Gilah, Author at 2 AT THE BAR

June 15, 2019June 15, 2019

The Azores – the best kept secret

I never thought about going to the Azores. It never was on our A list or B list or even C list. But a couple of months ago a great deal popped up on Travelzoo offered by Azores Getaways; 5 nights in Terceira, one of nine islands of the Azores for $599 per person; that price included air and a four-star hotel. There had to be a catch; there’s always a catch. But after doing some research there was no catch. So we said why not, let’s do it.

Boston is the gateway city to the Azores and Azores Airlines flies non-stop to both Sao Miguel, the largest of the nine islands and to Terceira, the second largest. It’s a four hour flight.

So we headed off with a plane full of people who were taking advantage of the special deals.

Arriving in Terceira, we picked up our Hertz rental and began our Azores Adventure.

The thing that impressed me immediately is the natural beauty of the island. Green with hand-built lava stone walls; the cows-more cows than people, the flowers, the sea. And, the food!!

Our first stop of course was our hotel, Pousada de Angra do Heroismo. The Pousada is located at the top of a cliff inside a sixteenth century fortress; commonly known as the Castelinho de Sao Sebastiao and was ordered built by El-Rei D. Sebatiao, from where it got its name, it overlooks the bay called Pipas Port. This is not the fishing port but the port with amazing sailboats moored and where the day trips leave from.

Set within the walls of the fortress, the hotel is modern and sleek with dramatic sea views.

So what do you do in Terceira? It’s easy to stay busy all day. If the weather permits there is lots to do on the sea. If not, drive around the island, which is twice the size of Martha’s Vineyard. Visit the fishing villages, small towns, the volcano, and as we did, go to an agricultural fair.

First stop for us after we took a nap was to walk to Angra which is a short walk from the hotel. Angra is the capital of Terceira. In 1983 it was designated a UNESCO world heritage site after an earthquake damaged much of the city. The only way you can tell that there was damage now is by the color of the roof tiles. The city of Angra do Heroísmo was the first settlement of Açores elevated to status of city in 1534, having been a maritime harbour of great importance from the fifteenth century through to the nineteenth.

Lots of restaurants, shops and of course the church. The streets and sidewalks are paved in cobblestones. It’s picturesque, yet modern with it’s restaurants, cafes and shops and it’s incredibly clean. At night there isn’t a soul on the streets except in the restaurants. We couldn’t figure out where everyone was!!

Terceira is called the festive island. The big festival, Sanjoaninas, occupies the streets of Angra do Heroísmo for ten days in June. Parades, concerts, bullfights, food stalls, theatre shows, fireworks and sporting events culminate in a parade of popular marching bands. We got to see the streets being readied. Every evening in weeks leading up to the big festival, you can hear the sound of cannons which mean the bulls are running free through the streets of various neighborhoods, and crazy people are being chased by them!

The people of Terceira love bullfights. There is an homage to bullfighting in a round-about next to the bullfighting arena.

With all the cows, there must be cheese! Our first day, we went on a cheese tour. We visited a small artisanal cheese maker, queijo vaquinha. We did everything from milk the cows to hand feed the calves and eat the cheese with some wine! The cows have no predators, they have a happy stress-free life and the cheese proves the point.

We did a lot of driving. Roads are well marked and it’s easy to get around. What did everyone do before Google Maps? The island is scenic. Stone walls, cows, green, the sea, the towns. Here are some pictures to prove the point.

The Algar do Carvão, is an ancient lava tube or volcanic vent located in the central part of the island. There are tours and you can also do it by yourself. It’s very well lit. It looked like a scene out of Journey to the Center of the Earth!

We attended an agricultural fair. Like 4H here in the United States – the kids showed their cows. The winner was all of 5 years old. And then, we were hungry – so we sat down at one of the food tents and had some fried chicken!

The food – being an island it’s obvious that the fish and seafood would be outstanding. And it’s true. And also, the beef which is from the island and grass-fed. We tried things we’d never heard and can’t forget the pastries which I couldn’t get enough of.

Slipper Lobster:

Alcatra: the iconic dish of Terceira. It’s much like a stew, cooked for hours in a clay pot. We didn’t love it but we loved the clay pot and brought some home!

Limpets: Like littleneck clams but smaller and cooked with olive oil and garlic – delicious

Fresh Fish-lots of it – wreck fish and snapper. this is snapper.

The wines of Portugal: They don’t get enough attention. This wine is from a young vintner, Antonio Joao Lopes Pinto, who has a small vineyard in the Douro Valley in Portugal called Desnivel. He is very passionate about what he’s doing. We were lucky to meet him at Taberna Roberto, the #1 restaurant in Terceira where he was invited by Roberto to introduce his wines. The wine was delicious, and we brought a bottle home!

This is Roberto (on the right), owner of Taberno Roberto and Antonio Joao Lopes Pinto

We visited a market in Angra and this is some of the fresh fish

We happened upon a kids day in Porto Vittorio. Kids will be kids!

This potter makes the Alcatra pots. His original kiln is from the 14th century!

So, bottom line, we loved Terceira, the island and the people. It’s a perfect 5 day getaway. Here are a few parting shots:

September 29, 2018June 12, 2019

Peace, Love and a little Respect

For the record, this trip happened in June 2017. Why am I posting this now? One -because I was lazy and didn’t post it; and, two – we’re going back to Jamaica in December – to Port Antonio and to the mountains. So, here is my last post on Jamaica…

We love Jamaica. And we need a fix every couple of years. So where best to go for a quick get away – you’ve got it – Jamaica!! But not Negril or Mo Bay. We opted for Jake’s in Treasure Beach just a 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport. It’s worth it. If you’re looking for a lot of action this isn’t for you. But if you want to chill and eat some great Jamaican food, Treasure Beach is the place. Located on the South Coast of Jamaica, Jake’s is owned by the Hensell family, of the Harder They Come movie fame. It’s a labor of love, the original cottage was owned by Sally Hensell’s family and she expanded on it. Each cottage and villa are individually decorated, colorful, quirky but with all the amenities and a fabulous outdoor shower, completely original. What did we do? We did go to YS Falls one day. YS Falls is a park with beautiful waterfalls that you can be guided through. You reach it by a shuttle and during the ride to the falls the guide points out the countless varieties of trees and plants. Other than that, we did pretty much nothing except work on the tan, read good books and play Scrabble. Here’s a little slice of Jake’s and the South Coast.

After jumping from the rope swing (about 20 ft) we need some Jerk!!

Majorca or Menorca – We did both…..

People travel for different reasons. Some can’t imagine not visiting every museum, others love archeological sites. We love sun, sea, great food and beautiful beaches. We also love great towns, strolling through picturesque streets with cafes and restaurants, great shops and local markets. That’s why we love the Mediterranean and keep finding somewhere new to explore. This summer’s trip – Majorca and Menorca, two of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain checked the boxes for everything we love.

Majorca and Menorca are two very different islands. Majorca is mountainous with dramatic cliffs dropping into the sea, beautiful towns, beaches, and it’s bigger than Menorca. It’s home to the tennis champ, Rafael Nadel, where he is a local hero. It seems that everybody either knows him or has had their picture taken with him. There even is a Rafael Nada Museum in his hometown of Manacor.

Menorca is smaller, flatter, greener, has lots of cows, and over 200 beaches. Our base was Ciutadella, an historic town with narrow streets, full of cafes and restaurants, shops, gourmet food stores and the port lined with restaurants and cafes.

We decided to spend 4 nights in Majorca and 3 nights in Menorca. We chose the northern tip of Majorca, Alcudia specifically, to spend our time.

Alcudia is two towns. There’s Alcudia the old town which is a medieval walled city full of shops, cafes, restaurants, and there’s Port d’Alcudia which is lined with restaurants and boats and all the big hotels with tacky beach shops. We got to experience it all.

Son Siurana, was our first hotel, an agroturismo, located outside of Alcudia, in the country. It’s a 200 acre finca or working farm, built in 1794 and owned by the same family. It’s set in and around olive and almond groves, grazing sheep (200 of them), ducks and chickens. The main house is native stone. We stayed in our own little two bedroom, two bath detached suite. Our neighbors were the sheep. The only noise came from the ringing of the bells of the sheep collars!

From Son Siurana, it was an easy drive to explore the area. Driving is easy; there are lots of roundabouts. Everyone loves or hates a roundabout. Sometimes we drive around them a couple of times counting the exits to know where to get off per our Google Maps. The interesting thing about the roundabouts in Majorca is the artwork. There happens to be one famous sculpture in Alcudia.

