ilivetotravel's travel log

Photo of the Week – Entrance to the Ill-Fated Town of Pompeii

Pompeii was a normal town in ancient Rome.  Lots of good business due to its place by the sea on the way to Rome.  Fast and fun place for the sailors who enjoyed the pleasures it offered.  Until that fateful day that destroyed the town and created history…

As I entered Pompeii from where the old shoreline used to be (it’s further away now) and walked up the ramp, I wondered how many people had been running down this main entrance to the city, hoping to make it to a boat, hoping to save their lives on that day…

July 19th, 2012 Posted by Raul | Europe, Italy, Picture of the Week | 7 comments

Melodies and Travel Memories

Leah, from leahtravels.com wrote a post about melodies and the travel memories they bring.   It is a great idea for a post and I will be tagging 7 others as she tagged me in her writeup.

As a kid, we did not do family vacations as we did not have the means and we lived in an island (so no big drives across states!).  But songs do bring memories and take me back to different places.  Here are my songs…

Love Is Blue (Al Martino)

(Listen to it here)

It may not remind me of travel but I think it does transport me to one of my earliest childhood musical memories.  As a kid who was learning English at school, I probably had no idea what the song was about except that it mentioned the color blue.

But what I do remember is that the melody of this song, when it would come on the radio, would IMMEDIATELY triggering a crying spree on my part.  Apparently, I cried with so much emotion that the adults around me could not stop laughing.  I recall one time that my Mom had to pull over with my grandma also in the car because they were laughing so hard that she couldn’t drive and was on the merge of going #1 right then and there.  I hadn’t heard the song in likely over a decade until just now when I thought this song had to be listed here. (Happy to report only minor sobbing, barely audible.)

The color blue for those who want to know…

The Pinocchio Song (not sure if it even has a name!  Canción Infantil Pinocho is how I have found it)

(Listen to it here)

Another song from my childhood taking me back to being 6 or under… It was a song my Dad -who had a great voice- would sing to my sister and I about Pinocchio (I remember the age because my memory of him singing it is when he was still married to my Mom).  It was a song in Spanish and I remember feeling it was a sad song though it is the story of Pinocchio which ends well).

The song had evaporated from my memory until my Dad passed away a couple of years ago and my sister and I were trying to remember him in our childhood.  She is 5 yrs older so she remembers more than me.

Since Disney would kill me for putting a picture of Pinocchio, I chose to include here a pic of the family instead. Toddler ilivetotravel on the left!

It’s Still Rock ‘n Roll to Me (Billy Joel – The Essential Billy Joel)

This song reminds me of my drive around Switzerland with a co-worker and friend as we escaped from Paris for a weekend.  This song played during a particularly beautiful part of the road between Bern and Interlacken and I remember re-playing it a couple of times at a good enough volume.  Somehow, the mix of this song, the drive and the enjoyment of the trip was energizing!

What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearing…

…You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers…

 Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac)

I had not been much of a fan of Fleetwood Mac (for no real reason, just hadn’t caught on, I s’ppose) but then I went to the World Expo in Sevilla in 1992.  Yes, seeing the pavilions while it was 40 C was fun.  The pavilions themselves transported you to all these countries (and got you into air conditioning).  But the REAL fun in the World Expo was the parties at night.  This song by Fleetwood Mac played at some point well after dinner and well into drinks.  I remember everyone climbing up on the picnic tables in the outdoor pavilion we were at dancing, and drinking some more.  I definitely felt tomorrow WOULD BE better than before, as soon as the hangover passed.

Though in some ways the following words may seem to tell us not to focus on past trips (stay with me…), they sure tell us to keep planning away, to keep dreaming away our next destinations and discoveries!  The song made me feel – and still does – that tomorrow will always be better.  A great way to look at life indeed.

Life Is a Highway (Tom Cochrane’s version)

Now this is a song that defines my outlook in life as a whole and may need to be played at my funeral.  It means that travel is inherently part of life:  going places, not being stationary.  But, more importantly, travel also not in the geography sense but in the sense of movement, of progression, of starting points and endpoints, of not stagnating.  The melody and the lyrics all work for me.  My anthem!

