Cincinnati-Louisville-Mammoth Cave-Nashville

Tags

Alabama, Belly Bustin' BBQ, boiled peanuts, Bowling Green, Broadway Avenue, Cincinnati, country music, distillery, Elizabethtown, Florida Georgia Line, fried green tomatoes, hiking, honky tonk, Huntsville, Indiana, Jim Beam, Kentucky, Louisville, Mammoth Cave, Nasvhille, Ohio, Ohio River, Slugger museum, Tennessee, tour, whiskey, whiskey trail

We woke up fairly early with most of the house.  One of the dogs had fallen asleep on the bed between us and was still there when we woke up.  We got ready and heady downstairs where Mr. Weedman treated us with coffee from his new machine and his own specialty: smoothies.  When we were done, we packed up and locked up and hit the road again, pausing one last moment to photograph the sun coming up over Indian Hill.

 

We hadn’t though about rush hour traffic on a Friday but were pleased to find ourselves zipping down 71 without a problem.  We discussed how much we like Cinci, probably because it reminds us of Pittsburgh: a hilly city on the Ohio River.  With that, we crossed said river on the big bridge leading out of the city and found ourselves entering Kentucky territory.

 

71 in Kentucky is easy going.  We zipped straight to Louisville in excellent time.  We parked along the river for $5 and walked towards the Louisville Slugger museum.  It wasn’t time for the next tour yet, so we took a break at Ms. Potter’s coffee where I tried a lavender mocha with soy.  We photographed a giant statute of David, a neat satellite by the Science Center, and some odd flying buttresses on a rehab project (building nerds alert).  Then we ducked into the museum with the enormous fake bat outside and had just enough time to order personalized bats before we were rushed through the doors to catch up with our tour.

 

We weren’t allowed to photograph the inside of the factory, but it was a pretty neat system.  There were some hand-made bats, some machined bats, and lots of sawdust with moisturizing water being sprayed periodically from the ceiling.  We held more kinds of bats than I probably ever did playing baseball and softball combined.  The dipping and burning parts were some of our favorites and we were quick to dig into the barrel of “nubs” for two apiece of our own.  When the tour guide pulled out a pink bat and I made an “ooo” face, he told us to wait after the tour for a treat.

 

After the tour, we were all given small bats to keep and told to pick our personalized ones up at the store.  We walked around the museum, photographing the bats hanging from the ceiling and the Pirates uniforms, Hank Aaron, etc.  There was a pitching cage demonstrating how fast the MBL pitches.  Then the tour guide came back out with a 6-foot pink bat.  We clutched it as it towered over us and he photographed us with it.  Quietly, he pulled two mini pink bats out of nowhere.  And that is how we left the museum with three bats each.

 

We photographed ourselves with the bats by the Ohio River.  On the way out of town, I told Jess we needed to catch 65 south but there was construction hindering it.  I said I would just try something until I got on the right road and we joked “What’s the worst that could happen, we end up in Indiana?”  And that’s when we took the wrong road and ended up in Indiana.  We laughed the whole way off the exit and onto the next cloverleaf, documenting our mistake and realizing this way was probably easier than navigating the detours in Louisville.  And just like that, we were right back on the southbound side of 65.

 

Our first stop along 65 south, besides gas in Elizabethtown, was the Jim Beam distillery 30 minutes or so outside of Louisville.  I had driven through it once before but we wanted to tour and taste.  After chasing a field of geese, we went into the distillery and found that the tours were too long for our schedule – but we were able to take a free self-guided tour that didn’t include all of the buildings but did include free whiskey.  Win-win!  We decided to take up the offer.  We visited every station then concluded in the tasting room where we were given 2 free tries apiece.  There were so many choices that Jess and I selected 4 between us and split all of the shots to increase our tasting experience.  The cards used for the credits on our drinks were the same cards I use in my laundry machine.  Once we were done with our fancy distributed beverages, we thanked the man in charge (and probably bored out of his mind) and hit the road yet again for south.

 

The next stop was at Big Bubba Bucks Belly Bustin’ BBQ in Munfordsville where I had eaten on my last trip through Kentucky.  Sadly, the building that I remembered was a pile of abandoned ashes when we pulled over.  A sign vaguely directed us to Horse Cave, just south, so we got back on the highway and finally located the new facility at the Gulf gas station just off the exit.  It looked like a dump but the food was as amazing as always.  I had spicy boiled peanuts from the station and then some corn on the cob, nanner pudding, and fried green tomatoes from the BBQ joint.  Jess was satisfied as well.  Next stop: Mammoth Caves, and we were suddenly a little behind schedule for our pre-booked tour.

 

We sped through the park on the way to the caves and it was farther away than I remembered.  We at least were in Central Time now, but we had taken that into consideration when we started driving.  We whipped into the lot and ran inside just in time to sprint back out.  Our bus was already leaving so Jess stopped, but I kept going and sure enough the bus stopped, put on its reverse lights, and backed up to meet us.  So that was how we started the tour, our good ole first impressions.  But it was a good tour.  Last tour I did was the Historic Tour which was pretty interesting.  This one wasn’t as interesting but it was prettier to look at.  There were lots of overflows seemingly frozen in the air.  Jess and I hope to return soon with others to do the 6 hour extreme tour this summer.

