Tuesday Travel Snapshot...View From Warwick Castle England

Quite a few years ago I was lucky enough to spend a week working in England for my company. Thanks to some wonderful people that I worked with that week, I was able to see some beautiful sites. I stayed near Stratford-on-Avon so I was in a perfect area for some great site seeing. One place I toured was Warwick Castle. Although this picture comes from my point and shoot camera and I took a digital picture to post it here, the site of that village from the top of that castle was breathtaking. This was the first time I had ever traveled outside the US. I credit seeing the charm of England with giving me real wanderlust and planting a seed in my mind that it was possible to go anywhere.

Tuesday Travel Snapshot...Paris Street Art

Art is absolutely everywhere in Paris.  There is a reason Hemingway called Paris a movable feast.  Turning the next corner can literally take your breath away because you never know what you will discover. A feast of the senses.  This is just one of the reasons I love that city so much.  Both these pictures I took while strolling in Montmartre. Six more months till my next trip to Paris.  My camera will be ready!

Tuesday Travel Snapshot...Cruisin The Caribbean

One year ago Hubby and I celebrated our 25th Anniversary cruising the Caribbean with stops at Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

Stopped in port at Cozumel, our ship looked like a baby besides the massive Oasis Of The Seas

Rain clouds coming in at Grand Cayman.  The cruise ships in the distance.

Does Solo Travel Scare You? Do What I Did.

 

 How many times has fear held you back from doing something you really want to do?  Oftentimes it's more  that we care to admit.  Fear can paralyze us into not living our dream lives.  Of course not everyone can act on every little whim we have, like quitting a less than fulfilling job when we have a family to support, but with careful planning we can take steps to make our dreams into reality.

 

 Take for instance traveling. My dream of going to Paris began many years ago when I was in High School.  I love fashion and it was always a far off dream to visit the fashion capitol of the world.  I never thought I would actually go at that time since dreams like that for me were just that-dreams that could never be reality.  Then I turned 40 and for the first time I realized I will not live forever.  I set up a separate savings account and started putting away about $15 dollars a week into that account.  It was my "Paris Account" and I did not touch that account.  I found that I did not miss that $15 every week and although we could have used that money for daily expenses, that was the only way I was ever going to make my Paris dream a reality.  If you think you can't afford to take a big trip, I recommend opening up your own little savings account.  Put $5, 10, 15 dollars a week aside.  It may take a long time to save up enough, but it will be worth it.

     For the next seven years I kept building up that account until I had saved $3500.  Mind you my hubby had no desire to share my dream with me and being that I was determined to go I started researching going by myself.  I started searching for info on traveling to Paris solo and found that there is a whole lot of people my age that go it alone.  There are lots of bloggers and other websites out there just geared to solo travel.  I also did a lot of reading on the Paris forums on the Foder's website for about every bit of information geared toward Paris travel.  The more I researched the more obsessed I became.

     I had resorted to the fact that I would have to go it alone until my hubby saw a TV spot featuring a week long tour of Paris with a local tour company hosted by a local news celebrity.  Maybe this was my ticket!!  Why I never thought of this before I will never know.  I was afraid to go it totally by myself.  After all going to a foreign country where you don't speak the language is a little intimidating, but I was desperate to go and had the money all saved up!  Could this be the answer?

   
     I ended up going to an informational meeting about this trip and I had found my answer.  That night I paid my deposit and made my Paris dream a reality.  In the end I went on that trip not knowing a single soul and ended up having the time of my life.  Going on a group tour is the perfect way to see a place you dream about. It turned out I was not the only solo person on that trip and in the end I made a few friends too.

     I'm here to tell you that you should not let your fears stand in your way.  Life is too short for having any regrets.  Just because you have no one in your circle that shares your dream, does not mean that you can't go for it on your own. Check out the tour companies in your area. I'm from Wisconsin and this trip was trough Holiday Vacations. There is a ton of info out there on solo travel. One of the best blogs for solo travel is the Solo Traveler blog.  Or just do a Google search for solo travel and go from there.

     Don't let fear hold you back from fulfilling your dreams.  One way or another you can find a way to get there.  You just need to believe you can do it and you have to want it bad enough.

Planning for Paris....Returning To The City Of Light In 2016

It's been 5 years since I went to Paris for the first time.  Having never gone before and since I was going to be solo, I went with a tour group. Traveling with 40 other people was great for a first time destination.  I got to see all the major sights.  It would have been hard to plan all that on my own.  Traveling with a tour is pretty much stress free.  You just pretty much show up at the airport and just sit back and enjoy!

This time however I am really going to live out my dream.  I finally made my decision to go this year after meeting a women from France that now lives in Kentucky at a Holiday Market the week before Thanksgiving.  Talking to her just got me so excited about going back that I decided I'm done TALKING about going back and actually doing it!! This  time I am going to do all the planning on my own. This makes me a little nervous. Mostly because of the language barrier.  I do know basic phrases though and hope to learn more.   I will not be going solo, I will be going with my cousins wife. I am so excited that she is going with me. I will be doing most of the research and we will be getting together to discuss details.  I want to make this a great trip for her and want to make sure she gets to check off her list of things she would like to see while there.

So far I've been checking out airfares (wow! Expensive) and since I am leaning towards renting an apartment vs going the hotel route, I've been checking out various apartment rental agencies.  I have traveled before using VRBO and AirBNB for rentals and have been very satisfied with the process.  Anyway, there are so many choices out there it's overwhelming.  I am thinking I'd like to stay in the 5th or 6th arrondissement so we are pretty central to all the main things. Being this is the first time doing this on our own I have about a million concerns such as, what kind of transportation should we take to get from CDG airport to to the city, train, taxi, or hire a service?  I guess it's mostly the fear of the unknown.

So now that the holidays are over, it is time to start the planning process. First thing to figure out is a date, then a place to stay, then the rest will come later.  A million decisions to be made.  I'm open to any and all advice.  I'd love to hear any Paris experiences or suggestions. I'm going to be documenting the planning process all the way through.  My goal is to help make it easier on those that really have dreamed about going to Paris, but are afraid to plan a trip on their own.

Oh and by the way, Thank you to my new French friend for giving me the push to finally make this happen!! Merci!

Nighttime View From The Very Top Of The Eiffel Tower

One of my favorite pictures from Paris.....

The view from the very top of La Tour Eiffel at night is breathtaking.  I am so looking forward to going back and seeing this again!!

After 4 Years, Paris Keeps Calling Me Back.

Today marks the 4th anniversary since I got on a plane and landed in Paris for the first time.  I will never forget how I tried to contain my emotions as I saw La Tour Eiffel for the first time.  I worried I might get more than a few funny looks from my fellow travelers if I was openly sobbing.  I  couldn't help it, finally I was living my dream of always wanting to see Paris.  That 5 days became the beginning of some fabulous friendships that I have maintained through today.  It also turned me into a certified Francophile and I still cannot get enough of all things Paris.  I read virtually every book that has Paris as it's subject matter,  mastered making macarons, and have tried (unsuccessfully) to learn French.  The latter I am still working on!  My house is filled with Parisian themed decor and I even picked a French name (Zoe) for my dog when we adopted her.

So my obsession is not going to fade anytime soon.  I plan on returning to Paris next year. I want to see all the things I missed the first time, but more importantly, I just want to sit in a cafe and take it all in without being in a hurry. So until then, I will enjoy the memories of that trip 4 years ago and dream of the day that I will see La Tour Eiffel again!

New Orleans And Mardi Gras

Everyone must experience Mardi Gras at least once in their lives!  We spent two days in New Orleans the Thursday and Friday before Fat Tuesday.  Hubby and I were to set sail from there on the Saturday before and since we had never been to New Orleans, thought it would be fun to spend a couple of days checking out all the Mardi Gras festivities beforehand.

