The GypsyNesters

It’s Cherry Blossom Time in Japan!

We hit Japan right at the peak of the cherry blossoms blooming. Known as sakura, the blooming trees have deep roots in Japanese culture…
CONTINUE READING >>

In another of what seems to be a series of unbelievable bits of good timing we have encountered in our travels, we hit Japan right at the peak of the cherry blossoms blooming.

At our first stop, Nagasaki, we were enthralled by the flowering trees all around The Atomic Bomb Museum.

They helped add a quiet touch to the somber site advocating peace near the epicenter of the atomic bomb blast that devastated the city in 1945.

The buds also thrive in the nearby park that marks ground zero.

The trees are a real tribute to recovery since scientists predicted that radioactive fallout wouldn’t allow plants to grow for seventy-five years.

More about beautiful, peaceful Nagasaki

We encountered an unexpected edible flower in the park, when a lady selling rose water ice formed a perfect bloom atop a cone for us.

She performed this artistic task in a matter of seconds.

More about beautiful, peaceful Nagasaki

WATCH: A work of art in seconds!

Between Nagasaki and our next stop, Osaka, we looked into some of the history of the cherry blossom tradition in Japan.

Known as sakura, the blooming trees have deep roots in Japanese culture.

They do not produce fruit, which when we thought about it is most likely a good thing because if each of the blooms became a cherry… well that’s a lot of cherries!

Instead, the trees have been cultivated for their flowers and are said to symbolize clouds or, because of the fact that the blooms only last about a week, mortality.

This brevity has associated the blossoms with the concept of mono no aware, literally translated as “the pathos of things,” a Japanese term for the awareness of the transience of life.

On a lighter note, the Japanese people have embraced Hanami, the ancient tradition of picnicking under a blooming sakura tree.

The custom began over a thousand years ago with royalty, but has been adopted by everyone.

Over the centuries the cherry blossoms have become so iconic to the Japanese that they even used to plant the trees on conquered territories to show their authority over the new land.

On our arrival in Osaka, good fortune struck again when we discovered that our hotel was right across from The Expo Park. Built for the Japan World Exhibition of 1970, the park just happens to be listed as one of the top 100 places for viewing cherry blossoms in Japan.

See how we “ruined ourselves” in fabulous Osaka!

The focal point of the park is the Tower of the Sun, by famous Japanese sculptor Okamoto Taro.

The crazy looking bird statue looms over two hundred feet above the park and has three faces.

Shockingly, the top face is not called “Satellite Dish Bird Face” as we were calling it. It is actually meant to represent the Sun of the Future, with the other face on the front representing the Sun of the Present, and on the back of the tower is the Sun of the Past.

But as famous as the tower is, it was definitely playing second fiddle to the flowers.

At least for this week while the sakura were at their peak.

Thousands of folks were flooding into the park and we didn’t see a single one of them take a photo of old satellite dish face.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

DELVE DEEPER:

See how we “ruined ourselves” in fabulous Osaka!

More about beautiful, peaceful Nagasaki

Check out all of our adventures in Japan!

YOUR TURN: Aren’t the cherry blossoms stunning? Were you as blown away by their history as we were?

Seeking Stonehenge Somewhere in Time

The Vernal Equinox is here! What a great time to visit Stonehenge. The famous ring of rocks has eluded me ever since I realized that I had missed an easy opportunity to see it on a visit to London back in 1987.

From that moment on I was motivated to make it to the mythical monument… CONTINUE READING >>

The Vernal Equinox is here! What a great time to visit Stonehenge.

The famous ring of rocks has eluded me ever since I realized that I had missed an easy opportunity to see it on a visit to London back in 1987.

I could have just hopped on a bus for the short ride out to the mysterious site or taken one of the Stonehenge Tours, but didn’t know it at the time.

Not long after that, I discovered the cult classic movie This Is Spinal Tap and was humorously reminded of my failure every time I saw their heavy metal mystic rock spoof Stonehenge.

From that moment on I was motivated to make a visit to the mythical monument.

From time to time we would fly through London, only staying long enough to change planes, and I could practically feel the nearby presence taunting me.

I came close to a viewing a few years ago with a stop in Virginia at Foamhenge, a life-sized replica made of Styrofoam, but as fantastically campy as that was it did not placate my passion for experiencing the real thing.

Finally, on our way to our recent walking tour of Cornwall, I got my chance.

We stopped off in Salisbury for an overnight on the train from London and hopped aboard one of the hourly busses that ferry visitors to and from the archaeological marvel.

Believed to date back to around 3000 BC, the monument has had three major phases. Through the first thousand years or so the construction consisted of earthworks and trenches. This was followed by several hundred years of timber posts being erected within the original circle that had been dug centuries earlier.

Evidence shows that it was around this time that burials began to take place within the circles. However, soon after our visit an ancient burial chamber was unearthed near Stonehenge.

These ancient graves date back over two thousand years before the presumed beginnings the site, adding more questions as to why this place was so significant to the ancient people who built it.

Next, around 2600 BC, the builders began erecting stones. This development only added more mystery to the monument. The blocks are believed to have been brought from some 150 miles away, which took some serious determination.

