Since I have vacation on the brain…
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Archive for the ‘trips and travels’ Category
quick fran, tourists
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009vacation plans
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Pet friendly beach house rental for a week on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina : $1196.69. Bike rental : $27/bike. Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka : $28.99 Date Nights : TBD. Spending a week away from the city : priceless.
We are so very much looking forward to our fall beach trip!
‘t brugs beertje
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
‘t Brugs Beertje
Kemelstraat 5
B-8000 Brugge
+32(0)50 33 96 16
For my 30th birthday, on a whim, Matt and I traveled to Amsterdam and Bruges for a week. Despite our lack of planning, an unexpected layover in Glasgow and lost checked luggage, it ranks as one of our most favorite trips of all time. The chaos only led to spontaneity and forced relaxation. Despite our travel books being lost, we were able to find this treasure of a place and I would have never guessed the impact it had on me or our lives.
Brugs Beertje (translates to the Bear of Bruges) is a small local bar, but don’t underestimate the power of the Belgium beer. When we arrived it was pretty clear that we were the only tourists in the place. A young mother sat at a table entertaining her toddler. A couple of businessmen were winding down at the bar while another patron’s black Labrador sat quietly under the bar stools. This was a local watering hole, but nobody batted an eye as we made our way to an empty table. The bartender expertly advised us and we most definitely weren’t disappointed. We sipped on Trappist beer, Lambics and Blonde Ale while joking about the unexpected twists and turns of our journey across the pond. The atmosphere was comfortable and relaxed. In some ways it felt as if we had arrived at a friend’s house after a long journey. People came and went, but nobody was in a hurry. The toddler’s father arrived to have a family dinner. Another couple came and sat beside us. All the while we immensely enjoyed each other and our first taste of Belgium beer.
I revisited ‘t Brugs Beertje last year. Everything was the same. The beer, the people, the bartender pouring each beer in its own special glass as I savored every sip slowly and deliberately. Only this time it was in my imagination. In reality I was in active labor, desperately trying to contain the waves of contractions. I wasn’t drunk on beer, but rather pumped full of Pitocin. As each contraction would come, I would instantly relive our first evening in Belgium and ultimately labor for almost ten hours without pain medication. All I needed was Belgium beer at ‘t Brugs Beertje and I would be able to have this baby.
In our childbirth class we worked on visualization exercises and I read up a little bit about hypnobirthing, but really felt the need to be present in the moment during birth. However, just in case I wanted to go to a “happy place” during labor, I filed away a few destinations where I could go, just in case. A deserted beach with soft, warm sand, hot sun on my skin, waves crashing at my feet, the squawks of near and distant gulls and the lingering odor Coppertone was at my disposal. But, instead, I chose to drink beer (Oh, how I craved beer when I was pregnant!) in Bruges instead.
So, out of all the places I’ve been and all the happy memories I have, ‘t Brugs Beertje was my unexpected “happy place” and helped me trudge through many contractions. But, don’t take my word for it. Go check it out for yourself.
the longest way
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009travels of life
Monday, August 31st, 2009Last week my cousin Brooke came for a visit and shared stories of her recent two-month trip to Europe. She had a wonderful time, met some great people, learned more about the world (and herself) and even couch surfed, something that scares the shit out of me. Her pictures and stories reminded me how much I love to travel and has prompted discussion about what our next adventure should be.
Over the years we have kept a rudimentary travel journal…bits and pieces of information and various memorabilia. I’ve wanted to figure out a way to piece it all together in an organized fashion. My hope was to create something that would not only document where we’ve been, but also share the information with friends, family and fellow journeymen. A few years ago, I created a blog to record these moments. However, in the craziness of life, only a handful of entries were actually published. In an effort to simplify you will now be able to read it all here. Sounds like a 2-for-1 deal that is too good to be true, eh? I hope you will enjoy this new enhancement to the blog and give those of you who are craving something other than baby related content a break from the mommyhood stories.
shhh! it’s a secret!
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
My Papa turns 80 years old today, so we are having a surprise party. But, don’t tell him.
public breastfeeding
Sunday, July 26th, 2009Early on I debated on exactly how to breastfeed in public. Should I use my Hooter Hider or should I be tastefully discreet? While I carried the nursing cover everywhere, I rarely used it. Haven never seemed to need it, and for the most part, I had no problems nursing without it. After all, women for years have been breastfeeding, why should we feel obligated to hide nursing our children? We’ve been doing it in public since, well, forever.
