1/3/16 Greetings from Oz!

For two of the last three years, W has co-led an Elon University course on Sustainability and Ecotourism in Australia. This is a half semester class in the fall, followed by a 23 day adventure in Melbourne, Tasmania, Geelong and more. Now that C is old enough to be left with family for some time (and I have a great job with a reasonable amount of vacation time), I finally get to accompany W on part of the trip. So I'm off to Oz for the 1st - 11th of January, with Gigi and GigiPop Kinkel spending time at our house with one small five year old and a little dog. 

Losing time

We departed from Greensboro airport with our co-teacher and friend, Craig Schmidt. A brief hop to Atlanta and we were off to Los Angeles. We got in our exercise because we headed to the international terminal at LAX, then had to turn around and go back to the United Airlines terminal. We ate dinner at the Rolling Stone Bar & Grill, then met up with the class at our gate at about 6pm Pacific time. Craig and W reminded them of their assignments and then sent them on their way. It was a four hour wait to departure but we stretched, walked, people-watched (cheetah hair) and rested. 

The United flight was on a new Dreamliner, probably the largest and quietest flight I have ever been on. The seats were three across times three and we were in the middle with one of the Elon students. Liftoff was quiet and quick, and dinner arrived fast. Free beer and wine are a nice plus on this journey. I fell asleep watching Spy and slept on and off for the next six hours or so. Upon waking to a very dark plane, I cleaned up, stretched, walked and then explored the entertainment options. I have never taken in that much uninterrupted entertainment at once. 

We landed in Melbourne around 8:30am. After a long wait for luggage and customs, we hopped on a Murray's bus for Melbourne. Ibrahim, our driver, regaled us with his internet conspiracy theories while Craig and I tried to ask him about Melbourne and Australia. 

Lodging - Hotel Ibis Little Bourke Simple, European style accommodations. Very narrow hallways and rooms with lights that only turn on with the key in the inside of the door. We had twin beds on the 9th floor!

First things first - a 2 mile run to try and get some exercise and find W a SIM card for his phone. We ran along the river, through shopping and tourist areas near Lonsdale Street. Clothing here is much more colorful, as is the hair fof both men and women. The post-run shower felt sooooo good. We met up with Craig again and headed to find food. Lunch was Rocket Burger in front of the train station, with fabulous fries. Then we booked it about 2 miles to Melbourne Cricket Grounds. The walk, while hurried, was beautiful. It was along the Yarra River in a park area, with lots of cyclists, families with strollers, street musicians and more. 

Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG) was our first formal adventure in Australia. We met some of the students at 1:15, but about half showed up 25 minutes late. W and I went with the first group, hosted by our guide Mark, while Craig took on the stragglers with Richard. Our guides led us on about a two hour tour of MCG, including the Cricket Club area, Long Room, practice areas, turf and more while a women's big bash tournament was going on featuring the Melbourne Stars vs. the Melbourne Renegades. It appeared that about 400 people were in attendance at the free event, in a stadium that seats 96,000. The day before, the stadium had 90,000 people waiting hours to get in through security to watch the men's Big Bash. We learned all about cricket from Mark (though I had the student's understanding when I referenced the end of Bend it Like Beckam.) It is a nearly all day game, played by multinational teams. 

After the tours, the students took off while we enjoyed a pint and watched more cricket. We then started walking and didn't stop for about two hours. We got W his SIM card, failed at getting sushi, then decided to head to Little Creatures brewery in a farther suburb. Funny surprise that we ran into our flight crew while walking alongside a skate park! Pizza and flights of beer at Little Creatures and then walking to get the free tram home. Total? 14 miles and over 26,000 steps. I fell asleep at 8:55pm!

2015.6.26 BSG in Valle Crucis

Find out you are losing your job? What better way to get away from the stress than head to the NC mountains to support your main guy as he rides 100 miles?

Ok, not really. The ink isn't dry yet, but it is relatively assured that I will be on the wrong end of the conference call chain next week. As it is approximately the 6th time I have been down this road, the pit in my stomach is quite smaller, the ground far less shifty and the fear just a small nagging thought as I progress from wake to sleep. We had this trip planned, and while seven years ago me would have shut it down due to cost, the 40+ year old me said, "let's go to the mountains!"

This morning was your typical day of small child swim lessons and broken AC units, but we finally got C, Harper, the bike and both of us in the car by 11:30am. C and I both fell asleep while W drove. We stopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway at a scenic overlook and woke everyone to use the facilities. A short while later we hopped off the Parkway to head to Boone and realized that we were at the same exit as Phil's cabin from 7 years ago! W remembered the white horse in the mist that I took photos of so many years ago.

Blood, Sweat & Gears registration took place at Valle Crucis Elementary School, right next to a Mast General Store Annex. C and I played on the playground while W took care of his registration transfer. This was originally designed as a big weekend with Arch & Sarah & the boys, but last minute tickets snafus left it with just us. So we found a two bedroom condo in Banner Elk through Air BnB (yay W!!!) The trip there was farther than expected but the view from our barca-lounger dual couch is magnificent.  We threw our stuff down the many wooden stairs to our apartment under a realty office, then hightailed it back over hill and dale to Tweetsie Railroad.

