August 11, 2015 - Tanya's trip to Puerto Rico and the Southern Caribbean - Day 4

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING: AT SEA

Happy Tuesday to you & GREETINGS from the SEA!

It's Travelin' Tuesday and since I love Travelin' that's just what I'm doing!

Here's a bit of how my yesterday in 
St. Thomas went...
We spent a lovely morning on the north side of the island throughly enjoying the amazing crystal clear Atlantic waters of Magens Bay (named after the daughter of the prominent Danish family that had controlled much of the land adjacent to the bay).

This beach is rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world by National Geographic!
It was freakin gorgeous!!!

I'm so glad that I stick to my guns and follow through with my plans! 

Which meant leaving the cruise ship hours earlier than the masses and then arriving at the beach when it was still nice, fairly unpopulated, and not baking in the hot sun!
The sand was oh so soft and as fine as powdered sugar, the water was in a word PERFECT! 

After the beach we arrived back at the pier to take our St. Thomas highlights tour...

The driving and the cars here in St Thomas and in the other USVI might have you take a second look, because as you might already recall they drive on the left side of the street HOWEVER the drivers side is also on the left side of the vehicle, because it is USVI and their vehicles come from the U.S. (unlike in other countries who drive on the left side of the road, whose vehicles come from UK imports).

The very informative tour was spent at 3 main stops -
Pilgrims Terrace - overlooking Havensight, Charlotte Amalie, Bluebeard and Blackbeard's castles!
Drakes Seat (overlooking Magens Bay)
And Mountain Top - where the Banana Daiquiri was created. "It's 5p somewhere!"

With several picturesque sights in between.
Finally dropping us off in Downtown Historic Charlotte Amalie where we had a lovely local lunch at Sweet Life Restaurant and tried a very yummy local Sorrel "tea" Drink - Mmm that was good!

Charlotte Amalie, founded in 1666 as Taphus (meaning "beer houses" or "beer halls").

In 1691, the town was renamed to Amalienborg (in English Charlotte Amalie) after Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (1650–1714), queen consort to King Christian V of Denmark. 


After that we spent our afternoon shopping...

It was certainly kinda hot out, but anytime that cooling Caribbean Breeze blew it was just so very delicious! 

Definitely not a bad or boring Monday to share with you on Travelin' Tuesday & with much more travel and Travelin' plans to come!!!

One St Thomas local shared his motto with us -
"We are one people"

Meet you back here tomorrow when we will be in Barbardos Baby!
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: SEPTEMBER

Travelin' Plans for the Fall

Greetings from Long Island!  

Eastport, Long Island

Hey, it's not St. Thomas, like where Tanya is currently traveling, but it is an island and tourist destination with some of the most lovely beaches around.

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day out on the East End of Long Island and I spent a few hours sitting down by one of the local docks in Eastport overlooking Moriches Bay.  

Not many people there, except for a few folks fishing off the pier, so I practically had the whole area to myself!

Trumpets on the Bay in Eastport, Long Island, one of the area restaurants overlooking Moriches Bay

Moriches Bay in Eastport, Long Island

After dropping the girls off at the barn, I drove straight to the dock for a little morning relaxing. Sitting by the open bay with the wind blowing and the sun shining down, was so peaceful and it set a happy tone for the rest of the day!

Guess what day it is...Travelin' Tuesday!
I have been pretty busy the past few days finalizing my upcoming weekend Fall road trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for Columbus Day weekend in October.  

This is going to be another Mommy & Girls trip.  
Since our trip to Hawaii to join Tanya and gang was not possible, I started planning some "local trips" with the girls for the Fall.


Lancaster, PA, better knows as the Amish Country, home to the Pennsylvania Dutch, is only a little over three hours by car.  A hop, skip and a jump from Long Island compared to the many other road trips, during which we spend long hours in the car.  

And with stops along the way, our in-car time will not be bad at all!

Our Lancaster, PA "Food & Amusement Park" Road Trip Itinerary is just about finalized.  To see our Itinerary, CLICK HERE.

The Thomas Edison Memorial Tower and Menlo Park Museum in Edison, NJ boasts the "biggest lighbulb" in the world (credit: bigstuff.com)

The New Jersey State Capital in Trenton (credit: 51in51.com)

Our little "fun and food" weekend will start mid-Friday afternoon (I will take the girls out early), as we head off of Long Island and head south through New Jersey.

First stop will be The Thomas Edison Memorial Tower and Menlo Park Museum located in Edison, (appropriately named!) New Jersey.   This building boasts having The World's Largest Lightbulb, which is 14 feet tall and weighs eight tons. 

At night, it is illuminated. Although, we will see it in daylight, it is sure to be a great photo op with the kids and we'll, of course, go inside for a quick look around the museum.

This 118 foot tower was opened on December 31, 1879, closed in 2010 for renovations; re-opened in 2012, at which time the lightbulb was switched off and the tower surrounded by scaffolding for a complete renovation. There will be a Re-dedication Ceremony on October 24th, 2015 just a few weeks after my visit, at which point, the lightbulb will be turned back on.

Next stop, the New Jersey State Capital in Trenton, New Jersey.
Nicknamed The Garden State, New Jersey became a state December 18, 1787 - the THIRD state.

Built in 1790, it is the second-oldest state house in continuous legislative use in the United States.
We will stop here for a brief visit, walk around and take a few photos!

Last stop for the day will be in Pennsylvania at one of the area's smorgasbord restaurants for a wonderful, hearty dinner - YUM!

I opted to stay in a quaint bed and breakfast inn for this trip.  I thought it would be a new experience for the girls, and since we will be on an eating fest this weekend, where better to start our day than in a bed and "breakfast!"

During the rest of our trip, we will be visiting the following locations.  Starting Saturday and through Monday, they include:

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Factory 
Founded in 1861, the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery is the first commercial pretzel bakery in America.
We will be doing a fun tour of this 150 year old  original pretzel bakery, get a hands-on lesson in pretzel twisting, and get to watch the bakers twisting old-fashioned soft pretzels by hand!  

(credit: strasburgpa.com)

Cherry Crest Adventure Farm
A working farm, they are an example of "agri-tainment" in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country. Their mission is "to offer family agri-tainment, providing exceptional service, cultivating learning and agriculture awareness and creating memories for our employees and our guests that will last a lifetime."

And after visiting their website, boy, does this place sound like fun!! Consisting of an interactive 5-acre corn maze with over 2.5 miles of paths, scenic bridges, and clues; a barnyard, the Strasburg Railroad, one of the only real steam engines in the country! and a courtyard with activities, food and merchandise stands, I can't think of a "funner" way to spend our saturday in Lancaster county!

Dutch Wonderland
Since it first opened on May 20, 1963, Dutch Wonderland, with it's more than 30 rides and attractions, has consistently been recognized as a premier family theme park and has been voted one of the Top 5 Best Kid’s Park in the World by Amusement Today magazine. 

Turkey Hill Experience
Honestly, folks, I am more than excited to visit this place!!! And I think the kids are going to have a blast!  We will be doing the combo "Turkey Hill Experience" AND "The Taste Lab", all for the low price of $14.90 ($13.90 for kids) per person!!

The Turkey Hill Experience features interactive exhibits allowing visitors to learn about dairy culture, the story of Turkey Hill Dairy, and how the company's ice cream and iced tea flavors are selected and created. Fun, right? But wait...

Starting off with vanilla ice cream and flavors of our choice, The Taste Lab allows you to make your own ice cream!! How cool is this going to be!!
I cannot wait!!!

I am very excited about our Food & Amusement Park weekend in Pennsylvania.  Don't forget to visit my new trip page - Just CLICK HERE

Back to today...I'm going to be heading back to Nassau later this afternoon after I pick up the girls from horseback riding at the barn.

I have my orientation meeting tonight to find out all about volunteering at a home for unwed, pregnant girls.  Really looking forward to this soulful opportunity!

See ya back here tomorrow for W2GW when I'll be talking about a few New York City Tours I'll be taking next month!!

-E
xoxo