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Eat. Pray? Love?

Sunday, January 19th, 2014

Eat. Shop. Watch.

That might be a better title for our trip to the US for Xmas.  We went to visit my aunt who lives in Florida to meet up with my parents to spend the holidays with family in a warmer climate.  It was a well needed break from the winter weather that already started here.

The trip went by so fast, but gave us a little reminder of life in the US.  I haven’t been back in 14 months, and Eric even longer.  It was a little surprising how fast you can forget little things like the fact that shops are not only open every day (even some on Christmas!), but also early and late.  There are so many choices in what to eat and what to buy that it’s nearly impossible to decide.  We first restocked our closets with new clothes and shoes.  Then we “restocked” ourselves with movies in English and every sort of food from steaks to bagels.  One night the family even made a seafood buffet with lobster, crab, scallops, and shrimp – not something we get very often in the mountains.

The weather didn’t cooperate much for beach days, but we did manage to find a sunny afternoon in Key Biscayne and Miami.  After a relaxing week, it was back home to winter with full suitcases and full stomachs.  Thanks to my aunt for letting us stay!

Here are the spoils from a good day of hunting:

Posted in Living Abroad, Travel, US | 1 Comment »

Big Trees

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

After the excitement of the century ride, we decided to take some time off and enjoy the extended summer weather we are lucky enough to get here in California.  We thought about going to Yosemite camping, but decided to head for Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Parks instead.  We had never been to either one and they are a little closer to Southern California.

It turned out to be a great decision.  These parks don’t get as many visitors, so it’s pretty easy to find yourself completely alone on a hiking trail.  It’s a shame that more people don’t visit, because the scenery is beautiful.  The star attractions are the sequoia trees.  It’s hard to describe how tiny you feel standing next to them, and it’s amazing to think about all the things that have happened in the last 1,000 to 2,000 years while they’ve been growing.

Besides the trees, there are also great views of the mountains and canyons, and so many trails that you hike for weeks and not repeat them.

Here’s a view of something else that was on the trails with us, along with a giant sequoia.

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Century

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Eric and I have been into cycling for a while now – both as fans of professional races and riding on our own for fun.  For some reason though, I’ve always had this notion that you can’t really call yourself a cyclist until you’ve done a century ride (that’s 100 miles… yes, in one day).  We’ve done some 50 mile “fun rides,” but nothing else even close.  We made the decision early in the summer that we needed a goal help us get in shape and a century ride seemed like a good way to motivate us.  With that in mind, we signed up for the OC Wheelmen’s Amtrak Century.  It’s a 100 mile ride from Irvine to San Diego, where you board a train and ride home in style.

After 10 weeks of training, the big day arrived.  We started out with the sunrise and cruised into Mission Bay around 3:30.  Our actual riding time was about 7 hours (total was longer including the stops for snacks and lunch) and we averaged 14 mph.  This time was a lot faster than most of our training rides, so I think there is something to the adrenaline that kicks in when you’re riding with lot of other people – my first peloton.

This ride was much better than I expected.  We trained just the right amount, the scenery along the coast was fantastic, and the food at the rest stops was  much tastier than the energy bars we normally eat on training rides.  I won’t deny that I was pretty tired at the end, but the feeling of accomplishment kept me going on the train home where everyone broke out coolers to celebrate with some more good food and drink.  I’m hooked now and actually thinking of doing it again.

Here’s the final distance from bike computer (the extra is from a wrong turn I took as well a few detours to the rest stops).

Posted in US | 1 Comment »

Can you canoe?

Monday, July 5th, 2010

As I mentioned in the last blog, the travel bug is hard to cure.  We decided we needed another weekend away and some friends provided a great excuse. They were heading to Vegas, so of course, we were too.  Being in a hotel again seemed so familiar and I fell right back into travel mode.  But the bonus this time was that I could bring all the clothes I wanted (and for a Vegas weekend at the pool, tables, restaurants, and cocktail bars that can be quite a few outfits).

I also discovered my new favorite large scale outdoor sculpture (my old one was Puppy in Bilbao) – this one at the new Vdara and Aria:

blog-canoe.JPG

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Days of Wine and… Soup

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

When we moved back into the house after our travels, the one thing that wasn’t in working condition was the wine fridge.  Apparently the renter had turned it off and let it sit for a year. It didn’t come back to life when we fired it up.  After some tinkering and a new part ordered from the internet, Eric got it back in order and chilling to a perfect 58 degrees. 

We found a new wine shop that opened while we were gone and made a few purchases, but we tend to drink them as fast as we buy them.  The racks in the fridge still sat mostly empty.  On a side note, it has been pretty fun to visit wine stores and search through the shelves for some of the ones we tasted while traveling.  So far we haven’t found many, but it’s nice opportunity to reminisce about the places we went on the trip.

After being home for a few months now, we’re been a little restless to travel again.  We satisfied our need with a weekend away in the wine country just north of Santa Barbara. After a final pitstop at Andersen’s, we returned  refreshed with a fully stocked wine fridge.

 Here’s the iconic sign at Pea Soup Andersen’s.  If you’re planning a trip on the California coast, you must stop here.  You may not think much of split pea soup, but once you’ve tasted theirs you’ll be back for more.

blog-soup.JPG

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