Be Wanderlustful: May 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Portoroz, Piran, Postojna, sLOVEnia

May 22-25, 2009 Sun+BBQ+Drinks = Memorial Day Weekend...in the USA :) In Europe it means long weekend and ample travel time! So Matt and I drove to Portoroz, Slovenia for a four-day weekend. It was gorgeous! There is a chain of hotels called the Life Class Hotels overlooking the water/port. There are 4, 4 star sister hotels and one "mother" hotel that is 5 stars. They are all connected by enclosed walking tunnels. I can't say that their standards were quite up to US four star standards but it was still nice. Portoroz is a big spa/thermal area, so the chain of hotels had a large thermal swimming pool and 7 saunas. We went swimming in the thermal water but it was cooler than it should have been and not as nice as Erding so we skipped out on the sauns...I mean, only 7 saunas, come on! that's nothing! Erding has at least 30 (or something like that). One evening we walked to Piran (3 km away) for dinner - we had awesome sea food while watching the sun set. On our drive home we stopped at the Postojna Caves, the longest caves (20km) in Slovenia. We rode a little train into the caves....flying through the stalagtites and stalgmites...literally ducking and dodging the cave growths! Then we walked 3-4km through the caves checking out several different rooms. The weekend was nice, relaxing, hot, and of course, too short! but a beach get away was just what I needed! Can I just say how much I loved waking up every morning to read my book on the balcony while the sun was rising and Matt was still sleeping....yes, awesome!!

the Life Class hotels, beach front

ahh, the LIFE!!!

cute restaurant in Piran

Piran's main square

Postojna Caves

more pictures here!!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Slovenia

April 24-26, 2009 Bled, Slovenia for my birthday. To celebrate my birthday Courtney drove us to Lake Bled, Slovenia. We arrived Friday night and stayed through Sunday morning at which point we drove to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and then home. It was a very beautiful and relaxing birthday trip. Some highlights included walking around the lake, bottling my own wine, using a saber, yes a saber, to open a bottle of champagne, and shopping at the market and eating by the water in Ljubljana.

Lake Bled

Using a saber to open a bottle of champagne..."so all I have to do is slide the saber along the neck of the bottle?" ...Courtney is not buying it and I'd be scared if I were her too!

POP! screams ahhh

enjoying some of the best red, semi-dry, champagne I've ever drank...10:30am is never too early to start drinking!

The island from the pathway going around the lake

Courtney rowed us to the island

Me having a photo shoot while Courtney rowed

Our row boat, Bled

More pictures of our adventures in Slovenia

Progressive Dinner, Bavarian Wedding, Bday/Going Away Party

April 12-23, 2009 A few random things here and there...We had a progressive dinner in the Abrams -- appetizers here, dips there, games and shots! It was a fun evening venturing through the Abrams and enjoying good food/entertainment/games and company.

Starting the night off in Lisa Marie and Marcie's room -- spinach artichoke dip!! and fruit with dip

Then, on the 17th Terri (my old roommate) got married! She married a local and they had a super cute, traditional Bavarian wedding. They got married at the courthouse midday and Sebastian's (groom) father popped 5 bottles of champagne to celebrate! Then, later that night Terri and Sebastian hosted a reception at a local hut with lots of good beer and food.

Courtney, myself, and Lisa Marie at the wedding

Then, the following week it was my 24th birthday annnd Lisa Marie's last night in the GAP :( So, we went to Bei Marcus, a bistro type restaurant that Lisa Marie and I had both been wanting to go to for a while. The food was out of this world!!!! There is a limited menu (3 or appetizer options, 3 main courses, and maybe 2 or 3 dessert options). Every single dish was absolutely delicious! We had a blast throughout the night at the restaurant -- lots of wine, food, and then a homemade cake compliments of Bonnie! :)

Matt and I at Bei Marcus

Lisa Marie and I with our wine from Terri and Sebastian :)

Click here to view more pictures of all of the above events

Home

March 21 - April 4, 2009 HOME ok, ok, ok yes, I know it has been a long time since I posted...since I told you I was going home for to visit and go to a conference...what can I say? Time flies when you're having fun :) This will be the first of a series of posts to catch you up on what I've been up to.

My trip home was great! It was so great to be home and visit friends and family. Unfortunately I was really sick when I first got home but I finally got smart and went to the doctor and was shortly thereafter able to eat all the yummy American food my mouth had been watering for -- California Pizza Kitchen, Plaza (best cheap Mexican food), Chicken with Cashew nuts (the best dish in the world comes from a Thai restaurant in Harrisonburg, VA), Cheese Shop and a few other random treats :) While I was home I went out for Marty's birthday, reunited with my Alpha Phi sisters in DC, went outlet shopping, relaxed, and hung out in my "spare" time for the first week. Then, I drove to MD for a weeklong conference to learn about NAF Human Resources. It was a very relaxing and productive trip and I couldn't have asked for much more!