We Take Ourselves With Us

Part way through the day at Dollywood, I told Ned I might be getting a cold.  By Monday, there was no "might" about it.  A quick stop at the gas and go provided me with Gatorade and DayQuil--Mother Nature's remedy.  Well, someone's remedy. Then, there's the apple a day keeping the doctor away.  South of the Mason-Dixon, this translates into complimentary apple fritters, apple muffins, apple butter, and apple juleps at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant .  Health food! Dreaming of apples ...  This road trip, we alternated iTunes shuffle with Station Eleven until ... we hit good ol' Southern white out rain.  I'd have taken a picture if I weren't so busy pretending not to be freaking out.  Flashers on, we drove on the tail of the guy in front of us for about a third of our trip.  Don't miss that at all.  Blargh.  But, steel-nerved Ned got us through safe and sound. We knew one thing that would restore our v...

Our last day began with a gorgeous sunrise and super-cold temperatures. We boarded busses for the trip in to Budapest, and promptly fell asleep.  When we awoke, we were crossing the Danube that divides the two halves of this city: Buda (hilly) and Pest (flat).  The mist suggests the differences in temperature between the air and the river, which made a bus tour of the Pest side seem like a great idea. Budapest is another UNESCO heritage city, but unlike Prague, the glory here is a bit more faded.  Our guide mentioned that--because of the cost associated with restoring and renovating the historic facades and buildings--some have fallen into disrepair.  Still the beauty of the city shines through--and you can see that the sun started to shine through, too, illuminating the "buda" side of the city as we began our "pest" tour. One thing that struck me throughout our trip was how carefully and thoughtfully the buildings are ornamented.  It always pays to ...