We both drained our vacation time to be able to take our Honeymoon directly after our wedding, and I don't regret it at all! There's something about finally getting to celebrate alone together when the moment is still fresh after the hustle and bustle of a wedding that makes a honeymoon feel all the more special. After sleeping away the day after our wedding we left for Mexico on a 5 am flight and arrived midday at Excellence Playa Mujeres Resort (I would highly recommend even for just a regular vacation) where we had a huge room with a Jacuzzi and private rooftop pool! Although there was enough to do just at the resort, we took no time filling up our week with fun excursions. We booked a trip to Chichen Itza, which has been on my bucket list since I took Latin American Art History in college, also Tulum and a snorkeling tour that brought us to Isla Mujeres off the coast of our resort. The first trip was Chichen Itza, which was amazing! I only wish it hadn't been so hot- my tank top was literally disintegrating off of me. Thankfully the trip included a cool dip in one of the famous cenotes (sinkholes where supposedly millions of people were sacrificed by the ancient Mayans). I was so hot I think I would have still swam even if I could see the ancient human remains below me. Fortunately I couldn't see any skeletons, just thousands of children flapping their water wings next to me. If you're looking for the picturesque Pinterest cenote with the beautiful vines hanging down- you're in the right place, just remember ALL of the cool stuff is built up with touristy stuff and most of those photos are strategically taken at times where there are no tourists to give the feeling of being remote. Our trip to Tulum, also very hot was at least on the ocean so we would get a bit of a breeze from time to time. We also stopped in a second more secluded cenote in a small village on the way back from Tulum. This sinkhole was more like a natural lazy river and I probably could have spent all day there. Our snorkeling trip brought us to Isla Mujeres where we shopped around and I bought some Frida Kahlo earrings. We also ventured inside a Frida "museum" which wasn't really a museum since it did not hold any of her real work, but it did have some pretty cool displays. I would most definitely go back to Mexico again, I felt as long as we booked all of our outside trips through the hotel and didn't venture into the city alone at night we were fine.
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Every time I have a short vacation week, Brad and I try to take advantage and travel to a new place, even if it's only a forty minute drive. We drove down to Mystic Connecticut and stopped at the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in southern Rhode Island along the way where we saw some goats and an Emu. In Mystic we didn't really do any of the touristy things (Aquarium, Mystic Seaport) we just walked around the town hugging the water. I was unaware of the expensive cost just to walk down to the historical stuff, so we decided to skip it this time. Since it's so close to us in Rhode Island it's likely we will get back down and see some of the things we missed!
As a weird wacky art teacher, I have the unique privilege of being able to attend an event filled with other weird and wacky people just like myself. I was allowed to bring a guest for the National Art Educator's Association National Convention in New York City and I decided to bring my best friend Jennifer. We booked a hotel not as close as we wanted to the convention and we spent three days watching cool presentations and museum hopping. we saw the MET, The Natural History Museum and the MOMA. We also ran into our high school art teacher at the convention artisans market which was super cool! We attended the convention party which did not disappoint with its giant Lite Brite wall and all kinds of arty activities and a DJ for dancing. We even met another young art teacher who wasn't ready to turn in at ten o'clock so we made our way to a random Kareoke Bar and stayed out way past our usual bedtime! As for food, two places stuck out- Cafe Frida (right near the Natural History Museum) that served delicious warm Mexican soup, tacos and awesome drinks. The second place required an Uber all the way across the city but it was worth it- Raclette serves simple food like meat and fingerling potatoes, but with cheese MELTED OFF OF A WHEEL scraped onto your food! It was amazing. Also Raclette is right down the street from Obscura, my favorite store in New York selling all kinds of witchy items and oddities!
My younger brother Chris and his wife Katie live in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina and I swear a week before we flew down to visit they were whizzing around the ocean on a boat in 80 degree weather, unfortunately, the New England November followed us, even flurrying a little bit for a day. We were still able to see some of the highlights and enjoy the peacefulness of a tourist-less Folly Beach. We had amazing nachos at Rita's with watermelon Pico de Gallo and enjoyed drinks from a rooftop bar and saw an alligator chilling by the apartment complex pond.
At this point in our relationship we had been dating for over 10 years, so naturally everyone thought this trip was for a proposal (which came less than a month later) As romantic as the natural beauty of the falls can be, it is hard to ignore the super-kitschy strip of casinos, mini-golf courses and arcades that are packed tightly along the cliffs that drop to the falls. We stayed on the Canadian side and did all the touristy things, like take a ride on the Hornblower (Canada's "Maid of the Mist") which was totally worth it, and we even played some Dino- themed mini golf. We were lucky enough to stay in the Embassy Suites which offered a towering view over the falls. We cracked the window at night and listened to them crash endlessly. I had the BEST sleep of my life listening to the waterfalls.