I am ALL FOR public breastfeeding and have fed Haven just about anywhere and everywhere. For shits and giggles I kept a list of all the public places Haven bellied up to the boob. In our ten months of nursing, not once have we been asked to leave or nurse elsewhere. Not once has a patron made a nasty comment or snide remark. I have even had one waitress talk to Haven when she was nursing! Haven just smiled, drooling milk as the waitress took our drink order.
Macaroni Grill : Alexandria, Virginia and Annapolis, Maryland
Mallory Square : Key West, Florida
Starbucks : Key West, Florida
Brown’s Mazda : Alexandria, Virginia
Longwood Gardens : Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
Truman Little White House : Key West, Florida
The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum : Savannah, Georgia
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace : Savannah, Georgia
The Shrimp Factory : Savannah, Georgia
The Crab Shack : Tybee Island, Georgia
On the Beach : Tybee Island, Georgia
Applebee’s : Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina
Silver Diner : McLean, Virginia
Caroline’s Cafe : Key West, Florida
Yoga Birth and Beyond : Alexandria, Virginia
Kelly’s Caribbean Bar and Grill : Key West, Florida
Lovely Nails : Key West, Florida
Caboose Cafe : Alexandria, Virginia
Ruby Tuesday : Wilson, North Carolina
Super Wal-Mart (in the shoe section) : Glen Burnie, Maryland
Not Your Average Joe’s : Leesburg, Virginia
Coastal Flats : Tysons Corner, Virginia
Chick-fil-A : Chesapeake, Virginia
American Craft Council Show : Baltimore, Maryland
McDonald Pediatrics : Ashburn, Virginia
ALL Pediatrics of Alexandria : Alexandria, Virginia
Northern Virginia Lactation Consultants : Fairfax, Virginia
Advanced Pediatrics : Vienna, Virginia
Evening Star Cafe : Alexandria, Virginia
Harry Savoy’s Bar and Grill : Wilmington, Delaware
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City : Arlington, Virginia
Smithsonian National Museum of American History : Washington, DC
Ikea : Woodbridge, Virginia
Buy Buy Baby : Springfield, Virginia
Reagan National Airport : Washington, DC
Conch Republic Seafood Company : Key West, Florida
Cheeseburger In Paradise : Key West, Florida
Ft. Lauderdale International Airport : Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Costco : Woodbridge, Virginia
Charles Towne Landing : Charleston, South Carolina
Boone Hall Plantation : Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
A.W. Shucks : Charleston, South Carolina
Laundromat : Charleston, South Carolina
Cracker Barrel : Pooler, Georgia
City Market : Savannah, Georgia
Jammin’ Java : Vienna, Virginia
National Zoo : Washington, DC
june pictures
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
As promised, here are the pictures from June. Despite Haven’s face, she really does like the water!
With proof of the Elmo cake….
…and Cookie monster cupcakes (thanks Shanna for taking this picture!)….
time for a feckin’*
Friday, April 24th, 2009It’s Friday! Here’s a video of Haven’s first Scottish pub visit, at Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub in Savannah, Georgia. So, TGIF, or TFIF, wherever you are!
*Their words, not mine. Don’t trust me? Look in the video. It’s there. On the right.
won’t you let me take you on a sea cruise?
Monday, April 21st, 2008Ooowee, ooowee baby!
So, the answer to last week’s TAGT was b AND d and many of you have been dying to hear how we liked cruising. So, here’s our scoop.
Before embarking on our inaugural cruise, we flew into visit with our friends Steve and Christy (who were also our gracious hosts and chauffeurs to and from the cruise ship) in Fort Lauderdale. Then, the ship sailed to Belize, Cozumel and Key West before returning back to home base. Of course, many of you already knew that, but are dying to know more details.
Before I begin, let me say that we desperately needed an escape from our normal lives, so in retrospect, this vacation was a lifesaver. Ditching the cell phones, computers and internet connection for a week did us wonders. Just the sheer fact that we were able to sit down and have lengthy discussion, sit on a sandy beach, dunk ourselves in ocean water and read books was a treat in and of itself.
A few years ago, we had wanted to escape the cold weather and head south. We seriously considered a cruise at that time and I spoke at length with a travel agent, poured over guidebooks from the library and scoured the Internet for whatever first-hand advice I could get my hands on. Ultimately, we decided against a cruise and opted to head to St. Martin/Saint Maarten on our own for a week. We decided to forgo a cruise at that time, mainly because we could not be guaranteed a non-smoking room. For this vacation, we had less than a week to prepare. After finding reasonable non-stop flights to Fort Lauderdale, we began looking at cruising again. I did some internet searching, saw that a couple of cruises would work within our schedule, and called a travel agent. With the help of Christy’s sister, Laura (who worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines at the time), we were able to snag an inside stateroom on the Enchantment of the Seas for a 5-Day Western Caribbean cruise to Belize, Cozumel and Key West. We chose Royal Caribbean, because as of January 1, 2008, all of their staterooms are non-smoking (according to our travel agent). Of course, you can still smoke on the balcony and on the starboard (right) side of the ship, as well as in the casinos and SOME of the lounges, but for the most part we were guaranteed a room, dining and other activities that would be non-smoking. So, we packed our bags and headed out.