 

We left Mammoth Caves and headed for our final destination: Nashville.  The drive was easy and it was becoming dusky when we arrived in Nashville.  We swung past the Parthenon to take photos from the outside, then located our hostel at the river end of Broadway.  Downtown Nashville Hostel had great rates for a Friday night.  We walked to Broadway next, me in my cowgirl boots, and met up with some friends from home/Huntsville, Alabama who drove up for dinner and some perusing on the town.  Dinner was at Rock Bottom, then we went to a bajillion bars.  Paradise Park, Rippy’s Bar, Honky Tonk Central, Tootsie’s, I don’t even remember.  After our friends left, Jess and I literally just scoped out whatever we felt like walking into.  She was complaining about the Fireball Whiskey being the devil in disguise, but boy do I love that stuff.  On our way back to the hostel, we somehow managed to end up in Diane’s Sweets or something for ice cream.  Yes, we were walking down Broadway at night on a Friday in winter eating ice cream.  And people asked us where we got it.  Wow.

 

Back in the hostel, we made our beds and planned for the next day.  I was pleasantly surprised to find our roommates speaking French and conversed with them a little.  They were embarrassed that I knew what they were saying, but I felt better having them know than assume I couldn’t understand, especially if I awkwardly reacted to something I overheard.  They were from Tours, but one girl was living in Michigan now.  They were nice.  We slept fine that night and were ready to head east come morning.

 

 

 

David in Louisville.

 

At Ms. Potter’s.

 

Museums.

The big pink bat!

 

Bat/ball ceiling.

 

Posing in front of Indiana with our bats.

I chased those geese.

At the BBQ joint.

 

In the cave.

 

Parthenon of Nashville.

 

Broadway.

Me, Jess, and friends from home/Huntsville, Alabama.

Biltmore, Asheville Holiday Parade, and No Reason to Leave – Except Hockey

Tags

Antler Village, Asheville, Asheville Brewing Company, Asheville Holiday Parade, bar, bar hopping, beer, Biltmore Estate, Biltmore House, downtown, Early Girl Eatery, Green Man Brewery, Jack of the Wood, meeting new people, North Carolina, parade, Pennsylvania, River Arts District, solo, strangers, tour, travel, Tupelo Honey Cafe, Wall Street, Wedge, Wedge Brewing, White Duck Taco Shop, wine, wine tasting, winery

I have a game at 8:30PM tonight in Cary – or else you can bet I’d still be here tasting, exploring, and even getting to hike through this great area!  Today’s goal was originally to hit less breweries and instead conquer some food and tourist places, but it of course ended up being…DO THEM ALL.

I woke up quite early and headed back into downtown Asheville.  The parking meters were outrageously high (in my opinion), especially when I parked and realized that my FourSquare resource was incorrect about when breakfast was opening where I wanted to go!  I sort of paused for a moment on the quiet streets – dead for even a Saturday morning – and walked around a bit to photograph a few things.  Finally, I hopped in the car and decided to drive early to the Biltmore Estate.  I bought outrageously priced tickets because I was told it’s worth it…and I made my way to the entrance over an hour before my tour time.

I was told I could get in by maybe 8:30am, but I literally pulled up to the ticket booth as the properties opened.  I followed the cars on a long and windy road to a parking lot where I got out and took the first shuttle of the morning to the Estate.  It’s only a five to eight minute walk, but I decided to save the time and walk once I got there.  The driver reminded us that we had to wait for our tour time.  When we arrived to the front of the country’s largest privately owned mansion, I immediately got out, turned left, and started wandering through every Italian, Walled, Azalea, whatever — garden that I could find.  There was a gardener out blowing some kind of machine all around the entire time I wandered.  Finally, I was nearing my tour time.  I climbed the hillside overlooking the house and took a shot of the Venus statue before speed-walking back to the front of the mansion.

I entered along with a large swarm of people.  The line snaked forever through the building.  Most people had paid extra for an audio guide, but I saw no reason to.  I grabbed a free pamphlet, pocketed my phone (you can’t use phones or take photos inside), and began exploring the Christmas-decked rooms.  I started on the first floor and passed through several rooms demonstrating the height of vaulted ceilings, the antiquity of the clothing worn when the rooms were active, and the restoration processes used in refurbishing the details.  One dining room in particular had a tree that had to have been a good thirty feet high and decorated with actual boxes as present ornaments.  The whole time, I kept imagining that people were at my house for a party and that the little fake platters of food on silver dishes were actually the hors d’oeuvres being set out by my butlers and house keepers…

There was a photographer set out to take shots of people in front of one of the foyers – as if it really were a Disney attraction.  I ducked by and instead found myself lost in another Victorian room, amazed by how each room had at least a small – if not enormous – Christmas tree decorated completely in the theme of the room.  A lady’s chamber in baby blue and lace, a hunting prize room with pheasant feathers,… I passed through a corridor from an enormous, antique library with a rolling step-ladder and finally made it up to the second floor and found myself lost in the never-ending guest rooms.  Each room was as elaborate as the last and often accompanied by clothing set out to demonstrate the era.  I took every opportunity I could to look out the window at the fantastic mountains on the horizon – much like my view from my own home.

The next floor up was closed and I was instead directed towards the basement.  I thought, basement?  What could be down here?  I saw servant’s bedrooms and a cute, old-fashioned kitchen…but what more?  My basement is also a garage, loading station, laundry room, and entertainment area… and sure enough, I passed some showers on the way to a bowling alley with two lanes.  Turning so many corners, I became thankful for the ropes that forced you to follow a certain direction.  I was also touring the way I drive in traffic – just looking for the faster way out.  When I can’t take pictures, I find myself taking things in very quickly and, quite honestly, it was all the same.  But it was still great.  Especially when I reached the indoor pool, which explained the numerous showers and changing rooms full with 120-year-old outfits.  Yes, this was an antique, indoor, domestic pool.  Wow.