What luck! When you walk up at 45 minutes until closing, they let you walk in for free! We took a ride on some bumper type cars, rode the fastest Ferris Wheel on the East Coast (which no one liked) and even tried out the Tilt-a-Whirl. C loved the latter, laughing hysterically while W took pictures from the stationary ground. We shared a chocolate-covered marshmallow kabob then headed to the Red Onion for dinner. I sent a message to my former rep Mary for introducing us to the place so we didn't have to eat at a chain! We loaded up on carbs of many varieties then took the super scenic (read twisty beyond measure) Route 149 back to Banner Elk, singing Shut Up and Dance, Our Town and most of the original Annie soundtrack. A quick stop at the Kangaroo left little to be desired in terms of adult beverages, but that's ok - we have peanut butter fudge and satellite tv. A storm is rolling in outside the window....better go watch it.

2015.1.19 Travels with C - Good-bye Charleston

We woke on Monday morning with W deep into illness, up most of the night coughing. C and I decided to get some food, so we ran the 2 miles to Dunkin Donuts....an adventure along cool paths and downtown streets of Charleston.

When we came home we saw the news that told us that the Charleston Marathon was officially over on distance due to a missed turn. 

Wally ended up qualifying by about 30 seconds, but will run again in Maryland in March to really enter the Boston Marathon.

Long uneventful ride home....goodbye Charleston!

2015.1.18 Travels with the Boys - Charleston - recovery day

Sunday saw C almost back to normal, downing a quality hotel breakfast of waffles, fruit and more. While I am normally a huge fan of the new Starbucks-style grab and go cafe's found in most Courtyards, the full buffet was a welcome respite this morning. During our preparations, C watched his first ever full episode of Sesame Street. He even got up and danced with the PBS Kids Smart Cat during commercials.

The day brought a boat trip to Ft. Sumter, cold but beautiful. C wasn't interested in listening to the tour guide but he was fascinated by the cannons. We have really kept him away from almost all violence thus far. He doesn't really understand concepts like war or enemies, but cannons? He just knows he likes them. We picked up a Jr. Ranger exam and spent much of the return boat ride home getting the answered filled it, with C writing in 1829 and pentagon where needed. We were treated with two dolphins playing off the bow of the boat.

As walking wasn't part of the plan, we decided it would be a great afternoon for a horse-drawn carriage ride. We bought our tickets, then stopped for a pint at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub. C flirted with the bartender and ate a cookie until it was time to leave. Unfortunately our tour oversold but they got us into another company's tour within 15 minutes. The next hour was a lovely trip through the historic neighborhoods of Charleston, including Market, High St, the French Quarter and the Battery. Our horse was a beautiful and feisty black and white named Carolina. C thought she looked like Oreo, the PY3 bunny at school.

We tried to eat at Coast, one of my favorite haunts from work days with BHC. Unfortunately their kitchen didn't open for 30 minutes so we hit King Street in search of food. End result? Juanita Greenberg's Nacho Royale...seriously. Chips and guac, some yummy margaritas and good food. Nothing fancy just good and lots. Gelato at Pablos and back to the hotel to watch the Patriots crush the Colts.

Interesting reading of the day? The paper reported that the lead car in the marathon made a wrong turn inbetween miles 1 and 2 of the course. They are currently trying to get the course recertified and make corrections to the finish times. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

2015.1.17 Travels with the Boys - Charleston - The Big Day

Beautiful weather, full night of sleep, and just a few follow up coughing fits leftover from the flu. What more could one need when trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon for the third time? 

W was up and out the door for the 8am start, while I tried to wrestle a still-not-quite 100% C out the door. The course ran right by our hotel but we missed W by about 30 seconds. Luckily I saw the warm-up jacket he had tossed onto the hotel grass, picked it up and started the dash across the island. It took some creativity to dash with C in the Bob across the road, still full of many runners, and start the 1.2 mile dash to King Street. We made it just as the pace car and lead runners came through. Less than 10 minutes later, there was W...looking great! C and I then ran against traffic down King, cheering on the runners, getting some calls of 'you are going the wrong way' and 'go momma.' We enjoyed cheering encouragement and getting some whoop, whoops for the great weather. A quick trip into Harris Teeter and we were restocked with breakfast, candy, supplies and signage gear. Round trip back to the hotel for a total of 4 miles to start. 

Then we hopped into the car and drove up the highway to the finish line. C and I then sprinted around the course, cheering W and our MRC friend, Josh Cox, as they ran by miles 20 & 22. Everything looked good though W seemed to be having a tough go. Interesting note - one volunteer who I saw three times reported that the course was measuring long. C and I stopped our run at one intersection to give out LifeSavers and high fives....so much fun! I highly recommend it. 

I stood at mile 25.8 waiting to see our guy. And waited...and worried...and waited some more. Then I ran back to mile 25 to see if he was coming. I waited too long. When I finally saw him, I said 'dig deep babe' and kept up with him as he did, then he rounded the corner and the stroller was just too much. I was hoping as he rounded the finish, but I saw in his eyes that today was not his day. Was it the flu that hit last week? Was it too warm? Had he cracked? After he had his picture taken and collected his medal, he walked up to me and said, "26.67? Seriously? I kept waiting for the finish and it never came." W finished at 26:14, a personal record but 1 minute and 14 seconds outside of a BQ. He missed his goal by less than 75 seconds.