The first must do was chicory coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde.  Then Thursday night we found a spot on St. Charles Street to catch our first parades.  It was a cold night and the parades ran late, but we caught lots of throws and had fun.  We ended up standing by a couple who were from outside New Orleans  and were more than happy to give us lots of history on the parades.

    

We spent all day Friday exploring the French Quarter and observing all the craziness of Bourbon Street.

   I must say carrying all those beads around our neck was hard work. Of course I had a couple hurricanes to get me in the spirit.

We spent the afternoon roaming up and down Bourbon Street. Taking in the impromptu parades, catching beads and other sorted paraphernalia. Hubby proudly caught a decorated bra which is now displayed in his man-cave.  Yes, there was some bare chested women and even some less than fully clothed men and I really would  say Bourbon Street is not for young children, but honestly we had a blast and decided we would love to come back some day! I cannot forget to mention the food!  New Orleans has some of the best eating in the country. We had a couple of great meals. I had a fabulous Po Boy on Bourbon Street.

 

It was a great start to a fabulous vacation and even though there are still reminders of Hurricane Katrina around the city the spirit of New Orleans is alive and thriving in the people of this city.  I am looking forward to returning someday!

Tuesday Travel Snapshot

Since our Wisconsin winter has been long so far, I have been dreaming of summer. This picture was taken last summer during a mini escape to one of my favorite cities, Chicago. Next time you find yourself in the Windy City by all means take a 90 minute architectural boat tour. It is well worth it!

What Would We Do Without Our Girlfriends?

As a female I consider us the fortunate of the two genders.  Why you ask?  Simply because I think we are better at friendship than men.  Don't get me wrong, I know men are perfectly capable of having good male friends, I just don't think they have them on the level we women do.

I for one honestly couldn't get by without my girlfriends.  Maybe cause I am not fortunate enough to have any sisters, I feel the need to fill that female void.  Let's face it we women crave intimacy. I'm not talking about the same intimacy you can share with you spouse. I'm talking about the kind of connection that women share.  Its much easier to talk to your girlfriends about those hot flashes and wrinkles that we um.....women of a certain age experience, than to face that glazed over look you get from your hubby when you start talking about "those things".  Plus you need someone to share those crazy things your hubby does that either drive you crazy or make you laugh till your cheeks hurt!

I don't know about you, but if you have a few (or maybe even one) girlfriends that you can count on to listen or make you laugh till you cry, you are a very rich person.

A couple of my friends I have had forever.  My friend B and I have been friends since Sixth grade (trust me that is a LONG time!). She is like a sister to me.  We have been through a ton together and even when our families can let us down we are always there to listen to each other. It's a bonus since our husbands get along and now that we live closer we see each other often.  She's my go to person when I need someone to really figure things out.  I've had my friend G since Sixth grade also.  Her and I went to the same school.  She is my rebel friend.  My husband calls us the Thelma and Louise of Kiel High.  We did a lot of things together and had some great times. We have different lives now, but we keep in contact and see each other a couple times a year. When her first Daughter got married last year, it was like old times celebrating and seeing her family again to talk about the good 'ol days.

Then there are those friends you meet along the way in life.  Some come into your life purely by accident, some you marry into, and once you get to know them-it feels like you've known them forever. They are the ones you have so much in common with that it is like fate that you meet.  When I went on my trip to Paris three years ago I never expected that trip to pay me back in "friendship" dividens.  I met some wonderful people on that trip.  But my friends B and E have certainly made my life richer.  When I need a mood boost I know I can count on B to give me the gift of laughter.  At 75, she is one of the "youngest" women I know.  She honestly has become my inspiration for how I want to age.  My friend E is always ready to go on an adventure.  We've gone on a couple mini trips to Chicago, seen a favorite band, and had many long lunches. When we get together it seems we never run out of things to talk about.  She is one of the most positive people I know.  There's not many people I would feel comfortable meeting at the front door with my pajamas on, her I do.  When I said marry into, I was talking about my Niece K.  Even though she is my Niece through my hubby, we are very close in age.  She makes family get-togethers fun.  We have much in common and do a whole lot of laughing when we get together.  Going shopping with her is serious fun.  She's been through a lot and still has an incredible sense of humor.

