Latte Art ...

...in the jungle.

Common Cup was one of our haunts in Santa Elena. A latte, a smoothie and a scrumptious dessert after a day of hiking or zip lining.

  Ah, the things a mum will do for her son!

Covered bridge

Up in the Santa Elena Reserve (in Monteverde, Costa Rica), between the reception and nature center there is a small orchid garden. Walk slowly, scrutinize everything. 

 Beyond the garden is this covered bridge. Epiphytes covering every wooden part but the pathway.

As small as the garden and bridge are, one can spend an hour (or a  lifetime if you are a biologist) examining all the flora and fauna. My son had his eye on something else and happy to nab his sister and sneak off together.

More epiphytes here
Another miniscule orchid garden here.
More orchids here & here.

Santa Elena, Costa Rica July 20, 2013

Playa Samara

Adios playa, hasta la vista bugs

The town Samara was quaint. We found beach access and stumbled upon a cool place (Lo Que Hay) to eat and returned daily for happy hour and food. The waves were bigger then any picture I found during research and we had a blast kicking them. Our hotel Mirador was up on a hill with a mountain breeze and wild life (large reptiles, bats, butterflies, leaf cutter ants. And a pack of howler monkeys passing through on our last day - they sound like a large dog howling and being strangled ... or rather a monstrous strangled howl). Spacious rooms, private patio, large pool. 5 minute walk thru town to the beach. It would be so fun to update the space with a new sofa, outdoor cushions and shower curtain,

But the sand bugs were relentless, first attacking Lucy, then showing up on the rest of us. I suppose we should have tried bug spray a day earlier. Chaz got sick and our legs were covered in bites so we opted out a day early and headed to the city, Alajuela.

For our last full day in Costa Rica we will either check out Poas Volcano and the national park or head to San Jose and check out the capital.

Pictures taken on our last morning, Sun comes up early, 5ish. But this morning I was waiting for the clouds to break and the fog to lift, but that didnt happen. IF the sun was shining brightly, it would hit the side of the island and the green would sparkle.

Itsy bitsy orchids

Behind the Orchid Coffee Shop there is a beautiful Orchid Garden. Winding concrete and stone paths, lush vegetation, a huge variety of miniscule orchids and a greenhouse for the ones that prefer a drier climate.

It is not just any kind of orchid garden, it has the tiniest orchid in the world. These orchids live on leaves and one needs a tour guide and magnifying glass to see them.

At first we just wanted to go for a walk along the rambling paths, but we had to hit the reception area first. And pay. But a few minutes with our guide, I was happy that it worked out this way. Lucy loved looking through the magnifying glass and seeing how things were enlarged. I enjoyed learning about the tiny orchids and taking in the aroma of the white ones (only the white ones have a scent)  

 

Metal tags w/ partial latin names hang near the orchid flowers. Partial names because they are so long.  In the picture below you can see the yellow flower orchid.  Some orchid flowers only last for a day. Wouldn't you love a back garden like this!

After the walk, we returned to the cafe to pick up our stuff.

A hip girl posing in Orchid Coffee and Tea House, Santa Elena, Costa Rica

Close up orchid flowers

Outdoor inspiration

I like how this farmer used pots and jugs from around the house as outdoor planters for his succulents and other plants, simply hanging off of nails on a post.

Location: Monteverde, Costa Rica 7/2013

A night in Zurich

I booked a layover in Zurich. Some people may avoid this, but besides the savings in the cost of flight, its a good way to explore a city that I may never get to other wise. The most promising find on this trip to Turkey was a 13 hour layover on the way home, at night.  Arrival time was scheduled at 7:30pm so I figured, a 10 minute train ride to center town, at the least, we could squeeze in a dinner and some atmosphere that Zurich has to offer. I was surprised at how dark it was our entire time  in the city, from 8:30pm to 7am. I think the sun started to rise @ 8:30 - 9am, on the train ride back to the airport for our 10am flight out.  Prof Sun was travelling with us on our return flight. This worked out well as he had been to Zurich before which made for a very efficient tour. 

Here's to our blurry night shots of our walk into the city, around and back.  Can you tell the morning shots from the nighttime photos?

It took us an hour getting off plane and into city central via the rail. We walked from the train station, down a shopping corridor and then headed left & right to walk along side a river. We crossed a cobble stone bridge towards the elevated Grossmünster church. Up the stairs and we entered the quiet cobblestone streets lined with pubs, restaurants and precious shops. All were closed, window shopping only.

We stayed at Hotel Otter, entrance via a pub. Lots of young people sipping wine and sharing stories. Chaz was mesmerized.  

We wandered down some streets and chose tarte flambée restaurant (Cafe Henrici) Bubbling atmosphere, shared tables. Incredibly nice, casual and helpful servers.  Swiss are happy people! We took the only seats at a large round table. I think the girls may have preferred if we were a group of handsome and witty male travelers...that's what I would hope for, sharing a table and all.

We were across the street from a candy store. The only store that was open and that my child had spotted and ran to after dinner. This must have been what kept him motivated, to remain awake throughout dinner.

We managed to wake up at 6:30 and get out the door by 7. Since it was still dark and foggy we skipped the walk to the "beach" where one can view the Alps in the distance. We hopped on our train just as it was leaving. Went to the second floor and stumbled through 2-3 more cars aiming to get to 2nd class seats, round trip tickets we had purchased the night before. When we hit the dining car, we decided to stop and sit for the remaining 5 minutes of the ride.

p.s. all the photos were taken in the morning.
p.p.s. Swiss people and the city ambiance are very relaxed and joyful.

Amsterdam layover.
Paris layover

Homemade fencing swords

We return home tomorrow.  Although hard to tell from the picture above, I have new inspiration and ideas to finish my kitchen. A fun idea for my bedroom upgrade.  And, just a whole lot of renewed spirit, so much that I am anxious to get home and back and back to fixing up the place. The picture above ... when I saw it I was happy to see my kids were happy and occupied and I didnt look irritated (its tough carrying around a 30 pounder, my injured shoulder is taking a beating) but some what tired and spacing out, so much I dont even remember the picture being taken. We were waiting for some carbs. A cool student hangout on campus @ Bosphorus University. The cat below, one of the lucky ones whom seems to have inside space, was beside us on the window sill. Up for a stretch and back down. I wanted to curl up with him.

I never adjusted to the 7 hour time change, often wide awake at 2am (here).  This morning was the first morning we were all up at 9am. We had been rising at 11, which is freaky for me, but subtract the time change, my regular waking hours. Up early this am, I was still tired and resting on the couch. My kids were up to something...and when I forced myself to fully alert I was presented with some swords,  masks and a fencing demonstration. 

 

 

 

Materials: * paper, scissors, tape * chopsticks * one toy container * pictures by the boy.

Snapshots - Istanbul