Attractions – Page 19

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Across the River, Thru the Tunnel and Up Castle Hill

June 29, 2016May 26, 2016 Jane Sadek

Enjoying the sights on Buda's Castle Hill — Enjoying the sights on Buda’s Castle Hill

TRAVEL THERE: THE BUDA PART OF THE BUDAPEST CITY TOUR

With Heroes Square and Andrassy Boulevard under our travel belt, next on the must-see list was Castle Hill. A couple hours before lunch is not enough time to see it, but that’s what we had, so we went with it. Castle Hill is every much as touristy as Heroes Square, but the visitors seem a lot more European and there were no sweater ladies.

Matthias Church

The bus parked and we were led to the top of the hill by our apologetic guide. We waited a few minutes outside Matthias Church while tickets were procured by our underdog tour leader and then made our way into the church.

WOW, just WOW!

The outside of the church was glorious and the deep blue sky didn’t hurt one iota, but once we walked inside the church, we were awestruck.

While the actual church building has only been around for about 800 years, a lot of history has happened up there. Last week I mentioned the Magyars. Well, they were basically marauding barbarians who made Budapest their winter camp around around 867. Somewhere in the late 900’s the old Magyar king, Geza, noticed Christian forces were taking over Europe. Never one to miss a trick, he decided his son, Vajk, should join the up-and-coming religion.

And here’s where the legends start. At about the same time Geza was planning the strategic step of turning Vajk into St. Stephen, Hungary’s first Christian king, the pope dreamed the Magyars were about to convert and had a gold and silver crown tricked out with the popular gemstones of the day and sent it to Budapest with his blessings. However, reliefs on the statue outside the church illustrate the pope showing up with the crown himself for the coronation, so you get to choose what you think happened.

And speaking of the Hapsburgs, there are some very dingy banners hanging from the columns of the church. I was all for replacing them, until I heard they’d been up there since old Konig und Kaiser Franz Joseph’s coronation in 1867. So much for my idea of improvement!

Perhaps the banners wouldn’t look quite so dingy if they weren’t surrounded by blazing color in every direction. Every inch (and I mean every inch) of this beautiful interior is either gold or painted in intricate patterns. It’s like a sampler of bargello needlepoint on steroids.

Life in the Matthias Church has not been all crowns and banners. For awhile some of the various armies passing through used it as a barracks and stable. I’m sure that endeared them to the population. Then the Communists found out they could make some coin by opening it up as a tourist attraction, so they allowed the Hungarians to return it to its former and current glory – and it is glorious.

After the official tour was over we wandered around the church. Even at the risk of sounding redundant, I’d like to repeat that this church is spectacular and you should check out every nook and cranny they will allow you into.

St. Istvan and Fisherman’s Bastion

St. Stephen's Monument and The Fisherman's Bastion — St. Stephen’s Monument and The Fisherman’s Bastion

1896 is an important year in Hungary. Budapest was in its glory days and someone noticed it was the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar’s arrival, so the city went on a campaign of “Magyarization” and self-aggrandizement. Not only did they virtually rebuild the city in grand style, but Hungarian became the official language and many other Magyar-honoring endeavors were undertaken. Part of this was a fluffing up of St. Matthias Church, but they also built Heroes Square, the Fisherman’s Bastion and they erected the St. Istvan (Stephen) monument.

Since Istvan was the first Christian King of Hungary, the whole St. Stephen thing is easy to understand. The Fisherman’s Bastion requires a little more explanation. In Magyar times, when someone decided to attack Buda and/or Pest, the people of the area were pressed into military service. It so happens that what eventually became Castle Hill was in the district where the local fishermen docked their boats. So while the people of Budapest were honoring their Magyar ancestors, they built a double-decker rampart with seven pointy towers (one tower for each of the Magyar tribes) and dubbed it in honor of those fisherman of the past.

