Summer Recap

 Summer highlights (part I):

Dubrovnik

This was our first stop with Brian’s parents – who came to visit us in June!  Dubrovnik is located on the southern tip of the Croatian coast.  It is absolutely beautiful!!  We had been looking forward to visiting Dubrovnik since we arrived in Croatia 10 months ago (or you could say since we heard Beyonce and Jay Z vacationed there). It did not disappoint!  I loved the red roofs and the walls.  The “old town” (seen in the picture) is surrounded by a large stone wall which was used to protect the city.   That was my favorite part of Dubrovnik, walking along the walls.  The views from the wall are incredible – definitely worth the entrance fee and the long, hot walk all the way around the city.  Half of the time you are seeing and taking pictures of the beautiful rooftops and the other half you are walking above and looking out at the Adriatic Sea.  The seafood was easily our second favorite thing about Dubrovnik!  We highly recommend the restaurants Wanda and Revelin. 

Italy

Next we went to Tuscany and Rome.  Brian’s parents took a train through Italy starting in Venice and then on to Florence, Pasitano, and Rome.  Thanks to a Croatian holiday we were able to take a long weekend and meet up with them in Florence.  We drove, which took us about 6 hours from Zagreb.  Not too bad!  Florence was great.  I LOVED the shopping, all the leather, stationary, porcelain, art.  It was so fun.  In addition to Florence we went on a day tour which took us to Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa.  Plus we went to an amazing little farm where we took a tour and had a delicious all organic lunch.  That was definitely our favorite part of Tuscany :)   The beautiful, rolling hills were just as I had imagined them, very picturesque.  It’s a good thing I didn’t see a villa for sale – I would have been tempted to pull a Diane Lane and buy it on the spot!

As Brian’s parents headed on to Pasitano, Brian and I decided to take advantage of already being in Italy and drive on down to Rome; a 3 hour drive from Florence.  Oh how we love the Eternal City!!  We loved everything about Rome:  the history, the architecture, the fountains, the Vatican, the museums, the food, the shopping…  it was all fantastic!  The Colosseum was truly amazing – we could not get enough of it!  Oh and the Sistine Chapel, talk about breathtaking! 

Whenever we visit a big city we always research and have the address of some ethnic restaurants written down.  Our first day in Rome we found the Indian restaurant that we had previously looked up without any trouble.  This in itself was a victory.  There have been times when we’ve spent hours looking for a particular restaurant never to find it.  Anyway, we found the restaurant but unfortunately it was closed for lunch.  However, there was a man at the door who worked there so we asked him if we could make reservations for dinner.  No problem, except they don’t start serving dinner until 9pm!  Well, when in Rome….  Not really – we settled for pizza and ate dinner at 6! 

Our hotel did not have AC - in fact it might have been as old as the Colosseum!  But because of that we had to leave our windows open and each night we were treated to live music in the comfort (or discomfort in this case) of our own room.  Even though we were trying to sleep – the music didn’t start until after midnight – I loved it.  It was actually really good and they sang Mambo Italiano and Volare!  It doesn’t get any more Italian than that :) 

Austria

To end our time with family we went to Austria.  First stop, an adorable little ski town in the Alps:  Bad Gastein.   It was beautiful.  We spent one day at a thermal spa – which we all very much enjoyed!  It’s amazing how warm the water was, and the pools are all naturally heated.  Bad Gastein is a VERY friendly town.  At one restaurant we asked if they took credit cards, and they didn’t, so Brian and his dad went to find an ATM.  As they were leaving Pam and I overheard the owner say “they could have come back tomorrow to pay.”  Amazing!  The ladies at our hotel were also very friendly, maybe a little too friendly - any time we would leave the hotel they would ask us where we were going.  Nice that they’re interested, but can also be awkward/creepy if your answer is ” just to get something from the car.”  Before we knew it we would automatically tell them where we were going before they even asked.  “Good morning.  We’re just going to go on a short walk.” 