After our arrival in Fort Lauderdale (and spending time with our friends), we were dropped off at Port Everglades for our cruise. Fortunately, we did not need to park there, but heard that the parking garage is quite packed, so if you are driving yourself, best get there early for a parking spot. At Port Everglades, there are porters who will take your bags from you and from what we heard demand a tip, which I think is a bit tacky (more about tipping later). Because we just had our carry-ons, we chose to carry our own bags. Yes, it was a bit of a hassle, but we weren’t willing to risk our belongings not showing up (or showing up late) to our cabins. If you do decide to have the porters deliver your luggage make sure to attach the appropriate labels provided by your cruise line.
Once inside the “terminal”, you are required to go through security, show your passport, obtain your SeaPass card, get a stupid picture taken (we tried to bypass the cheesy picture with the ship in the background, but were forced to do it) and lastly have an individual picture taken for security purposes. Fortunately, we glided right through, but I imagine it can be quite busy and crowded. Make sure you get to the boat on time. We were wanted on the ship no later than one hour before the ship departed. If you are late, you don’t get a refund (unless you have insurance). We met some people who had learned this the hard way.
After we were on the ship our first mission was to drop off our belongings in our room. I was prepared for a postage stamp sized room and, well, that’s just about what we got. At the far end of the room there were two twin beds pushed together to make an oversized queen bed with bedside tables, with drawers, on each side. In the middle of the room there was a very small loveseat (really just enough room for one person) and a small glass coffee table. Across from the loveseat was a vanity/desk and a small safe. The safe required that you swipe a credit card in order to lock or unlock, which we felt was stupid because you had to keep a credit card out, when the cruise line advertises that the SeaPass Card is all you need to get around. The vanity had several drawers and cabinets for storage. In the front of the room as you walked in, the bathroom was to our left and the closet was to our right. The closet had plenty of room (in our opinion), more drawers, and plenty of (I counted 22!) nice wooden coat hangers (that unfortunately clanked when the ship was moving at night). The bathroom had a small stand-up shower, a toilet and a small sink with a vanity/medicine cabinet combination. I had expected that we were going to be extremely cramped, but if you stay somewhat organized, there’s going to be plenty enough room for two people in the small stateroom. A child or a baby would definitely make things more crowded, but as long as you are reasonable in what you bring, I don’t see how it would be that bad. We only utilized 1/3 of the closet and I wiped out two drawers with hand sanitizer for our clothes and filled three more drawers with shoes, but we were easily able to make do with the cramped quarters.
Once we were somewhat settled in, we explored the ship (along with the other 2,500 or so others). As we discovered, the elevators were slow and oftentimes did not stop at your level. I assume this is a result of children/teenagers playing around and a high demand for older travelers. Deck nine was where most of the action took place. It was here that there were two outdoor pools and hot tubs and an “adult” pool with two more hot tubs with a retractable roof above and hundreds of deck chairs. Be warned, however, chairs get snagged and are a hot commodity during your day at sea, as well as any afternoon times people are back on the ship. There’s a strong possibility you might not be able to find a seat, depending on how obnoxious the other travelers are.We were pleasantly surprised to find several lounges and bars that were non-smoking, and we preferred going to the Schooner Bar, where it was quiet (non-smoking) and where we found the most attentive service on the ship. Ordering alcoholic drinks can be very expensive and the cruise ship does not allow you to bring your own alcohol on board. As frustrating as this may sound, after you see some of the people on the ship, you will be glad they don’t have 24-hour access to booze. However, it can be disappointing for those people who are responsible drinkers. Beer ranged in price from $4-6 per bottle, wine was priced at $5+/glass and mixed drinks started at $4.25 for the drink of the day. Also, if you are a soda drinker, it might pay off to purchase a soda card. An individual soda can cost you $3/glass. A soda pass costs $38 per person for the week (with a souvenir cup). In order to avoid paying taxes on drink purchases (and I assume other items) wait until you are at sea. You will save yourself a few bucks.