For Brad's 30th we headed up to Vermont for a Bed and Breakfast/ Brewery trip. We stayed at a farm called the Yellow House Inn within the rolling hills of the countryside. Although it was March and most everything was cold and bare, the landscape was still quietly beautiful. We saw Harpoon on the drive up, ate delicious fresh food everywhere we went- entered the fun-house style brewery at Magic Hat and even took the drive up to Burlington to walk around for the day. We of course stopped at Ben&Jerry's, and my favorite the Cabot Cheese factory! If I had one takeaway from this trip it would be the amazing farm fresh food everywhere. Next time I would love to see Vermont again in the bright green summer or blazing autumn.
We tagged along with Brad's friends to Vegas for their annual Poker trip. Thankfully neither one of us are gamblers so we enjoyed the over-the-top casino decor and took a bus trip to the Grand Canyon to break up the four-day trip. Vegas is definitely the land of excess, constant seizure-inducing stimulation and over-consumerism, but I feel like everyone should experience it at some point. The only thing I would suggest as a heat-challenged ginger is don't go in August like we did- I felt like I was walking under a Dyson hand dryer all day, thankfully the casinos are all blasting with AC that your sweat will freeze into little crystals right before your eyes.
Although this trip was almost 5 years ago, I feel as if I need to document it here before my memory slips away. We traveled to Costa Rica to the Riu Resort in Guanacaste for Brad's cousin's wedding, so we decided not to waste the opportunity and we planned excursions outside the resort to get the most out of our trip. The hotel was open-air outside the rooms so tropical birds flew in and out in a constant whoosh of color and sound. We paid extra for our ocean-view room- which was worth it according to the jungle-facing room people who told us the birds and howler monkeys were so loud at night that they had to keep turning the AC up louder to drown out the noise!
We explored the resort and indulged in the all-inclusive fruity drinks for the first two days, getting caught in beautiful, pounding downpours on the beach that only lasted for no more than 5 minutes. The black volcanic sand was almost unbearably hot on our feet, so it was better to be on the beach later in the day (or wear flip-flops like I did) I purchased a wonderful fedora for 15 colones on the beach from one of the vendors and it has become a beach fashion staple. The first excursion we went on was a half-day boat trip down a river where we had a close encounter with some hungry Capuchin monkeys and alligators which almost breached the edge of the boat! (after our crazy boat guide coaxed them in). One woman on our tour had packed a sandwich in her pack and the monkey climbed from the trees straight to her backpack where he proceeded to unzip the backpack and take out her sandwich as if he just purchased it from a vending machine- so heads-up- if you are around monkeys- don't carry any food! Our second excursion was a waterfall/jungle hike with horseback riding. We drove through the beautiful rolling green hills and plains to reach a mountainous area where we hiked deeper down into the jungle. A couple local dogs followed us on our trail, so unfortunately the wildlife was a little skittish because of all the noise they were making (and a woman who was NOT part of our group who whined the entire time about being out in the woods-she also wore high heels-on a JUNGLE HIKE) We were able to spend some time at a swimming hole that was fed by a gorgeous waterfall- and boy was the water COLD- but totally inviting after hiking in the humidity. We then were all paired up with horses that were trained to walk up the mountain trail back to where we started. It was my first time on a horse (and Brad's) and to be honest- I don't think it's my thing. I was constantly apologizing to my horse who seemed irritated that he had to carry a tourist up a hill in the heat- my horse sighed heavily and grumpily cut everyone so I ended up being the first to the top, Brad on the other hand couldn't get his stubborn horse to move so he remained at the bottom for some time before a guide helped him along. I was tempted to get off the horse and walk next to him because I felt so bad for making him carry me. When we reached the top we entered a "restaurant" which was basically an open barn-like building where we ate delicious steak, black beans and fried plantains. The bus took us back to the resort and we went out dancing at the Discotheque on the resort. Luckily as a pale Irish redhead I did not burn the entire time! (I've got my sunscreen game down pat) Polish-Italian Brad on the other hand crisped up his back pretty good and I spent the last couple nights applying cold washcloths to his lobster-red skin. I would love to go back to Costa Rica- maybe when we retire we can buy a vacation home there! One of the great things about having your significant other work at a place that requires travel is that you get to tag along for a work paid vacation! Back in 2012 Brad was sent for a month to sunny San Diego for work and I was able to take some time off to fly out. The only bad part about this was that three of the days I was there he had to be working- but I wasn't complaining! We went to the world famous San Diego Zoo on his day off and Sea World (which made me a little sad- plus it was geared more towards young kids) We bar hopped in the Gas Lamp District, including a super cool rooftop bar where you could see the whole city at night. We took a ride to Coronado Island and saw La Jolla Beach which had this cool tunnel that opened up to the mouth of a cave. I could have spent way more time out there, especially since the weather was so beautiful and comfortable.
After realizing that we never climbed a mountain together, Brad and I decided to tackle the fairly easy Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire. The weather started out cool, but soon climbed to an unexpected seventy degrees, making the hike very warm and sticky. We stayed in the state park and cooked steak burritos in tin foil over the fire and drank wine like true rednecks from handmade "wine glasses" made from the tops of our water bottles. Unfortunately we didn't bring enough padding to comfortably sleep on the twisted roots and hard ground, so we both only slept for about an hour with our muscles aching from the hike.
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AuthorI believe that travel is essential to exist in this world and that it is the perfect medicine for staleness. Archives
August 2022
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