Fisherman’s Bastion is, by far, the best vantage point from which to admire the spectacular Parliament Building, along with the rest of the Pest portion of the two-part city. We took lots of pictures, so please enjoy them and come back next week for a dip in the Szechenyi Baths.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Let the Shore Excursions Begin

June 22, 2016May 26, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL HERE: THE PEST PART OF OUR BUDAPEST CITY TOUR

Budapest, Hungary deserves several days on any itinerary, but Viking only gave me the better part of two days, so I had to make the most of every minute. While I wanted to don my walking shoes and start exploring the city, I dutifully boarded the Viking bus and went on the City Tour included in my cruise. I can tell you this, if I can ever manage to do it, I am going back to Budapest!

Andrassy Ut

Our guide for this tour was overly humble about his city. He found it appalling that while a city as grand as Budapest was virtually bereft of victories, they chose to call one of their primary tourist attractions Heroes Square. My research had given me a little different view of it.

The seven Magyars tribes had shown up in Budapest about 896 and terrorized Europe for over a hundred years. Then they protected the Holy Roman Empire from the Tatars and Turks for several centuries, until in 1867 the Hapsburgs created the Austro-Hungarian Empire, acknowledging they needed the Hungarians in order to keep their empire intact. During the second half of the 19th Century, Hungary came into its own and for a while was the rock star of Europe. When the World Wars came along, Hungary was dealt a difficult hand, but I really didn’t understand our guides underdog attitude.

Still, as we made our way along Andrassy ut, the main boulevard of Pest (pronounced Pescht), our underdog-leaning guide apologized his way past a number of spectacular sites. Rick Steves calls Andrassy ut “the Champs-Elysees and Broadway rolled into one.”

My favorite sight along Andrassy ut was the Opera House. During the Austro-Hungarian portion of Budapest’s history, the Holy Roman Emperor might have been Emperor everywhere else, but he was only the King of Hungary. Good old Koing und Kaiser Franz Joseph agreed the city needed an Opera House (What else was he supposed to do for fun when he was in Budapest?), so he provided half the funds needed for the building of the theater, with one teeny tiny stipulation. The opera house in Budapest had to be smaller than his opera house at home in Vienna. The architect followed the letter of this stipulation, if not the spirit of it. In every way except size, the Hungarian State Opera House is supposed to be very much grander than its sister theater in Vienna. Bully for Budapest!

Hosok Tere (Heroes’s Square)

At the end of Andrassy ut is Heroes Square. Though I had never heard of him before this trip, György Zala became one of my favorite sculptors. The 14 sculptures populating Heroes Square were created by him and I think they are gorgeous. In fact, the whole thing is gorgeous. It certainly deserves to be seen by one and all, but I wish we’d had time to see more of the city park which surrounds the square, especially Szepmuveszeti Muzeum (Museum of Fine Arts). It’s probably a good thing the museum has been closed since last year for renovation or I might have slipped away from the tour for a peek and never been heard from again.

While the Square is very beautiful and quite impressive it is very much a tourist trap. You will see millions tour buses and you need to plan on being harassed by bevy of Hungarian ladies hawking sweaters that very much look as if they were made in China. As you stroll around gaping at the impressive monuments, you will most likely bump into the other ten billion tourists (mostly American) who have also been dumped on the Square out of the tour buses.

While I didn’t get enough to time wander off from the tour, we were given plenty of time to explore the square. Then we were herded back to the bus, shown a smidgen of the park and then whisked away to Castle Hill over in Buda. I’ll be back next week to tell you about that, but in the meantime, enjoy the work of my new favorite sculptor.

Architecture, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Getting Our Bearings in Budapest

June 15, 2016May 26, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: OUR FIRST NIGHT ABOARD THE VIKING TOR

I always over-plan my trips, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoy the planning and sometimes a small tidbit I glean from studying my destination affords me the best moments of a trip, like in Oregon when we visited the Maryhill Museum and White River Falls. This over-planning paid off in Budapest, too.

Welcome Aboard

As I boarded the Viking Tor I immediately noticed a big difference in River Cruising and Ocean Cruising. I didn’t have to stand in line so a photographer could get a picture of me. Though I do usually buy that embarkation photo, by the time they let me get that near the boat, I just want to go to my room. On Viking I got a warm welcome, spent a few moments checking in and went to my room, where within minutes I had my luggage. It was like observing a miracle!

1B Stroll (18) — Castle Hill from the Sundeck!

While a part of me wanted to get out there and start exploring Budapest, I knew the rest of my cruise would go better if I took time to unpack my bags and organize our stuff. That accomplished we took a stroll around the ship to get our bearings. Up on the Sun Deck I was once again struck by the remarkable parking spot Viking had scored on the Danube.

The Fun Begins

Dressing for dinner is one of my favorite things, whether I’m on a ship or not. So it makes sense that I planned my outfits for dinners on the ship as carefully as I planned my shore excursions. Though I’d spent most of two days getting to Budapest and several hours aboard the Tor, it was getting ready for that first dinner which made me feel as if we were finally on vacation.

About 6:15 we made our way to the Lounge. It was on the same deck as our room and getting there only took moments. Bartenders chatted with patrons and a pianist offered popular songs. Soon the cruise director officially welcomed us aboard and gave us an overview of what to expect in days ahead.

Next came dinner. From the moment we entered the chic dining room with it’s muted tones and cheerful staff we knew we were going to enjoy our meals on the Tor. From the dining room’s large windows we were able to enjoy the hustle and bustle of Budapest while we ate three delicious courses, generously laced with wine.

Out on the Streets

Here’s where the over-planning came in handy. Music and dancing were available in the Lounge after dinner, but Budapest was calling. We picked up a shore card at the desk and crossed the gang plank. I’m sure a spontaneous ramble through the dock environs would have been just fine, but I was able to suggest we take a look a Gresham Palace. Rick Steves had alerted me to the venerable old palace’s juxtaposition to our docking place. I knew all I had to do was cross Szechenyl ter (Square), which honored the man who had built the Szechenyl Chain Bridge (and many other Budapest sites), and I’d be in front of what was now a luxurious Four Seasons Hotel. Bill loves to visit swanky hotels and I was dying to see the place where, according to legend, an aging actress held off developers for a number of years. We hadn’t brought along a camera on our stroll, so Bill went back the next day and got these shots.

From the Gresham Palace my research told me Vorosmarty ter was just steps away, which would connect us with Vaci utca, the primary shopping area for Budapest and a lively pedestrian mall. Since it was late enough for the shops to all be closed, Bill was amenable to checking it out. We loved it! Elegantly dressed Hungarians strolled among the gorgeous buildings. Food vendors and musicians entertained energetic patrons. We definitely knew we weren’t in Dallas, because no one had on yoga pants or jeans.

Though we yearned to linger, we were also running out of steam, so we crossed over to Dunakorzo, the Danube Promenade. We only enjoyed a few blocks of it, but as reported by others, this is a place to enjoy some of the best views of Budapest. It is also populated by a number of charming statues, so keep your eyes open.

From Dunakorzo we returned to the Chain Bridge and took a stroll to the other side. We were not alone. Strolling the beautiful bridges across the Danube is a pastime enjoyed by tourists and natives alike. After the bridge we headed back to the boat and went to bed. The two days of travel put me to sleep immediately.

The evening sites along the river are marvelous to see, but I’m saving the rest of the nighttime pictures for the sail-way. For now, enjoy some of the shots Bill got the next day as he took and afternoon stroll along the Danube.

Accommodations, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Waltzing Along the Danube with Viking River Cruises

April 27, 2016May 5, 2016 Jane Sadek

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TRAVEL THERE: OUR VIKING RIVER CRUISE, WONDERFUL IN EVERY WAY

On Monday I had a little fun with you about the joys of coming home from a vacation, but the truth of the matter is that I thoroughly enjoyed our Viking River Cruise. I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t want to call your travel agent this minute and book one of their marvelous experiences. My frustration with the size of the room could have been resolved by one of the Viking suites if money were no object, but money is always an object.

River Cruising vs. Ocean Cruising

This was our sixth cruise and our second on a river. We definitely prefer river cruising, but you might not. If you like the casino, shopping arcade, pools, kid’s activities, theaters, gyms and spas, then you should stick to ocean liners. If you think you’d like remarkable access to amazing destinations, individualized service and a relaxing atmosphere, then I might have just the thing for you.

We loved being two of the only 190 guests on the Viking Tor. Everything (and I do mean everything we wanted) was included in the price of the cruise. The boat was full of cozy little places to relax and enjoy our time on board, instead of the craft being stuffed cheek to jowl with attractions designed to separate us from a little more of our money. We returned to the same dining room for every meal where our waiters quickly learned our preferences and we made friends around the table, instead of being shuffled from dining room to dining room with a new waiter every night, never seeing the same passengers twice. We sat on the Sun Deck with plenty of elbow room and a pair of riverbanks to watch, instead of suffering the frenetic pool scene of an ocean liner. Best of all, there were no roving photographers trying to get us to pose for yet another picture every time we turned around.

More River vs. Ocean Trade-offs

I’ll admit we’ve enjoyed some great entertainment on ocean liners. There are no Broadway spectacles aboard a Viking Longship, but they still managed to provide satisfying entertainment. I wouldn’t have minded a gym, for morning workouts, but with walking tours at almost every stop, I usually managed to meet my step goal for the day.

And speaking of walking tours, I adored the shore excursions on Viking. I’m not a big fan of getting drunk on a pirate boat or a private island. I don’t snorkel, scuba dive or participate in other water sports. While I enjoy shopping excursions, my husband is not really happy with the dings on his credit card bill. There’s usually one day on an ocean cruise where I really enjoy an excursion, like the Road to Hana in Maui or Dzibilchaltun on the Yucatan peninsula, but on the other days, I would gladly trade my experience in on a good museum.

Aboard the Viking Tor, we woke almost every morning to discover we were docked at yet another wonderful destination. After breakfast we joined a knowledgeable guide, usually for a walking tour, but in the bigger cities, a bus tour. Even with the bus tours we’d get out of the bus and wander around various sites. The guides were knowledgeable, personable and delightful. The focus of the tours was to teach us something about the destinations and familiarize us with the lives of its inhabitants, now and in the past. Drinks were not served and we weren’t abandoned at shopping opportunities with no hope of exit without a purchase. Instead we drank in the beauty and chewed on the history. If we were interested in shopping, there was plenty of free time.

And There’s More!

I’ve only begun to rave. Come back next week and I’ll cover some more of the generalities of the cruise, like who our fellow passengers were and what the food was like, so you can get an even better idea of whether you are a river cruiser or an ocean cruiser.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Keeper of the Plains in Wichita KS

January 6, 2016January 8, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE RING OF FIRE CEREMONY FOR THE KEEPER OF THE PLAINS

I’d just like to complain a little bit. This particular attraction was the sum total of things available to me in Wichita KS. It’s not that they don’t have museums and gardens. It’s that the museums and gardens were all against me. They closed about the time I got there Friday. They opened back up when I went into the Ministry Event, but closed when I got out. Then they waited until I left town to open up again. Thank you Keeper of the Plains for lighting your firepots for me.

Dramatic Positioning

Our waitress at Taste and See gave us great directions to the site of the Keeper of the Plains. We found parking and saw the pedestrian bridge before we could see the Keeper. Once the Keeper came into sight, it was clear he’s in a very dramatic position. He stands at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers and looks down towards the modern city.

The Keeper himself is a work of modern art, but he makes me think of the popular Kokopelli figure. While Kokopelli is hunched forward, the Keeper stands erect with his face lifted to the Great Spirit.

As we approached the pedestrian bridge, with its bow and arrow motif, the arch of the bridge framed the Keeper. Each perspective seems to add to the mystery of the great figure atop a stone outcropping.

Once across the bridge, we entered an open-air interpretive center explaining the spiritual significance of the Keeper to Native Americans. From this position you are below the stone out-cropping, looking up at the Keeper. Soft tribal music fills the air in the interpretive area making it feel like a sacred place.

There are paths below the outcropping that allow you to walk all the way around the statue. The area is dark, so it was quite popular with couples. Deb and I were a little out of place.

Having seen the statue up close, we decided to wander back across the bridge and enjoy the Ring of Fire ceremony from afar.

I Anticipated the Wrong Ring

Across the river along the esplanade was several tiers of seating and a different type of tribal music was playing, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Deb and I climbed to one of the upper tiers and watched a couple of little boys dance to the trippy little tune. As we enjoyed the boys I tried out the panoramic feature on my phone I had discovered at Myriad Botanical Gardens. The light wasn’t right, but I will share the results anyway.

Finally the moment came and flames erupted in the firepots at the Keeper’s feet, but that wasn’t what I was expecting. I wanted fire to blaze between the hands of the Keeper. Careful reading of the information I found revealed they’d had all the prepositions right, I’d just decided I didn’t want it that way, so I ignored them. My purposeful ignorance did not change a thing. The magic light did not appear for me.

I grabbed a final shot for you and we went back to the car. This was Friday night. We spent Saturday in the arena and enjoyed the seafood buffet at the hotel that evening. The next morning we headed home. We experienced the worst service I’d ever had at a McDonald’s somewhere along the way in Oklahoma. Then we were home.

I took this trip in mid-September. When I got home there were still several articles about the San Antonio Stroll on my blog waiting for posting. I went ahead and wrote all the items on the Wichita trip as soon as I got home, knowing the series would not start until late October, but not wanting to miss the details. You are reading this in the new year, but I am writing them on a beautiful September afternoon in Dallas. I wonder what will be going on in the New Year of 2016.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Museum Cafe at OKCMOA

December 9, 2015October 23, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: DELICIOUS LUNCH AT OKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ART’S CAFE

One thing I’ve learned over my years of travel is to eat at art museums whenever possible, or at least check them out. If you find a service window, a chalkboard and bare table tops, move on. However, if you see crisp white tablecloths and a printed menu, you’re in luck. The Museum Cafe at OKCMOA is one of the good ones.

We’d Seen It All

Deb and I had been sightseeing all morning. We’d had a good breakfast at the hotel, but that was several hours and many, many steps ago. As we left the OKCMOA’s gift shop I suggested the restaurant in the museum for lunch and Deb didn’t argue, but she sort of used her go-along-to-get-along voice, instead of her I-can’t-wait-to-do-that voice. We wandered toward the end of the building to look things over. It was possible this was just an add-on opportunity with bags of chips and over-priced sandwiches.

When you enter the cafe from inside the museum, a sign tells you to find the hostess at the other entrance. As we strolled through we saw upscale patrons enjoying delicious-looking platters at tables covered in white tablecloths. The more she saw the more amiable Deb was to having lunch there. We were seated at a table near a large plate-glass window, looking out over a nice patio. Then we ordered wine. It was going to be a good lunch.

Tough Decisions

Whoever put the menu together knew all about us. We could have closed our eyes and pointed indiscriminately. We would have still come out with something we loved. Instead, with eyes wide open, we opted for the soup and salad platter – a generous cup of lobster bisque with a house salad on the side.

As we waited for our food we chatted about the many beautiful things we’d seen that morning and anticipated the event we’d be attending the next day. Then the food arrived. It was as delicious as its descriptions were. We loved every bite.

The lobster bisque was hot and creamy with huge chunks of lobster floating around with the tasty puff pastry disk. And let me tell you this was no iceberg lettuce and carrots salad. Oh no, this was spring mix, apricots, blueberries, grape tomatoes, candied walnuts and boursin with creamy champagne vinaigrette. The meal was perfect.

(Hello, Dallas Museum of Art, are you out there? I miss Seventeen Seventeen! I am not enchanted with standing in line and sitting at those bare-topped tables in your less-than-comfortable metal chairs. It may all look very cool and modern, but I haven’t eaten there in years. I’m a loyal patron and partner, but your cafe is not the reason. Give me back my restaurant!)

Let’s Hit the Road Again

We’d parked just outside the museum, so when our lunch was done we were just steps away from the car. We stopped on the patio just long enough to get this great shot of Deb. I was having a bad hair day. It was my own fault and I don’t want to talk about it. Come back next week and I will talk about Wichita.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Chihuly at the OKCMOA

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: CHIHULY IS ALIVE AND WELL AT THE OKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ART

We were in Oklahoma City to see Chihulys. You might say Deb and I are Chihuly Groupies. It doesn’t bother us to go a little out of our way to add a piece to our collection of Chihuly sightings. We know we are not alone.

My Love Affair with Chihuly

Though Chihuly was not unknown to me, I really didn’t pay that much attention to him until 1995 when one of his creations was added to the Dallas Museum of Art. All of Dallas became Chihuly crazy and we just haven’t gotten over it. That love affair was renewed when the Dallas Arboretum featured him throughout the garden in 2012. In my opinion, the garden has never looked as good. Were I one of those mega-rich people, I would have just bought the whole collection so it could stay here.

In my wanderings I’ve seen Chihulys in the Bellagio in Las Vegas and in the Casino at Atlantis in the Bahamas. He’s graced gardens from San Antonio TX to St. Louis MO. I saw him in a museum in Portland OR and in Flint MI. Once in California Bill and I were taking a little vacation in Palm Desert where he played one of their golf courses. While he signed up for his game, I stood awestruck looking at the chandelier. I asked just to be sure I wasn’t mistaken, but yes, a Chihuly graced the clubhouse.

OKCMOA’s Chihuly Collection

Bill and I made a pilgrimage to OKCMOA back in 2011-12, while the museum was celebrating the re-installation of their Chihulys. It’s one of our favorite shared memories. I’d raved so long and so hard about it that Deb was dying to go. The Trip With No Name gave us a reason to satisfy her longing.

Chihuly takes up most of the third floor of the museum. In the exhibit area, the ambient lighting has been turned way down and bright spotlights on the art makes it seem to reach out and grab you.

If you haven’t seen Chihuly in OK City, then you haven’t seen Chihuly at all – and since I’ve seen a lot of Chihulys, I know whereof I speak. At the gift shop I bought a package of cards decorated with photos of his pieces at the museum. I told myself I was getting them to share with you and then I could use them for correspondence. Well, here I am, sharing them with you, but I somehow doubt they will ever make it to the mailbox. I’m thinking they will make spectacular pages in my scrapbooks.

So enjoy these wonderful postcards and then come back next week. We’re going to have a fabulous meal at the Museum Cafe before we head off to Wichita.

ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Oklahoma City Museum of Art

November 25, 2015November 25, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: OKCMOA, FABERGE AND CHIHULY, WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE?

OK, I’ll admit a lot of things didn’t go very well as I planned this trip, but one thing went very right. I discovered a collection of Faberge artifacts were on special exhibition at the OKMOA. We would have gone to the museum anyway, because they have wonderful, marvelous Chihulys, but to also see Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs? We were in heaven. I don’t want to go all nanny-nanny-poo-poo on you, but the exhibit ended back in September.

Faberge Eggs I Have Seen and Loved

The story of the Romanffs and their Easter Eggs are not exactly a hidden gem of the art world. I can’t remember not knowing about them. However, my first opportunity to get up close and personal with them was at the Kimbell Art Museum in 1982. Sometime around that time I also saw some Faberge items in New Orleans, but back in those days I had no idea I’d be a blogger one day and I can’t find a shred of evidence to prove I was there or exactly where I found them. I’m guessing they were a few items on loan to the New Orleans Museum of Art from the famous Hodge collection which were later featured in a full blown exhibition of the collection back in 2008.

I do however cherish the book I got at the Kimbell exhibit. I have read so many books and watched so many movies about the Romanoffs that I can’t tell you what I’ve actually seen in person and what was delivered to me via various media.

The OKCMOA Exhihibition

The signature item of the OKCMOA Exhibition, featured on banners throughout the city, was a lapis lazuli egg decorated with gold filigree. I made the mistake of assuming the entire exhibition would be eggs, which was not true, but we were in no way disappointed, because the exhibit was full of spectacular, awe-inducing items collected by an avid American fan of Faberge.

The first egg displayed in the galleries was this darling piece with the pelican on top. It was a gift from Nicholas II to his mother the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. Pelicans are not exactly my favorite birds, but according to the information provided by the museum, they symbolize motherly love and care, so that makes it more charming. It was displayed as it is shown on this postcard, but a video showed how it opened up into a series of frames holding pictures of members of the royal family. Quite a remarkable feat.

Along a wall, magnificent religious icons dripping in jewels and precious metals filled a case. The lighting was low to preserve the artwork, but it also made it difficult to appreciate all the details. However, you didn’t need much light to tell you they were spectacular.

The next case had a grove of gold, tree-like arms holding miniature eggs exquisitely decorated by Faberge. The Pelican Egg, the icons and the miniature eggs filled the first room of the exhibition, but there were four other rooms full of treasures to enjoy. There was everything from furniture, to serving pieces, to animals, to lots and lots of frames, to cigarette cases, to…well pretty much whatever you can imagine. Photography was a new fad in those days, so a frame from your sovereign with a family photo was a real treat. Pre-rolled cigarettes were newly fashionable at the time too, so cigarette cases are well represented. I think the items which sparked the most interest for me were parasol handles. Fashion demanded the well-put-together woman complete her ensemble with a parasol and woe to the woman who didn’t have an assortment of parasols to chose from. Similarly, men carried canes with handles to rival the women.

The Technology

Audio tours were available on your smartphone and the museum provided earphones to cut down on the noise. The information available, some of which I have shared here, is quite interesting. However, the Kimbell has spoiled me. Their acousti-guides are a little more user-friendly, because you don’t have to go in order. You just input the number of the item you’ve happened upon and listen to what is said. You really had to follow the order of audio guide on your phone at the OKCMOA, because there was no way to select a specific item. You also used up a lot of phone juice. I had to charge up after I left.

I also felt like they were stingy with their information. There were so many wonderful items in the show and only a fraction were touched upon in the audio guide. I know they can’t tell us everything about every single item, but the guide only explained 14 of the 230 items. That’s not even a tithe of the objects.

Upstairs was a hands-on craft area for families to enjoy. Many people had designed plans for their own Faberge Eggs using colored pencils and glued on rhinestones. There was also a timeline with photos of all the Romanoff Easter Eggs. The rest of the floor held the bulk of what was being displayed from their permanent collection. We strolled through, but we were getting antsy to see the Chihuly’s

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I hope each and every one of you has a marvelous day. I hope you come back next week and check out the Chihulys.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Myriad Botanical Gardens, Oklahoma City OK

November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS, A GLORIOUS OASIS IN DOWNTOWN OKC

Warning! Downtown OKC is under construction. Your GPS won’t like it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. It just means you need to be ready for it. We found parking close to the art museum and walked the few short blocks to Myriad Botanical Gardens.

An entire city block, being prepared for implosion.

There’s a Conversion Happening

Five or six years ago Bill and I took a few days in OKC in the days before blogging. Much of what I planned for this stopover with Deb came from my memories of the trip with Bill. I remembered OKC having a decidedly turn-of-the-century Western charm, but it was the turn from the 19th century to the 20th. OKC is moving into the 21st century whether I approve of it or not.

The two buildings above may deserve the makeover, but there were others we were sorry to see included in the “improvement”. They sported signs of architectural interest that will be lost when antiquity is replaced with skyscrapers.

The inscrpition says we are what we do. What has someone done? — The inscription says, “We are what we do.” I wondered “What has someone done?”

At least the city is trying to incorporate natural beauty in between it’s glass boxes, but Deb didn’t think much of it. This small architectural feature was carved with a platitude and accented with a large stone. In Deb’s opinion, it looked as if someone had failed to clean up after their pet dinosaur. When Bill saw this picture, he felt the same way.

The Myriad Botanical Gardens had also changed. I remembered them as having more green grass and less hardscape. Not that they haven’t created a beautiful place. It’s just not as botanical as I remembered.

The Conservatory

The gardens outside were different and I was still trying to decide how I felt about that when we arrived at the entrance to The Conservatory. The last time I’d visited there had been a festival going on and the entry area was congested with small costumed entertainers. This time everything was serene.

