Hocking Hills Autumn Splendor

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Travel Spirit

A quick two-day mid-week trip to Hocking Hills State Park for hiking followed by soaking in a hot tub with girlfriends was just what the doctor ordered! Located in Southeastern Ohio, 2 1/2 hours from Cincinnati, the rugged cliffs, breathtaking gorges, cascading waterfalls, and flourishing forests of Hocking Hills State Park, afford visitors a pristine outdoor wonderland. Our first hike was to Old Man’s Cave. The well-marked one mile round trip trail, includes both man-made and natural steps. The view from inside the mouth of the wide cave looks down onto a small stream and stone bridge…

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year to visit this park…

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Gaining Perspective

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Travel Spirit

I received a notice on my blog that someone linked to one of my blog posts entitled “Children of Africa“. After reading their site, I felt compelled to link to their page here and I commented:

“I give monthly to “Love 146″; an organization that helps victims of sexual trafficking. I’m a very positive person, but have an underlying sense of sadness that remains despite my “good” life. I believe we’re all connected and somehow feel deep in our soul the pain that so many people endure. :(“

Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 7

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Travel Spirit

I had originally planned to go to the US National Arboretum, our last day in Washington, D.C., but after a relative told us not to miss the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I changed our plans. After a leisurely morning at our Airbnb, we hopped on a Capital Bikeshare bicycle to explore the Museum.

But first I have to share a photograph from the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. This tree is entitled, “Graft”. My husband waited on a park bench while I wandered through the Garden. At 45 feet high by 45 feet wide and weighing 16,000 pounds, this piece by American sculptor Roxy Paine is marvelous!

According to Earl A. Powell III, director of the National Gallery of Art–“Graft presents two fictive but distinct species of trees—one gnarled, twisting, and irregular, the other smooth, elegant, and rhythmic—joined to the same trunk. Among its rich associations, this sculpture evokes the persistent human desire to alter and recombine elements of nature, as well as the ever-present tension between order and chaos.”

A friendly squirrel, looking for food, stood still long enough for me to snap his portrait…

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Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 6

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Having only two days left of our seven day visit to Washington, D.C., we left our Airbnb bright and early and picked up our Capital Bikeshare bicycles for the 3 mile trek to National Mall. We didn’t have time to go inside the Lincoln Memorial the day before because of our scheduled tour of the Capitol, so we returned and checked it out. The view looking towards the Washington Monument was striking…

A stark and compelling truth is conveyed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial…

Paved sidewalks lined with trees border the Lincoln Reflection pool and after all of the walking, the park benches appeared quite inviting…

I was surprised by the number of statues and water features that comprised the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. Spread over 7.5 acres, with four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR’s terms of office, they represent the challenges he faced as our President, beginning in 1933 and ending in 1945, upon his death.

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Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 5

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Having seen Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Adams Morgan & Georgetown neighborhoods, and a couple of the Smithsonian museums within four days of our week-long visit to Washington D.C., it was time for my husband and I to check out some of the monuments at National Mall. Riding our Capital Bikeshare bicycles over to the National Mall in late morning, the chill long gone, vibrant emerald colors beckoned me for a photo at the Constitution Gardens Pond…

Although there weren’t any reflections in the Reflection Pool looking towards the Lincoln Memorial, the brilliant azure water was spectacular!

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Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 4

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Washington D.C. has a diverse population and my husband and I were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to join the throng of spectators gathering to watch a Hispanic parade. We bicycled to the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History to begin our tours of some of the wonderful and free of charge (kinda…taxpayers pay for it) Museums. As we walked along National Mall, we passed people gathered in groups, putting makeup on and making last minute adjustments to costumes, preparing for the parade along Constitution Avenue. The mood was festive and the costumes colorful!

