Travel For Two

Pesto, anyone?

Posted on October 18th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Europe, Travel.

We’re back from Vernazza with G’s Parents. We had a great time eating our weight in pesto (yum!), anchovies, and drinking cheap (yet ever-solid) Italian wine… And to work it all off, we fit in a few hikes, too.

It was the perfect low-key destination for catching up with A&V and also having a bit of autumnal sunshine before the winter sets in for good. Thank you A&V–we had a great weekend! May the pesto pride live on…do share the wealth if you figure out the recipe

Some friends may remember our first trip to the Cinque Terre back in 2004. We loved it so much the first go-round that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to go back when A&V were going to be in the ‘rough vicinity’. And it didn’t disappoint. For those of you who have also been and would like an update, here’s a quick compare/contrast…

What’s the same? 2004-2009

• The same two Sicilian brothers have a quaint pastry shoppe at the top of the hill.
• One of the brothers still flatters every female below the age of 40
• The path from Vernazza to Monterosso is still unpaved
• The pesto
• It’s still a stunning, charming town

What’s Changed? 2004-2009

• Just about everyone in town has an American accent…tourism is booming, even in the off-season
• The prices are MUCH higher (no doubt in thanks to the Euro’s recent strength…)
• The shopkeepers have their own personal copies of the Rick Steves guidebook and quote from it…
• More upscale tourist shoppes in town (rather than just the ‘local’ grocers when we were last there)
• There are now wooden guardrails along much of the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso
• The locals aren’t quite so friendly…still very approachable, but they’re more ‘businesslike’ now

Vernazza’s still on our ‘favourites’ list and we had an incredible time, but it was a bit of a disappointment to see the impact tourism has had on the region since our last visit in 2004.

For more photos from our most recent trip to Vernazza, click here.

And for a few from 2004, click here.

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Our Anniversary…number 8!

Posted on September 27th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

We’ve made it to 8 years of marriage…already! And with only a few more wrinkles to show for the experience of it   And rather than traveling for our anniversary this year, we’re breaking from tradition and delaying the prize until November when we will travel to Maldives for a week of snorkeling and fruity drinks.

But, G and I ran another 5k yesterday in Belsize Park in honour of our anniversary week. Fun! With this one done though, I think I’m ready to up my game. Running a 5k is easy beazy. But who knew it would be so diffcult to find a (worthwhile and beautiful) 10k in London? I will find one…somewhere…with spots available…that doesn’t start before 10am

In other news, we’re attempting to rekindle our Spanish language skills from high school in the year ahead. By this time next year, we hope to have the ability to hold a 20 minute conversation with a native Spanish speaker without reverting to English. We’re now researching Spanish immersion courses in London and Spain…stay tuned.

And finally, we need a pet. We can’t have a puppy. And we think fish tanks are risky. So, maybe a goldfish?

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Tallinn, A Tasty Treat

Posted on September 13th, 2009 by g.
Categories: Europe, Travel.

Our expectations weren’t high for our weekend getaway, traveling to Tallinn (Estonia) with our friends Shaun and Lottie. Under Russian and Soviet control for hundreds of years, we were prepared for a somewhat depressed and developing country. We counted on the lackluster cuisine you might expect from eastern European countries, served up in the soviet concrete architecture to match.

But we found a treat. Tallinn’s café culture rivals Paris and Vienna’s, and the bars, clubs and variety of cuisine make it a great town to eat, drink and be merry. And it is all packed into a charming old town with city wall fortifications, towers, churches and, of course, the central square.

Like London, Tallinn offers a wide range of cuisine. So, we weren’t stuck with the local fare of pickled herring and jellied eel. We instead sampled Estonian, but also enjoyed delicious Russian, Indian, French, African and even Tex Mex. And it was all surprisingly well done. We mixed in some locally brewed beer in an Austrian style beer house, a fine bottle of European wine in a fantastically cozy wine cellar, and, of course, a few drinks sitting on the town’s main square.

