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samcaitship-press · 8 years ago

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Enchanted by your first visit to Scotland, you’ve vowed to return and are now planning your next trip. But this time want to go a little further off the beaten path this time and explore beyond the top attractions. Where to start?

Check out these 27 attractions and experiences that are Scotland’s hidden gems. They may not receive the same fanfare as their more popular siblings but are every bit as intriguing as the big-hitters. If they haven’t made the cut on your first visit, make sure you visit them on your next trip to Scotland in 2017.

CASTLES

1. DUNROBIN CASTLE, NORTH HIGHLANDS

Marvel at the stunning French design of Dunrobin Castle, one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited houses and the largest castle in the northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Its superb architecture and fairy-tale spires were added by Sir Charles Barry, who also designed London’s Houses of Parliament.

2. CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE, DUMFRIESSHIRE

This imposing castle is in the shape of a triangle, and along with its atmospheric green moat and setting within a nature reserve, these features give Caerlaverock Castle a story-book quality. There’s simply no other castle in the world like it!

Neither of these tickle your fancy? We’ve got hundreds of stunning castles and historic houses in Scotland!

BEACHES

3. ST NINIAN’S TOMBOLO, SHETLAND

With pristine sands and blue waters just as vivid as those found in Barbados, Shetland’s very own St Ninian’s Isle never fails to capture the heart of beach-goers. It’s regularly compared to the tropical beaches of the Caribbean, and deservedly so!

4. SANDWOOD BAY, NORTHERN HIGHLANDS

The hidden Sandwood Bay may seem a little tricky to get to, but the effort of hiking here is well worth it when a mile-long stretch of golden sand unfurls in front of you. The chances are it will just be you – perfect for budding Robinson Crusoes!

CAVES AND UNDERGROUND WONDERS

5. SMOO CAVE, SUTHERLAND

Set into the limestone cliffs at the head of a narrow sea inlet, Smoo Cave is Britain’s biggest sea cave, and a marvellous sight to behold. Head to Durness and explore the site with its underground pools and local legends.

STANDING STONES AND CIRCLES

6. KILMARTIN GLEN, ARGYLL

Considered to be one of Europe’s most concentrated areas for prehistoric remains, Kilmartin Glen is home to over 800 structures within a 6-mile radius including burial sites and standing stones; look out for the Dunadd Fort, where ancient kings were crowned and the early Scottish nation forged.

7. SUENO’S STONE, MORAY

The Picts were the indigenous people of the north and left behind remarkable ancient relics. The impressive Sueno’s Stone in Forres is Scotland’s tallest sculpted standing stone. It features carvings of rare battle scenes from the 10th century.

Did you know? Aberdeenshire is one of the richest areas for standing stones and ancient monuments – so much so that there even is a dedicated Stone Circle Trail.

HERITAGE SITES

8. ST KILDA, OUTER HEBRIDES

A boat trip to the remote and majestic island of St Kilda is a great way to combine adventure and nature in this wonderful part of Scotland. Did you know that the island is one of the premier birdwatching sites in the world?

9. SKARA BRAE, ORKNEY

Skara Brae is one of the best preserved stone villages in the whole of western Europe. Experience the incredible sense of how people lived their day to day lives 5,000 years ago.

ISLANDS

10. ISLE OF JURA, ARGYLL

Did you know that Jura has a larger population of deer than people? Nearby you can witness the dramatic Corryvreckan Whirlpool, the world’s third largest whirlpool on a guided boat trip. The pounding roar of the swirling waters can sometimes be heard over 10 miles away!

11. ISLAY, ARGYLL

On Islay, there are eight distilleries where you can taste the distinctively peaty flavours of the Whisky Coast. This is the greatest of whisky-producing islands. It is only 25 miles long, but has no fewer than eight distilleries!

LOCHS

12. LOCH AWE, ARGYLL

Loch Awe is a scenic loch, gently fringed with thick conifer forests and beautiful oak woods. It’s most famous for the marvellously evocative ruin of Kilchurn Castle. Gazing out over the water from its tower you can take in the view of Ben Cruachan – truly awe-some!

13. ST MARY’S LOCH, SCOTTISH BORDERS

Set in the midst of the Southern Uplands, St Mary’s Loch is less than an hour’s drive from Edinburgh yet offers a feeling of tranquil remoteness. Serene rolling hills, wild moorland and extensive woodland – you name it and you’ll find it!

ROAD TRIPS

14. PERTHSHIRE TOURIST ROUTE

Beginning just north of Dunblane, the Perthshire Tourist Route is a short but spectacular drive. It’s a tale of non-stop scenery on an epic scale along with plenty hidden gems and secrets. You’ll want to stop off and take a closer look at en-route!

15. ANGUS COASTAL ROUTE AND DEESIDE TOURIST ROUTE

The Angus Coastal Route begins in the city of Dundee, which has top attractions such as the RSS Discovery, and takes you 58 miles through Angus and north to Aberdeen. On the way back, follow the Deeside Tourist Route and as you drive through Royal Deeside, you will pass Balmoral Castle, a summer residence of the Royal Family and part of Scotland’s only Castle Trail.

Call us biased, but we believe there is no such thing as a dull and boring drive through Scotland. Find more ideas for a scenic road trip in Scotland.

BOAT RIDES

16. UNION CANAL

The Union Canal runs for a little over 30 miles from central Edinburgh to the amazing Falkirk Wheel where it links with the Forth & Clyde Canal. Hire a boat or join a cruise and admire the landmarks along the canal. You can even dine in a restaurant boat!

17. LOCH KATRINE, STIRLINGSHIRE

Step on board the historic SS Sir Walter Scott steamship, sit back and witness the inspiring scenery that inspired the poet as it sails down the tranquil Loch Katrine in the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES

18. HIGHLAND FOLK MUSEUM, HIGHLANDS

The past is written all over the Highlands landscape and the Highland Folk Museum brings to life the domestic and working conditions of earlier Highland people. Learn how Scottish Highlanders lived, how they built their homes, dressed and more.

19. PIER ARTS CENTRE, ORKNEY

Wander through the cobbled streets of Stromness to discover a variety of creative wares in galleries and shops. The Pier Arts Centre by the harbour hosts local and international exhibitions which are free to browse and also displays a wide range of local arts and crafts.

GLENS AND HILLS

20. GLEN TROOL, DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

Not every beautiful glen is in the Highlands! Glen Trool in the Galloway Forest Park is a lush, loch-side hideaway with idyllic forest walks. If you’re into mountain biking, this glen has some truly wild and wonderful downhill trails.

21. DUN NA CUAICHE HILL, ARGYLL

Starting in the shadow of the neo-Gothic Inveraray Castle, Dun na Cuaiche is a great, waymarked, short but steep walk up to an 18th century watch-tower above Inverarayvillage on Loch Fyne. The views from the top are simply stunning!

WILDLIFE WATCHING

22. ISLE OF MAY, FIFE

The Isle of May is a nature reserve of national importance for a large number of seabird species with a bird observatory. In summer, the cliffs of the islands’ west coast are a hive of activity – you can see over 25,000 or so breeding pairs of puffins!

23. BANFFSHIRE & MORAY COAST

Known as ‘Dolphin Coast’, Banffshire and the Moray coast are a mecca for anyone wanting to see these magnificent creatures in their natural environment. Aberdeenshire’s coastline has been known to attract killer whales and the occasional humpback whales offshore, too!

GARDENS & PARKS

24. CULZEAN CASTLE AND COUNTRY PARK, AYRSHIRE

Surrounded by surging seas, lush forests and secrets gardens, Culzean Castle and Country Park is the perfect place for a day out whether you’re a keen walker, enjoy admiring gardens, have an interest in architecture or just enjoy soaking up some history.

25. LOGAN BOTANIC GARDENS, DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

Pay a visit to the country’s most exotic garden, Logan Botanic Gardens, in Port Logan and discover a horticulturalist’s dream. Plants from the southern hemisphere thrive here, from Himalayan poppies to New Zealand forget-me-nots and African daisies.

MARVELS OF ENGINEERING

26. BELL ROCK LIGHTHOUSE, ANGUS

The impressive Bell Rock Lighthouse – also known as Stevenson’s Lighthouse – is the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. It’s often regarded as the most outstanding engineering achievement of the 19th century.

27. NEPTUNE’S STAIRCASE

Overlooked by Ben Nevis, Neptune’s Staircase is a dramatic eight lock flight situated just north of Fort William. This spectacular feat of engineering is the longest staircase lock in Britain. It takes around 90 minutes for a boat to go up or down the locks. Fancy a ride?

Did you know that there are over a hundred whisky distilleries, 500 golf courses, and thousands of castles, museums and galleries in Scotland, not to mention the abundance of stunning gardens, lochs and mountains to explore? Find more things to see and do in Scotland, or head over to the iKnow Community to find out what people are recommending.

#scotland #article

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baileychadwick400spatail · 4 years ago

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Handbook of Biophilic City Planning & Design:

Biophilia Definition: “Although the term was originally coined by German social psychologist Erich Fromm, Harvard entomologist E. O. Wilson deserves much credit for this idea, and for his career of tirelessly working on behalf of the natural world. Wilson famously defines biophilia as “the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms. Innate means hereditary and hence part of ultimate human nature”(Wilson 1984, 31) - Wilson E. O. 1984. Biophilia, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

The Power of Urban Nature:The Essential Benefits of Biophilic Urbanism:

“Human beings need contact with nature and the natural environment. They need it to be healthy, happy, and productive and to lead meaningful lives. Nature is not optional, but an absolutely essential quality of modern urban life.”

Conserving and restoring existing nature and finding new ways to insert new forms and grow nature is an important challenge in an urban environment.

“That presents challenges to integrating nature, and finding ways to ensure that all urban residents have the daily, ideally hourly, contact with the natural world that they need.”

Wellington, New Zealand. From Town Belt to Blue Belt

“The primary goal of Our Living City is to “improve Wellingtonians’ quality of life by strengthen-ing urban–nature connections and building economic opportunities from a healthy environment” (Wellington City Council 2015)”. “The strategy recognises that healthy biodiversity contributes to healthy environments and that creates healthy people … People will be connected with biodiversity by making it a common experience for all Wellingtonians; we will help people to understand the importance and value of biodiversity to their wellbeing” (Our National Capital - Summary, Wellington City Council 2015)

Wellingtonians are connected to nature. They are knowledgeable and passionate about Wellington’s biodiversity and want to live in a city of abundant nature that is in close proximity to them.” - (Our National Capital - Vision, Wellington City Council 2015)

“Wellington is, in many ways described here, working to strengthen human–nature connections.” - (Beatley, Timothy. Handbook of Biophilic City Planning & Design. Island Press, 2016

“There is a closeness to nature that is discernible to visitors. And Wellington is, in many ways described here, working to strengthen human–nature connections.”

“returning the birdsong to Wellington,” conveys one exem-plary way of imagining the future of a biophilic city.

“In 2013 I had the chance to ask Wade-Brown whether Wellington was a biophilic city, and, not surprisingly, her answer was an emphatic yes: “Wellington is absolutely a biophilic city! That’s why I live here; that’s why I stayed here. The connec-tion with the coast, the ability to wander in the forests, it’s the birds . . . whether it’s ka ̄ka ̄ or penguins, you can see them on a daily basis. You don’t have to say ‘right, I’m leaving the city, going to a nature reserve 100 kilometers away.”

“Nature is all around in Wellington, it is true, and residents value this in deep and important ways. The pro-found connections Wellingtonians have to the natural world can also be seen in the references to nature and animals in the architecture and urban design through-out the city.”

“Examples include the fern-shaped bollards throughout the downtown, trash cans etched with tree shapes, and the city’s new central library, which inte-grates a series of pillars in the shape of native palm trees … One explanation may have to do with the presence and continuing importance of Maori culture, for which interconnections with the natural world are central. But undoubtedly it is a creative mix of popular support for an outdoor lifestyle, strong political leadership, and the underlying ecology, history, and culture of this special city.”

Connection: Wellington city already has a strong connection to nature, the city is surrounded by a natural green belt of public and privately owned greenery. This bush environment is situated like a ‘U’ shape around the city centre and the coast line meets the city centre through a reclaimed waterfront. The city centre is surrounded by a natural environment, this natural network of ocean and vegetation is easily accessible for city dwellers if they are willing to travel 10-15 minutes. The Wellington City Council promotes these spaces through the city's biodiversity plan. Programs like ‘Our National Capital’ and … which have promoted spaces like Zealandia, waitangi park and the Botanical Gardens, by creating a green roofscape in Te Aro this would add to this program by bringing a greater greenery experience to the daily life of an inner city dweller.

A green roofscape would give the urban dweller a backyard where they can experience a greener daily life, it continues WWC biodiversity plan through a daily exposure to nature for Te Aro residents. Essentially bringing the ideas of the cities biodiversity plan to the most built up area of Wellington.

city’s biodiversity plan

(Our National Capital - Summary, Wellington City Council 2015) - https://wellington.govt.nz/~/media/your-council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/plans-and-policies/a-to-z/biodiversity/files/2015/1our-natural-capital-summary.pdf?la=en

(Our National Capital - Vision, Wellington City Council 2015) -

https://wellington.govt.nz/~/media/your-council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/plans-and-policies/a-to-z/biodiversity/files/2015/4our-natural-capital-vision.pdf?la=en

Beatley, Timothy. Handbook of Biophilic City Planning & Design. Island Press, 2016. - http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=f8515f42-e51c-44fc-800b-fd867add98fb%40sessionmgr4007&ppid=pp_Front_Cover&vid=0&format=EB

“Nature is not optional, but an absolutely essential quality of modern urban life”

Biophilic helps introduce the natural world into our built environment

A design process that Assumes people and nature are all connected and not separate

Site attributes are incorporated into the built design

A success would be that the plants and animals that occupy the site pre development can occupy the site post development

Brain Scan Testing positive power of nature:iPhone App Test:

New Technologies and Techniques for Understanding the Role of Nature in Cities:

In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, University of Edinburgh students wearing EEG caps went on a roughly 30-minute walk, following a consistent route that took them through various urban segments of that city, including a shopping area, a busy com-mercial street, and a segment that included parks and green space, all the while send-ing streaming data of brain scans. The results of this study are consistent with resto-ration theory, and “showed evidence of lower frustration, engagement and arousal, and higher meditation when moving into the green space zone; higher engagement when moving out of it” (Aspinall, Mavros, Coyne, and Roe 2013).

More than 60,000 British citizens partici-pate in the Mappiness Project (an iPhone app), which asks participants to indicate the extent of their happiness when “pinged.” The responses are geocoded to a physi-cal location and setting and include other variables. Participants indicate that they are happiest when they are in nature, and this is one of the main conclusions of the project (MacKerron and Mourato 2013).

Conclusion of biophilic city benefits summary:

We are happier, healthier, more productive and more generous and creative and to think longer term.

Singapore:

“Singapore’s reimagining itself as a city in a garden is perhaps the best expression of this new understanding of cities as places where nature is not something separate, but all around, something that residents can experience every minute of the day.”

Designing and planning for a dense living environment is critical and the vast majority of the population lives in high-rise buildings. And yet this city is remarkably green and full of nature

Poon Hong Yuen, the CEO of the National Parks Board, or NParks, told me on a recent visit, this is simply a matter of necessity for this dense, land-scarce city.

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wineanddinosaur · 5 years ago

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Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa.

Having lived in New York City for nearly two decades, my family has taken just about every weekend road trip possible. Out to Long Island’s North Fork to crawl the wineries and enjoy oysters straight from Greenport’s waters. Up to the Hudson Valley to visit farm stands and orchards, breweries, and quaint little window-shopping towns. We’ve taken longer drives to Boston and Washington, D.C., all the way up to burgeoning places like Portsmouth, Kittery, Portland, and Burlington. All of these are great trips to great places with plenty of great things to drink, but this time, my wife and I were thinking we both wanted to try something new.

“What about Lancaster, Pennsylvania?” I offered. “I heard it’s pretty cool.”

“Pennsylvania?!” my wife responded. “I’m not vacationing in Pennsylvania.”

Forgive my wife’s slander, Ben Franklin.

A day later she texted me. She’d done a little research and had taken the liberty of booking us an Airbnb.

Nestled in a remarkably accessible location some 75 miles from Baltimore, 80 from Philadelphia, and 165 from where we live in Brooklyn, the south-central Pennsylvania city has deep roots; it was founded nearly 50 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. These days, Lancaster is a small town that’s hardly small, with a metro area of about half a million residents. To casual observers, it is still seen as the cradle of horse-and-buggy living, and, indeed, a large Amish and Mennonite community still dominates the farmlands around the city.

But in the last five years or so, the city has experienced a food and drink renaissance that’s thanks, in several cases, to skilled chefs from bigger cities moving home. As the culinary scene has evolved, so too has its drinking scene.

If you’re coming from the New York area, like we did, you’ll pass quite a few excellent Pennsylvania breweries, including Forest & Main in Ambler, and Bonn Place Brewing in Bethlehem. (Sadly, the locally beloved Stoudts Brewing, with its epic German-style beer hall in Adamstown, is soon closing as matriarch Carol Stoudt has decided to step down.)

If you want to arrive in town sober, however, stick with a stop at the Dutch Haven Shoo-Fly Pie Bakery for a slice of this knick-knack shop’s namesake dessert and a glass of Amish-made root beer, which offers a funky, yeasty aroma. As a sign on the faux-wooden barrel it pours from reads, “Some like it, some don’t.” Personally, I liked it. And, most everyone will find something to like during a weekend drinking their way through Lancaster.

