Tracy's Backpack – Page 10 – Off to see some mother-effin monkeys, bitchez!

Weekend in Boston. June 2015

Tracy, June 30, 2015

Jun 30 2015

Spoiler Alert: No monkeys this trip, unless you count the RedSox fans at Fenway. Booyah! (Total hack joke, and not even true, as I went to Harvard’s Natural History Museum which has many rooms of creepy taxidermy, including many primate species)

My smartypants sister Reagan has an internship at MIT this summer. I’ve never been anywhere in New England. This seemed the perfect excuse for squeezing in a new travel adventure. My biggest priority was in somehow convincing my sports averse sister to attend a Red Sox game with me, as I really wanted to see a game at Fenway. A few days before my arrival, she calls to say she has a lot of homework and so, although we only have Fri night through Sun night, she will need several hours both Sat and Sun to do some coding project and some reading. I asked if she could do the reading sitting next to me at a ballgame, and she un-enthusiastically agreed. So I bought tickets right away and did a tiny happy dance at work.

The red eye flight wasn’t the most brutal experience, as I managed to sleep a few of the 6 hours. Small miracles. And the clouds as we chased the sunset to land at Logan were some of the very best I’ve ever seen. Truly stunning. Still, groggy and disoriented, I stumble out of the airport and make my way over to Cambridge. I’d booked a room at the Hotel Marlowe because Kimpton Hotels have ridiculously great customer service, and boy did they not disappoint. I’d called ahead to say I was arriving 7:30am, so any check-in earlier than the standard 4pm would be amazing. Well, the front desk became my new best friend when they had a room available already at my super early arrival time. MAGICAL getting to take a shower right away, rather than the normal post-red-eye morning of wandering in a fugue state for many hours. After a two hour nap, I felt like a human again and went off to explore Cambridge on foot, strolling along the Charles River for a few miles. Lovely. Reagan met up with me, and a pal of mine from high school who now lives in Boston, at a lovely little pub. Their appetizer of fried pickles (which I still can’t believe Reagan chose, as she’s normally quite selective about food. Note: “selective” is a nice way of saying “picky eater”) was a surprise when it was pickles wrapped in ham and swiss cheese and then deep fried. Super delicious, but a vegetarian and vegan nightmare when the menu just says “fried pickles.” Happily, those were not our concerns. Much laughter and a few pints of beer later, we wander into the still very hot evening air.

The MIT dorms do not have air conditioning. My fancy hotel room does, and it has a King bed. So Reagan packed a weekend bag, I apologized to her roommate that there wasn’t room to also rescue the roommate from the heat. Back at Hotel Marlowe and front desk gives us Limoncello nightcap. AND there was a bottle of wine waiting in the room because I’d tweeted my excitement to stay with them again. I’ve only had an unprotected twitter account for a month now, and it still sort of freaks me out, all this unfiltered sharing with the world. But this was definitely a lovely prize. And it’s always more fun drinking wine wearing one of their animal print robes.

Saturday was stoopid-hot. And it was a SLOW start to the morning. Pretty sure it was Reagan’s first good night sleep in several days. I luxuriated in sleeping-in and reading my book for as long as I could, but finally made her get started around 11am. It’s Boston. Let us go find HISTORY!! Because they have so much of it, compared to Seattle, where folks have only been building with stone for the last 100 years or so *smile* Boston is a VERY walkable city (it’s so FLAT!! As a Pacific Northwest girl, I still can’t get over the things called “mountains” on the east coast. And it’s relatively compact, having started way before “urban sprawl” was a thing). This is how we arrived at the Bunker Hill monument in the heat of mid-day, having walked the mile from our hotel, and planning to now walk the 3.5 miles of the Freedom Trail. Went through the museum, read some historical signage, and then we both quickly decided that, rather than climb the tower (Me: I’ve been in tall buildings before and seen the view. Reagan: I’ve been in AIRPLANES before and seen the view), we should get frozen confections from the ice cream truck nearby. Strong regional accents always entertain me (and I’m often unsure whether they are real or someone playing around. Reagan’s pretty sure these were authentic, but so so broad, I’d have to hide a smile). As I enjoyed my popsicle and Reagan her TMNT icecream treat, we wandered off towards the USS Constitution. The whole Freedom Trail thing is very clever, as you literally just follow the colored brick path in the sidewalk and you’ll end up walking by the majority of the historical revolutionary era sites. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

Whenever my sister’s spirits would lag (or rather, melt in this heat) I’d shout “HISTORY!!” in an attempt to inspire her. She was long-suffering but a good sport about the whole thing. The fact that Paul Revere’s house was almost 100 years old when HE first bought it kind of broke my brain. (Surely not. Nobody was ALIVE back then). It’s only $3 to tour inside, and the interior tour guides are very nice and informative, but I just can’t work up that much enthusiasm for period furniture (a nice mix of original and replica pieces, if you care). Still, just a few dollars, and they have some rudimentary AC running, so worth it on this hot day. Had lovely Italian lunch in the North End, checking yelp to help decide, because I’m suspicious of any place too near major tourist destinations. After stuffing our faces, and still having leftovers to take away, we went to Mike’s Pastry for the apparently obligatory cannoli. It’s very overwhelming, and there are so many choices. And just a mob of people approaching the cash only L-shaped counter. No lines at all, just a mob, and as you made your way near the counter, you finally placed your order. The innately polite Seattle side of my personality initially balked at the chaos and the inherent unfairness, as people wouldn’t be going in order and the pushier personalities would be rewarded. But I got over this pretty quickly and we soon had delicious baked goods to go. (just please don’t ask me to “jaywalk.” Let’s just wait for the traffic signal to change first, okay? If I’d rented a car, you might have talked me into honking, Boston, but Jaywalking is a bridge too far!!).

And now, a photograph of Hancock’s Erection, or at least, an Erection in honor of Hancock. Because sometimes I’m twelve years old, apparently. Actually, no, I take that back. This isn’t just about wordplay with the word erection, because, just LOOK AT IT!!! This was designed and paid for and carved and installed and not a single person thought to question the shape/outline?!? They’re just begging for dick jokes about a guy who already has cock in his name!! Low hanging fruit!

The Granary Burying Ground (established in the 1660’s) was super cool. I’d never encountered the death-head tombstone carvings before, and there was lots of fascinating things to learn. Made all the more enjoyable because of the travel guide given to us by Jimmy Tangent, full of factoids and jokes and great historical tidbits. There is even a full blow-by-blow accounting of one scene from one episode of the old Spencer For Hire tv show that was filmed in this graveyard. You can see the whole guide here. Worth it! http://jimmytangent.com/granary.htm He’s not always outside handing out his guide for free, so if you’re going, download this on your phone. It turned a random stop into one of our favorite parts of the trip. We rested in the Boston Commons in the late afternoon heat, as Reagan did some homework. And then we went to see a movie (Mad Max: Fury Road), having had enough heat and walking, and finding a cineplex nearby. Oh, sweet sweet air conditioning!

We slept in again on Sunday. This is NOT my normal travel routine, but it is for Reagan, and she needed the sleep, and ostensibly this trip was about visiting her as well as seeing Boston. Plus, we were going to FENWAY PARK today after her begrudging agreement to my “do your homework in the stands next to me” plan. So I didn’t want to push my luck. It was great. Loved all the excitement around the stadium. And hoo boy, do the RedSox have a much greater variety and selection of merchandise than the Mariners. Guess that comes from 100+ years of history, national recognition, and having won the World Series a few times. And I was thrilled to find a Fenway Park Green Monster ballcap, as I wanted swag but I was really there for the stadium, not the team (RedSox fans in Seattle are the worst). Reagan was delighted to learn Toronto Bluejays were playing, as they’ve been her favorite team for decades (ever since Mariners’ traded Jose Cruz Jr to them, and they had “the prettiest baseball cards”). We’re smart enough to know to keep fact that we’re rooting for Bluejays a secret, Redsox are having a rough season, and the Boston fans turned on their players right quick, as the game was a blowout (10-0 at one point). When a rally brought the score to 10-5, the stadium sound played “Woah, we’re halfway there, woah, livin’ on a prayer,” which still cracks me up. Final score 13-5. Two home runs (one over the Green Monster). Two drunk guys jump the railing, running around field, and eventually tackled by security. Lots of action that even a non-sports person (like my sister) could find entertaining. Plus she got a lot of homework done, too. After dinner, back to our hotel room as she finishes her homework and I finished my book (fantastic!! “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell).

Monday morning, Reagan’s off to work and I’m off to explore. Only, it’s raining!! While I’m quite familiar with rain, I did not PACK for rain, as rain was not listed on the accuweather forecast (not very “accu” of them, now was it?!?). Happily the hotel had complimentary umbrellas to borrow, and I’d bought a clearance Brazil World Cup tshirt at Newbury Comics, so I had a tshirt to wear (instead of the tanktops and overshirts I’d packed), and I had my one pair of jeans (along with the shorts I’d packed). It was a bit soggy at times, and still muggy/warm, but the umbrella sure helped. That morning it was an adventure getting to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but SO WORTH IT! This was my favorite part of the weekend. (And it’s only $5 for students, so I hope Reagan will make the journey this summer). http://www.gardnermuseum.org/home Really fascinating, lots to see. I love the idea of a wealthy person requiring that the layout never be changed, so you’re seeing all the pieces as she had them arranged (including the complete lack of signage). There are helpful laminated sheets in each room, so you can match up each piece with artist and title, and each sheet provides a more in-depth discussion of one selected piece on the back side. I kind of loved the lack of immediate “famous” markers. Found it best to explore each room, examine each piece, and see what personally spoke to me on its own merits. Then I’d look through the laminated sheets and do some learning. Although a dark and rainy morning, this was a magical time spent exploring here.

Had lunch at an Ethiopian cafe. Owner was very sweet, and ethiopian cuisine must not be very common here. There were placards on each table explaining how to eat the food, and the owner kept coming over asking, “isn’t it a fun experience?” After telling him, a few times before and during my meal, that I was very familiar with and loved Ethiopian food, I just gave up and would thank him. This would definitely be a great beginner place, as there’s so much helpful information, the injera is served in cut strips, and the dishes were on a fancy plate with dividers, so nothing was touching. (But, but, what about a bottom layer of injera with dishes piled on top, so that it soaks up all the goodness and flavors?!? Ah well). If I were ever able to get my dad to try it, THIS would be the type of place to take him.

Harvard Natural History Museum was okay. Way less dinosaurs and fossils than I’d expected (but I was able to take a selfie with my beloved Ground Sloth!! Scheming with fossils!). And almost 150 years of creepy taxidermy creatures. The taxidermied great apes were particularly upsetting. Just too human-like. And so much sad historical baggage attached. I was thrilled by the great ape skeletons (check out the saggital crest on this gorilla skeleton below), but the horrible old taxidermy…*shudder* The charms of the minerals room were mostly lost on me (oh look, more rocks!), but I could tell that many folks were loving it. The glass flowers room was jaw-droppingly cool. People kept saying I had to see the glass flowers and I just didn’t understand why. But instead of some art festival trinkets, these are amazingly lifelike botany creations. The majority of which it is very hard to tell they are not real plants. So fascinating and delicate and amazing. I spent way more time in this room than I’d ever have thought I would. http://hmnh.harvard.edu/glass-flowers I had been worried arriving at the museum at 3pm (they close at 5pm), but I was still completely done in 1.5 hours. Sadly the museum shop was closed for inventory, because I’m a complete sucker for Natural History Museum GiftShops.

Met up with Reagan for dinner, and then ice cream at Toscanini’s, where employees were playing the Evita cast recording and singing along. Definitely my kind of place. On Tuesday, I had the morning to myself before my afternoon flight. Wandered around downtown. Happened upon King’s Chapel, which has free concerts Tuesdays during lunchtime. Gorgeous historical church, and lovely music. Then it was time to fly home. Just managed to scratch the surface of the city, and never had any time to explore surrounding areas. Still, great fun to see what we did, and my sister proved a lovely exploring partner (I think she was on her best behavior because she wanted to keep sharing my hotel room’s air conditioning, but hey, whatever the reason, we had fun!)

Disneyland wrap-up: toddlers edition. April 2015

Tracy, June 12, 2015

Jun 12 2015

Looks like I never did a wrapup post for Disneyland. It was lovely. It was exhausting. It was never worse than I’d imagined and often better. This was helped by the fact that I had very reasonable expectations for traveling with over stimulated toddlers.

Actually our 1st full day was amazing. Kids up at 6am, which their momma told me is typical. Breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe, which has better service and food then they’d have to have and still survive because of their great location. Covered everyone in sunscreen, myself included, as we waited for gates to open. Magic Morning was CA Adventure that day, do we picked the OTHER park. Proved a wise choice. Straight to Fantasyland, where we all road all the rides with no lines. Snow White’s witch remains too scary for little ones. H was unhappy so she and her momma did more carousel while T and I did Toads wild ride a few times.

We're still smiling — We’re still smiling

It’s a Small World is magic for toddlers. H was vibrating with excitement and flapping all four limbs. T also quite like it. So we road the boats twice in a row. Ugh. And it’s a long, awful, and kinda racist ride, too. But they were so happy. Morally dubious.

T loved Thunder Mountain Railroad so much. And the rider switch baby swap pass program is lovely. We napped at hotel and returned for more evening fun.

Overall it was grand. There were tantrums and meltdowns and 4 yr old having to go potty right now after 20 min in line & you’re the next up, darn it. But again, this trip was for them, not us. So many moments when their faces would light up. Bubble blowing guns will turn anyone into the pied piper, with kiddos from all over following us.

The 2 yr old, H, acts like she’s getting away with something HUGE Everytime she strips off her shoes and socks while in the stroller. Big scheming smile. Happily disneyland is full of parents looking out for each other. Everyone gives a heads up when some child drops a toy/clothing from a stroller or starts to get lost. Lovely community feel.

And it’s impossible to walk through park with popped balloon. We were trying to teach about consequences, and were tired of balloon bopping us in the face as we pushed stroller. Plus H didn’t seem to care much that she’d popped hers. But everyone else cared. Many guests stopped to inform us that Disney would replace it for free. Then, we met Disneyland employee Raymond in main street. He rushes over wanting to replace the balloon. We explain reasons why we don’t want to. And he was so crestfallen, sputtering in bewilderment and hurt. So we relented and allowed him to swap the popped balloon for a fresh one. “I mean, us walking around with popped balloon is making the place look like some rink dink Knotts berry farm.” Raymond laughed and said, “your words, not mine, ma’am. But basically, yes.” *laughs*

Teresa told kiddos that the rule with the balloons at Disneyland is you give them to some other kids on your last day. They were fine with that (luckily as it’s not like we could take them on the plane). We approached a couple with 2 small boys on our way out znx offered them the balloons. They were beyond excited. It was their first day in the theme parks and they’d just arrived from Australia, so fun accents.

What else? Oh, I received a marriage proposal on our 2nd day while buying souvenirs. Cashier asked if I was annual pass holder and I admitted I was not. The man in line behind me said I was his fiance and therefore should be eligible for his annual pass holder discount. It was very fun. He was a hoot and we concocted an elaborate relationship backstory. If I hadn’t been laughing, it just might have worked, too.

The flight home was not as smooth, as these kids were wiped out, sleep deprived, and over stimulated. Plus flight was at capacity with many angry standby fliers from an earlier canceled flight. But we all survived. And it was a success.

A month later and the kids were fighting at home. Teresa told them they had to agree on an activity to do together. They both agreed that they wanted Miss Tracy to take them to Disneyland again. Smart kiddos. I mean, it’s a pretty great choice of activity. Although I did tell their momma it hardly seems fair that I get all the credit for this trip that SHE chose and paid for. I basically just tagged along. Ha.