What could possibly have inspired these ancient builders to drag untold tons of rock from so far away? It certainly made my little quest to see their handiwork seem pretty pitiful in comparison.

It was also during this time that an astronomical aspect of the stone rings was incorporated. The builders carefully aligned gaps between the rocks so that they would line up with sunrise on the summer solstice and sunset on the winter counterpart.

The final phase included the largest stones. This time the blocks were brought in from about 25 miles to the north. They were used to construct the iconic doorway like structures of upright stones topped by lintels, with each piece weighing up to fifty tons.

As enormous as these are, standing up to 30 feet high, I have to say that my first impression upon seeing the monument was that it was somewhat smaller than expected. Perhaps my years of anticipation had instilled a larger than life impression in my imagination.

Aside from that initial reaction, Stonehenge lived up to all the hype I had formed in my mind over the years. So we stood in proper awe wondering just what would possess ancient people to pursue this great undertaking.

Whoever made the monument left no written records; so many aspects of Stonehenge remain a mystery. Over time a number of myths developed surrounding the stones, including one of the most often repeated which is that the Druids were the builders behind the mystical boulder circles.

My favorite fictional band Spinal Tap described them thusly:

“No one knows who they were or what they were doing, but their legacy remains hewn into the living rock of Stonehenge.”

The theory arose around 1640 in a study by John Aubrey and hung around for centuries until better dating methods placed the construction long before any Druids danced anywhere near a Stonehenge monument.

But even though we now know who didn’t build it, there have been precious few good theories as to who did, or why.

Has Merlin returned to stand atop the magical stones as a raven?

In the middle ages some thought that the rocks of Stonehenge had healing powers. This myth, called the giant’s dance, had giants bringing the stones from Africa to Ireland, and then on to the plains near Salisbury years later to erect a memorial on the advice of, and with some magic help from, Merlin.

For most of modern times the historic site was held in the hands of various kings, earls, lords, and marquesses. During World War I the surrounding grasslands served as an air base then, soon afterwards it was donated to the government.

For many years visitors were allowed to walk among the stones, and even touch them, but in 1977 the site was roped off, so the best we could do was walk around the perimeter. Considering the crowds, we had no problem with that, happily abiding by the rule for the preservation of the ancient achievement.

More recently a visitor center and small museum have been added, where theories on how the stones may have been moved and how the builders may have lived are recreated in life-sized models. While interesting, these are little more than guesses because any indications of their methods have long since disappeared.

The usual speculation is that ancient people moved large objects by rolling them on logs, which makes good sense, but it is only a best guess.

Inside the center, we browsed through old photos and memorabilia until we stumbled upon a serious collector’s item.

There, standing in a display case, we found a limited edition record of Spinal Tap’s Stonehenge pressed on a picture of the stones. What a way to close out my successful quest to finally see the stones.

On the bus back to Salisbury I had to download the song on my phone.

It seemed only fitting… one might even say like a glove. (No smelling required.)

David, GypsyNester.com

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Getting Small at the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin

We thought we knew all we needed to know about leprechauns. But with St. Patrick’s Day upon us we thought we should investigate further. Turns out that we knew next to nothing… CONTINUE READING >>

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up we thought we’d take another look at our visit to the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin. Hope it brings you a little luck o’ the Irish!

We thought we knew all we needed to know about leprechauns before we arrived at the National Leprechaun Museum.

As American kids, we learned from the authoritative source of Lucky Charms commercials just how mischievous they could be.

We’d spent hours dreaming about how we’d spend that pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow – should we be lucky enough to find it.

Turns out that we knew next to nothing.

Thinking the museum was likely to be a magically delicious, cheesy tourist diversion — and we LOVE cheesy tourist diversions — we made a beeline to it as soon as we reached Dublin.

Actually, it was the first attraction we visited in all of Ireland.

The museum has its fair share of cheese – to be sure. The first hall we entered was filled with great memorabilia, including a retro example of our beloved American Lucky Charms boxes.

But this is not a museum in the traditional sense, it is more of a multi-sensual experience. Because the Irish are natural storytellers, it ’twas the storytelling that made our visit shine for us.

Once we had our fill of the pop-culture history of leprechauns through ceramic miniatures, cereal boxes, movie posters (remember Darby O’Shea and the Little People?), and eerie-looking dolls, we were led by a dynamic young storyteller named Patrick through a magical portal.

A faerie tunnel that shrunk us smaller and smaller, until we became wee folk – diminutive enough to comprehend the legends we were about to hear.

We were made tiny at the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin! — Verified normal-sized chair

Tales of happenings that full-sized humans simply can’t wrap their big ol’ brains around.

The realm of the leprechaun is shadowy and, when our doubting eyes had adjusted, we could see that a seemingly impossible transition had indeed taken place.

We had entered a room where simply taking a seat was quite an ordeal.

Land o’ Goshen, we were tiny!

But Patrick insisted we sit, so we hoisted our way up onto the comfy chairs and he set us straight on the facts — and some of the misconceptions — about the little people of Ireland. Among them:

– A leprechaun wouldn’t be caught dead in green; they sport red jackets and hats.

