Not through any fault of his own, my husband has not had a full day with the baby — ever. He has never put her down for an afternoon nap or to bed. Well, this past Monday was THE day. I had planned a full day at the conference and he planned some fun activities for Sophia. He was excited to rise to the challenge and spend the day with his very own mini-me. Their agenda was ambitious: 1. the Children’s Discovery Museum wherefrom she couldn’t be dragged away and 2. lunch a deux.
I am told Sophia didn’t want to leave the museum and enjoyed it so much that she fell asleep on the way to lunch. Fear not, hubby took lunch to go and made sure she feasted when she woke up. I leave for ONE day and what does he feed her?! Cow head and tongue tacos! I have no evidence of these alleged culinary … erm … delicacies, but I do have evidence of good times at the Discovery Museum.
When in Rome… or in our case, when in the Silicon Valley — you go to the Computer History Museum. I took hubby and baby to the Computer History Museum or as I called it a Geek’s Mecca. I thought the museum was great and we all enjoyed it. Even little Sophia found something that she liked (Clocks and Robots). She was such a great sport throughout the museum and really tried to find something in each exhibit that she could learn about. The museum can be toured in an hour or two and is not too large or overwhelming. The best part? The first place that I’ve ever been to where the ladies’ restroom was pristine and absolutely uncrowded and the gentlemen’s restroom was packed and had a line out the door.
I leave you with a picture of us in the IBM’s Watson Supercomputer exhibit.
I mean that in the most literal and figurative sense. It has been quiet on our blog lately because we’ve been busy traveling. A while ago, I said that 1. we’ll be traveling again sooner rather than later and 2. we won’t be doing it without little Sophia. I like to hold true to my promises (even if we make them to ourselves). Alas, behold — one of the few recaps I’ll be posting of our trip.
One of the perks of my job as a scientist is that I get an opportunity to submit the results of my research to esteemed, peer-reviewed conferences. If accepted, I travel to interesting and sometimes exciting destinations to present the method and results of my research, interact with interesting and smart people and explore new places. I have previously traveled to Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and all over the United States to present my work, but had to take a break from publishing after we welcomed Sophia. Well… we’re back or rather, I am back. Earlier this year, I submitted my work to a conference to be held in San Jose, CA. Hubby and I decided to make a family trip out of this opportunity especially since my ticket is paid for, and Sophia doesn’t yet need a ticket to fly. So we could take a few days off by paying for a hotel and hubby’s flight — sounds like the perfect deal.
San Jose is located in the Silicon Valley near San Francisco and California’s Wine Country. We decided to tack on a week to my conference and spend it touring Napa, Sonoma, Calistoga, San Jose and San Francisco. Late in the game, we tacked on Monterrey which I’ll talk about in a forthcoming post.
The good news? We’re home. The better news? We had a great time. We loved it and we’ve decided that traveling with a toddler is nothing that we can’t do and enjoy. There were and will still be many challenges. The trick is to be positive, to go with the flow and embrace your new traveling situation.
I leave you with a teaser… more posts detailing the experience and travels in getting there are coming soon.
The summer is in full swing. It is gorgeous outside … and our little girl is sick. I’m hoping it is just a cold and not an ear infection or strep throat. As most parents know, little ones don’t always tell you what is bothering them. She is very sad and a sad sight to see. I am able to steal a few moments to myself and since I cannot (okay, will not) leave the house. I leave you with a Travel Throwback Thursday Sunday.
Everyone travels differently. Some people like to get a taste of a place seeing many places on one trip. We like to really take some time an explore. We enjoy going to museums, but there is not a better museum than the place itself — the architecture, the people, the cuisine. On this particular trip, we toured Madrid, Toledo and Seville. We took two weeks to do it and have plenty left to see still. We’ll of course be back — one day and finish continue what we started.
We saw an evening Flamenco performance in an old mansion in Seville. Traditional houses there are built much like a moroccan Riad where they focus around a central courtyard that often has a water feature. The rest of the world falls away as you step into these old houses. The performance was held in one such courtyard and the dance, the music, the costumes spoke volumes about the Spanish people and their passions.
Shortly after sightseeing in Seville and marveling at its glorious architecture, we moved on to Toledo. There is something tranquil and melancholy about Toledo. It was back in the day, the capital of Spain and housed a very large Jewish population. After the Inquisition, the houses and synagogues that once celebrated life and joy stood as empty reminders of those who are gone. One particular building, originally named the Ibn Shushan Synagogue and later renamed to Santa Maria La Blanca, stood out. The ornate detail showcased the richness of the Sephardic tradition and its columns punctuated the emptiness. The synagogue was empty when we visited and frisson of melancholy passed over me.
Having seen the remnants of a once-thriving capital, we moved on to the new and thriving capital. This night, Madrid was washed over with an unusually large moon lighting the sky a cobalt blue. Glorious, loud, exciting and very now.
June 1st is coming up … that would be hubby’s and mine fifth wedding anniversary. Seems just like yesterday and also so long ago. Just like yesterday because I remember the day quite well and so long ago because I can see quite a few more wrinkles on my face now. We are likely going to make it a low-key celebration again given that we aren’t planning to leave Sophia and have had bigger celebrations in the past.
For our first anniversary, we went to Rome, the Positano Coast and Sicily. For our second, we went to Japan. Charleston and its glory welcomed the pregnant us for our third anniversary and I am pretty sure our fourth was spent at home trying to get sleep since we never do anymore.
But this post is really about what led to all these anniversaries. This post is about how we met in the summer of 2001 (12 years ago… wowza). Hubby was about to enter Drexel University as a Freshman. He had secured a research position in the same lab I had been working in. I had already been at Drexel a year at that point. Anyway… it just so happened that our research advisor at the time decided to send us and a few other students to a conference in Bologna, Italy for a week. Now, I ask you, who wouldn’t jump at that opportunity and take another week or two to sightsee? I know I did.
I remember arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport with my parents in tow. They insisted on dropping me off AND taking a look at these other students that were going. My parents are fairly protective and I like that. My mom takes a look at hubby, walks over to me and asks me who he is. I admit that its just another student and I don’t know much about him. She declares that he seems like a nice guy and that I should go out with him. Jewish mothers have some sort of a jew-[ra]dar — especially when their daughters are unmarried. Keep in mind now, that I was at that time seeing someone else. Thanks, MOM! That suggestion sped into my one ear and was kicked out instantaneously. Dating one person is hard enough… I never aspired to multitask in that department.
We ended up traveling to Florence and Venice and riding around in the hills of Tuscany together. Our trip was plutonic (hubby was seeing someone, too) but plenty of fun. I learned a lot about him and then our trip came to an end. That was that… until a few months later when he asked me out when neither of us were seeing anyone. The rest is … well as they say, History.
I’ll always have a warm place for Bologna not just because it shows old Westerns on an enormous screen in the evenings at the main plaza, but because it was a place where I found a new friend who eventually became my partner for life.
As you can see here, here and here, we’ve been very loquacious about travel lately. There is one destination that is and always will be among the top and that place is Philadelphia.
Many of our friends and family don’t understand our ardent affinity for Philadelphia. Besides having a great social, art and food scenes, we love it so much because it is where we fell in love and grew up so to speak. We discovered it, explored it and lived it for years. To some, Philadelphia is rough around the edges, a little grimy and hot/stinky in the summer. To us, and those in the know, it is real, young, alive and always changing.
Even though we don’t live there anymore (we will do just about anything to move back sooner rather than later), we still come back and visit when we are home with our families. Here are some of our favorite places to see, be seen and enjoy.
Watching People: Parking ourselves at the Rittenhouse Park with a cup of La Colombe Coffee (Latte in the AM, Cappuccino in the PM)
Looking at Art: First Friday in Philadelphia – an open house for Philly art galleries. Coincidentally this occurs in mostly in Olde City which is where we lived for ~5 years
Keeping It Real:Midnight Pretzel Run – one of hubby’s favorite things to do: a perfect reflection of the young mindset in Philadelphia
Learning Like it Should Be:Sunday School — for the oenophile at Tria
Watching Movies: Kid-free, not-mainstream movies for the savvy goer at the RitzLandmark.
Being a Big Kid: ICE CREAM… YOU SCREAM FOR CAPOGIRO‘s ICE CREAM. Alternatively, you can go old school with The Franklin Fountain (which was right around the corner from where we lived).
So the next time anyone has a day to spare, come and visit and enjoy this beautiful city because I am sure you will love it.
I would be lying if I said we don’t splurge on occasion. I am a firm believer that treating yourself to one nice experience on an otherwise thrifty trip can make a budget-friendly vacation seems luxurious.
Our affordable travel practices:
Take one longer vacation than a few shorter ones to avoid paying too much for airfare. Participate in an airline loyalty program.
Find a small, clean, hotel in the best possible location without too many amenities. Who needs an on-site swimming pool or restaurant when you’re in Paris?! You should be out exploring and eating where the locals eat. We’ve stayed in Venice for 20 euros/night and no, it wasn’t a hostel.
Choose destinations that aren’t as sought out. (e.g., Portugal wasn’t Europe’s #1 destination for Americans back in 2003… and in fact, it isn’t — still.) Croatia is on the cusp of becoming mainstream from the American traveler’s point of view. Go now, or forever hold your peace.
Eat and drink local. If a menu has pictures or an english translation, it isn’t local. If you don’t speak the language, take a chance and order blind. The locals eat it, and they haven’t died — neither will you.
Make a plan. Read up about your destinations and decide what you’d like to do. Don’t plan to go to every museum — it costs money and you won’t have really seen your destination. We make an itinerary and mix up days where we go to museums with days where we wander and have very little in the way of formal plans.
Travel knowing that you can always come back. Savor, take it slow, enjoy your travel companions and enjoy getting lost somewhere.
As promised in yesterday’s Travel Series post, here is a snapshot of the places we’ve traveled to in the last ten years. While the list is mostly comprehensive, we may have left out a few short trips here and there.
At this point, you may wonder how we managed to travel to all these destinations as students and young professionals in terms of both time and finances. As I said previously, we live to travel, and will have done just about anything. Both of us worked as research assistants while also pursuing our bachelor’s and master’s degrees (in computer science & concurrently). I also kept my internship after my Junior year and as a result, maintained two jobs (35 hr weeks) and a full load of classes (3 graduate, 2 undergraduate and a master’s thesis). Virtually every penny earned went into savings until we decided where to travel to during our summer break. Some of my pennies also went toward my college tuition (a whole other post). Our approach to traveling finances were also very unique and creative. I’ll write more about what we call affordable traveling soon, but rest assured that everyone can travel on virtual any budget. Just like anything in life, you make a choice and certain sacrifices, and you can almost always meet your goal. My living room and dining room stand virtually furniture-free, my baths un-renovated … but we travel — a cognizant decision.
Anyways…. if you haven’t had an opportunity to travel as much, but want to start soon, here’s a list of some of our favorite places. They are in no particular order and they are some of our favorites not just because of the destination, but the experience we had there.
Favorite Destinations
Hiking in Hakone (Japan)
Exploring the market in Jerusalem on Friday Afternoon
It has been the case that we’re always answering questions about travel. We traveled extensively BS (before Sophia) and are planning to really pick it back up as soon as she is a little older. We find ourselves sharing our itineraries, dining destinations, worthwhile sites, museums, etc.
I started thinking about our unquenchable thirst for travel while sorting through the thousands of pictures we’ve amassed. Why is it that we travel, what do we get out of it and what are we willing to forgo to satisfy this ever-present need. So here goes:
Some people live to eat and we live to travel, to see and immerse ourselves in different cultures and traditions. In doing so, we get closer to understanding what are the universal building blocks of humanity — those characteristics that define everyone regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, color, and creed. I cannot profess to have amassed a complete understanding of this just yet (and maybe, I never will), but I believe that family, love, hatred, and a mother’s nature to protect are a few of the universal building blocks of humanity.
Furthermore, there are not enough words in the world that can deliver the same message and incite the same emotions as when immersed in a culture. Perspective is defined in lightening speed when you see hunger, poverty, squalid living conditions juxtaposed with unimaginable wealth. One cannot appreciate what they have until they see someone who has nothing. Incidentally, I can say that I finally understood why the king of France was guillotined after I visited Versailles for the second time.
That said, art (on a large scale), music, and theater are incredibly inspiring. You can spend one day seeing a poor peoples’ plight and feel disheartened by how such is possible in today’s world and then the next day be awed by the ability of the human mind and hand to create masterpieces.
So this is why we can’t get enough; why travel has been, is, and always will be our passion. Lastly, these are the rules, inspired by our travels, by which I live:
Live your life to its fullest, seize the day at each and every sunrise
Understand your fortune and be grateful; there are those who are hungry, thirsty and ill
“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are.” (Anthelme Brillat-Savarin) Eat local, drink local, sit outside and do a bit of people watching.
Beauty and braun are fleeting, your mind is forever so feed it with travel experiences, books and music
Never make mean-spirited comments, even in jest, there is always someone smarter and better looking
Take a chance on something each day. You only live once.
Travel will free you from prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindness but only if you let it.
A snapshot of our travel history in the years (a full decade — TEN) we’ve been together is forthcoming shortly along with a top X list.
That is the mantra I repeated to myself once we made it aboard the ship. While my husband grew up cruising for the majority of his vacations, I grew up on the beach or sightseeing and together we mostly have enjoyed active vacations until now.
The rationale for active vacations BS (before Sophia) was that once we had a family, we’d have to embrace a difference pace and a new radius of travel-able places. As predicted, we embraced a cruise over an active jaunt to somewhere exotic and are happy to have done it.
We visited quite a few islands and each had many offerings. St. Lucia for example has the Pitons, lots of hiking and of course the famous baths, Dominica has world class snorkeling/diving, St. Kitts has the beaches and snorkeling and St. Thomas and St. Maarten offer relaxation and shopping. We embraced our new status of a young family and focused more on the beach side of things.
Sophia still takes two naps (which I honestly find to be a blessing), but that makes it difficult to fit in serious beach time between the naps, meals and bottles. Here’s what our family opted to do to maximize our enjoyment:
If a beach was not at most 15 minutes away from the ship, we were not going there
Brought a spoon, a water bottle and a snack for Sophia to extend the amount of time we could spend on the beach
Tried our best to have her nap at the beach for her first nap so that we can relax too
Ahh… the life of a future beach bum
When not walking around and interacting with the locals or soaking up the rays on a beach, we were back on the ship exploring every its nook. Sophia loved exploring and the open spaces and got good and tired by the evening which meant better sleep patterns. The great sleep patterns have since vanished as if they never existed and my in-laws insist I must return to the ship :-).