Friday

Assuming that you arrive on a Friday afternoon, here’s where to go after dropping your bags and settling into your accommodations.

The Fridge Head out to happy hour at The Fridge. It looks like your typical suburban pizzeria, with counter-service pies behind glass, wobbly square tables and a few high-tops. But take note of one far wall, where eight convenience store-style fridges are located. These are absolutely packed with perhaps the widest-spanning and most diverse selection of beer you’ll ever see, from longtime bottled international favorites to cult cans from East Coast hot spots like Lawson’s Finest and Bissell Brothers to countless pounders of local Pennsylvania offerings. Grab some beer to go or get a few for your table to drink while noshing on a pre-dinner snack of a flatbread topped with bacon, smoked cheddar, and sweet potato mash.

The Fridge

LUCA My intrigue in Lancaster actually started due to friend and fellow drinks writer Brad Thomas Parsons — a year or two ago I started noticing, via Instagram, that he sure seemed to be in Lancaster a lot. What the heck was going on there? I wondered. As author of the seminal books “Bitters” and “Amaro,” Parsons does a yearly residency at LUCA, a wood-burning Italian restaurant that has a killer amaro program as well (try a flight of lesser-known bottles like Amaro Dente di Leone). Though the multi-level venue is large, weekend reservations can be tough to come by; when the doors open at 5 p.m. on Friday, there will already be folks lined up, ready to sprint to the first-come seats available at the lengthy bar. There are adventurous small plates like beef tongue, pasta dishes like braised rabbit pappardelle, and entrees like bone-in lamb cooked in a hearth, but you’ll want to grab some Neapolitan-style pizza as well. Chef-owner Taylor Mason spent his early cooking years in Napa Valley and he still has a passion for introducing offbeat wines like Vending Machine’s Horror Show to customers who may be more accustomed to drinking fizzy yellow beer with their pies. The amaro-centric cocktails like the Phroaigian Slip — featuring Laphroaig, Pasubio, and Chartreuse — are excellent as well.

Valentino’s Cafe Now Lancaster doesn’t exactly offer the latest late night, but that’s fine. Valentino’s Cafe keeps the lights on until 2 a.m. A barber shop that was turned into a bar room in 1937, the spot “Where good friends meet” is still run by third- and fourth-generation Valentinos. This is dive-bar drinking at its finest — pitchers of Yuengling and half-liter carafes of house wine. The cocktails on the menu are stuck at least a generation back (think Fuzzy Navels and Amaretto Sours), but at least they’re cheap, too. And, if you’re still hungry, Valentino’s is famous for its spaghetti, which can be ordered until 10 p.m. After that, as the night deepens, more and more industry folks getting off their shifts will begin filing in.

Valentino’s

Saturday

Start the day at the Lancaster Central Market, the oldest farmers’ market in the country. There’s nothing boozy among the 60 often-Amish-run stands, but there are plenty of things you can grab to aid in your future imbibing. Long’s horseradish, freshly made on site, would be perfect for a Bloody Mary, for example. Grab some citrus for cocktails. And the fresh-pressed sugar cane juice at Havana Juice would work wonders in a Daiquiri.

Cabalar Meat Co. (with Voodoo Brewery) Think of this spot as a hybrid butcher shop, sandwich shop, and brewery; it’s the place to go in downtown Lancaster for a base-laying brunch. Opt for the beef and cheese sandwich made with braised beef neck and jalapeño cream cheese (and plate of beef gravy poutine wouldn’t hurt either). Last year, Calabar also began a unique collaboration with Voodoo Brewery. One of the state’s best breweries, Voodoo now has a small satellite location in the back corner of the shop, where it serves draughts of geek-beloved beers like the Slimer-green Lacto-Cooler and Big Black Voodoo Daddy, an imperial stout.

Decades You could certainly find worse places to day drink the day away than Decades, a boutique bowling alley (only six lanes!) and retro arcade attached to a full-service restaurant and bar. The food surpasses “bowling alley” fare with offerings like crawdad hushpuppies, duck and bacon corndogs, and pulled pork sandwiches. The drinks are equally well considered, with hazy IPAs, Jungle Birds, and house cocktails like the color-changing Tesseract, made with Bluecoat gin and St. Germain served atop a butterfly pea flower tea ice cube. If you need even more fun and games (and beer), head to Spring House Brewing with its Hell’s Attic Arcade.

Decades

Horse Inn The whiskey list at Horse Inn, a former horse stable and Prohibition-era speakeasy is ample, featuring not just “unicorn” bottles but several private house single barrels, including an Old Weller Antique at 14 years old that is remarkable. The cocktails are incredible as well, often focusing on seasonal ingredients like in The Squashbuckler, made with a honeynut squash-infused rum and pumpkin-seed orgeat. “Living so close to the amazing farms that Lancaster has to offer is a unique benefit,” says co-owner Starla Russell. “Whether it is on our food menu or our drink menu, we try to follow the seasons and only use ingredients that naturally grow at that time.” Her husband and chef, Matt Russell, came up under the renowned Sean Brock in Charleston and he brings an ethos of elevated comfort food to the establishment. Tips ‘n’ Toast — tenderloin tips on French bread with red wine demi glace — is the signature dish, but their buffalo wings and fried green tomato BLT are also great. There are no reservations, so once the dinner crowd has died down, it’ll be easier to get into the door to play foosball or other bar games. By then, you’ll probably just want to grab a $2 “mystery” beer (“You get what you get!” says the menu) from the bathtub at the front bar.

Conway Social Club The recently opened Conway Social Club is an elegant space, outfitted with vintage chandeliers and gallery walls. Owner Benjamin Hash serves classic cocktails with a modern twist, often using (say it again with me) fresh, local ingredients. A drink like Jansen to Kyushu features Irish gin, matcha tea, Chartreuse, coconut cream, and pandan leaf. Another favorite, Shapes of the Carousel, is a fascinating melange of rye, mezcal, marshmallow-infused rum, pineapple soda, and popcorn foam. This is the perfect spot for a relaxed — and seated — Saturday nightcap, given that no one is admitted into the establishment after midnight.

Conway Social Club

Sunday

Sunday mornings are admittedly quiet in Amish Country, so its probably best to sleep off last night’s late night. Once you’re ready to face the world, you’ll learn that Lancaster has a pretty killer coffee scene as well with places like Passenger Coffee, Square One, and Mean Cup. But before heading home, consider stopping in the even smaller town of Lititz, six miles north of Lancaster, for a fun afternoon.

Bulls Head Public House There’s a reason that many drinks professionals call Bulls Head Public House the best British pub in America, or the best overall beer bar in America; it’s a perfect slice of Liverpool in Lititz. Like a pub across the pond, there’s no waiter service, so immediately head to one of the two bars to order a hand-pumped pint of cask ale and perhaps some fish ‘n’ chips, too. With no televisions or blaring music, and cozy seating, this is a place to while the afternoon away in friendly conversation and session drinking.

Stoll & Wolfe Distillery Located a couple blocks from Bulls Head, the new Stoll & Wolfe Distillery hearkens back to the now-shuttered Michter’s Distillery, which was established nearby in 1753 and at one time was the nation’s oldest distillery. Thus, the Wolfe family tapped Dick Stoll — the last master distiller at Michter’s — to make its whiskey. According to the Wolfes, rye whiskey was actually born in Lancaster as the farmlands around the area were then full of rye grain. Fittingly, this craft distillery produces a rye (as well as bourbon) that can be enjoyed in the tasting room neat or in a number of craft cocktails.

Stoll & Wolfe

The article Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa. appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/lancaster-amish-country-travel-guide/

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isaiahrippinus · 5 years ago

Text

Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa.

“What about Lancaster, Pennsylvania?” I offered. “I heard it’s pretty cool.”

“Pennsylvania?!” my wife responded. “I’m not vacationing in Pennsylvania.”

Forgive my wife’s slander, Ben Franklin.

A day later she texted me. She’d done a little research and had taken the liberty of booking us an Airbnb.

Friday

Assuming that you arrive on a Friday afternoon, here’s where to go after dropping your bags and settling into your accommodations.

The Fridge

Valentino’s

Saturday

Decades

Conway Social Club

Sunday

Stoll & Wolfe

The article Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa. appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/lancaster-amish-country-travel-guide/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/190876942609

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johnboothus · 5 years ago

Text

Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster Pa.

“What about Lancaster, Pennsylvania?” I offered. “I heard it’s pretty cool.”

“Pennsylvania?!” my wife responded. “I’m not vacationing in Pennsylvania.”

Forgive my wife’s slander, Ben Franklin.

A day later she texted me. She’d done a little research and had taken the liberty of booking us an Airbnb.

Friday

Assuming that you arrive on a Friday afternoon, here’s where to go after dropping your bags and settling into your accommodations.