We also spent a day in Salzburg.  Salzburg is famous for Mozart and The Sound of Music.  It is a very cute little town.  They had a market set up along the river (which I of course loved) where people were selling all sorts of goodies.  We bought some local bath and kitchen salts - during lunch we overheard a man telling someone how the name “Salzburg” actually comes from the word “salt.”  After that we figured we definitely needed some salt if that’s what the town is named after!  Salzburg made a great little day trip.  And the hills definitely did seem alive with the sound of music :)

Things we love about Croatia

1.  The walkability of the city, and the great public transportation

2.  Slatki sir (a delicious pastry filled with sweet cheese – tastes kind of like cream cheese.  i could eat one every day!)

3.  It’s super safe

4.  Outdoor seating.  Sidewalks here are full of people sitting outside dining and having coffee – even during winter!  (cafes have heat lamps and blankets to keep you warm.)

5.  The AMAZING coast

6.  Having a city square

7.  Fresh bread

8.  Markets

9.  Red roofs

10. Hot wine during winter – and the vendors who sell roasted chestnuts.  The smell is amazing.

Things we miss about the U.S. (other than family and friends)

1.  Free refills – seriously

2.  Ethnic food (especially Mexican and Indian)

3.  The Today Show

4.  Target

5.  College football games (OSU!)

6.  Eavesdropping/being able to understand conversations going on around you even if you aren’t interested in listening in. 

7.  Donuts, muffins, bagels

8.  Barns and Noble

9.  Fast food (other than McDonalds)

10. Good, Oklahoma thunderstorms

Paris, I Love You!

Wow!  I can’t say enough good things about Paris.  This was “the trip” for me, the trip I had been looking forward to my whole life, and it didn’t disappoint!  We spent 4 days there over Easter weekend and every second was amazing – even when it was raining.

I don’t know exactly how to describe Paris.  A friend of ours did a pretty good job by saying “Paris has the energy of New York and the quaintness of Europe.”

The Sights

Obviously we loved the eiffel tower.  However, it wasn’t love at first sight.  When we first caught a glimpse we could only see the top half, and to be completely honest, I kind of thought it looked like an oil rig.  On closer observation we were in awe.  It is so tall and beautiful and at night when it glows it is truly stunning.  Seriously, it made me a little teary-eyed.

Notre Dame was insane.  It’s the most beautiful church I have ever seen with more detail than I thought was possible for a building.  One thing I highly recommend for anyone visiting Paris is to climb to the top of the bell tower.  Yes, you’ll have to wait in a long line, and yes, you might come close to passing out while climing the 400 step spiral staircase – but it’s worth it!!  Let me also mention that as you’re climbing your way up you’ll get to a break in the stairs where there’s a gift shop.  Even if you don’t want to buy anything, take that opportunity to stand still for a while or even sit because you still have a lot of stairs to go!  Once you reach the top the view is breathtaking!  And you get to be up close and personal with the cool gargoyles.  This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for both Brian and me.

Montmartre was highly recommended to us and we really enjoyed it.  It’s an area on a hill with beautiful views of Paris, a gorgeous church, and great little shops and bakeries.  It is also the area in which the movie Amelie is filmed.  We’ve also heard that this is a great spot to buy street art, but unfortunately I think the rain kept the artists away the day we were there.

The Fashion

- Khaki trench coats.  They were everywhere.  And yes, I bought one there to fit in :)
- Nautical shirts.  Navy or red stripes.
- Scarves, yes they’re still huge.
- This is a bold one - cut off denim shorts with tights and flats or boots.

The Food

Pastry Heaven:  Flying into Paris there is a little bakery at the airport called Paul.  GET A PASTRY THERE!  I don’t know if it’s because it was our first pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) or if they just really are that good – but it might just be the best thing Brian or I have ever eaten.  Seriously.

The French cuisine was delicious, the wine was delicious, the desserts were delicious, the paninis were delicious.  It was all delicious!  Latin Quarter (the name of an area) was my favorite place to eat.  They had reasonably priced French restaurants, a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, and of course bakeries for when we just wanted a snack.

