tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-213668592024-03-07T02:29:50.056-05:00The adventures of being meLeihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.comBlogger707125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-17975467543831141982015-02-24T22:48:00.000-05:002015-06-15T04:15:55.108-04:00Hoi An<div style="text-align: justify;">
The service at the hotel we stayed at was great in <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: justify;">Quy Nohn. They even went and bought our train tickets for us as well as drove us to the train station. We were on the 3rd floor and the young man who worked there would run our suitcases up and down so we gave him a full size bag of M&Ms to thank him for everything and his eyes lit up. He practically hugged the bag of candy. It was so sweet. It made me wish I had brought even more candy to give to people. While they do have M&Ms in Vietnam, apparently the quality of the chocolate isn't the same as it is in the US. In the future tho, I will bring candies that are wrapped so that they are easier to give to share. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: justify;">When we got to the train station we were overwhelmed. Tons of people and nothing in English. We finally figured out where we needed to go. There was an old woman who offered to go get food for us. We knew we were paying extra but oh well, was worth it to not have to navigate things. We stuck out like a sore thumb. We knew the train had come when the masses headed to the door. Luckily, we got cushioned seats for our ride. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Unluckily the world's most bratty kid was on our train and seated across from us. She would walk up and down the aisle and take people's food and drink and if they didn't let her, she would throw a huge screaming fit. She cried most of the time. Her mom just let her. She was a tiny terror. We were quite surprised because all of the kids we'd seen on the trip so far had been amazingly well behaved. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUPjH38Gq0FiAtI9L-HeRPD64ifc-zgA70RJ7mLg9Iv2AJJuQ7Mwcy8z6bPPiikFsY_54Jkqgo5aWLu-c_6hPREiY1zhpOyUkR1XW4vXYVlSZddDp45cHmbMcOsZ6BmlwXQ0Q8w/s1600/IMG_3105_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUPjH38Gq0FiAtI9L-HeRPD64ifc-zgA70RJ7mLg9Iv2AJJuQ7Mwcy8z6bPPiikFsY_54Jkqgo5aWLu-c_6hPREiY1zhpOyUkR1XW4vXYVlSZddDp45cHmbMcOsZ6BmlwXQ0Q8w/s400/IMG_3105_2.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Nancy was sitting behind Su and I. We like to put the white girl in the back. But don't fear for her, she found a new best friend. I believe his name was Steven. He learned English in school and was practicing it talking to Nancy. We told him we knew English also but he had no time for us. In Vietnam, Nancy was the exotic flower.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">The peanut gallery didn't shut up tho. We still had our say. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">We told her to get his number, he was cute and maybe he needed a green card wife but alas, he has a girlfriend. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgW8Ynb_L_kb9NHpv3L5mDAjXYpJkhzJQ03b-NGx62YlL36wXEYARbJmABRoMIIaa0xLCaG2btf9I8MfAebrrNL9B8NS2iznWIxuc6GqlTTzfY9ld39FAr7Xw00sQ9VbSYa7fkg/s1600/IMG_1126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgW8Ynb_L_kb9NHpv3L5mDAjXYpJkhzJQ03b-NGx62YlL36wXEYARbJmABRoMIIaa0xLCaG2btf9I8MfAebrrNL9B8NS2iznWIxuc6GqlTTzfY9ld39FAr7Xw00sQ9VbSYa7fkg/s320/IMG_1126.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Probably the funniest part of the trip was someone who had gotten on at one of the stops. She didn't have a seat so she just crouched down in the aisle and proceeded to fall asleep on Su's arm rest. Su, our resident germaphobe was none too happy about this but I had a good laugh. Luckily it was just for the last little bit of our trip. I believe the train ride was about 4 hours. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">I tried to sleep but the screaming child made it difficult. Luckily we had Nancy's conversation with Steven to keep Su and I entertained. We were really hoping for that love connection.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">They are FB friends tho. Who knows what the future will bring. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Even tho we were going to Hoi An, the train only took us as far as Danang. A lot of people spend time shopping there and then go to Hoi An but we were ready to get going. We wanted to get settled into our room and relax. So we took about a 30-45 minute cab ride to get to our final destination. Our room was bright and airy, not very big but still really pretty and white (until our dirty bodies got all over it). This is a good time to mention showers in Vietnam. Unless the hotel is westernized, there's no actual shower or tub area. They have the shower faucet but the floors have a drain in it and the entire bathroom is your shower which is why most hotels provide you with flip flops, because the bathroom floor is always wet so bring your own shower shoes! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPKwrkNL2JtL-npkdSswTt2PjSdIv8cSBuxhBbB7615CFgZCTt_rXv_j_VSptX3ZpFB336HFZ6ZpGk4LUQD5e2o3kAGDt93LdJ_Ao4uPr1Cx7cPehIM8Ge26i1ozk4oCYq2SBrg/s1600/IMG_1132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPKwrkNL2JtL-npkdSswTt2PjSdIv8cSBuxhBbB7615CFgZCTt_rXv_j_VSptX3ZpFB336HFZ6ZpGk4LUQD5e2o3kAGDt93LdJ_Ao4uPr1Cx7cPehIM8Ge26i1ozk4oCYq2SBrg/s320/IMG_1132.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">We settled into our room then wandered out for food (naturally). Hoi An is an extremely cute walking town. The only time we took a cab was when we arrived. Other than that, we walked and sometimes we had no idea where we were going. The girls stopped at a tourist booth so they got a map and directions to where the market was. A market will always have good cheap food. I am a fan. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">As we were walking I saw a stand selling this, it's like a crab pancake. Of course we had to get some. Surprisingly it wasn't as delicious as I was expecting. The shells were a bit on the crunchy side but the big detriment was lack of flavor, it really needed a dipping sauce or at least some salt and pepper. Nancy didn't even finish hers but you know I couldn't let crab go to waste. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">We finally found the market and in the middle of it was a huge building full of all different kinds of food stands. The sky opened up and I heard angels sing. Not only did we have a plethora of choices, the bowls of food were only a dollar. Cue the chorus! We ended up sitting at the first stand we saw, all of their food had pictures, it looked delicious and we were hungry!</span></span><br />
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Making our food. </div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">It was well worth the walk to find it and we were going to be back tomorrow! Can't beat those prices!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">I love all of the fresh food that is always readily available. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hQ6KxUUie0TMBpqI9NIFGE52pz4tjwxxXiujLEj716WwcpnT_No-q5G82lPJmQlfsXk-NkIjsJdzCkFI27hwtNzwdD3G6tfe2rgWiaIcRBrS2EY74sgFCL0x9dxAVZbu3mhJnw/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hQ6KxUUie0TMBpqI9NIFGE52pz4tjwxxXiujLEj716WwcpnT_No-q5G82lPJmQlfsXk-NkIjsJdzCkFI27hwtNzwdD3G6tfe2rgWiaIcRBrS2EY74sgFCL0x9dxAVZbu3mhJnw/s400/IMG_1140.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: justify;">As we walked around looking for food we would stop at the various salons to check out their shampoo prices so we had an idea of what the average cost was. We found one on the way back from dinner that had shampoos and blowouts for $6. Sold! She didn't tell us that if 3 people bought a service that it would be 20% off. It was on the back side of the brochure but since there was only 2 of them, one to wash and one to blow dry I was flipping thru the brochure and made sure we got our discount. Of course, then we proceeded to tip generously, I just wanted my discount, LOL. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">By the time we were done it had gotten dark. Hoi An has lanterns everywhere. It's so pretty at night. It was really hard to get a picture that conveyed it properly. </span></span><br />
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One late coffee stop before we headed back to our hotel. We stopped in a cute little cafe. The girls thought they were ordering an iced coffee, their drug of choice in Vietnam but what they actually ordered was more like a coffee smoothie, they loved it! I ordered a passion fruit juice and that was a passion fruit smoothie, it was amazing! Hard not to drink it in one drink. We definitely wanted to come back here again!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Since we had been wandering all afternoon we got a little turned around. Good thing the coffee shop peeps were so friendly when we had to walk back to them to ask them where we were supposed to go. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Check out Nancy's burn, that was from our day on the scooters and is why we didn't go to the beach at all while we were in Vietnam. Just means, we need to go back to the Nam to hit the beaches!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">It was slow going the next day. It's the first day we had where we didn't have to travel or meet up with someone which meant the girls slept in. My body clock had been out of whack since the moment I landed, I would wake up anywhere from 4:30am to 6:30am. So I read while they slept. Then I went back to sleep and woke up and they were still sleeping. At 1 it was time to get them up and get them moving. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">We headed back to the market to eat but we were looking for a specific dish. Hoi An is actually a foodie town and has a couple of dishes that are only made in Hoi An. One is </span></span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Cao Lau<span style="color: #a17935;">:</span></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> I believe this is a recipe that only 4 families have in the town. The well water is the secret to their noodles. They are chewy, udon-like noodles are topped with pork slices, herbs, crunchy noodle offcuts, pork broth and chili jam. When a city has a specialty, we have to eat it! </span><br />
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It was amazing! The crunchy noodle pieces were so full of flavor as was the rest of the dish. I'm so sad that you can only order this in Hoi An. I wish we were in town longer so we could eat this dish again!</span></span></div>
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Our lunch lady. There was another lady we saw yesterday who we said we would eat at but she didn't have Cau Lau so we had to hide from her. She busted us, we do sort of stand out, well Nancy does. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">We met a girl from Brazil who sat there to eat, she was traveling all over Asia by herself, we were very impressed. I think she was going for 6 weeks, we were jealous also. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">After lunch it was spa time. We are making the most of the cheap services in the Nam! We picked our spa based on tripadvisor reviews. I think it was called the Hoi An spa but don't quote me on that. Everything was on the menu and we went a little crazy. We got a spa package that was a mani/pedi, 60 minute facial and a 90 minute body massage. We also added on eyelash extensions and at the last minute we threw in a shampoo. Tomorrow was a travel day and we wouldn't get our shampoo in then. All of that was about $63! We were in there so long that it was dark by the time we came down from our massages, which they had us put paper underwear on, that was funny. Even tho it was past closing time, they let us order our shampoos and didn't rush us thru. It was a heavenly way to spend the day. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Because we got such a late start to the day the coffee shop was closed when we went by. We were all disappointed because those drinks were fantastic and we wanted more. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">For dinner we stopped into a place that had great tripadvisor reviews (they post outside the restaurant their starred reviews, same as hotels, tripadvisor is huge internationally and was a great asset to us) and even more importantly, they were still open. It was a small place but still had some tourists sitting around eating. We ordered hot pot fish, papaya salad with shrimp, squid and white rose dumplings, the other Hoi An specialty dish. Again, it's a 120 year old family recipe and the well water is the reason the shrimp dumplings have their chewy texture. Another Hoi An winner!</span></span><br />
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We felt totally safe wandering around even tho everything was closed. A day and a half is not enough time to spend in Hoi An. It's not very big but was just a fun, different town. We loved it! Some friends of ours said they found a private beach in Hoi An and their pictures were amazing, so there are more hidden treasures to be found and we will hopefully be back. </span></span></div>
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</span></span>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-75703325487098051182015-02-23T02:22:00.000-05:002015-06-13T22:56:34.697-04:00The best day ever...according to Nancy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7M4MTdFZXXD6UKKPzkSEEj2QdKY3-D9R5ocuX9BoqYazHX5d1Yx7RtPxMg0sMaj7KzDfu4Eu9mAxHrnDNYBcmSLioJ169tUd02xpc2lSjUqmoqnNSU1G_aC-1Sl2sOvgHMkweA/s1600/IMG_3026_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7M4MTdFZXXD6UKKPzkSEEj2QdKY3-D9R5ocuX9BoqYazHX5d1Yx7RtPxMg0sMaj7KzDfu4Eu9mAxHrnDNYBcmSLioJ169tUd02xpc2lSjUqmoqnNSU1G_aC-1Sl2sOvgHMkweA/s400/IMG_3026_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is one of my favorite pictures from Vietnam. It's such a slice of life. Notice everyone is eating but Nancy, Su and I. We are all about the picture, LOL. The day started out with breakfast at my grandmother's. My mom had gotten up early to go to the market to buy fresh shrimp and fruit for it. She pre-made our spring rolls (she knows I love spring rolls). I didn't have the heart to tell her I make my own at home and know how to wrap them. </div>
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I think it's pretty normal to sit on the floor and eat and I totally see the appeal. Their homes are not big. If there weren't so many of us, they would have sat around the coffee table to eat. I'm not exactly graceful getting up but hey, if my elders can do it, so can I. Plus I think I had Nancy pull me up (I have crappy knees). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JdlAYmWwdjo5atCw1PKg_XGmFn7WsgSqd9s2egJu25SO9iP-JaPf3y4dMuGiW9S73UjoXTCoZX6UuIKUfz32df-tla8vAFiVfWLBtZ_gG63YyvpE2yKUcDej1TjlGC7swRlXpg/s1600/IMG_3027_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JdlAYmWwdjo5atCw1PKg_XGmFn7WsgSqd9s2egJu25SO9iP-JaPf3y4dMuGiW9S73UjoXTCoZX6UuIKUfz32df-tla8vAFiVfWLBtZ_gG63YyvpE2yKUcDej1TjlGC7swRlXpg/s200/IMG_3027_2.jpg" width="200" /></a>After breakfast fresh fruit is brought out. I love me some fresh fruit. Not a fan of dragonfruit, it just doesn't have much flavor to me. I bought one once at a market in Atlanta and hated it. Thought I just didn't buy a ripe one. Nope, don't like it in Vietnam either but it's very common here. They also brought out this fruit which I don't know the name of. It seems to be a delicacy to them. You scoop out the seeds and then eat the tender flesh. I didn't like it but because they were so excited I ate some. They tried to get me to eat more but I told them to eat it, I'd rather have someone who enjoys it eating it. I think Nancy and Su liked it more than I did. They also had a plate full of mango which I loved. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2huiUiseiBEgB9VSSHWIkYzdJhSxRFGsXG4wQ1N_-Mv7Qm_VfSpzPxVRhyphenhyphenKPuWHuiekLuDZh59Eb3rZI4LsSEYRGOGo-y_H0273gXs2L67sKdETcH0DGEK2pgkU3M5Kc4icV8sA/s1600/IMG_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2huiUiseiBEgB9VSSHWIkYzdJhSxRFGsXG4wQ1N_-Mv7Qm_VfSpzPxVRhyphenhyphenKPuWHuiekLuDZh59Eb3rZI4LsSEYRGOGo-y_H0273gXs2L67sKdETcH0DGEK2pgkU3M5Kc4icV8sA/s400/IMG_1024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a fun family photo. I can't tell you the name of most of the people in the picture or remember who is what number. So many people all at once it's hard to keep track but it was great being surrounded by extended family. While I have a large family, I'm not very close to my extended family so I was soaking it up, even if there was a huge communication barrier. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE0TkE2tg0Fq0uxI8YVLubTfLt-qexnrbN5vaPxA0BN0i0OApZyjxecpekbE5JixHFU0mWAhjZUhWu86ggvfsjCptVgaZ6jMpE5axv-uheBp7HMO1bmPjfU6OCA5vmWub6A2_Dg/s1600/IMG_3041_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE0TkE2tg0Fq0uxI8YVLubTfLt-qexnrbN5vaPxA0BN0i0OApZyjxecpekbE5JixHFU0mWAhjZUhWu86ggvfsjCptVgaZ6jMpE5axv-uheBp7HMO1bmPjfU6OCA5vmWub6A2_Dg/s320/IMG_3041_2.jpg" width="240" /></a>We pretty much left this day up to my mom to plan. Whatever she wanted, we would do since this was her home turf. The original plan was to take a taxi around all day but because of the holiday, the prices were outrageous. So mom decided we were going to have to take scooters and was I ok with that? I said sure, as long as Nancy and Su weren't driving, LOL. A couple of the cousins took my back to the hotel to put on a long sleeved shirt since we would be outside all day. Too bad the shirt I wore was cut off, I should have kept the t-shirt on that covered my shoulders, oh well, live and learn, LOL. While going to our hotel I was totally comfortable on the back of their scooter. I have never ridden a motorcycle before but I loved being on the scooter. They ride them as an extension of their body, since they are pretty much raised on them. Check out Tank and his dad Tank Sr. (we called him Tank because he was solid). I actually felt safer on the scooter weaving thru traffic than in the back of a taxi. Which is funny because when they get to an intersection and there's no light they don't stop and let the first person there cross. They just honk their horn the whole time they are crossing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2JT-jM57RHWvEp_q5Ytjzsc2Fx8GqIIUgIqHEagKRLfsh8EQTI6h2sPxx-A67I0htr3711RcLHrotiM5337Rl6QYIJ1gU5CA-VPpBNuqVGeJuYkq7fCh7zwloDequtXTi50QSA/s1600/IMG_3044_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2JT-jM57RHWvEp_q5Ytjzsc2Fx8GqIIUgIqHEagKRLfsh8EQTI6h2sPxx-A67I0htr3711RcLHrotiM5337Rl6QYIJ1gU5CA-VPpBNuqVGeJuYkq7fCh7zwloDequtXTi50QSA/s200/IMG_3044_2.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Nancy chased around these chickens that were running around my memaw's neighbor's house. They are quite skinny. She says they are used in fighting. I don't know if that's true or not because it looked like all of the chickens we saw in country were that scrawny. I hope not every chicken is a fighting chicken. </div>
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After we got back to MeMaw's it was time to hit the road. Nancy was super excited because my mom had a hat that she could wrap around her head that could protect from the sun. It wasn't sexy but it was fun. </div>
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Our scooter was a 3 seater. The beautiful one rode with us all day and she was standing the whole time. She would just lean forward or back to rest. No complaints at all. Poor Tank was upset that he wasn't able to join us but he was just a little too young to be riding around like that for that long. That's my mom riding shotgun behind the Beautiful one's mom. </div>
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Our first destination was to my mom's friend's house. It's who she usually stays with when she's in town. I asked her why she didn't stay with her mom and she said, with full conviction, "who would wash my clothes and cook for me?" Really, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Those are words I live by. </div>
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Her friend is a famous Vietnamese opera singer. We drove thru town and beautiful country side to get there. It's was just an amazing ride. Once we got out of the city the honk of the horns was a lot less and we could just enjoy the beauty of it. I even got to the point where I no longer had a death grip on my driver, who will be now known as yellow pants, since that's what she changed into later. </div>
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The rice fields don't have one growing season. I believe they told me that they could get 3 different rice crops in one year, some fields we saw were green, some bare, and some yellow, which means they were ready to be harvested. They plant these fields by hand. It's insane. </div>
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We get to the opera singer's house and there's a room in the back that's dedicated to my mom. I do not exaggerate when I say this. I can't remember if I mentioned the fact that the only picture on the wall at MeMaw's is a giant one of my mom. Well that same picture is in this room and there are 8x10's of my mom side by side all around the room. Well, there's also a painting and a couple of larger pictures. The few photos that aren't of my mom are of my siblings. Notice I said my siblings, not of myself. Yep, my mom took me to a home where she has pics of everyone but me. Even my dad is on that wall (they are divorced). Luckily, just like my mom, I have a healthy ego. She says she didn't have any large pics of me. Don't worry, that will be taken care of. Nancy, Su and I are going to put together a calendar of ourselves to send to relatives in Vietnam, after all, I am the #1 of the #1. The only real issue here is I'm wondering why my friends don't have rooms dedicated to me yet? My Mannions have been slacking. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBNdgFeL48sp2D8dTqYIbnUDwQk56QIGP8BU6ylOy3FifFAArsLS6a3xklcBMKrSHqJJucs7J5OiS3VAEz0GXzzdRi2jB3H-NdYJUBqr0vj_p7svi9lZUDEwpKLGvX0DdlT0eOg/s1600/IMG_1056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBNdgFeL48sp2D8dTqYIbnUDwQk56QIGP8BU6ylOy3FifFAArsLS6a3xklcBMKrSHqJJucs7J5OiS3VAEz0GXzzdRi2jB3H-NdYJUBqr0vj_p7svi9lZUDEwpKLGvX0DdlT0eOg/s400/IMG_1056.jpg" width="400" /></a>After our quick visit to the shrine of my mom (took 40 minutes to get there and we spent 5 minutes there), she just wanted us to see it, LOL we went to a temple that is really popular. It was also really busy. She wanted to bring us earlier in the day but the lack of transportation slowed us down. We all said no. I have no interest in crowds and I'm not a very touristy person. After we wove thru the masses we made a stop on the side of the road. I thought it was lunch time. I'm always ready to eat. Nope, we stopped a drink. Mom decided that we were hot and needed a refreshment. What does a gang of hardened bikers who need a drink drink? Fresh squeezed sugar cane with a touch of salt on top. My mom used to buy sugar cane at the Asian market and chop off pieces and we would chew it. I don't love fresh sugar cane, I'd rather have water but I didn't tell her. It was nice to sit in the shade for a few and just watch the people go by. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_vyC4cy3TxYQe7tdI5OP1SbTXaDOinb9LejeDhs1_ATk8qBYsaG5EwZzWZ-BE0YBIcZG84tksX7b6mZ4OM9nfx4iJTdx_T76HbqQy982ne_QQ0cFLV9IxJ54xb_k3OHy5KMfSg/s1600/IMG_3095_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_vyC4cy3TxYQe7tdI5OP1SbTXaDOinb9LejeDhs1_ATk8qBYsaG5EwZzWZ-BE0YBIcZG84tksX7b6mZ4OM9nfx4iJTdx_T76HbqQy982ne_QQ0cFLV9IxJ54xb_k3OHy5KMfSg/s320/IMG_3095_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next on the agenda was going to my Uncle's house. I've been spending time with my mom's maternal side of the family and now it was time to go meet the paternal side of my mom's family. Along the way we saw all kinds of animals, sheep, cows, water buffalo. We had to stop for a few crossings. The animals just wander where they will. </div>
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Vietnam is a male dominated society. Even tho my mom is much older, her brother is the patriarch of the family. So we brought him and his family goodies also. How did they like them? We don't know. We never heard back. You know what they will be getting from me next time? A large photo of me. A gift that keeps giving. Shockingly, no picture of my mom on the wall. Mom introduced me to one of her sisters. She told that story that when she was born, my grandfather looked away in disgust and said she might as well have been a dog. I was horrified that this story is such common knowledge that they talk about it in front of her and yet my grandfather was beloved by all and most especially his children. The men are the ones who carry the family name tho and I think out of all of his children he had only 1 son live into adulthood. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayDY-3aUkubO3x7XJii6Im8UYsYwPTRuhkBgQkWdFUDRfMzufDnq9zJdehwaZlViHYR5sgwrQX_N5dXhfhPr2jFLu56mMp9yYa3GbTgFc5Scj7jF8QtLZ51O6_XNIhHILXtZ-ng/s1600/IMG_1038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayDY-3aUkubO3x7XJii6Im8UYsYwPTRuhkBgQkWdFUDRfMzufDnq9zJdehwaZlViHYR5sgwrQX_N5dXhfhPr2jFLu56mMp9yYa3GbTgFc5Scj7jF8QtLZ51O6_XNIhHILXtZ-ng/s320/IMG_1038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My cousin took me up to the shrine to see a picture of my great great grandfather. He had fingernails so long that they curled. Somehow that pic of him ended up in France and they were able to get a copy of it. There was also a huge Ha family tree. I can't read Vietnamese but I could see my mom's name on there. What I didn't see is any of her 9 kids. There was one name added to the family tree, my uncle's son. So I go back and ask them about the tree and the fact my name isn't on it. My mom says it's old. I point out that my cousin's name has been added to it. The obvious reason is it's the Ha family tree and I don't carry the name Ha but as I pointed out, my cousin is 50% Ha and I'm 50% Ha. I didn't let them and their old school way of thinking off of the hook. They saw nothing wrong with it. My uncle even said to me, who is more special, me (in reference to himself) or your mom? I was so surprised by this question, that he honestly thought he was more special that I didn't answer it how I should have answered it. I just said, I don't know. I should have said my mom, because she gave birth to me. Needless to say, I didn't bond as much with my Uncle as I did the rest of my family. The good news is I recently talked to my mom, they were having a family reunion for the anniversary of my Grandpa's death and my conversation about the family tree was still being talked about. I planted a seed that will one day become a tree. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwm0lyCUz5oxZIOEbnaSwjoVN6BphPlTAcJ_axOgLYeGgS59mxgZx03jQsINvjv0kO5b1lrkgZx8rk02OU887tDcZDlTMYV0yUKQhM6-Fsm34uRRSkGo90vUy9XHWDl36rXS33A/s1600/IMG_1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwm0lyCUz5oxZIOEbnaSwjoVN6BphPlTAcJ_axOgLYeGgS59mxgZx03jQsINvjv0kO5b1lrkgZx8rk02OU887tDcZDlTMYV0yUKQhM6-Fsm34uRRSkGo90vUy9XHWDl36rXS33A/s320/IMG_1079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After we left my uncle's it was time for lunch! Yay!!! We stopped by a roadside to eat rice and chicken soup which was amazing and have balut, which are fertilized duck eggs. The Philippines is knowns for balut but I grew up eating them and very much enjoy it. I know most people are grossed out by the idea, not I. I remember it seeming like forever for the water to boil when my mom made them. I specifically requested balut because I don't eat it often and Nancy and Su never had it. Su was down to try it but Nancy was a bit leery. I know how to get her tho, I just told her to think of the stories she could tell her dad. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOn3yK9XXpqmFpAv6-g3AiPw0L_M9a8uc5wFRO30SWpMMRxdwmkgenujixfp1SRB0Sz-Np9EfKPPKYugWtr8q1J_Lc2usmMzgvWXDTpQr2hu_usWzroKrNI004ZdWL3zYK6auEA/s1600/IMG_1071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOn3yK9XXpqmFpAv6-g3AiPw0L_M9a8uc5wFRO30SWpMMRxdwmkgenujixfp1SRB0Sz-Np9EfKPPKYugWtr8q1J_Lc2usmMzgvWXDTpQr2hu_usWzroKrNI004ZdWL3zYK6auEA/s320/IMG_1071.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Yep, she caved, LOL. Normally I don't eat the baby duck. I scoop that part out and toss it. What I love is the broth on the inside and the yolk. The white part of the egg is very rubbery. Every now and again I'll eat it if it isn't too rubbery. These were the perfect size of everything and because I was in the Nam, I ate the duck. What did it taste like? Chicken. </div>
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Normally I eat balut with salt and pepper but they serve balut with fresh herbs. I enjoyed it more than Su and Nancy but I think Su ate a second one. Nancy's stomach wasn't up to having another one. We ordered more eggs than we ate so they sent the ones we didn't eat back and that got taken off of the bill. How awesome is that? </div>
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At some point we stopped to get gas and waited for the rest to join us. Next you know I see Nancy passing us on some strange old man's motorcycle. I expected them to turn around but they kept going. Oh well, someone finally got their white wife.</div>
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They took us to a big bridge where we could get out and watch the sunset. I took some pics but they just don't compare to what our eyes saw. It was stunning. We wandered around taking some pics and eventually Nancy joined us. Apparently she wasn't abducted. Mom had decided for some reason Nancy needed a bathroom break (Nancy didn't have to go) so they stopped at some relative's house and then Tank's dad's bike got a flat so the uncle gave Nancy a ride to where we were. While we were wandering around the bridge my mom went ahead to a different relative's place which is where we met up with her for dinner. </div>
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Mom was wiped, shoot, we were all wiped, lol. But not too tired to eat. We had more spring rolls but this time we made our own and the fillings were different. </div>
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MeMaw was happy to see us come back. I had given her some money to help make things easier on her before I left for the day. I came back and she had bought herself some gold jewelry. She was very excited to show me. That's something I wish I hadn't known, LOL. But hey, it's her money, she can choose to spend it how she liked. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnN-itwlN-b2RIadvlCGnCLUctTkhFEBDEeFi_NBNkFvMWgSSESBldZh4FUxAfy8LEUzap2ZpcXbpLAcup8Ehw8fHNIya4B8QhkLzXwoc52vDHx-I0HzFLdhgnTqJt1drFqE1rQ/s1600/IMG_1099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnN-itwlN-b2RIadvlCGnCLUctTkhFEBDEeFi_NBNkFvMWgSSESBldZh4FUxAfy8LEUzap2ZpcXbpLAcup8Ehw8fHNIya4B8QhkLzXwoc52vDHx-I0HzFLdhgnTqJt1drFqE1rQ/s320/IMG_1099.jpg" width="240" /></a>After dinner the younger ones took us out for a coffee. I don't drink coffee so I ordered a juice. They didn't have it. I ordered a smoothie, they didn't have it. Finally I just let the girls order for me. I really didn't care as long as it wasn't coffee or tea. They brought me a coconut jelly "drink". It ended up being more than anyone else's drink and it wasn't even a drink, LOL. One of the cousins spoke a tiny bit of English but we basically communicated using a language app. It was fun. </div>