I held back my emotions and bit my tongue. Runners are always lamenting the difference between their finish distances and the course actuals. GPS watches are notoriously incorrect as Runners' World has repeatedly reported. But as we walked, and waited for our friend, many folks around us were murmuring the same type of disbelief. W recovered quickly (and honestly, he looked the best of the finish of any of his three races) and we slowly walked over to cheer for Josh as he completed a PR finish. 

Back to the car and then to the hotel. It was a quiet ride, followed by a quiet lunch of leftover pizza. C was bouncing off the walls at this point and still barely eating. I crawled into his little couch bed with him while still in my running clothes. Then came a first, he clutched my hand and fell asleep. We have kept C out of our bed deliberately since he was a baby and couldn't get him to sleep with us if we wanted to. But today, he did. Everyone napped for about an hour, then we set out in the Courtyard van for some sustenance. Molly Darcy's was the recommendation for a good pub. We relaxed and taught C how to play foosball, then caught up with Josh. Some good gelato and we all hit the hay. Tomorrow would come quickly with a 4 year old in the room. It was time for sleep. Decisions would come later. 

2015.1.16 Travels with the boys - Charleston

9pm at night and the cleaning staff at the Waterfront Courtyard Marriott has just left. C is finally down to sleep, and W is putting the finishing touches on his prep for the Charleston Marathon. The weather couldn't be better for W's third go-round with a BQ.

It was a relatively uneventful trip down here. The car took off around 9am and only hit a few traffic stops out of Greensboro. We traversed back rounds and listened to C being read books via the iPad (and snore) until a lunchtime stop at Firehouse in Florence. We enjoyed some funny stares as we stretched on the sidewalk, then hopped back in the car for a sunny drive down to Charleston.

After checking in we quickly bundled up the man in the BOB and ran the 1.2 miles to the expo. W found his bib (#83) and grabbed his gear. While I was trying on new Newtons, Josh found us. I so love our running community that allows us to find friends at nearly every event! We wrapped it up and ran back past the Citadel stadium to our hotel, just in time to catch the sunset. A quick change, snack for C...remember this later...and out the door for some pizza.

Carb loading is definitely NOT needed for a 5 or 10k, but it is highly recommended the night before a marathon. Over the bridge we found a funky version of the typical Mellow Mushroom; it was once an old theater! Lucky us it was restaurant week so we ordered 2 appetizers, pizza and dessert for 30 bucks. But something was definitely amiss. C is normally a pretzel hound and he wouldn't touch them. He even put his head in my lap and moaned that he wanted his pizza. When it finally came he ate two bites and said he was full. I finally got him to eat by holding him while he watched the team toss some pies in the air. We were so desperate to have him eat that we let him dig into our cookie sundae.

Fast forward to the bedtime routine at the hotel and he says he just feels icky and tired. I read to him a bit and tried to prep him for getting horizontal when he suddenly lurched up. Well, by the time he realized what was coming we were halfway between the bedroom and bathroom of our 1 bedroom suite. Poor guy. We now believe that the milk that was in the crazy, keep anything cold thermos had probably not stayed cold enough. So his afternoon snack was really a recipe for sick and cranky kid. Three minutes after baptizing our carpet and he's smiling, eating dry cereal and asking to be read to. At least it happened early in the night and not in the car or the bed. Plenty of time for W to get his game face on. Third time is a charm!!!

2014.5.25 - Disney with C - Day 2 at Animal Kingdom

The alarm went off way too early, and I headed to the hotel gym to pound out 3 miles and lift some weights. C slept until 630 and was just eating some breakfast when I arrived back at the hotel. We had some breakfast inside and some on the screened in porch of room 3163. Then we headed out into the heat to the park. C was so excited to see the entrance gates again. We paid our 17 bucks and drove into the mass craziness that is Disney parking.

First stop, figuring out our tickets and getting our fingerprint. Wow! Disney has come a long way since we were here in 1998.  Then we wandered through the vegetation to Kilimanjaro Safari. We hopped right on courtesy of the fast passes, and jumped into the last row of the bus. We saw hippos, crocodiles, elephants, rhinos and lions and got stuck in a giraffic jam!!!  C was worried that we would fall out of the bus but had fun overall.

Other items of note:
- Pangani Forest Exploration Trail - perhaps one of the only things I remember from our honeymoon visit...the gorillas that sleep against the glass. We also saw monkeys, turtles, and a glow in the dark scorpion.

- shopping expedition to get Colin a fan sprayer...the one item he wanted to purchase with his Disney Dollars

- Tree of Life viewing and photos

- Finding Nemo the Musical - this was a wonderful 40 minute musical performed by live actors with puppets, similar to the full length Lion King musical. C loved that the performers moved through the crowds, especially the jellyfish and Marlin and Dory. When bubbles were shot from the ceiling, his face lit up. (Unfortunately the plot of the short musical was the same as the movie, and caused just as much of a sleeping issue as our brief dalliance with the movie three months ago. Lesson learned.)

