Rinse Cycle

I think that most of the time we forget about how awesome our country is.  If you spend time watching or listening to media, all you hear are points of negativity, failure posturing and political condemnation.  It is a rare occasion when the news covers about the beautiful landscapes and type of terrains that exist.  If you were to evaluate our country based on the media, you would potentially have a distorted view. I realize that the prism in which we view the universe in provides us with what we believe to be true, but that does not always mean that is the truth.

This past weekend, Debbie and I had a chance to visit one of the awesome treasures that we have in our country.  We had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Sedona, Arizona – a truly cool place that was grand on many levels.  As we drove through the winding mountain routes (route 89), we saw a gap between the mountains that made us go “Wow!” out loud.  After coming from the Scottsdale / Phoenix area, where these cities were full of people, buildings and noise, the relative quiet, open space and relaxing feeling while standing near the red rock formations was easily impactful on us.  In the short time we had, we explored their tourist area, went off roading on a jeep tour, ate our meals outdoors while looking out at the scenery and found spots for solitude and reflection.  By the time we left, we felt that this was a place to return for a longer period of time.

Under the hustle and bustle of life, where we spend our valuable time striving to make a difference, support our families and champion causes, we sometimes forget to stop and catch our breath.  Yes, I know that I write about this after I actually have had a chance to “press the rinse cycle” on my life, take a brief break and reset my perspective.  This time, we had a chance to view natural wonders and breathe in some fresh, untainted air.  We left our worries behind, stopped thinking about the “daily grind” and enjoyed our precious time together in a really different environment; an environment that was here long before our families arrived on these shores and one that will long outlive our generations to come.  Sometimes, we get caught up in the “BS” that assails our senses and forget that we do truly have a great nation, with awesome places to visit and natural adventures to be experienced.

When in Rome, Eat Pizza?

The travelers return home!

Bec has been home for almost a week now.  It has been great hearing her tell stories of her adventures of the past month – Israel, Greece, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland and The Czech Republic.  While traveling, Bec and her friend, Jenn, figured out what apps to use on their phones to help navigate their way through each country and how to maximize their time.  One of the big takeaways that I learned was no matter where they went, no matter which country they were in, they spent time and palate on enjoying the local cuisines.  They did not look for the American fast food places that seem to have gone global but truly understood that each country has its own food offerings and tastes.

Some of their local culinary experiences included:

• In Israel, they enjoyed hummus, falafel, baklava, shawarma and local wines
• In Greece, they enjoyed tzatziki, souvlaki and moussaka
• In Italy, they enjoyed pasta, pizzas in different regions, gelato and local wines
• In Brussels, they found out it was the originator of the Fry, enjoyed liege waffles (what we call Belgium waffles), chocolate and beer
• In Amsterdam, they enjoyed a burger, Stroopwafel, bitterballen and croquettes
• In Germany, they tried the local bier, flammkuchen (one of Bec’s favorites), pretzels, schnitzels and chocolate
• In Poland, they enjoyed perogies and local beers.  Interesting thing, Bec does not like liver.  However, she had a perogy sampler plate and her favorite was chicken liver perogies and kasha – it just goes to show that you never know whether you like something or not until you taste it, as preparations are different wherever you go.
• In The Czech Republic, they enjoyed goulash and Trdelník, a pastry filled with fruit and cremes of your choice.

Yes, we can find many of these foods here in the US, but it is never the same nor as fresh tasting as from where they originate.  I often use the story of being in a deli in Dublin and seeing a “New York City Sandwich.”  First off, there is no sandwich called that (especially in New York City) and I am not even sure what was in the sandwich that was representative of NY.  That is similar to eating food here at a Chinese restaurant versus a local restaurant when I was in Hong Kong.  Not the same.  I am proud that the girls spent the time to eat locally.  It was an opportunity to try new foods, to understand the culture from a different point of view and to realize that people in different parts of the world, while the same as us in many ways, have different ways of culinary expression.  It is an important learning experience that follows the old phrase that starts, “When in Rome…”

On The Road Again

Debbie and I have not had a road trip alone together since before Gab and Bec were born.  The last one was a vacation where we went from LA to the Grand Canyon to Scottsdale, Arizona.  The opportunity for the road trip this time was to pack up various items from my aunt’s condo and bring the fully packed car from Florida to New Jersey.  We arrived on Monday, and the first three days in Florida were spent working and taking care of my aunt’s business.  Thursday afternoon arrived, we had the car loaded with our luggage, various knick knacks, chachkas and memories.  As someone we talked to during our trip said, the spirit of our aunt was looking upon us.  At which point we raised our glasses of beer and toasted Temie.  We said goodbye to Temie’s neighbors, then off we went, just the two of us, in a car, and the open road ahead.  We had not booked any places to stay.  Excited – Yes!  An Adventure – Yes!  Would we make it in one piece?  Would we still be a happily, married couple?  Finally, it was road trip time and vacation (NO WORK). 

For years, I always poo-poo’d driving distances on vacation.  As a family, we did drive to Disney once, but I had a convention in Charlotte, so we tied the two together.  Otherwise, hop in the airplane and show up at the destination.  While there is a lot of empty spaces between cities, we enjoyed the opportunity to visit places we have never been to and realized that driving allowed us the chance to see more of our country, see new places and meet new people.

Some highlights:

• Visiting friends in Jacksonville – they wanted us to stay the night, but I decided to drive half way to the next stop – Charleston.
• Driving from 10:30 – 1:00 in the morning - there is NO ONE on the road.
• Arriving in Charleston in time for the tour guide to pick us up, greeting us with, “Welcome to this adventure.”  Adventure include: 
• Visiting the oldest tree east of the Mississippi, Angel Oak, that supposedly George Washington visited while smoking hemp from his pipe.
  
• Wine Tasting at Deep Water Vineyards
• Spirits Tasting at Firefly Distillery – who knew they had 27 products?
• Beer Tasting at Low Tide Brewery
• Dinner at a local barbeque and bar in Charleston, where next to us there were two people from Queensryche (that were playing that night) eating next to us
• Walking the historic streets of Charleston
• An evening spent in Richmond, Virginia where we ate dinner at Southern Railway Taphouse.  At 10:00, the place transformed into a local 20-something year olds hangout and we realized that we were more than double half the patrons age.  We feel young, but…
  
• Being fans of “Triple D”, stopping for a late lunch at Johnny Rad’s in Baltimore…fried edamame,  good pizza (El Gato, garlic white) and tasty dessert (Salted Carmel Bread Pudding).

At 8:30 pm Sunday night, 1,350 miles of road behind us, and multiple pits along the way, we walked into our front door.  The four-day “open road” adventure complete.   It was a great trip and we found some places we want to visit in the future.  The best part – we are still talking, are a smiley couple and had a great time being together.  It was great to be off the grid, not pay attention to emails and texts, and just spend time together, focusing on each other.