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Tank Sr pulled up a facebook page and had us all friend it. I sent a bunch of pictures there. Even tho it was a girl on the profile pic I didn't recognize I got the thumbs up from my message. When she asked me if I spoke Vietnamese I realized, this isn't Tank or his girlfriend. I had no idea who she was. Later when I saw my mom I asked her who it was, she had no idea. Well, it's my mom's niece, they can't keep track of them all! It's Oops' other daughter. We're still friends on FB even tho we never met. I smile every time she likes one of my photos. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicv9mEeih-uE9GWzVjnpXdxdxtecQIDRgeYqB8LKyz97YJM19oKVWMqZxtFWMGMXZ0V8i_J8emvUn4HQT8uV9oI8EkySQZyyxD_gvs6A-P9JJ_ZfZyUAea-PYbHTjgQrU4m4cqpw/s1600/IMG_1108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicv9mEeih-uE9GWzVjnpXdxdxtecQIDRgeYqB8LKyz97YJM19oKVWMqZxtFWMGMXZ0V8i_J8emvUn4HQT8uV9oI8EkySQZyyxD_gvs6A-P9JJ_ZfZyUAea-PYbHTjgQrU4m4cqpw/s400/IMG_1108.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Our coffee shop was also a karaoke bar and very happening. If we hadn't been exhausted and had a train to catch the next day I would have gotten my karaoke on!</div>
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When the cousins dropped us off at our hotel they drove their bikes into the hotel and parked right off of the lobby. Good to know. They wanted to check out our rooms so they came up. I think Nancy ran up first to throw our clothes into the closet. We weren't prepared for company. The little ones played on our ipads, they were in heaven. Being the great hostess I am, I started rummaging around for food to give them. I had an open pack of dried squid I bought while at the airport in Japan. It's like fish jerky. They loved it. Now every time I go to the Asian market I pick up a bag so that the next time I go home I can bring them some. They have that in the Nam but it's not as clean tasting. </div>
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We also gave yellow pants my broken samsonite. The wheel got broken on the very first flight I used it on and I never got around to getting it fixed. We planned on ditching it in the Nam, just used it to bring over candy. She were thrilled. We were going to leave it in our room. We were thrilled she was thrilled. I'm sure she'll get it fixed, unlike my lazy butt. </div>
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And thus ends the tale of Nancy's best day ever. I have to say, there was something magical about going around a foreign country with people who live there and aren't working to get money from tourists. We spent the day as locals and it was an amazing day. Definitely one of the best days of a trip ever. </div>
Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-89225312960192628352015-02-22T01:13:00.000-05:002015-06-13T22:57:25.548-04:00We are on the road to somewhere...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5X_LvyavWz2U-hwrJx5vl4ITH770WVCh5ZW1pDjJfC4qLW3H6bEoWVikOkni4SQYkrV1nQCL4-l3oJZuBmAgqjjAztmIgJSHnhjiQ97u_7lRKbhtxW3_9vhgWjpB6SPXxPjarQ/s1600/IMG_0980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5X_LvyavWz2U-hwrJx5vl4ITH770WVCh5ZW1pDjJfC4qLW3H6bEoWVikOkni4SQYkrV1nQCL4-l3oJZuBmAgqjjAztmIgJSHnhjiQ97u_7lRKbhtxW3_9vhgWjpB6SPXxPjarQ/s400/IMG_0980.jpg" width="300" /></a>While the hotel was quite in Nha Trang, the street was not. Remember it was Tet, they celebrate Tet for awhile. There was some kind of drumming all night long. Luckily we were all so exhausted that it didn't affect our sleep too much. My mom was picking us up in a 16 person passenger van. Her sister's husband's brother is a driver so he drove from Quy Nohn, my mom's home town, to Ho Chi Minh City to pick up mom and her sister (#9 and her daughter and granddaughter). I don't know the names of most of my family in Vietnam. Apparently everything is determined by birth order. Her sisters were introduced to me by their number. #9 is the youngest so she's also called Oop. Yep, Oop. Before my mom gets there we had to go get breakfast. Any chance we get to eat, you know I'm taking it. In the States we order Bun all the time, it's a vermicelli noodle, with lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro, pickled radish and carrots and whatever protein you choose, I normally get pork and shrimp. You pour fish sauce all over and eat, one of my favorite dishes. We saw Bun on a menu and ordered. Not what we were expecting. It was more like a stir fry. It was still very good but turns out there's all kinds of different Bun dishes. I should have paid more attention to the vietnamese version of the menu, in the states. </div>
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We knew we were pushing it, but we wanted to squeeze in a shampoo before we met my mom. We were worried that the salons would be closed due to the holiday but we found one open. Score! A shampoo and blow dry for about $8, sign me up!</div>
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This was our before picture. Unfortunately, time wasn't on our side so we never got our after picture which is a shame because they did an amazing job. </div>
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I love getting my hair washed but it's always hard getting the seat adjusted to where I'm comfortable. Not the case in Vietnam because you lay down while they shampoo your hair. Why are we not doing this in the US? They also scrubbed my head for half an hour, my hair had never been so clean. For a dollar more they also wash your face without ever getting water up your nose. Amazing! Su wanted her hair straight so they flat ironed it afterwards and I wanted curly so they blew dry my hair curly. My hair looked amazing. Nancy was last because she originally just had a plain blow dry, she didn't know she could get anything else so the main lady did her hair after she did mine and fancied it up. While Nancy was waiting I sent her to get change. Su and I had to leave before she got back because we were running late. I told her this is what you pay her and this is what you tip. Nancy overpaid! Luckily it wasn't by much. </div>
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Because we were running late I walked as fast as I could to the Golden Moon. Unfortunately that meant I got sweaty and once my sweat glands are activated, there's no stopping it. Bye bye beautiful hair. Mom was there waiting for me. We went upstairs to get our bags to get the car loaded up and by that time Nancy joined us and off we went!</div>
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I should mention Oop, her daughter (don't know her name) and her daughter's daughter (she is called the beautiful one by the family members) don't speak English, neither did our driver. They sat in the back in the van and were pretty quiet. Nancy, Su and I, chatted the whole ride and every now and again had my mom translate. </div>
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The drive was beautiful, the water was bluer than I expected and my mom was a fun tour guide telling us stories and answering our questions. Quy Nohn is about 4 or 5 hours from Nha Trang. I was really worried about the roads before I got in country but they weren't bad. They don't really have a lot of highways so no going 70mph. </div>
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A few hours into our trip I was hungry and wanted my next meal. Our driver chose where we stopped. I wish we had taken pics of our food. We left ordering up to my mom and we ate family style which meant we got to try a lot of different things. Because it wasn't busy things were really slow. Oop wasn't happy with the quality of the food or service and she let them know. We were quite impressed. </div>
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Once we got back to the van I dug around in my bag and pulled out some suckers and a container of chocolate chip cookies. Mom is stingy with them but I handed some out to everyone. They were meant to be shared. We also pulled out my ipad and Nancy showed the beautiful one how to play some games to help make the drive more enjoyable for her. She's about 5 years old and she was great. no complaining or anything. She played for awhile with her mom watching then gave it back. Something my nephews would never do, they are addicted to electronic games.</div>
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Eventually we got to my mom's mom's house. My grandmother would cry every time she saw me, it was really sweet. Because of Tet a lot of family was in town. #4, #6, #7 but I can't tell you who was who. I went to the bathroom and when I came out two of my aunts were waiting outside the door and miming. From what I was able to figure out they both babysat me when I was a baby. Either that or they were my wet nurses. </div>
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Nancy and I brought candy as gifts and Su put together these great little gift bags. We had to divvy everything up because we also had to visit my mom's dad side of the family the next day. We gave everything to my grandma but when asked later what people thought of it, my mom had no idea. Apparently grandma has favorites so who knows who got anything. Next time I'm handing stuff out to everyone (with some extra stuff for my favorites LOL). </div>
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After we got back to our room we wandered around looking for an ATM. While Quy Nohn is a beach town it's not touristy like Nha Trang so Nancy stood out. These girls were watching us and giggling and finally they said hello and Nancy said hi back and they giggled some more. They finally got the courage up to ask for a picture. They didn't really care about Su and I. Nancy was the superstar. </div>
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We wanted food but it was so late a lot of places were closed so we stopped at the only place that was up. This was probably my least favorite meal. I always see beef stew on the menu in Vietnamese restaurants but never order it. I think they add cinnamon to their stew. I didn't like it. They had marinated boiled eggs which I did enjoy.</div>
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We tried to great picture of this guy but we couldn't without being obvious. It felt like we were watching a character from an old Jackie Chan movie. You know, the kung fu master who works in the kitchen because he's a has been. This guy worked there or was the owner. He would stir the soup with a cigarette dangling from his mouth while scratching his belly. It was awesome! I really wish we had taken a video just so you could have experienced the awesomeness with us.</div>
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Just another day in paradise.</div>
Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-57333423263966652472015-02-21T19:04:00.000-05:002015-05-25T02:33:55.978-04:00Nha Trang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Usually when we travel I have a general idea about it. Going to Vietnam I really had no sense of where to go or what to do. I just knew I wanted to eat a lot of food and partake in a lot of services (get your mind out of the gutter!). Su planned the itinerary and we went all in. </div>
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The first thing we really had to learn was the money. The approximate conversion rate is 20,000 dong to $1. That means we're dealing in the thousands and millions of dong which gets pretty overwhelming. 2 million dong is $100. Because Su, Nancy and I have similar tastes in food (pretty much anything but auburgine salad) when we travel we pool our money together and call it a kitty, that way we don't have to spend every meal, cab ride, hotel, etc dividing things up. We start with $100 each and add more money as needed. </div>
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When we landed in Nha Trang we had no idea how much a cab ride would be to our hotel and didn't want to get ripped off so we looked up what we should pay on tripadvisor. The last post was about 3 or 4 year old but we decided to make that the highest amount we would pay. Knowledge is power. The cab ride was about $15 for a 40 minute ride. Pretty amazing. We had to negotiate but Su is a hard ass. </div>
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Our cab driver couldn't find our hotel, The Golden Moon. Turns out it was down an alley and wasn't really a hotel, more of a homestay, which basically means it's more a B&B, minus the breakfast, LOL. One of the reasons I picked this place was because we could check in at 9am. It was probably 8am when we got there. As we were dragging our bags down the alleyway (since we planned on ditching the suitcases, one was a cheapo from goodwill and one was missing a wheel, we weren't graceful) Nancy commented on the fact that everyone was looking at her. I laughed and said get used to it white girl!</div>
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The Golden Moon's gates were locked, so much for getting in early. Luckily there was a restaurant next door. The choices weren't that great so we went with a banh mi which is a Vietnamese sub. You can usually buy the in the states for between $3-$5. If you're paying more than that you're getting ripped off. In the Nam, they are half that price and amazing! The bread is fantastic. I'm salivating as I write about it. Usually bread is a vehicle to get butter or oil to my mouth. The bread in the Nam reflects it's history with France. As good as any bakery in Paris. I had a banh mi last week here in the states. I used to love it. Nowhere near as good as the ones I ate in Vietnam and it's because the bread was so fantastic!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About $2, I could have eaten 3 of these, the bread was like air.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty much our face during every meal, LOL. </td></tr>
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Sitting next to the gals are the empty glasses of Vietnamese ice coffee. Coffee is Vietnam's second largest export after rice. It's a way of life in Vietnam, maybe even more so that in Seattle which is hard to believe. Su and Nancy sucked their drinks down like it was a glass of water in the Sahara. They'll have to extoll it's virtues to you. They normally drank 2 at a time. 1 to devour, 1 to savor.<br />
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Once Golden Moon opened, we checked in. It was tiny but clean and only $30 for one night. The only bad thing is we were on the 3rd floor. My knees weren't happy but he took our bags up for us, something very common in Vietnam and I loved it! Especially since most of the places we stayed didn't have an elevator. </div>
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Nha Trang is a beach town and the beach was literally across the street which is funny because we never made it to the beach but we did enjoy driving by it on our way to the <a href="http://www.i-resort.vn/main.html" target="_blank">I-Resort</a> mud baths. For $32 we caked ourselves in warm scented mud and let it dry on us in the sun. Then we washed them off in outdoor showers. After that we soaked in mineral baths then we changed into clothes they provided, polyester shorts and tank. Our suits were muddy and gross. I told them to bring 2 sets of suits, only Nancy listened. After our soak they took us up for a lunch, to a beautiful pool and waterfall area. Thank goodness. When we got there the general population was full of kids and we were all groaning. This area only had a couple of people. After lunch we had a 60 minute foot massage, I fell asleep it was so relaxing and then we went back to the pool to hang out. I couldn't take a pic of all of the previous because I checked in my phone and they saran wrapped it to make sure no one had access. It was so beautiful where we were that I went and got my phone. I would have been sad not to have any pics. The pools are hot springs so they had a sulphur smell but the water was warm, which we didn't need, it was so hot but it was pretty relaxing. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next cover of Sports Illustrated, ha!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you can't pick your friend's nose, are you truly friends?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were the goobs taking pictures but now we have fantastic pics of our time at the mud spa. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This part of the pool was shallow and had the waterfalls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This side was about 4 feet deep for swimming.</td></tr>
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Our vacation is off to a wonderful start! After we had our feel of luxuriating by the pool we went back to our hotel to relax some more and gear up for dinner. Vacation for me is about getting from one meal to the next. I wanted to eat somewhere with lots of seafood where the locals ate. We asked the guy who owned the homestay and he suggested going down to a market. We asked him how much a cab ride would be, it would have been around a dollar. Once we got into a cab we started talking him up and he suggested some other place that he loved that was 3 kilometers away. We love local suggestions so we were in. It was a huge place, since it was outdoor. I got out and left Nancy to pay since she had the kitty. After 5 minutes Su and Nancy were still in the car so I went to check on them. The cab driver did something funky with the meter because he was trying to charge us 900,000 dong. We paid 300,000 for a ride from the airport. We paid 200,000 to go the mud baths. There was no way we were paying 900,000. The problem was Nancy had handed him the money before they caught the gouging. When I went to check on them the owner or manager of the restaurant came to see what was happening. Su and Nancy weren't leaving the cab until he paid back the money and I crawled in too and jumped into the argument. He crumbled under the pressure and changed the bill to 200,000 which is about $10. We still way overpaid but it was better than what he wanted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's more seafood that's not even shown, including turtle. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crab was sautéed in garlic. This was my fave. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IfAwm2dn1PRgxFdSzt2_asIyn9uEge543XCcHX2HsaI9-gmHDyoh_p-2gqdGdxfY1XUwaAy0d5m9UIwoLhI0m_hyphenhyphen-B-DYZksWSjtzq0bbd8CK7kMvHS6PwF50d4DMmGDWVnQWw/s1600/IMG_0958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IfAwm2dn1PRgxFdSzt2_asIyn9uEge543XCcHX2HsaI9-gmHDyoh_p-2gqdGdxfY1XUwaAy0d5m9UIwoLhI0m_hyphenhyphen-B-DYZksWSjtzq0bbd8CK7kMvHS6PwF50d4DMmGDWVnQWw/s1600/IMG_0958.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some kind of shellfish. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhqEgIIV4xPHHmtmnkXRx7QoF8uePwF-CcjOfk4Ja28Gwpjg1tHHFZ-ULj9CxzjjK1ZQZK295DuevOcfxLui6SgZOlvDojHEAVeVIpY-H_mjTlbVAhc9hNCsbwGx9q02OUxKMng/s1600/IMG_0963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhqEgIIV4xPHHmtmnkXRx7QoF8uePwF-CcjOfk4Ja28Gwpjg1tHHFZ-ULj9CxzjjK1ZQZK295DuevOcfxLui6SgZOlvDojHEAVeVIpY-H_mjTlbVAhc9hNCsbwGx9q02OUxKMng/s1600/IMG_0963.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lobster was more shell than meat. I'd definitely go with the crab.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1XxswI22rBybeKZU_JRIxBF3YbBhExGNsCKGJ3axlDOMgkJKbGc54zk1qG_fZZrc-U56O2Jb4TYCBoUzgQ00BahPLrYxDntIkA2AOXJUsKOGt06zQHFCuZp7ILPzOyPIaWsMDQ/s1600/IMG_0969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1XxswI22rBybeKZU_JRIxBF3YbBhExGNsCKGJ3axlDOMgkJKbGc54zk1qG_fZZrc-U56O2Jb4TYCBoUzgQ00BahPLrYxDntIkA2AOXJUsKOGt06zQHFCuZp7ILPzOyPIaWsMDQ/s1600/IMG_0969.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the seafood that went into the hotpot, clams, squid, shrimp, crab and more. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9excCXmdFtE2ZbfSXWoLHh-4sEyhAtKqRNp8SIsR14gZOGsnQGvp8n_xix8lh0d5raV6T0fUSmFENoDCUhKr1kinHsFtecOFsbSwmjyCYJ6yVds5RM0IG4sXC4mfGYDLGujrh6g/s1600/IMG_0970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9excCXmdFtE2ZbfSXWoLHh-4sEyhAtKqRNp8SIsR14gZOGsnQGvp8n_xix8lh0d5raV6T0fUSmFENoDCUhKr1kinHsFtecOFsbSwmjyCYJ6yVds5RM0IG4sXC4mfGYDLGujrh6g/s1600/IMG_0970.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The broth for the hot pot was amazing. There was also big chunks of fish in it. </td></tr>
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The food at the restaurant is so fresh that you go up and point out what you want and they show on the calculator how much it is. Again we were still learning the money so the prices all looked good to me. Oops! </div>
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The food was fantastic. We decided we wanted some fish since we hadn't ordered any and decided to get a seafood hot pot. Because we ordered at the table they didn't show us the price. The cost of the hotpot was about the cost of everything else. We ended up paying over $100 for this meal. In the states, that's an amazing price for what we ate and drank but was jaw dropping for Vietnam. Newbie mistake we won't make again. </div>
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Speaking of learning from our mistakes, we asked the cab driver what the cost would be back to the hotel (we snagged a card so we can flash them the address). He held up his hand to say 5. We thought he meant 500,000 dong and got offended. He meant 5,000 dong! Hello, that's how much we overpaid! He took a different road but we figured we were on the other side of the hotel when he dropped us off so we would just walk there. Well, the reason our ride was so cheap was he took us about half the distance we needed to go, we were still a mile away from our hotel! I was bummed I doubled his fare, LOL. We started to walk but we haven't mastered the art of crossing the street yet. Scooters are driven by the majority of the population and crosswalks are few and far between. We basically crossed the street praying for our lives and not looking left or right. All you hear is honking scooters! We made it across, whew! We could have made the walk back but I had to go to the bathroom so we took a cab the rest of the way. </div>
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It wasn't late but we hadn't slept in 2 days so we relaxed in our room. It was an exciting and adventurous first day and hey, we learned these lessons so you don't have to. :)</div>
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Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-64912584969551910572015-02-19T15:53:00.000-05:002015-06-15T06:06:23.751-04:00Vietnam: The journey begins<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've known for awhile that I was going to go to Vietnam. I've always been more drawn to Europe but Vietnam was the motherland. I was born there but moved to the states when I was a baby. My brother Adam and I have been talking about going for the last few years. I decided that it was time to really make a commitment to going, I wanted to go while my mom and grandmother were still alive.</div>
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When I originally brought up Vietnam to Su and Nancy, Su was all over it. Nancy was much more hesitant. I said ok, Su and I will go without you (Adam was a maybe), LOL. Of course you know Nancy can't miss out on the fun and by the time we actually pulled the trigger on going she was in a hundred percent and super excited.</div>
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Unfortunately after we booked our tickets we found out Tet, Vietnamese New Year was going on while we were there. Most of the country shuts down, everyone travels home so all of the prices of tickets within the country were higher than normal. Last year Tet was in January, so we didn't even think of the fact it would be later in the year. If you ever travel to an Asian country, find out when the Lunar New Year is.</div>
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We flew All Nippon Air, I loved it so much that will be a separate blog post for later. Nancy almost missed the flight. Good thing we got to the airport in plenty of time. Nancy's name was wrong on her ticket. I thought the airline had messed up because we booked our tickets at different times but I called in to make sure our seats were together so thought somehow they merged us. I just knew it was their fault. That is until I had Nancy pull up her email confirmation. Normally I book for her but since the passport info had to be put in I made her book her own ticket. Big mistake, LOL. She used my computer to book the ticket and didn't realize she had autofilled some of my info, like my name. I felt bad for blaming them when I should be blaming Nancy! We booked our flights thru United so she had to go thru them. At first they said they wouldn't be able to get her out until the next day which would throw our whole schedule off since we were flying out hours after we landed in Vietnam but a half an hour later they were able to get her on the flight. The ladies and gent at ANA were wonderful when we went back. I told them I wasn't coming back with Nancy, going to sell her while in the Nam. I think some of them might have believed me.</div>
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Oh, another duh moment by us. We were each bringing suitcases of candy and homemade chocolate chip cookies. My mom brought some cookies I made home last time and they went crazy so I spent the night baking like a fiend. We weighed our bags and were like shoot, that's a lot less than we thought so we piled everything into one suitcase. Turns out they were using kilos not lbs. We were then overweight so had to separate again. The stupid thing is, it wasn't even about saving money, we just wanted to consolidate, LOL. Who wants to travel with us?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7b-8_6Uz2bjkirN_bAIkcrLu9s-9FzAPXyU7r1Xbu0SxclrO0bbXd1pWNrRzuY2e5fEF8Jyu9p2JMjI6w0Q3S6nLNIdbnEQwklQ_hwNX-ZKLhNDYMma-4xwXiJU6UGUn7SFLBA/s1600/IMG_0758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7b-8_6Uz2bjkirN_bAIkcrLu9s-9FzAPXyU7r1Xbu0SxclrO0bbXd1pWNrRzuY2e5fEF8Jyu9p2JMjI6w0Q3S6nLNIdbnEQwklQ_hwNX-ZKLhNDYMma-4xwXiJU6UGUn7SFLBA/s1600/IMG_0758.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we are off!</td></tr>
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Our layover was in Tokyo and we decided we had to have sushi since we were in Japan, the land of sushi. Once we found out the yen to dollar conversion, we decided instead of a sushi platter we would have the sushi bowl. I didn't want to spend my entire vacation fund before we got to Vietnam.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_jnuTDY187PImfsGZzrwikn1rkHdmyXr8StgaJujnlDy2pIcVrkVSghjYvLW0ZY-BP4DksdNvKoog2kGLOBvZ8qZcJIoXvUcGLCHQozme7AoSbwL8NJqitz5eeVcRSDXdqthFA/s1600/IMG_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_jnuTDY187PImfsGZzrwikn1rkHdmyXr8StgaJujnlDy2pIcVrkVSghjYvLW0ZY-BP4DksdNvKoog2kGLOBvZ8qZcJIoXvUcGLCHQozme7AoSbwL8NJqitz5eeVcRSDXdqthFA/s1600/IMG_0762.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salmon and chirashi bowl</td></tr>
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I have to admit, the sushi was pretty amazing. I stuck to the tried and true salmon sushi over seasoned rice, it was like butter, just the way I love it. Nancy had the chirashi bowl which had a little of everything. It was a fun was to experience lots of different kinds of sushi and it was just as delicious.</div>
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After 9 hours to Japan and another 6 hour flight to Vietnam we finally landed. We got there a half an hour before Su and just hung out waiting. After about 20 minutes we decided to start working on our Visa on arrival once Nancy told me they don't go in order we figured it will help make things go faster once Su got there. Well turns out we had to fill out a paper and by the time Su got there and thru the line she was ahead of us because she had her form already filled out, oops! In order to get our Visa before we left we would have had to mail our passports to DC so that is why we did the Visa on arrival and an hour later we were ready to go thru customs! And by customs, I mean, we get our passports and visa checked. There was no customs forms or customs to go thru when arriving in Vietnam. Guess I won't have to declare all of the candy we brought for family (that's what my mom told us to bring). </div>
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We left the US at noon on the 19th and arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at 10pm on the 20th. By the time we left the airport it was after midnight. My mom was there just to say hi to us and give us food and water, how exciting! People who are waiting for flights to arrive in HCMC aren't allowed to wait inside the airport, there's a holding area outside that was full of people waiting. </div>
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Since it was Tet the plan was to get out of town ASAP so we checked into an airport hotel for $24 and leave at 5am to Nha Trang, a beach town. We asked the receptionist what time we should leave to catch our flight. She said 4:15-4:45am. I was like we will leave at 4:15, the others sound way too late. </div>
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Su and I decided to stay up all night instead of sleeping for a couple of hours. I figured it would hurt more to wake up after a couple of hours, plus we had a lot of catching up to do, we hadn't seen each other in a month. That's a lot of catching up to do. I also took a shower then realized my goal during my trip to was to never wash my own hair, damn, I didn't make it past day 1!</div>
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It's a good thing we stayed up, we never got a wake up call. Because we were up and ready we headed down at 4 to catch a cab. Thank goodness we did because the airport was a madhouse. It's Tet, everyone was flying out. Don't wait until the last minute like the receptionist said. We were freaking out. We were flying out of Vietnam Air, too bad there were no signs that said that. We had to ask someone where to go. The sign did not say Vietnam Air, it was written in a different language (uhhh Vietnamese). Then we get there and the line is huge! We start freaking out worried about missing our flight. We showed the lady at the beginning of the line and she didn't seem worried but the longer we waited the more worried we got so the girls made me go up to the guy at the beginning of the line. At first he brushed me off but a minute later he called us forward and got us to a ticket counter. The funny thing was, we weren't the last people on the flight, not anywhere close. They are definitely blasé about getting to the airport on time. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIn3NBbH2ouIuXjMqvcf6jyaL-N1wxGozj6Ylmpg5nHF5yaoPrSkEFtQEeEAmpht9Bdazo2VzHPpxNXe6n311klNhPIKc7Z0hJ8wiSB9IqTaJpngo2EsOKOFUjKRF21UPoadSLA/s1600/IMG_0778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIn3NBbH2ouIuXjMqvcf6jyaL-N1wxGozj6Ylmpg5nHF5yaoPrSkEFtQEeEAmpht9Bdazo2VzHPpxNXe6n311klNhPIKc7Z0hJ8wiSB9IqTaJpngo2EsOKOFUjKRF21UPoadSLA/s1600/IMG_0778.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite as shiny and new as our first pic. </td></tr>
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The flight was only an hour. There was a little boy, probably around 1 in the row ahead of us. He was fussy but curious about us. I wanted to pick him up to calm him down and give the parents a break so Su asked them if I could hold him for me, LOL. They said yes and held him and he calmed down, until he realized I was trying to put him to sleep. He was having none of that, lol. Guess the baby whisperer's reputation is international. </div>
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Nha Trang here we come!</div>
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Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-85749501872400495132014-06-10T23:43:00.000-04:002014-07-07T08:59:44.046-04:00Making our last meal count...<div style="text-align: justify;">