Here are six fellow bloggers I am tagging to share the songs that conjure up some of their favorite travel memories. Please feel free to tag others after you’ve published!

• Erin at theworldwanderer.me
• Kristin at twocannoli.com
• Aaron at elatlboy.com
• Erin at a-sense-of-place.com

Now it’s your turn. Do you have a song that instantly transports you to another place and time? What is it? Where do you go?

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July 14th, 2012 Posted by Raul | Random Thoughts... | 16 comments

When the Winery Comes to You – Frog’s Leap Wine Tasting

Normally, I write about going somewhere but Frog’s Leap winery just came to me instead of me going to it – a phenomenal wine tasting with friends and good food!

Since 2001, I have been part of a wine tasting group of friends.  Some have cycled out when they moved out of town but the group has mostly been the same since 2003/2004.  It makes for a great night of tasting wines, catching up, and getting a little silly.  And usually, discovery of some good wines.  This past weekend we had one of these tastings.  And that night was not to be different!

The Setup

Our friends J&J were in charge of the tasting and it was held at my house.  Being in charge meant they picked the theme,  the wine to go with the theme, and munchies to go with the wine (cheeses, chocolate, fruits, etc.).  In 11 yrs we have done “new world” vs. “old world” wines, blind tasting of reds with high typicity (how well a wine represents the grape varietal’s “agreed-upon” traits), wines of country X (“Italian reds”), wine X across several wine regions that make it (“Cabs from Australia, California and Chile”), and so on.

This time, our hosts decided to do wines from one winery.  We had never done that!  They picked Frog’s Leap as J1 is a
“Fellow of the Frog“.  I have had Frog’s Leap before (Rutherford!!) and liked it a lot but had not tried, for example, their whites.  So this was going to be a new way of sampling wines for our group.  I linked their site above and it will take you to an intro.  Normally, I skip intros but this one is playful!  Ribbit.  (But don’t go there now – finish reading this and THEN go.)

Cork by Frog’s Leap, Fingers by Schmitt

The Food

As part of the tasting, we have munchies.  Partly so stomachs don’t empty throughout the evening (most people eat a light dinner beforehand), and partly to help the tasting of the wines as some foods help highlight the flavors of the wine (whereas others can make the wine flat; that is part of the learning to do in a wine group!).

What was served?  Well, here, let me tell you…

• Camembert and Chevre from Calyroad Creamery in Sandy Springs http://calyroadcreamery.com/ For the apricot/chevre, dried apricots were diced up with the chevre in a food processor.
• Cheddar – Cabot Reserve Aged Cheddar
• Prosciutto rolls from Costco
• Savannah Bee’s Honey from Whole Foods for the cheeses or the prosciutto rolls
• 3 types of Ghirardelli chocolates
• Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and dried cherries
• Baguette from Breadwinner Cafe in Sandy Springs, GA  http://www.breadwinnercafe.com/index.html
• Cucumbers and parsley were from Split Cedar Farm from North Georgia (bought at the Sandy Springs Farmers’ Market)
• Maine Lobster Dip was from Costco and it was served in cucumber slices!

The Maine lobster dip

Cheese and crackers couldn’t be absent!

Pistachios and other items ready for the tasting

Delicious chocolates await us…

The Winery

Briefly, Frog’s Leap was founded in Napa Valley about 30 or so years ago at a place known as Frog Farm.  It is claimed that frogs were raised there for sale to the big city (San Fran).  Don’t worry, that’s a long time ago and the vines are free from any frog-smell!  It produces – organically – both whites and reds, with an annual production as of this writing of about 60,000 cases.  Besides the wine, the next best thing they have is their motto:  “Time’s fun when you’re having flies.”

The Wines

The moment we have been waiting for:  the wines!  The stars of the evening were:

• 2009 Sauvignon Blanc
• 2011 Sauvignon Blanc
• 2009 Chardonnay
• 2009 Zinfandel
• 2007 Merlot
• 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
  

Half the stars of the show! Let the games begin!

