July 12, 2015: Tanya's All-Star Trip: Day 1: Philly

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN: Pittsburgh

Good Day! Happy Sunday and Greetings from Chamberburg, PA!

And before I go on any further...

Many BIG Happy Birthday Wishes to my sister Jet!! 
I hope that you have a wonderful day!

We spent a lovely day in NYC yesterday, food sights, and best of all I was with the kiddos!
 
Our first stop was at Dun Well Doughnuts (Best Raised Doughnuts ANYWHERE) and then from there, we went to have brunch at the delicious vegan restaurant Blossom! 
Whoever said that dessert can't come first?!

Next up was getting over to One World Trade Center. Our timed tickets were for 1:30p & it was apparent that time was definitely of the essence!

We arrived in the nick of time (which so often occurs), but since Dave had missed a few turns, the kids and I got out and headed to the queue - we didn't want to be late. It was stated that late comers are turned away, and the tickets expire after the set time.

So I talked to the attendants who were all quite helpful, humorous and friendly - they made an exception and we waited (in the heat) for Dave to show up.

When he arrived we had gone inside and we wowed by the set up, even in line to get to the elevators we were being entertained, inspired, and educated about One World Center.

Then once inside the elevator the show had begun, what an amazing experience to watch as you go up the 102 floors in a jiffy!

When we had made it to the observation level, you are quickly showed a presentation in the theatre before you get to finally see the "FOREVER" view!

After spending a couple of hours there, we had to continue and be on our way. 

Waiting for Dave to write a postcard.

Falling asleep while waiting for Dave to write a postcard!

We dropped Cosette of at my Grandma's (her Great-Grandma) to spend the evening with her and my dad (her Grandpa). 
After our very short visit at my grandma's, Dave, Dominic and myself headed in the direction of Bethlehem, PA - 
What the heck is there you might ask...

It is where The BESTEST Vegan Bakery ever is located! 
This sleepy little town about 2 hours north of Philadelphia and we go there for one reason and one reason alone... Vegan Treats - if we are anywhere in the neighborhood (and by that I mean within 2 hours drive), this is a stop that we MUST make! 

Cosette was rather disturber (to say the least) that we were making a stop at this bakery without her - she even cried food tears! 
But of course we were going to pick up a few goodies to bring back to my girlie!

So as Dave drove, I was in and out of little cat naps - thank goodness, because I was rather sleepy - I had still only had (2) 1 hour naps since Friday morning in Prague - which is 6 hours ahead of the time zone that I was currently in - making that equate to (2) 1 hour naps since Thursday night!

Good thing I wasn't driving and the Dave was a driving super trooper!

After Vegan Treats, we had stopped for dinner in Philly and went to one of the BEST vegan restaurants in the country - VEDGE!

We had a delightful meal, and then as we were in the process of paying our bill - I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I was actually falling asleep at the table - no joke!

We still had a bit of a drive and stayed over in Chambersburg after arriving rather late last night; which was after a long day, or should I say a couple of really long days meshed together! 

So that brings us to the here and the now and we are on the MLB All Star Game Road Trip!

Heading into Pittsburgh, and to spend the day touring with Gigi and her Family - they are gonna show us around "their" town! 
We are looking very forward to our share day together and Travelin' Cousins has some great and very exciting news that we will soon be sharing with you and with Gigi!! Stay tuned!

And now while there were so very many great and wonderful sights on this very epic trip... 

Here is my Top 5 on my list of Favorite moments from the European Rail Trip that we just got back from!

1. Sitting in front of St. Peter and Paul, while listening to the violinist play and watching the horse  carriages go by.

2. The view from the Prague Tower - nothing short of awesome & I was just so excited to be up there!

3. St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow - definitely on my list of top Churches Worldwide!

4. Devlin Castle Ruins, outside of Bratislava - What can I say...I've got a thing for ruins! 

5. Enjoying the rain in Vienna! After a week of rather undesirable HOT temperatures, the rain had finally come and Elisa and I chose to sit in the square under an umbrella and take in the lovely atmosphere - rather than have a museum day.

There ya have it and be sure tho check what Elisa has on her list!