The People

I went to France expecting the French to be rude (I have seen European Vacation after all) but that was not the case!  Everyone we met was very nice, would speak to us in as much English as they could, and some people even went out of their way to help us - we got lost on our first night, it was dark and raining and we were standing under our umbrella looking at a map when a guy, with his arms full of groceries, stopped in the rain to help us.  And thank goodness he did because I think we had been going around in circles :)

Yep, we really loved Paris, and hope to make it back before our tour in Croatia is up.  We’ll post a few pictures shortly.

Au Revoir!

London Town

We spent a long weekend in London recently, and had a blast.   I had Monday off of work for President’s day,  and took off the Friday before, giving us three nights there.

We got things started with Fish & Chips in a nice little pub – pretty good stuff.  On Friday night we took in the musical Billy Elliot, which has been all the rage there for a few years.  We liked it fine, but neither of us are putting it up there with our favorites; it was big on dance and not on singing, which wasn’t really to our liking.  But overall, a fun experience.

We made our way around the city on Saturday and Sunday primarily by one of those tourist buses that you can get off of and on at major attractions, and which provides commentary about stuff as you drive along.  We’re not ashamed, as touristy as it may be.  It’s a convenient way to see the main draws and you learn some interesting things, too.

The highlight for each of us was probably the Tower of London – a fortress area that housed royalty, other VIP’s, and prisoners for most of the last century.   Saw where some famous people like Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were beheaded, as well as the Crown Jewels.  Katie especially liked it because she’s a fan of the Philippa Gregory historical fiction books that deal with all that.

Other highlights included:

- Portobello Street in the Notting Hill area; good shopping on a cool street (we bought a neat picture there)

- Big Ben and Parliament; big and pretty. Both are really quite fabulous.

- American Food; McDonald’s breakfast (they have McDonald’s in Croatia, but for some reason they don’t serve breakfast) and Krispy Kreme

- Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane; cool markets and lots of great ethnic food sold on the streets

- Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery; a very regal-feeling area with great views of the city, and we liked the 18th – 20th century paintings in the art gallery

- People speaking English; nice to be able to eaves-drop again…. And we of course enjoyed those cool British accents

We also liked Speaker’s Corner (an area in Hyde Park where anyone can get on their soap-box about any topic they want as long as they’re prepared to be heckled by the raucous crowd), Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey.  Additionally, was very nice to have some good ethnic food.  I loved the Indian restaurant we ate at on Valentine’s day.  That’s my only complaint about Zagreb – can’t find any good ethnic food.

It was a jolly good holiday.

Cheers!

Brian

sLOVEnia part II

Slovenia rules.  Things went much smoother for us after the first few days and it ended up being a really nice little non-vacation for us.  I call it a non-vacation because Brian still had to go to work, but we managed to find some time for fun :).  What an amazing country!  The capital, Ljublana, is very small but has fantastic architecture, a beautiful river that runs through the city, and as the perfect backdrop - a castle  that sits on top of a hill.  It was fabulous.  And luckily for us, it’s only an hour and a half drive from Zagreb! 

The language there is Slovenian, but everyone we talked to (except maybe 2 or 3 people) spoke near-perfect English.  So it was very easy to get around.  The food was delicious, yes Brian ate a horse burger and he liked it!  They have much better ethnic food there – like Indian and Mexican – than in Zagreb, so that was a major plus.  The shopping was great as well – they had an H&M (in addition to other fun stores) and we went to an Ikea in Austria that was only an hour away.  

So what do we sLOVE the most about sLOVEnia?  Lake Bled.  Oh my gosh, it was breathtaking.  Any lake with the Alps behind it is going to be beautiful, but there are 2 things that make Lake Bled extra special.  1:  the castle that sits on top of a huge cliff at the base of the lake, and 2: the island with a church on it.  It’s hard to describe just how beautiful and peaceful it really was.  

We also went to Lake Bohinj which was very nice.  It was more enclosed by mountains than Bled, and the water was crystal clear – pretty impressive for a lake, but we both liked Bled the most.  We can’t wait for the weather to get warmer so we can go back and swim! 

The beautiful Lake Bled: with the island and the castle behind it.

