best things to do in – Page 31

A Return Visit to Haiti

June 28, 2013March 20, 2022Posted in CaribbeanTagged best things to do in, cap hatien, Haiti, labadee, petionville, port au prince, travel, travel blogLeave a comment

four colorful deck chairs overlooking ocean

I took a short trip to Haiti this weekend to visit friends on the island. I can’t believe it’s been ten years since I moved to Haiti to teach- ten years since I moved overseas! So I hopped on an American Airlines jet and went to visit Monica and Andy, my second family.

M&A have turned their lovely home into an 8 room bed and breakfast, which is just beautiful. I got to sleep in the same room I often slept in, so it really felt like home. They’ve made some awesome additions to the place, but the vista of the bay of Port au Prince is still as beautiful as ever (PaP always looks better from a distance). We spent the first day and night up in Pacot and in Petionville, having lunch at Papaye and seeing how Petionville has and has not changed since the earthquake and with more development coming to Haiti. After a lovely dinner- with plenty of wine, of course-, we were all tired and ready for bed.

bed and breakfast in Haiti Petionville Pacot Villa Bambou — Villa Bambou

Villa Bambou Haiti Pacot Ansaldi bed and breakfast port au prince luxury — Villa Bambou

On Saturday morning we went to the municipal airport and took a 30 minute flight to Cap Haitian, flying over the Citadel on the way. We landed, and half an hour later we were at the beach house, changing into our suits. The property is just beautiful, with sandy beaches, an old French fort dating back to the late 1700’s, and a lovely high deck that shows off a great panorama.

haiti cap haitian beach house and ocean — Cap Haitian

lady standing in front of small plane — Cap Haitian

We swam, jet skied, and drank lots of rosé wine. Too much of all three! It was fun to ride the jet ski and go by Norm’s Place, where I stayed years ago, and Labadee, the port for Royal Carribbean, and spend a few hours at a tiny island, just playing in the warm ocean.We hunted sea glass and visited with some daughters of their workers who were having their First Communion.

Haiti first communion four little girls in white — At the beach

two ladies in swimsuits at beach house in haiti — At the beach

On Monday morning it was time to fly back to the capital. I was pretty much ready to leave the beach, as I was sunburnt and tired. We went shopping in town, to pick up some Barbancourt rum and spicy peanut butter, and after a final lunch of my favorite Haitian dish- sauce poids and rice– I headed back to home. My other home.

A weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

May 27, 2013March 20, 2022Posted in US City GuidesTagged best things to do in, falling Water, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Three Rivers, travel, travel blogLeave a comment

Chris loves his National Geographic Traveler, so when they ranked Pittsburgh as one of the top 25 places to explore (in the world?!), we had to go. And while I would have to say a visit to the fjords of Norway or the beaches of Bali might have been nicer, we did have a lot of fun.

It’s a four to five hour drive from our house, so we left mid-day on Friday and visited Falling Water along the way, Frank Lloyd Wright’s house that he designed for a Pittsburgh family. Amazing blend of architecture and nature. I could totally live there. And never leave.

couple at falling water frank lloyd wright pennsylvania — Falling Water

Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water house pennsylvania — Falling Water

We got to Pittsburgh around dinner time, visited the Warhol museum (open late on Fridays and half price!), then found a bar downtown that was showing the Stanley Cup semifinals, where the Penguins were playing. We had corned beef sandwiches and Iron City beer (a local specialty) and then wandered around downtown in the cultural district, winding up at Andy’s Wine Bar in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel. I tried a new drink: a ginger beam, made with Jim Beam, ginger, syrup, and ginger beer. Yum.

polka dot art installation at the mattress factory museum pittsburgh pennsylvania — At the Mattress Factory Museum

bridge entering Pittsburgh with skyline — At the Mattress Factory Museum

On Saturday we visited the Mattress Factory, a very weird and yet very fun installation art museum. I loved the room full of silver helium balloons, Chris loved the polka dot room with infinity mirrors. Then we took the funicular up to the top of the hillside that overlooks the three rivers (a bit reminiscent of Khartoum), and then walked along the downtown and South Shore trails until we found the Hof Brau House. I should have known better than to take Chris there mid-day, because we basically got stuck there and had not only lunch but dinner there as well, with several liters of beer between us.

woman sitting on brick window wall with ivy — Pittsburgh Skyline

Sunday, our last day, we visited the Carnegie Science museum, and watched Star Trak: Into Darkness at their OmniMax. Big. Maybe too big. The science center was fun, especially their Sports Works section, and then we just had one final building to look for: Church Brew Works, an old church that has been turned into a brewpub. Great beer and a great lunch, with a lot of ambience.

interior view church brew works pennsylvania pittsburgh — Inside Church Brew

Hopefully our next trip will be more along the lines of the jungles of South America, but Pittsburgh actually turned out to be pretty nice.

Spring in Northern Virginia

May 5, 2013May 19, 2023Posted in North AmericaTagged best things to do in, marathon, northern Virginia, sebring, travel, travel blog, West VirginiaLeave a comment

woman after Washington DC rock n roll half marathon

lady with red convertible car chrysler sebring

Not a lot of travel yet this year- I’ve been sticking closer to home. I’ve been busy though! In March I ran a half marathon, the DC Rock and Roll Half. Then a week later I visited family and friends in Texas for a week, and then flew back to Virginia, and welcomed Chris home two days later. We bought a new convertible and have been tooling around in that enjoying the nice spring weather. We hopped over to West Virginia last weekend and did some mountain hiking and enjoyed the area around Berkeley Springs. The trees are in bloom and it’s a great time of year up here. So happy to be able to spend it together!

A road trip around Israel

January 20, 2013March 20, 2022Posted in Middle EastTagged best things to do in, Haifa, israel, Jerusalem, tel aviv, travel, travel blog1 Comment

Chris and I were able to meet in Israel for a week over the Christmas holidays. I arrived in Tel Aviv on Christmas Eve night, exhausted from almost 20 hours of flights.

The next day was Christmas Day, but being Israel, everything was still open. I walked all around Tel Aviv and down to Jaffa, exploring the Carmel Market, the beaches, and Old City Jaffa along the way. Great temperatures in the 70’s and lots of sights to see. Late that night Chris showed up, and the next morning I took him to visit all the sights I had seen the day before. Then we got on a bus for Jerusalem.

view of jaffa and the mediterranean sea israel — Deah in Tel Aviv

man standing at spot where abraham prepared to sacrifice isaac israel jaffa — Deah in Tel Aviv

The next morning we returned to the Old City to see the rest of the sights- the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, David’s City, The Temple Mount- we were not allowed to go inside the Temple Mount to see Al Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock- (don’t even get me started on sites that exclude due to sex, race, or religion)- but we climbed to the top of the Austrian Guest House and could see Jerusalem from above. Later that day we took a bus to Bethlehem, where a friendly taxi driver showed us the Fields of the Shepherds, the Church of the Nativity, and lots of Palestinian street art on the wall that separates Israel from the Palestinian West Bank.

church of the holy nativity israel — Jerusalem

Shepherds in the field church bethlehem israel — Jerusalem

On Friday we took a day trip to see Masada and the Dead Sea. Along the way we saw the Qumran caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We took an aerial car to the top of Masada and learned about the siege by the Romans in 73 AD, which ended in the suicide of the Jews on the mountain. We went to the Dead Sea, covered our arms and legs with mud from the banks, and floated in the salty water. When we returned to Jerusalem, Sabbat had begun, so no trams, buses, and few restaurants open. We walked down to the Old City and found an Armenian place open and it was great.

man floating in dead sea israel — The Dead Sea and Masada

On Saturday we paired up with two other people and rented a taxi to Haifa, north on the coast. What a beautiful city, or at least the part we explored! It was a bit rainy and we were pretty exhausted from our continuing jet lag and all our walking around, so we had a late lunch, walked around a bit, and went to bed.

The next day, Sunday, we went to see the Museum of Clandestine Immigration and learned about all the sneaky ways the Jews got people into Israel before the British left in 1947. They had artifacts and photos and even some of the ships they used. Very interesting, especially if you’ve read Leon Uris’s Exodus. Across the street was Elijah’s cave, a sacred site to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and open to all. Then we took a tram to the top of the Baha’i Gardens and took a tour down through the amazingly maintained green space. It was really lovely.

boat at museum of clandestine immigration israel — Haifa

All too soon it was time to take a train down to Tel Aviv, where we got a hotel right on the train tracks near the airport. Chris left late that night, and I flew home the next morning. At least I got a layover in Istanbul- mmmm, Turkish delight!!

We return to the US- and get married!

June 30, 2012May 19, 2023Posted in North AmericaTagged best things to do in, Biltmore, north carolina, northern Virginia, repatriation, reverse culture shock, travel, travel blog, Washington dcLeave a comment

One of the great things about coming back to visit the US is the chance to be a tourist in your own country. Some of the local or near-by sights that others take for granted have a new-ness to them that is refreshing. And the ease of public transportation and the efficiency of the US National Parks Services is a great thing.

girl standing in front of great falls national park virginia — Great Falls National Park

man standing at C&O canal sign Chesapeake and Ohio Canal national park washington dc georgetown — Chris on the C&O Canal

After leaving Chad, we stayed in the Washington DC for a month, looking for a house. During that time, we explored a lot of the hot-spots of DC, visiting monuments, museums, and restaurants. My parents came to visit, so it was great to see them and celebrate with them. We visited the Washington and Lincoln monuments on a beautiful April day when the kites were flying, the trees were blooming, and the flowers were at their most colorful. It was great to see my parents again- it had been almost a year since our last visit- and Dad and I enjoyed the Smithsonian together, while both my parents got to meet my new husband. (We also took advantage of a rare time when we were both in the US to get married!).

In June, between Chris’s training and his deployment, we had an unexpected free week, so we split the distance between us and met in Charlotte, North Carolina. We spent a week exploring the city, as well as nearby battlefields, the US National White Water center, the Speedway, the Biltmore House in Asheville, and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The views were amazing and we learned so much about the area while we were there. Plus, it was nice to spend some quality time together before a lengthy time apart.

bass pond bridge reflection last of the mohicans north carolina asheville biltmore — Chris and Deah in Asheville

Now Chris is on a nine month deployment, and Deah is job hunting for a librarian job in the local schools. Hopefully Chris’s work schedule will allow for us to meet for a long weekend in the early fall, or for a week at Christmas. Meanwhile, I’ve got some adjusting to the US to do! Reverse culture shock is a real thing.