It is easy and pleasant to visit Amish country in Pennsylvania. The countryside is made up of tidy farms and gentle landscapes. If you go, buy a map of the county, which includes the numerous back roads where the Amish live. Often, farms have stands where there are fruit, vegetables, breads or preserves for sale. If no one is there to serve you, don’t worry; there will be a sign saying that they use the honor system: leave the money in the jar. What a beautiful way to live.

The Amish are friendly and agreeable in the shops and markets but do not try to accost anyone on the street. Especially, do not try to take pictures of them. It is not appreciated, which is understandable. They are quiet and withdrawn from the world and not looking to have pictures of themselves splashed around. Please be respectful of their privacy.

There are numerous shops in the area selling handicrafts from quilts to dolls. I love the quilts! They are not cheap, so expect to pay a good price. After all, there is a lot of hand sewing involved. If you stay in a local bed and breakfast, your bed will certainly have one of the lovely quilts.

While driving along the back roads, drive slowly and keep a lookout for carriages and pedestrians. Many families walk and most ride in buggies. Cars share the road.Note the big red triangle at the back of the buggy to warn cars to slow down.

Most parking lots in public buildings and restaurants have hitching post areas for the horses and carriages.

I know this horse and buggy looks bucolic and romantic but there are aspects that are not so glamorous. Take a look at the  Wachovia Bank parking lot and the hitching post area. Not so pretty.

Regardless of the horse mess, Amish country is a wonderful vacation choice. Scenery is lovely, shopping is  unique, people are interesting and the food in the numerous restaurants is plain and good.

©barbarabunce

St. Martin: beaches, food and waves

I stayed at a small hotel on Orient Bay, one of the longest beaches on the island. There are no high rise hotels, just small hotels set back from the beach behind the trees and shrubs. Some areas are busier than others, so it goes from exuberant to almost isolated.

At one end of the beach is a quiet condo complex which sits on the low hill. Look at that powdery sand!At the other end is an all-inclusive beach hotel with a large area for nude sun-bathing, predominantly male. As you walk along in that direction, you encounter a group of large rocks which divide the beach and a sign which informs you that you are entering a naturist zone. It’s up to you whether continue or not. Everyone is permitted. Remember that this is French island, so, elsewhere, topless is common. And, “No”, ladies and gentlemen,, I have no “peopled”pictures to support this statement. It is easy to get around the island, either by rental car, reasonably priced taxis or privately owned buses called “Jittneys”. These are vans with a sign in the dashboard window. To ride a “Jittney”, you stand on the highway and flag it down. Ask if it is going to your destination because, regardless of what the sign says, the driver is often willing to go a bit out of his way. The local people are very friendly and helpful. The fare is only 2 U.S.$, quite a bargain.
From Orient Bay it is a 10-minute walk, or short ride, up the semi-private road to the highway and from there you can go to any major destination. It is a short ride of 5 minutes to Grand Case, a small town with many boutiques and restaurants. It comes awake later in the day, so go late afternoon to do the shops, which have very good quality clothing from Europe; then stop at one of the many bars and restaurants for food and drink.

I highly recommend “Le Pressoir” restaurant. It is five-star-quality food and service. The price is five-star, too, so I made it a special night-before-New-Year’s-Eve dinner. I recommend the lobster bisque and the fish of the day. The restaurant is in a renovated Creole house with a small veranda facing the old salt-press across the street. Reserve a place on the veranda; it is pleasant and cozy and you get to people-watch while you eat.

From Orient bay it is about a 20 minute ride to the capital of the French side: Marigot. The “Jittney” stops mid-town at the terminal and from there it is a two minute walk to the waterfront.
On Saturdays and Wednesdays, there is a lively market here with local produce,clothing and souvenirs. There was not a very good selection of fruit when I went and I was disappointed.At the entry to the market area is an imposing sculpture of a Creole woman. The plaque, which is broken, says it is in memory of M.Martin Lynn, designer. I could find no mention of him/her anywhere. It’s unfortunate because I like the simple, rounded lines of this piece of art and I would like to know more about it.

The town looks rundown in areas, although, one block up from the waterfront is a small shopping area, with several streets of upscale shops.The shops don’t have much stock and the streets generally look neglected. I think the recession hit them hard and they have not recovered.