Both Sauvignon Blancs were well received by the group.  Clearly one being 2 yrs younger than the other would translate into more of an edge on the younger one but everyone felt that fit well if you are wanting to drink a white wine outside on a hot day.  It felt more refreshing than the 2011 and someone said it sort of popped on your tongue, alluding to a slight sense of effervescence without actually being effervescent.  The 2009 had nice acidity and stronger fruit flavors – it paired very well with the raspberries but not with the blackberries, something we couldn’t quite understand.  I feel I could drink these on a summer day but also other times of the year with certain dishes, especially strong-flavored fishes (e.g., salmon) as it would help counter those flavors.

The Chardonnay was a pleasant surprise as it wasn’t as oaky as many of us expected – which was good in our book.  It almost had an old world style which explains at least why I liked it as I generally do not like California Chardonnays but do like French ones.  It had a buttery sensation to it but it was not too strong along with good fruit flavors.  Very mineral and crisp.  We noted the pistachios went well with it.

We moved on to the reds at this point and first in line:  the Zinfandel.  It had a nice bouquet and light tannins.  While it has a spicy start, it was not overly spicy.  We found out it went well with the raspberries too.  As with the prior wines, it had a short finish.  I really enjoyed this Zinfandel.

On the Merlot, I can tell you it was the one wine the majority said was their favorite of the group because it felt well-balanced.  It went really well with Ghirardelli’s Cabernet Matinee which we kept calling Cabernet Manatee (initially, someone WAS really confused!).  It had a strong scent of grapes and probably the strongest finish of the group.  Probably the extra years helped make it the favorite – wine, after all, gets better with age!

Finally, we hit the Cabernet Sauvignon.  It had strong flavors of cherry and wasn’t a full-bodied red which pleased most in the group though a couple of us gravitate towards full-bodied reds.  It was well-balanced like the Merlot and a pleasure to drink.

What struck us all was how good the wines were across the board.  One cannot go wrong choosing any Frog’s Leap wine, it seems, and that is good to know!  Now we all think we are fellows of the frog (lower case as it is unofficial) and continue to be best friends with the Fellow of the Frog in the group, J1, for having chosen well and introduced us more fully to this winery.

And the Non-Sensical!

Oh, and what is a wine tasting with this group (or others, I am sure) without the non-sensical things that are said or done.  OK, not all are for this blog, and not all do I remember why they were said (except I jotted them down in my handy notepad) but they are part of what makes a wine tasting with friends so much more fun than one at another venue.  A very small sample to keep this blog from being banned… and to protect the innocent:

• Reminiscing about a wine someone had had elsewhere, the descriptor was “sweaty sock” – wish I knew what wine that was to not try it!
• Overheard:  “Can you pour some honey on my prosciutto?”
• Overheard:  “Come from the backside”
• All fun and games until someone breaks a chair…

The main explanation of the non-sensical:

Before and after…

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If you are interested in starting a group like ours, feel free to drop me a note here or in my Facebook page www.facebook.com/ilivetotravel

July 10th, 2012 Posted by Raul | Good Eats and Drinks | 25 comments

Of Long Doughnut Lines and Cold Coffee – The Rest of the Story

Last May, I participated in the Windy City Travel Tweetup.  Met some “old” friends (Lola and Leah) and some new ones (Francesca, Pola, Aaron, and Ted) – by the way, check those blogs out!  As part of any tweetup, we like to hit some neat local spots and discover the unique places in a city.  So, it was exciting to run into a list of the best doughnut places in the U.S. that had been published by Food & Wine as one of the places WAS in Chicago:  the Doughnut Vault.

The story has been eloquently told with awesome pictures here.  But I thought it’d be good to tell the story from my side…

The Pickup

Our fellow tweetupers, Leah and Aaron, volunteered to grab doughnuts at the Doughnut Vault and get some coffee for the rest of the gang; key word is volunteered – which made them my favorite people, of course.  Not being one to pass an opportunity for yummy doughnuts AND sleep in a little, I accepted.  Lo and behold, the doughnut place had a line that took our friends an 1.5 hrs to clear!  Leah texted me informing me of the horrible situation (it was also raining some) they were in.  I offered to join them after a leisurely shower but Leah very kindly told me to not worry so I didn’t. Now, I have to go a step further and show some evidence as I have to show my thoughtfulness… (I learned this trick from a lunatic blogger a little over a month ago…)

1st set of messages (local time 1 hr less than displayed); yellow text is Leah’s

2nd message

Notice how I expressed my appreciation up there?

