Cloisters

A visit to the Cloisters in NYC.

Hindu Temples and beginings of buddhism in Sarnath

A trip to Varanasi would not be complete without stopping in Sarnath. Sarnath is where the Buddha first taught the Buddhist dharma.

Buddha taught from a stupa (large round shrines).

Also visiting were numerous colorful school kids (see background). They were excited to practice their English with us and energetically said hello to us as we walked by them.

Dhamekh Stupa

Offerings left outside the shrine.

Lots of people make the pilgrimage here.

Mulagandha Kuti Vihar temple

Walls tell the story of the start of Buddhism.

After our visit to Sarnath, we stopped to see some artisans and how some textiles are made.

This machine has cards that store the “program” for certain designs.

There is always an opportunity to purchase in India.

Along the way to our next stop we saw these children along the ride.

Queen’s College Benares (Now a Sanskrit University).

We stopped next at the old Queen’s College. Neat astronomy measuring equipment is located in the back of the building.

Bharat Mata Temple

Finally we stopped at the Bharat Mata Temple. In the temple lies a large map of what was once all India territory.

The map represents what was once a very large and vast country but now has shrunken a bit over the years. It was very interesting to see.
I wish I would have had more time in Varanasi. I feel like more time was needed to soak in all the Hindu and Buddhist spiritual energy contained there.
Perhaps some day I will return again.

What it is like to get a PR

For the first time I got to feel what it is like to get a PR (personal record) for a run. Race season is once more and I have been actively training for a number of races. The Disney Tower of Terror 10 miler is just one long run in a series of runs I will do this race season. Since I started distance runs in 2012, I have always striven to beat my time. Unfortunately I never quite could beat my time of my first half marathon. This past weekend I was able to finally beat all my pace records for distance running.

It started off that the weather gods were in my favor. We were expecting a cold front for the evening so the race would be slightly cooler than normal.

We had to arrive around 8:00 PM for the 10:00 PM race. I was chipper and eager to start my run then. Unfortunately I had to wait until 10:00 PM for the corrals to start their race. I posed below with my running buddies who have accompanied me at all my distance Disney races. They are much faster than me but always provide moral support.

The run began for me approximately 10:20 PM since I was in a slower corral. It was a relatively uneventful run. I ran at my normal 5K pace for the first half of the race. That could of backfired and almost did since miles 6-8 proved a bit challenging for me. However I pushed through and finished strong.

The reward at the end was this interactive tower of terror medal (The elevator goes up and down).

Post race I was pretty beat since I pushed myself throughout. I almost puked up a banana that I ate too quickly. Later at home I finally figured out that is was my best time of all my distance races.
I had to compare it to both half-marathons and 15ks since I had no 10 milers in the past.

After our rest period we decided to take advantage of the rides that were open. Our first try at tower of terror had an hour wait. We decided to ride the Toy Story ride first (which had a 20 minute wait) and later returned to walk right on the Tower of Terror. It was so much fun to see my tower of terror medal float in the air as we fell.

See the tower of terror in the distance.

Since we got lucky we decided to try to ride the Aerosmith Rock n Rollercoaster. There was no wait for that one as well. We all got backstage passes from the band.

See the band in the recording studio.

The night was successful but had to come to an end. We drove home and got to bed around 4:30 am. Since I fed the cats before bed they let me sleep in. I woke at 11 am tired and famished. I demanded food and we went to local restaurant for brunch. I decided I deserved a big bloody mary.

I also ordered chicken and waffles – something I never crave but did that day. I deserved it just this once!!!

So there is my story of my PR. Will it end here? Probably not. I have another half-marathon in December that I need to PR. Plus I have a Ragnar team in February that is counting on me speeding up. Wish me luck!!!!

Spain: Another day in Madrid

It was our last day in Madrid and the Prado Museum is a must see. You can find some great Spanish works there.

After our morning visit to the Prado we noticed these Syrian protesters out on the street. In the typical European way, people actually gather to protest things they want to change. We don’t get around to doing that anymore in the US.

After we visited the Prado for a few hours, we decided to wander around the El Real Jardín Botánico. It is the Royal Botantical garden. We fully enjoyed the large collection of plants outside and in the greenhouses.

Fun cactus-like plant

Orchids and other hanging plants

Cactus room

Our park selfie

Next to the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid lies the Parque del Retiro. This large park contains many trails, monuments, and lakes to enjoy. We spent a couple hours lounging around like locals. There is a boat rental and a cafe.

After lounging around the park we walked back into town and walked by this monument Puerta de Alcalá.

Also not far we happened upon this indoor outdoor area with this fabulous ceiling. I guess it is located inside what is known as the El Palacio de Comunicaciones.

After wandering around all day we were hungry. I ordered a hearty Spanish meal for dinner at a cafe nearby the hotel. It is early bedtime since we had to travel to Sevilla the next day. See you there.

Beyond BBQ – East Memphis

During my last work trip to Memphis I stayed a little closer to the center of town but still on the east side of the city. I had plenty of time to explore this area of town.
During my daily drive to work I got to see these life size horse statues. At the time I was in Memphis there was a scavenger hunt team building going on where I needed a picture of myself with a life size statue. These horses fit the description nicely.

I also needed a picture with a city limit sign. Luckily there was one very close to my hotel.

One night I was looking for a place to eat in walking distance to my hotel. A friend suggested I try Pyros Fire Fresh Pizza. They make to order personal size pizzas. I ordered the pesto pizza. It was quite satisfying.

Walking back to the hotel I came across a weinermobile!!!

Another night I tried a local brew at a nearby restaurant that was having a crawfish boil. Too bad I was already full or I would have taken part in the festivities. The beer was a nice scotch ale.

And finally I decided to try the restaurant in the hotel. Frank Grisanti’s had a fine dining feel to it. I dined in the courtyard of the hotel. The pasta was very filling. I tried to save my leftovers in the refrigerator in the room but unfortunately the fridge was broken and the food had to be thrown away the next day. Oh well, I wanted to try another restaurant anyway.