The Fridge

Valentino’s

Saturday

Decades

Conway Social Club

Sunday

Stoll & Wolfe

The article Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa. appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/lancaster-amish-country-travel-guide/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/why-drinks-industry-insiders-are-spending-their-weekends-in-lancaster-pa

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bestshorttripideas-blog · 6 years ago

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Puerto Rica Vacation Spots: Interesting Places To Visit

The top Costa Rican vacation spots to follow along with are determined by what it is you want to do on vacation. You can flower yourself in one location for the duration, but most tourists inflatable bounce throughout the country to take in the abundant and diverse encounters the country has to offer.

Central Valley

This is where most Costa Rican trips start off. The Central Valley is home to the capital regarding Costa Rica, San Jose, plus the major international trip terminal.

San Jose will probably be your "jump-off" point for that remainder of your trip in Costa Rica. However , think about spending a day or two checking out what San Jose can offer. As long as Costa Rica vacation spots go, there are a large number of museums view and parks to unwind in. And that is just the beginning.

Of specific note is the Central Market, or Mercado Central, that is a excellent place to experience the local culture, pick up some souvenirs, or stockpile some of the local gourmet coffee. There are lots of moderate shops for fresh fruits and veggies, various meats, plus fish. And don't forget to stop to get a bite to eat inside the meals courts.

If native culture is your thing, also discover the various museums and galleries outside and inside of the town. Shopping is plentiful, and at night, the bars and even nightclubs start jumping!

Just outside San Jose, throughout Heredia, is the Cafe Britt coffee tour. For those who have any kind of affinity for coffee whatsoever, check this out. You are able to tour a genuine working coffee farm. Coffee is cheap here -- I bought 20 bags to take home with me -- nevertheless it's much less expensive in the Central Market if 1 makes it that way.

Northern Zone

There's plenty to try and do while in the Northern zone. When you're originating from San Jose, odds are initial vacation destination will be one of the most memorable and amazing - the actual Arenal volcano. It's been erupting every day since 1968. The particular views are beautiful, and if the cloud cover isn't very too bad, you will see red-hot molten lava streaming down the adverse.

At the foot of Arenal in neighboring La Dicha are several hot springs where you can relax and bathe with luxurious warmth. Together with Arenal, these hot springs are printed the "must do" list. Tabacn is a well known option, but it's not the only option. Additionally , there are Bald together with Eco Termales. We spent a late, dark intimate evening getting the most excellent neck and shoulder massage through hanging out in a sweltering, pummelling waterfall. Just awesome.

Surrounding out the top adventures in the Northern zone is the Are generally Fortuna waterfall. The 200 foot waterfall descends in a shimmering blue-green swimmin' hole.

North Pacific coast

Highlighting the North Pacific and the Northern zone is the small area of Monteverde. You will want to stop here to take in the amazing Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve.

Going towards the shore, the region of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula of the To the north Pacific coast is among the most sparsely populated areas in Playa Rica. non-etheless, tourists flock to these destinations to explore the numerous beautiful, inviting beaches that pepper the coastline. If you planned to learn how to surf, consider taking a few tutorial sessions with the local residents to make your dream possible.

Scuba divers will definitely appreciate the many, readily accessible scuba diving spots. Sea life here is as vibrant as living in the cloud forests.

If you're basing your trip within this general vicinity, take into consideration traveling by air directly into Daniel Oduber Airport terminal in Liberia. The vast majority of North Pacific seacoast is accessible in under an hour by car or bus.

Central Pacific Coastline

The region of Puntarenas and the Central Pacific coastline blends welcoming exotic beach locations with Costa Rica's most well-known nature preserves.

A couple of hours away from San Jose, the town involving Jaco isn't very big, but is renowned for its dark-colored sandy beachfront. Get a surfing lesson, or rent a surfboard or boogie board. (I could in no way be bothered with standing upright, so a boogie board was more my speed. ) You'll discover a lot of restaurants available for your dining enjoyment, and the clubs and bars stay open late. Some consider this town the "party beach. "

An hour towards the south is the well-known Manuel Antonio, National Park. It's the most popular park in the united states. Get there reasonably early; because only so many visitors will be allowed at the same time -- when the capacity has been reached, you have to await people to leave before you can enter.

Manuel Antonio has some of the greatest trails, excellent beaches for going swimming, plus some of the most varied wildlife in the country. This helps make it one of those "must-do" vacation spots.

Here is a suggestion: book a tour guide to enhance your trip. Our guide was pointing out lizards, sloths, and apes that were essentially right under our nose. It's completely an amazing park.

South Pacific Coast

National Geographic phone calls this region the "most biologically intense place on Planet. " Costa Rica's South Pacific seacoast has the biggest percentage of land dedicated to national parks. Access is actually substantially improved as a result of the completion of a recent freeway task. For anybody who is interested in wildlife, take a visit to Corcovado National Area. Here is where you will see the most types of monkeys, rare outrageous birds, and even large cats such as jaguars and pumas call this their home. (If you're lucky, you will find footprints. ) Vegetation is more diverse than anywhere else in the country.

Typically the Osa Peninsula is also the place to find impressive deep-sea sportfishing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Base your stay in Drake Fresh and make your way towards Cano Island Biological Reserve to the top snorkeling and scuba diving Costa Rica can offer.

Caribbean Coast

The east coast ended up being where Christopher Columbus arrived and christened the region "Costa Rica", or wealthy coast.

Contrasting the Pacific coast, the Caribbean seacoast is far less developed and a lot less busy. That makes this of the more exclusive vacation spots. It has a substantially different environment versus the other parts of the country -- think reggae as well as "rasta" culture and you won't be too far off.

Puerto Limon is the capital in the region of Limon. It's the main city within the Caribbean shoreline as well as a port of call for numerous cruise companies. Tortuguero National Park in the northern coast is renowned for the occupants: sea turtles. A number of species (some decreasing around numbers) utilize the pristine beaches as their nesting grounds.

An additional key draw to the region (not counting the kilometer after mile of private beaches) is the Cahuita National Playground inside the town of Cahuita. With the most significant coral saltwater in Costa Rica, this park is renowned for its surfing and scuba diving prospects. click here, to know more.

#cheapvacationideas

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sentrava · 6 years ago

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A Beer-Filled Idaho Weekend: How to Spend a Perfect Four Days in Boise

Before we moved from California seven years ago, we spent our final months bopping around the Western states, trying to cram as many national parks, scenic vistas and new states in as humanly possible. This was our introduction to Idaho, a dream world of a place we immediately became enamored with as we arrived in Coeur d’Alene on a sunny, hot afternoon after six straight weeks of freezing, spitting rain. The brief three days that followed encompassed a lot of lake exploration and teaching Ella how to swim, and we tried to figure out how we could swing back down to Boise on our way home.

The travel gods worked against us, though, as we were on a schedule to depart San Francisco and move back across the country, so we shelved that idea. But Boise has always been on the back of my mind ever since I felt like I missed out on it the first time.

There’s a happy ending to this story, of course, if you can’t already tell by the title of this post, as Boise finally happened many, many years later.

And boy did Boise deliver! A progressive city posing as a large college town—population 225,000—it’s brimming with craft beer and rainbow flags aplenty, and many people told us it was “the next Portland” or “Denver lite.” I’d go one step further and say I prefer it to both of those places—by now, you know the cities that speak to me: just large, convenient and manageable enough without the true hassles of urban life—so whatever you’re doing, Boise, keep it up.

For those of you looking to plan a trip to Idaho, here’s how our long weekend in Boise went down.

Thursday

Much to my delight when booking our tickets, I found that Southwest flies to Boise, so we hopped an early morning flight out of Nashville, connected in Phoenix, then touched down in Idaho just in time for lunch.

Our first stop was an obvious one for anyone who has known us more than five Internet seconds: Bardenay. If there’s anything I love more than a good distillery, it’s one that also has a top-notch restaurant, and Bardenay bears the distinction of being the country’s first distillery restaurant. We liked it so much—specifically, for me, the vegetarian options—that we came back for a second meal over the course of our weekend, despite Boise having so many delicious restaurant options. Bonus: Our parking garage across the street was adorned with murals! But that was just the start.

When we got back to our car, we headed less than half a mile down the street to check into our hotel, but not before stumbling upon even more murals, including one that was being installed! Boise, it’s like you know us already.

It was completely finished by the time we left, too!

As it turns out, our hotel, Inn at 500 Capitol, also looked onto a brand new mural painted across an apartment building. I don’t know what I expected from Boise, but murals around every turn was not it! (I was quite pleased by these discoveries, clearly.)

I also wasn’t prepared for how truly artsy and adorable the Inn at Capitol 500 would be. From the moment we checked in, and they gave us a local craft beer as an amenity until we stepped out on our floor that had—you guessed it!—a mural staring back at us, I felt right at home.

I came to find this was just the beginning of the Four Diamond hotel’s extensive art collection. Throughout the course of our visit, we checked out every floor, each of which was decorated with its own custom drawing and other bold, whimsical art. Color me thrilled!

