Tag: <span>vacation</span>

Scotland 2014 – Part 2

Before starting the section on the cruise of the Caledonian Canal, I wanted to add in a little overview of the canal and our boat.  The boat we took was the Isle of Skye, a 34 ft cruiser with one bedroom.  I’ve seen smaller apartments, so the size worked out just fine, even if Doug’s feet hung off the end of the bed (he’s also really tall, so his feet hang off the end of most beds).  Our cruise was along the length of the Caledonian Canal, built by Thomas Telford, completed in 1822.  By the time it was completed, the railroad had largely taken over and boats had gotten too large for the canal, so it was pretty much useless as its intended purpose for commerce.  Today, it’s used only for pleasure craft, full of hire boats, cruises, kayakers and canoers as well as hikers who walk the towpath.  It was a 60 mile journey for us from the Caley marina to Fort William.  We didn’t do the locks on the ends to go into the Atlantic Ocean or North Sea since both ends involve a long flight of locks and aren’t included in the boat hire agreement.

Day 4, May 30:
Got up and had breakfast at the hotel (included in the cost and always a great breakfast).  Gathered our things and got a cab to the marina which was pretty close by, but quite the hike with bags and across some busy roads.  Checked in at the marina with Caley Cruisers earlier than expected, so they got us started right away on the overview video which goes over the route including some of the tricky spots to navigate as well as basic safety procedures.  They’re really proud of the video and it does a great job of explaining things for the novice boater (me).  Husband is a captain on a rather large boat currently off the coast of India, so navigation is nothing new to him, but that particular vessel was, so he paid attention to the handling instructions (turning to port, using the thruster, etc), and I paid close attention to the instructions for the lines and locking procedures.  After the video was over, a staff member took us over to the Co-Op to get groceries for the week.  The fridge on the boat is about the size of a college dorm fridge, so it wasn’t quite enough for the whole week’s groceries, but enough to get us to Fort William.  We kept it pretty simple – sandwiches, pasta and sauce, a seasoned/ready-to-cook chicken package, and bacon and eggs for breakfast.  We did plan on cooking on board most of the trip with an occasional meal out.  Once we got back and got everything settled on board, they brought Bob over to run our handling and on-board safety briefing way earlier than expected which was SO nice.  It was really great to be able to set out earlier rather than wait for everyone else to show up and leave as a group.  Bob was a captain on a tanker ship, so he was immediately comfortable with Doug and instructed me to untie and Doug to grab the helm and take us out.  As we motored down the short bit of canal before the first bridge, Bob gave us instructions on speed, RPMs, the depth of the canal, passing other vessels, etc.  We waited a few minutes  for the bridge to open and motored on through, then Bob had Doug execute a turn in the narrow canal which went perfectly.  I then got instructions on how to tie up using their preferred method and tied the boat up alongside the dock at the other side of the bridge.  Bob called the office to be picked up, we signed some paperwork saying we were properly briefed about lifejackets, safety procedures, handling, etc, and we were left to go on our way to the first lock!  I have to admit, even if Doug was not already a licensed captain, I’d still feel really comfortable about taking the boat out with just two of us on board.  Doug got out our Captain and First Mate hats (he’s a nerd, in case you didn’t know yet) to make the trip official.  With Bob back on land, we untied and headed up to our first lock, Dochgarroch lock  and after a short wait because the lock tender was at lunch, we went through without a problem.  Sailed through Loch Dochfour and then into Loch Ness.  The day was beautiful and sunny, and Loch Ness was like glass – completely still and tranquil.  It’s apparently not a common occurrence, so we took advantage of the day to stop at Foyers and hike up to the falls.  Caley Cruisers only allows stops at Foyers  during good weather, so we were given the thumbs up when we dropped off Bob.  The hike was pretty long and steep, but it was GORGEOUS even though Scottish Hydro had reduced the falls that day to a mere trickle.  The view  out into Loch Ness was stunning too.  Hiked back down and cruised the rest of Loch Ness.  We had Fort Augustus in our sights and arrived at about 6pm.  Tied up, took a nice walk around town, had dinner on the boat, a little whisky, and then settled into bed.

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Day 5, May 31:
We had breakfast on board again and had a bit of a wait in the morning to start our way up the 5 locks.  We finally got going around 10:30am.  After going under the bridge, we went through the first lock on the boat as usual and then got out to tow the boat up on foot.  Our instructions per the lock tender were that I was the carrot in the front, and Doug the mule at the back.  The person at the back does the majority of the pulling, and the person up front steers, keeping the boat parallel to the lock walls.  It was a busy morning, so the lock was packed with sailboats and other hire boats.  I even remembered to put the Little Cyclops camera on the railing so we have a neat time lapse of our journey through the locks!

After we were at the top of Fort Augustus, having answered a ton of questions from curious tourists and heard an earful about the importance of Scottish Independence from a lock tender, we motored off to Kytra lock which was a pretty tall step up.  The lock tender there is named Linda and she handed out gold stars for proper life vest use.  Shortly after Kytra was Cullochy Lock and then the Aberchalder Swing Bridge which we sailed under with plenty of room.  We made a short stop at the Invergarry Castle ruins at 3pm.  The ruins are right by the dock, so it was just a short walk.  Back on the boat and another stop at the Well of the Seven Heads to grab a few supplies at the store there and see the monument.  Heading onwards, we sailed through Loch Oich and then under the Laggan Swing Bridge.  We arrived at Laggan Locks at 4pm for a small step down – the locks had all gone up until this point.  Then a short sail through Ceann Loch and Loch Lochy, and we made it to Gairlochy Locks at 6pm to tie up for the night.  We really wanted to hustle and make it to Fort William that evening, hence the short stops, but the hold up in the morning at Fort Augustus really set us back.  It wasn’t terrible since the view at Gairlochy was beautiful!  The mountains were still covered in snow and the air had a pleasant chill after a long day in the sun.  It was definitely getting colder, the further on we went.  Not parkas-and-mittens cold, but throw-on-a-fleece cool.  Also worth noting is that the facilities (showers/bathrooms) at Gairlochy were IMMACULATE.  I’m almost glad we stopped here for the night instead of blazing through to Fort William because it really was serene, and we got to watch a group of hikers brave the cold water of the canal for a swim.  They didn’t last long, and there were a lot of high pitched squeals at the temperature of the water.  Dinner and a show!

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Day 6: June 1:
We were up early and ready for the lock tender who let us through first thing at 8:30am, and through the bridge there as well shortly after.  We sailed right on by the Moy Swing Bridge (the only original bridge remaining, still needs to be hand-cranked open), and made it to Fort William at 10am.  The early start definitely made up for the prior day’s delays!  The stopping point is at the top of the Banavie locks, near Fort William, not directly in Fort William, so in order to get into town, you need to hop the train (which is what we did for   £4.20 for the two of us) or call a cab.  The train really only runs through that stop a few times a day, so even if it’s cheaper, it’s not incredibly convenient.  It was Sunday, so not a lot was open, but we had time to burn walking around the town.  Had lunch at the Grog and Gruel which was a little overpriced, but wild boar burgers, so I wasn’t complaining.  Great selection of cask ales too!  It started to drizzle, so we headed to Morrisons to grab groceries for the rest of the week, and then hailed a cab back to Banavie ( £9, really not bad).  Found the lock tenders and hooked up power for the night, refilled our water tank.  Had a few Strongbows and took in the scenery – the top of Banavie locks is a really pretty view of the Nevis range, even with the drizzle.  The rain did let up, so we took a LONG walk to try to find the Tor Castle ruins.  We never did find them, but we did find a passageway under the canal – it lets rain water flow under the canal and even has a roadway fit for cars!  Really an incredible feat of engineering when you think about just how large the canal is.

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Day 7: June 2:
We got up at 7am and had breakfast while it POURED rain.  We grabbed a cab for the Ben Nevis Distillery and made the 10:30am tour.  It was a great little tour, and yet again, we were told how important it is that Scotland gain its independence since the British tax on whisky is something in the neighborhood of 80 pence per pound sold.  It was sort of interesting how vocal the guide was about the topic given how controversial the subject seems to be.  The whisky taste at the end was delightful and we decided to bring home a bottle.  By the end of the tour it had mostly stopped raining, so we took the foot path to the Inverlochy Castle ruins.  The path continued on to the heart of Fort William and since the weather was nice, we went ahead and walked into town.  Had lunch at Crofters which was really affordable and good.  Even met a woman from California who sat at the table next to us.  Finished lunch and a chat with the Californian and went over to the train station to see about seats for the Jacobite Steam Train.  We had checked online the day before and it seemed to be sold out, but the site said to show up since they may have tickets available to purchase that day, cash only.  Sure enough, there were TONS of seats available and the train was hardly full at all.  The train ride was two hours to Mallaig with a short stop at Glenfinnan.  There wasn’t a whole lot to do at Mallaig once we arrived there, and it happened to be raining again.  We did stop for a pint at the Marine Bar and Doug had fish and chips at Jaffy’s which he proclaimed to be the best he’s ever, EVER had.  We hopped back on the train after the almost two hour stop at Mallaig and arrived back at Fort William at 8pm (remember, it’s still broad daylight at 8pm).  The whole trip was beautiful, seeing the hills roll by, the Glenfinnan Viaduct, sheep, lakes, brief glimpses of the coastline.  Stunning.  And, a great way to spend a sort of gloomy, drizzly day.  We grabbed a few more necessities at Morrisons and then hopped a cab back to Banavie for our last night in Fort William.

