Palm Springs- last morning

We got up early, packed, and headed back out to Indian Canyons. We decided to hike Palm Canyon trail and were lucky enough to happen upon a ranger who suggested we follow the trail to the Victor trail, a nice moderate trail that goes along a nice ridge line with gorgeous views. We were glad we did! The beginning of Palm Canyon is through an oasis stream with tons of tall palms with lovely shade. Victor was hot and fully sunny, but gorgeous views! We got back a little before 10 when it started to really heat up.

We showered, checked out and headed to Cheeky's, a place highly recommended by several people we talked with and on tripadvisor. Yum. Farm-to-table food and very good. I got an heirloom tomato sandwich with applewood smoked bacon, fried egg and arugula. Kim got a blt with jalapeno bacon. We got a side of their homemade maple sage sausage which was amazing. Their bloody mary was great as well. yum!

Full and happy, we headed back on the four-hour drive back to Phoenix. The drive is pretty dull through the desert, but it wasn't too bad.

We're not totally sure of the lure of Palm Springs-- I assume the golfing is good, there is a casino, wonderful spas and a touristy little downtown with some good restaurants. Definitely great hiking and the proximity to Joshua Tree was great. It isn't a bad weekend destination from LA or Phoenix  and we had a lot of fun.

Palm Springs

We decided to 'sleep in' until around 7 which felt wonderful. We grabbed coffee at the Coffee Bean and Tea, walked around a little bit then got ready to go for a hike. the place we decided on didn't open until 8, which is unfortunate as it's so hot. Indian Canyons is gorgeous! It was highly rated on tripadvisor and several people told us it's worth seeing. The Andreas hike is around the oasis and much of the trip was by a shaded river. It was quite pleasant, relaxing and gorgeous. Then we did the Murray hike which was gorgeous but in a very different way. It was mostly in the sun and quite hot, but went towards a little oasis of palm trees.

We enjoyed our hiking thoroughly, but by 10 it was too hot so we headed back, showered and decided to grab an early lunch at 11:30. We went to the recommended Gyoro Gyoro, a sushi chain in Japan with several locations in LA and now Palm Springs. It opened a little over a month ago and was quite good. We got a sushi sampler and a chirashi sushimi, both of which were great samplers. Yum.

We booked a spa day at the Tuscan Springs Spa when we learned that the spa at our hotel was closed. What a great choice! Our hotel is right next to the main road so very convenient, but a less expensive option that is pretty basic. (Palm Mountain Hotel and Spa). We wanted a spa to go to and didn't want to drive, but we were really glad we did! This place was gorgeous! We felt like we were in Tuscany with the terra cotta tile, white walls, bougainvilla, tropical plants, tile.. it was really beautiful. There is a volcanic-heated hot spring well on the premises, which feed three mineral spring pools. One is hot, one warm and one cool. A large patio has several covered lounging beds, lots of comfy chairs, and a view overlooking the mountains and much of Palm Springs. It was definitely worth the drive.

We each got three-hour treatments, and I got a massage, foot massage, scalp treatment and a body scrub. Wow. Decadent and so wonderful! The lady who owns the place is from italy as well as her husband. They close from mid-July to the end of August as they are so slow. There are 8 very nice rooms that I would love to stay in sometime. It would definitely be worth the cost! http://www.tuscansprings.com/

We headed back to our hotel, showered and got ready for dinner. Last night we went to the Falls Steak House which was recommended. It was quite good. We split a steak, potato and cesar salad. Tonight we decided to go to a french place called Le Vallauris. It was around the corner from our hotel and amazing! Beautiful patio covered with trees with fans blowing so it was quite pleasant. The service was amazing, manager came to talk with us and the food perfect! They had a price fix which was a great value. It wasn't an inexpensive meal, but was worth it. Kim got a pate, lamb with ratatouille, and a chocolate tart and I got smoked salmon (to die for and made in house), duck with apple and spinach, and a grand marnier souffle. I'm not a huge fan of grand marnier but it was quite good!

Tomorrow we're going to hike one of the other trails at Indian Canyons that two guys we met yesterday recommended, get breakfast at Cheeky's, a local place that is farm-to-table and highly recommended (several people as well as tripadvisor) then we'll head home.

We're both a little curious how Palm Springs sprung up as a destination place as there's isn't much here. The hikes are wonderful and there's a lot of spas and some shopping, as well as a casino. It's a mystery but at 4 hours or less from Phoenix, it's a nice place to visit and I'm glad I came!

Joshua Tree National Park & Palm Springs

My college roommate, Kim, reached out to me a couple of weeks ago to see if we could do a girls' weekend. Of course! She flew in and we spent the afternoon catching up. 

