Washington DC Trip and Tours

October 28, 2006
Our trip going to our exact destination was at least 1 hour and 10 minutes. It was a 45-minute drive from home to Wheaton Station. From there, we boarded the Metro train going to DC for 25 minutes. Smart idea coz hubby didn't need to drive longer. We got off at Union Station.

We got tickets for DC trolley tour, so the place for their pick up zone was in front of Union Station. Supposedly, this should be our full tour to see the entire DC tourist destinations, but we decided to get a tour inside the Capitol building and we got a 2:30pm batch,so we couldn't leave further.

There were some photos of a bunch of squirrels which I took in front of the US Capitol. They look cute,so I took photos.

National Botanical Garden was close by, so we did a quick visit there as well.

Reisterstown Park, Maryland

September 28, 2006 - SSA Picnic

This was not actually a travel, but simply an outing from hubby's work. They were allowed to bring their family, so I got the chance to go and witness the event. There's nothing formal because it was a picnic for fun and everybody was turning wacky too! Hubby was one wacky guy that day, but I was able to meet Dominique, wife of my hubby's co worker and Zan, another lady from SSA and also hubby's co worker.

Photos are those of hubby's wacky dance moves and my chit-chats with newly met friends Dominique and Zan on the swing :).

Michael Jackson beat...dancing to the tune of "Macarena!" :))

Hataw pa :)

Women's Conference - Sandy Cove Ministries

September 23, 2006

Sandy Cove Ministries is strategically located halfway between Baltimore and Philadelphia near the town of North East, Maryland, just 10 minutes south of I-95, and 1 hour south of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, via Route 272, and on the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. It consists to 150 hotel rooms and a conference center as well. Situated on 220 acres of Maryland woodland, this elegant facility features 150 rooms, three fireplaces, a full-service dining room, and cozy sitting areas overlooking the bay. It's a place where you can feel serenity, perfect for meditations or a simple quiet vacation.

The event was for two days, but I joined together with my sisters in Christ from our church for only a day. There was some fun activities wherein we could choose what activity would we prefer to do. We chose dancing...and I realize, with a few quick instructions, I can dance too :)....for the Lord, that is!

Had a good breakfast and lunch that came in with the package we payed...it was worth it.

Dallas, Texas Trip

September 13-17, 2006

Dallas snapshots

Urban Market

(Sept. 13, '06)

Sept. 15, 2006 - Our Visit to Reunion Tower - Dallas, Texas
We were fortunate enough to make a quick visit to this place and is close to our hotel. Reunion Tower is often called "the sparkling round jewel of Dallas skyline." The tower stands 50 stories high. I still couldn't forget our ride going up to the tower top with just glass elevators surrounding the elevator. The sight has a breathtaking view, but I couldn't seem to enjoy the sight while going up because of the height :).

We didn't have our lunch so we decided to take it in the revolving restaurant. I love the view from there, plus the fact that the restaurant itself revolves. While the restaurant revolves, you can completely see the whole view of Dallas.

Inside the tower's revolving restaurant.

We had a cook out while visiting my friend in Burkburnett, and also meeting Lisa for the first time from Wichita Falls. They had a good food prepared for us, and it was a hearty meal.

After the heartful lunch, we went for an ice cream as our dessert! :)

Our "Brunch Date"

September ,3 2006

Venue: Sheraton Columbia Hotel Columbia, Maryland

This was where our brunch date where hubby surprised me one late morning. (I told you, hubby is really full of surprises :).)

Anyway, we went to Riverside Restaruarant, at Sheraton Columbia Hotel, and we had our buffet brunch. The food was really good. A lot of food options to choose from breakfast menus to lunch. I chose to eat lunch, so it was a full meal. The place was very scenic and sirene to me because the restaurant is just beside the lake, so it made the event more romantic to me :).

We did a short walk at the back in the woods. It was somewhat like a nature tripping.

We ended up our walk at the Columbia Lakefront mini park, took a bit of rest and off we went back home. We both enjoyed it together.

ICELAND - "Nightlife Capital of the North"

I got curious reading about Iceland. And there are 5 fun facts about it:

1. Because drinks costs about $15, most Icelanders party at home before going out. Bars stay open until 8 AM on weekends.
2. Iceland receives only 4 hours of daylight during winter. In summer, the nights are nearly as bright as days. This may explain why no one ever seems to sleep.
3. Icelanders aren't big on personal space, so don't get offended if someone shoves past you in a crowded bar.
4. Brennivin, Iceland's national rotgut, is nicknamed Black Death. Most locals who aren't homeless won't go anywhere near the sickening schnapps, but it's sometimes used as a chaser after a bite of hakari, a traditional dish of putrefied shark meat.
5. Icelandic women are not only uniformly attractive and fluent in English, they are also among the "friendliest" in Europe.
   

Denver, Colorado Trip Adventures

August 14-19, 2006
We had a long flight from Baltimore to Detroit and from Detroit to Denver. This trip lasted for 4 hours which was pretty much exhausting. It must be so far the toughest trip we encountered because we both had the “altitude sickness” which at first we were not aware we were getting it. We were unaware that geographically speaking, we were 6,450 feet high above sea level. I was nauseated and got nasal headaches while hubby was having trouble breathing at times. It was manageable though, so thank God for that .
We got several itineraries as planned. Since we had a rented car, we managed to visit someplaces:

Red Rock Amphitheater – this place was really captivating! The long seemed unendless stairs going up was really challenging. Once you reach the top, you can see the famous amphitheatre which was famously called carved by Mother Nature.