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Part 1  | Part 2 | Part 3

Scotland 2014 – Part 1

I think this is best in three parts because the vacation was kind of huge and amazing and it will be SO hard to fit this into just one post.

TL;DR: The vacation was possibly the best we’ve ever taken.  We spent two days in Edinburgh and then hopped up to Inverness for a day.  Then it was on to a boat to cruise the Caledonian canal for a week, up to Fort William and then back to Inverness and then a final day in Edinburgh before heading home.  The pace was just right – we had time in a busy city, sightseeing, hanging in crowded pubs, but we also had relaxation time on the boat to enjoy the beautiful scenery and stop to take nice hikes.  Honestly, top 3, possible top vacation ever.

On to the detail for those of you who like to read  🙂

Day 1, May 27:
We landed in Edinburgh around 10am, collected our bags and hopped a cab to our hotel  (I think about   £25), the Grassmarket Hotel.  Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we dropped our bags with reception and popped over to the White Hart for a pint and something to eat.  I remembered they had Haggis Nachos, so that was a necessity.  Had a few pints along with lunch and by the time we were done, it was time to grab our room.  The rooms at the hotel were small (think NYC size rooms) with very little room around the bed, but plenty of storage underneath the bed and in a small open closet space.  We set back out to walk around Edinburgh, up to the Scott Monument, Edinburgh Castle, and winding around some small streets and such.  Upon the recommendation of a friend, we went to the Edinburgh Dungeon, a totally touristy thing to do, but pretty hilarious.  If you pay attention, you get a decent overview of Edinburgh’s seedy history from Burke and Hare to the plague and hangings in Grassmarket, and if you don’t pay attention, you get a fun show and carnival ride.  Later that evening, we found some local Ingress players and went to the Cloisters bar with them for a few pints.  It really was a fun evening and we had an absolute blast meeting Scottish Ingressers, but we were completely exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel and slept VERY soundly.

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Day 2, May 28:
On the suggestion of a coworker of Doug’s, we took a short train ride to the town of Stirling to see Stirling Castle.  I can’t really say which is better – Stirling or Edinburgh Castle – because they’re SO different from eachother.  Stirling feels more like castle/residence where Edinburgh feels more castle/fortress.  Spent most of the day wandering around the castle (there’s SO much to see), Argyll’s Lodging, and the small town.  Had a late lunch, stopped in a little candy shop where we found Irn Bru rock candy.  Took the train back to Edinburgh and went to Brew Dog for a few beers.  They make some really unique brews that are hard to find in the USA  so that was a real treat.  While we were sitting at the bar, we saw that they had Victory beer in bottles in the fridge!  We live really close to the Victory brewery, so it was crazy to see beer from home in a pub in Scotland.  Headed back to the Cloisters again for dinner since we didn’t have dinner there the night prior and were told it was really great.  Also, the selection of cask ales is incredible.

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Day 3, May 29:
Got up, found breakfast, and hopped the train to Inverness.  It’s about a four hour train ride, so we go into Inverness around 2pm.  The plan was to hang out around Inverness the night before picking up our boat at the marina, so we booked a room with an old favorite, the Strathness House.  The owners recognized us immediately and welcomed us back – SUCH a nice place, I can’t get over how lovely the hotel is from the staff, location, and everything about this hotel.  Walked around Inverness for a while before having a pint at Blackfriars (beer tourism is just as important as regular tourism, in case you hadn’t noticed the trend!) where we met some Inverness Ingressers briefly.  We had dinner at Hootananny, only to find that they had switched their Thai menu to a more traditional Scottish menu – no complaints from me!  The thai was good, but traditional Scottish fare is delicious.  Walked around some more, enjoying the extra daylight at that latitude – it doesn’t really get dark till after 11pm or so, and only stays dark for a few hours that time of year.  It’s probably the hardest part about travelling to Scotland in the summer since my internal clock is based on daylight – getting dark?  Must be about 8:30pm!  Nope, 11pm.  Really a mind blow.

