Puget Sound

Took a lovely trip to the Puget Sound (north of Seattle) to visit my parents and get in a little ocean time. I couldn't have asked for better weather.

The first day we drove out to Deception Pass, walked the bridge and went down to the beach. The next day was an awesome whale watching tour and we saw some orcas. The last full day we went to Friday Harbor. Before flying home we went to Snoqualmie Falls and hiked to Twin Falls.

You can see all the pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yH1SMGWXx3iSppB58

Copenhagen/Edinburgh Trip Dec 2017/Jan 2018

I spent Christmas in Copenhagen and New Years in Edinburgh. I travelled with my friend Nikki, whom I've known since high school. We went to Copenhagen for the Christmas market experience and some hygge. And Edinburgh for their big Hogmanay celebration.

As I am no longer used to the cold, most of my trip preparations involved preparing for cold weather. Funnily enough it really wasn't that cold in either place. It was in the 30s/40s during the day and the 30s at night. We had some snow flurries in Edinburgh but no snow really in either place.

What I was not prepared for was the short days. We had about 6 hours of daylight, and 3:30 was dusk with 4:30 pretty much dark. It caught me off guard, and had some impact on how much sight seeing you can do, especially if you aren't even ready to get going until 10 or so.

The other thing I was not prepared for was the Danish language. I knew that most people would speak English. However, when you ride the bus there are recorded announcements with the stop. Danish does not sound like you think it should! So it was interesting a few times. The grocery store was also an interesting experience not always being sure what you are buying. We never did learn how to pronounce the street our apartment was on Oehlenschlægergade. I had printed it out to give to the taxi driver when I arrived!

Copenhagen was an interesting mix of old, ornate architecture with very modern Scandinavian design. I went to the Christmas market in Nyhavn by the water and enjoyed some abelskivers and hot chocolate while I looked at the stalls. We saw a cabaret show at the Tivoli and enjoyed wandering around seeing all the Christmas lights. We did a hop on/hop off bus tour so we got to see more of the city. Many things were closed the 24th and 25th, but it wasn't quite as shut down as I was expecting. We finished our last day with a trip to Helsingor to see Kronburg Castle, better known as Ellsinore of Hamlet fame. It is on the Baltic Sea, and was very cold and windy, but the castle was enjoyable.

Our apartment was a bit odd in Copenhagen as the bathroom had no separate shower stall so in theory you could sit on the toilet and shower. The reality was very messy, especially when you forgot to take the toilet paper out of the room before showering! 7-Eleven was prevalent everywhere, and nothing like American 7-Elevens. There were lovely pastries and pizzas as well as selections of sandwiches and such. All in all I enjoyed Copenhagen and would like to see more of it at a better time of year. It felt a bit quiet and reserved to me.

Edinburgh had a more festive/rowdy feel to it. It's a beautiful city and has some lovely architecture. It was enjoyable to wander aimlessly which is always a favorite activity of mine. We stayed in the Stockbridge neighborhood, and the apartment had a "normal" bathroom and had some Christmas decorations as well. The neighborhood had a few gastropubs, a takeaway fish and chips place as well as a few coffee shops and small grocery stores and shops.

I did two different hop on/hop off bus tours, and explored the Palace at Holyrood, and a short tour of the royal yacht, Britannia. I had a few strolls through the hilly city. In old town they had a Christmas market/fair set up so fun to see the carnival rides next to old buildings. The Hogmanay celebrations did not disappoint. We participated in the Torchlight Procession on the 30th. It was enjoyable but at times disconcerting to be surrounded by folks with torches who are looking down at their phones and not paying attention to their torch. There was a great fireworks display at the end. We opted to be inside for NYE and went dancing instead of to the big street party.

We enjoyed the apartment and access to some of our favorite foods like bacon flavored potato chips. I will never understand why that flavor hasn't caught on in the US. The apartment owner left us a box of Tonnock's tea cakes, which were quite delicious. In addition to the scotch selection, it was a pleasant surprise that there were a number of chocolatiers in Edinburgh and we enjoyed some fine chocolate.

The entire vacation was very relaxing, and while I was a bit annoyed by not doing as much sight seeing as I might normally, I think the slower pace was a good thing. I look forward to exploring both cities again at a different time of year. I don't know that I would travel to northern locales again in the winter.

Copenhagen photos:https://photos.app.goo.gl/tLqaTQ50gYOF0DVy2
Edinburgh photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VG334qRD6TDatD9u1

Belize Trip

Vacation at a glance

• Snorkel trips - 4
• Time spent snorkeling ~ 7 hours
• Time out on the water in a boat ~ 21 hours
• Number of drinks - 2
• Books read - 1.6
• Spiny lobster eaten - 2
• Offered "seaweed" - 1
• Asked to buy trinkets from children - 7
• Bruises from boating -- 10
• Mosquito bites - 29!!!
• Sunburn - 2 (backs of legs)
• Number of people marveling at solo travel - 5
• Time spent traveling--including waiting in airports -- 25
• Marine life viewed:
• Turtles--Green, Hawksbill, and Loggerhead
• Rays--Spotted Eagle, Yellow, Horseshoe, Manta and Southern
• Green moray eels
• Nurse sharks
• Fish -- Lots! including Lionfish -- ID card: http://ambergriscaye.com/fieldguide/franko-Belize_Fish_ID_Cards.html
• Sea cucumber
• Basket starfish
• Coral - Lots

Day 1

Arrived in Belize City about 4pm, and took a puddle jumper to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. I arrived at my hotel a little after 5 pm. I stayed at the Ocean Tides Beach Resort, which is about a 5 minute walk from the heart of town. There are 9 rooms, and it has a pool and a bar. The bartender, Raymond, was so friendly and helpful. Every recommendation he made was spot on. After I got settled in my room, I enjoyed a complimentary rum punch, and Raymond pointed out a little convenience store a block away and that there were two restaurant/bars serving local food about a block away.
I had dinner (fish burger and fries) at a one of the bars that night and enjoyed a walk along the beach around the hotel.

Day 2

I booked an all day trip with Island Dream Tours that included snorkeling at Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, and a stop at Caye Caulker. This was on a catamaran and there were 9 of us so it was really comfortable.
While this was a pleasant trip, I wasn't impressed with the snorkeling. Hol Chan was extremely crowded with probably 15 or more boats moored there. I didn't realize that because it's a marine reserve you have to snorkel there with a group. I felt like our guide was fairly aggressive luring out fish, and at one point he used some chum to lure a moray eel out of its hole, and then there was a bit of a scuffle with a nurse shark over the chum. It was really hard not bumping into people as well. I honestly didn't see the attraction of the place. The second stop Shark Ray Alley was short. They threw chum in the water and probably over a dozen nurse sharks and a lot of rays came out to enjoy. It's sort of a frenzy of activity for 15 minutes and then they all go away. The spot is where fisherman would clean their fish and so it's a spot the sharks know to come for food. It was still cool to see the sharks.
Next we headed out to Caye Caulker and spent about 90 minutes on our own at the island. It's smaller than Ambergris Caye, and also a lot quieter. I hung out at the Lazy Lizard bar which sits at the split where the island is divided in two. They have a dock/area for swimming and hanging out, and also some tables in the water. There was about a 5 minute downpour of rain right before we headed back to San Pedro. It really poured, and then was done.
That evening I went to the Reef restaurant for dinner and had a mixed seafood platter with grilled spiny lobster, fish, shrimp and octopus with a salad and rice and beans. The fish and lobster were amazing. I got caught in the rain coming back to the hotel that night, and it rained for a while that night.

Day 3

In the morning I walked around San Pedro. I enjoyed seeing the murals painted everywhere, and got a bit acclimated to the 2 streets. The streets are narrow and crowded with golf carts and cars, so I found it more pleasant to walk along the beach instead. I made my way just past town center and had breakfast at Estel's by the Sea. I had a great breakfast and got to try fry jack, which is fry bread...like a savory donut. It was delicious. I sat at the bar and eavesdropped on some locals chatting while they ate.
I hung out and relaxed for a bit before heading to my afternoon snorkel trip to Mexico Rocks with Ecologic Divers. Pablo and his two sons took 8 of us out in a motorboat. He was an excellent guide, and explained more about the whole guided snorkel trip than the Island Dreams guys did. The site was less crowded and it didn't feel like we were swimming on top of each other. Pablo didn't rush us, and pointed out the marine life. We stopped at two different places in Mexico Rocks, and I really enjoyed it. They served us fresh fruit in between the stops, and made sure we had plenty of water. Pablo's sons even took your fins off for you before you got back in the boat.
After getting back, I rushed back to my room to have a quick snack and then meet a boat at the dock by my hotel for a night snorkel trip. This trip was with Ambergris Divers for night snorkeling at Hol Chan. I was a little nervous since I didn't really enjoy Hol Chan the day before, but was curious about night snorkeling. There were 5 snorkelers and they must have had about 15 divers. Again, the guide was great about explaining how it all worked with the guided snorkel, and explained how to use your lights and what to expect to see. It was such a surreal experience. It really is dark except for where your light is so you have limited visibility, and the second you shine your light on fish they scatter. It's this weird alien world. At times you could see the lights in the distance from the divers, but not see them. The coral and sponges open up and feed at night so it was interesting to see them compared to the daytime. The more colorful fish are hiding and you see the bigger predators out like grouper and barracuda. I got to see a basket starfish with was cool looking. I also got to see a lion fish, as well as other fish I had seen during the day. It was a great experience, and I highly recommend trying it. On the way back it was amazing watching the captain dock the boat in almost near darkness. The docks aren't really lit up at night but I suspect he knows the coastline so well he could get where he's going blindfolded!
I was starving when we got back so I quickly changed and walked down the beach to a Sandy Toes bar for food. I had wonderful grilled fish with rice and salad.

Day 4

I was up early the next day for another all day trip. I had hesitated booking this trip because I really didn't want to go back to Hol Chan, but this turned out to be the best day. I booked this through Caribbean Adventures, and it's a local boat, La Graviota, that uses a couple of companies to sell for them. The crew were very friendly and also very respectful of the marine life, and were great guides for the snorkeling.
Our first stop was north Caye Caulker for possible manatee sightings. This was the reason I booked the tour. Sadly no manatees made an appearance. It was a nice snorkel spot though. We then went to the conch graveyard where fishermen discard the conch shells. It was cool to see, and we swam from there to shark ray alley where the crew chummed the water to attract the nurse sharks.
The captain prepared lunch, which was absolutely amazing. We had both a fish stew and chicken stew that were curries, rice and beans, plantains, tortillas and a cucumber salad.
We finished the day at Hol Chan. It was less crowded, and so much more enjoyable. Again the guide did a great job of pointing out marine life. I saw three species of turtles -- green, loggerhead and hawksbill. We saw a lot of rays -- manta, southern, horseshoe, spotted eagle and yellow. After Hol Chan, we made our way back to San Pedro.
After cleaning up, I headed out to Lily's Treasure Chest for more spiny lobster. It was served with rice and bean and some steamed vegetables. It was very tasty. I enjoyed the walk along the beach at night. It was a pleasant night, and so I stopped at the hotel bar. A couple locals were there, and then a couple who had been on the sailing trip stopped for a drink as well. I enjoyed chatting with everyone for a bit.

Day 5

I lounged most of the morning. I went to sit outside for a bit but a quick thunderstorm made an appearance, and we lost power a couple times that morning. At 11, I checked out, and walked to town to get some lunch before leaving. I went to Elvi's Kitchen, and had some grilled fish with rice and beans (are you noticing a theme in my eating habits? :-)) It was a good lunch, and then it was time to start my journey home.
I was pleasantly surprised by San Pedro. I felt safe by myself, and while there were children and adults selling things along the beach they weren't as pushy as other places in the Caribbean I've been. I found it to be laid back and had a nice, friendly vibe. I think the only cons were there wasn't a lot of shade at my hotel to hang out and just relax by the pool. While I did a lot, it was a relaxing trip.

State Embroidery

I embroidered all the states I've lived in. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. Just need to get them up on the wall!!

Bahamas Trip

I found a great deal for 4 nights at an all inclusive resort in The Bahamas.

I arrived Saturday afternoon, and spend a few hours under a lovely thatched umbrella enjoying the view, and took a nice walk along the beach. 

Sunday was more of the same. Turned out I needed some decompressing time, and to recover from a bee sting!! Walking back to my room after breakfast, I felt a bug get in my sandal. Before I could get it out, I got stung. It was a bee! I've never been stung by a bee before. I hobbled back to my room, got the stinger out and cleaned it up. It hurt like a son of a gun, so I read in my room and kept a cold washcloth on it. I did snorkel a bit off the beach at the resort. They have some rocks and a bit of coral close to shore and so there were quite a few fish. I signed up for a scuba diving class the next day.

Monday morning I went to the scuba class. I learned how to put on all the gear, and we headed to the pool. I immediately felt like I couldn't breathe when I used the regulator. I didn't feel panicked, but definitely felt like I wasn't getting any oxygen. The instructor verified all my equipment was working and told me to just put my face in the water and try taking slow breaths. After a while it became a bit easier, so I tried joining in with the exercises. I was able to take out the regulator and put it back in, but still really struggled to breathe. The longer I stayed under, the harder it got. I started to feel anxious about all this and felt like I was going to have a panic attack. In the end I decided not to try and dive as I knew I'd have to deal with the claustrophobia of being underwater as well as trying to breathe! The instructor was really patient and told me it just takes time for some people to get used to it. I arranged to do a snorkel trip the next day instead of the dive. I was kind of bummed about it, but I've always wanted to try scuba and now I know that I'll need a fair bit of work to get going with it.

Tuesday I went snorkeling. We took a boat about 10-15 minutes off shore. The coral was amazing. So many different colors, and tons of fish. It was fantastic. I wish I had spent more time taking snorkeling excursions. Tuesday afternoon I decided to go into town. I had cracked conch, which is fried conch and peas and rice for lunch. It was quite good. I was disappointed in the market. The sellers were pretty pushy and for the most part it seemed like the usual beach tourist stuff. I didn't stay too long before heading back to the hotel. Enjoyed the rest of the day at the beach.

Wednesday morning I took a nice walk, and did a little snorkeling off the beach. It was a little murky so not great snorkeling, but lovely to be in the water. Then it was time to pack up and head home.

The resort had a cruise ship feel. They had tons of activities, which they called "animations". Dancing lessons by the pool, exercise classes, volleyball, horseshoes, bingo, etc. There were nightly shows, which I never did go to. It was all inclusive. The food was mediocre, and by the 2nd or 3rd day felt pretty monotonous. It was easy to get drinks, and nice in a way that tipping really wasn't expected. The room was a bit old, but clean. Overall a decent place. It was very couple and family oriented, so not ideal for a solo trip. The trip into town was expensive and the food in town was outrageous, which made me appreciate the all inclusive hotel, even though it was lackluster.

Overall it was a relaxing trip and I enjoyed myself. :-)

Lots of pictures of blue ocean: https://plus.google.com/photos/116186384179569807967/albums/6151360770533998945

NYC trip

I took a whirlwind trip to NYC for Christmas. I was lucky enough to have enough frequent flier miles to afford the trip. The main thing I wanted to do was see Waiting for Godot with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan and see the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker. I got to do both of those things. The play was just amazing and did not disappoint at all. I read Waiting for Godot either as a teen or in my early 20s, and always wanted to see it performed. I couldn't have asked for a better cast! I was a bit disappointed with the Nutcracker. The set and costumes were amazing, but the ballet was just OK. They didn't do the traditional choreography, and I missed that. The acoustics in the Lincoln Center were amazing though and I did enjoy it.

I decided that I would try and see some of the museums I've never seen. Despite having been to New York many times, I've often wound up wandering the city and not doing a lot of "tourist" things. So my first full day there I went to the Met. I could have spent all day there. It was heavenly. Lots of Monet, and other impressionists that I love. I had hoped to also go to the Guggenheim that day, but I couldn't look at another piece of art. It was raining and the museum was very crowded. I rested at the hotel and then went to the play.

On my second day, I crammed in a lot. I started off at MoMA. I enjoyed it more than I thought, and could have spent more time there. They have a nice collection of impressionists and post impressionists. I also enjoyed the Kandinsky exhibit. My plan for seeing several museums was to triage and see what I really wanted to each museum. So on to the Guggenheim. I mostly wanted to go here for the building, and it did not disappoint. Even the bathroom was interesting since it too had curved walls! It didn't take long to walk through and I enjoyed the Christopher Wool exhibit as well as a few other modern pieces. I took a break and saw the Nutcracker in the afternoon. And after the Nutcracker, I had just enough time to make it over to the natural history museum. I wanted to see the dinosaurs, and the blue whale. It was fun to see some of the dioramas as well. It's a beautiful building. My day wasn't done yet! I then took a walk to see the Christmas displays in the stores and the tree at Rockefeller center!

My last day was Christmas day, and very cold. I think it was about 25, but much colder with the wind chill. I tried to take a bus tour of the city, but there was no heat on the tour bus, and once I got to Battery Park I got off so I could get warmed up. I took the subway to Grand Central Station, and then back to Time Square. I had a nice lunch and then it was time to head home.

Oddly, I'm kind of tired after all that! :-) I had loads of fun though, and it was really nice to get to see some things I've always wanted to see.

Pictures!!

London Trip

I spend a wonderful week in London with my best friend from high school. We rented an apartment for the week....originally in the Whitechapel area, but got switched at the last minute to the uber swanky Knightsbridge area near Harrod's. Here's a link to photos.

London is not my favorite city, but I liked it more this time than I have on previous visits.

4/17--arrived in London. Super jetlagged, but managed to go to Picadilly to get my London Pass, and get some food before crashing. Nikki's flight was cancelled so she wouldn't arrive until the next day.

4/18--Day tour of Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath. We left London at 5:20 am. Yes...5:30 am!! We arrived at Stonehendge about 8am. This was a private viewing before Stonehenge opens and we were able to go in and around the stones, but under no circumstances could we touch the stones. It was amazing. Next we went to Lacock for a full English breakfast in an old pub and had about an hour total there. Last stop was Bath for a couple of hours. We had a tour of the baths, and then I also toured the abbey, which was amazing. Then back in London by about 5:30 pm. Nikki finally arrived about 6pm, and we had dinner and a few drinks that night.

4/19--London. We tried to queue for some day of tickets to a play Peter and Alice with Judi Dench, but didn't have any luck. We then went on a bus tour around London, and got off at the London Tower for a tour there. Queued again for return tickets to the play, and did manage to get tickets!! The play was amazing. I was in the 11th row and all the actors gave fantastic performances. Afterwards we had some drinks in Picadilly and then headed home.

4/20--London. We spent half the day in the Camden market. It's a mix of handcrafted goods and clothing stalls and stores. It was a crush of people, but pretty amazing too. I wound up buying a cute top, a sweater and a fitted winter coat. I also had an amazing gluten free crepe! :-D Next we went on a river cruise of the Thames. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. We had some drinks in at the flat and relaxed a bit.

4/21--Cardiff. We took the bus to Cardiff so we could go to the Dr. Who Experience. Unfortunately things did not work out us to spend any time exploring Cardiff or trying the local drink...Brains....beer! We hung out at a pub in London that night.

4/22--London. We saw St. Paul's Cathedral. We had lunch at Speedy's to bask in sharing the same space as Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock. Got tickets for the London Eye, and then went over to Oxford St. for a little more shopping and then tea at Selfridges. We then went back for a late afternoon trip on the London Eye. That night we went out dancing until the wee hours.

4/23--London. We had a lovely full English breakfast, and then unfortunately had to leave to go home.

Maya Tulum

I just got back from 5 nights at Maya Tulum resort. It was idyllic paradise, a haven, an escape...do I need to go on? It was relaxing, so very relaxing. For 5 days my brain was quiet. I spent hours just staring out at the blue Caribbean sea, and really not thinking of anything. My days consisted of some variation of yoga, walking, eating, napping, reading, staring at the sea, eating, lounging, swimming, walking, napping, eating, reading, knitting, staring at the moon and the sea, and sleeping.

The good:
A gorgeous room with a spectacular view, wonderful food, great staff. Soft sand. Going barefoot the entire week--I didn't have to wear shoes to go in to the restaurant! Laying on my bed with the windows open, enjoying the view. Laying on lounge chair under a beach cabana, enjoying the view. Enjoying the view while eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. No sunburn! Swimming in delightfully warm water. I can touch my toes without bending my knees. No TV, no shopping, limited internet, no phones. LOVED the technology fast.

The not so good:
Yoga was way more advanced that I expected. The beginner's yoga flow class (Tuesday) had us doing the dolphin pose into an inversion, and some serious twist/lunge thing that makes my shoulder twinge just thinking about it. Sadly I didn't listen to my body well for that first class, so I could barely move for the next day or so. Thank goodness for massage! The moon salutation class (Thursday) that was suppose to be all levels had us doing the wild thing (which I did!) and the twisted trunk pose. I did a better job not pushing myself, and the instructor was a little more helpful in how to adapt the poses,  so I did some way bendier things than I thought I could.

Over a dozen bug bites, 3 bruises from the concrete floor in the yoga hall, sore muscles (but a good sore).

It was a little jarring coming home. The Cancun airport was loud and busy, and after 6 days in blissful paradise it was unpleasant.

The interesting:
A cat welcomed me to the resort after dinner my first night. I think he really wanted to sleep in my cabana, but I wouldn't let him in. I really must have sucker in blazing neon on me!! He got a good ear scratching out of me.

Geckos hanging out on the ceiling of my room. One managed to poop on one of my books (sorry library!).

Sleeping under a mosquito net is cool and dreamy, and eliminates any worry about gecko poop!

Throwing your toilet paper in the trash instead of in the toilet takes some getting used to.

The resort's shampoo and conditioner have honey in them. I really like smelling honey all day. :-D

Eating avocado and fish every day rocks.

Drinking out of a coconut also rocks. And it's fun to see your waiter use a machete to hack a hole in the top of the coconut so you can drink it! I think the machete is underutilized.

Nothing dries! My clothes, my hair, etc all pretty much stayed damp the entire time I was there.

Kundalini meditation....some breathing with different sounds which vibrated in different areas of the body, and some chanting. Apparently serious practitioners wear a turban to keep their skull from flying apart. Thankfully I didn't experience that, but it was kind of wild feeling vibrations in your chest, throat, and forehead and top of the head.

Snorkeling in Yal-Ku lagoon in Akumal. OK, so I did one thing while I was there. This was the only time I left the resort. It's a man-made lagoon about 30 minutes from the resort; I found it to be a bit of a tourist trap, but snorkeling is snorkeling!

We got a pretty good storm front in Wednesday night that stayed the rest of my trip. I actually didn't mind the rain, although I did worry that first night with the thatched roof, which did fine. Water seeped in through the doors and windows though so I had good size puddles in my room. In fact I think there was more water in my room over two days than we've had rain here at home!!

Wildflowers

Oh it's a stellar session for wildflowers here in Central Texas. I took a drive through the hill country to enjoy the show.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Dublin March 2010

I went to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day with my BFF from high school, and two of her friends. We rented an apartment, and just had a blast. I haven't finished labeling the pictures, but here you go.

Vacation

We headed off to the Big Island for a lovely 8 day trip. Since we didn't see the whole island last time, we decided to do the full circuit. We flew into Hilo and headed up to Waimea to see Mauna Kea, then drove back around to Hilo, the volcano and to Kona. It was a bit too much hopping around, but fun to see all the island. We loved going back up to Mauna Kea for astronomy stuff, and it was fun to see more activity at the volcano. And of course relaxing at the beach in Kona and snorkeling was fabulous.

You can check out pictures at: