2007

FEBRUARY

SPAIN

I started my journal this way: "This was the trip that almost wasn't."  It was President's weekend.  I found a great deal on vacationstogo for four days in Madrid, and I talked Terry into going with me.  The danger of traveling in the winter, however, is always the weather.  We had snow and ice, but we both made it to the airport, and the plane actually took off on time!

Traveling Companion: Terry Cuzzolino
 
MADRID

When we arrived in Madrid, it was quite warm, so we took a walk around Plaza Mayor and had a light lunch in an outside cafe -- I had paella and pimento with meat and sauce.

We took a lot of pictures as we explored the historic part of the city, including the Church of San Francisco. I loved taking photos of the architecture!  Most of the restaurants don't open until late in Spain, but we found a place to have tapas before heading back to the hotel.
 

We spent the second day also exploring the city, including the Royal Palace.  I was especially taken with the Royal Pharmacy!

We spent the afternoon at the Prado Museum before having another early dinner and making our way back to the hotel later in the evening.


TOLEDO

On our third day we took a full-day excursion to Toledo.  Our tour was both in Spanish and English, making it a little time-consuming, but it was a great visit.  We started in the Cathedral, the Church of St. Thomas where we saw one of El Greco's famous paintings, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. My favorite part of the day was exploring Jewish Toledo; we visited two synagogues. This is an interior view of Santa Maria la Blanca, a converted medieval synagogue.

Here is a picture of me in front of the other synagogue.

In the afternoon we walked around the perimeter of the walled city, and we got some panoramic views of the gorgeous city!

That night we went to dinner and a flamenco show at Park Florida.  

ESCORIAL VALLEY

On our last full day in Spain we took a half-day tour of the Escorial Valley and the Valley of the Fallen, about 45 minutes northwest of Madrid.  We started at the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de el Escorial, a palace and monastery, where 23 kings and queens of Spain are buried.

From there we went to the Valley of the Fallen, a monument built by Franco to commemorate those who died in the civil war; Franco, as well is buried under under the cross.

That afternoon we went to the neighborhood of Chucco, a "hip" place where we went to lunch at El Cabana, an Argentinian restaurant.  Then we walked around the city where I took lots of photographs, including several of the Egyptian Temple, the Temple of Dubod.  We also walked around the theater district and finally back to the hotel for a rest before going out to dinner.

Our last morning was almost a no-go like the first day!  I had looked at the wrong time on our confirmation, thinking we were leaving at the time the connecting flight was actually departing!  So, we hailed a cab and rushed to the airport, making our flight just in time!  

JULY

NEVADA

LAS VEGAS

I attended the College Board Conference in Las Vegas; I new my father loved Las Vegas and enjoyed gambling, so I invited him to attend with me.  One of my friends and colleagues, Tracey Kyle, also attended with her parents, so it was great for them to meet each other and share a dinner.  We stayed at the Venetian Hotel, and if I ever wondered why the College Board held their meeting in Las Vegas, the summer heat answered the question.  It was cheap!

Travel Companions:  Melvin Brenner and Tracey Kyle

Dad enjoying the slots in the Venetian

I did a little research about the "best" restaurants; we chose to eat at Rosemary's about a 30-minute ride from the trip.  It was a fabulous meal!

After the conference we treated ourselves to breakfast in the room before we left for out day tour of the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.

Here is dad in front of the Hoover Dam:

Our day tour with Gray Lines was before I started my job as a tour director, but I had that in mind when I took this picture of us boarding the coach!

We went to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, where they had just recently opened the skywalk where you could walk out on glass and get a "bird's eye view."  Both my dad and I said no!

I don't know what the hell I was thinking with these capris!  But I still love this picture of my dad and me n front of the Grand Canyon.  He looks so wonderfully healthy!

AUGUST

DELAWARE

LEWES

Travel Companion: Susan Cohen

Susan and I decided to take a trip to Cape May for a long weekend.  Our plan was to take the ferry to Cape May, but when we got there around 10:00 we learned that we really needed a reservation and that the first ferry with room was not until late afternoon.  That actually turned out to be a nice detour for us, with a wonderful day shopping and eating in Lewes.  Here are the two of us, both looking a little "slim"!

NEW JERSEY

CAPE MAY

We finally made it on the ferry late that afternoon.

We stayed in a lovely B&B in Cape May, the John Craig House.  

We had dinner at the 410 Bank Street Restaurant, a lovely place close to the B&B with delicious seafood!  This is a watercolor painting of the beautiful restaurant.

The weekend was a bit overcast with a drizzle, but we still were able to walk around the lovely town and the beach as well.

SEPTEMBER

PORTUGAL

Susan and I traveled to Portugal with Collette Vacations.  Although it wasn't the highest quality, it was a perfect tour of the southern, sunny coast (Sunny Portugal) with a day in Lisbon at the end.  I extended my trip with a couple of days in Lisbon on my own.  We also met a few great people on the tour whom I will try to introduce in my blog.

Travel Companions: Susan Cohen, also meeting Barbara, Nancy, Eileen, Paul, Bernie, Rosemary, Tess and Jerry, Elaine, Stephen, Ruth, Sue, Lois, Martha

ESTORIL

My trip didn't start off too well; Susan and I were traveling separately on miles, and when I checked on my flight as I was waiting for her in her place, I learned my flight was changed, and the new time would get me to Newark AFTER my international flight left.  After about 60 frantic minutes on the phone and losing our ride to the airport, I was able to get a new flight that was better than I had originally.  Susan and I would get to Lisbon within minutes of each other!

When we arrived in Estoril, about an hour from Lisbon, we enjoyed a lunch of mussels and a glass of wine.  Susan wanted to rest, and I took a walk to the beach, Tamariz.  I was surprised to find a topless beach!  I enjoyed the walk and sat in the sun for a few minutes before heading back for our first meeting with our guide, Manual.

After meeting our guide and fellow travelers, we had a pretty awful dinner in the hotel.  We learned that we had a large group on our bus, about half of us, who were from a church group, led by Bernie and her son.

CAISCAIS (with Mafra and Sintra)

In the morning we made our way to Mafra and the magnificent monastery there.  The lunch stop was in Sintra, which we loved, so rather than sit for lunch, we grabbed a few pastries and took the time to explore the little village.

When we reached Caiscais that evening we relaxed at the pool and then had dinner at Ageda Machado, a tourist restaurant with Fado singing.  We sat with Tess and Jerry, and we had a ball!  Here is one of the Fado Singers entertaining us!

We had a free morning in Caiscais and then we headed out on an afternoon tour of a tile factory and wine cellar -- Fonseca, famous for its port.  I bought a bottle of mescutel which broke on my last night in Portugal, lending a wonderful aroma to my clothes!  It's a good thing it was white!  That night we headed back to Caiscais for a "free" evening.  Here Susan and Eileen are enjoying their shopping excursion:

OBIDOS, NAZARE, SITIO, and FATIMA

We had a full day of sightseeing along the coast; our first stop was in a medieval town of Obidos, that reminded me of Rhodes in Greece.  We didn't have enough time to explore as much as we wanted because we both loved the village. This is one of my favorite photos from the trip, taken in Obidos.

About an hour from Obidos, we stopped in Nazare, a small seaside town.  There, I finally spotted the famous colorful fishing boats that I learned about when I did my "country report" on Portugal when I was in 6th grade!  Here, Susan is picking up some nuts in a stall in Nazare.

On the way to our last stop in Fatima, we had the chance to view the town of Nazarre from Sitio, not only a beautiful view, but also a chance to meet up with some locals who were selling their wares to the tourists.

Our next stop was in Fatima, a pilgrimage site where it is said that the Virgin Mary came to three small local children.  It was not what I expected, with a mixture of the modern and the old.  

When we got back to the hotel we had dinner; again, the food wasn't very good, but we had a great time dancing traditional Portuguese folk dances, especially Susan!

ALGARVE (AVOR) and EVORA

The next day we traveled to the Algarve with a stop in the town of Evora.  Evora is a university town, and it was fun to see the students who had just arrived and were going through their "hazing."  There was a wonderful little city center where we could all sit down, enjoy some food, and watch the students!

Gerry, Tess, Susan, Steve, and Karen

After arriving at our hotel and waiting for our bags we left for dinner in a nearby town, Portimea.  The best part of the dinner was the fish soup. 