The Tasting

When they got to the hotel, we were eager to try the doughnuts.  I was almost salivating looking at the doughnut and was dying to try it.

They are taunting and tempting me

As I took a bite a few pictures were taken.  Leah showed the non-airbrushed picture in her post but here is my preferred shot:

Aforementioned preferred shot

OK, so I take a bite and… it was OK.  Inside my head neurons start wildly spinning trying all branches of logic to see what the right statement was going to be.  My programmers didn’t factor in the Leah factor…

Meltdown!  Core Dump!

I was in trepidation at saying anything other than “ausgezeichnet!  wunderbar! completely out of this world; I have never had a doughnut like that and will never again” yet I couldn’t lie to a friend either.  What to do, what to do??  Amperes were flowing through my brain’s electrical wiring seeking the coded instructions to no avail; it was an IF statement without a proper switch for the current situation.  It finally hit the ELSE statement and “it’s OK” came out of my I/O device:  my vocal cords.

Aforementioned IF-ELSE statement (not the ACTUAL one in me)

Action in the room froze.  I detected a slight shaking in some of those present.  Leah’s eyes became red.  A red that only the core of the sun has.  Lightning flashed in front of her.

Aforementioned lightning strike and aforementioned Leah

Cold as Ice

And then I had a sip of my coffee.  Cold as an iceberg.  The heat of the glare evaporated as this not-intended-to-be-cold cold coffee worked its way down my esophagus.  Now THEREIN the real crime in the morning with nary a microwave in sight.

Conclusion

I hope my post clarifies some of the finer points of the morning, adding to what Leah shared.  Leah who so generously gave of her time (along with Aaron) so we could try those doughnuts. Further, I hope this post communicates the extreme duress I was under with the pressure to LOVE the doughnut and with having to drink that hyper-cold intended-to-be-hot coffee.

We have learned something here.  We all have, dear reader, haven’t we?  What have we learned out of all this?  Do not trust all “”best” X lists you read and watch out for the Doughnut Vault:  they don’t take cash and don’t tell until you approach the door an hour + after you get in line!

July 9th, 2012 Posted by Raul | US & Canada | 6 comments

A Fourth of July Celebration at the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta

The Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia is a 4th of July tradition since the race was started in 1970.  It grew to be the largest 10K in the world with over 55,000 in 2007 and then it lost that title.  But for years, it was the largest one and it still feels like the largest one.

Did I Run the Peachtree Road Race?

The runners cover a challenging course with steep hills and usually heat and humidity.  I ran the Peachtree for 10 yrs in a row and decided to break the streak last year.  See, I didn’t want to be one of those people who cannot go out of town that weekend of the 4th because they have been doing the Peachtree for the last X yrs, with X ranging from the teens to the low 30s in number of years.  I wanted to break that streak and also save myself the waking up somewhere between 5-6AM to then tackle those steep hills and heat and humidity.  This year, I decided to pass up the opportunity to run again

The Prized Reward – T-Shirt

That opportunity (in the form of a race number) is not easy to get.  To get a number, the best way is to have run a qualifying race.  But it is not only about getting a number but getting placed in a group ahead of the masses who likely will do a little more walking – and then slow down the folks who want to run it and maybe improve their time.  Be aware that the “walk to the sides and leave the middle open” rule is not observed to the great annoyance of most runners, especially when folks decide to stop running all of a sudden and the runner behind then has to do whatever to avoid running into them (no comment…).

It is not unusual at the end of June or early July to hear around town “know anyone with a number for the Peachtree who is not going to use it?”.  Why?  Why not just run the course with the numbered runners?  Well, you are right that the feeling of accomplishment would be the same but you may not know that the REAL reward is one of the prized t-shirts.  People do whatever to get one of those:  apply for the race & run it, get it from the spouse, buy it in eBay afterwards, or… get a number and join in on mile 1, 2, or 3 as you need the number to claim the shirt at the end of the race.  Dante’s inferno now has a tenth circle for the cheaters in that last group… At least walk the whole thing!  It is perfectly fine to walk it!!!