It’s too bad because they have a wonderful island. The area around the marina, on the other side of Marigot is more up kept and the shops and restaurants very good.The capital of the Dutch side of the island (Sint Maarten) is Philipsburg. Here, the shops and streets seem more prosperous, certainly thanks to the numerous cruise ships which deposit thousand of tourists weekly. The town consists of 4 streets running parallel along the one-mile bay. The first 2 up from the ocean are for shopping, with duty free jewels, cigars and liquor. Here is a picture of the courthouse, with a pineapple sculpture on the roof. Just look at that clear blue sky above! Isn’t it calling your name!

“The Pineapple on the building’s roof is an international symbol of welcome. Australian master shipwright Frank Gonsalves carved the pineapple in 1996, to replace the original, which blew away in a storm.”    http://www.best-stmartin.com

If you decide to go on an excursion to the neighboring island of St. Barth’s: be forewarned. It is a tough ride. This is not for the faint of heart.

This 45 minute ride includes free plastic bags for the possible, or probable, stomach heaves. Someone had told me to sit on the upper deck of the boat and look at the horizon and I would be okay. I sat, I looked and I prayed. I was told that this patch of water is where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic and so it is rough.

Rough is an understatement. The boat hits the waves head on and we go up and down and around. It is downright scary and a trip from hell.  I managed to keep my breakfast down but when we arrived, I could barely stand. I was so shaky. I went to the nearest restaurant and had tea and dry toast and gave thanks for my safe arrival. I thought of flying back but I was assured that the trip back is easier. Yes, the return was better, although one passenger was sick and that poisoned the air for the rest of us. St. Barth’s is a pretty island, with many designer shops, but not worth that miserable trip.

Apart from this side trip with side effects, I had a great vacation. I will certainly return. Reserve my chair!

©bbunce

This picture is taken at the very busy and award winning Cafe Flore, (www.cafeflore.com) on Market street. From cocktails to espresso to cowgirl-waiters, the cocktails, food and atmosphere are California laid-back and relaxed. It is a nice place to people watch, too. And dog watch. San-Francisco is a city with more dogs than children and they are on show everywhere.

Signs on buildings are artistic and suggestive! It is great fun!

The streets are typically hilly and the homes are Victorian- inspired. It is a large and interesting district, with wide streets, many small shops and numerous cafes.

I love Victorian homes, and many homes in San-Francisco have a Victorian look, with pretty pastels and wood lattice-work. But the most impressive area for Victorian homes is Alamo Square. (This is not in the Castro district.)This 5 hectare area sits high on a hill overlooking the city and has a central park with beautiful trees and walking trails, a tennis court and  a “doggie”  playground. The view is incredible. In the foreground is the street of what is called the Painted Ladies, or the Six Sisters. These are beautiful Victorians in various shades.

On the other side of Alamo Square’s hill and park, is another row of charming houses. There is no view in this direction, except of the lovely architecture. Here are a few of my favorites.

I can just imagine the nooks and crannies in this house, with quiet spots to read and write. Unfortunately, none of these homes are within my budget so I will have to daydream.

©bbunce

Most of us know that San Francisco has the largest Chinatown outside of China but not many of us realize how much is stuffed into this area.

It is chock full of, well, every product you can think of. As you enter the main gate entrance to Chinatown,

there are shiny, imposing items of all kinds on the sidewalks, in the store windows and in the stores.

There is not a square inch that is free space, barely even the sidewalks.

It is a densely populated, densely stocked and densely visited part of San-Francisco.

People fill the sidewalks and trinkets,baubles,clothing and jewelry spill out from storefronts and fill display cases everywhere. It is fun, it is a challenge and it is a discovery at every step. I don’t know how I resisted the thousands of jade necklaces, bracelets and rings. They were so beautiful that I couldn’t choose. So, I came home empty handed. I guess I’ll have to go back.

In the midst of these busy streets there were a few musicians, calmly playing exotic melodies. It was a chance to stop and take in the quiet sounds of Chinatown.

For a unique experience, one must-do is a visit to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. If you are patient and stop every now and then to ask directions, you will be treated to a special tour. Hidden in a small laneway(Ross Alley), with an entrance barely visible… so much so that I asked directions and I was standing directly in front of the door… is this “factory”. It is actually a tiny, narrow shop with several Chinese ladies working the cookie-batter machines, adding fortunes and folding cookies. There are large barrels full of fortunes and I felt like asking how much it would cost to buy a bag of good fortune. I didn’t ask because I thought the humour would be lost on the boss-man. He, a severe and watchful elderly gentleman, stands at the entrance and warns you that it is 50 cents to take a picture. You squeeze in, take a picture or two…that is an extra 50 cents each….and squeeze back out the entrance. If there is a group inside, wait in the lane until they have left so that you will have a better view. It is very, very crowded. They also have bags of unfolded cookies for sale, with no fortunes of course, and these make great snacks. They are 5$ a bag. It is a large bag, so you’ll have enough to share. It is interesting to see that these fortune cookies are both automated and hand made. However, the working environment is deplorable. The pictures I took will give you an idea of how it is. In the few minutes I was inside, I spent a few dollars in pictures and in cookies! It’s a good thing this wasn’t my hourly spending average for the day.

Here is a link which will give you more information on the cookie “factory”.

http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/attractions/ggfortunecookie.html

You will need a full day to visit Chinatown. It is crowded and there is lots to see. If you are in a rush, you will be frustrated. Take the time to eat the cookies, listen to the music and buy a trinket or two. Oh yes, I did buy something: a trolley ornement for my Christmas tree!

©bbunce

Santeria is a religion which comes originally from West Africa. When the Africans were captured and brought to places like Cuba and Haiti to work as slaves on the sugar plantations, they brought their beliefs and religion with them. Santeria was forbidden as the white owners were afraid of  stories of spells being cast so it went underground for many years and the slaves pretended to adopt the Catholic religion. However, it has survived, and if you ask around when you visit these countries you can attend a ceremony. This religion communicates with its saints through offerings; hence the altars. Cha Cha Cha is a Cuban restaurant and it is nice to eat the Cuban food and be in the Cuban atmosphere. Here are my pictures:

You can see the flowers, food and figurines which are an integral part of Santeria alters.

Note the beautiful, hand-embroidered cloth.

I know that it looks as if they are decked out for Christmas but it is not the case. I visited in October.

If you go, be prepared for a long wait. There is always a lineup. The food is not bad and worth trying. The decor is the draw…and the sangria!

©bbunce

I went to, and returned from, San Francisco with my heart intact(cue the Tony Bennett  song: “I left my heart in San Francisco”)

but while I was there, it was a fabulous love affair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZkMUv3_5U

San Francisco is a colorful, exciting and vibrant city with many interesting places to visit and things to do for every taste. It is hard to choose which experiences and sights were my favorites. Assuming that you will have already gone to view the Golden Gate Bridge and taken the guided tour of Alcatraz,  I have narrowed it down to a list of 5 must-visit suggestions.

1. Cable Cars

2. Cha Cha Cha Restaurant altars

3. Chinatown & Fortune Cookie Factory

4. Castro District

5. Victorian homes

I have lots of pictures to share so I will divide the list and talk about these favourite things in several blog posts.

I’ll start with number one on my list: Cable Cars. These represent the charming face of San Francisco. They are a beautiful sight in the urban setting. The cable car on Powell street, takes you uphill or downhill from one end of the city to another. There are 3 lines of cable cars crossing the city. Refer to this website for all the information on times, maps and prices: http://www.sfcablecar.com/

At either end of its route, the car is turned manually on a rotating platform.Then, it starts back up or down, depending at which end. Here, it is at the bottom end of the hill, at Market Street.

Tourists run to get a spot on the outside seats, sparkling wooden benches facing the sidewalks. There is standing room for a few lucky ones, hanging on to the bars. Everyone wants a picture doing this. It’s a San Francisco thing to do, for tourists! The locals prefer to sit.

The cable car stops at designated places like any bus, but if it is on an angle on the street, it stops in the flatter area, even if it is the middle of the intersection. The first time this happened at my stop, I was afraid to get off, presuming that I would be run over by the cars. The conductor insisted that it was safe and he was right. All cars stop and wait until the pedestrians get to a sidewalk. It’s a polite, small town thing to do and experience. Fascinating that it works.

The driver of the cable car, that is, the one who makes it stop and go, stands in the center of the car, wielding a long metal bar. I don’t know how it works exactly, as I am not mechanically inclined, but it has something to do with the gear apparatus, which is open for viewing. For the engineers: enjoy watching.

         
The cable car is truly the symbol of San Francisco and I have a Christmas tree ornament to prove it! At Pier 39(where the sea lions are) and surrounding areas, you will find kiosques for hot dogs, cotton candy and tourist information in the shape of the cable car. How cute is that!

The smokey look in the last picture is not from smog; it is from a nearby barbecue restaurant!

San Francisco is lovely to look at and fun to visit. If and when you go, share your time with us. If you have already been, let us know if you rode the cable cars!

©bbunce

I am not a “throw myself on a beach towel” type of traveller so I like to find beaches with services. This means more than toilets. It means beach chairs and umbrellas for rent. This takes a little planning and I’ve found that the best way is to ask around. Ask the locals. They know. And, this kind of place usually involves buses, ferries or small motorboats, so give yourself time. Once I have this precious name of where to go, I bring enough money for rentals and maybe drinks. Then, it’s off to the beach. This is always a surprise. Getting there is half the fun an old advert used to say and this is certainly true of the beach search in Croatia. You never know how long or complicated the process will be. This is part of the adventure. 

In Rovinj the best full service beach is on Red Island, a twenty-minute ferry ride from the main dock in town. Ferries are on the hour from the island and on the half hour from the mainland and accommodate big crowds so you don’t have to worry about space. Once on the island, though, the chairs are limited, so I would run like heck to the rental person and nab whatever free chairs were within sight. If you’re lucky, he’ll haul the chairs to your favourite spot and you’re good to go, or not go in this case. There are other great sunbathing spots on the island, clothing optional included, but they don’t have rental chairs. They call this beach sandy but it is in reality fine pebbles. There are many rocks in the water but there are spots you can enter with a clear little path. The water is fabulous.

On the ride to and from the island, there is one stop at the other end of Rovinj. On one trip, I was so engrossed at looking out at the scenery that I lost track of where I was and got off with the folks moving off at this stop. Once on the dock, I looked around for my travel friend but did not see her. I also noticed that most people were still on the ferry. And then, I saw the gangplank going up and realized that I was at the wrong stop. I yelled at the man lifting the gangplank to stop but he shook his head and pointed to several men in uniform at the nearby café. As the boat sailed off, I spotted my friend, on top deck taking pictures, just as she spotted me. Imagine her surprise! I waved goodbye and made walking motions with my fingers indicating that I would join up with her at the central pier. I then went up to the men in uniform and told them of my predicament. Of course, they asked me how I could get off at the wrong stop, while they had a good laugh.

I said that ” I got distracted because I was looking at your beautiful country.”

They took me back to my stop by water taxi. No charge.

Once I am on a beach, I slather on sunscreen, set up my towel and bag on or under my chair and maneuver the umbrella into the right position. I have packed a lunch and a book and am ready for a quiet day away from maps and routes and guidebooks. The closest I come to drawing routes is to let my fingers and toes run lines through the sand. This, by the way, is hard to do in Croatia. Not the relaxing part, but the sand part. That’s because most beaches in Croatia are rocky. When I mentioned my disappointment with the rocks to my host in Dubrovnik, she said that she thought sand was messy.

“It sticks to you and gets into you bathing suit, clothes and bag”.

Stunning observation for me!

“I love sand, I miss it like I miss toast”, I said.

“Sand is messy”, she insisted.

I continue to extoll the pleasures of sand but she is not convinced. I still prefer sand. Rocks are hard and make your chair uneven. It’s hard to walk on. One needs beach shoes to help prevent cuts. It’s a  precarious balancing act. Although I do agree that the water is crystal clear in Croatia, maybe because of the rocks. It is magnificent turquoise water and at the right temperature. It is wonderful.

The island of Hvar is a nice quiet spot or party spot, depending on where you make your home. We had a nice appartment overlooking the water, high in the hills where it is quiet. It was a nice walk downhill to the beach areas. Again, it is not the North American idea of a beach. People here lounge on rocks and outcroppings and precipices. I called them beach lizards. For them, any spot is great for sunning and diving into the sea.

And, YES, these chairs and umbrellas are for rent!  

My favourite spot was on level ground, although it was rocky, of course.

Korcula is a pleasant stop, with a charming old town and a magnificent…SANDY…beach. All it took to get to this beach was a bus ride of about 15 minutes and a 15 minute walk through grapevine country. The sandy expanse was long and large and extended into the water. It was heaven and I was so disappointed to have found this on our last day on the island.

Our last stop on the trip to Croatia was Dubrovnik. There are a few gravelly beaches around the city but we headed out by city bus to the hotel district where, they told us, were the best beaches. Best is a matter of opinion. This beach has rocks, not pebbles and it was hard to keep the chair stable. I couldn’t understand the pleasure of slipping around on those rocks into the water where more rocks awaited. The restaurants and boutiques were nice, the food was good and the sun warm and constant. The rocks were awful.Take a look:

The beach experience in Croatia was surprising, different and fun. This is part of travel: the differences.

©photos bbunce

The old town  is spread over a large area so there are never overwhelming crowds. There are three main areas to visit and each is divided by small rivers and ornate pedestrian bridges. The center of these old towns is the large open space around St. Nicholas Cathedral. It is always an active spot, with acrobats and singers entertaining the tourists and locals. There are also a few “gelato” counters in the area so it is a full service public place! In front of the cathedral  is an ornate bridge, with columns and cones. It is actually 3 bridges, hence the name Triple Bridge, the outer 2 built for pedestrians only. They are quite a lovely framework for the approach to the square.

Another ornate bridge, a little to the side of this main one, is the Dragon Bridge. The dragon is the symbol of the city and several sit guarding and decorating the short bridge.

No cars are allowed in the old town but there are bicycles galore. They don’t have designated paths and the cyclists tend to swing around from every side. Keep your eyes open. Other than co-existing with these all-over cyclists, Ljubljana is a wonderful old city for walking, taking in the sights of the Baroque architecture and the shops and cafes. The area in the picture below is in the Medieval part of the old town, just below Ljubljana Castle  on top of the hill. There is a funicular that takes you up to the top of the hill and the fort is a few steps from there. Inside the fort is a small theater which shows  an interesting movie on the history of Ljubljana. You can then walk up the 92-step spiral staircase and enjoy the view from the top. The stairs are quite easy to climb, although, on the way down, the twisting of the stairs, and maybe the heat, made me a little dizzy.

Along the banks of the rivers that intersect the old town, are riverfront promenades and numerous cafes and restaurants. The choice is yours. It seems everyone comes out for dinner, to sit by the willow trees by the water, people watching and having some delicious food. I recommend anything with mushrooms. I had the tastiest mushroom soup ever eaten and went back for more the next few nights. The pasta with mushrooms is also high on my “best-ever” list of foods. You can also have a dinner and music cruise.

Many buildings in Ljubljana have ornate cupolas and spires. It is said that a past mayor of the city had wanted Ljubljana to resemble Prague, the city of a hundred spires, and had ordered the buildings to be built in this style. It is hard to know whether to look ahead or to look up as the top of the city is a wonderful sight,too. Here are a few examples:

I hope you get an opportunity to visit this city because it is an event. Whether you walk in the old town, looking up or down, or eating by the water, it is a pleasurable experience. The weather is good, the people are polite and the locale is enchanting.

©photos b.bunce

Whether you pronounce it in English as Genoa or in Italian as Genova, this is one Italian city that is often, unfortunately, overlooked by tourists.

Nestled in northwestern Italy close to France and between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains, this is Italy’s largest port and sixth largest city. The Genovese people are a closed community, which is one reason the city has been off the radar for tourism development and tourist invasions for so long. Now, it is a stop for many cruise ships so the word is spreading: Genoa is a cultural and architectural beauty and a gourmet heaven.

While Genoa is a thriving modern metropolis, the past is ever present. The medieval old town is one of Europe’s largest and is a fascinating labyrinth of alleys and lanes. These lanes are called caruggi. The area is large, near the port and safe to visit. Some of these streets house small designer shops, some are home to company head offices and others are quite simply home to a large community of local families.

Most are pedestrian streets with only scooters allowed. The area is great for casual walks and for determined niche shopping.

Sometimes the lanes will converge and open to a small piazza and a church. It is simply surprising and beautiful.

You can see by the pictures that the streets are very narrow and barely allow the sun to penetrate.

Abundant clotheslines stretch across lanes and windows proving that there is a living and working neighbourhood here.

If you walk down to the port area, you will find numerous food shops located in medieval buildings with archway façades.

Many sell seafood of all sorts, quick meals and many offer “standup-only” spots to eat. The typical comfort food of Liguria is a kind of fried flatbread called: farinata. It is made of chickpea flour, olive oil, salt and mineral water and is eaten either plain or with garnishes. The best are in the standup-only shops. If you want to try making these at home, there is a good, typical recipe at this site: http://www.food.com/recipe/ligurian-farinata-savory-italian-pancake-or-flatbread-112403#ixzz1xsbQXmTc

Even if you are a great cook and make a great farinata, I would suggest planning a trip soon to try some in Genoa. This will be one of many treats you will encounter and discover.

©photos bbunce