- Character Greeting with Safari Mickey and Minnie - worth the FastPass. He ran right up to them both and gave huge hugs, then smiled for his pictures. Even better that he got to high five King Louie and Baloo as they walked by outside.

- Kali River Rapids - once out of FastPasses, we had to wait about an hour for this ride. C was a champ, even though we were skipping his nap. He got into the boat and strapped in, mouth wide open as he took in the illegal logging camp around us. W and C bore the brunt of the splashes, coming out soaking wet. He loved it!

- Last adventure for the day - Rafiki's Planet Watch - a brief open air train ride to the Conservation Station, an educational area with vet facilities, lots of creepy crawlies, a character visit with Rafiki and a small goat, pig, cow petting zoo. C has been to these before so his big thrill was getting to dance and play with Chip and Dale for about 10 minutes.

We hopped onto the train to return to Discovery Island, pausing to look at an anteater and some turtles along the way. Dinner was at the pool after a brief swim session for C and W. Then off to bed...

2014.5.24 Disney with C - Day 1

A brave adventure...Disney world with a four year old. And we're off!

The day started with a leisurely noon flight from the new Southwest terminal at RDU. C sat next to the windows, eating his Annie's Bunny-Os while watching flights land and depart. He earned many of his coveted 'Disney Dollars' for good behavior.

After an uneventful flight with 20 minutes of napping for Colin, we found our way to the Marriott Vacation Club Harbour Lakes. Wow! We chose the right location. Two unique splash parks - one with a pirate ship with slides and the other with a water slide and splash area with two dousing buckets. Our room wasn't ready yet so we wandered around the property and then headed for Downtown Disney. No nap? No problem!

W and I spent our honeymoon at Disney in 1998, so we remembered a bit about the area. But we stayed on property that time, so parking and driving around the park was new to us. Funny that as we pulled the car right in front of Downtown Disney, "Let It Go" started playing on the radio. C was grinning from ear to ear as he sang and watched the big balloon go up and down behind Planet Hollywood. We arrived just in time to pick up our tickets at Guest Services, then make our 4:30pm reservation at Splitsville Lanes. While we did not bowl, C pulled his chair right next to the last lane and decided he was eating there. Pizza, milk and applesauce for him? Sushi and drinks for us. Very nice! This tells me we definitely need to take him bowling at home. C was fascinated by the bowling and remarked 'we have to come here all of the time.'

We walked around a bit, people watching and looking at the wonders of Downtown Disney. There is a lot of construction (dream building) going on, including a new food truck rodeo going in this summer. And Pleasure Island is nearly all closed, awaiting many revisions over the next year.

Then we headed home and C and I played on the pirate ship while W transported our stuff into the hotel room. He went down water slide tunnels and enjoyed general fun for a quick fifteen minutes. Then dad picked us up and we drive over to the room. Two bed, 2 bath....glorious! The rolled pillows in the rooms reminded C of 'candy'. C took a quick shower then into his bed of pillows. Dad read him a story while I hit up the grocery for important provisions. We had a beverage and then off to bed.

Day 7 - Heroes, near misses and clubs.

Friday in Prague and I once again played hooky from the company visits. I visited a memorial to the bravery of the Czech people during WWII and the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. Then I wandered downtown to do se shopping, picking up some goodies for my nieces at the Lego museum. More walking and picture taking followed, and then lunch of a gigantic baguette with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, as well as a rustic French fry dish with some kind of cheesy gravy on top. I have no idea what it was, but it was delicious. Beer goes down so well with lunch!

The group came back from the company visit and people headed their separate ways for the afternoon. Tina, Judy, Robert, Anu and I went to Hard Rock Cafe because they wanted to continue their tradition. Since I had already eaten I just drank a beer and people watched. (only tina could get me to a hard rock cafe!) After lunch Robert and I headed downtown to rent bicycles at Bike Prague.


What an adventure! Cobblestone streets, narrow walkways, lots of turning around and switchbacks, and even one run in with a car. We were riding on a sidewalk next to a high courtyard wall as there was no space between the trolleys and the curb. Suddenly a Mercedes Benz wagon pulled out of an archway right in front of me. No time to really brake so I hit his front quarter panel and sent my bike askew. I stayed upright through sheer will. The driver was a bit freaked and Robert just about had a heart stack but all was fine. We kept going and rode all over lesser town. There was consideration given to traveling to the top of the hill to get to the miniature Eiffel Tower, but the hill was too much for our sad mountain bikes and rubbery legs. A set of statues at the park showed a man in varying stages with pieces missing, signifying the impact of Communism on people's lives. Next Robert and I hefted our bikes up over our shoulders and up the stairs onto the Charles Bridge, which dates from the 1300's. It is filled with artists and street vendors and is pedestrian only. Back to the hotel and off to dinner.

Fast forward two hours and the group took two cabs across into lesser town with the intention of eating Thai at Noi. Without a reservation we were subject to the wrath of a rather bitchy server. So we ended up at a Mediterranean place a few doors down, Luka Lu. We sat in a sort of treehouse suspended above a lovely courtyard. Several folks complained that the food was bland but I really enjoyed my risotto with chicken and sundried tomatoes. We wandered around as a large group getting gelato and trying to go to bars. Then things splintered. First we were sent to U Prince to wait for the rest of the group. Then Melissa and I joined David, Lauren, Wendy and Jessica in a basement bar with some graphic artwork, illicit smoke and lots of graffiti. Then we headed to Roxy in Josefov where we danced to house and trance music while watching young Czechs dance like maniacal zombies in worship of the DJ. I confirmed that I am too old to go clubbing. ;)

Day 8 - Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, boat ride and Boom

Morning broke on our bus ride with Merrick across the river into Lesser Town. At Prague Castle we started in the second courtyard and moved into St. Vitus' Cathedral. It was finished in the early 1900's and is an example of gothic architecture. The architects put themselves into the design as statuary.

Walked inside and saw the stained glass and the tomb of St. Wenceslas., made completely of silver. Then we walked into the Old Royal Palace, with its large reception hall used for everything from dinners to jousting tournaments. We also saw the room where the defenestrations took place that started the thirty years war. Then we moved into the gallery with portraits of the Hapsburgs including Joseph and his mother Maria Teresa (mother of 16). Out via the horse stairway and into the courtyard again.

Next came the shopping area called the Golden Lane. Rumor is that alchemists lived here but in reality people worked with gold. Later artists saved the area from being torn down. Frank Kafka lived in the blue house at #22. We passed through the little houses and displays to the courtyard with the statue of a naked boy. The whole statue is black except for his privates which are gold from people rubbing it for luck. After came the changing of the guard and lunch at Restaurant Vikarka, open since 1360. Schnitzel and mashed potatoes, soup and beer for me. Yum! Goulash for everyone else.

It was about 85 degrees as we walked down through the shops to the Charles Bridge, stopping to take pictures at the Lennon wall and the site that recorded floods. We walked across the bridge and about 75% of us decided to go for a boat ride, complete with ice cream and beer. Our tour guide spoke in English and german about the sites along the river. It was nice but between the heat and the late night, I nearly fell asleep.

We shopped through Indian stores and local fare like manufacktura for more presents for the family. Drinks in the lobby and out to Lemon Leaf for dinner.

We had a wonderful Thai meal with about 12 of us while Anu and Sal has the fish pedicure. Bob gave a toast and we gave Judy and Tina their gifts. The evening wrapped up at Boom with gelato and back at the hotel to watch soccer with about 75% of the group.

Day 6 - wandering in the rain in Praha

Started the morning with a run down to the water. It was quiet and overcast. Once again I ran to the bridges then got a bit off track, only to find myself in front of the Lego museum! I sprinted through Wenceslas Square and back to the hotel in time for breakfast with some colleagues. A few envied my playing hooky. I spoke to Merrick, our guide, to find out where we would be headed to for our full day tour on Saturday. We agreed that Old Town and the Jewish quarter would be a good place for me to visit today. A quick shower and out into the rain to go explore.First I headed to Tesco to get chocolates for our friend Caleb (he taught English here a while back). It was huge, basically a department store. I tried to take a photo in the grocery section and got busted by security. When I came out of the front, I found myself back at the Lego museum so I did some browsing.Fast forward through 20 or so minutes of walking, I was finding Prague and the weather a bit dismal (sort of like London on Boxing Day). I was enjoying getting lost but taking very few pictures because it was raining too hard and I was handling my umbrella, backpack and guidebook. (International access on he iPhone would have helped here). Hot chocolate and free Internet at au gourmand in old town and I was refreshed and ready to go.Bought a ticket and climbed all the way up into the old Clocktower. I was able to see all sides of Prague, as well as be there for the playing of the trumpet at 12 noon from all four sides of Clock tower. W would have really liked to see this. I took photos of some British tourists and they returned the favor. Afterwards I paid the equivalent of 10 cents to use the WC and almost got stuck inside with an unwieldy lock. Then I continued to wander through Jewish town and went into the old new synagogue. There was no photography allowed inside. It is amazing that they're today less than 6000 Jews left in Prague after all of the progroms from the end of the 19 century through World War II. These ancient pieces of history all around the Jewish quarter are surrounded by high-end stores like Elie Saab, Gucci, Marina Rinaldi, and more. Odd. Everything is negotiable in Prague, exchange rates, tour fees, everything. I got rid of my Euros and change and got 500 off my audible tour guide through the museums by accident. Went to two money exchanges near the clock tower to get three different rates that ranged by 200 czn or $10. It's crazy how the prices increase as you near the museums. There are lots of street vendors. I had to navigate through them while visiting the many areas that make up the Jewish History museum. More later on the museums...I sobbed at the exhibit of children's art from the camps. Things are so different when I put things in perspective as a parent. It also made me miss my boys. That and seeing all of the little cutely clad munchkins wrapped up against the rain today.Visited a store that had some cute art of cats and picked up a present for someone in the family. Actually met the artist too! On to visit some of Zane Lamprey's haunts....poor W....so wish he could be here. U Vejvodu - home of the beer hall and the stinky cheese. I walked in to find two crusty guys at the bar. They referred me to David, the designated English speaker. He questioned my ordering of beer cheese informing me that it had a "strong smell." Bring it! Yummy! Cheese, onions and mustard, big farmhouse bread and a large Pilsner Urquell. Writing my blog and people watching. Walked back to the hotel to catch up with the group just getting off of the bus.