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Thus ends part one!  It’s a little short, but I wanted to separate this part of the trip from the boat cruise which I’ll split into two parts.  Having these first few days to adjust to the time zone (and extra daylight) REALLY helped us get on schedule for the boat.  I don’t think we would have done quite as well if we had arrived and gone straight to the cruise.

 


Part 1  | Part 2 | Part 3

Eurotrip 2011 – Siena

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

I realized that I was WAY behind on these, so here’s the next installment from our trip in March.  (Is it really almost July already?  It can’t be!)  As always, click any photo to see the larger version on flickr.

March 18. We missed the train to Siena from Rome by about three minutes – the train was at the far, far end of the station and as we were quick-walking to get there, it pulls away.  Ugh.  Next one was in two hours, so we spent a little time people watching outside the police station which proved to be good entertainment.  We ended up on the 10:58am train which arrived at Siena (via Chiusi) at 3:20pm.  Somehow, I had neglected to write down the address to the hotel on my master-sheet, but thankfully a very nice cab driver knew exactly where to go, the B&B San Francesco.  It’s tucked in a tiny alleyway near the Basilica of San Francesco (St. Francis).  The room we booked came with a toilet and shower (somewhat of a luxury for European hotels on a budget), check in was easy, and the folks at the desk spoke enough English, and I had apparently remembered enough Italian that we figured things out just fine.  We got to the room, dumped our bags, and ran out after taking a quick peek at the view (to the right) – Incredible. DSC_7114

We booked it on over to the Tuscan Wine School, making it there just in time.  Doug and I had decided to do the small wine school class in the city rather than a full wine tour of the region mostly due to time constraints.  If we had spent the full two weeks just in Italy, it would have made sense to do a full day wine tour, but I really wanted to go back to Siena (the city where I spent four months for a semester abroad) and spend time in the city proper instead of just being there for the hotel.  Anyway, the class we took was the Tuscan Wine class, and I can tell you, having already spent four months (granted, years ago) studying Tuscan Wines in great detail, that this class was SPECTACULAR.  I learned a few new things (my studies were more casual, perhaps), and the range of wines presented was absolutely perfect.  The teacher, Maria Luisa, was very knowledgeable and spoke English perfectly though we did share a few words in Italian after she found out that I studied there nearly 10 years ago.  The tasting ended with Cantuccini and Vin Santo, two of my all-time favorite things. DSC_7105

We wandered off to the Piazza del Campo for dinner – pricey, but it’s quite the experience to sit in that piazza under the moon and take in a meal (photo at right).  After that it was off to the Dublin Post for a beer seeing as we had missed getting beer on St. Patrick’s day, and Doug felt it was his duty to have at least one beer.  They had a great selection (as always), and overheard a number of English conversations (lots of exchange/study-abroad students in Siena).  Then it was back to the hotel to collapse. DSC_7123