There's nothing in the world like having friends that you can laugh so hard with you almost pee in your pants, or your cheeks become numb and your stomach hurts. There's also nothing in this world like having friends that you can be serious with and share life's bad times.  There are many more people that help make my life a happy place to be and I am thankful for all of them.

I'd say we are the luckier gender.  Life would be pretty empty without our girlfriends. If you have some awesome girlfriends in your life-let them know life would be a dull place without them!!!

Tuesday Travel Snapshot: Springtime In Paris

Welcome to my weekly Tuesday feature!  Every Tuesday I plan on posting photos from my travels to share with my followers.

This is one of my favorite photos from my trip to Paris.  I was there in early April and the flowers were blooming everywhere.  This pic was taken in front of a flower/garden shop on Rue Cler, a cute little market street near the Eiffel Tower in the 7th arrondisment.  I can almost smell them!  Since it is almost Spring here in Wisconsin USA I thought the time was right to share this photo.

How To Survive A Less Than Ideal Roommate When Traveling

Faced with wanting to save some money while traveling I had gone against my better judgment and signed up to double up on a room for my first trip to Paris. I had just one other solo traveler to choose from. She was in her 80’s and Paris was the one place she had never been to. First I told my travel guide no way, but the closer I got to the trip I thought -what the heck, I’ll meet her and decide from there.


So I made a date after a couple of phone conversation to make the trek to meet my potential roommate. We met and I was encouraged. She was well traveled and it was agreed that I would do my thing and she hers. Okay, we got along, she was spunky for her age, so I didn’t have to worry about the roommate from hell. Now all I had to do was wait for the big day to arrive.

Arrive it did. We met at the airport and almost instantly she began complaining about everything. The airline food, her headset didn’t work (a legit complaint I know), the long overnight flight. Once we arrived at CDG I didn’t see much of her (or maybe I was sub-consciously trying to avoid her) until we arrived at our hotel and were assigned our room numbers. We went up to our room and NOTHING was right. Our bags were not there yet, the room was small. The refrigerator was hard to open. You name it, it was not right. Now I on the other hand was happier than ever. The room was perfect, everything was perfect, I was in heaven, I was in PARIS!

Everything was perfect except my roommate. She complained about everything all week long. She didn’t like the food! Are you kidding me? We are in the culinary capitol of the world! If you cannot find anything good to eat here…..well forget it. Nothing pleased her and the first night I was so upset, I called home via Skype crying to my husband. He told me to see if I could get a room on my own. When we ended the call I walked outside for some fresh air and something magical happened. Our hotel had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. As I walked through the doors the tower lit up with all her twinkling glory and I knew right then and there that no matter how much my roommate grumbled about everything, she was not going to ruin the trip of a lifetime for me. And from that moment on I made the decision to avoid her at all costs. Come in late at night when she was sleeping and slip out for breakfast in the morning. Harsh, you may think, but there was no way I was going to pay thousands of dollars for the dream trip and have someone ruin it for me. The next morning I spoke with her and told her that I am going to do what I want to do. She seemed to think I was her travel companion and should be spending my free time with her?? Say what?

In the end, looking back, this was just a tiny bump in my Paris trip. In fact I hardly think of that part of the trip when I look back. I ended up meeting a group of ladies who took me under their wing and I had the best time with them. Seems I was not the only one that noticed my roommate’s sour disposition The whole group had stories to share with me.

So my ways to cope with a less than ideal roommate?


