Lefse

Lefse is a Norwegian delicacy. Some describe it as a flat bread, but it is closer to a tortilla. But lefse is made with potato. My Norwegian grandma used to make lefse. I love it!

Most put butter and sometimes sugar on their lefse. I only like brown sugar on mine; so of course grandma would make special rolls for me....her only granddaughter.

I purchased lefse from a grocery store last night. It wasn't great, but it was lefse. I don't regret trying it, but I won't buy more.

Take away

Take away is the British term for food to go. They even give you a discount on food and drink if you consume it elsewhere. Or....are they charging more to eat on their premises?

I went to a Starbucks this morning to buy a bottle of water. It was 20 cents cheaper for take away.

I'm not sure how aggressively they enforce this. I didn't stick around to find out.

I had excellent take away twice while staying in Crawley (near Gatwick airport and GovDelivery's UK office). The first was fish and chips. The second was chinese.

Las Vegas June 2011

Family trip to Vegas. It was short but memorable.
Sun
Pool
Shopping
Cirque du Soleil "O" at Bellagio
Sleep
Sun
Tequila
Pool
Tequila
Sun
Shopping
Celine Dion
Champagne
Pool
Sun
Tequila
Great food
Excellent people watching
Sun
Bellagio Fountain
Sore feet
Great laughs with my cool cousin Kerry

Gelato

I've done extensive research and firmly believe that food tastes better when cooked by someone else. This is my primary motivator for not cooking. I like food. I like tasty food and I will just mess it up.

I need a new research project. Does food taste better in other countries than at home? I think I need to do some additional research on this, but I did come to that conclusion during my last trip abroad. I really like gelato. I don't eat ice cream at home. But I ate gelato every day when in Europe.

I drink more vine in France than at home.
I drink more beer in Britain than at home.
I eat more fish & chips in Britain than at home.

I guess...when in Rome..... I wonder what I will like better in Rome when I am there in September.

Lunch in Cannes

Cannes, France is home of the famed film festival, and the home of the Carlton Hotel. The Carlson was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief." The hotel is in "the book" so of course I went in for visit. It looks different than I expected based on the movie, but it is a very pretty hotel.


And the beach is much smaller than I expected. But, this was our best weather day of the entire trip so we ate lunch on the beach at a restaurant that Brad Pitt alledgedly ate at.

Bridges and Tunnels

We drove the Grande Corniche from Nice, over Monaco. We then drove through Menton, along the Mediterranean, to Italy. It was Andy and Jill’s first time in Italy – new country alert for them.

We found a Mediterranean café and had some proper Italian food – lasagna and spaghetti.

We decided to take the highway back to France. The A10 in Italy connects to the A8 in France. This road is a series of tunnels and bridges. Very high bridges! We never drove on normal road. It was an odd and unique experience. I admit to being anxious, probably because I wasn’t driving. And it was raining. I kept thinking of Princess Grace and her horrible death.

Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence - in "the book."

I was very conflicted on this one because I am a big fan of Rick Steves, and he said Aix is not a must see. It doesn’t have ruins, or significant museums. But it was a quaint town so we drove around, found a main thoroughfare and had a fabulous dinner.

Vieux Nice

Vieux Nice = Old Nice

In "the book."

This is the type of neighborhood where you want to get lost. Don't use a map. Just wander around and see where the winding streets take you. You can't really get lost because of the geography, so just go with the flow!

We walked through a market on the edge of Vieux Nice.



I stopped in a chuch that was built in 1640. I lit a candle there for the baby of a colleague. (This one's for you Kaylee Hope!)

I saw maybe a dozen art studio/stores. I love to buy from local, struggling artists. I didn't buy anything though because I saw too many beautiful things and couldn't decide.

I saw pretty fountains and was mooned by a pigeon who was bathing in one of them.


I ate passion fruit gelato.

I ate in a Dutch restaurant. (Yep, this was a bit strange in this part of France, but it was tasty.)


We climbed up to Castle Hill and saw beautiful panoramic views of the Mediterranean. We also stopped and played in a playground.

We saw a Shiba Inu as we were walking down the hill. He was just as stuck-up as my Shiba. I always miss my pup when I am traveling. (My prayer to all of the missing Shibas and humans in Japan.)

Whoopie Pie

We've forced my niece, Tiffany, to try many new foods on this trip; such as:

lobster, clams, fried oyster, white fish, scallops

And then...I made her try a Whoopie Pie. That is her new favorite food. She may never be a fan of seafood, but she likes her sweets.

Cape Cod

Cape Cod is in "the book." It is lovely here. More great seafood at very low prices....low compared to Minnesota. I am not tired of lobster yet.