This is the “Horse which looks to the sky (or maybe heaven) of Alcúdia”. It is the horse of the Horse Roundabout, the Rotonda Caballo. Or is it a horse? Other interpretations have been made.

A Day on the Boat:

It was a beautiful day for a boat trip. We met our captain Jaume at the docks and set out to explore the caves and magnificent scenery of the northern Majorcan coastline. Jaume is a local, knows the sea and every nook and cranny along the coast. We felt very comfortable with him, he made a great lunch of the local specialty, pa amb oli, in which you take a slice of bread, take a half tomato which is a specially grown for pa amb oli, rub the tomato on the bread, then put on some cheese, meat, olive oil and you have a great meal. Everyone eats it. It’s like a peanut butter sandwich!

Our day on the water with Jaume consisted of cruising in and out of limestone caves, seeing lots of beautiful fish, going into a special cave that only Jaume know about which has a hidden lagoon that we had to climb up in order to jump about 10 feet into the water; then to climb out, he secured a rope to the outside of the cave and he told us where to place our feet and voila we were outside. I was slightly nervous about this but he swore that a man with one leg had done it the previous week! He shamed me into it and was right. It was awesome!

Mountainous with cliffs falling into the sea, great beaches, some with wild goats roaming (look closely at the beach picture), some only accessible by hiking to, and Cap Formentor (my featured picture). The north coast was all and more than we thought it would be.

Port d’Alcudia, full of big hotels, tacky beach shops and lots of restaurants. Thinking we were staying at Son Siurana for four nights, we were told we had only reserved three nights. Well, it was a blessing in disguise because we had a 9AM ferry the next morning out of Port d’Alcudia and had to return the car so we decided to find a hotel in Alcudia. We chose Hotel Astoria Playa Adults Only. A very different experience but we got into it! The hotel was modern, the staff professional and went out of their way for us. We had dinner at the hotel which was a buffet and very good one and the next morning had an early breakfast, they ordered us a taxi and we were on our way. The best thing about the hotel? We stayed there on the night of an Abba tribute show.

I don’t know where to start with the food. From the pa amb oli, to the abundance of fresh fish and seafood, it was all fabulous.

Market day in Alcudia. It’s held in the beautiful walled old town on Sundays. We can’t resist a good market. Here are a few pictures of the market and the town.

Sunday night on the port lined with restaurants and cafes.

The walled town of Alcudia

Next stop Menorca:

An hour and half ferry ride and you arrive in Ciutadella, Menorca. Our stay in Ciutadella was Can Faustino. Can Faustino is a Relais Chateux hotel. A beautiful, understated and magnificent former palace dating back to the 16th center, overlooking the port of Ciutadella. It makes you happy to come back to after a day of exploring.

Some of the specialties of Menorca are the Mahon gin and the Pomado, made with gin and lemonade; the Mahon cheese and the sandals.

Menorca has a long history of shoe-making, with their most famous export being traditional Menorcan sandals, known as Menorquinas or Avarcas. Originally a peasant shoe designed to keep feet cool and comfortable when working in the hot and often rocky fields, the sandals were practical, hard wearing, and made with a soft leather upper and a piece of rubber tire for the sole. Today the sandals still have a black tire-like sole, not an actual car tire. The sandals are in every store window. They come in every color and pattern you can think of. Unfortunately they didn’t fit me so I only have a picture of them as a souvenir!

This is the port in Ciutadella.

Some scenes of Ciutadella

One night we had a cooking class, making paella. So much fun that we now have our very own paella pan with everything needed to make our very own paella.

The start:

Getting better:

The finish!

We love a good beach, with sun loungers and umbrellas and a great restaurant. Our last day in Menorca didn’t disappoint. A day on the beach, a late lunch at a restaurant overlooking the cove. It was perfect. So was Roy’s lobster and my grilled fish, Sirviano which is native to Menorca. How could we possibly have dinner after a lunch like that – we did!!

Sirviano. Delicious – tastes a little like swordfish

Piemento Padron: couldn’t get enough of this delicious little things

Fried Artichokes – couldn’t stop eating them!

I always look at a trip as would I want to live here or spend some time here? The answer is yes!

See you at the bar…..

July 29, 2018July 29, 2018

There’s No Shame in Being a Tourist…an Icelandic Adventure

Iceland is the cool destination now. And I mean that literally and figuratively. Iceland is having its worst summer in 100 years. So far Iceland has had only 7 days of sun. When I told people we’re going to Iceland, the comment was always “oh it’s on my bucket list”. And that’s where we set off for with our friends for a summer adventure. No fun in the sun but we knew that. This was going to be an active, adventure, road trip.