To satisfy Shaun’s craving for ugly Soviet-era concrete blocks, we took the street car to the outskirts of town. Much to his dismay, we came up empty. We weren’t much help in his quest as we pointed out every pretty building and park we passed along the way. While the town doesn’t boast the grandiose style of Prague, it has its share of iconic elements and fine architectural touches. The entrance, through the main gate, made for a stunning first impression followed by the imposing town hall tower of the main square. The onion domed Orthodox church reminded us of Moscow and also made for a great photograph.

Tallinn’s unique mix of Scandinavian, Russian and eastern European influences proved to be a great recipe for a great weekend with good friends, fine wine and tasty food.

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My First (Tiny) Race

Posted on September 6th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

Today I ran my first official race…ever! Granted, it was a baby race. Just a 5k. But I had a great time doing it, jogged the whole way and came in at a respectable 33 minutes. I feel confident I lost about 3 minutes to crowds and congestion (understandable given that 17k women ran the race!) on the course, but overall it was a really enjoyable experience that I would willingly repeat.

Maybe G’s running habit has rubbed off on me afterall? Hmmm…if only I could also snag his uber fast metabolism

Maybe I’ll make good on my promise and run the Bath Half with G next year. Any volunteers to take pictures…and go to the spa after?

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Recently Prune Like in Budapest

Posted on September 2nd, 2009 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

Where did the month go! I haven’t yet finished my thank you notes from our visit to the States and we’re in a new month. Oh, no! Sorry guys!

But, meanwhile I’ll provide a quick update on what we’ve been up to since returning.

First, the U2 concert was really well done. We traveled up to Wimbley for the show and the new stage is remarkable. Really cool to watch the show in the open top stadium on a summer’s night. Thank goodness it was a clear night With any luck, G will see my post and add a video from the show.

We also learned how to make our own maki sushi rolls (thanks, Allan!). That was really exciting…now we can have sushi (without feeling guilty) on a lazy Tuesday. Now, we just need to find a London source for sushi grade fish so that we can upgrade from our current Cornish crab line. Come on Otoro (I know…it’s not sustainable )!

And, we’ve FINALLY gotten over our aversion to cupcakes following last year’s ‘parade’. We stopped in at our local Chewie’s for one a couple weekends ago. Apparently, their Chocolate cupcake with Peanut Butter frosting has won G over–he’s declared it to be his favorite. Ever! I guess you’ll know where to find us…

We headed to Budapest last weekend (a bank holiday weekend here). It’s a lovely city–very livable and the weather is apparently amazing most of the year. The coolest thing there…they have huge indoor/outdoor spa complexes. The water is pumped up from below the surface from their natural hot springs. When the winter weather gets too much for me in London, I often head to the gym’s steam room for a fix of warmth. If I lived in Budapest in the winter, I think I’d turn into a prune from spending too much time at the spa! So nice.

They also have the best food! And these amazing palatial Hapsburg-era complexes that were sold to residents for nearly nothing after the fall of communism (the one our B&B was in is to the right). There’s so little wealth locally that most of the houses are in disrepair, but someday, somehow they’ll be grand again. Investment opportunity anyone?

Oh, one other highlight. G and I have never really been wowed by the various churches and cathedrals during our travels. They just (sorry) generally seem dank and downright dreary. But, wow! The cathedral in Budapest is downright GORGEOUS.  It was completed in 1905, so perhaps it’s just newer than the others that we’ve seen. It’s gilded, but in good taste. A rare find.

And oh, is anyone a fan of Leonard Cohen? Apparently he has tons of fans. A number of bizarre fans stayed in our lovely B&B in Budapest because he was in town for a concert. Nice people flew all the way from Birmingham, Alabama to see him in concert in Budapest (only the second time out of the country!)…and stalked him waiting outside his hotel the day before the concert. They even wrote him a poem. After listening to iTunes, I’ve found I only like his songs when others sing them The version of Hallelujah from Shrek’s not bad…he wrote it (though he didn’t sing this version).

Our B&B was amazing. So nice. And affordable. And our host was an absolute dream. He has the BEST taste and made our stay so easy.

Now, we’re back in the grind. Wish me luck on my (K) first race this weekend! I’ll be running a 5k in Hyde Park. It’s a baby race, but given my luck, fingers crossed I don’t break a limb. And next weekend, Tallinn (Estonia) with MBA friends.

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Back from our American Respite

Posted on August 12th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

London’s grey skies greeted us with mild temperatures upon our return this morning…and those grey skies echoed our mood. We had an incredible time visiting with everyone in the States and it was incredibly hard to leave. Sunny skies and smiling faces greeted us around every bend in the road as we made our way in Oklahoma, Raleigh/Durham, Ocean Isle and b Virginia. Thank you to everyone for making our stay so pleasant and for making us so welcome!

During our travels we were able to catch up with the family in Oklahoma (thank you to the Kivett and DeWitt clans), friends in Raleigh/Durham (thank you to the Dellingers, Freemans, Scarboroughs, Jernigans, Precopios, Smiths and Olsens), friends and family in Ocean Isle (thank you to the Mears, Hilyerds, K’s Dad, Wallaces, Thompsons, Herwigs, Simons and Kaufmans) and K’s family in Virginia. It means so much to us that everyone made the effort to come out, have a great time and pick things up where we last left off.

We’ve been blessed by many things, but having loving and supportive friends and family has been (by far) the greatest blessing of all. But going back is never easy for us. It’s difficult to go back because it raises tons of questions that we happy stifle otherwise. Anyone who’s introspective would struggle with the ‘what ifs’:

What if we had bought a big and shiny house in Raleigh with kids in the yard (yes, I realise you can’t buy children )?

What if we had built a summer house at Smith Mountain Lake?

What if we had lived in DC or Richmond?

What if we could collect all our favorite people into single neighborhood someplace on Earth?

What if we lived in a place where the sun actually shines?

What if we were able to spend quality time with our family and friends more regularly?

What if I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow?

For every amazing moment, a not so amazing self questioning ‘why do we live so far away’ moment comes later. We count ourselves lucky to have so many friends and family who love and care for us…but have realised that the more we move, the less likely having all of our favorite folks in a single place at one time will ever be. It’s sad, really. But in the end, we count ourselves fortunate to have so very many wonderful reasons to consider our choice–thank you to everyone for making the effort and taking the break to have a wonderful time together.

For additional photos from our trip to the States, click here.

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Kayaking in Croatia

Posted on July 16th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

So. I’m weird with birthdays and present-giving holidays in general. I don’t like them. They freak me out a bit and no matter what, I always cry. I don’t really know why, but it’s been this way so long as I can remember. Probably has something to do with getting my hopes up with unrealistic expectations (a la Princess Kimberly crowned in jewels) and then plummeting to the extremes when things don’t go as planned. So, as the years have rolled on for G and I, we’ve come away with a couple lessons that help us to make it through without tears.
-No direct mentions of my birthday, singing (or opening of happy birthday cards or emails) on the day preceeding or on the day itself
-No gifts or cards in public places
-LOTS of activities throughout the day with no direct or indirect attention from wait staff or others to draw attention

I fully realise this makes me a bit of a freak, but it works. This year, I shed not a single tear (though there was a slight moment when teary songs were playing at the sunset bar and G tried to give me a card…tisk tisk). YAY G!

Then, today I returned to London, checked my email, Facebook and read my cards and opened gifts. Tear free. Perfect plan.

So, this brings me to the distraction that made it all possible 11 hours of ferrying and kayaking amongst the Islands of Croatia. A dream holiday thanks to G…and one of the best ever in Europe.

Thanks G.

What’s your favorite birthday regimen?

To see more photos from our Croatian respite, click here.

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