Monday, 24 February, 2014 by Beachbums1
NOTE: I didn’t get a chance to visit Turkey but my husband, John did and he agreed to share some of his photos of Old Ankara. Turkey is definitely on my list to visit…
Ankara, Turkey’s capital, rises on a steep incline from the banks of the Enguri Su. It’s a modern European metropolis but has a few reminders of its history. John spent most of his time in Old Ankara. It’s the most traditional part of Ankara with families living within the walls of The Citadel.
Walking in Old Ankara
The Citadel originally dates from the 7th century during The Byzantine Empire and the markets below
Night stroll through Old Ankara
Park bench made from Roman ruins ~ the ultimate in repurposing
The Citadel Mosque which dates from the 12th century ~ but has been rebuilt though out the years.
The Citadel and Turkish Market in Old Ankara ~ view from tea shop
Dried fruits and nuts in Old Ankara Market. Pistachios are delicious…
Shops on a winding road in Old Ankara
Near a wool shop in Old Ankara ~ bag of wool next to the table
Carpet shop with photo of Ataturk
Beautiful carpets in Old Ankara Shop
View of Ankara
Delicious (and strong) Turkish coffee and a piece of Turkish delight ~ good way to start or end the day in Ankara
Posted in Travels, Turkey | Tagged Ankara, Carpets, Old Ankara, Photography, The Citadel, Travels, Turkey, Turkish Coffee, Turkish Market | 4 Comments »
Monday, 17 February, 2014 by Beachbums1
Mount Vernon Estates is offering free admission to the estate today, Presidents Day 2014 and to celebrate George Washington’s 282nd birthday. It’ll be an all-day birthday salute with the gates opening at 8 am. No doubt the grounds will look especially beautiful with the recent blanketing of snow. My past visits have been when the weather was a little warmer…
The Beautiful Home of George Washington
During the Holidays, Mount Vernon brings in a Camel which is what George Washington did when he lived there.
16-sided Barn
There won’t be any wine today but the twice yearly wine festival is always a lot of fun
Walking along the trail at Mount Vernon. Dogs are welcome on the grounds
Heading to the water/dock on the Mount Vernon grounds
Posted in Photography, Travels, Virginia | Tagged dogs, Free Admission, Geroge Washington, Mount Vernon, Presidents' Day, Virginia, Washington DC, Wine Festival | 6 Comments »
Friday, 14 February, 2014 by Beachbums1
The daffodils are popping through the snow…a sure sign spring is near!
Posted in Travels | Tagged Daffodils, Flowers, Spring | Leave a Comment »
Thursday, 13 February, 2014 by Beachbums1
It’s not quite Friday but I dug out this “Flashback Friday” from a few years ago. The recent snowfall in Virginia made me remember a magical snowy day in France many years ago…
Beaune and the Hotel Le Cep definitely rank as one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever spent Thanksgiving:
As we drove from Germany towards the Burgundy region in France, it started to snow and by the time we arrived in Beaune, it was blanketed with a fresh dusting of snow ~ it looked magical. We splurged and stayed at the Hotel Le Cep which the Lonely Planet guidebook referred to as “Quite simply, this is one of France’s very finest hotels.” How could we pass up staying there after that kind of recommendation!?! We weren’t disappointed ~ the hotel was fabulous and the staff wonderful.
Originally, we were suppose to visit in early November but the riots were happening all over France and we didn’t want to take a chance since we were traveling with our young daughter. When I called to reschedule our reservations, the hotel was so accommodating and understanding about why we were changing our dates. Upon our arrival, we found they had upgraded us to one of their largest suites. It’s a great joy for me when I find I’ve been upgraded at a hotel.
One of the most interesting sights in Beaune is the Gothic Hotel-Dieu which was founded in 1443 and was considered a “celebrity rated” charity hospital. For its time, I’m sure it was state of the art but those blood letting instruments and the closeness of the hospital beds made me a little queasy. There was also an 18th century pharmacy with flasks once filled with things such as vomit-nut powder.
After touring the hospital, we made our way to the Marché aux Vins wine cellars and went underground to the dusty wine-bottle lined caves. We had a personal tour guide and, after a history lesson on the winery and about the region, we were given a flat, metal, shiny cup to taste the wines we encountered as we self-toured the caves. Marché aux Vins, established in 1239, is one of the larger wine cellars in Beaune and the caves are lined with thousands of wine bottles. As we navigated through the cave, we stopped at each of the 13 candle-lit wine barrels to taste the wine which was a open bottle ~ we could’ve drank the entire bottle if we wanted. I love the whole French attitude towards wine, food and living life in beauty.
Enjoying the carousel
Saturday Market
Walking around Beaune
Our guide
Enjoying the cozy, warm fireplace which was so welcomed after our cold walks around town.
Posted in Beaune, Flashback Fridays, France, Travels | Tagged Beaune, France, Hospices de Beaune, Marché aux Vins, Travel, wine, Wine Caves | 7 Comments »
Sunday, 9 February, 2014 by Beachbums1
When my friend, Jayne, suggested an impromptu visit to Eastern Market, I jumped at the chance. It’s a seven-days-a-week market in the Capitol Hill area of Washington DC. On weekdays, the South Market (indoor) offers produce, meat, poultry, cheese, dairy products, vegan items and flowers. On the weekends, local farmers and local artists/crafters come out to play.
We got there early (about 8:30am) and snagged a great parking spot just off the market area but many of the vendors were a little late setting up. Can’t blame them since it was freezing cold! We popped into Le Pain de Quotidien for tea and to warm up a bit. Great dog watching too ~ lots of folks out with their beautiful puppies.
Here are a couple of my “finds” for the day:
A vintage purse with a painted shoe ~ got it for my daughter
A coffee table made of yardsticks ~ what’s not to love. It’s completely covered with the yardsticks, every inch. It’s very sturdy and the writings on the yardsticks are funny such as: “Report suspicious activity to Sherriff Larry R. Mincks, Sr.”
I love this painting inspired by Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”. The artist, Zachary Sasim had several paintings I wanted to purchase but, in the end, I couldn’t resist this one. I relate to it ~ don’t we all feel the anxiety when I think of DC politics.
Couldn’t resist this old window pane with mirrors ~ goes perfectly over the mantel.
I feel like my house décor will be going in a different direction and I’ll call it “local artist chic”
Posted in DC, Travels, United States | Tagged Artwork, DC, Eastern Market, The Scream, Vintage, Washington DC, Zachary Sasim | 8 Comments »
Friday, 7 February, 2014 by Beachbums1
Went to my first professional Hockey Game last night and had a fabulous time. I can only imagine what fun the true die-hard hockey fans feel like, especially when the puck goes in the net which it did FOUR times! The Capitals beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2!
View from the nosebleed section. We had plenty of company up there.
We hopped on Metro’s yellow line at Huntington in Northern Virginia and it took us about 20 minutes to get to Gallery Place/Verizon Center. Too easy! We went half a block down to Clyde’s for a quick bite. It was packed with Capital fans and we started to walk out thinking it was too busy when the maître de stopped us and said he’d check for a table for four. He led us to a booth in the bar area and we ended up having a great meal (burgers/Portobello sandwich/salmon ~ all good). The question is how much should we have tipped for such special attention. Haven’t had that happen to us before ~ usually they let us walk out the door. Service at Clyde’s was fantastic ~ our server was so efficient and I marveled at her friendly, unflappable attitude amongst the crush of people. I highly recommend Clyde’s if you’re going to a show/game at the Verizon center.
Game time was 7pm and it started off with beautiful renditions of “O, Canada” and “The Star Spangled Banner” ~ loved that the announcer encouraged the audience to sing along! As I looked around from our nosebleed seats, I could only see red ~ everyone (except us) seemed to be wearing a Capitals jersey. It was a relatively youthful crowd and I’m guessing more than a few were on “dates” ~ I love to people-watch especially people on first dates. So romantic.
Secretary of State John Kerry was there to drop the ceremonial puck and to honor eight players going to the Sochi Winter Olympics. When the US team members, John Carlson (Capitals) and Blake Wheeler (Jets) were announced, the “U.S.A” chant began. Left me feeling rather patriotic. Other Washington Capital team members going to the Olympics are: Alex Ovechkin (crowd favorite) for Russia, Nicklas Backstrom for Sweden and Martin Erat for the Czech Republic. From the Winnipeg Jets: Michael Frolik and Ondrej Pavelec will play for the Czech Republic, and Olli Jokinen for Finland.
Not the best photo but that’s John Kerry and the Olympic-bound players.
The game was very exciting with non-stop, back and forth skating. I was exhausted just watching. The Capitals not only won last night but gained four new hockey fans!