 

A closer picture of the castle at Lake Bled

 

Lake Bohinj

 

Ljubljana

Slovenia Part I

Well we made it to Ljubljana this past Sunday- but we definitely got off to a rough start.  We were initially planning on leaving Friday afternoon so that Brian could meet everyone at the Embassy and we could settle in and have the weekend to hang out in the city.  So when we lost hot water in our apartment Thursday night and lost the heat Friday morning, we didn’t think much of it.  They don’t need to hurry out to fix it- we’ll be leaving soon anyway……not smart on our part.  We got a call mid-morning Friday  and we were told that the weather was terrible in Slovenia.  It was snowing and the highway was down to one lane, so they recommended that we not leave until Sat or Sun.  It was still snowing on Sat.  When we finally left on Sunday we were so cold and so dirty that all we cared about was getting to a warm apartment with a hot shower. 

The roads were fine, but there was a lot of fog- in fact it was the thickest fog I have ever seen, so it ended up being about a 2 hour drive (usually about an hour and a half).  So not too bad. 

As soon as we got there (about 4:00) I started unpacking and that’s when I realized that I had forgotten some things……. a lot of things…….a lot of things I couldn’t spend 2 weeks without.  I blame it on being so cold.  My sweet husband tried to talk me into staying at the apartment and taking a long hot shower while he drove back to get my stuff.  (I love him!)  But I didn’t want him to make the drive to Zagreb and back again by himself –  and he didn’t want me driving back by myself the next day, so we both got back in the car.  We found an Indian restaurant in a guidebook that said it was open until 10 pm, so we left hopeful that we’d make it back in time for that. 

What should have been an hour and a half trip turned into a 7 hour day.  When we finally made it back to Ljubljana, it was about 8:45.  We found a parking spot and ran (shuffled) through the snow to the restaurant.  The lights were on, the door was open, but when we walked in they were folding the table cloths.  Not a good sign – they had just closed.  I felt so bad.  Brian had been looking forward to Indian food since we found out we were going to Slovenia and after such a long day of traveling, and after being so sweet and not once giving me a hard time about us having to go back, I really wanted him to have a great meal.  It was just not meant to be.  Instead we found a bakery and both got what looked like a pizza bread.  Well it was actually a pizza bread surprise, the surprise being a hot dog in the middle.  It was pretty weird, definitely not delicious Indian.  
                -We went back to the restaurant Monday.  It was very good!

So Tuesday rolls around and I find out that the cable here shows the Bachelor on Tuesday nights!  We decided Brian would grab some Chinese take out on the way home and we would stay in and have a Bachelor night.  When he went to get the food, the restaurant wasn’t there- it had either gone out of business, or the internet gave him the wrong address.  Plan B: he came home and we tried to find delivery.  We couldn’t find anyone that delivered, so after several phone calls it was time for plan C.  There is a Thai place pretty close to the apartment we’re staying at, so Brian said he’d run over and grab some Thai food to go and hopefully make it back before the show started.  This is what he said to me when he got home: 

       “You can’t depend on a Slovenian Chinese restaurant to be where it’s supposed to be; you can’t depend on a Slovenian Thai place to have food (it was actually a spa- we just hadn’t noticed the small print); but you can always depend on McDonalds!” 

as he pulled two McDonalds bags from behind his back.  Thanks for saving the day McDonalds!

We made it through the rest of the week fairly smoothly and I’m optimistic that next week will be great.  Ljubljana really is a beautiful city!  We’re planning on going to Lake Bled tomorrow - and really looking forward to that!  Stay tuned for part II of our Slovenian adventure. 

On a different note.  Brian did have 2 classmates from his A-100 class who were posted in Haiti, thankfully they are both safe but please keep them and everyone who was in or affected by the earthquake in your prayers.

The Best of the District

2009 was a GREAT year!  It was one year ago yesterday that Brian and I left Oklahoma bright and early and headed to DC.  We left not knowing how long we would be living in DC or where in the world be would be moving to next (it could have literally been anywhere).  All part of the Foreign Service fun!  We ended up spending a little over 9 months in DC and absolutely loved our time there.  It’s such a cool city!  Here’s looking back at some of our favorite things/moments in DC.  

