Greece

It's only been a month since my trip - but finally here is my trip report!

Greece!! To this day, I'm still not sure how we happened to choose Greece, but we did. The "we" in this trip is myself, Jessica and Nilufer (who will probably be referred to as Nilly), friends of mine from work. Also on the trip was Cedric, a little traveling gnome our boss had given us to take along on our travels. The flight to London was fairly uneventful until baggage claim. Because of the flight times, we had decided to spend the night in London before heading to Greece early the next morning. At baggage claim Jessica's bag emerged followed closely by mine and what looked like Nilly's bag but it wasn't. As it turned out, Nilly's bag was back in Seattle. After checking into the hotel, we spent our first moments in London shopping so Nilly could at least have a few things as the airline wasn't sure at this point when she would be reunited with her luggage. From there we made our way over to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge to at least see the famous monuments. And then it was off to Buckingham Palace, where we discovered Cedric was not very photogenic. We walked over to see Big Ben before meeting another co-worker who was at the tail end of her trip. We had tickets for the London Eye, unfortunately the weather was cloudy, but it was still fun to fly high above the city and admire the sights. Dinner was Italian (big surprise, right?) and then we said our goodbyes and headed to our respective hotels.

Three hours later (more or less) we were waking up to catch our extremely early flight to Athens. I have no recollection of this flight - I was sound asleep. Jessica & I got our luggage and so did Nilly! Her luggage had caught up with us in Athens. We checked in for our next flight and hung out in the Athens airport until our flight was called. We landed in Santorini and had an extremely interesting cab ride to our hotel. The cab was going fast on these small, narrow, winding roads and I think he sped up when he saw our white knuckles holding on for dear life. We checked into the hotel and then dragged our luggage down a steep hill to our cave room. It was a nice big room with a beautiful terrace. After dropping everything off and freshening up we headed out to explore. We walked down to the town of Fira and explored the narrow streets, stopping for gelato. Yum! After exploring a bit more and watching the sun begin to sink in the sky, we found a restaurant for dinner where I had moussaka. We then began the long climb up to our hotel. These stairs were brutal, especially in the dark! It was at this point my goal for the entire trip became not to trip and fall.

The next morning dawned bright & early as there were no shades on the windows. Surprisingly, for me, I was able to ignore the sun and slept a little bit longer. We finally got up and switched on the hot water heater and waited the requisite 15 minutes for the water to heat up before beginning the round of showers. Finally we were all ready to start our day. After breakfast at the hotel, we stopped at a travel agency for information on a boat tour out to the volcano for the next day. We ended up deciding to join a bus tour starting shortly, plus the boat tour. We hurried down the hill and through the narrow, twisting roads to catch the bus. Whew! The tour was neat - it took us up into the mountains and down to the beach. Lunch was not the best but as it was the only restaurant around we didn't have much of a choice. After lunch we went down to the beach to relax a bit before getting back on the bus. We finished up the tour at a winery. After the bus dropped us off in Fira, we explored down the narrow streets, popping in and out of shops that caught our eye. Dinner was Italian, at a restaurant most of the way up the hill so we didn't have too far to walk back to our hotel.

Volcano day!! I had really been looking forward to seeing the volcano! We took a bus along a very narrow, winding, steep road to the new port where we boarded our boat which took us to the volcano. We climbed and climbed and climbed and finally made it to the top of the volcano, enjoying the view and catching our breath before starting the trek back to the boat. From there we went to another island where we had an opportunity to swim to the hot springs. I am not a good jumper into cold water which is basically what I had to do! I hung on the ladder for as long as I could before plunging into the freezing cold water! It wasn't too far of a swim to the hot springs, which were actually more like lukewarm springs. I smeared a little bit of mud on my arms as it was supposed to be therapeutic. The boat stopped for lunch at the island of Thirisia, where you could climb up the cliff to the town at the top, or you could eat lunch at the restaurants at the bottom. We chose not to climb. It was then over to Oia where we could watch the spectacular sunset. This time we had no option but to climb up the stairs. Well, we did have an option to ride a donkey most of the way up which I wasn't too keen on, but Jessica was, however she decided to trek up the stairs with me & Nilly. Those stairs were super steep and seemed never-ending but finally we made it to the top! After that we definitely deserved some gelato! We wandered around until we realized it was about sunset time and hurried over to the end of the island where we basically just missed the sunset, or maybe we didn't and it just wasn't that spectacular. I'm not sure which. We still had time before the bus would drop us back in Fira and as we were tired and hungry we decided to take a cab back to our hotel. We got crepes from a store not far from our hotel and took them back to our room to eat while watching X-Men.

Our last day in Santorini! We thought about waking up early and going to the beach, since we never made it but decided not to wake up early and just to walk down to Fira, after a breakfast of crepes from the place where we had got them the night before! Those crepes were good! Before we knew it, it was time to catch the ferry over to Naxos. We arrived in Naxos and took a taxi to the hotel, which was actually not the main hotel, but another building down the road. The taxi driver let the hotel know we were there and someone from the hotel drove over to check us in. It was an interesting room, in an interesting part of town. I wasn't sure what to expect. After claiming beds and freshening up, we headed out to explore a bit. We walked over to a travel agency to see about booking a bus tour only to find out there were no seats available. We contemplated what to do, including taking a ferry over to Mykonos, while we walked over to the Portara. There we met a couple from San Francisco on their honeymoon, who convinced us to rent a car and drive around the island. I have never before rented a car in a foreign country, usually because I don't want the hassle of driving or navigating in a foreign country. In the end, they made it seem easy so we decided that's what we could do the next day. We wandered around, getting somewhat lost in the process, before finally making our way into the center of town. At the hotel, they had told us about a good Italian restaurant which we finally found. And boy was it worth it!! The owner (or who we assumed was the owner as it was her life story on the menu and her name was Susanna and the name of the restaurant was also Susanna) was really nice and the food was delicious!! And get this - I had spaghetti carbonara, not margherita pizza! After dinner we walked back down to the center to get gelato before trying to find our way back to the hotel.

