Jaipur: Palace City

One more must see in Jaipur is Amber Fort and Palace. The most popular way to get up the hill is by elephant. Otherwise you will walk up the incline to the palace yourself while dodging elephant poop.
Our tour included the elephant ride and we waited in this long line for our turn.
In retrospect the whole experience made me uncomfortable. They told us that the elephants only go up the hill maximum of 3 times a day (thus why you can only catch a ride until 11:00 am), but my gut feeling is that it isn’t a great life for the elephants. The ride was awkward and uncomfortable and I emotionally felt bad about it the whole time. Between all that and the time we wasted in line for the ride I wish we would have just walked up the hill.

Oh course while we were in line we were harrassed to buy everything.

These cheaply made umbrellas were popular to block the sun during the elephant ride. It does make a charming photo opportunity.

Elephants on the incline.

Getting on. The elephants are decorated in paints.

Great views on the top.

Once up top it was worth the wait. The palace is beautiful.

Turkish Baths

Turkish Bath

Seesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors)
Most impressive is the mirror decor in the palace of mirrors. Little pieces of mirrors glisten with the natural light. It is almost majestic. Quite a sight to see with your eyes but not as easy to capture the intensity with the camera.

Even we are part of the decor….

From the terraces you have views that are fit for a king.

Overlooking the nearby gardens.

And gardens within the fort.

One can see Jaigarh Fort off in the distance.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped for a photo opportunity with this palace in the water. I am not sure one is able to visit the palace but it is nice to look at from afar. It was a nice end to our sightseeing day.

Todd English Food Hall

Caviar Bar at the Food Hall

Last fall I met my good friend in the city for her bachelorette party. Some of us arrived early and decided to start with champagne at The Plaza to celebrate early.

We worked up an appetite so one of the other girls suggested we visit the food hall that was “downstairs”. They led me to the Todd English Food Hall. I am surprised I have never heard of it before because I love food, and there is a ton of it there.
While we were deciding what to eat I got to see many interesting treats.

We decided on the Tartinery for a drink and something to hold us over.

I got a lovely open faced salmon sandwich and a glass of white wine.

I am looking forward to returning on my next trip to NYC.

Greenville Fun

As part of our southern vacation we stopped by Greenville, SC to visit some friends. While there we checked out the Blue Ridge Brewing Company a local brewpub in downtown Greenville. We had a good time sampling the beers.

Later on we met some friends at Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria. This place was amazing. Pizza and great craft beer in one place? Yes please!!!

If you are a huge craft beer fan the secret is to go to the upstairs bar to get beers that are not served downstairs. The upstairs was closing soon for a private party but before then I got to sample some awesome beers. I even got to order a pint of the coveted Westbrook Mexican Cake. It was very good. Too bad it is next to impossible to get a bottle of that to take home, especially as a non-local.
The Palmetto beers I tried are highly recommended as well. I will need to visit the Palmetto and Westbrook breweries on a future trip to Charleston.

Later after dinner we went out to see some local music at Smiley’s Acoustic Cafe.

The band that was playing was pretty entertaining and it was a packed crowd. Definitely a fun night. Greenville, SC you may have made me change my opinion of you this trip!

UK: Stonehenge

One must see Stonehenge at least once in their life but I have had the privilege of seeing it two times. It was my husband’s first trip to the UK. Any trip to the UK is not complete without a visit to those ancient rocks,
We visited as part of a 3 part day tour.
The stone structure has been thought of to have many different purposes over the years. Recent opinion dictates that it was a burial ground. In nearby lands you will see many mounds that had the same purpose.
No matter what their purpose was they are still a fascinating sight to see.

Animals on adjacent farmlands.

India Mini Palace

While staying in Jaipur, India we got the chance to stay in two palaces. The second was booked special for our last night to spend as “royals”. The first happened because all the hotels were originally tried to book were sold out.

After looking at the online pictures of the Shahpura House I knew it was where I wanted to stay in Jaipur. This two hundred year old “house” was converted into a hotel in the 1990’s. The decor was very ornate and detailed. The hotel oozed character.

Unfortunately we were put on the ground floor which was slightly damp and pretty noisy from the sounds of people in the hallways. We are pretty sound sleepers so could get through the sounds but I didn’t like that all my clothes continually felt damp the entire stay. We also had a mishap with the laundry that had us delayed an hour for our next day of sightseeing. I suggest being very vocal about your expectations with the staff and you shouldn’t have any problems. They were very friendly otherwise and I would recommend a stay here (just not on bottom floor).

Most beautiful breakfast area ever

As with most of India, you don’t want to go wandering around town by yourself unless you really know where you are going. Not wanting to call our driver we decided to have dinner at the lively restaurant upstairs. The food was decent and we had dancers to entertain us.