For the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing a lot about Port City Brewing Company. They recently earned the national title of Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. They beat out the other 517 breweries in the small brewery category. 
We were welcomed by a friendly, good looking bartender who explained how the flights worked: $12 for six tickets and an extensive taster menu:;
Tidings Ale ended up being my favorite one. It’s a Belgian Strong Blond and has honey, ginger, cardamom and coriander. I mostly tasted the ginger – mild and very refreshing. 
Every Friday night, the Borinquen Lunch Box food truck parks out front from 5:30 to 9 pm. DELICIOUS! I had the arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), tostones (fried plantains) and a vegetarian empanada. John devoured his Cubano sandwich. If you’re looking for some authentic Puerto Rican food, I highly recommend stopping by for a bite (or take away). 
This was the first of many visits – I’ll definitely be checking out Trivia Night but will pass on science fiction night. I’ll wait for history trivia. There’s also Beer Yoga and Comedy Night.
Port City Brewing Company is located at 3950 Wheeler Avenue, Alexandria. Give it a taste…
Archive for the ‘Travels’ Category
Alexandria, VA: Friday Night Fun at Port City Brewing Company
Posted in Travels, United States, Virginia, Washington DC, tagged Alexandria, Beer, Borinquen, Brewery, Port City Brewing Co, Puerto Rican Food, Travel, Trivia Night, Virginia on Friday, 15 January, 2016| 6 Comments »
Philadelphia: Who is an American?
Posted in Pennsylvania, Travels, United States, US, USA, tagged American, Common Sense, history, Independence, Philadelphia, Revolution, Thomas Paine, United States on Saturday, 9 January, 2016| 8 Comments »
The marker is located at SE corner of S 3rd Street & Chancellor Street (Thomas Paine Place)
During my recent visit to Philadelphia, I came across the area where, on this day in 1776, Thomas Paine published his 47-page pamphlet “Common Sense“. He sold 500,000 copies which influenced both the political leaders and average colonists in uniting toward a common goal of independence.
The building is no longer there but I was thrilled to see the site where one of the most important documents of the Revolution was produced. “Common Sense” was definitely a game-changer. He wrote:
Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither they have fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still.”
It’s fascinating to me how quickly Paine became a supporter of American Independence. While he was still living in England, he met Ben Franklin who happened to be at a debate in which Paine was impressing everyone in the audience. It was Franklin who encouraged him to immigrate to Philadelphia in 1774 and within two years he wrote “Common Sense”. After writing his pamphlet, he served in the US Army and with the Committee of Foreign Affairs. He returned to England in 1787, where he bravely continued to write in favor of Independence. He wrote “The Rights of Man” in which he supported the French Revolution. Because he was targeted as an anti-monarchist, he fled to France but was arrested in 1793 for not supporting the beheading of Louis XVI. Thomas Paine was scheduled to be executed himself, but thanks to the efforts of James Madison (who was serving as US minister to France), he was released in 1794. He remained in France until 1802. By invitation of Thomas Jefferson, he returned to the United States and died in 1809 in New York.
Although Thomas Paine was British, to me he was the epitome of an American. To be an American, I think less of where a person was born and more about their state of mind. He was courageous, opinionated, and envisioned what could be, not what was. He also had a positive long-term outlook which I admire. And what an exciting life he led.
Virginia: Alexandria Archaeology
Posted in Travels, Virginia, Washington DC, tagged Alexandria, Archaeology, history, Old Town, Ships, Virginia on Tuesday, 5 January, 2016| 8 Comments »
While the construction crew building the Hotel Indigo dug deep, the remains of an 18th century ship’s fifty-foot hull was unearthed at 220 South Union Street in Old Town, Alexandria.
It had been scuttled sometime in the late 1700s when the town used it as part of the landfill for the waterfront which was extended out to a deeper part the Potomac River. The new waterfront allowed Alexandria to become a thriving international port. 
In photo: Before the landfill (late 1700s), the waterline went to where the crane is located.
3-D laser scanning, photographs and measurements have been completed and now the ship is being dismantled so it can be moved to a wet environment for further study and hopefully conservation. 
For more information about this and other discoveries in Old Town, go to: Alexandria Archaeology Museum which is located in the Torpedo Factory on King Street.
When they announced the area would be open to the public for two hours, I was hoping to get onto the construction site for a closer look but it was not to be.
My Love Affair with Lush…
Posted in Philadelphia, Slovenia, Travels, tagged Lush, Philadelphia, Skincare, Slovenia, Spa, Vegan, Vegetarian on Saturday, 2 January, 2016| 13 Comments »
…has been going on for fourteen years, ever since I first walked into the wonderfully aromatic Lush store in Ljubljana. Unable to read Slovenian, I had no idea what I was buying but they did have a few words in English such as “natural ingredients” and “handmade” so I took a chance. After one use, I became a big fan and there are usually 3-4 jars sitting on my bathroom counter at any given time. 
As I was going through photos (an ongoing project), I noticed Lush stores have been a big part of my travels. Anytime we traveled with friends or family we would drag them into a Lush store. Stores didn’t open in the US until the late 2000s so it was a novelty.
With sister-in-law and niece in Ljubljana (2004)
Lush in Ljubljana with a good friend (2005)
Lush in Quebec City (2009)
Lush in Amsterdam (2004)
Lush in Ottawa (2007)
Besides the fabulous products which makes my skin feel wonderful, the company is environmentally forward thinking, no animal testing and ethically source their ingredients. They are 100% vegetarian with most being vegan. All their packaging is recycled, recyclable and biodegradable. Lush products don’t contain microbeads which were recently banned in the US by President Obama’s executive order. 
Every container has an employee’s sticker with their likeness and name. Makes me think it must be a fun place to work.
At the spa – so lovely.
Recently my daughter requested a Lush spa treatment as a reward for a stellar report card. There are only two spa locations in the United States: New York City and Philadelphia. It was a great excuse to return to Philly for a visit. The spa offers several different themed treatments ~ my daughter got the Validation and loved it. They want it to be an external (glowing and vibrant skin) and internal (relaxing) experience. The estheticians at all Lush spas have been trained at the headquarters in the UK so you can expect consistently fabulous facials at anyone of them. Before the facial begins, you will be taken into the store to handpick your preferred products to be used during the facial.
This is my personal opinion: I don’t know anyone at Lush nor have I received any monetary or product payment for this review. Although I’m sure my husband wishes I did. Just a big fan.
Virginia: Hiking to Buzzard Rock (North Trail)
Posted in Hiking, Photography, Travels, Virginia, Washington DC, tagged Buzzard Rock, DC, hiking, Virginia on Friday, 1 January, 2016| 10 Comments »
We decided to take advantage of the record-breaking warm temperatures this winter and go on a hike to celebrate the last day of 2015. 
At the top of Buzzard Rock
Located in the George Washington National Forest , just west of Shenandoah National Park, is the Buzzard Rock trailhead. It’s just outside Front Royal and the address is 3087-3189 Mountain Road/Route 629. Parking is limited (if it’s full, see the link at the end of this post for larger parking areas). The drive from Washington DC takes about an hour and a half. 
The 1.5 mile trail is marked with white spray paint on either a tree or rock along the path. At the beginning, the terrain is rolling and gentle with a sprinkling of small creeks and a campground area. As you approach the top, the hike becomes steeper and rockier. 
Beautiful stream
My daughter jumping across the stream
For all the biology enthusiasts: lots of lichen along the trail. My favorite is the blaze orange… 
Looking out toward the Front Royal Fish Hatchery and Passage Creek.
Note the white marking on the tree on the right. Good thing there are marks because some areas become a bit rocky. 
At Buzzard Rock
The views are lovely, even in the winter. I’ll be back to see the scenery in spring and autumn…
A quick comment on hiking etiquette: Most hikers we saw, greeted us with a “hi” or “hey”. But almost all of them didn’t realize hikers coming down should yield to hikers going up. Also, hike quietly ~ there was one woman speaking loudly into her cell phone as she walked down the hill (not stopping for us as we were ascending) and her partner gave us an embarrassed shrug.
If you decide to go, you can get detailed information, maps and how many calories you burn on the hike: here.
Washington DC: Oak Hill Cemetery (Georgetown)
Posted in Photography, Travels, USA, Washington DC, tagged Georgetown, Oak Hill Cemetery, Pumpkins, Washington DC on Sunday, 22 November, 2015| 14 Comments »
Although I get strange looks when I mention I enjoy visiting historic cemeteries, it doesn’t deter me checking them out. They are interesting and peaceful. Recently I left busy M Street, with all its hustle and bustle of Georgetown’s shops and restaurants, and walked eight blocks up to Oak Hill Cemetery located at 30th and R Streets.
Oak Hill Cemetery was founded in 1849 through an Act of Congress and by Mr. W.W. Corcoran donating the land for the cemetery. Corcoran was a banker and philanthropist who also created the original Corcoran Gallery (now known as the Renwick Gallery).
The Gatehouse and Gothic Revival styled Chapel were designed by James Renwick in 1850. Renwick also designed the Smithsonian Castle building and St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Having visited Congressional Cemetery last August when they had visiting goats, I prefer the grounds at Oak Hill. The hilly, twenty four acres overlooking the Rock Creek are beautiful with mature trees, lots of plants and trails throughout the area.