Rental car day!! We walked along the waterfront to a restaurant that had been mentioned in our guidebook for breakfast. It was then time to begin our car rental adventure. We decided to ask and see if they had an automatic as Jessica & both had driven sticks before and probably could again, but if there was an automatic available we would take it to cut down on the stress! The first place didn't but he called around and found a nearby car rental place that did. We could have two drivers on the car and I was not allowed to be a driver as I was to be the navigator. I'm not sure if I should feel insulted by this or take it as a compliment! :) The route the clerk at the car rental place suggested was very similar to the bus tour. We stopped at the gas station to fill up and the attendant gassed up the car and we were off. Our first official stop was the Temple of Demeter, located along some back roads. We tried to find a Venetian tower next and I think we drove by it twice but couldn't find a good place to park. This would be a theme for the day. Any tower or castle we were not able to find. Next we stopped at the town of Halki or Chalki, depending on which map you are looking at. We walked out to see a church, visited the Kitron distillery (made from citron, a fruit similar to a lemon) and looked around the town before continuing on. Up and up the narrow winding roads we drove to Apiranthos, the “marble village” where we had lunch and were entertained by a couple of kids playing, and one kid pouting. Nilufer took over driving duties after lunch and drove us to our next stop, Panayia Drosiani, a tiny little church. Our next stop was to see an unfinished statue. We saw the first one and decided to hike up to see the next one. It ended up being a little farther than we anticipated! On the “you are here” map it indicated the remains of an aqueduct were nearby. We searched high and low for the aqueduct but as it would be getting dark soon we decided to give up and walked back to the car and headed back to town. Not too far down the road we saw a sign for the aqueduct! Woohoo!! We found it, or at least part of it. We pulled over and saw a section of the aqueduct. After that we drove back to town and dropped off the rental car. We explored the old town of Naxos before going to Susanna’s for dinner. I was back to my old staple, margherita pizza. It was really good!

On to Athens! Someone from the hotel drove us to the port where we caught the ferry to Athens. A mere 6 hours later we arrived at Pireaus. To say the taxi line was chaotic would be a gross understatement. Trying to find the end of the line proved difficult and when the driver from the first taxi in line came up to us, I figured he was legit and we climbed into the cab. One of the warnings of Athens was the potential to be ripped off by cab drivers. Knowing this, I should have asked what the price was prior to getting into the cab, but being in the actual taxi line, I figured we’d be okay. The cab driver seemed friendly enough and charged us €20, explaining there was a €5 surcharge from the port. I had read in both my book and Jessica’s book that the surcharge from the port was only €1 and so I argued and asked the hotel clerk how much the fare should be and he said €15 -17. Now the thing of it is, had he not said there was a €5 surcharge I would have paid the €20 without even thinking about it. We settled on €17 and he drove off. This was so not an Emily thing to do, but it was the principle of the matter.

With that settled we checked into the hotel and then headed out to start exploring Athens. Our first stop was the Temple of the Olympian Zeus. When I was in middle school/high school, I was intrigued by Greek mythology and read all about Zeus, Hera, Athena and the rest so I was really excited to be in Athens. From there we walked along the promenade around the Acropolis before heading into Plaka to have dinner. After dinner we wandered around a bit more before making our way back to the hotel. At first glance, Athens reminded me of Rome. Or should I say Rome reminded me of Athens as before all roads led to Rome, I’m sure a number of them led to Athens.

Even though we had successfully driven around Naxos, we weren’t sure if we wanted to do it in Athens and instead signed up for a tour out to Delphi. This was another thing I had really wanted to do because the Oracle at Delphi featured in so many of the myths. It was about 3 hours to Delphi and our tour guide regaled us with stories of history and mythology such as Delphi was considered to be the center of the earth (or the naval) because Zeus had sent 2 eagles to the opposite ends of the earth and they met in Delphi. The guide took us up to the Temple of Apollo where the people would come to ask the oracle questions. After explaining more about the oracle, she let us explore on our own and we walked up to the theater and then to the stadium before meeting back up with the guide to go through the museum. The bus then took us to lunch. Lunch was not very good. We had hopes for dessert though, until they passed around a basket of dirty, moldy fruit. No thank you. The journey back to Athens took forever – there was construction and an accident and traffic in general but finally we arrived back in Athens. They dropped us off at a hotel near Syntagma Square. We asked for dinner recommendations and ended up at Cibus, an Italian restaurant with a great view up to the Acropolis.

We signed up for another tour, this one a half day to Corinth, so it was another early morning to catch the tour bus. Our first stop was at the Corinth canal which cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth. It is really cool to see! The next stop was ancient Corinth where we explored the ruins and saw where St. Paul preached to the Corinthians. We once again ran into traffic on the way back, but finally arrived back in Athens. I had printed off Rick’s “Welcome to Athens” walk so we decided to follow it, hoping to find a spot to have lunch on the way. There hasn’t been much mention of Rick so far and that is because his Athens book didn’t come out until after I got back. The walk started off in Syntagma Square, right in front of the Parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. From there we strolled down a pedestrian street, stopping to have lunch at a noodle bar and doing a bit of shopping. We continued along the walk, missing one monument which threw us off track but finally after taking a roundabout way we caught back up with the tour. Along the way Jessica became fascinated with the graffiti and it became a mission to find the coolest graffiti on our walk. Our walk finished in Monastiraki Square. We were beginning to become familiar with this area. We had dinner at a pizzeria in Plaka, unfortunately it was not very good.

Ruins, ruins and more ruins! Today was the day for ruins - the Acropolis, the Agora, etc. We were going to be on ruin overload by the end of today. But first, before heading to the Acropolis, we found the missing monument from our walk the day before. From there we hiked up stairs and hills and more stairs, passing by the Theater of Dionysus and other ruins before reaching the top, the Acropolis! The Parthenon was amazing! And to think it is still standing after all these years. I attempted to take a picture of Cedric, however couldn’t quite get a good angle and got close to the ruins. An attendant came up to me and said to delete the picture, which I did, thinking it was because I had gotten too close. So we tried again, holding Cedric in the air but again the attendant came over and we finally realized it was Cedric himself they didn’t want a picture of with the ruins. I wish they had posted the rules somewhere because I am generally a rule follower, if I know the rules. We continued exploring the Acropolis before making our way over to Mars Hill, where St. Paul preached to the Athenians. There were two options to get to the top of Mars Hill, the steps cut into the hill, or the metal staircase. Knowing my penchant for tripping, I took the metal staircase option. From there we walked down to the agora and admired the Temple of Hephaestus. We were on our way to lunch when the unthinkable happened – I broke my camera! Fortunately, it was the second to last day and we had just finished up with the Acropolis. We went to lunch where I pouted a bit about my camera. Although I have been wanting to buy a new camera and now I have no excuse not to buy a new one! So really, it was a good thing. After lunch we headed to the Roman agora and Nilly lent me her camera as she wasn’t much of a picture taker. Jessica had wanted to see Omonia Square so we started walking towards it, coming across a cheap jewelry store (think Claire’s) and of course had to stop. We continued on to Omonia Square, this time passing by a riot squad in full riot gear which we walked rather quickly by. We arrived at the square, looked around, and headed back to Plaka. None of us was really hungry so we decided to get a couple of appetizers to share. Our couple of appetizers turned out to be a lot of food! And so much for us not being that hungry, as we made quite a dent into all the food.

