a better me

Day 6 (September 19, 2013) [continued]:  We left Utrecht, Netherlands and headed to Antwerpen, Belgium.  We stayed at another airbnb apartment in Antwerpen on Keizerstraat.  Worst airbnb experience ever!  The apartment was clean and deceivingly cute, but we had so many issues during our short stay there.  When we got there, the place was freezing because the heat had been turned off.  Unfortunately, the heating system was not self-explanatory and, in fact, hidden behind a panel in the wall behind the toilet in the bathroom (say what?).  Also, the apartment layout was so poorly planned that there were doors, cupboards, etc. that literally could not open because something was built in the way.  Totally drove Rob and I crazy given our somewhat OCD/perfectionist tendencies.  We also tried to do laundry (which we had successfully done in the past), but the washer would not drain any water — it would just fill with water and then water would cascade down the front of the machine like a decorative waterfall disguised as a washing machine.  Last, but not least, there was one very pesky mosquito in the bedroom, which was not fun when it came time for sleeping!  Once we were sufficiently settled in, we headed out to explore.  First on the itinerary was Grote Markt (“Great Market Square”) situated in the heart of the old city quarter of Antwerpen.  Here is a picture of city hall on one side of the square.

As you can see, we didn’t have ideal weather, but it was beautiful all the same.  Also, there was some random performance by a Japanese star — thus the chairs to the right.  We also enjoyed the view of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (“Cathedral of our Lady), the ornate gothic cathedral also located at the square.

After exploring around the square, we headed to Paeters Vaetje, a timber-lined pub just below the cathedral with more than 100 beers to choose from.  We had a bite to eat and a few rounds of brews (I had a Troubadour blond and a Grimbergen).

Day 7 (September 20, 2013):  After a lot of back and forth with the host, we were able to get the heat working in the morning, which meant we could finally take luke-warm showers.  Yay?  In need of morale improvement, we headed out for a renowned Belgian breakfast (/dessert)– belgian waffles!  We ate at Queen of Waffles and were not disappointed.  YUM.

After breakfast, we stopped by a Belgian chocolate shop (more yum, to-go) we re-visited the Grote Markt, enjoying much better weather than the evening before.

Then we headed back to pack up the apartment.  Can’t say we were sad to leave that place.

Next stop, Ghent!

Day 5 (September 18, 2013) [continued]:  After picking up our rental car, we set out for Utrecht.  Because the rental was a stick shift, I drove.  My first time driving in a foreign country!  It was interesting to see how, on a four-lane highway, all the cars stayed in the two right lanes only occasionally passing in the third most right lane with almost no one ever bothering with the left lane.  It was so organized — and nice!  Once we got to Utrecht, we dropped our bags off at our next airbnb place (on Lepelaarstraat) and then successfully searched for some free parking.  We walked to the Dom Tower, but had missed the last tour for the day so decided to walk around for a bit.  We were getting a bit hungry, so we stopped in an courtyard for some frites from a small stand.  In the Netherlands, they top their fries with all sorts of toppings.  At the recommendation of the stand-owner, we ordered frites topped with peanut sauce, may and onions.  It sounded kind of gross, but ended up being delicious (especially surprising because I really don’t like may or raw onions).

Next, we went in search of Oudaen, a bar/restaurant in an old castle, which Rob wanted to see.  We got a table and ordered some appetizers and beers for dinner.

Once it was getting dark outside, we went on a light tour of the city (trajectum lumen), which uses your phone’s GPS to track where you are and which interacts with an iPhone app which told you about the different light displays.

Day 6 (September 19, 2013):  The next day, we packed up the car then walked to the center of Utrecht to take a tour of the Dom Tower.  We bought our tickets in advanced and had just enough time to squeeze in a quick lunch.  It was by far the fastest sit-down meal I have ever had in Europe.  Before we left Utrecht, we took a tour of the Dom Tower.  The views from the top were great, and the tour was very informative (and great exercise, climbing all of those stairs)!

Next stop:  Belgium!

This may be a year and a half overdue, but I stumbled upon some notes from our trip to the Netherlands and Belgium in September 2013 and wanted to organize them here for future reference.

Day 1 (September 14, 2013):  We had left Philadelphia at 6:35pm on September 13, and arrived in Brussels around noon on the 14th. From Brussels, we took a local train to Antwerpen, then a high speed train (Thalys) from Antwerpen Central to Amsterdam.  Talk about a long day+ of travel.  We arrived at our airbnb apartment (the Crow’s nest on Van Noordstraat) in the evening.  It was a small, but very clean studio on located on Van Noordstraat on the “third floor” (what Americans would consider the fourth floor).  The apartment was conveniently situated above a low-key bar/restaurant, Café de Walvis, which was very convenient for an easy dinner.

Day 2 (September 15, 2013):  After 13+ hours of sleep following our exhausting day+ of travel, we were ready to explore.  First stop was to visit the location of the big IKEA Amsterdam print we have.  We were able to track down the location of the photo (along the Herengracht canal) via the handy-dandy internet.  At first there was a man sitting on the bench there who must’ve been wondering why the heck we were taking pictures of him, but we ended up roping him into taking our picture for us.  We now have our photo tucked in the bottom right corner of the IKEA print in our dining room.

After snapping a number of pictures, we grabbed a slice of apple pie at a restaurant across the street and soaked in the view a bit longer.

Next, we explored the Prisengracht, which is one of the three major canals that shape Amsterdam, and the boutiques and restaurants that line the Prisengracht.  In addition, we walked around the Jordaan neighborhood, which is like Amsterdam’s Greenwich Village, with narrow alleys, leafy canals lined with 17th-century houses, quirky speciality shops, cafes, and more.  We were planning to visit the Anne Frank House, but, after checking out the long queue to get in, decided to book tickets instead and visit another day.  Our last adventure of the day was a visit to the Reypenaer Cheese tasting rooms.  We learned about and tasted some of the finest Dutch cheeses, which were paired with different wines.  The cheese was so tasty, we couldn’t help but buy some for breakfasts in our flat.

Day 3 (September 16, 2013):  After a leisure morning and breakfast in, complete with mimosas, we walked a few miles to Mike’s Bike Tours on Kerkstraat where we were happy to trade in our walking shoes for a pair of wheels.  In Amsterdam, bicycles essentially have the right-of-way at all times and in all scenarios, so it is, by far, the best way to travel.  We took our new bikes to the Van Gogh museum (we got e-tickets in advance to avoid any queue) and explored all the museum had to offer.  I thought it was really neat how the lay-out of the art followed the timeline of Van Gogh’s life and you could see how different experiences and circumstances in his life were reflected in his artwork over time.

Next, we headed to Vondelpark and rode around for a bit, exploring the park.

We stopped at a pop-up cafe in the park for an afternoon snack and a delicious drink (prosecco, vodka and lime sorbet – yum). After a few hours of biking, we rode back to our apartment for a nice siesta and to catch up on some emails and trip planning.  Later, we hopped on our bikes to head to a restaurant near the Prisengracht, but it started raining, so we decided it would be easier to go to the restaurant downstairs instead (Café de Walvis).  I had lifeman’s fruit beer for the first time, which basically tasted like juice (or Fruli).  For dinner, we shared an assortment of nachos, pumpkin soup, pumpkin ravioli and salad.

Day 4 (September 17, 2013):  In the morning we rode our bikes to grab a slice of apple pie and some mint tea (the two most popular items on the menu at Winkel’s.  We then headed to Openbare Bibliotheek (Amsterdam’s Central Library).  It’s a neat building and atmosphere with a cafe on the top floor and views of Amsterdam.  We also checked out the Concertgebouw, which is a historic concert hall known for outstanding acoustics.  I wanted to see a performance there, but, unfortunately, we weren’t able to squeeze one in.  We also stopped by Tuchinski theater, which is Amsterdam’s most famous theater for cinema.  The theater was built in 1921 as a “movie palace” in art deco style.

Next, we toured the Ann Frank House (Anne Frankhuis).  The tour was really neat.  We got to see the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her diary during World War II.  For more than two years, Anne Frank lived secretively with the other people hiding in the back of her father’s office building along the Prisengracht:

Last but not least, we had to fit in time for a slice of apple pie at Winkels near the Prisengracht.  Apple pie is a big deal in Amsterdam, and Winkels is known for some of the best apple pie in town.

Day 5 (September 18, 2013): Our last day in Amsterdam, we went to the Pancake Bakery for brunch.  I had an apple cinnamon pancake with whipped cream and cinnamon ice cream and Rob had a chocolate banana pancake.  They were almost like crepes because they were more thin, but they were huge and delicious.

Before we left Amsterdam, we tracked down a Christmas tree ornament from Amsterdam to add to our growing collection of ornaments from places we’ve visited.  We then dropped off our bikes, picked up our rental car, loaded up and headed off to our next destination:  Utrecht.

Positano day 1

As a recap from my last Italy post, our travel from Firenze (Florence) to Positano was rigorous to say the least:  “By the time we arrived at our splurge-of-a-hotel, we were literally dripping [with sweat] and more ready than ever for the luxury that awaited us!”

Positano was our only non-airbnb stay, so we figured we’d go all out for our two nights there.  We stayed at the beautiful Punta Regina.  It was worth every euro. Our room was spacious, luxurious (it included bathrobes – my fave!) and romantic, but what really set our stay apart from any others (ever), was our large, very private balcony  which overlooked the ocean… complete with loungers, a cabana and our very own hot tub.

We planned Positano to be a more relaxing leg our our Italy travels (other than the travel to and from), which suited us just fine once we saw where we’d be staying the next two nights.  We would have been entirely happy spending 24/7 on our balcony, so long as someone would deliver us certain necessities (pizza, gelato and champagne drinks)!

After oohing and aahing over our room and balcony, we took much-needed showers and naps before heading out to see the town for the first time without our luggage in tow.  We watched an uomo (man) making sandals, window-shopped at a few store-fronts, took in the beautiful sights and picked an ocean-view table at a romantic restaurant.  What a perfect night… UNTIL our waiter told Rob that they were not serving pizza, despite pizza being listed on the menu.  Imagine taking a spoiled two-year-old boy’s favorite toy from him in the middle of him playing with it.  Now multiply that crankiness factor by 10.  Well, that was Rob.

Fortunately, instead of walking out of the restaurant like he wanted to, he ordered a bottle of wine and let me order our dinner.  Everything we had… red wine , champagne drinks, ravioli, bruschetta and zucchine alla scapece… was multo buono!  The lack of pizza was quickly forgotten!

cranky rob

happy rob

happy maria

After dinner, we enjoyed some gelato, then picked up a bottle of champagne and headed back to test out our hot tub.  We were not at all disappointed!

Positano day 2

Who could possibly complain waking up to a view like this:

Certainly not us!  We lounged around our balcony for awhile and then headed upstairs for the hotel’s breakfast buffet, not exactly sure what to expect.  The spread was fancy and delicious – two qualities I thoroughly embrace, in breakfasts and otherwise.

breakfast views

delicious breakfast!

upstairs pool/lounging area

“relaxing pool”

We sat upstairs enjoying the view and soaking up some sun for awhile, sipping cappuccinos and game planning for the day.  Unlike our days in Venice and Florence, there was no long list of sites to see, so we decided to walk (or rather, descend stairs) to check out the beach and shopping areas.  Of course, going down all of the stairs was a breeze and we were at the beach in no time.  The views of Positano from the beach were truly postcard worthy!

on our walk to the beach

view from the beach

The beach itself was unusual in U.S. terms.  Instead of sand, there were tons of small pebbles.  Not exactly “curl-your-toes” worthy, but it was scenic and somewhat exotic.  Oddly enough, there was a sandy section of the beach partitioned off and, for approx. 12 euros, you could gain admission to that section of the beach and use the umbrellas and beach loungers that were all set up and waiting for paying customers.  Italy’s version of beach tags, I suppose!

Although not dressed for swimming or sun bathing, there was one thing I HAD to do while at the beach:  stick my toes in the Mediterranean Sea.  Check!

Mediterranean Sea

After snapping numerous shots of our prodigious surroundings, we explored the shops and restaurants near the beach.  We picked up some staples,  water, sunblock and limoncello, and headed back (up the many stairs) to the Punta Regina to relax by the “relaxing pool” and catch a few rays (in October!).  While we were out exploring the beach area, we forgot to pick up anything to eat, so we ate a light, late lunch by the pool which consisted of equal parts of food (fruit and pizza) and mojitos.  YUM.    A few hours later, and a few shades darker (or so I like to think), we showered and got dressed for dinner.  In case you haven’t read Eat, Pray, Love or haven’t caught onto the reoccuring food-consumption theme in my Italy posts, when in Italy, food is a big highlight.

Based on some impressive online reviews, we decided to try out Ristorante Pizzeria Lo Guarracino.  Using Rob’s handy OffMaps app, we routed ourselves to the restaurant.  Although it appeared to be really close, because of the built-into-a-cliff nature of Positano, our route involved a lot of ups, downs, overs and arounds.  We finally found a dark path (yes, a path) that seemed to be leading directly to the restaurant.  After walking down the dark path for several minutes, we were about to turn around when, around the next corner, lo and behold, there it was!  The service wasn’t anything to call home about, but the food was terrific and the views, even at night, were unbeatable.  Since it was off the beaten path, this seems to be a somewhat well-kept secret.

a carafe (aka jug) of wine

caprese salad

pizza pizza!

So happy and SO stuffed, we headed back to the Punta Regina for our last night in Positano.

Positano day 3

All too fast, another travel day was upon us.  We savored our last morning in Positano (and our last fancy breakfast buffet) wishing all the while we were staying for another week, or at minimum, another day!  Positano must’ve known how sad we were about leaving, because it held a parade in our honor, which I enjoyed from the comfort of our balcony… in my bathrobe.  Ironically enough, it reminded me a bit of Narberth, what with all of the parading around that happens just outside our apartment in the Narberhood.

Too cheap for an extra bus, we walked/lugged our luggage (makes sense that you would lug, luggage, right?!) up and down steep hills, and reversed our trip to get back to Naples (i.e., long sweaty walk, huge bus whipping around the mountain/cliff-edged roads, sweaty mess of a train), and then took TrenItalia to our next and final destination:  ROMA!

I got home early today after a stockholders’ meeting and various board meetings in Lancaster.  The weather outside was (and is) absolutely beautiful, so I decided to sit outside and read in my back yard.  My back yard is really no yard at all.  My back “yard” is actually my neighbor’s roof which I access by climbing out a kitchen window to our fire escape, and climbing over the fire escape railing onto my neighbor’s [flat] roof.  Unfortunately, there are currently about 20 bumble bees buzzing around right outside my kitchen window and right around my fire escape.  I, preferring not to be stung, was forced to stay inside and do some online shopping.  Totally forced.  Thanks a lot bees; I better like my new ann taylor suit, or ELSE.

Now, after putting it off long enough, it is time to workout just dance 3 style.

Considering it’s after 11:30 p.m. and I have to wake up super early tomorrow to drive to Lancaster for board meetings, this post is going to have to be brief.  For brevity’s sake, I am limiting myself to five quick items:

1. Italy:  We haven’t booked the flights yet, but we’re going in the very end of September through the second week of October!  I just started Rosetta Stone Italian so that I will at least have some familiarity with the language by the time we get there.  SO EXCITED–we’re currently thinking of visiting Venice, Florence (day trips to Tuscany and Pisa), Rome and Positano.  There’s also a coast town of Maratea that is supposed to have amazing, little known beaches, so maybe we’ll try to squeeze that into our 2 week tour.
2. Niagara Falls:  Rob just booked a [great] deal for a 2 night hotel stay for four on the Canada side of the Niagara Falls.  My best friend and her husband agreed to go with us at some TBD date in the Spring.  YAY!!!
3. I have off Monday for President’s Day and Rob is taking off for a fun 3-day weekend this weekend.  We’re going to stay Saturday and Sunday nights in a hotel in Wilmington, DE and take Sunday to visit Longwood Gardens.  We’ve been meaning to go to Longwood Gardens together since… well, for several years.  We’re FINALLY going!
4. Next weekend, Rob and I are going to visit my best friend and her husband in Pittsburgh.  We haven’t been out to visit them in a while, so I’m excited!
5. Tonight I went to a networking event with the partner I work for–a scotch tasting.  Not a fan of scotch, but I did try a sip of a 21 year old Macallan.  My dad and husband would be jealous!  Personally, the only difference I noticed was that it burnt a little less going down.

And now, to bed!

I had off of work today for Martin Luther King Day.  To be honest, I didn’t know it was a day-off kind of holiday other than for schools.  I guess working in a law-firm which bases its holidays on whether federal courthouses are open has its perks!

COOKING:

The majority of my day was spent, surprisingly, in the kitchen.  Generally, I don’t have a lot of extra time and, when I do, cooking is not my go-to hobby.  But, for whatever reason, I’ve really been into trying new recipes today.  Maybe it’s all the delicious looking recipes I’ve been collecting on pinterest!  On Saturday, I tried a delicious brussel sprouts and sausage dish with Rob and the Hackmans.  It was a big hit and we’ll definitely be making it again.

Today, I made a mango and grilled chicken salad I found among the recipes for a Jillian Michaels’ meal plan.  It was OK, but nothing special.  Fortunately, dinner turned out better than I could’ve hoped!  I made turkey and spinach meatballs with an avocado citrus sauce with brussel sprouts on the side.  Muy delicioso!  Rob was so impressed he kept exclaiming how the meal was better than any “restaurant food” and how amazing it tasted.

ETC…

1.  Rob and I finally upgraded to a queen-sized mattress!  We’ve had a queen-sized bed for a few months, since we got our grown-up bedroom set, but we were still just using our full-sized mattress.  Until yesterday, that is.  Our new bed is super comfy and feels so spacious!

2. I know it’s a bit late for new years resolutions, but I’ve just started thinking about things I want to do this year.  A few trips I have in mind:

• Italy–We’re hoping for a two-week trip this Fall, but a lot depends on whether we (mostly me) are able to get off of work for that long.
• Niagara Falls (and Canada)–I’ve never been to either!  This will probably be for a long weekend.
• Boca Raton, FL–a long weekend for my firm’s meeting.
• A long weekend or week in the Poconos at our time-share.
• And, at least a few other weekend trips yet TBD!

I got home from work early today–two hours early!  In fact, I wouldn’t normally be home for almost another hour.  When I arrived home, the first thought that crossed my mind was:  NAP!  And, although I am, admittedly, lying in bed typing this blog entry, I decided against a nap.  I’ve come to realize, since starting work in September, that week-day naps are not a good thing.  Week-day naps just make week-night bedtimes later and the following week-day mornings harder.  So, no nap.

Instead, I decided to make a few calls that I had been putting off for a while.  Starting January 1, I was no longer covered by my parents’ health insurance and, instead, I began coverage under my own work-associated health insurance.  As a side note, it’s amazing that I was covered by my parents’ health insurance for as long as I was (thanks, healthcare reform)!  Anyway, under my new health insurance, I had to choose a Primary Care Physician, or “PCP” for those in the know.  In December, I chose a random doctor’s office that is located walking distance away in the Narb-erhood.  Fast forward to today.  I called to schedule an appointment and found out that my designated PCP isn’t even a normal doctor’s office.  Apparently the doctors have an office there, but spend their time visiting patients in nursing homes.  Not exactly what I was looking for.  What was most shocking to me was the realization I had while on the phone with the pseudo-doctors’-office’s receptionist.

Receptionist (we’ll name her Rita):  Do you have your medical records?
Me:  No.
Rita:  Who was your doctor before?
Me:  …… (*having a realization*)
Rita:  Did you have a doctor before us?  (graciously rephrasing the question she, perhaps, thought I did not understand)
Me:  I didn’t have a doctor.  My last doctor was my pediatrician. (*still having a realization*)
Rita:  You haven’t been to the doctor since you were 21?

“Rita” wasn’t far from the truth.  I think I’ve visited doctors twice since I was 17–i.e., the last time I visited my pediatrician.  Once for whooping cough and once more recently to a lady doctor in order to get a prescription for birth control.  That’s less than once every 4 years!  What I realized was that, I am, by age, if nothing else, a grown-up now.  It’s time to collect my medical records and move on–no more pediatrician for me.  And so, that is what I did.  Well, first I changed my PCP to a REAL doctors’ office, and then I scheduled an appointment.

Look at me go …after 9 years!

Just this week my best friend reminded me of an old blogging platform we both used years ago:  xanga.  To this day, I can go back and re-read posts as old as 2004!  My most recent post on xanga is from July 23, 2009.  So much has changed since then!!  Check out what’s changed (in italics):

10. I am working at Stock and Leader as a summer associate – the biggest law firm in downtown York, PA.
I am working as an attorney at Duane Morris – an international law firm with 700+ attorneys in center city Philadelphia, PA.

9. Rob and I have been dating for over 2.5 years.
Rob and I have been together over 4.5 years and have been married just over 2 months!

8. I am training for a 5k in September… with the help of my friend Jill.
I ran the 5k, no problem.  Unfortunately, it would take more training to get me through a 5k right now.  Something to which to aspire… again!

7. My class rank for my first year of law school is 5/251… my never-ending work paid off.
I graduated law school 13th in my class, summa cum laude, and a member of the order of the coif in May!

6. My car is falling apart, and therefore is at the shop being put back together (hopefully for a reasonable price).
I am now–and have been for over a year–the proud owner of a mini cooper.  I absolutely LOVE it!

5. Rob and I are traveling to the Dominican Republic for a week long vacation in August, where we will be staying at an amazing resort.
The Dominican Republic was amazing… and so was Jamaica the following year and Hawaii (honeymoon) this year!  We’re 70% sure that 2012 will be the year of ITALIA!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. Work has forced me to become more accustomed to heels. That is, now I can walk in them, but I still prefer flip flops.
This one hasn’t changed.

3. I just re-watched Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea and loved it. If Gilbert was a real person, rather than just a character in a movie, Rob might have to watch out.
Gilbert is no longer competition for Rob.  Rob won, fair and square.

2. I cook dinner every Wednesday night for my family. This week’s zucchini “crab” cakes were delicious!
I have not been cooking as often as I’d like, but it’s definitely hard after a long day at the office.  Fortunately, Rob is great at pulling dinners together when he beats me home (i.e., pretty much every week day).

1. It is time for me to go to bed!
It sure is!