Double SisAdventures - Helen, GA

Earlier this year, we had the chance to take a weekend trip to Helen, Georgia with our aunts - Linda (aka "Linki") and Joyce. Since it was only 4-5 hours from our starting point in North Alabama, it was the perfect distance for a little getaway and adventure! Of course we had to come up with a relevant hashtag, so since we had two sets of sisters, we went with two hashtags: #doublesis #sisadventures for the weekend!

And... we're off!

We headed east through the hills of North Georgia, where we passed through McCaysville and caught a glimpse of the Pearly Gates...

My My My Verona - Day One

*NOTE: this is a throwback-post! Originally posted on my "wordpress" blog and now it's been transplanted to it's rightful place here on #sisadventures - hope you enjoy!*

“Fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”

Last summer, we added Verona into our Italian adventure solely for the purpose of seeing an opera. During the summer months, the town turns one of its central attractions – Arena di Verona – into a beautiful and dramatic setting for an Opera Festival like no other.

Even though our only “planned” activity was the opera, we were able to spend some time exploring the town… starting with the main square, Piazza Brà. The term brà comes from the German word “breit” (broad). It’s by far the largest square in the old part of Verona, and is everything you have ever imagined about an “Italian” scene…

The square is lined with cafes and benches, perfect for people watching or just soaking up your surroundings. This seemed like the perfect place to try my first (and only) espresso of the trip, and of course there were plenty of gelato stands around to satisfy our gelato cravings!

As we made our way through the square, we got our first glimpse of “the” Arena, where we’d be watching the opera the next night. Well… maybe glimpse is the wrong word… it would have been hard to miss.

Even though it was late in the day, after we picked up our tickets, we had plenty of time to walk around the city and get our bearings. Just walking down the streets, you can’t help but be exposed to art at every turn. Look closely at the exterior walls of this building… so beautiful!

We walked down to the Piazza delle Erbe, which houses a marketplace full of vendors that offer the usual Italian souvenirs – but also the most delicious fruit I’ve ever tasted… I was again reminded of Under the Tuscan Sun, because the strawberries “tasted red,” and the pineapples “tasted yellow.” Delicious.

This photo of Piazza delle Erbe is courtesy of TripAdvisor

It was getting late in the day, which made for a bit of an eerie feeling when we looked up at the edges of the buildings and saw these guys looking down on us…

We finally made it to the Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge). Again, this is exactly what you picture when you think of an Italian café, no? The flower boxes and colorful buildings and eaves… all that’s missing is the accordion music, right?

Across the bridge, you can see some beautiful “creepy Italian trees” and the Teatro Romano, some of the ancient Roman ruins in Verona. Of course the Arena back in the main square is the most visible, but in recent years, with renovations of some of the “old” buildings, they have discovered some “older” remnants of Roman history buried beneath parts of the city.

By the time we’d walked all over “old town,” we were starting to get hungry. Unfortunately, we had not really researched places to eat. We quickly learned that if you want to eat “al fresco,” you need to plan ahead… because once the patios fill up, people are NOT MOVING. FOR HOURS.

One of the things we were most looking forward to in Italy was the food. And let me tell you, Italy DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We tried everything and loved (almost) everything. But we were not really ready for the dining “experience.” It starts from the minute you sit down… first comes the olive oil and bread, and your first decision: sparkling or still water? Either way, you’re buying it, so prepare yourself for that (and drink sparingly). In fact, in Italy, it is true that the wine is almost as cheap as the water!

Once the waiter brings your drinks, he will leave you be. And so begins your Italian dining experience. Since you are enjoying the beautiful scenery and the company of your wonderful friends, the wait staff will not interrupt… to take your order, to clear your plate, to give you a refill, to bring you the bill… until you flag them down and ask. This is definitely an adjustment from our American tendencies to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible, but it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to get into this mindset early on. If you don’t adapt, you’ll be stressed out for every meal. And who wants to be stressed out when you’re in a place like this?

Stay tuned for “day two” of our adventure in Verona!

Road Trip - New Orleans!

Sometimes you just need a break! One of the great things about living in Birmingham, Alabama is the sheer number of options if you're in the mood for a road trip! Whatever you're in the mood for - mountains, beach, country, music, shopping - you can take an easy road trip and have a fun weekend excursion.

Earlier this year, we headed south for a Big Easy N'awlins Adventure. We left Birmingham around lunch, stopped for a few breaks along the way, and pulled into the French Quarter around 6 pm. Just enough time to settle into the hotel and do some exploring!

We took advantage of the light crowd and took a stroll down Bourbon Street. We wanted to get a glimpse of the revelry before it got too crazy later on. This was one of the only times we walked directly on Bourbon Street - if your destination is in the French Quarter, you can take any of the parallel streets and get where you're going without as many crowds, noise, or smells.

One of the oldest and best (and relatively cheap) experiences is right off one of those side streets - Preservation Hall. Every night there is a show at 8, 9 and 10 pm. General Admission tickets are $15-20, and you stand in line before the show to get the first come, first serve seats. Sometimes they have guest superstars who make surprise appearances, but the house band is so funky-jazz-cool, you won't be disappointed if it's just their "regular" show.

The next day, we hopped the St. Charles Streetcar to the Garden District!

We hopped off at Jackson Avenue and worked our way through the jasmine-lined streets. The smells were incredible - magnolia, jasmine, honeysuckle... everything seemed to be blooming!

It was beautiful, and later on our tour, we learned a tidbit that explained why it was necessary for the "garden" district to have such aromatic flowers. because of its close proximity to the river, the district backed up to the area where the stockyards were. The flowers helped to cover the other smells that tended to float up-wind!

We arrived at our first stop of the day: District Donuts Sliders Brew on Magazine Street, where I quickly scanned the menu... even though the donuts looked INCREDIBLE, I decided to go with the Miso Praline Bacon Biscuit. As you can see, it did not disappoint.

We were led to this breakfast spot because it was the starting point for our Garden District Grandeur tour with Two Chicks Walking Tours. Our fabulous guide, Christine, led us through the streets and entertained us with historical tidbits and insider info about New Orleans. We really lucked out, because there was only one other couple on the tour, so we got to ask LOTS of questions.

The fabulous Christine - with a jasmine-lined wall in the background.

The Buckner Mansion - American Horror Story fans may recognize it as "Mrs. Robichaux's Academy"

Wrought-iron "corn stalk" fence design

A stop in Lafayette Cemetery

Afternoons in New Orleans tend to include a passing shower, especially in the summertime. If you get caught without an umbrella in the Garden District, you can take weave in and out from under the awnings of the shops on Magazine...

... or if you've already started walking back toward St. Charles, you may have to take shelter under a big Magnolia tree!

After the afternoon shower, we headed back to the River Walk, just in time to see a big ship rolling into the docks...

The soldiers lined up on the deck had a pretty nice view of the Crescent City!

We were lucky to be in New Orleans during Navy Week! Every year, ships come in to dock and are open for public tours. It was amazing to see these big ships up close - and to see all the crew lined up on the deck as they rolled into town!

USS Cole gangplank - we had a guided tour led by one of the crew!

We spent the next day playing tourist in the French Quarter. Royal and Decatur Streets are full of antique shops and boutiques, so we worked our way through the shops and walked through Jackson Square.

We stopped by the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, thanks to a recommendation list from our friends Randy and Jamie (they are honorary New Orleans residents, they visit so often). It's a great spot for lunch and right next to the French Market, so you can work off those calories while exploring the vendors and picking up some great souvenirs.

Roasted Chicken Pizza - delish!

The afternoon monsoon sent us in search of shelter - but we aimed for a tiny shop that had been on our "to do" list: Faulkner House Books. William Faulkner lived in the house, but the store is so small, you feel like your hanging out in his personal library!

Faulkner House Books - New Orleans French Quarter

After one final walk through the quarter...

The sun finally made an appearance, just in time to set!

We decided to splurge a bit for our final night! We went back to the Garden District to the famous Commander's Palace for dinner. It was originally by Emile Commander as a wedding gift for his daughter; however, she never married, and now it's a gift for all of us, a world-famous-award-winning restaurant.

Dinner and color-coordination at the Commander's Palace!

After dinner, we headed back toward the quarter, to hear my friend Stuart McNair. He lives in New Orleans now, and was playing with the Royal Street Windin' Boys at Sbisa's - a funky little dive bar near the French Market.

It was a fun way to close out our stay in the Big Easy - good food, remembering the past, supporting local art and music - laissez les bons temps rouler, indeed!