Churros con chocolato!

The hot chocolate in Spain is rather thick--almost like pudding. A great place to try this yummy dessert is Avemay Cafe.

No more Pintxos!

Throw all ideas of what you think Spain is like, out the window. You've arrived in Basque Country! No tourists. No flamenco dancing. No sangria. The wine list is simple, "red or white." And the local white wine is "txakoli". And if you think "tapas" is a type of restaurant--think again. "Tapa" means "cover" and it's a way of serving the food. And they don't even use the word "tapa"....in Basque country it's "pintxos". (The "tx is pronounced like "ch") And after eating these "pintos" for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days, you may never want to see a pintxos again! And if you're a fan of fried eggs, you'll be happy to know they are quite popular at breakfast time and you'll notice straight away that the yolks are very orange.

Bilbao here we come!

In the heart of Basque country is Bilbao: the home of the Guggenheim. In this modern, working city there are few tourists. (Which means no English.) Bilbao is small enough to explore on foot in one day, and easily navigable. Even John and I, who both have NO sense of direction, found our way easily...

We tackled the old city (referred to as the casca vieja) where we wandered through narrow cobblestone streets, grabbed pintxos and a beer at a Berton (more or less a pintxos chain). I really enjoyed photographing the Zubizuri Bridge (which means "white bridge" in Basque). Of course, no visit to Bilbao would be complete without a visit to the Guggenheim. Even if you're not a museum person, the place is cool. There is just as much cool art outside, as there is inside. We snapped up some pics of Puppy and took some "illegal" pics inside of the Serra exhibit.

Glacial Pot Holes, and Flowers, O' My!

Why are we driving two hours east of Boston today to a tiny Mayberry-esque town called Shelburne Falls? To see Glacial Pot Holes and the World Famous Bridge of Flowers, of course.

Even though it is "world famous" we had never heard of it. Originally built in 1908 to carry trolleys back and forth between Shelburne and Buckland, the 400 foot, five arch concrete span was converted in 1929 to a pathway. Now over 30,000 visitors from all over the world visit the world famous Bridge of Flowers each year. The bridge is adorned with decorative vines, shrubs and over 500 varieties of plants and flowers....and lots of bees!

Zip Lining Through the Berkshires

In my never-ending quest to try new things, I can now check "zip lining" off the list. Inspired, I must admit, by a recent episode of "Expedition Impossible", We set out to have our breath taken away and live on the dangerous side.

If you've never zip lined before, an excellent (and inexpensive) way to experience four zips in under an hour is at Berkshire East in Western MA. But if you are adventure seekers like us, you may walk away wanting more.

Turns out, the intro "base camp tour" left much to be desired. At 30 feet above the ground and reaching speeds of around 15 mph, (I was a bit slower due to weight) we were hoping for faster, longer experiences. More rush, more heart-pounding suspense. But, now that we know not to "pencil" or "starfish" we think we'll try it again...perhaps across some raging rapids in Spain this Fall.

Rhode Island. Check!

It's true, I've been to some pretty cool places around the world. Every year I swear, "I'm gonna explore my own country more this year." Well, check off Rhode Island from my list! That's right, I finally made it to The Ocean State.

My Rhode Island visit was an unplanned, direct response of the crappy rainy, cold weather in Boston.We packed up the Ford F-150 rental truck and drove two hours to Newport, RI, home of "The Gilded Age Mansions."

Before we embarked on our "mansion hopping" we stopped at the Red Parrot. Still in search of the perfect Bloody Mary, we did NOT find it there...

Located along the water's edge are 11 historic "summer cottages" previously owned by tycoons such as Berwind and Vanderbilt. These summer estates are mansions...and while they cost "only" $1 million in the late 1800's that equals about $22 million by today's standards. We opted to take two tours: The Breakers--which is a MUST and The Elms. The tours come with audio headsets so you can go your own pace through the properties and listen to as little or as much information as you like. (And even sneak off for some alone time, if you wish)

After two tours, we were "all mansioned out" and decided to take a quick stroll along the Cliff Walk before indulging in a few adult beverages. The Cliff Walk was beautiful, with stunning views. But living in Hermosa Beach for nearly 5 years now (has it been THAT long?!) the views reminded me of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and I was less than wowed.

We were both in the mood of a wine bar and tapas...reminiscent of Bin 26 in Beacon Hill. We found sort of what we were looking for at Fluke's Wine Bar & Kitchen. The fire roasted octopus was great, the bacon wrapped dates filled with almonds were amazing. The Spanish Mencia was quite nice. However, the "crispy squid" should have been described as "your typical plain, boring breaded, fried calamari."

And what better way to end the evening than with hookah! Genie's Hookah Lounge was the perfect venue to wind down and talk about our adventure. Double -apple tobacco, apple tea...it was a little bit of Turkey....in Rhode Island.

It's Sunny in Boston. Really!

It's a great time to be in Boston. It's early June, it's in the 90's, and the Bruins are in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1972!

In between a week of rainy, cold weather, Wednesday, June 8, 2011 in Boston was *the perfect day*....really. After waking up in a gorgeous room at the European boutique property Beacon Hill Hotel, having a yummy breakfast in the Bistro, we headed to the Public Gardens. I was all ready for my swan boat ride in my new salmon colored sundress (yes Erik, it's not pink, it's salmon!) The Gardens were in full bloom with colors everywhere. Even the famous statue of George was adorned with a colorful Bruins jersey. Now that's a photo you likely won't see again!

After that, it was a stroll along Newbury Street--"the Rodeo Drive" of Boston. They may have cool, trendy shoppes but they certainly need some help in the Bloody Mary category. I'm not even gonna mention the place that we had the first one--it was.so.terrible.

I spoke with Chef Rich at Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro, and he suggested we try Gargoyles, Highland Kitchen, or East Coast Grill for Bloody Mary's. I mean, how hard can it be to make them? This is my newest project...making the perfect Bloody Mary. Stay tuned....