Cooking classes in foreign countries are a great way to not only learn how to cook new things but also to learn about the culture of the place you are visiting. I had such a fabulous time in Chiang Mai that when Eric mentioned he found a few cooking school options in Budapest, I was eager to try it out. I choose Culinary Hungary because it included an optional market tour and the class was a one on one teaching experience in a home kitchen. I met Agnes outside the Central Market and we hit … [Read more...]
Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee
April 24, 2013
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Last weekend we took advantage of our Southwest Airlines companion pass to visit our friend Leah in Nashville. Saturday We arrived Saturday morning and were impressed by Nashville's arrivals area-- they have 10 minute pull-through waiting spaces (with electornic timers) right next to the terminal for picking people up. Very civilized! We hopped in to Leah's car and drove over to Marche in East Nashville for Saturday brunch. The restaurant was very busy so we had to wait about 20 minutes, … [Read more...]
A New York weekend: Long Island
April 23, 2013
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Sunday morning we woke to sun, so after breakfast we headed over to Breakwater Beach in Mattituck. Looks inviting, but in April it is still chilly - After about 20 minutes beach combing for sea glass and shells, Leandra learned how windy it can be on a beach in the spring! Returning home we met back up with my parents and headed to Grana in Jamesport for lunch. All their wines were the same price ($30 bottle) so we ordered a Pugliese Pinot Grigio and three 'personal' pizzas... I … [Read more...]
A New York weekend: NYC
April 22, 2013
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The weekend after Easter we flew up to New York for a quick family visit and we decided stay in the city for the first night so we could make sure to see my niece (since we usually miss her during our Christmas or summer trips). Hotel prices were rather high for our particular weekend so we decided to redeem one of our free Hyatt nights (earned through a credit card signup) at the Hyatt 48 Lex. In a first for us, our flight from RDU arrived at LaGuardia 45 minutes early, so our cab arrived … [Read more...]
Curacao 2013: food & lodging
March 13, 2013
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Hotel Floris Suites - Unlike most of our trips, for this getaway we booked a package deal with airfare and hotel through AA vacations. We considered 6 different hotels, and though the Floris Suites is not on the water, their combination of price and reviews won us over. Upon arrival the lobby is a little confusing, as the large desk you see is unoccupied. Instead, check-in was in an office to the right. Initially we were given a room next to the kitchen (room 1) which would have been noisy … [Read more...]
Asia/Australia 2013: Sonoma wine tasting
March 7, 2013
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As you might expect, we visited a few wineries during our two day trip to Sonoma. Kunde Family Vineyards - this was on our lone wine stop on Thursday (i.e. the longest day of our lives) and we made it there about 4:30p. We had an enjoyable tasting but nothing really striking. Since we knew there was no corkage fee at Fig Cafe we bought a bottle of the sauvignon blanc to have with dinner that night. Also note that this was the only place we visited that didn't refund the tasting fee with … [Read more...]
Asia/Australia 2013: Sonoma food & lodging
March 5, 2013
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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...]
Asia/Australia 2013: Singapore food & lodging
February 27, 2013
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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...]
Asia/Australia 2013: Brisbane
February 25, 2013
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Our time in Brisbane unfortunately overlapped with the rather-strong remnants of Tropical Cyclone Oswald. Rain came and went on the first evening but Eric was able to get some interesting shots of the CBD from our apartment balcony. The next day featured intermittent showers, so we were able to get out and explore a few spots on a wet Saturday. free city hopper water taxi... slow, but cost-effective The free ferry took a winding 30 minutes to get to the South bank dock, just … [Read more...]
Asia/Australia 2013: Great Ocean Road food & lodging
February 20, 2013
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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...]