Gdansk, Poland

The day of Charles' birthday was our stop in Gdansk, Poland. It was a short day and we booked an excursion through NCL. We bussed from the cruise port to Gdansk where we embarked on a walking tour with a very fun guide. He showed us around his favorite city. 

We very much enjoyed walking around the town, but both agreed that it was too short. We did not have much time to enjoy a Polish baked good, perogies or beer. So we might have to plan another visit in the future! 

 

Cyprus: Wine Tasting

On the third day in Cyprus, we booked a tour through Cyprus Taste Tours to learn more about the local wine scene. Our tour guide picked everyone up from their hotels and whisked us away to the mountain villages outside of Paphos where we visited a number of wineries and stopped for a meze lunch. 

Our group included two couples visiting from England and us. 

The first winery is a family-owned operation. I enjoyed their wines the most. They had a variety of sweet and dry wines--white, red and rose. We had very limited space in our luggage, but we picked up one bottle from this winery to take home. Thankfully we did not get anymore because we were one pound short of the bag weight limit upon returning home. 

Our second stop is a newer winery (20 years old). 

Our third stop was to a monastery with amazing views! We stopped into their chapel to enjoy the artistry.

For our meze lunch, we visited this restaurant. The food was delicious! They even surprised me with a birthday cake which was such a kind (and delicious) gesture!

These are the wines from our final stop. The winemaker said he prefers oaky wines and that flavor profile definitely came out in the tastings. I do not share the same preference, so this was my least favorite of all the wineries, but it was still neat to visit and learn a bit more about the unique grapes to Cyprus.

Cyprus: Birthday Celebration

Our second day in Paphos was my birthday, so I chose activities that I would especially enjoy. We started off our day with a visit to the Local Ethnographic Mueum of Geroskipou. I enjoy learning about crafts and handiwork unique to new places. At this museum, we learned about the importance of pottery and silk. The museum was quite small, but free to visit. It is located in an old home, so it was neat to see the various rooms and imagine what they would have been used for in the past. 

Down the street from the museum was the main square. Our taxi driver recommended visiting it to see the church. Due to Greek influence, they have Orthodox churches which have very elaborate images of saints inside. We visited the inside of this church, but opted not to take any photos to respect the woman inside who was praying. 

Outside in the square was the first time I have seen poinsettias planted in the ground. Previously, I have only seen them in pots around Christmas time. 

Found some street art!

After returning to the hotel, we stopped by the café to grab coffee and snacks. I indulged with some chocolate mousse and Charles tried a Cypriot coffee. From my research, it is similar to Turkish coffee.

Cyprus is well-known for having cats all over the place! They were introduced to the island for pest control. They are well-taken care of and very friendly. Every day we were able to find at least one to say hello to. Of course seeing black cats made me extra happy!

After our spa treatment (heavenly), we returned to the room to find a sweet surprise from the hotel staff. The other surprise was that the dinner theme was Italian! 

Cyprus: First Impressions of Paphos

For my birthday trip this year, I chose to visit Cyprus. I knew very little about the country, but it had been recommended to me by an acquaintance. Plus, I knew it was going to be warmer than Germany in February. 

We found a direct flight through Ryanair from Memmingen to Paphos. After learning that they drive on the left hand side of the road (due to British influence), we opted not to rent a car. It limited what we could see and do during our stay, but it also kept us from overdoing it during our relatively short time in the area. 

There are a plethora of resorts in Paphos. But when I found an adults-only resort with ocean views, I was sold. Amavi was a delightful spot to call home for the week. Service was amazing and we were upgraded to a room with its own private pool. Unfortunately the water was too cold to take advantage of the pool, but it afforded us with a beautiful view of the ocean.

We arrived in the late afternoon and immediately got outside to enjoy some sunshine! It was super breezy on the first day, but the views walking from the resort to the harbor area were just what I needed after gloomy Germany. 

I had scoped out a lunch spot in advance. It has been a WHILE since we have eaten Chinese food, so I thought let's give Chloe's a try. Because it was a late lunch, the restaurant was completely empty when we walked in. I loved the little extra attention to detail with the branded orange slice in my Spritz. The food was delicious and the service was very good. 

Bulgaria? Where is that?

With Charles' recent birthday, that meant it was time for another vacation! Our original plan was to visit two new countries--Kosovo and North Macedonia. I know... very random. When he first mentioned North Macedonia, specifically, I was like "what?!?!" After learning a bit about the country, I decided it sounded cool. Unfortunately, the price of the flights went up which prompted Charles to look at other options for our vacation. He found a really cheap flight to Sofia, Bulgaria and our decision was made.  

Bulgaria was another country that gave me pause. What is there even that would interest us? But soon after starting my research I was very much looking forward to visiting. 

The capital city is Sofia and that is where the bulk of Bulgaria's population lives. Bulgaria is a very old country, but has been controlled by many different groups over its history. Most recently, they were part of the Soviet block. Sofia has an interesting blend of all this history. 

All around the city you will find lions. I have not done the research about why, but nonetheless, here's a picture of one of the lions we found while strolling around Sofia. 

