San Diego

When I was 12, my family took a big trip to the Western US.  We drove around for a month, seeing many of the famous American sights- Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.  It was a great trip.  While we were in Southern California, I fell in love with San Diego.  I decided that I was going to live there.  I want to be a Marine Biologist, so I could work at Sea World. I came home committed to learning Spanish.  I dreamed of Palm Trees.

Alas, that wasn't meant to be, but San Diego will always have a special place in my heart.  I just never got back there, until now.  What a shame, because my memories were correct- it is a really awesome place.

My friend Kim and I had four days to enjoy the San Diego sunshine.  We started in the best possible way- breakfast at Breakfast Republic.  They had pancake flights!  Can't decide what kind of pancake you want, no problem- get sample of three different kinds.  Though choosing just three was equally challenging... We then walked around the Liberty Square area for a while, seeing the High Tech High that my school keeps talking about, then meandered into Stone Brewing for a sample of their products.

In the afternoon we went to Old Town, which is a section of the city that keeps the California mission frontier feeling alive.  You can visit a preserved hacienda, and walk to the blacksmith shop, the old church, and several other historical sites.  It's also home to some amazing Mexican restaurants.  We ate on the patio at Cafe Coyote, HUGE servings of tacos and enchiladas.  It was DELICIOUS!  We finished in the area in early evening, so we took a Lyft up to La Jolla, to see the Sea Lions and the sunset.  There were so many people out walking around. 

On day 2, we had another amazing breakfast, sharing the chicken and waffle tower at Hash House A Go Go. This town takes breakfast serious, and I love it!  Then we walked to the Zoo, and spent the day with the animals!  It had definitely expanded a lot from what I remembered! I loved the koalas, and even though we had to wait in a long line to see them, the pandas were adorable.  We walked until we were exhausted, then rode the narrated bus around for a while.  From the park, we walked down through the Artists Village at Balboa park and into the Gaslamp District for some beer tastings and dinner.   It was a lot of walking but terrific day.

Our third day, we both agreed that less walking was the goal.  We Ubered to Devil's Dozen donuts and ate on their awesome rooftop terrace.  The view was great, but it was really cold and windy!  Then we walked along the harbor checking out the old boats, submarine, and the huge air craft carriers that were in port.  We shopped in the Seaport Village for a while and had a great lunch on the water.  Sick of walking, we had a chill afternoon and then went to Ocean Beach for some brewery hopping.  We met up with Kim's cousin for a late dinner in town.

Our last day together, it was all about Sea World. I'm well aware of the controversy about the treatment of animals there, but I am so appreciative of all that I've learned from the parks and their outreach work.  I wanted to be one of those trainers when I was a kid, and I still marvel at the orcas every time I see them.  It was a very relaxed day, but lots of fun. We ended up back at Pizza Port for dinner, and went to Modern Times brewery to finish out the night.

Kim had to leave early the next morning, and I picked up a rental car and drove over the huge bridge to Coronado. I walked around the famous Hotel grounds for a while, then hit the road to Temecula, where I was staying the next few nights.  I had to do mundane things like buy new sneakers (mine totally wore out in these four days).

San Diego as an adult far surpassed San Diego as a kid.  I couldn't have asked for more.  We relied on Lyft and Uber exclusively to get around, which worked out great.  The city had plenty to entertain, an amazing beer scene, and beautiful sunshine, just what was needed after the winter blahs at home. 

pancake sampler- cinnamon role, strawberry cheesecake, and pineapple upside-down cake

Old Town

Sunset at La Jolla

Chicken and Waffle Tower

Koala at San Diego Zoo

Panda at San Diego Zoo

Giraffes at San Diego Zoo

Artists' Village in Balboa Park

Donuts from Devil's Dozen

Star of India, in port

One of the brewery flights we tried

Sea Lion at Sea World

Penguin showdown

Love this flying dolphin!

Hotel Coronado

A Week in Guatemala

I was so excited to go to Guatemala and then I got spooked.  I booked the trip based on the recommendations of my many students from Guatemala, taking their advice to figure out a week long overview of the country.  And then I started to research and talk to other travelers.  Most people said they were too scared to go.  The US government rated Guatemala as a Level 3 country, which means try not to go there. I started seeing all of this and I panicked.  Yup, the seasoned traveler who had no problem traipsing through Egypt alone got scared.  And I pulled back a lot of what I'd planned to do, regrettably so now.

Because Guatemala was awesome. I had NO problems there- zero, zip, nada.  I should have done more.  I should have been bold.  I hope someday I can get back and see the things I'd missed.

The first day there I arrived at 2 AM, so I took a rest day.  The hotel had a lovely pool, and the weather was finally warm enough to sit out in the sun.  I read books, relaxed, ate some great food, and geared up for the next day.

I booked a city tour, that ended up being with another couple from the US.  We visited a scenic overlook outside of town with a view of the volcanoes first, followed by a drive down the Avenida de las Americas, where different countries had built monuments on the many plazas.  From there we drove into the city, past the halls of government to the historic center.  We strolled down the busy pedestrian street 6a Avenida, noting the famous arch over the road and the Art Deco shopping arcades that led to the Plaza de la Constitution.  The main square was huge, with a giant fountain in the middle.  There were Red Cross trucks on the perimeter, giving first aid who to any who came by.  The guide explained that there was a lack of medical care in the region and many people relied on those trucks.

We went into the huge Cathedral on the square, which was simple but massive.  It's weird to see such European architecture in the Americas.  Afterward, we walked down the block to the Mercado Centrale, a massive fruit and vegetable market.  Most of the people selling bought fresh from farmers that morning.  The food was so vibrant and inviting.  Our final stop was out in the hills, at a fancy shopping zone with beautiful views.  The tour was a good overview of the city and the guide was fantastic.  It was definitely the way to go to get an introduction without wandering alone.

The highlight of Guatemala for me was Tikal.  I've been reading about Tikal since college and have wanted to see the giant pyramids for a long time.  I did a one day trip, which meant leaving at 4 AM to catch a flight to Flores.  From there, we were joined by an archaeologist guide who led us through the site.  We lucked into a ride up the long walk into the center of the site.  We stopped just before the Great Plaza and walked through the rest.  The pyramids were amazing, and our guide definitely knew a lot about the Maya people who built them.  We were able to climb several of the structures, thanks to wooden staircases place near the building ruins.  This preserved the structure while still allowing views from the top- genius.  I was super excited to see the spot where a scene from Star Wars was filmed too. But mostly, I just loved the jungle setting of these ruins.  I loved the way many were yet uncovered (though excavated, an important distinction from our guide).  I loved all of the wildlife!  We saw spider monkeys, coati, leaf cutter ants, and agouti in the park.  Mostly, I loved the hidden history still being unveiled as the jungle is slowly cut away.  The day was long, as we then had to fly back to Guatemala City, but totally worth it.

My last stop in Guatemala was Antigua, a pretty little colonial city.  It was the capital until its location near 3 volcanoes made it undesirable.  In fact, the volcano Fuego was letting off some steam when we were there!  The main cathedral was a huge yellow Baroque building with tons of white plaster decorations.  We couldn't go inside because it was a festival day, but the exterior was lovely.  The famous arch over the road that features in so many publicity shots for the city was done in the same colors. It connected sections of the convent to the chapel.  We wandered through markets and shops, visiting a jade jewelry producer who highlighted the history of the stone in the region.  We also saw the main square, main Cathedral, and houses of government.  The fountains, the flowers, and the colonial architecture made for beautiful pictures.  For lunch I tried Pepian, a meat stew that would have been delicious without all of the cilantro. 

I should have done more in Guatemala.  I'm kicking myself for not going to Lake Atitlan.  I know it's not hard to go back, but I wish I hadn't gotten so freaked out about being mugged or kidnapped or whatever.  I walked around Guatemala City on my own with no issues multiple times- evidence that you shouldn't believe everything you read online.

Oaxaca

Have you ever had something to eat that completely confused your brain?   You're not sure you like it, you can't really describe it, but you can't stop thinking about it?  That's me with a good mole sauce.  I love mole, I'm fascinated by it, I love trying to figure out all of the flavors that meld together in it.  So when planning time in Mexico, I knew I was going to the home of mole- Oaxaca.

Oaxaca turned out to be the perfect little town to visit for a week.  There were nearby ruins (Monte Alban), lots of fun local artists to visit, a fantastic history museum in the cathedral cloisters, and so much good food.  There was a torta truck parked in the park near my hotel, and their sandwiches were AMAZING.  I had one almost every day.  There were also chocolate shops in town that served frozen chocolate milk beverages with fresh ground cocoa, putting any Starbucks drink to shame.  And there was mole, black and red and yellow varieties poured over simple chicken and rice.  YUM.

One thing I really wanted to do was take a cooking class to learn how to make mole.  It ended up being a great experience.  We went to the market first to buy all of the ingredients, which was great except for the huge bunches of cilantro that smelled so foul.  But then we went back to the chef's home, where there was a huge kitchen set up in the courtyard.  We made chicken with mole, soup with zucchini blossoms and huitlacoche, tortillas, memelas, and tamales stuffed in banana leaves.  Everything was delicious when done except maybe the soup.  Huitlacoche isn't really my thing. 

I also did a day trip to Monte Alban and the surrounding villages.  Monte Alban was a Zapotec city that is now in ruins high on a mountain top.  The long platform is edged with the remains of houses and temples.  There was even a ball court, though that section was damaged in the earthquake last September so it was closed to visitors.  The buildings were impressive for their location at the top of the hill.  You could see both ranges of the Sierra Madre mountains in the distance. 

The Museo del las Culturas de Oaxaca was definitely a fun way to spend a day as well.  The museum is in the cloisters and monastic quarters of the cathedral (itself a marvel of gold and beautiful carving). It highlights the history of the region from the earliest inhabitants to the colonial period and the independence movements in Mexico.  The many windows gave beautiful views of the surrounding hills, and you could even peak into the church from the balcony level.  I loved the set ups that showed how early Mexicans lived, like the kitchen exhibit and the beer brewing equipment.  There was a huge bookstore on the main floor but it was pretty much all Spanish language texts. 

I wasn't feeling great during my week in Oaxaca- a sinus infection that wouldn't quit combined poorly with the elevation.  I spent a lot of time walking in the sunshine, stopping to rest in the many parks, and just soaking up life in this perfect little Mexican city.  With the many old VW Beetle cars, the delicious tortas with stringy Oaxaca cheese, and the amazing chocolate, this was a Mexico I could fall in love with. 

inside the cathedral

kitchen exhibit at Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca

view from the museum

Monte Alban

Alebrije- spirit animals

making tamales

ingredients for guacamole

Mexico City

On the road again!

You know how you have an image in your head of a city based on tv, history class, etc?  I always pictured Mexico City as a sort of Southwestern Metropolis, with lots of sandstone and adobe on the buildings.  With carts on the corners of food for sale and people driving old cars.  Boy was I wrong.

Mexico City is as modern as any city I've visited.  It's glass and steel and concrete, with lots of green space mixed in.  Cars were new and clean, and I was able to zip around with Uber as easily as in the US.  I was completely impressed.  There was still a lot of food on the corners though, delicious food.

I arrived after dark, and the first thing that happened was an ATM ate my card.  OY.  I was able to turn it off with the app, so I wasn't too worried about being robbed, but it was hard not to see it as an omen of bad things to come.  I was able to get some cash with my credit card (and had a spare packed in my luggage to use for the rest of the trip) and took a cab to the hotel. I was staying in the Roma district, which meant driving by all of the tacos al pastor stands.  I was in love from first sight.

The first day, all I wanted was to be outside in the gloriously warm weather.  I think I walked 10 miles.  I started at a few small parks by the hotel, seeing the statues and fountains in each.  I worked my way over to Chapultepec park, which was incredibly lively.  It was still school holiday here so everyone was out and about.  I spent a long time just people watching, checking out the carts selling chicharones, toys, popcorn, and drinks.  Eventually I made my way over to the Anthropology Museum.  I LOVED this museum.  It highlighted human activity from evolution through migration and through the many tribes that inhabited what is today Mexico up until the Spanish conquest.  I loved the mix of indoor and outdoor space, and the combination of recreation with artifacts.  Seriously, this was a great museum.  I felt my archeology classes from college coming back to me.  Olmec!  Toltec!  So many great artifacts here.

After the museum, I took the long way back to the hotel. I saw a bakery selling the famous cakes for 3 kings days.  Some of them were HUGE.

On the second day, I headed for the historic center.  WOW was it busy!  There was a huge carnival set up on the Zocalo for the holidays, and so many people were there.  I skirted the edges and headed for the Tenochtitlan ruins at the back of the square.  I was not expecting to see such a crowd.  The ruins were phenomenal.  I paid to walk through them and the attached museum.  The museum was phenomenal, a good compliment to the Anthropology museum.  It was surreal to walk around the ancient temples right in the middle of the modern city.  It felt a bit like Rome or Athens in that regard.

From there, I visited the Cathedral, quickly because a mass was occurring.  I walked down the pedestrian street to the Museo de Bellas Artes, with its beautiful glass domes.  I got to talk to some children practicing their English in the nearby Dali sculpture park, and watched many more playing in fountains nearby.  I saw a massive Diego Rivera mural in a tiny museum, and watched a political protest on the way to the Revolution Plaza.  From there, I wandered home, stopping for delicious churros back by the hotel.  It was a long day out and about, but the weather was beautiful and I got to see a lot of the city.  The next day was a holiday, Dia de Los Tres Reyes, so I celebrated like a Mexican, with cake in the park, coffee, and sunshine.

Day Four was all about Frida.  I used Uber to get to the Coyoacan neighborhood, south of where I was staying.  It didn't take long to get there. The line was crazy long to get into her house, so I booked online tickets for later in the day and set off for lunch.  A blog had recommended going to Mercado de Antojitos Mexicanos Juanita for fried quesadillas, so I braved the crowds, got a seat at the counter, and ordered two amazingly delicious quesadillas.  I watched as they pressed the tortillas before filling them with cheese and chicken.  They were then folded and fried in a shallow wok-like pan, and served super hot right out of the oil.  YUM.  After lunch I explored the parks and cathedral there, then made my way through the markets back up to Frida's house.

Friday Kahlo always makes me think of Ms. Pelaggi's high school Spanish class.  I'm so glad that my language classes involved so much art instruction.  Her home was fascinating.  There wasn't a lot of art there, but it highlighted the challenges of her life and gave a lot of insight into Mexico during the early 20th century.  The gardens inside the blue walls were beautiful.

The rest of my time in Mexico City was spent wandering around, visiting the many parks and taco stands, just soaking up the sunshine.  I loved this city, despite the air pollution that left my throat scratchy, and I'm so happy I had this time to explore.  It gave me a much better understanding of modern Mexico, broke down some stereotypes, and definitely broadened my horizons. 

Parque Mexico

from the Museum of Anthropolgy

Snake sculpture ruin from Tenochtitlan

Main Cathedral Entrance

Cakes for Three Kings Day

Fountain in Coyoacan

Frida Kahlo's house

Teotihuacan

I love me some ruins.  Not necessarily the ones you are supposed to climb, but those are ok too.  Teotihuacan had been on my "need to get there" list for a long time, probably since my college archaeology classes.

I ended up on a group tour, because the ruins were outside of the city. I was with a couple from London and a couple from Costa Rica. Our guide was an older man missing a lot of teeth, but he knew his stuff.  The actual site is large but doesn't have any signs or descriptors.  You are completely reliant on the guide or a guidebook.

We started the trip with a visit to a nearby Mezcal factory, learning how the liquor is made from a type of cactus.  Then we went to the historical site.  There were several small rooms to walk through before the main plaza.  We could see remains of carved art on the walls and some of it still had color on it.  The rooms were used mostly by priests and travelers to the site.

Our first big task was the Temple of the Moon.  It was at the left end of the long open court.  You could only climb halfway up this one.  The stairs were really steep!  Each one was about knee-high, and not very wide.  Definitely a "stop and breathe" kind of climb.  But the view from the top was pretty impressive, looking down at the smaller temples leading to the Temple of the Sun.  The higher sections are still being studied and not open to the public.

The walk to the Temple of the Sun seemed long, and once there the guide said we would reconvene in 45 minutes after climbing.  I looked at that pyramid in shock.  45 minutes? It would take at least that to climb it!  But I was wrong - even stopping to breathe a lot, it only took 20 to go up and about 10 to go down.  From the top you had a 360 degree view of the valley.  It was very hazy but still impressive. Some people were jumping for photos, but the surface was sloped and very uneven with rocks so that seemed like a death trap to me.  There are no fences or guardrails here!

I wish that I knew more about the sites before going-the guide talked a lot about construction but not much about the people who did the building.  I'm reading now, hoping to get more information about these mighty monuments.

After lunch we stopped to see Our Lady of Guadelupe, the miraculous image of the Virgin that inspires so many Catholics worldwide.  It was moving to see so many people attending mass and venerating this lovely icon.  

Berlin

Last stop!  Last city, last hotel, last plane rides until I go home.  It's been 4 absolutely amazing months of adventures and I am so looking forward to getting back to Massachusetts to see my friends and family.  Speaking of family, my mom came to Berlin to go to the Christmas markets with me!  We had a wonderful, if cold, week in the city.

I arrived a day early so I visited some of the museums I knew wouldn't interest here.  The Pergemon museum was first on my list, for it's impressive Near East collection.  Unfortunately, it was undergoing renovations and one of the main attractions was not on display.  The Ishtar gate was completely worth the admissions price though.  And I learned something fairly disappointing: once you've been to the actual sites, the museum displays just aren't as impressive any more.  The Islamic tiles paled in comparison to Uzbekistan.  But still, since I'm not going to Iraq any time soon, seeing this was worth it:

I also went to the Neue Museum, which had an ancient European and Egyptian collection.  Seeing the famed Nefertiti head was pretty awesome, to compliment my travels.  Seeing the murals of Egyptian temples I'd just visited was fun too. 

Fighting a rather bad head cold, I stopped for a mulled wine at a Christmas market on the way home and then huddled down in the warm hotel for the night.  It was in a great location, old East Berlin but close to the Brandenberg Gate, just below Under dei Linden Street.

Mom arrived the next day, and we went to our first market, a large one near the hotel.  We had schnitzel for lunch there, and wandered between the stalls selling ornaments, food, delicate crafts, and handknits.  It was a little more commercial than I'd expected but fun to look.  I tried another mulled wine, mom had hot cocoa. 

The next day was pouring rain and cold.  We took a hop-on, hop-off bus that allowed us to see the sites but stay dry.  We toured the Registan, the park, the zoo, and got off to visit the market at Potsdamner Square.  We had soup for lunch there in a little chalet.  Berlin is a big city, and has a lot of layers of history that seemed to all blend together on the tour. 

The next day it was dry, so we set out on a walking tour to the east. We saw several WWII related sites, such as the memorial for the Nazi book burnings, as well as older Imperial German sites like the cathedral and the opera house.  We ended at the Alexanderplatz Christmas market, where we bought some beautiful blown glass ornaments as well as some gifts. 

The following day we left the city for adventures.  We took the train to Wittenberg to see the Reformation sites.  It's the 500th anniversary this year, which meant a lot of special events has taken place in November.  We toured the Martin Luther house, which included his popular school and dining table, as well as original documents from the Reformation.  There were several paintings by Lucas Cranach too.  We then had an amazing beerhall lunch- pork with gravy and potatoes, yum!  Perfect on a cold day.  After lunch we saw the two big churches of the Reformation- Luther's congregation and the famous University Cathedral where the 95 Theses were posted.  It was very cool to walk the streets of the great minds of the past and see where this huge movement began.

In our final days we visited more markets.  We went to the Swedish market, and a big one by the zoo.  They were pretty repetitive after a few, which was disappointing.  I had expected to get more shopping done there, but only bought a few things. 

We did another walking tour of the Brandenberg Gate, former wall, and Memorial to the Murdered Jews which was very sobering.  On the last day, we walked down to Checkpoint Charlie.  I really liked the outdoor museum atmosphere there, with very informative panels about the history of the Berlin Wall.  I wish I'd come here sooner, I think that it would have helped understand some of the other sites in the city.

Overall Berlin was great, but cold.  We were mostly doing outdoor activities and were limited to only a few hours before being chilled through.  We drank a lot of coffee and hot cocoa to overcome it.  I would love to go back when it was warmer to see more of the city. 

And that's a wrap!  Home for Christmas here I come, then back to warmer climates.

London, take 2

I never expected that I'd get to London twice in one year, but here I was, back again.   Different friends, different focus, same city.  The great thing about London was that you can have vastly different trips in the same city.  So when I was here in February, it was a cultural excursion.  We went to the theater, had high tea at Harrods, saw a traveling photography exhibit, and day tripped to Greenwich and Canterbury for a bit of history.  Oh, and Harry Potter was a driving factor in our route through the city. 

This trip, we focused on the big stuff- Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, London Eye, and the museums.  It was a hectic, chilly week but we saw so much of the city.  I loved all of the holiday decorations strung over streets or lighting up squares.  We even visited a few of the Christmas markets! A lot of what we saw was either new to me, or things I hadn't seen in 17 years, so I gleefully played tour guide to a friend while soaking in all of the history. 

It's hard to pick a favorite "new" thing.  It's probably a toss-up between Shakespeare's Globe Theater and Windsor Castle. Windsor was full of history and power.  The audio guide was fantastic, and the state rooms stunning.   But Shakespeare in Love is one of my favorite movies (I even watched it on TV one night in Israel!) so seeing the Globe was pretty cool,  even if it was a recreation.  My friend and I were the only ones there for the tour so we got to sit in the elite boxes.  There were student groups up on stage having a grand time.  What a cool field trip! 

My favorite revisit was Westminster Abbey.  I clearly didn't remember much (or it's changed a lot).  Seeing the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary I, and all of the famous authors and scientists too... It was great.  I was elated to  find the memorial stone for Ann of Cleves ( wife #5, I know that one!) In the many names on the wall. 

PSA: if you haven't seen The White Queen, The White Princess, The Tudors, Elizabeth, Masterpiece: Victoria, The  King's Speech, The Crown, The Queen.. You should.  And I'm sure there are more I'm missing.  Actually,  just watch the BBC History of Britain.  

What else.   

I got to see my second-to-last confirmed Michelangelo statue at the National Gallery. It was being cleaned in February when I tried to see it at the Royal Academy. St Petersburg, I'm gonna get to you eventually for the last one!

Still haven't had a proper British curry, but did get some good Chinese food.  London has so many options for food. I don't need any more falafal for a while after five weeks in the Middle East.  In fact, I had been craving Mac and Cheese for weeks, and it was the first thing I ate in London!  

My last day in London I started Christmas shopping.  Can't believe its already that time.