D & I went to Puerto Rico for our 4th anniversary & had a really relaxing & fantastic time.
We layed on the beach a TON. We also checked out El Murro in old San Juan, hiked through El Yunque to swim in La Mina waterfall, and I took a surf lesson in water warm enough so I didn’t have to wear a full wetsuit. 
Click on the pic to check out the entire photo gallery.
So I just emptied out the old pictures in my camera, and BOY! Do I have a bunch of various photos in there. We built our master bedroom closet, I looked GOOD, I investigated wild orchids in MA, we went to Brian & Jen’s wedding in New Orleans, I turned 27, I gardened, my iguana looked super cute, and I explored Russell’s Mill Pond and the Chelmsford town forest on my bike…
Check out all the pictures here.
Click on the photo to check out the entire photo album!
I just finished writing a long e-mail to my friend about my favorite things to do and see in San Francisco. I thought it would also make a good blog post. These are my top 5 things (that I can think of right now) to do in San Francisco, and the surrounding areas.
So…Other than the uber touristy requirements of eating chocolate at Ghirardelli, going on a tour of Alcatraz and getting a sourdough bread bowl with chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf, and then going to check out the Sea Lions…… (all those things I recommend, btw)
Samovar – A Tea House.
They have 3 locations, but I fell in love with the location in Yerba Buena Gardens. Its a great place to just sit and drink some tea. For a light lunch or a little snack, I highly suggest their cheese and fruit platter. Its little and light and perfect for a little zen moment. Some fruit, cheese, nice bread and some honey in the comb. Absolutely delish.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – AHhhht.
Practically across the street from Samovar. They have a pretty wide range of modern art, so even if you find alot of the stuff horribly shocking that it’s called art (i did), you’ll also definitely come across some stuff that you really love. Not a huge museum, and do-able in maybe 3 hours? I enjoyed spending an afternoon there, and their gift shop was fun to poke around in.
Chinatown and Dim Sum!
Yeah, Chinatown is pretty touristy, but its fun to poke around shops and getting dim sum is a MUST on a saturday or sunday morning! I can’t remember where I ate, but I started my walk at the big gate on Grant Ave at Bush Street, and I walked north on Grant. I think most restaurants on Grant are often marked up and more touristy, so look down the side streets until you find a place that looks interesting. That’s what D and I did, and we ended up in a totally packed place where we were the only gringos, and the waitresses didn’t speak any english. Luckily with dim sum you just point to what you want off their carts.
Asia SF – Dinner and drinks with talented dancers of the transgendered variety
I think I’ve gone here every time I’ve been in San Francisco, starting with a girl’s weekend trip with my Mom. Reservations are a good idea. It is awesome!!!! Dinner is good, but can be pricey. I think they have a prix fixe type menu thingie. The bartenders have always been great with helping me make a mixed drink decision, in addition to their sake and wine menus. And don’t even get me started on the lady dancers of AsiaSF!!!! Most real women can’t even stand in 6 inch stripper shoes and here these ladies are, dancing in them on top of the bar to the latest Britney Spears songs. It’s a truly an awesome sight to behold.
Wine Country - Sonoma and Napa Valleys
Do it. I recommending having either a designated driver, or doing using a tour company. I’ve done both, and prefer having a DD, but the tour was pretty nice as well. We got to go to places that weren’t open to the public, and there weren’t a ton of annoying super tourists… I just don’t recommend doing the drinking & driving route. The pourers can have heavy hands. Wineries I recommend: Domaine Chandon (great champagne, and beautiful landscaping) and Mumm (also great champagne). If you’re driving, I suggest driving up the main drag in Sonoma Valley, Rt.12, i think? and then crossing over at the top and going back down through Napa Valley on rt. 29. And just stop into whatever wineries strike your fancy.
I’m back from Iceland! It was great! I’m sore from lots of strenuous activities, as well as sun and wind burnt, and I’m still massively under slept. But I had a really amazing time. My 2 favorite activities were hiking into snowy mountains to find a hot springs that we then bathed in (this tour), and riding Icelandic horses though a beautiful area (with this company).
Some of my favorite photos:
Check out my entire gallery of photos here.
I went with Devon and my friends Kate, Dan and David. We did lots of stuff… Which normally I would sum up, but Devon already did a great job at it on his blog… Check out:
What we did – Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Also see his impressions of Iceland, Impressions of our hotel and his photos.
I had a great time and I recommend the trip for anyone who would like a more active vacation, and doesn’t mind being cold all of the time. I certainly would like to return to soak in the Blue Lagoon some more.
Finally I’ve uploaded my pics from my cross country drive! Here are some highlights:
Fifi hanging in there for the winding curving roads in Idaho.
Devon digging Mt. Rushmore
Lemur: "Where's the nearest nightclub?"
"Gee-up WallDrug Jack-alope!"
See all my pictures from the trip here.
(Also Devon, if you’re reading this, you need to post the pictures of Fifi in front of Mt. Rushmore. Those are the most amazing pictures ever!)
I havn’t been sleeping much recently. I usually wake up in the middle of the night & then go back to bed, but since we started the whole moving process I’ve been unable to fall back asleep. So here I am.
There’s a huge moving trailer in our driveway & the local movers arrive in under 2 hours to start packing everything we own into it. So shortly, I will have no internet access. Tonight we’ll stay at our friend’s (Russell, Jenny & little Zoe) house tonight, which is so awesome of them to put up with an iguana for the evening.
Then bright and early tomorrow morning, 6amish, Devon, Fifi and I start our homeward bound journey. Day 1 will be a 17 hour drive from the Seattle area to Rapid City, where we’ll spend the night in a pet friendly motel. The next day we’ll do some sight seeing as we drive through South Dakota, including photo ops for Fifi in front of Mount Rushmore & the Corn Palace. 4 days after starting our drive, we should arrive in our new home (have I mentioned that D & I are homeowners?!?!) late Sunday night.
Today is the beginning of that journey. I’m excited & terrifyed. So much to do, and so far to go. Even with all that, I’m so glad to be getting back to Massachusetts. Home. To our home.
I finally finished uploading pics from My brother & I’s back packing adventure. Final 2 cities: Bologna & Rome. Check out the galleries here:
Bologna: We braved hiking up terrifying ancient towers and surly men at the train station to eat some the most amazing Italian food we’d had in our lives & to see some beautiful art work in a practically “untouched by tourism” city.
Rome: Seeing all of the ancient ruins of Rome, that I had read about all through high school was priceless, and something I never would have really “got”, without actually seeing it all for myself. The food was mediocre, but the historic value & shit-shops were all A+++.
So this completes all of my travel photos from My European backpacking adventure. To view all of the pictures, check them all out here.
So I’m in Canadia for a short holiday. We took Amtrak up to Vancouver this morning. It was a bit rainy, but it’s still possibly the most scenic train ride ever. It goes right along the Puget Sound coast. Lots of beaches, seaweed & wildlife. Tons of Crows, Gulls, Green Herons and Blue Herons. And the highlight: We saw at least 7 Bald Eagles hanging out & flying around. They are such gorgeous creatures! I guess the rainy days make it easier for them to find meals at the beach. It was pretty cool. I kept interrupting Devon, who was working on his laptop, to say: “Holy crap, there’s another Bald Eagle hunting for his lunch!!!!” or “Look it’s another Great Blue Heron. Don’t they look rediculous???”.
But yeah. I’m in Vancouver. Vancouver rocks. And I’m looking forward to eating at some fantastic restaurants in Yaletown district. We’ve been here 3 times so far & have never been disappointed by just wandering into a random joint. It seems like everything here is made with local ingredients & lots of passion.
Love it!
So with the whole being sick thing I’ve had alot of downtime & I’ve uploaded & labeled my pics from Amsterdam & Switzerland, as well as our wonderful hostess’s pics from Switzerland.
My favorite part of Amsterdam was the Anne Frank house. I was in tears and sobbing by the time we finished walking through the museum. My least favorite part about Amsterdam was the plethora of bike paths and the utter lack of walking paths. As for Switzerland: I think that this country might be the most beautiful place on earth.
My pictures from Amsterdam:
My pictures from Switzerland:
Nina’s Pictures in Switzerland:
As always, click on the big pics to bring you to each album. Also, sign in to Gallery once you go there (or create an account easily), if you want to comment on the pictures.