Coors Field - we were able to witness this place when we were invited to watch a baseball game. My first time ever to watch this game. It was fun doing it and cheering for the Colorado Rockies against the Diamond Backs. Geesh,our team was lost :(.

Rocky Mountain National Park:

Denver Museum of Nature & Science:

Atlanta, Georgia Trip (2nd Visit)

August 4-9, 2006

Yes, this is our second visit after a month :) We had 2 1/2 days free time before hubby's schedule for symposium teaching. This time, we made at least 4 itineraries touring around attractions frequently visited by many.

Georgia Aquarium - (Aug. 5, 2006)

We went to the aquarium early in the morning to catch up with the long lines of going inside. It was weekend, so it was crowded.

Anyway, once inside, there are a lots of places to visit. This is considered to be the largest aquarium in the world. Just imagine, it has eight million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than found in any other aquarium.

Obviously, it is all aquatic life scenes that are present there, so below is one of my many photos which includes the various marine life inside the aquarium. Georgia Aquarium is actually highly recommended for the kids, and for the whole family as well.

Stone Mountain Park - (Aug. 6, 2006)

This was the most thrilling ride I ever got for the first time...the summit skyride! This is the rock's top attraction. This high-speed Swiss cable car provides a stunning view of the Confederate Memorial Carving as it transports guests more than 825 feet above ground to the top of Stone Mountain. I closed my eyes most of the time since I have phobia for heights.

But we got the chance to see the famous Stone Mountain Carving up-close. I forgot the fearful scene of the height for a while and so I was able to get good shots of the carving :) The shots of the pool below was done by hubby. Remember, I couldn't look down..:)

Reaching the top was awesome! From there, we saw amazing views of the Atlanta skyline, the Appalachian Mountains and more up to 60 miles away. Then, another few more poses for the camera. lol!

We also tried the riverboat excursions and paddlewheel riverboat cruise along Stone Mountain Lake. I only was able to take limited shots during that time...I didn't remember why, but I guess I got so tired with the sweltering heat of the sun..so I didn't know exactly what was I aiming for LOL!

6 Flags Over Georgia - (Aug. 7, 2006)

The temperature during that day went up as high as 99F. That's more than the hot temperature in the Philippines! We were both sweating like crazy. With the help of the thirst quenchers close by, these helped us gained back our strength and enjoyed meeting Bugs Bunny and friends. Hanging out with these toons were fun...at least we became like kids only for a few minutes. It's good to be child like once in a while, right? :)

Longwood Gardens

The Topiary Garden

These are evergreen yews trimmed into large geometric forms and whimsical shapes.

While watching the fireworks and colorful waterworks...spectacular!

Atlanta, Georgia Trip

July 3-8, 2006
Atlanta was our main destination during the entire trip. I can say this is the only place most widely visited by me and my husband. One thing that got me excited during this trip was the July 4th big event...fireworks! It would be my first July 4th to witness the big fireworks only to be disappointed at the end because there was a big thunderstorm that night, and so it was cancelled!
On the other side of it, we had 4 itineraries four our trip:

July 4, 2006 - Our visit to Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Main Entrance

Among the special highlights of the garden that we went to visit is "Niki in the Garden" which are mostly large exhibits of a renowned international artist Niki de Saint Phalle's outdoor sculptures. The Garden was the ideal place for Saint Phalle's work to be displayed because of her love of nature. Saint Phalle's imaginative, monumental artworks are beautifully displayed throughout the Garden. To me, they are captivating and very catchy that makes them unique too.

The Nepenthes Chandelier

The Nepenthes Chandelier is a one-of-a-kind creation by Dale Chihuly and was a favorite of visitors during the 2004 Chihuly in the Garden exhibit. A captivating assemblage of brightly colored glass in hues of yellow, chartreuse, and gold with touches of red, the chandelier sparkles in the Special Exhibitions space in the Fuqua Conservatory. The Nepenthes Chandelier was donated by David Jost Tufts in memory of Jeff Lewis.

Then we went to visit the garden's huge collections of plants, both indoor and outdoor. Of course, if you are a person who loves flowers and plants, this is worth it. I only got a few flower photos since I got more interested in the sculptures ;)

July 5, 2006 - CNN Studio Tour

Good thing is CNN was just a walking distance from our hotel, so we didn't have to take a cab to go there. This is CNN's global headquarters. Our tour was for 55 minutes, no photography allowed inside the studio, but photos are allowed on the lobby area.

Our tour started at the bottom of the world's largest freestanding escalator. Some shots of me were taken on the escalator, behind me were our tour group. Of course somebody was still ahead of me, who else...my husband! He was the one taking the photos :))

Once inside, it is pretty much tight in security, equipped with Xray machine. You have to pass the machine before you go inside the main studio.

Studio 7E - No photos were allowed, but lucky me...my husband was able to get 2 shots inside the studio :).

Studio 7E is a blackbox studio where it gives you an up-close look at the technology used at CNN everyday while delivering the news and the weather. This is where they do the actual reporting of the weather.

Other Tour sites (strictly no photos):

CNN Control Room - here, we witnessed the taste of the fast paced environment of live television news.

The CNN Overlook - this is the bird's eye view of the news room in action. Here they showed how news flows in from their sources and then out to their viewers.

July 3, 2006 - The World of Coca-Cola Tour

This tour was the only chance for me to know that Coca-cola originally came from Atlanta...the home of my most favorite drink..Coke! lol!
It's the only place where you can explore the complete story past, present, and future of the world's best-known brand!

July 8, 2006 - Atlanta Zoo