Cow Story Was True
In case you doubted the veracity of my statement Re: Cows marching through Adelboden, here is a picture:
I took this picture while sitting in a cafe/bakery in downtown Adelboden. Now, Adelboden is a village, but it has a decent downtown area with many nice stores and a large Co-op. The last thing I expected to see while we were there (resting after a day of hiking and rock climbing) were cows marching through downtown. I suppose it's the quickest way to get them to the high pastures.
Here is another herd of cows, which also came through town while we were there. This herd belonged to a different family, though:
In case you're wondering about the bells, apparently the size of the cow's bell reflects on the prosperity of the farmer. We visited a living history museum called
Ballenberg and saw the whole range of cowbells. The largest were so enormous you couldn't possibly lift them and the leather straps holding them on the cow's necks were at least 12 inches wide. It was amazing! But I felt a bit sorry for the cows.
Know any interesting cow trivia? I heard global warming is causing certain Alpine flowers not to bloom, which could change the taste of the cow's milk and, therefore, the Alpine cheeses. How's that for unintended consequences?Labels: Vacation
Travel Log - Day 3, Part 2
This day may have several parts, simply because I can't seem to get in chunks of time to write it in two! Anyway, on my way to Build-A-Bear, I went into Saks Fifth Avenue and sneered at the price they wanted for a very homely seersucker shirt. Actually, I made a point of looking disgusted while there, simply because I could and it amused me. I'm bad that way.
At Build-A-Bear, I found NYC-themed t-shirts for the 4 bears back home, then searched cheesy souvenir shops for t-shirts for the bears' mothers (aka my daughters). I then headed back to the hotel because my back was killing me. What a drag it is getting old, as Mick said. The Boy (off having his own adventure) called twice. Once to talk about hooking up for dinner, then again to ask where the TKTS office was. Apparently, his posse was looking for theater tickets. I was in the mood for sweets, so I used our internet connection and looked up a great chocolate place and a great cupcake place. Also found directions to a good Indian restaurant for dinner. Woot!
Took the A train to 42nd, walked to 9th and 40th to The Cupcake Cafe, famous for its butter cream icing. Got a yellow cupcake with chocolate butter cream icing and a chocolate cupcake with mocha buttercream icing. Hocked a kidney to pay for them. Called Boy and met him back at Times Square. Went to Cafe Europa for water (for me), juice (for him) and cupcakes (for both). They were very good cupcakes and beautifully decorated. We swapped stories about our days and he made a list of things he still needed to do in NYC. I told him about the break dancers outside the library and going to Nintendo World. His ears perked up.
Took orange line to Rockefeller Center, where we took pictures of each other by the skating rink. We went to Nintendo World, where they had a bunch of Wiis set up on the top floor. Boy showed me how to use the Wii, how to create a Mii (I have a cute picture of him and his Mii). We played with the Wii Sports bowling game, found souvenirs for our peeps, then decided it was time (okay, past time) for dinner.
Walked to the Indian restaurant, which was called
Bombay Palace. They looked taken aback that we had no reservation, but found us a table in short order. The restaurant was beautiful, rather an Empire feel to it, and the food was exceptional. The Boy had Thali, a vegetarian dinner, which was like a sampler platter with five different dishes. I had the vegetable Biryani and Roti, plus sharing the Thali. We ate far too much, then waddled back to the Park Central. On the way, some crazy balck guy had my son take his picture with a couple of different high end cars on the street (a Mercedes sedan and a Porsche).
Made it back to the hotel, where I needed to collapse. The Boy got ready and hit the town, after researching clubs on the internet. Apparently, he was refused entry at every club on his list. No surprise, since he still had that UNDER 21 stamp on his driver's license! Bouncers have no sympathy for the not-yet-21. He hung out around Union Square station quite a while and met up with some fellows named Adam and Sterling, who apparently work at the Coffee Shop. Yes, THE Coffee Shop.
They hung out with subway drummers and empty-park drummers until The Boy was asked by the NYPD to cease his drumming long about 5 a.m. He made it back around 5:30 a.m. I said prayers of thanks for the safe return and more for his denial of entry into all those clubs. Hey, we can't protect them from everything, but it doesn't stop us from wanting to, right?
Labels: Vacation
Travel Log - Day 3, Part 1
Awakened around 8:30 am by nature calling, aided and abetted by the Housekeeping staff rattling around in the hallway. Got beautiful (ha!) and the Boy woke up around 9:30. Told me he was going to hook up with his German friends today. I felt certain beer would be involved. We agreed to do our own things and meet up around dinner time.
I went to breakfast, solo, at Fluffy's Cafe. Had a good Western omelet, home fries and toast. There is no good toast in NYC. They know very little about whole grains, apparently, unless it is a health food restaurant.
I proceeded with my plan to stalk Bono - or at least his NYC apartment. Went to Columbus Circle station, where I learned: a) there were no C trains running that day; and, b) I have no business catching trains there. Because, naturally, I got on a southbound when I meant to go north. Got off, then accidentally got on an Express A train and couldn't get off until 125th St. Got on the local A and (finally) got off at 72nd - phew! Walked two short blocks to Bono's place. I was after stalker pics for my friend Suse. If I haven't mentioned it, she is a rabid fan of Bono and has been in the U2 fan club since she was 13. That's 25 years, if you're counting.
Took shots of the front of the building from the sidewalk, the towers from the sidewalk, then went into Central Park, climbed some hills and hiking trails and took pictures of the towers again. Also took pictures of the view of the reservoir as it would be from his apartment (though much closer to the ground, of course). I called Suse while there so she could share the experience vicariously. Unfortunately, Bono did not make an appearance while I was in the area. It's a good thing, too, because I never would have heard the end of it. Really wished she was there with me.
Back to the hotel for a quick break, then I headed toward the Build-A-Bear on Madison Ave.
Labels: Vacation
Travel Log - Day 2, Part 2
Afternoon, Friday, March 9. On the way back from The Cloisters, we took the M4 bus again. Not because it was so much fun the first time, but because there was a store called The Africa Shop my son wanted to check out. I believe the bus took a slightly altered route south, because we never spotted the store. Once we realized we missed it, we had the bus stop at 125th St so we could get on the subway. I, in Caren form, dropped my camera and we had to make the driver stop a second time. I believe I mentioned it was that sort of trip.
Had to climb 3000 steps to get to the A train, which is elevated at 125th St. Escalator not working, naturally. After those steps, there were more. Did I mention I had not been able to breathe the entire day? Despite every OTC medication made, I had felt wretched the entire time we were at The Cloisters. The meds didn't help with the stair climbing. Neither did the 10-degree wind up on the train platform. Got on the A and off at Columbus Circle. Walked back to the hotel.
Snacks, phone calls, phone charging. I put on my Birkenstocks with tremendous gratitude. My feet wept. We were going to head over to the Met Museum since our tickets were good for that one, too, on the same day. We blew it off. Boy had a great idea we could buy a video cable and watch DVDs from his laptop. We headed to Times Square (the station didn't confound us this time, since we didn't have to be anywhere) and ogled everything.
We went to Gap and I bought
(RED) items for Suse and my girls. Bought Boy some shirts, since all the clothes he brought with him were dirty (remember?). We took cheesy pictures of each other in Times Square with neon all around us. Checked in a Computer Video store and they wanted $25 for a $5 video cable. No thanks. Took a picture of Boy by the huge, neon-lit Scientology headquarters. Creepy how it's nestled in the theater district and looks like another theater.
Went to SWATCH, where I resisted the lure of a gorgeous tapestry-banded watch in autumnal colors. Oooh. It was only about $80, but I imagined my darling husband freaking out about how much the trip cost us and I said, "No." The little sales chick, Kimberly of the sparkly eyelashes, helped talk me out of it. In an effort to be charming to Boy, she led us to the conclusion that the watches were not as durable as they could be. Under the guise of me coming back tomorrow, Kimberly managed to tell us exactly when she was working on Saturday. Hm. Boy thought he might come back. Not to buy a watch, either.
Went down Restaurant Row on 46th and checked menus at approximately 100 restaurants. Plagued by indecision and growing exasperation, we chose Meson Sevilla, a supposedly Spanish restaurant. Sadly, I have had much better Spanish food in Charlotte, NC. They had great Shrimp Ajilla, middling veggie paella (which was nothing more than glorifed saffron rice with mostly canned vegetables) and great flan. Boy mistakenly ordered an Italian dish rather than the Spanish one he wanted. It was fine, but not Spanish. The tapas smelled and looked good, but they were mostly things we didn't care for - mussels and whatnot. The restaurant had nice atmosphere but was quite close (very NYC) and not to our taste.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel where I, of course, collapsed since it was after 9:30. I tried to read and make notes about the day, but ended up falling asleep. Boy went out around 11:00 where he apparently met some German young people, Bjorn and Matteas. He told me, when he came in, he planned to hook up with them on Saturday. Mysterious phone ringing in the middle of the night. I remember why I love it that he doesn't live with us. Out of sight, out of mind, out of the Worry Zone!
Labels: Vacation
Travel Log, Day 2 - Part 1
Friday, March 9. I am awakened at 4:30 am by sirens. Welcome to NYC. Go back to sleep and am awakened at 7:30 am by the insistent crash of garbage trucks. I got up while Boy slept. Had a leisurely bath (knowing Boy would not be up anytime soon) and soaked my feet, which already had walking damage. Got ready, woke Boy up.
While he showered, I spent half a lifetime at the
Starbucks by our hotel. There were some amusing people getting their panties in a double wad about their coffee being wrong. Most amusing was the lady who was waiting on some half-something, half-something else with half a Splenda in it. They had lost her order (or someone else took it) so they made it again, supposedly. She snatches it and runs to where a large group of students and a charter bus is waiting for her. She comes back quite a few minutes later (I am still waiting for my drink, having secured Boy's minutes ago) and says hers is still not right. Um, that's because she took mine! My panties remained wad-free. Finally got the coffee and went back to check on the progress in our room.
Boy was futzing around and worrying inordinately about his clothes. He messed with the scarf/jacket/shirt/belt/hat combination until he was satisfied and I wanted to scream. Went to some little Tel-something cafe near the hotel and had very fast and tasty breakfast. Went back to hotel to get the maps we had forgotten, then headed off to
The Cloisters. Strategic error. I should have studied the MTA map more and not trusted the directions given on the
Metropolitan Museum of Art website. At their advice, we took M4 bus from 86th past 207th all the way to Fort Tryon Park, home of The Cloisters. While the trip through Harlem was educational, and we saw many interesting spots that might warrant closer inspection, it wasted precious time!
The Cloisters was magnificent. All medieval art and architecture, all the time, in a setting that models a Benedictine abbey. There was a complete Chapter Room - where the Benedictine monks would gather each day to hear a chapter of their Order read and to pray and have fellowship. I found out the abbey where the Chapter Room was housed, in France, was abandoned after the French Revolution. The Chapter Room was used as a stable from that time until the 1920s! That was fascinating to me. Yes, I'm a big history geek. Also, the site where The Cloisters sits - high on a hill overlooking the Hudson River - was the site of a private estate that burned down in the 1920s. Fort Tryon Park is beautiful and I'm sure is positively gorgeous in warm weather. You know, when the wind chill is above 10 degrees F.
Trip back through Harlem and Times Square to follow when Day 2 continues...
Labels: Vacation
Travel Log - Day 1, Part 2
It's taking much longer to write this than the actual trip took! Anyway, once Boy secured his hat, we went to a noodle shop for lunch. Nice, hot tea, good dumplings, good food. Then we headed down to Century 21 Department Store (highly recommended by my hairdresser, Jesus). It is right across from Ground Zero, which has much less impact, IMO, now that it is a construction site. We had lots of fun at Century 21. Boy found some wool socks and a funky ribbon belt that looked quite 70s with a side of preppy thrown in. But it matched his tri-colored Members Only jacket so well! (Never thought the Members Only jacket would be resurrected, btw.) We went upstairs and I found an almost-perfect black leather jacket. FYI, I have been searching for a black leather jacket for at least 3 or 4 years. This one was the right length with nice long sleeves (no elastic). It zipped fine, but then I thought it didn't lay quite as I wanted, so I was able to say, "No." Good thing, too, since it was still too expensive, even at Century 21!
I found wonderful gift boxes (suitcase-style with handle) and lovely personal care gift sets for my critique partners. I hope they appreciate the fact that the TSA was so suspicious of these three, identical, fully-loaded, large boxes that they had to inspect my suitcase! It had already been a fruitful trip for me, since one of my goals was to find something special and lovely for the Hip & Edgy. Headed back to midtown to dump our parcels at the hotel. Still no hairdryer, but I am hopeful. I call to ask about it and am told someone will check on it We walked over to FAO Schwartz.
FAO Schwartz really is a kid's paradise. Besides the huge puppies, there were the cutest penguins ever! One of my critique partners pointed out there were Huskies in the picture, too. What do you know? I really only saw the penguins and seals. Loved the old school toy area. I got a kaleidoscope and bought Adam some Robot blocks. He hasn't opened them yet, but my kaleidoscope has already gotten a ton of play. Also bought a couple of things I cannot disclose here because they are for my friend Suzell's birthday. In July. Yes, I know how horrid and cruel I am to tease her so. They had more Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings stuff than you can shake a stick at. They also had a very cool design-your-own Hot Wheels program. Anyway, we enjoyed the life-sized Lego Chewie, Batman and Hagrid (who had some pieces broken off). These things are especially amazing because they are made from small Legos, all put together then glued. Not the big cheater Duplo blocks, but tiny Legos. Makes it all the more impressive, IMO.
As we were checking out, the cute cashier told Boy she liked his hat. Yes, the chewed-up one. She asked him if he made it (didn't I tell you it looked like it?). He told her where he bought it. Then, she said she really liked the Robot blocks he was buying. After we left, he figured out she was totally flirting with him. Duh! For a smart guy he's a bit dim at times. He also has no idea how cute he is. It's kind of sweet. On the way back, it was bitterly cold. We decided to go to a place called Sushiya near our hotel for dinner. Nice atmosphere, very warm (have I mentioned it was freezing?), lovely green tea, really good Shrimp Dragon and California rolls, great miso soup (who knew it could be so good?) and pretty good katsudon. Waddled back to hotel to get ready for the theater.
Got changed in record time and dashed to the subway. Took the yellow line down to Times Square station. Big mistake. I had forgotten this is the most confusing station ever. The markings messed me up badly and I got a bit disoriented. Went all the way down to 8th, then headed north a block, turned the corner and - bam - there was the Majestic Theater, home of "Phantom of the Opera". We picked up our (really great) tickets from the Will Call window and slid into our seats about 2 minutes before the lights went down. I told you it was that sort of trip! Confession time: I had never seen "Phantom" in any form. Not live, movie or made-for-TV movie. I didn't even know the story beyond the premise. The staging was dramatic and magnificent. Great performances all the way around. I, Boy and the hundreds of teenaged girls in the audience were captivated. Passed up the merch as too expensive, though. Made the big mistake of going back to Times Square station. Got on southbound train rather than north. Got off at the first stop, got back on the northbound and off at 57th. Sheesh!
Went to 55th St Deli (next door to Carnegie Deli). Great selection of many yummy things. Everything from cheesecake to whole grain Kashi cookies. Yes, I got the Kashi cookies! boy was lured by the hot food and got some intensely good eats. At the hotel, I collapsed. boy made hone calls and tried to unwind. Unsuccessful. He went out for a bit around midnight but came back relatively soon. Said he found some cool shops. I slept.
So ends Day 1.
Labels: Vacation
Travel Log - Day 1, Part 1
This is the Day 1, Part 1 entry covering my recent trip to New York City. Please note: this trip was taken with my son who was not-quite-21 (this will be important later) as an early birthday present. Why go in March? It was Spring Break, natch.
Thursday, March 8: Awakened by alarm clock @ 4:45 am. Check on my son, who was supposed to come over in the middle of the night, "After I do laundry." Of course, he wasn't there. Call his unfortunate roommate on his cell phone and ask him to go kick my son and tell him he was going to miss the trip. The (obviously well-trained and polite) young man agreed to do so.
My son pulls in the driveway 2 minutes before we are supposed to leave for the airport. It was destined to be that sort of trip, I mused. Repacked his stuff a bit because, as expected, he hadn't checked the FAA or current airport regulations to know that no liquids or gels more than 3 ounces can be taken in a carry-on bag. We get to the airport parking deck with him dozing and me in a bit of a fog (this also becomes important later). Make the flight and get through security with no problems. Good weather, good flight, arrive at La Guardia about 8:45.
Catch a cab right away. Cabbie takes the longest route ever to the Park Central Hotel - seriously. Through Spanish Harlem to the far side of Central Park, then down 7th. But, we got a great tour of Central Park, so it was worth the extra $9, I suppose. There is snow on the ground from the day before, the wind is icy, the sun is shining. A lovely day.
The hotel lets us check in, even though it's only 9:30 am. Sweet! Especially since my son has been camping in the mountains for several days and only skidded into town in time to make this trip. All his clothes, he informs me, are dirty. At least he can shower, since we're in our room. "Showering" takes about an hour and a half when you are my son. The selection of the right outfit for one's first day in NYC is, apparently, mission critical. There is no hairdryer in our room. Sensing a crisis brewing, I call for one. It does not appear before my patience evaporates and I force my son to put on a coat and leave the room.
We walk to the Tourist Information center to buy Metro cards and pick up the requisite maps of subway and city. Armed, we head to Chinatown. My son has never ridden the subway before and is charmed by how NYC everything is. In Chinatown, he haggles with a guy over the price of a knit hat with flaps, but doesn't buy it (he regrets this later). He
does buy a hat from a different guy. This one looks like a fourth-grader made it from scraps of fabric he found lying about, then gave it to his dog to chew on. It has a poorly-executed skull-and-crossbones on it. My son adores it and wears it the rest of the day (this also becomes important later).
More to follow, wherein shopping is accomplished and leather is lusted after.
Labels: Vacation
The Payoff
We always hope there is a big payoff after we slog through a lot of hard work. Well in my case, there was. I recently finished my latest book, "CrossTalk", and took off for 5 glorious days on
Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas. I was pampered, very well fed, entertained, and waited on hand and foot. Let me first say, I never wanted to go on a cruise. Ever. No interest at all. But I said yes to this one and I am so glad I did!
Our lovely waitress at dinner each evening, Maria from
Romania, had the world's most charming mannerisms. Every time I thanked her, she would say, "My pleasure, madame." Which could seem obsequious or perhaps even a bit sarcastic, but from Maria it seemed sincere and lovely. Our stateroom attendant, Clinton, was equally fabulous. He magically procured things like ice for our champagne and extension cords, remembered all the scheduling details we couldn't seem to manage and folded our bath towels into interesting animal shapes when he turned down the beds each evening. We love Clinton!
Then there was Charlie. After we went parasailing, my friend Jenn and I grabbed a cab to head into downtown
Cozumel. Instead of a regular cabbie, we were gifted with Charlie, who offered to take us on a private tour of the island for a very reasonable flat rate. Not only did Charlie take us to the ruins at
San Gervasio and down the lovely, mostly
undeveloped Caribbean side of the island, he also stopped every time we wanted to take pictures, toted purchases, took pictures of us (complete with the optimum breaking of waves in the background) and told us where the best guacamole on the island was (the beach restaurant at Palancar, if you're interested). Before our tour ended (much too soon, but that was our fault), we were all fast friends and Jenn and I promised to look him up when we visit next.
Not only did I parasail on this cruise, I also climbed the rock wall twice (but didn't make it to the top either time), rode an ATV through the jungle (very fast--thanks, Carlos!) and toured some cool Mayan ruins. Thanks to our tour guide on the bus, Francisco, we learned more about the history of the state of Quintana Roo than you could fit into a History channel documentary. It was all fabulous!
So great, in fact, we are attempting to plan a cruise to the
Mediterranean in 2008. Cruising, I have found, is like a sampler platter. Once we nibble on a few ports of call, we will find out where in the Mediterranean we would like to explore more. Then my darling husband and I will jet there and spend a week exploring.
My recommendation to everyone is to finish your book, then celebrate with a cruise! Anyone else had great cruise experiences?
Labels: new books, Vacation