– They are incredible shoemakersand you can always avoid one by listening for the sound of his cobblers hammer.

– There are no female leprechauns. We wanted to ask how they reproduce, but there were kids in the room.

– They are not the gregarious fellas of Lucky Charms lore, taunting folks with their riches. They are loners – grumpy misers who just want to make shoes and hoard their gold in private. We aren’t certain who they sell said shoes to, and had to wonder how we might get our hands on a pair.

– If you are (un)lucky enough to catch one, you may be granted wishes, but watch your back– they are known for their shenanigans.

Jumping down from our lofty height, we were led through the middle of rainbow (a first for us!) and beheld what our adult selves thought we’d never see – the mythical pot o’ gold.

While straining for the sound of a shoemaker’s hammer with one ear, we listened as Patrick imparted a cautionary tale with the other:

In a field of many trees, a human man sneak-attacked and caught a leprechaun.

The human insisted the leprechaun show him his hidden gold in return for the little man’s freedom.

The agreement was made and they made their way to a tree where the bounty was buried, but – alas – the man had no shovel!

Releasing the cagey leprechaun, the human doffed one of his red garters and hung it on a branch of the tree to mark his score.

He ran like the wind all the way home and back (most likely giggling greedily along the way), only to find upon his return that EVERY tree in the field had been marked with an identical garter.

We’re assuming lots of pointless digging commenced.

See what we mean about shenanigans and watching your back?

As we journeyed deeper into the supernatural world, the surroundings became ever more shadowy.

We traipsed though the ebony land of banshees, fairy folk, and púca while sitting on toad stools and listening to Patrick relay their sagas.

Once the tales had all been told, we stepped through a door and burst outside into the bright daylight. We were momentarily stunned.

Returning to the realm of our normal-sized lives was an adjustment after experiencing the land of the leprechauns.

With an Irish blessing we were sent forth from the opaque faery landscape and into a land where the sun seemed too bright and the streets held no magic.

Asking for the road to rise to meet us didn’t seem to help all that much, but at least the wind at our backs was always our own.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

See all of our adventures in Ireland!

A big thank you to Ireland.com for providing this wee adventure. As always, all opinions are our own.

Thinking about Things to do in Kraków

All too often people think of Europe just in terms of London, Paris, and Rome. We have discovered that there are many other incredible cities across the continent to explore. Kraków is a great example of this…
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Sometimes we feel like all too often people think of Europe just in terms of London, Paris, and Rome. Oh sure, maybe Barcelona, Amsterdam, or Venice might sneak into the thoughts of some more experienced travelers, but as we have spent more and more time gallivanting across the continent we have discovered that there are so many other incredible cities to explore.

Quite a few come to mind, but even with all of our explorations there are still a whole bunch of hidden gems in Europe that we have yet to discover. Lately, one of those gems, Kraków, Poland, has been moving up on our list of places we want to visit.

Why, you ask? Because there is so much to see, learn, and do in this beautiful and historic city, which is one of the oldest in all of Poland. Founded over a thousand years ago on the site of a cave where, according to legend, King Krak slayed a dragon, a visit to Kraków can be like a visit to a long lost place and time.

We usually choose to begin our explorations of any new destination by wandering the streets in the historic center, and since the Old Town in Kraków is one of UNESCO’s very first World Heritage Sites, this seems perfect.

Highlights of the town include the beautiful Wawel Castle. Historically it served as home to the kings of Poland, and as an iconic symbol of the country, but these days the Castle is one of the country’s premier art museums.

The Town Hall Tower is also a must see as a wonderful representation of 13th-Century Gothic-Renaissance architecture. There is an amazing view of the city from the top floor for those of us who are willing to climb some stairs.

But we are most interested in taking the Schindler Factory Tour, which is often recognized as Kraków’s most outstanding historical museum. We are, of course, familiar with the story from the movie Schindler’s List, so we are eager to learn more and hope to gain a better understanding of what life was actually like in the ghetto. This tour does just that by delving into the details of day to day life in Kraków under the Nazi occupation from 1939 to 1945.

A knowledgeable local guide leads the group through the Enamel Factory that was made famous in the movie, and gives an in depth look into the compelling story of Oskar Schindler and how he saved hundreds, if not thousands, of Jews from extermination.

After such an emotional experience, we’d say a short break is in order. How about stopping off for an obwarzanek, better known to most of us a a bagel. Kraków is considered to be the place where these tasty bread rings were first served.

Bagels were first mentioned in print way back in 1610 when the Polish word bajgiel, which comes from the Yiddish word bagel, appeared in the “Community Regulations” of the city of Kraków. Their popularity spread and by the seventeen-hundreds bagels had become a staple of Polish cuisine.

Thinking about these salty treats got us wondering, where did the salt come from to make all of those bagels? With a little investigating we found out that one of the oldest salt mines in the world is right nearby. That’s when we knew that we should definitely make our way to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

The mine is another UNESCO World Heritage site and can be crowded sometimes, so we certainly feel that a tour with a good guide and a “skip the line” option is a great idea. In our opinion, Salt Mines KrakowTickets is the best way to make the best use of our time.

