Travel – Page 4 – FestiBelt Adventures

7 countries in 77 days

September 5, 2014May 6, 2015adriennesipLeave a comment

Here is the outline of my epic journey.

I’ve left room for plenty of detours.

Oh, how I love when a plan starts to come together! Unemployment has given me adequate time to do some in-depth research. I’ve been pouring over TripAdvisor forums, loads of blogs and good ol’ travel guides for weeks now and here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

#1-Japan

I’ll be flying into the Narita airport, north of Tokyo and connecting with a YMCA Camp Jeweller, Matt Allan, who is stationed in Yokosuka with the US Navy. I plan on hopping the bullet train to Mt. Fuji Nat’l Park and contenting on to Kyoto and Osaka. I’m only there 6 days but I intend to live it up!

Next up, I’ll fly in to Bangkok (the star in the map below) from Tokyo and then start traveling counter-clockwise and then head down the peninsula to Singapore!

#2-Thailand

In Bangkok, I’ll be met by Bryan- a friend I met through a St. Michael’s connection who works for the US Government. Bryan transferred to the Bangkok branch on August 8th and since he’s new in town, he’s going to be the perfect sightseeing buddy! After a few days of eating amazing Thai food and wandering through markets & temples, I’ll fly out of Bangkok and into Cambodia.

#3-Cambodia

phnom-penh-city-cambodia-tours — capitaltourscambodia.com

I’ll enter the country at Siem Reap, a town made famous by the temples at Angkor Wat. I’ll buy a 3 day pass in order to take my time & escape the heat when I need to. Then, I head down to Phnom Penh (PP) to meet up with Meaghan T. (a 20 yr + friend from Camp Gordonwood)! I am a lucky girl ~ Meaghan is letting m come to her school for a day!

#4-Vietnam

I’ll cross this boarder by land- after securing a visa in PP and continuing on to Ho Chi Mihn City (HCMC) where I’ll meet up with another Camp Jeweller- Troy Jankowski from Sydney! We’ll take the train to Hoi An and then to Hanoi. The rice terraces of Sapa and the rock formations of Halong Bay are on our itinerary. Hopefully, we’ll find time to take a cooking class too! (Photos by vietnamtravelsonline.com)

#5-Myanmar (Burma)

Troy & I will arrive in Yangon for the Festival of Lights! Then, we’ll travel to Bagan, Inle Lake and fly out of Mandalay at the end of the 2 weeks. For more photos of Myanmar, check out this book by Scott Stulberg.

There will be another few days in Bangkok as Troy flies home and Laura Johnson flies in from Nashville!

#6-Malasia

Beautiful-Malaysia-Wallpaper__yvt2 — (Photos from parallelperception.com)

Batu_caves_KL

In Malaysia, Laura and I plan to laze around on tropical beaches, wind our way through Kuala Lumpur and end up in the sovereign city-state of Singapore!

#7-Singapore

content_super-trees-singapore — (Photos by dogonews.com)

I won’t arrive in Singapore until December, so it I haven’t made many plans. It’s a big city (and it’s own country!) so I hoping to meet up with fellow Masonite Heather Klepper Roddocker while I’m in town. This is the last stop in my travel adventure… I’m already feeling nostalgic.

The Traveler’s Catch-22 (or 3 reasons why I should not go on this trip.)

September 3, 2014May 6, 2015adriennesip2 Comments

I’ve have a lot of time to think lately.

Much of this time has been spent thinking about vaccines, visas and voltage (say that 3 times fast!) As I repeatedly recount the story of my next adventure I find myself feeling the need to justifying this trip.

These are the three questions that keep popping into my head when I start overthinking.

amazing-places-to-see-before-you-die-15-21

(This photo is of Halong Bay, Vietnam. Taken by Nic (Luckypenguin)

#1: I don’t have any money.

I understand that it is not fiscally responsible for an unemployed person to traipse across the world for three months. BUT…. Time IS money, people! And I’m RICH with TIME! Welcome to what I’ve dubbed the Traveler’s Catch 22: If I wait until I accumulate a stack of cash, it will be when I have a job again! If I have a job, then I won’t have 3 months off to travel! I’ll put as much as I can on a 0% credit card and pay off this trip next year.

(Photo of Bagan, Myanmar by Raul Cruz Photography)

#2: It is not SAFE for me to travel the world ‘alone’!

Well, safe is a relative word… because LIFE is a risky endeavor! For my own sanity, I have always tried to stay in that sweet spot between being overly cautious and being blissfully ignorant. Like Kenny Rogers says, ‘Trust in God, but lock your door!’ (I bought some great travel insurance too.) ‘Alone’ is also relative, I’m meeting a few old friends along the way and I’m sure to make many new friends too!

(This photo of a monk in Angkor Wat, Cambodia was taken by Timothy Allen/BBC)

#3: I should be looking for a full-time job or working on adrienneleephoto.com, not going on vacation.

Sure! That sounds like a good use of my time! But I consider this a ‘life experience’ trip, not a vacation and I’ve decided that when I’m old, I want to have a collection of stories instead of a collection of fine china to pass down. I may be broke, but my aim is to be interesting!

Now that you know WHY I’m going, read my next post to find out WHERE I’m going and WHO is coming with me!

