls just absorb any light shining in.

We then wandered through the Rathaus Market once again...the fourth time, I think...bought some gifts and then hopped on the U-Bahn towards Karlsplatz and Karlskirche. This was one of the churches that Anne talked about when we were in Florence together, but to be honest I didn't retain much of the infomation. There were lots of churches in Vienna to keep track of. So I didn't remember what about Karlskirche she liked but did know she kept talking about going up scaffolding. There was a fee to go in Karlskirche so Anne opted for waiting outside while I went inside to explore.

The scaffolding Anne kept referring to was in the center of the room, set up to restore the massive ceiling frescoe. There was an elevator all visitors were able to go up and then a series of stairs that brought you to the very top of the dome where you could look out the teeny windows up there. Before going up, I strolled around the rest of the round church which wasn't that large. It was tall and the marble columns supporting it all were really cool. Lots of pink and browns. The organ was also very pretty.

you can kinda see the tippy top

Up in the scaffolding I thought it was really cool how close you got to be to the paintings and looking at all the detail in them. And I was only on the elevator level. Once I started the ascension of the stairs to the top, where only a few people max were recommended to be on, it got even better. The frescoes became life-like and there were so many elements to look at. Women, men, Jesus, babies, clouds...all were soaring around me. I took a ton of pictures, but here are just a sample of the ceiling.

The only part I didn't like was as you neared the top the stairs started to shake just a lil...not fun when you can look down and see how high up you are. The view from the dome was very nice but the lousy weather outside got in the way of it being better. Oh well, it wasn't going to get sunny anytime soon.

The last task of the day was to meet up with Lauren and get sacher-torte. Both Anne and Lauren had delayed this experience because they knew if they had it early in the semester they'd want it too much later on and that would be bad. It wasn't an overpriced dessert but I can say it wouldn't have been the healthiest of eating choices. But the semester for them was almost over and so sacher-torte it was. The cafe was busy and crowded and disgusting only because were were surrounded by smokers. Blech. The sacher-torte was quite good, its chocolate shell being very dark and rich, but the truffel-torte we also got was much more my style. It was much lighter and tasted like a decidant chocolate mousse. MMMMM. After fillimg up on dessert, Anne and Lauren had class to attend so I went back to the dorm to warm up and dry off. The rain had picked up again by that point so a nice relaxing afternoon and evening was exactly what I needed. I was exhausted.

For dinner we made chicken noodle soup in the dorm kitchen and I chopped the onions, carrots and chicken getting no criticism from Anne!! A great finish to a terrific trip. My trip to the airport the next morning was mostly smooth. The traim from the dorm to the train station wasn't handicapped so I had to lift my small suitcase and Anne's large one I was bringing home onto a crowded tram. I had a lot of trouble and NO ONE helped me out. They just stared. Finally, I guess I was taking too long or looked like I was in over my head because someone finally lent a hand. And when I got off, they all just rushed around me...tram people early in the morning aren't very nice.

me and my bags

Check-in was a short walk from the train departure, but I found my terminal and airline counter pretty easily. They didn't even weigh Anne's bag which was a good thing cause we had no idea how much it was going to weigh. The lady who was tagging carry-on luggage confused the s*it out of me though. I don't think she understood that I didn't speak French or German. When I went through the main terminal entrance I flashed my boarding pass to the guard and that was it, no security. Or so I thought. In the Viennese airport the security scanners are at each individual gate so that was new. And so was getting my first pat-down. Which I can say took great restraint in not squirming because it was such a tickle-inducing experience. I will now try and avoid those as best I can from now on. More so than before.

three weeks later

Boarding was an hour before departure, not 30 minutes, and I got a great window seat. The flight to Paris was short, and delayed, so when I got to Paris I prayed my next flight was in the same terminal. it wasn't and not only was it in a different terminal, but I had to take a bus all the way around the airport, go through security again and then run to my gate. I felt like I was the family in Home Alone when they're running to catch their flight. There was no one at the gate when I got there so I thought I was really late, and to top it off they gate people wanted to search my bag. Gah...not good for an anxious person. Turns out the flight wasn't that full hence all the people being on board already. And I ended up sitting for almost a half hour before we even departed the gate. At least I made it.

