Muir Woods

This is not the first time we visited Muir Woods, but each time it is no less  magical. There are numerous trails.  This time, we walked through the redwoods to the Ben Johnson trail and returned via the Dipsea trail.  It was a pretty steep climb but well worth it.  On the way up we walked through the redwood trees and on the way down we walked through grasslands with many scenic viewpoints.

Beatiful Views

We have a beautiful view from our hotel at the top of Nob Hill.  Our window overlooks Grace Cathedral.  Feels like we are on top of the world.  But then again, it's hard not to find eye candy here no matter where you look.

Sons and Daughters Restaurant San Francisco

Got a great rec from a local and headed to Sons and Daughters on  Bush Street.  I can't begin to tell you how yummy everything was.  From the first taste of the amuse-bouche to the end of the meal.  It says on the limited menu, 4 courses...$58. Sounded reasonable so we went for it.  I wonder if everyone is  treated so well (we got more than 4 courses), and I can honestly say this was the best lamb I have ever eaten.  Beautiful presentation which included some of those molecular gastronomy techniques and delicious food.  The combination of ingredients were unique, which made the flavors so much more interesting.  Chef Moriarty was waiting to bid us farewell on our way out too.

San Francisco

Okay, okay, okay...I  will attempt to blog (if you all stop bugging me) although it is difficult on this trip.  Our conference was a success but I like to write in the morning and I haven't had one free yet.  Tomorrow it's off to Napa bright and early once again.  We've had some great meals, massages (foot massages of course), and the weather has been beyond beautiful.  Stay tuned...

Musee de la Civilisation

This museum is a don't miss when visiting Quebec City.  All the exhibits are unique in their presentation.  Aqua: A Journey Into the World of Water is an interactive exhibit in a room with 360 degree projections. The purpose is to raise awareness of water related issues but it's just plain kewl!

This museum also hosts a photo exhibit called Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.  I received an email a few years back with some of these photos. They show what a typical family, in different countries around this great planet consume in a week.   I had forgotten how interesting they were and had to  purchase the book to share with my hospitality students.   

Red Bull Crashed Ice

There are always interesting events happening in Quebec City and this weekend the city is home to Red Bull Crashed Ice.  Honestly, we'd never heard of this event but were curious to check it out.  It is described on their website as..." a combination of of icehockey, downhill skating and boardercross. At speeds of up to 50 km/h, the skaters will take racing in the ice track full of turns, jumps and underpasses. Crash-landings are guaranteed in this head-to-head race, for only the two fastest contestants in each heat qualify for the next round."
The course, a giant ice roller coaster, winds through the entire city.  Unfortunately, we didn't get the best pictures of the city due to the scaffolding and equipment everywhere but it made our visit a bit more fun.

A Word About the Toronto Airport

Its crazy, all the news lately about the looooonng lines to get through customs in Toronto.  Passengers claimed 3 hours, officials said it was closer to 90 minutes.  All I know is that it was probably the best experience we've ever had.  We were the first off the plane and waited about 30 seconds.  A fluke?  Maybe.

Poutine

Everything we've eaten in Quebec so far has been delicious, as we had expected.  We were curious about this poutine we heard so much about. Although it can be had at BK, and most other fast food locals, we were told to try it a place called AshTon.  Basically, it is fries with cheese curds on top, slathered in brown gravy.  The mini size was a meal for each of us.  A million calories but yummy.  I heard they are making "haute" poutine in some places with ingredients such as truffle oil but I think our curiosity was satisfied.

Cold

Coming from Miami, where it is too hot to even try on a pair of boots let alone a down jacket, I was just a bit worried that I may not be warm enough spending hours walking the streets of Vieux Quebec.  This and the comments from almost everyone when we mentioned where we were headed.  "OMG it's freezing there, how could you be going at this time of year?" My sis suggested we buy those hand and foot warmers that were on sale at Target for one dollar, and we did.  Let me remind you that Raf and I love the change of seasons so we weren't too worried. 
The weather has been beautiful since we got here.  In the 30's, but very comfortable.  We broke out the hand warmers today to see what they were about (forgot we had them yesterday) and WOW do those things get hot.  Didn't need the gloves and had to let the hands escape the pockets on several occasions.  Snow and all the weather is perfect.

Quebec City

Our first choice this spring break was Vietnam, but after a little bit of research, we decided to save that trip for when we had more than one week to travel. It's been pretty warm this Miami winter so we figured we'd head north to Montreal and Quebec City. At least I'd be able to wear my boots and Raf would have an opportunity to practice his French. 
Unfortunately, after a flight delay, we missed the bus leaving from Montreal to QC and as a result lost one day to travel.  Famished when we finally arrived, we found the closest pub (showing the hockey game of course) and finished off 2 steak frites, with real dijon mustard too!

Our hotel is in the heart of Vieux Quebec and within walking distance of almost everything we want to see.  Night...
 

Winwood Art Walk

When I'm stuck in one place for too long I tend to get a little stir crazy which led me to dig a little deeper for interesting and fun things to do in and around Miami.  Et voila, second Saturday's in the Winwood district.  It really was a great time, funky art, great people watching, interesting conversations, live music, dj's, cocktails, and food trucks. 

Last days in Provence

After that long drive to the riviera, we decided to put the visit to the Gorges du Verdun, the grand canyon of France, on hold for the next trip.  Honestly, I just can't sit in a car for that long for so many days in a row.  So we hung around Lourmarin sleeping late, exploring the countryside, cooking and dancing in the streets.  Yes...our last night, it's about 9:30 and we were just finishing up our dinner with our new favorite Banon cheese when we heard live blues coming from down the street.  We were at Cafe Gaby 10 minutes later watching a very good street band sing a mix of reggae, swing and french songs.  Before long, everyone was dancing in the street, old, young, even the dogs.  That was a grand finale!
We prepared to leave the next morning and received several visitors who came to say goodbye.  First, a bee flew into the window.  It insisted on following me around the house making it very difficult to pack.  Then a little bird came inside.  It had been making a nest in a nearby window and we thought it would be stuck inside but it too eventually flew out the window.  Good bye Lourmarin, we'll be back!

Old Friends

I'm sure you've realized that we are a bit behind in our posting so I'll try to catch you up without leaving too much out.  After Marseille, we took a long drive to visit some friends near St. Tropez.  This time the narrow, winding roads beat out anything we encountered before.  Luckily, it was mid day and we didn't have to do it in the dark. In the picture with Raf and me is our friend and mother of 2, Alexia. I was her au pair in Paris when she was 10 years old.  I was fortunate to have landed with such a great family back then and we have kept in touch ever since. After a delicious lunch, we drove even further to Grasse, perfume capital of the world.  Unfortunately, many places were closing but we did see the town and got a bit of shopping in.  Some crazy, flamboyant Indian man sprayed Raf with the most horrible perfume because he wanted to "smell it on someone."  Raf was a good sport, the people who worked there were horrified, and when I told him I disliked the scent, he turned to Raf and said,"Guess you're not getting any tonight!" We took the 2 hour drive back to Lourmarin with the windows open.

Marseille

Okay...so if you read the last post you're saying.."What happened to Marseille?"  I didn't forget.  I took  a panoramic video clip of the old port, left the computer to upload the clip and went to sleep because it was taking forever.  Guess it didn't happen.  Don't know if it's the connection here or I just haven't figured it out yet.  Will try again when we get home.

Cassis and Marseille

Took the long trek to Cassis because we wanted to visit somewhere on the coast.  Le Calanques, the Mediterranean fjords, looked beautiful when we did our research and we hoped worth the drive.  Also, Raf wanted to make a stop close by in Marseille since he claims Marseille will be his future futbol (socccer) team when we move here.  Upon arrival we could feel the difference between the country and the coast.  Lots more tourists here and all with great tans.  People really don't believe I live in Miami.  Had  a fantastic lunch, a beautiful salad and grilled sardines, then hopped on a boat to visit 8 of the calanques ( you can choose to visit 3, 5 or 8)  We headed out and the clouds rolled in. It rained for half of the 1.5 hr. boat ride but we still sat outside and the pics didn't come out too bad. Back to the port and of course out comes the sun.