Since we really haven't had any white stuff to remind me that it's been winter, I almost forgot to get my ski on. Snowshoe had been in the talks because my friend Kimmy's brother opened up a hostel not far from there, so end of January we headed there!
We leave Friday afternoon and make our 6 hr trek to Elkins, WV. Being in the company of ridiculous people always leads to ridiculous times. With the help of RaulRaul (the Spanish TomTom), we got to the brewstel (brewery/hostel -- best combo ever?) close to midnight. A night of havoc ensued with all intent to wake up at a decent hour for skiing the next morning...
...yeah notsomuch. Andrew, being a morning person, gave us the best wake up by bringing us coffee and scones. After a slow morning, a hangover breakfast at a local diner where I downed greasy bacon strips, drove to Snowshoe, got our skis (the salesperson was from Cincy), we were on the slopes at... 2.
A rough start, but we made the most of it. While it had been sunny and dry in Elkins (and the rest of the country pretty much), we got snow that day at Snowshoe. Skied one side of the mountain til it closed at 5, rejuvenated (slowly) with food and drink, and then headed to the other side for night skiing til 9. For a good snowfall, the slopes weren't too busy, and the lines weren't too long :)
Exhausted as all hell, I did not think any shenanigans would take place, but we still ended staying up late (apparently I passed out for an hour in between... which I don't really remember...)
The brewstel itself is quite fantastic. It just had its official opening, so if you're ever in the area, def check it out (shameless plug). With a rustic feel, it's run by a swell group of guys, and has the best showers any hostel could ever offer you :P. And if you're really lucky, Andrew will make you homemade breakfast burritos in the morning!
On the way there, I had made the plea to stop at a Sonic if we saw one because going to WV is the only time I've encountered one while living in Cincy. On the way back, we took a mini detour to stop at one. One chocolate malt later and my weekend was perfectly complete.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Lessons from Pittsburgh
A month or so ago Megabus was having this awesome promotion of giving away free tickets. So on another spontaneous trip decision (I like these), Sally and I got ourselves tickets to Pittsburgh for MLK weekend -- ended up not being free, but close enough.
Poor Sally. She was in Oklahoma City for work during the week and was going to fly into Cincy on Friday in time to catch our bus to the 'burgh. After many many delayed flights, and finally convincing the airlines to get her a ticket straight to Pittsburgh (b/c she'd be too late for the bus), she ended up coming in at 10pm. She spent the whole day at airports. Awesome.
So anywho. I had made it, another awesome couchsurfer had picked me up, and then we got Sally. Adam was a savior. Not only did he respond to our last minute request, he MADE Pittsburgh the awesomeness that it is for us. Here's what we learned while we were there:
I'ma visit you when it's warm some time...
Poor Sally. She was in Oklahoma City for work during the week and was going to fly into Cincy on Friday in time to catch our bus to the 'burgh. After many many delayed flights, and finally convincing the airlines to get her a ticket straight to Pittsburgh (b/c she'd be too late for the bus), she ended up coming in at 10pm. She spent the whole day at airports. Awesome.
So anywho. I had made it, another awesome couchsurfer had picked me up, and then we got Sally. Adam was a savior. Not only did he respond to our last minute request, he MADE Pittsburgh the awesomeness that it is for us. Here's what we learned while we were there:
- The correct way of saying Carnegie. It's CarnEgie, bitchez.
- That the Science Center is the funnest place no matter what age you are
- 16 degrees is cold. And windchills don't help. And thank god for someone willing to drive us around
- There's 3 rivers, but really it's TWO rivers... and they become the Ohio River. And they're different colors.
- Batman sometimes lives there
- Pittsburgh is like Cincy, but bigger
- You can be crazy and own a farm and make 60 types of jams. And be missing the top of your middle finger
- Said crazy person can also know everything about the crow migration
- It will take you an average of 30 min to shop for the perfect winter hat in the Strip District
- Not all Cathedrals are for praying. Some are for Learning. And have crazy culture rooms.