      

When I finally made it upstairs and back out of the building, I was told that the free wine tour in Antler Village wouldn’t open for over an hour.  Given my tight schedule, this was a little tricky.  I had to pass Antler Village on the way out after taking the shuttle to my car, but it was still way too early and I preferred seeing more restaurants than tasting the wine – even if it was included in my ticket.  Let them make money on it, I figured.  I’ll just come back another time – or maybe later if I have the time.  But, of course I didn’t.  And I’m okay with that.  There’s always next time.

I made my way back to Asheville’s downtown area and found several streets shut off.  I found a lot that takes cards and paid for an all-day $5 pass.  I wandered quickly up the streets to where I was this morning and found people lining the sidewalks, presumably for a parade of some kind.  I raced to the Early Girl Eatery on Wall Street, only to be put on a waiting list of 30 to 45 minutes.  Drats!, I thought.  But I kept wandering, taking photos, and then eventually stumbled on another place where I wanted to eat.  Dare I try?  I walked in and, to my luck, was sat immediately at the counter.  Traveling alone pays off!

Here I was at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, sitting at the counter under Edison bulb lights on cords and watching the waiters anxiously grab plates off of the shelves beside me.  I checked FourSquare and the speed of the cooks (I had about 30 minutes to get out!) before deciding on the famous pancake and a side of salsa verde black-eyed peas.  Of course, the food came with an amazing hot biscuit, Tupelo honey, and delicious blueberry jam – as if they knew, because I don’t like jam but I love blueberries and it was sooo good!  I pressured them to move quickly and they were like lightning, delivering my food and my check with perfect timing.  I ended up boxing most of my pancake, but I still made it to my next destination with two minutes to spare!

  

I felt kind of crazy, eating back-to-back meals – but I later thanked myself for boxed food while driving on the road to Cary.  When I got to the Early Girl Eatery, the parade was just starting and I had a window seat.  I anxiously ordered a coffee – then went on a limb with my non-vegetarian weekend streak and ordered the trout with stone-ground grits, beets, and a biscuit.  I saved the biscuit for later and ate trout for the first time in as long as I could remember.  The bones were tricky to deal with, but I waved it off as my amateur fish-eating skills.  The joint itself was incredible: it supported local foods and even the shirts said “Put your money where your mouth is” – how true can you get??  I bought a shirt before I left.  Yes, I spent almost $50 at this place – but I think it was a worthwhile investment.  The chalkboard on the way out even listed its fellow locavore endeavors.  What screams “I’m in it for the cause!” more than something like that?

    

After I left the Eatery, I wandered past the giant iron on Wall Street and ventured into a Himalaya shop on the corner.  I bought some earrings from a kind foreign lady and took a picture for two girls hanging on the iron before passing a five-person street band that could easily be the next Mumford & Sons.  These warm, friendly, down-to-earth sentiments only grew as I continued back onto the parade street and found people dressed up to support their groups marching.  I dodged a drinking crowd (before noon!) by slipping into Jack of the Wood for a quick sip of something local – the Green Man Porter.  It was a friend’s recommendation to check it out, and I admired the vines and wooden branches decorating the bar beside the woods-painted back walls. 

I crossed the street quickly after having my drink and wandered downhill a bit to the Asheville Brewing Company.  This was a favorite of some friends, so I bravely took a seat beside a man and a woman at the bar and ordered the Fire House IPA – a jalapeño beer. Boy, do I like jalapeño beers.  I sipped for a long time on my choice until, as it wound down to the bottom, the girl beside me left her seat for a moment and the guy addressed me.  Before I knew it, I became Facebook friends with the girl beside me.  These two moved to Greenville, South Carolina from not far in my part of Pennsylvania. Amanda and Anthony offered for me to come to a Steelers game later in the season after long talks about the world and what each of us do.  You never know what you’ll find when you throw yourself out there and just start talking.  I wanted to keep touring with them, but I had a mission to finish and they were drinking to walk – not drive.  We parted ways and I headed towards my next stop in the River Arts District of town.  On the way out, I flagged down some people arriving from Tennessee and gave them my parking slip for the rest of the day.  I mean, it was only $5, but why not?

    

Wedge Brewing was harder to find than I was expecting.  It was in an old warehouse near a bridge on the river, and I kept walking into galleries instead of the actual bar.  It took me walking through a leafless garden staircase decorated with metal art before I could find a door.  On the inside, I asked for a sampler but was told all of the boards were out.  Instead, I tasted the Community Porter, Iron Rail IPA, and Scottish Ale.  I wanted to keep going down the list, but I felt like the bartender was disapproving.  Instead, I settled on the Scottish Ale – her recommendation – for a half glass.  I sat out on the windy, cool river front, shelling free peanuts from a bowl into a bucket and listening to a boom box strapped to the back of some cyclists.  There were so many people out in the cold air drinking, shelling, and some even playing cornhole.  I was expecting something fancy but it was such a simple, comfortable place that I was pleasantly surprised.

 

Everyone had been pressuring me to make a nearby stop, so I decided to close my tab early and wander up the street to the White Duck Taco Shop.  I was willing to go for a Bangkok Shrimp, but the menu didn’t offer it.  Instead, I settled for what I would normally pick: Banh Mi Tofu.  I contemplated getting the Black Bean or even the Duck Mole, but I was too full – and as a vegetarian, not only ordering duck would have felt weird, but I was staring at a giant duck painting and decided there was no way I could as for the Duck Mole taco.  I took my food to go and impressed the kitchen that I could walk away with just one.  Little did they know it was only 3PM and I had already had three meals and a few beers!