Our last day in Athens! Jessica had suggested waffles for breakfast so we headed out, only to find out the restaurant didn’t open until a little later so we continued on to the flea market. There were treasures to be found at the flea market, if you took the time to look. We browsed through the various stalls until we figured the restaurant was open and headed back for our waffles. Yum! It was Sunday so the streets were fairly deserted. We were walking past Parliament when we noticed guards making their way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier so we stopped to watch the changing of the guard. It was really interesting ceremony – the guards had very elaborate, intricate footwork. Our next stop was the top of Lycabettus Hill so we went in search of the funicular. I thought we were doing okay when we reached a fork in the road and as we paused to check the map a lady walking by who asked if we were going to the funicular. She motioned for us to follow her, which we did, and thank goodness for that because she led us, turning down a couple of different streets, to the funicular. We never would have found it on our own! The funicular took us up to the top, where we admired the view of Athens before heading back down. We decided to visit the Panathenaic Stadium, which was used for the “first” Olympic Games in 1896 and the Olympic Games in 2004, plus for the Panathenaic Games in ancient times. We started towards the stadium when we came across a street that looked familiar to Jessica. She and Nilly had wanted to see the Running Man statue but since we had no idea where it was (they had seen it from the bus on one of our tours) we didn’t think we would see it until we came across the familiar road so we detoured to find the Running Man statue. It was pretty cool – made up of stacked glass. The detour didn’t last long and we were at the stadium, which was really neat. The stadium is made of marble. We walked back to Plaka, stopping by the Temple of Olympian Zeus one last time. Coming out of the Temple I tripped on a rock and stumbled for probably a good 5 to 10 feet before finally catching myself. I didn’t fall, but I came so close. It seemed as if I was in slow motion. Well, at least I didn’t fall! We spent the rest of the evening as we had most of our evenings in Athens, strolling around Plaka. On our way back to the hotel, Nilufer and I got the giggles and Jessica was embarrassed to be seen with us.

We woke up early the next morning to go to the airport, ending our trip to Greece.

For more pictures, click here.

32 Things To Do Before I Turn 33

If this list looks just a tad familiar, it should! A majority of these items were on my 31 Things list, some stayed on the list because they'll probably always be on my list and others stayed to give me another chance to cross them off the list!

1. Travel to a country I've never been to before.

2. Run (or walk) a half-marathon. Yup, it has been awhile since I've done a half-marathon so I guess it's time to try again.

3. Buy a new laptop.

4. Take a photography class.

5. Be a better correspondent (i.e. keep in better touch with my friends).

6. Try out a new recipe.

7. Start consistently doing a weight-training or strength-training program, either with a trainer or on my own.

8. Organize all my flotsam and jetsam - either to be scrapbooked or to be disposed of.

9. Visit the Olympic Sculpture Park.

10. Make it through a hot yoga class doing all the postures.

11. Travel to one new city in the US.

12. Write a chapter for my novel (which I still haven't figured out what it is about).

13. Start seriously looking at buying a house/townhome/condo.

14. Go to an athletic shoe store where they look at how you walk and recommend a type/style of shoe.

15. Run (emphasis on run) a 5K.

16. Attend a dance class (hip-hop, salsa or styling). I've been meaning to do this for awhile but haven't.

17. Take a wine-tasting class.

18. Go to an acupuncturist.

19. Go to an outdoor movie.

20. Go kayaking.

21. Go to a Husky game and go to a Sounders game.

22. Treat myself to a facial.

23. Take a couple of weekend trips (Oregon coast, Vancouver B.C., etc.)

24. Get a manicure every couple of months.

25. Organize my file cabinet. It was organized once upon a time, but since then I've gotten behind and I need to catch back up.

26. Go to trivia night. I used to do this fairly regularly but then life got in the way! Let's see if I can start up the tradition again this year.

27. Get the most out of my annual Walt Disney World pass. That's right folks, I got me an annual Disney pass this year.

28. Buy a new camera. This really has to happen now as I broke my camera in Greece!!

29. Set up an IRA.

30. Go for a hot air balloon ride.

31. Go to the podiatrist.

32. And one I'll keep to myself for now.

Final 31 Things Update

First off, Greece was great! Trip report & pictures to come in the next few weeks. I realize I am late with my final recap of my 31 Things, but better late than never!

To say this last year was a bit challenging may be somewhat of an understatement. It was also exciting as I did my first cruise, spent 6 weeks in Germany, and got a couple more triathlons under my belt. I didn't make as big of a dent in this list as I thought. Oh well - that's what this year is for!!

1. Travel to a country I've never been to before. Done!! Slovakia, Hungary
2. Make it back to Houston a couple of times. Done!!
3. Improve my triathlon time. Done!!
4. Take a photography class.
5. Take at least one picture a week (I would say more frequently, but knowing me one picture a week could be pushing it some weeks!).
6. Try out a new recipe (no time frame associated with this one - I would be happy to do it once!).
7. Back up my pictures on CDs. If I'm really ambitious catalogue and organize! Done!!
8. Organize all my flotsam and jetsam - either to be scrapbooked or to be disposed of.
9. Visit the Olympic Sculpture Park.
10. Bring my lunch to work (again no time frame associated with the one as I would be happy if I did it once!). Done!!
11. Travel to one new city in the US. Done!! Maui, Hawaii
12. Write a chapter for my novel (which I still haven't figured out what it is about).
13. Attend a theatrical event (musical, play, ballet, etc.) Done!!
14. Eat at several restaurants I've been meaning to - Greenlake Bar & Grill, Z Tejas, Boka and Salish to name a few. Done!!
15. Play bingo in Houston. Done!!
16. Attend a dance class (hip-hop, salsa or styling). I've been meaning to do this for awhile but haven't.
17. Take a wine-tasting class.
18. Attend either an Anti-freeze or Space City Mixer event (or something similar).
19. Go to an outdoor movie.
20. Go kayaking.
21. Frame several pictures I've been meaning to frame. Done!!
22. Set aside some money and invest in the stock market. Done!!
23. Take a couple of weekend trips (Oregon coast, Vancouver B.C., etc.) Done!! Cannon Beach
24. Take a cooking class. Done!!
25. Organize my file cabinet. It was organized once upon a time, but since then I've gotten behind and I need to catch back up.
26. Finish up my 2005 photobook. Done!!
27. Take a yoga class. (Technically this one is already done since I attended one on 4/20, but since I planned to put it on the list before I took the class I'm leaving it on. Plus this way it will motivate me to take another!) Done!! I am now a hot yoga queen! Well, okay that is an exaggeration, but I am going fairly regularly
28. Buy a new camera.
29. Set up an IRA.
30. Go for a hot air balloon ride.
31. And one I'll keep to myself for now. Done!! Well, for the most part. I did accomplish several of the items on the list.

And that wraps up my 31 Things, stay tuned for 32 Things!

And off we go!

After weeks of counting down, it was finally time to leave for Disneyworld! Because it was a short trip, I decided to drag my brother with me again. Jana decided it was going to be too long between visits to Disneyworld and also decided to fly down for the weekend along with Ben, her boyfriend.

After some not so good bus magic (it took us almost an hour to get there!) we met up with Jana & Ben at Animal Kingdom. Because it was so stinking hot we went on the Kali River Rapid ride and boy did I get wet!! It took me awhile to finally dry out. After a few more rides and lunch, we left for Epcot where John & I saved the world, Kim Possible style. It is a new interactive game, which would have been a lot more fun if it hadn't been so hot! I was also finally brave enough to try Mission Space, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (granted we rode the "sissy" version) but I was still a little nauseous afterwards.

Saturday was early extra magic hours at Hollywood so John & I woke up early and headed over with the express purpose to do the new Toy Story ride! We arrived just a little after it opened and already there was a 30 minute wait! We went ahead and stood in line - fortunately the line moved along. We rode a couple more rides before heading back to the hotel so I could check in for the race.

We weren't staying at the race site, but at a hotel within walking distance to the race site. I asked the concierge how to walk there and she looked at me and told me it was too far to walk, I should either take the bus or the boat. Interesting - so how was I going to get to the race tomorrow morning? I took the boat over to the race site and checked in. I picked up my bike and situated myself in the transition area, looking around for the bike and run starts to orient myself. While I was there, I asked about transportation from my hotel on race day and was told no transportation, you could walk. Okay, it can't be that bad, right? So I walked back to the hotel and it was about a 20 minute stroll. Piece of cake!

I picked John up at the hotel and we headed over to Magic Kingdom!!! After lunch and a few rides, we met up with Jana & Ben. After many more rides, Jana & Ben went off to dinner while John & I headed off to our hotel as I needed sleep! But before leaving, we had to go see Mickey & Minnie!

I did not sleep too well, as I was nervous about oversleeping. Finally I got up and got ready. Down in the lobby there were a number of athletes. Stepping outside, there were even more waiting for a bus! All that worrying and they did have a bus from the hotel to the race site. I set up my transition area and made my way down to the beach.

As I stood on the beach, watching the waves of women go before me, I had a sense of peace, sprinkled with trepidation. And a bit of wonderment, realizing this was my sixth triathlon!

Finally it was my wave! I went down to the water's edge with the rest of my light blue caps and tested the water - it was warm!! Nice! And soon we were off. I had a fairly even pace going and just kept moving along along. The walk back from the swim was one of the longest I can remember! I threw on my shirt and race number, hoisted my bike off the rack and I was off!! I passed a number of people on the bike, which lifted my spirits a bit! I'm not super competitive, but it helped me realize that while people will pass me on the swim & the run (and the bike too) I was passing people on the bike! The bike course was nice - somewhat flat, with a few rolling hills. I made it back and was off on the run! By this time it was getting hot. I ran until there weren't any more spectators cheering and slowed down to a walk. After the first water stop, I got into my usual pattern of running 10 cones, walking 5 (sometimes running 20 cones but still walking 5). And then I was at the last quarter mile - I ran, using all the cheers from the people lining the course to keep me going. It was a good race!

I never was able to meet up with Jana & Ben after I finished, it was a bit of a madhouse!! I had to dash back up to the hotel to take a shower before check-out. But they did say they enjoyed cheering on other participants and experiencing the atmosphere.

After checking out of the hotel, John & I headed over to Hollywood for a last little bit of magic before going home. I was fairly spent at that point and we didn't end up doing much of anything, except watching the High School Musical pep rally and eating lunch. We met up with Jana & Ben one last time before saying our goodbyes and heading to the airport.

And now? I'm unpacking my suitcase, only to pack it again! I leave for Greece on Wednesday!

Orlando Triathlon

Woohoo!! I did it!! I finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes, which is within 2 minutes of my best time so I was happy with that. More to come later...

Ear Update II

WOOHOO!! I've been given the all clear from the doctor. I get to race on Sunday!!

Training - Week 9

I feel like I have been saying this a lot over the past couple of weeks, but here I go again - it was a fairly light training week.  No swimming, per the doctor's orders.  A couple of hot yoga classes, the elliptical and a brick.  I might squeeze in a few more workouts before leaving on Thursday.  Did I train enough?  Nope - but with strep throat, bronchitis, and then an ear infection there wasn't much I could do about it.  So what if my time isn't the best?  I will finish and I will have fun racing, which is what counts!  All this is assuming I get the green light from the doctor (I find out tomorrow).  

Ear Update

I do have an ear infection, swimmers ear to be more precise, which is what I suspected. What does this mean? Training-wise it means no swimming this week. Race-wise? It means stay tuned. I asked the doctor if I would be able to participate in the race and she wasn't sure. I am to go back next week and find out then. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I couldn't race as I would still be in DisneyWorld! But I am still hopeful I will be able to race.

Training - Week 8

If you have been keeping track, you may be asking what happened to Week 7 or you may be asking if Emily has forgotten how to count. Work ended up being a bit more hectic than I imagined for Week 7 and then I spent the weekend in Houston so not a lot of training. On to Week 8!!

Monday was such a beautiful day that I decided to go to the park instead of hot yoga or the gym. My run was interesting in that I was sans ipod! Instead of music, I listened to snippets of all different conversations as well as nature - the wind, the birds, and the river. I know some people prefer to run with no music, I am not one of them. I much prefer my ipod!

The rest of the week went something like this - a couple swims, a bike ride, and a couple hot yoga classes which all led up to my first brick of the season on Sunday. Wow, I always seem to forget how hard the first 100 yards are after getting off my bike and starting off on the run.

I'm going to need to modify my upcoming week of training as I am coming down with an ear infection so probably no more swimming this week. This spurred me on to finally buy a pair of ear plugs for when I swim.

Only 2 weeks to go!!

Aloha Oe!

Aloha!! I found out I was going to Hawaii on the day of the "big" snow. I was dreaming of palm trees watching the swirling snow pile up. I actually "won" this trip to Hawaii - my company has a program where people can be nominated and then are chosen based on the nominations. I am not the first person in my group to win. Several years ago when Valerie won, Tiki came into her possession. Exactly where Tiki came from is a bit mysterious. Right before Valerie left, she was tasked with taking Tiki to Hawaii and taking pictures of him. When my boss won, Tiki showed up again. So I shouldn't have been surprised when Tiki showed up again with an ultimatum for me to take him with me to Hawaii.

With Tiki in my suitcase, I set off for Hawaii. I met Jana at the airport and we were off!! Except the bus had a flat tire. A new bus came for us and then we were off! We checked in and got directions to our room - across the lawn, up to the eighth floor, down the hall, down to the 3rd floor, across the breezeway, and then down to the second floor. Whew! We made it! We checked out our room and unpacked before heading back to the lawn for dinner. We were still pretty tired so after dinner we walked around and then headed back to our room.

The next morning breakfast was on the lawn and I got my picture taken as a "winner". We spent the rest of the day moving between the beach and the pool. During our time in the pool, Jana's sunglasses went missing for the first time. We circled back around the pool and found the glasses. I reapplied my sunscreen several times, but as it turns out it wasn't quite enough. Although, as sunburns go, it wasn't too bad. That night was a dinner where we were treated to fire dancing as the entertainment - it was great!

