There aren’t many places with a history like Rhodes. So, if you ever get a chance, this is a place you must visit. While standing on the island, you can trace its history by to 5000BC. Equally important, you can wonder around ruins from the Romans, Crusades and Ottoman Empire within the walls of a castle! Nevertheless, I love this place. Before we get to pictures, here’s a quick rundown of their history: [Read more…]
Greece – Jenny’s Gone Wild (on ATV)
I have created a monster… Despite being “grown-ups”, Jenny and I prefer acting like kids as often as possible. This post is dedicated to my lovely wife and her pursuit of childhood fun riding our rented ATVs in Santorini and Paros.
After a few hours riding passenger as we explored Santorini, Jenny decided she could do it better (on Santorini and Paros). And, well, she was right. Here are a few pictures and videos: [Read more…]
Family Wedding + Jenny= LA Fun
After a week’s worth of meetings in Los Angeles and surrounding (Orange County, etc…), Jenny and her parents met up with me in Los Angeles for Jenny’s cousin’s wedding in Anaheim. Without boring you with all the details, Jenny, her sister, parents and I spent a weekend exploring LA, Anaheim, New Port Beach, Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and a few other areas…
Here are a few pictures of our weekend:
Dallas: Great Food, Games, & Friends/Family
Last weekend, we headed north to Big D (Dallas) for a family and friends weekend!
The weekend started off right with a culinary delight from Chef Dad! As you might expect from the Greek immigrant, we had lamb (my favorite). For grins, he threw on some cedar-plank grilled salmon. Note: if you are not grilling salmon on a cedar plank, you are missing out! I do not have Dad’s recipe, but here is one from Food Network.
Saturday was a busy one… We took my brother John out for a Vietnamese lunch (Jenny’s idea) and spent the afternoon relaxing had his house with my two favorite dogs, Lexi & Sandi.
Saturday night, Kev & Angela took us for steak and lobster at Steve Fields’ Steak and Lobster Lounge. Jenny had their Chilean Sea bass and I had their surf and turf. You cannot go wrong with anything on their menu, but you must save room for Chocolate Caramel Buttercream Cake.
Afterwards, we met up with Annie at Barcadia (Bar + Arcade). This cool little joint with tons of vintage 1980s video games. When is the last time you played Galaxia or Frogger?
Our good friend and musical genius, Michael A., hooked us up with a few CDs that we have been listening too ever since. I would highly recommend checking out:
- Ray Lamontagne (Trouble)
- Paolo Nutini (these streets)
- James Morrison (Undiscovered)
- Jason Mraz (We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things)
- Amos Lee (Supply and Demand)
- John Mayer (Continuum)
- Gavin Degraw
So, we had a great weekend. And, like all weekends, it unfortunately ended!
Hawaii – Our Visit to the Big Island
There is something to be said when staying on a volcanic island. Every house, store, and hotel is/was built directly on top of hardened lava. …you’ll find hardened lava flows everywhere they have yet to build! Welcome to Hawaii’s Big Island.
- Saturday (2/9): Hello Big Island! After arriving in the early afternoon, we checked into the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. We spent the rest of the day lounging at the resort, drinking Mai Tais, and just relaxing…
- Sunday (2/10): This was our day of leisure… Massages at the resort’s spa, Mandara, followed by an afternoon at the pool and dinner/jazz at night!
- Monday (2/11): You’re on vacation, you’re relaxed and you’re itching for something out of the ordinary… what do you do? You swim with dolphins! Today, we headed over to Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. We spent 45 minutes playing in the water with dolphins. Afterwards, we headed “upcountry” to the city Hawi. While driving, we passed the Parker Ranch; one of the largest privately held ranches in the United States. On the way, we found a great snacking place in Luke’s Place; best fish tacos I’ve ever had!
- Tuesday (2/12): Here’s another fun day of exploration… Jenny and I ventured out in search of whales with by Captain Dan McSweeney. Check out our Whale Watching post . Afterwards, we journeyed up to Kilauea, the Big Island’s volcano, just in time for a torrential downpour! Rain doesn’t stop the lava flow and it didn’t stop us. But, the three hour drive to the volcano was followed by a five hour return! …small roads plus loads of rain equal adventurous trip home!
- Wednesday (2/13): We spent the day in Kona. What a great little town! Wish we had more time to explore. Kona is that laidback city on the ocean. Everyone is your friend, surfers are riding, and the atmosphere is cool. After lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, we hit the farmer’s market, stores on main street and hung out on the beach! What a great little town…
Here’s where the story ends… Unfortunately, Jenny or I must get back to the real world. Ah… Hawaii is paradise…
Hawaii – Swimming W/ Dolphins
You’re on vacation, you’re relaxed and you’re itching for something out of the ordinary… what do you do? You swim with dolphins! Today, we headed over to Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. We spent 45 minutes in the water with dolphins. While you don’t get to ride them (holding on to a fin), each participant got to play, touch, instruct, and examine multiple dolphins. Note: They fill like rubber! They are incredibly smart and they are naturally very playful animals.
Here’s a few interesting facts we learned:
- Pacific dolphins are deep feeders… They dive deep to find fish
- Dolphins can hold their breath for over 15 minutes…
- Dolphins breathe voluntary (they have to think to breath) whereas human breathing is involuntary
- Dolphins nature predators are sharks and whales…
- Atlantic dolphins are top feeders…They typically eat close to the surface. Interestingly enough, the dolphins at the Hilton are Atlantic Spinner dolphins despite the fact that they are located in Hawaii (a pacific island)
- Scientists believe dolphins shut down half their brains while resting… this provides awareness for breathing and predators
Hawaii – Honeymoon w/ Whales
Here’s another fun day of exploration… Jenny and I ventured out in search of whales!
