First, I'd like to say Happy Memorial Day to all of those who have faithfully served our country and gave their lives to make world a better place to live. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Yesterday, I asked Tom how long I have to wait until I talk to him about our next vacation. He said a few weeks. I failed to wait that long... I'm thinking maybe Montserrat - the Carribean island that was decimated by a volcano back in 1995. It is quiet, out of the way, a few scattered bed and breakfasts and few tourists. It sounds perfect! There's nothing quite like an island vacation - no pressure to move around a lot, hot days, muggy nights - lots of sun, sand, snorkeling and exploring. We can just pick one hotel and stay all week, beautiful. I think September would be a good time to visit. :)
Enjoy the last day of the long weekend, back to the ol' grind tomorrow, ugh...
Melissa
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Home Sweet Home
We arrived home last night, greeted by tons of doggie kisses from Lucy. It's good to be home. Tom went fishing with Lucy this morning, and I got a trail run and hike in...life is good.
I slept through a pretty hefty car accident (drunk girl ran over sign and fire hydrant) 2 houses up from ours last night and I also awoke in the middle of the night and looked at our bedroom and asked Tom how to find the bathroom - in my sleep-deprived travel "where am I?" haze, I did not recognize the inside of our bedroom, too funny.
Things I missed when on vacation: Lucy, trail runs, easy access to vegetarian food, regular ol' American drip coffee and the beauty of Colorado.
Things Tom missed: Lucy, fishing, regular ol' American drip coffee and probably a few more things I'm missing.
I am enjyoing this whole blogging thing (surprisingly), so I may just keep it up while NOT on vacation...
Melissa
I slept through a pretty hefty car accident (drunk girl ran over sign and fire hydrant) 2 houses up from ours last night and I also awoke in the middle of the night and looked at our bedroom and asked Tom how to find the bathroom - in my sleep-deprived travel "where am I?" haze, I did not recognize the inside of our bedroom, too funny.
Things I missed when on vacation: Lucy, trail runs, easy access to vegetarian food, regular ol' American drip coffee and the beauty of Colorado.
Things Tom missed: Lucy, fishing, regular ol' American drip coffee and probably a few more things I'm missing.
I am enjyoing this whole blogging thing (surprisingly), so I may just keep it up while NOT on vacation...
Melissa
Friday, May 18, 2012
Noapte buna (good night)...
Well, our last night in Romania. We are back in Bucharest after an all day journey from the Danube delta. Looking back, this trip has been absolutely wonderful. Thank you to our travel mates, Kristen & Todd, cheers to another fantastic trip!
Romania has an emerging tourist industry, so many towns and villages are virtually tourist free. It is easy to get off the beaten path and socialize with the locals. With a few words of broken Romanian on our end and broken English on their end, this country is pretty easily navigated and has a lot to offer in cultural diversity, cuisine (if you like pork) and natural beauty. A few odd thoughts for this closing post from across the pond:
1) This trip has made me value the smoke free environment many cities in the USA have created. Here there is smoking in almost every restaurant, it is accepted from the open doors of trains and is present nearly everywhere you go. I have not smelled this much cigarette smoke in years and years.
2) I love to travel through places where you stick out like a sore thumb, have no idea of the most of the local customs, and can't really speak the language. I find it very refreshing to step out of normal life and shake it up a bit. But this makes me appreciate the value of being comfortable, enjoying effortless communication and sleeping in your own bed each night. Ahhh, the comforts of home! And I miss Lucy :) I'm ready to come home.
3). It is challenging to be a vegetarian here. I am labeling this trip as my weight loss plan. :) I'm a bit worn out on fish and vegetable soup (ciorbe). Their staple food is meat, pork to be exact. I have found a few good veggie foods - their mushrooms are wild picked and fantastic. The polenta is amazing, potatoes quite tasty and their gelato is yummmmmmmy! However, I believe we will be partaking in Thai or Indian food very soon after arriving home.
Ah, Romania, you are an amazing country on the rebound after communism. The people are friendly and helpful, dogs cute, landscape beautiful and culture diverse for a country only the size of Oregon. Thank you for a great 2 weeks!!
Pictures: the very very crowded early AM ferry (standing room only), and waiting for our train in Tulcea.
Happy travels,
Melissa
Romania has an emerging tourist industry, so many towns and villages are virtually tourist free. It is easy to get off the beaten path and socialize with the locals. With a few words of broken Romanian on our end and broken English on their end, this country is pretty easily navigated and has a lot to offer in cultural diversity, cuisine (if you like pork) and natural beauty. A few odd thoughts for this closing post from across the pond:
1) This trip has made me value the smoke free environment many cities in the USA have created. Here there is smoking in almost every restaurant, it is accepted from the open doors of trains and is present nearly everywhere you go. I have not smelled this much cigarette smoke in years and years.