-Be kind, do not lose your temper

-Make your intentions clear right away

-Do not let them spoil your trip

-Do not feel you need to baby-sit them. Go do things on your own and DO NOT feel guilty about it

-If you can, get your own room, it’s not worth it just to save some money

-Most important, try and have a sense of humor, take a deep breath and do whatever you can to enjoy your surroundings.

If you want to save money and have a roommate when traveling make sure you choose wisely. I thought I did. In my case I was wrong. You don’t have to go through the same thing I did. I learned a very valuable lesson.

Have you had any roommate nightmares? I’d love to hear about them. Please share your experiences in the comments below.

More Favorite Books Featuring Paris

A while ago I wrote about my five favorite books about Paris.  Honestly who can just narrow it down to just five.  There are a ton of books out that there that choose Paris as the setting of their stories.  I try to read as many of them as I can.  I think for every one that I've read, there are probably ten more out there.  My mission is to read each and every one!I hope I live to be 105 cause that's how long it will take me!!

So from time to time I will share some of my favorites with you. Here's a few more that I'd like to pass along.......

This one is wildly popular and it is equally as popular with me!  The life of Earnest Hemingway and his wife Hadley in Paris at a time when THE place to be for all creative types was in Paris during the jazz age just fascinates me.  Maybe it has to do with my never ending love of Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris", I just cant get enough of this time period in the city of light.  The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain is an incredible look into the lives of the Hemingway's from the time they met and beyond.  This book is rich in Paris detail.  Could you imagine living in Paris at this time? The cafe culture was alive and even though Hadley and Earnest didn't have much money at the time, it sure seems like their lives were adventurous and full of interesting friends.  Really this is a must read!

 

Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas is a well done memoir about her year spent in Paris writing ad copy for Louis Vuitton.  How could a girl get so lucky!  If you have a hankering for French pastries, you will love this one.  She takes us along for her trials and tribulations in the city of light, but better yet her description of all the sweet treats she discovers is mouth watering!!

 

Last, but certainly not least are two wonderful chick-lit books by author Juliette Sobanet.  I love how she takes us along with her characters strolling the streets of Paris.  In  Sleeping With Paris, her main character Charlotte, after moving to Paris and getting her heart broken decides to write a blog about her dating adventures with french men and ends up falling in love.

Her next book Kissed In Paris is a fun little book.  Chloe, an event planner who just a week before her wedding in the states finds herself in Paris with no money or passport after a suave con man robbed her. She then goes on a wild chase in the streets of Paris with an undercover agent named Julian to retrieve her things.  All this makes her question weather or not her buttoned up life back in the states is really for her.  I am so looking forward to Juliette Sobanet's new book Dancing With Paris coming out this summer!  You can pre-order your copy on Amazon now!

 

 

 

 

So there you have it.  Some more of my favorite "Paris" books.  I'll keep reading and share with you!  Have you read any good Paris books lately that you'd like to share.  Please leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Reliving My Paris Vacation

It's been awhile since I've posted anything.  The long dark days of winter usually mean lots of time spent hibernating at home with just short trips out.  As a result, I haven't had much to write about lately, basically just trying to lose the 10 pounds I gained during the holidays and spending my Saturdays driving an eager teenager to her beginning gymnastics classes 50 miles away. Yup, pretty uneventful, but as spring is right around the corner things are looking up. In April I have a fun overnighter planned with a very good friend to see Garbage in Madison. Absolutely LOVE seeing live music!  In June I turn the big 5-0!  I'm still trying to decide what to do to celebrate this milestone!

So as the anniversary of my Paris trip comes up, I am longing to relive those days spent in my kinda paradise.  Today I pulled out my pictures, map, and Rick Steves Paris guidebook and went back to that wonderful trip.  This was one of my favorite things from that trip.

It was day three which was a free day for everyone in our tour group.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do....go shopping of course.  My goal was to buy an authentic Longchamp handbag in Paris.  I wanted to go to a Monoprix for some french cosmetics and a few clothing items and I wanted to go to Bon Marche and  La Grande Epicerie, the gourmet grocer next door.  So armed with my trusty guidebook and my Michelin Paris map off I went in the morning after breakfast.  I was pretty confident I would have no trouble finding my way.  I love to read maps and I had studied where I was gonna go.  Since our hotel was by the Eiffel Tower I found my way to Boulevard de Grenelle and set off on foot toward La Bon Marche.  I found a nice sized Monoprix on this street right across from a Mc Donald's.  I spent lots of time here
 scanning the aisles of cosmetics and skin care items.  This was heaven to me.  So much to chose from it was making me dizzy.  I ended up buying some Boujous mineral makeup and lip-gloss and a tube of Bioderma matte primer.  I couln't leave without some cute funky jewery and some inexpensive tops. I also loaded up on some chocolates to take home. I went to check out and had a little trouble using my credit card, of course the clerk was speaking rapid fire french to me that I could not understand.  I just pulled out another card and thank goodness this one worked!!

So off I was back on Boulevard de Grenelle, then to Boulevard Garibaldi and finally Rue de Sevres to my destination.  I arrived first at La Grande Epicerie.  This grocery was unlike anything I have ever seen before.  I mainly wandered around looking at the aisles of sweet treats.  This place is a food lovers paradise! I ended up purchasing more chocolate (a surprise I know!) and some souvenirs.  By this time I had worked up an appetite and went to the pastry counter and decided a pain au chocolate would be the perfect snack.  Next stop La Bon Marche.  Here I was on a mission.  It was afternoon by this time and I wanted to get back to the hotel in time to rest a little before dinner. I easily found the Longchamp department right on the first floor.  Oh how I wished I could explore every floor of this iconic department store!  In the end I came out of there with not one but two Longchamp handbags.  Oh what a happy girl I was.  I did exactly what I set out to do that day.

Back to the hotel I went.  Wait, I had one more thing to do!  There was a pain au chocolate calling my name in one of my bags.  I found a bench on a tree lined street and sat and enjoyed that yummy pastry.  Absolute heaven,  My shopping day was complete!

Where Are You Going In 2013?

Where are you planning on traveling to in 2013?  Are you off to some exotic local where all you do for a week is lie on the beach with a fruity drink in your hand?  Or maybe you are going on your dream European vacation where you try to see everything you can in the span of 10 days and come back exhausted but oh so happy?  Maybe traveling is just something you do for work and never really get to enjoy any destination you are at. Some I'm sure are just planning their annual weekly vacation, same destination every year, where nothing really changes except the cost of getting there.

  Of course travel is also a state of mind.  You don't necessarily have to physically go anywhere to go somewhere if that makes any sense!  I go places, through reading books and blogs, places I would otherwise never be able to travel to.  To me this is a great way to travel if you are on a budget since you don't even have to leave the house.  Heck, books don't cost anything either, with all the free downloads you can get. Plus let us not forget one of my favorite places to go, your local library.  Just spending a few minutes day dreaming can transport you  anywhere.

You can sit down and plan a dream trip.  Get some destination books, map out things you want to see, research, follow favorite travel blogs,  and search videos on You-tube.  Who knows it may inspire you to find a way to make that dream come true someday.

So now I will ask again-where are you planning on traveling to in 2013?  Either physically or mentally my advise is to go somewhere.  It makes life a little easier to cope with day after day if you have somewhere to escape to if even by just turning pages of a book.

Please leave a commment and tell me where you are planning on going  this year.  Doesn't have to be any far away destination.  I love to hear travel stories.  If you travel solo, let me know the best places to go solo!  I'm always looking for ideas!

Road Trip-Washington DC Part 2....Georgetown

Call me crazy, but I think my favorite part of the trip was walking the back streets of Georgetown. We arrived on Sunday immediately dropped our baggage at the BNB we were staying at in New Carrollton (after we met our most gracious hosts for the week Ann Marie and her husband Glen) and set out.