A non-stop flight from Boston and you’re in Reykavik in 5 hours. Our plan, to spend three days in Husafell, our base to explore west Iceland, and two days in Reykavik.

We picked up our 4 x 4 at the airport and set off for Bergsson Mathus, a Reykavik cafe known for its sourdough bread with all kinds of toppings.

With only five days, we had to decide exactly where we wanted to go. Reykavik definitely but what other part of Iceland. We decided on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland.

So after breakfast we set off for the drive to Husafell which is 2 hours northeast of Reykavik.

Forget about understanding the Icelandic language. There is nothing to compare it to. There are no road signs in English but armed with a car nav which spoke to us in Italian and a Garmen which was worthless, we ended up using our iPhone nav. The roads are easy to get around on. But as we traveled around Iceland these were our questions: Where are all the people? Where are the cars? Where is there a grocery store and where is the town? That’s what we kept asking ourselves. Well, with a population of 329,000, 80% of the population lives in and around Reykavik so once you leave Reykavik you are truly in rural Iceland.

The landscape is dramatic. Sometimes it looks Mars-like with lava fields as far as the eye can see, sometimes it’s farmland. There are beautiful lupine which started as a way to stop erosion but are now evasive and are everywhere, and geo-thermal puffs of steam coming out of the ground, sheep and the Icelandic horses. They’re everywhere. They’re in places you can’t imagine and can’t figure out how they got there! There are no predators for the horses so you often see them laying down. They have no diseases so they don’t have to be vaccinated.

We checked into the Hotel Husafell, a hotel in the middle of nowhere. It’s decor and design is modern, Scandanavian in style, very comfortable with great amenities.

This what’s in the village of Husafell – the hotel, geo-thermal pools, an Icelandic bistro, a mini-market, a campground. That’s it!!

After we checked in and unpacked, we loaded up with our bathing suits and headed to our first stop, the Krauma spa. Everyone in Iceland goes to the geo-thermal pools. They keep bathing suits in their cars. And there’s a method to it. First you have to shower without a bathing suit on; forget about being modest, everyone lets it all hang out! Then you go to the baths, each with a different range of temperature. After a flight and being a little jet lagged – it was heavenly.

Dinner at the hotel was without doubt one of the best meals I’ve had in recent history. One entree was fresh grilled salmon, wasabi risotto, shitake mushrooms, spice mango and tempura soft shelled crab. It was outstanding. The other was lamb 2 ways. Prices were off the chart! We heard how expensive food is and it is! But you have to forget about it and just enjoy.

The sun officially sets at 11:30 PM and rises at 3:00 AM but it never gets dark. I had to check out what it looked like at 3 AM. So I got up and peeked outside and it looked like dusk. That’s as dark as it gets for 6 months the year.

Our first adventure – Into the Glacier. The Langjokull Glacier is the 2nd largest glacier in Iceland. Dressed for a ski day, we set off in a former NATO vehicle used for launching rockets. It’s perfect for glacier transportation. At one point the driver has to stop and let air out of the tires. It’s done with an app! After suiting up with waterproof boots and jump suits, we went into the glacier cave. The 40 meter long cave was dug by local farmers working up to 14 hours a day. It’s been open since 2015.

Where are we?? Zermatt for a day of skiing, or going Into The Glacier!!!

Next day – taking a drive along the western peninsula, going to see seals, horses, waterfalls and having lunch in a cafe in a little fishing village. Lunch for 4 – $100. That was 4 soups and a plate of meatballs. But the soup was a fish soup that was a family recipe and the meatballs were also a family recipe. But still!!

This is the scenery in the western peninsula, called Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Pretty dramatic.

Onward, to find the artist Lara Gunnarsdottir, a reknowned sculptor who whittles from Icelandic birch. We found her in her studio and now have 3 Little Birds from her collection.

Dinner at The Settlement House in Borgarnes. Another fantastic dinner. The biggest mussels I’ve ever seen, the freshest, whitest cod beautifully prepared and locally sourced meat for a hamburger. Then, we took a little walk; it was so quiet we could have laid down in the middle of the road. And, this is a town?

Sunset on road from Borgarnes to Husafell.

