Attractions

The Jean Lafitte Pirate Ship

A sunset dinner cruise in Cozumel supplies lots of  relaxing fun that increases even more when you add pirates into the mix.  Decked out with dramatic masts, a waving Jolly Roger flag and a crew of colorful pirates, the Jean Lafitte does not look like your ordinary cruise ship.  Climbing onto the boat from the Cozumel dock, I sensed adventure in the air. About 60 passengers lined the seats on the boat and the pirates Pork Chop, Sparky, El Capitain and Jack Sparrow, plied us with drinks.  No sooner had I taken a sip of  rum punch, then I spied Jack Sparrow climbing the mast and gazing down on us suspiciously.  He and the crew proceeded to shake passengers down for jewelry, watches and hugs from the women. Read More »

Coffee Heart Art

Walking around Florence, Italy’s spectacular art galleries and monuments can truly overwhelm you and apparently make you physically ill – it’s called Stendhal Syndrome, and having been to Florence multiple times, I can definitely attest to feeling overwhelmed by all the beauty and history, whether or not the syndrome is real. (Although, it could also have been the fact I nearly knocked myself out on a 14th century beam at the top of the Duomo.) Not a fan of dizziness and feeling completely overwhelmed? How about trying out an entirely different type of experience at the Espresso Academy. That’s right! Instead of wandering around the Accademia or the many piazzas, you’ll get to learn about one of Italy’s greatest passions, which some people say is a work of art in itself – coffee and espresso.

Don’t scoff! The Espresso Academy gets really good reviews, and I find it to be a refreshing, creative alternative to the city’s innumerable art galleries. Here, you’ll learn that anyone can make a cappuccino – but making a good one takes skill and knowledge. Have ever been to a cafe that creates little milk designs on the top of your cappuccino? There’s an actual certification you can get to learn how to do that (it’s not as easy as it looks!) in the course called Milk Art.

I would also love to take the Tasting course – you are able to taste coffees from all over the world, both good and bad, and learn how to distinguish between high quality and low quality coffees. Apparently, coffee is as complex as wine, and this course will help prove that to you.

Florence, Italy

Photos: journeyscoffee, stevehdc

With its plethora of lovely old restored homes and storefronts, historic Dearborn Street in Englewood, Florida is the site for dozens of special events throughout the year. One of the most popular, the Fine Arts Festival hosted by the Rotary Club of Englewood, features well-known local artists and exhibitors from all over the United States and Canada. Fine art available in all mediums is available, including: sculpture (metal, wood and glass), paintings (watercolor, acrylic, oil and pastel), jewelry (gold, silver, and gemstones), photography, pottery and ceramics, and mixed media.

Fine Arts Festival draws exhibitrs and attndees from all over the country

The theme of this year’s festival, “Colorful Mutton,” is drawn from the work of Captain Jim Roberts, a Florida native who combines his passion as an angler with his background in graphic arts to create sea life designs through Gyotaku, an art created by pressing rice paper onto fish. His “Colorful Mutton” artwork Read More »

Northwoods Children's Museum

Children’s museums are often located in big cities, but once in a while we find a small-town gem.  Such is the case with the Northwoods Children’s Museum in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

Eagle River, with its population of 1600, is located in the heart of Wisconsin’s northwoods area.  Outdoor activities abound in the summertime, and it’s known for its snowmobile races in the winter.  But if you’re in the northwoods and it’s too wet or cold to play outside, take the kids to the Northwoods Children’s Museum.

The museum is located in an unassuming building, but don’t let its basic exterior fool you: inside are many quality and unique children’s exhibits.  Fishing in the river and using the ranger tower were favorites with my children, as were the musical instruments, the dress-up room, and the ambulance/hospital area.  Since everything’s in one room, children of various ages can enjoy their favorites while their siblings check out something else, all under the eye of a parent. Read More »

Native American Creek and Iroquois warriors were probably the first to discover the mineral-rich spring waters in Warm Springs, Georgia. Believing they held special medicinal properties, sick and wounded members of the tribes traveled to the springs to be healed. As the notoriety of the springs grew settlers were drawn to the area; eventually a resort was built at the site where the 88 degree water flowed from the hillside of Pine Mountain and pools were constructed to hold the waters. The resort became a popular summer retreat until the turn of the century, when both resort and town fell into decline.

Warm Springs pools were refurbished by the State of Georgia in 1994-95 for the 50th anniversary of FDR's death

The facilities languished for many years until Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited in 1924, hoping that the town’s naturally heated mineral springs would be an effective treatment for his polio-related paralysis. Swimming in the spring waters did not provide FDR with the miracle cure he hoped for, but it did bring Read More »

I am not sure what you think of when you first think of New York City, but for me, when I am away from my beloved city there are two things I miss: Central Park and the performing arts scene.

I’ve talked a little bit about it here before; the lights of Times Square, the beauty of the rows of theaters hosting the latest, greatest shows.  I’ve talked about ways to take advantage of ticket sales and discounts, whether it be through TKTS or with seasonal sales and offers like the ones that can be had now through November with the Seasons of Savings.

But Times Square isn’t the only great place to catch a good show.  Take the train (or cab) a little further uptown and you will come upon the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts.

Read More »

Manitoba Children's Museum

Once upon a time, we had four preschoolers and decided that a vacation to Canada (Winnipeg, to be exact) was a good way to spend some family time together, not too far away from home.

Our first stop upon arriving in the fair city was the Manitoba Children’s Museum.  With four kids, how could it not be at the top of our list?  It was the first children’s museum we’d visited beyond the walls of the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul, and we had a grand time there.

The Manitoba Children’s Museum is located in The Forks area of Winnipeg.  The Forks is a gathering place at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, and has a visitor center, restaurants, and shops as well as the children’s museum and outdoor activities. Read More »

Xcaret Eco Water Park near Playa del Carmen, Mexico

I went to a wedding in Playa del Carmen, Mexico in the Mexican Riviera a couple of years ago, and one of the most amazing things I did NOT have a chance to do was the Xcaret Eco Water Park. I was so disappointed because the place looks amazing. Xcaret (the pronunciation is “eesh-caret”) is a huge eco-water park about 1 hour south of Cancun and about 15 minutes away from Playa del Carmen. There is so much to see and do there, and there is definitely something for everyone.

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I am so embarrassed by my scrapbook pages of Rome.

Spanish Steps, check

We were there for five hours on a cruise ship stop on May 14 (a.k.a our 26th wedding anniversary) and being intrepid travelers, shunned the guided options NCL and Shore Trips dangled in front of our eyes. Why, I have no idea — we’ve actually traveled entire countries via the organized-tour-on-buses gig and had no problems with the concept. I, personally, enjoy the fact I have a luggage slave in these situations.

Maybe we could blame the fact it was our anniversary and we wanted to feel young and free, but it was more likely because we were too cheap to pay the going rates for an official tour. So we mapped out a few major sites we wanted to see — Hard Rock Cafe (hey, I had to collect my bear), Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Colosseum — jumped off the bus we rode in on and started sprinting with a map from Rick Steve’s Italy book clutched tightly in our fists.

No doubts, it's the Trevi Fountain

The cab driver dropped us off in front of the Spanish steps, so I know those photos are correctly labeled. We had a short spat in the middle of a sidewalk when my husband thought we should go straight to toss our coins in that famous fountain, and I was all for following the big sign on the corner saying “Trevi Fountain” with an arrow pointing right.

And that’s where my luck ran out.

At lunch, we grabbed a more detailed map and hoofed it toward the Pantheon. My husband went up the steps, I stood on the sidewalk, and we took photos of each other waving. We oohed over the architecture, and then went in quest of that Colosseum. It was just down the street a few more blocks.

Except it wasn’t. We wound up wandering through neighborhoods, looking at all kinds of interesting things we couldn’t identify or find on a map. We found huge grassy expanses that looked over some very impressive ruins, and spent a good portion of our time trying to figure out what they were. I still don’t know. Eventually, we had to take a cab back to our transportation to the ship, disappointed that we’d literally missed such a big chunk of history. It didn’t help to hear tales at dinner from fellow passengers who did visit the Colosseum (for sure).

Any clue where we are?

Well, you eventually bounce back from such mistakes, so I arrived home full of stories about our great week in the Mediterranean, and with a vow to go back and see more of Rome on a much longer time frame. Working on my scrapbook pages always reinforces these plans.

Help id this building!

And then for some odd reason, I decided to double-check the spelling of Pantheon after I glued it down in 3-inch high letters on my paper, and found myself staring at a Wikipedia page that blew my mind. That photo in no way matches mine, unless perhaps we were staring at the backside of the building, although Wikipedia isn’t terribly encouraging of that theory, either.

If you can figure out where in Rome Julie was, I’d be most grateful. Just don’t tell me you are a tour guide there. I can’t stand the irony. I would, however, be grateful for advice on how to fix that screwed up scrapbook page.

Photographs: Julie Sturgeon

Sagrada Familia from afar

Towering over Barcelona, Antonin Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.

Gaudi began work on the cathedral in 1882 and continued to supervise its construction throughout the remainder of his life, until 1926. Since then, various architects have worked on it, yet still, over 80 years later, it remains unfinished.

The cathedral is beautiful on its own, with ornately carved facades and soaring arches, but its long history and continued status as a work-in-progress make it all the more interesting. Those who visit and view it just from the outside will find it majestic, despite the ever-present construction cranes that stand parallel to its towers. But those who ride the lift to the top of one of the towers will have a much better view.

From here, you can not only take in a beautiful view of the city of  Barcelona laid out in front of you, you’ll also get an up-close look at the intricate details of the stone towers.  You can ride the lift back down, but walking down the narrow, twisty, turning staircase is a bit more fun. Along the way, you can also stop at several lookout areas for more views of the city and angles from which to gaze upon Gaudi’s wonder.

The Sagrada Familia is open from 9am to 6pm most days, with extended hours in the summer. Admission for adults is 11 Euros, with the ride in the lift an additional 2,50 Euros.

Photo credit: Katie Hammel