Top 10 favorite things about DC 

"The Bowl"

10.  Ben’s Chili Bowl 

What’s better than a good, greasy chili dog?  Ben’s Chili Bowl is awesome.  If you look in the guidebooks they will tell you that Ben’s has been around since 1958 and was and is a dining staple for some very famous historical figures including Martin Luther King Jr., Redd Foxx, Bill Cosby, Bono, and Mayor Anthony Williams.  There is a sign posted inside that says “the only people who eat here for free:  Bill Cosby and President Obama (but he paid).”    

9.  Arlington Cemetary 

We loved the sense of calm and serenity one feels at Arlington Cemetary.  It’s a truly beautiful, lovely place that really causes you to reflect on life.  We particularly liked the view from Arlington House, which is an old house that used to be owned by Robert E. Lee (as was a good chunk a the cemetery grounds), and is perched on  a hill with a beautiful view of D.C.   Other great things about Arlington Cemetary include:  the Tomb of the Unknowns, where you can watch the changing of the guard; the Kennedy gravesites; and the Iwo Jima Memorial (which is nearby).

8.  The Smithsonians 

The museums in DC are fantastic, and thanks to James Smithson who in his will wrote that if his only heir, his nephew, died without children, he would leave his fortune to the United States of America to found in Washington an establishment for “the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.”  It’s also interesting that Smithson was British and had never even been to the US.  What a generous gift!!  The Smithsonian is not just one museum, but 19!  Out of those 19 (not that we made it to all of them), our favorites  included the National Museum of American History, National Gallery of Art, Portrait Gallery, and the Museum of Natural History.  Another reason these museums are so cool- they’re free! 

7.  Georgetown 

Georgetown is one of the best places to walk around, shop, and/or have dinner (or just dessert at one of the many delicious bakeries).  Lonely Planet describes Georgetown as Washington’s cheerleader: “Bubbly, beautiful, brainy, and only a little bit mean (when it comes to your wallet).”  We also love Georgetown because it’s home to our favorite restaurant (#2 on the list). 

6.  The 4th of July 

It was so cool to spend the 4th of July in our nation’s capital.  We watched fireworks sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument and Capitol in the background.  It was beautiful.  

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

5.  Screen on the Green  

Screen on the Green has been a DC summertime tradition since 2005.  On Monday nights (usually in July or August) movies are shown on a huge, theater-sized screen on the National Mall.  It’s a blast!  People get there really early to claim the good spots and bring lots of food to have a nice picnic before the show starts.   When the music that precedes the movie starts playing, everyone gets up and goes crazy!  There’s dancing, jumping, clapping, shouting, getting pumped up for a fun evening (it’s also an opportunity to stretch your legs one last time before having to sit on the ground for 2 hours).
 

4.  The Washington Monument 

Whenever anyone asks what my favorite DC monument is I don’t hesitate.  It’s the Washington Monument.  (And Brian would agree.)  We love its height, no building in DC is taller (it’s a federal law).  There were times when I would be far from the National Mall, sometimes even driving outside of the district, and still be able to see the monument standing tall and proud.  A few facts from Lonely Planet:
-The Washington monument is 555 ft tall.
-Construction began in 1848.
-It’s made from marble.
-A lack of funds during the civil war stopped construction and it was not finished until 1888.  Unfortunately, when they re-started construction, the new marble didn’t match, giving the monument a two-toned look.
-When it first opened the elevator to the top viewing deck wasn’t considered safe for women, so men could ride the elevator while women had to take the stairs.  

  

 

Pictures from the top of the monument

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

3.  Inauguration 

We were at President Obama’s inauguration.  What an amazing day!  It was held at the Capital and there were so many people that Brian and I only got as close as the reflecting pool (thank goodness for jumbo-trons).  It was very emotional - there were people crying, hugging, celebrating, forcing their children to stand in the cold for hours so that they could witness such a historical day.  The energy there was palpable.  

Inauguration

 

2.  Taj of India 

I think one day we may go back to DC just to eat at this restaurant!  We probably ate there once a week.  It’s delicious- best Indian food EVER!  If you’re ever in DC you must go there.  It’s in Georgetown on M Street.  You won’t regret it.  