Next day, on to Reykavik. Civilization!! We checked into our hotel the, Eyga Guldsmeden, another great hotel with a very cool vibe and fantastic decor.

It was time for our food tour. Walking through downtown Reykavik in the drizzle, we were pretty underwhelmed. But there were some great posters, signs and street art.

Our food tour featured 6 stops where we got a taste of traditional Icelandic cuisine and beer.

First stop was a local restaurant, not on the tourist radar. There we had traditional lamb soup. You see it everywhere. Every restaurant and home has a little different recipe. Along with that, beer. Iceland loves its beer.

Some of the other foods we tried on the 3 1/2 hour tour: charcuterie: smoked goose with a raspberry and champagne vinaigrette; HORSE and lamb along with some Icelandic cheeses. Americans do not like the thought of eating horse meat but in Iceland it’s on the menu. I couldn’t do it!!

We had fantastic ice cream. And what kind did we have? Rye bread ice-cream with whipped cream and caramel drizzled on it. Okay, I love ice cream. This was out of sight delicious.

The best stop for me was a restaurant called Messinn, known for two things: Arctic char and something called plokkfish, Icelandic comfort food made with mashed cod, mashed potatoes, celery and spices. Originally it was made from all the fish leftovers and you can still find it made that way in Icelandic homes but probably not in a restaurant. It was served from a skillet. So yummy. But even better was the Artic Char, pan seared in a skillet and drizzled with honey. It was incredible.

Did we have room for anything else. Basically not, but we hadn’t had the famous Icelandic hot dog. Carts are everywhere selling hot dogs made from lamb with lots of condiments. I thought it was just okay. I’m not a hot dog aficionado but I had to have a bite.

Last stop, a summer dessert with skyyr which is Icelandic yogurt and sorbet.

We could barely breath we ate so much! We had dinner reservations that night at a “serious” restaurant but decided to cancel and have a casual dinner at a Thai restaurant.

Next day, the famous Golden Circle which included stops to see waterfalls and the famous Geyser. Well, we were underwhelmed. There were so many people, it was so jam packed, we watched the Geyser erupt, had lunch and drove back to Reykavik.

On our last night, we went to Fish Market for another outstanding dinner, beautifully prepared and presented.

On our last day, we had to fit in one more experience before heading to the airport; riding Icelandic horses. Well, I wasn’t quite feeling it and after getting getting on my horse, I said I don’t want to go. So I got off, bruising my rib in the process, and waited in the car playing Candy Crush!! In retrospect I should have gone on the ride. Everyone loved the experience.

Besides the beauty of the landscape, I can’t say enough about the food. We didn’t have one bad meal. Even if we were having salad, it was good.

And this brings me to the point that we’re all tourists, wherever we go. Whether you’re visiting Paris for the 10th time or Iceland for the 1st time, you just have to enjoy it. Sometimes it’s hard to get off the beaten track. There’s so little of it left. And in Iceland, everyone is doing the same thing, going on the same drives, seeing the same waterfalls and swimming in the Blue Lagoon! So, relax and enjoy being a tourist. There’s no shame in it!

So what’s my take away from Iceland. The landscape of course is dramatic. The people are warm and welcoming. The water comes from the glaciers and is the best water you’ll ever taste. Right from the tap. And, the food – outstanding.

Would I go back – no. But, if you haven’t been, you definitely should go.

February 23, 2016

Warning: Will Break Your Heart

It came out of the blue. Romeo was drinking too much water so I called the vet. Roy brought him in and he had his annual exam. “He looks great but let’s do some blood and urine work”. No big deal. He was waiting for me when I came home and we went on our usual afternoon Frisbee play and walk. Continue reading “Warning: Will Break Your Heart”

February 13, 2016February 13, 2016

Our Costa Rican SOFT Adventure

We’ve been before. Quite a few years ago and loved it except for the fact that I almost drowned when I was thrown out of a raft on the Pacuere River. But other than that, we had a great time decided we’d give it another go. Our itinerary was: 4 days on the Osa Peninsula in an eco-lodge called El Remanso and then 3 days on the beach in Santa Teresa at a small boutique inn called Latitude 10 Beach Resort. Continue reading “Our Costa Rican SOFT Adventure”

June 4, 2015

Anti-Cabo

This is a story about going to Baja and bypassing Cabo San Lucas completely. It all started with a trip to Cabo and a 3 night stay at the super luxurious Las Ventanas . Las Ventanas was for 3 nights so we decided to combine it with something else in the Baja. Shortly after we booked our trip, the hurricane blew in devastating the area and destroying Las Ventanas. So, we changed our reservations to mid-April which is when we were told the hotel would reopen. April turned into a reopening in July but July is not a good time to go to Baja and since we’d already changed our flights once we decided to look for something to combine with the other destination that we’d booked…Rancho Pescadero in Pescadero, a few miles south of Todos Santos.

After doing some research on I-Escape, which I highly recommend, we came upon a small luxury eco-inn called Villa del Faro, on the Sea of Cortez, the East Cape. It sounded great. One hour on a dirt road, watch out for cows and goats, turn left at the basketball court. Could been fun. But the piece de resistence at Villa del Faro was something called “The Stone Cottage”. A thatched roof cottage on the beach that had solar powered electricity, an outdoor shower and bano, fire pit and grill for cooking. Sounded good and very adventurous, so we booked it.

Continue reading “Anti-Cabo”

March 1, 2015

Yah Mon!

Love it or hate it.

That’s Jamaica. You’re either all in or all out. There’s no middle ground.

Case in point. We no sooner hopped into our rental car and headed out of the airport on our way to Negril, than we got a little lost. Signage is practically non-existent even though everyone says “no problem mon”. So, we’re waiting at a light deciding which way to turn and a guy on a bicycle comes up to us and says “hey mon, I just saw you at the airport-are you lost? Where are you going? Follow me.” So he pedaled ahead of us ON A BIKE and directed us through downtown Mo Bay. And, at another light a guy walks past our car and says “hey- I just saw you at the airport-where are you going?” Guy #1 stopped to buy a paper and then said “let me hop in and I’ll get you on the highway” to which we politely said “no thanks we’ll find our way”. And we did. That’s Jamaica. Some people would be completely intimidated. For us, it was just a little scam which is played because of course they know we’re tourists, in a rental car, trying to find our way! And hey, everyone has to make a living!

So began our trip to Jamaica. We couldn’t wait to get out of Snowmaggedon also known as Boston. We’ve been all over the island. Yea mon, No Problem is the mantra. That, and Respect. Turn off your clock. Forget about time. If you don’t like waiting, if you have no patience, don’t go to Jamaica. But, If you love Jerk chicken and pork, white sand beaches, a cool vibe, a cold Red Stripe or a Ting, Bob Marley, Rasta culture, Blue Mountain Coffee, beautiful people, then Jamaica is for you!

Our destination this time was Negril. We rented a car which we now look at as not probably a great idea. Roy was a little bit challenged with right hand drive. Pot holes that could swallow a car- well maybe not swallow a car but definitely blow a tire, people walking on the road, no speed limit – I was screaming about potholes and was totally white knuckled for the entire trip. It was almost a divorce. But a great trip.

Arriving in Negril you have a choice – the beach or the cliffs. We’re cliff people. Past the all inclusives, the funky beach hotels on 7 mile beach, going around the roundabout in a direction you think is wrong which actually was the first time and then we had to go around again but that road takes you up to the West End and the cliffs and The Rock House.

We’ve been there 3 times. Starting back when the “villas” or bungalow’s were $160/night. Now we’re talking 3 times that. But, worth every penny. Once upon a time it was a well kept secret, now not so much. They’ve added villas, a pool, the spa, and have two great restaurants. The hotel restaurant overlooks the water and its a great way to see the sunset in a civilized manner. By that I mean you don’t have to go to Ricks. The other restaurant is The Pushcart. Very casual with music most nights, the food is outstanding. We stayed in three different villas. #12 because we arrived a day early due to a snow storm in Boston (surprise, surprise!); then we moved to #16 which I love. Hidden by vegetation which you look out on from your outdoor shower, a beautiful ocean view in front of you, individual sunbathing platforms – simple and perfect. There’s nothing better than listening to the ocean crashing on the rocks which it did because of a storm that came through one night. Our last night we stayed in a premium villa – #1. New, larger but close to the road and not as private. Still it was all good.

And this is where we parked ourselves for the week. Snow be damned. We couldn’t care less! Great food, drink, music, lots of sun and Scrabble, a great book and oh, a little ganja for someone. What else do you need in life? We totally vegged out. Something we don’t ordinarily do.

