Archive | February, 2012

The Islands of Venice

27 Feb

Reblogged from Graham Walker:

If you’re overwhelmed by the crowds and claustrophobia of Venice in August, escape to the three islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello in the Venice lagoon and experience each of the islands’ own unique charm. Murano is famous for its glassmaking, Burano for its lace and Torcello for its once glorious past and now its tranquillity.

It is only a short hop on the Alilaguna riverboat to Murano, 1.5 kms north of Venice, but the journey there is both refreshing and exhilarating.

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Great post about Venice by Graham Walker. Check it out!

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President’s Day Weekend in West Virginia

26 Feb P1010426

Matt, five of our friends, and I rented a cabin in Cabins, West Virginia for President’s Day weekend.  If you are within driving distance to West Virginia and have an interest in skiing, the outdoors, or even just relaxing, I highly recommend renting a cabin in West Virginia for a weekend.  The following was our itinerary, which I followed with suggestions for other activities.

Friday:

Leave DC around noon.  Drive to Charles Town, WV and go to Hollywood Casino (DO if you like casinos – correct me if I am wrong, but it is probably the best one in this region, DON‘T if you are like me and despise casinos).  After the casino, drive to Moorefield, WV and get groceries for the weekend.  Then drive to cabin.  We rented a cabin from Harman’s North Fork Cottages.  Our cabin had a grill, fire pit, jacuzzi, cable, internet, etc. and it was on a river.  Our night was spent cooking dinner, watching TV, and just relaxing.

Saturday:

Woke up at 6:30am to get ready to go skiing at Timberline in Davis, WV (about an hour away).  Spent day skiing at Timberline.  I LOVE the Salamander trail.  It’s two miles long and a green. Leave ski resort around 4:30pm.  At the cabin we built a bonfire, made smores, ate good food, jumped into the hot tub, played board games, and relaxed.

Sunday:

Repeat Saturday.

Monday:

Pack up to go back to DC.

Suggestions:

There are so many other activities that we could have added to our itinerary.  If I had not been so sick I would have been up for many more of these activities.  The following is a list of other activities you could engage in WV during winter:

No matter the season, there are many great activites to do in West Virginia.  I highly recommend a visit to West Virginia.

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مغربي aka Marruecos

23 Feb

Reblogged from Little Brown Wonder in España:

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Sooooo.. About a month ago, Lenny and I took a trip to Morocco. Morocco?! Why Morocco?! Well, back in 2009, Lenny and I went to Tangier for a day trip. Tangier to Morocco is like Tijuana to Mexico. Of course we loved Tangier so we decided to sniff and investigate Morocco more in-depth. After doing extensive research between going with…

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Great post by Sarai Quiel about a trip to Morrocco! Check out her blog!

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Ocean City, MD

22 Feb Ocean City, MD

Matt and I like to spend two days and one night each summer in Ocean City, MD.  Probably the most important tip we have learned over the years in Ocean City is to stay on the boardwalk.  Last time we stayed at Park Place Hotel.  It is not a five-star hotel, but it is conveniently located.  When we stayed at Castle in the Sand, which is off the boardwalk, we found it inconvenient to get to the places we wanted to go to (most of which are on the boardwalk).

Over the two days we are in Ocean City, Matt and I like to walk the boardwalk, play arcade games, lay on the beach, eat lots of boardwalk food, play mini golf, and much more.  For a romantic dinner, Matt and I like Macky’s Bayside Bar & Grill.  Try to get a table on the beach.  Another romantic restaurant is Fager’s Island (right by Macky’s).   At night we always go to Seacrets.  We like to get there early before it gets completely packed.  I love all the different areas inside Secrets including the concert and DJ areas on the beach, the bars and fast food areas, and the nightclub.

Matt and I think of Ocean City, MD as our summer home.  We love the town and recommend it for anyone wanting a beach retreat from Washington DC.

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National ShamrockFest (DC)

20 Feb IMG_9360

National ShamrockFest is coming up on Saturday, March 24!   I have gone to the past two ShamrockFests and loved them both (even with the 2010 rain storm).  ShamrockFest includes 50 bands and DJs, 10 stages, food, beer, carnival rides, TVs to watch the games, and more.  This year ShamrockFest will have such big names as Dropkick Murphys, Gavin DeGraw, Carbon Leaf, and DJ Chris Styles.  If you have not gone to this festival yet, I highly recommend it!  You can buy tickets here.

The following are some photos from my time at ShamrockFest:

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One Day in Philadelphia

18 Feb IMG_8348

Philadelphia is about three hours from DC and is well worth a day trip.  Should you wish to take a day trip to Philadelphia, here are some DOs:

  • DO have a drink at City Tavern where George Washington used to frequent.
  • DO finish your day with a Philly Cheesesteak.  We had ours at Geno’s Steaks.

All of these are possible in one day if you plan ahead (e.g., arrive early, find out about tickets to the sites, get a map of the area, etc.).  See below for some more fun photos of my one day in Philadelphia.

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Prague Sites: Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock

16 Feb

Reblogged from Live Laugh Love Linda:

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Old Town Prague has some of the most interesting sites in the historic city, including the Astronomical Clock, Powder Tower, St. Nicholas Church and the Tyn Church.

The Astronomical Clock is one of the coolest sites I’ve seen on my travels!  The clock actually adorns the South face of the City Hall, where hundreds of people gather in front of medieval clock at every hour to witness the 12 apostles move across the window above the astronomical dial while other symbolic sculptures move around it. 

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Interested in traveling to Prague? Check out LBatykefer's Blog "Live Laugh Love Linda" at http://livelaughlovelinda.wordpress.com.

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Date Night in Georgetown (DC)

14 Feb

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would do a post about one of my favorite date areas in Washington, DC:  Georgetown.  There are so many great restaurants and activities in Georgetown.  Here is a typical Georgetown date itinerary for Matt and me:

1) Go shopping.  Georgetown has a lot of chain stores, as well as unique stores.  My personal favorite is Banana Republic on the corner of M Street & Wisconsin Avenue.

 

2) Go to dinner.  Last Friday Matt and I enjoyed Serendipity 3 (see pictures above).  The burger, sweet potato fries, tomato soup with gold fish, and, of course, the sundaes were delicious.  One thing to be mindful of is that Serendipity 3 in DC tends to attract a lot of children.  In other words, this is not a place for an intimate, classy night out.  If you want a more intimate restaurant and you like Tapas, I recommend Bodega on M Street.  If you would like a romantic splurge and you love Italian, definitely try Filomena on Wisconsin Avenue.   If it is summer and you want a celebratory night, I recommend Sequoia on the waterfront (I tend to do my birthdays there – see picture below).

3) Go to a movie at the AMC Loews Georgetown 14.  Or, if it is summer, get drinks on the waterfront.

4)  A unique, fun way to end the evening could be by getting your palms read.  There are a few palm readers/fortune tellers in Georgetown.

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Swimming in Beaver Dam (MD) by Elizabeth

12 Feb

Beaver Dam Swimming Club is about an hour drive from Washington, DC in Cockeysville, MD and is well worth the trip. If you would like to go, plan to spend the day. There are picnic tables, grills, and places to swim. Check the website for hours and prices. http://www.beaverdamswimmingclub.com/

Recreation:

  • 1 full size swimming pool with slide
  • 1 backyard size swimming pool with wall to separate a kids area (this one over looks the quarry)
  • 1 old quarry filled with water and fun water toys
  • 1 very awesome rope swing

What to bring:

  • Lots of friends. The grounds are huge and there is lots of shade (and sun) for relaxing.
  • A big picnic lunch and lots of water. You will need coolers for the food, but there are grills to prepare food. There is a snack bar with some good options but I would tend to rely on the snack bar for an ice cream treat rather than an entire meal.

Warning:

  • The water in the quarry is very deep.   Make sure children have proper floatation equipment and adults are comfortable swimming where they can not reach the bottom.

For more information about and posts by Elizabeth, check out the Guest Bloggers page.

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Making a Backpacker Out of my Mother: Hong Kong 2011

10 Feb

Reblogged from thepencilpirouette:

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It's nice to be able to travel because of work, but it is more fulfilling when you do it for fun and with your family/friends. 2011 is the year I decided it was time my mom become a backpacker. We first did a local travel (will post in the coming days), and then an international one. As a backpacker novice, Hong Kong is probably the easiest to start with, so we went with that.

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Great post by "The Pencil Pirouette" with a sample itinerary for a trip to Hong Kong/Macau. This is the first part of the itinerary. You can find more parts to the the itinerary on "The Pencil Pirouette"'s website: http://thepencilpirouette.com/

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