Rooftop at our condo Does anyone really ever think they are going to need to wear a fleece on the beach in the Caribbean? I certainly didn’t, until recently. For someone who prides herself on being a great packer (great=efficient,) boy did I get it wrong this time. It’s pretty easy to pack light for a warm beach vacation. Skipping out on big sweaters, lots of pants, and a bunch of boots definitely lightens the load. I get a thrill checking in at the airport and putting my bag on the scale to see how far below the 50 lb...
We set out for our last supper in Tulum, feeling confident that El Asadero was the right choice. As we walked over to the restaurant, we noticed darkness coming from inside, and to our dismay… it was closed! What?!?! How could they do that to us? Closed on Sunday? I guess that just meant we had to go back to Taqueria Diaz. I was disappointed after all of that evaluating, planning, and anticipation, but really, it was not such a bad consolation prize. For some reason though, I just wasn’t feelin’ it. Something strange was in the air. On our...
After a successful first meal in Mexico and a great night’s sleep, I woke up the next day with a spring in my step. It is always a long travel day to get to Tulum, so it’s not until I wake up there that I actually feel like I am on vacation. I sometimes don’t know what I look forward to more while I’m in Mexico: a day at the beach, or my meals! I guess it’s like peanut butter and jelly or peas and carrots– I can’t have one without the other. A vacation without both would leave me...
When I think back to my childhood, I remember there were certain restaurants where my parents refused to take me. I thought these were really special places because I was only able to go to if my friends and their parents invited me. I used to think it was because those restaurants were too fancy for our family, but as I got older and started to understand the concept of fast food, I realized it probably wasn’t that. When I moved to Colorado when I was 12, my friend introduced me to Taco Bell. I’m pretty sure my only exposure...
A few days ago we had a huge dental convention in town, and I had volunteered to host a speaker for the day. I have to admit, I wasn’t going to volunteer, but I sort of got cornered by the event organizers and felt guilty saying no. I chose to host a doc whom I had seen speak a few years earlier, and she WOWED me. She spoke on nutrition and was so dynamic that I thought, “well, at least I can spend the day listening to her!” It was a very interesting experience because I had to introduce her...
Who says I can’t have chicken for breakfast? Have you ever noticed that somewhere along the way, someone in the world decided that appropriate breakfast foods were eggs, bacon, bread, jam, pastries, pancakes, waffles, cereal, etc. It was probably the same person who said eggs or pancakes are unacceptable for dinner. The humor is that we all bought it, and we live by these “rules!” If it’s the most important meal of the day, why are we starting our day with a bang by eating donuts? Wait, don’t answer that. Wouldn’t a meal with vegetables and some healthy protein be...
As I relaxed into my second happy hour of the trip, I already couldn’t help but start to reminisce about the trip that had barely begun. I ultimately made my way up the Riviera Maya one taco at a time, but I’ll get to that later. First, I’d like to dedicate a little time to our hotel, Tulum Pueblo, and Tulum beach. Happy Hour We stayed at the Xibalba Hotel, and our happy hours took place on the second floor balcony to the right in the photo below, which provided a nice sunset view. Being the only guests in the...
I feel complete that I can now say I have been to the oldest pub in England. Built into the side of Castle Rock in Nottingham, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem (even the name sounds olde) is believed to have been the original brewhouse for Nottingham Castle. The pub is built around the real caves. Apparently, there is a very extensive cave system that leads from the brewhouse up through the rock into the castle. Check out this cool link to photos of the Nottingham Caves Survey. In addition to the caves at the castle, there is a very large...
You would think having a local host in the UK would lead to the best of the best restaurants. It took me a few days to discover that if our host John liked it, I was guaranteed to hate it– and vice versa. John truly likes only white or brown food with no seasoning, and he won’t eat salad because he refuses to eat anything he has to “push around a plate.” On top of that, let’s add some very limiting food restrictions– no beef, lamb, pork, dairy, gluten, egg… should I keep going? I wondered how we were...
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to tag along on a work trip with my husband. After 10 days in the UK, I can still say the stereotype is true– they really are that polite! Having traveled to many crowded foreign cities, it was a treat to be around people who respect a queue. I kept flashing back to the Griswolds’ encounters in London with a certain British gentleman. Check out this link– it is the real deal! Adapting to the local cuisine was definitely challenging. Fish and chips– gluten; bangers and mash– dairy; mushy peas– probably dairy,...