- Beer is popular here. And everyone knows their beer.
- Scientific proof that Sally and I are in fact Yellow.
- There are many variations of Holly, like Skydiver Holly, Rafting Holly, Safari Holly, and Asian Holly
- It's cool and fun to mix random ingredients into your waffles and ice cream (Oh Yeah!)
- Apparently there's no steel business left in Pittsburgh
- Lightning Reaction is both the funnest and scariest game ever
- No matter how many times I try, I can't do coffee
I'ma visit you when it's warm some time...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Good bye, camera #3...
I should never be allowed to own a camera anymore. I just can't keep a long lasting relationship with one. #1 was stolen in Brazil. #2 was stolen in New Orleans. #3... well, it was either stolen in Paris or I lost it. I want to claim it being stolen because that fits nicely with the theme. So alas, this post might be a harder read since there are no pictures to distract you with ;)
So 2.5 weeks in Europe. An excellent mix of family, friends, shenanigans, and culture. Let me begin...
12/22-12/28 Den Haag
Fam time! Saw my mom, got to see my sister and brother and nieces, the whole caboodle. My almost-10 year old niece left me a note at the computer that said: "Dear aunt nadia, i miss you a lot now already. until whenever. xxx Aline." That's right. My heart melted.
This was also Stuff-your-face-with-Dutch-and-Indonesian-food time! I ate. so much. Pannekoeken, loempia, bapao, rendang, the list goes on.
12/26+12/28 Utrecht
My friend Bas lives in Utrecht. Coincidentally, Jennifer was in Holland the same time and invited me to an 80s party in Utrecht on the 26th, so we all went. Thing I learned that night? I do not know my 80's dutch songs. Danced the night away anyway. The 3 of us were taking the bus to Paris on the 29th from Utrecht, so night in before with help from the Beer Ambulance (that's right... amazing concept... they come deliver alcohol TO YOU!)
12/29-01/02 Paris
With all the cliches, I thought it was going to be too hyped up. WRONG. I still freakin' fell in love with this city! First time in Paris and it was everything people had told me it would be (except I didn't get the run in with American-hating Parisians). First thing we did: drank some beers in the gardens of the Louvre watching the African street vendors selling mini replicas of Eiffel towers being chased by police on rollerblades.
We stayed with an awesome couchsurfer right smack in the 1e arrondissement. 5 of us stayed in this adorable studio with a loft and kept cozy. Again, I ate a lot. Pretty much stopped at every crepes stand I passed.
We did all (well almost all) things touristy: the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Grand Palais, Eiffel tower, walked around...everywhere. We walked a lot. I think I also sat for like half an hour in the Louvre b/c I was tired of walking. All spectacular. Sadly did not go to the Catacombes because they closed early the day we went.
OH! I failed to mention of all the wonderful people who were also coincidentally there. First off, my 3-week roommie Kim was visiting her boyfriend, and my friend Mohamed was there with his friends as well! With a lot of coordination skillz, we all got to hang out a good bit :) For New Year's Eve, we headed to the Champs Elysees. While we heard that there'd be no fireworks and no alcohol past 8pm, we made sure to stock up on bottles at the grocery store before hand. That's the night my camera disappeared... No comment.
01/02-01/05 Vienna
Bas and Jennifer left the night before and went back to Holland and I met up with Emilie in Vienna. When I got there, I discovered that Venetians do not like Germans. or lost backpackers asking for directions. interesting.
I was exhausted from planning the daily activities, so I gave Emilie the go-ahead in planning and said I would just follow her wherever she went. We saw a lot of museums, a lot of neat architecture, and a lot of fancy coffee shops :) Definitely a culture trip. Even saw an orchestra performance in a church and an operette in the Opera. Look who's got class :P Also met up with my stepbrother who joined us in a day of wandering around the city.
01/05-01/07 Prague
Ah Prague... its architecture is just as beautiful as Vienna, but it's almost more... common and less uppity. Confused citizens were eager to help us with directions even if they didn't know the way. While they definitely come off more stoic, they are quick to open up.
More walking in this city (surprised?). Neat cobblestone ways and more good food (reoccuring theme?). We spend a day perusing Old Town and a day at the Palace and surrounding areas. See some awesome street musicians (NO idea what they were singing, but great nonetheless).
01/07-01/08 Amsterdam
Flew back for my last night in Amsterdam before flying back to the US the next day. My awesome friend Nic delayed his flight a couple of days to hang out with me and also met up with Koen who I hadn't seen since Brazil :) Hit up a couple of bars at the Leidseplein and finally called it a night...
01/09 Back at work in Cincy
Time for some exciting changes, 2012! :D
Next weekend was MLK weekend in Pittsburgh... but that's another post.
So 2.5 weeks in Europe. An excellent mix of family, friends, shenanigans, and culture. Let me begin...
12/22-12/28 Den Haag
Fam time! Saw my mom, got to see my sister and brother and nieces, the whole caboodle. My almost-10 year old niece left me a note at the computer that said: "Dear aunt nadia, i miss you a lot now already. until whenever. xxx Aline." That's right. My heart melted.
This was also Stuff-your-face-with-Dutch-and-Indonesian-food time! I ate. so much. Pannekoeken, loempia, bapao, rendang, the list goes on.
12/26+12/28 Utrecht
My friend Bas lives in Utrecht. Coincidentally, Jennifer was in Holland the same time and invited me to an 80s party in Utrecht on the 26th, so we all went. Thing I learned that night? I do not know my 80's dutch songs. Danced the night away anyway. The 3 of us were taking the bus to Paris on the 29th from Utrecht, so night in before with help from the Beer Ambulance (that's right... amazing concept... they come deliver alcohol TO YOU!)
12/29-01/02 Paris
With all the cliches, I thought it was going to be too hyped up. WRONG. I still freakin' fell in love with this city! First time in Paris and it was everything people had told me it would be (except I didn't get the run in with American-hating Parisians). First thing we did: drank some beers in the gardens of the Louvre watching the African street vendors selling mini replicas of Eiffel towers being chased by police on rollerblades.
We stayed with an awesome couchsurfer right smack in the 1e arrondissement. 5 of us stayed in this adorable studio with a loft and kept cozy. Again, I ate a lot. Pretty much stopped at every crepes stand I passed.
We did all (well almost all) things touristy: the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Grand Palais, Eiffel tower, walked around...everywhere. We walked a lot. I think I also sat for like half an hour in the Louvre b/c I was tired of walking. All spectacular. Sadly did not go to the Catacombes because they closed early the day we went.
OH! I failed to mention of all the wonderful people who were also coincidentally there. First off, my 3-week roommie Kim was visiting her boyfriend, and my friend Mohamed was there with his friends as well! With a lot of coordination skillz, we all got to hang out a good bit :) For New Year's Eve, we headed to the Champs Elysees. While we heard that there'd be no fireworks and no alcohol past 8pm, we made sure to stock up on bottles at the grocery store before hand. That's the night my camera disappeared... No comment.
01/02-01/05 Vienna
Bas and Jennifer left the night before and went back to Holland and I met up with Emilie in Vienna. When I got there, I discovered that Venetians do not like Germans. or lost backpackers asking for directions. interesting.
I was exhausted from planning the daily activities, so I gave Emilie the go-ahead in planning and said I would just follow her wherever she went. We saw a lot of museums, a lot of neat architecture, and a lot of fancy coffee shops :) Definitely a culture trip. Even saw an orchestra performance in a church and an operette in the Opera. Look who's got class :P Also met up with my stepbrother who joined us in a day of wandering around the city.
