Boston - Nov. 19 - Thursday - Day 1

Here I am again! Another fun adventure! This time it will be short in time and distance, but it is still a good reason to blog about it!

Mike is turning 31 on Saturday and we decided to celebrate it somewhere else. Originally we thought about New York Cit but then we decided to visit an unknown place to both of us.: Boston!

We really don't know what we will see there, but we plan to just walk around and discover the city.

After looking at plane tickets from Toronto, we figured it would be better to fly from Buffalo, which is one hour and half away from where we live by car. Are you wondering if it is worth the hassle? TOTALLY!!!! We are saving $2500 in air fares. Do you believe it??? Two weeks ago when we got these tickets, a one way ticket from Toronto - with different airlines - was about $700 a person. Two people return would've been $3000. So, Mike had the great idea to check out flights from Buffalo and we had a pleasant surprise: $250 return per person, or $500 for two people return! Buffalo, here we go!!!

We left rainy Toronto just after 3:30 pm, but traffic was just horrible! A trip that normally would take about one hour and half ended up lasting 3 hours! Good thing we left earlier!

We parked the car at the Buffalo airport for $50 and here (photo), I am waiting to the bus shuttle to take us to the terminal. It is a very efficient service.

While we were waiting for our flight, we hanged out in a restaurant eating - of course- Buffalo wings and drinking beer. Also, I could check out a bit of The Economist special issue on Brazil. The title: Brazil Takes Off - A 14-page special report on Latin America's big success story.

Another one hour in the plane and here we are, in Boston. Mike also got a very sweet deal in the hotel. We are staying at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel for about 40% less than the normal prize. The secret? www.1800hotels.com.

This hotel opened in 1927, and it has been host to celebrities and every President of United States of America since then. Although it is a beautiful and luxurious place, it had a down side: there is not free Wi-Fi Internet in the room. If you want to use the web you have to pay $10.45 per 24 hours. HELLO?!?!?! Any cheap motel in Alaska has free Wi-Fi!!!!!!

Good night!

The end of this trip... I am already thinking about the next one!!!

IT IS OVER!

10 cities in 26 days!
Wow, it was great.
We saw amazing things, met wonderful people and learned a heck of a lot!
My parents loved it and we all got here safe and happy.



It was very nice to see Mike and our new home. Travelling is wonderful, but coming home is even better!

After resting Friday night, we went straight to Midland on Saturday morning to Mike's mom and step dad's house... to rest a bit more.

We were really destroyed because of the seven hours time difference, but we could relaxed up there.

Mike and Mark did a bit of work, piling up wood for the winter.

Oh Canada!

It was already a bit cold, but a walk on the beach before everything freezes is a must!

Here the beautiful ladies in Georgian Bay: Vera, Marggie (my mom in law) and I.

Sammy (the dog) could not have missed it!

For those who don't know, this is an Inukshuk.

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) is a man-made stone landmark or cairn used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America, from Alaska to Greenland. This region, above the Arctic Circle, is dominated by the tundra biome, containing areas with few natural landmarks.
The inuksuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for hunting grounds, or as a food cache. The Inupiat in northern Alaska used inuksuit to assist in the herding of caribou into contained areas for slaughter. Inuksuit vary in shape and size, with deep roots in the Inuit culture.

This is my favourite time of the year in Canada: the fall. The leaves are falling and the colors are amazing. Driving up north through this mosaic of colors is absolutely beautiful and comforting at the same time. I feel finally home!

Over dinner we talked about what the new trip should be. That evening we agreed that it would be a family vacation in a cruise along the Mediterranean.

The next morning we were making plans to go to Africa and work as volunteers in a village somewhere.

Oh well, I probably already have hundreds of possible destinations going through my mind right now.

I know for sure that we are heading to Boston in November for Mike's birthday, so I will blog again. :)

Meantime, you guys have a break, while I face reality and look for a job.

It has been a lot of fun doing this and thank you all for the support! I hope to get on the go soon to tell you more about it! Take care.

Gabi On The Go!

THANK YOU (English) - OBRIGADA (Portuguese) - MERCI (French) - SPACIBA (Russian) - TANAN (Estonian) - KIITOS (Finnish) - DANKE SHON (German) - DEKUJI (Czech) - DZIEKUJE (Polish) - KOSZONOM (Hungarian)

Day 25 - Oct. 15 - Thursday

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

The list of places to see in Budapest was long, but we had to narrow it down because today was the last day here, in Budapest and in Europa.

We started very close to our hotel, in what used to be the Jewish neighbourhood before the war, visiting the Grand Synagogue. According to our tour guide, this is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second in the world, just behind one in New York City.

While I was in there, it just occurred to me that this was the first time I entered a synagogue. But this one, said the tour guide, it is similar to a Christian church, since the Jews at the time wanted to "fit in and not be too different".

We had explanations about the synagogue and Jewish traditions in Spanish and Portuguese. Good for my parents, who were visiting such a place for the first time as well.

During the war, the Nazi Germans turned this place into a barn, said our guide. After the liberation, the synagogue remained closed because the soviets didn't allowed religion to be practised. Just in the 90s, the Synagogue was reopened to prayers and visitors.



Outside, in the garden is a small cemetery, where some Jewish killed during the WWII are buried. This area used to be a ghetto where Jewish people lived in terrible conditions, without food and help from the outside world.

This sculpture was paid by Hollywood Hungarian-American actor Tony Curtis . Part of his family was executed here during the WWII. Each leaf of the willow tree has a name of a person killed in the holocaust. It is a beautiful monument.

Our next stop was the Market Hall. I remembered I visited it 11 years ago when I was in Budapest for the first time, so I wanted to see it again. It was a very pleasant couple of hours wandering around fresh fruits and vegetables, and Hungarian products. On the top floor, there are souvenirs, art crafts and good restaurants. The building itself is worth seeing too.

We had lunch at this amazing family owned restaurant called Bruni Salatabar. The sausages are to die for and the service is really good. Everyone tries really hard to speak English or German. My parents got a little of Portuguese from them as well.

For dessert, we tried (again) the traditional Hungarian crepes with nuts inside and hot chocolate sauce on the top. OH MY GOD!!!! I am glad I don't live here, otherwise I would have it all the time!

How about a super sausage??????

Our third and last attraction was the famous bath house. We chose the Gellert Furdo Budapest, one that I have tried during my last trip. Inside there are four pools with different temperatures each, from 20 to 40 degrees.

Outside is more fun in one of the three different pools. I had to convince my parents to go out, since they thought it was CRAZY to get out in your swimming suit when it is only 6 degrees! But they did it!

To warm us up, we had a hot chocolate on the way home. Do you think I had enough chocolate in this trip?????

Well, tomorrow I will go back to reality, so let me have some fun today! :)

Good night!