Sunday, April 12, 2015
Kyiv, Ukraine April 2015
Had a great opportunity to go to Kyiv, Ukraine for 3 weeks to work in the embassy. I was a little nervous about traveling without Kirk and the fact that I have no Ukrainian language skills but excited to be in Ukraine during this time.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Zagreb, Croatia - Valentine's weekend 2015
Kirk surprised me with a long weekend at the Westin in Zagreb, Croatia! We flew in from London, about a 2 hour flight. We landed and went out to find the bus to the center of town. On the drive in to the main bus terminal, we saw on the outskirts of town the definite influences of communism in the gray block apartment tenements. It was gray and rather depressing. We found our way from the main bus station to the closest tram stop and figured out how to buy a ticket at a small news kiosk while trying to figure out the local currency (kuna). We took the tram to the Westin and stopped for a sandwich before checking in.
The hotel is nice and we settled in for the weekend. There was a small gift shop in the lobby selling all things Croation. We went in and were able to sample flavored olive oils and different types of grappa, some of which was 43% alcohol! Wow! We then went out to start exploring. I found a great hair salon and got some great highlights and a cut, much cheaper than I would have paid in London! The salon owner suggested a great restaurant for dinner (she was even kind enough to call and make a reservation for us). Carpaccio was an Italian restaurant where we had a nice bottle of prosecco and some great italian cuisine.
Day two saw us exploring the old part of the city, which was much more European and charming. We trekked up to see Parliament, old churches, cobblestone streets and charming shops. They will be inaugurating their new president on Sunday and they were setting up the stage and risers near Parliament. We will see if we can get close to see the events. They told us when we checked in that security at the hotel would be increased over the weekend which tells us that there will be some high level guests here. More to come later!
At noon everyday, they shoot a cannon to announce the mid-day. There is a legend behind this dating
back to their war with the Turks.
It is cold but sunny and there are small piles of snow around.
The one thing I don't like is that they smoke, a lot...everywhere! They aren't supposed to smoke inside public buildings but some of them do anyway. Most of the outdoor spaces at the restaurants are full with the smokers. It is almost overwhelming.
The prices are good here compared to London so we did a little shopping. The second night we ate at a place called American Steak and Grill. It was ok but definitely not as good as Carpaccio's.
There is graffiti everywhere, and I mean everywhere. One of the top tourist things here is a "graffiti" wall. It is really kind of a shame that they graffiti the older historical buildings.
The hotel is nice and we settled in for the weekend. There was a small gift shop in the lobby selling all things Croation. We went in and were able to sample flavored olive oils and different types of grappa, some of which was 43% alcohol! Wow! We then went out to start exploring. I found a great hair salon and got some great highlights and a cut, much cheaper than I would have paid in London! The salon owner suggested a great restaurant for dinner (she was even kind enough to call and make a reservation for us). Carpaccio was an Italian restaurant where we had a nice bottle of prosecco and some great italian cuisine.
Day two saw us exploring the old part of the city, which was much more European and charming. We trekked up to see Parliament, old churches, cobblestone streets and charming shops. They will be inaugurating their new president on Sunday and they were setting up the stage and risers near Parliament. We will see if we can get close to see the events. They told us when we checked in that security at the hotel would be increased over the weekend which tells us that there will be some high level guests here. More to come later!
At noon everyday, they shoot a cannon to announce the mid-day. There is a legend behind this dating
back to their war with the Turks.
It is cold but sunny and there are small piles of snow around.
The one thing I don't like is that they smoke, a lot...everywhere! They aren't supposed to smoke inside public buildings but some of them do anyway. Most of the outdoor spaces at the restaurants are full with the smokers. It is almost overwhelming.
The prices are good here compared to London so we did a little shopping. The second night we ate at a place called American Steak and Grill. It was ok but definitely not as good as Carpaccio's.
There is graffiti everywhere, and I mean everywhere. One of the top tourist things here is a "graffiti" wall. It is really kind of a shame that they graffiti the older historical buildings.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
London - The Invictus Games (aka: hobnobbing with Prince Harry)
Our first week here, we were invited to the Ambassador's residence to attend the Invictus Games for wounded warriors kickoff party. The Foo Fighters played a concert and Bob Woodruff was the emcee for the evening. The Invictus Games were created by Prince Harry after seeing the Warrior Games in the United States. Prince Harry was there, walking among us! I got about 3 feet away from him, without my camera, and was flabbergasted that he was so close! Kirk got a few photos of him with his phone camera, which we will try to post later.