My favorite thing to do when reading the headstone, besides finding an unusual name, is reading the dates and putting the life of the person into perspective as to what was going on at that time in history.
Here are a few photos from my outing:
Oak Hill Chapel designed by James Renwick.
Side view of the Oak Hill Chapel
Beautiful Fall foliage and blue skies
There are trails throughout the cemetery so you won’t be stepping on any graves.
Oak Hill Cemetery Gatehouse ~ designed by James Renwick
Original Bell at the Oak Hill Cemetery
The fallen leaves throughout the Garden cemetery
I found a “Giving Tree” stump
Oak Hill Cemetery’s Welcome and Rules
Pumpkins in Georgetown
Sweet Bulldog Statue
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in Georgetown
Walking the leafy streets of Georgetown
The cemetery overlooks Rock Creek and the Rock Creek parkway.
For more information, click here.
Croatia: Be Sure to Stop and Chat with the Locals
Posted in Croatia, Photography, Travel, Travels, tagged Beaches, Blue Lagoon, Croatia, Hotel Slavija, Photography, Split, Travel, Trogir on Monday, 21 September, 2015| 9 Comments »
With a Croatian Cheesemonger
When I travel, I love being able to chat with locals. My favorite Croatian encounter was with a cheesemonger at a rest stop on our drive back to Slovenia. She told us about the beautiful National Parks in the area and about her cheese/honey she was selling. When I asked her if she’d ever been to the states, she replied “No, but I LOVE Miami ~ CSI.”
I’ve been asked for more details about our brief visit to Split:
- Accommodations: Hotel Slavija €156.00 per night for a two bedroom, one bath, a balcony and breakfast for three. There’s also a €1.20 per per person per stay charge. We loved the central location of the hotel and the exceptionally friendly and helpful staff.
- Tour of Diocletian’s Palace (highly recommended) €20 per person. Our tour was approximately two hours and we were the only ones on the tour. There’s a max of 6 people for any of the tours unless you book as a group. Book in advance through the Hotel Slavija (don’t need to stay there). All guides are licensed and Mirjana was fabulous! To book, email info@hotelslavija.hr
- The beaches are rocky ~ water shoes are a must. We didn’t have any and ended up walking in with our flip-flops. Comical!
- We took an afternoon boat trip to Trogir (UNESCO protected) and to Blue Lagoon (a swim/beach area). There are lots of options and also sailboats which would make the trip less bouncy. The tour companies are lined up along the harbor so you can check out which trip will suit you best. The Hotel Slavija staff can also book trips for you.
- Driving to Split from Slovenia was easy although we did get caught in summer traffic on the way there. And keep your passport handy for the border crossing. Tolls could be paid in euros or kunas. We saw license plates from almost every EU countries and even some Non EU countries. My advice is to travel early in the day. It made a big difference on the way back to Slovenia. Once we got to Split, we parked the car and didn’t use it until we left. The hotel is in a pedestrian only area but they provided detailed instructions on where to unload our bags and then where long-term parking was (we chose the bus terminal parking).
- Learn a few phrases in Croatian ~ it goes a long way with the locals. My daughter was so impressed that I spoke only in Croatian on the way out of the pay parking area. It was only FOUR words: Dobar Dan (Hello), Koliko? (How much?) Hvala (Thank You) but it was fun to give the language a try, limited as it was. His response to my “how much?” was “deset” which sounded a lot like diez in Spanish so it was a lucky guess when I handed him 10kn. It was fun to give the language a try and we were all smiles as we left the parking lot (the attendant included).
- Usually, I prefer to recommend rather than warn against but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our dinner at Tavern Favola. Don’t go. It’s tempting because it has a stellar location just outside the palace gates in a lovely courtyard. Unfortunately, the service was awful and the food even worse. With so few opportunities to enjoy the local cuisine, I was kicking myself for not looking up reviews on Tripadvisor or asking the hotel staff for their recommendations. Don’t make our mistake!
- If you have specific questions not covered in the above, please leave a comment or send me a private message through facebook.
Croatian Flag, Trogir, Croatia
Split, Croatia: Beaches and Gorgeous Adriatic Waters
Posted in Travels on Sunday, 20 September, 2015| 4 Comments »
We spent an afternoon at the Blue Lagoon and on the island of Trogir. The bouncy boat ride dropped us off at the Blue Lagoon for swim and to relax on the rocky beach. It was a nice place to spend a couple of hours but it did get very crowded quickly.