Day 3: Yamamay, shipping, Duomo and dinner

Day three in Milan found our group visiting the first of many companies. Yamamay is an Italian company that manufactures swimwear and underwear for women, children and men. Gallarate is a small town about 45 minutes northwest of Milan. The company headquarters are housed in a 10 story or so, modern building in the middle of suburbia. Reportedly most Italians don't come into work until around 9 AM so we were a bit early for visit. We waited in the lobby for about 20 to 30 minutes until all of the marketing and public relations staff arrived. We were escorted into a small very modern training classroom that houses the YamAcademy, and also has a small training display store. Company professionals with varying degrees of English language mastery walked us through the marketing plan, impressive 10% year on year sales growth, and production capabilities. Afterwords we walked through the design studios and met with employees and interns. Interesting to note that the company says it was inspired by Victoria's Secret, but many of their bath and body products bear a striking resemblance to what is currently offered in the Pink line.

We left Yamamay at a little after 11 and headed back on the bus with our tour guide Barbara. Back at the hotel it was a tossup between exhaustion and hunger, but hunger won out and five of us walked the short distance to a small café that served pizza, Panini, and sushi! We had a bit of a problem with the language barrier but overall it was a good experience and we left the restaurant refreshed and ready for the next adventure. Anu, Melissa and I wandered around shopping at Zara, a toy store and Yamamay. Then we headed back to the hotel to meet up with the group to try and plan our evening.

Robert, Bob, Anu, Melissa, Ashley, Mark, and I put on our walking shoes and headed towards the Duomo. While on our arrival day we had gone inside the Duomo, today our goal was to go climb up to the top of it. For seven euros you could climb the 260+ stairs, or for €12 you could take an elevator all the way to the top. We chose the former. The view overlooking Milan was absolutely stunning. We took pictures from lots of angles, and wandered along the center top of the roofline. Tina had challenged us earlier in the day to do something completely different and this was definitely it! Afterwards we bought gelato and wandered around shopping.  Some of the group went back to the hotel so that they could get ready for the opera at La Scala.  Melissa and I went on a hunt for a jacket at the Zara across town.  While it was successful, we got caught in the rain on our way back.  With no umbrellas, we were soaked by the time we reached the hotel.  

After cleaning up, we headed back to the same restaurant from our first night - Restaurante Romani. Bobo saw the six of us (Tina, Bob, Mark, Judy, Melissa and I) and immediately began taking care of our table. It was a very different experience from the prix fixe menu from Sunday.  Bobo started us with prosecco, calamari and caprese salad.   We ordered family style and shared risotto Milanese, gnocchi, a veal dish,  spaghetti, and grilled vegetables. Um wow! We had to order seconds of the spaghetti and gnocchi.  Dinner was filled with raucous laughter that had a few of the Italian patrons shooting death stares at us.  Tina felt so full that she took off her belt and placed it on the table, eliciting lots of commentary.    The meal was complete after some homemade limoncello and cherry vanilla ice cream, both on the house.  We tipped Bobo generously while confusing the heck out of the woman ringing up the checks.  I also apologized to our English neighbor for causing such a ruckus.   Back at the hotel for a drink and then off to bed.

Day 2: Como, Bellagio and Lugano

Day two of the trip found us with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. It had everything from antipasti to yogurt to mountains of Nutella.

We departed on the bus from the hotel at 9 AM. It took us approximately 1 hour to drive to our ferry stop at Lake Como. Highlight of the morning: getting yelled at by an Italian for being stupid Americans; we were on a pier taking pictures and weighed too much. We grabbed waters and coffees at an overpriced café right on the waterfront and then stood in line for the ferry.

What came next was several hours that I never expected to experience, traveling up the Western side of the lake, stopping at quaint vacation spots and drooling over villas tha could only be described as the Italian version of Newport. Our destination was the seaside town of Bellagio, where we ate lunch of white fish and pizza at Baba Yaga. The town is set on the side of a hill and lined by cobblestone streets. Shops beckoned but the gelato won out. The bakery owner gave me a postcard with a picture of his father on it. The store opened in 1919. Then most of the MBA class stood in line in a small, single owner shop that sold cheap scarves and amazing leather bags. We panicked at the time, flying to catch our boat, only to have our guide Andrea deadpan 'boat is gone.'

Das corraled us under the trees while we waited another 25 minutes for another ferry to take us across the water to catch our bus. The road was made up of 45 minutes of switchbacks and insane passes and the journey ended in Lugano, Switzerland. We only had an hour to visit but we are the only MBA class to make it to three countries in one trip! All of the stores were closed at 4:30 on a Sunday. Instead we admired dogs, the Mojito bar, francs, and watches. (BTW...you need a password to get into the restroom in Burger King).We climbed in the bus and most everyone slept the entire hour back.