  

  

1.  Cherry Blossoms 

The cherry blossoms were breathtaking.  It might be hard to plan a trip around them because it’s hard to predict exactly when they’ll bloom- but it would be worth it.  That was by far our favorite day in Washington. 

 

 

Sretan Bozic! (Merry Christmas)

Christmas is my favorite time of the year- and in Vienna they do it up right!  We hit about 4 Christmas markets while we were there and we loved them all.  The main market (Christkindlmarkt)  is in front of Rathaus, the town hall, which is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.  This market is the largest and oldest in Vienna- it’s been around since the 13th century.  There are tons of stalls set up selling all sorts of Christmas fun including crafts, decorations, food (bratwursts, apple cinnamon pretzels, waffles with roasted plums or strawberry sauce, and homemade caramels are just some of the delicious things we had)  and thousands of ornaments.  They have a huge tree and lights everywhere, it was really amazing.

Rathaus

We also went to the Christmas market at the Schonbrunn Palace, which is the former summer residence of the Austrian Emperors.  It was really nice, the stalls were set up in a circle in front of the palace so people could easily shop or hang out in the center where there was a Christmas tree, hot wine, snacks and carolers.  Hot wine can be found all throughout Europe during the holidays.  It’s delicious!  Definitely not as simple as heated red wine; they add a lot of sugar and several spices so it almost has a cider taste to it.

The Schonbrunn Palace

Vienna was a great birthday trip!  Even though it was insanely cold.  The drive was really easy- it only took us a little over 4 hours, and time flies when you’re listening to Christmas music  (If you haven’t heard Diana Krall’s Christmas CD, check it out, it’s great).  The city was really lovely.  We plan to make it back sometime to take in more, like some world-class museums and maybe a little music (it’s the home of Mozart, among many other famous musicians!).

Next on our travel list:  Slovenia next month for a couple weeks (Brian will be working there), London in Feb for Brian’s birthday, and PARIS in April!

We are spending Christmas day in Zagreb- it’s a good place to be.  The city is beautiful right now with Christmas trees and lights, and there is a huge stage in the main square where they have been having concerts pretty much every night.  We finally found a little Christmas tree for our apartment, so we are all set for tomorrow.  I’ve been told that it is a Croatian tradition to put the tree up on Christmas Eve, so they didn’t start selling tress on the street until this past weekend.  In fact, we’ve both seen people carrying trees home today!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

The story of wideawake.org

www.wideawake.org  just launched this past weekend and as many of you already know Brian and a few of his friends have been working on getting this nonprofit started for years.  What some of you may not know is the story behind it and what motivated Frank and Brian to get this all started.

Brian and Frank were traveling in Africa one summer during law school when they came across a group of local kids who told them about an Australian missionary that lived in their village.  This Australian missionary ran an organization that provided meals for about 100 kids- for some of the kids that was their only meal of the day!  She also started a gardening program where she would help families start vegetable gardens.  Brian and Frank went to meet her and ended up spending a few days in that village helping out and hanging out with the kids. 

After seeing the amazing work that was being done there, and the lives that were being changed Brian and Frank started thinking about how there must be other organizations out there, that like the one they came across in Africa are doing really good things, but people just don’t know about them.  That’s when they got the idea that if they started a website to get the word out about these grassroots aid organizations, people would want to help. 

So they contacted people they knew from around the world who were working at different nonprofits and started creating a list of organizations that they felt were making an impact, and were trustworthy.  Once they started that a few of their other friends started sending names of nonprofits they knew someone working at.  To date they have 13 “affiliates,” which are the nonprofits that they have on their website. 

Where did the name “wide awake” come from?  Well, Frank first got the idea from a U2 song of the same name.  U2 is of course Brian and Frank’s favorite band.  They also feel like it’s appropriate in the sense that they want the website to help people become wide awake to the needs of the world and of the many opportunities that exist to help those in need. 

 It’s a great organization!!  I am a proud wife and friend.  Check out the website at www.wideawake.org.