In the morning we had the chance to explore the beautiful beach in the Algarve.

That afternoon Susan and I walked around the small village of Alvor and found a fisherman's boat that was giving rides.  The captain was returning in a little bit, so we enjoyed a tropical drink and then had a fabulous ride on the water.  I was frightened at first with just Susan and me, the Captain and his mate.  I finally relaxed and enjoyed the ride.

That night we finally had peri-peri chicken at Marafado's.

CAPE of ST. VINCENTE, SAGRES, LAGOS, and SILVA

Our first stop was at the Cape of St. Vincente, the southernmost point of Portugal, where we had magnificent views.

 We made our next stop at the Fortress at Sagres, where Henry the Navigator lived and explorers like Magellan and Vasco de Gama studied.  The most interesting site was the enormous compass in the dirt.

Finally, we arrived in what for many is the iconic photograph of Portugal, the Grottoes of Lagos, and they did not disappoint.

Lunch was Adega da Marina in Largos.  Another Portuguese specialty is dried and salted cod.  I gave it a try, although it was not one of my favorites!  Here we are at lunch with Sue, Lois, Martha and Ruth.

In Silva we visited an old cork factory which is now used to house a museum to show tourists how cork is "harvested" and made into corks for wine and other uses.  We also had a demonstration of marzipan desserts.

LISBON

The last city on our Sunny Portugal tour was Lisbon.  We only had a day in the city, and it turned out to be the only day with substantial rain.  I am glad that I extended the trip for an additional two days on my own.  Our visit to St. Jerome's Monastery was limited because there was a wedding, but I got some very cool rain pictures of the Belem Tower and the Monument of Discoveries.  My favorite is a picture of the monastery from the coach with the rain pouring down the window.

Susan and most of the group left in the morning; I did see quite a few people as I was walking around Lisbon by myself.  Before I transferred to a different hotel that was a little closer to the downtown area, I visited two museums that were close to the Marriott.  The new hotel, Real Palacio, was small, European, and the staff was helpful and friendly.  I loved it!  There was so much that I loved on my exploration of the city; I walked the Marquis de Pompal circle, had lunch in Rossi, took the Elevador de Santa Justa, and then the Castelo de Sao Jorge.  Here is a view of the city from the castle.

OCTOBER

CALIFORNIA

SAN FRANCISCO

The International Baccalaureate Heads of School Conference was in San Francisco in 2007, giving Linda Cable and me the opportunity to attend without raising a lot of eyebrows, like when I went to the one in Thailand!  We had a lovely few days in the city, including a pre-conference tour of some Napa Wineries.

Travel Companion: Linda Cable

Me and my new friend at Cline's Vineyard

At Viansa they had us stomping the grapes!

Artisan Winery was particularly beautiful.

After the conference, which was in the financial district at the Hilton San Francisco Union square, we did a little sightseeing, including a ride on the cable car. Here, Linda is enjoying pulling the bell!

Finally, we had some wonderful meals, and a walk around Fisherman's Wharf in search for dinner brought back some wonderful memories of my honeymoon there in 1975!

DECEMBER

FLORIDA

MIAMI

This is one of the reasons that I am creating this blog: I have traveled often for different reasons, and I cannot remember exactly when and where and why I have traveled!  Through photos and the journals I kept (mostly for extended tours rather than long weekends or travel for work), I have been able to recreate some of the experiences.  But for a long time I couldn't remember why I was in Miami in early December in 2007.  Figuring in where I was then (having been hired as the advanced academic specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools) and googling both IB and College Board events in 2007, I think I figured out it was for IB MYP (Middle Years Program) training in preparation for my new job!  We were close to South Beach, and I was able to get some sightseeing in after the training was over.

My first sightseeing stop was Little Havana, where I loved taking photographs and had a fabulous Cuban dinner.

As I was walking around Little Havana I came upon a store selling Cuban cigars (I thought it was illegal) and I couldn't resist having my photo taken with the Indian at the door!

One day after training we did have a boat tour of Miami on the Pink Lady; we saw some of the magnificent architecture as well as the homes of Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O'Donnell.

I love art deco; this is evident to any one who has seen my bedroom.  I loved walking along South Beach and taking photographs of the art deco architecture and details.