March 19.  Breakfast at the B&B San Francesco was included, so we helped ourselves to an AMAZING spread in the common kitchen/dining area.  They allowed us to leave our bags at the hotel in the hallway while we were out sight seeing for the morning.  Since it was in a hallway, we decided to lock up the backpacks with our PacSafesjust in case – it’s not that we didn’t trust the staff of the hotel, it’s just a travel precaution (and really, if anyone wanted to help themselves to some dirty socks, they were more than welcome).  Anyway, we went to the Duomo Museum and climbed the facciatone (big facade) (131 stairs).  The facciatone is the remnant of a very ambitious plan to expand the Duomo (cathedral) in 1339 which would have made it larger that St. Peter’s in Rome.  Unfortunately, the plague swept through shortly thereafter leaving them with no workforce and no money to finish the project.  The view from the top of the facade is rather spectacular and well worth the climb (photo to the right, top).The same ticket that permits entrace to the Duomo museum (if you do the city-attractions ticket), also allows entrance to the Bapistry, Crypt, and Cathedral.  Doug jokingly called the cathedral (Duomo) the zebra church (photo to the right, ) – the entire inside is made of black and white marble arranged in stripes.  It’s really quite a sight to behold.  The floor is marble as well, and while mostly covered up, a few open spots show the incredible detail of the marble murals.  I’ll let you go poke at the flickr set (linked below) for those photos, otherwise I’ll be posting every photo from Siena here in the blog.  I just love it that much.We did lunch at a little place called La Vecchia Taverna di Bacco.  INCREDIBLE.  I think I had this gorgonzola cream sauce gnocchi which was just to die for.  Siena in general is pretty expensive, so you just can’t look at the bills and be shocked, but I didn’t think this place (on a side street) was too bad for lunch with wine.Post lunch, we decided to burn off some of those calories.  The big tower in the center of the photo at the right/top is the Torre del Mangia – 400 stairs to the very top.  That brings our stair counter to 531 for Siena.  The view of the piazza below, and the countryside is always incredible (photo to the right, bottom), and well worth whatever they’re charging for it (and the time spent in line as well). DSC_7147
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We finished off the tower at the bottom with Frittelle di Riso (fried rice balls, photo to the right).  In honor of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph), a little shack is set up in the Piazza del Campo and sells fried rice balls covered in powdered sugar.  It was something I remembered from my study-abroad days, and LOVED back then.  Doug really liked them too, so we enjoyed one last paper cone full before going back to the hotel to grab our bags.Back at the hotel, we collect our bags and head out to the bus station.  At the end of the little vicolo, there’s a small square with a fountain.  A table was set up, and one of the youths at the table calls out to us (something I didn’t catch at first), so we curiously walk down to see what’s going on.  He pegs us for Americans and hands us more Frittelle and cups of prosecco, “For San Giuseppe!  From the Contrada del Bruco!”  (Bruco = Caterpillar)  Siena has these contrada, or neighborhoods, that each have some pretty fierce pride.  There’s an annual horse race in the piazza, and each contrada raises money, cares for a horse, chooses a rider, flag bearers, etc.  It’s a pretty elaborate thing, and I suppose it would be like Eagles fans vs Cowboy fans, but with 17 neighborhoods each in competition with the others.  They have little festivals and special feast days and whatnot throughout the year, and it’s sort of like an extended family in a way for people who live in the contrada’s boundaries.  Anyway, short cultural history lesson aside, it was pretty neat to be flagged down like that, and we thanked them and wandered off to the bus station.  We grabbed our tickets to Florence, deciding not to get on the VERY PACKED first bus and grabbed the second one instead.  It’s just an hour’s bus ride to Florence, and is MUCH easier by bus than train. DSC_7197

Official Stair Counter: 1082


Slideshow of photos from Siena

EuroTrip 2011 – Rome

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

The husband and I packed our enormous backpacks and headed off, thanks to a batch of frequent flyer miles, on a two week vacation to the cities listed above.  I’ll put up a post per city over the next couple of weeks – in part for myself, to remember the places we went, as well as for others to enjoy.  The trip was March 15-29, 2011 and here it is, April 8th, and I’m still having a hard time getting back into the groove of things at home.  I was told that means we had a terrific time, and I’m inclined to agree    🙂

Roma!  We landed in Rome early on March 16th after leaving the USA on the 15th.  We were able to take the train from the Fiumicino  airport to the main train station in Rome (Termini), find our nearby hotel (Hotel Papa Germano), and be all checked in and settled with the room by 10am.  It was drizzly but about 60 degrees F, so not incredibly terrible.  We grabbed our things and took the metro out to the Vatican City.  After going through metal detectors and security (something new since my last visit in 2002), we were permitted to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica.  First we saw the inside of the Basilica, marveled at the size of the place, the art (The Pieta!), and just took some good time taking it all in.Photo to the right is of the inside of St. Peter’s Basilica, looking up at one of the many, many domes inside. DSC_7015

We then decided to go and climb the cupola, “a piedi,” and save one Euro per person.  If you took the elevator, it cuts out 231 stairs from the total of 551 stairs.  We arrive at the top of the 231 stairs where the elevator lets out, and it’s the gallery inside the basilica.  Nice view of the whole basilica from a safe, fenced in walkway that goes around the entire cupola (see photo to the right).  Great, we think, that wasn’t too bad, we’re there, and that’s it, and we go back down, right?  No.  There are another 320 stairs that wind in the narrow space between the inner and outer skins of the cupola, taking you ALL the way to the top of the highest point in the Vatican.  At one point, near the top, the walls curve in on a diagonal so that you are basically walking up those stairs leaning sideways.  Doug demonstrates the beginning of the walls moving in on his 6’4″ frame in a photo here. DSC_7025