First we had to figure out the metro. This was gonna be interesting since I was the only one who new anything about riding public transportation. I did have an app on my android phone, which contained a map of the metro so this helped. The only experience I had was riding the Metra into Chicago and using the bus system there a couple times a year and briefly riding the subway in Paris last year.

We ended up figuring out the ticket machines found at every stop and purchase 3 reloadable paper cards to use in our entry and exit at every destination. Believe me I was thankful for our tour leader in Paris, Mike, because the lesson he gave us subway rookies at that time proved invaluable to me this time!

After purchasing our tickets that we used all week to get around, I had my trusty Streetwise laminated Washington DC map and away we went. Now this was a virgin experience for Rick and Megan. They were a little anxious about it and were depending on me to know what I was doing! Boy did I fool them! I knew two basic things-the last stop in the direction we were going and the stop we needed to get off at. I was not going to let them see that I was less than sure of myself.

Anyway we made it to the Foggy Bottom stop even after we needed to transfer to another train to get there. Success! We exited the stop and realized we could walk to Georgetown from there instead of taking the convenient DC Circulator bus. Our first stop in Georgetown was for lunch at the French bistro La Madeleine. Of course I would choose this place over say......Subway! Here I had a classic Croque Monsieur and split it with Rick.

I had just two things that I really wanted to do in Georgetown, go to the famous Georgetown Cupcakes and satisfy my sweet tooth, and see the townhouse JFK and Jackie lived in during the time he was a senator. My Frommers guidebook also suggested to walk the quaint back streets off Wisconsin Avenue for views of the beautiful townhouses and gardens. This had to have been my most favorite thing about the trip other than seeing the Inaugural Gowns of the First Ladies at the American History Museum.



I have to say I am a sucker for a colorful front door and Georgetown was LOADED with them. The beautiful gardens in front of these homes were magnificent and lush unlike the drought stricken gardens of home.












By this time we had had enough of walking in the sweltering heat so I had to find Georgetown Cupcake next. When we approached the street it was on from the back we notice a tell-tale line up of people waiting for something. Yes, this had to be it. I was told to expect a line out the door.



Rick and Megan thought I finally was hit with heat stroke and said I was crazy, but this was on my list of must do's and I took my place in line. I have never shied away from a long line be it in Chicago for Garretts popcorn or waiting in line for tickets to get in somewhere. Lines do not scare me! They took off and left me standing in line by myself. I knew the closer I got to the door they'd be back, because curiosity would get the better of them. Sure enough after snagging a menu from someone (they pass out menus at the door so you can decide what you want before) and waiting for about 20 minutes my fellow travelers took my side with me! Might I add that even if you decide what you want before you get in the store, be prepared to change your mind when you actually enter and see all those cupcakes on display. I decided on Lava Fudge BTW! We ate our cupcakes which were very yummy!

After that I knew Rick and Megan had had enough and even though I could have wondered around for longer it was time to head back to our home away from home for the week.

We strolled up Wisconsin Avenue looking in the shop windows when I came upon a shoe shop. Something very interesting caught my eye!! These have to be one of the most unusual pair of shoes I have ever seen for real and not in pictures. I wanted to walk right into that shop and touch them- they were so cool. Maybe only for actually keeping on your feet a few seconds but imagine the statement I'd make wearing these puppies!!





Would you wear these??

Enough of shoes already! We made our way up the avenue and since no one wanted to walk anymore, we caught up with the Circulator to catch our metro stop at Foggy Bottom and back to our College Park stop where we parked the van everyday to catch the metro for a new adventure! That was it for day one of our DC trip. Even though my family didn't think much of Georgetown, I sure did!

Still more to come........