Our room itself was a Premier King decked out in a swanky-cool Rat Pack theme and its own furnished balcony, too.

While the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service, it’s also very central and the first thing we do in any new place is hit the ground on our own four feet, so we walked toward the capitol, through Freak Alley and over to Hops & Bottles to sample the local water.

Immediately after entering Hops & Bottles—which it bears noting, is hopping any day after work—we got to chatting with owner Mark Sieber, who spent nearly a decade up in Seattle, then moved back home to Boise with his wife at which point they decided to start their own bottle shop.

Hops & Bottles opened this summer and already has more than a dozen beers on tap, in addition to 300+ in cans and bottles. The refrigerators at Hops & Bottles stock some of my favorite West Coast beers that I haven’t been able to track down in years, so SVV and I put together our own six-pack—you can pick and choose as you wish—to enjoy throughout the rest of our stay. And naturally now we’re wondering how we can replicate Mark’s model back in Tennessee!

One of the toughest parts of our trip was narrowing down our long to-eat list to just a few key meals. We’d been told newcomer The Wylder was one not to miss, so we made this our first dinner, chowing down on a charcuterie board, craft cocktails and some bomb pizza, the crust of which was made from a 50-year-old sourdough starter. Setting the stage for one excellent weekend indeed.

Friday

A friend who went to school in Idaho absolutely raved about Downtown Java, so we got up, walked toward the capitol, and dropped in for a healthy breakfast and the signature “bowl of soul” before continuing our aimless wandering.

At 11:30, we headed over to the Basque Market to get in line for Paella on the Patio, which takes place at noon on Wednesday and Friday of every week and dinner on Thursdays. Did you know that Idaho boasts the largest population of Basques outside of their native region? The area is a must-visit for history-lovers and the paella party a can’t-miss for epicures who find their way to Boise. It’s first come, first served, though—and when it’s gone, it’s gone—so you best get there early! The market has been thriving since 2000 and under its current ownership, Tony Eiguren (pictured below) and his wife Tara, for just over a decade. If you don’t care for paella, the market also sells various tapas inside.

After that, we had a bit of time to kill before our next activity, so we checked out the locals’ favorite, Bittercreek Alehouse, for a flight of regional brews.

If you’re not a beer lover and art isn’t your thing—to which I say, girl, you’re crazy—there is still one major reason to visit Boise: the World Center for Birds of Prey.

This world-class facility serves as the headquarters for the Peregrine Fund (established in 1970) and is located just 25 minutes from downtown; it not only serves as a research center and sanctuary for raptors but also an educational facility teaching people why they shouldn’t fear these gorgeous creatures. I learned SO many things about birds of prey during our three hours exploring the grounds; for example, did you know that as recently as the 1950s, the government placed a bounty on the head of many birds of prey, in particular the bald eagle? How insane is that! Or that not very long ago, there were only 22 California condors left on Earth, and 35 years after starting to breed them in captivity and release them into the wild, there are now around 500?

Or how about this one: The main culprit of death for condors is lead poisoning (i.e. humans hunting animals whose carcasses the condors later prey upon). It’s mind-blowing, the amount of information available at this facility.

The six-month-old Milky eagle owl was by far my favorite raptor to observe, but my Potter-loving self squealed when I got to meet Buckbeak’s doppelgänger (from the other side of the glass, I might add!). Those visiting the center in late-September through early-November should definitely sign up for one of the weekly flight demonstrations.

Those who want to further their knowledge on raptors should drive down to the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Murphy, a near half-million acres managed by the BLM about an hour south of Boise. We didn’t have time to squeeze it in on this trip, but a visit to Dedication Point Overlook will be the first thing we do next time we’re back.

After our time with the birds of prey, we headed back into Boise to make a dent in the local brewing scene, each stop impressive in its own right (and most of which had a resident food truck, which we took advantage of, as well!). Among our favorites are:

Payette Brewing Company — one of the best taproom backyards I’ve ever seen

Woodland Empire Ale Craft — a more intimate tasting room with an ace staff

Barbarian Brewing — a heaven for sours lovers

At 7pm, we drove to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, which isn’t so much a festival per se as a series produced by a local theater company that runs in the outdoor amphitheater from May though September each year.

We already had lawn chairs reserved, nabbed a picnic dinner from Cafe Shakespeare and brought in our six-pack from Hops & Bottles. Gotta love a venue that’s BYOB (or wine)! There’s a pre-show concert to listen to if you arrive early. The play during our visit was Pride & Prejudice, and it was hands-down the best rendition of the classic Austen tale that I’d ever seen. Photos are not allowed during the production, which made me sit back and enjoy the three hours uninterrupted for a change, but let me just say this: I’ve never witnessed such professional-caliber talent in a community production before!

Saturday

We’re early risers these days, particularly when on mountain time, and we were up with the sun and ready to cruise around town by bike. As if our hotel could get any more desirable, they also offered complimentary cruisers that guests could take out in three-hour increments. Even better is the fact that the Greenbelt is just two minutes by bike from the hotel. Sold!

The Greenbelt spans 25 miles of park and trail along the Boise River, and it’s definitely well-used and well-loved by its residents, from runners and bikers to fishermen and canines.

Keep your eyes peeled for giraffes as you clip by—no, really, the giraffe quarters at Zoo Boise overlook the Greenbelt so if you feel as if you’re being watched, there’s a good chance you are!

On our way back from our ride, I was in need of a caffeine drip, so we dropped into Form & Function, just a couple blocks from the hotel, and fueled up.

After our bike ride, we returned our cruisers to the hotel, then walked over to Boise Farmers Market, a thriving public market with so much to look at and all sorts of delicacies like tamales cooked on site and jalapeño wine lemonade to taste.

Also taking place on Saturday mornings and early afternoons from mid-April through mid-December is Capital City Public Market up near the capitol, which is heavier on the arts and crafts than the farmers market.

While in the heart of Boise, we took the opportunity to peek inside the capitol itself and check out its fantastic collection of marble before our stomachs directed us to Bardenay once more for a meal.

Following brunch, we returned to our hotel to kick it for the afternoon, only to discover there’s a hidden gem of an indie theater tucked behind it. Suddenly the cinematic theme of our room made perfect sense! Having not seen a movie all summer long, we grabbed tickets to see a matinee of Eighth Grade in a theater that was born one year before me (that’s to say, it’s been around a lot of years). There was a bar and a restaurant, and the experience was peppered with nostalgia. Boise peeps, you need to be seeing movies at the Flicks if you aren’t already!

When we came out of the movie in broad daylight, the force of the Boise summer heat hit us full force so we ventured across the street from the hotel to a collective of concepts comprising Gas Lantern Drinking Company, White Dog Brewing and LongDrop Cider Company. This grouping of libations also dishes up eats from a local food truck, Smoke and Thyme, which has a permanent location out back.

I’ve never been a huge cider fan before but that’s clearly because I’d never had LongDrop’s creations, as we sampled a full flight and I found myself wanting to come back for more; it was the perfect respite from the Idaho heat. LongDrop was the first cidery in the whole state, and they also sell select products in bottles and cans.

We left LongDrop quicker than we would have liked—just one flight? who are we even?—but that’s because we were racing the sun and wanted to make it to Camel’s Back Park before dark.

There are two ways to get up to the top of Camel’s Back ridge: the longer, windier way with more solid footing or the near-vertical climb up Sand Hill.

We took Sand Hill, though I only recommend doing so if you’re wearing sneakers with good grip as that hill is steep, particularly at the top. I felt like I was going to topple down it as I dug my toes into the sand for stability.

It was a hazy evening, which almost prohibited us from making the trek up, but I’m so glad we did as the smoke made for a dramatic sunset. Moon, too.

Next time we’re in Boise, we’ll bring a picnic to eat at Camel’s Back Park first as there’s a nice, grassy stretch of 11 acres at the bottom of the ridge.

Sunday

Lazy Sunday? Ha, not in our world! But like any good Sunday, ours started with mimosas and brunch at Fork, a downtown staple that luckily takes reservations because we had tried to go Saturday during the market only to find a near two-hour wait. Book your table in advance, as you don’t want to miss Fork.

After brunch, we walked around the sleepy downtown before the collegiates were up and at ’em for the day, then headed 45 minutes north to Horseshoe Bend, stopping along the Payette River to take photos on the way.

It was a bit hazy from the California wildfires, but a gorgeous day for rafting. Idaho gets hot in the summer, and I can’t think of a better way to cool off than a rafting trip down the icy Payette!

We arrived at Cascade Raft and Kayak to find one of the most polished outdoor outfitters I’ve ever seen; in addition to all the usual equipment rentals and shops, there was an outdoor grille, a riverfront patio, a grassy lounge area, a smoothie bar, a cafe, and plenty of space to hang before and after your trip.

We waited until our color was called, then boarded up the bus to drive the 15 minutes to the starting point of our trip.

Given that I have been rafting all of five times in my life, I’ll admit: I was nervous. When the guide told us we’d be on Class III and IV rapids for much of the time, I wondered if it was too late to back out of our trip down the Lower South Fork of the Payette.

Three hours later, I’m so glad I didn’t. This was by far the highlight of our time in Idaho, and that’s saying a lot, as there’s nothing from our trip I’d take off the itinerary.

SVV even “rode the bull” right after we finished Staircase, the most epic series of cascades on this stretch of the South Fork. We had opted for the half-day “rush,” but next time I’d love to do the full-day “plunge” and really soak up the beauty of the region.

We were tired when we returned to Boise, but that didn’t deter us from a couple of brewery stops, followed by a nightcap at the STIL Ice Cream Shop. This brand new ice cream shop not only scoops up booze-infused ice creams, but also serves beer and spirits pairings. Talk about my dream concept!

Monday

Monday morning rolled around, and we knew we’d saved the best breakfast stop for last: Guru Donuts. Better yet, they’re gluten-free (not that I needed an excuse to indulge)!

We didn’t do much shopping while in Boise—primarily because we were too busy tasting all the beer in town—but while driving to Camel’s Back had stumbled upon Hyde Park in the North End and mentally bookmarked it for a little window-shopping. It was just a bonus then that we also spotted a mural that spanned an entire co-op wall on the drive over.

Sadly, our noon airport departure approached far too quickly, and we’d only managed to check off a half-dozen breweries and taprooms throughout the weekend. So we made that one more by heading over to the local outpost of 10 Barrel Brewing Co. for lunch and kiwi sours before we officially bid Boise farewell.

I’m a list-maker (shocking, right?), and I’ll admit we didn’t manage to make it through my entire eat/drink list, specifically to Waffle Me Up, Boise Fry Company, BACON or Wild Root Cafe & Market, because there are only so many meals in a day (or so I’m told…). But all the more reason to return next summer, as if the art and beer and outdoors weren’t already enough of an excuse!

Have you been to Boise? Did you find it an unexpected Mecca of culinary and artistic delights? What would you add to my weekend itinerary for next time?

This post was sponsored by Visit Idaho. All opinions are my own.

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A Beer-Filled Idaho Weekend: How to Spend a Perfect Four Days in Boise published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

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thechasefiles · 7 years ago

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/11/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your newscap for Sunday, 11th February 2018. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by Sunay Sun Newspaper (SS).

NOT ON MY WATCH – Former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin has categorically denied being involved in any illegal wiretapping during his tenure as head of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF). Breaking his silence, Dottin revealed that not only was wiretapping used by the force as a criminal investigative tool since 1991, but noted that current Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, as well as the late former Prime Minister David Thompson each knew about the technique. Last Wednesday the issue of illegal wire-tapping was ventilated during debate on the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill, 2017 with Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler and Owen Arthur calling for a full investigation in the allegations which fingered Dottin in a report by the Police Service Commission in 2013. Arthur also stated that during his 14 years as Prime Minister, he never sanctioned the use of wiretapping. But Dottin noted that it was common practice for all Prime Ministers to be informed and to give authorisation. (SS)

RELIEF FROM SOUTH COAST SEWAGE SPILLS COMING IN SIX MONTHS SAYS DR ESTWICK – Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Dr David Estwick is promising Barbadians relief, from the long running sewage crisis on the south coast, in the next three to six months. He said Government had given the go ahead to fast track the, medium term strategy of, digging of several injection wells in which to divert the waste. “As soon those projects are close to completion I would get back to the public. Right now I am a little unsure of the time, because as you are digging wells you don’t know what you are going to find, but I can say that we would be looking at the next three to six months for the completion of those solutions,” Estwick said during press conference at his ministry’s headquarters in Graeme Hall, Christ Church, which was also attended by top personnel of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) including General Manager Keithroy Halliday. Earlier this week Halliday told Barbados TODAY that the interim measures to control the problem had failed and that the 300-foot wells had to be implemented as a matter of urgency. However Estwick said while the option was far from ideal it was the best temporary alternative at the moment. He maintained that there was little that could be done, other than the schedule pumping of the compromised manholes, to minimise the over flows, which have been a feature of some streets in Worthing and Hastings since 2016. At the same time he appealed to those responsible for pumping effluence into the Graeme Hall swamp to desist from the practice. (BT)

BANKERS: ACT NOW TO SAVE OUR DOLLAR – Take decisive action now to preserve the BDS$2 to US$1 exchange rate and increase the foreign exchange reserves. That, essentially, is what The Barbados Bankers’ Association (TBBA) is urging the Freundel Stuart administration to do without delay to avoid any threat of devaluation. Further, the association, which comprises the island’s five commercial banks, wants Government to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure short-term funding to give an immediate boost to the foreign reserves, now at their lowest level in 22 years. “Like most people observing the developments in the Barbados economy, we are concerned that on the current trajectory the Central Bank will be unable to defend the currency peg and the Barbados dollar will devalue if nothing is done to stop the decline,” said TBBA president Donna Wellington. (SS)

UPDATE: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ON GRANTLEY ADAMS MEMORIAL SECONDARY SCHOOL – The Grantley Adams Memorial Secondary School will reopen on Monday even as the Ministry of Education gave the assurance that it will continue to work with staff to find solutions to the challenges affecting that institution. The commitment came on the heels of two days of talks – Thursday February 7, and Friday February 8 – between the Ministry, teachers and non-teaching staff. According to a press release by the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS) the parties were able to air their concerns following last Tuesday’s stabbing incident at the school involving four male students. Chairperson of the meeting, Deputy Chief Education Officer, Joy Adamson, told staff that the Ministry’s personnel present would note their concerns and suggestions and take them back to the Ministry for further discussions with Chief Education Officer, Karen Best, and Education Minister, Ronald Jones, with the aim of charting a coherent way forward for the school. “We don’t expect to provide all of the solutions. You are on the frontline; you experience the various challenges but we need to work together to effectively resolve the several issues. The Ministry sees it as one of our main responsibilities to make sure that teachers operate in a safe environment,” she stated. Over the two days, counsellors from Network Counselling Services were also present at the school for any staff member who needed counselling. The Deputy Chief Education Officer stressed that staff would continue to access these services as needed. Adamson noted that during the two-day meeting, several staff members shared their concerns “openly and frankly”. “The atmosphere was cordial and at times emotional. Contrary to some reports made by one teachers’ union member, all persons making contributions were allowed to speak freely and without disruption,” she said. The main areas raised during the meeting included the need for more guidance counsellors at the school to deal with students with emotional problems; additional security; training for teachers to deal with students with learning disabilities; and a need for curriculum reform to suit the cognitive abilities of students at the school. Meantime Chairman of the Board, Dennis Holder, who was also present for the two days of talks, revealed that the picture making the rounds on social media depicting a large collection of weapons – knives, scissors, screwdrivers and ice picks – which was credited to the school, was not as a result of one weapons haul. He said while the weapons were in fact collected from students it was over a number of years. Holder also pledged the continued support of the Board of Management to the staff and students of the school. (BT)

CALL TO TEACH CHILDREN VALUES – Against an outcry of deviant behaviour among some of the student population, patron of The St Michael Centre For Faith And Action (SMCFA), Sir Trevor Carmichael, has suggested schools’ curricula in Barbados should be “re-engineered” to provide for the teaching of values. He indicated the time had come to reintroduce subjects that served to develop good citizens, and acknowledged these were currently omitted from the curriculum. But he believes they provide the kind of knowledge which would serve to alter the trend of deviant behaviour currently being exhibited in Barbados. “There is no doubt that our educational curriculum needs a certain amount of re-engineering,” said Sir Trevor while responding to a question from the floor at the Frank Collymore Hall, where he delivered the (SMCFA) inaugural Dean’s Lecture on Thursday. In his presentation he traced the history of the Anglican Church in developing education in Barbados, and highlighted the church’s significant contribution before its disestablishment in 1969. Dr Rosina Wiltshire during question time pressed Sir Trevor for his thoughts on the need to return to teaching religious instruction and ethics, which she said could contribute to being “a good citizen,” but which had “dropped off the educational system”. (SS)

LEFT BEHIND – Residents of Chapman Lane and Emmerton in The City are still waiting on Government to relocate them. They are the ones who were left behind in 2008 when several of their neighbours packed up and moved into newly constructed houses provided by the Government at Barbarees Hill, St Michael, in the midst of a health crisis brought on by the Bridgetown Sewage Treatment Plant. While close to 200 households were supposed to have been relocated, only about 60 families got keys to houses at Barbarees Hill. Some who were left behind told the Sunday Sun recently that houses were given to people “from outside” instead of them and they believe politics was involved. “Remember The City was BLP [Barbados Labour Party] stronghold,” one upset resident related. Billie Miller was our representative for many years, and it was a known fact that Chapman Lane and Emmerton were committed Bees. After the Democratic Labour Party got in, they kept promising to move all the people from Emmerton but they pick and choose who they wanted to put in the houses at Barbarees Hill and give way the rest to people from ‘outside’, I believe, to boost their votes in that constituency,” the long-standing resident charged. With the recent problems at the South Coast Sewage Treatment Plant, some residents at Chapman Lane and Emmerton said they were being afflicted too because sewage was now being channelled from Christ Church to Bridgetown. Sixty-year-old Brenda Hinkson, who suffers with multiple ailments, said over the years she and her family had been severely affected by the overbearing stench from the sewage plant which is right opposite her home. Back in 2008 when the relocation exercise was under way, Hinkson said she waited anxiously for the authorities to tell her she could pack up and leave, but that never happened. “I remember people from National Housing come out here and I sign over to move. But when that time come they told me that Urban [Urban Development Commission] was responsible for this side of the road. “People from Urban come out here and said they would repair my house. Urban call me in, make me sign contract, took pictures of my house and up to now they ain’t come and do nothing to the house and it in a very bad condition. “The house so bad that I had to take up the first set of marley that I had on the floor and put it on top of the roof to stop water from coming in. I am 60 and I got arthritis and I does suffer with sugar and pressure. I taking nine tablets a day and I cannot work. The smell affecting me bad, bad, bad.” Her neighbour Ulric King said he also had the same experience with the UDC. “They come and take pictures of my house and say they gine build toilet and bath for me and up to now they ain’t do nothing and we still using a toilet outside. However King, 74, who wears a colostomy bag, said he was so ill that he could not get outside to use the toilet pit. “I was sick bad for years. I got bladder problems and I can’t go out there,” he cried. “When the rain fall, the water does come in this house and got in here like a swamp.” In relation to the sewage plant, King said the stench “which started kicking back up” was more than he could bear. “We got it real bad down here,” he cried. Another resident who has lived at Chapman Lane for 43 years, but who preferred not to be named, charged that the relocation of residents and the compensation which they were supposed to receive from the Barbados Water Authority for their lives being disrupted by the plant were long overdue. Pointing out that they suffered ailments such as shortness of breath, skin rash, and severe vomiting, he said several residents in the area had passed away over the years and there was suspicion that the plant had something to do with their deaths. “There had times when I go into my house and I had to come back out and head for town and look for drinks – the smell was that bad,” he related. “People dead from ’bout here with all complications and they never knew from what, but we suspect it was the sewage. “When the Canadians build this plant in 1978 they warned people about this and they said that the workers should only spend five years working in there because of the chemicals��, he revealed. In relation to why so many people were not relocated, the man said they were told by Government officials that money had run out and they did not have enough houses. “That is what they said but the outside people still come and get houses at Barbarees Hill,” he lamented. The residents who have brought a class action lawsuit against the BWA said they are disappointed that after ten years the matter has not been settled even though the BWA agreed to a compensation package. They revealed that each of the 169 residents involved in the lawsuit were expected to be paid between $10 000 and $15 000 for their pain and suffering. (SS)

TUDOR RUNNING A NICE SHIP – Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for the St Michael North constituency, Kim Tudor, has promised to run a clean campaign. Despite the personal attacks and mudslinging that are often synonymous with election campaigns, the National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE) chief executive officer plans to stay above the fray. “I will run a nice campaign, I’m really not going to be distracted. Everybody who knows me, knows that’s not my personality. My back is broad, that will wash over me. I am focused on the people,” Tudor said. Last month, Tudor who is a first-timer, was chosen by the Prime Minister Freundel Stuart-led DLP administration as its candidate to go up against incumbent Member of Parliament Ronald Toppin of the Barbados Labour Party, who has been the representative for 24 consecutive years. Yesterday, Tudor while at Eden Lodge, was supported by members of the DLP team, including Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley, following a house to house campaign of residents in the area. She said the residents highlighted issues relating to youth empowerment, roads and the need to place greater emphasis on rebuilding sporting activities. So instead of personal attacks, Tudor said she was focused on ensuring communities and the over 8 000 residents in Eden Lodge, Grazettes and other areas of St Michael North, were empowered through creative measures. “This is a community that says to me, ‘we help ourselves and we want to continue to help ourselves’. I am happy to be here in St Michael North,” Tudor said. She added that it was time to step up to the plate to assist this community and the rest of the country. “I could not help but support the DLP. At this juncture in the country’s history, all of us need to put our shoulders to the plough and get to work. So I am not going to sit on the sidelines and watch things happen,”she added. (SS)

DANGER IN MEDS BLACK MARKET – Abortion pills, sexual enhancement drugs; weight loss pills and various pain killers are among a host of prescription only drugs which are being sold on what has become a thriving pharmaceutical black market in Barbados. Sources told the Sunday Sun that persons looking to make a quick buck were ordering these drugs online from places such as China and India and selling them to unsuspecting Barbadians at less than half of what they would cost through legitimate sources. “It is a dangerous practice,” a medical source said. “There are lives at risk. Just like how Rihanna’s uncle got charged with for selling fake Pumas, we want some people brought before the courts for selling these drugs, some of which are fake,” the source added. When contacted, Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health Dr Kenneth George, said the ministry was aware of this situation. (SS)

MAN CHARGED WITH ALLOWING DOGS IN PUBLIC WITHOUT A LEASH – A 45-year-old St Michael man, charged with two offences, was granted $1,500 bail when he appeared before the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court earlier today. Christopher Maurice Straker, of No.18 Brighton Crescent, Black Rock, pleaded not guilty, before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant, to two counts of allowing dogs in public without a lead or leash. The offences allegedly stem from the January 19 incident in which 81-year-old Enid Small, a Barbadian residing in Canada, was attacked and injured by two dogs while walking along Brighton Road, St Michael. The case against Straker continues on May 17. (BT)

SENATOR MCCLEAN ROBBED AT ATM – Police are at this hour investigating the robbery and assault of Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Maxine McClean. According to the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) the Government Minister was conducting business at the RBC Royal Bank of Canada located at University Drive, around 3:30p.m., when she was approached by a masked man. The culprit struck her in the face before he snatched her handbag and fled the scene. Lawmen are appealing to anyone with information that can assist with their investigation to contact the Black Rock Police Station at 4177500 or 4177505, Police Emergency number 211, Crime Stoppers at 1800 –TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station. All information received will be strictly confidential. (BT)

PARENTS ON BAIL – The daughter is at the Psychiatric Hospital and the parents accused of confining her are on bail today after they appeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Antonio Marcus Fitzpatrick, a 49-year-old watchman and his 47-year-old wife Stacy, both of Brereton, No. 1, St Philip, did not plead to the charge that they wrongfully confined their 19-year-old daughter Antonia Fitzpatrick between June 1, 2017, and February 7, this year. Prosecutor Sergeant Neville Reid did not object to the parents being released and Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant granted the mother and father each $10 000 bail with a surety. The accused, who were represented by attorney Carol-Ann Best, will appear in the District “C” St Matthias Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. Police are alleging they got a tip which led them to the accused parents’ house. The girl, said a police public relations statement, was discovered in a malnourished state and with unkempt hair, locked in a room. She was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance for medical attention and is now at the Psychiatric Hospital undergoing observation. Stacy, who appeared in District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday with her husband Antonio, said that she went to look for her daughter at the Psychiatric Hospital after the hearing but was told her daughter was not allowed any visitors. “While we were at the police station in Oistins we were told that she was diagnosed as schizophrenic but my daughter never had a mental problem. “As a mother you would want to know what is going on with your child and I find it very disturbing that I was not allowed to see her,” she said. (SS)

30 COMPLETE LEVEL 3 COACHING PROGRAMME – Participants of the Level 3 National Coaching Certification Programme (NCCP) clinic were awarded certificates at a graduation ceremony held at the Barbados Olympic Association Inc. (BOA) headquarters in Wildey on Monday. The 30 coaches, who participated in the seven-month training programme, received training aimed at providing them with the theoretical knowledge of sport science to help boost the level of coaching in Barbados, and improve the long-term performance of athletes. President Sandra Osborne in her address, thanked the Coaching Association of Canada and praised the programme sponsored through the Olympic Solidarity’s Development of National Sport Structure Initiative. “The achievement of the Level 3 certification marks a significant stepping stone in the BOA’s quest to improve the level of coaching and by extension, the quality of athlete development in Barbados,” Osborne said. Coaching Association of Canada CEO, Lorraine Lafreniere, who also presented some of the certificates, said that she recognised the island’s leadership in understanding the importance of coaching education and development, praising Barbados for being ahead of the curve on coaching education. Lafreniere said that she cherished the relationship between the Coaching Association of Canada and the BOA and would love to continue the partnership to help each other grow to become better. Ian Weithers, who received a certificate for completing the programme, said it was a great learning opportunity which allowed him to validate areas around his coaching and gave him a new perspective in other areas. This Coach Education Programme, delivered through a series of coaching clinics, was initiated by the BOA in collaboration with the Coaching Association of Canada and Olympic Solidarity in 2015. It is conducted by Canadian instructors. The programme targets local coaches of national federations, sport associations and primary and secondary schools. To date, more than 200 coaches have been trained to Level 1 and 100 trained to Level 2 of the NCCP – the basis of coach education and training in Canada. (SS)