In my opinion, not all the designs over the last dozen years are THAT good.  I only have like two favorites in the group of t-shirts I have – and, no, none are for sale

A Hill to Remember – If You Survive It

Now, we have to talk about  the lovingly-name Cardiac Hill which is around mile 3.5 and is conveniently situated by Piedmont Hospital.  That hill is BRUTAL.  It makes little boys of grown men.  Depending on my conditioning on a given year, I could run it all the way and STILL keep running after it.  But even then it was NEVER easy.  Get it?  NEVER.  On bad years, I walked for a minute or I would make it to the top and then breakdown and walk for a few minutes.  The pictures you will see here are all taken RIGHT when the runners have finished Cardiac Hill whether running it or walking it.  You can see it in their faces.  The later in the race, the more the ratio of walkers to runners goes to the walkers (the people in the front qualified so are more likely to have better conditioning).  But even in the years when I could do Cardiac Hill and the immediate aftermath, there was a subtle hill around mile 4 that was worse for me.  Though it wasn’t as steep as Cardiac Hill, it seemed to be never-endingly long.  That’s the one that challenged me every single year.  I have run the Peachtree end-to-end without walking but that hill always tested me…

Spectating:  The Thing to Do – If You Are Not Running It

So, if not running it now, what do I do?  I spectate (sounds too much like Kaopectate..).  Spectators line up Peachtree Street (THE Peachtree Street, not one of the 100 or so impostors scattered around the city) from Lenox Mall down to Piedmont Park.  They make noise, cheer runners, high five runners, and on occasion imbibe their favorite drinks… hey, the offer them to runners too – I recall being offered beer when I ran it (never partook).

In any case, the Peachtree Road Race is great way to celebrate the good ole U.S. of A.’s birthday and share as a city a good time whether running or spectating (oh, or volunteering!  it takes a lot of them and I thank them!)

Enjoy the pictures showing the grit, effort, joy, and tiredness of the runners!  Click on the picture to open a new window with the full picture!

July 4th, 2012 Posted by Raul | US & Canada | 13 comments

Into the Land of the Dracula Legend (Or Is It?) and Moldova

So my trek to Romania is fast approaching.  I shared here about the hike in Romania in support of a local orphanage (donations welcome at www.trekkingforkids.org; mark me as the trekker!).  I have been preparing and planning to visit the Alps in Transylvania, made famous (or better known) by the story of Dracula…

The Hike

The hike will take place over 4 days where among other places we will stop at the castle that inspired the story of Dracula (Bran’s Castle).  We will staying in chalets or other accommodations in the area and we will visit other castles in the area.  We will be hiking for 5-6 hours every day and ascending to upwards of 9,000ft above sea level.  I have done 3-4 hr hikes in Kennesaw Mountain, about 20 minutes north of Atlanta, along trails they have up and around the mountain.  I have also been relying on the treadmill doing hour-long walks at 10% incline or more.  I sure hope this and my overall general fitness level help make this hike something less than a painful experience!

Pre-Hike Visit to Moldova

I don’t generally miss an opportunity to see a new place so I thought to myself that if I am going to Romania, I needed to do something in addition to Romania in this trip.  In terms of Romania, I get to see Bucharest, Brasov and the Transylvanian Alps so I was leaning to go somewhere outside of Romania.

The Greek Isles definitely beckoned but the lack of direct flights to the islands (taking into account all the stuff I will be lugging around for the hike) made me -sadly- kill that option.  A strong contender was neighboring Serbia.  But as I looked at the map more, there was one obvious candidate destination that I may otherwise not get to… the ex-Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova.  I hear it still feels somewhat Soviet but I have also heard great things about fortresses, monasteries and wineries so it makes sense for me to explore it.  I decided to make it there before the hike.