I planned every day but this day because the girls were flying out today. Well, turns out they weren't flying out until the evening, d'oh! </div>
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When we went to Dahlia Bakery I really wanted some of their macarons. Nancy had brought me one home last winter and it was amazing! Well, turns out they don't make them anymore. Noooooooo!!! So I was craving them and looked up a bakery that supposedly made them well. That's where we went for lunch after a leisurely morning of packing. I can't remember the name of the place but I wasn't impressed with their macarons which could be why I didn't bother remembering the name but we all enjoyed our sandwiches. </div>
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After that we headed into Seattle to do some sight seeing. After parking near Pike Place Market we saw a duck go buy and Julie suggested taking a duck tour. My friend had recently gone on one and he had a blast. So we hoofed it to where the tour started and got on one that was just taking off. We really should have waited for the next duck. A tour is only as successful as those who are a part of it. Our tour guide tried, we tried, we clapped, we sang, we danced but the other duck riders weren't as into the tour as we were. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIKyhMkASdaeZ-f9EJMLb5NPxUa-sXqgj93F1vcXMNCcIJQLBgXIODhtyMPe3O9soFsEu7TK5Wr0DA5AT4Xl17J4K07dHYMzwv1fYcgMiSDau2rf7forW-rGFCM9vCyFx0pa8Eg/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIKyhMkASdaeZ-f9EJMLb5NPxUa-sXqgj93F1vcXMNCcIJQLBgXIODhtyMPe3O9soFsEu7TK5Wr0DA5AT4Xl17J4K07dHYMzwv1fYcgMiSDau2rf7forW-rGFCM9vCyFx0pa8Eg/s1600/photo-2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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So while it wasn't the best tour ever, we did have fun. The highlight was riding down the street and seeing someone we know. We yelled his name and the tour guide had everyone say hi to him. And by everyone, that would be us and the tour guide, yeah, they were party poopers, LOL. </div>
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We timed our tour perfectly (OK it wasn't planned) so that when we were done, Nancy was off work and could pick us up. Once she grabbed us we went back to Pike Place Market to wander around. It's always a fun tourist destination. Since we got there later then planned some of the shops were closing but we still had a good time and more importantly, took some fun pics. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqotWWetQlfcISQZPNd4X11lhc3wJPK1_tt8GEBN0EIchF6xfOyWWW2rfwB0tfE9DVGluSfvtCjMo8o8W5coPZV9Ylt7SagciQ5U_mQ4Z1ZmpnEBWnmo1uVDE2ojGrd5XrIRxNQQ/s1600/10380646_10202233184095461_6036542333528768712_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqotWWetQlfcISQZPNd4X11lhc3wJPK1_tt8GEBN0EIchF6xfOyWWW2rfwB0tfE9DVGluSfvtCjMo8o8W5coPZV9Ylt7SagciQ5U_mQ4Z1ZmpnEBWnmo1uVDE2ojGrd5XrIRxNQQ/s1600/10380646_10202233184095461_6036542333528768712_o.jpg" height="400" width="398" /></a></div>
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Bummer this is blurry. It's what happens when we rely on others to take the pic. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS-XgoVd_8Emq043IzQKjz6dTM7_SQWJhpnajla82I1JnKMWiRZweyD0boj1zMbrJEZh07jEpC810W41JyrOTIh5A4y3fxu-HlAiii38DMb6BFkai01BZQGtpNHRm9PaP8fM3bA/s1600/10380653_10204417541177534_6635395021013162631_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS-XgoVd_8Emq043IzQKjz6dTM7_SQWJhpnajla82I1JnKMWiRZweyD0boj1zMbrJEZh07jEpC810W41JyrOTIh5A4y3fxu-HlAiii38DMb6BFkai01BZQGtpNHRm9PaP8fM3bA/s1600/10380653_10204417541177534_6635395021013162631_o.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Then again, strangers can also take some great pics (Julie and Nancy were shopping during this pic). </div>
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After we were done shopping it was time to get our feast on. My original plan was to go to Anchovies and Olives, they have amazing crudo and an oyster happy hour. Then I realized, Julie doesn't like fish, so she definitely wouldn't like raw fish and she doesn't like oysters, which we've eaten a lot of on this trip. What she does love is crab, which we all love so we took her to the <a href="http://www.thecrabpotseattle.com/" target="_blank">Crab Pot</a> which is right on the water. It's a favorite go to place when we want seafood and have out of town visitors (We took <a href="http://leiha.blogspot.com/2008/12/lins-visit-at-casa-de-leiha.html" target="_blank">Lin there when she visited from England</a>). We all ordered the Alaskan which had 3 kinds of crab, mussels, shrimp, sausage, clams, potatoes and corn. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9ZegNa9YQ38ASQ5kCU7O2QRUiWV3KSJCwN4rly-UpW6CVzjDvAByrY-FZfa-BIsg4hZC9Cv9DvENSVSjFFJ09aNzGMM8wBLAa_HafxRGDrtLVNwRJMgEuUaNPsb0Z1X1-eW_8A/s1600/10402853_10202855341478931_2579089333445076287_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9ZegNa9YQ38ASQ5kCU7O2QRUiWV3KSJCwN4rly-UpW6CVzjDvAByrY-FZfa-BIsg4hZC9Cv9DvENSVSjFFJ09aNzGMM8wBLAa_HafxRGDrtLVNwRJMgEuUaNPsb0Z1X1-eW_8A/s1600/10402853_10202855341478931_2579089333445076287_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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The girls were ready!</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">This is what it looked like when they put it on our table. </span></div>
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Yes, I know there's a lot of shrimp left. While I love shrimp, I'm not a big fan of peel and eat shrimp. Not enough flavor. We had to prioritize stomach room, the shrimp were low man on the totem pole. But don't worry, we would never leave that food behind. I took them home for Kim to have leftovers. I'm a good sister like that.</div>
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Since we had some time before we had to drop the girls off, we made one last stop at 5 Coins near the airport for a drink and dessert. I wasn't impressed with their dessert menu but it was about enjoying the last few minutes with the girls. </div>
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Then sadly it was time to say goodbye. I hate saying goodbye to my girls but the pain is lessoned by the fact that I know I'll see them again. I love having friends who travel. The main reason I blog nowadays is so I can remember the great times I have with my friends. We're lucky to have each other (alright, we know how lucky they are to have me in their life, but I want to sound modest). </div>
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Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-36397001059860892352014-06-07T00:39:00.000-04:002015-06-15T04:35:49.353-04:00Girlfriends and good food!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Didn't have any plans for Friday morning but that changed once we woke up. I really wanted a pedicure and Nancy and Julie were down for one. Sharon just got one so she dropped us off at the nail salon and went wandering at the University District. Having my feet worked on first thing in the morning is how I should start every day, LOL. We would have been done a lot sooner but Julie had drama with her flower. I never get designs on my toes. I always say it's for kids. Of course, Julie gets a design. The first girl to do her flower was not very good so Julie had to get re-flowered. It was funny. </div>
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When we were done Sharon met up with us and thanks for a suggestion from Adam, we went to a new to me asian market in the International District, <a href="http://www.lamsseafood.com/" target="_blank">Lam's Seafood</a> to grab some Vietnamese food to take to the park with us for lunch. If we had more time we would have spent more time in the market looking at the fun foods that they had. They have a big hot food section with food that's pretty cheap. Seattle has a great International District with cheap authentic food. A Vietnamese sub (banh mi) can be purchased for under $3, if it's more then that, you're getting ripped off. </div>
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We happily grabbed our haul and headed out. Sharon purchased some chicken wings that we gobbled up in the car. We were hungry and they were delicious! We went to <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=399" target="_blank">Volunteer Park</a> which is an oasis in the city. It was a gorgeous day in the neighborhood. A perfect day for a picnic and to take pictures! </div>
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Our food was great. We all ordered what we wanted and then we shared, a great way to try a lot of different foods. </div>
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After lunch we wandered around the park. Nancy and Sharon went up the water tower, way too many steps for me so Julie and I walked in a circle around the water tower. I love this pic of me because it's a very flattering pic. The magic of a good camera angle.<br />
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They had these beautiful trees with low hanging branches that kids were draped all over. I can imagine just lying on a branch and day dreaming.<br />
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I think Nancy is trying to really ride the camel.</div>
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The Space Needle behind us. </div>
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The girls being goofy.</div>
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After the park we headed back to the house to meet up with Lina who left work early to join us. She actually made it there before us, the house has a code instead of keys so it was perfect, she let herself in and we were shortly behind her. </div>
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After we showered and got ready we were off! First stop, <a href="http://www.elliottsoysterhouse.com/" target="_blank">Elliott's Oyster House.</a> They have a progressive happy hour, at 3pm their oysters are a dollar each for an hour then the price goes up. Luckily we got there in time to order 4 dz oysters before the price went up. There were only 3 of us eating them but Nancy, Sharon and I enjoyed every bite. </div>
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After oysters we headed over to <a href="http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=dahlia-lounge" target="_blank">Dahlia Lounge</a> where we were going to meet Ronlyn. We left early enough to stop at <a href="http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=dahlia-bakery" target="_blank">Dahlia Bakery</a> which is next door. I insisted that everyone had to try their triple coconut cream pie (you can read about <a href="http://leiha.blogspot.com/2012/12/restaurant-review-palace-kitchen-seattle.html?q=palace+kitchen" target="_blank">my first experience trying this pie here</a>). I didn't take a picture since I was too busy eating but I found this one online. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLwL_-xhkFUOd9BhPpiCdQincZD5JFUhyphenhyphen_TTuKM9Ntv-X0qYrpzz9O3yQ6yMh9Y3Wm9czy81TZmzOu3Wt3kBFMgKb3rQuhfRBe9t1PWYdpHhAHU576ajqiRZfo_iyxstRbGbvgA/s1600/SRW_Dahlia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLwL_-xhkFUOd9BhPpiCdQincZD5JFUhyphenhyphen_TTuKM9Ntv-X0qYrpzz9O3yQ6yMh9Y3Wm9czy81TZmzOu3Wt3kBFMgKb3rQuhfRBe9t1PWYdpHhAHU576ajqiRZfo_iyxstRbGbvgA/s1600/SRW_Dahlia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This coconut pie is so famous, Tom Douglas serves it in all of his restaurants. I think it's $7 or $8 a slice and $35 for a whole pie. If you want to treat yourself, you should try it. I found a <a href="http://marycooks.blogspot.com/2008/11/tom-douglas-triple-coconut-cream-pie.html">recipe online</a> if you'd like to make it yourself. One day I'll get ambitious enough to make it. Even people who don't like coconut enjoy this pie. I'm just saying. After we were done enjoying the decadence that is the Dahlia Bakery we went to the bar at Dahlia Lounge to wait for Ronlyn. </div>
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She showed up with 3 bags of books for everyone, she knows the way to our hearts, LOL. Our smart waitress put us in the back away from everyone. Due to the fact we weren't very hungry we only ordered apps. They were delicious. </div>
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Shrimp-scallion potstickers, grilled bread salad, sweet pea risotto, black cod and cheese plates (because there can never be enough cheese!). I'd never had bread salad before and I was leery when we ordered it but I have to say, it was my favorite dish. I love food that surprises you. </div>
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We put a lot of effort into planning our days but not much in planning our nights. Each day pretty much ended at dinner for us. Problem was, we weren't ready to end our night but had no interest in going to a crowded bar so we decided to go to the store, load up on cheese, olives and all kinds of other finger foods, grabbed a couple of bottles of win and we went back to our house and laid our spread out and talked long into the night. Or until 10:30pm when Ronlyn said she had to go home. I swear it felt like 2am. If you want to party hard, call me LOL. </div>
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Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-32184979345422303212014-06-04T23:58:00.000-04:002015-06-15T04:36:19.008-04:00Sleepless in Seattle <div style="text-align: justify;">
Way back in Jan. Sharon and Julie decided that they wanted to come out to Seattle to go to a Diana Gabaldon event, we love our authors and as an extra bonus, Nancy and I lived there (well 30 minutes north of there). Well fast forward 6 months and I no longer live in WA. As I always say, never write my address in ink. Of course, I didn't want to miss out on any of the fun and I was a huge part of why they were going to Seattle (huge!) so I planned my trip home to visit my family to co-incide the with the girls visit.</div>
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Both Julie and Sharon have been out to WA in the last couple of years on separate visits but there's always things we think we should have done, after they left. This time we discussed what they wanted to do ahead of time (they're no help, they were down for anything) so I put together an itinerary, mostly an eating trip (that's what happens when you leave the itinerary up to me).</div>
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We landed Tue night and I knew we would be hungry, or at least I would be so we went to <a href="http://toulousepetit.com/" target="_blank">Toulouse Petit</a> which has one of the best late night happy hours in the country! I didn't say that, their website says that. We took Dao and Michelle there when they were in town and I loved it but hadn't been back. I was worried that it would be too crowded but we were able to find a booth right away which was awesome! The hard part is for us to stop talking long enough to look at the menu. But somehow we paused in the conversation to order.</div>
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In this picture starting at the top left corner, crawfish beignets (I didn't want to order them but they ended up being fantastic) , oysters 3 ways (Sharon loved them so much she had a second order), mussels in saffron sauce (I had this before and was dreaming about them and it was as good as I remembered. I wish I had ordered more.), cajun meatloaf sliders (they were good but I wanted more seafood so I only had a bite) and sinister fried shrimp (fantastic!).</div>
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We also ordered barbecued shrimp New Orleans which is their version of shrimp and grits (good, just not as good as the sinister shrimp), manila clams with spanish chorizo (not as good as the mussels) and tuna tartare (I'm a sucker for anything raw. I loved it, didn't realize Julie didn't like fish, let alone raw fish, LOL).</div>
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They also make great mixed drinks there, Julie and I weren't drinking so Sharon and Nancy just ordered a drink, I can't remember what it was but it was delicious.</div>
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Afterwards we headed to Nancy's house where we proceeded to unwind and even tho we planned on going to bed right away (3 of us were on eastern time and Nancy can sleep whenever), Julie and I gabbed into the night and we could hear Sharon and Nancy chatting in their room. The best part about getting together isn't the eating, which I love, but the times when we're just lounging around talking and being with each other. I already know, the trip is going to go by way too fast!</div>
Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-23784582464928338132014-04-07T00:04:00.000-04:002015-06-15T04:36:46.475-04:00Fun in the desert sun!<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was a looooong winter so when planning for a girls getaway our # 1 requirement was some place we knew would be warm in April, secondary was somewhere where most of us hadn't been before. When trying to co-ordinate with 10 other well traveled girls that gets difficult. So Phoenix it was, even tho Cheryl has a house there. She still came out to spend time with us, awwww!</div>
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Usually I do a different post for every day I'm on vacation, or at least I try to but we didn't actually do a lot on this trip. I love it when we rent a house together. When there's a large group in a hotel, you go out but when you're back in the hotel, you're all in separate rooms. Here we get to spend time together, doing nothing. Which I really excel at!</div>
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Barb got us a great deal on a van that could fit all of us in it and our suitcases! It was awesome to all be in the same car when we do leave the house. More quality time with each other, not very good if you don't like who you're with but that's not the case with us. We're there to spend as much time together and to get away from the real world. </div>
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I wasn't expecting to be so impressed with the beauty of AZ since I'm more of a tropical gal but we were surrounded by beauty.</div>
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When we rent a house, we have most of our meals in. Why would we go out when we're surrounded with fantastic cooks?<br />
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This is just one of the many gourmet meals that we had. </div>
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And every time I see Barb I request that she makes her chocolate pavlova. It's like eating a chocolate cloud with a whipped cream topping and fresh fruit. I'm not a big chocolate eater and this is one of my favorite desserts ever. The first time she made this was when we were in Charleston. You can get <a href="http://leiha.blogspot.com/2007/09/fine-dining-at-its-best.html" target="_blank">the recipe here</a>. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The one day we did leave the house we drove to Sedona. We got our only group photo with all of us at the rest area along the way. 11 women in a van, of course, we're stopping for a potty break!</span></div>
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These are some of the ladies who went on a hike (Su and Linda were ahead of them). Barb and I were smarter then that and went shopping and had a snack instead. We found a great beef jerky place and I spent a lot of time sampling and buying.</div>
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Once we all met back up we went to lunch at some Cowboy place. Unfortunately that didn't mean it was full of cowboys and it seemed like they were out of half of the menu. </div>
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We made a couple of stops along the way home. You know we're always looking for picture opportunities. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Other then our trip to Sedona we barely left the house. We had a small pool, a large couch and a pontoon. Except for trips to the grocery store we spent our days lounging around and making wonderful memories with each other. </span></div>
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It's hard to get more relaxing then riding the pontoon around the canals in the neighborhood. </div>
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OK, maybe lying by the pool watching pontoons go by is more relaxing. </div>
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We did find the energy to wander the neighborhood and take pics. They were cheesy and fun!</div>
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Kudos to Sharon who kept setting the shots up and then running around to get in the pic. </div>
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Sitting around the table, enjoying great friends, great food and laughing over the stupid things we do (such as taking this pic when Mich was out of the room to drive her crazy) is what girlfriend trips are all about! </div>
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Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-65940597115889126832013-11-26T15:13:00.000-05:002015-06-15T04:37:12.363-04:00Eating like an Ox in Portland<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday, behind my birthday month, of course! It's an eating holiday where your biggest worry is will there be enough gravy (I like my potatoes and turkey swimming). What better time to talk about a recent eating extravaganza I had in Portland?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy went to Portland for work for a couple of weeks last month. I decided to go down for a few days while she was down there to visit with Linda. OK, Linda lured me with the promise of letting me gather black walnuts at her dad's place but it was the perfect time to go, I hadn't been to Portland since March of last year. I love Portland and I love Linda, that was way too long between visits!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since Nancy and I had recently had our birthdays (well relatively recently), Linda took us out for a birthday dinner. Did I mention the fact that I loved Linda? She chose to take us to </span><a href="http://oxpdx.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ox</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, an Argentinian inspired restaurant and it also happened to be Oregonian's Restaurant of the Year for 2013. Linda has excellent taste (in food as well as friends)!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">They stagger the seating for their diners and don't accept reservations. It's a small restaurant but they handle it well. There's a bar next door and seating outside where people wait to get seated. The waiters were so cute that both Nancy and I thought the same thing, are we in Greece? Along with our drinks we also ordered some truffled pistachios. Many of you know I love pistachios but what I love even more is anything truffled. I'm not talking chocolate truffles. I'm talking the wonderfully umami mushroom truffle. I wish I had the super sniffer of the trained dogs or pigs so I could go on my own truffle hunt but until then, I will have to console myself with anything truffled. The truffled pistachios didn't disappoint. Just as we were digging in, our table was ready. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had a great seat, right in front of the counter where we could watch the chefs at work, not that I did much of that, too busy looking at the food on my table. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">They served a complimentary amuse-bouche which always makes me happy. This one was a creamed cauliflower soup and it was divine. I wanted to lick the tiny little tea cup it came in. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgD8hP5gJuMQ_wJh9EEFdDyMweMaYnkbUKHGzXablvas6LLuwfqbNLS4ut9V5rLG6qHhnplL-JWdkLtrORSm38HBDzgPFac879HQHwPINMZPbkjLe-Xs2P2FjlnEEXIoN10yO/s1600/IMG_4269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgD8hP5gJuMQ_wJh9EEFdDyMweMaYnkbUKHGzXablvas6LLuwfqbNLS4ut9V5rLG6qHhnplL-JWdkLtrORSm38HBDzgPFac879HQHwPINMZPbkjLe-Xs2P2FjlnEEXIoN10yO/s400/IMG_4269.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of my favorite things about Argentinian food is chimichurri. It's as common in Argentina as ketchup is. I love this stuff! I was first introduced to it when I lived in Los Angeles, there was this great Argentinian restaurant, Lalas, within walking distance to the last apartment I lived in (I moved a lot). I never knew what it was called until I told Linda about it and she not only told me what it was called but made some for me. Not only is it fabulous as a dip for your bread, it's amazing on top of steak. It's loaded with cilantro, parsley and garlic. How can you go wrong? My dear friend, Analisa, lives in Argentina. She knows of my love for chimichurri and has tried multiple times to mail me some. It never makes it to me. I had to beg her to not try anymore. I hate the waste of money. Luckily there are places like Ox where I can get my fix. The hard part is not getting full dipping my bread into this ambrosia. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8DmfbFKu57Bj9-n7eG9OgWCO0zuHOkElFIyGPRaeudv2oY6UfBPW0lSDfClPl9LWQIi9QYsd6rqz2ic05wfrwzfDnHV2zlLkmtF1XxqM8JiYEFCpp6pu4pgCpXXouVI8eChC/s1600/IMG_4270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8DmfbFKu57Bj9-n7eG9OgWCO0zuHOkElFIyGPRaeudv2oY6UfBPW0lSDfClPl9LWQIi9QYsd6rqz2ic05wfrwzfDnHV2zlLkmtF1XxqM8JiYEFCpp6pu4pgCpXXouVI8eChC/s400/IMG_4270.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Looking at this picture would you guess that this was clam chowder? The presentation had us oohing and aahing, the taste had us drooling. This is one of their signature dishes, a fresh clam chowder with a smoked bone marrow. Is your mouth watering? Mine was and is. The bone marrow added a depth of flavor that truffles do when added to anything. This soup was complex and delicious. Nancy only planned on eating a bite or two and she couldn't resist eating more. One of the best clam chowders I've ever had (and I love me some clam chowder). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqv7odxK3KeAQdbC3icroA_myvGFJTmuuwOook25ha5kFiCdg4HdPg62RzyaRihI1ZDbu_4aO6aRfEVZk8JIIBFmFEGtfizWi6E6j2VG1Ts25LxAjxBvMYNnCZXoamsj8xUPY/s1600/IMG_4275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqv7odxK3KeAQdbC3icroA_myvGFJTmuuwOook25ha5kFiCdg4HdPg62RzyaRihI1ZDbu_4aO6aRfEVZk8JIIBFmFEGtfizWi6E6j2VG1Ts25LxAjxBvMYNnCZXoamsj8xUPY/s400/IMG_4275.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As much as I loved the clam chowder I have to say I loved the sauteed mushroom and spinach side almost as much. Why was it so good? See those delicious brown bits on top? That would be foie gras! I had forgotten that there was foie gras in this dish when they delivered it and then I took a bite and did a squeal of happiness. I really did. They didn't skimp on the foie gras either. Color me happy!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha421KVArPOz7OUi-9_IIu9m8N_TFAcLu8dqAg-LgjYt_EyjqCcohpojwlNaJKjhgdkJzaQdTVg9ybrho47e28nUBcRN-MjmUMfsrDwiPnoLFiDq_MOPLKkUaYHB5TBRsmWbB0/s1600/IMG_4282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha421KVArPOz7OUi-9_IIu9m8N_TFAcLu8dqAg-LgjYt_EyjqCcohpojwlNaJKjhgdkJzaQdTVg9ybrho47e28nUBcRN-MjmUMfsrDwiPnoLFiDq_MOPLKkUaYHB5TBRsmWbB0/s400/IMG_4282.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy and I split the grill special for two, it came with grilled short ribs, house chorizo, morcilla sausage, skirt steak, sweat breads, fried potatoes and green salad. Sorry I don't have a better pic of the meats. I am always a fan of the short rib, I love my meats fatty. It was nice and chewy and flavorful. Really enjoyed the chorizo. Turns out morcilla sausage is blood sausage. It wasn't bad. I only had a bite, wanted to try it but so much other stuff that I wanted to eat that was better. The skirt steak was my fave. I'd only had sweat breads once before. I really enjoyed them here. The grill added a smokiness to this. It looked like a smoked cauliflower but with a meaty taste. I didn't eat much of the potatoes or salad but they were good. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8UhJDJr_8DHgc4F-PafwgIS8LeW0ShP28fMQ-OFB8Ci8eXxsE1H5ONTJzhUfa7zVyWLh4OmvYrGSakCWnxXLngvZFkMswadts7284vabay9oHPaeUcbqOxW7U2iKBwpWrJcw/s1600/IMG_4280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8UhJDJr_8DHgc4F-PafwgIS8LeW0ShP28fMQ-OFB8Ci8eXxsE1H5ONTJzhUfa7zVyWLh4OmvYrGSakCWnxXLngvZFkMswadts7284vabay9oHPaeUcbqOxW7U2iKBwpWrJcw/s400/IMG_4280.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Linda ordered a filet mignon. It was a special so it's not always on the menu. She got the last one of the night. It's not my favorite cut of meat but hers was incredibly tender. Her greens went perfectly with her steak. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxWFXEd1pKn1mCGHHZGraQr06eqa1ay_fJvfvns6BygeKJsJXWvdg_mFa6gxF0RQjbAbiWV_MdrfZeuCNnLt33pi3LvYusdSned3n2NzMv19dp6W4rP2AdVXKShrUFRfyRd81/s1600/IMG_4285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxWFXEd1pKn1mCGHHZGraQr06eqa1ay_fJvfvns6BygeKJsJXWvdg_mFa6gxF0RQjbAbiWV_MdrfZeuCNnLt33pi3LvYusdSned3n2NzMv19dp6W4rP2AdVXKShrUFRfyRd81/s400/IMG_4285.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dessert was a warm hazelnut brown butter torte, honey chamomile ice cream and honeycomb candy. I only ate a bite of it but Nancy says it was delicious and it was our waiter's favorite dessert. I really enjoyed the honeycomb candy tho. I loved the chewiness of it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBHniRhReY0N_M76vsh-LmT17xi5Uf3IMUBjGxr98oMJzR1UKH1rZBdjUC7GZHNHZppj85iSRcOSqWcxtdwGCLrftEvsHUny2io-ONAXVXjYlcXsafByd-vXtSBM7z0H5zjLl/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBHniRhReY0N_M76vsh-LmT17xi5Uf3IMUBjGxr98oMJzR1UKH1rZBdjUC7GZHNHZppj85iSRcOSqWcxtdwGCLrftEvsHUny2io-ONAXVXjYlcXsafByd-vXtSBM7z0H5zjLl/s400/IMG_4287.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What a fantastic eating experience. Portland has some amazing restaurants and this one didn't let me down. I would go back in a heart beat. The service was phenomenal and the food top notch. Just writing about this eating experience makes my mouth salivate and it's been over a month. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Linda has her finger on the pulse of where to go in Portland. One of the reasons I love to go there. When I try to figure out where to eat in Seattle, I never know where to go although I did have an amazing meal at Anchovies and Olives in Seattle. I'll have to see if I can find the pics I took. I might blog on it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While in Portland Linda also took us to </span><a href="http://sunshinepdx.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sunshine Tavern</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> which is run by chef Jenn Louis who was on the most recent edition of Top Chef Masters. She was even working while we were there so that was fun to see since I'm such a fan of the Top Chef series. Jenn Louis went home for her banh mi, which if you don't know, if a Vietnamese sub. It was on her menu. There was no way I was going to order that. To be fair, she had the wrong bread on TC but if you're eating at a Vietnamese restaurant or deli a banh mi runs about $2.50. The most you will pay is $5. If it costs more then that, it's more American then Vietnamese and I won't order it when I can get a banh mi that I love for much less. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don't normally like to order my fries with anything on them. They get too soggy too quick but the girls wanted to try this and hey, there were 3 of us, so it would be eaten before it had a chance to get soggy. The french fries were covered in gravy and cheese but the gravy was more of a pork gravy. Yes, pork gravy. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgyp3EpwyZpGZmIgbpM4LAinfiKlt4lzBYfTDw1DILMYc4AoQVtoX9UBgaHia0ATrkZ1089dX_0A-BACos9sWKE6S7aPrU_JHUvDprPYoOrt4Jb9-PDbJm0D6H1ctbQnSN_sH/s1600/IMG_4238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgyp3EpwyZpGZmIgbpM4LAinfiKlt4lzBYfTDw1DILMYc4AoQVtoX9UBgaHia0ATrkZ1089dX_0A-BACos9sWKE6S7aPrU_JHUvDprPYoOrt4Jb9-PDbJm0D6H1ctbQnSN_sH/s400/IMG_4238.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The oysters were lightly battered then fried. I really enjoyed them. Light and airy and not too big. Not as good as the ones I had at Brennan's in New Orleans but that's understandable. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpuDzPMEeg17k-oFMeImffZOKMuy6BnWKmel8V2EnKm8h2k9wc9FYVLMWUJ73Jea5rWM-SEn8cBGqarc2gpeKPH_9b_XKz4QU_mUU7UvAIE4vlYYB_h73Ie1Q4p__4oXm0Ikr/s1600/IMG_4239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpuDzPMEeg17k-oFMeImffZOKMuy6BnWKmel8V2EnKm8h2k9wc9FYVLMWUJ73Jea5rWM-SEn8cBGqarc2gpeKPH_9b_XKz4QU_mUU7UvAIE4vlYYB_h73Ie1Q4p__4oXm0Ikr/s400/IMG_4239.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Linda ordered a sandwich that was thinly sliced ham served with butter, fennel and radish. It was actually very refreshing. Like having a salad on top of your sandwich. Since we had already ordered fries, the waiter brought Linda a spinach salad to replace her fries. How awesome was that?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf6LcONklpQEhtXwlaAn5OcWYmZg0qwIncREw-TdsC_0DPh-R9CXlgjjSkpLyLLqjeaNtSy8Fpob07tzoUvOW8e72fRBA1mG03rjhU8zjEkwUkApA5Up5c1mx6GG4sfqCsiN_/s1600/IMG_4241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf6LcONklpQEhtXwlaAn5OcWYmZg0qwIncREw-TdsC_0DPh-R9CXlgjjSkpLyLLqjeaNtSy8Fpob07tzoUvOW8e72fRBA1mG03rjhU8zjEkwUkApA5Up5c1mx6GG4sfqCsiN_/s400/IMG_4241.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy's pizza was plum and pork belly with creme fraiche and almonds. She's more experimental with her pizza choices then I am but her choices are always fun. This pizza was actually really good. It reminded me of a bbq chicken pizza that California Pizza Kitchen has but with pork, which is oodles better then chicken in my opinion. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqLwtGbrCfVxZm3iZbA-V7EDkL8M0vlw8cbBg5jlvPnVv5t9FLI9AQ2RK7npXxN1y6Zka39EnDo6yg5tQ8nm2SM7OaW3L5tCWNemeNzkctNJd6VPSbftmz9-vN9oIxqiqI9ca/s1600/IMG_4243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqLwtGbrCfVxZm3iZbA-V7EDkL8M0vlw8cbBg5jlvPnVv5t9FLI9AQ2RK7npXxN1y6Zka39EnDo6yg5tQ8nm2SM7OaW3L5tCWNemeNzkctNJd6VPSbftmz9-vN9oIxqiqI9ca/s400/IMG_4243.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unless that chicken is fried. I'm a sucker for fried chicken. The first time I heard of fried chicken and waffles was in Los Angeles with Roscoes Chicken and Waffles. I never tried their waffles but their chicken was great. Then I moved to Atlanta and they had Gladys Knight's chicken and waffles. Her chicken is divine and someone else ordered the waffles and they were awesome too. If you do go there, it's well worth it to order the wings. You wait a little longer but so good!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anyway, having been around chicken and waffles for awhile, it's not unusual to see the combo on a menu. If I could have, I would have just ordered the fried chicken but it wasn't a chicken restaurant so I had to either order this or a chicken sandwich. I went with the waffle instead. It's a yeasted semolina waffle with ham and clover honey. I love honey with chicken. Thanks to KFC! This chicken was served boneless so that made me a little leery. I want my chicken bone in, that's where all the flavor is but they get raves for this dish so I tried and and I have to say, it was juicy, tender and delicious! I am a fan! The waffle did nothing for me but Linda made up for it by making me her soda waffles the next day (crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside, my favorite!). </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I can't wait for my next trip to Portland. Why did I wait so long? </span></div>
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<br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-31763672774232865412013-09-22T04:05:00.000-04:002014-07-02T00:04:35.106-04:00Greece, until we meet again...<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Since we were flying out early the next morning this is our last day in Greece. Su really wanted to do the Delphi tour. I wasn't so into it but it was an all day thing and I'd hate to miss a day with my girls so I agreed. The great thing about traveling with the girls I travel with is if someone wants to do something and someone doesn't, we can go our separate ways. We don't have to do everything together. If you're going to travel with someone you haven't traveled with before, I recommend doing a short stateside trip before you go oversees with them. It will be an expensive and tough lesson to learn in a different country.</div>
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From our research, the highlight for many people who went to Greece was renting a personal taxi for the trip to Delphi so I loosened my purse string (which I gladly open for food) and we all chipped in for one. Su shopped around and got us a great deal (I can't stress enough how much money you save going offseason). They say the trip is personalized for you and on your schedule but it's not really. They pretty much have a set route, the only thing that really differs is how long you spend at a place. If you want to stay longer, you can. But while it was a pretty set itinerary, it was still a lot of fun and worth doing. Our driver showed up at 8am, Lina woke up early to go watch the sunrise at the Acropolis. Since we went to bed when the sun was almost coming up, none of the rest of us were doing that. </div>
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I think our driver's name was Paul. He was extremely nice and had been a cab driver for 22 years so very knowledgeable of the area. The company we went thru was family owned and he works for his uncle (but his cousin really runs the show, she keeps them all in line). I can't remember the name of the company but Su will know if you need that info in the future. The coolest thing about Paul, he was Brian Williams personal driver for 2 weeks during the Olympics. We showered him with questions about that. Yes, Brian Williams is as cool and funny and down to earth as he comes across. </div>
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Since it was early the 3 of us in the back quickly fell asleep as soon as we got out of Athens city limits. Lina sat in the front and her and Paul chatted til we hit our rest stop. They have great rest areas in Greece. You can get food, snacks and drinks. Nothing really appealed to me but Lina bought a dessert for the 4 of us to share and it was my favorite dessert of the entire trip so I had to wax poetic about it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlMyBLMz5BP6KNYxrjAbOFzkdrq3bUaAVp_ryvWhHk3z2XneNzOzTIzfBWU8PWv93ZDBbb0DCsBI8qDKeFPMYpKSNYFIEnE0naH_ZBT8MwnqdXXW6_3njJVu9kdUiMLKme4z9/s1600/IMG_4078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlMyBLMz5BP6KNYxrjAbOFzkdrq3bUaAVp_ryvWhHk3z2XneNzOzTIzfBWU8PWv93ZDBbb0DCsBI8qDKeFPMYpKSNYFIEnE0naH_ZBT8MwnqdXXW6_3njJVu9kdUiMLKme4z9/s400/IMG_4078.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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It had a very small cake like bottom layer, then a chocolate mouse, then a white mousse then more cake, then a frosting and the chocolate that was sprinkled on it was unsweetened which kept the dessert from being too sweet. I dived right into my side as you can see. It took all I had not to eat every one else's portion. I had to take a photo because it was so good. </div>
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Once we got back on the road the back seat woke up. We just needed a little power nap to get us going. Actually, they needed a power nap, me, unless I'm driving, I always fall asleep on road trips. My dad used to joke that he could drop us off at the mall and we wouldn't be able to find our way home because we would all fall asleep on the way there. The mall was 15 minutes from our house, LOL. In our defense, we moved cross country a few times and always by car, usually packed to the gils. Sleep was our only refuge. I'm much better then I used to me. </div>
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Our next stop was the Monastery of Osiou Louka. Paul gave us some history of the place and then set us free to wander. It was a beautiful place. So serene. I love that it wasn't crowded. </div>
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Nancy's favorite spots were the monasteries. She says she could easily spend all day at them. It really was quite beautiful. </div>
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Less then half an hour later Paul pulled over so we could take a couple of pics of Arahova, Delphi is on the other side of it. Arahova is a big ski town in the winter and driving thru it definitely feels that way. The buildings were cute, the roads narrow, lots of fun shops that we would have loved to browse in if we had had the time. A very Swiss Chalet feel to the town.</div>
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Apparently Delphi is famous for their Oracle. I didn't know that, I hadn't really done much research on it. I like to research where to eat, leave the history to the other gals. Of the 4 of us, only Lina actually saw the Oracle. Su and Nancy forgot to look for it and I had probably turned around at that point. </div>
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Su and Nancy ran up the theater steps, I took the pathway up (big surprise, LOL).<br />
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The Temple of Apollo is pretty big. If you click on the pic and enlarge it, you'll see the people standing at the base of it. Would have been amazing to see when the building was in its entirety. </div>
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While the rest of the girls went all the way to the top, I went back to the cab to rest. We've been living on 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, I was exhausted. Paul was quote surprised to see me back so soon. He says it normally takes people a couple of hours to go thru. He should see how fast I go thru a museum. I told him to go back to talking with his friends, the other gals will be awhile and I curled up into a ball in the back seat and took a nap. </div>
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Once the girls came back we made one more stop at the Temple of one of those A goddesses. I chatted with Paul while the ladies made the trek. Unfortunately my camera battery had died so there are no pics from it. Paul was showing me how the various temples and landmarks made a triangle but from different points in Greece, way before google earth. That was pretty fascinating. I'm amazed at what was accomplished over a thousand years ago without technology. </div>
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We stopped at a family owned restaurant for lunch. This was our view with lunch. I don't know what this plant is, some kind of flowering cactus with lots of thorns but they had them in pots all around and they were beautiful. There is water out in the distance in case you can't tell from the image. </div>
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Because we've been eating so much seafood lately, we were drawn to the meat platter, well, not Lina, our vegetarian. This was a platter for 2. The three of us couldn't finish it. None of us bothered with the chicken (we're all dark meat gals) but the pork was divine. So juicy but crispy on the edges, loaded in flavor. I also really enjoyed the sausage. We ordered another salad swimming in dressing. We really need to remember to order the dressing on the side! It was a lovely meal tho in a beautiful location. </div>
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After lunch it was time to head back. I think we all stayed awake for the ride home, I was refreshed, LOL. They actually grow a lot of cotton there and you can see it all along the sides of the road. Paul said that there are actually people who gather the cotton on the road (that most likely fell from trucks) and sell it. Smart! </div>
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Lina found a place for us to go to dinner, once we all finally got ready. 360 Degrees had a great website and awesome reviews. Unfortunately, others had the same idea we did and it was packed. BTW, we were right next to the building and I still asked the cute cops where it was located. It's a good thing I did, we were going to walk right past it. :) Since it was too loud for us inside and too cold for us on the roof we snapped a couple of pictures with the Acropolis behind us and went somewhere else to eat. </div>
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We just ate at an outdoor cage in Monastiraki Square. For our last meal there, it was nothing to write home about but I believe the ladies got some wine out of the deal and it wasn't a very expensive meal on our part. </div>
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Afterwards we went back to 360 Degrees and it had cleared out so we went to the bar to have a few drinks and enjoy our last night in Greece. They had a passion fruit martini which I totally loved. The bartender is one of those bartenders who takes his job very seriously. Everything is just so. He was very exacting. It was fun to watch him make drinks. I was waiting for him to flip a bottle over his head. We were watching mix up some weird shot concoction and it turns out they were for us, the DJ had bought us a round. Have I mentioned how much I love Greece?</div>
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Unfortunately, we had an early flight out and were leaving our apartment at 5am so we only had a couple of drinks and the shot before we called it a night. If we had found this bar earlier, we would have spent more time there. It was a lot of fun, great music and it's a given that the waiters are cute. </div>
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I think we got back to our apartment sometime after 1 and needed to leave at 5am. Course we still had to pack. If you're gonna play, you gotta pay. Thank goodness I can sleep on planes! </div>
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If you ever get a chance to go to Greece, jump at the opportunity. I've had a lot of wonderful trips in my life but this was by far my favorite one. I loved the people, I loved the food. If you go thru <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/" target="_blank">airbnb</a> you can get great deals on apartments and if you don't want to go thru that route, the hotels we stayed at were all extremely reasonable. In the states they don't really notice if you have more then 2 in a room but the places in Europe are so small, you have to tell them so you do pay extra if you have more in your room but you're splitting 4 ways anyway. </div>
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The waiters said they knew we were American right away because we smiled. The stigma of the ugly American hasn't reached Greece. I guess because those of us who are in Greece are thrilled to be there.</div>
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Pickpocketers do run rampant, but there are signs everywhere, the cops always told us to be careful and on the metro they have announcements telling people to be aware, as long as your mindful of that, you'll be fine. We took the metro at all times of day and never felt uncomfortable. Well, other then the old man who wanted to try and strike up a convo with Su and talk about the end of the world in a crowded train. That was funny, maybe not to Su. </div>
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The riots that everyone was worried about are really controlled demonstrations. There are a handful of people who show up to make chaos and that's where all of the news footage comes from. Other then the transportation inconvenience, we'd never know it was happening. </div>
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I will definitely be coming back to Greece. I feel like there's so much I missed. It might be a few years and a few more vacations to other destinations but Greece will forever hold a piece of my heart. </div>
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Now I end our Greek adventures with the two last pictures taken in Greece which are some of my favorite pictures of the entire trip. Why Su thought she could wrestle with me I have no idea. I know her kryponite, am twice her weight and have 5 brothers. </div>
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What I love most is this pic was taken less then a minute later. We are two peas in a pod! Do we look good at 2am or what? Can't wait for our next adventure!</div>
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<br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-47130805177811392472013-09-22T01:36:00.000-04:002014-07-02T00:05:02.564-04:00A culinary adventure…even more then normal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
We had a 2pm ferry ride back to Athens, well back to the metro stop that would take us back to Athens. If we had to do it all over again, I would definitely recommend buying a plane ticket versus taking the ferry. While the ferry is a nice ride and more economical when on vacation, time is precious. The ferry ride was longer then I thought it was going to be and even tho we had a 2pm departure we didn't really have time to do much in Mykonos before we left for the ferry. We wanted to go into Mykonos town to do a little more shopping but George advised against it. I did take time to wander around the hotel and take some more pics and work on my tan one last time while the gals returned the ATVs. </div>
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I will miss the Paradise View Hotel and George and his staff. We had a wonderful but brief time there. I can't wait to go back!<br />
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The blues of Aegean sea are just gorgeous. </div>
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By the time we got back to our apartment it was late. Lina found a restaurant that we could walk to from our apartment. It was a Greek style tapas bar. As always we were going out late for dinner but this was even later then normal. Due to the time of night and the time of season, not everything on the menu was available but we still had a culinary experience. Once our waiter found out how adventurous we were he started making suggestions. </div>
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Lina ordered a raw zucchini salad. I'm so used to eating zucchini cooked that I was leery but it was actually quite delicious. I really enjoyed it. </div>
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I live in the pacific northwest, why I insist on ordering mussels elsewhere is beyond me. But these mussels weren't bad. They are not as good as what we can find here but they weren't the worst we had. </div>
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This was a smoked mackerel with dill. We didn't expect it to be a dill salad, LOL. I love the taste of mackerel but it's a very fishy fish, if you don't like that, you won't like mackerel. This was a little dry but the taste was enjoyable. </div>
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The fried young calamari was a big hit. While I prefer my squid grilled, these puppies were very light and airy. I just wish they would have a dipping sauce like we're used to in the states. I miss my aioli. </div>
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This was probably my favorite thing of the night. They were tiny little fish fried up with tomatoes and peppers and they were sticky and flavorful and all kinds of things yummy. My mouth is watering just thinking about this. </div>
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This was an experiment. Our waiter said most people either love it or hate it. I was ambivalent about it. It's not something I would ever order again but was happy that I tried it just for the experience. The above is fish roe that's preserved in wax. On the ends of the plate are halves of apricots to give you and idea. It's served with bread slathered in butter (probably Nancy's favorite part of the meal, it was really good bread). You put the piece of roe on top of the butter to eat it. This was a very salty, fishy, waxy dish. Not really a surprise, LOL. I think I would have liked it if it was less waxy tasting. Apparently this is bottarga, the greek version of caviar. </div>
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They didn't call these rocky mountain oysters but that's what these were. They were pan fried bull testicles. I have to say, tastes like chicken fried steak. If you can get past the idea of what you're eating, and obviously I can, it's pretty dang tasty. I think it would have tasted even better with a side of rice.</div>
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One of my favorite customs is the free drink or free dessert. This place brought us BOTH! I'm not a fan of this dessert, that was served everywhere, its a super moist grainy cake but this was probably the best one of the ones we were given. We got 2 kinds of liquors. One of them was made only on one island with the sap of a specific tree. Nope, can't remember the drink or the island. I didn't like the drinks but didn't want to be rude so drank them. Luckily these were little bottles. How cute are they?<br />
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Our second to last night in Greece, I'm not ready to go home yet!<br />
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<br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-42994663402626424522013-09-20T05:11:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.032-04:00Paradise by the dashboard lights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">People say go to Santorini for beauty and go to Mykonos to party. I have to say, Mykonos is pretty dang beautiful in it's own right. Surrounded by the gorgeous Aegean sea, how can it be anything but beautiful?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnZDFob7SzGUBNT9wvPqcHWx-TNZqNcRKB3PDaYPHj3UeQo5SazG1N31eWkaI8v6PRzC6MxYWjhfjldwDEK3H6E6nC4mhMvg6ileN1T-531-h4Slj5E-9ttNUvJUUmqG2iq1R/s1600/IMG_3977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnZDFob7SzGUBNT9wvPqcHWx-TNZqNcRKB3PDaYPHj3UeQo5SazG1N31eWkaI8v6PRzC6MxYWjhfjldwDEK3H6E6nC4mhMvg6ileN1T-531-h4Slj5E-9ttNUvJUUmqG2iq1R/s400/IMG_3977.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNFemJXDiVqA_Mk2PGX8912HRZ9GgZXZGw9jbSS1NgQCZr15FFFbL_Q8hedC-FGwh_qIrE9-v6Pblr9dkJU17j1ZWGmXK6T_msqpnbL-D4xctSG151OAK2PVLg3zUL0K-1IKF/s1600/_DSC3650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNFemJXDiVqA_Mk2PGX8912HRZ9GgZXZGw9jbSS1NgQCZr15FFFbL_Q8hedC-FGwh_qIrE9-v6Pblr9dkJU17j1ZWGmXK6T_msqpnbL-D4xctSG151OAK2PVLg3zUL0K-1IKF/s400/_DSC3650.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We got up and had breakfast provided by the hotel, yes, it had Greek yogurt and it was fabulous. When we checked in, George told us we could rent scooters or ATVs for cheap since it was off season. There's no way I'm driving a scooter, I could barely drive a Segway but I was down with riding an ATV. I originally thought I could drive but then decided against it and so Lina became the driver for us and Su was the driver for her and Nancy. We had to be picked up and taken to the rental place where the girls got driving lessons. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kudos to Lina and Su for driving. The roads here aren't very wide and they are curvy. I had a great time as a passenger, then again, I wasn't responsible for anyone's life. ATVs are a great and fun way to get around town. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtY7o5G1XFwQX00mwQpwT7sw5Cbl8IjcutJpi0k7nB2HgvxEfU5AEl_whyphenhyphenjIxhrCL-U8z_W17R_1SO9PKBrQfyT-AzkOGQeQ3qvZs77TD8rfrsiq_rufSoQfW9I46u1EBd8mg/s1600/IMG_3979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtY7o5G1XFwQX00mwQpwT7sw5Cbl8IjcutJpi0k7nB2HgvxEfU5AEl_whyphenhyphenjIxhrCL-U8z_W17R_1SO9PKBrQfyT-AzkOGQeQ3qvZs77TD8rfrsiq_rufSoQfW9I46u1EBd8mg/s400/IMG_3979.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2tcJEGzgoyt2ZhjUBEFw1F5K-L6zaEzLydp6WVXp5c2lP_4D53LNSNkzzzZL73_bhKgg2jfHOt9wiDvO1Tt382dRWLhthFwRHVBcxtLxz4QWhEaLqyhAIkKSY4YWYILR8YAf/s1600/IMG_3990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2tcJEGzgoyt2ZhjUBEFw1F5K-L6zaEzLydp6WVXp5c2lP_4D53LNSNkzzzZL73_bhKgg2jfHOt9wiDvO1Tt382dRWLhthFwRHVBcxtLxz4QWhEaLqyhAIkKSY4YWYILR8YAf/s400/IMG_3990.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After a quick stop back at our hotel to refresh and orient ourselves we headed to Mykonos town for some shopping. We really haven't done much shopping on our trip but the town is so cute and we needed some souvenirs. Since I can't buy something for someone without buying something for someone else I only shop for myself. Makes life easier. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWxOEQlS94euwpfISVrM-s7aLTxz7fS65fmaQwbpc5jHwtCUKIKve2YPYpdY0rlteTEIvJreMbtdcZ-Hail5DJjSGoRsepSjgVlxR9H7L32hnhNA6qZqCXv55ga6bg6m66AU6/s1600/_DSC3613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWxOEQlS94euwpfISVrM-s7aLTxz7fS65fmaQwbpc5jHwtCUKIKve2YPYpdY0rlteTEIvJreMbtdcZ-Hail5DJjSGoRsepSjgVlxR9H7L32hnhNA6qZqCXv55ga6bg6m66AU6/s400/_DSC3613.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Remember the sea urchin I was talking about and how they said that you can't fish for them in Mykonos. Walking from the parking lot into town we could see sea urchin all along our walk. The water was so crystal clear it was easy to see. Where I go clamming here in WA there is sea urchin but it's very muddy. Nothing as pretty and clean looking as this. Those black spots on the rocks are the sea urchin.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zBpsRZHWG6gMsd-TLhcRnk_tWnDsh8_VxIMZOJ92nrIOBtIEKtzVXvPFtm4e8Yx49unV_s-DEK7eeXaPPkvuycfbFVvcDwcWWZHvuwRK15CPY5Jfon-x9Ei48fwxlaX3yumY/s1600/_DSC3609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zBpsRZHWG6gMsd-TLhcRnk_tWnDsh8_VxIMZOJ92nrIOBtIEKtzVXvPFtm4e8Yx49unV_s-DEK7eeXaPPkvuycfbFVvcDwcWWZHvuwRK15CPY5Jfon-x9Ei48fwxlaX3yumY/s400/_DSC3609.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A closer look. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAFjrIamKf1G-mFvzgkmdTEUrZ0yV2D1jr5WKvE_BBJSau0Tpy9uHCMGdIzaDtx_FaGmG_H55urxUn74oUBFe_WIeWEFj0Y0sBQBuiVTQQzZgPr9oSLx6jiAd1iu8larFl53_/s1600/_DSC3602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAFjrIamKf1G-mFvzgkmdTEUrZ0yV2D1jr5WKvE_BBJSau0Tpy9uHCMGdIzaDtx_FaGmG_H55urxUn74oUBFe_WIeWEFj0Y0sBQBuiVTQQzZgPr9oSLx6jiAd1iu8larFl53_/s400/_DSC3602.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I loved walking around Mykonos town, it was fun walking around at night but it was just as much fun walking around during the day. It's just so different then what we're used to here. When the ships get into town the streets are teaming with people but we beat the ships which was nice. I was able to get some pics without people in it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJPv4f9bEUis3uRHki7l17tyvZ8BEhz9ZGZzwxAOSZJC0H-pPcRyryR7SYXnwT6jrLmdliKf8mLejW0Xlx6c5TroFY08_8u6wUmzv1iBX4j6X0epXekRO-MEyLSOWXcsjX_Cp/s1600/_DSC3624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJPv4f9bEUis3uRHki7l17tyvZ8BEhz9ZGZzwxAOSZJC0H-pPcRyryR7SYXnwT6jrLmdliKf8mLejW0Xlx6c5TroFY08_8u6wUmzv1iBX4j6X0epXekRO-MEyLSOWXcsjX_Cp/s400/_DSC3624.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were looking for new dresses to wear to dinner. As you can see, Zoolander showed up to go shopping with us. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SMyFfHBsnnff2zjXbbjYIpOizuvoM9qiUdtjXKfnIaymtnGUtgZWEo8MN2DKhs6UUKugsPormDSb8n1eTp9Q6fp8aSfVLy1_GMSbISoWaSK5-RksMyJqA-55G1joblF8EURp/s1600/_DSC3630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SMyFfHBsnnff2zjXbbjYIpOizuvoM9qiUdtjXKfnIaymtnGUtgZWEo8MN2DKhs6UUKugsPormDSb8n1eTp9Q6fp8aSfVLy1_GMSbISoWaSK5-RksMyJqA-55G1joblF8EURp/s400/_DSC3630.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was a pretty successful shopping trip. I bought a cover up that I was going to use as a shirt (if I had brought the right bottoms I would have worn as a dress, LOL) and a beautiful water color that will always remind me of being in Mykonos. The shops are really small so when you want to try something on, they make do. The full length mirror gets turned sideways and that's the wall you change behind. Sometimes they don't even have a mirror to hide behind. It's a good thing I'm not shy. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had lunch on the end of town. The food was wonderful. We tried a fish roe salad which is basically a fish dip. It was salty but I enjoyed it. They also gave us free olives and a tomato spread that the girls said was great. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our fish here was served deboned, was awesome!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcR0C4B27F55L2RTDP7OudBTeC_cVXQJOep-a-_CSYn1if-x8H6iQFz3uayT5UlWSglfrZPXohUjcLyoZnXtkxGE9shYiLqMNsW6D5jAMB-1Aqk_Zti1zjWrYNvWxs-ydD1fe/s1600/IMG_3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcR0C4B27F55L2RTDP7OudBTeC_cVXQJOep-a-_CSYn1if-x8H6iQFz3uayT5UlWSglfrZPXohUjcLyoZnXtkxGE9shYiLqMNsW6D5jAMB-1Aqk_Zti1zjWrYNvWxs-ydD1fe/s400/IMG_3972.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After a quick trip back to the hotel to change and drop off our goods we headed out to Super Paradise Beach. There are so many beaches to choose from but since we're always limited on time we went to a close one and it was still a 20 minute ride. By they time we got there, it was, you guessed it, 5pm. The good news is it makes it easy to get a beach chair. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnCtA-di-H1FuD8QZRX_CajFj0JRAIq8X6RMrT3nSzkrVTHMfN6HZBwBiqiIoMZ6p0fVML0ISPxWzjfC9ERp7H3H-pD2wBTS5mT3VLopTi0coVhwThxV1F8b_Wt8Du9s8Pj9x/s1600/_DSC3697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnCtA-di-H1FuD8QZRX_CajFj0JRAIq8X6RMrT3nSzkrVTHMfN6HZBwBiqiIoMZ6p0fVML0ISPxWzjfC9ERp7H3H-pD2wBTS5mT3VLopTi0coVhwThxV1F8b_Wt8Du9s8Pj9x/s400/_DSC3697.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While the day is still warm, the water was a little cool but not as cold as the pool was yesterday. Lina planned on lounging in a chair and relaxing. Nancy was going to join Su and I in the water but she was attacked by a minnow and decided she was safer on the shore (and she was in the middle of a good book). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Su and I spent our time in the water being totally goofy. I can't even remember what we were talking about but there was a lot of Asian cackling. We weren't laughing so much when we were almost run down by a yacht. At first we thought we were safe because they were heading for the dock but they weren't. They were heading strait towards us. Thank goodness they dropped anchor before they got to us because our paddling to get out of the way was very slow. Very very slow, lol. I think Su could have gotten out of the way if she wasn't also pulling me and my spare tire. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once we got out of the water we thought it would be fun to go on the dock and take pics with my inflatable tire. The others on the beach were entertained by us as we entertained ourselves. Then we got goofy with each other. This was one of the more presentable photos. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_SXzQBPFAagCR6pcQL3GBPtryop9cWfamAehnHh5_Vxsbj6u2CvkoK500J8fjqL8ej8US01B0vgsuginD_joqmB4C01T3cOVPTPNKkrnA0seCgcI3u_azEeRPSJwNuv6ILyO/s1600/_DSC3719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_SXzQBPFAagCR6pcQL3GBPtryop9cWfamAehnHh5_Vxsbj6u2CvkoK500J8fjqL8ej8US01B0vgsuginD_joqmB4C01T3cOVPTPNKkrnA0seCgcI3u_azEeRPSJwNuv6ILyO/s400/_DSC3719.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our ATV didn't really have much of a get up and go and the beach was at the bottom of a steep hill. Not a great combination. Lina had to do the rocking motion to get us up. Go partway up the hill, roll back down to get momentum to get up. We got a little bit of momentum that way, I was leaning as far forward as I could to help and chanting I think I can, I think I can. I honestly thought the engine was going to blow, it was straining so hard getting up the hill, but it still beat the alternative of me walking up the hill. Just as we started going again we got passed by a couple on their ATV and he shouted out encouragement, we were trying! Once we made it up the big hill we finally got going and caught up with Nancy and Su who were pulled over waiting for us. Oh and on the ride home we also had to drive around a hobbled horse and his trainer who was just chatting to some guy in the middle of the road. Fun times!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">By the time we got ready for the night, Lina was pooped so she stayed in. Good thing we had George there to do a shot of tequila with us. We offered to buy him a shot if he drank with us. At first he said no but we were able to talk him into it and then bonus, the drinks were on him! It's fun to drink with the owner of the hotel. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWO9w6bpv1f9-XSOp5zBq-Kk6MBMKYN6pzTN-npzrmI4XtTqK1OSfPaziJ8xE9RfNPEu0Ok3gw-Kkx_kSF1kxoEuhghEWGK7NxtsP2S6GxvLPAdV2xfqMoEJAvVSquXMvyn0om/s1600/IMG_4011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWO9w6bpv1f9-XSOp5zBq-Kk6MBMKYN6pzTN-npzrmI4XtTqK1OSfPaziJ8xE9RfNPEu0Ok3gw-Kkx_kSF1kxoEuhghEWGK7NxtsP2S6GxvLPAdV2xfqMoEJAvVSquXMvyn0om/s400/IMG_4011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since George is Greek he eats Greek food all of the time so one of his favorite restaurants is an Italian place, Pasta Fresca. We have to go with what the local recommends. Nancy being the rockstar navigator that she's been was able to find it in the maze of buildings. They sat us outside under this giant olive tree. It was awesome! I learned the hard way that olives don't taste good until they've been brined (that was a different trip). But I was still tickled to be sitting under the tree. I think one or two even dropped on our table. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For some reason we were extra giggly this night. Maybe it was the wine Nancy and Su were drinking. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was because we were heading home in a couple of days and it was our last night in Mykonos. I just know we were being stupid and laughing about how stupid we were. Usually it's me laughing at Su and Nancy, LOL. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Something we didn't laugh about was the food. George was a perfect 2 for 2. We had an amazing dinner. We had clams for an appetizer and mushroom ravioli but the show stopper was the seafood platter. This platter is supposed to feed 2, it easily feeds 4 and since we had no idea how huge it was we couldn't finish it. There were 2 kinds of fish, shrimp, squid and octopus. It was a definite food highlight for me. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Course, just because we couldn't finish our food doesn't mean we didn't order dessert. The desserts were a miss but it extended our lovely meal so we weren't complaining. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyYor4QjbOXj0OGts5wjRdVaQdevLmPBXKF_T5GClM7mxwvqBVsdyiPHj3L8OoMM7WxFrcc7D5Rgbb95BTJjesomwc75DcwCpOwxEfANceEMtIMfA1gFFvRLtJMum_f9Peq33/s1600/IMG_4025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyYor4QjbOXj0OGts5wjRdVaQdevLmPBXKF_T5GClM7mxwvqBVsdyiPHj3L8OoMM7WxFrcc7D5Rgbb95BTJjesomwc75DcwCpOwxEfANceEMtIMfA1gFFvRLtJMum_f9Peq33/s400/IMG_4025.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ok, this next photo will help explain our goofiness. We saw the waiters give other tables a shot of lemoncello when they brought out the bill. They brought us a carafe. Did I mention our waiters were young and cute? Of course they were cute, we were in Greece after all! Christiano was actually from Albania or as Nancy likes to call it, Armenia. I think the lemoncello kept us there an hour longer because we each had 6 or 7 shots of it. It would be rude not to drink it all. As you can tell, the girls drinking the wine were feeling no pain.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoQPLtLEW2oaRD6oPDktVcTiMHw2qbn0dBCIr44ke3nz37sbOSfhnojnNq-zaEbti8ek0EFsjQgKXCmPESpPQYhF-ZKifxCx9Rp7G_n8TF1-TCwe_y3to7fgvImxjGOezyZae/s1600/IMG_4040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoQPLtLEW2oaRD6oPDktVcTiMHw2qbn0dBCIr44ke3nz37sbOSfhnojnNq-zaEbti8ek0EFsjQgKXCmPESpPQYhF-ZKifxCx9Rp7G_n8TF1-TCwe_y3to7fgvImxjGOezyZae/s400/IMG_4040.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We ended up spending the entire night at the restaurant and it was a blast. We made it back to the bus stop just in time to catch the last bus. Oh funny thing, we stopped into a shop by the bus stop to grab a bottle of water and the cashier came out to chat us up while we were waiting for the bus. He was 16?!?!??! I guess it couldn't hurt for him to try, LOL. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lina was up by the time we got back, it could have had something to do with the fact I sent her a text, so while Nancy passed out on the bed, Su and Lina chatted the night away while I curled over in a ball moaning. Turns out, my body does no like lemoncello. Lesson learned. Of course, I would still do it again for a night like that. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-67968214987531639972013-09-19T19:02:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.051-04:00Mykonos!!! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All week long when we told people we were going to Mykonos, they would ohhh and ahhh. It has a well deserved reputation as a party island. But that is in season, out of season it's not quite so intimidating to us old folks. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately, in order to catch our ferry we had to to leave at 5:25am! Gasp, we've been keeping late hours, and the early mornings are a killer but we had a long ferry ride upon which to catch up on our sleep, thank goodness. So we made the trek, a little lighter since Foris, our landlord, let us keep our suitcases at the apartment, we packed just enough for 2 nights and dragged our butts to the metro and down to the ferry. We had to change lines but it wasn't bad getting there. We were a quiet bunch tho. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The ferrys are huge. Unfortunately, we had to walk the docks looking for the right pier because of they way they were marked but we finally found it and decided we didn't like the uncomfortable general admission tickets and splurged the extra 5 euro to sit on more comfy seats and promptly went to sleep. For some reason I thought the ferry ride was 4 hours, it was closer to 6. The good news is we were well rested when we landed in Mykonos! </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our driver Vasili, was waiting for us when we arrived. We weren't sure where to find him so we walked around calling his name. Too bad, we thought George was picking us up so we walked around yelling out George. It was funny when the crew man on the ferry started yelling George with us. Turns out there's an area where all of the van drivers hold up signs of their hotel so George, err, I mean Vasili was easier to find then we expected. Turns out George is the owner of The Paradise View Hotel so while he didn't pick us up at the ferry terminal he was there to greet us and check us in. He also provided us with maps and gave us a layout of the island with recommendations on different beaches for different things as well as restaurant recommendations (very important to me). George was raised on Mykonos so he had answers to any questions that we had. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqYgMSUHdRkq6LX7kTLrqY0rxvaU6ijaitgNkDEuF4pkUddWp2JDF1zS9ybjcd03YcEaBbEs_orBxPPYyfAtXFwEvGnagkkTfy2AlfYfV6t4ME5ZIuIlqXEcjGdLILu0ioSnv/s1600/_DSC3733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqYgMSUHdRkq6LX7kTLrqY0rxvaU6ijaitgNkDEuF4pkUddWp2JDF1zS9ybjcd03YcEaBbEs_orBxPPYyfAtXFwEvGnagkkTfy2AlfYfV6t4ME5ZIuIlqXEcjGdLILu0ioSnv/s400/_DSC3733.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After a quick change we headed down to Paradise Beach which is a less then 10 minute walk from our hotel, good news is it was downhill, bad news is the walk back was, you guessed it, not downhill. Paradise Beach is one of the main party beaches in Mykonos but since have a habit of getting everywhere late in the day there were plenty of spots for us to catch a seat. The beaches are all public but it costs 4 euro to rent chairs and another 4 if you want an umbrella. First off tho would be food! I didn't really see anything I wanted on the ferry so we were all hungry! They had a cafe where you can just put your food on a tray, I loved it, we could see what we were getting! I tried the moussaka which is the Greek version of lasagna. I wasn't a big fan but figured it was because I was eating at a beach cafe. The shrimp salad was tasty tho and I couldn't pass up on the beans which I thoroughly enjoyed. Lina and Su had stuffed bell peppers and stuffed tomatoes. Those were delish also. Nancy and I split our food so we could try more. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We spent about an hour lounging at the beach. I really wanted a water noodle for the water but they didn't sell them so I bought a spare tire instead. It was a tube floatie with the design of a tire, my spare tire! It was great since it let me just float in the water but inflating and deflating it was a pain, luckily I had Nancy there!</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After an hour we were ready to head back to our hotel and spend some quality time lounging in the pool The problem was the water was cold but my floatie kept me mostly out of the water. Yay!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWuqQd3MeJvzhf3OuU7MxdqSzOF2kFREHHTyCT6_gRKKo_Yo8t4HNMM6vHTpwEl9RxV9ln6dEgxJSQGat_cSg2fdQTviohvkUdL7ehdiFMRRkoj7fB06_OVKQ_u7mvLlHrxac/s1600/IMG_3922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWuqQd3MeJvzhf3OuU7MxdqSzOF2kFREHHTyCT6_gRKKo_Yo8t4HNMM6vHTpwEl9RxV9ln6dEgxJSQGat_cSg2fdQTviohvkUdL7ehdiFMRRkoj7fB06_OVKQ_u7mvLlHrxac/s400/IMG_3922.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We like to take our time getting ready, I think we headed out to dinner a little after 9pm. Just in time to stop by the bar for a quick drink. Ava was working the bar and so sweet. She also pours a strong drink which is a great way to get the party started! There's a bus that will take us into town right outside the hotel which is perfect. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">George took this pic for us while we were waiting. I wish I had looked closer to see it was out of focus but it's still a fun shot. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbK0J8PLkwYa2mLITYTRa4hE9_3g3h9EAkuV5shWDrQIoQW7rTTWpLbv_nqHxL6xcc4xII77utqwYTqO0dV2eJVQwpor05yCOAJp6igF_wvKKzw0a3x8z8BpBATV4Zsc0Laqv/s1600/IMG_3927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbK0J8PLkwYa2mLITYTRa4hE9_3g3h9EAkuV5shWDrQIoQW7rTTWpLbv_nqHxL6xcc4xII77utqwYTqO0dV2eJVQwpor05yCOAJp6igF_wvKKzw0a3x8z8BpBATV4Zsc0Laqv/s400/IMG_3927.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Then we started taking our own pics while waiting for the bus. If we have a camera we can always keep ourselves entertained. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofvKsL5SE9EHNVrO8PnCd5lNp_3j4xvffDlb9B6QPBgGgx3NIzp0varXCNY7PA1DQa1S6wVcg4f3pgDkSThh07Z1HtlcnS3AFqOp_75WqjvAWybMY1cLpeubPW1_Xq_263v4y/s1600/IMG_3933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofvKsL5SE9EHNVrO8PnCd5lNp_3j4xvffDlb9B6QPBgGgx3NIzp0varXCNY7PA1DQa1S6wVcg4f3pgDkSThh07Z1HtlcnS3AFqOp_75WqjvAWybMY1cLpeubPW1_Xq_263v4y/s400/IMG_3933.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofvKsL5SE9EHNVrO8PnCd5lNp_3j4xvffDlb9B6QPBgGgx3NIzp0varXCNY7PA1DQa1S6wVcg4f3pgDkSThh07Z1HtlcnS3AFqOp_75WqjvAWybMY1cLpeubPW1_Xq_263v4y/s1600/IMG_3933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Mv8xJoj4Ol_yeKuWH576vSylVEjzBovmU2sx6hOOeSB8BkLjKIZLf-avgpkHBmX9ZHvKswWjCF4M4o1p8kX5vEPoUSoPxlzs111EpAH2-zl0mZhHG50BSIXZLQxZdIIZaKdu/s1600/IMG_3932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Mv8xJoj4Ol_yeKuWH576vSylVEjzBovmU2sx6hOOeSB8BkLjKIZLf-avgpkHBmX9ZHvKswWjCF4M4o1p8kX5vEPoUSoPxlzs111EpAH2-zl0mZhHG50BSIXZLQxZdIIZaKdu/s400/IMG_3932.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpWEXVC4N6LGeKB8Nc5eDheDTshQoqgBHEy4pl686LLwO0ta6Fo_92zUVZFsxGLZzvf3VDwZ3gz5R9Sv_aa_wltWuc4VEjmmNRyP4mOq3QlqaVgJPjn-89ChF0_lwxL5sfKgw/s1600/IMG_3937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpWEXVC4N6LGeKB8Nc5eDheDTshQoqgBHEy4pl686LLwO0ta6Fo_92zUVZFsxGLZzvf3VDwZ3gz5R9Sv_aa_wltWuc4VEjmmNRyP4mOq3QlqaVgJPjn-89ChF0_lwxL5sfKgw/s400/IMG_3937.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We decided to eat where George recommended. I think it was either Nick's or Nikos, something like that. After walking the maze that was Myonos town (did you know it was built that way to confuse invaders?) and asking a couple of people we finally found it! It was packed but they were able to get us seated right away. For it to be so busy off season, you know it has to be good! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the things I had read was sea urchin was really big in Greece but I hadn't seen it on any menus. So I asked our resident expert George and he was surprised I was asking about it, I guess it's more of a Greek thing then a tourist thing. It took a little while for him to figure out what we were talking about, wish you could have seen Su's charades interpretation of a sea urchin. There are a lot of rules in regards to sea urchin, he says he has to go do different islands if he wants to swim and get his own sea urchin, you can fish for them in Mykonos but we might be able to find it on the menu at Nick's and it was! While this platter is not very appealing looking, when has sea urchin ever looked pretty? Unfortunately, we put a lot of lemon on it (lemon is served with everything!) and sea urchin is so delicate that we tasted more lemon then sea urchin but we were still tickled to get this dish. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5sdMg6Zlq0Ev9-npAVZK2ZelFNIJtl5mebeTGXTj33HwPyL9NqFSy2gK0AZI7BchVQXpMzrHpW4lH_N0N-2GDuH2MV3rkpi3mdhasLFAzvWj656YStyla1UW1cr5nR7bNgos/s1600/IMG_3943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5sdMg6Zlq0Ev9-npAVZK2ZelFNIJtl5mebeTGXTj33HwPyL9NqFSy2gK0AZI7BchVQXpMzrHpW4lH_N0N-2GDuH2MV3rkpi3mdhasLFAzvWj656YStyla1UW1cr5nR7bNgos/s400/IMG_3943.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The shrimp risotto was also divine! Ever since Lina came into my life, I have become a risotto aficionado and this was amazing. So creamy and delish! I wanted to lick this plate clean. We also ordered some mussels that were great, I wasn't as thrilled by the green bean. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAXEZbEio2d3cRn1Mt95BL1FzClZR2vXh-JCYy9wuKcNFbIs04q0dgbhePM1PmCh82SGiL2jWEd4TGEs_EzT-d8tvuTbFjptgnaZKA4ou1pIiQn1ZPAHvSs9xdw0QjPFcrQhR/s1600/IMG_3954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAXEZbEio2d3cRn1Mt95BL1FzClZR2vXh-JCYy9wuKcNFbIs04q0dgbhePM1PmCh82SGiL2jWEd4TGEs_EzT-d8tvuTbFjptgnaZKA4ou1pIiQn1ZPAHvSs9xdw0QjPFcrQhR/s400/IMG_3954.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After stuffing ourselves we went looking for the bar George said we should check out. Unfortunately, that place was way too busy so we went to the bar next door. The bar sits right on the water so we had the wave lapping at our feet while we gabbed and enjoyed our drinks. Nancy was feeling no pain, she had been enjoying her mixed drinks all night long, LOL. Other then my drink to start the night, I stuck with coke, it makes me just as happy as alcohol with none of the ugly after effects. Once we left that bar we tried to go to the busy bar again but just couldn't do it. We ended up wandering into another bar that had fun music and danced up a storm. Lina bought us a round of shots to keep our feet dancing but after awhile we decided to leave. We were the young ones in that crowd and while I don't want to be the oldest in a bar, I don't want to be the youngest either. Now if they had played Poison, we would have stayed! We couldn't find another bar we liked so we decided to call it a night. I think I got to sleep around 4am. Is it any wonder my body is still out of whack sleeping wise?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-12660985336794196282013-09-19T01:52:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.063-04:00Even fish have to eat!T<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">hough we got to bed late last night we really wanted to tackle the day, we had a lot of sight seeing to do. Well actually, Su and Nancy had a lot of sight seeing to do, I was planning on planting my butt somewhere after the Acropolis to read and relax. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Remember those demonstrations I talked about? Well, apparently they affect the metro system too. The stop we needed to get off at to transfer was closed so we had to get on a different train and go backwards to get to where we needed to go but we eventually got there and at least it didn't put us 2 hours behind. Thanks goodness we were pros at the metro system by now. They really have things mapped out well there (if you're going by metro, not if you're driving). </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While waiting in line to get our tickets to the Acropolis this guy in a Segway came to chat us up. He's a football fan and Nancy and I were wearing our Seahawks tshirts. Course he was also selling us on doing a Segway tour. I've never had any interest in riding a Segway but I also have less interest in walking around Athens so I was sold. Actually, when he said we could get some pics we wouldn't otherwise get is when he sold me, that and the discount. :)</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But first up was the Acropolis. I used to live in Tennessee and we used to go on field trips to the Parthenon. All I really remember about those trips is freezing my coke the night before so that my soda would be cold at lunch. Guess I've never been a touristy person, which is funny considering how much I love to travel. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That being said, I can still appreciate the beauty and history while walking around the Acropolis. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjCD_TcH0dwXonwG43UBQQ9MVk2n4wbq9SQ1Sqt__PTz34rEr_zXGA9SzLVl8zZecoDP0OyrZ2aXs8LbadxRbALCPbdhi_QB-LVoNTMO88M8CRwiMEgBKgxDbdrVYi7mAckEs/s1600/_DSC3403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjCD_TcH0dwXonwG43UBQQ9MVk2n4wbq9SQ1Sqt__PTz34rEr_zXGA9SzLVl8zZecoDP0OyrZ2aXs8LbadxRbALCPbdhi_QB-LVoNTMO88M8CRwiMEgBKgxDbdrVYi7mAckEs/s400/_DSC3403.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUTspZQlfotJaTSGDi28_impWuTIq-H0k8mcZR9Hh_paIqZkbcMCl9nBGJSp41ZH7YKfGqklaRlNdI-Y5m83Vd0OFFArFeeizKhdesUEXh7_eygi6hG8CxRbP2NocWQCWk-vK/s1600/_DSC3450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUTspZQlfotJaTSGDi28_impWuTIq-H0k8mcZR9Hh_paIqZkbcMCl9nBGJSp41ZH7YKfGqklaRlNdI-Y5m83Vd0OFFArFeeizKhdesUEXh7_eygi6hG8CxRbP2NocWQCWk-vK/s400/_DSC3450.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All of the books say the best time to get there is in the morning, before all of the tours happen, that's really not going to happen with us, LOL. If there are this many people walking around off season, I can't imagine how crazy it is during the summer. When we were going around later in the day there weren't as many people so if you can't make it in the morning, go later in the day. BTW, don't go on a rainy day, even on a sunny day the marble steps are slippery, Nancy almost wiped out. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkXmFEJkEAM-p2T3Y13wRLY3io7lDtQruPXHsIGasCveIWcVLDb_2UETeUTX213tXR3799w9R4K1DtX5gQERTxZNfYnFkFOKxgUepxH89RAC2Njb-6ZBLu8UvrIWhW4RBUSww/s1600/_DSC3475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkXmFEJkEAM-p2T3Y13wRLY3io7lDtQruPXHsIGasCveIWcVLDb_2UETeUTX213tXR3799w9R4K1DtX5gQERTxZNfYnFkFOKxgUepxH89RAC2Njb-6ZBLu8UvrIWhW4RBUSww/s400/_DSC3475.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqcm4AFWYa19NIk-Q2pPr0X75EkRAWWVgqyj3nJxkQrfTMFcyRV6msK9UU0NheOFo3I9oPtPCqP7ZpKfTxPUQrlTec0IBoUXCIqTydksiEJsgMOOrCkaN5DvxCQDIzbRUL5ZH/s1600/_DSC3491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqcm4AFWYa19NIk-Q2pPr0X75EkRAWWVgqyj3nJxkQrfTMFcyRV6msK9UU0NheOFo3I9oPtPCqP7ZpKfTxPUQrlTec0IBoUXCIqTydksiEJsgMOOrCkaN5DvxCQDIzbRUL5ZH/s400/_DSC3491.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once we were done walking around the Acropolis it was time to eat! We never miss a meal if we can help it. We asked the local police where to eat, lol. Hey, anytime I had a chance to talk to them, we did. They said they eat at all of the local places so we just picked one and plopped down. Our waiter was a charmer, he escorted me to and from the restroom. The food wasn't amazing. It wasn't bad but we have been in country for over a week, we know what is ok food and what is touristy food. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Next up was the Segway tour. Before we could go on our tour we had to get trained on riding a Segway. Su went first and she was a natural (she has ridden a Segway once before). Nancy almost fell off as soon as she got on but after that, she was great. And then there was me. A Segway moves based on your body position. If you lean forward you for forward. The further you lean, the faster your go. Gabriela, our super sweet and super awesome tour guide told me to lean forward once I got on. My response was a resounding I don't want to. But I finally, tentatively, slowly leaned forward and started to scream as I went. But with the girls cheering me on off I went. Until my Segway started turning left and running into poles. I kept trying to keep it straight but it kept turning and hitting the pole. Good thing I was only going 1 MPH. Gabriela pointed out it was operator error (in much nicer terms) and not the fault of the Segway. I disagreed because I was trying to go straight. Guess who was right? Not me. LOL. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I wouldn't say I was a natural, or ever really comfortable, my bosy was so tight, my feet hurt but I had a lot of fun on the tour as did the other gals. I was always pulling up the rear but as I told Gabriela, I Segway like I walk…slowly. I would definitely recommend doing this tour but an hour goes by way too fast, splurge for the 3 hour tour, I think it would be worth it. It was to us. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6miUzxOhEtXkHRTRm7564spqGhShN2UpugjSs34qV6J48iu3I2tuImCGDR5jG2Oscbab4RjaQ2RF-jYEUbFqOxusZsXnf_cMedCQBuMSl24PiRSYbXU2i2sU1p_hmGxYzzZKL/s1600/IMG_3899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6miUzxOhEtXkHRTRm7564spqGhShN2UpugjSs34qV6J48iu3I2tuImCGDR5jG2Oscbab4RjaQ2RF-jYEUbFqOxusZsXnf_cMedCQBuMSl24PiRSYbXU2i2sU1p_hmGxYzzZKL/s400/IMG_3899.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfQJqf9NrV6KWAAvYf7PmRQMRMnn4QpYKnoCVIjYAkM-RSYTDxZUWtWJvws2-3g2JdwUt8vwkG3U9v7E-Xpv5JOB3bhddb8XTrHHhKWLxnQJgNd-496u_ywcURPCtOSotxNhs/s1600/_DSC3545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfQJqf9NrV6KWAAvYf7PmRQMRMnn4QpYKnoCVIjYAkM-RSYTDxZUWtWJvws2-3g2JdwUt8vwkG3U9v7E-Xpv5JOB3bhddb8XTrHHhKWLxnQJgNd-496u_ywcURPCtOSotxNhs/s400/_DSC3545.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We would have never gotten this shot of the Acropolis behind us if we hadn't taken the tour. If you want to go there on your own and not take the tour, you can get to this spot by going to the observatory. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjllN32aDpJBvw9uzvd-Kf9NVu0AzwLu7y4u0DtYef-3_yjpdwI9tuhrFCethWhQ-uA4xZ-R1C7VeRY934x_x-py2tNeByxRX6mfiRFi32PlgvGBVSlpqeUlHlMIpOQtnQIyu/s1600/IMG_3903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjllN32aDpJBvw9uzvd-Kf9NVu0AzwLu7y4u0DtYef-3_yjpdwI9tuhrFCethWhQ-uA4xZ-R1C7VeRY934x_x-py2tNeByxRX6mfiRFi32PlgvGBVSlpqeUlHlMIpOQtnQIyu/s400/IMG_3903.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Spending so much time outside in sandals and at the beach has been hell on our feet so we wanted to have the fish eat the dead skin off. This place is actually called Dr. Fish. We went in search of it. We splurged for the 30 minute package which was 20 euro. They have a 10 minute one but the fish were still busily eating away after a half an hour. I think a full hour is necessary. Nancy acted like a girl, screaming and laughing while the fish nibbled her toes but she calmed down. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtNb4I449hjZ483hWFXSWzNu3AnU_orjNXeDkrGQ-9YOD5iWvfLKBD1LF_tvzR8RWAmI6U26xokZ559-kcBfb2LMwegcxX8I_vrRgZR6XIz8l_ECsZXddb8s1XoMyUv0oRyjg/s1600/IMG_3906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtNb4I449hjZ483hWFXSWzNu3AnU_orjNXeDkrGQ-9YOD5iWvfLKBD1LF_tvzR8RWAmI6U26xokZ559-kcBfb2LMwegcxX8I_vrRgZR6XIz8l_ECsZXddb8s1XoMyUv0oRyjg/s400/IMG_3906.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have to say, my feet felt great afterwards. Super soft but that could be because they had been soaking in water. I wish they had given us lotion to put on afterwards and that we didn't have to put on our gross shoes but it was something that was fun to do and I'd probably do it again. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We couldn't stay out any longer, we were waiting for Lina to land and join the party and my phone was dead. Of course, at this time it's about 6pm. The day flies by! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had planned on eating our goodies from the Central Market last night but none of us were hungry. Such was not the case when we got home tonight. Oh man, this was a feast. These are all things I love. I would rather have a cheese plate over dessert. We sat there feasting and recovering from our day while we were waiting for Lina to join us. We wanted to play the night by ear, depending on how she felt. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfq4ePxIV-ytEcLhTOmQ4MPIiY2Q5QWh3uruPqlkstnK5Z_T0GdB7jtsHYisDPWdwMOJs_LbA4vlVjprN8bVxHhgnWLJeYOKWVSkQJ5DWOW8HQUsCUvvTCRYAlK3LUDZ5qyjG/s1600/IMG_3915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfq4ePxIV-ytEcLhTOmQ4MPIiY2Q5QWh3uruPqlkstnK5Z_T0GdB7jtsHYisDPWdwMOJs_LbA4vlVjprN8bVxHhgnWLJeYOKWVSkQJ5DWOW8HQUsCUvvTCRYAlK3LUDZ5qyjG/s400/IMG_3915.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lina, being the rockstar she was was ready to go, even tho she had spent about 24 hours traveling. So off we went back to Keramikos. We knew Lina would love the area. We ended up hitting two of the places we went to the previous night. Hey, I wanted a passion fruit martini and some BBQ chips, LOL. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARiEIIxBMH6oVmz26B0067Hx6fJDB7W_J6LiRVSYrDbuUadScTcvf4oesEUb8BDcBTFk07tU6AXmhlZLFKV9uKxV_bv0xOj8dTaN3gdflXvBoEkrsX0cRG2pwLGChfRtXFfW1/s1600/IMG_3918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARiEIIxBMH6oVmz26B0067Hx6fJDB7W_J6LiRVSYrDbuUadScTcvf4oesEUb8BDcBTFk07tU6AXmhlZLFKV9uKxV_bv0xOj8dTaN3gdflXvBoEkrsX0cRG2pwLGChfRtXFfW1/s400/IMG_3918.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-23648944199326795952013-09-17T23:09:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.082-04:00You want meat, they got meat!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First thing on the agenda today was to get the rental car back. Easier said then done. We got directions from the front desk at the hotel, with our map in hand it sounded pretty simple. Well people have been talking about the demonstrations going on in Greece and this time we were affected. Roads were blocked off so we took an hour to go maybe a mile, probably an hour and a half since it took us almost 2 hours to get the car back. They had roads closed down which we didn't know so we were fighting to go forward between busses, scooters and pedestrians. You know how people here don't really know the road signs? Well scooters, don't really care about roads or lack of them. They would drive between cars or up on sidewalks and in between all of that you had to keep an eye on pedestrians weaving in between cars. With one green light we would be lucky to go forward one car length, usually, we didn't. Once we got out of the circle of hell we had to use the map to figure out where to go. First off, their traffic lights are on the side of the road, not overhead so Nancy wouldn't notice them. The funniest part is when we were turning right and the cars started honking at us. Nancy pfft and said Greek drivers. I was like you ran the red light! Needless to say after that, I told her whenever the light was turning red. Secondly, the street names are written on the buildings and the writing is small. All of us have horrible vision. Not a good combo but we did eventually make it to the care rental place (after we stopped at a gas station for directions, we were close!). </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We all breathed a sigh of release once we dropped the car off. Nancy most especially! Honestly, I would have never tried to drive in Greece, I give her major props for that. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We didn't want to lug our bags to the metro stop so we took a cab back to our apartment. Luckily we have a good idea how to get there, none of the cab drivers knew where it was. Even the taxi's GPS drove us in circles. We would just tell them the metro stop and direct them in from there. Since the day was rapidly flying by (2 hours going nowhere) we just took time to refresh ourselves and headed out. I really wanted to hit the Central Market. Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods went there for one of his shows. They have great fresh food. You know food motivates me but also, I thought it would be a great place to take photos. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So we hopped the metro and off we went to Monastiraki, the area where the market was and funnily enough, a couple of blocks away from where we had been trapped earlier in the day. If we'd known that we could have left our stuff in the car and walked over and missed the traffic nightmare. Oh well. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We walked around to get the lay of the land but we were hungry so decided to get some eats before we did some serious wandering. I picked where we were going to eat based on the fact that there were 4 cops eating in there. It's not because of the fact that cops eat at the best local places, it's because all of the cops in Athens are freaking GORGEOUS! Seriously, I would say 90% of the cops we saw, maybe 95% of them were just my type. And we saw a lot of cops while in Athens, I made sure to stop and ask them directions any chance I got, even if we knew where we were going. I'm bummed we didn't get pics with some of them. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The food ended up being really great and only 2 euro for a gyro or souvlaki. Even better! In Europe not everything comes with ice so it's a crap shoot when you order a soda whether you're going to get some or not. I always ask for ice if they don't bring it since I love my soda ice cold. They didn't have ice but the waitress brought us frosted mugs. She got a great tip. She didn't need to bring us the mugs and I always appreciate it when someone goes the extra mile, especially when they are busy. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Before we left the restaurant I had to go to the bathroom. Well this guy followed me up, he heard me ask where it was and was chatting me up while we were on our way. I'm a friendly sort, I'll chat with you. Then he was there when I was washing my hands (separate restrooms but the sink was in the hallway) and chatting some more. He wanted to try and kiss me (last time some stranger tried that move I was in New Orleans) and I wouldn't let him. Then he asked to take a photo with me. I agreed. Then he tried to lean in for a kiss then. I put my hand up to block his face. I should have remembered his move a half an hour later. I made it to the safety of our table unscathed, little did I know what was next. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">From everything I've read the said the smell was pretty pungent in the Central Market. They did not lie. Pungent is an understatement. Because we got there so late in the day, they didn't even have the seafood out but you could still smell it. Su practically ran thru the market, I think it might have had something to do from the bloody floors, lol. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5NUTmkiWOZ6LW0-pnY4ojeu3OQ3mvOLDdRU_hcZ8VGBy87hDoUkwvr6jCFYKm5oxNJ5lqfv1H0k5AK6tB4uAh7LKksdCYmCqltkW2BUrTI3RgBUidI7lOW-N-TMoBhe2oGfg/s1600/_DSC3329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5NUTmkiWOZ6LW0-pnY4ojeu3OQ3mvOLDdRU_hcZ8VGBy87hDoUkwvr6jCFYKm5oxNJ5lqfv1H0k5AK6tB4uAh7LKksdCYmCqltkW2BUrTI3RgBUidI7lOW-N-TMoBhe2oGfg/s400/_DSC3329.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As you can see, it wasn't busy at all, so instead of pics of a bustling market, we were the center of attention. People asking where we were from. Trying to say hi to me in Chinese. Calling me over to say how beautiful I am (I shouldn't have put lipstick on after lunch). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf124BiFtVuMY-yyvphbY-8vHj3Ki6mPWLtDX4dEZ-Z6xGO3cKQzSfrfeHb6melNlUdrv05aaVQ_T3Kx4CuT3O9eFTRmNYZlqK-en0dRCe0p_GPTqjiAJXHp5n1Cdm00T3fi_Z/s1600/_DSC3332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf124BiFtVuMY-yyvphbY-8vHj3Ki6mPWLtDX4dEZ-Z6xGO3cKQzSfrfeHb6melNlUdrv05aaVQ_T3Kx4CuT3O9eFTRmNYZlqK-en0dRCe0p_GPTqjiAJXHp5n1Cdm00T3fi_Z/s400/_DSC3332.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was chatting up a cute guy asking him about his meat (no, that's not him) when another guy came over. He was very aggressive so the other guy walked away, dang it! Well this guy wanted to take a pic with me, since I was walking thru taking pics of them I figure it was only fair. Well turns out the offer to take pics with you is a move in Greece because he tried to kiss me too! I had my hand up in time to block him so he grabbed my boob. I wasn't prepared for that. I think he was just trying to show off to his friends. It was a quick feel. He's lucky he felt me up and not Su, she would have castrated him. I punched him in his chest and then picked up a very big knife. He got the hint and ran off. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Due to all of the distractions in the meat market I didn't get anywhere near the pics I wanted to get so off we went to get some fruit and olives. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZt7pkl01qu66JuVvyzoxmJrDqOLvJFt5wG31TNwbWP-VMa6CucOPfSIwP81WZnoQT_wQV_6Iqq0jSg_YRRNrp88Sr2ZI0axNQ-pRSMOhG6AAfaQF8-ywD-OPWsDSJzxGTiqn/s1600/_DSC3346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZt7pkl01qu66JuVvyzoxmJrDqOLvJFt5wG31TNwbWP-VMa6CucOPfSIwP81WZnoQT_wQV_6Iqq0jSg_YRRNrp88Sr2ZI0axNQ-pRSMOhG6AAfaQF8-ywD-OPWsDSJzxGTiqn/s400/_DSC3346.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This guy let us sample his olives, the best way to get us to buy. We are ruled by our stomachs. We ended up buying three different kinds of olives, kalamatas, pimento stuffed green ones and another that we think was brined in wine. 3 big scoops for 3 euro total. What a score!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As we were walking around we saw this shop. I at first thought it was leather goods hanging from the ceiling. How excited was I when I saw it was meats, olives and cheeses! My mouth was salivating. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwSdjqmLKkcfyPvzN1zjPFBRlAKr_70AqBtyMu_GP1PEzj_YCDe5gPsO3NtYt4UeRieJfHwMzgwJcbeRROaVug0WDxj2WuwomwcZ6brJhcl71gcwJRSFacFnNnlSYNsMjVD9E/s1600/_DSC3356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwSdjqmLKkcfyPvzN1zjPFBRlAKr_70AqBtyMu_GP1PEzj_YCDe5gPsO3NtYt4UeRieJfHwMzgwJcbeRROaVug0WDxj2WuwomwcZ6brJhcl71gcwJRSFacFnNnlSYNsMjVD9E/s400/_DSC3356.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We decided we needed some meats and cheeses to go with our olives and grapes. Our guy was great. I wish I made him look at the camera, he was also cute (a theme to Greece). Once he found out how passionate we were about our meats and cheeses he started recommending his favorites. We wanted local cheeses and meats. So even tho the pastrami looked fantastic we got some local ham and a pepper crusted salami. Don't really know what kind of cheeses we got, I know one was a goat and one was very buttery. As soon as he said butter we all reacted. We ended up with 3 kinds of cheese. The funny thing is when they wanted to know how much meat to slice Su quickly did her math and said 9 slices. She decided we would have 3 slices each, it made us and them laugh. He offered to vacuum seal our stuff to take home but we told him we were going to be eating them locally. I'm bummed we didn't make it back to buy some cheese for home. He also told us about a food festival he was working at but we wouldn't be able to make it because we would be in Mykonos at the time. I know, poor us. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKIYX9jwH1Hah_1kZ2DJiI0vn4SW2bPuTfVhYVlCYW4FRu4Wfkl3psGhLt6Syb2WDk4WaS4QnVqQE-igOLZPyDUVfPZ95gFDLUTNdbt8TILtvOnmzYVOTPWKzJdmIjzkp-X65/s1600/_DSC3371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKIYX9jwH1Hah_1kZ2DJiI0vn4SW2bPuTfVhYVlCYW4FRu4Wfkl3psGhLt6Syb2WDk4WaS4QnVqQE-igOLZPyDUVfPZ95gFDLUTNdbt8TILtvOnmzYVOTPWKzJdmIjzkp-X65/s400/_DSC3371.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The store also had these gorgeous displays of fresh spices. I would go back to Athens just to shop here again. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VnmoUHPU0-9lVS-4TBnRJbrJotwUkf2TreIs8xePnRpke4MDrVGbsHOXkZxeKbVu9OzOzTQvnvM4wat7JXWplWKGjI-t2wUhGdNET21gddj1bl4YFvTldARvB9ysuehHUFc2/s1600/_DSC3372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VnmoUHPU0-9lVS-4TBnRJbrJotwUkf2TreIs8xePnRpke4MDrVGbsHOXkZxeKbVu9OzOzTQvnvM4wat7JXWplWKGjI-t2wUhGdNET21gddj1bl4YFvTldARvB9ysuehHUFc2/s400/_DSC3372.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There's a coffee shop that is always packed right by our metro stop. We decided to stop there before we made the long trek back to our apartment. OK, the girls needed some caffeine. My favorite part was they brought us free food! Why did we only go there once?!?! There was also a cookie on top of the cake slices but Nancy ate it before I could take a photo. She should know better! This was free food, it had to be documented! The bad part is we were still pretty full from lunch so we didn't get to appreciate it as much as we would normally have. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpz__rlO0Wz66xyvRBFrjXcodBLpxmDz89hMj07ChGd_026m_tCPRpD6vjRoKvkJKnFzBBK1zXBb9F_kw2XaZe9zo6LVra-QjGXQdhoWtvVq0tQYbvytMEgL8cD9Pbd9UBNtf/s1600/IMG_3856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpz__rlO0Wz66xyvRBFrjXcodBLpxmDz89hMj07ChGd_026m_tCPRpD6vjRoKvkJKnFzBBK1zXBb9F_kw2XaZe9zo6LVra-QjGXQdhoWtvVq0tQYbvytMEgL8cD9Pbd9UBNtf/s400/IMG_3856.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Normally this is the point where we would call it a day but we only had a couple of days in Athens so we had to make the most of our time there. Once we rested up, got caught up on the internet and got ready it was about 10pm. Perfect, that's dinner time for most of Greece. Our concierge, aka, landlord, recommended we go to Keramikos when we asked about local nightlife. It was perfect! As soon as you walk out of the metro stop there are restaurants and bars all around. We walked around to get the lay of the land. There was an outdoor concert going on and they were performing YMCA so of course we walked down the street performing for the locals. </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We randomly picked a restaurant to eat at but once we looked at the menu we didn't see a lot we loved so we decided to eat apps and have a drink and restaurant hop. A little trick Barb taught us which we love. It's great when there are a lot of restaurants in walking distance. I have to say passion fruit drinks are my favorite! Of all of the various things we ate that night, this was our favorite, the mushrooms were so meaty tasty that they didn't need the prosciutto on top (and I love prosciutto) and beef carpaccio! While I would never prepare raw meat myself I love it. Serve it with slices of cheese and I'm in heaven.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QfVZFiBgZuAxkNp6GPXwgdKV_Vj0MSO-AnrGi3WltCdCRyXeJV-dLerXyIVU2uNy6Gf044iGtiUxeNNPP2QwFe2057J_5F3zV-GDpo-Yp23FHqDGP_vPD4q7B2DhQu_tv8cy/s1600/IMG_3860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QfVZFiBgZuAxkNp6GPXwgdKV_Vj0MSO-AnrGi3WltCdCRyXeJV-dLerXyIVU2uNy6Gf044iGtiUxeNNPP2QwFe2057J_5F3zV-GDpo-Yp23FHqDGP_vPD4q7B2DhQu_tv8cy/s400/IMG_3860.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The next restaurant we stopped at didn't really have a lot we wanted but we still had fun there. We ordered some kind of bean dish and roasted corn. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When we're talking about someone around us we sometimes take a photo so that the person we're looking at doesn't have all of us looking at once. I wanted to show Su what the guys behind her looked like so I had her pose for the camera. I love how this photo turned out! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc77RrRVjBe9vhgMvR44RXSVybVi_4t3M8akD0fi_xNM4hiCYf_GwB9UBNSNXTgla6t012HQ4mSLIWMzsMUKkp-NB1BWeH26GHn-Ot2ogS2o8W3_N85Hbk54UsckJhvqxWDoX/s1600/IMG_3868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc77RrRVjBe9vhgMvR44RXSVybVi_4t3M8akD0fi_xNM4hiCYf_GwB9UBNSNXTgla6t012HQ4mSLIWMzsMUKkp-NB1BWeH26GHn-Ot2ogS2o8W3_N85Hbk54UsckJhvqxWDoX/s400/IMG_3868.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We ended the night at Soho. I thought it would be funny to eat in Soho. By the time we hit there they had slowed down. We asked a waiter if they were still open and he said no, but the manager said yes, we win. My favorite thing about this place was they serve free bbg chips with our drinks. I loved them! My second favorite thing, they restroom is upstairs and it feels like you're walking across a catwalk while you're walking to it. There was even a little fog. I added a strut to my walk when going to the bathroom. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We felt bad that we were almost the last people there (again, where are the partyers, just cause it was a Tue.) but the manager said that he's up til 5am so take our time and if we wanted to stay past then, they leave the chairs out anyway. I love the people of Greece! BTW, we didn't stay til 5. We were pooped!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLacKQaJ6TfzM7AgL3Bo2dH8jjePFwSpKbUPKzW1WMF5nDXmvYKf3WqcbWm0U2gzyohhGH__FKZ5J5b0Y8IrcfpopuiKzHDGr2yYeCmgfsAbMa5RnhD0tzgfIBx_8qRLCRREz/s1600/IMG_3880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLacKQaJ6TfzM7AgL3Bo2dH8jjePFwSpKbUPKzW1WMF5nDXmvYKf3WqcbWm0U2gzyohhGH__FKZ5J5b0Y8IrcfpopuiKzHDGr2yYeCmgfsAbMa5RnhD0tzgfIBx_8qRLCRREz/s400/IMG_3880.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-786837054011191932013-09-17T02:43:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.093-04:00The long and winding road<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We wanted to get on the road first thing in the morning which means we got on the road about 11am. Pretty much what I expected. I wanted to take a few more pictures of Gerolimenas. Nancy says she was worried she would forget the magic of the place but pictures have a way of bringing us back. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18J9ChtXCyKYsJhftLrt-4q0PIOYh0dbZqR3XkTgWxhoJGl8S6ttvWNxpyOu998FOvB1Ot9seJaZ1TqqQICO0l5OlL4Py1Wmvh3sW9btiuz_2DDi7XuxooZHT1IAmCg-XT3qp/s1600/_DSC3059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18J9ChtXCyKYsJhftLrt-4q0PIOYh0dbZqR3XkTgWxhoJGl8S6ttvWNxpyOu998FOvB1Ot9seJaZ1TqqQICO0l5OlL4Py1Wmvh3sW9btiuz_2DDi7XuxooZHT1IAmCg-XT3qp/s400/_DSC3059.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27ddKJOa1QNvaigoaNgx3Lpyg_6LtdsrUfNXW4XgpbhCO7Y80WWGzWoSXTA7HV98p2PJ7yOZoscdqOkeKYQYK6soI47O07Vgrxpji31JkmGdmLKXEnP2LY_UFgqnLgn879nWM/s1600/_DSC3154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27ddKJOa1QNvaigoaNgx3Lpyg_6LtdsrUfNXW4XgpbhCO7Y80WWGzWoSXTA7HV98p2PJ7yOZoscdqOkeKYQYK6soI47O07Vgrxpji31JkmGdmLKXEnP2LY_UFgqnLgn879nWM/s400/_DSC3154.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsai17brYaaR4WGBNGKPv_rHT5F-SF746aXWMNGXVjXxVyT03xFuwCgYbG_IV_qKqK7h9D5ZsG4E4JbqIgc6zVXm0nwdI-LA4VpLtyRnapsaaYbXiGcHqHP2x4lHrHg-qb4LeR/s1600/_DSC3160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsai17brYaaR4WGBNGKPv_rHT5F-SF746aXWMNGXVjXxVyT03xFuwCgYbG_IV_qKqK7h9D5ZsG4E4JbqIgc6zVXm0nwdI-LA4VpLtyRnapsaaYbXiGcHqHP2x4lHrHg-qb4LeR/s400/_DSC3160.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy booked us a room for that night in Athens before we drove off, our apartment was rented out that night so she booked a cheap hotel, just some place to sleep. Course, I didn't really need a place to sleep, I decided to catch up all of my missed sleep in the car that day. I didn't plan it but since Su was in the front seat she was designated navigator and sitting in the back seat made me tired. I used to fall asleep in a car every time I was a passenger. I've gotten better about it but my body takes awhile to adjust to new time zones so I would get anywhere from 3 to 5 hours of sleep a night except the night I took a sleeping pill. I would just wake up and read until the girls got moving. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sharon sent us an email saying we should check out Gythio. She stopped there the previous day and thought we would like it, so we decided to stop there for lunch. Sharon knows us well. What a cool little fishing village. They even had an open air market but by the time we were done with lunch, I didn't feel like shopping any more. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUavZW6R_zQPwUy1sQQBh3TdqR-VcK4voGM5QmtEeek7hhDLRv-LqXR8jv-L0-oRSU63MNn30QWzdoLxlD8KAcQUKdb5rGqhgm3xxVjrOj0XgUHc0eZ6oZp9rlGpD2oBY6rb-h/s1600/_DSC3184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUavZW6R_zQPwUy1sQQBh3TdqR-VcK4voGM5QmtEeek7hhDLRv-LqXR8jv-L0-oRSU63MNn30QWzdoLxlD8KAcQUKdb5rGqhgm3xxVjrOj0XgUHc0eZ6oZp9rlGpD2oBY6rb-h/s400/_DSC3184.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As a bonus, they had a lighthouse. You know how Su loves her lighthouses. Luckily we didn't have to hike there to see it!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19BmYflx_zcdcmnuogwJGfuRCtJKDf9HHjRxatPJ7vdD4DvAIrxiWRn8XENxLhlvHtdKMUqFD92JOmJiBoxYCwYsgKOQCRWeuy1hZ0qKtbZOMaV7bJd-N6oDwbq_go8Vtt3do/s1600/_DSC3205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19BmYflx_zcdcmnuogwJGfuRCtJKDf9HHjRxatPJ7vdD4DvAIrxiWRn8XENxLhlvHtdKMUqFD92JOmJiBoxYCwYsgKOQCRWeuy1hZ0qKtbZOMaV7bJd-N6oDwbq_go8Vtt3do/s400/_DSC3205.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lunch was pretty good. We ordered a shrimp salad, word or warning, if you order anything other then a Greek salad they will drown your salad in dressing. I'm someone who loves salad dressing and it's too much for me. A lot of what we wanted they didn't have but something the waiter suggested based on our requests was a small fish fry. These suckers were delicious! It was a fishy version of french fries (instead of fish and chips, you can have fishy chips). We all kept diving in, we couldn't get enough. But since we were us, we had ordered a few other things and were full. We seriously debated getting a to go bag for the few that were left but we didn't think soggy fishy chips would be as good. I used to get fried smelt similar to this when I lived in Los Angeles. If you're curious about these delights, look for asian restaurants that aren't Americanized, best places to look would be your version of Chinatown. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKlLbGippJCkEDLc4hvGoXW9dCwgYkZeS-Vl8BMKhb7UeksvzPvVrSug9JRg5_TYiOz1CnJxx1P41BR9qX8bdzgHs2ocl3doTXc2RXMNAYEqCt7ORhevwqghBcilfIqeTSq4m/s1600/IMG_3834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKlLbGippJCkEDLc4hvGoXW9dCwgYkZeS-Vl8BMKhb7UeksvzPvVrSug9JRg5_TYiOz1CnJxx1P41BR9qX8bdzgHs2ocl3doTXc2RXMNAYEqCt7ORhevwqghBcilfIqeTSq4m/s400/IMG_3834.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Today was a day for Su and Nancy. We were taking the circuitous route back to Athens. They wanted to make a couple of pit stops along the way. So while they navigated their way to Sparti I went back to sleep. The weather had been a dream while we were in Greece so far. The day we decide to hit the road it was grey and gloomy and we finally hit the rain. Kostas says that when it rains it pours. Luckily it didn't get too bad. Nancy was thrilled about the automatic wipers in the car. I've already experienced that before in Karen's Porche, old news to me, LOL. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once we got to Sparti and the Monastery of Pantanassa I woke up. I saw the wind and rain and that the Monastery was uphill I handed them my camera and decided to stay in the car and read. I was reading the sequel to Deborah Harkness's Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night. I enjoyed the world building but felt like there was little progression in the story. That being said, I'm still looking forward to the last book in the trilogy. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This stop was one of Nancy's favorite stops. She says she could have spent all day there and I believe her. When we go to museums, I want to just look and walk thru, she wants to see and read everything. I usually bring a book with me or send her on without me. The pics are gorgeous! </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCuyfhaljyvLexzgys2sDoRa6HNHEQMmCPJREqqosbRUDjuwqeIJ22MFgbKycXB17K15jFo8RmQJYFJYLCGgsMJMeq6WwBRfo8jLy-Unw2eCYMmRDSKcMyjHDqlkOqJ3U17vX/s1600/_DSC3210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCuyfhaljyvLexzgys2sDoRa6HNHEQMmCPJREqqosbRUDjuwqeIJ22MFgbKycXB17K15jFo8RmQJYFJYLCGgsMJMeq6WwBRfo8jLy-Unw2eCYMmRDSKcMyjHDqlkOqJ3U17vX/s400/_DSC3210.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbffClTB9qTIFe34qd-Ym3gtvOIy0aYqRI9uZ_llqjIjSd3oU-pE7aYECDe7SjO1fUr81vidHe17o19HHxicxbucrX73wJ68R1DyhYy4jhzG4SiAtJrXpTXCjX9ni7W7SvoSaa/s1600/_DSC3235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbffClTB9qTIFe34qd-Ym3gtvOIy0aYqRI9uZ_llqjIjSd3oU-pE7aYECDe7SjO1fUr81vidHe17o19HHxicxbucrX73wJ68R1DyhYy4jhzG4SiAtJrXpTXCjX9ni7W7SvoSaa/s400/_DSC3235.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIVU_8mkNrCQbM5GKU3yXMwL_LCZ77ByA6J6p67JIjF6jMJl7VsHyhvUui-zBPymDvAlysui2wEUOjlWdL_M7B5XtuM7ceojrnJTI90j9GafRmz4mSDE83erOCLF1tX9Fgn5M/s1600/_DSC3249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIVU_8mkNrCQbM5GKU3yXMwL_LCZ77ByA6J6p67JIjF6jMJl7VsHyhvUui-zBPymDvAlysui2wEUOjlWdL_M7B5XtuM7ceojrnJTI90j9GafRmz4mSDE83erOCLF1tX9Fgn5M/s400/_DSC3249.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhgvjt5pJl2msMosofF6rxzDI5SlLRpR08pTJLd84BmkSk0WiArpSR9Pg44GiiFJHy6U80TdXyvW_KSHFDVaQ5h7ewvxjIwV-BEw7DkmShRikziJ3DCEgWWU-AZG86smMknMz/s1600/_DSC3258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhgvjt5pJl2msMosofF6rxzDI5SlLRpR08pTJLd84BmkSk0WiArpSR9Pg44GiiFJHy6U80TdXyvW_KSHFDVaQ5h7ewvxjIwV-BEw7DkmShRikziJ3DCEgWWU-AZG86smMknMz/s400/_DSC3258.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Next up was a drive to Nafplio. You know what that meant, I went back to sleep. When I was in Amsterdam and we drove to Spain I slept the entire car ride except when it was time to eat. I was catching up on my sleep then too. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since we needed to get the car back by 9pm instead of hitting the 3 temples that Nafplio had to offer they chose one. I woke up, looked at where we were and decided to read again. Hey, at least I'm consistent! The weather cleared up and they were able to take some beautiful photos. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhgvjt5pJl2msMosofF6rxzDI5SlLRpR08pTJLd84BmkSk0WiArpSR9Pg44GiiFJHy6U80TdXyvW_KSHFDVaQ5h7ewvxjIwV-BEw7DkmShRikziJ3DCEgWWU-AZG86smMknMz/s1600/_DSC3258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBtgfXOnSM3xTi96H49-AHLo5nLxyOnYHW1yHhRpaXnAH1uFgf8rSRqDHfmyU5PK-KGBd99Xze54fsmWBDQ_xuseRbsnA5lAuufPDdcIM39QxZAJ2r_ON5ymMQrmaQnXouvsu/s1600/_DSC3306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBtgfXOnSM3xTi96H49-AHLo5nLxyOnYHW1yHhRpaXnAH1uFgf8rSRqDHfmyU5PK-KGBd99Xze54fsmWBDQ_xuseRbsnA5lAuufPDdcIM39QxZAJ2r_ON5ymMQrmaQnXouvsu/s400/_DSC3306.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBtgfXOnSM3xTi96H49-AHLo5nLxyOnYHW1yHhRpaXnAH1uFgf8rSRqDHfmyU5PK-KGBd99Xze54fsmWBDQ_xuseRbsnA5lAuufPDdcIM39QxZAJ2r_ON5ymMQrmaQnXouvsu/s1600/_DSC3306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQSatmjY6zQkHIReuwU0fXawsw9zP72f7Ii0C378HTDRa-thoGSksi8o-ha8Yk75HAYE3bEfSNMbg0fZ5d4Y9eGdEp0_kgedQ9Ip6HxdCrcGCeM5AmuBlu3wqvTG4YL6veWmt/s1600/_DSC3282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQSatmjY6zQkHIReuwU0fXawsw9zP72f7Ii0C378HTDRa-thoGSksi8o-ha8Yk75HAYE3bEfSNMbg0fZ5d4Y9eGdEp0_kgedQ9Ip6HxdCrcGCeM5AmuBlu3wqvTG4YL6veWmt/s400/_DSC3282.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgYDt-NG5iOT0unKeZtye92-goUEKv-iRqjGNJgAsd8DkL1b_6_bQgXaWjaiAj2KoxR4kWYuaSfiGlKA5YukZ2J6Mzin4l0b1Jsq4DepSleZP2G7gA613Gtfwhi3IXifLfDGn/s1600/_DSC3308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgYDt-NG5iOT0unKeZtye92-goUEKv-iRqjGNJgAsd8DkL1b_6_bQgXaWjaiAj2KoxR4kWYuaSfiGlKA5YukZ2J6Mzin4l0b1Jsq4DepSleZP2G7gA613Gtfwhi3IXifLfDGn/s400/_DSC3308.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were going to be cutting it tight to get the car back to Athens in time but based on our calculations we could still make it. Well, that was before we got lost. We didn't rent a GPS when we rented the car, they were out, so we've been old schooling it and using a map. Kostas also gave us directions on how to get to our two spots. His specific direction for leaving Nafplio was to stop and ask someone how to get to a specific road. Well we stopped, to get a soda and a pastry. We neglected to ask but never fear, Su and Nancy were on it! Well until we had been driving up a windy mountain in the dark that they didn't remember driving down. So one U-turn on the side of a mountain later we were heading back towards Argos. The crazy part is once we hit Argos, we literally had people sending us in the opposite direction of what the person before them told us. Needless to say, we drove around in a circle a couple of times (one way streets are a bitch!). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Finally we got on the right road to Athens so I decided to go back to sleep. Well, not really decided it just happens when I'm in the back seat (and sometimes when I'm in the front). Outside of Athens they pulled over to try and figure out how to get to our hotel since we were running so late the car rental place had closed (not a big deal, except, we knew how to get the car rental back, didn't know how to get to the hotel). Once we got into the city we pulled over to ask directions and turns out we were only a couple of blocks away! That was pure blind luck, I mean, Nancy and Su were just that good. Now what was in theory 2 blocks away ended up being about 6 or 7 blocks away. What we thought was a no right turn sign is a no turn on red sign, well, that's our guess anyway since it seems like no one but us actually reads the signs (seriously, Nancy asked what a sign meant and they shrugged it off, they didn't know either). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After we checked in we went to the rooftop restaurant to get some food. They had a great view of the Acropolis. Too bad they were closing! So we walked down a block and got some food from the souvlaki stand and the 24 hour bakery! I love this town! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-33186791335438282332013-09-16T01:06:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.113-04:00Lazy days and Sundays<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The day actually started off with a breakfast cooked for us by Kostas and Linda. Kyrimi is a bed and breakfast but you can rent the rooms a little cheaper without the breakfast which was a bad call on our part! Their breakfast was delicious! Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, sausage, cereal, pastries and eggs cooked to order. We ate until we were stuffed and sat around chatting and laughing. It was some kind of holiday and one of their neighbors came by and offered all of us pieces of an olive branch that had been blessed. Really, can this town get any more charming?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Because Sharon had to leave us today (dang her plans to fly to Italy!) we stayed close to home. We decided to lay out on the dock. We were almost in the water, we could feel the spray from the waves. It was amazing. Keep in mind that we move on island time, even tho we weren't on an island. By the time we got out to the dock it was already the afternoon. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once Sharon finished packing we wandered into town where she was going to meet her bus and had a final coke with her. While it is sad to say goodbye to our gorgeous, wonderful, amazing friend, we were comforted by the fact that we'll meet up again. But for some reason I always get choked up saying goodbye to Sharon. I must say again how lucky I am to have friends who love to travel as much as I do. Sharon lives in FL and I've seen her 3 times this year and who knows, maybe a 4th time before the year is out!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had plans to go to this local tavern that Kostas had told us about our first night there. It's a very meat oriented place which is why we didn't go there originally. We wanted seafood! But we've been eating so much seafood that we were all craving something bloodier. The only problem was, they were closed! Kostas had no idea they were closed, he had plans to meet friends there for dinner too. At least he let us know before we drove there (a second time). Since Kostas had plans we invited Linda to join us for dinner. The best part of this, besides her wonderful self was Linda took us to a place that only locals go to up in the mountains. I could tell you the name of it but then I'd have to kill you. OK, I couldn't, I don't know the name. It's all Greek to me!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We walked up and you can smell the meat off of the grill. Su felt like she was at home. I think I saw a tear in her eye. We went with the classics, souvlaki, potato wedges (perfectly cooked, crisp on outside, soft inside), greek salad and b</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">iftekia (sounds like beef steak-e-a)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0VxWR2HVtNCDMHgggN4aNQj6prNEIG5qtgTTo3iOxFVeXqfOctFvw0BtEcB86pKTThP1jydP6YW5qF-BpeXT7YuqImJLUGwRB2Ae6Lj-I0Ytm50CPthnM-zEx-Wy8RNwp1jq/s1600/IMG_3823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0VxWR2HVtNCDMHgggN4aNQj6prNEIG5qtgTTo3iOxFVeXqfOctFvw0BtEcB86pKTThP1jydP6YW5qF-BpeXT7YuqImJLUGwRB2Ae6Lj-I0Ytm50CPthnM-zEx-Wy8RNwp1jq/s400/IMG_3823.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of my favorite greek salads while I was in Greece. That feta was amazing!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcs6soUig2vyJLN6O6pHYTuol2v-o6M-4YHwcFIBYvaDT4DwIRMuLMTr17TK9PZMERX9DPHoxZUQJQ5N7YZYBaoXboDbDQ-aeIpM392dw4uryMyFX7VIfMSbJX5PkAaoWgnDK/s1600/IMG_3824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcs6soUig2vyJLN6O6pHYTuol2v-o6M-4YHwcFIBYvaDT4DwIRMuLMTr17TK9PZMERX9DPHoxZUQJQ5N7YZYBaoXboDbDQ-aeIpM392dw4uryMyFX7VIfMSbJX5PkAaoWgnDK/s400/IMG_3824.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">B</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">iftekia</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> looks like a hamburger but it has tons of herbs in it and is incredibly flavorful. I loved it with tzakiki. We tried it as a couple of other restaurants while in Greece but none were better then these. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ANRyeT4Ggu9T7Jm5s-VKvrbf8_4UYk8vfoJUGRqPlPcvha5XGa6hAAgPmjC-bmJgEUSsdE4JsRKZ8dGO5LVV0rKix7dR7dr2C_wpMEjmVc22eIkNe27nWjFB4xW5517aBch-/s1600/IMG_3830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ANRyeT4Ggu9T7Jm5s-VKvrbf8_4UYk8vfoJUGRqPlPcvha5XGa6hAAgPmjC-bmJgEUSsdE4JsRKZ8dGO5LVV0rKix7dR7dr2C_wpMEjmVc22eIkNe27nWjFB4xW5517aBch-/s400/IMG_3830.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I love when we're given fresh fruit for dessert. They gave us figs and we ate them so quickly they gave us more. You can eat with skin or without, I tried both ways, I prefer not eating the skin. </div></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was a fun dinner, listening to Linda's stories about life in Greece was fascinating and since Linda also lives in Seattle it was fun to also talk about our lives here. I look forward to catching up with here now that we're all home. </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were the last people to leave, as usual. I don't know what they say about the Greeks partying all night long, they can't hang with us Americans! I guess once it's off season, they decide they can sleep. </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once we got back to the room we got to talking. Our original plan for Monday was to go back to the Temple of the Gods and spend more time at the pool but we realized we were going to be crunched for time in Athens so why not leave a day early and get an extra day in Athens? We're crazy like that! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQ9z842jgjnWUgvRiMpNMKDVQmwGGxm7PfpUsMb5znqRvqkdZmsUekqLTi2nfC2hFYH1nrORRgilxBxN2hgpnr4FegXQtG38BnsMhlDOLJAULpZly76dZwbc_mE3r2ccORhFw/s1600/_DSC3015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQ9z842jgjnWUgvRiMpNMKDVQmwGGxm7PfpUsMb5znqRvqkdZmsUekqLTi2nfC2hFYH1nrORRgilxBxN2hgpnr4FegXQtG38BnsMhlDOLJAULpZly76dZwbc_mE3r2ccORhFw/s400/_DSC3015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since we decided to leave the next day I took some pics when we wandered downtown to get online. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8acwmHiXtOH2hpT5JLwC8cKiVunWNwL5cI-xKTGdfng9O6zzrcks0aceZMRJTofVUF4q2Bg2pqztLiKRtx4HvpUbfzLhfEhq1434b4Duxam0kSUgxPBvNZ4Ka4TmNsmGzjv7/s1600/_DSC3031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8acwmHiXtOH2hpT5JLwC8cKiVunWNwL5cI-xKTGdfng9O6zzrcks0aceZMRJTofVUF4q2Bg2pqztLiKRtx4HvpUbfzLhfEhq1434b4Duxam0kSUgxPBvNZ4Ka4TmNsmGzjv7/s400/_DSC3031.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-59718461715751506562013-09-14T12:34:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.123-04:00Inside the belly of the beast!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">One of the sites the girls really wanted to see while we were down south was the caves of Diros. All of the sightseeing books highly recommended them so off we went. </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First we needed a detour to Areopolis which is the unofficial capital of Mani, not a very big town, they had a couple of super markets, which are nothing in comparison to our super markets. We needed to pick up a train ticket to Athens for Sharon who was leaving us the next day (sniff) and go to the bank. We didn't want to carry all of our cash with us so decided before we left the states we'd hit the ATMs a couple of times and pay the $5 service fee versus using our cards where we could (lots of places want cash) because there would be a fee with each purchase. </span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now we were off to the caves. I believe it was 8 euros a person. Every site you go to costs money, well except Cape Tenaro. Guess they figure if you're willing to make the hike, no need to pay. There were 5 of us in the boat for the cave tour and the navigator who did not speak English, not convenient when he's talking about the caves. He wasn't very chatty anyway so we weren't missing out on much. </span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The caves were pretty cool, it felt like we were inside the belly of the beast! Su was in the front and spent the whole time saying heads or left side, right side. I'm 4'11", if I have to duck that tells you how low the ceilings are at some points. We were so close to the walls of the cave we could reach out and touch but I didn't want to get yelled at. He already yelled at me once for leaning too far to take a pic. My big complaint is we went so fast so we didn't get to just sit and enjoy the moment (and some of my pics came out blurry).