Road Trip....Fourth Of July In Washington DC

Some people wouldn't dream of getting in their car to drive 15 hours to go on vacation.  Myself, well quite frankly I would get on a skateboard to travel to a new destination.  Well.... maybe not a skateboard, but although I do not mind flying, the rest of my household refuses to get on a plane.  In this case when we decided to head to DC for the week of our nations birthday I was excited for the road trip.

Seems to me more and more families are deciding to take the time to drive to their destinations either going by RV or just hoteling it.  The reasons are numorous. Avoiding airtravel hassels may be a big one.  At the time of our trip gas prices were pretty good (the least we paid for gas was $3.09 in Indiana).  I just love nothing better than watching the countryside roll by.  There is no better way to see things!  Lets face it, you can't round a corner in the mountains only to behold a beautiful valley with a cute town complete with a white steeple church on a plane when you are 2000 feet in the air. You can't be suprised by a bridge that crosses a river that is breathtakeinly 200 feet up in the air and you certainly cannot witness the beauty our vast country has to offer.

So we happily set off for our trip on the Saturday before the fourth at 8:00 in the morning and began our family vacation.  We made it to Somerset, Pennsylvania that first day before we stopped for the night.  We were road weary by that time. Over 12 hours on the road.  In the end Pennsylvania was our favorite state to drive through.  I had never been that way before so this was a new experience for me.  What a beautiful country we live in!

More on our trip coming up......

Advantages To Traveling Solo'

It has been one year since my trip to Paris.  I suspect I will be doing much reflecting this upcoming week on that wonderful trip and what made it so wonderful.  Seven years ago  I set up my own personal "Paris fund" to save for a trip I didn't know when I was gonna take.  I knew I was gonna do it and was hoping I would find someone to go with me.  I knew the hubby would never go, hes not a fan of cities and will not fly, so I knew it would have to be a relative or friend to go with me.  At the time I gave it little thought.  I just new someday I would go.

Last year when I knew I had enough saved up, I started to get serious about making the trip.  There was no one I knew at the time that was interested in going so I started to do research on going solo.  I really figured I could do it after spending countless hours reading the forums on the Foders travel website.  There were dozens of entries saying that Paris is one of the best cities for solo travel.  Especially for women.  There were women  writing about going to Paris multiple times by themselves.  I wanted to go bad enough that I didn't care.

Making a long story short I ended up going by myself but with a tour group, which made my hubby feel better.  He had suggested it after seeing a TV add with our local news anchor Erin Davisson hosting a trip.  It was a perfect idea and I signed up.

I went on that trip not knowing anyone.  Ten years ago I would have never dreamed of doing something so crazy. Its amazing what you can do if you really want something.  Here's some of the benefits to going solo.

You can do what you want-Okay, I LOVE shopping.  Not everyone does (I have a hard time understanding this!!). Solo travel gives you the opportunity to do what you like.  If you are an art lover, you can spend all day gazing at that Van Gogh if you like.  There's no one to worry about.  Everyone has unique expectations when they travel.

You are on your own timeline-Some people have to have a strict itinerary when they travel.  Others are happy just strolling along to discover hidden treasures that the usual tourist misses.

You may be more open to meeting people-This is very true in my case.  When I am with a friend or my hubby, I tend to "hide" behind them.  I can be more reserved and usually will not initiate a conversation with someone I do not know.  Alone I am more outgoing as long as I feel comfortable with the other person.  On my Paris trip I was with 42 strangers and by the end of the trip I think I had talked to almost everyone. Course they all made it so easy for me to feel comfortable with them.

Solo travel may be more cost effective-Especially true if you would otherwise be traveling with a spouse or child!  Some travel companions like to eat all their meals in fancy restaurants.  You may just be happy grabbing something cheap and quick from a convience store or a crepe from a street vendor!

Lastly, traveling solo gives you a boost of self-confidence-Try it and see what happens!  After doing this for a first time you may just feel like you can accomplish anything and there is nothing wrong with that feeling!