Pátzcuaro: Adventures and Food
The drive to Pátzcuaro started the adventure! Road closures, traffic diversions, and Google maps sending me into town on practical cart paths. Cobble stone alleys with axel-breaker speed bumps (topes). I am sure that at least 2 of the “streets” Google sent me on were one way, and not the way I was going! 😂 The middle of town, where my hotel was located, was a complete zoo of cars, horses, tour busses, motorcycles, and scooters. There was a HUGE…
Amsterdam v.2.0
Final Installment for this trip. Last stop – Amsterdam, again. I stayed in the same hotel as last time – Hotel Abba. It is a nice, small hotel near Museumplein with lots of public transit connections and only a 30 minute walk to Dam square. Reasonable price, comfortable rooms – the first stay I had a single with shared bath and a balcony, the second a double with a private bath and a balcony. They are friendly, will let you…
Family and Friends
A complete change of pace. Nothing was scheduled except the visits. And they were great visits! First stop not far from Assen to see my cousin and his family. It has been years, but felt like no time at all. I had some solo adventures, and we had some family fun. It was wonderful!! 💕 Second stop, Belgium, to see a friend from Egypt. We figured it had been 16 years since we had last seen each other. Again it…
Race Day Assen 2025
This was the day we’d been waiting for. It was incredible, and heart-breaking because the Basha wasn’t standing next to me. 😢 The Legends Club, above the start/finish straight, was welcoming and comfortable. Highly recommended! Race day is always a different rhythm than Friday or Saturday – not as many sessions, more electricity and anticipation. Also A LOT more people, some people ONLY buy a Sunday ticket. Unfathomable to me, but… to each their own. There was only one warmup…
Amazing Assen
Ever since we started following MotoGP, Assen, known as the Cathedral of Speed, has been on the wishlist of GPs to see. This year, 2025, is the 100 year anniversary of the TT, or the Tourist Trophy. The TT and the GP are not the same, but the celebration was epic! Friday practice and qualifying – Walked to and from the track, and completely around the track to check out the different vantage points. Long day, about 10 miles of…
Relaxing in Amsterdam
Having been to this vibrant city multiple times, I planned next to nothing for my time here. I thought I’d relax a little. Hahaha. I walked myself silly, and really enjoyed it.
Meaningful, magnificent, and completely mental Mugello
MotoGP at either of the Italian tracks (the other being Misano) was always on the wishlist. The Italians are PASSIONATE about their racing, however the races are EXPENSIVE. This race was planned as OUR race. OUR once-in-a-lifetime. OUR bucket list item. As wonderful as the experience was, it was diminished without the Basha. Friday practice and qualifying – this was new. We’d rarely had Friday tickets for past MotoGP events. In all honesty, this day at the track might have…
🎼My Bologna has a first name 🎶
I hate to admit it, but I must. I am, in my heart, both a child and “an American”. I say this because I can’t look at the name Bologna and not hear the Oscar Mayer song. (In a similar way, I giggle about a particular Canadian city. Classless, I know.) Arrived in a torrential thunderstorm. ⛈️ It was lovely all the way from Milan. I even had a comfy window seat on the upper deck of the train! Stepped…
Sola adventure – Milano
No, I haven’t forgotten how to spell. Sola is the feminine form of solo or “alone” in Spanish. Three days in Milano. Three days TOTALLY in charge of every second and every decision to be made. It is exciting, exhausting, and daunting. I won’t lie, I’ve cried more than once. 😢 Duomo tour – The only tour I booked in Milan. It took me up to the roof of the Duomo to the terraces, which used to be open to…
And now for something completely different…
One of the “other” things that I do to keep me sane (?) is to knit, and occasionally crochet. I’ve been knitting off and on since college. Mostly it is just relaxing and fun, but lately (as the pandemic has dragged on, and on) I’ve been trying to learn new things. One of the first things I learned is that it is REALLY hard to get yarn here. Some of the fabric stores carry the Mexican equivalent of Caron Pound…