Six or so hours later I landed safely in Boston. And an hour or so after that I was finally home.

no one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow - Lin Yutang

the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes – marcel proust

2010-11-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

Day 2 in Vienna was all about the palaces and the royalty of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Anne and I began the morning at Hofburg, the winter palace of the kings and queens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which ruled most of central Europe for hundreds of years until the dynasty's fall. The assasination of Franz Ferndidnand, which kick-started World War I, really did the Hapsburg family in. Anne, by living here in Vienna, knew all about the family and kept talking about them as if I knew exactly who Maria Theresa and Sisi were. Yeah, no idea. They're not in our history books.

Part of the admission price of Hofburg is the inclusion of the audio guide which would have been great had it not been abnormally crowded. The palace had run out of guides so we got pamphlets with all the same information in the guide instead. Though a good substitution, it really didn't work out well. Yes, in the beginning it was nice reading about all the artifacts they had to look at from the really cool porcelain collection, silverware, gold tables, chalices, etc...but the layout of the museum was so narrow, complicated and CROWDED that my attempt to follow along failed miserably. Anne had already been to Hofburg before so she didn't really care about the informational part. I did however, and since I don't like disorganization or crowds my patience started to thin. There was a lot to see and learn but it was just so hard.

The second section of the palace to see is the "Sissy" museum. From what I learned by asking Anne "who the hell was Sisi?" she is the Princess Diana of Austria. So famous, but never entirely the ruler in charge. And she was murdered so with life cut short, she's now immortalized in the Austrian culture. The Sisi Museum, to be truly honest, was a creepy and trippy. A dress she wore to a funeral was one of the highlights, glowing eerily in the dark. Narrow passageways, really low light, black walls and all of her posessions encased for eternal protection. Oh yeah, and people. Lots of people. All attempting to be herded through, but stuck in the worst traffic jam possible. Some people were listening to their audio guides, blocking the comb they were looking at from being seen by anyone else. Now the patience snapped. Anne really didn't like me complaining, but it was all I could do to not punch someone.

The apartments of Hofburg were much better than the earlier sections. Though still being herded through the room, the walkways were wider and at least there was light and space around me. Breathing came easier. Anne then needed to go to class so she told me how to get to Schonbrunn, the summer palace and agreed to meet there in a couple of hours with Lauren so we could do more Christmas Market shopping. There was one right there at Schonbrunn to explore.

Schonbrunn was similar to Hofburg, but gave a much better history of the family and who lived where and when, and it was mainly apartments and rooms within the palace instead of artifacts or creepy dedication special areas. There was a thing called the Sisi Pass though where you could see more of the palace than the basic pass. It may have been worth it, but I soaked in enough in what I did see. I got a real audio guide this time and it just helped so much better. It was a little less crowded and the crowd control was better so overall, I enjoyed this palace so much more. Hofburg was just like a bad nightmare, though it's probably wonderful in other circumstances.

Schonbrunn also has extensive grounds to explore. I only walked through the center part right behind the palace, all the way up the hill to the Gloriette. It was closed so we couldn't go in it or on top, but it was still great to see. The large fountain at the base of the hill was also pretty neat.

view from back of palace of gardens

back of palace

Gloriette up on the hill

I met Anne and Lauren after I finished my tour and we spent time in the Christmas Market. I had a delicious Baked Potato with a garlic sauce for dinner and then Anne and I split a chocolate waffle and caramel crepe for dessert. Great decision making on our part. We then returned to the Rathaus Market since it was so big a second time around was definitely needed. Here, I thoroughly embarassed myself in front of 2 Viennans by exclaiming to them by accident how cute one of the reindeer I was obsessed with was. I thought Anne was standing right next to me but she was on the other side of the booth. Woops. They probably just thought "crazy tourist..." But I got all my reindeer that night so it more than made up for it.

the beginning of the end

2010-11-20T12:53:00.001-05:00

Anne and I get to Vienna late and we travel to her dorm via a series of subway and tram cars. The best part of the trek was a kebab place called "Sultan Imbiss" and their logo is the Sultan from Aladdin. Amazing.

At the dorm we settle in, I get to catch up on lack of internet capabilities and to bed we finally go. We decide Anne and I will share her twin bed because the floor is tile and I'd rather not sleep on it. In the morning, Anne puts her foot down and says she had a bad night sleeping and I will have to endure the floor for the next couple of nights. I slept fine in the bed, well as fine as it ever is with 2 people in a twin, but whatever...

Since Vienna is where Anne had been living the last few months, I didn't spend any time beforehand looking at things to do. I glanced at it, didn't like the high admission charges on everything, and decided Anne will tell me what is good and worthy to see. I also didn't want to plan too much cuz my sightseeing was dependent on Anne's schedule since we were going to go places together. We departed the train at Stephensplatz, the downtown of Vienna. Strolling through this popular, ritzy shopping district what hit me immediately was all the architecture and high-end designs on statues and around buildings. It's all very consistent and beautiful. The detail in the carvings, the gold highlights; it's magnificent.

We first went to the Kindermuseum (Art Museum). Except for the museums in Paris where my pass was accepted, I'd avoided art museums for the most part because they had the pricier admission fees and if I didn't know of anything inside, I didn't want to spend the money. I may have missed out some, but I was on budget. This one was really neat and quite large. In the Lourve I'd spent most of my time in the non-painting galleries so for the Kindermuseum I was going to start with the paintings. Anne wanted to see the sculptures so we split up and designated a rendevous time and location.

I don't remember any specific names of paintings but I was definitely impressed with all of them. There seemed to be a great mix of styles too; the Baroque and Venetian stood out in particular. There was a couple I really liked especially for the level of detail. The tiniest strokes had to have been used; the paintings looked like photographs they were so accurate.

one of my faves, but i can't remember the name

One in particular was a still life of flowers and the petals had teeny tiny water droplets.

if you zoom you can see the water droplets

After the museum we met up with Lauren and wandered through the Christmas Market between the art museum, and its twin, the history museum, across the way. Now that it was early December, the Christmas Markets were just everywhere, especially here in Vienna. It seemed like any place with people was bound to have a market. On the way back to Stephensplatz we passed the library whose archtecture design really impressed me. All the buildings did. If they weren't all built at the same time then they were just really good about making all the buildings similar and matching.

St. Michael's church was on the way, and one of Anne's recommedations, so we stopped inside. Anne told me this was one of her favorite organs she'd seen, and it was pretty cool.

Next was St. Peter's, a church one of my best friends had been to before and decided it was where she wanted to get married. I liked it, but it wasn't jaw-droppingly awesome for me. The pews and pulpit were of note and the dove in the dome was really interesting too. Moreso when I saw it in the dome of Karlskirche later on in my visit.

Aman Hof was another church we wandered into. It had a very simple exterior, blending in with the surrounding buildings. The interior was plain but the pulpit impressed me.

Last but not least was St. Stephen's in the heart of Stephensplatz. The Notre Dame of Vienna, this gorgoeus cathedral, though partially under scaffolding, held so much potential for my enjoyment. The church has 2 unsymmetrical towers which I hadn't seen before and it had a very gothic exterior. I don't know about inside since I didn't see much of it.

I guess I'm partially to blame for being so cheap and not wanting to pay for the audio guide, but it's kind of dumb for the biggest church in Vienna to require an audio guide to visit and explore 75% of the place. The rest of the public area was limited and you couldn't see much of anything. Not to mention the masses of people and the lack of crowd control. If you know me, I don't like disorganization and I don't like crowds of people so I hated this.

vienna staatsoper

We left quickly and walked through all the shopping, and all the intense decorations, to a very famous Wienerschnitzel restaurant. The wienerschnitzel was really good and putting lemon juice on it was even better. The best part was the magical potato salad served with it. Definitely a meal worth the price.

its like Target took over

The rest of the evening was devoted to Christmas Markets. I think these markets must have originated in Vienna; or maybe because Vienna seemed to be a more classy, ritzy city they have more money to put into the markets, but each market seemed to get beter. The selection was better with a lot more variety than others. And its where I found my moose/reindeer. Between the ornaments or just decorative pieces for your Christmas filled household, each reindeer I found got cuter and cuter. They were irresistible; and it took 2 more days of reasoning and decision making to decide I wanted to buy them all. They now sit on my desk looking cute as ever.

The second of the markets we went to my first night there was the Rathaus Christmas Market in front of City Hall. Lit up and decorated to the hilt, City Hall was gorgeous and the Christmas atmosphere was wonderful. The windows of the hall were converted to an advent calendar so some days had revealed messages and others were still covered. Though it was getting cold it was a great night overall and even knowing that I had to sleep on the floor with a fake pillow that night didn't smother the mood.

climb every mountain; search high and low

2010-11-13T10:58:00.000-05:00

Looking back at all my Salzburg pics, and then rewatching all The Sound of Music 45th Anniversary DVD Promotion gave me the idea to compare all the shooting locations I was able to visit and see how much they have, or haven't changed. Most of the places actually fit into the latter category which just goes to show how unchanging, timeless and classic the city of Salzburg really is.

Downtown Salzburg
If you look just beyond the Christmas stalls, you can see the little hut still underneath the far right arch in both 1964 and 2009.

The buildings to the right of the movie still are the same ones I snapped a photo of last year.

Not the best comparison, but the Residenz in the background is the same. The lens used in the film though really made the fountain look huge because it took me awhile before I believed I was in the right location.

Mirabel Gardens

This one is an almost identical match; switch out the people, add more green and water for summertime and its a perfect match.

My initials were in the garden; and amazingly, its the same layout as it was in 1964. It's fate.

Nonnberg Abbey

That famous red, onion dome. The only red one in the city.

The far left of the movie still has the same stone plaque that can be seen in my left picture, and in the far right of the still you can see the same stone archway that is above the door.

No doorbell... :(

Just imagine I'm holding a guitar and looking up at a cross, and I could have been in the movie.

Up the Monschberg Elevator

They've definitely done construction on the steps...

Uncanny how nothing's changed.

Rocky Riding School - Festival Hall

This door's changed a little...

But this one hasn't.

The VonTrapp Villa - sort of

The backyard of the mansion has definitely been redone.

Untersberg - most unchanged of them all

Mondsee

Doesn't it look bigger on film?

I don't think anything on this altar has been moved in the last 45 years.

The organ hasn't moved either.

The top movie still is, what I believe, from an interior set not related to the church. From what I saw, there's no way that could have been in the church, certainly not at the back. And since it's never seen with the rest, I think editing was key in the illusion. Also, its corresponding painting wasn't in the rear of the church so I do believe it was replicated and used on the set they built for those shots.

Since they show this exterior right after the wedding, I'm assuming it was Mondsee but it seems they've done a bit of remodeling. Also, continuity wise, it makes no sense to even have it since they show Maria in Nonnberg getting ready and then she's now in a completely different church getting married. Oh well...

That's all folks...well, for Salzburg anyway. Vienna, my last stop, is still to come.

so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen good-bye

2010-11-09T11:53:00.001-05:00

After Nonnberg, we wandered down the rest of the hillside back into the Domkirche plaza and Residenzplatz. There was an amazing statue of what looked like a dementor from Harry Potter. It was really uncanny so I snapped a photo.

Our next stop was the Festspielhaus, the 3-theater complex that is most known for housing the Salzburg Festival.

the beautiful ceiling the lobby

The outdoor theater, the Felsenreitschule (Rocky Riding School) is only used once a year during the festival in the summer, bringing the largest number of tourists to the city during the year. The Salzburg Festival is where the VonTrapp family is stuck performing in as the Nazi's catch them trying to leave their house. The rest of the year it is mostly covered with a temporary roof and is a highlight on the complex's tour.

The Festpielhaus only holds a tour of the theaters 3 times a day so it was impertinent that we made it to the building by 2PM for that tour. Our group was small, only 6 of us which was very nice and the guide was very informative about the entire complex. Being a theater nerd, I loved being able to stand on the stage amongst the large sets they had for one of the Operas and see how it all operated. Really cool.

And standing in the outdoor complex where they shot the festival portion of The Sound of Music wasn't too bad either. Once the tour was complete, I ran around the side of the building to see the exit and roadway that Herr Zeller drives up on to deliver Max a message about the Captain not replying to his summons. In 45 years it really hadn't changed whatsoever.

The day was slowly coming to an end, but we still had a couple more Sound of Music stops before heading to Vienna. On our way to the Monschberg Elevator was the Pferdeschwemme, a very old royal trough built in 1695 where prize horses were watered and cared for. Since this fountain was also covered, it dawned that it must be a winter custom to protect the fountains in winter, and it wasn't just because of the Christmas Markets in the Residenzplatz that the other fountains were also covered. Surrounding this horse fountain are large, gorgeous frescoes of prize horses. The Pferdeschwemme was used as a shooting location in The Sound of Music in the sequence leading up to Do-Re-Mi when Maria and the children are discovering Salzburg for the first time together.

Last, but not least, Anne and I made it to our last tourist and movie sight of the day, the Monschberg Elevator. The elevator is just that, an elevator that brings you up through the solid rock of the hillside to the Museum der Moderne (which we didn't go to) and various walking paths along the hill. And if I remember correctly, you can walk all the way to the Fortress along those paths. While the view would have been worth it even if I didn't have ulterior motives for wanting to go up to the top, I did have ulterior motives. The overlook outside the elevator exit was where Maria explains the children about mixing up notes and replacing words with those notes to make music. They've definitely done some sort of reconstruction since the steps are not built the same as they were in 1964, but it was a deja-vu experience, being up there. The view of the city hadn't changed a bit.

reall crowded shopping street

I wanted to explore a little more so I took a short walk down the path and they had old stone walls of a fort or something still up on the hill, so I got to walk through that which was neat. At the point where I decided to stop there was another great view of the Untersberg. While I wish I had one more day to take the bus and then gondola to the top of the mountain, there wasn't enough time to see it all. And I missed its opening by a week, so it wouldn't have mattered in the long run. Either way, I will return to Salzburg one day, hopefully in the spring or summer where I can go into the mountains and see Edelweiss, see Residenzplatz without Chrismas Markets, explore the area surrounding the Old City, visit the real VonTrapp home and not rush through everything. One perk of winter, I will say though, is much less people.

I admired for a few minutes but then turned and headed back to Anne who was waiting for me by the elevator. With one last chance to admire the beautiful and old city that Salzburg was, Anne let me have a few more moments before we headed down the elevator, through the old city, back through the Mirabell gardens, picked up our bags at the hostel and boarded the train for Vienna.

one last image of Mirabell Gardens

what will this day be like? i wonder...

2010-11-07T11:03:00.003-05:00

Before I continue with my tour of Salzburg, I just want to talk about our hostel for a few. Anne and I got a private room, which was amazing and it had full size bunkbeds so we each got a very large bed to ourselves. We spent the evening chatting and planning the next day, making sure we'd hit all the Sound of Music points we hadn't yet seen. There were plenty and some had to be visited at specific times; and with me being the planner I am, planning was to be done. And after we caught up with life for the most part, to bed we went.

For breakfast, our hostel didn't offer any free stuff, but had 2 options for purchasing breakfast: 1) a coffee, bowl of cereal, roll and 2) unlimited. I was cheap and refused to pay. Anne had to eat so she got the unlimited. We both ended up eating. She just kept getting food and I ate half of it. Wonderful! And the best part was at the end when we took 6 extra rolls for later and Anne thought I was crazy for wanting to get more. We had room to stash them!

Ok...now back to my Sound of Music/Salzburg tour...first stop of the day was the Mirabell gardens once again. It was lightly cloudy, but not rainy and uber-gray so I wanted to get some more pictures, and as it was early in the day few people were around. We then went to the Mozart Wohnhaus, Mozart's residence when he wasn't traveling Europe as an adult. This museum was similar to the one visited the night before but had more history about Mozart's composition rather than his family. There was some about his parents, but the focus was on his acheivements. Next door to the museum is the Holy Trinity Church, where Mozart first played piano when he was a very young boy. It was small and empty, but nice. A very nice piece of musical history.

Holy Trinity Church

We then wandered over the river again, and with the better weather, and it being early instead of late in the day, the river was brighter and quite pretty. The Fortresshonhensalzburg sat high and mighty on the hillside and it was gorgeous in the early morning light.

Taking a similar path as the evening before, we wandered through the Residenzplatz again. It was easier to see this as the area where Maria splashes in the fountain during I Have Confidence but all the Christmas huts, people and the covered fountain made it harder to see. I admired the arches between the Residenzplatz and the plaza in front of the Domkirche, cause you know, Maria walks through them.

As with Innsbruck, Anne and I bought the Salzburg card, good for admission to almost all the attractions in Salzburg, most which are Sound of Music attractions. Though it took more effort than in Innsbruck to make sure we went to enough places where the admission totals would exceed the cost of the card, we made it worth the price and overall the cards make buying tickets smoother in general as well. A neat little place included in the card we decided to stop in was the Panorama Museum. Its simple inside, just a giant panorama painting of the city of Salzburg. There are a couple other Salzburg history items, but the center of the single room is the panorama, which from the outside looks like a giant cylinder. There's a door you enter through and the painting is enormous but fantabulous! A perfect 360 degree view of Salzburg as seen from the top of the Fortress. I loved it so much and a poster of the painting was only $10 so I got my souvenir.

bus stop!

Next, we explored the plaza on the other side of the church where Maria boarded the bus to the VonTrapps and we boaded the tram to the Fortress. The fortress is a castle, one of the largest medieval ones in Europe, that sits atop a large hill. Included in the admission to the fortress is a required audio tour where they take you through all the open to the public rooms and overlooks. It was really spectacular and the audio guide was very helpful. From one side, we had the perfect view of the Untersberg, the mountain which I hadn't seen the day before due to the bad weather. It is Maria's mountain, the mountain which she was brought up on, and the mountain where they filmed the final scene of the movie with the family hiking into "Switzerland." One of hte factual errors of the movie, if you hiked over the Untersberg you'd really hike into Germany and come into contact with Hitler's "Eagle's Nest."

Schloss Leopoldskron from the Fortress

Salzburg and the Untersberg in all its glory

From the other side of the fortress, the view we'd just seen in the Panorama museum stood before me. It was gorgeous and really cool to see how nothing had really changed about this old city. If I compare my picture I took with my camera to the poster I now have hanging on my wall, I bet little would be different.

The Executioner's House - no one wants to be his neighbor

After the fortress tour ended, we took the hike down the steep slope leading from the castle and it's really amazing looking back up at the fortress how delicately balanced and built it is on top of the hill. The walkway we end up on is the one that leads to Nonnberg Abbey, so off we went to the church that started it all.

Recognizable because of its red onion dome, Nonnberg Abbey was founded way back in 714 and is the Abbey where Maria VonTrapp was a former novice, and where the movie was able to shoot a few exterior scenes. The production originally wanted to film inside the Abbey as well, but the Mother Abbess wouldn't allow it. Instead they built interiors in the Salzburg movie studio and shot those scenes on rainy days during production. The exterior gate and inner garden were used for shooting though. And it was fangirl heaven to be at the gate where Julie Andrews says "when God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window" right before she begins singing I Have Confidence while overlooking the city of Salzburg.

We entered the inner garden from a separate entrance than the movie gate, so I was initially confused, but when we got to the door to the church and I turned to the left and saw the gate, I knew we were in the right place. The biggest dissapointment for me, which is quite pathetic if you really think about it, is that the bell rope they attached for the movie, and the nuns asked to leave up, wasn't there anymore. I was really looking forward to pulling the rope. But maybe too many fans had that same wish and broke it. I pretended to pull it anyway cause I'm a dork and was completely geeking out. Anne probably wished she didn't come with me.

Inside, the sanctuary was small and very dark and the coolest bit was that under the altar stairs you could see a basement room with candles lit. Eerie for sure. Back outside, I gawked at the gate some more, took even more pictures and then took a look out over the city from this side. It was then I realized how through editing the movie made it look like Nonnberg overlooked the downtown section of the city, not the other side of the hill. Very interesting, indeed.

geeking out with the gate