We headed out mid-morning on Friday and had a blowout just before Quartzite. We waited close to an hour for the AAA truck to come, then two of America’s finest pulled up behind up. The first ran my plate, then came over and after giving us a bit of a hard time, change the tire for us. The AAA guy showed up right after they finished. We went into Quartzite to the tire shop (surprising there was one as ‘fine dining’ there was Subway). Grabbed sandwiches then the car was done. Apparently there was a fault in the tire and there was a bubble that with the heat from the drive blew out. The hole in the sidewall was the size of a golf ball!

We were good as new and on the road again. We had two more hours and drove into 29 Palms at around 5 pm. We checked into our hotel, a little motel called the Harmony Motel, known for being the place where U2 stayed when they were filming their Joshua Tree images. It’s a cute little 7-room motel with character. The grounds are nice, and it had some cute little touches. Not as fancy as many hotels, but we loved the fact that when we asked if she had a trail map, the gal in the office handed us a Joshua Tree trail book that we could borrow! We of course stayed in the room that Bono stayed on (from U2). Of course.

She told us we could have driven through the park to get here instead of going around like Google Maps suggested. We decided to take a quick drive through some of the park before dinner, and it was beautiful! Lots of interesting rock formations and Joshua Trees everywhere after we drove 10-15 minutes into the park.

We left and grabbed dinner at the Palm Kabob House in town, which was highly recommended on tripadvisor. It was yummy! Kim got a gyro and I got a salmon kabob with rice. Two guys there recommended some hiking trails for us tomorrow. We drove to one and the ranger said he was locking the gate. It apparently doesn’t open until 6:30 to 7, and we’re hoping to get started earlier as it’s so hot. We’re reviewing our handy little guidebook to decide where we’ll go.

We haven’t gotten internet to work yet and are both tired, so I’ll post this tomorrow when I have the chance. We’ll hike and explore the park then will check out and head to Palm Springs.

It’s been so much fun catching up with Kimmie again. I met her in college and we lived together for a while. I think she was one of the only roommates I liked living with, and the only one for sure that I still talk with! It’s been (gasp!) 24 years. She lives in India now but is back in the US for a visit and asked to come visit for a girls’ weekend. I of course said yes! I haven’t seen her for four years so it’s so wonderful to reconnect.

Joshua Tree National Park became a national park in 1994, though it had been a National Monument since 1936. It is slightly larger in size than the state of Rhode Island. The park includes parts of two deserts: the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert. The Little San Bernardino Mountains run through the park as well.

It takes around 15 minutes of driving into the park before you see Joshua trees and then they are all around. There are some beautiful rock formations as well with some interesting shapes. 

We woke up really early and decided to get out to hike before it got too hot. We first went to Keys Point and enjoyed a view of the Coachella Valley. We had trouble finding the trailhead, and after reading a sign about aggressive bees, encountered a few and decided to pick another spot. We drove to Ryan Mountain which was a gorgeous hike. We climbed a mountain then circled around the back of it and walked along a ridge for a while before hitting a peak. The hike wasn't long-- only a mile and a half, but took us a little over an hour and a half. It was gorgeous and worth doing.

We met a couple from New Hampshire (funny, as Kim and I are from Massachusetts, right next door) and a man from Germany. We climbed down and went to Hidden Valley, the highest rated hike on tripadvisor. It didn't disappoint and was really gorgeous. Very easy loop hike but the rock formations, trees and views were stunning. We then went to the Barker Dam trail and saw some petroglyphs (disappointingly colored back in so people can still see them) and the dam, which was built to hold water for cattle. The hike was nice with gorgeous rock formations.

It was around 10:30 and getting really hot. And we had to check out of our hotel, so we did that then headed into town for lunch. We decided to go back to the Kabob House and got salads with chicken shawarma which was amazing. We got a side of falafel and it was really light and different. Very good and we both enjoyed this place. I got a juice with carrot, orange and ginger and enjoyed it. Who knew? I don't eat carrots but in juice, it's pretty ok.

We decided to drive back through Joshua Tree park to see a couple of areas that were recommended: two areas with a lot of cholla cacti, and ocotillo cacti. The first was impressive and they were as far as the eye can see. The second was less so, and the ocotillo were all burned out and dried up. Just the wrong time of year for that. The drive through this part of the park was long and they were repaving the road, making for some nice driving but some of the trip was all gutted up and not so fun. We hit I10 and drove down to Palm Springs, checked in to our hotel the Palm Mountain Hotel and Spa and decided to walk around a bit before dinner to explore.

There's not much to this town. Some shops, restaurants, spas and casinos. We are both glad we have stuff planned tomorrow! Our restaurant reservation tonight (Falls Steak House) is literally right across the street from the hotel, which is great. Someone recommended it so we're going for it! 