Thursday we spent the morning on a tour of the island. The guide's jokes were so bad that I barely laughed, and I pretty much laugh at anything. Our first stop was up in the mountains. It was at the second stop, at the aquarium, that Jana's sunglasses went missing for the second time. We walked back through the aquarium and found the sunglasses! Our next stop was at a plantation where they grow different fruits, including pineapples! After our tour we walked down to the shopping center near the hotel and did some shopping before heading back for the barbecue dinner.

Friday was snorkel day! We took a catamaran out to a cove. When we first started out, the captain warned us it was best to put our belongings, including our cameras, away since it was pretty windy so most likely we would get things wet. And then we came across a school of dolphins!! The dolphins were doing flips in the air, showing off for us, and me without my camera!! I'm never without my camera!! I ran back to get it but it was too late, the dolphins were gone. We made it to the cove and began our snorkeling adventure - wow!! It was incredible! The fishes, the coral - everything was amazing. Except when I got a little too close to the coral and scratched up my legs. Oops! I kept my camera with me on the way back but no dolphins. Oh well. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. That night was a luau. It was really fun!

Saturday was a free day. I hadn't been feeling well the entire time (when I came home, I went to the doctor and found out I had bronchitis) and it came to a head Saturday morning. I stayed in the room, taking it easy, while Jana went to the pool. We met back up for our massages, which were fantastic! I was feeling much better by then and we spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the pool. We walked down the beach and found a restaurant where we could eat overlooking the ocean. As we were leaving the restaurant Jana realized she didn't have her sunglasses. They had turned up every other time, I wasn't too worried. Sure enough, we found the sunglasses!

Sunday it was time to say goodbye. Maui was amazing!!! I can't wait to go back!

Aloha!!

Training - Week 6

Happy Easter!!

Week 6 already?!  Where has the time gone?  I wasn't expecting to get a lot of training done this past week with work.  But I did manage to get in a run on the treadmill and a bike ride.   And now it is time to kick the training into high gear. 

I also did a bit of cross-training, in the form of hot yoga.  What started out as one hot yoga class turned into me doing two hot yoga classes back to back.  Remind to really think hard about doing a double next time, if there is a next time!!  

Hawaii pictures & a report are still forthcoming, bear with me.

Oh, and I guest-posted on Mandi's blog while she was gone.  Check it out!! 

Training - Week 4 & 5

Well, not much to report on the training front. I was in Hawaii (pictures and report to come later) so unless you count splashing in the pool as swimming, no training happened. And then I came home and found out the cold I thought I had was actually bronchitis, so then I just took it easy. I did manage to do 30 minutes on the stationary bike. Probably not too much training will happen this week either with work which leaves me with about 4 weeks left of good solid training. It is coming up quick!!

Training - Week 3

Wow - already the third week of training.  Another light-ish week with 2 swims and one bike ride.  The bike ride was once again me vs the elements, but what else can you expect in Seattle, especially in the month of March?  The wind wasn't nearly as bad as last week and the rain wasn't too bad until the end.  And now?  The sun is out.  Some consolation is the fact I'm leaving for Hawaii in a few days!  Not too much longer until I'm sipping a fruity drink on the beach!

I finished my bike ride, cold and wet.  What would be the best cure for that?  A steaming, hot latte!!  Too bad I gave up lattes for Lent.  Instead I settled for putting on my sweats and cuddling with a blanket.

And that brings me to now - sitting on my couch, wrapped in a blanket, watching basketball.  I love March Madness!!  The bracket busters, the Cinderellas, the last second clutch shots - I love it all!

Training - Week 2

It was a bit of a light training week - one swim and one bike ride.  The bike ride ended up being a bit interesting, due to the weather.  I woke up to snow this morning.  Snow, seriously?  Yes, snow.  Beware the ides of March, perhaps?  I loaded my bike up and fortunately after church the snow had been replaced by rain.  The rain slowly dissipated as I rode along and by the end of the ride the sun had come out!  I wasn't going too far as the purpose of this ride was really to reintroduce myself to my bike.  Legs, you remember pedaling, don't you?  The first half of the ride went really well, especially since I haven't been on a bike since last June!  The second half was more challenging as I was fighting against the wind.  But finally I arrived back at my car, my first bike ride over.  See you next week for more training updates!

Training - Week 1

Alright, here we go with my weekly training reports!! I signed up for the Danskin Triathlon in Orlando on May 10th and in Seattle on August 16th. To be perfectly candid, I didn't look too closely at the distances for the Orlando Triathlon thinking it would be similar to last year. That was a bit of a mistake on my part as the distances are longer, especially the bike portion which is now 12 miles. And then I looked at my calendar and realized between vacation (Hawaii here I come!) and my quarterly busy time at work there isn't a lot of time between now and May 10th. Now that I've looked at the distances and my calendar I have realized it is time for me to get into gear with my training which is where these weekly training entries will help me to hopefully stay on track!

After this long, wordy introduction I don't have much to report this week. I did go for a swim on Friday and I did bring my bike to the bike hospital for a check-up. It has been several years now since I got my bike and I thought it was a good idea to have it looked at to make sure everything is in good working order.

I also went for a run and once again ran for 1 mile continuously! I walked a little bit and then ran back 1 mile! It really helped that I had done it before so I knew I could do it.

Stay tuned for more updates...

31 Things Update

So it's probably about time for me to update my 31 Things list.  Let's see what I've been up to!

1. Travel to a country I've never been to before.  Done!  On my Austro-Hungarian adventure (aka my trip to Viennapest!  Thanks Jana for new word - I love it!) I visited Slovakia and Hungary, both new countries to me.

10. Bring my lunch to work (again no time frame associated with the one as I would be happy if I did it once!).  I'm going to count this as bringing my lunch to work - for a couple of weeks now I've gone to the grocery store on Monday and gotten sandwich fixings for the week.

22. Set aside some money and invest in the stock market.  Okay, so not the smartest goal for me to have actually accomplished considering the economy but I did finally take the plunge and promptly lost money but fortunately it wasn't a lot.  

23. Take a couple of weekend trips (Oregon coast, Vancouver B.C., etc.)  Woohoo!!  Over President's Day weekend I ventured down to Cannon Beach.

26. Finish up my 2005 photobook.  And done.  I also finished my 2008 book.  I haven't ordered it yet as I'm waiting for a coupon before ordering it, but it is finished.

31. And one I'll keep to myself for now.  Another personal accomplishment complete, only a few more to go.

Cannon Beach

For President's Day I decided to head down to the Oregon Coast for the weekend. My plans were simple - to relax, read, and take pictures. Normally I set my camera on auto and snap away, but this time I wanted to play with features, maybe change an aperture or shutter speed. I had been reading up on my new favorite site, The Pioneer Woman, all sorts of tips on how to take your camera manual. A good thing to remember when your plan is to expand your picture taking horizons is the manual for your camera. Whoops! I did still play around with my camera features but not to the extent I was hoping to.