Every year (from November thru May) hundreds of humpback whales visit the Hawaiian islands from Alaska. During the summer months, the whales gorge themselves on plankton and small fish (less than a 12”). However, the whales do not feed while in Hawaii and, consequently, loss up to 20% of their body mass. They come to Hawaii to breed and birth!
- Fifth largest of the world’s great whales
- Average size of a school bus (50 feet long and 90,000 pounds)
- Life span between 40-60 years
- Gestation period for the female is approximately 12 months
- Whales do not feed while in Hawaii
- Tail fins are individually unique (like humans’ finger prints) and are used to identify whales
If you’re interested in learning more, please visit the American Cetacean Society Fact Sheet on the Humpback Whale. Here are some pictures of our whale watching trip: [Read more…]
Hawaii – We Survived the Road to Hana!
On Friday, we made the famous trek to Hana. It’s a small town on the other side of Maui. The town in itself is not the point of the trip. The trip is the point of the trip. It’s about 45 miles of 600 hairpin turns and 52 one-lane bridges past gorgeous scenery. Because of the twist and turns, however, it is an all-day affair!
We rented a convertible, brought our GPS, iPod, and plenty of drinks/snacks. The road has so many picture points that you may find yourself stopping every 10 minutes… only to realize you’ll never make it to Hana. So, pace yourself. There are tons of waterfalls. If it’s been raining (like it did for days before our trip) the waterfalls will be even bigger.
On the winding road to Hana, we pulled into the Garden of Eden… This tropical garden boast some spectacular scenes, loads of wildlife and some famous (although we don’t know them and you probably don’t either) birds!
If you find yourself with a few extra minutes on the Road to Hana… this detour is worth it. Its an inexpensive admission to beautifully landscaped garden. The wildlife is a definite plus…
Once we arrived in Hana, we moved on… There isn’t really much to see. We ate at the Hana Hotel’s restaurant. It looks nice, has a great view, but the food was overpriced and not that good. However, we left Hana and continued down the road to view the Seven Pools. Of the four plus hours of driving, this last 30 minutes was the best. On this segment, you get to see beautiful homes (not the $$$ homes, but homes of regular Hawaiians). Moreover, the scenery converts to rolling hills by the coast and wildlife, and cattle abounds.
The Seven Pools themselves are amazing. Years of erosion have created seven distinct pools that water flows into, out of, and into the next pool. When the rains are too heavy, you can actually get in the pools. When we went, it was hard to distinguish the pools from whitewater. Nevertheless, it was beautiful.
The Road to Hana was our favorite part of our visit to Maui! Here are some pictures from our trip: [Read more…]
The Texas Hill Country
Ever find yourself in need of a weekend getaway?
Jenny and I packed up the truck and headed to the Texas Hill Country for the Labor Day weekend. Our itinerary: Austin, Fredericksburg and anywhere in between. We stayed at the historic Driskill Hotel in their fantastic “Governors Suite!” A special thanks to my friends behind the front desk there!
Arriving in the early evening, we stopped at Jenny’s favorite Mexonesian (Mexican & Polynesian) restaurant, the Hula Hut on Lake Travis.
The next day, we headed west to the quaint town of Fredericksburg. Settled long ago by German immigrants, the area is home to numerous wineries (our favorite is the Becker Vineyard), the largest boulder in the USA (Enchanted Rock State Park), and a great little Main Street perfect for spending the day.
If you’re ever on Main Street in Rustlin’ Rob’s Texas Trail Supplies, stay far away from Satan’s Blood hot sauce (800,000 Scoville). Jenny and I like to jazz our foods up with some spice, but a drop of this sauce had us literally crying for 30+ minutes…
After returning to Austin, we met up with Jenny’s Aunt (thanks for the hospitality Tina & Chris) and ate dinner at Austin’s newest chic restaurant Imperia. A tribute to Asian fusion, Imperia has a contemporary decor, great wine selection and progressive take on Dim Sum.
We had a great time in the Texas Hill Country, loved the live music and cannot wait to return. Until then…
Kirk and Jenny Head West to El Paso
If you live in Texas and have Texan friends, one day you’ll end up in El Paso. We had the privilege of attending our good friend’s (congrats JR & Elsa) wedding in El Paso. This was a quick trip just days before our vacation. We arrived Saturday around noon and left Sunday afternoon. Here’s what I can say about El Paso!
The locals we met there love the city. Its rugged landscape and mountains (or speed bumps if you live in the Rockies) are picturesque during sunset. The city is overflowing with Mexican, American and Mexican-American culture and its surreal seeing border signs in an American city! The US is so large, it’s certainly not something you see often.
Well, our trip was short so we didn’t have time to explore much. The locals revere Chico’s Tacos as a must-eat small chain restaurant started by Joe Mora (boxing promoter). We ate there and I can say:
- Their taco are rolled, and bathed in a red sauce
- Their hot dogs are served on hamburger buns
- They only accept cash
- You’re lunch will cost less than $3
- Most importantly, don’t forget the antacids
We also ate at Carlos and Mickey’s. Their food was authentic, spicy and we really enjoyed it. Their margaritas are advertised as the “best in town!” Keep in mind, El Paso isn’t that big, but their 44 ounce ones might accurately be named the “Biggest margaritas in town!”
Hare are some pictures of JR & Elsa’s wedding along with our time with friends: [Read more…]