Disney World!

As I mentioned in my last post, the reason I visited Disney World was to support two of my friends as they ran in the marathon weekend. Well Ms. G and Ms. N didn't just run the marathon, they ran a half marathon one day and a full marathon the next, known as the Goofy Challenge. Yes, that is 39.3 miles in just 2 days. And they did it. And I am in awe. To brag, Ms. G was only 45 seconds off her personal record for a full marathon.

The day after the full marathon, we visited Magic Kingdom and even got to visit with The Mice. You'll notice that my friends are wearing medals for the Goofy Challenge and even the three-year old is wearing a medal for her 100m race. The day prior all I heard was judgment when the three-year old asked me, "Why you not running the big person race?" As I told people throughout the park, I'M BABYSITTING! Yeah, that's why.

I took the Buzz Lightyear shooting ride very seriously. (I still lost to Ms. G, something like 754,230 to 24,500.)

From 'Car Camping' to This

A couple of days ago I got back from an Orlando, Florida vacation. Disney World. My first visit to any Disney park anywhere in the world (although I drove past Euro Disney once!). The reason for my visit wasn't purely to see The Squeaky One but, rather, to cheer along two of my friends as they ran in the Disney World marathon weekend (next post) and to entertain a 3-year old as her mom was off running for hours upon end. Certainly staying in the Waldorf Astoria was a fringe benefit I was none too sad to experience.

"I stayed in a Waldorf Astoria last night!"

Ms. G let me jump on her bed. I slept on the pull-out sofa bed. Correction, the MEMORY FOAM pull-out sofa. Oh yes.

We heckled golfers from our balcony.

 While the Waldorf is a fine hotel with fabulous morning coffee, and afternoon champagne in the lobby, and a pleasant scent that permeates throughout, and an elevator voice that makes you fall in love with it, it was the food I'll want to remember. The real Waldorf Salad! (Buttermilk, not mayo. Candied walnuts added at the end. Almost julienned apples. A light light salad, unlike how most of us have experienced it.) A corn chowder with caviar. A flaming creme brulee with a base of creamy chocolate. And, ladies and gentlemen, THE LEMON. An original to the Waldorf in Orlando and, it appears from a brief Mr. Google search, unavailable elsewhere. They say it is a 10-hour process of boiling and candying and more. Essentially, it is a candied lemon that retains its shape, then it is filled with a lemon sorbet and a custard- but the fillings are not mixed together, they're more of a pastiche so one bite you get sorbet and the next custard.

Needing a Vacation from my Vacation

Oh, New York. I got there on the 29th of December and I left on the morning of the 3d. Me and two of my very good girlfriends, all of us likely the person when in other groups of friends who pressures everyone to drink more. As it is, I need detox from my six days. But we didn't just drink, we're all foodie sorts too. And NYC is a foodie heaven. We caviar'd, we pate'd, we cheese'd, and pasta'd (not me), and soup'd, we cheese'd (it deserves to be listed twice), we olive'd, we pork'd, lamb'd and beef'd our way through the city. And, of course, we hair of the dog'd too.

S and I lizzing, with the significant other of my friend, G.

G and her man. He always stands like that. ;)

New York City: a preview?

I got into JFK at almost midnight last night. After a taxi ride that took longer than it seemed like it should have, I was in the Upper East Side, texting and buzzing my friend Gretchen to let me in.

Alas, Gretchen had to leave town on business at the ungodly hour of 6 AM. She'll be back in a few days and during that time I get to bum around town and hang out with her Golden Retriever, Bella.

Me and Bella's first venture out was just a short time ago. After waking up at noon, I figured a cup o' joe wouldn't hurt so off we went. As soon as we walked out of Gretchen's apartment building, I was noticing that there were a whole lotta men around. As Bella and I walked, two handsome guys in suits who'd crossed the street, were walking a few paces behind us. It was at this time that Bella decided to poo. And this dog doesn't just pop a squat. No, she (somehow) poops and walks. The end result being that I am left picking up sizable dog poo over a ten-foot span in front of a couple of cute guys.

Good morning, New York! (Forget that I said I woke up at noon.)

Another fine meal in Barca

My last day in Barcelona, I took Mizz S to a quaint little cafe, 4 Gats. The cafe first opened over a hundred years ago, at the time known to be a haunt of the Barcelona art scene, and the place where Picasso had his first informal show. 4 Gats has an intimate feel, quirky and artsy- doesn't hurt that the food is damn good.

Pimientos de padron (fried sweet peppers- yes, I'm an addict) along with escalivada (a potato, onion, pepper, eggplant and tuna dish).

A recent discovery (to me!), orujo de hierbas, an herby liquor served cold and oh so yummy.

Next post: Romania!

Can I get a woot-woot!

She's here! And already drinking liquid chocolate (from this cafe, a little more Americanized with whipped cream but,,,,ok).

The digs we (ahem, I) booked through AirBnB kinda crapped out (NOT cool when you've got your luggage and paid for a taxi and one of you has traveled for 24 hours) so we re-rolled through Priceline and are staying at the swank-ish Hilton Diagonal del Mar for a couple o' nights. We've already booked our flights to Bucharest on the 9th on Romanian Air (Tarom).

...this has got to be good...

Travel Companions...

As luck would have it, when I went to the blues concert this past Sunday I met another woman on a solo holiday. And she spoke English. (Bonus!) Martha is a criminal defense attorney from Amsterdam, but we found that we had an uncanny amount of similarities. We've pal'ed around since but she's gone back home today. Travel safe, friend, and best of luck tomorrow. =)

She swears she's unphotogenic.....

So I caught her offguard over tapas and cava sangria....