Though it is not operational now, and is only open for tours and special events, the mine continued as an important source for salt for over eight hundred years, up until 1998. Through those centuries Wieliczka was one of the most productive mines in the world, but it also became a popular tourist attraction as far back as several hundred years ago.

Venturing over three hundred meters underground, the modern tour includes an underground lake, the Chapel of St. Kinga, as well as several salt monuments and sculptures. In addition to these sensational subterranean sights, the guide also covers the long history of the mine going back nearly one thousand years, along with details about the salt extraction techniques over the centuries. The tour is an impressive reminder of just how important salt was throughout history.

As far as we know the Wieliczka Mine had nothing to do with the old saying referring to the grind of going back to your job as “going back to the salt mine,” but we will certainly have a better understanding of it after this.

Although if visiting it, and all of Kraków, was hard work, we say bring it on.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

How to Do Mardi Gras Without Being Asked to Lift Your Shirt!

Don’t get us wrong – we LOVE New Orleans. But the thought of wading into a Big Easy Mardi Gras is something better left to young whippersnappers.

We took the rural route and learned about the wonderful goings-on in Cajun Country – what they call the REAL Mardi Gras!

Courir de Mardi Gras involves costumed men dancing on horseback, begging, and chicken chasing!

La Grande Boucherie des Cajuns A tradition older than Mardi Gras, is a communal hog butcher and meat fest.

Fais do-do See what Cajuns do once the kids go to bed… CONTINUE READING >>

With Fat Tuesday fast approaching, we dug back in our archives for this tale of festivities, revelry, and merriment. We offer it as inspiration for anyone who might be planning an adventure of their own.

Don’t get us wrong – we LOVE New Orleans. But the thought of wading into a Big Easy Mardi Gras is something better left to young whippersnappers.

We took the rural route and learned about the wonderful goings-on in Cajun Country – what they call the REAL Mardi Gras!

Let the good times roll!

THE CRAZIEST THING WE’VE SEEN YET…
AND WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF CRAZY THINGS

We discovered a long-held rural tradition of Cajun Country, Courir de Mardi Gras, in Church Point. It translates to Fat Tuesday Run and traces its origins back to medieval France and the fête de la quémande or feast of begging.

Runners, known as Mardi Gras, ride horses or wagons through the countryside stopping to beg at farms for ingredients for a communal gumbo to be made after the run. The most common offering from the farmers is a chicken which then must be chased and captured by the Mardi Gras.

At 5 AM we were awoken by the beginnings of the revelry. Horses started making their presence known and whoops and hollers filled the early morning air. The staging area was already a sea of mud.

We watched curiously while the participants – who by tradition must be male, over 14 and in costume – registered, drank, saddled up, drank, greeted each other, drank, got geared up, drank, played music, drank, danced, and oh yeah, drank some more. Costumes are imperative to the tradition in that the identity…CONTINUE READING

You’ve gotta watch the video to believe it…it’s, well, just watch.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more history, crazy goings on and what happened when Veronica became part of the proceedings!)

MARDI GRAS DAY – A TALE OF TWO TOWNS

Asking around, we got conflicting answers to the question, “Where do we spend the actual day of Mardi Gras?”

We had spent almost three weeks in Acadiana, celebrating all things Mardi Gras, but still hadn’t landed on where to spend the big day.

Narrowing our many choices down to two, we focused on Eunice and Mamou, because each boasted chicken chasing, a big street festival and authenticity.

We were told Eunice was both “the best – by far” and “too commercial.” Mamou, on the other hand receive reviews like “the most authentic” and “just a bunch of drunks sitting on ice chests.”

Like the idiots we are, we decided to visit both. And both… CONTINUE READING

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more!)

A CAJUN BOUCHERIE – LET’S PIG OUT!

The Boucherie is not necessarily a part of the Mardi Gras celebration, in fact it most likely predates Mardi Gras activities here in South Louisiana, but in recent years many communities have included the old fashioned hog slaughter in their weekend of Mardi Gras events.

Back in the days before refrigeration families would get together to share a butchered hog because the meat would go bad before one family could eat it all. Before long this became a pretty good excuse to throw a little party.

Interesting and entertaining, not to mention tasty. After watching every part of the pig get cut for a specific purpose, we had the chance to sample… CONTINUE READING

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more!)

GO TO SLEEP LITTLE ONE, MAMA WANTS TO DANCE

“Fais do-do” is Cajun baby talk for “go to sleep” and once the kiddies are all tucked sweetly in bed, Mamma and Daddy (and Maw Maw and Paw Paw) have the chance to “pass a good time.”

We kicked off the Friday before Mardi Gras at a Fais do-do in Church Point.

We were told by a woman earlier in the day that the Fais do-do was essential for us to attend, as it was when the town “come together like family” and that we would be treated as such. And we were.

In a little town like Church Point, we normally stick out like sore thumbs, not because we’re so different as much as that everyone literally knows everyone, and we – well – we don’t know anyone. That changed at the Fais do-do.

