First Day In Copenhagen

Labor Day weekend saw me on a flight to Copenhagen, Denmark for the advent of my Baltic Cruise. Copenhagen was Denmark's capital and largest city, and I was excited to explore it!  There was a metro station at the airport that I took to the central station in Copenhagen that was only a block from my hotel.  And thus, my adventures began...


Near the central station, all these Mercedes taxis were lined up. Considered luxury cars in the U.S., it still amuses me when I see Mercedes as taxis abroad. I wonder if I'll ever see a fleet of BMW taxis? LOL.


I stayed at the Grand Hotel which was a 5 min. walk from the metro station, and close to several attractions! It was only a few blocks from the Imax Tycho Brahe Planetarium, so I headed there immediately.

I truly loved all the interactive areas where I could push buttons and see planets twirl, look out a window of a simulated space capsule, and look at a model of Mar's robotic rover. I didn't catch an Imax show, but I'm glad I stopped by.

Afterwards, I walked around and admired some of the buildings in the vicinity. I thought this particular building was very interesting. I loved how traffic went under the middle building, and how the sides jutted out in 3-D fashion.

The Palads was a multi-theater cinema house that was brightly painted to compensate for the extensive graffiti damages it once had. And lemme tell ya, there was a lot of colorful paint! LOL.

I loved the twisty steeple on this building.

The central plaza was packed with throngs of people and busy advertisements.

American fast food eateries dominated the plaza as visitors got their choice of McDonald's, Burger King and KFC.

Below is the Town Hall, which has a golden statue of Archbishop Absalon fixated on the building. Archbishop Absalon was a key figure in Denmark's territorial expansion. He was the foremost Danish politician and churchman in the second half of the 12th century.

I thought these gargoyles at the Town Hall's base were too cute.

However, the highlight of my first day's visit was Tivoli Gardens. So, stay tune for my next post!

Ready or Not, Baltic Cruise Here I Come!

Getting ready to set sail on a Baltic cruise - 5 countries in 7 days! Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden --- here I come, baaaaby!

Nothing Could Be Finer Than To Be In Caroliner

After my week in New England, I flew south to North Carolina to spend a few stolen moments with family. It was a short week-end visit spent outdoors amid cheery sunshine and myriad backyard activities.


Here are my parents and my sisters buzzing around the food table. LOL.

People say I favor Mom. What do you think?


My sister Pamela and Sis n'law Holly holding her daughter Piper.

Isn't my sister Mely gorgeous?


See No Evil. Hear No Evil. Speak No Evil. Har!

My eldest niece Yasmine.


I love this pic of my brother John with his daughter Piper, and his son Zeb riding his trike in the background.

Check out how BLUE my niece Piper's eyes are!

More father n' son moments. John with his son Rex above, and both of his boys below.

My bro n' law Terry and bro John played baseball with their boys.

It was a wonderful afternoon of memory building!

And then the big boys decided to play a little basketball.

John showing off his mad skillz....

Even Daddy got some shots in, but Terry had to prove that he was a baller too. LOL.

The kids could've played with Legos for hours!

And then it was time to jump in the pool. :) I love that Zeb and Skylar felt it was their job to fill the pool. LOL.

All the cousins taking a dip! Good thing they weren't doing laps.

And then the cousins got creative and made a water slide! LOL.

As dusk settled in, reminders of our afternoon activities were still scattered throughout, and the baby pool started to deflate, and yet we remained outdoors not willing to go in and end a precious summer day that was filled with copious amount of family love and laughter. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!

Newport's Cliff Walk

I let myself out the side gate of The Breakers and walked until I came upon a pathway that led me to Newport's Cliff Walk; a well known touristed access walk that covers 3.5 miles of naturally aesthetic trails and Newport's rugged New England coastline. I only had time to stroll down the northern end of the Cliff Walk, and therefore missed the southern end's backview of gilded age mansions that I did not get to visit. I deeply regret not touring "Rough Point," which belonged to the fourth Vanderbilt brother Frederick Vanderbilt, and then later to North Carolinian James Buchanan Duke, who founded his fortunes in the electric power and tobacco industries, and was the benefactor of Duke University. I hope to catch it on my next trip!

As my walk ended on a view of more modern day mansions across the way, I headed back to my rental car and exited out of Newport. On my way out, I admired the calm waters of the Atlantic and the plethora of sailboats and other vessels enjoying their day out on the water. I enjoyed my summer explorations in RI and CT immensely, and hope to return someday for more! Toodle-Loo, New England!