I decided too late to decide to go to Cannon Beach and so I wasn't able to get a ocean view room, so instead of splurging on a hotel room I decided to splurge and get two massages! I arrived on Friday afternoon just in time for sunset and spent time on the beach until my fingers were cold. There was a seafood restaurant across the street from the hotel so I walked over there for dinner.

Saturday morning I woke up and started the day off by taking a run on the beach. I then grabbed my camera and spent time on the beach. Next up - a massage! Ahhh, it was fantastic! Although the masseuse would ask me random questions just when I was about to fall asleep. Afterwards I drove out to Ecola State Park, as from there you can see the lighthouse, which is a few miles offshore. As I got out of my car I felt the wind and saw the very ominous clouds. And then it started raining - the rain was biting, pelting rain and the wind was driving it sideways. I looked around a bit, but really couldn't see anything so I jumped back into my car. The rain subsided a bit so I drove to the next parking lot and looked around a bit. There was a trail I could have taken to see the lighthouse but as it was still threatening to rain I decided to drive back to town for lunch and to look around. The sun eventually came back out and I spent a lot of time walking on the beach before once again noticing the dark clouds. I headed back for the hotel and was almost there when the rain started. This rain, however, came with a huge rainbow over the hotel. Beautiful!

Sunday morning was a repeat of Saturday - run on the beach, walking out to Haystack rock, playing on the rocks uncovered by low tide and then a massage. Ahh. As I was walking off the beach I saw one more sand dollar (I loved finding sand dollars as a little girl) and bent down to take a picture. As I walked off a little girl ran up to see the sand dollar and picked it up and added it to her collection. Some things never change! I checked out and began the drive back to Seattle. And that ends my weekend away. You can see more pictures here, but be forewarned they are much more of the same.

And why has it taken me so long to post? Well, I got back to Seattle and my throat was hurting. Thinking I was coming down with a cold, I drank some OJ and went to bed. Unfortunately it wasn't a cold, but instead strep throat. Yuck! The medicine is doing its job and I am on the mend!

1 Mile!

I think everyone who has followed my training for my various races knows when I say I run what I mean is run for a couple of songs, walk for a song (or two). Why I am once again discussing running? Well, today I was at the park, almost done with my second running song when I decided to keep going for one more song, and then another. I actually ran (well jogged) for 1 mile! It is a little thing, but it's something, especially as I am trying to find motivation to start up training again. It also probably helped I was feeling frustrated - not at any one thing in particular, but for a variety of little reasons. It is amazing what fresh air and your feet pounding on pavement can do to clear your head.

And now back to planning for my trip to Greece in May. If any one has ideas on what to see or do, let me know!

Ode to a Sunday Afternoon

Lazy snowflakes
Meandering through the sky
Each one unique
Falling ever so lightly on my eyelashes
Dusting the tree branches
Coating the bare ground
Turning the evergreen white

What?! More snow? This is Seattle people! So far it isn't sticking, much anyway. Apparently the days of me watching the snow out the window and hoping for accumulation are in the past. Although, now that I think about it, tomorrow would be a great day for a snow day! C'mon snow! Start sticking!

The snow isn't the only thing lazy today. I have been enjoying quite a lazy Sunday, reading and catch up on Lost. The laziness is much needed after several hectic weeks at work. I am not recovering from the weeks of little sleep as fast as I have in the past. Which is probably why I am suddenly excited about the prospect of a snow day!

Breathe

I'm sitting here, ready to write about something, nothing, everything but no words are coming.  I could be writing about thoughts for the new year, how much I'm addicted to playing word mole, updating my 31 things list, or even contemplating life in general.  Instead I'm sitting here tapping the keyboard willing words to come out.  I think my brain, and the rest of me for that matter, is still decompressing from the last few weeks of year-end fun.  To be perfectly honest, it was probably the worst year-end I can remember.  What made it so bad?  I haven't been able to put my finger on it.  And now I just need to catch up on my sleep!

Using my new favorite toy, here are my feet in the Czech Republic & in Slovakia (Czechoslovakia!):

2008 in Pictures

Well, 2008 sure has been interesting.  It hasn't been my favorite year, but I am realizing it had its moments as I looked back over my pictures.  Somehow I was able to whittle down my pictures to one per month.  Here are some of my favorites.

From left to right, starting at the top row:

1. January - Me & my coworkers goofing off at a hockey game

2. February - Royal Albert Hall (London)

3. March - Swimming in the Bahamas

4. April - Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

5. May - Running down Main Street during the Orlando Danskin Triathlon

6. June - Swim portion of the 5 Mile Lake Triathlon

7. July - Waiting at the train crossing (Bonn)

8. August - Reichstag (Berlin)

9. September - Nurnberg

10. October - Behind bars at Alcatraz

11. November - Me, Pooh & Jana

12. December - Deep Freeze 2008

Happy 2009!!!

I'm dreaming of a dry Christmas!

Snow, snow and more snow!! I never thought I'd say this but enough with the snow. I can't remember the last time it snowed this much. Actually, I can - I was in eighth grade. And the reason I remember? Yeah, with all the snow days we were in school until July!! I exaggerate - I think the last day of school was really June 30th. Last night was the first night my drive home wasn't a complete white-knuckle drive. Granted, I have an all-wheel drive, but that only helps so much, and really doesn't help when stopping. Exhibit A - It has been snowing fairly constant since this morning. The driveway was shovelled this morning before I left for work and arriving home this afternoon there was another couple inches of accumulation and I slid sideways down my driveway. Yikes!

Driving in the snow I'm usually saying one of two things - 1) Don't slam on the brakes, don't slam on the brakes to remind me if I do start to slide to not slam on the brakes or 2) Thank you Mr. Snowplow, Snowplow, Snowplow, thank you Mr. Snowplow, for clearing the roads (sung to Thank you Mr. Bus Driver whenever I see a snowplow). Which means I haven't really been listening to Christmas music the past couple of days. I love Christmas and Christmas music so I might just have to listen to Christmas music after Christmas is over to get my fix.

Speaking of Christmas music here are two things you may not know about me: 1) my all-time favorite Christmas song is Winter Wonderland which Jana pointed out isn't really a Christmas song and 2) I usually cry anytime I hear I'll Be Home for Christmas.

I was wrapping presents and Chloe was trying to "help". I don't know how she knows, but she can pick out the bag that has her Christmas presents in it. Maybe the bag smells like a pet store?

Here's a few more snow pics:




To my friends and family in Seattle (and anywhere else it is snowing) - stay warm and be safe

To all my friends and family - I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

An Austro-Hungarian Adventure

So I've been sitting here for awhile now trying to come up with a great opening line and it is just not coming so I'll cut right to the chase!