There are also a number of beautiful churches in the city. This one was my favorite that we walked by and I was so disappointed not to be able to visit the inside. We visited during a warm week, so I was wearing tank tops and shorts most of the time. The churches in Bulgaria, much like in Italy, have stricter policies about your attire when visiting. I probably could have gotten away with a quick visit inside, but I did not want to be disrespectful.

This church was in an area we visited a few times when grabbing meals. On our last morning in town we had crepes and coffee and sat on a bench in this square to enjoy them while doing some people watching. 

This is the main cathedral in Sofia and it truly dominates the skyline. We visited the inside, but did not take any pictures. I could not quite tell if regular people were allowed to freely take pictures inside or if you have to pay a small fee. So, I just lived in the moment and enjoyed it without the pressure of taking pictures that would not capture the artistic creations inside. 

Can you believe this view from our hotel room? We stayed at the Intercontinental Sofia. Can I just say that their service from beginning to end was top-notch? They were spectacular. They greeted us at the cab when we were dropped off, took our bag to the room for us, let us sleep in a different room on our last night when the club around the corner was playing their music so loud (that's another story), and even surprised Charles' with a birthday treat. Plus the location was perfect for our stay in the city. There were tons of restaurants down the street and it was an easy walk or cab ride to everything else we wanted to see. If you visit Sofia, please consider a stay at the Intercontinental!

Easy Scrapbooking: Gilmore Girls Birthday

As you all know, my 30th birthday party was a Gilmore Girls theme.

For the scrapbook spread I used a yellow patterned paper that reminded me of Luke's Diner. The umbrella paper was another one that I have been holding on to for years. I bought it because it was very cute, but I did not have an intended purpose for it. It works great for a Gilmore Girls theme. One of the most iconic or popular episodes of Gilmore Girls is when Rory discovers the Life & Death Brigade and jumps off a tower while holding an umbrella (also harnessed, by the way).

In keeping with the Life & Death Brigade, I used their motto and a quote from that episode in lieu of a title.

Gilmore Girls Party: Founder's Day Punch

Every Gilmore Girls fan knows that a beverage staple at any social gathering would be Miss Patty's Founder's Day Punch. The show never mentions what exactly is in this infamous punch, but it is filled with alcohol and is quite powerful.

There is a recipe on Pinterest, but I didn't end up using it. I had rum in the cabinet, so I thought I would make a rum punch instead. I found a great recipe from Hopelessly Ever After.

Caribbean Rum Punch

Ingredients
2 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup grenadine
1 1/2 to 2 cups rum
1 cup Sprite
1/4 cup triple sec (I omitted this)

Directions
Mix all ingredients, except Sprite, together in large pitcher. Top off pitcher with Sprite. Enjoy!

Where you lead, I will follow

I don't know if you know this about me, but I am a HUGE fan of Gilmore Girls. I have been watching the show pretty much since the beginning. I have seen the whole series at least 7 times since then. I am currently re-watching it on Netflix just for the heck of it. Even though I have watched it sooooo many times, I still laugh and cry. I have so many favorite moments from the show. When it ended, a hole was left in my heart. I am BEYOND excited for the Revival.

One day Charles and I were driving "to town" (we live in the middle of nowhere) and I was thinking about my big 3-0 birthday. Charles had mentioned months before having a party for me. He was thinking we could do an Alice in Wonderland theme (another thing I love, love, love). But all of a sudden, while sitting staring out at almond trees, it hit me! I will have a Gilmore Girls themed 30th birthday party! It was a moment of pure genius.

Thus work began on my party. And what I mean by that is I searched Pinterest for ideas. There were several ideas out there, so I'm not the only super-fan thinking along these lines. Check out my Pinterest board.

Gotta have the Luke's Diner sign

No Cell Phones, of course

Fun graphic with a bunch of Gilmore Girl quotes

 I think I was the ONLY person at my party who got this. Wolf Girl! If you can't remember, Richard & Emily gave this piece of art to Lorelei and Christopher after they got married as a wedding present.

I love this graphic! It shows the numerous jobs Kirk held over the series.

I made Pro/Con lists for each of Rory's boyfriends. Everyone voted on which they liked best. #TeamJess did not win, but he's my favorite!

My photo backdrop. I had to incorporate snow somewhere!

Harvard vs. Yale with life lessons from the show

Not quite 1,000 yellow daisies, but it's the thought that counts.

I feel like if fruit were skewered, the Gilmore Girls would eat more of it.

We enjoyed some mini cheeseburgers. They probably were not as good as Luke's, but on Hawaiian rolls almost anything is amazing.

For our beverages, we enjoyed Founder's Day Punch (aka rum punch) and Coffee Punch. The coffee punch was DELICIOUS! I'll share the recipe soon.

My cake was super chocolately and yummy! In the middle was a layer of straight up chocolate fudge. I think I just gained a few pounds thinking back on the deliciousness of it.

My gal pals and me

Me and my "Luke". I'll have you know he purchased this flannel shirt just because of my party. He's so sweet. And my shirt is pretty awesome, too. I ordered it from the WB shop.