Cycling, boating, eating in Bavaria! May 2012

5/25/12 – my non-English speaking in-laws picked me up at the airport in Munich.  Neither one of them speaks any English, so needless to say, the ride from the airport was quite interesting.  This was a very exciting event for them as they don’t typically venture too far away from home.  Airport road trip!

5/26/12 - today was a very enjoyable day.  I had the most fun I've had in a long time.  I went cycling in a small town near our apartment in Reichertshofen.  The scenery was great and the ride itself was invigorating.  I had not been on a bicycle in many years and was a little apprehensive about going for ride.  But I did not regret my decision.  I rode for about 16 kilometers (roughly 10 miles) along a scenic route and stopped for lunch at Hexen Haeusl (witch's house) but alas the witch was not home, so I continued on my journey.  Stopped for bad Chinese food afterwards and regretted it. 

 5/27/12 today was another great day.  Had a traditional Bavarian breakfast (brezen,rolls, marmelade, tee/coffee).  Went to the city of Alt Meuthal (located in the mountains) for the afternoon.  Did a fabulous riverboat ride, where I saw old castle ruins and the longest wooden bridge in Europe.  I also went to a Kristall Museum (very interesting) and then had a walk through the gardens, which will was filled with flowers, ponds and little waterfalls.  While I was there, I also learned that you can tell what the weather is going to be by the condition of a donkey's tail.  For example, if the donkey's tail is wet, it's probably going to rain; if the donkey’s tail it white, it’s probably going to snow; if the donkey’s tail falls off, there’s probably going to be an earthquake, etc. Well, it was very entertaining anyway!  My trip there was short but sweet. 

 5/28/12 today I left Deutschland. ):  Alas another aufwiedersehen (goodbye).   They get harder each time.  The typical routine is to check me in, then get something to eat.  Today I had fries and currywurst.  Typical Bavarian fare, I kid you not and yes I said "curry."  Go figure!  Then it was the usual kiss kiss, miss you, icy liebe dich, bis morgen call me when you get home!  The flight back home was uneventful except for the swervy landing which the captain totally played off with his lackluster humour.  Where to next? Stay tuned!

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 6/2/12.  All photos taken by and are property of TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R)

Germany/Sicily. Mama mia! - April 2012

Just got back from Germany and a few days in Sicily too.  So awesome!  The short time in Sicily was hardly enough to be teased, but I made the best of it! Sicily has so much to offer that I could hardly keep up. So much energy, so much life, so much zeal, so much wine!

Mt. Etna was a commanding presence from up in the air and she gave a show while I was there. She was not to be outshined by any other attraction and her performance was enough to grab my attention. She was spewing lava for a couple of hours at night! Red, hot lava! What a sight to see (from far enough away of course…mamma mia!) while sipping on some of Sicily’s finest wines!

I visited Taormina and watched and listened to the waves at night, checked out the open market  and Elephant Piazza in downtown Catania, drove a good way up Mt. Etna to some of her snowy peaks, and walked through ash from Mt. Etna on the sidewalks of Acireale!  

While I was in Sicily, it was Italy’s Liberation Day holiday.  Some newly found friends planned a day outing at the base of Mt. Etna. They prepared food in the true spirit of an Italian family! There was so much to eat and I got so caught up in the moment that I accidently ate horsemeat!  (No need to re-read, I said I ate horsemeat.)  Yikes!  Then, I intentionally ate horsemeat.  Yes, don’t ask.

One morning I had pastries drenched in some type of alcohol and canoles for breakfast, drank more wine than the actual time I spent on the island, and tried some of the best pasta I’ve ever had.  I got hooted at on the streets of Acireale (I still got it…hubby was happy to hear this), stared at a magnificent ocean early in morning and had the best family time.  It was really good big fun!

I would go back to Sicily tomorrow!

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 5/6/12 All photos taken by and are property of TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R)

SNOW TUBING...FIRST TIME EVER!

I recently went snow tubing at Round Top Mountain resort in Pennsylvania for the first time. I was immediately a little intimated by the size of the hill I would have to conquer, even though a six year old was ferociously excited about it. (Whatever…youthful innocence!) (: I grabbed my tube (an orange one) and headed for the top of the hill. The long and arduous escalator ride did not help to relax me for what lay ahead. Once at the top, I reluctantly positioned myself inside the tube and asked for a push off the ledge! (What the heck!) However, I held on tightly to the fingers of the two guys who were helping me and started to panic at the last moment. (OK…”held on” is not quite accurate, it’s more like I put the jaws of life grip on their hands! Yikes! What was I thinking?) There was a perfectly warm lodge nearby serving hot chocolate and tea, but instead, I was considering being pushed off the ledge of a snowy hill at night. There was even a bonfire nearby, but I was in the compromising of potentially crashing in to another snow tuber because all that separate the lanes was a barely “one foot” snow bank! (Really?) Anyway, I eventually freed my mind of the grip that fear had on me, and gracefully maneuvered the tube down the hill. (OK, wrong again, I hollered like a banchee as I was pushed off the ledge and slid down the hill, legs in the air and all!) LOL! Once I got the bottom, I thanked God for keeping me safe along the long and treacherous journey I had just taken, spinning, bumping into the banks that separated the lanes, going backwards and not knowing what lay ahead, going over small bumps, going airborne a couple of times, then a big dip and not know whether or not I would survive the journey. (OK, the whole ride took about 30 seconds, but it FELT like 30 minutes! LOL!) Then I did it about four or five more times! It was exhilarating and I had a blast! I did have hot chocolate and am looking forward to snow tubing again!

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 2/5/12 All photos taken by and property of NSL-R.

New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square, New York USA

Times Squares New York for New Year’s Eve 2011 was quite an experience. People, people everywhere. The city was alive fresh off the Christmas festivities and preparations were in full effect to ring in the New Year. The weather was great (for December) and this made the mood of the city even more energized! Security measures were in put in place from early in the day, but this did not stop the excitement the city was preparing for. It seemed like the city was busting at the seams waiting for the midnight hour with all the preparations. We walked a lot around the city during the day, ate, went window shopping and checked out the Christmas decorations that were still displayed on some of the building and around the city, like Macy's, Saks, Lord and Taylor. We decided to go back to the hotel for a rest before the big Times Square reveal, but ended up resting for too long. We had a late dinner, but by the time we decided to head back to Times Square, most of the city was secured and blocked off. So close and yet so far. (-: We missed the big ball drop but had a great time being in the city anyway. I love New York! The trip was great and we both enjoyed our time and celebrating New Year's Eve there!
Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 01/20/12 All photos taken by and property of NSL-R