Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 95

Sights to See: The Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico

San Juan de los Lagos  In the state of Jalisco, 2 hours/76 km NE of Guadalajara. Founded in the 1600s, this city is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in Mexico. The Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is the second most visited religious site in Mexico, only after the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. For more than 3 centuries, millions of pilgrims have visited the Virgin here. The story begins in 1542, when a Spanish priest brought a statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception to the village. In 1623, the sick daughter of a local Indians recovered after her parents prayed for her. Following this miracle, the statue began to be visited by pilgrims who walk on their knees to the Virgin's altar. I found the alcove to the right of the altar especially interesting--it is where pilgrims place letters and objects that thank the Virgin for their personal miracles.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Jardin de la Union/Union Garden, Guanajuato, Mexico

Jardin de la Union/Union Garden  This spectacular square and garden dates back to the colonial times, when it was the center of street markets and traditional festivities were held here. It is lined with a neatly trimmed canopy of Indian laurel that is so dense it looks as if it is just one tree. Cafes, restaurants, and shops surround the garden, and mariachi bands entertain.



 image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Ferrara, NYC

Ferrara 195 Grand St./Mulberry St., 212-226-6150. It is fitting that this spot is on Grand Street, because it has that shiny grand appearance of a fancy coffee shop and is especially bright, sparkling, and cheery in the evening. You can select your pastry and sit down to munch it with coffee, or just do a walk-away. Choose from an array of Italian pastries, including baby Sicilian cannoli (Italian grandmas once shaped these pastries around broom sticks when they made them at home) in a variety of flavors and deliciously chewy soft pignoli cookies smothered in pine nuts.



 image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Socorrat Paella Bar, NYC

Socorrat Paella Bar 284 Mulberry St, (btw. Houston & Prince St), in Nolita, 212-219-0101. D daily, Sat-SunBr; $$$. Reservations advised. The specialty here is the namesake socorrat—the delicious crusty rice that forms on the bottom of a paella pan (disappointingly, the veggie version lacks this crust). Tapas are tasty—try the garlic shrimp and patatas bravas—and the sangria goes down easily.



 image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps: Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Monte Coxala   Rafael Osuna 300, 5 km. W of Ajijic along Carratera Chapala, 387-76-101-11. 11 rooms. In addition to enjoying a panoramic lake view, this magnificent hilltop resort features a prehispanic theme, thermal waters, and a pyramid spa with a steaming mud purification treatment and a sweat lodge.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Good Eats: KaDeWe, Berlin, Germany

KaDeWe Tauentzienstrasse 21-24, +49 (0) 30 2121-0. M-Thur 10-8, F 10-9, Sat 9:30-8. Said to be continental Europe's largest department store, this gigantic emporium holds an exceptional food hall on The Gourmet Floor (6th floor ) that is well worth a visit. Sausage, cold cuts, wines, cheeses, breads, and chocolates galore are displayed, and you can sit down at mini-counters for everything from North Sea shrimp sandwiches to bouillabaisse soup. Head to the top floor (7th floor) to Restaurant Wintergarten cafeteria for a head-swirling selection of salads, entrees, and desserts. Here you simply put on your plate as much as you want, then it is weighed, and you are charged by the ounce.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps: Hecker's Hotel Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Hecker's Hotel Berlin Grolmanstrasse 35, West Berlin, 030/88900. 4 stars. 69 rooms. Restaurant; bar (roof dining in summer). 140€-280€ ($224-$448) double. Breakfast additional, and worth having at least one day just for the sprinkling of caviar that sometimes appears on the deviled eggs, but many inexpensive bakery cafes are nearby. Parking €12-18. This small, quiet boutique hotel is close to public transportation and easy to get to when traveling by train. A bus stops just across the street for a ride to the airport (E2.3); a taxi to Tegel Airport is about E15, or Scoenfield Airport about E35. Located just off busy Kurfürstendamm, where the big department stores are and where most sightseeing buses stop, it is hotel is in a great area for shopping and dining. and also just a few pleasant blocks away from the charming shops and cafes at Savignyplatz and its S-Bahn station. The original rooms are smaller than the newer ones, but decor is contemporary and bathrooms up to date throughout. Our stylish, very quiet Bauhaus Suite had two narrow balconies, black-and-white-striped curtains and bedcover, light-wood floors, a walk-in closet with sliding barn-style glass doors, and two TVs—one in the white marble bathroom, complete with a remote to use while relaxing in the long, deep tub. A small but top-notch breakfast buffet is available each morning, but unfortunately it isn't included with all bookings.



Hecker's Hotel is a member of Great Hotels of the World Premium Collection. Double rooms start at £116. For more information or to book please visit http://www.ghotw.com/heckers-hotel or call +44 (0) 20 7380 3658.

Good Eats: Eataly, NYC

Eataly 200 Fifth Ave./23rd St., 212-229-2560. This gargantuan palace of Italian gourmet food pleasures--celebrity chef Mario Batali's is behind it—is broken up into many bite-size pieces according to specialty. A stand-up snack bar is an option along with seated fish, pizza, and pasta counters. Fresh panini, focaccia, pizza, pasta, pastries, and gelato are made on site daily and are available to take away.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Great Sleeps: Overleaf Lodge & Spa, Yachats, Oregon

Overleaf Lodge & Spa 280 Overleaf Lodge Lane, (800) 338-0507, (541) 547-4880. Some kitchens & gas fireplaces. Full breakfast. Fitness room; full-service spa with soaking tub, hot tub, steam room, sauna (must be age 18). No smoking; no pets. 3 stories; 54 rooms. Set way back from the highway, this motel offers sweeping oceanfront views from every room. Big picture windows slide open to fresh air and the sound of the surf, yet a blackout curtain permits sleeping in. An expansive breakfast buffet, with fragrant muffins and a hot egg dish, is served in a corner of the lobby, but there is no restaurant, bar, or room service. The small full-service spa provides an exceptional rectangular hot tub kept at 99 degrees and with an ocean view, as well as a more traditional smaller one kept at 104 degrees. These may be used at no fee. Nearby, a spacious fitness room also has an ocean view, and a guest laundry room includes complimentary use of machines and soap. In front of the hotel, the scenic and historic 804 Trail leads along the ocean ½-mile north to a sandy beach and also south into town. Part of Smelts Sands State Recreation Area, the trail was originally surveyed in the 1890s, when it was used by stage coaches and horses. Three rooms are handicapped accessible, with fully equipped extra-large bathrooms designed for wheelchair access; one has a roll-in shower.





For information on this area's popular aquarium, which includes special information about visiting with someone in a wheelchair, see my guest blog at Barrier Free Travels .





image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Sauvie Island, Oregon

Sauvie Island 15 mi. NW of Portland. This rural island is popular with bicyclists. It has several interesting nurseries and also some u-pick farms and fruit stands.



● Cistus Nursery 22711 NW Gillihan Rd., 503-621-2233. Daily 10-5. This extraordinary nursery stocks plants from around the world and displays them in attractive outdoor "rooms."





















● Blue Heron Herbary 27731 NW Reeder Rd., 503-621-1457; . W-Sun 10-5, Mar-Nov. Surrounded by a wildlife refuge, this funky herb nursery has an inventory of more than 350 varieties of herbs and more than 100 varieties of lavender--all for sale—but, according to owner Mike Hanselman, "not a stick of heather is on the property." More than 275 herbs are planted in specialty beds, including tea, bee, and Shakespeare, and a u-pick lavender field is by the pond. They make their own spice blends and teas, and an exceptional gift shop purveys herb-related gifts, including sleep pillows and fragrant tea pads. Chickens run free.



images c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers