Category Archives: Travel

Galway City

The Luck of the Irish that is.  We just returned home from our family trip to Ireland, kinda piggy-backed on PFMan’s yearly trek out there to broadcast live for St. Patty’s Day.  This would have been his third year in a row and I was not letting him go without us this time!

We flew out several days prior to the broadcast, finding our way by car to Galway City where we called home for our first four nights.  We stayed at the Kilcullen House B&B which is about a 10 minute walk outside of the City Centre, close enough to enjoy the city, but a distance from the noise.  Many times while walking in Galway I felt as if I were a character in a Dickens novel or a miniature in a Christmas Village scene.  I love that, the old worldliness of it. 

Our favorite food in Galway was hands down found at Ard Bia in the Spanish Arch.  It’s located in the Arch which is very medieval in style, but once you walk inside, it’s the small, cozy and very eclectic eatery.  It was love at first site.  The menu is so creative, using local and sustainable produce and meat sources, which I love!  My favorite entree was the St. Tola goats cheese & pistachio cracked wheat cake with wilted greens, garlic yogurt & muhumara.  I will crave this until I return! Honestly we couldn’t decide what to order so we had them bring us the two most popular starters and mains.  We were NOT disappointed.

Other places we enjoyed eating: McDonagh’s, O’Grady’s on the Pier (actually in Barna on the coast near Galway), and Griffin’s Bakery! McDonagh’s is THE place to go for your required Fish n’ Chips, with many different fish types to choose from you can’t go wrong here. O’Grady’s was recommended to us by Emer and Russel, the Inn keepers at Kilcullen House. It’s located in the tiny coastal village named Barna, just outside of Galway. Located on the pier, great views and the BEST chowder I’ve ever had in my life, no kidding! Griffin’s Bakery, originally founded in 1876 also recommended by Emer & Russell. OMG, we each picked a pastry and thank goodness we got four, they were all DELICIOUS. Again, the BEST scone ever. I could have died happy.

I have to stop here, with the food, I haven’t yet mentioned the PUBS, or the Irish Countryside or our time in Dublin or…. So, you’ll have to stay tuned and for now, enjoy the pictures.

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A few weekends ago my friend Lea and I flew to San Francisco to have a reunion with two girlfriends who had both, weirdly enough, moved out that way November 1st of 2009.  Girl trip, wine country, HELLO!  This trip for me was a roller coaster of emotions, reuniting the girlies, my first time in wine country, the fact that I’m DYING to move to the mountains….

Yep, PFMan and I have been restless for years now, we’re a bit nomadic and need to change our scenery.  Things here in St. Pete have kept us here for 11 years now, OMG!  Though it’s truly a beautiful place to live, I desire trees.  Not palm trees, REAL trees.  So we travel to them as much as possible.

On this trip, I got to see Redwoods!  AHHHHHHHHH, like heaven, and we really only drove through them on the way to the dramatic coast.  Wow!  This trip was really one Wow after another, I can’t say enough and can’t wait to return!

Another most amazing part of the trip was our tour of The MacLeod Family Vineyard.  George and Daughter in Law, Margie took us on a tour of their small (well not to me), 50-acre family vineyard.  They educated us about the different varietals they grow, the root systems, the process, really interesting.  As we rounded a corner, off in the distance, in the middle of the vineyard was a farmhouse table set up with wine glasses.  I turned to Lea, “OMG, do you think that’s for us?”  It was!!!  I could have cried, it felt like a movie.  It was truly perfect, I’ve never experienced wine like that before.  My favorite, their Sauvignon Blanc which is truly a miracle because I don’t drink white, especially not SB.  We also tasted their Zinfindel and Merlot.  I was worried that I wasn’t going to like the wine once I got it home, but I did:-)! If you ever get to Sonoma, it’s a must.

We totaled 6-7 different wineries, saw the forest, the coast and shared great times with good friends. Couldn’t have asked for me, except to someday live there.

Yep, this is it, the last year of my 30′s.  I can’t believe it, and I better make it good!  We celebrated my Valentine/b-day over the entire weekend.  Dinner Saturday night with PFman, (detour for soccer on Sunday morning), drove to Disney World with the family, played in the Magic Kingdom and of course EPCOT, gotta get our Mexico and Italy fix, Rockin’ Rollar Coaster, Weeeeeeeee:-)!

What do I see for the year ahead?  Travel of course, Ireland, North Carolina, N. California, New York, maybe Colorado.  Seems mountains is a theme again this year.  We’d like to finally move out of the house we’ve been in for the last 8 years now.  More trees are needed, as well as being able to walk to a destination, the water, a town center.  We’ve been looking and are in love with Dunedin, soooooooo, hopefully sometime this summer. As far as Photography, I’m looking forward to focusing on my passions in Pet and Travel Photography, there are several events coming up very soon that my work will be displayed at (Get Rescued, Bark in the Park, ArtPool). We’re also planning to begin homeschooling this fall and, of course, continue our Clean Eating the best we can.  Pretty sure that’s plenty to start.  I see lot’s of planning on the horizon and lot’s to talk about.

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Bon bini or Welcome in the language called Papiamento.  This is the common language spoken the ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, (off the coast of Venezuela).  I learned this recently when in Curacao & Aruba on our cruise.  It’s a rule of mine, when traveling, to learn about the local culture, learn a phrase or two in their language, eat local cuisine, experience as much local culture as possible.  This is difficult yet possible on a cruise.  You have to get off the ship pronto and get out of tourist fluff, grab a taxi and drive.  The drivers never let us down.  They want to talk about their country.  This is so much more intriguing then going to yet another Hard Rock Cafe’.  I mean really?

So, back to Papiamento.  It’s a combination of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, and also has some Arawak Indian and African influences.  Neat huh?  The official spoken language is Dutch, we were told that the specific Papiamentu dialect comes from each individuals family background.

So next time you find yourself in a foriegn country, try talking to the locals for a flavorful experience:-).

Ciao.

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We recently returned from our annual family cruise. This year we opted for an itinerary to the Southern Caribbean out of San Juan, PR.  The ports: Curacao, Aruba, Dominica & St. Thomas (USVI).  Going into this we were most looking forward to Dominica, loving islands rich in lush foliage & rain forests, it didn’t disappoint.  We took advice from dear friends of ours, who’ve spent some time on the island, and we grabbed a driver who took us to Trafalgar Falls.  Here we spent our day.  While other tourists only walked to the observation platform to take a picture of the falls, we grabbed a guide who hiked us further in to the falls where we basked in natural hot and cold springs.  Our PFson calls them nature’s hot tubs:-).  It was truly stunning, miraculous to see.  We also learned that Dominica has 365 rivers, one for every day of the year they like to say.

On the way back to the ship we stopped at the highly recommended River Rock Cafe’. Here we were introduced to Kubuli, the award winning beer of Dominica. It was GOOD!  We met the owner Dennis who whipped us up two amazing dishes of fish & shrimp.  I tried breadfruit for the first time, kinda dry and bland, but I tried it, the creole sauce was amazing!

There is so much more to explore on this island, the downside to it being a cruise port, not enough time. I guess we’ll have to add it to our ever growing list of travel destinations.

Ciao!
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Having just returned home from a 7-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean out of San Juan, PR, PFMan and I have crazy travel on the brain.  I’m not going to tell you about our cruise here, that needs it’s own post and I’m still processing pictures:).  Let’s talk about places we want to go.

Here’s a few!

Santorini, Greece. Check out this traditional houses hotel in Oai, Santorini.  The Ikies.

Riviera Maya – Mexico. OMG, take a peek at these villas in Tulum, Mexico.

Soufriere, St. Lucia.  PFMan and I have wanted to stay at Anse Chastanet for over 15 years now.

See a theme here:)??  Open air, water views.  This is only a crumb, a teaser of places on our list!  More travel coming soon!

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we go on a cruise:-).  So we’ve been on this extreme lean protein/complex carbs (6X daily) diet since Sunday the 2nd, amazingly have been doing very well.  PFMan and I have both noticed that we’re never hungry and never too full, our digestion is great, no issues & we’re both down about 4-5 lbs.  I’ve been doing a little Pilate’s, Zumba, other cardio and strength training, not as much as I need to, but way more than I was.  Feeling pretty good, but this morning we leave for San Juan to board a cruise, whooo hoooo & Holy food!

Of course we’ve known about the cruise for months, so when we began eating differently we knew this would be a curve ball.  We aren’t typical American cruise goers, taking two plates or more at the buffet, ordering two entrees at dinner.  We’ve always had our normal fill, yes dessert.  This time I’m going to try to temper it a bit more.  White egg omelette with veggies and no bacon, oh please give me strength, instead of my usual regular omelette loaded with veggies, cheese and bacon. Yes, drinking will be had, I love Margaritas, Beer, Mojitos and Bellini’s while cruising!  This cruise I will search out more activities, I know they have boot camps, Pilate’s, the gym.  YES I WILL!  I of course will share with you how I did when we return. (snicker)

For now I leave you with a few pictures from our last family cruise.

Bon Voyage!!

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Ahhh, Venezia!

During our trip to Italy this past April, we stayed in Venice for two nights. Not enough! I could have toured the Cicchetti Pubs every day for hours, wandered around the Fish Market, sipped on Venetian Spritz, disappeared into the maze of alleys and piazzas…. While we were planning this trip, we had heard that two nights in Venice would be plenty of time and if all you want to do is see San Marco then this is more than enough. However, San Marco was a disappointment to us, by simply being the Disney World of Venice. It was filled with tourists and cheesy ‘made in china’ souvenir kiosks everywhere you turned. Who wants to go to Venice and by a mask made in china??

Now don’t get me wrong, it was remarkable in size and architecture and history, we did tour Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs which we thoroughly enjoyed. The Bridge of Sighs attaches Doge’s Palace to the Prigioni or Prison’s. The Bridge of Sighs in Venice received its name in the 17th century, because the prisoners who passed through it’s two passages inside, on their way to the prison cells on the other side, would more than likely see the beautiful sight of the lagoon and the island of S.Giorgio and freedom for the last time and sigh.

Venice by night is magical. The daytime tourists have gone and the lights are twinkling on the water. Don’t miss seeing this by way of Vaporetti, it’s stunning! The Vaporetto is a water bus system that runs from Venice to the nearby islands, Burano, Lido and Murano. We didn’t have time to see these and would have liked to.

Things not to miss in Venice according to me:-).

Sipping a Venetian Spritz! The Fish Market! And… Cicchetti (pronounced chi-KET-tee) Pub hopping. Cicchetti’s are an assortment of little foods served with toothpicks. Everything from various forms of Acciuga (anchovy) to polenta and meat balls to vegetables and small sandwiches. These are traditional to Venice and served in “bàcari” (cicchetti bars or osterie). The locals, mostly men, would swarm these bars in late-morning, lunch time. I loved to sit, eating cicchetti and sipping house wine of course, while watching and listening to them all speaking Italian. It was one of my most favorite things we did in Venice.

Oh, I miss Italy and cannot wait to return, soon!

Ciao.
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I find myself thinking of the mountains often. I love being outside amongst the trees, listening to them talk in the wind, seeing the flickering Aspens, looking up to see the glowing rays of the sun shining through the limbs. The Peace. This year our family has focused a bit more on getting into the mountains. Living in Florida, the mountains are something we experience rarely, and yet crave so often. At the beginning of summer we stayed in a primitive campground near the Ocoee River in Tennessee called Tumbling Creek. The campsites are right on the creek where the sounds of water running over the rocks are so soothing. Then getting up in the morning to splash your face with the stinging cool water is incredibly rejuvenating…it’s truly a spiritual experience!

We recently returned home from a weeks vacation in Colorado, a state we have wanted to visit for a long time. The mountains seen here are like I’ve never witnessed before. This must be where the term Majestic comes from. The air up there is cool and crisp with little to no humidity – you just feel Alive! We didn’t want to come home and are already planning our return. Last night I photographed an event for the Alpha House of Pinellas County where I bid and won a week stay at a lovely home in Murphy, NC. This is right outside where we stayed in Tennessee and I’m so excited to have this next trip to the mountains to look forward to.

I do see us living in the mountains someday, I don’t know when, just someday. And then, of course, I’ll crave the ocean, ha.

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Michael (PFMan) and I have wanted to visit Colorado for years now.  It’s also a place we’ve thought might be nice to live sometime.  We brought our kids out here this past Saturday and I’m sooooo incredibly happy that we still have four days before returning home.  It is even more stunning then I could have ever imagined, the terrain, the landscapes, the weather, the people.  I’m soaking ever bit of this in to carry with me until we can get out here again and again.  My family is sitting behind me contemplating how much food to bring on our hike to Mohawk Lake today.  Seems we may be out there longer then we thought.  We just ate a yummy breakfast at Blue Moose.  I so love a good pancake.

Anywho, PFMan is now at the grocery store getting some grub for our hike and I’ve just completed enhancing an image that I took with my I-phone from our balcony.  Nice view huh?  Wouldn’t mind waking to this every morning at some point.  Oh my, and to see this with a blanket of white snow, (Big Sigh here, then smile).

I have a lot more to say about this trip, but I have to git for now:-)  Be back soon with lots more details and photos too!