Celebrations: Americana style, Netherlands style

July 20, 2014July 20, 2014adriennesipLeave a comment

The wonderful and well-traveled Natasja came to Nashville to stay with me for the first week of July 2014. Natasja and I met in S. Africa in 2008, we hit it off so we adjusted our travels to scuba and surf together.

In September 2013, Mom, Dad & I spent 3 days with her in Prague!

She came to Nashville via New York, where she had spent 4 weeks at a yoga farm in Woodstock, learning how to teach Sivanada yoga.

10502149_10152269070983877_2373131883078282818_n I went to pick her up at the airport on Sunday night and Monday we had breakfast at Sky Blue Cafe. Across the street there was an adorable house with a white picket fence and an insane amount of flowers!

Then we hit up Kroger and headed out to Opry Mills Mall. We bought $15 Gap jeans, shoes and matching $3 patriotic Flag shirts.

That night we tried to eat at the vegetarian restaurant, Wild Cow, but got there just before they closed. We went across the street to Rosepepper and Natasja got a vegan burrito and was super happy.

July 1st: (Happy Birthday Jessie!) Today we went to a little boutique called, OMG with 300 lbs of gold glitter lacquered into their floor. Then we mailed Jessie’s birthday package and headed down to Hillsboro Village. We went to Pangea and bought cat postcards and to BookManBookWoman and bought nothing. At 4pm we saw our first movie at the Belcourt! It opened in 1925 to show silent movies, then was briefly the home of the Grand Ole Opry! Afterwards, we head to Wild Cow again… and it was closed on Tuesday. Pfft. Calypso Cafe was a great replacement!

20140702_122946_Richtone(HDR) July 2nd: THE BEST DAY EVER! We canoed the Piney with Paul and Laura! N & I stopped at Mitchell’s Deli and bought everyone a yummy sandwich. (They were as delicious as Zingerman’s but half the price!) Then we picked up Laura and Paul and headed East. It’s still amazes me that 45 minutes outside of Nashville, everything is all backwoods and pick-up trucks.

Our canoe outfitters were great: Pinewood Camp & Canoe. The gave us this cool canoe with a toking rabbit.

It was a perfect paddle: quiet river, all to ourselves. A green heron followed us along the river. It was 83 degrees and we stopped to swim. Ahhhhhh.

20140702_113824_Richtone(HDR)

We had gotten dropped off and paddled back to camp- when we got there we found a rope swing! Paul and I went off of it 4 times. Super fun!

20140702_164447(0)

We stopped at M.L.Rose for veggie burgers (& 2 for 1 beers!) after our paddle and met this awesome person: our waitress, Meridyth! She spent 3 months in Cambodia and was hilarious. Obviously, we’re buds now.

Since none of us wanted this super day to end, we walked Paul’s dog, Neepa and got shakes at Bobby’s. It was 10pm before we headed home. Best Tuesday on record.

July 3rd: We made oatmeal & headed out to Sri Ganesha- a Hindu temple that I drive by on my way to work.

We arrived while the priests were doing a ceremony. We took our shoes off, entered the temple and inside there was a giant room with many small shrines to Hindu gods along the wall. In the center, there was a 10×20 room with a giant statues of Ganesha. The priests chanted as they made offerings of fruit to the elephant-headed god. They rang bells for a long time and wafted incense over the offerings. When the short ceremony was over, they passed the plate around and brought you back fruit from the altar commensurate with your donation. Natasja and I each got a banana.

There were ladies sitting on the floor, threading fresh flowers into leis to purchase for the statues in the shrines. There were little kids running around and fliers for senior’s activities. The temple had a very family-oriented vibe, like church. We thanked them and headed off.

Next, we headed to Warner Parks so Natasja could see where I had been spending the summer. We met the lovely ladies at the Nature Center, prepped some crafts at the Field Station and walked around a bit. Then it was time to find dinner! Paul had a fantastic vegetarian suggestion, Woodlands Indian Restaurant!

Natasja was thrilled that Woodlands was all vegetarians, since it’s pretty hard to tell if ‘stews’ contain meat until it’s too late. We shared Thali- Chai tea & rice pudding.

Then we raced off to the Ryman for one of the Bluegrass nights: Yonder Mountain String Band! They had 2 special guests: Sam Bush and Alli Krall. Alli sang ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton and RAGED on the fiddle. I wanted her to play Dolly’s songs all night. Yonder was great but they were prone to long ‘solos’ for each player… during EVERY SONG. Natasja discovered that she’s not really into ‘jam bands’.While we were listening to Yonder at the Mother Church of Bluegrass, MOM & DAD arrived and made themselves at home. We cruised Honky Tonk row after the show, so they were asleep by the time we got home.

You may notice the police officers in the background… Natasja was entertained by their golf carts. They must have been bored, later they were shining their flashlights on Natasja & giggling when I took her photo.

July 4th: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, AMERICA! I had planned a day jam-packed with patriotism, so we made breakfast and headed down to a little neighborhood that has been putting on a 4th of July celebration for 38 years! They start with a what they called a ‘children’s parade’, even though each child had at least 2 adult escorts… so it was more like a ‘parent’s parade’.

We took our dish-to-pass to the food tent & found our seats for the reading of the Declaration of Independence!