Blue Lagoon, Croatia
Blue Lagoon rocky shore, Croatia
Blue Lagoon Day Trippers
After enjoying a salty swim at the Blue Lagoon, we went to the island of Trogir. It was designated as a World Heritage UNESCO site in 1997. It has a rich history which includes Greek, Roman and Venetian influences. It was settled by the Greeks in 4th-3rd century BC and then became a Roman municipality in the first century. In the early 1800s, Trogir fell under Napoleon before being conquered by the Austrians who ruled from 1814 to 1914.
St Lawrence Cathedral Bell Tower, Island of Trogir, Croatia
Clock Tower, Trogir, Croatia
Croatia became an independent country in 1991 and can boast miles and miles of gorgeous Adriatic coastline. It is part of the EU but not on the euro. Their currency is the Croatian Kuna. Croatia is NOT a part of the Schengen area agreement so passports are required when passing any of the borders in Croatia. We had to show our passports twice (two border control officers in succession) when leaving Slovenia to Croatia but only once when returning to Slovenia.
Early Morning, Split, Croatia
Split Harbor, Croatia
Sunset at Split Harbor, Croatia
Our trip to Croatia was way too short and it’s already on our list to return. There’s so much to see and do in the area.
Split, Croatia: Emperor Diocletian’s Retirement Town
Posted in Croatia, Photography, Travel, Travels, tagged Beach, Croatia, Diocletian, history, Hotel Slavija, Roman Ruins, Split on Saturday, 19 September, 2015| 11 Comments »
As we drove into Split, I could immediately see why Emperor Diocletian chose the Illyrian province of Rome for his retirement town when he voluntarily relinquished his reign of the Roman Empire in 305. It’s a beautiful city located on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea.
We stayed at Hotel Slavija which is located within the walls of Diocletian’s Palace. This was the view from our balcony. We loved being centrally located and walking out of our room to wander through all the alleyways.
The UNESCO designated complex is not a museum but full of shops, restaurants, bars, and apartments. There are about 3,000 people living within the palace. We took a tour with Mirijana and wandered through many of the passageways hearing about not only ancient Roman history but an update on current Croatian events, too. It was obvious our tour guide, Mirijana has a passion for her city and history.
Diocletian Palace Alleyway
Jupiter’s Temple, Diocletian’s Palace
Part of the wall in Diocletian’s Palace
In the middle ages, the Cathedral was built around Diocletian’s mausoleum which is an interesting twist of fate since he persecuted Christians at an alarming rate.
Klapa Cambi singers ~ we came across this group of a cappella singers while on our tour. The sound and setting was spectacular!
An Archway in Diocletian’s Palace
Looking out to the Adriatic sea and harbor area from the palace.
Along the promenade at sunset ~ located just outside of the Palace walls.
Colorado: Favorite Moment
Posted in Colorado, Travels, United States, tagged Colorado, Leadville, Leadville100, Skies, Stars, Travel on Sunday, 13 September, 2015| 5 Comments »
It was three in the morning, completely dark, except for the starlight and the occasional headlamp from a Leadville 100 runner. The only sound was lake water lapping against the shore. We could see the Milky Way and my daughter saw her first shooting star. That became my favorite moment of the summer.
The Boat Ramp at Turquoise is not an official aid station but, at mile 93, it’s the last best area to offer a runner support and we were waiting to see if Jean needed anything or John wanted to bail before completing the last 7 miles.
Our early morning stay at the boat ramp lasted about 45 minutes but my daughter and I only had 10 minutes or so entirely to ourselves. Other support teams came and went. We watched as the runners came by ~ some still running very strong, while others were struggling a bit. I shined my flashlight on the trail letting them see where to continue running as Logan shouted out “Doing great, only 7 miles to go. Two hours and you’ll be under 25!”
Jean and John waved to us as they went by ~ both just wanting to complete the last 7 miles and be done. Thankfully, they didn’t stop since those few minutes would have put Jean over the 25 hours.
Oddly, I did witness cranky supporters who felt since they waited for their runner, the runner was somehow obligated to stop. To me, the best thing was when Jean DIDN’T need anything and felt well enough to continue on. I could certainly entertain myself well enough at all the aid stations ~ the beautiful scenery, people and dog watching and, most importantly, spending time with my family. And then seeing Jean strong enough to continue on at such a great pace made it all the more enjoyable.
I went back the next day to see the boat ramp and it’s a beautiful spot but at night, it’s incredible:
Boat Ramp at Turquoise Lake, Colorado
It’s been an amazing summer but this is the moment I cherish the most. As I see the leaves turn colors, it’s time to chase a favorite fall moment. Do you have a favorite?
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