September 27th, 2016
This has been my year for traveling. But you know what? “Do me a favor…Stand up, walk to wherever the nearest window is, and just look outside. You may not know this, but there’s an entire planet-worth of summers, friends, sunsets, street lamps, songs, late nights, great films, and night skies waiting for you. Your life is as amazing as you want it to be, but first, you have to let it be that way.” chad sugg
I took off for Portland, Oregon, to visit a friend that I had not seen since 1973. We had so much fun. The weather was pretty good in Portland. I had no idea that it does not snow. Maybe once or twice through the years. What they do have for a winter is a day like we have had today at the Delaware Beaches…..grey and wet. They don’t even get thunderstorms. It is a drizzle. That is probably why their soil is fertile and the wine is delish.
Arriving in Portland the first thing that caught my eye from the airplane was Mt. Hood. Towards the end of my stay we decided to go up to the mountain to check out Timberline Lodge. The lodge was built in 1937. Some of the scenes of the movie The Shining were filmed here. They used aerial shots of the Timberline Lodge as part of its opening scene and also some other shots outside of the fictional Overlook Hotel.
The inspiration for the Lodge was the mountain. The architects used 3 themes to illustrate the regional heritage: hand-hewn timbers and hand-crafted furnishings to pay tribute to early pioneers, carved wood and wrought iron designs to capture the Indian spirit, and carvings of animals and paintings of wildflowers to represent wildlife native to Mt. Hood.
The timbers used were huge. The lodge had the fire going. It was rainy and cold. Plenty of hikers last week. We were hungry and thirsty so we decided to try the Ram’s Head Bar which is uniquely located on the second floor circular balcony.
We ordered some drinks. I decided to try Grady’s Spill…It is the short glass on the photo. “It’s advocaat sir, it does tend to stain. I’ll just set my Bourbon and Advocaat down…right here”…from Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining” Eastside Distilling egg nog advocaat liqueur, Jack Daniels, angostura bitters; served on the rocks with nutmeg, cinnamon and hazelnuts. It really tasted like an egg nog. It was good!!
And speaking of hazelnuts, Oregon is the largest producer of hazelnuts. We ordered Smoked Hazelnuts and Charcuterie.
A delicious Puree of Mushroom Soup with smoked hazelnuts, and green onions, and a Fire Roasted Tomato Soup with a rosemary crouton, and olive oil garnish.
The weather was conducive for a warm and comforting soup. But this was just a tasting. A dinner reservation was waiting in Portland where chefs are preparing some amazing dishes. Talk to you later.
September 6th, 2016
“Don’t be afraid that something happens to you. Be afraid that nothing happens to you. Nothing noteworthy or exciting or breathtaking. I’m more afraid of a life where nothing extraordinary ever happens. I am more afraid of putting my dreams on a shelf and later realizing that I am too jaded or to tired to live them.” we are sole sisters
Yes, it has been some time since I put my thoughts and my photos on this blog. But here I am. I was telling a friend not long ago that seizing those special moments is something we should all aspire to. Hey, you never know what is around the corner. So I have decided that once a month I Want To Go Somewhere! It does not necessarily have to be taking off on a plane. It could be a day trip with friends, a new museum. I don’t want to be stuck in a rut.
When my friends called me last April or so to tell me that they had planned a trip to Italy and were thinking if…..I am In, I said. I don’t think I let them even finish the sentence. LOL
My friends are the perfect traveling partners. Italy is home to them. Italian they do speak. I can manage with my Spanish. So off we went to an adventure. Guess what? It was a #girlswannahavefun kind of trip. We got along, we were on time when required, more so at 7:15, for drinks, a nightly ritual, we laughed and we were all 20 years apart.
Traveling is exhausting and you have to be patient. Meeting my friends from Boston to Rome I was supposed to be on that plane, but I won’t bored with the details, my plane was canceled from BWI to Boston so I got to Rome a day late and another expensive plane ticket in order to get there.
Our first stop was the seaside town of Terracina, located about 47 miles southeast from Rome; between Rome and Naples. Sandy beaches attract summer visitors and it is the perfect beach get away since it is only about an hour from Rome and Naples.
Our hotel was Albergo Mediterraneo, located on Via Veneto, 2, 04019 Terracina Lt. Website? www.albergo-mediterraneo.it. The hotels in Terracina are comfortable and simple. Visitors come mainly for the main attractions which are the beaches, bars, and restaurants.
Every town we visited had either fireworks or some sort of festival. Seafood for the evening with family friends.
The beaches were wide. Wide enough that right on the sand are clubs you can pay a fee and enjoy more of an upscale service. Plenty of music on the beach, as well. You can walk from one beach club to another choosing the perfect one for you and your family. No boardwalk here but the sidewalks and bike lanes were very well defined.
If you just wanted to sit on the beach, there was plenty of space to do that. The clubs just attracted my attention since we do not have that type of set up here in our Delaware resorts.
Beach vendors pass you on the beach. You could have bought beach toys to evening wear. And if you forgot your swimwear….hey, they had that too.
Judith, my friend, and I took off walking early. Terracina is a seaside town and fresh seafood abounds. The crates of fresh fish arriving daily. And the vegetables stands were simple and beautiful, showing us that eating fresh and local is so amazing.
By the bridge overlooking the canal and then my first fig tree showing up. After that I saw fig trees everywhere. I was in heaven!
Like many towns there was the new section of town; modern and then the historic sites where you could appreciate the ruins of the time and the old cathedral and the Piazza del Municipio. This piazza is the ancient Roman forum.
While in Italy we ate a lot, but lucky that portions are not super size like we have here in the U.S. Plus the fact that we walked and climbed steps. Boy did we ever!
While in Terracina a trip to the Temple of Jupiter Anxur is a must. You will be able to get a breathtaking and scenic view from that advantage point. This temple has towered over the city since the second century A.D.
During the Middle Ages there was a Benedictine Monastery dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel.
In the year 2000 the Temple of Jupiter Anxur was recognized as a National Monument.
And in 2008 it became part of the Natural Regional Park of the Ausoni Mounts and the Lake of Fondi.
It was 9 p.m. in Terracina and a delicacy called the Bomba Calda is a nightly ritual for many. It is like a stuffed doughnut with Nutella cream and Panna cream. There are other flavors but the best are these. Down the beach road we went by the hotel and here it was.
Nobody twisted my arm to have the Bomba Calda…..I needed that like a hole in the head. But, in Terracina you follow others. haha
In most parts of Italy, if you are thirsty drink from the fountains in town. Perfectly safe. Next is the Amalfi Coast.
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