What are you doing for New Years Eve?

  I apologize for being MIA for the past month.  December ended up being very busy for me.  I visited my sisters in NYC and then they came home for Christmas to visit.  I was able to get in some nice family time and now it looks like the year has already come to an end. 
  I had originally thought that I would be in NYC for New Years but we ended up visiting a couple weeks ago.  Really any time of year is nice to visit NYC....well, except for during Hurricane Sandy when my sisters had no electricity for 5 days and there was a fire in their apartment building.  I will have plenty of future posts about my NYC trip but right now I wanted to focus a little on New Years.
  Reflecting back on traveling in 2012, I am grateful that I was able to take some very nice trips.  We kicked off the beginning of 2012 with Ecuador.  We left January 1, 2012 and arrived in Panama City for a 1 night layover.  We flew on to Guayaquil and the Galapagos Islands.  I saw Lonesome George before he died in June 2012.  In March 2012, I visited a good friend in Los Angeles.  It was still a little too cold for beaches but we had fun at an Anaheim Ducks game, hanging out in Hollywood and people watching in Venice Beach.  We did an Oktoberfest weekend in Iowa in September and then ended the year in NYC. 
  2012 had its fair share of negative events like Hurricane Sandy devastating the East Coast and the loss of lives in the Sandy Hook and Aurora theater shootings.  We also had many positive and fun events like the explosion of Gangnum style and Kate Middleton's pregnancy. 
  Wherever you are....Times Square, Chicago, California, or anywhere outside of the United States...I wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year!
   Please enjoy my Times Square photo taken a few weeks ago.  I can only imagine how crazy and crowded it will be tonight.  Let the new year be a time of new travels, new adventures, and spending time with both new and old friends. 

The Galapagos Tortoise

  Recently I was at Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, IL.  The last time I had visited Brookfield Zoo was this past spring and I remembered that the zoo had taken in some young Galapagos tortoises.  At the time, I was very excited to see the little guys because we had just gotten back from our Galapagos trip in mid-January.  During our visit a few days ago, the Galapagos tortoises were in the second animal house that we visited.  They had grown some in the last 6 months and were very active.  They were definitely more active then the other types of tortoises that were in displays nearby.  Here are a few photos I snapped of the Galapagos tortoises from Brookfield Zoo.

Here are a few of my favorite young tortoise shots from our January trip to the Galapagos. 

A couple giant tortoise facts:

1.  There were 11 types of giant Galapagos tortoises but with the death of Lonesome George, there are now 10.
2.   They are the world's largest tortoises.
3.   They have common ancestors from the mainland South America and are believed to have traveled to the Galapagos by water.

Where In The World? - November 19, 2012

  Besides my "Did You Know?" posts, I've also decided to do a new type of post called "Where In The World?".  I like to be tricky so look closely at the photos that I have chosen for these types of posts.
  Here is my first Where In The World? photo:

  Initially, one might think that I am in some part of Asia. However those smarties out there would notice that there are a few signs in English including a sign in the lower left corner that reads "Manhattan Bridge".

                                                     I am in Chinatown in Manhattan. 

Croatia - Did You Know? Fun Fact #2

  I previously did a fun fact on Croatia but wanted to add a second one just because Croatia is on my top 10 list of places to visit. 

  Did You Know that the Best Preserved Roman Palace in the World is in Split, Croatia?

It is the Palace of Diocletian and was build in A.D. 295.  The Roman Emperor, Diocletian, had this palace built in preparation for his retirement and because he was originally from Dalmatia. 

This is from Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope "Cruising the Mediterranean".

November 14th Article about the Galapagos

  I just stumbled across an article on MSN and wanted to share.  Click here to read "Rat kill in Galapagos Islands targets 180 million".  It discusses the non-native rat problem in the Galapagos and how it is being dealt with to save the native animals of the islands.  I remember hearing about the rat problems when we were visiting last January, however I did not see one rat while we were there.  I got lucky.  When we were on Isabela Island, we visited their tortoise reserve and there were very young tortoises that were in locked up enclosures.  Our guide said that the baby tortoises had to be protected from rats that would eat them.  If the plan does work for these rats to be exterminated, then I hope it really helps the native species of the Galapagos to keep reproducing and creating more and more generations for all of our human generations to see.

 

Monroe, Wisconsin

  Monroe, Wisconsin, home of beer, cheese, sausage, and everything else that your cardiovascular system loves.  Today I enjoyed a little of all of that.  From Chicago's northwest suburbs, Monroe is between an hour and a half to two hour drive.  We enjoy visiting Monroe before the holidays so we can do a little early Christmas shopping but Monroe is fun to visit any time of year.  Cheese Days in Monroe is every September.
   Both this year and last year we checked out the Swiss Colony Shop and Alp and Dell Cheese Store.  Both have a variety of meats, cheeses, and gifts.  Today we checked out Brennan's Market for the first time.  I tried samples of cheeses and spreads that I had never even known existed.  Have you ever tried Cranberry Cheese?  This is probably nothing new for Wisconsin residents.
   Last year we had a lot of fun at Minhas Brewery.  We tried a bunch of different samples and checked out the beer museum in their basement.  This year we discovered that they opened a distillery with tours.  We found the gift shop and tasting area over-run with people getting out of a tour.  We did another quick run through of the beer museum and then picked out a 8 pack of their Lazy Mutt and two large bottles of Mystical Jack beer and Imperial Jack beer.  They have a variety of beers that are new to most people and kids can enjoy the cream soda and root beer.
   Despite the rainy weather, I enjoyed our day trip to Wisconsin.  If you're looking for delicious gifts or just a day of dairy, beef, and brews, check out Monroe.
   Seize The Day and Travel!
     

Hurricane Sandy

  In the aftermath of this horrible event, I would like to say a prayer for those who did not survive the disaster of Hurricane Sandy.  Thankfully everyone that I know that has friends and family on the East Coast are saying that they are hanging in there.  My sisters lost power in NYC but are surviving.  They're cold but safe.  I know that people and communities will be there for each other as they piece their lives back together.  Disasters like this could happen anywhere, anytime and I want those suffering this hardship to know that people all over are thinking of them.


November 2nd Update:
Yesterday my sisters' apartment building gained power after 4 days without it, however it wasn't all good news.  One of my sisters was home alone in the building and a fire started in one of the lower apartments.  My sister got out of the building unharmed and actually because she was in the building, she was able to let the firemen in when they arrived to put out the fire.  She saved valuable time by letting them into the building and they were able to put out the fire before it spread.  I know people all over New York and the East Coast have been having tragic experiences all week and my heart goes out to these people.