 For dinner we went to L'isola del Teatro for Italian food. Lots of confusion and some interesting interpretations of food later (including my dinner smiling at me). We wandered home to bed.

Day 1: off to Milano

Although I recently graduated from the MBA program at Elon, the program allows you to travel for the international business trip for the following semester after graduation. I took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and decided to go with the group to Milan and Prague. Currently searching for jobs right now so why not. The only downside of this trip is being away from the boys for 10 days.

We took off from RDU airport at about 215 in the afternoon, 15 of us including our trip adviser, Judy, and our professor, Tina. We flew to JFK airport and then departed for Milan Italy at 6:15 at night. For the most part it was an uneventful eight hour journey over the ocean, punctuated only by rude talkers in the middle of the night. Despite two glasses of wine, two Benadryl, and the movie The Vow, I slept about an hour. Our bedraggled crew landed in Milan at about 830 in the morning and met our tour guide Andreas. It was about a 45 minute ride into downtown Milan. We parked our bus by one of the largest, oldest castles in Italy, and walked over to a café to get some breakfast. Then it was off to the Duomo, which was overwhelming and its size and its beauty. We had several hours off in the afternoon we walked around in small groups, most of us getting gelato and a sandwich along the way. The gelato here is absolutely amazing! Our small group went to a museum where we had the chance to see many of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings as well as several famous paintings. Then we met up with our group to see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. I was very surprised to find that it wasn't actually a painting hanging on the wall but was a mural painted on a wall in a crumbling church. The church was bombed during WwI, but luckily two walls stayed standing including the one which contain the Last Supper.

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon we finally made iabout he Hotel Dei Cavalieri about two blocks off of the Duomo Square. The rooms are small but functional and very clean. Our room looks out over the square and a large statue of a man on a horse. After checking one of my colleagues and I went for a run around the castle and through the park. We stopped to take pictures at the Arch and then ran back. It was great dodging people and running on cobblestones and just feeling light and unencumbered by luggage. After shower I feel like 1 million bucks. The group then walked across the street to a little Italian restaurant where we were served very capably by Bobo. Most of the group declined the sodas that were included with the meal, so the server substituted in wine without any extra charge. Bonus! I was treated to some of the freshest, most wonderful pasta I've ever in my life. A glass of wine later and it was off to bed.

2011.1.9 Travels with C - Day 4

Our last full day in the Keys! We joined Butch, Raye and Wendy for breakfast at Galley Grill on Summerland. C ate an entire pancake to the shock of the family. (We're used to it!)

2010.1.8 Travels with C - Day 3

C slept all night and woke at about 6:30am, ready for food. We once again lolled in bed for half an hour, giggling and rolling with the man. Breakfast saw him chowing scrambled eggs, banana and English muffin. He is so wound up and interested in all that is going on that he really doesn't want to nap here. He finally fell asleep around 10am while I was out on a run. W had to walk him up and down the hall until he was sleepy.

Once he woke up, we all got on Butch & Raye's boat for a cruise out to Picnic Island. It's a teeny tiny island in the Atlantic that offers a few feet of beach, some greenery and a nice place to park a boat. We stopped so that C could dip his butt in the ocean, eat some sand and watch dogs play in the water. We snacked on cheese and crackers and cracked a bevvie. C's favorite part was sitting in Butch's lap and pretending to 'drive' the boat. While he didn't mind it on the way there, the slightly-oversized life preserver bugged him to no end on the way back. Raye kept him occupied, as did some multi-grain cheerios!

He was exhausted by the time we arrived home and fell asleep feeding. ;)

2010.1.7 Travels with C - Day 2

C slept all night last night! Thank heaven for small favors. It wasn't really expected as he only took about two hours of his normal four hours of nap yesterday. But he woke us up at 6am with a hungry belly. I fed him and we lolled about in bed for forty-five minutes before getting up and greeting the family for breakfast. C amused everyone with his banana eating (or demolishing.) Then W took off with Butch for a round of golf at the Key West Golf Course and I went out with C in the Bob for a 3 mile jaunt. He stayed awake for the entire run around Summerland Key, as well as the mini-mart stop for some refreshments. (No caffeine-free diet coke...rats.)

Despite the lull of the stroller and the overlong period between sleeps, the man would NOT go to sleep this morning. Grandma had to sit on the porch to stop herself from going in to get him. Finally after a feeding, he fell asleep.

It's about 70 and partly sunny here. Can't wait to get outside again. Must see things on this visit (limited time and options with C - but we'll find a way)...

• Shopping at Summerland Sandal
• Dinner at Parrotdise
• Drink a 'green thing' or two! from Jimmy at the truck bar at Sunset Ceremony (see photo)
• Lunch at Hurricane Hole
• Lunch or Dinner at No Name Pub - Try to see some of the elusive Key Deer on the way to or from
• Open some Christmas presents! The tree is exploding with gifts!!!

After some good napping for C and some time on the front porch, Raye and I took off to meet the guys at Hurricane Hole in Key West. (Wendy had a job interview.) C downed some mahi-mahi fish bites while we waited for the boys to finish their golf game. Then he proceeded to eat half of my quesadilla and a couple of sweet potatoe fries from Raye's plate. Butch took him on a tour of the marina so he could look at the pelicans. Then we went back home for more nap time.