01/05-01/07 Prague
Ah Prague... its architecture is just as beautiful as Vienna, but it's almost more... common and less uppity. Confused citizens were eager to help us with directions even if they didn't know the way. While they definitely come off more stoic, they are quick to open up.
More walking in this city (surprised?). Neat cobblestone ways and more good food (reoccuring theme?). We spend a day perusing Old Town and a day at the Palace and surrounding areas. See some awesome street musicians (NO idea what they were singing, but great nonetheless).
01/07-01/08 Amsterdam
Flew back for my last night in Amsterdam before flying back to the US the next day. My awesome friend Nic delayed his flight a couple of days to hang out with me and also met up with Koen who I hadn't seen since Brazil :) Hit up a couple of bars at the Leidseplein and finally called it a night...
01/09 Back at work in Cincy
Time for some exciting changes, 2012! :D
Next weekend was MLK weekend in Pittsburgh... but that's another post.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Good afternoon, Bermuda
Soooo... that fateful wonderful night that Lynn and I decided to buy tickets to Bermuda because they were the cheapest we could find, had some repercussions. Cheap getting there... yes. But apparently Bermuda has the highest standard of living in the Western Hemisphere. What does that mean? A loaf of bread is $6, for example.
Haha, this is what we get for making intoxicated unplanned decisions. But still totally the best drunken decision ever. Because we're thrifty travelers, we make this work.
1. We stayed with a fantastic couchsurfer not far from Hamilton, with easy access to public transportation.
2. Bermudians are friendly. Very friendly. They buy you drinks and stuff.
3. Lynn uses Amex points to get us an incredible deal at a resort to "splurge" on the last 2 nights.
So now the timeline...
We get in and the first thing I notice is that the passport control guy sounds American. Not British... or some Caribbean accent that I had imagined. If you listen well, you can catch British twangs in there :) I guess that's what they get for being so close to the US. (Said guy also fails to stamp my new US passport with what would be its first awesome international stamp!)
Everyone greets each other because everyone knows each other. Bermuda is about 60,000 ppl small (smaller than the greater Cincy area!) and so, literally, EVERYONE knows each other's business. The fact that they didn't recognize us, means we're of course tourists. I think Bermudians may be the friendliest people I've met so far. Besides the greetings, they're always willing to help you and want to hear your story (and share their *personal* stories as well).
We wander around, talk to some friendly Bermudians, before we meet up with our CS host, Kamanda. He's an accountant from Kenya and suuuper duuper nice. We find out that Bermuda is a major hub for insurance companies, hence why the standard of living is so high also. We go out for some seafood wit Kamanda and his friend, Joel. The two of them are great friendships made who really make sure we have a fantastic time in Bermuda.
The plan next day is to go to the pink coral beaches. On our way, our plan changes. Downpour. Hello bipolar weather. So we take the bus and get recommended to go to the Naval Dockyard instead and check out some artisan shops and ruins. Theen a ferry ride (common mode of transportation!) to Hamilton City. We discover the Swizzle (or "Shizzle", as Lynn referred to it as) and the Dark & Stormy (our go-to drinks). Head back towards Kamanda's to do some Thanksgiving groceries b/c we're making him and Joel a proper American feast meal ;) The grocer was really confused when I asked him for a big slab of turkey breast.
Alright, take 2 on pink coral beaches. This time it works. Breaaathhtaaaking! I just want to hug it all. Lynn and I are ecstatic. And go snap happy.
We then wander to some botanical gardens before making it back to our resort (thank you American Express). Fancy schmancy. It's got its own grotto. We decide to live it up for a night and splurge on a hotel dinner (yum prawns and tenderloin tips) before making our way to the Swizzle Inn, where we get treated to some Swizzles on the house. (Funny back story: Chris, the manager of Swizzle Inn who gave us our free drinks and convinced us to go out to Hamilton City for the night, ended up being one of the CS hosts I had contacted to ask to stay with!)
