Honeymoon Recap

The honeymoon was wonderful; we were on the north side of Tenerife, which is cooler, wetter, and less touristy than the south. We spent a couple of days wandering around Puerto de la Cruz, where our hotel was. It was nice, but small, and still catered mainly to tourists. We did find a few good restaurants and cafeterias (coffee shops where you can get food like sandwiches). We also went to the zoo, and to a nearby beach with black sand.

There was a wine information center about 10 kilometres down the road where we tasted about 7 different wines, at which point we had to tour the museum and eat dinner at the restaurant before Sean could safely drive us back to the hotel. We picked up a couple of bottles each of a white and a red, at pretty good prices.

We took one day and went hiking around Mt. Teide, the dormant volcano that made and destroyed quite a lot of the island in its day. We took the cable cars up, but weren't able to hike to the peak due to ice. Instead we hiked a three mile trail that wound through some really cool rock formations, and featured quite a lot of lizards and a hawk, which we unsuccessfully tried to photograph. Then we went and did a little more hiking on one of the smaller volcanoes, which had been dormant for longer, and on which the Canary pine had started reforestation.

The tree is named for the Canary Islands, and is one of the few trees that can grow in volcanic soil. It was really neat to see patches that looked almost like normal forest, with bushes and some smaller plants mixed in among the trees, meters away from sparser places where there were a few trees, scattered and tiny. The lava fields were literally awesome: imagining so much rock suddenly being there from a volcanic eruption is a little mind-boggling. The colors and textures seemed to freeze the various eruptions in time.

We finished the day in a little town called Orotava, which was nice, and as the clouds back up against the mountain daily, was covered in mist. Sadly, we couldn't find an open restaurant(though we found plenty of good-looking closed ones)so we headed back. I did however, get a bag of gofio, the staple starch on the island, made of toasted wheat and corn--and sometimes barley, rye and chickpeas--and ground fine like flour. It's sitting on the counter smelling funky till I get some time to play with it.

The largest city on the island is Santa Cruz, where the port is. It's decidedly not a tourist place, and we spent two days there. The first day we walked, and ate. A lot: empanadas and arepas with things that didn't make sense in any Spanish I knew (What is "bushed meat?"). Chorizo balls from the market. We walked past a Michelin-recommended restaurant that seemed casual, but in hiking boots and sandals, we still felt underdressed. And yes, I regret not going in. Regardless, Santa Cruz was lovely, and we went back on Sunday for the museum, lunch at the market, and more walking.

We also took a day and drove west to Garachico, a small town that's been hit by plagues, locusts, floods and a volcanic eruption. I'm totally serious. It's right on the ocean, and the town has been working very hard for a few decades to make itself from a failing port--the volcano decreased the size of the port entrance by about a third when it erupted--into a tourist destination for a day visit. There are several nice, small museums that only charge €1 for entrance, and are in the old castle or mansions. We walked the length of the town, and passed several good-looking restaurants before settling on Los Pinos, where I didn't get the horse mackerel I wanted--the fish, the owner explained, wasn't fresh enough that day--but did have some lovely veal.

Since we've gotten back, work's been busy. We've got a new chef, and of course Saturday is Valentine's Day. We're doing service till 10:30, so I fully expect to get out of there after midnight. Ain't love grand?

If you want to see pictures, check out Sean's picasa. And I should have more detailed narratives up on the food blog soon.

New Photoblog

After a bit of a distraction, I have spent some time with one of my new year's resolutions this weekend. I have a new photoblog, Lucky Shutter, on Aminus3. I am trying to learn a bit more about making a good image better using a bit of photoshop-fu. I hope to have a new image each day, and there will be much more care taken with them than what is available on the Picasa site.

http://luckyshutter.aminus3.com/

Back after a wonderful honeymoon

Just a quick note that we've been back from the honeymoon for a week or so. It was a great time, and we're enjoying "married life". Not much different than before except now we have very wonderful memories of a special day. Everyone was so wonderful and we are very grateful for everyone that was able to come and share the day with us!

Here is a quick gallery of pictures from our Honeymoon in Tenerife:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sbrowning42/HoneymoonInTenerife

From Honeymoon in Tenerife

Holiday Inn hotel problems

Apparently, the reservation system for the Holiday Inn never actually registered our room block. The rate will be extended, and I'm told that it will be fixed today. I hope that no one has had problems with booking a room, and that starting tonight or tomorrow, everything will work properly.

Oops

I forgot. Book a room at either hotel by the 26th unless you want to pay normal rates!

Wedding information for out of town guests

When we got engaged, I was convinced that I would have no problem ticking through the various to-do lists provided to every engaged couple by every entity seeking to make a buck off the process. I would have no problems with planning this party because I love planning parties, and I've done some notable ones. Our guests would be well-informed, welcomed, nay, coddled, and shown the city that we love and call home.

And then we put an ocean, international calling codes and five hours' time difference between ourselves, our friends and family, and the companies that we needed to contact to pull off the wedding.

The good news is that there will be a wedding; I finished the most vital tasks that I needed to be in Atlanta for. The bad news is that we've just finalized the hotel arrangements, two days before our RSVP date. So, for our out of town guests there are two options.

Sean's mom Fran has booked a block of rooms at the Wingate in Buckhead. It's
here. Buckhead is where I grew up, and the Wingate is just north of the main drag on Roswell Road. The traffic seems to be getting worse and worse, but it's a short drive from the Buckhead MARTA station, the High Museum, two large malls, lots of restaurants (especially for mid-high end fare) and about 15 minutes from Buford Highway, where you can get any kind of ethnic food your heart desires. It also offers shuttles to and from the airport. We haven't confirmed if there will be shuttles to and from the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself, but if not, both sites are about 10 miles, or a $25 cab ride from the hotel. The room block code is "Fran," and rooms are $99 a night.The website is here. The phone number is 866-649-5798.

The other hotel is the Holiday Inn in Decatur.
It's here. Decatur is close enough to practically be in Atlanta but has always been a separate town with a cute, aging-hippie vibe. The Decatur MARTA station is two blocks from the hotel, and there are multiple restaurants, an acoustic music venue, a couple of bars--including a great brewpub--the historic Decatur Courthouse and square, and lots of funky galleries and shops within walking distance. It's a half-mile to the rehearsal dinner site, and 4.5 miles to the wedding site, and they will be providing a shuttle to both events. The shuttle will run until 10:30 pm, and you may be able to arrange it to go to nearby places like the Fernbank Natural History Museum. They do not provide an airport shuttle, but you can take MARTA north to the Five Points station, then change trains, and ride eastbound to Decatur. Just make sure that you take the Avondale or Indian Creek trains, unless you feel like waiting in an open-air station for a train that goes all the way to Decatur. They also recommend the Atlanta Airport Superior Shuttle. You can make a reservation by calling or emailing 770-457-4794 or atlantasuperior@aol.com. The room block is listed under the Browning-Dillard wedding, and rooms are $99 a night. The website is here. The phone number is 404-371-0204.

A word of warning: traffic in Atlanta is bad, and is getting worse by the day. There are multiple roadworks projects that regularly close part or all of major thoroughfares. Having used it to get to school and work for two years, I cannot recommend MARTA strongly enough. The trains are regular, clean, and will take you to within walking distance of the High Museum (where the terracotta soldiers exhibit is currently on), the Georgia Aquarium, Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza, Little Five Points (a funky little retail district in Inman Park), and a short cab ride from Virginia Highlands. A 10-trip pass is $17.50, far less than a car rental.

That said, I understand that some people will prefer to drive. Information about picking up a rental car at Hartsfield-Jackson is here. Taxi rate information, and the numbers to several cab companies are here.

Now for the fun stuff! Atlanta is a great town. There are some wonderful restaurants, museums, bars, clubs, and music venues. There's even a local brewery that offers tours on Fridays, but if you're going to the rehearsal dinner, you probably won't get the chance to enjoy it. There are a couple of multiplexes, and smaller theatres that offer accesible limited-release films--nothing without dialogue or with the word "Fin" at the end. Check out the links below.

Access AtlantaA good clearinghouse of entertainment options, provided by the AJC.
Creative Loafing Atlanta's free weekly with a good listing of events.
The High Museum The newly massive art museum.
The Civic Center
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Georgia Aquarium
Watershed Restaurant
Taqueria del Sol
Twain's
The Brick Store Pub
Holeman & Finch
Atlanta Brewing Company
Eddie's Attic
Variety Playhouse
Dad's Garage
Georgia Shakespeare Tavern
Buckhead Backlot
Midtown Art Cinema
The HighlanderDive bar where our friends hang out, next to the Midtown Art Cinema. Decent food.
Little Five Points
Inman Park The neighborhood where Sean and I used to live, and where the wedding will be held.

More things that we like about England

Guy Fawkes Day: Lots and lots of fireworks. Which combined with the fog to make this weird gunpowdery haze for a couple of days. Sean got to go to Kenilworth Castle for the bonfire and fireworks Saturday night, and got some really nice pictures. Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll post them on his picasa.
The weather: OK, so the fact that it's rained at six days out of the past seven isn't a positive, but we're in the midst of a brisk, lovely fall, and today the weather was particularly breezy, cool and sunny. Until it rained, of course.
Mock the Week: It's a panel comedy show that, well, mocks the week. It's very, very funny.
Tea: Maybe it's the six-day weeks I've been working, but tea is wonderful. Easy, quick, clean, not too much caffeine, I understand why it's a cultural mainstay. In fact, I think I'll make a cup now...
Not driving: I ride past a services (gas station) on the way too and from work. Until tonight I hadn't considered that I used to spend at least a half-hour a week pumping gas, waiting in the car while someone pumped gas, or joining someone while they ran inside for a coke or snacks or beer. They're really bleak places, and I don't miss them. And of course, the nice network of bike trails means that I don't spend too much time sharing the road with cars.
Sean's new pants: I just got back from work and Sean had done a nice day of shopping to replace his old worn out jeans. He says that pants here fit better than the ones that he can find in America. Hopefully I'll have the same experience when I have to do the same shortly.
So life is mundane right now, but we're well, I'm growing some new leg muscles, and learning how not to burn myself on the pizza oven at work. It could be a lot worse.