 

The time wasn’t appropriate for me to make warm-ups before my hockey game in Cary and to also swing by Antler Village for a hefty wine tasting.  Instead, I treated myself to one last stop: the Green Man Brewery.  I settled for a glass of the House ESB, having just downed my taco.  I stood in the peculiar garage atmosphere, surrounded by bumper stickers, brewing vats, and shady side doors.  When my brew was done and I felt ready to leave, I got up from my…standing seat…and wandered out the door.  Sadly, I climbed into my car and made my way out of Asheville.  On I-40, I drove east towards Raleigh and, ultimately, Cary, sadly leaving behind my mountains and my list of other places to explore.  But, I have to say,…what a great town!  Okay, “hipster”, yes, but I’m pretty sure that’s why I’m in love with it.  Out of all of the “cities” there are out there, Asheville is one that feels the most like home!

Kinvara, County Claire, and Blarney at Cork

Tags

Blarney, Blarney Castle, Blarney Stone, Charlesville, Cork, Cork City, County Clare, County Cork, County Kerry, County Limerick, Europe, Ireland, Killarney, Poison Garden, student, tour, tourism, travel, Wishing Steps, Witch's Rock

In the morning, we got up to have our Irish breakfast then loaded our car and set off from Kinvara for the Burren.  Kinvara was still empty this week before the sailing festival, but the Burren, as isolated as it is, was swarming with tourists and buses in places you wouldn’t expect to find people.  We wandered through the countryside, covered with lunar stone formations, stopping on for information to get to certain points.  We passed numerous burial sites, church ruins, and tiny towns before stopping at a ring fort exhibition and a dolmen farther up the road.  We left the Burren for the Cliffs of Moher where we paid to park and be admitted to climb through the museum and on to the hill overlooking the cliffs at either side.  We walked a bit of the trail running along the cliffs, taking photos along the way and turning at the tower where we could see the Sea Stack in the water.  Once we felt satisfied with having seen County Clare, we left via Shannon and Limerick City and passed through County Limerick.  Here, we made a stop for coffee and I tried out driving on the other side with a standard.  Really, just remembering how to turn and getting used to the feel of the car…those are the hardest parts.  It wasn’t as bad as I had imagined.

On the road again, we made our way into County Cork in the southwest.  We had to return our car that evening to the airport in Cork, so we made a quick stop in Blarney to see the castle, grounds, and kiss the stone.  I kissed the Blarney stone after just a short wait at the top of the castle, although Dan did not.  We both have acrophobia but I guess he didn’t want to really kiss it.  Nonetheless, we checked out the cool castle, the poison garden, the witch’s stone, the witch’s kitchen, etc., and even walked up and down the Wishing Steps forwards and backwards with our eyes closed.  We have a year for our wishes to come true.

We left Blarney for Cork’s airport where we left Renaulter and Jeffrey, got a free ride from the Europcar man to the airport, and found a cheap taxi to take us to Cork City, driven by what appeared to be an Eastern European man who still thinks it’s the 1980s.  He left us at the train station where Dan watched the bags and I went for a walk to photograph some of the city.  When our train arrived, we jumped on it clear to Killarney in County Kerry.  It was late and dark, but we manage to wander around and find a hotel: Arbutus.  Little did we know that this award-winning, expensive hotel was giving us an incredible deal for the night….and was willing to stow our bags the next day when we decide to tackle the Ring of Kerry by bike.  It was hard to just sleep in such a nice place, so we sat up a little too late watching Whitest Kids U Know before finally getting the rest we needed.

Fort walls.

Donkey.

Me at the Dolem.

Other tourists.

Burren view.

Some of a wall.

More of the landscapes.

Backroads.

Cliffs of Moher.

Me and Dan at the Cliffs.

Tower on the Cliffs.

Flowers looking towards the Sea Stack.

Guinness truck outside of Shannon.

Pretty clouds as we come into Limerick City.

We stopped for food in Charlesville.

At Blarney.

Blarney Castle.

Me kissing the Blarney Stone.

View down into the castle.

Me on the bench outside.

Dan exploring the gardens and stones.

People walking backwards with their eyes closed down the Wishing Steps.

Belfast and Dublin

Tags

beer, Belfast, Dublin, Europe, free beer, Gravity Bar, Guinness, Guinness Storehouse, Ireland, Irish, L. Mulligan, Lagan River, microbrew, museum, Northern Ireland, Scotch Eggs, Titanic, tour, vegetarian

We woke up and grabbed some breakfast at the hotel in the morning before checking out, storing our bags up front, and setting out by foot to see some of Belfast.  We were too tired to go very far but Belfast is a very condense city.  We walked nearly all of the central and northern parts of town, turning around once we got to the Titanic dock at the far end of the city (where they made the Titanic).  We called a cab at the museum to save us time and energy.  The cab took us back to the hotel where we grabbed our bags and then straight to the station to catch the next train to Dublin, Ireland.  Dan didn’t want to arrive late in Dublin because he had rented a car, so we were off by lunch time on the train.

The trains in Northern Ireland and Ireland have free Wi-Fi.  We took advantage of this and watched some of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as well.  We snacked on instant coffee, chocolate bars, and crisps, not having too many other options (especially because I don’t eat meat).  We were at Dublin in a couple of hours.  From the Connolly station, it wasn’t a far walk to the Gresham where we checked in and left our bags for a cab to the airport.  At the airport, we picked up our new rental car, a black Renault Megane that we named “Renaulter”.  We fought with the GPS “Jeffrey” to get back and find a parking garage for the night.

