Easter Brunch at La Valencia Hotel

Sherry and I decided we needed a spring time get away this year.  As we were trying to figure out where to go, the perfect solution presented itself.  Sherry was attending a conference in San Diego in the days leading up to Easter so we decided to spend 4 days in La Jolla.  Our plan was simple.  It was to be 4-days of relaxing, eating, drinking and (for me) writing.

Fortunately, we realized this was Easter weekend very early in our plans.  This meant we were able to look the perfect spot for our Easter Sunday Brunch.  After some extensive web searching we choose the brunch offered at La Valencia Hotel where in addition to excellent food we were promised lovely views of the Pacific Ocean.  A few clicks later and our reservations are set.

We left the house we rented on a gorgeous Easter morning and took the short 10-minute walk to La Valencia.  As we arrived you could see all of the buffet stations set up in the open court yard. We checked in a little early but our table was ready and we were shown to our seats.

We were lucky enough to sit outside where we could fully enjoy the brochure-worthy view.  We were awaken from our trance when our server mentioned that the brunch price included bottomless mimosas. After that it was “game on” as we headed to the buffet stations.

I won’t try and recount all of the foods they offered but it was a beautiful selection of breakfast and lunch items.  Nor will I trouble you with everything I tasted. I will tell you that it was all truly fabulous.  Of course, we saved plenty of room for dessert, which offered selections that were both creative and delicious.

After spending about 2-hours eating and drinking, it was time to head out for more adventures.  We walked down to La Jolla Cove and watched the sea lions play and frolic in a crystal clear ocean.  Then, we shopped our way back to the house were we spent the afternoon reading and relaxing.  It was a wonderful way to spend Easter. 

It was one of those days you wish you could relive again and again.

Well, it just so happens that the conference Sherry attended is already booked for the week before Easter next year. So, somewhere between the mimosas and bunny tails (one of the desserts) we decided to come back.  I’ll be happy to let you know how is was the second time around.  Until then . . .

Au revoir!!!

A Flashback of Love

This Saturday, I headed out for my usual morning ride. As a meandered my way down to the ride start in Petaluma, I rode past the Church of the Oaks in Cotati.  It just looked so perfect that I had to stop and take a picture.  That also gave me a moment to reminisce about how this lifelong story began.

You see, Sherry and I were married in the Church of the Oaks. Well, at least that’s were our California wedding ceremony occurred.  The first ceremony was in Stateline, Nevada.  Allow me to elaborate.

Sherry and I were already engaged, and living together, when we decided to elope to Nevada one night in August.  The plan was to use the increase in my housing allowance (I was in the Coast Guard at the time) to pay for the “real” wedding, which was scheduled for the following June. So, we piled into our Suzuki Samurai and headed for Nevada.

That first ceremony is actually a story onto itself. Let me just say we were married at Love’s Wedding Chapel by a guy who could be best described as more animatron than human.  I don’t think he could talk and move his head at the same time. The whole thing was so surreal that I clearly remember everything about that day.

Fast-forward to a short 9-months later and you have our second ceremony at the Church of the Oaks.  There were only 3 people who knew this was the second wedding because they attended the first ceremony in Stateline.  That’s because we didn’t tell anyone about eloping.  Not even the minister (or Sherry’s mother for that matter).  We actually have 2 marriage licenses. One from Nevada and one from California.

Of course, we did tell everyone eventually and they all thought it was a lovely and charming story.

What a wonderful way to start our lives together. It also makes for a great story, which is still unfolding to this day. After 27 years together it’s pretty awesome that our love of live, and each other, will continue to add chapters to our story for many years to come.  

Au revoir!

Giotto’s Chapel

Sherry and I met in an art history class at Santa Rosa Junior College in 1985.  In addition to falling in love with each other, we both fell in love with the paintings and frescoes of Giotto.  Neither of us were aware of his works before the class but we were simply amazed by them.  We were so enthralled that when we became proud owners of a new puppy we named him Giotto.

We have seen many of his paintings in museums in both the U.S. and France but Giotto’s grand masterpiece is considered to be the frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy.  So, you can imagine our excitement when we added Padua as a key destination during our recent vacation to Italy.

We didn’t take any chances.  We bought our tickets online well in advance.  We arrived an hour early instead of the requested 30-minutes.  We were giddy with excitement as we watched the 15-minute video during the acclimatization process.  And then, we were led into the chapel.

The greatest poets in history would have difficulty capturing how our first look made us feel.  It was awe-inspiring, breath-taking, surreal, stunningly beautiful, and mesmerizing all at the same time.  There was also a sense of “finally” as we were looking at his master work after studying the man and seeing pictures online for all those years.

Everywhere you looked there were works by Giotto.  On the walls.  On the pillars.  On the ceiling.  Even the trim was decorated by his hand.  Perhaps just as amazing was the fact that he painted the entire chapel in just two years.

We spent the next 20-minutes trying to soak in every aspect of this magnificent accomplishment.  Then our host informed us it was time to leave.  We were the last ones out. 

This was definitely on of the highlights of the trip.  Partly because we had waited for so long to see it but mostly because it spoke to our very souls.  And, you can rest assured that we will see it again on a future Italian adventure.

Ciao!

Three weeks in Italy

Sherry and I just had the pleasure of spending 3-weeks touring northern Italy.  After many trips to France this was our first Italian vacation and we hoped to make the most of it.  I’m happy to report we were successful. In a word, it was fabulous!!!

This trip will generate numerous posts as there are so many stories to tell.  For now, here’s an overview of the trip.

We flew into Milan where we spent the first night enjoying the sites.  The next morning it was off to Lake Como for a couple days to see the Museo del Cyclismo and the Chapel of Madonna del Ghisallo, both meccas for cyclists.

Next we drove to Verona, home to Juliette’s balcony, because it was on the way to Venice.  However, Verona turned out to be a wonderful city and I’m sure we will go there again.  From Verona, we turned in the car and trained to Venice with a stop along the way in the city of Padua to see Giotto’s Chapel.

Arriving by train in Venice was everything we imagined and more.  It is such a beautiful and historic city and definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  However, we had been on the go for the entire trip and it was time to slow things down a bit as we left Venice for Florence.

In Florence we abandoned hotels for a studio cottage in the Florentine hills.  From here, we spend the week exploring the city as well as the Tuscan countryside with day trips to San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena and Montalcino.

We spent most of the last week in the Piemonte region at a little place outside the city of Alba.  This part of the trip was all about relaxation.  Well, relaxation and eating great food, drinking phenomenal wines, and exploring hill top villages with castels.  Finally, it was back to Milan for a final few days before flying home.

There you have it.  A whirlwind tour around northern Italy.  I can’t wait to tell you more about it so stay tuned.

Ciao!!!

Inspired to write

About 2-hours ago, as I was waiting for pizza to go, I was hit by two inspiring thoughts.  Before I share them it might help to know that the pizzeria I was at is in the Barbaresco wine region in Piedmont in northern Italy.  After placing my order I went out on their terrace to enjoy the stunning views of the Italian countryside.  And, it was here that I realized that  I am one lucky, lucky guy and that it’s time to start writing again!

Well, not writing per se but story telling.  You see, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not really a writer.  I’m more of a story teller.  I like sharing my experiences through stories that hopefully make the people listening or reading feel like they were right there with me.  That’s always been my goal but now I am just a little more conscious of it.  Let’s blame my new found clarity and inspiration on the beautiful Italian countryside, with perhaps a nod of acknowledgement to the wine.

I feel like, as a very lucky guy, that I have many stories to tell.  Therefore, I’ve reached a point where it doesn’t matter if they are read or heard they still need to be told. 

So, if you are so inclined, I invite you to join in my adventures with Sherry.  I have a list of blog titles that I plan on making my through in the next few weeks.  And, it I can make you feel like you were there as you read each one, then I will have accomplished what I started out to do.  For now, I’m off to enjoy a little more inspiration.

Ciao!!!

Paris with Kids – Part II

In Part I, I wrote about the many joys of being in Paris with children.  While the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were obvious highlights, the quiet strolls through the parks, sipping hot chocolate, and just relaxing in general weren’t bad either.

The thrill of Friday night was the Christmas Market along the Champs-Élysées.  This is a spectacular market that forms every year and a stroll along the stalls is somehow both exciting and relaxing at the same time.  This was followed by a couple spins around the famous Ferris Wheel of Paris, which gave us stunning views of the lights of Paris.

On Saturday, we were off to check out a kick-ass playground and the Guignol puppet show in the Luxemburg Gardens.  Sherry and I have always enjoyed watching children play here and were really looking forward to watching children we knew having a blast.  After paying a nominal fee, we spend the next 90 minutes with huge smiles on our faces because the kids had even bigger smiles on theirs.

At last, the bell announcing the start of the Guignol puppet show began to ring so it was off the theater.  Watching the kids watch the show, which was of course in French, convinced me of two things.  Certain things are funny, like being scared by a big hairy spider in an old château, in any language and that the true universal language has got be the laughter of children.

As the day winded down, we ate lunch in a Brasserie, shopped in the Latin Quarter, made the requisite stop at Shakespeare and Company, visited Notre Dame, and made a side trip to get the best ice cream in the world.  The day ended with a 2-hour dinner complete with view of the Eiffel Tower followed by watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle from the Trocadero, which is our favorite vantage point and where the whole adventure started.

The last part is traditional for Sherry and I and it’s how we end every trip to Paris.  What made this trip truly special was enjoying one of favorite places in the world with some of our favorite people in the world.

As for the kids, they never ceased to amaze us.  Their energy, wide-eyed bewilderment, and their laughter added a whole new dimension to this trip.  But mostly, they simply got it!  They understood what hanging out in Paris was all about and that was truly special for us.

À bientôt

Paris with Kids – Part 1

During our most recent trip to Paris, Sherry and I got to see the city from a whole new perspective.  We got the opportunity to explore the City of Lights with kids since our very good friends were joining us for a few days.  So, the stars of today’s post are Abby, who is 10, and 5-year old Graeme.

Let me just say right off that the kids were awesome!!!  They rode the Metro and buses.  They played in the parks.  The toured the Louvre Museum. They sat through 2-hour dinners. But mostly, they did what kids do best, which is live life on a whole different level and that made this trip very special for Sherry and I.

One of the first things we did was go to the Trocadero, which has the best views of the Eiffel Tower in the entire city.  After a few photos and lots of excited comments, we went down the the base.  As the adults were looking up and discussing the what it would be like to live in the area, the kids were trying to catch drops of water (condensation from fog) that were falling from the second level.  Leave it to kids to turn a 122-year old, 990 foot iron tower into a game.

Next up was Notre Dame, where there many more awestruck looks and comments.  On the way, we discovered the best way to get around with kids was by going through the parks.  This allowed the big kids (us adults) to stroll and chat while the real kids ran around, chased each other, and acted like, well, kids.

The next day, the family went to the Louvre Museum and we got to hear all about it at dinner.  Abby and Graeme were simply amazed.  You could tell they were truly soaking in that they were in Paris, in the Louvre and seeing such beautiful pieces of art.  They had also purchased pencils and sketch pads to start creating their own works of art.  At dinner, Abby asked why the Mona Lisa is the most popular painting in the world.  I just love that inquisitive side of kids.

The trip also included shopping at the Christmas markets, playing in Luxembourg Gardens, catching the Guignol puppet show, and going back to the Eiffel Tower at night, but I’ll save the rest of the tale for my next post. 

À bientôt