Whenever you ask someone about their cruise, usually they begin raving about the food. Honestly, we weren’t thrilled. Matt had some really good lamb dishes, I had a salmon dish that earned high marks, but for the most part we were disappointed. For breakfast, you could order room service (at no charge, but should tip the server) or go to the Windjammer, the buffet. Items on the breakfast menu were pretty consistent throughout the week. Omelets made to order, cereal, fruit, yogurt, milk, sausage links, bacon, corned beef hash, eggs, hash browns, pancakes, waffles, french toast, oatmeal, biscuits, gravy, bagels, english muffins, lox, cold cuts, cheeses and assorted pastries. Coffee, Decaffeinated coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch, orange juice and water were also provided, however, the orange juice concentrate was so watered down it was hardly representative of the real thing. Probably because they wanted you to splurge for the $3.95 fresh squeezed orange juice. One morning we opted for room service, which offered a selection of items off the buffet. Nothing special, however. Lunches weren’t very memorable, and to be honest with you, we mainly ate lunch off the boat at our ports of call. For dinner, we had an assigned table where we ate what was considered to be a late dinner, at 8:30 pm. Fortunately, our table companions were quite entertaining and we thoroughly enjoyed their company at dinner. Our service, however, was subpar. Every night, without fail, our waiter and assistant waiter gave someone, or several of us, the wrong dish and/or the wrong beverage. Understandably, they have several tables to attend to, but considering our neighboring table had a less than 50% show rate the majority of the cruise, I would have expected our waitstaff to be more on top of it. If it wasn’t for the assistance of the head waiter, we would have been miserable. The last few days of the cruise, we figured out you could head to the main dining room, figure out what is being served for dinner, then head to the buffet for some appetizers, and possibly taste some of what was being offered at dinner. A couple of nights we also snatched some desserts at the buffet to our cabin in the event we were displeased with our desserts served at dinner.
As I mentioned before, we were disappointed in the service on the ship. I had read (and the Royal Caribbean literature states) that you can add the tip to your SeaPass Card at the end of the trip. THIS IS FALSE, FALSE, FALSE. In order to tip via your SeaPass Card, you must do so several nights before, and will receive a voucher to put in the envelopes for your various servers. AND you aren’t given the option on the standard form to indicate how much you want to give to each server. In my mind, this is bullshit, as you can purchase a multitude of items on your SeaPass Card up to almost the very last minute. NONE of this is clearly stated and it is ambiguous as to how the whole process works. As an employer, I believe that Royal Caribbean should do a better job of informing passengers of this procedure, because, ultimately, it is their employees who get the short end of the stick here.
Royal Caribbean could also improve the procedures involving debarkation, especially when arriving where you must go through Borders and Customs (Key West). The written literature said NOTHING about when or how we would proceed to get off the ship, so instead there were herds of people frantically lining up, pushing each other, in an attempt to get through the gates the fastest. It was completely disorderly, confusing and orchestrated poorly. I could think of a multitude of ways they could have eliminated, or at least alleviated such a commotion. If they have emergency procedures down to a science, why can’t they do the same with this? My personal opinion? WIth the United States having stricter regulations, the cruise line can easily point the finger at the U.S. and draw attention away from Royal Caribbean. I honestly thought it was almost a farce how unorganized the procedure was. When debarking the ship, you are required to place your bags (with the appropriate labels) outside your cabin door the last evening of the cruise. Because we were carrying on our own luggage, as well as carrying off our own luggage we did not take advantage of this service and the cruise line doesn’t really explain how debarking works if you choose to do so. Because it takes time for luggage to get off the ship, you have a specific time you are allowed off the ship. For example, our luggage labels were beige, and beige labeled luggage people debarked at 10:00 am. Since the cruise line requires you to be out of your room by 8:00 am, we basically had to congregate somewhere on the ship for two hours before we were supposed to leave. Because we didn’t need to wait on any luggage we just got in a line once our ride was about to arrive. Again, this is not really explained in any of the cruise literature, nor did it seem to be very effective.
Despite all the negatives, we both were surprised to find ourselves saying that we would be willing to give cruising another shot. We’d want to try a different cruise line, such as Celebrity, but we aren’t opposed to cruising again, especially to compare and to see if higher end cruise lines really offer better service and food. However, if I had my choice between cruising and traveling on my own, I would more than likely choose the latter. The small amount of time spent at ports didn’t really allow us to venture out and explore. Instead, we were just able to see a snippet of the culture and the land. I would much rather have a chance to get out of the tourist traps. For us, we really enjoy doing the research on where to go, what to do, where to eat, etc., but time didn’t allow any of that this trip, so a cruise was ideal. Given our circumstances, I am extremely glad we chose a cruise. However, if I had more time, I would have seriously considered other options.
© 2008 Laura Mead. All Rights Reserved