We make it to the top, and the view is spectacular.  Spectacularly pouring rain too.  Good thing we brought the rain jackets instead of heavy winter coats.  Anyway, I shuffle out, get a photo of the view (photo to the right), and then wait in line to head back down all 551 of those stairs again.  At the bottom, we went back inside to the Crypt which holds the tombs of 91 popes including the most recent burial, Pope John Paul II.  I had the pleasure of sitting through Easter Mass in 1998 with him, in the Vatican on a high school trip to Italy.  I’m not the world’s most religious person, but the dude was pretty well liked and a master of I don’t even know how many languages, so even if the religious importance of the mass flew over my head, the cultural importance of JP and the pope’s position certainly did not.  When we got to the point where his tomb was, a large group of mourners (he died in 2005 by the way), clutching tissues and sobbing, had been given a sizeable area to stand and mourn as long as they wished.  Doug was a little shocked, and I was too, given the amount of time that had passed.  Found out after we got home, that he’s set to be beatified on May 1, 2011, so that might have been part of it too. DSC_7036

After spending most of the day at the Vatican, we walked a short distance to the Castel Sant’Angelo.  We were pretty beat by that point, and the Castle offered us some more stairs that we begrudgingly took to the top of the castle (photo to the right is from the top).  A stage and sound equipment was being set up outside but we couldn’t figure out what it was for.. something was going on, in all that rain?After that, we took the metro back to the hotel and took a short nap before dinner.  Dinner in Italy doesn’t start until 7 or 8pm and forget about even finding a restaurant open before 7.  It’s a later event than it is in the USA, and is always at least an hour or two long.  You relax, enjoy yourself, chat, and have a full, FULL, 3-course-minimum meal.  We took advice from the hotel reception staff and went across the street, still a little travel weary, to La Famiglia.  They had a tourist menu for 16€ plus 4€ tip.  The wait staff spoke English – I speak Italian, or at least used to be pretty good after studying it in college plus the semester abroad for four years – and the food was delicious, ESPECIALLY the orange custard Tira Misu. DSC_7048

March 17.  We wake up and finally figure out that the stage setup from last night was for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification.  We were up early, and a little worried that everything would be shut down for the day because of the big holiday.  Instead, we find out that everything is free because of the big holiday – we didn’t pay a single admission fee anywhere all day long!  Not bad.  So we wished Italy a Happy Birthday and set out to the Baths of Diocletian which wasn’t quite open yet.  So, we go on a walk around the block and stumble into Santa Maria degli Angeli e Martiri (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs).  Camera crews are set up inside and outside the church for something (probably as part of the celebration of the unification), but the cathedral is still open, so we go in to waste some time before the baths open.  Turns out, the cathedral was built using the existing walls of the ancient Roman bath.  There’s also a really neat sundial built into the floor, also referred to as the Meridian line.  A small hole in the wall allows a spot of sunlight that shines at solar noon to mark the date.  It was pretty neat to see something like this inside a cathedral, and we took some time looking it over (photo to the right). DSC_7050

The Baths of Diocletian finally open, and we go inside (for free!).  The courtyard outside is lined with row after row of grave stones gathered from various sites around Rome.  The museum inside contained so many incredible artifacts including a large collection of items from burials in the surrounding area.  It was totally visual overload, and I REALLY enjoyed spending time inside (and out of the rain).  We then hop the metro out to the Coliseum – a must-see landmark in Rome.  Noticing a long line at the Coliseum, we walk down the street and stop in for some pizza.  The rain had stopped for a short while, but started up again just as we were finishing lunch.  The wait staff moved us under the umbrellas on the outdoor dining area, and let us hang out with our wine until the downpour stopped.  At the coliseum (photo to the right), entrance is free again, and we dodge in and out of passing downpours, wandering around the complex. DSC_7081

