Mapping My Month: November 2014

Wait - it's November?!?!

Believe it or not, the time for pumpkin pies, turkey legs, cranberry sauce, and gratitude is fast approaching!  It's time to put away the Halloween ghoul and goblin decorations and break out the autumn garlands and cornucopias.

October brought some highs and some lows.  We lost our new little kitty to some unknown ailment, which crushed me to the point of canceling attendance at an Oktoberfest celebration here in Richmond.  But we did manage to attend the State Fair of Virginia earlier this month, spend a windy weekend at Kilmarnock hunting for arrowheads and pretty shells, and experience the Central Virginia Celtic Festival and Highland Games this past weekend! 

I feel like a broken record by saying that this next month will be fairly quiet in terms of bigger travel plans.  We tend to live frugally, hoarding our money and vacation days for big trips abroad, and we'll be doing more low-key living through November (minus the anticipated bite into my wallet that buying Christmas gifts will bring!).  I plan to kick off November with a trip out to Charlottesville tomorrow to watch my sister's team play a rivalry rugby game against the University of Virginia and then walk the beautiful Grounds of the University reminiscing on my time there as an undergrad.  Later in the month, a dear friend will be returning from her 20-month Asia trip before she moves on to California.  We'll undoubtedly hit up a few breweries and catch up on all her travels!  (I'm anticipating a lot of travel envy after those conversations!)  By then we'll be nearly to Thanksgiving, which means we'll be "headin' to Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie!"  (Perry Como, anyone?)  We spend every other Thanksgiving in the heart of Amish country, and I'm excited about our first out-of-state trip since late August.  Beyond visiting with family, I'm wondering if we'll have time to sneak a visit to the Hershey Factory while we're there!

Before you know it, we'll be in the swing of the Christmas season. And in just a few weeks, we should be able to announce our 2015 international travel plans!  I can't wait!

How was your October?  Any big plans for November yet?

Perfectly poured if I do say so myself. #beer #hefeweizen #bier #prosit #thirstythursday

A photo posted by The Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsy87) on Oct 10, 2014 at 3:21pm PDT

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Linking up with A Brit and a Southerner for #WeekendWanderlust!

The Spanish Steps & Not-So-Free Roses in Rome

Those not already familiar with Audrey Hepburn's iconic movie Roman Holiday may not necessarily see the appeal or charm in the Spanish Steps of the Piazza di Spagna.  Admittedly, the steps are not as historic as, say, the Colosseum or as heralded as Michelangelo's Steps to the Capitoline hill.  However, for me a trip to Rome would not have been complete without channeling my inner Hepburn (or Danny as the dashing Gregory Peck!) at the Spanish Steps.

My Gregory Peck (just not at the
Spanish Steps)!

The Spanish Steps date to the eighteenth century, when funds from a French diplomat were expended to conveniently connect the Bourbon Spanish Embassy down the steep hill to the Palazzo Monaldeschi.  We found the Steps beautiful - even underneath a sea of humanity and with a backdrop of scaffolding!

Before we could even scope out a place to sit for a moment, pushy hands were thrusting roses in my face.  "Free gift!  Free gift for you!" was the man's insistent explanation.

"No thanks," I said firmly, holding my hands up with palms facing outward.

"No pay, no pay!  Roman tradition!  Good luck to give roses to pretty ladies!"

"We don't want it," Danny said firmly as we turned away.  The man grunted and muttered under his breath at us as he left to accost his next target.  Shortly thereafter we heard him repeat his statement, and when the lady took the rose, he began hounding her to pay for her "free gift," following her around the piazza until she finally handed back the rose.  This seems to be a pretty popular scam in Rome.

Despite the crowds and pushy "salesmen," it was refreshing to rest our achy feet while taking in the bustling ambiance.  Just don't dare to slip off your flip-flops or shoes unless you want a scolding from a policewoman!  We found it ironic that they would enforce a fashion code while blatantly ignoring the obnoxious ways of the scam artists all around us.

At any rate, we enjoyed our quick respite at the Spanish Steps.  Only a gelato cone could've possibly made the experience better, but an impending storm cloud hurried us back to the metro and on for more adventures in Rome!

What other tourist scams have you witnessed while traveling?  Have you visited the Spanish Steps?

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Linking up with A Southern Gypsy for the #WeekendWanderlust!

