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Portland’s Copper Goddess

Guest Post and Photo by Amy Perry Basseches

While we had fun in our midway stop of Sacramento, enjoying wonderful coffee at Pachamama, a great breakfast at Orphan and a tour of the memorable California State House, it was Portland we loved. Drinks at Angel Face and at 23 Hoyt, dinners at Harvest at the Bindery and at the Mediterranean Exploration Company, pie at Random Order Coffee House and Bakery, brunches at Kenny and Zuke’s and JAM, and, of course, lots and lots of books at Powell’s Books. We also spent a long time downtown at the Lan Su Chinese Garden, with its tea house, and had massages at the nearby Fei Long Spa. But the unique highlight today was the Portlandia statue (Portland’s very own Greek goddess). Portlandia is the second-largest of its type in the United States, after the Statue of Liberty. Our local friends insisted we stop and stare. You can read Tom Wolfe’s humorous 1986 Newsweek Magazine piece here.
 

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Biking Seville

All it takes is a 5-minute stroll from our spectacular hotel, Corral del Rey, on the winding, narrow cobblestone streets to reach the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe and its massive bell tower. When that clock tower lights up at night, Seville is truly magical. Built along the river, protected from the pirates that attacked the southern coast, Seville flourished in the 1500s and the 1600s, when gold and other wealth from South America arrived on its shores. It’s a wonderful city to bike, as we did on a 3-hour ride with SeebyBike’s Ivan, a recent graduate of art history from the city’s large university. Ivan provided a great overview of Seville as we crossed the river into the neighborhood of Triana, visiting two historic churches that will be the starting point of parades this week as the city celebrates Easter with Holy Week festivities. We biked along the river and downtown on bike paths, visiting Parque de María Luisa to see the roses, lilies, and peonies in bloom. At nearby Plaza de Espana, flamenco dancers and singers were performing while rowboats fought for space on the manmade canal. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at one of Ivan’s favorite spots in the city for tapas, Baratillo, known for their delicious pork cheeks, grilled artichokes, and roasted chick peas. 
 
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Adventures in the Florida Keys, Snorkeling Grecian Rocks in Key Largo

Escaping the snow of the northeast, I’m hiding out in the Florida Keys this week. My first stop is always Captain Slate’s Atlantis Dive Center just over the bridge in Key Largo. In operation since 1978, Slate is the premier snorkel and dive operator in the region. In 2004, he received the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Award for his early work on diver and boater safety. Slate took a group of eight of us 7 miles out to sea to Grecian Rocks, a coral reef located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Surrounded by aquamarine waters, the vibrant reef is easily one of the premiere snorkeling spots in America. Before we snorkeled, Slate took advantage of his glass bottom boat to show us the Christ of the Abyss statue, a 9-foot tall bronze statue attached to a concrete base and placed in 25 feet of water back in 1965. Then we were off the boat watching a stingray swim gracefully above the sand. Purple fan coral way swaying with the current attracting barracudas, while I spotted a very cool midnight parrotfish with her neon blue lips poking at the brain coral. Visibility was outstanding and all was bliss for the next hour. 

 
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Playgrounds for Seniors

One of my favorite books to read to my children when they were young was the poignant “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein, about a relationship a boy has with a tree over the course of his life. In the final pages, an older man returns, cane in hand. As Silverstein writes:

And after years the boy came back, both of them were old.
“I’m nothing but an old stump now. I’m sorry but I’ve nothing more to give.”
“I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest,”
The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile
“Well,” said the tree, “An old stump is still good for that.”

Well, so much for resting. Seniors these days are returning to their youth. London just announced it was building a playground in Hyde Park that caters not to kids or their parents, but aging baby boomers. “Every park has a children’s playground, very few have playgrounds for adults, and none have playgrounds for the elderly,” said Madeline Elsdon, head of a local residents’ association, in a recent AP article. Catered to the over-60 crowd, the playground will feature exercise equipment to help seniors with balance, flexibility, and muscle toning. I just hope they swing and ask their grandchildren for a push!
 

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Maine Huts & Trails Begins Construction on Third Hut

Maine Huts & Trails, the nonprofit organization hoping to build 12 backcountry huts over 180 miles of trails in the remote western mountains of the state, has just announced the creation of their third lodging. Slated to be completed by the end of 2010, the hut will be built on the banks of the Dead River, two miles below the cascading waters of Grand Falls. Each of the three huts, including the Poplar Stream Falls and the Flagstaff Lake hut, are spaced about 11 miles apart, so people can reach it within one day of hiking. For less than $100 per person per adult and under $50 per children, each hiker gets a night’s sleep on a bed, hot showers, dinner, and breakfast. Not a bad way to be lost in this vast tract of wilderness, treasured for its mountains, large lakes, sinuous rivers, and waterfalls.
 

A Peaceful Stay on the Amalfi Coast at Ravello’s Villa Maria Hotel

Even in early October, the Amalfi Coast was swarming with people, especially the well-known coastal towns of Positano, Sorrento, and Amalfi. That’s why I was happy to spend the days on the coast but my nights up in the serene hill town of Ravello. As soon as we hit those narrow cobblestone streets of Ravello, with far less foot traffic, I could breathe again. Our room at Villa Maria Hotel had a balcony with a glorious view of the mountains sloping down to the sea. Service and the food was excellent, especially the duck and lamb we had at dinner. In the day, we hired a driver with Amalfi Car Service, Pasquale, to show us the properties we like to book for our clients and also suggest some of his favorites. We went to Antiche Mura in Sorrento, perfectly located in the heart of the town, and Le Sirenuse in Positano, where people line up for hours to have a drink at their champagne bar, offering the best views of the coast. There were two surprise properties that we’d happily recommend, especially for quiet and romance. Il San Pietro di Positano, a Relais and Chateaux boutique resort on the outskirts of town, has its own dreamy beach, pool, and fantastic views of the coastline. Just north of Positano clinging to the hilltop is a former 17th-century monastery, now a luxury property called Monastero Santa Rosa. Their infinity pool is in the most dramatic locale I’ve ever seen, on the edge of the hillside overlooking the vast waters below. Tell ActiveTravels what type of vacation you want on the Amalfi Coast and we’ll suggest one of these dreamy properties or others. 

 
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My 5 Favorite Fall Adventures in North America, Hiking the Skyline Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

The landscape of Cape Breton is a mesmerizing mix of rolling summits, precipitous cliffs, high headlands, sweeping white sand beaches, and glacially carved lakes, all bordered by the ocean. The Cabot Trail is a road that hugs the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the rugged northwestern edge of Nova Scotia, where around every bend you want to pull over, spew expletives of joy at the stupendous vista, and take another snapshot. Indeed, it’s as close to Big Sur as the East Coast gets. Add bald eagles, moose, coyotes, and pilot whales fluking in the nearby waters and you want to leave the car behind and soak it all up on two legs. 

 
In October 2012, I visited Cape Breton and sampled one of the most popular trails, Skyline, a 5.7-mile loop atop the ridge of a coastal headland. I took deep breaths of the sweet pines as I meandered over the roots and rocks on the grassy path. Eventually, the trail snakes to the left offering expansive views of the sea. At the halfway point, a boardwalk leads down the headland and wow, what a majestic stroll it is. To the left is a backbone of peaks, to the right is all ocean as far as the eye can see. I sat down on a bench and bit into my honeycrisp apple, watching a whale spout. It was hard to leave, but after having my fill, I made my way back on the loop. Within minutes, I was staring at a mother moose and her calf. Memorable! 
 

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