So Lynn and I are out on the town that night. And we make friends. Fantastic people and so much fun. We dance, we drink, we laugh, we steal cabs. On the ride home, I heavily concentrated on my conversation with the cab driver so that I wouldn't get motion sick (me + alcohol + motion = bad mix). Turns out the cab driver knew of the friends we had made (EVERYONE knows each other) and also tells us his life story (duh).
The next day is a pretty late start (oops), but we eventually make our way to St. George's. Picturesque, sure. But there's absolutely nothing to do there. Maybe b/c it's Saturday?... Take some obligatory tourist pictures, then head back for another night in Hamilton City with Kamanda and friends. Another night of getting our groove on (and more shizzles and dark&stormies).
So. The final day has come. Our flight's not til 4, so we head out to more caves (and Lynn repetitively hits her head on the 10000 age old stalactites). Very very cool. We end our last couple of hours with laying out at the resort beach. Love life.
So I'm a little late in recounting this trip... which means I forgot half the note-worthy things. Alas, such is the reason why I'm supposed to be keeping this blog. So some key things I remember (that may not make sense out of context):
1. Bermuda is expensive
2. There's no poverty (well, lies. we saw ONE homeless man.)
3. There's no racism
4. Shizzles are the shit
5. But I also like my tall, dark, and stormies
6. You can't have a private life there
7. If you don't say "good afternoon", you're rude
8. The only rude person on the island was American.
9. If you're looking for rich British men, go no further
10. You better not break those ancient cave creations
So,that's all for now. Merry Christmas Eve. I'm now in Holland with momz and family getting fed like woah. Will be meeting up with some friends after Xmas then heading to Paris with them for New Year's!!! Theeeen meeting Emilie in Vienna and going to Prague! :D :D I'll try to remember the important stuff this time around :)
Haha, this is what we get for making intoxicated unplanned decisions. But still totally the best drunken decision ever. Because we're thrifty travelers, we make this work.
1. We stayed with a fantastic couchsurfer not far from Hamilton, with easy access to public transportation.
2. Bermudians are friendly. Very friendly. They buy you drinks and stuff.
3. Lynn uses Amex points to get us an incredible deal at a resort to "splurge" on the last 2 nights.
So now the timeline...
We get in and the first thing I notice is that the passport control guy sounds American. Not British... or some Caribbean accent that I had imagined. If you listen well, you can catch British twangs in there :) I guess that's what they get for being so close to the US. (Said guy also fails to stamp my new US passport with what would be its first awesome international stamp!)
Everyone greets each other because everyone knows each other. Bermuda is about 60,000 ppl small (smaller than the greater Cincy area!) and so, literally, EVERYONE knows each other's business. The fact that they didn't recognize us, means we're of course tourists. I think Bermudians may be the friendliest people I've met so far. Besides the greetings, they're always willing to help you and want to hear your story (and share their *personal* stories as well).
We wander around, talk to some friendly Bermudians, before we meet up with our CS host, Kamanda. He's an accountant from Kenya and suuuper duuper nice. We find out that Bermuda is a major hub for insurance companies, hence why the standard of living is so high also. We go out for some seafood wit Kamanda and his friend, Joel. The two of them are great friendships made who really make sure we have a fantastic time in Bermuda.
The plan next day is to go to the pink coral beaches. On our way, our plan changes. Downpour. Hello bipolar weather. So we take the bus and get recommended to go to the Naval Dockyard instead and check out some artisan shops and ruins. Theen a ferry ride (common mode of transportation!) to Hamilton City. We discover the Swizzle (or "Shizzle", as Lynn referred to it as) and the Dark & Stormy (our go-to drinks). Head back towards Kamanda's to do some Thanksgiving groceries b/c we're making him and Joel a proper American feast meal ;) The grocer was really confused when I asked him for a big slab of turkey breast.
Alright, take 2 on pink coral beaches. This time it works. Breaaathhtaaaking! I just want to hug it all. Lynn and I are ecstatic. And go snap happy.