Through a recommendation from someone in TripAdvisor, I contacted a local guide who will take me around for the 3 days I will be in Moldova to explore this -to me- mysterious country.  The local guide recommended I see Romania’s cultural capital, Iasi (population ~350K, inhabited since 400BC!), very close to Moldova on the west and that he could pick me up there.  So Iasi got added to the itinerary though I will spend less than a half a day there unfortunately.

Iasi (photo courtesy of: RomanianMonasteries.org)

Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, will be my base those three days.  I have decided to stay at the Best Western Flowers which seemed well located and got good reviews in TripAdvisor (one of my preferred sources).

Map showing the areas I will explore on the three day visit

I am excited to get to explore one of the smallest and lesser known European countries and enjoy its charms before I do the hike.

Getting to Romania

I wanted to use frequent flyer miles to get to Bucharest but, as everyone has heard, airline miles keep losing value.  I had hoped to make the trip business class as I never get to do that on international flights.  However, what used to be a 90,000 mile business class seat can be now over 200,000 miles!  Inflation of awards outpaces any normal inflation metric…  Clearly a mental note has been made to earn points where possible outside of frequent flyer accounts (Marriott, for example, has a great and valuable rewards program).

Sure enough, I couldn’t get anything under 200,000 miles.  I had more miles than that to use but I refused to spend that many miles.  I tweeted in frustration, promising I would diversify my airline choices in the future.  A direct message came in from the airline asking if there was anything they could do to help.  I replied, rather skeptically, explaining further and adding “if you can get me there on business class for much less, I’d take it”.  Long story short, that person contacted me 2 hrs later (after various exchanges clarifying date flexibility, etc.) with an itinerary that was 150,000 via Amsterdam (trans-Atlantic leg with KLM! but 8-hr layover…) BUT it could not get me out of Bucharest to the gateway city (Paris) – I’d be on my own for that.  I was quite pleased.  I realize 90,000 was a dream especially in peak summer season so I understood  that I got as good a deal as possible.  My itinerary though does require 2 stops going over and 2 coming back BUT on the return I have to overnight in Paris anyway so I will make it a 2 night/1 day visit (I lived in Paris for 6 months many years ago so getting to stop there is like going home for me).

Getting to Moldova

Now, the only item left was getting to Moldova.  Trains are a great way to see more of a country but I was trying to maximize time in Moldova and the train ride was not a short one.  Since Iasi, Romania seemed worthseeing, I was going to fly there from Bucharest and then just return to Bucharest to join the hike group by flying out of Chisinau.  I land in Bucharest from the US at around midnight on the night of the 15th of July and catch my flight to Iasi at 11AM the next day.  Clearly I will not have time to unpack and repack for this 4 day trip so I will have to pack my bags in the US so it is a matter of leaving my hike luggage at the hotel in Bucharest and take one smaller bag for the Moldova trip.  (I am scoring a room at the JW Marriott for practically nothing!  I will stay there again the night I come back from Moldova.)

But heaven help me if the Romanian airline’s (TAROM) website wasn’t a royal pain the rear!  After many attempts, I ended up just going to good ole Expedia to book my flight and end the non-sense.  I hope the experience with TAROM is not a sign of things to come!

Bucharest

Sadly, I will only have one good day to see Bucharest so I will book some sort of tour to be efficient about seeing the key sights.  I hate not getting to spend more time and get a feel for the city but checking Iasi and Moldova out seemed more off the beaten path and that will always trump other options!

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So with less than 2 weeks to go, I am slightly daunted by the logistics of packing up all the right things for a hike in the mountains:  do I have all the things I need (they gave us a gear list but still trying to decide what to buy, what to borrow, and whether to buy cheap alternatives or the real things…), which bags are the ideal bags (my huge backpacker backpack, a duffel bag, etc. considering the multiple plane changes and the darn hiking poles), and how to strategically pack my bags.

However, any anxiety or eagerness to resolve all these pales in comparison with the excitement about the hike, the orphanage we are working with, and the sights and sounds I am about to experience in this corner of Eastern Europe!

July 3rd, 2012 Posted by Raul | Europe, Moldova, Romania | 20 comments