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Arriving in Fairbanks — Feb 2

Posted on February 6, 2016 by
Ceremonial Clothes on Display at Museum of the North

Ceremonial Clothes on Display at Museum of the North

Now I am in a most wonderful cabin about six miles outside of Fairbanks.  I knew it would be special from the pictures I saw online as well as from all the raving Airbnb reviews.  And it is and it deserves further praise, but let me start at the beginning of the day.

We woke up early and it only made sense that we’d continue the ritual of breakfast at Snow City Café.  We brought our bags down with us and so after eating, we headed straight to the car and went to Kincaid Park, which borders the airport and Turnagain Arm.  It’s over 1500 acres and the trails all had snow on them.read more…

Posted in Alaska, North America, United States
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Dog Sledding & Snowshoeing — Feb 3

Posted on February 6, 2016 by
The Midday Sun

The Midday Sun

Nestling in the cabin after another day in the cold is a most inviting experience.  We have this theme going on in the temperate regions, but it’s more pronounced this far north.  The outside is colder, the inside is warmer, and the people are more extreme as well.

We woke up late because it was still dark and also, because we were up late watching the lights.  We did our morning walk around the neighborhood.  I want to say it is the suburbs of Fairbanks, but that may not be totally accurate.  Homes are on lots that about one or two acres and so perhaps it is somewhere between rural and suburban living.  The homes are a mixture of sizes and styles and my guess is that they were developed individually.read more…

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Chena Hot Springs — Feb 4

Posted on February 6, 2016 by
One of Many You Have to See It To Believe It Ice Sculptures

One of Many “You Have to See It To Believe It” Ice Sculptures

It’s amazing how wiped out we are, but I guess a day of hiking, getting cold, and soaking in 104 degree water can do that to you.  I sat back at the cabin we’ve been calling home for a few nights, remarking how much living I fit into five hours today.

Dan and I hit the road at 8:30am to Chena Hot Springs, knowing it would take about 90 minutes to get there.  We had the pleasure of driving at dawn and watching the sky slowly shift shades of blue, with a healthy dose of orange and yellow swirled in there.  Paws for Adventure is out Chena Hot Springs Road, but close to Fairbanks.  We took the same road all the way until it ended at the Chena Hot Spring Resort.  I had many opportunities to smile at the road signs that mainly consisted of “Shooting Range, turn left”, “Moose Crossing”, and “No Shooting, next mile”.  It was one of those “you know you are in Alaska when” moments.read more…

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Night Time Sledding — Feb 5

Posted on February 6, 2016 by
An Ice Castle in North Pole

An Ice Castle in North Pole

I was itching for some yoga, Dan was not quite itching as strongly as me, but he was a willing participant.  I found a place online called Heartstream Yoga and Donna’s bio looked varied and eclectic and so it was a go.  The studio was located near the Fred Meyer’s and off we went.  While we were waiting for it to open, we saw a woman in a tank top distributing flyers.  I guess if you live in Fairbanks long enough, you may consider eight degrees toasty.

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Yukon Quest — Feb 6

Posted on February 6, 2016 by
Subtle Hues of Light Are Almost Hypnotic

Subtle Hues of Light Are Almost Hypnotic

I am back in Eugene and in a relative sense, sweating like a pig, since it’s 40 degrees here.

Yesterday we woke up early and cleaned the cabin and got ready to roll out to the Yukon Quest, the annual 1,000 international sled dog race.  We said our goodbyes to Tom and let him know how much we appreciated staying at his home.  As predicted, some snow had fallen the night before.  It was less than an inch but made everything look pretty and covered the ice.  As people we had spoken with had stated, they needed the snow and it made it easier on the sled dogs too with softer trails to run on.read more…

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What Should I Pack When I Travel?

Posted on November 5, 2015 by

Mt Marathon

It’s late at night, your flight leaves at 6AM, and you are still scurrying around your house, trying to tie up loose ends, checking things off your handwritten list, wondering “What should I pack?”, trying not to forget anything. But inevitably, you always do.  Yes, I have been there too, lots of times.  And every time I am there, I think to myself “I really need to make a formal list, preferably in a Word Doc, so I don’t go through this again.”  You know what Einstein’s definition of insanity is?  Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result.  Now let’s not be insane, OK?

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Posted in Travel Advice
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Bonjour Paris, Nuit Blanche — Oct 3

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Nuit Blanche

The Crowds Gather for the Annual Nuit Blanche

I am sitting in an apartment in the Marais, a district in Paris which a long time ago used to be a swamp (the translation of the word “marais”). More recently it was the Jewish district and today is an eclectic mix of people in what is considered an artistic and gentrified part of the city.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Paris
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A Marais Jewish Day — Oct 4

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Books in the Jewish Bookstore

Books in the Jewish Bookstore

Today is cooler, I can tell, simply by the open window in the kitchen and the cool air drifting in through it. Yesterday was a very full day and I hope I can recall all the details, before they blend together, like a nice creamy soup on a cool, autumn day.

The Marais is full of old buildings, from the medieval days, as well as being steeped in the Jewish history for many generations. After eating a light breakfast with charcuterie and chèvre, we began our walk. Our initial plan was to follow the Medieval Meanderings tour suggested in the Lonely Planet Paris guide. We walked by some historical buildings from the 1600’s. Some of these had beautiful gardens and of course we stopped to “smell the roses” and admire the colors of the flowers. The gardens really popped in the sunshine and I must not have been the only one who thought this, seeing the amount of people who were sitting in benches admiring the beauty before us.read more…

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Closed on Monday! — Oct 5

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Closed on Monday

Paris Has the Endless Types of Shops

It’s a rainy afternoon in Paris, or perhaps I should say, it’s a dumping cats and dogs afternoon in Paris. After what has been a series of comedy of errors for the first half of the day, I am taking a bit of a reprieve. I am sitting here enjoying a cup of tea and doing some blogging. It just seemed like the wise thing to do here.

Knowing we would be heading to Lyon tomorrow, we wanted to get our train tickets today, so they didn’t sell out at the time we want to depart, or whatever else. We took the subway to Gare de Lyon, which is the train station that has the trains that depart south toward Lyon and further, into Provence. The kiosks are in theory user friendly, although one is forced to claim they are a cardholder or not, what type of cardholder, and please prove it, etc. Needless to say, after futzing around for 20 minutes and we couldn’t get the tickets had me a bit restless.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Paris
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Dinner at Athénée, Wow — Oct 5

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Athénée

Plaza Athénée

Now I am on the train to Lyon – my days in Paris seemed to fly by. I am happy we set things up to have a dose of Paris at both the beginning and the end of the trip. There is never enough time to do Paris.

While I am focused on what’s ahead and am enjoying occasionally glancing out the window and seeing rolling hills, I am also focused on not forgetting any of the details and the feeling of last night, eating at Alain Ducasse’s Athénée. Opulent, decadent, breathtaking, unbelievable, beaucoup opulent, beaucoup decadent, beaucoup breathtaking, beaucoup unbelievable.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Paris
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