The water is chilly, but I still love the beaches. The houses are adorable. This is the kind of place where I'd love to rent a house for a week or more. I can spend many hours sitting on a beach doing nothing....or reading...or people watching...or doing nothing.

Some kids were surfing off one of the beaches today. The waves weren't really big, but I guess they were big enough.

Maine

Two days - and two states I hadn't been to before.

I really liked Maine. It reminds me of Minnesota, but with an ocean and cheaper seafood.

I hit one place from "the book" - White Barn Inn. Very lovely and elegant hotel and restaurant. The first car I saw in the parking lot was a Bentley. We had dinner reservations - until I found out a jacket was required. We didn't really bring the right clothes for a place with a dress code.

We drove out to Walker's Point in Kennebunkport. This is where President Bush's Maine get-away is located.

Kennebunkport is a cute little town - exactly as I had pictured it. Nice shops and easy to get around.

We had lunch at Federal Jack's. The food was good, and we had an excellent view of the harbor.

Freedom Trail

We walked the Freedom Trail today. It is in "the book."

Mostly marked by red brick, the Freedom Trail winds through Boston. It takes you by many significant buildings/sights; such as Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere's house, Granary Cemetery, Boston Common and MA State House.

We had lunch at Quincy Market. Wow! Many great food options in one building. But....I don't like paying $3 for a soda - unless I am at a sporting event.

We passed 5 Dunkin' Donuts along the Freedom Trail. In fact, Boston has more Dunkin' Donuts than any other city I've ever been in.

Boston 7 July 2010

I went directly from the airport to Yankee Lobster and ate my first two-pound lobster. I plan to eat many more over the next few days. I rarely order lobster at restaurants in Minnesota because it is cost prohibitive (too expensive)! I want to gorge myself on lobster during this trip - - because I can.

London 13 March

Back in London - yeah!!

I am staying at a different hotel this time and I love it. The location is awesome - I can see the London Eye and Big Ben from my window. I can walk to the offices of three clients - BIS, Parliament and DECC.

I spent the afternoon walking, which included a wander through Trafalgar Square, past Parliament and Westminster Abbey. I had afternoon tea at my hotel. I like afternoon tea!

I saw Private Lives at the Vaudeville theatre. This is a Noel Coward play that I've seen before. It was awesome! It is a comedy, and was very funny. It starred Kim Cattrall and a British actor that I hadn't heard of before.

The worst part of the day - a few body parts STILL hurt from skiing in Vail two weeks ago. I couldn't walk as much as I wanted because I have a sore knee and ankle. I guess I better take it easy....but that is hard because there is always lots to see in the city - even stuff I've seen before is fun to see again.

London 13 November 2009

I had lunch at Borough Market. I heard about this place from Samantha Brown - who has several shows on the Travel channel. I had a fried cheese sandwich from the same guy who made her sandwich when she went to Borough Market.

I then had afternoon tea at Harrods, after doing a little window shopping. Harrods is an amazing department store. I remember my first trip to Harrods when I was in college. The only thing I could afford to buy at that time was a key chain.

Afternoon tea consisted of 5 small sandwiches, 2 scones, 4 pastries, tea...and I splurged and got champagne too. It was delicious!

I didn't do any other shopping this time...but I was tempted. Harrods actually has a little store in the airport, so that is where I will pick up some gifts.

Paris for my 35th birthday

Before getting to Paris, we (DH now, but this was before we were married) went to London first. And....before London, we changed planes in Iceland. I am counting it as a country I've visited even though I never left the airport.

We spent a few days in London, doing the typical touristy stuff. And actually... we didn't see anything that I haven't already blogged about, so now to Paris.

There were three highlights from this trip, all in the "book":

1. Mont-Saint-Michel - we drove to Normandy and spent the night on this little island in a building that was like 400 years old. We first spent the day wandering around the town, and visiting the abbey.

I love the ocean, so this was a huge treat. The views were amazing and I spent a little time in the water checking out the local mussel populations. It was very peaceful - especially at night when the island "closes" and the day tourists leave.

2. Taillevent - this is a restaurant in Paris and it was amazing. It was the best restaurant I had ever been to, and I have to admit I felt a little out of place. I probably wasn't as dressed up as I could be, and my French is not very good. The waiters were nice though - not snotty. It did help tremendously that DH's French is quite good.

3. Chateau de Versailles - don't all girls love an amazing castle? It is incredibly beautiful. The gardens were awesome. Sometimes I am very easily impressed, and this is one example of that.

We also visited the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and some of the other places I have already mentioned in other blog posts.

I did not go to Paris for my 40th birthday - as planned - but I went on a cruise and it was awesome. That will be a future blog post.