After C's nap, we loaded up two cars and headed up to Little Torch Key and Parrotdise. C was once again the man for protein, eating a bunch of W's fish, as well as veggies and pasta. Parrotdise has a great happy hour so we had a few beverages and enjoyed watching the water, the people and the little man. Back at home we finally opened Christmas presents! Raye finally discovered the joys of online shopping this year and had completely outdone herself. C got his new carseat, TONS of baby Patriots gear, a Patriots hat and some onesies. W was given a bunch of nice shirts and a set of cuff-links from Charles Tyrwitt. And I have some great stuff coming to the house from Boden!

Off to bed for more adventures in the morning!

2010.1.6 Travels with C - Part 1

Each January for the past ten or so years, we've journeyed from wherever we are living to visit W's parents in the Florida Keys. They live in Summerland Key, which is at Mile Marker 25. For those who haven't visited the Keys before, MM 0 is in Key West and the mile markers ascend the further you go up towards Miami. So when you tell someone you live at MM 25, they know you live about a half an hour up the Keys from Key West.

Last year when we were here at this time, I was about thirty weeks pregnant with C. And although I enjoyed the visit, it was rough not being able to enjoy the Key West lifestyle. Kayaking was awkward, running was a chore and the Duval 'crawl' was...well....dry. I did get a lot of great pictures last year, including one of the 'Southernmost preggie lady.' And W always had a designated driver!

Yesterday we took off from home at about 8:30am to take C to the airport for his first plane ride and visit to the Keys! We were armed with a bottle, paci, toys, blankets, the Bob, the Ergo, and with wild hope that all would go smoothly. Getting through security was a breeze and the Southwest terminal was calm. C played on the floor and flirted with ladies and other little kids. When we boarded, their were enough empty seats to give C and his carseat a space with us. He was happy while we waited to taxi. Then the captain announced that there was a sensor going off. About an hour later and a bad alternator later, we had to deplane back to the terminal. The Southwest team did right by us and got us all on another plane in under forty-five minutes. Still all calm from the C man!

We took off about two hours after our original departure. C was happily munching on a banana and some O's. Then with a little coaxing he fell asleep for an hour and fifteen minutes. He played in our laps while we descended and never let out a peep. No ear issues. No crying. Wow - I hope it's always that easy!

We landed in Fort Lauderdale, changed the man while waiting for luggage and scooted out to the rental car area. Then into the SUV for a three or so hour drive down the Keys. The man ate O's and some cheese and chilled out for 90% of the ride. The sunset over Marathon was gorgeous. It looked like someone was painting rivulets of pink and orange water in the sky. C started getting fussy at about 20 miles to go. It didn't help that I gave him a bottle of water that was not closed correctly; he was soaked when we arrived! Poor baby.

But eventually we reached the house on First Street and got lots of hugs from Grandma and Pop and Aunt Wendy. C got cleaned up and then we all ate spaghetti dinner. Raye rented a highchair and a crib from a local outfit in the Keys, which worked out great! C is sleeping in the laundry room and so far it works!

Spring Break 2009 - Day 4

March 29th, 2009

Sunday was our last day in the mountains and as the weather finally cooperated, we decided to head back to the Cascade waterfalls off of the parkway. It goes without saying that the view was completely different!












Great trip overall! Thanks to Phil & Susie for the use of the cabin...

Spring Break 2009 Day 3

March 28th, 2009

On Saturday, we woke up to somewhat clear skies so we decided to head to Grandfather Mountain. This is a privately owned mountain that mimics a national park, complete with bears, river otters, deer and eagle preserve. We did stop and visit with the bears. It was so foggy and wet that you could barely see them atop a bunch of boulders! Then we stopped at the store for some fudge.

By the time we finished with the bears, it was pouring down rain and blowing at about 60mph...not really conducive to exploring atop the Mile High Bridge! You can see my photo at left. Click on this link to see what it looks like when it's clear! W braved the winds to cross it but I had to turn back at about a third of the way across - the winds and the lack of visibility caused some serious vertigo. Next time....

We slowly made our way back into Blowing Rock, passing by 'Forrest Gump' curve on the way down. (Check out 2:53 - 59 in the clip.) Too bad we didn't have the Mini!

We warmed up and dried off at Six Pence Pub while watching Maryland get...um....hosed by the official during the MD / UVA lacrosse game. That would be the nice way to put it. A little shopping downtown and we headed back to the cabin to check up on the puppies. It was still raining but we saw a ton of waterfalls on Route 105 on the way back. This is definitely an area to return to for great photos!

For dinner we tried Peppers in Boone, an unassuming restaurant in a shopping center. It came highly recommended as a cool little bar which was non-smoking and had live entertainment. (Non-smoking is a rarity in the High Country unfortunately.) We hung out and listened to the band for awhile, then satisfied our sweet tooth at Marble Slab, rented a movie (Wanted) and headed back to the cabin. Magic Hat and Oreo's on the futon while the puppies played ball.