We then wander to some botanical gardens before making it back to our resort (thank you American Express). Fancy schmancy. It's got its own grotto. We decide to live it up for a night and splurge on a hotel dinner (yum prawns and tenderloin tips) before making our way to the Swizzle Inn, where we get treated to some Swizzles on the house. (Funny back story: Chris, the manager of Swizzle Inn who gave us our free drinks and convinced us to go out to Hamilton City for the night, ended up being one of the CS hosts I had contacted to ask to stay with!) 
So Lynn and I are out on the town that night. And we make friends. Fantastic people and so much fun. We dance, we drink, we laugh, we steal cabs. On the ride home, I heavily concentrated on my conversation with the cab driver so that I wouldn't get motion sick (me + alcohol + motion = bad mix). Turns out the cab driver knew of the friends we had made (EVERYONE knows each other) and also tells us his life story (duh). The next day is a pretty late start (oops), but we eventually make our way to St. George's. Picturesque, sure. But there's absolutely nothing to do there. Maybe b/c it's Saturday?... Take some obligatory tourist pictures, then head back for another night in Hamilton City with Kamanda and friends. Another night of getting our groove on (and more shizzles and dark&stormies).
So. The final day has come. Our flight's not til 4, so we head out to more caves (and Lynn repetitively hits her head on the 10000 age old stalactites). Very very cool. We end our last couple of hours with laying out at the resort beach. Love life.
So I'm a little late in recounting this trip... which means I forgot half the note-worthy things. Alas, such is the reason why I'm supposed to be keeping this blog. So some key things I remember (that may not make sense out of context):
1. Bermuda is expensive
2. There's no poverty (well, lies. we saw ONE homeless man.)
3. There's no racism
4. Shizzles are the shit
5. But I also like my tall, dark, and stormies
6. You can't have a private life there
7. If you don't say "good afternoon", you're rude
8. The only rude person on the island was American.
9. If you're looking for rich British men, go no further
10. You better not break those ancient cave creations
So,that's all for now. Merry Christmas Eve. I'm now in Holland with momz and family getting fed like woah. Will be meeting up with some friends after Xmas then heading to Paris with them for New Year's!!! Theeeen meeting Emilie in Vienna and going to Prague! :D :D I'll try to remember the important stuff this time around :)
Friday, November 4, 2011
Winter plans
Bought my ticket to Holland for Xmas yesterday -- Dec 21-Jan 8. While I'm on that side of the world... I'm thinking New Year's in Paris. Sounds cliche, I know, but I've never been! Crazy! Anyone want to meet up with me? :)
~Nadia
~Nadia
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Smart drunken decisions
uhhhh... I haven't traveled since August? That's pretty sad. It's almost November!
Well, there's an easy fix to that. Last Tuesday, after wine tasting and an additional bottle of wine, Lynn and I found ourselves looking at plane tickets...
We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in Bermuda this year.
:D
(oh wait, I lie. Austin in September for recruiting. barely counts though!)
Well, there's an easy fix to that. Last Tuesday, after wine tasting and an additional bottle of wine, Lynn and I found ourselves looking at plane tickets...
We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in Bermuda this year.
:D
(oh wait, I lie. Austin in September for recruiting. barely counts though!)
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Loui Loo'ville, oh baby, said we gotta go (yeah yeah yeah yeah ya)
So I've started to work a "compressed work week" schedule -- 9 hrs M-Th and 4 hrs on Friday. Benefit? Uhhh, weekend starts earlier, duh! (However, waking up even just half an hour earlier is a lot frickin' harder than I thought. I value my sleep way too much.) Anyhoo, last Friday headed out to Louisville around noon to start my weekend. Ironman is on Sunday and Pete and Jackie were going to head down too to come hang out.