Day 0/1

I had been complaining that I would miss out on Thanksgiving dinner, even though I'm normally gone for Thanksgiving. The difference this time being since I was leaving the day before Thanksgiving I wouldn't get a plate of leftovers. Fortunately one of the choices for dinner was turkey & mashed potatoes! It wasn't too bad for airline food. The flight was extremely turbulent! I looked out the window as we got closer to Heathrow and saw the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben & Parliament, and Buckingham Palace - it was just like the Peter Pan ride! Jana & I met up and then boarded the flight for Vienna. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we wandered around in search of dinner. We ended up at an Italian restaurant (big surprise there, right?), but it wasn't very good. We walked back to the hotel and arrived a bit frozen as it was cold. The cold actually wasn't too bad - it was the biting wind! Our beds turned out to be heat-sucking beds and it wasn't long before we were both toasty warm. Heat-sucking beds are fantastic when it is super cold!

Day 2

Today should have been called Hapsburgs Day as we explored the Hofburg Palace complex. We started off in the Imperial Apartments which had an exhibit on Empress Elizabeth. At first I was very interested in Empress Elizabeth (or Sisi as she is called) until I learned more. She wasn't the nicest person but she did live an interesting life. From there it was the treasury and the chapel before stopping for lunch. We ate at a restaurant in the cellar of the palace. It was canteen style, which reminded me of my time in Bonn.

We continued exploring the Hofburg complex, with the National Library and Augustinian Church before taking a break to tour the Opera House. We fell behind the tour group at one point and were joking if we couldn't catch up we would be lost within the Opera and could become Phantomesses of the Opera!!! It was then back to the Hofburg complex as we visited the Papyrus Museum and the New Palace whose museum included an armory, musical instruments and ancient statues. I really enjoyed this museum because it was in an old palace and it was really fun to walk through. We finished up the day at City Hall where there was a Christmas market. Wow, there were a lot of people there, it was a bit overwhelming!

Dinner time! We started walking and decided to go one way and ended up making a huge circle and basically ended up back where we started. We ended up at, what else, but an Italian restaurant and they had the best tiramisu! However the restaurant was super smoky. If Italy can go smoke free, I would think the Austrians could as well.

The biting wind made me extremely happy for heat-sucking beds!

Day 3

As it turned out, the heat-sucking beds worked a little too well and we had a restless night. Our first stop of the day was at the Kaisergruft, the crypt where the Hapsburgs are buried. We continued on to St. Stephen's Cathedral where mass was starting so we were only able to take a quick look. Next it was the Globe Museum and the Esperanto Museum. What exactly is Esperanto? Yeah, I didn't know either until I went to the museum! It's a universal language, which I'm thinking is losing the battle to English.

After lunch we took a tram to Belvedere Palace where there was another Christmas market. We finished up the day at the Albertina Museum, which used to be the residence of Maria Christina. Maria Christina was the favorite daughter of Maria Theresa and the only one who was allowed to marry for love rather than political positioning. Our experience at the Albertina was hampered by the lack of line management, considering all the people. They could learn from Disney! The sign at the entrance said wait times were going to be anywhere from 15 minutes to 90 minutes. We ended up standing in line for about 30 minutes or so, which isn't bad, except when you are standing in the cold and the wind. The draw? There was a special Van Gogh exhibition.

Finally emerging from the throng of people at the Albertina, we had dinner at the Cafe Sacher, the home of the famous Sacher Torte, a special recipe used for 175 years. It was good. Apparently the hotel has received letters addressed to the Hotel Chocolate Cake.

Day 4
We decided to venture out of Vienna and took the train to Bratislava, Slovakia. We decided to walk into town from the train station instead of trying to figure out the bus. We walked by the Slovakian "White House" before arriving at St. Michael's Gate which had the kilometer zero plaque, the point from which all distances in Slovakia are measured. Lunch was at a "traditional" Slovakian restaurant. We had potato dumplings with mystery meat. It was pretty good!

Rick had told us about a couple places where cannon balls from the Napoleonic wars were still lodged in the buildings and that these cannon balls were all over the place so we kept our eyes open to find them. We ended up only finding the ones Rick specifically pointed out. There was a Christmas market in the Main Square. It was extremely crowded! We visited Primate's House which boasted of a Mirror Hall which would not be mistaken for the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles except in similarity of names. We continued down to the river to look at the bridge, a leftover from the Soviet days. We visited St. Martin's Cathedral before starting up the hill to visit Bratislava Castle where we wandered around and eventually found the deep well and threw a coin in. This was Maria Theresa's castle for awhile until it burned down. She shows up everywhere!

Day 5
This was the first day we ventured into the metro to visit Schonbrunn Palace. And what was out front of Schonbrunn? Why, a Christmas market! Inside the palace we learned more about Maria Theresa and Sisi and a few other Hapsburgs. If Jana & I were Hapsburgs, she would have been Maria Jana and I would have been Maria Amalia. We walked through the hibernating until spring gardens and up the hill to the Gloriette, where there was a restaurant so we decided to have lunch. The maze was also hibernating which was too bad, as I enjoy mazes! As this Christmas market wasn't too crowded we did a bit of shopping.

Back in town, we visited Charles Church where we were able to take a elevator up to the base of dome and then walk up the remaining stairs. The church is currently being restored. It was neat to see the dome up close.

Dinner was at Cafe Sacher where we amused the waiter and he gave us each a Cafe Sacher pen. Since I had the Sacher Torte last time, tonight I had the Cheese Strudel for dessert - it was yummy!

Day 6

We spent the morning at the history museum where there were a ton of kids! We had lunch at Cafe Sacher before heading to the train station to catch a train to Budapest. Jana's finger got smashed when we were lifting her suitcase up. She was very brave - I would been bawling! We knew the Budapest station was coming up and so when everyone started gathering their belongings to leave we acted like lemmings and did the same. Only to realize, as our train was leaving, this was the wrong train station. Yikes! Another train was coming so we got on as our stop was going to be the next one. The train conductor looked at our tickets and tried to tell us something but our lack of Hungarian made it impossible to communicate effectively. He eventually gave up on us and continued down the train.

We arrived at the train station and thanks to Rick we were able to negotiate a decent price (at least we thought is was) for a taxi to our hotel. Our hotel is new-ish and the elevator is not yet operational and so up we went 59 stairs. The hotel clerk carried both our bags, at the same time, up the stairs. Wow! The hotel was beautiful! Maybe not as functional as we would have liked, but definitely beautiful! There was a bathtub, no shower and no shower curtain. Hm, this would be interesting in the morning. The hotel had a restaurant which was pretty good! And quite convenient!

Day 7

I survived the bathtub, or I should say the bathroom floor survived me taking a shower! We walked along the river to the Hungarian Parliament where we arrived just in time for the tour. Inside the Parliament are the Hungarian crown jewels. Myth has it, the crown is the original that King (later Saint) Istvan was crowned with in the year 1000, or something to that effect, I may not have remembered the details correctly. After WW2, the crown jewels were kept in Fort Knox until 1978.

