Favorite Travel Sites Part 1

http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Hands down this is my favorite travel site out there.  I started doing travel reviews on this site more than 10 years ago and still do.  The site has evolved so much in the time that I've been a member and it just keeps getting better and better.  There's a forum where you can ask questions, you can now post reviews of restaurants and travel activities and so much more.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

This search engine is fairly new to me but it's become a big favorite.  You can search for flights and even get the booking codes so that you or your travel agent (if you use one) can later find the flights. You can't purchase tickets on Matrix but you can do comprehensive searches.  The search engine also  keeps track of prior searches and is really quick.  Love it!

Quote of the Day

Tourists don't know 

where they've been, 

Travelers don't know 

where they're going. 

~ Paul Theroux

          a gorgeous sunset on       Grenada

Small festivals in Virginia Part 3

Waterford Fair

Another small festival that we've found (and liked) in Virginia is the Waterford Fair.  It takes place in early October each year.  It features tours of the historic village with gorgeous houses, a parade, lots of food and lots and lots of crafts.  It's another fair that we happened upon and really liked.  We drove down on Friday and went to the fair on Saturday.  On Sunday we drove home after exploring the area.  We stayed at the Homewood Suites in Leesburg.

For details about the Waterford Fair visit
http://www.waterfordfoundation.org/waterford-fair

Quote of the Day

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness 

~ Mark Twain

Aruba

It probably sounds strange to not include Aruba on our top list because it remains a favorite of so many.  We went there for Thanksgiving in 2007 and I think our biggest peeve about Aruba was that it was so
Americanized.  When we travel (DH and me) we like to feel as if we've left home.  We didn't get much of that on Aruba for some reason.  Don't get me wrong, Aruba is lovely but between the cost and the Dunkin Donuts on the beach, it could not beat other islands we've been where you could suspend thoughts of home.

In Aruba we went all-inclusive (AI) -- Aruba is a pretty expensive place,  so it's well-advised to consider going AI.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Sunspree which is a large property as there were several towers and what I remember most (apart from the nice beach) was having to wake up early to reserve our favorite palapa.  I'm an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of gal on islands, so it was  no hardship to me, but it's truly funny that when DH and I recall Aruba, that's what we laugh about - looking over our balcony and seeing people lining up to reserve palapas.  The other is, walking along the beach and seeing a Dunkin Donuts stand right on the beach!

I have to say though that Palm Beach is our favorite on Aruba.  Sunspree is located on Palm, and once you got up early to grab your palapa, you were set!  Between getting up to hit the buffet for meals, we could relax in the shade under our palapa and watch the ships go by in the distance.  We found Eagle Beach (the other major beach) to be a bit too windy, had a lot less shade and there were lots more waves.  For that reason we recommend staying on Palm.

We rented a car while on Aruba so we could drive around and we also took a group tour (like we always do on islands).  On our tour we stopped by Natural Bridge which is what it's name says, a bridge formed naturally from rock.  The original Natural Bridge fell into the sea in 2005, but we were able to see "Baby Bridge".

On our tour we also stopped by Our Lady of Alto Vista Church, the cutest little church.  It's weird to talk about a church while visiting a beautiful island, but there it is.  There is beauty in the unusual and the sacred.

The view from our balcony 

at Holiday Inn Sunspree resort 

A superb Aruba sunset on Palm Beach

Tips:
If you go, definitely:

• Stay on Palm Beach for calm water and lots of shade
• Stay on Eagle Beach if you like waves and require little shade
• Rent a car and drive around (it was easy to get around)
• Take lots of money (it's expensive - you've been warned)
• Take a group tour (especially if you don't rent a car) 
• Enjoy many of the comforts of home in a tropical atmosphere

Quote of the Day

No one realizes 

how beautiful it is to travel 

until he comes home 

and rests his head 

on his old, familiar pillow. 

~ Lin Yutang

Small festivals in Virginia Part 2

Festival of Spring
Luray, Virginia

DH and I decided to make a weekend trip to check out this festival in 2010.  The entire town of Luray puts out the welcome mat.  There's a street festival and music and craft shopping and food ... We arrived on a Friday, went to the festival on Saturday and headed home via the Shenandoah mountains on Sunday.  We stayed at the Days Inn Luray/Shenandoah (off I-81).  It was another clean, no-frills property that gave us easy access to downtown Luray and is perfect for spur-of-the-moment weekend trips.