Disneyland with toddlers: heaven help us. April 2015

Tracy, April 19, 2015

Apr 19 2015

Actually, we’re doing remarkably well considering the 4 yr old (known as T) and 2 yr old (known as H) to get up at 5am for our 7:30am flight. The kiddos were lovely on the plane. Teresa’s car seats are FAA approved so we were able to strap ’em in which really helped. Also helped by their momma’s level of prep. We had snacks and reusable sticker books and a few prizes we didn’t even need yet. it went very well. Then they napped on the car ride to Anaheim. At the hotel around 11:30am. Of course check in isn’t for hours. So we stored our baggage, changed into shorts in the lobby restroom, applied sunscreen, loaded the stroller, and we’re off to adventure/sensory overload.

Arriving at the park around noon on a hot weekend day is not ideal. But they’re verra wee and don’t know what to expect anyways. So this Disney trip isn’t about working the Fast pass system and riding all the rides. It’s about letting them experience joy and magic and set the itinerary. We took a leisurely pace this afternoon. The kids minds were blown by one of the horse-drawn trolleys on main street. And the day just got better from there.

Only 20 minutes wait for jungle cruise. The kids seem to enjoy swinging the line-dividing barrier ropes almost as much as the rides themselves. This is great, as it’s generally 20 min wait for 3 min ride. They both seemed to enjoy it and it’s a nice introductory ride. There’s no drops or anything scary. And acquaints one with the animatronic nature of much of Disney. (I’m going to refer to them as robots, as that’s way cooler, and animatronic is a ridiculously long word to keep typing on my tiny phone. Also, my phone wants to aurocorrect to “animation ice.”) Then climbing and exploring Tarzan’s Tree house (RIP Swiss Family Robinson tree house. I hope they made it off the island, otherwise they’re now shipwrecked AND homeless).

Primate achievement unlocked. There were gorilla robots in tree house and jungle cruise. *laughs*

With some explanations about what to expect (it’s dark, some loud explosions, two drops down water fall) we did Pirates. H was so unphased by it all she asked for her iPad halfway through. Kids these days!!! But she would perk up every time we passed a dog robot. (See. Isn’t robot way more fun?!?) T didn’t seem thrilled about the first drop, but liked the second and really loved looking at all the stuff.

We got ice cream. Made it through Buzz Lightyear’s blaster game. It’s a good thing H is super cute. Because she was having too much fun spinning us in circles for me to stop her, but I was a tad queasy after. We started some meltdowns in line for Autopia. They has been up for ten hours and it was the hottest part of the day. They both enjoyed the ride a lot. It’s actually a nice long track so good wait time to ride time value. The steering does function more than I’d remembered. But I let T have the helm and so it was a bumpy ride along the way. He was just too excited about “really driving.”

Not even sure he can see over the steering wheel

Back to our hotel to finally get checked in. Relaxing a bit. Now they’re splashing in the toddler play pool and I can identify their squeals from our room on the top floor, which is wild.

I’m so pleased at how well it’s gone. We may not even go back to the park today. We’ll grab dinner after the pool. And then play it by ear. That’s the theme of the trip. They get to be in charge, within reason.

actually exploring Ireland. February 2015

Tracy, February 12, 2015

Feb 12 2015

I’m composing this update on the plane and will post it when we land in San Francisco. This world of ours is full of wonders.

The drive west across Ireland, from Dublin to Doolin, was flipping gorgeous. And great fun, along many winding one lane country roads. Our GPS, which we christened Fiona, was such a clever lass. If she’d given me the choice of main motorways or back roads, I’d probably have chosen the motorway, as I was still a tad nervous about the whole left side of the road/manual transmission thing (guys, the gear shift is on the left. The left! Definitely stretched my brain *smile*). But it was grand.

We were actually quite lucky with weather. Always flirting near freezing, but never really rained, just patches of fog or mist. The back roads were not only charmingly pastoral, but it allowed Elizabeth and myself plenty of time to geek out over native wildlife. Sheep! Cows! Ponies! Dead badger beside the road (that last was sad, and sent my memories off on a ‘Wind in the Willows’ tangent). Also, praise be to the off-season, as we rarely encountered other cars. As many portions of our way were one lane roads bordered with rock walls and no shoulders to speak of, it was extra nice being more solitary. Pretty sure, had it been busy summer times, I’d have ended up pulled over in a driveway, a panic attack stress ball. *laughs* Instead, it was an amazing adventure.

We picked a B&B the night before and booked online for the Dubhlinn House in Doolin. And this is how we ended up basically crashing at Martin’s home (the proprietor of Dubhlinn House, and his family lives there, too. He was a bit sheepish greeting us, explaining that he’d forgotten to turn off the online bookings, but things are normally dead in February so he was quite surprised to get the email saying we’d booked a room. While the rooms upstairs were in the middle of renovations, he did have a main floor room available, so we were most welcome still.

It became quickly clear that the entire town of Doolin, and the neighboring two small towns, just shut down in winter. The only building open was Fitzpatrick Pub. Happily we had our two BEST meals of the entire trip here. Elizabeth particularly enjoyed devouring ALL THE MUSSELS!! Even happier still, they have an open door musicians session on Monday evenings, so we even had entertainment!! It did feel a bit like an apocalyptic movie, as here were picturesque tourist shops and restaurants, but all doors locked and all the people missing. So it was extra lovely when seemingly everyone who stays in town in February came out to the pub for the music that evening. Lively and wonderful energy.

The Cliffs of Moher remain gorgeous. And it was so cool having the place almost to ourselves. There were maybe 7 other people scattered along the pathways, but definitely you got your own space. One of the Rangers had the cutest dog, who was so so proud of carrying her leash handle in her mouth, prancing all around, taking herself for a walk. 🙂 After wandering a bit further, the evening was spent listening to music and making new friends at the Pub.

The next day we had a private tour of Aillwee Caves. After checking the car park a few times to see if any other tourists were coming, our guide realized it was just us that morning, so off we went. Then we drove off to explore Bunratty Castle (“Ireland’s premiere Medieval castle”). The two Irish Wolf hounds they keep on the grounds are amazing pony-sized pups. Holy cow. We basically had the run of the place, as well. There’s a “folk park” around the castle with random livestock and dwellings representing different eras and regions. As we were basically the only people there, it often felt like a ghost town, or a sad abandoned theme park. Which, actually, I guess it is in the winter time. I couldn’t tell, but got the impression that there might be a Colonial Williamsburg thing in summer months, with staff around to expound upon the history.

We then made our way to Adare, winner of the “Tidy Town” contest almost every year. Martin, our host back in Doolin, seemed a bit bitter, thinking Adare’s thatched roofs gave them an unfair advantage, although he did agree it was definitely worth visiting. Driving onto the grounds of Adare Manor House is quite a spectacle. Insert grand manor house of your preference here, whether Pemberley or Downton Abbey (And apologies for the fact that I can’t think of a famous Irish manor house at the moment). It’s lovely and sweeping, and bordered on two sides by a very nice golf course which just further extends the green rolling hills to the horizon.

Guys, while wandering the grounds, I found the spot where they offer PRIVATE FALCONRY LESSONS! My buddy John tells me there’s no Gaelic translation for “Fancy as Fuck,” but that “go h’ailin,” “go breath,” or “ana m’haith” will get the point across. As of course would the much more prosaic and Dublin-esque, “Jaysus, nice, wha?” *laughs* Seriously, it’s well worth splurging for one night if you’re ever taking a trip to Ireland. Truly 5 star accommodations, and I don’t know if it was low season pricing, a competitive dollar to euro rate, or what, but it was easily half the cost of similar accommodations in the states.

Our room was enormous, and felt even more so as we’d mostly been in tiny but perfectly serviceable twin bed rooms for the previous week. The lush down pillows and mattress were amazing. “Is this what sleeping on a cloud feels like?!?” Lizz took advantage of our spacious setup with a bubble bath and relaxing, while I went out to wander the grounds. It was freezing, easily our coldest day, but bundling up with scarf and gloves and I managed a good hour of exploration before needing to return to thaw out at the fireplace. It’s got to be a great place to golf, as well. Plus you get the fun of occasionally having swans on the green. *smile*

The next morning we slept in, which was glorious. Later we explored the 2013 “Tidy Town” winner Adare (not sure if 2014 just hasn’t been awarded yet, or if Adare has been dethroned). This whole area is just lousy with medieval castles and structures. Lovely. Excited to get some prizes at the grocery store, including Kinder Egg chocolates and Jelly Babies candies for my Whovian pals. Lizz was just excited by the concept of eating gummy children instead of gummy bears, but when she learned they had a Doctor Who connection, she had to get a few more packs. (She can be a wee bit bloodthirsty at times). *smile*

We ended our stay with high tea, served in the manor house library with a wonderful view of the gardens. Three cheers for tiny sweet and savory bites. And ALL the clotted cream and lemon curd on my scones. Yum.

Throughout our travels, I’ve been surprised by how many Irish folk are familiar with Seattle. I don’t mean have heard of it, but have actually been or know someone from there. And we got a fair amount of Seahawks talk from locals as well. This blows my mind. I just didn’t know American Football had any kind of presence outside of expat communities. Perhaps it’s just the spectacle of the Superbowl. But two gentlemen did get into indepth discussions of the game play with me. Who knew. Sea-HAWKS!!!

Our final night in Dublin and our final meal spent at a Russian wine bar. You know, a traditional Dublin evening. Ha. Then back to our home away from home, the Maldron hotel in Parnell Square. Their midweek rates were crazy reasonable, and a nice central location, allowing us to walk to most things within 20 minutes. But this evening it was about trying to get to sleep at 11pm, knowing the 3:00 am alarm was literally just around the corner. Ugh! Early morning flights can be rough. The cityjet flight to Paris went well, but a worker slowdown at Paris CDG airport had us running through the airport to make our connection. You know your timing is tight when the folks at security flag your boarding card, send you down the expedited line with encouragements of “Vite! Vite!” We made it to our gate at the end of the boarding process but before they’d shut the gates. Still about 6 people in line before us. Phew! Then we spent an hour on the runway and driving around the airport in our plane. I didn’t get exactly why, but something to do with de-icing the wings, so that sounds important. Watching the de-icer equipment was pretty cool, actually. Once we finally did that part, it only took about 20 minutes. Still not sure why we had to drive the plane around, slowly, for 40 minutes before that. *shrug*

En route to SFO, then one final flight to Seattle. It will be good to be home, but this trip has been an absolute blast. Hooray for last minute adventures!

Back in Ireland. February 2015

Tracy, February 8, 2015

Feb 8 2015

I’m hanging out, briefly, on our “sea view” balcony at Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney. It’s freezing and windy (again, it’s winter) and so foggy there’s no way I could verify whether there’s a sea out there at all. But dang it, we splurged on this upgrade when we booked the room, so I’m going to use it, at least for a few minutes. *laughs*

Killiney is about 30 minutes south of Dublin city. This does mean we’ve successfully rented a car and I’ve been just fine driving it. (And by “fine” I mean a bit of an overwrought bundle of nerves, reminding myself to turn into the left lane each time. Once we’d gotten out of Dublin itself, things went more smoothly. And Lizz was a great Chewbacca to my Han Solo, navigating us correctly to our destination, as well as giving advice on whether a particular lane is one-way or two-way. Generally that advice was “I can’t tell. Why don’t we drive down it and find out.” Ha.)

Friday we explored the Tower of London. Elizabeth’s continued Tudor-tastic enthusiasm was fun to see. I was beyond tickled to find some baboon statues there, so the blog’s subtitle proved true, even on a non-monkey-centric trip. Bonus: met the cutest waiter/swing dancer when we stopped for coffee. He was thrilled to learn we were from Seattle. “You guys have that Sky Needle!” He’d been through Seattle as part of an epic 2 month adventure with 3 buddies. Bought a used car for $2,000 in New Jersey, drove down to Florida, then to L.A. and ending in Vancouver BC. Along the way they spent a few days with an Amish village. See, one of his buddies had met this Amish family at a bus stop the year before. They gave him his address and said he should stop by if ever in Tennessee again. So a year later he just showed up with his buddies…it’s not like he could have called ahead. *laughs*

We FOUND MONKEYS at the Tower of London, guys! So my blog’s subtitle proves true, even on a non-rain-forest trip.

Then, as if the “finding monkeys” miracle wasn’t enough, we stumbled upon Chinatown and Lizz was able to get some of her beloved Bubble Tea. Ha. And dudes, London offers a new type of jelly/bubble called “pops.” It’s this mad scientist creation of little balls that pop in your mouth, unleashing a burst of lychee juice. Weird but fun.

Leicester Square on a Friday night is insane and kind of terrible. I mean, I’m sure it’s kind of terrible all the time…like Times Square, it’s full of mediocre chains and masses of tourists, but with some casinos and terrible clubs, too. We did watch a stretch humvee limo get stuck and have to make about a 28-point turn to try to turn around. Pedestrians everywhere in his way, folks filming, driver ended up hitting a sign post. Good times.

Saturday was spent with Eileen. Yay! Went out to breakfast and then absorbed all we could of Camden Market. Some of the best people watching and great art stalls next to crap souvenir stalls, and cheap import stalls. Absolutely bursting with things to see. Also there is a Cyberdog (but unlike the Seattle establishment of same name that is an all vegan “hot dog” restaurant slash internet cafe, the Camden Market version is a 3 story Rave supply store, all lit in black light with blaring music and dancers, too). I should have taken my sister’s measurements with me, as so many wonderful counter culture and artistic and alternative and steam punk and whatever else you can think of. Ah well. Then off to the airport for our flight back to Ireland.

We wandered more of Dublin this morning, doing the obligatory Trinity College stop, and checking out the Book of Kells and the old library. So cool. Tapas for lunch, including an order of big green olives. Yum! Although, after ordering, I learned my pal doesn’t care for them much. Challenge accepted, and later failed. Ah well. Dude, there were over 20 of the big suckers. It was a valiant effort and I made a sizable dent, but I had to leave several of the lovely briney guys behind on the plate. 🙂 And I’m probably done with olives for a few days now. *smile*

Lizz says I need to mention the adorable panda luggage tags she found. It’s a tale as old as time, when going to Dublin, don’t forget to buy some plastic animal luggage tags. Ha. They are actually pretty wonderful.

We’re ambitiously planning on swimming before breakfast tomorrow. We’ll see if we actually get up that early. Then it’s off to the west coast and the Cliffs of Moher. We’ve crossed the halfway point on this whirlwind 8 night adventure. Can’t wait to see what our final three nights have in store for us.

Dashing off to London. February 2015

Tracy, February 6, 2015

Feb 6 2015

Ah, good morning London! After just one afternoon/evening in Dublin, we caught a discount RyanAir flight to London, to explore for 2 nights and to meet up with my cousin Eileen and her husband Rob who’ve been living here the last 2 years. Yay. I’ve had about 7 hours sleep now, and I feel glorious. (For those keeping track, 3 hours sleep Mon before leaving for Seatac, snagged 1 hr nap at LAX, around 2.5 hr Tues on the flight, and then a generous 6 hr weds in Dublin. So this morning feels amazing. Even better that we’re going to lounge/sleep in a bit further. Huzzah! slso, lord, I hope nobody is keeping track. Creepy).

The RyanAir flight experience was fine. Thanks, internet, for providing ample explanations and tips. As long as you follow all of their fine print rules, it’s a breeze. And €49 roundtrip dublin to London is great!! Carryon baggage is limited and size restrictions are fiercely enforced. Online check in and printing boarding pass at home (or hotel) is mandatory. It’s €40 “printing fee” if you get it printed at airport. Seats are assigned by airline unless you pay an up charge. But it’s only 1.5 hr, so fact that legroom is so tight my knees were at my shoulders didn’t matter. Ha. Here’s a great site for anyone planning to use this discount airline through Europe

http://thepointsguy.com/2014/03/top-10-ways-to-survive-a-ryanair-flight/

London’s mass transit system continues to be amazing. (Come on, Seattle. Get it together. Our lack of comprehensive mass transit always seems to be the missing step from our truly becoming a top tier city). Train from London Gatwick airport was a breeze, and underground system is so slick for getting around. It’s actually easier to get to/from Gatwick then it is from Heathrow Airport. Just 30 minutes by train, direct to Victoria Station. Where we walked out to see Buckingham Palace. There was a flag flying atop the palace, which I think means the royal family is at home. But I may have invented that anecdote. Lizz was particularly amused by all the unicorn statues. I blew her mind with fact that it’s Scotland’s national animal. Whimsy!