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Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 3 continued

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Washington D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood is colorful, vibrant, funky, and fun! We started our day bicycling from our Airbnb in the Bloomington neighborhood on the East side of D.C. to the quaint neighborhood of Georgetown on the West side and finished in Adams Morgan, having drinks with a former 2 Star Admiral Navy Seal! After docking our bicycles at the Capital Bikeshare station on 18th Street, we walked down the street in search of an outdoor bar for some afternoon refreshments and met Chuck and his dog, Bravo. Having been in the military myself for four years, it was fascinating to listen to Chuck’s amazing lifetime experiences as a former high-ranking officer.

With puffy white clouds, blue sky, and mid-70’s temps, we relaxed for a couple of hours, talking with Chuck and people watching.

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Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 3

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Exploring the quaint neighborhood of Georgetown was a refreshing start to our third day in Washington, D.C. Filled with shops, bars, restaurants, and interesting architecture, there’s much to see and do. Georgetown was originally part of Maryland until 1871 when the U.S. Congress created a new government for the District of Columbia.

My husband and I stopped at a Capital Bikeshare station around the corner from our Airbnb to pick up a bicycle for the 3 mile ride. It’s a great way to wheel around Washington D.C. above ground and budget friendly. You can purchase use of a bicycle for 24 hours – $7.00; 3 days – $15.00, or a month – $25.00. I purchased the month membership because I knew we would use the service for more than 3 days. I ordered a key for both of us to make it as simple as possible. Once you’re at one of the 300 stations, you insert your plastic key in the slot of the bicycle you want and then just pull the bike out. If your trip is 30 minutes or less, there’s no extra charge. If it’s between 31-60 minutes, there’s an additional $1.50 tacked on; and between 61-90 minutes – $4.50. You can download their app to your Smart Phone and check to see where a nearby station is to drop your bike that has a dock and/or if bicycles are available.

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Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 2 continued

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Travel Spirit

George Washington’s former plantation, Mount Vernon, offers a variety of interesting and historical sites for all ages! After touring the Mansion and gardens, my husband and I stopped at one of the outbuildings on the grounds where a woman portrays Martha Washington and stays in character, answering questions from the crowd. She was very entertaining and knowledgeable!

At one point in time, there were 316 slaves living at Mount Vernon. They were freed after George Washington’s death, which he directed in his Last Will and Testament.

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Travel Diary: Washington, D.C. – Day 2

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Bike and Roll has a fun and educational bicycling adventure that begins in Alexandria, Virginia, where you pick up a bike and cycle 9 miles along a scenic path beside the Potomac River, to the historic and beautiful Mount Vernon, George Washington’s former plantation.

Before touring the Mansion and grounds, we had lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn.

I recommend the Shrimp and Grits and the Root Beer is pretty darn good!

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Travel Diary: Washington D.C. – Day 1

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Travel Spirit

After one airplane, one bus, one train, one metro, and a 15 minute walk, my husband and I climbed four flights of stairs to our Airbnb in Washington, D.C., and were glad we only had one piece of luggage and one carry-on combined to lug before our week of fun and educational activities in our Country’s Capitol and surrounding areas. Located within 15 minutes walk to the Metro, 5 minutes to a Capital Bikeshare station, and less than 3 miles to the White House, we had all of Washington D.C.’s “must see” destinations at our fingertips! First on the agenda was stocking up at the local Harris Teeter grocery store. Walking 15 minutes to the grocery store, we purchased enough food to see us through 4 dinners, 2 lunches, and 7 breakfasts. Unless you’re independently wealthy, saving money by dining at your home away from home is one of the best ways to enable frequent travel. Living like a local while you’re on vacation is definitely a great way to feel the pulse of a City, but like most things in life, has it’s downside.

By 3:00pm we were headed by Metro across the Potomac River to our Nation’s most sacred final resting ground…Arlington National Cemetery. Surrounded by over 400,000 grave sites of deceased military and other prominent people, I felt a sense of sorrow for their families.

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Views from Mount Floyen

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The views from Mount Floyen in Bergen, Norway can only be described as Spectacular, Astonishing, breathtaking, stunning, dazzling, and magnificent! We were blessed with beautiful 75 degree sunny weather in early June and I felt like I was on top of the world!