2) I love to travel through places where you stick out like a sore thumb, have no idea of the most of the local customs, and can't really speak the language. I find it very refreshing to step out of normal life and shake it up a bit. But this makes me appreciate the value of being comfortable, enjoying effortless communication and sleeping in your own bed each night. Ahhh, the comforts of home! And I miss Lucy :) I'm ready to come home.
3). It is challenging to be a vegetarian here. I am labeling this trip as my weight loss plan. :) I'm a bit worn out on fish and vegetable soup (ciorbe). Their staple food is meat, pork to be exact. I have found a few good veggie foods - their mushrooms are wild picked and fantastic. The polenta is amazing, potatoes quite tasty and their gelato is yummmmmmmy! However, I believe we will be partaking in Thai or Indian food very soon after arriving home.
Ah, Romania, you are an amazing country on the rebound after communism. The people are friendly and helpful, dogs cute, landscape beautiful and culture diverse for a country only the size of Oregon. Thank you for a great 2 weeks!!
Pictures: the very very crowded early AM ferry (standing room only), and waiting for our train in Tulcea.
Happy travels,
Melissa
Thursday, May 17, 2012
On the move again!
It is 6am. This time, we are starting the long journey home. By ferry, train, then plane...I'll write when I can!
Picture: from our boat trip on the Delta yesterday.
Picture: from our boat trip on the Delta yesterday.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
On the Danube Delta
Well we made it to Sulina on the Black Sea today. It is quite the out of the way town, accessible only by water. Here you'll find only a few small hotels (pensiunes), restaurants and mini markets. It is a sleepy little fishing town on the edge of nowhere and the easternmost point in Romania. The Ukraine is just across the river, the Black Sea is on another side and there are nothing but delta canals, trees and national conservation land all around us. Very remote.
What this town does have are plenty of homeless pups that run in packs. It could really be an episode of something akin to DOG GANG WARS. They are more aggressive than in the rest of the country (but not toward people, just other animals) and pick fights with each other quite often. One pack started to harass a horse and the horse kicked the furriest dog into a pit of sewage. Unfortunately, the dog was trapped and would've been pulled down into the flowing sewage pipe and drowned, but Tom reached down and pulled him out by the scruff of his neck! He (the dog) was half coated in black sewage. Totally gross. We saw the same dog later running from himself (picture attached of the half coated dog).
Tomorrow we will either search for bikes to rent and ride along the coast or hire a boat to take us into the small hidden canals in the Delta.
Pictures today: the cemetery we visited, which holds tombstones from everywhere (this region of Romania has been a big melting pot of cultures for centuries), the view from our hotel of the Danube, and stinky butt dog, of course.
What this town does have are plenty of homeless pups that run in packs. It could really be an episode of something akin to DOG GANG WARS. They are more aggressive than in the rest of the country (but not toward people, just other animals) and pick fights with each other quite often. One pack started to harass a horse and the horse kicked the furriest dog into a pit of sewage. Unfortunately, the dog was trapped and would've been pulled down into the flowing sewage pipe and drowned, but Tom reached down and pulled him out by the scruff of his neck! He (the dog) was half coated in black sewage. Totally gross. We saw the same dog later running from himself (picture attached of the half coated dog).
Tomorrow we will either search for bikes to rent and ride along the coast or hire a boat to take us into the small hidden canals in the Delta.
Pictures today: the cemetery we visited, which holds tombstones from everywhere (this region of Romania has been a big melting pot of cultures for centuries), the view from our hotel of the Danube, and stinky butt dog, of course.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Tulcea (tool-cha), Romania
Really beautiful! We just arrived after a long journey from Moldavia. Going to head out for a run with Kristen, then find some beers and dinner!
Our hotel is the nicest place we've stayed in, complete with two white terry cloth robes, ooo-lala.
Photo: the view from our hotel room!
Our hotel is the nicest place we've stayed in, complete with two white terry cloth robes, ooo-lala.
Photo: the view from our hotel room!
Monday, May 14, 2012
In transit...
Sadly, we are on our way to our last stop in Romania: the Danube Delta. We are hoping to get all the way to the Black Sea coast, provided there is room on the ferry. We plan to see many birds, eat a lot of fresh seafood and spend some time in a small fishing village. I hear we can even rent bikes and ride for tens of miles along the coast.
The weather was super cold and a bit rainy today. We even awoke to a fresh dusting on the roof of our hotel in the mountains. Let's hope for sun the rest of the week!
Tomorrow we will visit a winery and travel quite a ways to our next stop in Tulcea in the delta.
Today's photos...a picture from one of the many painted monasteries that dot the land, a vista of a village in the Moldavia province, and a pair of storks in their nest, so darn cute.
The weather was super cold and a bit rainy today. We even awoke to a fresh dusting on the roof of our hotel in the mountains. Let's hope for sun the rest of the week!
Tomorrow we will visit a winery and travel quite a ways to our next stop in Tulcea in the delta.
Today's photos...a picture from one of the many painted monasteries that dot the land, a vista of a village in the Moldavia province, and a pair of storks in their nest, so darn cute.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)