4th Anniversary - Roundtrip to Polanda via Vienna
Saturday, October 11th, 2008
Posted in Adventure, Family, Photography, Travel by Vanessa | 3 Comments - add yours now!
Justin and Vanessa at Castle Wawel in Krakow - Vistula River flowing past
As some of you already know, Justin surprised me with a trip to Poland for our fourth anniversary. While we did things tourists are typically expected to do, such as visiting Castle Wawel and snapping photos in Rynek Glowny (the grand square) in Krakow, and strolling through Stephansplatz and along the Danube Canal in Vienna, the primariy purpose of our visit was so that I could experience, first hand, the land of my ancestors.
For a time I’ve been working on a family website based on research my great aunt,
Justin at St. Stephen's Cathedral - Stephansplatz, Vienna, Austria
Vanessa in St. Jacobus in Nysa, Poland
Off on a ‘Top Secret’ Journey
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
Posted in Travel by Vanessa | 3 Comments - add yours now!
In truth, it’s only top secret to me. Justin has something secret and special planned for our 4th anniversary (Wow!!! 4 years!); his lips are sealed on the topic. In a few hours, I’ll know where we’re attempting to go. We are flying standby, afterall.
What I’ve managed to deduce so far: It’s probably an international flight given how long we’ll be waiting at the airport. It’s not a JetBlue flight, given the attire I am wearing to attempt to get on the plane. I don’t know if we’re taking the puppies or if someone is watching them - though am guessing the latter considering it’s possibly a non-JetBlue flight. I’ve also managed to deduce it is not a Caribbean destination after all (I’d originally thought otherwise) as I was told not to packed sandals, hiking, or beach clothes. This goes entirely against typical Justin and Vanessa vacations - no hiking!? So, I am stumped. I just hope we make it on the flight. With only 5 seats open and an unknown number of standby passengers, it’s a gamble at best.
Luckily Justin has a couple of backup plans. =)
I read this quote a moment ago and it had a strangely peace-inducing effect. I thought I’d share it with you: “Give each day the chance to become the best one in your life“ - Mark Twain
Montana Photos & Random Writing
Sunday, September 28th, 2008
Posted in Photography, Writing by Vanessa | 3 Comments - add yours now!
Hiking near Red Lodge
First of all, check out my photos from Montana including my brief stopover in Denver. Warning: too many self-portraits. There are some lovely scenic shots though. ;)
This morning I wanted to spend some time writing but I was uninspired so I just decided to describe a bit of mine and Justin’s journey home from Brooklyn last night.
Last Night
We stumbled every few steps over the uneven sidewalk, scarred as it was with thick bands of wild grass, broken and even shattered to bits in some areas from neglect… The streetlights became soft orbs of light in the humid night air. On a bridge in the distance, the line of lights was distorted so everything glowed, seemingly uniform. To our east, a fair distance beyond the nearest buildings and the river, the city was entirely obscured by the thick, hazy moisture. All we could tell of the city was a strange purple glow, refusing to acknowledge the presence of a sunless sky – ignoring the notion of twinkling stars above.
Calvary Cemetery by Tony the Misfit
An impressive cemetery stretched out along the western side of the street. All the stones were black, slate, grey. Towering obelisks and massive crosses crowded together, interspersed with hulking sepulchers. As crowded in life as in death in this city of ours. We could’ve been in New Orleans – my imagination readily allowed. My companion snickered as we clambered passed the Best Western City View Hotel. All of the windows facing the cemetery were frosted. I suppose this was out of concern for their customers rather than deference toward the dead. It would’ve disappointed me had I stayed there. The cemetery was really quite lovely, and at sunset, I imagine it would be breathtaking to behold filled with warm golden light.
We walked into a more residential neighborhood where the sidewalks notably improved. Spanish voices serenaded our march as a mother ushered in her little children at 10PM – their playground an empty street with one lone Latin bar. I suspected that the bar was completely abandoned, though the loud music emanating from within suggested otherwise.
A few minutes later we came to the corner of a couple of streets flanked by tall, red brick apartment buildings and spotted a small yellow cab. It was one of the new, more energy-efficient hybrid models. We were lucky to flag it down easily. Upon climbing in I was surprised to discover that the safety glass I’d become accustom to which separated driver from patron was non-existent in this state-of-the-art vehicle. I wonder if it speaks to the current safety of New York city streets or something else entirely that has yet to occur to me. I gave the driver our address and we sped quickly home.
Why France?
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
Posted in Thoughts by Vanessa | 6 Comments - add yours now!
I came up with a “plan” a long time ago while I was dealing with some unpleasant issues in my life that would allow me to escape everything customary and normal. I decided, if I was not enjoying the life I was leading, then I’d run off to the south of France and grow old and plump baking pies (and probably bread and muffins, too). It seemed like a peaceful, incognito existence outside the norms of American life and the suffocating goals of American dreams.
Flowers in France
At one point this locale-of-expatriate-fantasies needed no explanation as to the ‘why.’ However, some run-ins with not-so-nice French people during mine and Val’s last trip to Europe (specifically in Paris), as well as similar experiences imparted to me by other travelers, has prompted me to answer the question “Why France?”
I think, in this instance, a picture is worth a thousand words. I didn’t take this photo, but as I was updating the ALA website with information on our European vacations, I came across this shot of the Loire region.
Babies from Justin
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Posted in Adventure by Vanessa | 2 Comments - add yours now!
Wild About Montana’s Beauty
Monday, September 15th, 2008
Posted in Fun, Photography, Travel by Vanessa | 2 Comments - add yours now!
What a lucky gal am I? Justin flew all the way from New York City to Billings, Montana just to spend Saturday with me! He arrived at 10:30 pm on Friday night, and I dropped him at the airport at noon on Sunday. I could not have asked for a better time together, though I may have asked for it to be longer!
At first, Saturday morning was dreary and rainy. I was disappointed because I’d hoped Justin and I would make our way to Red Lodge and to the Beartooth Mountains. I knew there was hiking around and supposedly Red Lodge was a cute little town. Everyone told us to go there on our first trip to Montana in June, though the pass was still closed due to snow.
Despite the weather, we decided to head toward Red Lodge anyway. We had a delicious lunch at a pizzeria in Red Lodge. Slowly but surely, the day began to improve! We browsed in the local shops and Justin tried on, decided to buy, and then deciding not to buy a coat from an antique store. The store also had a really rad German hat from WWII but it was super tiny and wouldn’t fit my gigantic head, so I didn’t get it. We noticed intermittent patches of sunlight and decided to continue on our way to Beartooth Highway and the Beartooth Pass. I’d heard it was beautiful, but words could not express the truth of the beauty of this place. Check it out for yourself - captions and photo notes accompany the images: Photos of Snow, Hiking, Chipmunks and Kisses>>
After a lovely day of exploring a new town, a scenic drive and a bit of hiking, Justin and I relaxed in the hotel room, watched some TV, and noshed on hamburgers at Fuddruckers for dinner. We also played a hunting video game where we shot moose - that was a blast! Justin won (but I still killed more turkeys on the bonus round!). I love you, sweetheart. Thanks for coming out to Montana and showing me one heck of a good time. :)
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