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Bergen and Bryggen

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The City of Bergen transports you back in time, to a time when life was simpler. A life that revolved around good fresh food, healthy outdoor activity, family and friends! As a tourist, you only have a glimpse into the lives of the people who live and work there. Three days wasn’t enough time to explore the surrounding area, but I was able to relax at my comfortable Airbnb apartment, when I wasn’t browsing the streets of Bergen and the area known as Bryggen, which means “Wharf” in Norwegian, and consists of 61 wooden buildings, along the waterfront. What’s remarkable is that the City of Bergen is almost 1,000 years old and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Incredibly, it stays light in Norway until 10 or 11pm and daylight begins around 3am in the late Spring. During our three days in Bergen, it sprinkled rain perhaps a third of the time, but Norwegians say, “It’s not bad weather, just bad clothing choice”! Having arrived in town the evening before, tired from our spectacular day traveling from Oslo to Bergen through the Fjords of Norway, we decided to wait until the next morning to go grocery shopping. I awoke earlier than my three Tour participants, as usual, so I went off in search of the closest grocery, which was thankfully only a 5 to 10 minute walk from our Airbnb. I purchased eggs for omelets, bacon (because one of the others wanted it) bread, cheese, lunchmeat, and a few other staples, to help with the high cost of eating out in Norway. The only coffee maker in the apartment was a French press, which I’ve never used, but with a bit of instruction, I caught on quickly, and made a nice pot full. I then proceeded to make a nice breakfast for everyone. The main tourist attraction I had planned for us was to go to the top of Mount Floyen, but I’ll save that for tomorrow’s post!

Here are some photos of the captivating town of Bergen…

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Turn right at the Witchy Bitchy Salon

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Travel Spirit

If you’ve been following my month-long European sojourn, you’ll recall from yesterday’s post that we had spent the day on trains, a boat and a bus, from Oslo, Norway to Bergen, Norway, via Norway in a Nutshell, through the beautiful Norwegian Fjords! Upon arrival to the train station in Bergen, although I had printed Google map directions to our Airbnb accommodations, I asked for assistance from a lady with a baby on her back, who definitely looked to be a local. She said to follow her…she was going in our direction. She brought us all the way to the “Witchy Bitchy Salon”, located about 15 minutes walk from the train station, which is where our host said to turn and go up a street to her place. I have to say that Bergen is filled with hills. Small hill…big hills…and more hills. Unfortunately, two of the wheels on my 50 lb. rolling suitcase broke on this leg of the trip, so I was pulling dead weight up these hills! We went up one hill and it was quite confusing with the street names being so similar and conflicting at the same time, so I began ringing door bells to ask assistance. One guy stuck his head out of his top window and tried to help.

There’s the Witchy Bitchy Salon on the left…

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Norway in a Nutshell

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Norway in a Nutshell is a website where you can purchase tickets to see the majestic and spectacular Fjords of Norway. It was one of the highlights of my month-long trip in Europe and I was joined by the three Tour participants I was leading through Scandinavia. We began the day early, leaving our hotel in Oslo, Norway at 5:30am to walk to the train station for the start of our adventure. I briefed everyone the day before as to the timeline of events and what to expect. It would be a long day…15 hours, beginning with a five-hour train ride to the town of Flam where we would board a one hour scenic train ride through the beautiful mountains, passing breathtaking waterfalls, rocky cliffs, and lush green meadows. It was voted by Lonely Planet in 2014 as the best train journey in the world. We would then board a boat for two hours of incredible beauty traveling through the Gudvangen Fjord, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Next a bus would pick us up for a one hour ride to the last leg of our adventure, a 1 1-2 hr. train ride into Bergen, Norway.

I spent the entire two-hour Fjord boat journey taking photographs and enjoying nature’s glorious beauty! The boat would slow down and drift into coves where quaint fishing villages were nestled in the pristine valleys…