It looked like the rain finally gave up for the day, so we decided to hit up the Roman Forum and Palatine hill.  I still get chills walking on the ancient Roman roads (Via Est Via Romana!), thinking that I’m walking on the same stones where Julius Caesar, Cicero, and other notable Romans once walked.  Those four years of high school Latin really bring ancient Rome to life in a way that can’t possibly be described in words.  We spent the remainder of the day exploring the forum including the Stadium of Domitian (photo to the right).  Headed back to the hotel, and again upon recommendation by hotel staff, went off to a nearby restaurant, Da Vincenzo.  Another fantastic meal, served by an English-speaking waiter with quite the sense of humor (he had us laughing all night).  Another classic Italian dinner, complete with wine and dessert.  We went back to the hotel and got ready for our morning departure to Siena. DSC_7097

Official Stair Counter: 551


Slideshow of photos from Rome

Komet

DSC_0519 Komet tl;dr
Pattern: Komet
Designer: Stephanie van der Linden
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Yarn:  Sheepy Time Yarns Yarn That Shall Not be Named in, “Teal Deer,” from the Sheepy Time Knits December 2009 Club
Ravelry Project Link
This is the second installation of the Sheepy Time Knits club for February 2010. I picked a different base this time, and managed to pick a pattern that worked perfectly with the yarn. These were knit over the span of a week-long vacation in New Hampshire at Attitash Mountain.  We, the husband and I, went up for our somewhat annual ski trip, but what ended up happening was him skiing three days of the week, and me spending a lot of time getting to know all the inner workings of the lodge.  I did one run down the mountain and decided that I was really out of shape and just not cut out for skiing this season.  The pattern was a touch tricky – there’s a 4×5 cable cross in there and I actually needed to break out the cable needle for that one.  This is the cable needle that I used only one before since I do all my cabling without a needle – so much faster that way.  The result is worth it though – the design is super cute and I just love the brilliant teal color of the yarn.  The base is similar to another yarn that shall not be named, but starts with a “W” in case you were wondering.  Another fun club knit!

Oh, Teal Deer or, tl;dr for short, is internet speak for, “Too Long; Didn’t Read” (or Too Long; Don’t Read) for posts on message boards that ramble on and on and on.  ie:
tl;dr – socks are awesome, yarn is lovely, vacation was great, but I’m not built for skiing.


More on that vacation though, because I really did spend a few days outside the lodge.  Tuesday, we went up to Great Glen Trails to take the Snow Coach halfway up Mount Washington.  The road up the mountain isn’t plowed through the winter and cars are only allowed to drive up in the warmer months.  During the winter, a specially built van (van + tractor treads = Snow Coach) takes visitors to a halfway point up the mountain, weather permitting.  We were having some really fantastic weather which was maybe not the best for skiing, but great for playing tourist.  It was about 45 and sunny at the base, and about -20, sunny, but the winds were blowing at around 40mph.  We decided to go for the snowshoe rental at the base and bring them with us in the coach.  Nixxed the idea of getting out at the midway point (4300 ft approximately), but jumped out somewhere around the 4 mile mark on the auto road (3500ft elevation).  We strapped in for our first time snowshoeing and headed off.  The Snow Coach driver mentioned a trail that would take us up to Lowe’s Bald Spot.  We took the trail only to find that it went nearly straight up and was pretty battered from some knucklehead who tried to hike it in plain boots (and sunk in a good foot with each step).  We managed it anyway and came up to a bald spot with some spectacular views.  Hiked back down, and made it back to base after nearly 6 miles of snowshoeing.  It was exhausting, but well worth it for the experience!  We did end up coming home with snowshoes since we loved it so much – here’s hoping we get snow again in Philadelphia (maybe not *quite* as much) next winter too.
We also took a side trip up to the LL Bean flagship store in Maine. On the way back, we stopped off at Cold River Vodka to have some samples.  Their vodka is made from potatoes and is sweeter than most other vodkas I’ve had.  The Blueberry vodka is really something special – the aftertaste is as if you’ve just squished a big, juicy blueberry in your mouth.  Perfect.  Needless to say, we took some home.
On the way home, we stopped at a winery we love – Flag Hill.  Last time we were in New Hampshire, I didn’t knit, and clearly didn’t notice the farm selling yarn and roving right down the road.  So, we stopped at Riverslea Farm too.   🙂  Found some great roving and yarn.
Overall, a really great trip!  It was nice to get away from our snow and see someone else’s snow.

For more photos, click on to this Flickr photo set.

Picture 029
Midway up Mount Washington

Picture 026
The Snow Coach

Picture 037
Husband in his snowshoes

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Cold River Vodka