where's your sense of adventure?
daily adventures of an artist, a scientist, and their mini schnauzer...
Hotel Gaige House Back in November, Jetsetter was running a Cyber Monday deal for $75 off any available property. We still hadn't figured out where to stay in San Francisco, but when this hotel popped up, I knew a trip to Sonoma was in our future! The booking included a full hot breakfast, wifi, free off-street parking and a wine reception in the evenings. The hostess was very nice and helpful with dinner suggestions and the room, as you can see from the photos below, was quite … [Read more...]
Hotel We landed in Singapore around 7:30pm and after negotiating the inner airport transportation to catch the MRT, we managed to buy tickets and grab a seat. I was glad I went to an ATM before arriving at the train station since the ticket machines don't take credit cards! The ride from the airport to our stop, Outram Park, took about an hour and then the real fun began. We should have been more used to the confusing, multiple exits from subway stations after our time in Hong Kong last year … [Read more...]
Hotel I originally booked us into a hotel closer to the beach, but thinking a B&B would be a nice change, I switched the reservation a few months back. Best decision of the trip. Nelson's Perch B&B was a nice respite in a town overrun with families and fried food joints. We didn't love Apollo Bay, but at least we had a quiet place to lay our heads, and the location is a good starting point for daytrips. You can only make reservations via email and phone, but don't let that deter you … [Read more...]
Hotel The main purpose of staying in Melbourne's CBD was to attend the Australian Open, so location factored highly in our decision for the Punthill Manhattan Apartments. Though not inexpensive, the fact that we could walk to Rod Laver arena in under 10 minutes was an absolute plus. Furthermore, we had a full kitchen and laundry facilities, so we could freshen up our wardrobe a week into the trip. The hotel offers discounted parking at an adjacent parking garage for $16/night and due to … [Read more...]
Lodging Yarra Glen Bed & Breakfast, Yarra Glen There were numerous B&B options available in wine country, so the key for us was to find a well-priced place in a good location. I liked the idea of staying close to town, and at the Yarra Glen B&B we were able to easily walk the 8-10 minutes into town which meant less driving for me! Upon arrival, our host Mac was talkative and helpful, giving us a map and lots of advice on restaurants and wineries to visit (and skip!). Thankfully, … [Read more...]
We've been driving up to NY for the last several years to spend Christmas with Eric's family and this year we finally made it a little easier on ourselves with the addition of an EZ-Pass. Any time saved was a good thing as we also made three round-trips to JFK to pick up my brother and his girlfriend so they could spend the holidays with us! I really enjoyed having them there and Eric got to show off where he grew up... lots of smooth stones on the sound Horton Point … [Read more...]
Beer Waterhuis aan de Bierkant - It was a bit chilly during our visit, so while Eric was wandering around taking photos, the rest of us pulled up a chair next to the heater and sampled a few beers. We enjoyed the common snack of meat and cheese cubes which always goes well with beer. I indulged in a Gulden Draak and we pre-ordered Eric one of the local draft beers, Klokke Roeland, an 11% strong ale to help warm him up a bit. There was a good mix of young and old here and the waitresses' shirt … [Read more...]
Cantillon The experience at Cantillon gets its own heading because it was so unique and so good. We finally made it here on our third trip to Brussels and boy was it worth it. For 5 Euros you get an information booklet to take yourself on a self-guided tour through the facility. They only brew in the winter months and had started about a week before we arrived, so all the equipment was in use and the place was buzzing with activity. It was amazing seeing the process in action and afterwards you … [Read more...]
Beer Once again we were within a mile of the top-rated beer place in the world and, once again, it was randomly closed for our entire stay in Antwerp. Thankfully, we found many other places to try some great beers and I am beginning to wonder if Kulminator is even that good. 't Antwaerps Bierhuiske - Right around the corner from our hotel, this cozy place was a great pre-dinner spot to sit and sample some rarer beers. We got a large bottle of the Val Dieu Grand Cru to share (one of my … [Read more...]
Beer De Garre - This small bar hidden in an alleyway is our traditional first stop in Bruges. The house tripel is amazing and only available here. Our whole group started there and then veered off into Christmas beers and some rare finds that Mike wanted to try. Total beers tasted - 7 (DeGarre house tripel, Bush de Noel, Judas, La Guillotine, Vicaris, Floreffe and St. Feuillien Noel) a great way to start any trip to Belgium Cambrinus - A lively restaurant with tasty food and an … [Read more...]