Wave Jumping & Beach Bumming in OBX

With only ten paid vacation days in a year, our vacations tend to resemble a gauntlet of things to do and see rather than a time to unplug and relax.  After all, I have more bucket lists than I can ever possibly accomplish!  However, every now and then we're able to squeeze in a "mini-vacay" that revolves solely around relaxation.

For Labor Day this year, we spent a long weekend in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, situated on the northern end of the beautiful barrier islands of the Outer Banks (OBX), with some close friends and picture-perfect weather.  Although we began the weekend with every intention of checking out the Wright Brother's museum or driving up to Corolla to see the wild horses, we ended up parking our butts on the beach.  All. Weekend. Long.  It was one of the most gloriously relaxing weekends of the whole summer!

"I've got my toes in the water, ass in the sand, No worries in the world, a cold beer in my hand..."
-Zac Brown Band

 The men-folk were eagerly searching for Blackbeard's treasure so that we'd have enough money to never return to work!

The waves were just perfect for some body surfing.

Bev:  Did that bird just crap on my towel?

Danny:  Bad news, Bev.  He did.

(Henceforth, we referred to said bird as "Carl.")

One of our favorite beach activities is driving our four-wheel drive vehicles out on to the sand.  However, this is only permissible further south in the Outer Banks, so this picture is a flashback to a beach trip from 2009 in Ocracoke.

The Pirate Crew.

Although the Outer Banks can't offer crystal clear waters like Sorrento (Italy) or the Caribbean, I always count them among my favorite beaches due to the wonderful memories made with friends and family, and this Labor Day trip will be high among them!

Have you been to the Outer Banks of North Carolina?  Where are your favorite beaches?

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Linking up with other travel bloggers for #WeekendWanderlust!

Oktoberfest, Richmond-style

The end of September brings a bevy of festivals and events to Richmond, not least among these St. Benedict Catholic Church's Oktoberfest celebrations.  Last weekend marked their 10th annual Oktoberfest in which they remember the German heritage of Richmond with traditional Bavarian polka, dancers, food, and of course, beer!

The Low'n'Brows German Band

The festival takes place in the large parking lot and adjacent streets around St Benedict's in the Museum district of Richmond from Friday through Sunday on the same first weekend of Munich's Oktoberfest.  We chose to visit on that Sunday with my mother-in-law, herself an immigrant from northern Bavaria, when the crowds were smaller and more family friendly.  The strains of an accordion tiptoeing through the notes of polka music and the sight of Bavarian flags dancing in the breeze greeted us as we arrived.  Entry is free of charge, so we walked right on in!

The bierzelt dominated the parking lot and housed the musicians and plenty of blue and white checkered tables for beer drinkers and sausage eaters to enjoy the atmosphere in the shade.  Although we did not partake in the beer that day, we were happy to see many familiar beers both from Germany and from local breweries on tap: Franziskaner's Hefe-Weisse, Original Munchner's Helles Lager, Oktoberfest Marzen Lager, Midnight Brewery's New Beginning Koelsch, and Hardywood's RVA IPA, just to name a few.  The food tents also evoked pleasant memories of all our visits to Germany: large pretzels, various wurst (sausage), kartoffelsalat (potato salad), and the sharp, delicious smell of sauerkraut.  And there was plenty of Lebkuchenherzen (a traditional gingerbread cookie in the shape of a heart) for sale in the market section of the festival!

By far, the highlight of our afternoon was watching the Schuhplattler dancers.  Schuhplattler is a traditional dance from Upper Bavaria (the southern, alpine portion of the state) which features knee-slapping, thigh-thumping, foot-stomping men in lederhosen and alpine hats, accompanied by a few dirndl-wearing ladies to soften the overall performance.

(Video from YouTube and not of the St Benedict Schuhplattler dancers themselves)

We couldn't get enough of these dancers and wish they could have danced through the entirety of the afternoon!  Between the dancers, the frequent refrains of Ein Prosit, and a few platefuls of wurst, German chocolate cake, and pretzels, our pining for Germany was slightly alleviated and inspired us to start researching a return trip to our European home!

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Next month the Richmond Oktoberfest Committee will be presenting their 46th Annual Oktoberfest celebrations at the Richmond International Raceway!  According to their website, they draw large crowds on both their Friday and Saturday night celebrations.  Will I see you there?!

Have you been to the Oktoberfest in Munich?  Does your hometown host Oktoberfest celebrations like this one?

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Linking up with A Southern Gypsy for #WeekendWanderlust and...

...with Chasing the Donkey for #SundayTraveler!