We went to the Museum of Ethnography and tried to buy a Budapest Card, except apparently they didn't have any more and they tried to direct us to the metro station where we could buy the card. We finally found the station but they only had one card but station attendant called and found a station that had more so we hopped the metro to get our Budapest card. After all that it was time for lunch! We found, what else, but Italian! After that we went back to the Museum of Ethnography, which is a tiny little museum in a huge building! We walked back along the river, and across the Chain Bridge to look back at the Parliament at night. We stopped by St. Istvan's Basilica before heading back to our hotel for dinner.

Day 8

We started off the day at St. Istvan's, this time in the daylight, before heading over to the Buda side. I was really excited because we were going to take a funicular up the hill, and I just love funiculars. Unfortunately it was closed so we trekked up hill as it started raining. There were two museums in the old castle. In the basement of the Budapest History Museum were the foundations of the old castle. When we emerged from the museums it was really raining. Since we were already at the top of the hill we walked over to Matthias Church and the Fishermen's Bastion. Inside the Matthias Church is a statue of Mary & Jesus that reportedly scared the Ottomans but due to the renovation the statue was blocked off. We had dinner at our hotel but were seated in the corner and had absolutely horrible service. It took forever!!

Day 9

Our first stop of the morning was at the Great Synagogue, the second largest in the world. Behind the synagogue is the Tree of Life memorial which was built over the site of a mass grave of those killed by the Nazis. Next we visited the Hungarian National Museum. The 1848 Revolution against the Hapsburgs was declared from this building. It was really interesting visiting Vienna and learning about the Hapsburgs and how they viewed Hungary as part of their empire and then visiting Budapest where they viewed the Hapsburgs as oppressors. We got in a tiny metro and went out to Heroes' Square - no Hapsburgs left at Heroes' Square. Near there was a replica Transylvania Castle. We walked around before heading to the Postal Museum. I'm still not sure how we found the museum - there were no signs but somehow we did find it. The museum itself was meh but it was located in a grand old apartment which was beautiful. We then went to the Museum of Trade & Tourism which wasn't much at all. We decided not to eat at the hotel, but instead ate at Mamma's, an Italian restaurant that we had passed several times near St. Istvan's.

Day 10

We spent the morning shopping at the Great Market Hall. After dropping off our packages we headed to Mamma's for lunch. We walked to the Opera and stepped inside to look at the grand entrance hall but decided against going on the tour and continued down to the House of Terror, the former headquarters of the Nazi Gestapo and then the communist Secret Police. It walked us through the terror of the two regimes, it was an excellent but sobering museum.

We decided to have our last dinner at the hotel. Sometime after dinner but before dessert a man walked into the restaurant. I remarked to Jana he looked a lot like Jason Isaacs. I didn't think much of it until 10 or 15 minutes later when another man walked into the restaurant that looked and sounded like Viggo Mortensen!! Both Jana & I reached the same conclusion - it was Viggo Mortensen! Which meant the first man must have really been Jason Isaacs! We were both star struck and very giggly. After a little research (aren't Blackberries wonderful? And props to Ben for helping) we discovered that Viggo & Jason had made a film in Budapest and were in town for the premiere. We lingered at dinner for as long as we could but finally decided to leave as we still had to pack. And for those of you wanting pictures - well, I don't have any. It seemed to us they really didn't want to be recognized. And I'm sorry to say there just wasn't a good angle for us to get a picture surreptitiously So our only other choice was to be obnoxious and intrusive which neither of us wanted to do. We settled for gazing at their backs.

Day 11
The next morning came fairly early as our flight to London was at 8:30 a.m. The flight to London was uneventful and we did some shopping before saying goodbye - me to Seattle and Jana to Houston.

Another List!

I am procrastinating working on my pictures from Vienna & Budapest and saw this on Mandi's blog.  What a perfect way to procrastinate! :)

99 Things Meme

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world. Okay, so this past year was apparently all about Disneyworld - next year I'm going to try and make it to Disneyland! :) I have also been to Paris Disney - someday perhaps I will make it to Tokyo Disney!
8. Climbed a mountain. I've climbed on mountains but not one to the top. Someday...
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo. I'm with Mandi - you wouldn't want me to do this!
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train. I can't decide if I want to do this or not...
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. I am such a rule-follower this may be hard to imagine. I did tell my boss that I was taking a mental health day.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon. Never going to happen - you realize the reason why it is called a marathon is when the messenger arrived at Marathon after running 26.2 miles he died. Yeah, not going to happen. I am seriously considering trying to do another half, but you will not find me doing a full.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.  I go back and forth on this one - Venice is not my favorite city but I can tolerate it in the colder months but then would I want to go on a gondola in the cold?  
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Made it to Germany. And I have been to Ireland, but I would like to go to the area where my family is from.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. I was so sick that day that I literally got out of the tour bus, saw that it leaned and got back in. I'm not even sure I took a picture!
39. Gone rock climbing. This is a maybe...
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person. YES!!! I love David! Every time I'm in Florence I visit him and he is usually the highlight of Florence for me.  Well, him and Ponte Vecchio.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood. They have a hard enough time trying to draw blood for blood tests (my veins are difficult to find).

65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.

74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous. Okay, maybe not actually met - but Jason Isaacs and Viggo Mortensen had dinner at the same restaurant as me & Jana in Budapest, which I hope to get around to posting my trip report and pictures soon.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit. Do class action law suits filed on my behalf count?  Several lawsuits have been filed "on my behalf" against my former notorious employer.   
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Snow Day!

Massive snow has been predicted for awhile now. Monday - no snow. Tuesday - no snow. Wednesday, the supposed "big snow day" - no snow. But Thursday? The snow showed up on Thursday. It started snowing early this morning and literally has been snowing all day. And while this really wouldn't be big news anywhere else, in Seattle snow is a four letter word. I can't remember the last time it snowed this much. The total accumulation? About 4 - 5 inches. Those of you used to the snow feel free to laugh right about now.

Snow & Ice - Oh my!

Today was supposed to be the 12Ks of Christmas, "supposed to be" being the key phrase.  We woke up to a light dusting of snow and in true Seattle style the city slowed to a crawl.  I dressed appropriately with lots of layers and gloves and slowly drove to the race only to find out the race had been cancelled due to the ice.  Oh well, at least I got the t-shirt!!

Book List

I am procrastinating instead of wrapping Christmas presents, addressing Christmas cards, or editing my pictures, take your pick. So now I'll post this which I saw on Mandi's blog. Wow, I've got a lot of reading to do!!

a) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
b) Underline those you intend to read. (Or, if you can’t underline, asterisk!)
c) Italicise the books you LOVE.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy*
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller*
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier*
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot*
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy*
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving*
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73.The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson*
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens*
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Ronald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo*

Sneak Peek

I'm back!  Where was I this time?  Vienna & Budapest, with a stop in Bratislava.  With Christmas, work, etc., it is shaping up to be a busy week and I'm not sure when I'll get to my pictures or a trip report but thought I would post this sneak peek.  

My feet in Buda & Pest!

I wasn't sure it would turn out, but I think I like it.  More to come...