No trip is complete without a visit to the local amusement park – at least for my husband and daughter.  They go off and get turn upside-down, dropped from heights, eat sweets, and experience the other side of town while I do something “boring” like go to a historic house museum or temple garden.  Tokyo was no different except for the fact that the amusement park was like something out of Spirited Away.   Hanayashiki amusement park, originally opened as a flower park, has a history of more than 150 years. Located just a few steps from Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district, the miniature amusement park offers a small Ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel, a ride that is powered by you pedaling, Space Shot and great crepes.

The two-day drive was easy enough but long and boring (no offense to my husband and daughter who are great company).  Just as we were reaching the Georgia / North Carolina border, we made “1 wrong turn.”  As we tried to figure out which way to go, we sped past it – too quickly to make the sudden turn but slowly enough to read the sign – SPRING RIDGE CREAMERY.  It had me at “CREAM.”   My husband asked, “Do you want to stop?”  I gave him that look of “After almost 20 years of marriage, do you really need to ask?”

So, we made the U-turn back to SPRING RIDGE CREAMERY.

After subduing the store dog that tried to attack our little poodle, I entered this little dairy heaven.  Made fresh from local cows, there was homemade cheeses, butters, ice cream of all flavors, milk and because it was November, eggnog.  I filled my basket with cheddar, havarti and mozzarella cheeses, a gallon of eggnog and a pound of butter.  My arteries are closing as I write this post.  For my sweet, loving daughter who did not complain once on the trip (NOT), I purchased a scoop of raspberry chocolate chunk ice cream that tasted of fresh raspberries and lingered on your tongue because of the high fat content.

Needless to say, our North Carolina hosts were most grateful for the creamy bounty that we brought.  The eggnog was a particular hit, even for those who do not normally like eggnog.

Needless to say, we stopped on our way back home.  This was “1 wrong turn” that turned out (or churned out) so right!

SPRING RIDGE CREAMERY is located just 1.5 miles north of the Georgia border on hwy. 441 (11856 Georgia Rd.) in Otto, North Carolina, 2 miles north of Dillard, Georgia (See Map)

Phone: 828-369-2958

If you can’t make it to North Carolina, try making ice cream at home.  I have a Cuisinart and I love it.  Homemade ice creams and sorbets are easy and always delicious.  Make sure the check out your local farmers markets for milk, cream and fresh fruits.

Since my last jaunt to beach, Perdido Key and the nearby communities have welcomed several new businesses. I am also very pleased to report that the beaches were pristine and the water clear – not a tarball in sight!

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, my beach vacations are VERY SIMPLE. They include:

• Wake up and eat breakfast
• Go to the beach
• Come up for lunch followed by a nap
• Go back to the beach
• Come up for the evening, shower, go to the grocery, drink wine and eat dinner on the balcony
• Go to sleep early

REPEAT THE NEXT DAY

I was pleased to see that a new Publix has opened up right over the Intercoastal Waterway. It has a nice selection of cheeses, seafood, etc. What I really liked were the plastic bags filled with ready-to-roll and bake pizza dough. How clever and a great way to get everyone involved in making dinner!  Click here for a map to the Publix.

This past time, I was forced into straying from my beach routine. My friend has a very different idea of a beach vacation. For her, a beach vacation must involve putt putt golf and a trip to the local ice cream parlor. Ice cream – yes; putt putt – no! We found a great ice cream parlor just 10 minutes from the condominium and right down the road from the new Publix. It is the Hershey Ice Cream Parlor and they have a large selection of yummy ice creams, homemade fudge as well as savory items (if you want to make a meal out of the excursion).  Click here for a map to the Hershey Ice Cream Parlor.

The address and phone number are:

10427 Sorrento Rd, Pensacola, FL 32507

(850) 456-0585

Call before you go because the weekday and weekend hours are different.

I had wonderful photos of both places but they were lost in my recent phone upgrade. So, just picture in your mind a scoop of wonderful mint chocolate chip ice cream after a hot, summer day on the beach.

May 2010 – SPECIAL NOTE: I am saddened, angry and disgusted by the BP oil spill.  Our beautiful beaches and wildlife all foresaken for oil profits.

Visit my friend’s Blog Coast of Living and read her poignant insights into the lives of those affected by this horror.    Through her blog, you can make a donation to Gulf Aid, a 501(c3) nonprofit corporation, has been established in response to what has been called one of the biggest oil spills in history just 50 miles off of the Louisiana Coast.

Written in happier times …when the waters were blue & clear.

White sand, blue water, splashing dolphins and beautiful sunsets.   These words might conjure up beaches in Mexico, Greece, and other exotic locales.  However, when I let my mind wander to beautiful beaches and lazy days, I don’t have to travel any further than the Gulf Coast of Florida.  Known as the Emerald Coast, or the Redneck Riviera, there is a lovely strip of beaches that rival the most famous beaches of the world.

These beaches start with Orange Beach, at the Florida/Alabama border, and run all the way to St. Joe, Florida on the east.  The most popular beaches include Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Grayton Beach, Water Color, Seaside, a charming community made famous in the Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show, Rosemary Beach and Panama City Beach.

My family has gone to Perdido Beach for the past 20 years.  Our routine for the past 20 years has been as follows:

Perdido Key Beach Umbrellas

• Rent a condo on the beach, with a balcony overlooking the Gulf.
• Drive to Florida and stop at the Burris Farm Stand to buy fresh veggies & fruit.
• Arrive at condo, lather up & go to the beach (Don’t even unpack).
• First evening, go to grocery and stock up on cheese, bread, fresh fish, lots of wine & pina colada ingredients.
• Make a nice dinner & eat on the balcony.

• Watch a movie and go to sleep.
• Next day, wake up, have breakfast on the balcony and watch for dolphins.
• Lather up, go to beach, come in for lunch (on the balcony) and nap.
• Go back to beach in afternoon until 6 p.m.
• Come in to the condo, bathe, lotion up, make dinner, which is eaten on the balcony.
• Go to sleep, wake up the next morning and REPEAT THE PREVIOUS DAY.

What I love about the beach is that you can do as much or as little as you want.  Most condos have pools and gyms or you can walk on the beach and play in the surf. For those who are more energetically inclined, you can do the following:

The Track - In the evening, head on over for go-karts, water rides, bumper cars and family. There are several different go-kart tracks, including one for adults only.

Foley Outlet Mall - If it’s raining and you want to get out of the condo or hotel, go shopping at this giant discount outlet mall.   You can get some really good deals here!  While you are there, eat at Lambert’s in Foley, Alabama where you can, and are expected to, throw your rolls.  Great southern cooking and good portions.  At the call of “Hot, fresh rolls” hands go up and a guy wearing oven mitts starts tossing them out. Diners close by get an underhand lob; those across the room get more of a baseball pitch.

Dauphin Island is a barrier island located 3 miles south of the mouth of Mobile Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. You get to the island by crossing a high-rise bridge or by the automobile ferry from the eastern shore.   The entire island has been designated as a bird sanctuary and thousands of visitors come to experience the annual migration.  While on the island, you can sit on the beach, explore Fort Gaines, or visit the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.  Hotels, motels, condos and private homes are available for rent to both summer and winter visitors.

Where to stay:

There are hotels, motels, condos and private homes available for rent across the Emerald Coast.  As I mentioned, we always stay in Perdido Key.  However, a great resource for lodging rentals is Resort Quest. I always have great luck finding places when we have not been able to stay at our regular condo.  If you don’t find what you want online, give them a call.  The staff if very helpful.

1wrongturn finds:

Greek Food in Perdido Key

Greek Food on Perdido Key Drive close to the Winn Dixie. I don’t have a name and there are no regular hours.  This is basically a trailer hitch that turns into a Greek restaurant.  The food is yummy and the ambiance, well, check it out for yourself!

Spear Hunting Museum

Spear Hunting Museum - a family outing in Summerdale, Alabama!

We spent 7 incredible days in Tokyo. Despite the hustle & bustle of a crowded, vertical city, Tokyo is extremely manageable and easy to navigate. Street signs and public transportation are easily identifiable and restaurants always have pictures/plastic models of the food they serve.  Ultimately, Tokyo set a new standard upon which I judge all other cities.  This is what Tokyo offers that I want: clean, well-maintained public spaces, easy-to-use public transportation, great street food, extremely helpful people and public baths.  Tokyo has all of this, plus magnificent ancient structures that co-exist with uber-modern architecture.

Tokyo is a city of neighborhoods, each with its unique character and personality.  If you are the meandering type, visit the Yanaka district where you can wind through the streets, enjoy lovely little gardens, explore the shops and stumble onto amazing temples and/or shrines every few blocks.  On the other hand, if neon, technology and cute girls in maid costumes are your thing, Akihabara is the place for you.  Like shopping???? Try Ginza for the high end and Harajuku for the funky – do one in the morning and one in the afternoon to experience the contrast of cultures and generations in modern day Tokyo.

The Yanaka area is not as well known as some of the other neighborhoods but definitely worth a visit as it has retained its historical ambiance and character.  Yanaka was developed as a temple town in the Edo period (1603-1867) and prominent temples like the Tenouji and the Kaneiji still exist in the area.   Yanaka is next to two neighborhoods, Sendagi and Nezu are collectively they are called Yanesen: Ya (Yanaka) Ne (Nezu) Sen (Sendagi).  In addition to the temples, there are beautiful cemeteries, little stores with exquisite crafts, and amazing shrines.

Taito Culture is a wonderful website that contains all kinds of information on this area.  Don’t miss the walking tour page!  Here is a Yanaka Map.

Here are a few places that I missed but want to see next time:

Asakura Choso Museum was the Fumio (1883-1964), famous for his statues of statesmen, women, and cats, many of which are on display here.  I have read that the house combines modern and traditional architecture and, wraps around an inner courtyard pond fed by a natural spring, and contains some furniture and antiques in its many tatami rooms, including a beautiful library, a tearoom, a room for enjoying the morning sun and a rooftop garden.  The museum was closed when I was there due to renovations and is scheduled to re-open in 2013.

Meguro Parasite Museum.  Really, the name says it all.  In addition, I read that the Parasite Museum is a popular spot for lunch dates!  I don’t know about you, but parasites always put me in the mood for love.

The Ghibli Museum was designed by Hayao Miyazaki, the incredibly creative, Oscar award-winning director of My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo. The Ghibli Museum, which opened in 2001, was designed to present the studio’s works and is built as both a fantasyland and an art museum.

The following links are to sites that I found really helpful in understanding and navigating Tokyo and Japan, as a whole.

• Tokyo Tourism Info is a great source of information and very easy to navigate.  You can sort by neighborhood, interest, videos, etc.  This site has great Self-Guided Walking Tours and suggested tours.
• Tokyo Essentials is GREAT.  It has everything from how to get from Narita airport into the city to “Quirky Tokyo.”
• Tokyo Metro also offers a GREAT feature that provides 6 Sightseeing plans, each with several attractions, mapped out station to station.
• Wikitravels is also a terrific resource.
• Narita Express: Gets you from the Narita airport into Tokyo city.  It is included with the JR Rail Pass.
• Tokyo Metro map can seem daunting.  But, most of the neighborhoods and “major” sites are on the circular JR Yamamote line.

We had visited Western Canada on our honeymoon and fell in love with Vancouver (a post for another day). However, we had never considered Quebec despite the obvious connections between Acadians and Cajuns. So, we planned a two week trip that encompassed one week in Montreal and one week in ville de Quebec. Those two weeks transformed our lives. We have become Montreal Junkies!

To compare Montreal to Paris is like comparing carob to chocolate – something you just shouldn’t do! Although chocolate and carob share comments elements, they offer completely different sensations. Carob offers a sweet, earthy flavor while chocolate delivers rich, smooth, and bitter notes. Although Montreal is a French speaking city and has the charm of a European city, Montreal offers a unique and wonderful experience. Montreal’s charm takes over you in a subtle fashion. Without realizing it, you are lured in the Montreal lifestyle, which is engaging and earthy, sweet yet healthy. There is a pace to Montreal that allows you to simply become part of its community.

We have returned almost every summer since our first stay in Montreal. For the first 4 years, we rented a flat in Le Plateau, the really hip and happening hub. Our days were spent exploring the diverse neighborhoods, discovering great food, looking for super-cool Montreal clothes designers, shopping at the incredible Marché Jean Talon, and visiting the many wonderful museums, galleries, parks and gardens that abound in this super-sophisticated, yet down-to-earth, city.

Last summer, we decided to live in a neighborhood that was closer to the Jean Talon market so that we could start everyday with freshly boiled sweet corn-on-the-cob swathed with butter (breakfast of champions). This allowed us to discover new neighborhoods, that were much more working class, but equally as vibrant.

Our last visit simply confirmed my belief that Montreal is a vibrant, emerging city that will always have something new to offer. However, there is also a stability to Montreal, which ensures that certain things will always be there when we return. Montreal reminds me of the corny camp song I use to sing – make new friends but keep the old!

The following links are a few of the best links to get you started with your journey to Montreal. The other posts will feature “1wrongturn” destinations and favorite spots.

General websites: When getting oriented, I use general websites. I like those that allow me to identify activities, restaurants, etc., by neighborhood. Here are a few that I like:
www.tourisme-montreal.org – à la Montréal. The following pages are really helpful:
- Travel Information/Getting Around – GREAT neighborhood maps in PDF
- What to Do – activities, events, attractions by activity type and neighborhood
- Discover – general highlights of Montreal & GREAT ITINERARIES
www.sitebits.com. I really like their choice of attractions and restaurants.

Getting around: The metro lines shut down around 12:30 a.m., after which the system shifts over to night bus lines until around 5:30 a.m. The STM ticketing system uses the Opus smart card and one-trip magnetic cards. A single fare for the bus and metro is $2.75. Bus drivers don’t make change or sell tickets, but all metro stations have manned ticket booths. There is a tourist card that gives full access; day cost – $9 and 3 day cost – $17.
www.stm.info Metro and Bus info.
www.montreal.bixi.com. I have never used this. However, Montreal is very bike friendly and this looks like a great way to get around town.

Festivals: Montreal is the city of festivals.
www.montreal.com/tourism/festivals – This is a calendar of festivals for 2010.