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Sept. 12 – Travel Day

By Trawlers on September 14, 2024 in The Pearl

“We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic to creativity.” -Anonymous

We began our vacation a day early by flying into JFK from Ithaca yesterday. The JFK Airport is located in Queens on Long Island…so this was a less stressful way to begin our adventure. We stayed at the TWA Hotel located in the old TWA terminal, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Eero Saarinen’s 1962 TWA Flight Center serves as the lobby of the TWA Hotel. You feel as if you’ve been transported back to the 1960 when you enter this hotel. It was a fun place to stay and everything went very smoothly on Wednesday.

Ithaca International Airport

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Sept. 12 – Travel Day

By Trawlers on September 14, 2024 in The Pearl

“We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic to creativity.” -Anonymous

Ithaca International Airport

The TWA Hotel

Inside the Connie Lounge.

Dinner at the Paris Café.

Adventure only occurs when things don’t go as planned. Maybe fate led us to accept the upgrade our airline made available to us to Madeira. It was a bonus because our flight was delayed over five hours and we were able to enjoy the Air France lounge. We actually left the hotel as soon as we were up and ready this morning so we could hang out and enjoy their buffet. Little did we know we would spend most of the day hanging out there.

We were supposed to leave at 11:50. We finally took off about 5:30. The plane had mechanical issues and they had to get another plane for our flight. Thank goodness for our upgrade. The upgrade also made our six hour flight extremely comfortable…meals and drinks included.

Our meals

My space

Madeira is a small island and has very limited flat space. For that reason when they enlarged the runway at the Madeira Airport they had to build it on a bridge extending into the sea. The bridge measures 590′ wide and 3/4 of a mile long. The total runaway is 1.72 miles…doesn’t seem like it leaves a lot of room for error. We came in at night, which might have been a good thing. I’m not sure I’d want to see this landing.

Finally in Madeira.

We’re spending our first five nights in Old Town (Zona Velha) in Funchal. We have a nice little apartment close to the water and not too far from the Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmers Market). We should be able to do a lot of exploring of Funchal and the southern coast from here.

Madeira Adventure

By Trawlers on September 11, 2024 in The Pearl

“Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new with someone you love.” –Unknown

It seems like our new adventures get further and further apart. I think we’ve gotten a bit lazy about planning new trips. We enjoy where we are in New York and Pennsylvania so much that it’s hard to actually make plans and experience new places…but here we go. To celebrate Stan’s upcoming big birthday we’re going to Madeira to experience new food, new culture and new sights. We’re excited to explore this amazing little island in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Madeira Adventure

By Trawlers on September 11, 2024 in The Pearl

“Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new with someone you love.” –Unknown

Madeira sits off the southwest coast of Portugal. Although Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago, it’s actually closer to Africa than Europe. Sitting 434 miles west of Morocco. The Madeira archipelago was discovered in 1419 and settled in 1420, when Portuguese sailors were blown off course by a storm and landed on an island they named Porto Santo (holy harbor). The larger island of Madeira, which means wood, was settled a bit later.

Madeira’s volcanic origins and subtropical climate draw visitors to its unique landscapes, from the Laurisilva forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the network of levadas (irrigation channels) that provide stunning walking paths. The islands offer a blend of natural beauty, adventure and tranquility, making it a paradise for nature lovers, hikers and those seeking a serene getaway. We plan to fill our next ten days with all kinds of wonderful new sights and adventures.

Here are just a few of the sights we hope to see while we are in Madeira.

We have a lot of things on our wish list to see and do. We know we won’t have time to do them all. Madeira is only 35 miles long by 14 miles wide, so we should be able to see a lot. We plan to do a little hiking, a little exploring and a lot of relaxing. See our trip map at this link.

A short video showing just how beautiful Madeira is.

Sept. 2 – End of Summer

By Trawlers on September 2, 2024 in The Pearl

“Autumn…the year’s last loveliest smile.” –William Cullen

Wow what has happened to summer…it’s hard to believe Labor Day is over and fall is on its way. As warm as this summer has been you can definitely feel that fall is in the air now. Soon boats will be leaving the marina, which seems a bit odd since our marina never filled up this summer. We kept thinking more boats would arrive but they never did.

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Sept. 2 – End of Summer

By Trawlers on September 2, 2024 in The Pearl

“Autumn…the year’s last loveliest smile.” –William Cullen

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Aug. 14-18 Cayuga Lake Vacation

By Trawlers on August 24, 2024 in The Pearl

“Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but it will surely add life to your years.” –Unknown

Summer is quickly coming to an end. We enjoyed another little vacation on Cayuga Lake with our family. This week the weather was amazing and we had lots of time to enjoy the lake. The house was only a few miles from the marine and Ithaca so we were able to do a few things we enjoy in town also. We were having so much fun…we didn’t get too many photos this time.

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Aug. 14-18 Cayuga Lake Vacation

By Trawlers on August 24, 2024 in The Pearl

“Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but it will surely add life to your years.” -UnknownSummer is quickly coming to an end. We enjoyed another little vacation on Cayuga Lake with our family. This week the weather was amaz…

July 28 – Susquehanna Kayak Trip

By Trawlers on August 1, 2024 in The Pearl

“My sons are the best gift I have ever received. They are the sunshine in my day, the joy in my soul, and the love of my life.” -Author Unknown

Last week was Kyle’s birthday we celebrated by spending the day kayaking the Susquehanna River. The outfitters we used were located in Danville. We drove over from Bloomsburg to Danville, left our vehicle and they brought us back to Fishing Creek in Bloomsburg where we started our trip. We couldn’t have asked for a better day…clear blue skies, very little wind and temperatures in the low 70s when we began. What a great day for this adventure.

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July 28 – Susquehanna Kayak Trip

By Trawlers on July 31, 2024 in The Pearl

“My sons are the best gift I have ever received. They are the sunshine in my day, the joy in my soul, and the love of my life.” -Author Unknown

Fishing Creek runs behind Kyle’s house and we like playing there on warm days. We started a bit downstream from there at the Rupert Covered Bridge. From the bridge the creek dumps into the Susquehanna River and flows west. We paddled over 10 miles today. Everyone did amazing. Graham had his own kayak and the girls were great paddlers in the duel kayaks with their parents. We stopped a few times to swim, relax and eat a few snacks.

Getting ready to start.