We're mapping out our hike for tomorrow then getting ready for dinner. It's going to be an early night but we'll be up early tomorrow hiking before it gets too hot. By 10 am it's steamy here! We really want to go to Indian Canyons, which was highly recommended, but it opens at 8. So we're checking on options and then will head there around that time. We have spa day (afternoon) at 2 at a place with mineral springs. Can't wait! It'll feel good as we're both stiff from the hike today.

I'll post more tomorrow! S

Pictures!

I know, I know.. finally. I gave up on taking the time to clean 'em up and figured I'd share them raw and happy!

Enjoy!


https://picasaweb.google.com/101094739222907134395/Paris52014?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKbWsumm7qDxVw&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/101094739222907134395/Amsterdam52014?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLDMsvD9-PGuqgE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/101094739222907134395/DubrovnikMostar52014?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPv6n-TjotjA5gE&feat=directlink

Recommendations for Dubrovnik, Amsterdam, Paris

I'll update this page with additional items, but wanted to get it started.

Dubrovnik: Go! Beautiful and small city, well worth the visit.

• There is a bus that takes you from the airport directly to Pile Gate in Dubrovnik. It's worth taking and saves over taxis.
• Recommend staying right in the old town: http://www.booking.com/hotel/hr/alberto-apartment.en-us.html?aid=325635;label=yho748jc-review-xu-244c10c141de89b7-XX-unspec-us_az-com-L%3Axu-O%3Aunk-B%3Aunk-N%3Ayes;sid=aec11318ea1e9edddd504c7d0ca969ef;dcid=4
• We LOVED this place. Alberto met us at the gate and walked us in (Dubrovnik is a little maze of tiny streets and alleyways that look like streets!)
• It does have a balcony, full kitchen and can sleep up to 4 (double bed, and two singles with two bedrooms.) The balcony was the true appeal. Recently renovated. There is a small studio apartment available as well.
• Quiet place off the center, behind the Cathedral. Alberto showed us around to orient us and made very good restaurant recommendations: Taj Mahal (bosnian cuisine), Restaurant Kopun. Additionally we went to: D'Vino Wine bar, Dalmatia Konoba (local cuisine), Gaffe Irish pub, and all were wonderful.
• Things to do
• Mount Srd cable car and walk
• Walk the wall surrounding Dubrovnik
• Day trip to Mostar- BEAUTIFUL Unesco World Heritage site. We chose Metro Tours based on tripadvisor reviews, and they have a location right on the main street in Dubrovnik old town. Long day but well worth going to (and you tick off another country, Bosnia-Herzegovina!)
• Walk all around the old town. The city is very small and there is a lot to explore: two monestaries, a synagogue, museums. A day trip to the neighboring island was recommended, but we didn't due to the rain.
• We spent three days plus an evening, and this was more than enough time to see the city. For those who like to move, a day would be enough plus a day trip. No cars are allowed in the old town. Note: there are a LOT of steps.

Amsterdam:

• My friend who lives there characterizes Amsterdam as a large village, and I agree. It's very walkable, public transportation is easy and walking along the canals is beautiful.
• Restaruants:
• Tomo Sushi- yum!
• Moeder- local cuisine, very good!
• &samhoud- yum! We went to a yelp event here and stayed for a four course meal; unsure if this is a general offering but it was amazing. The restaurant itself is beautiful though quite expensive, but they do offer a 'street food' menu during  the day which is affordable and looked quite good.
• Things to do:
• Anne Frank House- powerful and well done museum with a heart-breaking story
• Rijksmuseum- incredibly well-done and lots of amazing pieces
• Sex Museum- interesting and guaranteed to make the fair blush
• Walking along the canals to see the beautiful views, collections of many bikes, and the houseboats
• Koekenhof- incredible gardens of more tulips and other flowers than you've ever seen. Even slightly off-peak time, it was incredible
• Zaans Shane- windmills. Quaint small town with 6+ working windmills. Some cute shops to walk around in, and check out the stroopwafel (syrup waffel.) Yum!
• Red light district: no trip to Amsterdam would be complete without walking this area at night. You'll feel like you're back at a college frat party again, the only difference being the red lights!

Paris: the most beautiful city in the world (in my opinion). This was my first repeat, and with only two days, I had certain things I wanted to see again.

• Hotel: stayed at Hotel Design Sorbonne- very cute boutique hotel right across the street from the Sorbonne. Great location. Tiny room but well appointed-- I had forgotten how tiny paris hotels are! 
• Things to do:
• Notre Dame- we didn't climb this time but the views are amazing
• Rodin Museum
• Palais du Luxemburg/gardens: worth a quick walk around as we stayed closeby
• Pantheon and St Etiene du Monde: St Etiene is one of the most beautiful churches I've seen (and I'm obsessed with churches!) Right behind the Pantheon. Unfortunately closed when we went.
• Montmantre and Sacre Coer- a hike but worth it. Montmantre is a beautiful and quaint area and Sacre Coer the highest part of Paris with amazing views. Gets very busy but gorgeous. There is also the cemetary here where Jim Morrison and other famous peeps are buried.
• Picasso Museum- it was closed when we went, but I saw it the last time and it's worth the trip. It's in the Morais neighborhood which is very pretty as well.
• The Louve- magestic museum impossible to be seen in one or two days. 
• Worth getting the Carte de Musee (museum card) if you enjoy museum. It allows you to not wait in the long queue for many places, and allows multiple entrances-- a great advantage for the Louve
• Musee D'Orsay- beautiful smaller museum (though not small by any means!) with an impressive collection of impressionist paintings
• Arc de Triumph is worth seeing as well, and climbing to get some amazing views.
• Versailles
• Dining:
• Laduree- macaron. Hands down the most amazing thing EVER.
• Le Coup-Chou- just as amazing as I remembered from over ten years ago. Quaint, low ceiling with beams, fireplaces, small rooms and incredible food (duck was fantastic!!)
• Domaine Lintillac- four in Paris, very good food and pretty affordable
• La Ferrandaise- they do a three-course tasting and it was incredible. Very small place and they pack you in. The food and service were great though not inexpensive.
• Recommendations: get a cheese plate and some wine. The selection is often huge and amazing! also, paris is known for apertifs (pre-dinner drinks) and digestifs (after dinner.)
• Jazz- the jazz in Paris is well-known. We went to Le Petit Journal, a small jazz club in the Latin quarter and were not disappointed (note: they charge a ridiculous amount for your first drink, and successive drinks are much less. It was something like 20E for a small carafe of wine!)

Have fun!!

Last of Paris

Fun night and wanted to share. We got a restaurant recommendation and decided to stat close after two busy days. La Ferrandaise was an adorable small place. They offered a three course price fix and we did that. I got gazpacho, lamb and a lemon tarte. We decided to go traditional and got an apertif of kir (white wine with peach liquer); and a digestif of coffee. Yum.

We seriously rolled out of there. it was so good but we were full. We also got a recommendation of a jazz club and it was amazing. Three floors and tight but great band playing jazz and big band/swing tunes. Nice and lively for two weary travelers. I hope the band gets a cut of the drink price as it was crazy expensive-- two drinks was forty euros! (sixty-ish dollars). The place was called le Petite Journal and is right near Palais de Luxemburg, and a five minute walk from out hotel.

I will try to post some recommendations when I return but these places should be among them. What a fun trip!! Paris was my first international repeat. Unfortunately I didn't write the blog when I went elevenish years ago. I went in the winter so wanted to come back to see the gardens. My only surprise was that most of the gardens were green and not flowers, so I possibly could have seen more in december as well. Either way, it was wonderful and still my favorite city.

People talk about the french being rude and I don't see it at all. If you open in french, which is only Bon Jour/Bon Soir (good day/good evening) and parlais vous englais (do you speak english), people are friendly and helpful and most do speak english, at least better than our french! It is wonderful here, beautiful and so worth the trip. ``We did a whirlwind tour for sure, but it's worth stopping to take in the sights and tour. With the heavy rains, we flew through some things we would not have.

Cheers!!

Paris day Deux

Last day of the trip! We thought we would make it memorable with a trip to Versailles. We grabbed breakfast by the hotel and headed out to catch the train. It took maybe 45 minutes and was a ten minute walk to the chateau. Apparently we were not the only ones with the same idea as it was a bit of a wait even with the museum pass.

I have never seen anything more opulent. The front was gilded and it is just huge. Every room is grander than the next. Seeing this puts the French Revolution into perspective.. it is no wonder it happened. We toured the chateau with the audio tour then wandered the gardens. The drizzle turned to a cold hard rain.

The gardens are beautiful and done in an English style. The footprint is simply huge.

We grabbed a sandwich and headed back after a few hours, then walked up to Notre Dame. The line was really long and it was still pouring so we opted to go to the Louve instead. We saw the Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, a Michelangelo and many other beautiful works when the crowds got to us and we headed out. One of the benefits of the carte de musee, or museum pass, is that you can pop in and out of the museums.

We wandered a bit of the Latin Quarter looking for chocolate stores to bring back some gifts (and practically had to sell all our worldly possessions for it!) We decided to stop for some drinks and a cheese tray, and as I remember it was huge! Wandered back to the hotel. I am sore and exhauster but it was well worth the last couple of days.

Tonight we are going to a restaurant by the hotel that they recommend and will try to catch some jazz, which was recommended. Flights in the morning so it wont probably be a late night.. though I guess we will see!

I so highly recommend Paris. Even raining, it is magical.