The people of Church Point have never met a stranger, we were welcomed with open arms as everyone — from the Queen of The Courir de Mardi Gras, to the ladies handing out beer, to the mayor himself — took the extra time to make sure we had le bon temps!

Big shout out to the band “Straight Whiskey” – the real deal.

HOW MUCH KING CAKE CAN ONE PERSON EAT?

As soon as we crossed over the Louisiana border we began seeing King Cakes.

This tradition started in France in the 1100s to commemorate the Three Kings’ visit to the Christ Child.

In Acadiana the King Cake is in the shape of a ring to symbolize a crown and decorated in Mardi Gras purple, gold and green.

A little plastic baby Jesus is hidden inside the cake and the person who’s slice contains the baby is designated as the host of the next Mardi Gras or King Cake Party.

After asking around, we found out that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the flavor of the cake. Bakeries generally fill their King Cakes with cream cheese and fruit, and some fancier versions include marzipan or Bavarian cream. The only guiding principle seems to be the colors – purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power.

The King Cake can be found in this area from January 6th until Mardi Gras Day.

THE BEST BETWEEN-THE-WEEKENDS DIVERSION

THE place to be on the Wednesday night before Mardi Gras is “Taster’s Choice” in Eunice. We headed down to the Acadian Center at LSU/Eunice to eat some of the best Cajun food we’ve ever had.

Over twenty chefs sponsored by local businesses bring their best dishes for the benefit of the Community Clinic – and a big time is had by all!

For 20 bucks each, we ate ourselves silly and were mesmerized by Marc Savoy on the French accordion playing traditional Cajun music with his family and friends – AND it was all for a great cause.

Once each guest made the rounds and sampled the food, we were encouraged to vote for our favorite dish. Here were ours:

Best sponsor name – Guidry’s Dirt Service’s Crawfish Chowder
Most clever name – Bayou Alfredeaux
All around favorite – Fruge Lumber Company’s Crawfish Étouffée

YOU CAN GET BOOZE AT THE DRIVE-THRU WINDOW?

As a matter of fact, you can.

And not just during Mardi Gras season. All over Cajun Country all you have to do is drive up and order.

Being the curious types, we tried it on bikes.

It was about one in the afternoon in Marksville when we rolled up to the window at Daiquiri Island and didn’t even get a reaction from our server.

The drink menu was nailed to the wall by the window with concoctions called “Stanky Leg,” “Purple Haze,” and “Whoop Ass,” (among others we’re too embarrassed to type BUT there’s a pic here)!

There was no explanation as to what they might be made of, so we went with something we had heard of – a Mudslide. When asked what size, we opted to split a small – which was 20oz! Delicious and VERY potant. An adult chocolate milkshake, if you will.

Later in the day, we found another interesting establishment, The Watering Hole.

Instead of a drive-up window, we actually drove through the building. The walls were lined with refrigerator cases filled with cold beer, wine and the like. And there were daiquiris, as well. Our favorite name was “Hillbilly Suicide.”

The drink we had split earlier was MORE than enough, so we opted for a pound of crawfish scooped up out of a cooler – the biggest little mudbugs we’d ever seen. Delicious!

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more!)

MARDI GRAS IS GOING TO THE DOGS!

Lafayette’s Krewe des Chiens Annual Dog Parade is a must-do.

This parade is geared toward children, but brings out the dog lover in all of us.

Vibrantly costumed fur babies proudly trot down Lafayette’s downtown streets as both participants and spectators.

Everyone has a grin on their snout as beads are thrown, puppies are rescued and donations are accepted for Acadiana’s less fortunate furry friends!

Mardi Gras Dog Parade, Lafayette Louisiana
CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and to see many more cute guys!)

JEANERETTE’S KREWE OF EZANA MARDI GRAS PARADE

Some parades are focused on floats and bead throws.

Not in Jeanerette. This little town of 6,000 throws a real show. Marching bands, twirlers and dancers of all ages fill out the spaces between the floats.

They don’t call Jeanerette “Sugar City” for nothing – this town doesn’t mess around with the treats they throw – candy, beads, stuffed animals, candy, trickets, oh, and candy. And gum.

CLICK TO ENLARGE THESE PICTURES (and more!)

KREWE OF CARNIVALE EN RIO – all about the beads!

This parade IS all about the beads.

Seriously. It was insane. We had discussed ahead of time our rules of personal bead gathering, as we wanted to get a realisic idea about how many one could expect to gather.

-No picking them off the street.
-No grabbing them away from eager youngsters (think foul balls at a baseball game).
-Unless they are thrown directly to us or hit us when we weren’t paying attention, they did not go around our necks.

Even so, we could barely walk back to our vehicle – madness, sheer madness.

We should have realized something was up when we saw all of the “Throw Me Something Mister” signs and fishing nets. The winner was a kid who was holding a laundry basket affixed to a broomstick, creating a target that no float rider could resist trying to make.

By the halfway point there were nearly as many plastic bags that had held the beads floating on the wind in Lafayette as beads themselves.