We made our way to the garden area and entered a wonderland. It was amazing. I won’t bother you with my ecstatic ramblings. Instead I’ll just share my pictures.

Come back next week and I’ll share another downtown treat with you. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Mantel Wine Bar & Bistro – Oklahoma City, OK

November 5, 2015November 5, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: BULLS-EYE ON BRICKTOWN – LOOKING FOR FUN IN OK CITY

It’s about three hours to Oklahoma City from Dallas and we needed every minute of that to shake off all the frustrations which tried to keep us from leaving town. Deb and I both needed this trip. We were seriously devoted to radical attitude adjustment. That’s why we put the pedal to the medal so we could start our adventure in Bricktown.

Bricktown

Though we were on our way to Wichita KS for a Women’s Ministry Event we were determined to have some fun along the way. Bricktown was a great place to start.

Oklahoma City is a conglomeration of several interesting neighborhoods and I thoroughly recommend giving yourself several days to visit the city so you can enjoy them. Bricktown isn’t a neighborhood though. It’s an entertainment area. There’s a baseball stadium, tons of restaurants and even a Riverwalk. It’s not exactly San Antonio, but it’s well worth your time.

Deb and I blasted into town, threw our stuff into our hotel room and headed to Bricktown. Along the way, Deb read through some of the brochures I had on the area and decided The Mantel Wine Bar & Bistro sounded like our kind of place. Boy was she ever right.

Dark and Cozy

There was still daylight left when we got to Oklahoma City. The GPS took us close to our destination but construction thwarted Nancy the Navigator’s efforts to get us to the restaurant. After a little wandering around, Nancy decided she knew where she was again and she delivered us to the front door. The exterior of the building is nothing to write home about, but there was a parking space right out front so we felt like we’d come to the right place.

The moment we stepped inside all hints of sunshine disappeared. The place has a clubby, steakhouse vibe. We were seated at a banquette. I can imagine that being romantic for a couple, but Deb sat on the upholstered seat and I opted for a chair across from her.

The waiter promptly arrived and offered drinks, but we hadn’t figure out our game plan yet, so he left us to peruse the menu and wine list. We decided to share an appetizer and an entree. The entree was fish, so we chose a nice bottle of white to go along.

Seriously Delicious

I obviously left my bad luck in Dallas. The wine selection was crisp and refreshing. The appetizer was to die for. Baked Brie is one of our favorite things in the world and when Mantel’s version of it was put down in front of us we wondered why we didn’t order two. It looked perfect and tasted even better.

The entree was every bit as good. The grilled mahi mahi was cooked to perfection and rested atop a scrumptious risotto banked by stalks of grilled asparagus. The more we ate, the more we wanted, so we allowed the waiter to show us the dessert menu. Everything sounded amazing so we asked for help. Before we could finish the question he took the dessert menus out of our hands and told us we wanted the Lava Cake.

I’m sorry to report that I failed to get a picture of the dessert. Two balls of ice cream were served next to a large ramekin of chocolate stuff. He told us it was hot, but we just had to dump it out on the plate to mix with the ice cream. The poor waiter nearly fainted when he came back to find us trying to handle the ramekin with our napkins.

Waiter Love

The waiter whipped up our plate and disappeared. He returned moments later with our freshly dumped lava cake rolling around among the ice cream balls and he was obviously amused. He told us we were the first patrons he’d ever seen try to attempt the feat. We reminded him we’d warned him about ourselves. He laughed and confessed he’d been very wrong about us. He’d pegged us as salad-with-a-glass-of-wine types. Then we’d ordered a bottle of wine, an appetizer, and an entree. He hadn’t been surprised we also wanted dessert, but us playing hot potato with the lava cake had made his evening.

A Stroll Through Bricktown

Oklahoma City is not exactly the Big Apple and Bricktown on a Thursday night with no baseball game is a ghost town. Still we decided to wander down to the Riverwalk and take a stroll. I imagine that it can be a pretty exciting place to hang out, but it was eerie to be the only ones down there.

With nothing to distract us we went back to the car and returned to the hotel. We had a fun day ahead.

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