Can’t you just hear this couple’s conversation?

“Alan! Alan!?! You’re going to miss the symphony, Alan!” “Martha… I’m right behind you.”

Dad is looking super-happy because of all the free hot dogs.

After the symphony finished their Sousa marches, it was time for the pot-luck! YUMMMMM!!!

This is the most patriotic pie I’ve ever seen! And it was Natasja’s favorite: Rhubarb-Strawberry!

After we pulled ourselves away from the festivities, we stopped at Centennial park. Did you know that the largest train fatality in the US happened in Nashville in 1918 on “Dutchman’s Curve”?!?!

Well, now you do.

Then we head to Hillsboro to have Las Paletas popsicles- they are handmade in 30+ flavors! Mom & I had Mexican Caramel, made with goat’s milk! Dad had lime. N had banana, dipped in Olive & Sinclair chocolate. We were all tuckered out from the festivities and head back home to nap. We had dinner at Tenn16 (Dad wondered why his chicken & waffles had so much syrup on the chicken…) Mom & I shared some awesome meatloaf. We couldn’t linger, we had to make it downtown for the fireworks! Luckily, Laura & Won had been holding some prime viewing real-estate for us! We were still wearing our patriotic matching outfits!

The 10 minute drive to downtown took 45 minutes… but when we got there- it was totally worth it!

The show was the 2nd, only to NYC’s this year! The thing that made it really over the top was the Nashville symphony- they were playing music, synchronized with the blasts! Too bad they didn’t have louder speakers. While we waited for the traffic to clear, we checked out Won’s house, that used to be a bank. He turned his 3 story vault into a library, using shelves from the bankrupt Border’s Books.

This is where you make deposits! And photobombs!

There is a theatre upstairs! And a ballroom!

July 5th: Breakfast at home, then off to Olive & Sinclair for a chocolate tour!Mom and Natasja look fabulous in their hairnets! Roasting Beans. Even the chocolate grinder is patriotic.

Then, off for burgers and Mint-Oreo shakes at Bobby’s and a stop at Antique Archeology, which is the shop from the History Channel show, American Pickers. There was a long line and it was boring. Don’t bother.

It was WORLD CUP time! Off to a patio pub to watch the Netherlands vs. Costa Rica!

It was 0-0 at the end of the game… so on to penalty kicks! HUP, Holland, HUP! AND THEY WON!!!

To celebrate the end of a successful visit, we toast with tiny mustache glasses full of Limoncello, sent as a gift by Natasja’s handsome Italian cousin, Silvio. It’s too bad this epic week is over! I miss you, Natasja! Ciao, Bella!

July 6th: Mom and Dad headed home after breakfast, taking their, “newest & tallest daughter” with them.

I was sad to see them go, but N got to see the new house in progress AND my baby photos. So it was worth it. Natasja- I can’t wait to figure out where in the world we will meet up next!!!

Slepacia, Slivovecia and wood-fired pork knee! Oh my!

December 12, 2013December 12, 2013adriennesipLeave a comment

Klato

We arrive at Alena's house just before noon and lunch smells fantastic!

Meals are long and boozy when we are hosted by our Slovakian relatives. Every course begins with a shot of local liqueur called Slivovica, served in a fancy cut glass. Whoa! Mom & I play along- knocking back our shots and shouting, “Nastrovia!!!” Dad has learned that he can opt out of most celebratory drinking with a single word, “Chauffeur”, since the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.0%. Slovakians take drunk driving very seriously… probably because they take their drinking very seriously!

*Upon closer review of this photo- this is breakfast. Omelets and shots = Yowza!

The first course is always Slepacia. Homemade, delicious chicken soup with delicate handmade noodle (if you're lucky). Alena had ordered focaccia with bacon from the bakery and I had to pace myself- everything was so delicious but there was more to follow.

Then, the pork knee arrived at the table, wood fired and full of flavor. (Did we have veggies?) There is a little plate of cut veggies & pickles- just like at G'mas house.

We sat for a while after dinner- Michael in the center of multiple conversations- and then dessert arrives on the table. Kolache! Dad's favorite kind of Slovak cake is a roll with walnut paste inside. There is also a poppy seed version that is very popular. G'ma Sip used to make both varieties. Two & 1/2 hours after lunch began & its time for a walk… Or a nap. We opt for the guided tour of Klato.

In such a small village, the principal attracts attention wherever she goes. We stop to talk to kids & parents as we head up the hill to the cemetery.

One of the older women we pass offers us handfuls of walnuts that she has collected.

In the cemetery, we visit Alena's mother's grave, Stephania who passed away 3 months ago and clear the leaves off her grave and light a candle for her. In Slovakia, everyone takes care of their own family's grave – one family was there doing some landscaping with white quartz rocks.

The town of Klato is so small that they do not have a church- the chapel in the cemetery holds services on Saturdays, when the priest from the next-town-over is available.

We stopped in side to ogle the paintings on the ceiling and making sure our number wasn't up…

Jesus is now serving number 888.

After leaving the cemetery, we make the logical next stop… the VINOTEKA!!!

Slovakians grows lots of grapes and many of them make their own wine. This guy built a bar in his basement and it's awesome! He is also a metalsmith and really went all-out decorating the bar in a manly fashion.

The owner really wanted to put up this sweet chandelier and then his wife pointed out that tipsy patrons may try to swing on it. So, he re-installed it to support up to 250 lbs. In the photo, Veronica + Michael are giving it 'the ultimate test'. It seems to be holding up!

Did you notice the pitcher of cloudy 'wine' in the photo of all the taps on the wall? No? Well, it may have been your introduction to BURCIAK- its midway between grape juice and wine. A lot of the sugar hasn't fermented into alcohol yet, so it's sweet yet gives you a buzz. And since we had WALKED there, Dad's usual excuse did not apply. This photo cracks me up!

The tour of Klato wasn't over, next we head over to Alena's school to check out the Agricultural Fair! We'll save that excitement for next time!

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Prague: Mucha, Hemingway and the 800Kr ticket.

October 4, 2013October 4, 2013adriennesipLeave a comment

Natasja was excited when we found an Irish pub in Prague that served a full Irish breakfast. I was excited because it was called O'Reilly's and made me think of Jessy and John! Eggs, hash browns, beans & toast!

I met a guy traveling in New Zealand, who took photos of the man-hole covers in each town to chronologically document his trip. It's a good idea, so now I do it too! The sign on the right initially freaked Natasja & me out! Were we in an area where people were mugged at gunpoint?!? Nope, someone had used a Sharpie to alter the sign. (But we still haven't figured out what the words say…is that 'N' backwards?)

Off to find Mucha! I must admit that before I'd arrived in Prague I had never heard of Alfonse Mucha. I was definitely a big fan of Art Nouveau art/architecture but I appreciated it more as a genre and hadn't really considered the individuals artists behind the art. Today, that was about to change!

The museum was small, only 3 rooms but it was a great introduction to the life of my new favorite artist. Alfonse Mucha was born in 1860 in Monrovia- the area that currently divides the Czech Republic from Slovakia. He had attended art school in Vienna but hit the big time in 1894 in Paris when he was commissioned to create show posters for the legendary actress, Sarah Bernhardt. He was instantly famous and the posters that accompanied Bernhardt's shows became as anticipated as her next performance.

In 1900, he designed the Pavillion of Man for the Paris World's Fair. In 1906 spent time in New York, doing portraits & looking for a financial backer for a series of 20 enormous paintings depicting the history of his beloved Slavic people. 1910 he returned home to lend his skills to the Municipal House in Prague (below).

Attribution:Jorge Royan (used by creative commons license)

In 1918, after WWI, Mucha designed the money & stamps for the new Czechoslovakia. In 1931, he completed an immense stained glass window for St. Vikus, the cathedral in Prague castle.

Unfortunately, when the Nazi first came into Prague, Mucha's Masonic activity & fame made him a target. He was one of the first people 'questioned' by the Gestapo and died from pneumonia shortly after being released. If you're still reading this you may appreciate Mucha's website, http://www.muchafoundation.org/.

Natasja & I used TripAdvisor to find the best museums & restaurants in Prague, and that night we searched out a tiny place known for their unusual cocktails called the Hemingway Bar. It did not disappoint. It was a small door in a dark side street that opened into a cozy, dark bar. We sat at the bar & Ondrej came over to give us the menu & the Hemingway etiquette rules. Natasja had already broken #5 by talking to the guy next to us, 'Hi! What are you drinking? Are you from Tibet?' Nope, he was Russian…

Luckily, the Russian (Danzan) was in town to see the Dali Lama and open to conversations with nosy tourists. By the end of the evening Danzan & Natasja were Facebook friends (breaking rule #7) sharing sips of Absinthe. Absinthe is not designed to be enjoyed straight up, Ondrej explained the process to us.

A small amount of the greenish, anise-flavored liqueur is put in a glass. A flat, slotted spoon in placed across the top of the glass. A sugar cube is placed on the spoon & a steady dripping of water melts it into the glass. It's all very classy. Or maybe it was Ondrej's suspenders that made it classy. We had a great time chatting with our new friends & when we decided to head back to our hostel they were protesting, “Don't go! Stay for one more!” Maybe if we had stayed longer, the 800Kr ticket wouldn't have happened…

Natasja & I are still a bit unclear on why the 15 min metro ticket we bought was not valid. But the facts are clear. We caught the Metro home from the bar and as we exited the escalator a giant, burly man Ina dark blue jacket asked to see our tickets. We proudly produced 2 tickets, and were told that they weren't valid for use in the city center, only the other zones. Arg. In case you'd like a reminder of what those blasted machines looked like… Here!

Natasja made a valiant effort and asked the man if we could just purchase the proper 24Kr tickets right now, since it was an honest mistake made by silly tourists. Nyet. He showed us his 'badge' and we were informed that he could give us EACH an 800Kr ticket if we'd rather. No thanks. We made one last plea to not pay the stupid fine but the guy didn't budge. In fact, he pulled out his phone & asked if we'd like him to call the police in to clear up this confusion. This guy was serious! So we paid and fumed back to our room. Thank goodness we had some spectacular new roomies to tell the story to, Priya & Remona! I got up on a chair so they coud get an idea of how big & grumpy the ticket man was! We laughed a lot and Natasja got to tell them her story of bribing a train conductor in order to get to an Ashram in Priya & Remona's country, India. Gotta love making new friends!