From Algiers to London....catching you up to date!
We departed Algiers on July 1st and spent 3 weeks in Washington, DC doing some training and catching up with some old friends and family (the Leonard family, the Bethea family, and John and Renee Somich). We filled ourselves with great food and wine, visited some great DC museums, went to a Nationals baseball game and shopped until we dropped! Kirk drove out to see the Redskins training camp and got a couple of autographs. After being in Algiers for so long with nothing to do, we took full advantage of being back in 'Merica!
From DC, we drove to NY to spend some time with family and friends there. We filled every moment with activities! We went to the Jets training camp at SUNY Cortland where we got some autographs and were featured on the Jets blog for the day as the fan of the day! LOL
After leaving Cortland, we drove south and stopped to visit Kirk's Uncle Walt for the afternoon. It was so nice seeing him and catching up.
We took my mom, Sharon Pauquette Bouyea, to her first NFL game at the Met Life Stadium to see the Jets play their pre-season opener. Kirk bought us all throwback jerseys to wear and mom got a lot of compliments on her Joe Namath jersey! We had great seats and enjoyed the game.
We spent lots of great time playing cards, out on Lake George on the "Giddy Up", saw a great play that my niece Kileigh was in, and had a great reunion party (thanks Mom) with family and friends we hadn't seen in years. It was fantastic!
We went to Foxwoods Casino to see a "Legends" show and spent a few dollars in the casinos! I did ok and stayed pretty close to the penny slots, big spender that I am!
Next stop, North Carolina. We did some more renovations on the cabin we have there and ended up buying another cabin, a little higher up the mountain, with a great view and a bigger lot. We will sell the smaller cabin and have the other cabin for our summer retirement house. We enjoyed time with Mom & Dad Duryea, playing cards and drinking wine on the screened in porch where we could enjoy the wonderful North Carolina evenings.
We left the states on August 28th, headed for London!
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| SUNY Cortland JETS training camp |
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| Kirk and Uncle Walt |
After leaving Cortland, we drove south and stopped to visit Kirk's Uncle Walt for the afternoon. It was so nice seeing him and catching up.
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| J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!! |
We took my mom, Sharon Pauquette Bouyea, to her first NFL game at the Met Life Stadium to see the Jets play their pre-season opener. Kirk bought us all throwback jerseys to wear and mom got a lot of compliments on her Joe Namath jersey! We had great seats and enjoyed the game.
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| the Bouyea Girls! |
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| Cocktails on the "Giddy Up" with more of the Bouyea girls! |
We went to Foxwoods Casino to see a "Legends" show and spent a few dollars in the casinos! I did ok and stayed pretty close to the penny slots, big spender that I am!
Next stop, North Carolina. We did some more renovations on the cabin we have there and ended up buying another cabin, a little higher up the mountain, with a great view and a bigger lot. We will sell the smaller cabin and have the other cabin for our summer retirement house. We enjoyed time with Mom & Dad Duryea, playing cards and drinking wine on the screened in porch where we could enjoy the wonderful North Carolina evenings.
We left the states on August 28th, headed for London!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Provence, France May 2014
This weekend was a total surprise and I think Kirk wins the prize for being the most thoughtful and romantic! I had no idea where we were going. Kirk told me what to pack in my suitcase and we left for the airport. At the airport, I learned we were flying into Marseille in the south of France. Once we landed in Marseille, we took a bus to the train station where we hopped on a train to go further south and west. On the train, Kirk finally told me where we were headed.....to Arles in Provence. I am a big fan of the art of Vincent van Gogh and Arles is where he painted "Starry Night" and "Le Café La Nuit" which are two of my favorite paintings.
We arrived on May 1st, which is Labor Day in most European countries. There was a festival going on. We checked into our hotel, which was a historic structure and was like going back in time to a country chateau. It was so romantic!
We wandered around the sleepy medieval town, along the meandering cobblestone streets and found a café to have lunch and some wine of course. There was a medieval arena up the street and we bought tickets to attend the festival. It was all in French, of course, but we enjoyed it very much. There is a group called the Guardians, who dress in costume and perform on horseback and they entertained us in the arena for several hours. We also got to see some bullfighting! It was a wonderful day!
We spent the next couple of days relaxing, drinking wine and exploring the spots where van Gogh painted his paintings. We took naps, had great pastries and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our last night there, we stumbled upon this little café, tucked into one of the winding side streets. We ate outside and had what was arguably the best meal we have ever had (well, maybe tied with the Italian meal we had at Il Paradiso in Mallorca Spain). We had foie gras, duck and the best desserts ever!!! We enjoyed a very leisurely meal with wine and one of the little girls from the neighborhood became my new friend. She was probably about 3 and her family was at the café next door so she was singing and dancing up and down the street. She stopped at our table and started talking to us. She was so cute! Luckily, I could understand her 3 year old French enough to have a conversation with her! LOL
I am truly thankful that I have such a wonderful, thoughtful, romantic husband...even after 22 years, he still surprises me and we still have so much fun together. I am fortunate to have a job that allows us to travel and experience these adventures together.
We arrived on May 1st, which is Labor Day in most European countries. There was a festival going on. We checked into our hotel, which was a historic structure and was like going back in time to a country chateau. It was so romantic!
We wandered around the sleepy medieval town, along the meandering cobblestone streets and found a café to have lunch and some wine of course. There was a medieval arena up the street and we bought tickets to attend the festival. It was all in French, of course, but we enjoyed it very much. There is a group called the Guardians, who dress in costume and perform on horseback and they entertained us in the arena for several hours. We also got to see some bullfighting! It was a wonderful day!
We spent the next couple of days relaxing, drinking wine and exploring the spots where van Gogh painted his paintings. We took naps, had great pastries and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our last night there, we stumbled upon this little café, tucked into one of the winding side streets. We ate outside and had what was arguably the best meal we have ever had (well, maybe tied with the Italian meal we had at Il Paradiso in Mallorca Spain). We had foie gras, duck and the best desserts ever!!! We enjoyed a very leisurely meal with wine and one of the little girls from the neighborhood became my new friend. She was probably about 3 and her family was at the café next door so she was singing and dancing up and down the street. She stopped at our table and started talking to us. She was so cute! Luckily, I could understand her 3 year old French enough to have a conversation with her! LOL
I am truly thankful that I have such a wonderful, thoughtful, romantic husband...even after 22 years, he still surprises me and we still have so much fun together. I am fortunate to have a job that allows us to travel and experience these adventures together.
Caribbean Cruise! March 2014
After staying put for a couple of months, we were ready to explore again! This time, we took R&R to Miami and cruised the Caribbean.
We landed in Miami, rented a car and drove across Alligator Alley to visit our family in Naples, FL. I got my hair done (thanks Denise Zimm), did some shopping and we had a great family dinner at Chops that evening. It was so great to see family.
We drove back across and headed for Fort Lauderdale where we met my mom, who flew down from NY to spend some time with us. We spent a couple of days in the Lauderdale area, drove to Vero Beach to have lunch with my mom's friend Larry and then we drove back to Miami to board the first cruise to Key West and Grand Cayman. My mom joined us for this 5 day cruise. We discovered, as we were registering, that it was spring break week and our cruise was about 2,000 spring break college students. Oh boy....note to self....check on spring break dates before booking a cruise in March!!! It was wild to say the least. We had a fun time, as we usually do, but could have done without the shenanigans going on. I have never seen the ship's police before but they were out in full force during this cruise. The hot tubs were jammed packed full of college kids with red solo cups. There were kids passed out in hallways and lots of running up and down hallways. At least the piano bar wasn't packed, which was a lot of fun each evening and the specialty dining rooms weren't crowded since most of the spring breakers were eating at the buffet all day and night.
The three of us had a great time in Key West, where we did our very own pub crawl. We did the "tourist" thing and took a tour around the island, getting off at the southernmost point of the continental US and then we walked back up the main street. Our first stop was at the original Margaritaville, which was awesome since I am a Parrot Head (Jimmy Buffett fan). I ordered, what else, a margarita and we shared some chicken wings. We then headed over to the Hard Rock café to buy a glass to add to our collection. Then it was off to Coyote Ugly to check it out. Kirk enjoyed the lunchtime dance on the bar by our waitress! After that, we headed to Sloppy Joe's, Ernest Hemingway's old hangout, where we enjoyed conch fritters along with an electric lemonade, which was quite tasty! After that, we ended our pub tour at Kelly's (which is owned by Kelly McGinnis, of Top Gun fame). We somehow made it back to the ship, cleaned up and enjoyed a great dinner and evening of shows and beverages!
Grand Cayman beach was beautiful. We rented an umbrella and chairs and parked ourselves at the beach for the majority of the day.
Before we knew it, we were back in Miami. My mom flew back to NY and Kirk and I spent the night in Miami. We boarded another ship the following day, just Kirk and I, setting sail for the southern Caribbean. This cruise had no spring breakers and was very relaxing. We spent a lot of time on the ship on the upper decks in the sun reading and resting. We did visit the gym on board, to work off all the wonderful food and drink were consuming!
Our first stop was St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. We walked from the ship to the downtown area and walked up the 99 steps to Blackbeard's Castle, which really isn't a castle, more of a tower at the top of the hill. There was really not even proof that Blackbeard had been on the island but it was a huge tourist draw so there you go! After we walked around, we caught a cab to Magen's Bay, which was voted one of the world's most beautiful beaches by National Geographic. It was beautiful and we enjoyed a lazy afternoon on the white sands.
Next stop was Dominica. Kirk planned a grand surprise for me. All I knew was that I needed water shoes. Kirk planned a whole day of adventure for us. We started the day with a snorkeling trip to Champagne Bay. I was a little nervous about the snorkeling....I am a bit claustrophobic and was worried about getting water in my snorkel but I worried for nothing. It was fun and we saw wonderful things in the bay. Our guide showed us many species of fish, coral and the "champagne" spring where we swam through millions of tiny bubbles coming up from the ocean floor. We then hopped back in the van and drove to a natural spring where we swam (in FREEZING cold water) into a gorge to a waterfall (they filmed part of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies here). We climbed up the waterfall and behind it, then we jumped off into a pool of water about 10 feet below. It was exhilarating! Our guide had some local rum punch for us to try after we returned to the van. It was rather tasty. We also enjoyed a local beer. Then we were off to the double waterfalls, where we took photos and hiked down into the rain forest. We found natural hot springs, where we stripped down to our bathing suits and enjoyed a soak. All in all, it was a FABULOUS day and a great surprise.
Next stop was Bridgetown, Barbados where our friends Gary & Sandra Bennett are stationed with the State Department. They picked us up at the port and we spent a great day touring the island with them. We had a wonderful picnic near the Atlantic side of the island, where the surf is very rough. There are no hotels on this side of the island because you can't swim because of the rough waters. We ended the day at a beach club, enjoying the sun & sand and our friends.
Next stop was St. Lucia. We walked to a beach which was right near the airport. It was not crowded and we found a lighthouse at the top of the hill near the beach. Yes, we hiked to the top of the hill to explore and enjoyed a terrific view of the island and the bay where the ship was docked.
Our last stop was St. Maarten (the Dutch side). It was a fun beach. We rented an umbrella, two chairs and a bucket of cold beer and spent the day being beach bums.
This cruise was relaxing, fun, and a chance to reconnect. This was definitely the cruise I enjoyed the most so far! We also enjoyed the time in the states. I couldn't wait to get a cheeseburger!! :)
We landed in Miami, rented a car and drove across Alligator Alley to visit our family in Naples, FL. I got my hair done (thanks Denise Zimm), did some shopping and we had a great family dinner at Chops that evening. It was so great to see family.
We drove back across and headed for Fort Lauderdale where we met my mom, who flew down from NY to spend some time with us. We spent a couple of days in the Lauderdale area, drove to Vero Beach to have lunch with my mom's friend Larry and then we drove back to Miami to board the first cruise to Key West and Grand Cayman. My mom joined us for this 5 day cruise. We discovered, as we were registering, that it was spring break week and our cruise was about 2,000 spring break college students. Oh boy....note to self....check on spring break dates before booking a cruise in March!!! It was wild to say the least. We had a fun time, as we usually do, but could have done without the shenanigans going on. I have never seen the ship's police before but they were out in full force during this cruise. The hot tubs were jammed packed full of college kids with red solo cups. There were kids passed out in hallways and lots of running up and down hallways. At least the piano bar wasn't packed, which was a lot of fun each evening and the specialty dining rooms weren't crowded since most of the spring breakers were eating at the buffet all day and night.
The three of us had a great time in Key West, where we did our very own pub crawl. We did the "tourist" thing and took a tour around the island, getting off at the southernmost point of the continental US and then we walked back up the main street. Our first stop was at the original Margaritaville, which was awesome since I am a Parrot Head (Jimmy Buffett fan). I ordered, what else, a margarita and we shared some chicken wings. We then headed over to the Hard Rock café to buy a glass to add to our collection. Then it was off to Coyote Ugly to check it out. Kirk enjoyed the lunchtime dance on the bar by our waitress! After that, we headed to Sloppy Joe's, Ernest Hemingway's old hangout, where we enjoyed conch fritters along with an electric lemonade, which was quite tasty! After that, we ended our pub tour at Kelly's (which is owned by Kelly McGinnis, of Top Gun fame). We somehow made it back to the ship, cleaned up and enjoyed a great dinner and evening of shows and beverages!
Grand Cayman beach was beautiful. We rented an umbrella and chairs and parked ourselves at the beach for the majority of the day.
Before we knew it, we were back in Miami. My mom flew back to NY and Kirk and I spent the night in Miami. We boarded another ship the following day, just Kirk and I, setting sail for the southern Caribbean. This cruise had no spring breakers and was very relaxing. We spent a lot of time on the ship on the upper decks in the sun reading and resting. We did visit the gym on board, to work off all the wonderful food and drink were consuming!
Our first stop was St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. We walked from the ship to the downtown area and walked up the 99 steps to Blackbeard's Castle, which really isn't a castle, more of a tower at the top of the hill. There was really not even proof that Blackbeard had been on the island but it was a huge tourist draw so there you go! After we walked around, we caught a cab to Magen's Bay, which was voted one of the world's most beautiful beaches by National Geographic. It was beautiful and we enjoyed a lazy afternoon on the white sands.
Next stop was Dominica. Kirk planned a grand surprise for me. All I knew was that I needed water shoes. Kirk planned a whole day of adventure for us. We started the day with a snorkeling trip to Champagne Bay. I was a little nervous about the snorkeling....I am a bit claustrophobic and was worried about getting water in my snorkel but I worried for nothing. It was fun and we saw wonderful things in the bay. Our guide showed us many species of fish, coral and the "champagne" spring where we swam through millions of tiny bubbles coming up from the ocean floor. We then hopped back in the van and drove to a natural spring where we swam (in FREEZING cold water) into a gorge to a waterfall (they filmed part of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies here). We climbed up the waterfall and behind it, then we jumped off into a pool of water about 10 feet below. It was exhilarating! Our guide had some local rum punch for us to try after we returned to the van. It was rather tasty. We also enjoyed a local beer. Then we were off to the double waterfalls, where we took photos and hiked down into the rain forest. We found natural hot springs, where we stripped down to our bathing suits and enjoyed a soak. All in all, it was a FABULOUS day and a great surprise.
Next stop was Bridgetown, Barbados where our friends Gary & Sandra Bennett are stationed with the State Department. They picked us up at the port and we spent a great day touring the island with them. We had a wonderful picnic near the Atlantic side of the island, where the surf is very rough. There are no hotels on this side of the island because you can't swim because of the rough waters. We ended the day at a beach club, enjoying the sun & sand and our friends.
Next stop was St. Lucia. We walked to a beach which was right near the airport. It was not crowded and we found a lighthouse at the top of the hill near the beach. Yes, we hiked to the top of the hill to explore and enjoyed a terrific view of the island and the bay where the ship was docked.
Our last stop was St. Maarten (the Dutch side). It was a fun beach. We rented an umbrella, two chairs and a bucket of cold beer and spent the day being beach bums.
This cruise was relaxing, fun, and a chance to reconnect. This was definitely the cruise I enjoyed the most so far! We also enjoyed the time in the states. I couldn't wait to get a cheeseburger!! :)
Photo issues
For some reason, I am having difficulties uploading photos. I will keep trying. Check back in and I will keep trying to get them loaded. :)
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