Before returning the car, we made the very last tour at the Guinness Storehouse.  We ended up missing the pour-your-own-beer station and instead took our free beer at the Gravity Bar.  After we dropped off the car, we continued to find food at L. Mulligan Grocer’s.  I had a vegetarian Scotch Egg, Dan had a Scotch Egg, we both had a microbrew similar to the Jolly Stout I drink at home, and then we ordered chips and salt dips as we sat and talked for a few hours.  The restaurant was a great find and the people were extremely nice and chatty.  The men was tied into the pages of text books.  Our bill came in a metal instrument box and we were given free gummies for dessert.  I had originally wanted to go to the Temple Bar district for beer after, but I was so tired and not feeling great so we took some Guinness up to our room from the bar at the Gresham.  The woman at the bar joked that Americans are too polite asking what they can and can’t do (May we bring the beer to our rooms? – Just do it, and if you can’t and I don’t know then what would the harm have been?).  She gave us free “Irish chocolates”.  We enjoyed our treats before getting much-needed rest.

The Lagan River in Belfast.

Titanic museum.

Me in the Titanic sign.

At the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Vat with film to illustrate what would be happening inside.

Me enjoying my free glass.

Vegetarian Scotch Eggs at L. Mulligan’s.

 

Loch Ness, Isle of Skye, and Glasgow

Tags

anglais, booked city, castles, Edinburgh, English, Europe, francais, French, Glasgow, Great Britain, Isle of Skye, Kyle of Lochalsh, Loch Ness, no vacancies, red foxes, rental car, Scotland, Scottish highlands, sleeping in a car, sleeping in a parking garage, Tattoo, tour, tourism, tourists, United Kingdom, Urqhart

We woke up to a cold, clear morning on the banks of Loch Ness.  We packed up the little that we unpacked and took off out of the campground before the owners found us.  We drove north a little ways until we saw the Urqhart Castle on the shores of the lake.  We stopped and waited for the castle to open, chatting to a nice groundskeeper who told us the best things to see in the area and explained why some castles were free and some have admission fees.  This one, he said, was strategic because it was the best way to see Loch Ness…and everyone wants to see Loch Ness.  We paid our fees and joined the long line of tourist bus visitors as we made our way downstairs for some soup and coffee.  We watched a short film on the castle’s history and were left to wander the ruins along the lake for a couple of hours.

When we finally left Loch Ness, we headed northeast a bit towards Inverness so we could catch a scenic route through the Northern Highlands of Scotland.  Our destination for the night was Glasgow, but our midpoint was the Isle of Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh.  We still had our camping food and wood in the car because we couldn’t find a suitable place to light a fire.  Who would have thought camping in Scotland could seem so difficult when it’s a right to park it anywhere?

The drive through the highlands consisted of several stops at photo points where we could see vistas, sheep, waterfalls, castles, lakes, and even once where we ran across train tracks after a short train passed.  The drive reminded me of my time in Alaska: very few people and very sporadic weather.  This time, though, we encountered mists and rain rather than blizzards as I had seen on my way towards Fairbanks last winter.  At one stop, we encountered French tourists.  It took me a moment to realize they were speaking French; I automatically comprehended.

Kyle of Lochalsh was busy.  We rolled in through the town and passed little village after little village.  There were frequent campers and boats at sea.  Numerous inlets lined either side as we crossed the large bridge onto the Isle of Skye.  We were originally going to go the length of the island, then we realized how big it is.  We chose instead to set up a fire along a beach and cook our mountain pies.  A seal of some kind paid us a visit as it peered out of the water along the intertidal, seaweed-littered shoreline where we were burning our kindling.  We found an old tire with a small crab in the water inside and realized how alive the shore was where we were sitting.  We opened sheets of foil and lined them with potatoes, corn, and beans, then wrapped them up with long handles and set them on the open fire until the flames died out.  We scooped out the food with what we could find and ate a nice hot meal.  No one bothered us.  We could watch the boats in the distance.  Before long, we decided to put out the coals and head towards Glasgow.

The drive continued to be beautiful, green, and slightly damp.  We stopped at an inn before we reached Loch Lomond’s reserve.  There, we bought some toasties and coffees before setting out again.  The last stretches before Loch Lomond were incredibly barren.  I found it hard to believe that a place can be so sparse after millennia of human inhabitation.  When we finally reached Glasgow, we parked our car in a large lot and were dismayed to find that every single place was packed for the night due to the Tattoo.  After a few failed attempts at getting a room and booking a room (and taking a cab to find it was closed), we skirted around drunk strangers and potentially rabid red foxes running the streets before we made our way back to our parking garage.

We were stuck.  Our rental was due back early in the morning, our bus was leaving before 7am (the only bus to catch our noon ferry from Cambeltown), and the parking garage wasn’t going to open until far later.  There was absolutely no way in or out; everything was locked.  We racked our brains for ways to take the car with us and pay to leave it in Belfast, anything to avoid messing up our schedule.  Sadly, we had not anticipated a packed city and a locked parking garage and had to make due.  I found a narrow hole in the bars blocking off a window on the first floor.  By scaling the decorative metal artwork on the façade, I was able to slide through this whole and jump into the garage.  Dan followed me and we ended up sleeping in the car for the night, accidentally setting off a security alarm but hiding in a dark car long enough for us to get away with the cold and uncomfortable night in a Glasgow lot.

Dan in front of the visitor’s center at the castle.

The castle and Loch Ness.

Stones at the shore of Loch Ness.

Statue of Loch Ness not far from the castle.

A random stopping point in the highlands with a nice view.

Dan overseeing the fire on Isle of Skye.