</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkauQSy8-qcmXHsMBFe-4ZN8ODQ80AzpwvYGg1ofCpY-JS1pbozjeuA6pa1N_VwHjE0Qxq94N1YEriUFgexsRCYJmVncaNTRTNGaZKdilbqGWLZp6UmhqWS120Fp0OzfQANwJ/s1600/_DSC2930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkauQSy8-qcmXHsMBFe-4ZN8ODQ80AzpwvYGg1ofCpY-JS1pbozjeuA6pa1N_VwHjE0Qxq94N1YEriUFgexsRCYJmVncaNTRTNGaZKdilbqGWLZp6UmhqWS120Fp0OzfQANwJ/s400/_DSC2930.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcGreUbT7fk5I2HjQ26wCxTtw8mrX4osM_4KB9sI68Z6tr7IyMecItk2LHWIV2eMRPDpe_F0_OawUcJiilUM5MQhUQ9XMxPwvmaXihxGo9717iTG-1hZZh5fN47Qavi9p1YYP/s1600/_DSC2993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcGreUbT7fk5I2HjQ26wCxTtw8mrX4osM_4KB9sI68Z6tr7IyMecItk2LHWIV2eMRPDpe_F0_OawUcJiilUM5MQhUQ9XMxPwvmaXihxGo9717iTG-1hZZh5fN47Qavi9p1YYP/s400/_DSC2993.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My camera had the flash on, Sharon's didn't hence the difference in the colors but I love her photos and want to share them too!</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkauQSy8-qcmXHsMBFe-4ZN8ODQ80AzpwvYGg1ofCpY-JS1pbozjeuA6pa1N_VwHjE0Qxq94N1YEriUFgexsRCYJmVncaNTRTNGaZKdilbqGWLZp6UmhqWS120Fp0OzfQANwJ/s1600/_DSC2930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j2T_26DZ1UhBwlEGiYweuchpK6YAO0H6t1cfD7TEujGrnj87jqdfEAMaEFOzhsqOZFA73VlTzN9lpQ6cRURrjsx0fgyzdhXdGPZ90hU2iT0P7LKxFWOb7hS5tAStuzMtlH8t/s1600/DSC_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j2T_26DZ1UhBwlEGiYweuchpK6YAO0H6t1cfD7TEujGrnj87jqdfEAMaEFOzhsqOZFA73VlTzN9lpQ6cRURrjsx0fgyzdhXdGPZ90hU2iT0P7LKxFWOb7hS5tAStuzMtlH8t/s400/DSC_0066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkauQSy8-qcmXHsMBFe-4ZN8ODQ80AzpwvYGg1ofCpY-JS1pbozjeuA6pa1N_VwHjE0Qxq94N1YEriUFgexsRCYJmVncaNTRTNGaZKdilbqGWLZp6UmhqWS120Fp0OzfQANwJ/s1600/_DSC2930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9PgRh4cN1GQONq5PIG5uMnP7LZoDYDABvhDAtURyN3HY3DsGTqvETaQGuOCaWr34crUowe9sg317Bx0z7bCxAKnJckzYcXpj9CiW1n73vZBYpt9urtVEVykNGJWsgJq5no5d/s1600/DSC_0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9PgRh4cN1GQONq5PIG5uMnP7LZoDYDABvhDAtURyN3HY3DsGTqvETaQGuOCaWr34crUowe9sg317Bx0z7bCxAKnJckzYcXpj9CiW1n73vZBYpt9urtVEVykNGJWsgJq5no5d/s400/DSC_0126.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSLAmgFokfpDZrZkkBowAhn8iDbEQK1tDHokJRWlS-BH2lhmlGZTts9Yiorx3BPuYKw8bk5Pn6Y_dWkOHgHMeFBqnsG7xgpFReZOQMiNpi5vqc0PPhHPN_jcr40_1F4VCYtSE/s1600/DSC_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSLAmgFokfpDZrZkkBowAhn8iDbEQK1tDHokJRWlS-BH2lhmlGZTts9Yiorx3BPuYKw8bk5Pn6Y_dWkOHgHMeFBqnsG7xgpFReZOQMiNpi5vqc0PPhHPN_jcr40_1F4VCYtSE/s400/DSC_0065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3qRFCphqREIkQoVZMSMe0j9xBpFqQrFrQqWckD-A7T674h-P2BdNTUPUZ3HS-vLgitk50Lr9zVK9NpmBrl539-_BODWO5W3MKpuok-34JxXo6Szv3_x-oobAe3RuXRwZ8CGM/s1600/_DSC2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcGreUbT7fk5I2HjQ26wCxTtw8mrX4osM_4KB9sI68Z6tr7IyMecItk2LHWIV2eMRPDpe_F0_OawUcJiilUM5MQhUQ9XMxPwvmaXihxGo9717iTG-1hZZh5fN47Qavi9p1YYP/s1600/_DSC2993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The following pic was taken outside of the caves, walking to the car. Greece is truly beautiful, inside and out.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir69wS5rAHUZy2n3xakbvp1MAzquQnIwfepuE-d-MmnwcmKqFxNxtrtjkQD9wtSXLL2EY2MkCLWeVQBl8W-trH7antFG09l6Xur-1VypHwiZhLM9akB039d0zxLBfX4Q25K0Pm/s1600/_DSC2998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir69wS5rAHUZy2n3xakbvp1MAzquQnIwfepuE-d-MmnwcmKqFxNxtrtjkQD9wtSXLL2EY2MkCLWeVQBl8W-trH7antFG09l6Xur-1VypHwiZhLM9akB039d0zxLBfX4Q25K0Pm/s400/_DSC2998.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We decided to go to MarMari for lunch. The best thing about MarMari was the hot waiters. They were super cute and made lunch more enjoyable. Actually, the food here wasn't the greatest but I can't get enough of grilled squid and eat it every chance I get in Greece. I'll skip the aubergine (eggplant) salad.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0iSFu1SAeBtsH5j-GOeWo8TllXoTBPtuj3uAVEBtzIcvB3tMA1ergUyYLrkgCjlu6Lbr72VrsPOR96Rj80n9vFinb_e7-WXJs9Bzyv4v4Cw28ZKbtFnr2EjubeFlCjoLrDkg/s1600/DSC_0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0iSFu1SAeBtsH5j-GOeWo8TllXoTBPtuj3uAVEBtzIcvB3tMA1ergUyYLrkgCjlu6Lbr72VrsPOR96Rj80n9vFinb_e7-WXJs9Bzyv4v4Cw28ZKbtFnr2EjubeFlCjoLrDkg/s400/DSC_0282.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We're dark in this pic but check out the background to our lunch!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0EfT3BdGmLB-I2Ex1LuXhhlslrZcJNr4_ucxp3Iw1zWhVDjkt1IpOLEjRcgzRt46s9hbkSIYODYlH4Zy9BvGVRbjz59YU1Wu7kb4Y9z36zKISH8jQczYI8EQJ1ETdzBq9-eO/s1600/IMG_3811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0EfT3BdGmLB-I2Ex1LuXhhlslrZcJNr4_ucxp3Iw1zWhVDjkt1IpOLEjRcgzRt46s9hbkSIYODYlH4Zy9BvGVRbjz59YU1Wu7kb4Y9z36zKISH8jQczYI8EQJ1ETdzBq9-eO/s400/IMG_3811.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After lunch we hit the beach at MarMari. Linda mentioned it was windy but it was out of control windy. Makes for great waves but I wasn't going in. The entire time we were in Greece we never made it to the beach before 5pm, try as we might (except for the one day we went snorkeling outside our room). I think the water would have been warmer if we made it in sooner. </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwfteLC9w2BFT1HQSKZ99j-47ppCxLLFWyYQQgEqsNwxdulJ-QF_Zc7-EIKgbblV7F0lf_bRkHdkO6Wk1ELvHDYeoXTEVVGJDYMcxRxU4svme6aurVA6zbkcWRvTWTM843klt/s1600/IMG_3809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwfteLC9w2BFT1HQSKZ99j-47ppCxLLFWyYQQgEqsNwxdulJ-QF_Zc7-EIKgbblV7F0lf_bRkHdkO6Wk1ELvHDYeoXTEVVGJDYMcxRxU4svme6aurVA6zbkcWRvTWTM843klt/s400/IMG_3809.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy and Su braved the waters, Sharon and I read. There was a wedding happening right there on the beach which was fun to watch (as well as the couple making out on the beach). Due to the wind, we only stayed about an hour and decided to go back to the room to relax.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once we finally got moving, we got dressed up for dinner and our date with our waiter. We went and ate at the restaurant we ate at the first night. Our waiter was doing the big up sell and we were all over it. We're weak when it comes to food. One thing we had that was different that we loved was the giant beans. That's what they're called on the menu and if you google Greek giant beans, there are recipes for it. Nancy and I killed them! What can I say, I'm a fan of the bean.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were supposed to meet up with our other waiter after dinner but we were 20 minutes late and he got tired of waiting so he went home. We did tell him would meet up with him but as he knows first hand, it takes awhile to get thru dinner. The owner offered us a free drink but since we had plans we said no but we couldn't say no to free dessert. There's a cake-like dessert that was given to us at 3 different restaurants, turns out we don't like it but we don't want to be rude so we try to eat a piece, well most of us anyway (I win!).</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Even tho our waiter ditched us, we decided to still go to the Temple of the Gods for a drink. Turns out, we were the only ones with that idea, well, other then the staff. So we only stayed for one drink. We tried to take some pics but they came out too dark. We were going to snag the bartender's phone to take some pics of us for him as a memento but he was smart and picked it up before we could. Drat!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had an early night, got home about 1am. </span></div></div>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-61093851456139578302013-09-14T01:28:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.142-04:00Walking to the ends of the Earth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Or Europe at least!</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This was the day we decided to go wandering east of Gerolimenas. The hard part was making any progress because we kept stopping to take pictures. I was using Mia's camera for some high quality pics, Sharon was taking gorgeous pics with hers and Su was using my phone so we could have pics for the blog. Nancy had the job of driver.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBk0FW15rgY29a0s720f06PtKQTe1zeg_UDs6k00k8deZ7I1SS672buws0sALE1DKawEiE38pcLuFwMpqkWzQZOGQM2daenkjlcASRsnypUPP9ShqBarQuFRfR4uKJHl_-JzlR/s1600/_DSC2716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBk0FW15rgY29a0s720f06PtKQTe1zeg_UDs6k00k8deZ7I1SS672buws0sALE1DKawEiE38pcLuFwMpqkWzQZOGQM2daenkjlcASRsnypUPP9ShqBarQuFRfR4uKJHl_-JzlR/s400/_DSC2716.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our first official stop was in this mostly abandoned town of Vathia. We could walk among the ruins and take lots of pics. I think we spent over an hour there. We have tons of pics of stone but we couldn't stop taking pictures. The buildings here just ooze history.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu30mQyCRgTBAlXCxVYRqlOPSfjuLc2IsBD4tHFz-ByL4RpGMyBcaipxUBxmf0WmeaRkH1NZllHO-Nx8uNgwNzKHp6kV5iRzrtccRkTclkOicvln0UGsgXSzzg2HIeMA4zBQY/s1600/_DSC2857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu30mQyCRgTBAlXCxVYRqlOPSfjuLc2IsBD4tHFz-ByL4RpGMyBcaipxUBxmf0WmeaRkH1NZllHO-Nx8uNgwNzKHp6kV5iRzrtccRkTclkOicvln0UGsgXSzzg2HIeMA4zBQY/s400/_DSC2857.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Doesn't it look like a fairy tale?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqi865OJf5Yl9OXP_K_0cawRqHTENIhxzMiEAl1lCweZi-Zr6OQ1rZjpsWdrVR2R2lHRi9n66IiICBbKsvlcGzEc7mhxWhprhbx7ETwyS06SX2RaO859Cdst48yfI6skOdMP6/s1600/_DSC2747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqi865OJf5Yl9OXP_K_0cawRqHTENIhxzMiEAl1lCweZi-Zr6OQ1rZjpsWdrVR2R2lHRi9n66IiICBbKsvlcGzEc7mhxWhprhbx7ETwyS06SX2RaO859Cdst48yfI6skOdMP6/s400/_DSC2747.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7758Y5LaxfK2MbQLElGLopSk0Dr0NW1G-fac5mc_rphHjZX9-hjsICA4-mEv2OuMdNIlWXbtMp43QX8g1ownH7O_98IL4HXndjwFbGwTiSXx0epgewUamfRS0uaNUK5lDzNw/s1600/_DSC2832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7758Y5LaxfK2MbQLElGLopSk0Dr0NW1G-fac5mc_rphHjZX9-hjsICA4-mEv2OuMdNIlWXbtMp43QX8g1ownH7O_98IL4HXndjwFbGwTiSXx0epgewUamfRS0uaNUK5lDzNw/s400/_DSC2832.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><center></center><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjecXDz7pg_u-mBYO-0rHolVLu1xnkdX4WJYLZ7-yVBAG_IYTrr4bvKMnxAYXzhLkOgw4j8B_tXyQqdqIlapQnV401xBaqLSi21kFHuOU-EpQUoYXbSD7M9AaZ9Or_S-FuV7SP/s1600/IMG_3741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjecXDz7pg_u-mBYO-0rHolVLu1xnkdX4WJYLZ7-yVBAG_IYTrr4bvKMnxAYXzhLkOgw4j8B_tXyQqdqIlapQnV401xBaqLSi21kFHuOU-EpQUoYXbSD7M9AaZ9Or_S-FuV7SP/s400/IMG_3741.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Next up was lunch. From the cliffs we saw this beautiful coastal town and we just knew we would have good food there. Course we were hungry so that helped make our decision for us. We went with the restaurant that we could find parking in, as long as they had Internet which they did. We had one of our favorite lunches there, we'd been looking for an octopus dish that wasn't just grilled octopus and found it here. It was an octopus salad. Very tasty. Also enjoyed the sardines, very salty but lots of flavors. We've been ordering the garlic salad everywhere we go. We all love it and since we saw bats flying around at night it will help keep the vampires away.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddBSJwgZT-huPFpkwc4REjJfu8afxs0BLqMlAYOFvUh3tOR33SqMlIHY_iPOg_galRkTnE8UUy9zikTxON5LKPbBhXJvSVXCOJRVjL7FCuQ-ZDkhoGY3dhmLa0QPyLJ_TEG4C/s1600/IMG_3784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddBSJwgZT-huPFpkwc4REjJfu8afxs0BLqMlAYOFvUh3tOR33SqMlIHY_iPOg_galRkTnE8UUy9zikTxON5LKPbBhXJvSVXCOJRVjL7FCuQ-ZDkhoGY3dhmLa0QPyLJ_TEG4C/s400/IMG_3784.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpYkDLkyE0K3_Np46GXerAOQMmUJ-0cCWzcmcX5RSCh82fyf_T_xazochOeyWY5fUQ_KRN2nYTat_JtREpM8Uc0fcMaCSTQIRgTskT3ltcGrF1p1HR0exYjZnYkovFAHOJo6D/s1600/IMG_3787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpYkDLkyE0K3_Np46GXerAOQMmUJ-0cCWzcmcX5RSCh82fyf_T_xazochOeyWY5fUQ_KRN2nYTat_JtREpM8Uc0fcMaCSTQIRgTskT3ltcGrF1p1HR0exYjZnYkovFAHOJo6D/s400/IMG_3787.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I totally thought this fish would be dry and I was so wrong. It was the best fish of my entire trip! Perfect char on the outside, moist on the inside. The juices were dripping. Well worth the money!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Next up was Poseidon's Temple. Have to say, it was not that impressive. I expected more for him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWjk4c6FdRM3xbdm43_odbZsZWVHuRj47RvIH3b-krwQ13H5SRyq962YrOayXZxKWLgCj8IuLV4rzQBE3Hi_MZcxnjl6Zr-BYCK_Pr5ll95QUaEKPmJ8Z_kBR5DlHkOeTzcHZ/s1600/_DSC2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWjk4c6FdRM3xbdm43_odbZsZWVHuRj47RvIH3b-krwQ13H5SRyq962YrOayXZxKWLgCj8IuLV4rzQBE3Hi_MZcxnjl6Zr-BYCK_Pr5ll95QUaEKPmJ8Z_kBR5DlHkOeTzcHZ/s400/_DSC2868.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGN9w2KWG5sfS-Z6FnRLScxJsCGETW41pDVYacppt3TMpuiSrhjaZiFsjbZRAiCCx6ub2IdpmNXO4RiK_SwTHnXw4ysWpvy8a7kDhMnqu6v8JF-oT5Dqm70_AKEsRHkIXLlDTy/s1600/_DSC2873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGN9w2KWG5sfS-Z6FnRLScxJsCGETW41pDVYacppt3TMpuiSrhjaZiFsjbZRAiCCx6ub2IdpmNXO4RiK_SwTHnXw4ysWpvy8a7kDhMnqu6v8JF-oT5Dqm70_AKEsRHkIXLlDTy/s400/_DSC2873.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">From his temple there is a 45 minute (that's what the books say, took me an hour) hike to Cape Tenaro which is the southernmost point in Europe, not including islands. There's a lighthouse there and Su loves them. I'm not a big hiker but decided to do this since a 45 minute isn't a bad one. I'm from WA state, our hikes consists of lots of trees and shade. There was no shade and the hike was extremely rocky. There was no looking at your surroundings. You were looking down to navigate your way and just in case the rocks weren't fun enough the rocks were lined with thorn like bushes, and I would say 75-80 percent of it was uphill!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzGru04r3cTDtC2ACap5A5WK_Byws1kuhUJ6R0uACYyta-VKgOG0gdRF5Ys2Pop4DB3AwvXQKMxaDWeBw6isTH1QKa-EY0m4hLXMtSDckGkf0oKJBU6Dgo-XVdiIKWV0MxjvM/s1600/_DSC2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzGru04r3cTDtC2ACap5A5WK_Byws1kuhUJ6R0uACYyta-VKgOG0gdRF5Ys2Pop4DB3AwvXQKMxaDWeBw6isTH1QKa-EY0m4hLXMtSDckGkf0oKJBU6Dgo-XVdiIKWV0MxjvM/s400/_DSC2883.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Uphill (both ways!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi1vPLG82ed6Exl6jJF-T5A0eNzfpIBZ0QcT3BYUl6OcLm2wAsH9yyw73jHzPmoPhzMiX95aY8yhKyEVuARZtmRCaypJbtA3WdULRh9pKFUj22t068RKY0ccgAR13MW1_BDMR/s1600/_DSC2880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi1vPLG82ed6Exl6jJF-T5A0eNzfpIBZ0QcT3BYUl6OcLm2wAsH9yyw73jHzPmoPhzMiX95aY8yhKyEVuARZtmRCaypJbtA3WdULRh9pKFUj22t068RKY0ccgAR13MW1_BDMR/s400/_DSC2880.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A mosaic floor of a Roman ruin. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDKs5sHMg9B0rv4TQgKb9I7DRFSmdo_TW-GjlmLo9T9cdWK2eU_cn8n_4Rxr8nl0drP_U6KFSwJYOMrGtdB_KgXpTRZZu0lvsS060dC-c0Tnh3Fe3pSbFqylGCD542cPUENAQ/s1600/_DSC2885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDKs5sHMg9B0rv4TQgKb9I7DRFSmdo_TW-GjlmLo9T9cdWK2eU_cn8n_4Rxr8nl0drP_U6KFSwJYOMrGtdB_KgXpTRZZu0lvsS060dC-c0Tnh3Fe3pSbFqylGCD542cPUENAQ/s400/_DSC2885.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It just gets rockier!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCnpvMvRNUtHukZbSxqVWV1B9hbiUubgDh3Fwo2rT2B62e8FbHAKenf1QF_dv0FKDJsVWjtoI_96yh2yakTNSVM-kCaR2MGvRgGdhUrStDrf72H7GuwbbJ14AY5Y-FXPGdxqb/s1600/_DSC2888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCnpvMvRNUtHukZbSxqVWV1B9hbiUubgDh3Fwo2rT2B62e8FbHAKenf1QF_dv0FKDJsVWjtoI_96yh2yakTNSVM-kCaR2MGvRgGdhUrStDrf72H7GuwbbJ14AY5Y-FXPGdxqb/s400/_DSC2888.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As soon as I saw the lighthouse in the distance I was done. I knew the end point was going to be anti-climatic but Nancy didn't want me to stay behind so I kept going and guess what? It was anti-climatic but I was there with my girls so I can't complain.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygGntVTKoQ9B3mTGscjyfn1oukCPrcXUTACcrFQrMiXj-3MAPkrRg_XeGqO7YV29oMGkfyvSfYEiotmyQEtn9q_7PMKZ38X4njOJkgkOgtMAcA6Ey9HCbmo0qBJfoBLOiD3Ic/s1600/IMG_3799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygGntVTKoQ9B3mTGscjyfn1oukCPrcXUTACcrFQrMiXj-3MAPkrRg_XeGqO7YV29oMGkfyvSfYEiotmyQEtn9q_7PMKZ38X4njOJkgkOgtMAcA6Ey9HCbmo0qBJfoBLOiD3Ic/s400/IMG_3799.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><center></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At least the walk back was easier since the sun had gone down the other side of the mountain and it was mostly downhill.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were all so exhausted that we cancelled our date with the waiter (we drove to his restaurant when we got back versus walking the one block, that's how tired we were) and stayed in and had a wonderful dinner of cheese, fruit, olives and some shrimp scampi given to us by our fabulous hosts Linda and Kostas out on our balcony. It was really a perfect way to end the day.</span></div>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-78169545588487576802013-09-12T08:44:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.152-04:00Temple of the Gods<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After spending basically 3 days traveling, we decided to stay close to home and just relax. I woke up and read while the girls slept in. Since we had no schedule Su and Nancy slept in while Sharon wandered off to get coffee. Once we were all up and about we ate a breakfast of yogurt, oatmeal (Nancy) and fresh cut up fruit. We bought more then just drinks at the market the previous night. We sat out on our terrace and listened to the sea as we began our day.</span></div><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWlKVk24Sc2urNzpY7GwQTToQeUUhL9mEZiYyu_in0InPU4weOPdmEfEcZVWxH2_tBdYt72iV2HfAx5HqWmI3Pvn2JICFC9Ma0w_aVv0kM3JlJ-oyESobkdBl73YGHGdq1oQ4/s1600/IMG_3716.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWlKVk24Sc2urNzpY7GwQTToQeUUhL9mEZiYyu_in0InPU4weOPdmEfEcZVWxH2_tBdYt72iV2HfAx5HqWmI3Pvn2JICFC9Ma0w_aVv0kM3JlJ-oyESobkdBl73YGHGdq1oQ4/s400/IMG_3716.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The view from our terrace. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Then we decided to go snorkeling. I haven't snorkeled since Maui. I'm not a good swimmer. In Maui they had these ski belts that people used for snorkeling. I loved it. I wanted to buy one to take with me (we brought our snorkel gear, nowhere to rent it here) but I waited too late so I ended up buying a snorkel vest. I don't like it as much as the belt, keeps me too high on the water and floats up to my neck but at least I wasn't going to drown. It's very rocky where we are so under the water is just small columns of rock formations. Pretty cool but not a lot of fish activity like we saw in Maui.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Linda had told us about a place nearby that had three pools. While I love the beauty of the sea, I'm a pool girl at heart. Way more relaxing and you don't have to worry about sand getting where it shouldn't be. We decided to head there for the day, it was a less then 10 minute drive away. I'm awful with names here since the way things are pronounced and spelled are totally different but it turns out this was a resort that you drive halfway up the mountain to get to. The view below is stunning (sorry I took those pics with my other camera). We just called this place The Temple of the Gods.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5Cb6d1t1LYabkJJiI4kEMGn4XHwGwEdI1hTk3fswUmoOTN60YTv3Bluvqcq82GEpP29oAokRMQDIi5DWydFwJbSuu5aZBC7IHN0bIaiLc4fJx_A92K1YXgGRPr2fjY-WJESR/s1600/_DSC2670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5Cb6d1t1LYabkJJiI4kEMGn4XHwGwEdI1hTk3fswUmoOTN60YTv3Bluvqcq82GEpP29oAokRMQDIi5DWydFwJbSuu5aZBC7IHN0bIaiLc4fJx_A92K1YXgGRPr2fjY-WJESR/s400/_DSC2670.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhNPSMyRpWx24EaMRxU1IBip5tvwYwzUB29UULUE3NQ-IxMGwnyXCee5CYG-tgrSDXAO-aeMYS6eAKGY5tAvprTw5Qctn_LJe4_diReMUbJmiM1EeKBRqudAV666k1KNwyiQP/s1600/_DSC2666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhNPSMyRpWx24EaMRxU1IBip5tvwYwzUB29UULUE3NQ-IxMGwnyXCee5CYG-tgrSDXAO-aeMYS6eAKGY5tAvprTw5Qctn_LJe4_diReMUbJmiM1EeKBRqudAV666k1KNwyiQP/s400/_DSC2666.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><center></center><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since its offseason (by a week or two so weather is still great), the only people at the pool for most of the day was the staff. First order of business was ordering drinks and food. We told them to take their time making it and we got comfortable. Because it was empty, when the waitress was bringing the food, we knew it was for us:)</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The salad wasn't much to look at but it was delicious. I was craving a salad that day. Our other favorite dish was the shrimp with orzo.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDZdI0NvFYJ96O2wkEkg9utCYC70V3-7mOuZxmin748uRkWpZAcUg5N9cN_MLY1Q1qESi0U7G4Zeohpe5KPeRSKyRPhLsYZHuMkzNVmW5xCxAMmF460D7pbkdKLr3V9WQUNwR/s1600/IMG_3708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDZdI0NvFYJ96O2wkEkg9utCYC70V3-7mOuZxmin748uRkWpZAcUg5N9cN_MLY1Q1qESi0U7G4Zeohpe5KPeRSKyRPhLsYZHuMkzNVmW5xCxAMmF460D7pbkdKLr3V9WQUNwR/s400/IMG_3708.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><center></center><center></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCmvnVOxxhVAh0_fkycl5yqLDmJ4ptzH3ystgffdr4rJKjQO7MMfPzTFBX8QZNICwtnnr8x3_txp-4UX3-VU_Mu7bCDYNodYpA_Eqm9sHIxqNKYZ5kZWRUNdyNiF6buu7t3cT/s1600/IMG_3699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCmvnVOxxhVAh0_fkycl5yqLDmJ4ptzH3ystgffdr4rJKjQO7MMfPzTFBX8QZNICwtnnr8x3_txp-4UX3-VU_Mu7bCDYNodYpA_Eqm9sHIxqNKYZ5kZWRUNdyNiF6buu7t3cT/s400/IMG_3699.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN8u2McOHFcphtY47vRGvJxbr6Zx7oXBzwJfo8T0KEFnz2eRWEMxgjon_D7Hc1z8L9ekZaXFTOVDwW18iF6DcxxgpaLdBx5ND6or6ROBGCmClSZvW0mDbqgMSfR8kK_Jzp6jl/s1600/IMG_3703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN8u2McOHFcphtY47vRGvJxbr6Zx7oXBzwJfo8T0KEFnz2eRWEMxgjon_D7Hc1z8L9ekZaXFTOVDwW18iF6DcxxgpaLdBx5ND6or6ROBGCmClSZvW0mDbqgMSfR8kK_Jzp6jl/s400/IMG_3703.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Once we finished out drinks and lunch I tried to read but was way too lethargic. I pulled my chair under the umbrella and proceeded to take a nap while the others read and played in the pool. When I woke up there was a shot of something tasty the bartender had sent over. It was originally frozen but by the time I got it, it wasn't. I still drank it. Don't know what it was but it was good. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and gabbing with the girls poolside. It gets windy here which helps keep the bugs away and keep it from getting too hot so while it was a warm day it was still comfortable.</div></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When we were ready to eat we headed back to the village. We have been eating family style so that we can try everything. We planned on eating some light tapas and then having dinner around 10pm but when we made that plan it was 5pm and when we got to the restaurant it was 7pm so we decided to eat a full meal. I have to say, this was a disappointing meal, the food wasn't as good and our waiter while at first was funny became a grump. We didn't like him which also soured our meal. A lot of what we wanted they didn't have, the bad part about being offseason.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was able to get online while at dinner but the rest if the girls couldn't because we had left the other passwords at home. We could get 3 hours Internet time for 1 euro but didn't realize the pw only worked on one device so the girls went back into town to check their emails and such while I took a nap and worked on a blog post. After I finished writing it I headed off to join the girls and post my blog but they were coming back. Su went with me to keep me company while I posted. Since I have to write my posts on my phone I had Su read it for typos and while she was, our waiter from earlier came over and invited us for a drink on him. It would have been rude to say no.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had thought he didn't like us but turns out his English isn't very good so it was just miscommunication on our part. That means Greece is batting a 100 when it comes to the people and their friendliness. Due to the language difference I think he thinks we wanted him to take us around. We were just asking him where he likes to go. So now we have plans to join him for a drink at the Temple of the Gods after he gets off of work today. How do we get ourselves into these things?</span></div><br /><br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-70323547989046068982013-09-11T08:09:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.172-04:00The road to Paradise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGFzDQPAAdlVhEeCOHR7BbM7m5EwfbUqLDZKIVnSSrpHVgEbWGt07D2dmIIyaj70QUwio10o6I89wdPdsfYwwLmfLo6kXTc5d0bm0YWJ1Mpw70PAhrRHhlsPpjcNe-0rRlRdZ/s1600/IMG_4113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGFzDQPAAdlVhEeCOHR7BbM7m5EwfbUqLDZKIVnSSrpHVgEbWGt07D2dmIIyaj70QUwio10o6I89wdPdsfYwwLmfLo6kXTc5d0bm0YWJ1Mpw70PAhrRHhlsPpjcNe-0rRlRdZ/s400/IMG_4113.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Fun Greek fact: the sewage system is so bad here that they don't want you to flush your toilet paper. There's a trash can next to the toilet everywhere you go to throw it away. Ok, let's call that a not so fun fact.</div></span> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ-cj8QExiAErqNI-Wc-evhgaX3ZK086rZoPQdPcmeKcVI58nOYzng3ZJdp37Y6EUP3FFxAUOfDzvmGgM8K769Ojx8VoWax_eI4nu4_dXxgnSzAxL5477LKhO42FF6QPlM2Do/s1600/IMG_3645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ-cj8QExiAErqNI-Wc-evhgaX3ZK086rZoPQdPcmeKcVI58nOYzng3ZJdp37Y6EUP3FFxAUOfDzvmGgM8K769Ojx8VoWax_eI4nu4_dXxgnSzAxL5477LKhO42FF6QPlM2Do/s320/IMG_3645.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Walking to the Metro.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first leg of our journey begins in Gerolimenas, which is on the tip of the southern peninsula. It's over 4 hours away from Athens, so we planned on driving and keeping the car for the week while we explored the area. The big hurdle would be driving out of Athens and surviving. Turns out to some people, traffic signals are optional, as we found out when we tried walking across the street. Nancy was our designated driver. I'm not going to lie, both of us were apprehensive about her driving us in the city. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But first we had to get the car! Our rental car was six stops and a transfer over by metro. We thought about taking a cab but if we took the metro we could stop at the bakery that was next to the metro stop. There was no debate there. The bakery was so awesome it deserves its own blog post.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It took awhile to get the car. There was only one guy working and he was also answering phones. Plus, people just do things slower in Greece. If you're an impatient person, you shouldn't be here. The good news is our rental car guy hooked us up with a bigger car, which is nice because try as we might to pack light, 4 people, 4 carry on sized suitcases and 4 loaded carry ons, takes up a lot of space. The other good news is our car was facing the correct direction leaving the rental car agency. Nancy wouldn't have to drive off of the sidewalk (where a lot of their cars were parked) into busy traffic and then make a u-turn. So with fingers crossed we were off and running.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy was doing great. We all breathed a sigh if relief. Then we noticed the guy next to us making some signal at us. Turns out Nancy was driving down the street with her hazard lights on which goes with the fact she was driving below the speed limit. It was a good way to make sure they knew we were tourists!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While ducking and dodging cars, motorcyclists and bicyclists (they are insane riding in the middle lane of all of these crazy drivers) we managed to make it out of town without getting killed. Whew, the drive was cake after that.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, except when the exit we wanted suddenly showed up, Nancy hit her brakes and looked at the lane we needed to get over in, she neglected to look behind her, there might have been some squealing brakes and horn honking as we got over.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And except for the fact that we were on a toll road and went to the lane that we thought was cash only. It wasn't. You needed a pass to get thru there and there was no one operating that toll so no way forward. We might have had to turn the hazard lights on again and back up and drive across 5 or 6 lanes to get to the correct lane (not by gradually changing lanes but turning the car and driving straight across those lanes).</span></div><br /><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/13/437.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/13/s_437.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="281" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh and let's not forget driving along a winding road and almost getting side swiped by an oncoming RV. They really don't pay attention to road markings here. You see drivers driving in two lanes, the shoulder or over the center line a lot.</div></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A couple of stops to ask for directions and a stop at Cash and Carry for a bathroom break (when you got to go, you got to go) on an otherwise uneventful trip. The scenery was gorgeous. Olive and fruit trees where everywhere as we drove and if you know me, you know how much that excites me. We also had mountains to drive thru so lots of tunnels. My nephews would have loved that!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Nancy did great for driving in a different country. I know I wouldn't have been brave enough to do it.</div></span><br /><center></center><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We decided to make a pit stop at Mycenae, it was on our way to another stop we wanted to make. Sharon read us the history of the place. I don't remember it and we ran out of time to make our original planned stop.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg718JDfLYXMTHqUvr9noQrqJyNgtocSM2-RzFwf_rOONGIhehh0x-IW16vybpgQMfBiYJqVwzgXH1iW0Yl-csbIu55RMGELt57oFtYOFFrG3lMGZf-IGM68ba1w8J_BFufZIdy/s1600/DSC_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg718JDfLYXMTHqUvr9noQrqJyNgtocSM2-RzFwf_rOONGIhehh0x-IW16vybpgQMfBiYJqVwzgXH1iW0Yl-csbIu55RMGELt57oFtYOFFrG3lMGZf-IGM68ba1w8J_BFufZIdy/s400/DSC_0095.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">By the time we got to Gerolimenas we were an hour or so late. I factored in 6 hours for a 4 hour trip (I know us), it took us a little over 7 but it was still light enough to see the beauty of where we were. This isn't a party town, when you get here you get a feeling of peace. It's so quiet and tranquil. Well, it was before we got here. :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/13/447.