Sam Adams Brewery and a little bit of Boston

If you've never been to Boston, you should consider it for future vacations and trips. It's one of my favorite cities I have ever been to and I miss living there every day. I have friends and family in the area, so I still visit 1-2 times a year.

For having lived up there - even for a short time - there are still many things I have not yet done. Freedom trail? Check. Fenway? Check. Clam chowder? Delicious. Brunch on Newbury Street? Check. Salem? Yep, that too. Newport? Yes. And the list goes on. But, there are still several places I haven't been to or love revisiting. Still on my list: Cheers, Top of the Hub, numerous restaurants and museums.

I recently went up there to visit some family and made a (painfully short) day trip into the city. I revisited some favorites - Boston's Italian North End District and Union Oyster House. This time, I also made a point to finally visit the Sam Adams Brewery. I've been to numerous wineries, but only one brewery prior to Sam Adams and that was in Brussels. The brewery itself was neat, but nothing that made me particularly oooh and ahhhh. The tour, however, was definitely worthwhile. We got to try different barleys and rub hops in our hands. We learned about the current purpose of the brewery in Boston. I found it fascinating that while Sam Adams got its start in Boston, the brewery there now only amounts to 10% of production. Most of this is for special orders - all of those bars and restaurants that helped Sam Adams get its start - and the creation/testing of new brews. For those in Boston, be sure to find out which places get their very own special brews. Union Oyster House has a Colonial Sam Adams. Several places have a Brick Red for the Freedom Trail. And good luck finding these outside of the city. The final part? Oh yeah. 3 (free!) glasses of draft beer in a take home souvenir sample glass.

Hot Chocolate in Paris

With the winter months approaching and the weather cooling off quickly, I am getting ready (mentally, not physically yet!) for a change in meals and beverages. I don't know about you, but I don't drink hot chocolate in the spring and summer. In the latter part of fall and winter, it's a go-to and I found myself craving some this weekend. On one of my 3 trips to Paris (visit #2), I stumbled across a fantastic spot near the Louvre that served the best hot chocolate I have ever had. It's called Angelina's and it's not such a find as I thought it was - apparently the hot chocolate there is well known! 

My first time in Paris was part of a family vacation. We did all of the typical tourist things - Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Versailles, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, and the list goes on. It all seemed great, but I wasn't seeing the Paris that everyone seemed to rave about - the decadent food, the atmosphere, and the cafe culture. [Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, I have heard that there is a new glass bottom floor! That'd be neat to check out.]

Photo from eatboutique.com

My second trip was courtesy of my employer. I was attending a conference and staying at a little non-chain hotel near the Louvre. Thanks to some internet searches and a stroll to determine food places in the area (always a must!), I stumbled across Angelina's and walked in. Not only is it a pastry/dessert shop, but there is also a restaurant which I actually did not try. Since it was November and below freezing at the time, hot chocolate seemed like a great idea and I was beyond shocked at how it tasted. This is not your Swiss Miss hot chocolate with tons of added sugar. It tasted like melted chocolate, a combination of milk and dark. During my 4 day stay, I went twice and also grabbed some of the dry mix to bring home. At the time, they were not set up for shipping or online ordering and I'm not quite sure they are at this time, either. Also worth a try there: some of the pastries or macarons. On this trip, I got to experience some of the decadence and cafe's Paris has to offer, mostly because I wasn't focused on seeing all of the big tourist sites.

Now, every time I hear of someone heading to Paris, I suggest Angelina's as a must-do and not one person has ever been disappointed! They also are gracious enough to bring me back some of the dry mix and I fortunately have been in a constant supply because of that, in addition to a day trip to Paris I made last year while in Europe. I will admit it is not the cheapest hot chocolate you will ever buy. It's one of my "luxury items" I like to keep around. Guests love it!

For those keeping count, my third trip to Paris was only a day trip, but I focused on checking some items off my must-see checklist: the catacombs, Ladurée (fantastic macarons!), the Claude Monet museum, and of course a repeat trip to Angelina's!

Cancun, Mexico

Recently, I traveled to Cancun for a 1 week all-inclusive vacation. My boyfriend and I found a great deal on GroupOn and gave it a go. We had never done getaways from GroupOn and overall it was a great experience. The only part that was frustrating was not being able to choose our airline. We got stuck with Spirit. I say "stuck" because Spirit now charges for many items that are included on other airlines: carry-on, checked luggage (even for international flights), any beverage service on the plane, and the opportunity to choose seats prior to the 24 hour check-in time. This obviously did not make our GroupOn deal as big of a deal as we had anticipated, but it did all work out in the end.

Having been to Mexico once before - I was at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen - I fortunately had some experience with what activities and sites were available in the area. My boyfriend and I stayed at an adults only all-inclusive in Cancun and we obviously wanted a few days of lounging and soaking in the sun. We also made sure to book some excursions - Chichen Itza and Ek Balam were the two Mayan ruins we visited. In addition, we swam in a cenote (Ik Kil) and did a catamaran snorkeling trip to Isla Mujeres.  During my last visit to Mexico, I experienced Tulum and would highly recommend that to anyone!

On our way to the resort, our shuttle bus driver was kind enough to stop at the "Cancun" sign. There's a beautiful beach view and of course a great photo opportunity for your group! This is what it looks like, courtesy of a quick Google image search:

For those not on the up and up of the "new" seven wonders of the world, Chichen Itza is one of them, as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's no wonder - the Mayan ruin is one of the largest and the Castillo Temple (below) is amazing to behold both architecturally and in sheer size. 

Ek Balam is a newer site - more recently discovered and still being renovated. You are allowed to walk all over this site and while it is much smaller than Chichen Itza, the crowds are smaller and it contains the highest point in the Yucatan - the El Trono temple, which you can brave the steep stairs and climb.  Below is a view from the top:

The cenote, Ik Kil, was a great find. Neither of us had seen anything like it and it was quite refreshing after being in the heat from the ruins! They ask you to wear biodegradable sun screen, but you aren't really in the sun and it's not worth getting if this is your only water excursion. The picture does not do it justice!

We opted to do a private tour with USA Tours (tour guide was knowledgeable, polite, and his English was superb - highly recommend!), which enabled us to see both of these ruins and the cenote in one day. Our tour guide also took us to a tequila distillery - an added bonus! Going for a private tour allowed us to come and go when we were ready and we never stopped at the tourist traps the group tours go to. It also condensed our travel time to one day vs. two. Of course, it was more expensive than a group tour. 

Our second excursion was not as enthralling - the water was rough for snorkeling and we had already done a bit of shopping in downtown Cancun, which made Isla Mujeres a bit redundant for us.  

One other tip: when in Cancun don't be afraid to take the bus! It cost less than $1 to ride the bus (if you paid in pesos, otherwise the bus drivers just took your $1 American bill) to get to various destinations. Cabs are much more costly.

Overall a great trip! We really lucked out with weather since we went in the peak of hurricane season.