If you want to attend a game, click here for tickets.
Posted in DC, Travels, United States, Virginia | Tagged Clydes, DC, Ice Hockey, Washington Capitals, Washington DC | 4 Comments »
Thursday, 23 January, 2014 by Beachbums1
We took the subway everywhere we went while in NYC. Only ran into one dangerous looking character ~ kept my eyes on him the ENTIRE time.
Posted in New York, Photography, United States | Tagged New York City, NYC, Photography, Subway, Travels | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, 22 January, 2014 by Beachbums1
After living so close to NYC in the late 70’s and visiting over the years, I had never visited the Statue of Liberty or been to Ellis Island. Don’t know of any of my ancestors who traveled through Ellis Island but we did find John’s great-grandfather on a 1906 registry. I stood in the registry room reading some of the accounts from immigrants and tried to imagine their anxiety, anxiousness and most of all relief to be off the boat after what would have been a long, arduous journey across the seas. If you want to check your family members who may have come through Ellis Island, click here.
The Statue, a gift from the French, was completed in 1876 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of our Independence. The pedestal was erected with monies raised from US citizens. What surprised me most about the statue is it’s so thin ~ only the width of about 2 pennies.
Despite the fact I thought I might get frostbite while waiting in line for the ferry (30 minutes in sub-zero temps), it was well worth the pain and shivers. We picked up our tickets at the suggested 30 minutes prior to the launch which was a good thing because we were in the front of a VERY long line and were able to get a seat on the boat. They fill the boat to capacity.
If you’re planning a visit to the Statue of Liberty, here are the details:
- Book early ~ we booked our tickets for the tour of Liberty Island, Ellis Island and the Crown two months prior to our trip and there was only one time still available for visiting the Crown on Sunday ~ 9am. So much for sleeping in. You won’t be able to buy tickets for the Crown once you’re on Liberty Island.
- The boat departed from Battery Park and, since we were staying in Brooklyn, we took the R Train to Whitehall Station.
- There are 354 very narrow steps up the spiral staircase to the Crown. You’ll be required to store your backpacks or large purses in a locker ~ it’s definitely necessary as it’s a tight fit. The crown itself is a small area with only 5-6 people allowed to squeeze in at a time.
- Our cost for the tour (including the crown) was $108 for 4 people and can be booked through Statue Circle Line.
Manhattan Skyline, Statue of Liberty and Freedom Tower
View from the Statue of Liberty Crown
Statue of Liberty Hand
Corner Stone at the Statue of Liberty
Cast of Statue of Liberty Foot
Spiral Staircase up to the Crown
Original Torch taken down in 1986
Ellis Island
Posted in New York, Photography, Travels, United States | Tagged Ellis Island, Liberty Island, New York City, NYC, Photography, Statue of Liberty, Travel | 10 Comments »
Monday, 20 January, 2014 by Beachbums1
It’s been six years since our last visit to NYC so we took the 3.5 hour train from DC for a quick visit. The reason for making our journey was to celebrate Logan’s birthday and to show our Bangladeshi exchange student the city. We tried to cram as much as we could into our short 48 hour visit. Despite the cold freezing temperatures, we spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying Time Square, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, etc.
View from the ferry boat ~ looking back to Manhattan
View from the Crown of the Statue of Liberty
Times Square
Times Square at Dusk
Statue of Liberty
Posted in New York, Photography, Travels, United States | Tagged New York, New York City, NYC, Photography, Statue of Liberty, Time Square, Travels | 7 Comments »
Thursday, 26 December, 2013 by Beachbums1
…in a good way. The backstory begins with artist Ray Ferrer’s blog. I came across his blog about a year ago and I love his spray-painted art pieces. Over the last year, I’ve wanted to commission a painting but could never decide on the subject.
Recently Ray offered discounted custom prints so I immediately started going through photos to see which one would make a perfect addition to our home. His work has an edge to it and I found several photos I would love to see on our walls. But as I went through my photos, I kept thinking how wonderful a spray-painted portrait of my brother-in-law Frankie, who died tragically in a motorcycle accident this past September, would look in my in-law’s home. Frankie was an edgy guy with a great sense of humor and Ray captured him on canvas. As stated on his blog: “The work is raw, it’s stripped back, it’s honest”.
Raw and honest is a good was to describe how I felt when I saw the final work. And so I’m told I made my mother-in-law cry when she saw it too.
Posted in Travels | 5 Comments »
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