CALLING YOUNG LIONS – The Lions Club has been advised to open its doors to allow fresh, young members to join its ranks. During recent celebrations marking the club’s 30th anniversary, District Governor for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Sherwin Greenidge acknowledged that the club’s membership was aging. And while noting that this was the norm for most service organizations, he urged Lions to take action to reverse the trend. “I have been asking clubs to seek out good citizens in their communities within the age range of 30 and 60 years to invite for membership,” he said at the Savannah Beach hotel where the club held its charter dinner. Greenidge recalled that when the Lions Club of Barbados East started it had 52 members. However, “volunteerism at that time took on a different perspective,” he said, adding that “this has led to a high number of members in service organizations over the age of 65”. Greenidge is therefore anxious to welcome a fresh “new breed of volunteers” that could bring a range of skills and services to the table. “These [new age] volunteers are not prepared to attend any long and boring meetings where persons rehash old problems and spend inordinate time to agree on delivery of the project.” He however suggested that the blend of youthful energy and mature wisdom could redound to the benefit of the organization. “They[youth] bring energy and enthusiasm to your organization… new skills and experiences that may otherwise be unavailable in your organization.” (BT)

MARZVILLE SATISFIED WITH RESULT – Barbadian entertainer Omar Marzville McQuilkin has no hard feelings about being left out of the top four of the International Soca Monarch (ISM). Early Saturday morning from the Queens Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidadian Aaron Voice St Louis retained the ISM title for the third-straight year and received TT$300 000 in prize money. He came out on top ahead of 11 other competitors from the region including Marzville who sang Give it To Ya. Marzville was the last performer of the night at the now down-sized annual Carnival event and he received a lukewarm reception from the thousands in attendance. However throughout the performance, his vocals shone even as he was joined on stage by Trini Denise Belfon who he ‘gave it’ to briefly. Following the announcement of the top spots, some Barbadians used social media to voice their concerns about his placement. Speaking to NATION ONLINE moments ago, Marzville said though the performance did not go as planned, he was still satisfied with the end result. “You can’t predict the future . . . we had some obstacles. Some things were supposed to be there but weren't, so we had to do some changes on the spot but it was all good,” he said. He added that he honoured to have been able to perform on the platform. “The artistes that placed, they did well. They had some nice presentations. Everybody come out with their best and the judges’ decision is final. I just happy that I was a part of it,” he said. This was the first year he made it to the finals, after only making it to the semi-finals with Bang Bim last year. Voice’s previous wins were for 2016’s Cheers to Life and last year’s Far From Finished. This year his closest rival was Dexter Blaxx Stewart who performed the motivational Hulk, he came in second, taking home TT$200 000 in prize money. Rounding off the top four at the now scaled-down event was Orlando Octave who sang Love You So and received TT$150 000, while newcomer Trevon Turner nabbed fourth position with Champions. (SS)

That’s all for today folks there are 325 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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entirely-erika · 7 years ago

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Oh, Charleston, I have been longing to explore your streets again! Two Summers ago, we made a quick stop to eat as we were coming home from Myrtle Beach and we have been wanting to visit for much longer. Thankfully, we are making this a reality this Summer!

We are going to be staying in Charleston for 92 hours and I cannot wait! Through this post, I will be tentatively planning our trip with follow-up posts recapping what we were actually able to accomplish, reviews of food and much more!

>> where to search for a place to stay in Charleston <<

Through my research, many bloggers suggest staying at hotels in Charleston. I just can’t do the same, my husband and I have not stayed in an actual hotel room since 2012. Since that date, we have been traveling using the two sites listed below. My personal favorite has slowly become Airbnb, but I have more experience with VRBO. We are staying in the French Quarter and steps away from EVERYTHING!

Airbnb

If you are planning a trip, spending over $75 total…which isn’t hard at all, use THIS link to save $40!

I will receive a small compensation if you use the above link through the Airbnb referral code.

We are also going on a trip in July and booked with Airbnb. I cannot express how easy this platform is.

Another perk is all transactions are made within a secured area and there are no other hoops to jump through.

VRBO

This trip was booked through VRBO and it could not have been easier.

This is filled with more agents attempting to rent out properties, as opposed to Airbnb.

OUR CONDO

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I am more of a “fly by the seat of my pants” kinda gal, but I married a planner. We have known about this trip for months now and we just recently started to put it all together. The items below are the ways we planned and what we want to accomplish.

Sources used to plan:

Reddit – /r/Charleston

This is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I personally love Reddit. People here “keep it real” and will tell you all about something you need to know.

Trip Advisor

Most blog posts were redirected back to this central site

Yelp

My husband’s obsession. He used this website to make many planned food choices well before we have even stepped foot outside our home’s door.

There are quite a few (though they start to get repetitive) posts by many bloggers. It was a little overwhelming but I preserved.

>> what we want to see and do in Charleston <<

Charleston Sole Walking Tours ($20)

This is a toss up, we are taking the tour below so this one might not get to this one.

Ghost & Graveyard Tour ($25)

We are extremely excited for this experience! We love all things spooky and creepy, especially if it has to do with history and we all know Charleston is EXTREMELY history rich.

South Carolina Aquarium ($29.95)

I reside around the Atlanta Aquarium so we want to compare if we have enough time.

Bee City Zoo ($9)

Again, the Atlanta Zoo is fairly close and I have frequented it on school field trips, but this zoo is different. I like the fact that it is family run, focuses on conservation of bees, and most animals are able to be pet.

Park Circle Butterfly Garden (Free)

In reading the site, June is not the best time to see the butterflies. If you are wanting to see the butterflies, your target time is Spring. This is not saying do not go, I just wanted to fully disclose what the experts are saying.

Rainbow Row (Free)

The photographer in me is itching to capture these beauties!

King Street (Free, for the most part!)

Cha-ching! This is where all the money is spent. While we plan to spend most of our money on food, this will not stop us from perusing around and window shopping.

Angel Oak (Free)

I cannot wait to snap photos of this amazing work of nature. In a world so fast pace and ready to bulldoze anything in its way, this tree still stands.

Battery Park (Free)

Pictures, pictures everywhere! I am needing new professional headshots and others for my blog. I have a feeling this will be the best area.

Pineapple Fountain (Free)

Iconic and a must see. Also, another possible photo spot.

Charleston City Market (Free)

I have visited this market when we had our super-quick visit a few years back, and we will browse to see if there are any new items/booths. We are steps away from the market and only plan to stay for a little while due to the seemingly “new” items that were there and its feeling of being more like an upscale flea market. If you have never been, I am in no way knocking it! It is an experience.

The Charleston Hat Man (Free)

This is one I am intrigued with and need to find and capture. Check back here and on my Instagram to see if we find each other!

>> where we plan to eat in Charleston <<

The following restaurants were carefully selected by my husband (and a bit by me) based on a number of things: overall price, Yelp reviews, distance from our condo, and our taste. We are both currently living the Keto life and that is another factor that plays in the choosing of these restaurants.

Fleet Landing Restaurant and Bar

At this restaurant, a reservation highly suggested and can be completed online.

Blind Tiger

Early Bird Diner

Page’s Okra Grill

Magnolia’s

Coast Bar and Grill

Another restaurant highly suggesting a reservation which can be completed online.

Blossom

Toast

High Cotton

Crave Kitchen

Again, better your chances and reserve a spot online.

Black Tap Coffee

Read more about the Ketogenic lifestyle:

KETO 101: BEGINNERS’ GUIDE TO A KETOGENIC LIFESTYLE

SAVE MONEY & LOSE WEIGHT AT ALDI • KETO FRIENDLY GROCERY LIST

BULLETPROOF COFFEE THAT ISN’T GROSS…I PROMISE!

Now that we have planned all of the logistics, we had to pack for the South’s unpredictable weather. Thankfully, I live in the South so I have an all-season wardrobe available at all times. Check out the packing list {and grab it for FREE below} that I use anytime I travel!

I am planning to pack the following for our excursion:

Poncho, sunglasses, umbrella

2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of jeans, 2 dresses, 1 skirt, 1 pair leggings

2 tee shirts, 3 dressy shirts

1 pair tennis shoes, 2 pair dressy sandals, 1 pair flip-flops

Essential toiletries, electronics, and other things needed to become beautified ;}

Check out my FREE packing list!

Follow me on BlogLovin’ {HERE}!

Charleston, South Carolina: Planning our 92-hour trip Oh, Charleston, I have been longing to explore your streets again! Two Summers ago, we made a quick stop to eat as we were coming home from Myrtle Beach and we have been wanting to visit for much longer.

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