Downtown Luray

 The river that runs downtown

On our way out of town we stopped by Carillon Pond Park which is most famous for the organ in the park.

View from Shenandoah mountains

This year the Festival takes place on May 11, 2013.
You can learn more about the festival here:
http://downtownluray.com/events/festival-of-spring/

Quote of the Day
A traveler without observation is a bird without wings. 

~ Moslih Eddin Saadi

Small festivals in Virginia Part 1

Though I might not want to live in Virginia (too many conservative laws, I guess) I have to say that the state has some of the funnest (is that a word?) little festivals we’ve come across.

Shenandoah Balloon Festival

The last time we went to this festival where there were hot air balloons was in 2011.  Since then it's been renamed the Shenandoah Wine and Music Festival and features more wine and no balloons.  The festival is held in the fall at Historic Long Branch in Virginia and features music, food stalls, craft shopping and lots of pumpkins!  We'd typically drive down on Friday and stay at a hotel in Winchester, go to the festival Friday night and Saturday and drive home on Sunday.  One of the better hotels in the area is the clean, no-frills Candlewood Suites in Winchester.

To check this festival out you can visit
www.historiclongbranch.com

Some scenes from prior festivals

Ignore the kitsch and go for the majesty

 Tears came to my eyes when I saw Niagara Falls IRL for the first time.  

It was one of those places on my bucket list 

and we finally managed to get there in 2001 for our anniversary.  

Sure, the area surrounding the falls has become a mecca for kitschy stuff and a carnival atmosphere, but you cannot beat the sheer majesty of those glorious falls.  

When (not if) you go, definitely go behind the falls (there’s a tour) and definitely do the Maid of the Myst boat ride.  They're awesome!

Yup, those are the falls and we're behind them 

    Maid of the Myst boat ride

Why we love Anguilla

Imagine water that’s the bluest you’ve ever seen.  Imagine sand so soft and white that it is cool on your skin.  Imagine a sun so hot that it brightens everything it touches.  That’s Anguilla.  

Shoal Bay East near Gwen's restaurant

My DH and I joke that Anguilla is so expensive that it took us 20 years of marriage to afford it!  There’s an element of truth to that because Anguilla is so darn expensive.  Cost aside, it is one of those islands that once you’ve visited, you just want to go back year after year.   We deliberately forced ourselves to visit two other islands this year because we so wanted to revisit Anguilla.



The island is small,  flowers are gorgeous, driving is relatively easy, and the people you meet are some of the nicest.  They're eclipsed only by the lovely people in Exuma and Costa Rica.  

The beaches are magnificent.  Our favorite is Shoal Bay East.   SBE is the only beach where my DH and I could spend hours just floating.  Waves are mild and the water is so clear you can see your feet. 

A perfect sunset on Mead's Bay

 Because of a Skyauction goof up we were fortunate to stay at two different properties in Anguilla (Anacaona and Paradise Cove).  

 Our room at Anacaona

 Best. Soda. Ever.

 Best. Lobster Roll. Ever. was found at Blanchard's Beach Shack on Meads Bay

New beginnings

My Mom (now deceased) used to say I had itchy feet because I loved to travel.  Hence the name of this brand new blog "Itchy Feet".  I feel very fortunate that both of my parents encouraged and supported my desire to travel starting with my first big trip to Mexico in 1983.  What a trip!  Almost three weeks with a bunch of teenage girls traveling across the width and breadth of Mexico in a tour bus with no parents!  We had a couple chaperons though.  

I also feel fortunate that I was born on an island where you had to learn other languages in high school.  Having to learn other languages developed my appreciation for the Spanish and French languagse.  Thirty years since my 1981 trip to Mexico, I still have itchy feet and I am still on a quest to see new places and meet new people.  In 1991 I met the love of my life and together we've been doing our best to visit every island in the Caribbean.  

Through this blog I hope to share pictures, thoughts and insight about the places we've been and the places yet to visit.  

At any time please feel free to ask any detailed questions about the places I've been and I'll do my best to answer them.

I wish you safe and happy travels.

Where my thirst for travel began ... Mexico in 1983