Budapest is in the left photo, Istanbul is on the right.
So you gotta know there will be LOTS of blog entries from this trip!!!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Vacation!!
I'm SO excited!!! We're planning our vacation for this year and we've decided to go to Istanbul, Turkey and Budapest, Hungary. 5 nights in each city and small tour groups in each. I am just beside myself!! Yay!!!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Gibbet Hill Grill
If you live in the Boston area and haven't yet tried the Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton (http://www.gibbethill.com/index.htm), you're definitely missing out. We went last night with 3 other couples. Our friends Harry & Christine, Denise & Nate, and Jen & Ronny were nice enough to join us. We had a really fun time...and getting four couples together is no small feat! Steak is the big thing at this place, an
d I can personally vouch for the filet mignon. I've never heard a complaint about anything else on the menu though, so you can feel safe ordering anything.
The desserts are out of this world, and huge (that is half of Christine's chocolate layer cake in that bag!), so save room! Between all of us we also tried the raspberry cheesecake, the chocolate brownie sundae, and the apple crisp. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.
Gibbet is pronounced with a soft 'g' and a gibbet is an English gallows, generally situated on a hill for public executions! You may be thinking, "hey, that doesn't sound like an all that appetizing place to eat." But if it helps at all that this hill in Groton was named in 1655, then maybe you'll give it a chance.
After a period of time as a sanitarium, in the 1930s the Groton Hunt Club used the property for fox-hunting parties, dinners, dances, and nature outings. From the 1940s through the 1990s, the property was used as a cattle farm, breeding Black Angus. In the late 1990s, the property was put up for sale and was about to be purchased by Modern Continental (for those of you who don't live in the Boston area, this is one of the construction companies responsible for the infamous Big Dig)...who planned to build a 78-home tract on the property.
d I can personally vouch for the filet mignon. I've never heard a complaint about anything else on the menu though, so you can feel safe ordering anything.The desserts are out of this world, and huge (that is half of Christine's chocolate layer cake in that bag!), so save room! Between all of us we also tried the raspberry cheesecake, the chocolate brownie sundae, and the apple crisp. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.
Gibbet is pronounced with a soft 'g' and a gibbet is an English gallows, generally situated on a hill for public executions! You may be thinking, "hey, that doesn't sound like an all that appetizing place to eat." But if it helps at all that this hill in Groton was named in 1655, then maybe you'll give it a chance.
After a period of time as a sanitarium, in the 1930s the Groton Hunt Club used the property for fox-hunting parties, dinners, dances, and nature outings. From the 1940s through the 1990s, the property was used as a cattle farm, breeding Black Angus. In the late 1990s, the property was put up for sale and was about to be purchased by Modern Continental (for those of you who don't live in the Boston area, this is one of the construction companies responsible for the infamous Big Dig)...who planned to build a 78-home tract on the property.
Amazingly, the 338 acre farm and adjacent 188 acre orchard was whisked out from under their nose by Steven Webber, founder of Geotel Communications, and a Groton native, who purchased the property for $10 million. He vowed never to allow residential development of the site in order to maintain the rural set
ting of the town. The Gibbett Hill Grill, which opened in 2004, is run by the Webber family in a refurbished barn on the property. There is also an extensive network of trails on the property that the public is welcome to walk or hike.
ting of the town. The Gibbett Hill Grill, which opened in 2004, is run by the Webber family in a refurbished barn on the property. There is also an extensive network of trails on the property that the public is welcome to walk or hike.It's an inspiring story of someone using his money to preserve green space for future generations...and in the meantime, we get to enjoy the fantastic food, homey atmosphere, and great service of the restaurant. So go check it out and make sure you give me your reviews! Here's a pic of the place:
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
More of the Poconos
Upon review of my post from yesterday, I realized that I really did omit some of the more interesting "cultural experiences" from our trip to the Poconos. I think I'd be truly remiss if I didn't regale you with those tales here....
When Dave and I first got into town on Friday afternoon we stopped by the Hawley Diner. It's exactly the sort of place you think of when I say "diner"...shiny, silver, and sort of shaped like a breadbox. So first thing I know, the parents of a young daughter and baby in the booth beside us both LIGHT UP CIGARETTES. It definitely made me think of that Reese Witherspoon line from Sweet Home Alabama: "Oh wow. You have a baby...in a bar." The mother looked pretty mean...I'm certain she wouldn't have appreciated my constructive feedback, so I held my tongue.
The second interesting cultural observation was at the guns & ammo store. They had one of those roadside marquee signs that has the light-up arrow on it. Anyway, on the sign were the letters "We buy used gun." That's not a typo. We buy used GUN, singular. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't take a picture to put up here. Again, I thought that stopping off to provide constructive feedback might not be wise.
The last, and most fun, is reported here secondhand, as I did not personally observe it. I have it on good authority (from Lisa & Scott) that a LOT of people with, shall we say, outdated hairdos do attend the Sunday morning 11:30 mass. Apparently there were a lot of mullets. The only other place I've seen a mullet of late is on Guitar Hero. For a very weird experience, see the wikipedia on mullets:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullet_(haircut)#History_and_cultural_significance Little did you know that there are chullets, frullets, momullets, skullets, and many more variations on the classic mullet. Just in case you're looking for a new style to try out with the ladies....or the gents, for that matter....!
When Dave and I first got into town on Friday afternoon we stopped by the Hawley Diner. It's exactly the sort of place you think of when I say "diner"...shiny, silver, and sort of shaped like a breadbox. So first thing I know, the parents of a young daughter and baby in the booth beside us both LIGHT UP CIGARETTES. It definitely made me think of that Reese Witherspoon line from Sweet Home Alabama: "Oh wow. You have a baby...in a bar." The mother looked pretty mean...I'm certain she wouldn't have appreciated my constructive feedback, so I held my tongue.
The second interesting cultural observation was at the guns & ammo store. They had one of those roadside marquee signs that has the light-up arrow on it. Anyway, on the sign were the letters "We buy used gun." That's not a typo. We buy used GUN, singular. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't take a picture to put up here. Again, I thought that stopping off to provide constructive feedback might not be wise.
The last, and most fun, is reported here secondhand, as I did not personally observe it. I have it on good authority (from Lisa & Scott) that a LOT of people with, shall we say, outdated hairdos do attend the Sunday morning 11:30 mass. Apparently there were a lot of mullets. The only other place I've seen a mullet of late is on Guitar Hero. For a very weird experience, see the wikipedia on mullets:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullet_(haircut)#History_and_cultural_significance Little did you know that there are chullets, frullets, momullets, skullets, and many more variations on the classic mullet. Just in case you're looking for a new style to try out with the ladies....or the gents, for that matter....!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Poconos weekend
We're just back from a long weekend in the Poconos where we met up with our good friends, Lisa & Scott, from DC. Hard to believe my parents honeymooned here. And sorry to disappoint you all that we did NOT have a heart-shaped or champagne glass tub in our room.
Visited some very interesting places including the Alpine Wurst and Meat Shop in Honesdale Pa, when they have pretty much every conceivable kind of meat available. Delicious food...you can order meat online: http://www.thealpineonline.com/ I had the roast beef...and make sure you try the sweet potato pancakes with sour cream. Suffice it to say there were plenty of sausage jokes and "that's what she said" jokes (in fact, more than enough) to go around.
Also had a wonderful dinner at The Settlers Inn in Hawley Pa. Phenomenal food and great atmosphere...entirely unexpected and delightful place in the midst of many mediocre eating establishments. It also has a B&B if you're ever in the area: http://www.thesettlersinn.com/
Don't miss Callie's Candy Kitchen & Pretzel Factory in Mountainhome, Pa: http://www.calliescandy.com/ If you can, catch the candy presentation by Mr. Callie himself...very entertaining guy. You'll spend more money than you thought possible on candy, but who doesn't like chocolate?!?
We're not much for antiques, but we did check out Castle Antiques & Reproductions...you can see that Dave had fun. I had the most tremendous allergic reaction to all of the dust...wear your SARS mask!
Visited some very interesting places including the Alpine Wurst and Meat Shop in Honesdale Pa, when they have pretty much every conceivable kind of meat available. Delicious food...you can order meat online: http://www.thealpineonline.com/ I had the roast beef...and make sure you try the sweet potato pancakes with sour cream. Suffice it to say there were plenty of sausage jokes and "that's what she said" jokes (in fact, more than enough) to go around. Also had a wonderful dinner at The Settlers Inn in Hawley Pa. Phenomenal food and great atmosphere...entirely unexpected and delightful place in the midst of many mediocre eating establishments. It also has a B&B if you're ever in the area: http://www.thesettlersinn.com/
Don't miss Callie's Candy Kitchen & Pretzel Factory in Mountainhome, Pa: http://www.calliescandy.com/ If you can, catch the candy presentation by Mr. Callie himself...very entertaining guy. You'll spend more money than you thought possible on candy, but who doesn't like chocolate?!?
We're not much for antiques, but we did check out Castle Antiques & Reproductions...you can see that Dave had fun. I had the most tremendous allergic reaction to all of the dust...wear your SARS mask!
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