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Prague/Praha/Praag: It all depends on how you see it.

October 2, 2013October 2, 2013adriennesip1 Comment

Saturday, September 14th

Elly & I had a relaxing morning; I packed and then we walked to the park to recap our adventures and drink a Club Mate'. They sell it at every refreshment stand in Berlin. Elly was sure that this was some kind of local beer, but then saw a librarian drinking it at work! Turns out, it's locally made, carbonated tea with a syrupy sugar flavor. It's what you would call an 'acquired taste'.

All this talk of Clib Mate' reminded me of this: fun with Googlie eyes!

1- A trash can (thanking you for the hotdogs.)

2- A cherub (You can tell that the tall cherub is totally spreading rumors.)

3- Club Mate' is more appealing with eyes.

After our shenanigans, we hugged goodbye and I caught the U-Bahn at the station near Elly's (SchlesischesTor) and made my way towards Hauptbahnhof (a big train station & 4 floors of shops).

I had just enough time to buy Natasja some Duncan Donuts and find my reserved seat on the train. I had attempted to buy my tickets on-line, but they wanted to charge me 18€ to mail me my 75€ tickets. While in Berlin, I went to the train station and bought the same ticket 'on special' for 44€! Score!

The ride was 4.5 hours long, the first hour was just industrial wasteland as we exited Berlin. After we passed Dresden we were following the Elde river and it was picturesque! Often, the far bank had a paved trail and we saw many people biking, hiking and even camping along the river.

That evening when I arrived at Prague's main train station (Hlavni nasrazi) things got a bit tricky. I felt like I was on The Amazing Race! I had to get Czech Krona in order to buy a ticket into town, but no one spoke English. I eventually found a 'Bankomat' (no wonder saying 'ATM' didn't help me) and got $1400Kr. But the ticket machine only took coins! (Later, I figured out there is an attendant at a ticket window.) Next, I bought a yogurt, so I had change for the machine and with the help of my guidebook, managed to purchase a ticket (12Kr)! It was only 2 stops on the Metro, then I was wandering the dark street, looking for my hostel, Miss Sophie's.

After a 20 minute confusion with our bed assignments, I stashed my bags in the under-bed-rolling-locker (great idea!) and walked toward Wenseslas Square.

I found my way down to the National Museum (Narodini Muzeum) – (the awesome desk staff informed me that from 8pm- 1am was Free Museum Night (Prazska Muzejni Noc)!) but the line was long so I headed back to Miss Sophie's to see if Natasja's plane had arrived.

And she was!!! YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!YAY!YAY!YAY!YAAAAY!!!!

We headed back out to the museum where we admired 3 huge portraits of Franz Jozeph, used a 150 year old printing press and tried on a fancy gentleman's hat.

(Do you think he noticed I was wearing his hat?) We stayed at the museum until 1am, then caught the 'futuristic' Soviet metro back to our hostel.

Sunday, September 14

The next morning, near a traffic circle with a fanciful fountain, we found the restaurant Zanzibar. They served fresh ginger tea and had great eggs/omelets! Then, off we went, down 'Ameriky Street' to wander around Old Town.

We saw the Charles bridge.

Natasja took this awesome pic of Wenseslas Square (which is more of a boulevard than a square…) The National Museum is at the top of the hill.

There were some pianos strewn about town, for people to play. And we found Wenseslas riding an upside down horse in the Lucerne building. (Also, lattes!)

Then we headed down to explore the Old Town square, where all the tourists converge.

The square (namesti) is huge, surrounded on all sides by gorgeous buildings and old churches. The astronomical clock is here as well- it was built in 1410 as a tourist attraction and people are still gathering to watch it every hour. It is beautiful but keep your expectations low, it's hourly 'performance' consists of two little doors that open to reveal…the 12 apostles!!! Yahoo!

We wandered the market, had tea and at 2pm headed back to that blasted clock to meet up with our Royal Free Walking Tours guide. She was awesome & had many sad stories to tell us about the history of Prague. For example, the man who built the clock in 1410 was Master Hanoush and Prague was so worried that he would make another clock for a different town that they poked out his eyes! He ended up throwing himself into the clock gears & the clock didn't work for the next 100 years because no one was smart enough to fix it. Ha!

Enough heavy stuff, just look at these cute pix of Natasja to help you feel better.

The walking tour was 2.5 hours of interesting history with Bianca- we learned about Charles the 4th, who built the bridge & university that, 600 years later, still bear his name. That's him, in the left panel of the photo below.

Prague was also home to Franz Kaftka, the photo on the right is from one of his stories about a man who finds an empty suit walking by his window and rides it through town. Thanks to Alfonse Mucha, the building is the most interesting Art Deco design in Prague- the Municipal House. In a city so full of Art Deco design, this was my favorite, there will be more photos later. Promise.

Bianca told us that Mozart loved Prague too. He wrote the opera, Don Giovanni, for the Czech people. Alfonso Mucha was a big Czech patriot as well, and at the end of WWI, when Czechloslovakia became a country (1918) , he lent his artistic talents to the new government. Mucha designed their printed money, postage stamps and other materials. I bet they were pretty, just like the lady in the photo below. Mucha rocks.

Bianca also clued us in to Prague's tumultuous last century. It started in the 1930's with the Nazi, then the Communists ruined Czechloslovakia. Resistance grew during the Prague Spring in 1968. The next year, Jan Palek, set himself on fire in front of the National Museum. 180,000 demonstrators arrived at Palek's funeral, but the Communists weren't forced out until the 'Velvet Revolution', two decades later.

The weather had been fairly rainy and when we went to explore the Prague Patagonia store, Natasja ended up buying a sweet jacket! The staff were great & even pulled up the Facebook page of the Portland Patagonia store so I could show them my friend, Matt!

Later, Natasja & I found a spectacular little Italian restaurant to escape the rain and I had the best mushroom risotto ever! It was mushroom season, so all the mushrooms were fresh & wild-picked! Yum!

Tomorrow we see the Mucha museum & drink Absinthe at the Hemmingway bar! Stay tuned!

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Amsterdam: Drag Queen Day & Buttocks Day

September 16, 2013May 6, 2015adriennesip1 Comment

The day started off with Van Gogh but after we accidentally stumbled upon a street party in De Jordaan, the Drag Queens rules the day. So here’s one of them, just to start us off. She’s telling that guy to get off her stage or she’ll but a stiletto where the sun don’t shine.

Now we can get back to Vincent.

Amsterdam has an amazing 3-floor Van Gogh museum – it is curated chronologically, so the first floor is his early works & its interesting to ‘watch’ as he learns to master perspective. There are also exhibits with medical scans of his paintings that show how he’d paint over paintings that he didn’t satisfy him. Amother room is dedicated to painting he did in the asylum after he had a few psychotic episodes & cut his own ear off. The biggest ‘draws’ are Sunflowers and Almond Branch but my new favorite is Thundercloud.

The Almond Branch is Natasja’s favorite, but I had never seen it! The deep color of the blue/purple background is perfect with the delicate pink almond blossoms. The walls of the museum were brightly painted to compliment the paintings. The only way this museum could have been improved is if they also had Starry Night; but I guess we have to leave something for the New York City tourists! We weren’t the only ones who thought so- there was a block-long line @ 10:30am! Luckily, our museum passes let us go in a separate line & we hardly waited at all! Below are my nominations for Tackiest & Least Sensitive museum gift.

Natasja & I head to her yoga-friend’s flat to celebrate their guru’s birthday & on the way we stopped at the Blue Tea House (Blauwe Theehuis) in Vondelpark. It was built in 1937, looks like 3 saucers stacked on top of each other and is the best spot for a latte on a sunny afternoon. Vondelpark is a main thruway for bikers, pigeons, joggers and tourists so it has a Central Park vibe to it.

A short walk later & we arrive at Ommurti’s building. We ring the doorbell but instead of hearing the buzz that indicates the door has unlocked- we heard a clank & a metallic chain sliding in a metal pipe… Hmmm. Opening the door I see our hostess at the top of a skinny staircase, 2 flights- straight up! She has just yanked a handle mounted on the wall that pulls a chain connected to the lock on the door. Beats walking down those stairs just to let us in!

There are 4 of us gathered for a ‘Satsang’- chanting & meditation dedicated to Guru Sivananda’s birthday. It is laid-back and joyful. Susan plays the harmonium and Ommurti & Natasja take turns leading mantras. Then Susan shares a few paragraphs from some of Sivanada’s teachings. The funniest one talks about shaking hands with the shrubs. Gurus don’t always take themselves so seriously.

We have tea & vegan snacks, then head out to explore De Jordaan. As we cross over a canal we hear Aretha Franklin blaring in the distance. Aretha = Party, so we head for the music. It turns out that a bar next to the Tulip Museum is celebrating their 85th anniversary with a block party! There is a stage and a pair of Drag Queens, lip-syncing. Then, people get called up onstage to sing… Some of them can, and some- not so much. It’s a lot like Karaoke. One of the folks with a good voice- Henny Lester- had a 1-Hit wonder in the 70’s about life being a carousel. Luckily, it’s pretty catch in Dutch since it was the only tape she had with her, she sang it twice. It was odd, hearing her old/smokey voice singing over top of her spritely 1972 voice.

There was also a cheese show/ museum next door & they were furnishing all the snacks! We ate a whole meals worth of cheese; wrapped, cubed or spread, with meat or bread. During a particularly awful performance we went inside to check out the cheese museum. It was more of a display but there was a Dutch milkmaid costume to wear & a Dutch Boy to pose in photos with you. Darn right, we did that!

Back outside, everyone is taking photos of some famous Dutch guy who is totally winning karaoke and really enjoying himself. Walter Cruse, I think. Anyhow- there was dancing, singing & general merriment.

We were totally entertained by the drag queens & by their following of dancing gays and neighborhoods grannies. Everyone was having such a good time- PLUS they had a penny- squishing machine! It was totally epic and we kept staying for one more song/ costume change. Yuri, the little Dutch boy took a liking to Natasja & I and kept bringing us cheese platters. Eventually we got so full of cheese and sing-a-longs that we just called it a night and went home. But there are videos…

The next day was Monday & Natasja had to work @ 2pm. In the morning we headed to the Rijks museum. It is insanely large and we only saw a few exibits. One was full of butts- some carved, some sculpted, some painted. We also saw the newly opened hall of murals and halls full,of colonizing-era artifacts. The wing with Rembrandt & his contemporaries was the last thing we saw before we had to head out. Rembrandt painted lots of Old Dutch guys with ruffled collars & Pom-poms on their shoes. And least we forget that we were in Amsterdam, there were lots of tulips/windmills.

The coolest ‘curated’ aspect of the Rijks Museum are the laminated explanation cards. They come in multiple languages and point out the most salient features of the most visited paintings. This card for this swan (painted in 1650 by a guy named ‘Jan’) points out the angry dog in the shadows of the lower left, indicates ”poop” under the swan and labels the single feather floating down from under the wing, ‘Pfff’. Love it.

We had to keep to our schedule so that we could have famous Dutch apple pie before Natasja left for work. It’s made in a springform pan, with a full butter crust on top, bottom & sides. The inside is more solid & the insides don’t slide out in a slippery-apple-cinnomany pile like an American apple pie. It was perfection.

Natasja dropped me off @ the Anne Frank House but my museum card didn’t let me jump the line unless I had a reservation. 😦 30+ minutes later, I was shuffling my way through the secret passageway behind the bookcase! Just like I had read about in school!

It was interesting to walk through the house- they didn’t refurnish it, preferring to leave it empty to force tourists to imagine what was gone. The video interviews from Anne’s classmates & friends were touching. They described her as, “A normal girl… A bit bossy- but everyone liked Anne!”

She had asked her father to keep her diary in his suitcase every night, but never to look in it. He didn’t look in it until after he walked home from the concentration camp (it took 3 months) & then he sat @ the train station for another month until he heard that all of his family had died. Then, finally – he worked to get Anne’s diary published like she’d hoped. She had heard a call over the radio for written accounts of the war that were being collected by the Dutch and she had re-written most her diary to prepare it to send in to the contest.

In the video interview with Otto Frank he says that he was surprised by all the ‘feelings’ Anne had (about herself, boys, the war) that she never shared with him, even though they were very close. He said, “Parents never really know their children as well as they suppose.” There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. Then we saw the famous red & white plaid diary Anne had received for her 13th birthday. At the end of the tour is a gorgeous cafe, overlooking the row houses along the canal. I sat there, thinking about all the small stories that make up a life and watched the rain.

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Shawarma Sisters in Seattle

August 8, 2013August 8, 2013adriennesipLeave a comment

Where did we leave off… Jessie & Adrienne had hit Multnomah Falls, Hood River and Portland on Thurs/Friday~ then they were off to Mt. Saint Helens on Saturday! Next, the sisters cruise into Seattle for an ethnic eating adventure! Due to the kindness of Friends (Becca P!) we have a place to crash in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle.

And Jessie is craving food that she can't get in the Vail Valley- so the first night we find a Vietnamese restaurant and feast on a huge bowl of Pho (soup) and spring rolls! Yum! We're off to a good start!

Sunday we make ourselves breakfast (and discover that the eggs left in the fridge were hard boiled. Oops!)

Then we head off for our tour of the Theo Chocolate factory! It was $7 and is HIGHLY recommended! They source their beans personally and then ship them to their factory- so they are a Bean-to-Bar facility! So cool to see the whole process PLUS we got to eat a LOT of chocolate. 🙂 My personal favorite was the Vanilla Cacao Nib and Jessie loved the Chai tea bar. None of it was bad. So we bought all of it.

We headed out the door and wandered into the Sunday market! It was a optical extravaganza of amazing booths! We spent oodles of time staring at the amazing ($15) flower arrangements grown on a local farm, checking out rocks & amber and chatting to a guy who was bending wire into animals as he spoke to us.

If we had an extra $70 we would have bought Jessie a wire picture entitled, “Mermaid Bubbles” that depicted an adorable, farting mermaid. Perfect. We picked through tables of Russian pins, embroidered name badges and vintage costume jewelry, then took a break for some garlic Naan. Yum. We could have stayed all day! It was one of the most interesting markets we'd ever seen but we eventually had to leave – and go see Ballard Locks!

The boats have been coming in and out of these locks since 1917- and people still stand there and watch it happen. If you walk past the locks you can go under the surface and watch the salmon on their migration through the ladder.

That night we found SHAWARMA KING! We had lamb shawarma with saffron rice, hummus and falafel. Heavenly! Plus the owner was cooking in an open kitchen and we looked over and he was experimenting with an olive calzone-ish appetizer and he gave it to us because he couldn't eat until sundown!

Monday Jessie + I drove up to Anacortes to go on a whale watching trip… the Sipkovsky family has a bad luck with whale watching. And that streak continues! We had perfect weather and a lovely crew but we just couldn't find a whale anywhere! Not even in Canadian waters! 😦 I hope you enjoyed these nice pictures of water. Because water is what we saw.

Sip Sistas are not daunted by a lack of whales & so Tuesday we got lost driving to Lake Union and then accidentally got onto a highway express lane and had to take a time out in the parking lot @ the Space Needle.

Jessie rerouted us to Pikes Place, where we enjoyed a yummy lunch @ a place called, Sisters. Then we ate yummy Russian pastries for dessert & made our 2nd attempt to find Lake Union. Success!!!

There were 3 tourist-filled Duck Boats (buses that drive into water) tooling around, being sprayed by water cannon on the front of a police boat full of kids in ponchos. Then they had to open the drawbridge to let a giant scientific vessel through…I think it was name Melvin. It was definitely a nerdy name that started with an M, anyway. Lastly, there were SEA PLANES taking off & landing against the backdrop of the Seattle skyline! All of this action wouldn't distract Jessie from her houseboats! She loves them & as she was checking out other people's plants, she was divising ways to keep people from looking in the windows of Her future houseboat.

After nap time, it was dinner time! Off to eat @ an El Salvadorean restaurant- Tiko Riko! Super yummy tamales, pupusas & plantain fries! Plus there were 3 sauces! “Oooh sauces”, says Jessie. We head home to watch 'Wanderlust' and snuggle with the Saber-tooth kitty-cat. Ferocious!!!

Wednesday Jessie has to fly home 😦

We wash the sheets & clean up like good little house guests and then head out to Shawarma King to grab Jessie some airport lunch. So good! Those things that Jessie says look like fried intestines with chocolate drizzles are spectacularly sweet walnut baklava! Yuuum. I give Jessie a big hug & head off for my next adventure, Orcas Island! Love you, Sista!

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My sister hitched a ride to Umatilla.

August 7, 2013May 6, 2015adriennesipLeave a comment

I had been asking Jessie when she was coming to visit me in Portland ALL SUMMER. She's my favorite travel partner.

She and I have the best time adventuring together because she lets me do all the planning and as long as I include enough naps, she just goes with the flow. It really works for us . (For a recap, check out our 2009 “Sister Soiree” aka. 3 weeks in Belize & Guatemala.)

http://sipnerproductions.blogspot.com/

Soooo, I was uber thrilled when she called up on a Monday and asked, “What are you doing starting Thursday?” Luckily, I had nothing on the docket and on drove for 3 hours along the Columbia river to pick up Jessie in Umatilla. She had hitched a ride with Troy & Bugs who were on their way to the Gorge to spend the weekend watching Phish. Yay! Sister adventure begins!

Thursday afternoon Jessie & I headed back towards Portland and made a few stops

1- Hood River (beer/alpaca petting/Rainier cherries @ the farmer's market) 2- Multnomah Falls/Vista House

Shadow Sisters at Vista House!

Friday morning Jessie + I met Emily for breakfast at SHUT UP AND EAT. Awesome homemade English muffins and awesome name.

Then we had a beer @ a hat store, Emily helped Jessie buy an outfit for Timmy's wedding and we headed to the Powell's-~ the biggest, most awesome bookstore in the country!

Then we got on I-5 and headed north towards Mt. Saint Helen's! I hadn't made a reservation at a campground and we pulled in as the Camp Host was locking the front gate!At 9pm! Whaaa! Luckily, there was a cancelation and we set up camp on Yale Lake.

Saturday morning we packed up and headed to Two Forests- where the lava incinerated the trees but left tree-shaped tunnels we could climb through.

Ape Caves- we did the short tunnel (2 mile round trip) and then headed off to LAVA CANYON, which was an awesome hike with a suspension bridge, a waterfall and (eventually) some awesome views of Mt. Saint Helen's.

What's a rock like you doing in a place like this?

Then we headed off to Seattle- next post tomorrow!

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Mid-Summer Night Reflection

July 19, 2013adriennesipLeave a comment

Ahhh! The days have been sweltering, but the nights are cool & breezy. Driving home from yoga class @ 9:15pm, I noticed that it was mostly dark out! The sunshine hours are receding towards fall and I recalled that I was half-way through my summer in Portland! In 5 short weeks, Doug & Eric will be arriving by plane to drive me back to Michigan where I will spend the week zipping around the state, hugging people. THEN I'll be on a plane to Amsterdam! THAT is a whole other post…

This post is a Recap of Summer 2013!

May 16th= Birthday!

May 17th= Belated Birthday present from Luke & Susie! (Michael arrives!) Lots of parties and good-byes, chalk drawing with B, then Dad & I road-trip to Colorado!

May 24-27th = COLORADO SIBLING EXTRAVAGANZA!!

2 more days driving with Dadoo, “Shields UP!” (he says this when we go thru tunnels & we think its hilarious)

JUNE is full of fun touristy times ~ first via bike-map with dad, then with Erica! Zip-lines, brunch, REI garage sale, eating at food trucks, white water rafting, Saturday Market/kidnapping/Voodoo donut, Pride Week Bingo AND a road trip to Vancouver BC, up the most beautiful highway in the world, to Squamish! On the way home, I start Adrienne Lee Photography. We see Old Crow Medicine Show @ the Zoo. Then, Erica starts her residency at the pediatric ER & I dog-sit in Sellwood where a pen gets eaten and poo turns blue.

JULY! The most important week of July was covered in the last post; Crater Lake road trip! And then a weekend in Seattle with Becca! Also, I have been going to yoga twice a week and working HARD to learn how to set up my website for my photo business. Which is good, since I got laid off from my nannying job. Now that I've got a decent looking website ( http://www.adrienneleephoto.com) I'm going to do a few photo shoots with friends in the area and add a blog feature to my website. Everything's slowing coming together!