Iowa State Fair 2009

Yes, it is in "the book," and I have already checked it off my list. This was my second trip to the fair.

The weather was beautiful. The picture is of a cow carved out of butter. It is almost life sized. Ick! I don't actually like butter, but it does make a cute picture.

The crowds were not too bad. It was a good family day - the last one for months because Andy is back at college now.

We started with the bunnies. Jill wanted to bring one or more home, but we have too many pets. They were cute. I didn't realize there were so many varieties of rabbits.

Next stop was junk food - cheese curds and fry bread taco. And then on to chocolate chip cookies.

We rode the sky glider, which gave us a great view of the entire fair. We skipped the midway (rides and such), and then had roasted corn and mountain dew.

We walked through the animal barns - goats as far as you can see.....pigs - they were all sleeping... horses.....cows. Did you know that goats don't like to be bathed? We heard the worse noise ever, and it was a goat crying in the bath. Poor thing.

We went through the Cultural Center to look at the art.

It was a good day. Looong drive home though from Des Moines, IA to St. Paul, MN.

Paris for my 30th birthday

My first trip to Paris!! I spent the weekend of my 30th birthday in Paris. (I'd rather not reveal the date, but I guess context is needed - 1996.) It was just long enough to give me a taste of this awesome city. I remember being very tired and jet lagged, but tried to see as much as possible.


(Never buy new shoes before a trip like this.)

I went to a bakery every morning to get a fresh baquette. I love bread, cheese and wine. The French have a good thing going!

I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I didn't want to come down. I could have spent the whole day there, except for the fact that I was craving a crepe. It was a good crepe.

I went to the catacombs - and I don't need to ever visit that again.

I also really enjoyed walking through Jardins de Tuileries. I spent an afternoon in the Louvre; which isn't enough time - but again, just enough to give me a taste.

I knew before I arrived in Paris that I would love it and would want to return.......often.

Probably the best birthday present I ever gave myself.

UK January 1989

I can't believe it has been 20 years since my first trip outside of the US. I went with 19 other girls (strangers) on a college trip during J-term. We spent the whole month of January in the UK.




Sadly, I flew to London one week after Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Scotland. Yep, I was scared, but I still went.

Here are the highlights of what I can remember

First week was spent in London; weeks two and three in Leicester; and 4th week back in London.

First meal was horrible - fried veal patty and peas. (What is with their obsession with peas? There are like 10 other vegetables that I actually like - peas is not one of them.) I didn't eat again for 2 days - when I found a KFC.

We went as a group to the Tower of London and saw the crown jewels, to Buckingham Palace, to watch Les Miserables, and to Windsor Castle. (All places in "the book" are colored.)

We took a bus from London to Warwick Castle, to Oxford and then to Stratford-upon-Avon. A cute, ancient man took us on a tour of the oldest library in the world at Oxford. We saw Shakespeare's wife's home in Stratford and then watched the Tempest at Shakespeare's theatre. I also saw his grave.

I vaguely remember stopping at other places too - like the place where Lady Godiva rode naked on her horse.

We then spent two weeks in Leicester - this was the real learnin' part of the trip. All 20 of us girls were placed in the local schools and we lived with local families. I really liked my family. I got to be friends with another girl (Belle) who was placed in the same school and lived with a family on the same street.

I remember taking a tour of a local radio station. They even interviewed a few of the girls. (Not me - I am too shy.) Our radio station guide played a song for us and said the "singers" were going to be HUGE in the US in the next 6 months. It was Milli Vanilli. He was right - they were huge - but we all know how that ends.

I spent one weekend in York. I only remember going to the Railway museum.

I spent the next weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland (new country). That was an interesting experience for a college-aged girl from the US. We arrived before noon on Saturday. There were already lots of drunk men wearing skirts (kilts) who were more than happy to show us young American girls what they had - or didn't have - under their kilts. We stayed at the local youth hostel - another first for me - and last. I did visit Edinburgh Castle.

And we looked for the Loch Ness monster.

I don't remember much about the last week in London. I was pretty homesick by this time. I took the tube (subway) to Wimbledon, but was disappointed when I couldn't see anything from the station.

I have no idea where to find my pictures from this trip.

Tennessee

We spent a long weekend in Memphis with the kids during spring break 2006. We even brought the dog. It was her first road trip and she did very well.

From "the book":

Graceland - wow! a snapshot in time from the 70's - shag carpet and all.
Memphis's Rib Joints - I don't really like BBQ, but I went any way. (Note: don't order a Greek salad at a rib joint. It wasn't good.)

Not in the book, but excellent - their zoo. Memphis has a really awesome zoo. I was able to get >this close< to a panda.