start of a long weekend

Happy Friday!  I'm off work today through Monday, going on an escape with Conrad

up to SF.  The flight is this afternoon, and I still have to pack, but it's a leisurely morning otherwise.  We got up a bit earlier than usual and had a nice walk in the chilly morning.  Yes, chilly - we think so, and the fresh snow on the mountains above Pasadena. 

Brrrr.  Good to see, though!  The walk, unsurprisingly, ended up at Amara for breakfast.  The usual, even if it wasn't a Saturday:  arepa,

decaf latte. 

Good stuff.

I'm looking forward to the weekend ahead, for sure!  May it be a good one for any of you out there.

Benbulbin

Cape Town is not the only place to find a table mountain, it seems.  Benbulbin is another such example.  

Close to the Atlantic coast in County Sligo, it was a fine sign rising beyond the sheep farm we visited.  But more on that farm to come one day soon…

Italy recap: getting there

Brace yourselves, friends:  there will be many recap posts to come.  Many.  Well, until I both run out of endurance and have to move on to other blog topics!  But many.  And although I am starting with the start of the trip, I will certainly feel free to pop all over the place in my blogging depending on mood and energy.  So, ready to go on a deeper dive into the recent vacation?

We headed to LAX early in the morning on September 10. 

18 days ago - wow!  It was before the Polaris Lounge opened, but we were through the doors as soon as it did, appreciating how quiet it was. 

Eventually it was aboard our first flight,

to Newark.  Some airplane breakfast in our bellies,

then some napping all around.

We had time in the lounge in Newark, and I showered and changed, freshening up for the overnight flight to Naples.  We headed to the gate,

then boarded and got our pod seats. 

Dinner was served,

but you know I availed myself of some champagne first! 

Lights out, and I think I managed something like 2-4 hours of sleep.

I had a window seat for the flight overseas, and that meant that when I woke up, I was able to peek out and get my first glimpse of Italy on this trip, the mountainous northwest of the country. 

We continued down past the coast

and then over the middle of the country, affording me views of lakes and mountains and towns and even the Adriatic coast. 

Lovely to watch and try to figure out on Google Maps.

We landed, more or less on time.  We deplaned not via a jetbridge but down stairs

and headed to a bus that would take us over to the terminal.  Luggage, customs, and then on to meet a driver who hustled us by car to the port

for us to catch a ferry over to Ischia. 

That crossing was a pleasant one, an hour and a half or so.  Another driver met us on Ischia and took us through the town and across the causeway, depositing us at the foot of the castle complex.  We walked through a tunnel

to an elevator, headed up, and emerged just below a plaza where we caught a closer look at our fantastic first hotel, Il Monastero. 

It wasn't long after that that we were checked in and unpacking, settling in to enjoy the first leg of what was a very good trip indeed!

a birthday

I am writing this on the morning of Saturday, August 18.  I have decaf brewed and a piping hot mug of it beside me.  Conrad is still in bed.  It is now exactly three weeks since my 54th.  Long past due for a post, and a long post with a lot of photos to come.  Bear with me!

I woke up before everyone else on that Saturday morning.  In truth, I didn't sleep well that weekend - too much indulgence, maybe the altitude.  The nice thing, though, is that waking up early meant that I had time to myself to wander into downtown Breckenridge,

grab a decaf latte at Starbucks, and then see a little of the place. 

A few photos, some steps, and then it was back to the AirBnB to join the others.  Courtney and Robert were awake when I got back, Conrad needed more time.  That Conrad!

Once everyone was awake, we headed into town, parking near Starbucks so that everyone could grab a coffee.  Food and beverage in our bellies, we headed to the nearby free gondola so that we could head up to the mountain ski resort village and look around. 

That was a cool ride, fairly smooth for someone like me who doesn't like dangling off of a cable. 

Although we could have taken chair lifts higher (and done various activities on the bare slopes), we were already at 10,000 feet above sea level,

and we had a food and wine festival to get to.

The festival was different than I expected.  Not bad different, but different.  I kind of thought there would be chefs and tastings and demonstrations of cooking, but no, none of those.  There was the dinner (and a brunch on Sunday that we skipped) plus a "lounge" with food for the VIP guests (the lounge was the entirety of a restaurant on the plaza).  Otherwise, it was like a farmer's market with nothing cordoned off. 

The wristbands prevented those who hadn't paid for the festival from tasting.  We could wander among the stalls and find things like the hematite bracelet I bought for Conrad or the candles I purchased and still taste wines and more.

The wines were not from single wineries.  In some cases, there were conglomerates that owned wineries worldwide, and so you might have NZ, CA, and Italian wines all at the same stall.  There were also importers and even a wine and spirits store in nearby Frisco represented.  Oh, and spirits producers!  Robert and I especially appreciated that one.  So we arrived for the VIP time, ate some lunch, and got to tasting.  After one pass round, we took a break, then went out for more, though Conrad and Courtney stayed in the coolness of the lounge.  All in all, we were there three hours.  I poured out much of what I tasted, not because it was awful but because there was a lot to taste.  And we drank a lot of water!  There were some good wines

and spirits,

though, and it was nice to try them.  We couldn't purchase liquor at the event, but I found the Breckenridge Gin

at the store in Frisco on the way home and brought it back to California.

Naptime for all,

and then it was the walk into town

for dinner at a place that looked promising.  It featured a raw bar, and I thought that would be welcome after a day of wines and such.  And, indeed, the oysters at The Carlin were excellent

as were the biscuits. 

The rest of the food was fine,

but something clearly happened in the kitchen - we were seated nearby, and it was an open kitchen, so we could watch things going on - that fouled up our entrees and led to quite a delay.  And the inevitable happened - people know they messed up, and they avoid coming to check on us because they don't want to hear questions or complaints.  It was still a nice birthday dinner, but the cooking was unfortunately uneven as was the service.  I'd go back for a martini and oysters, but I might try elsewhere for entrees.  Ah well.

Sunday came, and my birthday was over.  I once again got out on foot without everyone, grabbing my Starbucks, taking a photo or two. 

The drive home

was longer than the drive to Breckenridge due to an accident shutting down the interstate.  A fine day for a drive, but a long drive.  There were very welcome tacos at Pica's for us at the end of that one.

And then it was Monday.  I was 54 and 2 days old, and we were flying home from Denver. 

A super weekend with Courtney and Robert, a terrific birthday.  Now then, what shall I do next year?