CLICK TO ENLARGE THESE PICTURES (and more!)

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Delve deeper:
Visit the crazy Courir de Mardi Gras, in Church Point – chicken chasing!
Check out the authentic celebrations in Eunice and Mamou
Go hog wild at an old-fashioned Boucherie meat fest!
Watch dogs celebrate Mardi Gras at the Krewe des Chiens Dog Parade
Find out how to get booze at a drive-thru window
Join us at the parades in Jeanerette and Lafayette
Learn more about the Acadian, Canadian, and Cajun connection
See our thank you to the mysterious person at the Dog Parade who commited a wonderful act of kindness!

YOUR TURN: Have we convinced you to give rural Mardi Gras a shot? What would be your first stop? Did we miss anything?

Courir de Mardi Gras in Church Point, Louisiana

Chicken chasing, colorful costumes and dancing on horseback? It’s Courir de Mardi Gras in Church Point! You’ve gotta watch the video to believe it…it’s, well, just watch… CONTINUE READING >>

You’ve gotta watch the video to believe it…it’s, well, just watch.

In our search for Mardi Gras celebrations that don’t involve any over exposure, we discovered a long held rural tradition of Cajun Country, Courir de Mardi Gras, in Church Point. It translates to Fat Tuesday Run and traces its origins back to medieval France and the fête de la quémande or feast of begging.

Several people told us that one of the most authentic of these Runs still in existence takes place the Sunday before Fat Tuesday in Church Point Louisiana, so we knew where we were headed.

As luck would have it, the starting point for the festivities, The Saddle Tramp Club, also serves as a campground, so we picked a spot, braved Saturday’s torrential rains, and waited for the madness to ensue.

At 5 AM we were awoken by the beginnings of the revelry. Horses started making their presence known and whoops and hollers filled the early morning air. The staging area was already a sea of mud.

Costumes are imperative to the tradition in that the identity of each Mardi Gras should be kept secret, allowing behavior that would never be acceptable any other day of the year. This also dates back to medieval times when costumes were used to mock the wealthy nobility during the fête.

After a couple hours of carousing, Le Capitaine and his co-capitaines organized the troops and prepared to lead the mounted participants out. In addition to the riders, wagons filled with more costumed Mardi Gras runners fell in line. The roads outside the Saddle Club were lined with hundreds more merry makers on floats but not actually participating in the run. (click here to find out more on Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans)

We weren’t really sure how we were going to observe the proceedings, but during the mustering of the troops we finagled a spot on the beer wagon where we could view the madness from in amongst them all.

This seemed like a great plan until Le Capitaine rode up to inform us that Veronica could not stay since strict tradition dictates that no women are allowed within the actual run.

Somewhat miffed, but not about to buck tradition, her up-to-the knees-in-mud-dy self was escorted to the Queens Float with the pagent winners, which worked out fine since, by the time she had perfected her parade wave, they arrived at the first farm before the runners. She had a perfect view of the sneaking up, begging, and ultimately the chasing of the chickens.

It was absolute insanity, even a bit surreal, as the farmer tossed the bird in the air and costumed, inebriated Mardi Gras chased it all over. Much mud wallowing was involved.

After several stops with more chasing and wallowing, the entire procession made its way through town in the form of a parade. At this point it took on a feel of a typical Mardi Gras celebration as riders on floats threw beads and trinkets to the crowds lining the streets. Meanwhile the Run participants headed back to The Saddle Tramp Club for the gumbo.

Afterwards, the band fired up, Zydeco filled the air, and a good ol’ fais do-do rollicked on into the night. Click here to find out more on Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans or check out this for 60 free spins no deposit.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Delve deeper:
See our entire journey discovering Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans
Check out the authentic celebrations in Eunice and Mamou
Go hog wild at an old-fashioned Boucherie meat fest!
Watch dogs celebrate Mardi Gras at the Krewe des Chiens Dog Parade
Find out how to get booze at a drive-thru window
Join us at the parades in Jeanerette and Lafayette
Learn more about the Acadian, Canadian, and Cajun connection
See our thank you to the mysterious person at the Dog Parade who commited a wonderful act of kindness!

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Do You Know the Way to San José, Costa Rica?

The capital city of Costa Rica is not typically a tourist destination, which made us like it all the more.

We were ready for a taste of the day to day life that the locals describe as Pura Vida…. CONTINUE READING >>

The capital city of Costa Rica is not typically a tourist destination, which made us like it all the more.

After our stint visiting the beaches, jungles, and volcanoes that attract so many visitors to this Central American country, we were ready for a taste of the day to day life that the locals describe as “Pura Vida.”

This catch-all phrase that the native citizens, known as Ticos and Ticas, use liberally literally means pure life, but has taken on the universal character of hello, goodbye, take it easy, hang loose, it’s all good, or just about any other positive response, outlook, or greeting.

It has come to embody the Costa Rican attitude that life is good, so be happy and thankful for it. Not a bad viewpoint.

Aiding our emersion into the local life was the fact that we stayed at an AirB&B in a neighborhood instead of a hotel. Our house was right in the center of town, so everything was within an easy walk.