But that’s not to say we didn’t venture out; we did. We had a check list:

Spend a day on 7 mile beach – check: One day, down to the famous 7 mile beach for the day with it’s parade of people and vendors on the beach. A little music which I had to join, walking down the beach to Niah’s for a great handmade pattie for lunch with a Ting and a Red Stripe. An awesome day.

The best pattie in Negril-check: A pattie from Niah’s on the beach. Totally hand made including the pastry. How good does that look?

Supposedly the best jerk in Negril-check: everyone said it’s Ossie’s so that’s where we went for lunch one day. Simple and good but not great.

One night we went to 3 Dives, a funky outdoor restaurant down the road from the hotel. As I said if you have a problem waiting for your food, forget Jamaica. At 3 Dives, it was probably an hour before our food arrived. And don’t ask me how they found us. There seems to be no system but apparently there is because our food miraculously arrived! And, there was supposed to be music that night but there wasn’t. No problem, mon!

And, Roy needed to learn how to make Jamaican curry. So one day, chef Warren from The Rock House restaurant brought Roy into the kitchen and taught him how to make shrimp curry which was then served to us in a papaya for lunch. Yea Mon!!

One evening we were picked up late in the afternoon and driven to Zimbali, a retreat off the beaten path. Zimbali is the creation of Mark Swainback who is actually from Vermont. He was a commodities trader, got fed up and left for Jamaica where he had a vision and started a new life. Zimbali has 7 rooms, it’s a working farm and every evening he entertains abuot 20 people for dinner. Two chefs entertain and cook, wine is poured, there is drumming and it’s a generally great evening. Mark’s created something special, his wife runs the show and he has a precocious little girl named “Sol”. There’s no way you could find Zimbali by yourself, in the daylight or in the dark. Going back to civilization after dinner, thank god for the driver because we would have been lost in sugar cane fields forever!

So basically, that was our trip. Laid back. Until we heard that another storm was heading toward Boston. Well, that threw me right back into the real world. Everyone from Boston worrying about flights, storms, whether we would get home and me worried about Romeo and if he would have to stay at camp for another night. But, the plane took off. And right outside Boston the pilot came on over the loudspeaker and told us we’d be landing on “auto pilot” so please turn off all your electronics. And “Don’t Worry” , we’re right there and the auto pilot is better than we are! Okay then! That’s a good way of taking that laid back vibe away!

But we landed – all is well. Romeo is home and we’re looking forward to our next vacation – Cabo!

Here are a few more pictures from Jamaica:

We took an early morning walk one day and came upon this guy. I asked him if I could take his picture and he asked if I would take the picutre with his “product”. I said sure. So he fixed his hair, arranged his product and here’s the result. One of my favorite pictures of all times.

This is Barbara. She owns one of the little shops across from the hotel. She’s been there for over 20 years. I love her!!

View from The Rock House. What can I say!

Local color:

So, see you at the bar……

September 28, 2014September 29, 2014

Back to Turkey

What draws us to Turkey. This latest trip is our third time. Could it be the people? The food? The amazing coastline with turquoise blue waters that run from the Aegean down to the Mediterranean. It’s the cradle of civilization. Archeological sites galore if that’s what you like. Us, we like the beach clubs, the food, the shopping, the walking, meeting the people, taking in all the local action. We ddidn’t see one archeological site even though we weren’t too far from one big one. Continue reading “Back to Turkey”

August 6, 2014

The Long and Winding Road(s)

…..Lots of them on our road trip to Mendocino.

When I think of Mendocino I think of Dough Sahm and Sir Douglas Quintet and the song they made popular in the late 60’s…”Mendocino, Mendocino, where life’s such a groove you’ll blow your mind in the morning”. (Really, those are the lyrics-well it was the 60’s!). It’s just a little off the grid and still has that 60’s hippy vibe but also has some incredible retaurants and inns along the coast. It’s three and a half hours north of San Francisco which makes it a destination, not a day trip. It’s probably what Napa was 20 years ago. The historic or “hysteric” council depending on who you talk to, will not allow any development to deter from the town’s original look. No box stores, no chain stores, no Starbucks. For that you have to drive to the next town. Mendocino sits on the edge of the Pacific Coast and wherever you go whether it’s on the Big River, Route 128 or any of the other number of roads winding through the mountains, the natural beauty is everywhere.

So this sounded like somewhere we’d like to visit and we headed west for the long 4th of July weekend.

Continue reading “The Long and Winding Road(s)”