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/13/s_447.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="297" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We're staying at Kyrimi bed and breakfast. It's the reason for this trip. My brother Andy does some work for Kostas and Linda the owners. All of the buildings here are stone and the town is right on the water. We're so close to the sea we could probably spit in it from our balcony. We didn't, we are higher class than that, ok maybe not. Gerolimenas is beautiful. We were oohing and ahhing and couldn't believe we were staying here and Kyrimi is a jewel.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After a long days driving, this was definitely a welcome site.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjlERqvZkBsVx2DG3Wl9hSqgPSaoVfFeXUCM9kStoAM-lnt8Bm-RSOTgGm1eDaXC6uPNefqeUuz0grv1qaQMwvxs7foi65zO5HC52bdEVdnkxziBV4hqi16SGjXiSxrzi2BBW/s1600/_DSC3053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjlERqvZkBsVx2DG3Wl9hSqgPSaoVfFeXUCM9kStoAM-lnt8Bm-RSOTgGm1eDaXC6uPNefqeUuz0grv1qaQMwvxs7foi65zO5HC52bdEVdnkxziBV4hqi16SGjXiSxrzi2BBW/s400/_DSC3053.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><center></center><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once we were greeted by Kostas and Linda (so warm and friendly), we unloaded and headed out to the market to get some essentials, water, beer and wine. Before we left for dinner Su poured us all a shot of ouzo. I'm not a fan of black licorice and this has a strong anise taste to it but I've tasted worse (tequila) but the burn, wow, this drink will certainly put hair on your chest. No wonder Greek men are so hairy!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqyAGpJPNjhhrIiQPEs4YE8grgf6WewyOHjjQ57-GwoKkW0ixjnOLH-WDBqTtQRM_t3LWvvUp4yDIu6Jw0owpXIk3yhnHnbAWnymokFc4HdeRN4eMYK6rNH3dYfiAEGpQa9bN/s1600/IMG_3677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqyAGpJPNjhhrIiQPEs4YE8grgf6WewyOHjjQ57-GwoKkW0ixjnOLH-WDBqTtQRM_t3LWvvUp4yDIu6Jw0owpXIk3yhnHnbAWnymokFc4HdeRN4eMYK6rNH3dYfiAEGpQa9bN/s400/IMG_3677.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Kostas sent us off to dinner to this wonderful little restaurant at the edge of town. By the way, the town is so small we can walk it in less than 10 minutes and you know how slow I am. I've been wanting to eat octopus since I got to Greece. Everyone says it was a staple to their dining and fabulous. I have to say, I was disappointed. It was very tough to chew. What we did love was the garlic salad. It's actually more of a spread that you scoop up with bread. It's garlic and potatoes puréed together with olive oil and lemon juice. Amazing! We also loved our squid which was stuffed with cheese and tomatoes. I was a little leery of it since cheese and squid didn't sound great but it was!</div></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfZoHFy9BHxuhULjCsh8iM6rQ0oVxztJmOttyr7zS7azr_zlwBVc5hfP13F2_2VytL9BuJxXhD5gHzFKIsxzFK_UrO9n5XfavCHL-pFVF9s82YKPWew_3g5J9ndC0l9p8Wdhy/s1600/IMG_3686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfZoHFy9BHxuhULjCsh8iM6rQ0oVxztJmOttyr7zS7azr_zlwBVc5hfP13F2_2VytL9BuJxXhD5gHzFKIsxzFK_UrO9n5XfavCHL-pFVF9s82YKPWew_3g5J9ndC0l9p8Wdhy/s400/IMG_3686.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Ordering a whole fish is very popular here so we also ordered that. We had a Hunter fish. Our waiter said it's only sold a couple of months a year and they rarely get it in. It sort of looked like it was related to a sardine because of the way the bones were. It was grilled to perfection and easy to debone. The meat was incredibly flavorful. To top off our wonderful meal we had excellent service. We will be going back there before we leave.</div></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yeXxNxg5W2a4GfeIiNre4yJQM4kfW7naMgGvfsyEpPUrD8chkselpGAJO7mxFfE2-VzXkyHbh5f-QCQH5fPwPqI6IC1yUDSK5xDJjs_8sx3bn0ctRki4i-SHtE9e4bl3WABJ/s1600/_DSC3013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yeXxNxg5W2a4GfeIiNre4yJQM4kfW7naMgGvfsyEpPUrD8chkselpGAJO7mxFfE2-VzXkyHbh5f-QCQH5fPwPqI6IC1yUDSK5xDJjs_8sx3bn0ctRki4i-SHtE9e4bl3WABJ/s400/_DSC3013.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><center></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">At night the village looks like a ride thru Disney's It's A Small World. It's just surreal how beautiful and peaceful it is here.</div></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We wandered back to our room fat, happy and looking forward to many more days in paradise.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span> Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-61284430627853596542013-09-10T13:00:00.000-04:002014-06-29T17:28:27.183-04:00No sleep til Athens<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our adventure in Athens has begun, it only took two days in the air. Ok, not quite two days but we left at 12:45pm on Monday and got here at 7pm on Tuesday. I haven't figured out the time difference to give you the exact travel time but it was a lot. Would have been here sooner but just as we were taxing the runway leaving the airport a man had a seizure and when the paramedics came he didn't want to leave the plane. An hour later he did. At least it happened before we got in the air, otherwise we would have had to make an emergency landing in Paris. We also had many doctors on the plane who jumped into action before the flight attendants even got there.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">By the time we left WA it was nap time for me anyway so I had no problems sleeping for a couple of hours, then I picked up my kindle to catch up on my reading. I wanted to read my Dianna Love books but because I transferred my books from my old kindle I have to delete then renown load from amazon, not going to happen in the air so I started reading a Shana Abe book. It's YA wish I had known that before I started reading lol, I'm not a big YA person.</span></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGOAEbBTLGyjH7wCMwqkZxt4jVDysXfAQJvL4YAQNTCQxbq0y8aUO9YrTQ8vo0zlzWTWH2qIub5WRrU9akAfWS3PHuLczbfcXIp_wtex4a1eapU14tlE0ybIz67IhW3GPbKDy/s1600/IMG_3619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGOAEbBTLGyjH7wCMwqkZxt4jVDysXfAQJvL4YAQNTCQxbq0y8aUO9YrTQ8vo0zlzWTWH2qIub5WRrU9akAfWS3PHuLczbfcXIp_wtex4a1eapU14tlE0ybIz67IhW3GPbKDy/s320/IMG_3619.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In DC Nancy and I met up with Su at a restaurant, we were watching the football game (was a rough start to our fantasy football season) but once Su got there the cackling began and we stopped watching the game. The chatter continued on on the plain but once we took off we stopped being the loud obnoxious (funny in our own mind) travelers and turned on the movies. Best thing about traveling overseas is the free movies. It was a Channing Tatum fest with 21 Jump Street (hilarious) and GI Joe 2 (boring). Then I slept some more. You know who wasn't sleeping. Nancy, which is funny because she usually never has a problem sleeping. She made up for the flight from London to Athens. She was so tired she barely paid attention to all the action with the sick man. I rely on her bionic ears so had to gossip with my neighbors instead.</div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We finally got to Greece a bit travel worn. A lot of people around us were chattering away excitedly, we were too tired to be excited.It was a loud flight but I did love Aegean air, they gave everyone a piece of candy before take off and Su says the wine was free too. Plus the flight attendants were gorgeous and wore scarves with their beautiful uniforms.</span></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The metro was a bit confusing for us but we figured it out and a Greek man took pity on us and told us he would let us know what exit we were getting off of. We then asked a motorcycle cop how to get to our location, he was no help but Nancy had it mapped out and guided us in.</div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We are staying in an apartment we rented thru airbnb. Since we are renting a car and heading out tomorrow we just needed a place to sleep. We will be coming back here. We will be using this apt for nights and the total per person is $100, you can't beat the price!</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We asked out neighborhood grocer where we should go eat and he pulled out take out menus, lol. We told him we didn't want fast food, turns out a lot of restaurants deliver and it's cheaper then if you eat in. He gave us directions to a neighborhood restaurant. When we asked him the name of it he just shook his head. You can see why.</span></div><br /><center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/11/3.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/11/s_3.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></span></a></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">As soon as Sharon got here (she was in town already and meeting up with us) we headed out to get some food. We hadn't eaten since DC because I didn't want to spend a fortune in London. I had dollars and euros and didn't want to convert any money just for a snack or pay a fee to use my card. Luckily we weren't that hungry but by the time we got here we were starving. The restaurant didn't have an English menu so our cute greek waiter let us know what they had and answered any questions. We were just giddy to be there.</div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The ladies were ready for a drink!</span></div><br /><center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/11/4.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/11/s_4.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></span></a></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was more excited about the olives.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/11/5.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/11/s_5.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></span></a></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Since their menu was Greek to us we went with the souvlaki. It was pork, so tender and juicy. They also put fries on too.</div></span><br /><center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/11/6.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/11/s_6.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></span></a></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Totally delicious! Almost as delish as our cute young waiter who was bring pimped out by his co-worker to us.</div></span><br /><center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/11/7.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="304" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/11/s_7.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></span></a></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">He was smiling in the pic before this but it didn't turn out. We will have to go back and get another pic. :)</div></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-12049033263097841952013-05-08T09:00:00.000-04:002014-07-07T20:06:31.738-04:00Avocados: A Love Affair<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've been mentally working on a different blog post but today while I was making guacamole I decided to do a post on one of my favorite food groups, the lovely, creamy, delicious, avocado. If you check out my </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/leihamann/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">pinterest page</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> a good portion of the recipes I've pinned involve avocados. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A salad isn't complete unless it has some avocados in it. I consider lettuce to be a filler in salads so I don't always use it. Nancy is thrilled whenever I make lettuce-less salads. An easy one is avocado, cucumber and red onion with whatever dressing you like. I usually use a blue cheese with this one. Today I mashed avocado with 2 boiled eggs and some salt. Got that idea from one of my pinterest pins. I loved the concept of using avocado instead of mayo for an egg salad. As you can imagine, it was AWESOME!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My favorite way to eat avocados is guacamole! I remember the first time I came across this green lumpy mass, it was in middle school Spanish class. I said a firm no thank you to it. I can't remember the first time I had guacamole but I can say, I can't imagine my life without this delicious food! It's not just for Mexican food. It's great on top of burgers, in sandwiches (instead of mayo) and eaten with Tim's Cascade Jalapeno chips (mmmm, so good!). Of course, it's also fantastic with tortilla chips but that's a given. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A couple of years ago I made a Mexican dinner for a friend and her parents and her parents had never had guacamole! They loved it and I loved turning them on to it. If you've had guacamole that was bought at the store or made table side for you at a restaurant, it just doesn't compare to home made. The store made one is usually bland or very citrusy (in order to preserve the color). As for the table side made ones, guacamole takes time to develop their flavors so having it made and served immediately is just not as good as if it was made an hour earlier. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have a super simple recipe and one that is almost as simple. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu9GVmk7VF5zCf4CpyGcfx3OWSX2F_gf3bVvc82AQ6knwLSBpT4U0SotHEsYKg6yxeRolq6MV04ufbFU-wiqyl2HFVdsLs3AysBH19CInN7NwMP4Mm4429OwjXfpMfZVXY-_s/s1600/Photo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu9GVmk7VF5zCf4CpyGcfx3OWSX2F_gf3bVvc82AQ6knwLSBpT4U0SotHEsYKg6yxeRolq6MV04ufbFU-wiqyl2HFVdsLs3AysBH19CInN7NwMP4Mm4429OwjXfpMfZVXY-_s/s320/Photo1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The super simple recipe is 2 large avocados and guacamole mix. Cut your avocados in half, scoop it out and mix with the mix. A fork works best to mash and mix. This is my favorite brand. It can be found in the produce section. Usually stores only carry one brand, I could never find this one in Publix when I lived in FL so I would stock up whenever I went home. Make sure you get the spicy kind. If you get mild, all you will have is mashed avocados. This in itself is quite delicious. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6g6uzq-Z9v1vSvSbGxuD9QlXmIpNzr0yWcuhVbcF2BBrEyS74YrHgW4kZHtoC0tRykMnbTBwmoEc0nzT6qpXVQnswAG1YTkoXPbzawp_Imoae5gKvo8rLSZy1O7gcy2jTnB5/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-07+at+11.34.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6g6uzq-Z9v1vSvSbGxuD9QlXmIpNzr0yWcuhVbcF2BBrEyS74YrHgW4kZHtoC0tRykMnbTBwmoEc0nzT6qpXVQnswAG1YTkoXPbzawp_Imoae5gKvo8rLSZy1O7gcy2jTnB5/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-07+at+11.34.17+PM.png" height="320" width="251" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6g6uzq-Z9v1vSvSbGxuD9QlXmIpNzr0yWcuhVbcF2BBrEyS74YrHgW4kZHtoC0tRykMnbTBwmoEc0nzT6qpXVQnswAG1YTkoXPbzawp_Imoae5gKvo8rLSZy1O7gcy2jTnB5/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-07+at+11.34.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>But when I'm feeling more motivated I will jazz up my gauc. Add the mix, diced red onion, chopped cilantro and if you really want to get fancy, a couple of chopped chipotle peppers (you can find them in a little can in adobo sauce in the Mexican food section), seed and rinse off the peppers before you use. It adds a divine smokey taste to your guac. That secret ingredient is courtesy of Linda T. Sometimes I'll even add tomatoes. Whatever I'm feeling at the time. This is a pretty forgiving recipe. The authentic way of making this doesn't include the seasoning packet but quite honestly, it adds so much to the guac. If you don't want to use the packet use some salt, pepper, jalapeno and lime juice. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since I was making my delayed Cinco de Mayo dinner I also made </span><a href="http://www.leihatalks.com/2012/11/sharons-sensational-salsa.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sharon's Sensational Salsa</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> but I cheated and didn't use Rotel, nowhere near as good so I gave it away to Edgar who liked it. He doesn't know better. BTW, for those who are having trouble finding the Cilantro Lime Rotel, I found it at Winco. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I also made my version of pico de gallo but since I wasn't putting it in something, it was more a pico de gallo salad. So incredibly fresh tasting and another simple recipe. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Another lettuce-less salad, Nancy was in heaven. She bought these delicious little yellow tomatoes, I think they were called sunbursts, they put the grape tomatoes that were also in there to shame. If you want to use it as a traditional pico de gallo, quarter the tomatoes (I prefer the small varieties) but I sliced them in half for this recipe. I also chopped up a half a bunch of cilantro and red onion (I normally put more red onion in but they've been really strong lately). Sprinkle some salt and pepper and squeeze two limes into it. I made this salad earlier in the day, just before serving I added, you guessed it, avocado. Everything is to your taste. I love cilantro so I always use a lot. Sometimes when I make this I'll throw in cucumbers. Another very forgiving and delicious recipe. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Avocado Tips: A ripe avocado (Haas is the one you want to use, more flavor) is darker and if you squeeze it it will give. Don't squeeze too hard, you don't want to bruise it, just see if it gives. If I'm not using them that day I'll just buy a bunch and let them ripen on my counter. If you're not ready to use when it's ripe, throw it in the fridge. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Instead of peeling the avocado, cut it in half. Slice or cube it inside it's skin and use a spoon to scoop it out. If you're making guac just scoop it all out. I went to a restaurant where they would just cut in half and squeeze out the insides. I tried it but I would always have to scoop it out afterwards so stick to the spoon. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To remove the pit they say use a sharp knife and thrust the sharp side (not the tip) into the pit and twist out the pit. I'm always worried about cutting myself so I just use a spoon to scoop around.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Guacamole will turn brown. Lime juice will prevent it from browning but too much and you have a very limey guac. My Mexican friend used to keep the pits in her guac to prevent the browning but it only helps the area around the pit. What I do is put saran wrap right on the guac. Even if it's in a tupperware bowl, place a piece of saran wrap over the guac until it's directly on top and make sure it's closed around the edges. Then put the lid on. This prevents air from getting on the guac which in turn prevents it from browning. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What about you? Do you have a love affair with avocados like I do? I've heard they make great shakes but as much as I love avocados I'm leery. Have you tried it? What's your favorite avocado recipe? If this was Watch What Happens Life and the word of the night was avocados, you all would be drunk right now!</span></div>
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<br />Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21366859.post-92158179283685662682013-03-03T22:46:00.000-05:002014-06-29T17:28:27.233-04:00Oysters, mussels and clams, oh my!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I just can't get enough of food foraging blogs. There aren't as many as I would like. I've even found myself reading the entire blogs, the less prolific ones, of course. I just love the idea of living off of the land. I'm not a hunter myself and am barely a gatherer. I fantasize about mushrooming and have decided I really want to try cattails. Turns out you can eat them like tiny corn on the cobs. I love the idea!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I thought my fascination with food foraging a relative new thing, over the last couple of years but then I was reading a blog and they mentioned the book, My Side of the Mountain. A story about a kid who ends up living inside of a hollowed up tree and he had to fend for himself. I loved that book when I read it. I also loved The Swiss Family Robinson. Another book about a family living off of the land. These are books I read when I was in elementary school and read many times. It made me realize this is not a new interest but rather, a re-awakening. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">A few years ago I decided I wanted to go clamming. I'd never gone. My siblings went when they were younger but I was out of the house by then. Nancy's parents turned me on to a wonderful spot. So wonderful it doesn't even have a name. It's just a spot on the map. While reading up on the area I found out there was a man made oyster bed a mile away. So last time we went, we added oysters into the rotation. The bad part is you have to shuck the oysters on the beach. I prefer my oysters raw so I bring lemons with me. My dad just enjoys the experience so he shucks and then gives them away. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRiSVuMujjX7K8-TuN3F_Hnm2jQrz80AQwaITa46DJlNVrzn3umnMsK0mXDsZCD4juDIlcJm8yGn6ZwZ2rcGByIE81W4bTniOnTRzPDoRsAtbXxGxRN7iQP4xNY3iaqUXsMuD/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRiSVuMujjX7K8-TuN3F_Hnm2jQrz80AQwaITa46DJlNVrzn3umnMsK0mXDsZCD4juDIlcJm8yGn6ZwZ2rcGByIE81W4bTniOnTRzPDoRsAtbXxGxRN7iQP4xNY3iaqUXsMuD/s400/1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The reason you have to shuck on the beach is new oysters grow on top of old ones. So all of those open shells will soon have more shells on top of them. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOCpNaqbRKBrXnDbCZMFiomoCHdp8OrqkBNqG5n25Qk2AVzPNlIzurbrj-GTcntZJvnPjlmct0JzcTOJlv9rM-kxDIv4Q1GSX6WG05k1zZtMLeatAO-FxbDJCJHL_zQBjM2if/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOCpNaqbRKBrXnDbCZMFiomoCHdp8OrqkBNqG5n25Qk2AVzPNlIzurbrj-GTcntZJvnPjlmct0JzcTOJlv9rM-kxDIv4Q1GSX6WG05k1zZtMLeatAO-FxbDJCJHL_zQBjM2if/s400/2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oysters here are super easy to gather, you just walk out into the water and pick up clusters of them.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQXVOUWCaA38-zFv23Ppkv8XnKUzgcc_zkYrgNs5xRN0WXUJLvL9SJwKIq_6IPMKjIS81JHAYfQdaB_7MBE1Lwn5jS9u7RuHUAzcwXvEsAPmAPX10sIwLAcUf5WqJy3oCdA_T/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQXVOUWCaA38-zFv23Ppkv8XnKUzgcc_zkYrgNs5xRN0WXUJLvL9SJwKIq_6IPMKjIS81JHAYfQdaB_7MBE1Lwn5jS9u7RuHUAzcwXvEsAPmAPX10sIwLAcUf5WqJy3oCdA_T/s400/3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I go for large clusters, less bending over. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-bNWUoCL5djGqucJB9FX-Hj96p0w9P5podDwJPjbt0SCvjWgx-5psi6pKXbIMAzvw-KytaUjBWvZkARUSHNsCMasBGLAJEQEqpH4d5C-kivY54b197UHwcxDrIN4eZ7NeYOS/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-bNWUoCL5djGqucJB9FX-Hj96p0w9P5podDwJPjbt0SCvjWgx-5psi6pKXbIMAzvw-KytaUjBWvZkARUSHNsCMasBGLAJEQEqpH4d5C-kivY54b197UHwcxDrIN4eZ7NeYOS/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This cluster will have 5 or 6 oysters in them. I got so excited gathering up oysters I forgot to push up my sleeves and soaked them reaching in to get the oysters. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc205S8SESznEomWfbcJOrPqjTTF3Snw-dRKVpK59w8aUMl3ZueofJ-dh_ttOo97v2H0c3udbcguAnzKegeMmJAIB1BqVg4FTOcYkiP7gvUFVwuavi54pecLxu62Sy1qff_-GN/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc205S8SESznEomWfbcJOrPqjTTF3Snw-dRKVpK59w8aUMl3ZueofJ-dh_ttOo97v2H0c3udbcguAnzKegeMmJAIB1BqVg4FTOcYkiP7gvUFVwuavi54pecLxu62Sy1qff_-GN/s400/5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Once I fill my bucket I go sit on a log, shuck and eat. Let me tell you, this is not a clean process. These aren't the oysters you get in the market. You have to work to get these suckers open. I bring my oyster knife, wear gloves and use a towel or wash cloth to hold it while I try and pry them open. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaInBmNYJlQHRpfLQS7w2_VImT1-7K18pyrDZeRzfz5a255qPlQ0PpPKa_0eXh4Hv9QE_EMcScYee-pmfJNcniYsm0ITFl5cK9qiWBMbXwTUeH1u2UHNS5W6hiR6PIf55whfS/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaInBmNYJlQHRpfLQS7w2_VImT1-7K18pyrDZeRzfz5a255qPlQ0PpPKa_0eXh4Hv9QE_EMcScYee-pmfJNcniYsm0ITFl5cK9qiWBMbXwTUeH1u2UHNS5W6hiR6PIf55whfS/s400/6.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We are allowed 18 of these beauties each trip. After shucking 18 of them, I'm pretty done. I keep telling dad don't go for the large ones, he doesn't listen. The oysters were really briny and salty this day so I didn't eat all of mine. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once we're done with the oysters we backtrack a mile and go off get our clams and mussels. The clamming is really affected by the tides. One of these days we'll get out there soon enough to get our oysters and hit the tide at the right time. By the time we got there the tide was already coming back in. We won't have a really nice low tide until about May but this spot offers clamming and mussels year round which is pretty cool.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3P5YklwDp8m7XVAT4ue0xgJ7wzIhOws_vHh_pQAubjJxPCjeIvUAryn0s_hZ_tRrMkzrFYElxccwL7vVIR5FOLCuxbK-CUngtJCcIuXLAqPhvsd9xuXwJgdhVtz22SMEX3Eja/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3P5YklwDp8m7XVAT4ue0xgJ7wzIhOws_vHh_pQAubjJxPCjeIvUAryn0s_hZ_tRrMkzrFYElxccwL7vVIR5FOLCuxbK-CUngtJCcIuXLAqPhvsd9xuXwJgdhVtz22SMEX3Eja/s400/7.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">That's dad out there, pretty sad we headed out at the same time from the car. In my defense, he's not as far away as he seems. Do you see where it gets darker at the water line. Those are all mussel shells. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HR_V8iYODsWIlQpYgZBJWek0oUeEeTmO7noxqrFzOa25XtgAkemROu2u8l0r16GS7fko0_FhyphenhyphenPetfq7uXqGW6f0eR-xDcGIe8RjH40j6xiwsmFLasaaciqhn91qDahsA1LnQ/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HR_V8iYODsWIlQpYgZBJWek0oUeEeTmO7noxqrFzOa25XtgAkemROu2u8l0r16GS7fko0_FhyphenhyphenPetfq7uXqGW6f0eR-xDcGIe8RjH40j6xiwsmFLasaaciqhn91qDahsA1LnQ/s400/8.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Depending on how low the tide is decides what kind of clams you're going to get and how difficult. If the tide was lower we would have harvested a lot smaller clams as well as more of a variety. This area has many variety of clams, cockles, butter, manila, littleneck, horse (we don't gather them, they're huge although I'd love to get a geoduck!). Clamming consists of shoveling up the dirt and digging thru it to look for clams. If the weather wasn't so cold I would have put my hand in the water and felt around for clams also. Less chance of damaging the shells then. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFqsJhQ2Ru-1H17jr6If7Y3gYDI72JyHI5Py2xoFwSV6KYmqLalWGkwU1oLGWoh4tOiNziaZbq25o-VfzSRVMRF-dHqR1WOpMl3XhSBXb-ov6jCQRTkrxQ3U555LASgkYEpd9/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFqsJhQ2Ru-1H17jr6If7Y3gYDI72JyHI5Py2xoFwSV6KYmqLalWGkwU1oLGWoh4tOiNziaZbq25o-VfzSRVMRF-dHqR1WOpMl3XhSBXb-ov6jCQRTkrxQ3U555LASgkYEpd9/s400/9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">One thing you have to be careful for while clamming are mudders, they're empty shells full of mud. I always rinse off my clams to make sure it's not a mudder. We're limited 40 clams. I want every one of them to count. Since it was cold and I wasn't getting much in the way of clams, I abandoned clamming and decided to go for the mussels and leave the hard work to my dad (neither one of us got anywhere close to our limit).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRrmhW0lWdmQ2xebHkMUeVLaSyqv2OVfVFO9fqsQ90lMfUljgYeBhsVy9sfA_6-pTGZ30ta5dbl8EMUUXSgex_9fV-6PshA8hohgL1eB2pS2koYPCeuXvr1mCjiB2x_apNq7Q/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRrmhW0lWdmQ2xebHkMUeVLaSyqv2OVfVFO9fqsQ90lMfUljgYeBhsVy9sfA_6-pTGZ30ta5dbl8EMUUXSgex_9fV-6PshA8hohgL1eB2pS2koYPCeuXvr1mCjiB2x_apNq7Q/s400/10.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">To the left of wear I was clamming was this. Those are all mussels. I don't know if you've heard of Penn Cove mussels where you live but they're famous around here. I would say the majority of the mussels served in restaurants here are Penn Cove mussels. Well this is in the same bay, these are the same mussels that are served in restaurants. I learned the hard way, it's better to get your mussels out of the water. They're easier to clean.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0W2ivk96I5ue7NclzU0RsxwDp3mlI9mGZj_VOjr25Bb8p5XX7hWV1sL3T2a4ZRQKZ657fMIEKdg65ObRUXhgIY809NlT84JqxOoib5I4fxKCc2iPlrqneVYMLmnwvYbAuIgON/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0W2ivk96I5ue7NclzU0RsxwDp3mlI9mGZj_VOjr25Bb8p5XX7hWV1sL3T2a4ZRQKZ657fMIEKdg65ObRUXhgIY809NlT84JqxOoib5I4fxKCc2iPlrqneVYMLmnwvYbAuIgON/s400/11.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So back into the water I went. Like oysters, they are in clusters. Unlike oysters, it's their beard that keeps them together. I try and pick thru the oysters and get the larger ones. The mussels are so plenty I can afford to be choosy. We're allowed 10 lbs a person so I don't bother counting, I get as much as I want. On this trip I got mussels for myself and for Nancy's parents. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqs9slKwIlMmfj_wjWCk0qXfIqeYcNrFUN1VfhiFIudTQLLDwKREbenbEVk3Hkn9UXsMtVz3AkeGoDBiGKBvqAqs_cdoUFK2mAMNmQVW0IEWeFMIYLqYdvXMzosvwcrO2J2TA/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqs9slKwIlMmfj_wjWCk0qXfIqeYcNrFUN1VfhiFIudTQLLDwKREbenbEVk3Hkn9UXsMtVz3AkeGoDBiGKBvqAqs_cdoUFK2mAMNmQVW0IEWeFMIYLqYdvXMzosvwcrO2J2TA/s400/12.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's what a cluster of mussels looks like. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT8GSPRUTDzH8FYSvH4tJl1NSU8pbEYbo8WkE5AbH1mpkA3nPXMRi-kl05fr0pGmAshqNifkilzoXHTng13HV94CYYVq1dSvcMnpjkg4Sf_vmRpm1Niseof7fzKVWN7SMFkxg/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT8GSPRUTDzH8FYSvH4tJl1NSU8pbEYbo8WkE5AbH1mpkA3nPXMRi-kl05fr0pGmAshqNifkilzoXHTng13HV94CYYVq1dSvcMnpjkg4Sf_vmRpm1Niseof7fzKVWN7SMFkxg/s400/13.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">While easy to gather, they're a pain to clean. The mussels you have in restaurants or buy in the store have been debearded. I use scissors and cut off the beards, it's not as nice as the restaurants but it's FREE! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji94KsV088aanS8K-0HQkmBvO9ICCCuFLBXdWmrLQT1Konn6WEUxTrZdG9SKKwws1WPTshk4SNhfFxaicAb7xOX4Gnx-C8bbzqv7Cr_Avxpv9bcuB3az8AAaU1GtINXKT_FqY4/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji94KsV088aanS8K-0HQkmBvO9ICCCuFLBXdWmrLQT1Konn6WEUxTrZdG9SKKwws1WPTshk4SNhfFxaicAb7xOX4Gnx-C8bbzqv7Cr_Avxpv9bcuB3az8AAaU1GtINXKT_FqY4/s400/14.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I let my clams and mussels sit for a day in the salt water from the bay before I cook them. The clams need this more then the mussels. They spit out the sand so if you don't let them do this, you'll end up with a more gritty, sandier clam. My brother and nephew came over to help eat the fruits of my dad and my labor. My stomach was being finicky so I didn't really eat any of them but I was just as excited having the boys eat them. I love the delicious broths used to cook these but I'm lazy. I just steam and serve with lemon juice with salt and pepper. My favorite way to eat sea food. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm hoping one day in the future I'll have a blog post about me mushrooming. Ahh, to dream…</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Leihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.com0