Jeremy and his roommates let us crash at their place -- a sweet short ride to Louisville center. After we got in, we explored Germantown and the Highlands area (where KFC Colonel is buried...). Loved the vibe of these places... it was like an eclectic mini-Austin-like feel in an unexpected state. Hit up Lynn's Paradise Cafe and it's quirkiness, wandered past many a Irish bar, and got a drink at Nachbar that had German beer ON TAP ("no way!" "way!") before getting scrumptious world foods at Ramsi's Cafe. I got a vegan Egyptian dish that was... the best vegan dish I've ever had.
The next day Jeremy had told me about this fossil park which the nerd dork side of me was dying to go to. First we hit up downtown Louisville and went to the 21c museum/hotel. Way cool concept -- it's a museum... AND a hotel, duh. OH AND Cincinnati's building one too by the way :D. So anyhoo, this museum/hotel had many a fun art to oggle and play with.
Went further along the main street to see some other tourist attractions, like the Louisville Slugger, Whiskey Row, and the multi-mirror in front of the kids' science museum (b/c we're too cheap to actually go inside). THEN! Fossil park! Right on the banks of the Ohio river on the Indiana side, lots o' fossils. Next, we hit up an authentic Mexican restaurant for dinner. Are we sure it's authentic? Yes. If the servers address you in Spanish and everyone, their families, and their neighbors who are there are as brown as you are, yes. Jeremy might have stood out a little. Chimichangas and horchata (and a lot of leftovers) for me. Yum. 
So our mission was to stay out til 4 am (b/c bars close at 4 in Louisville! How awesome is that?) so that we could just take Jonathon to the Ironman competition straight after that. Went to the winery that Jeremy works at, sampling of 6 wines and chocolate lava cake, then off to bar #1 where I had my first BBC, and ended up back at Nachbar to meet up with another Louisville couchsurfer. Only lasted til 2 am... I could barely talk b/c of how tired I was. Good attempt, Nadia. I think Cincinnati has made me old. So I got my, like, 1.5 hrs of sleep, drove Jonathon to the Ironman start, and went back to sleep til 7ish.
So Sunday was Ironman/hang-out/sight-see-Louisville-in-between-spectator-opportunities day. Peter and Jackie headed over at 10 and we went to La Grange, where the Ironman bike portion looped twice. Caught Jonathon just in time (p.s. I'm a terrible "capture the moment" photo taker). We were going to go to a quarry nearby, but decided to laze in the park where they were holding a mini fair instead and contemplated the business model of expensive fair foods and souvenirs. La Grange is quite quaint, with a train running right through the middle of it. Caught the 2nd loop of bikers, then headed back into town. 
Went to this funtastic ice cream "parlor" that's actually a house (that's for sale... for $799,900) with an awesome view of the city (that's quotably worth "a million dollars", so really, you're saving $200,100). Got myself double chocolate chip and cookie dough cone and we plopped ourselves down on the grass to enjoy this great view. Next we headed to the bike finish/marathon start, where near it there's a little water "park" with jumping fountains and a pool that strictly states "danger! high levels of hydrogen! do not swim!", but of course people ignore the signs and we're swimming and wading in it. I'm sorry, but you canNOT expect me to resist jumping fountains. Reminds of the time we took Maya to the jumping fountains in Austin and it was my excuse to be able to play in them too.
After observing that our pre-ironman was still well and alive, more wandering around downtown and made our way to the BBC parlor. Got yelled at because we didn't realize we were walking in the runner's path on the way there. Then we plopped ourselves down and watched the runners go by. Noticed that around the same timing, didn't see as many familiar faces anymore, which means they had somewhere quit along the way... kinda sad. Went home, got dinner, the non-dd's got their buzz on, all ready for the finale of the race. The sight was pretty epic: lit up 4th st, crowds cheering, people pounding on the railguards to the beat, the adrenaline was felt through the air as runners became ironmen. And of course he made it.
Worked from Louisville on Monday because of the late-nightness. Got back home around 6pm. Oh, and discovered that while KY is the home of bourbon loving, I am not a lover of it, but Louisville still has a solid two-thumbs up despite it.
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