News flash. It’s cold in winter time. Weather has been flirting with below freezing each evening. Hooray for layers, and wrapping ones scarf around ones face. So, as much as Lizz initially wanted to wander through Hyde Park, the brisk temperature we instead took a gambol through St James Park, on our way to Trafalgar Square. Waterfowl for days. I kind of lost my mind when I saw a black swan!! When I was little, I had the most gorgeous black swan plush animal, with crinkly iridescent turquoise wing details. Imagine a Lisa Frank drawing made real, and something that took me months to save up to purchase. Prized possession territory. And then, unexpectedly seeing a real one sent my mind back to memories of being 8 years old. Lizz was underwhelmed. So it was particularly satisfying to hear, as Lizz told Eileen and Rob about my black swan excitement, that Eileen had similarly freaked out when she saw one and took 40 some photos. Ha.

Wandered through town, stopping for a pint or a bite whenever our faces felt too frozen. Lovely time spent at National Portrait Gallery, in which I discovered that Lizz is a huge Queen Elizabeth I fanatic. She started spouting anecdotes left and right about her namesake. It was Tudor-tastic! (Hmmm. Doubtful that adjective will catch on). Then we were off to the theatre.

On Thursday morning, when I woke up 2 hr before the alarm for our flight to London and couldn’t sleep further, I discovered an annual 2 week discount theatre promotion. The “get out to see london theatre” (honestly the name is something very much like that) has tickets as much as 50% off. So we saw new West End musical “Made in Dagenham” last night at the Adelphi. Great fun. The set was super clever. Cast was solid. Pretty good jokes. Nice story. It’s gotten good reviews but I hear it’s not selling so well and may close early, which is a shame.

In the afternoon, our wanderings rook us near a giant sign of James McAvoy. Seems my favorite Glaswegian is in a play. We asked after tickets, not holding my breath, as the star-driven vehicles tend to sell out way in advance. And yes, they did not have any tickets for Friday. “But what are you doing tonight?” he asks us. (‘He’ being the box office attendant, not Mr McAvoy. Oh man, the often imprecise nature of English pronouns now has me all atwitter. Ha. Had it been James McAvoy himself asking us if we were free Thursday night, you can damn well bet I’d have cleared my calendar. *swoon*). It was with a twinge of regret that we couldn’t grab tickets for Thus, as we already had some for the musical. Still, that’s the most McAvoy-adjacent I’ve ever been.

After “Made in Dagenham” it was off to Belsize Park to meet up and crash with my cousins. They’re in a rather posh neighborhood as Lizz observed, pointing out the quality of car parked along the way. 🙂 we were greeted joyously, and with a cup of tea, by Eileen and Rob (and their two dogs). Our gifts of Seahawks swag and hot sauce were well received. Rob was particularly overjoyed at the Tapatio. So thanks to Eileen’s sisters for the suggestions. We then were treated to an Icelandic whiskey that was really lovely. And has some Seattle connection, as Reykjavik is a sister city and they’re using some newer production techniques from Woodinville Whiskey distillery. So that’s cool.

Today is our only full day in London. We’ll explore the Tower of, then who knows. Probably Camden Market this evening. Adventures await!

Hurry up and wait (airport edition). April 2015

Tracy, February 3, 2015

Feb 3 2015

Having a discussion with LAX bartender about personal responsibility. He explains that, should he over serve someone, he has liability for their actions. Then, in what can only be seen as some type of sobriety/ judgment test, he says, “So why don’t you girls race out onto the tarmac and see who can get the farthest?”

In other news, getting up at 3am is too damn early, LAX’s terminals under construction make maneuvering a nightmare (good thing we have 4 hours as we had to fully exit, walk several blocks, then go through security again), and I’m dreading our next flight….11 hours!! But I’m being very grateful that we’ve only got west coast connections. We had a moment of silence for everyone having their travels disrupted through the freezing conditions. Lame. *fingers crossed*

I asked Lizz if she wanted to add a comment to this update. She gave the peace sign. *smile*

Sooooo sleepy….still, Irish adventure is only 18 hours away now.

Saying “Yes!” to adventure (It’s all Mark Twain’s fault)

Tracy, January 31, 2015

Jan 31 2015

So, sometimes your friend calls you to ask, “Do you want to go to Ireland…NEXT WEEK?” And you hear yourself saying “Yes!” Even though I’m a planner. Guys, I plan. It’s what I do. Half of the fun of travel, for me, is researching and checking out blogs and dreaming about all the shenanigans that await. That being said, once in-country, I’m pretty open to serendipity and have no need to follow any of the plans. They’re more a security blanket, there in case we need them. And yet, there I was, frantically coordinating with my work and my social calendar and finding a dog-sitter, because we were going to leave in SIX DAYS! WTF?!? Who does that? Lizz and I do, apparently. In addition to being a planner, I suffer from Over-Active-Safety-Monitor-Syndrome (OASMS). Those of us afflicted with OASMS have a hard time shutting down that constantly worrying inner voice, concerned about practicality and responsibility and the future and looking both ways before you cross the street. (Honestly though, EVERYONE should look both ways before you cross the street. I mean, as the kids were recently saying, YOLO, so be precious with your life. It’s the only one you get. Or am I using that wrong? *laughs*). But maybe it’s not a bad thing to take that leap once in awhile, and let worrying about the practical busyness of tomorrow wait for a different day. Then I promptly had the first of many typical Tracy panic attacks, right after we booked out flight. “What if my passport is missing?” I mean, guys, WHAT IF?!? Perhaps I was burgled (that word always makes me laugh) and they somehow only stole my passport. Or what if I, for the first time in my 18 years of having a passport, didn’t put it in a secure place? *hyperventilates* For those on the edge of your seats, rest assured. It was still safely locked away. We’re good to go.

I HAVE SO MUCH LAUNDRY TO DO! I mean, holy crap. It’s cold and rainy in Ireland in winter, so that means lots of layers (like home in Seattle). But that will take up more packing space/require more care in choosing what items to bring, and then finding those items and making sure they’re laundered because I leave in 3 frickin’ days. *heart attack* And, of course, because I didn’t know I’d be taking an international trip at the last minute, I’ve got events every single day between when we got our tickets Thursday and when we leave at the butt crack of dawn on Tuesday. (including SUPERBOWL on Sunday. Sea-HAWKS! Sea-HAWKS!) My heart may burst with excitement.

Back to how this is all Mark Twain’s fault. (Actually, I never verified the source of this quote. And the internet being what it is, this could totally be the words of someone else). Last week a pal shared the following quote:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain

That sentiment had been rolling around and percolating in my brain for a few days. So when adventure called (literally a phone call saying “Wanna have an adventure?”) I said Yes. I might have actually said “hell yes” of “f*ck yeah,” in fact. And I don’t regret a thing! (Well, I maybe regret the ridiculously long/cumbersome flight path we’re taking, because it’s a mileage-booked trip. But I don’t regret it enough to take a longhaul international flight solo and just wait for my friend to meet me there. Where’s the fun in that?!?).

And so, here I am, about to sail away from the safe harbour, practically vibrating with excitement and disbelief and shock and so much joy. (But not until my Seahawks take down the Patriots on Sunday!!)

Airport thoughts. October 2014

Tracy, October 15, 2014

Oct 15 2014

A pitcher of sangria on a rooftop in Quito, providing 360* view as the sun sets… Pretty perfect way to say goodbye. (of course we still have 1.5hr taxi to the airport and then 20 hours over 3 flights until we’re back, but that’s not as romantic a telling).

It remains true that the local supermarket is one of the best places to shop for prizes/souvenirs. Hope y’all enjoy South American candies and snacks. 🙂

Today we made the trek out to the Mitad del Mundo to see the Equator. Stood with one foot in each hemisphere. Etc. This is the equator as marked in the 1700’s. In the last 30 years they’ve located the official spot a few kilometers away, but this one has the giant statue and all the tourist stuff. If it was close enough for the 18th century, it’s close enough for me. (A sentiment I’ve rarely thought, actually.)

Of course our only sunny day at the beach in Montanita was the morning we were leaving. Ah, well. It was still generally 80*and the ocean. As a kid who grew up on the OR/WA coast, this was luxury enough. Also, happily the dance party music until 7am is less of an issue on Sun and Mon nights. So we got some sleep. Although the mosquitoes ate me alive. And I’d so happily left my big spray and mosquito net at the bag in Quito, not thinking I’d need it after the Amazon trip. D’oh. So itchy!!!

Here’s some wisdom, after a long fruitless airport search for a bottle of Fiora (local soda, in strawberry or apple flavor, of course owned by coca cola now). You’ve gotta enjoy each bottle of non-traditionally flavored soda like it’s your last, because it just might be. *smile* Totally had thought I could grab a final one at the airport. Darn.

Thing I am looking forward to (besides the obvious friends, family, dog & cat, and my beloved mattress): potable water. I try to always be conscious of how lucky we are to be able to turn on a tap and drink. But after 17 days, I’m excited to no longer have to brush my teeth with bottled water.

Oh no. My phone battery is almost dead and my genius self put the charger in her checked bag. And so that’s one way to get me to write a shorter post. 😛

G-g-g-ghosts. October 2014

Tracy, October 12, 2014

Oct 12 2014

…And apparently our shower is haunted. Returning to our room after being gone at least 2 hours, I was organizing my toiletries bag, but had not done anything water related when suddenly the shower started running… After 15 seconds I reached over and turned the knob on and then off. Continued to run for another 10 seconds. Don’t think this will diminish my love of the cooling rain water shower head in this muggy area, though. The ghosties picked the wrong sister, if that was their intent. It’s my youngest sister who has supernatural fears. Heck, spirits causing malfunctioning plumbing is basically my day job. *smile* (I manage a sewer & drainage company). Although, had the spirits chosen a “little kid ghost,” a la The Ring or other early 2000’s Asian horror films, you’d probably be hearing my screams all the way back in the States. Ha.

In truth, pretty sure a neighbor was showering and their plumbing is connected. But where’s the fun in that?!?