Pura Vida.

Just a couple of blocks away, we started with a walk in the park, the Parque Nacional. This beautiful urban green space centers around what is considered the most important monument in the country, the Monumento Nacional.

The statue depicts Costa Ricans expelling private military expeditions into Latin America led by William Walker in 1857. His plan, known back then as filibustering, was to establish English-speaking colonies under his personal control by organizing mercenary armies.

The idea of controlling the region because of its strategic position as a location for a canal linking the Atlantic and the Pacific made it irresistible to businessmen, including Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The private militias from the US and Europe intervened in several Central American countries, especially Nicaragua, but a coalition formed against the usurpers from the north, with the normally peaceful Costa Ricans playing a vital role.

Venturing outside of the park, we encountered the first of what would be many street vendors selling fresh mango.

Cut like French fries and served with a squeeze of lime, a dash of salt, or even a splash of hot sauce for the daring, it was a delicious and refreshing snack.

Now that’s Pura Vida.

Moving on through the center of town, we came to the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica. The national theatre is one of the premier landmarks in the city, and a symbol of the time in the late 1800s, when coffee was king and the economy was booming.

Héroes de la Miseria by Juan Ramon Bonilla

Built to house the National Symphonic Orchestra, the outside of the building is beautiful, but the interior is even more ornate.

The lobby serves as a defacto art museum, displaying works from some of the country’s most celebrated artists.

Edificio de Correos y Telégrafos de Costa Rica

Veering off of the main drag, we turned right from the theater for a look at another of the city’s most famous buildings, the main post office, the Edificio de Correos y Telégrafos de Costa Rica.

For one hundred years this stunning structure has served as the headquarters of the country’s postal service.

It seemed like we were never more than a few steps away from a park as we returned to the center of the city and Parque Central. Scattered among the citizens enjoying the beautiful day, we noticed that one guy wasn’t moving.

The Street Sweeper was stuck in mid-sweep so David tried to give him a hand, but Edgar Zúñiga’s bronze tribute to the workers who clean the city’s parks and streets wasn’t having any of it. He has stayed stoically standing still since 2003 and wasn’t about to change that for us.

Could be he is too deep in his own private Pura Vida.

By this time we had walked enough to work up quite an appetite, so we ducked into an open air café on the busy corner across from the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Merced, the Church of Our Lady of La Merced.

Perhaps the most famous church in San José, it dates back to 1894, when it was built and dedicated to the Virgin of Mercedes, patroness of Barcelona.

The other corner is home to yet another park, Braulio Carrillo, usually just called La Merced Park.

We definitely got lucky when we picked La Casona Tipica because, as the name implies (tipica = typical), it turns out to be acclaimed as one of the best spots for authentic Costa Rican cuisine in San José.

When it comes to food, we take the When in Rome… adage as words to live by. We can’t get enough of local delicacies so, with that in mind, it was a must for us to try a casado.

The name means married man, ostensibly originating from customers entering restaurants and proclaiming that they wanted to eat like a married man.

The ingredients can vary, but they will always be hearty, usually including salad, rice, plantains, black beans, picadillo (a dish made of diced chayote), and a serving of meat such as beef, chicken, pork, or fish.

Another typical Tico dish is olla de carne, a stew of meat, potatoes, carrots, cassava, sweet potato, and corn.

It is often served deconstructed, as ours was, with the components removed from the broth and placed on a plate. The broth accompanies them in a bowl on the side.

We were more than happy to linger over our abundant meals while we took in the flavors, not only of the food, but also the quirky décor of memorabilia and odd-ball mannequins scattered about the dining room.

Definitely Pura Vida.

No meal in Costa Rica can be considered complete without coffee brewed right at the table. Costa Rican coffee is considered some of the best in the world, and even though bananas have surpassed it as the main cash crop, it is still an integral part of the economy.

If you look closely behind the chorreador you can see a few of the weird mannequins.

Our server brought us a chorreador, which is an ingeniously simple coffee maker that drip filters the brew through what looks more or less like a sock.

Luckily, the results tasted nothing like it had been filtered through any footwear.

This was high on the list of the best java we had ever encountered.

Which was without a doubt perfectly Pura Vida.

See all of our adventures in Costa Rica.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Spread a Little Sunshine Coast in Australia

In our travels we often wonder “How did this place get its name?”

The Sunshine Coast of Queensland is most certainly not one of those places.

This stretch of Australia’s eastern seaboard is situated in the prime position on the planet to provide perfect conditions year-round… CONTINUE READING > >

In our travels we often wonder “How did this place get its name?”

The Sunshine Coast of Queensland is most certainly not one of those places.

This stretch of Australia’s eastern seaboard is situated in the prime position on the planet to provide positively perfect conditions year-round.

Having had the ultimate aerial view of the area while leaping out of a perfectly good airplane at ten thousand feet and landing on Coolum Beach, we decided on a somewhat more tranquil way to spend the next couple of days.

The Rumba Beach Resort in Caloundra offered the perfect beach setting for kicking back and soaking up some of those namesake rays.

We easily could have hung out for hours on our balcony overlooking Bulcock Beach and the northern tip of Bribie Island National Park, but then we would have missed the distinctive pool.

<– LOVED these rules (especially #5, 11 & 13!), but can’t fiqure out #7, 9, & 10– leave your guesses in the comment section below!

This was a swimming situation unlike any we have ever encountered.

Underwater in the pool at Rumba Resort in Calundra, Queensland Australia — Underwater!

A glass wall forms a window that offers an underwater view of all of the beach activities, while other windows in the floor of the pool look down into the lobby below.

It was so cool that we had to run back up to the room to get our diving masks and water-proof camera.

Sunset over the Glasshouse Mountains from our balcony at Rumba Resort in Caloundra, Queensland, Australia — Sunset from our balcony at Rumba Resort as we were dressing for dinner!

Follow us into our room at Rumba Resort!

Dried off and hungry, we headed a few steps up the beach to Tides Waterfront Dining to finish watching the sun set on the Pumicestone Channel with the Glasshouse Mountains in the distance.

After toasting the day with a local riesling, we ordered some tapas, followed by Mooloolaba prawns, and a filet.

If any Australian had ever said “throw another shrimp on the barbie,” (which they never have because the tasty shellfish are always called prawns Down Under) they would have been talking about these bad boys from just up the coast in Mooloolaba.

These guys bypassed the bar-b-que and were served sautéed with garlic.

The next day, we rented bikes for a leisurely ride along the Caloundra Coastal Walk.

The walkway extends over fifteen miles along the shoreline from Golden Beach, just south of Caloundra, all the way up to Mooloolaba – home of those jammin’ prawns.

We rode the part of the trail that winds its way along the rocks of Moffat Head and through George Watson Park on our way up to Dicky Beach.

As we pedaled up from the sea and back down again, our reward for cresting each hill was a breathtaking view of the Coral Sea.

At the base of one of those hills we took a break at an aptly named seaside café, Saltwater.

Even though we grabbed a table outside, we noticed the cheeky dress code sign “no dick togs allowed.”

Once again we found ourselves confused by Aussie slang, but the sign was simply asking that men not wear their togs, otherwise known as swimmers, sluggos, budgie smugglers, cossies, lolly bags, bathers, or marble bags… all meaning swimsuits, inside.

The upscale beach bar menu offered a new twist on what we had quickly discovered to be an Australian favorite (as well as one of ours), pork belly.

This is basically bacon that was never sliced.

The difference here was that Saltwater served the big hunks of deliciousness with an Asian flare, and on a salad.

In an effort to keep either one of us from a slipping into a cholesterol induced coma, we decided to split it and share an order of traditional fish & chips too.

Usually that would offer little assistance, but luckily the fish was lightly breaded and fried to perfection, so the grease factor remained acceptably low.

We had plenty of time to work off the meal, with a good bit of riding still ahead of us to get to Dicky Beach and back.

The beach’s name has nothing to do with the previously mentioned swimwear, or any other article of clothing for that matter.

It takes the name from an old iron steamboat, the SS Dicky.

The ship ran aground during heavy seas in February of 1893.

After several efforts to refloat the SS Dicky failed, a decision was made to abandon it, which led to this becoming the only public beach in the world to be named after a shipwreck.

Our take was that it was pretty cool to explore the old hull in water that was shallow enough to stand up, which is certainly not the usual situation for a shipwreck.

Veronica lounges at Dicky Beach, Caloundra, Queensland, Australia! GypsyNester.com — Soaking up some well-earned beach time

It was also good timing on our part because plans are in the works to move the Dicky off the beach.
No final decision has been made, but the old wreck has been deemed a hazard after over a century of being battered by the surf.

The idea is to move it to a safe spot and create a memorial with a display telling the story of the steamer’s demise.

Feeling lucky to have seen the Dicky before her move to a final resting place, we climbed aboard our bikes and pedaled back down to Caloundra.

In no time at all our togs, and our throats, were dry as a dead dingo’s donger.

Not to mention we were getting a tad peckish from the ride.

No worries, the restaurant, Drift, was right below our hotel, so all we had to do was change out of our cossies and head down for a schooey of grog and a bit of tucker (better known as grub to us).

With the sea breeze blowing in, the evening’s special, oysters three ways, seemed ideal. The shell fish are found all along Australia’s coasts, so we knew they were fresh.

For a heartier second course, and in keeping with our day of Aussie slang, we opted for heapin’ helping of fancy bangers and mash. Spot on, and the perfect nightcap.

G’day mate.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Delve Deeper into Australia:
See more of our hotel in Coloundra
Bucket list check! We snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef!
Watch us skydive above beautiful Queensland – yikes!
Watch us feed crocs!
Follow us into the Australian Hinterland
Go for the Gold Coast of Queensland
Find out how we saw all of the bizarre Australian animals in one place!
Let Us Introdoos-ya to Noosa

Huge thanks to Tourism and Events Queensland for providing this adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.

Click here to see all of our adventures in Queensland!

Huge thanks to Tourism and Events Queensland and Visit Sunshine Coast for providing this luxurious adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.

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