Misty drive towards Glasgow by Loch Lomond.

Stonehenge, Wales, and the English Countryside

Tags

Amesbury, ancient ruins, anglais, British rain, British weather, car rental, Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, cousins, cycling, Doncaster, driving in England, driving on the left side, England, English, English countryside, Europe, family, festivals, Flake 99, Gaelic Football, GPS, Great Britain, Harry Potter, highway, ice cream, King's Cross, London, Monmouth, Nottingham, O'Neill's Pub, Platform 9 3/4, Robin Hood, Shakepeare's birthplace, Shakespeare's house, Sherwood Forest, standard transmission, Stonehenge, Stratford-Upon-Avon, taxi, tour, Tour London, tourism, Traffic, United Kingdom, visiting Stonehenge, Wales

The first thing we did this morning was return to King’s Cross to take a photo of us at the trolley passing through the wall at Platform 9 ¾.  The shop where we bought our things yesterday was closed, so we took photos and left to find a cab.  The cabs in the UK are old-fashioned and we wanted to be sure to ride one, plus we didn’t feel like walking all the way to the car rental place and being even more behind schedule.  Our driver dropped us off and we stood in a long line until we were finally able to check out with a small silver car that we called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  It didn’t take Dan long to adjust to driving on the left side with a stick shift.  The only difference is the hand you shift with and the road rules which I helped him navigate until they became easier.  We discussed how incredible it is that people in the US don’t even know how to drive standards.  In Europe, an automatic is really a specialty car.  Rental places offer them but at a higher cost.

We were already behind schedule, but we walked the ring around Stonehenge with the crowd.  I was surprised by how small the rocks seemed compared to how I had imagined it.  The skies were ridiculously blue, the clouds were pure white, and the grass was very bright.  The weather felt like the air when summer is fading into autumn.  There was evidence of storm clouds in the distance.  Halfway around the path, Dan and I took photos of each other and together.  Then, as a joke between ourselves and for my brother, we pulled out our Harry Potter and Hermione Granger wands and asked a stranger to photograph us performing spells on the stones, saying, “We solved the mystery!  Wingardium Leviosa!”  When we were done at Stonehenge, we crossed the dips and cairns and made a quick stop at the burial mounds behind the parking lot.  We climbed one and took photos of the fields and sheep around us.

We were already behind schedule, but we walked the ring around Stonehenge with the crowd.  I was surprised by how small the rocks seemed compared to how I had imagined it.  The skies were ridiculously blue, the clouds were pure white, and the grass was very bright.  The weather felt like the air when summer is fading into autumn.  There was evidence of storm clouds in the distance.  Halfway around the path, Dan and I took photos of each other and together.  Then, as a joke between ourselves and for my brother, we pulled out our Harry Potter and Hermione Granger wands and asked a stranger to photograph us performing spells on the stones, saying, “We solved the mystery!  Wingardium Leviosa!”  When we were done at Stonehenge, we crossed the dips and cairns and made a quick stop at the burial mounds behind the parking lot.  We climbed one and took photos of the fields and sheep around us.

Back on the road, we headed straight northwest for Cardiff, Wales.  We passed through several small villages with thatched roofs and eventually found a superhighway in the off-and-on rain.  We crossed an enormous bridge and officially left England.  The signs were suddenly in English and in Welsh.  Cardiff wasn’t very far from England.  We arrived, parked in a lot, and walked around the city for a while.  The castle was closed because we were behind schedule, but we walked around it and took photos anyway.  There were a lot of people in costume and drunk.  We walked despite the rain and found a small Irish pub, O’Neill’s, where we ordered some traditional food and local beer.  I had Dan try HP sauce.  The locals were watching Gaelic football; it was interesting to see how into it they were getting.  To us, it looked like a combination of basketball, soccer, and rugby.

Dan got a call from his cousins who live in Doncaster, England and we decided to rework our schedule so we could visit them.  However, it was running late and we weren’t sure we could make it there before they were in bed.  Orignally, we were going to head towards Liverpool and maybe spend the night in the Lake Districts.  Instead, we headed towards Doncaster.  Rather than paying for the bridge fare again, I rerouted us through Monmouth, Wales where we stopped for snacks to take with us and to see the sights.  A festival was just starting up.  We grabbed some Flake 99 ice creams on the way out and left Monmouth as it was starting to get dark.  The next stop on our list was Stratford-Upon-Avon, which we made by dark.  Here, we got out and visited the house where Shakespeare was born.  We could take pictures because of how well lit everything was and we touched the house with our hands.  Dan called his cousins and we all decided it would be better if we arrived in the morning, so I set our GPS to a mid-way point: Nottingham, England.  When we arrived in the town, just an hour outside of Doncaster, we saw the advertisements in the city and confirmed that Nottingham is indeed Robin Hood’s city!  We managed to get a hotel room in the busy town at a discounted price because it was so late.  We were too tired to even shower.

Me going through the Platform.

Dan at the Platform.

Portobello Road.

 

Us performing spells on Stonehenge.

 

Me on one of the burial mounds.

 

Castle in Cardiff.

Street in Cardiff with Welsh flags.

 

Pub in Cardiff with people watching the gaelic football.

Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Mont Saint-Michel and Saint-Malo

Tags

anglais, bilingual, car rental in France, castle, English, English Channel, Europe, francais, France, French, Mont Saint-Michel, Paris, port, Saint-Malo, sea, tour, travel

(English translation and photos below):

Aujourd’hui était un jour incroyable : nous avons vu le Mont Saint-Michel et la ville de Saint-Malo !  Nous avons pris notre voiture Bumblebee de Paris à Saint-Michel par Pontorson le matin.  Sur un bus, nous avons venu de quelques mètres du mont et marchions à l’entrée de la ville.  Nous avons vu la ville et l’abbaye qui étaient pleine de monde.  Le bus nous avons retourné au parking où nous avons trouvé la seule voiture jaune – Bumblebee – et continuions à Saint-Malo, moins qu’une heure du Mont Saint-Michel.  Cette ville, sur la Manche, a un grand port et est en face d’une autre ville, Dinan.  Nous marchions « intra-muros » pour voir des bâtiments beaux et des iles et des plages tranquilles.  Pour revenir à Paris, nous conduisions par Rennes et…op !  Nous n’avons pas eu assez d’argent pour quitter la rue, mais ce n’était pas grave.  Finalement, nous sommes arrivés à l’Arc de Triomphe. C’était une bonne expérience !

*****

Today was an incredible day: we saw Mont Saint-Michel and the city Saint-Malo!  We took our car Bumblebee from Paris to Saint-Michel through the morning.  On a bus, we came within several meters of the mountain and walked to the entrance of the city.  We saw the city and the abbey that was full of people.  The bus returned us to the parking lot where we found the only yellow car – Bumblebee – and continued to Saint-Malo, less than an hour from Mont Saint-Michel.  This city, on the English Channel, has a big port and is across from another city, Dinan.  We walked “intra-muros” to see the beautiful buildings and the tranquil islands and beaches.  To return to Paris, we drove by Rennes and…oops!  We didn’t have enough money to leave the highway, but we worked it out.  Finally, we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe.  It was a good experience!

The Mont.

In the walls.

Abbey.

Tide out.

Gardens inside.

 

On the free shuttle back.

Walls and docks of Saint-Malo.

Intra-muros.

Beach.

 

Mess of ages.

Free Music & Free Mosquito Bites

Tags

amphitheater, anglais, antique theater, architecture, Arles, athletics, Avignon, bilingual, Case Western Reserve University, concert, English, Europe, francais, France, free music concert, French, Gaul, guide, IES, Les Rencontres, Les Suds, music, photography, Provence, Roman, Roman architecture, Roman athletics, Roman sports, solo, solo travel, south of France, sports, student, study abroad, tour, tourism, tourist, travel

(English translation below:)

La journée était longue.  Elle passe comme d’habitude avec quelques exceptions.  Nia et moi avons décidé de regarder des sports romains mais je n’ai pas pu trouver Nia où nous avons décidé de rendez-vous.  J’ai continué seule ; j’ai acheté un billet à l’amphithéâtre.  Cependant, c’était juste pour voir le bâtiment.  J’ai pris les photos que je n’avais pas pu prendre au concert l’autre semaine.  Le billet a marché aussi pour le théâtre antique, que j’avais déjà vu, mais j’ai continué et vu que l’évènement était là.  Alors, c’était vraiment simple et pour les enfants.

Après mes cours, j’ai regardé Bewitched un peu sur mon ordinateur chez moi.  Ma mère  d’accueil était revenue et elle a dit qu’elle le connaît.  Nous avons mangé des pates et j’avais cherché pour le Wi-Fi gratuit dehors de l’école quand j’ai vu des autres étudiants.   Nous sommes allés ensemble au concert à la Place Voltaire.  Les musiciens ont joué ma chanson favorite : The Sound of Music par Simon & Garfunkel.  Les moustiques étaient nombreux, donc nous sommes partis à la buvette Paddy Mullin’s pour une bière.  Les musiciens là ont joué Sweet Home Alabama.  Plutôt, je suis partie avec Jenn.  Quand j’étais chez moi, ma mère d’accueil a ouvert la porte et j’ai trouve qu’elle a fait le gâteau du chocolat.  Nous avons mangé un peu et dort à presque minuit.

*****

The day was long.  It passed as usual with a few exceptions.  Nia and I decided to watch some Roman athletics but I couldn’t find Nia where we had decided to meet.  I continued alone; I bought a ticket at the amphitheater.  However, it was just to see the building itself.  I took photos that I wasn’t able to take when I was at the concert the other week.  The ticket also worked for the antique theater, which I’d already seen, but I continued and saw the event there.  Alas, it was a simple event for children.

After my classes, I watched Bewitched a little on my computer at home.  My host mom returned and said that she knows of Bewtiched.  We ate some pasta and I was searching for free Wi-Fi by my school when I saw some other students.  We went together to a concert at Place Voltaire.  The musicians played by favorite song: The Sound of Music by Simon & Garfunkel.  The mosquitos were numerous, thus we went to the Paddy Mullin’s bar for a beer.  The musicians there played Sweet Home Alabama.  Later, I left with Jenn.  When I was home, my host mom opened the door and I found that she had made chocolate cake.  We ate a little and went to bed near midnight.

Les Alpilles

Tags

Abbaye de Montmajour, Abbey, anglais, Arles, Avignon, bilingual, Case Western Reserve University, chocolate, Christian Lacroix, church, English, Europe, fashion, fashion designer, francais, France, French, Geneva, IES, language, Lyon, Montmajour, olive oil, party, Provence, Saint Paul de Mausole, school, solo, solo travel, south of France, St. Remy, student, students, study abroad, swimming, Switzerland, tour, travel, Van Gogh

(English translation below.)

Le vendredi… pas d’école !  Nous avons eu une excursion dans les Alpilles, quelques petites montagnes juste au nord d’Arles.  Nous sommes partis le matin dans un bus de Place Lamartine pour l’Abbaye de Montmajour.  Evidement, c’était une exposition de Christian Lacroix qui s’appelle « Mon île de Montmajour ».  Je ne connais pas Christian Lacroix et j’ai pensé que l’exposition était un peu…stupide.  J’avais voulu de voir l’architecture de l’abbaye et pas une exposition abstract.  Alors, beaucoup des murs sont couverts par l’exposition…mais ma partie favorite était la tour de qui je peux voir toute de la vallée et des champs.  J’ai eu un peu de temps avant de notre rendez-vous, donc j’ai marché aussi à la chapelle, mais il n’y a pas beaucoup pour voir.  Nous sommes partis pour un déjeuner dans les jardins de Saint Paul de Mausole.

Ici, j’ai vu de la lavande, des roses, le Cloître, et une réplication de la chambre de Van Gogh qui était vraiment dans ma ville, Arles.  J’ai marché aussi vers de la forêt et trouvé des ruines anciens comme Galum.  Puis, le groupe est allé à St. Rémy pour quelques heures libres.  J’ai vu tout du centre-ville, puis j’ai eu un spa avec des poissons !  Ils mangent la peau morte sur les pieds !  C’était drôle mais je l’ai aimé aussi.  C’est la symbiose !  J’ai acheté des cartes postales, du chocolat avec de la lavande et du sel local, et gouté de l’huile d’olive.  Finalement, nous sommes partis encore pour une petite fête chez Kathy à Barbegal.  Nous nagions, mangions, et avions des bons temps.  Demain, je vais aller avec Alex à Lyon et Genève en Suisse !

***** 

Friday…no school!  We had an excursion in the Alpilles, some small mountains just north of Arles.  We left in the morning in a bus from Place Lamartine for the Montmajour Abbey.  Apparently, there was an exposition by Christian Lacroix called “My island of Monmajour”.  I don’t know Christian Lacroix and I thought the exposition was a little bit…stupid.  I wanted to see the architecture of the abbey and not the abstract exposition.  Alas, a lot of walls are covered by the exposition…but my favorite part was the tower from which I would see all of the valley and fields.  I had a little time before our rendez-vous, thus I walked also to the chapel, but there wasn’t a lot to see.  We left for a lunch in the gardens of Saint Paul de Mausole.

Here, I saw lavender, roses, the church and buildings, and a replication of the room of Van Gogh, which is actually in my town Arles.  Then, the group went to St. Rémy for some free hours.  I saw the entire main town, then I had a spa with fish!  They eat dead skin on the feet!  It was funny but I liked it as well.  It’s symbiosis!  I bought some post cards, chocolate with lavender and with local salt, and tasted olive oil.  Finally, we left again for a small party at Kathy’s in Barbegal.  We swam, ate, and had a good time.  Tomorrow, I’m going with Alex to Lyon and Geneva in Switzerland!

Abbey:

  

 

Lavender.

 

Fish spa.

St. Remy.

 

Montpellier

Tags

anglais, bilingual, camping, cathedral, English, Europe, francais, France, French, history, IES, Montpellier, photography, sites, solo, solo travel, student, study abroad, tour, tourism, travel

Johannes and I left camp without any surprises this time except for hot weather.  We drove back the way we came, stopped for bread at a boulangerie outside the city, then parked in a parking garage in the city.  We started walking to find the others’ hostel when we came across a wallet in an alley.  The papers inside indicated it was from a man in a wheelchair.  There were only coins left in it, so I’m guessing someone stole it, his cards, his cash, and threw the rest in the alley.  We changed our route and instead asked for directions until we found ourselves at the police station.  On the way, we encountered the others who were going in a similar direction to see the gardens.  We kept separately for the day.  Johannes and I finally found the station but it was closed, so the tourist office took the wallet for us and the information we had on where we found it, too.

Johannes and I first went in search of food and Carrefour City for some groceries.  We stopped at des Halles, but they weren’t very extensive and chose to move on to a shop.  After we were done, we walked to several churches and hit the main attractions, such as the Arc de Triomphe, the gardens and old well near the city’s aqueduct, and the enormous cathedral.  We returned to the fountains at Place de la Comedie and took the blue line towards Antigone, a modern center with more sculptures, fountains, and an Olympic pool.  We took the line back to the carrousel in the city then walked to grab a snack at a shop and meet the others near the car.  We took a group photo before heading out.

The drive back to Arles was only about an hour long.  There were women and men walking around still in costume for La Fete du Cotume.  We parked by my house and unloaded, the others walked home, then Johannes cleaned his car and gratefully used my family’s shower before mixing himself some instant coffee and saying goodbye.  He has a drive clear back to Cologne before school tomorrow.  After we parted, I went inside to say hi to my sister and took a shower, then I walked to the café for Wi-Fi to update some things online.  I texted Alex and we met up for dinner when he got out of a movie he saw by himself, a Hebrew film with French subtitles.  We ate at Le Blue Note and split Appalachian and Provencal pizzas.  I had some black currant kir to go with it.  We were pleased with the meal then went to Ice-To-Ice for Wi-Fi.  I ordered pistachio ice cream but we only had a short time before the network was shut down with the shop.  We crossed the street to Paddy Mullin’s to sneak some more Wi-Fi in while sitting on the wall beside the restaurant.  We’re making plans for a trip to Switzerland this weekend.  When Alex was ready to walk home, I stayed to type an article for my column then I went for a night walk to photograph Van Gogh’s café site and the starry night photo over the river.  I wanted the photos in a night setting, too.  Alas, I returned for the first comfortable night sleep in a long time.

Our campsite.

Arc de Triomphe.

Cathedral.

Group shot in Montpellier!