I'm gonna sign out now, and catch ya tomorrow as we head from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati!

Cheers,
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 5 Days

My Top 5 from European Rail Trip

Good Day folks!! Happy Sunday!!!

And a glorious Sunday it is here on Long Island - sunny, warm and a day I'll be spending with my family!

My girls are so excited - today is our trip to Adventureland!!  In fact, not only will be going together, but we will have Cosette with us as well.  

She arrived in New York yesterday and after a long, fun day touring downtown Manhattan, she will be spending the next 4 days will our gang while Tanya is off on  her All-Star Road trip with Dave and Dominic.

In April 2015 in Jackson Wyoming on our Cousins Yellowstone Road Trip

The last time the girls saw each other was on our cousins Yellowstone Road trip this past April.  So, it's going to be a fun reunion!!

Business of the day...
Going foreward, as I had mentioned in my previous blogs this week, Sunday, will, from now on, be a re-cap day of all the important news and article features from the week prior.

So, in case you missed your daily dose of The Daily Scoop, you can always go to Sunday's blog to get the re-cap!! See Below!!
 

As we promised, today, Tanya and I will talk about our TOP 5 from our trip.

This is a bit impossible because there were sooo many sights and moments that were amazing to narrow it down to five!

I will admit folks, I struggled with this - trying to pinpoint which places and experiences I liked the best. In the end, I decided to break it down as follows:  I hope you enjoy it!!

1) Top sight that Took my Breath Away
ST. ELISABETH'S "THE LITTLE BLUE CHURCH" IN BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA
I realize this sounds crazy -- with all the gorgeous, ornate cathedrals and basilicas we saw, that a small blue church would captivate me so.  But, it did.  I cannot explain why.  I could have been the color, the ornate tile work, the uniqueness that set it apart from all the others.  In the end, I sighed deeply when St. Elisabeth's first appeared in my sights.  

2. Most Beautiful View
TOP OF PRAGUE TOWER, OLD TOWN, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Though this was my second visit to Prague, I never climbed to the top of Prague Tower.  Not only was this a blast doing with Tanya, but the views from the top of the Old Town and the city of Prague were just spectacular!  A must do for anyone visiting this magical city.

3. Most Unexpected Fun
MISSING OUR TRAIN STOP FOR BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

If you followed our blog during our European Rail Trip, I'm sure the last thing you expected me to mention was the ill-fated moment when I was responsible for Tanya and I missing our train stop in Bratislava.  

But, out of lemons comes lemonade. Something we never expected and yet, it became an adventure that we both laughed about and learned how resilient and flexible we could both be!!

I truly cherish the memories of both Tanya and my reactions to this crazy experience and the laughs we had while waiting in Kuty, Slovakia (the next stop) waiting to re-board the train back to Bratislava.  

Taking selfies to pass the time; dragging our bags on gravel to get onto the train (while the train attendants just sat idle and watched us struggle and getting on that un-air conditioned train, sweating to death. A unforgettable memory!!


4. Place I'd Return In An Instant
KRAKOW, POLAND

From the moment I watched my first travel video about Krakow, I had a yearning to go.  It looked lovely and inviting.  

And from the moment we arrived, I loved this city.  The people, the architecture, it's sad and profound history, the amazing vegan and vegetarian food we never expected to find, and the home of one my most beloved popes, John Paul II.  

I'd go back in an instant!!

5. Best Shopping Experience
CENTRAL MARKET HALL, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

This was probably the best market I had ever been to.  It had EVERYTHING!! From fresh vegetable, meat, and food of all kinds to clothing, textiles, souvenirs, ceramics, household items, to prepared food in a food court - it was tremendous and full of anything one might desire!!

It was a real treat walking the halls of this incredible market!

Well folks, that's a wrap for today!!!
Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JET!!!

See ya back here tomorrow for a new week!

-E
xoxo

THE DAILY SCOOP WEEK IN REVIEW:  WEEK OF JULY 6, 2015

Throwback Thursday: Picturesque Prague & Imperial Vienna Part 2: Family Day at The Spanish Riding School

Foodie Friday: